An Amazing Introduction
Notes
Transcript
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul begins his letter by identifying himself.
V. 1
What word does he choose that most describes who he is?
Servant
A servant is one who belongs to another, not by force, but willingly.
It is one who serves the interest of another and not his own.
It is one who is under the authority of another so that he follows his commands and obeys his voice.
7 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”
But he isn’t just a servant, he is also an apostle.
The word apostle means sent one.
It is the word used for a messenger.
This identifies Paul’s purpose.
An apostle is one who has the authority of the one who sent him.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Do you know who you are?
Do you know who’s you are?
Do you know why you’re here?
If an apostle is one who is sent with a message, what message was Paul sent with?
The gospel of God
The Gospel of God is the good news about what God has done to save sinners.
It is this gospel that Paul will spend the next 16 chapters unpacking.
It is this gospel that is at the very heart of Romans, it is his most extensive explanation of what the gospel is and what the gospel does.
We must be set apart for this gospel.
It requires a complete rededication of our time, energy, and resources.
V.2
This gospel actually finds it’s beginning in the OT.
Where can you find the gospel in the Bible?
EVERYWHERE!
The Old is by the new explained.
The new is in the old contained.
The new is in the old concealed.
The old is in the new revealed.
To reject the old testament and say that it is irrelevant is to reject Jesus and to reject the gospel.
V. 3-4
The gospel of God is essentially the message of God’s Son Jesus Christ, who He is, what He has done, and what He is doing.
He alone is the means of redemption and salvation for us, our only hope of deliverance from our sinful state, freedom from the curse, and reconciliation with God.
Paul wants us to know here that Jesus is both fully God and fully man.
How can we believe such a thing as this?
He proved it by His resurrection from the dead.
V. 5-6
Through Christ God has met man’s greatest need: grace
God did this by giving Him what we deserved and giving us what He deserved.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
But He did not do this for our own sake, He did it so that He could send us out as messengers of grace.
Without faith there can be no obedience and without obedience there is no faith.
The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
V. 7
You, like those in Rome, are loved by God and called to be saints.
We need to get this truth down into the very core of our being.
10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.