The King, The Convert, & The Quest

Introduction

Welcome back to Beyond everyone!

This is the start of a brand new year, a brand new year of learning more about what God has revealed about Himself through His word. A brand new year to learn about how God alone can change us and grow us.

Now it’s easy to say that but it could be asked,

What is God doing now? We see Him work and move and do big things in the Bible, where is all of that today?

Can we know God like Moses, or Paul, David, or Mary? Can God use us like He used them or is it really just for the “elite” Christians, people who go overseas and stuff?

So we look to a book in the Bible addressed to a young church, much like our group at Beyond here, comprised of young believers from different walks of life. The book/letter of Romans.

Has anyone read Romans here and could tell me a little of what the letter is about?

Let’s start at the very beginning,

Romans 1:1 ESV

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

I. Paul introduces himself, sharing his role as apostle, set apart for the gospel (1:1)

Write away, Paul introduces himself as the author, and gives the Romans his bio. He is a servant of Christ Jesus, and he has been called to be an apostle, set apart from the world for the gospel of God.

What are some things we know about how Paul used to be?

Yeah he was a powerful pharisee who was self-righteous and he killed believers, he killed Christians. This same guy is now saying he is a servant of Jesus called to share the gospel. It’s like if one of Batman’s villains dropped everything and became Robin.

God redeemed Paul’s life entirely. He had a role for Paul and a specific purpose for his life. To make known the word of God. Colossians 1:25 “of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,”

So he is set apart for the gospel

Romans 1:2–3 ESV

which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh

II. The gospel was promised before by God through the Holy Scriptures and is about the Son (1:2-3)

God spoke through the prophets in the Old Testament, promising the gospel, and the gospel is about Jesus.

Everything in history was building to the King coming, the descendant of David.

It’s literally the chosen one theme in all those stories but perfected in real life.

It’s all pointing to the Son, who according to his earthly body is a descendant of King David.

God promised David an heir who would reign forever. And as this passage shows God kept His promises.

Romans 1:4 ESV

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,

III. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Lord (1:4)

We see the Son’s humanity in verse 3, but in verse 4 we see His deity.

The Son came back to life. This declares that He is the Son of God!

I was talking to an individual who’s been wrestling with Christianity recently, and he asked, “I understand there is a God, but how can you know it’s the God of the Bible, why Christianity rather then other religions that believe in God?”

Because of the empty tomb.

Paul writes later in Romans 6:9 “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.”

Because Christ rose again, everything He says is true. It’s all confirmed. All of His teaching, all of it! So if you meet someone who wants to know why Christianity then any other religion, because Jesus Christ is alive!

He is alive, and as Romans 1:4 “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,”

says he is our LORD! He is our King! He is the king above all kings!

Some people will make the claim Jesus was just a good moral teacher, here is a wonderful response to that.

C. S. Lewis wrote: “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.”11 Robert H. Mounce, Romans, vol. 27, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 61.

Romans 1:5 ESV

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,

IV. Through Jesus, Paul and the apostles have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations for the sake of Christ’s name. (1:5)

I want to note the “we” here is talking about the apostles, the appointed 12 and Paul, but the message is still true to us because of the great commission (Matthew 28)

Christ has given grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations.

The obedience of faith? Was faith commanded? What does that mean?

If we go back to the gospel message, each of us has broken God’s rules, we have hated people, we have dishonored our parents, we have lived for ourselves and made decisions based on what will make us happy, we have spoken lies, we have envied what others have, been jealous, we have spent more time enjoying people and things rather then enjoying God. Because we have broken one of these, it has stained all of us. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And there is a punishment for our action - death. The wages of sin is death. There is judgement coming, there will be punishment of the broken rules. But God in His great love for us, sent His one and only perfect son, who lived the perfect life as a man, to take our place in the punishment. He received the death we deserve. He was buried and He rose again. and for those of us who believe in Him (turning away from our sin), we receive His reward, eternal life. We trade places with him. No longer are we rule breaking evil doers, but we are made sons and daughters of God, we are adopted and loved. And it is a free gift. We can live life how we were supposed to in relationship with God and obedience.

We come into a proper understanding that Jesus is Lord and we follow His ways for life. We live that way out of love for Him. Because He is worthy of that love!

Receiving what he has done in faith and giving our lives to him is the obedience of faith.

“...for the sake of his name among all the nations,”

Does this sound familiar to anyone else?

It’s echoing the great commission to go, into all the world making disciples. Paul has been given a quest, and that quest is to make disciples.

Romans 1:6 ESV

including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

V. From amongst the nations includes the church in Rome, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ (1:6)

This includes Rome but also it includes all of us. We are all called to belong to Jesus Christ. We are all called, we are all summoned. And just like how God had a plan for Paul’s life, He has a plan for our life too. He has a role for us to go into the world and make disciples, we are invited to this quest. To this journey.

God called Paul and had a plan for his life. He calls us too and has a unique plan and purpose for each of us!

Will we ask him what the first step is?

God keeps His promises. He promised the gospel and He promises a new life in Christ too.

Will we trust him to keep his promises? Do we?

Every believer is invited to go and teach the obedience of faith to all the nations, because the King is with us!

It might sound impossible to do what the Bible is asking us to, and if you are thinking this I want you to ask yourself, “Have I ever asked for God’s help in living how He has called me to live?”

God is a promise keeper, we can trust the fact that He will change us. He will help us live how the Bible has called us to, that’s why we receive the Holy Spirit. Do you trust Him with your life? Will you give Him your life?

You might be wondering what does that even mean? That’s okay, we are going to learn more about that, but if you have any questions always feel free to ask, we are on this journey together.

Prayer.