The Court Reporter
Notes
Transcript
Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,
and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,
among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—
that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.
I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.
So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Intro:
Intro:
AG:
TS: This morning we begin a study of the Book of Romans. The letter from Paul to the church in Rome is one of the richest books in the New Testament.
Chuck Swindoll said the purpose of the book is:
“God’s righteousness is given to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.”
There are 3 major divisions in the book of Romans:
Saving Sinners 1-8
Concerning Israel 9-11
Concerning Christian Conduct 12-15
The apostle greeted twenty-six different people by name, personalizing a letter from a man who would have been a personal stranger to most of the recipients
The Outline Bible (Section Outline One (Romans 1))
The opening chapter may be thought of as a trial, where God is the judge and sinful humans are the accused.
RS: My prayer is that as we study this book, we will grow deeper in our faith. Deeper in our understanding of theology and deeper in living out the Word of God.
His Credentials
His Credentials
Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
No one disputes that Paul wrote the book of Romans
Hebrew name: Saul
Greek name: Paul
Tribe of Benjamin
Roman citizen
He was born in Tarsus, an important city in thee Roman province of Cilicia in modern day Turkey.
He was a Pharisee and member of a strict Jewish sect.
He was saved and became a bondservant of Jesus
In Greek culture, servants had no choice, they were slaves and involuntary servitude.
Paul uses the Hebrew sense of servant
one who willingly commited himself to a master he loves and respects.
An Apostle
lit. “one who is sent”
NT- refers to the 11 Jesus chose while on Earth, and Paul. As well as Mathias whom the disciples choose to replace Judas.
Chosen and trained by Jesus
Sent to preach the gospel and plant churches
Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,
His particular focus as to the “nations” the Gentiles
From thee moment of His call and salvation, Jesus told him he would have this role.
God sent Ananias to greet Paul and restore his sight. On sending Him, God revealed his purpose.
So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.
Paul began preaching immediatly
Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
He aas well trained in the Scriptures
Now that he knew Jesus, he knew the One the Scriptures was all about.
His Christ
His Christ
which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,
and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
Prophesied in OT v. 2
Paul was often accused by the Jewish opposition of proclaiming something new.
He was proclaiming Jesus who had always been the point of the Jewish faith.
Jesus was promised all the way back in Genesis
The Garden
Eve’s seed to crush serpent’s head
At the call of Abraham and the other Patriarchs
Bless the world through their descendants
Moses and all the rest
Ultimately, Jesus in the main idea in EVERY part of the Bible
MacArthur Study Bible NASB Commentary
While the rabbinical writings popular in the first century—and often studied more diligently than Scripture itself—may not have taught the gospel of God, the divinely inspired OT certainly did
That was one of the main problems the religious rulers had, they spent time studying the writings of men instead of the Word of God.
Proclaimed in the NT v.3-4
He was fully man (seed of David)
Mary was his mother and He was miraculous conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
He was a human in every sense of the word
He was fully God
He is the Son of God
Demonstrated by His power
Demonstrated by His resurrection
His Congregation
His Congregation
A. The Identity of this Church
A. The Identity of this Church
among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rome-
Called-
God Himself called the Roman Christians (and us) to belong to Christ.
Saints- those called, justified, and sanctified by God
BTW: We are all saints! The Bible declares it to be so.
It means “holy ones”
We only become holy by the grace of GOD
We cannot clean up our act and make ourselves holy
B. The Intercession for this Church
B. The Intercession for this Church
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.
Paul prayed for them.
Expressed Gratitude
Paul commonly mentioned gratitude in his letters.
He appreciates those who receive it.
Praised Genuineness of Salvation
It was widely known
MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary)
The testimony of the church in Rome was so strong that in A.D. 49 the emperor Claudius expelled all the Jews because of the influence of “Chrestus,” which was undoubtedly a reference to Christ (cf. Ac 18:2). throughout the whole world. As the center of the Roman Empire and the inhabited world, whatever happened in Rome became known universally.
C. The Interest in this Church
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—
that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.
Paul wanted to visit them:
Commitment to a common Lord draws people together. To be servants of the same master is to be in harmony with each other.
Paul had 2 goals:
To impart a spiritual gift
He wanted to teach them and strengthen their faith
So they would be stronger in the faith
He sought their growth.
To receive encouragement
Being with them would also encourage Paul
He hadn’t neglected them, v. 13 shows he was hindered
E. The indebtedness to this Church
I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.
So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
Paul had an obligation to God to preach the gospel
He preached to all
Greek and barbarian (uncivilized )
wise and unwise
The gospel must go forth universally to all
Only God knows the real inner person.
Only He knows who will respond and be redeemed.
He has always known!
Here, we preach to ALL people
His Confidence
His Confidence
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
These verses are the theme of the entire book!
The gospel of Jesus Christ
He is not ashamed
Paul had endured much in his ministry
But ridicule, criticism, and physical persecution, never made him shy back from preaching the gospel
We may face opposition and ridicule
But we have no reason to be ashamed
It is the power of God
Power- ‘dunamis’ same root word for dynamite
Instead of destroying and blowing things to pieces, the power of God shatters the hold of sin on us and recreates us into righteous ones!
The gospel is effective because it carries the omnipotence of God.
His power alone can overcome our sinful nature and rescue us
For all who believe
Throughout he Bible, belief is the key
Belief- means to trust, rely on, have faith in
Taking God at His word in the gospel is the only means of salvation.
Saving faith has 3 elements
mental: the mind understands the gospel
emotional: embrace the truthfulness of the gospel ith sorrow over sin and joy over God’s mercy and grace
volitional: the sinner submits his will to Christ and trusts Him alone as the only hope of salvation.
The Jews saw it first, and now the Gentiles
v. 17 Righteousness comes from God
Concl
Concl
Romans is a powerful book! It examines the gospel and salvation deeply. Even here in the opening veeersees and introductions, the good news of Salvation from God is on full display.
There only only 2 proper reactions:
Believe it
Proclaim it.