Romans: For Christ Alone
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Turn to Romans chapter one
I find it a distinct pleasure when I get to read a personal letter that was written by someone many years ago. Perhaps its because I enjoy history. Or perhaps its because reading an old letter is like getting to hear a voice from long ago.
My Grandma Brubaker was a card writer. For most of her life, she lived in a world without texting and without social media and where your phone was mounted on the wall. The blessing was that you always knew where it was. In that world, she would send cards to family and friends and she would do it just for the joy of writing!
There were a few times where years later I happened to come across one of her cards written in her fine cursive handwriting. In them she would tell stories about different things that happened in her day. She would write about how she and Grandpa Brubaker had been spending their time. She would describe their roadtrips and sightseeing. She would share what they were busy doing as they lead the senior saints ministry at church. She would tell of sitting on the shaded back patio and sipping Grandpa’s tea together as they listened to the songbirds. Of course, she would brag just a little bit about her grandchildren.
Years later, it was so special to read those cards, to hear her speak again, and to step into her world.
What we have before us today is the apostle Paul’s letter to the Roman believers. We get to read this letter not five years, or ten years, or fifty years, but nearly 2000 years after it was written! We get to hear Paul speak as he was moved by the Spirit of God! We get to step back into their world and - like the original recipients of this letter - we get to meditate on the wonderful realities of the Christian faith.
Although this is not a personal letter like 1 Timothy, Titus, or Philemon, it is a letter from the depths of Paul’s heart and mind to all the Christians who lived in Rome. Paul loved these dear people and he desired that their theological questions would be answered and that their doctrine would be sound.
Read Romans 1:1
Following the common format of the day, the letter begins with Paul’s salutation and he identifies himself as its human author. It was typical for a letter to involve four people: the author, a secretary, a messenger, and the recipient. As Paul dictated the letter, the secretary recorded it. The messenger then carried it to the intended receivers.
Tertius was the secretary.
Next slide here:
I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.
From what Paul says in Romans 16:1-2, It’s likely that Phebe was the messenger.
Next slide here:
I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.
In a few years from now, when we get to Romans chapter sixteen, we’ll look at Tertius and Phebe a little more, but for now I want to bring your attention to Paul’s description of himself.
First, Paul describes himself as…
Next slide here:
A servant of Jesus Christ
If given the choice, “servant” is probably not the first word we would use to describe ourselves, now is it?
“Hi, I’m Tim Brubaker, and I’m a servant of Jesus Christ.”
Now that would be kind of weird in our American culture. I’m not going to make a good first impression with a legislator if I introduce myself that way, but aside from the cultural oddity, we just don’t think of introducing ourselves as a servant.
This particular Greek word means a slave. A slave’s work could be very diverse, some were even doctors, Yet here was Paul, a Roman citizen by birth, describing himself as the slave of someone else - Jesus Christ.
Many of the Roman recipients would have been slaves themselves, so this introduction would have resonated with them and immediately caught their attention.
Application: Who are you, Christian? How do you think of yourself?
You know, if we all think of ourselves as servants of Jesus Christ, there won’t be much risk of big egos or hurt feelings as we serve together this year.
One thing’s certain from how Paul described himself: he lived For Christ Alone.
Secondly, Paul described himself as…
Next slide here:
An apostle
It was late 2014 when Jana and I began planning our wedding which was scheduled for May, 2015. We decided to get married one week after college graduation. One of the wedding details was giving our friends and family advance notice by mailing out personal invites to each family or individual. Back then, we paid a friend to design the wedding invites for us. With today’s tools I could do it myself. But once that design came back, we printed up a bunch of invites and mailed them out so that folks could save the date on their calendar.
Next slide here:
Called: to be invited
Just like we reached out and invited specific people to our wedding, Paul was specifically invited to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. An apostle was an eyewitness of the resurrected Christ. The term means someone sent out with a commission to fulfill. Paul had received his commission and he was duty-bound to fulfill it.
Do you see how in this introduction Paul is describing himself? He describes both his humble position and his great responsibility. His words indicate a proper view of himself as well as a sober realization of his high calling. He thought neither too highly of himself nor too lowly. He practiced exactly what he preached in Romans 12:3, which says,
Next slide here:
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Paul did exactly this. His introduction of himself to these Christians was appropriate and balanced - a far cry from some introductions that I hear for some preachers these days.
I’ve heard some introductions given for preachers that have made me cringe. And it’s not always the preacher’s fault either. I can say this because I lived in the south for twelve years where it was more common. There’s been a few times that I was hearing a preacher be introduced to the congregation before he preaches and you would have thought that God Himself was about to step up and preach.
Based on his introduction in this letter, I don’t get the sense that Paul tolerated that in his ministry.
Application: Christian, your life will be out of balance until you have a proper view of yourself and of God.
You’ll be like the washing machine where the load is all on one side. You’ll be spinning round and round. Your life will be busy. But you’ll be making a racket and your effectiveness for God will be diminished because your life is out of balance. A top load washing machine works best on the spin cycle when the load is balanced.
You must be balanced and have a proper view of yourself and of God. The only way you’ll get that is by learning what God has said about you and about Himself.
Paul had this and it made him more effective in serving the Lord.
Thirdly, Paul was…
Next slide here:
A preacher of the gospel of God
One of the more common jobs on a dairy farm is repairing gates and fences. I’ve worked with barbed wire and on more than one occasion I’ve had the pleasure of getting cut by it. I’ve worked with electric fence too and I’ve had the pleasure of crawling through a fence, thinking that the electricity was turned off only to find out that it wasn’t.
Fences are for boundaries and dairy farms out of necessity have lots of fences.
Next slide here:
Separated: to mark off with a boundary, to set apart, to appoint for a purpose
Paul’s life was marked for something. He was set apart, he was appointed for a specific purpose and it was this: to be a preacher of the good news of God!
Application: Don’t you see it now, Christian? Don’t you see the main point that shines through so clearly in Paul’s opening words?
Jesus Christ brings purpose to your life - if you’ll embrace it! He doesn’t just contribute purpose to your life; He is the purpose of your life - if you’ll embrace it!
Paul didn’t find purpose in his life by being Jewish!
Paul didn’t find purpose in his life by being a Pharisee!
Paul didn’t find purpose in his life by living the Mosaic law!
But he received true purpose and meaning in life when he met Jesus! Paul embraced his new identity in Christ!
He became a servant - but what a high calling - a servant of Jesus Christ!
He was invited to be an apostle - one sent out with a commission to do a great work!
He was set apart as a preacher of the gospel of God and this work set the course of the rest of his life!
Don’t you see! Paul lived and breathed a life full of purpose because he lived For Christ Alone!
Application: If you are a Christian but you are wandering around without purpose in your life, I say this as kindly as I can: that’s not your Savior fault. That’s your fault. Either you’re ignorant of God’s purpose for your life or you’re refusing to do it.
Look at Charlie Kirk. He wasn’t always the outspoken conservative Christian that we knew him as. He grew into that because of some turning points in his life. And the people that knew him in the final years of his life say that he lived a life of purpose. Why? Was it because of the Republican Party? No. Was it because of MAGA? No. It’s because Jesus Christ was the defining theme of his life!
Guess what: Jesus Christ was the defining theme of Paul’s life.
We have so many millennials and Gen Z’ers aimlessly walking around trying to figure out their purpose in life. Young person, if that’s you, please understand, I’m not beating you down, I’m cheering you on, but listen carefully to what I say.
You will not find real purpose merely by becoming part of a greater cause. Lots of young people becomes advocates for this or that cause and they get a sense of purpose but it doesn’t last. Its a counterfeit.
You will not find real purpose in a career. Lots of doctors and lawyers and business owners have tried and they come up empty.
You will find real purpose only in Jesus Christ. Give your life to Him and surrender to do whatever He wants you to do with your life and I promise you, your life will be full of purpose.
Christian, God intended your life to be a life of purpose. The only way that will happen - the only way you will know true purpose in life - is if you surrender all your interests and live your life For Christ Alone.
Invitation
Invitation
An Introduction to Rome (Part 1) - background of the book, verses 2-4
An Introduction to Rome (Part 2) - verses 5-7
