THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IS REVEALED: ROMANS 1:8-17

INTRODUCTION

Romans 1:16–17 NASB95

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Last week, we started the book of Romans and covered Romans 1:1-7).

We discussed

The Man: Paul - bond servant to Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for God’s Good News to the Jews and the Gentiles.

The Message - we explored the Gospel with broad strokes, showing how the promise of forgiveness of sin, reconciliation to God, the Spirit dwelling in God’s people - the law written on hearts not stone, God reigning over people through the Spirit, Resurrection of the dead, and a new Heaven and Earth - we all accomplished and started in Jesus.

The Mission - To bring obedience of faith in God’s promise in Jesus among the Gentile nations, to make a people of Jew and Gentile the Beloved of God, set apart for God.

TODAY WE WILL BE GETTING IN THE WEEDS A BIT AS WE TAKE A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE HISTORICAL AND COVENANTAL NATURE OF THE GOSPEL OF GOD AND JESUS.

My hope today is that you will see the GRAND all encompassing nature of the Gospel.

———————————————————————————————————-

A TRIP TO THE GRAND CANON.

A few years ago, I took the family to Arizona for a week long vacation.

We traversed the rolling red rocks of Arizona in a large pink Jeep, we visite cathedral rock, the Devil’s bridge, Chapel of the Holly Cross, and hiked Doe Mountain. It was all breath taking and beautiful.

But nothing compared to the GRAND CANYON

Overwhelming/ vast / multiple locations just to view half of it / So massive in scope it is impossible to fully comprehend / Only view that would do it justice is to fly over it in a helicopter / which we id not do.

THE GOSPEL/ GOOD NEWS OF GOD AND JESUS TO THE WORLD IS THE SAME WAY.

We use shorthand phrases to speak of the Gospel

The Gospel is about God setting the world right in and through Jesus.

The Gospel is how Jesus forgives our sins through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

And many more

THESE ARE CORRECT BUT THEY ARE LIKE VIEWING THE GRAND CANNON FROM ONE SPOT LOOKING AT IT FROM A HORIZONTAL PERSPECTIVE.

To fully capture the GRAND NATURE of the Gospel we need an arial view scanning the full breath and depth, every peak, valley, stream, and formation.

My task today, is to give you an arial view of the Gospel as we continue to walk through this letter of the Apostle Paul to the Church in the city of Rome.

I will fail to cover all the peaks, valley, and streams of the Gospel but maybe I can give you a view that allows you to see the Gospel not as a bumper sticker but as the Grand narrative of the entire Bible and human history.

—————————————————————————————————

TODAY WE WILL BE IN ROMANS 1 - 8-17

Paul starts us off greeting the Church and explaining why he desires to visit.

This is his launch pad for two of the most powerful verses in all of Scripture.

Romans 1:8–15 NASB95

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. 9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, 10 always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

HE IS EAGER TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE CHURCH IN ROME!

———————————————TRANSITION——————————————————

NOW IT IS TIME TO LOAD UP IN THE HELICOPTER AND PREPARE FOR THE GRAND VIEW OF SALVATION HISTORY, FULFILLED IN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS THE CHRIST.

THESE NEXT TWO VERSE ARE THE THEME THAT DRIVES THIS LETTER AND PAUL WILL SPEND 14 CHAPTERS UNPACKING.

—————————————————————————————————

Romans 1:16 NASB95

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

POINT 1

Romans 1:17 NASB95

17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

POINT

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS REVEALS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS / COVENANT FAITHFULNESS OF GOD.

PROOF

Psalm 98:2–3 NASB95

2 The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

GRAND PICTURE - SALVATION HISTORY FROM ADAM TO JESUS THROUGH GOD’S COVENANTS WITH HUMANITY FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION.

Jesus is the Faithful Adam / Jesus is the faithful Israel

Jesus is the lamb who can open the covenant deep to bring in the Age to come.

Jesus is the Son of Man - the righteous/ faithful covenant partner who is worthy to open the scroll

SO WHAT IS THE GRAND PICTURE OF THE GOOD NEWS.

Jesus, the Son of Man who faithfully fulfilled the covenant of God was declared faithful and righteous by God, demonstrated in His resurrection from the dead.

He now sets at the right hand of God, representing all Jews and Gentiles who place their trust in Him, ruling over the nations, adminstering blessings to His (Through the Spirit) and curses and wrath on those who oppose Him, until all enemies are placed under his feet, then, with a shout of the Archangel, He will return, and the dead in Christ will rise, those still living with be transformed, and His reign and glory will fill the earth for eternity. Death, sin, evil, Satan, will be vanquished and all His covenant people signed by faith, and sealed by the Spirit will be ushered into the Eternal Age to come - the New Heaven and Earth.

Jesus faithfully fulfilled the covenants of Adam and Moses perfectly keeping the law, relying fully on the Word of God to dsicern good from evil.

Jesus obediently took on the curses and penalties of breaking the covenants

And Jesus rightly inherited the blessings of the Covenant

And now Jesus adminsters these blessings to us through the Holy Spirit who is the down payment to all Covenant people, Jew or Gentile, of the Age to come (Resurrection, New heaven and Earth, banishment of evil, sin, sickness, disease, death. A world fully under the reign of God through Jesus the Christ.

As Abraham was declared righteous for his faith in God keeping His covenant promise so, God is declared righteous by the Gospel.

For through the Life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, God has brought the covenant with Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Israel to their zenith, opening the door to a new Covenant mediate by Christ Jesus.

PRACTICE - Faith is not a leap in the ark, Faith in the good news of Jesus is rooted in God’s Historical faithful righteousness to fulfill His Covenant even when all humanity broke covenant.

POINT 2

GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS IS REVEALED BY HIS FAITHFULNESS TO THE COVENANTS, GRANTING TO US SUPERNATURAL FAITH (RELIANCE) IN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS.

POINT 3

IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLES, EVIILS, AND HARD TIMES - FAITH IN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, IS OUR COVENANT SIGN THAT WE ARE IN RIGHT STANDING WITH GOD.

When all the earth and heavens, nations, and peoples are shaken, our faith in Him to fulfill His covenant promise is the sign, that we have been declared righteous / in right standing with God / faithful to His Covenant in Jesus.