Called to Service for the Gospel
Notes
Transcript
If you needed to write a letter introducing yourself so you can get them to help you, what would you put in it? You would obviously write about the project you needed help with. You might also explain who you were so they would know you could accomplish the project. That’s what Paul is doing in the book of Romans. But the thing he needs help with is proclaiming the gospel. He is planning to travel to Spain, and needs help getting there. But he isn’t on a pleasure cruise; he is going to preach the gospel
Along the way, he is also hoping to establish the Church of Rome in the Gospel, too. So what we have here is a letter to do both of those things. Now you know how we write letters today - you start with “dear so and so,” or some such thing, and end with “sincerely [or something similar], your name.” In the first century, letter writing was a bit different. Letters normally started with a greeting - John Wivell to you, greetings. They might also have some kind of praise to the gods and some kind words thanking the recipient, if they were the longer sort of letter.
Paul’s letter of introduction to the Romans follows a similar pattern, but it is way longer than ancient letters - or modern ones for that matter - usually were. He first identifies himself and what he is trying to do, then identifies the Romans and who they were. But instead of two lines, it’s a full paragraph. The Thanks to the Romans is also a full paragraph instead of a sentence. That means that the introductory stuff isn’t something to skip over. It’s part of Paul’s teaching about the Gospel. He uses the introduction to get the Romans excited about the Gospel and make them eager to know what they can do to help. He will eventually get to how they can help, but for now he wants them to know that he is all about the gospel, and that his first goal of coming is to strengthen them spiritually by strengthening their understanding of the gospel.
Now while Paul’s letter to the Romans is all about the gospel, it isn’t an evangelistic letter. He isn’t writing to someone trying to get them to believe a gospel they are skeptical of; he is writing to a church to help them get a deeper understanding of the gospel they already believe. The book of Romans was one of the few letters Paul wrote to a church he did not plant personally. According to v.13 he had not yet been there in person, yet there is already a church there. In other words, while it could certainly help a non-Christian, Romans is meant first of all for Christians to get a clearer understanding of the Gospel.
An Apostle Set Apart to Serve Christ for the Gospel
An Apostle Set Apart to Serve Christ for the Gospel
When Paul introduces himself, he does not present his resume. He does not proclaim all the things he has done to prove he is worthy of their trust. He does not even emphasize his authority. Sure he lets them know he is an apostle, but he does not lead with that.
It’s not like he never used his authority. In Galatians and 2 Corinthians, when his authority was being directly attacked, he did defend his calling. But here, where they have no animosity against him, he emphasizes that he is a servant.
The Servant of Christ Jesus
The Servant of Christ Jesus
A Servant does not have his own agenda. He does what his Master commands him. A Servant does not even have his own methods. The Master will tell him how he wants things done. A Servant does not have his own power. He comes with the authority of the one who commands him. Paul labels himself as the Servant of Christ Jesus. He isn’t coming on the authority of Paul; He isn’t coming to present Paul’s message. He does not come to do things Paul’s way. He comes to present the message of Jesus Christ, the way Jesus wanted it presented, under the power that Jesus Provides by the Holy Spirit. Thus “Servant” is a humble role.
But “servant” is also an exalted title. One of the greatest titles ever given to a human being is “Servant of the Lord.” To be the Servant of the Most High God was to claim the highest authority possible. The Servant of the Lord could command Kings and expect to be obeyed. Moses Commanded Pharaoh the most powerful man on earth at the time, and he could expect to be obeyed, not because Moses was important, but because he Served Yahweh; and when Pharaoh did not obey, God made sure he suffered the consequences. And when Moses Died, the greatest title you could bestow on him was “Servant of the Lord.”
So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.
Joshua led the Children of Israel to conquer seven nations with greater military might than he had; he could expect to win because he was the Servant of the Lord; and when he died the greatest title he could be given was “Servant of the Lord.
Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten years old.
Elijah the Prophet claimed victory over the prophets of Baal; and eluded capture by Ahab, precisely because he was a Servant of God. As he stood on Mount Carmel, he prayed a simple prayer
And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word.
Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
And you know what happened. the fire of God fell from heaven and burnt up the wood, the sacrifice, the stones and the water in the trench. Why did Elijah have so much power? Because he was the Servant of the Lord.
But the greatest Servant of the Lord of all? Jesus himself.
“For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together
And yet being a Servant of Christ Jesus is not a special role that only Paul can fill. It is something that all of us can be. In that same prayer, the church was praying corporately and claimed that the whole church were all servants of God
Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,
So how does one become a Servant of Christ Jesus? You must be pure enough. Jesus cannot stand any sin; he does not want evil people representing him. That’s where forgiveness comes in. You know you aren’t good enough; that’s OK because Jesus offers perfect righteousness to you. But that’s not quite enough. You cannot claim to be his servant without serving him, now, can you?
But Serving the Lord simply means doing what God wants you to do; that does not look the same for every person.
Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Slavery wasn’t exactly a rewarding career. You did whatever the master told you to do. Maybe your master was a good man who cared about you. Maybe he was cruel and lazy. Maybe your master recognized your talents and let you do what you do best; maybe he just wanted you to clean the toilets. You were probably not going to be doing religious things. You were probably going to be doing mundane things for people that did not know the Lord and might never know him. My point is that the slave’s job does not look like Spiritual Service in most cases. It does not even look like a good career. It looks like being stuck doing really unimportant stuff forever. Yet Paul tells the slaves that they ought to do whatever mundane task they were assigned to the best of their ability. Why? Because in doing that mundane task, they served Jesus. He does not tell them that they would become servants of the Lord Christ if they did their jobs well. They already serve Jesus in those very “unspiritual” mundane things they are stuck doing.
Called to be an Apostle
Called to be an Apostle
Paul’s second title is that of Apostle. Now prior to the New Testament, “Apostle” wasn’t a technical term for a Christian office. It simply meant someone who is sent by someone else. How impressive that is obviously depends on exactly who sent you. Here, Paul is sent by Christ Jesus. An Apostle is someone who was sent directly by Jesus - not by reading the Bible and obeying it, but by Jesus directly sending them to do something.
To be called was again not a religious term but meant to be chosen by someone. Paul was chosen by Jesus; he didn’t get a choice. You remember how Paul was chosen, right? He was chosen at the same time as he was saved. Jesus appeared to him on the Damascus Road and told him
And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
And Jesus explained to Ananias
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.
Jesus chose Paul to be an apostle, and directly appointed him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. That’s how Paul became an apostle; not because he was brave or clever - although he was both of those things; not because he was spiritual - because when he was chosen he was the enemy of the church - but because Jesus picked him.
Now the role of Apostle is rare; you can’t become one. Apostles are only necessary for the foundation of the church; there were no new apostles after Paul because the church was established. The mission that Paul and the other Apostles had was to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the office ceased but the mission didn’t. We are called to continue Paul’s mission to the Gentiles; we are here as Gentiles in a Gentile land to preach the Gospel to the Nations. Jesus didn’t directly appear to tell you this because he didn’t need to; that’s why he appointed the Apostles. The Apostles founded the church so that the mission Jesus gave them to preach would still be fulfilled after they died.
Set Apart for the Gospel
Set Apart for the Gospel
Paul was “Separated” or “set apart” - not from something but to something. The word here is ἀφωρίζω - to divide, separate, or set apart. Paul is saying that he was separated from other people for a special task; the task of proclaiming the gospel.
But what is the Gospel? Gospel means “good news.” That is, God has a message for the world; that message is good for us.
All three titles reflect the same reality. Paul was chosen directly by Jesus to proclaim the Gospel of God to the world. This is what it means to be an apostle. However, Paul does not really care about exalted titles; instead, what matters is that he is just a servant of Christ Jesus. The title that matters most to him is one that you also have if you have been forgiven - Servant. To be the Servant of the Lord means you can claim divine authority for the message of the Gospel. It isn’t your message it’s God’s, so people need to listen not because you are special, but because God is great and will hold people accountable to listen to the truth.
The Essence of the Gospel
The Essence of the Gospel
The other way Paul expands the introductory material is by going into detail on what the Gospel is. It is the Gospel that is the most important thing he can share - with Christians. Why? It never ceases to amaze me just how messed up people can get and still believe the Gospel. Even today after 2000 years of instruction, people can be wildly confused about all sorts of important theology, and still be on their way to heaven. There is a minimum, of course, but it is vitally important that we clearly understand it. Paul is going to spend many chapters expounding it, but before it gets into that, he will give a brief summary of the gospel that he has been commissioned to preach.
Jesus is good news because he is the Son of God and the the descendant of David; he could not be the Christ unless he was the Son of David; and he could not forgive sins unless he was the Son of God; without both of those things you do not have the gospel.
There is evidence for this claim. First, that it was already promised beforehand by the God through the prophets. God promised a solution to the sin problem right at the beginning
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
God would raise up the Seed of the Woman who would crush the head of the serpent - Someone that was uniquely the offspring of a woman alone would destroy the Devil but be hurt himself in the process. This is hope in the midst of judgment.
God promised that someone would come who would be the final offering for sin
He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.
Second, Jesus’ resurrection was an act of God’s power that declared that he really was the Son of God - specifically an act of the Holy Spirit. Notice that this did not make him the Son of God; it Declared him to be the Son of God. Jesus had already made the claim that he was the Son of God during his life, and his miracles had already backed up what he said
Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?” So He said to them, “You rightly say that I am.”
And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”
Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
But the Resurrection pales in comparison to all other miracles. Sure, Jesus’ other miracles were enough evidence to prove he was who he claimed to be; but the Resurrection was an unprecedented display of God’s power.
This is marvelous especially when you consider that Jesus had raised the dead during his lifetime. Jairus’ Daughter, the son of the Widow of Nain, and especially Lazarus. But Jesus’ own resurrection is much greater than any of these. Why? Because all of the people Jesus raised from the dead were merely given their old life back. They died again eventually. Those miracles were on par with things the old prophets had done. Elijah and Elisha both raised the dead, too.
But Jesus’ resurrection was not like the others. He did not resume the natural life he inherited from Mary; he began a new life-principle, one animated by the Spirit. Jesus’ resurrection was to eternal life, something that the rest of us must wait until his return to enjoy. To receive life on this level is much stronger evidence that he is who he claimed to be. He claimed to be the Son of God and the Messiah. You didn’t need a miracle to prove he was descended from David. The temple records would do that. But to prove he was the Son of God. That’s a bit harder to pull off - the Resurrection was a demonstration of the power of God like the world has never seen. Only God can give life; Only God is the source of all life. In the history of the World no one has received eternal life except Jesus. And all those who are with him, someday soon.
The Grace of being Called
The Grace of being Called
Paul returns to the theme of his apostleship, this time defining exactly what it is. But first he says that he has received Grace and Apostleship - meaning that the grace he has received is his apostleship. And indeed it is a tremendous privilege. Paul was given the task of bringing the Gospel of God to all of the Gentiles. The Jews got 12 apostles; the Gentiles got one.
But think for a minute what it cost Paul to be an apostle. He went from being a prominent Jew with a safe and comfortable position to being in constant danger from hostile forces from both Jews and Gentile. He endured hunger, cold, imprisonment, flogging; he traveled in an age when you got places by walking there, and where there were often no places to stay when you got there. He suffered immensely to be an apostle yet he calls it grace - favor - from God.
And he was right. My point is that it is not just worth it to suffer for the Gospel. It is a privilege to suffer for Jesus.
So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
And Paul counted it a privilege to suffer as he did because this allowed him to accomplish the “obedience of faith.” That is, faith produces obedience. By persuading the Gentiles to believe, he was also moving the Gentiles to obey as a result of believing.
He extends his grace to persuade the Gentiles to believe in Jesus’ name to the Romans. Paul may not have founded the church, but he desires to build them up, thus furthering his mission. Of course, Paul primarily did pioneer missions, but he does not consider his trip to Rome outside of the task of bringing about the obedience of faith to all nations.
Paul does not restrict the grace of calling to himself. He titles the Romans as those who are “Loved by God, and “called to be saints. Since he limits his letter to those who are loved by God, he means the kind of love that God shows when he saves someone. There is a very true sense in which God loves the whole world - John 3:16 - but while God does love everyone, he does not love everyone in exactly the same way. This isn’t strange. I love my wife, and I also love my children. But I don’t love my children in exactly the same way I love my wife. They are different loves. I also care about the kids on the bus I drive, but I don’t love them in the same way I love my own children. God loves the world and shows it by offering the whole world salvation; He loves Christians as Children of God. That’s what he means when he says that God loves them.
And they are called as well. Called to be Saints. A Saint is not necessarily someone in a stained-glass window. A Saint is someone who is specially set apart by God. All Christians are saints; therefore all Christians are called to be saints.
Grace and Peace to You
Grace and Peace to You
Paul’s standard greeting is a Christianized version of both a Greek and a Jewish greeting. It was normal practice to simply write “to X greeting,” But Paul expands on what was normal. The Greek word for “greetings,” χαίρε, is the verb form of the word “grace” χάρις. So Paul turns a standard hello into a desire that God’s Grace might rest on them. But the Jewish greeting is “shalom,” meaning “peace.” Paul isn’t writing in Hebrew, so he simply uses the regular Greek word for peace. He turns the standard Jewish greeting into a wish that they might have peace.
But not just any peace. Peace from God is already implied in the Jewish greeting, but he says “God our Father.” Jews did not call God their father. Christians do because Jesus taught us to. “Our Father who art in heaven.” Furthermore, he calls for peace for God our Father And the Lord Jesus Christ. The close connection between God and Jesus would have made a Jew very uncomfortable. Paul turns a Jewish Greeting into a Christian one.
But Grace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ is also implies. So in some ways it is just a greeting; but even in how Paul says “hello,” he implies theology. Grace and Peace can only come through Jesus Christ from God the Father. If you have them, you have salvation which is the most important thing you can have.
