Christ’s Servant Ministry

Introduction

Paul is beginning to bring the book of Romans to a close and it is here that we gain a glimpse of what truly matters to Paul in this letter. Paul’s central concern is the division between Jews and Gentiles in the church of Rome. I am going to be honest with you, we don’t deal with divisions between Jew and Gentile here at HHBC, but that does not mean we don’t struggle with the same essential struggle that the Church of Rome did. We struggle with understanding the unity of the gospel, that every single one of us is a sinner saved by grace. We struggle with understanding that all the blessings we have in Christ belong to all of us. We struggle with petty divisions and fights amongst each other. We fail to embrace the unity we have in Christ. The many things that divide Christian have one simple solution: a focus on Christ.

So as we close out this section of the text and bring the book to a close, Paul wants us to lift up our eyes and see Jesus. You cannot look down on other Christians, when your eyes are looking up at Christ. When we are focused on Him, we cannot be focused on these petty squabbles that divide us. When I am watching Christ and how he interacts with those he came to save and I want to be like that is will radically change the way I see my brothers and sisters in Christ. This morning we are going to meditate on the person of Christ and what he came to do.

If I were to ask you, why did Jesus come to earth? You would probably answer to die for our sins and provide salvation for each and every one of and that answer would be 100% correct, but is that all he came to do? Our text this morning is going to highlight another aspect of why Jesus came. This morning I want to focus on the Servant Ministry of Jesus Christ.

Christ’s Role as a Servant

Romans 15:8 “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:”

For anyone who is interested the word Now is a discourse marker showing that there is a transition here. Paul is moving on to a slightly different discussion although it still relates to the previous two chapters.

Jesus Christ is introduced in this first phrase as a minister. Most of you know by now that the word minister simply means a servant. When we think of Christ, we often think of him coming as savior. Jesus died for our sins on the cross was buried and rose again the third day. Other might think of Jesus as coming as king because he will come to rule over his people Israel and in some way that first coming is connected to that. But Jesus came to minister. Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Jesus wasn’t focused on having everyone pamper him. He didn’t sit on a throne and have Mary Magdalene drop grapes into his mouth while James and John fanned him with palm leaves. Jesus intent from the beginning was to serve us in a way that no one could ever rival. Mark focuses on this truth throughout his gospel, but we also see it in.

Philippians 2:7 “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:” Jesus could have come as a king, but he came as a servant. One thing I know about servants is that they serve others. Added to the examples we will look at in the text, Jesus served others when he:

washed the feet of his disciples

cast demons out of the afflicted

healed the sick

sat and talked with the outcasts like the woman at the well

died on the cross

Jesus did all of this for us. As Paul already said in vs 3. Christ in bearing our reproaches sought not to please Himself, but to please others. The King of Glory left it all for me. Last week, I fumbled through a bible verse from Hebrews. I want you to look at it this morning.

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Every English translation I could find translates those word for the joy with the word for, but they are missing something important. The Greek word there is actually anti from which we get anti like antiChrist, antisocial. What does anti mean? It literally means in the place of or instead. What this verse is affirming is that Christ gave up for a time the riches of heaven, the joys of glory to endure the cross.

Instead of riches, he suffered poverty.

Instead of honor, he suffered ridicule.

Instead of comfort, he suffered hardship.

Instead of joy, he endured the cross.

I would love to go on to the rest of the verse, but it isn’t my point this morning. Jesus did all this for me. And in doing so, he set a pattern for us to follow. I love this verse because it ties in so well with what I want you to do this morning. Look unto Jesus. See how he served mankind, see the cost of everything he left behind and the cruelty he took on for us.

We often think that Christ sitting on his throne is the end of him being a servant, but the word was is actually a perfect tense verb meaning even now he is serving us. Jesus still saves those who come to Him, Jesus still intercedes on our behalf today, Jesus still comforts the weak. If He can deign to serve me, why can’t I find it in myself to lovingly serve others.

Christ’s Role in Proving God’s Truth

Now our passage focuses in on two specific ways that Christ served:

Romans 15:8 “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:”

The verse goes on to say he served the circumcision. Who are these people? the Jews. How did God serve the Jews. He confirmed the promises made unto the fathers. Jesus was the fulfillment of those promises. He is the fulfillment of those promises. unto the fathers- God has sworn to Abraham that his seed would inherit the promises. They ultimately would have the land, they would be blessed by God, and all the world would be blessed in them. God would later make other promises to Israel. But Jesus coming to earth made those promises more concrete.

Romans 4:16 “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,”

People can make all kinds of promises. Any of you ever arrange a sale on Facebook Marketplace. You got the time and location all set up. In fact you have been turning down others because you already committed to this person, but then the day and time come and they never follow through. Their promises were just words like vapor that disappears in a moment. When an important agreement is struck such as selling a house, we take what we call earnest money. That money makes the promise more concrete. It assures us that they will follow through on their promises.

Christ’s coming assures us that God will fulfill his promises. All those promises of a Messiah coming to die for our sins. All those Christmas promises about him being born in Bethlehem of the tribe of Judah from the family of David. Those promises of a Virgin giving birth to a son. All of them were fulfilled in Christ and remind us we can trust him. If we believe them to be true, why can’t I believe all the other promises of God.

Go back just one phrase for the truth of God. Jesus coming shows that God is trustworthy. He is dependable, faithful.

We are still talking about Jew and Gentiles here in this passage. So for the Jew, God can be trusted; don’t lose hope. Jesus shows us that. Could you image being a JEw during the holocaust. How might your faith have faltered when facing the smoke stacks of Auswitz? It would be easy at a moment like that to think God has forgotten you, he failed you, He didn’t keep his promises. But God has not forgotten his people. Jesus is the evidence of that.

My brother God has not forgotten his promises to the Jews and he has not forgotten you either. The ministry of Jesus shows us that God is completely trustworthy.

Christ’s Role in Including the Gentiles

Romans 15:9 “And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.”

But that is only one half of the picture. Jesus also came so that the Gentiles could be included. Jesus death on the cross opened the door so that we could experience God’s mercy and in doing so we could glorify God. This is the capstone of Paul’s argument in Romans 9-11. Jew and Gentile are both now included in one body through Christ. Jew and Gentile both experience salvation through Christ. Jew and Gentile both become heirs of the promises of God through Jesus Christ. Jew and Gentile both can lift up their voices to sing praise to God.

Most of you here are like me: Gentiles. For thousands of years by and large the Gentiles were excluded. You ever been excluded from something. Maybe a group of kids doesn’t want anything to do with you. No matter how hard you have tried you can’t seem to find an in with the group. But when you find your people, you find you finally belong; how much relief, joy, excitement is there.

At times I have felt like I am an outcast because of things I believe the bible teaches, but when I find my group of people who are willing to talk about those things, listen, encourage each other in them. I find excitement and joy in that interaction. As a Gentile, we are included through Christ, no longer outsiders.

In order to prove this has always been God’s desire and plan, Paul quotes four OT passage. The thing that connects all of these is the word Gentiles.

The first comes from Psalm 18:49- Here David proclaims God’s glory and praise among the Gentiles. We see what God has done for, through and with his people, but more specifically his Son Jesus Christ. This psalm is originally written by David about his experience, but Paul’s use of it here applies it to Christ as well. The Gentiles are the audience of everything God has done. But thats not where he stops.

The second quotation comes from Deut 32:43- Here the Gentiles are invited into the worship along with God’s people the Jews. This verse anticipates Israel’s rejection in that Moses foretold their apostacy against God. But as God judges his people but God will also avenge and have mercy on them.

The third quotation comes from Psalm 117:1- Says essentially the same thing by inviting the Gentiles to praise the Lord along with his people. But this short psalm focuses on his kindness and trustworthiness.

The final quotation comes from Isa 11:10- which directly ties all of this to the root of Jesse which is a figure of speech referring to Christ as the offspring of King David. That king, the root of Jesse would rise to reign over whom? the Gentiles. Jesus would be king over not just the Jews but the Gentiles as well. But he is not merely a tyrant ruling over them- these Gentiles would come to hope in him. The Greek word trust here is actually the word for hope. We aren’t just witnesses to God’s praise, nor are we merely participants like a back up choir, but we can find relationship with God through Christ.

You may not have connected the dots here, but Christ served us by making a way for us to be included in the people of God. Apart from Christ, there was a wall of separation between Jew and Gentile, but now we are included to.

Conclusion

Paul ends this section with a prayer for the church of Rome that essentially says, I desire for God to fill you with Joy, Peace and Hope. Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

As believers, this should be our experience. Are we experiencing this joy, peace and hope? It all comes through believing, faith and the power of the Holy Ghost. My brothers when you think about Jesus Christ does he still thrill your soul or are you like the husband and wife who have been married for 50 years and the only rise they get out of one another is when they argue. Is there a flame still? That joy, peace, hope comes by faith. When you truly believe and grasp what God has done, our lips should truly sing.

In each of these OT quotations, there is a set of words that are repeated over and over again: Confess, Sing, Rejoice, Praise, Laud, Joy, Peace, Hope. I think this emphasis tied together with vs 6 which told us that God desires the weaker brother and the stronger brother to worship with one heart and mouth. God desires the Jewish Christian and the Gentile Christian to sing his praise as his children, redeemed from their sins by the blood of Christ. I hope this morning that in meditating on Christ and what he came to do, that you can unite together in heart and voice to sing his praise.

Romans, 2nd ed. Exegesis and Exposition

True unity emerges when Jewish and gentile believers voice their glad praise to God.

Sing We are Your Church