The Disciple's Missional Motivation

14 For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. 15 So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News. 16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” 18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. 28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

Introduction:

The apostle Paul was a man who was driven. He was moved to bring people to Jesus by a strong sense of urgency at the very core of his being.

If you and I are going to be effective in bringing people to Jesus, we must have that same sense of urgency. We must share the same motivation as Paul.

What are some things that we see Paul’s letter to the Romans that might have motivated him in his quest of bringing people to Jesus? These things can also bring motivation to us today.

I- An Inner Sense of Obligation to All People. (Romans 1:14 – 15).

A- He had an inner sense of obligation that knew no limits.

1- Paul had a sense of obligation to all people groups.

a- People in the civilized world and the uncivilized world.

b- People who were educated or uneducated.

c- All of mankind shares in the imago Dei and therefore needed what Paul was proclaiming!

d- God’s love is all-inclusive!

(John 3:16)

John 3:16 NLT

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

((Romans 5:8)

Romans 5:8 NLT

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

B- He had an inner sense of obligation that was divine in origin.

1- Paul remembered his own conversion experience.

(Acts 9:3-5)

Acts 9:3–5 NLT

3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!

a- He recognized his own unworthiness of salvation.

(1 Cor. 15:9)

1 Corinthians 15:9 NLT

9 For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.

2- Paul understood that his goal was to carry out the mission of Christ.

(Acts 1:15-16)

Acts 1:15–16 NLT

15 During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed them. 16 “Brothers,” he said, “the Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David.

(Acts 26:15-18)

Acts 26:15–18 NLT

15 “ ‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 16 Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future. 17 And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles 18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’

II- An intense realization of mankind’s morally bankrupt condition. (Romans 1:18 – 32).

A- Man’s morally bankrupt condition is demonstrated through suppression of the truth. (Romans 1:18 – 23).

Romans 1:18–23 NLT

18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

1- Mankind knows the truth about God. (Romans 1:19-20).

Romans 1:19–20 NLT

19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

a. God has made it obvious through the world around us.

b. Creation itself testifies to God’s eternal power and divine nature.

c. Man has no excuse for his unbelief.

2- Mankind rejected God’s self-revelation through nature and exchanged the truth for lies created by mankind.

a. They refused to worship him or thank him for his provisions.

b. Mankind arrogantly embraced his own foolish ideas, believing that he was wiser than God.

B- Man’s morally bankrupt condition is demonstrated through hedonistic abandonment to debased practices. (Romans 1:24 – 32).

1- Man’s hedonism has led to self-destructive behavior (Romans 1:24 – 28).

Romans 1:24–28 NLT

24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. 28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.

2- Man’s rebellion has led to all types of behavior destructive to others (Romans 1:29 – 31).

Romans 1:29–31 NLT

29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.

(2 Timothy 3:1 – 5).

2 Timothy 3:1–5 NLT

1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

*We can see this in our contemporary world!

The bombs sent to government officials and others.

The Synogogue shooting

III- An Unalterable Conviction That The Good News Message is Mankind’s Only Hope. (Romans 1:16 – 17).

A- Paul’s convictions about the good news message erased all timidity about proclaiming it. (Romans 1:16 a).

Romans 1:16a NLT

16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

1- Paul uses the strongest possible affirmation in the first part of verse 16.

a. “οὐ γὰρ ἐπαισχύνομαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον,”= I am (absolutely) not ashamed of the Good News!

He demonstrated this as he attempted to bring people from every area of the world and from every station of life to Jesus!

His greatest desire was to boldly share the good news!

2- You and I need not be ashamed to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

B- Paul understood that the good news alone can provide hope for mankind. (Romans 1:16 b).

Romans 1:16b NLT

16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

1- The good news is not just a power for good, but it is the power of God for the salvation of souls.

2- The good news saves everyone who believes.

(Romans 1:2-5)

Romans 1:2–5 NLT

2 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 3 The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, 4 and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

(1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

1 Corinthians 15:3–5 NLT

3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.

(Romans 10:9-13)

Romans 10:9–13 NLT

9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”