Romans 1:1-15

As we go to our passage, the beginning of Paul’s letter to the churches in Rome, let’s set a little context for what’s going on

Big Idea: Because of our relationship with Christ, one of the greatest things we can offer one another is our story in Him.

As we go to our passage, the beginning of Paul’s letter to the churches in Rome, let’s set a little context for what’s going on

- Paul’s writing to a group of churches that he doesn’t really know

- While he knows a few individuals there

o They are mostly strangers to each other

o They know him by name and reputation

o And he’s heard things about them

- He has yet to go to Rome and meet them, but he really wants to

o He’s planning on going on his way to bring the gospel to Spain

o So he’s hoping this letter helps establish a connection between them before he gets there

- So thinking about that let’s go to our passage,

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Longing to Go to Rome

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well 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 I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

So, my wife and I were theatre majors in college, that’s where we met. And 10 years ago, our acting pursuits led us to New York. While we were there,

- Our college, Valdosta State, hosted an event in New York where current students

- Could connect with Alumni

- The desire was for the alumni to be a resource and a source of encouragement for the current students

o We could share our experiences, our stories,

o Provide advice

o And be there for them if and when they moved up there

- The theatre department used the trip to provide testimonies for the students

o It’s one thing to hear from faculty that our program will equip you to be successful

o But it’s something else to see people who went through the program and are having some success

- Testimonies are important, they carry weight in helping us make decisions

o Or often help to affirm decisions we’ve already made

Do we realize the importance of testimonies in the church?

- Not just sharing the basic content of the gospel

- But also how the gospel has affected us

- How it has transformed our story

- Do we realize how biblical and important the idea of a testimony is?

o I’m not just talking about how we come to faith

§ But also what our lives look like now that we have a relationship with Jesus

§ Sharing with each other what God has done in our lives

o This sharing of our faith happens not just in what we say

§ But often more powerfully in what we do

o Lives of encouraging others

§ Both believers and nonbelievers

§ In looking to Jesus, in experiencing the salvation offered in the gospel

- But this is hard, because it means being open and honest with one another

o Putting yourself out there

§ Being honest about our own brokenness

· And how much we actually need Jesus

o How can we do this? Why is it important?

§ These are some of the things that Paul helps us with in our passage this morning

Let’s see how Paul is encouraging the Romans with his faith, and how that should drive us to do the same with each other

Verse 1:

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God

In the culture, letters had a format just like they do today

- You start out with who the letter is from

o Followed often by additional information relevant to the point of the letter

- Then you have who the letter is to

- A greeting

- And then a section of prayer/thanksgiving, often tied to the purpose statement for the letter

Paul uses this format

- And the first thing he says about himself is that he is a slave

o This isn’t the word for servant that also means deacon

o This is the word that is translated elsewhere as slave

- Paul is making it clear that his master is Jesus

o It is Jesus who sent him as an apostle

o It is Jesus who set him apart for the gospel

§ To deliver the good news of salvation

Do we view ourselves that way?

- Jesus is our master

- Do you ever think about how freeing it is to see that as your identity?

- How it takes away our fear as we relate to each other

o We can throw off the pretenses of the world

§ What culture says about how we should relate

§ And love each other because we ultimately answer to Jesus, not the world

§ Now, does that mean we ignore the authorities around us?

· No, and Paul covers that later in the letter

· Because we are slaves of Jesus,

o We are to submit to the authorities that God has put around us

§ The government

§ Our bosses

§ Our leadership in the church

§ Our parents

o But they are not our ultimate authority

o Jesus is

- Verses 2-4

2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Here, Paul gives a preview of one of his major points in the letter

- Salvation has always been by grace through faith

o For everyone

o Both before Jesus and after

- There is no distinction between Jew and Greek

- We all fall short of God’s standard of righteousness

o Left to ourselves, none of us seek God

- People have never been saved by their own works

o They were always saved by Jesus

o Jesus living the righteous life that we could not in our place

§ And then suffering the judgment we deserve for our unrighteousness in our place

- We are given the example of Abraham, who believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness

o Did he know everything about how salvation worked?

§ No, but he believed the promises God had given him

· That his offspring would be heir of the world and that through his offspring all nations would be blessed

- We see the promises of the gospel in the old testament

o And Jesus is the fulfillment of those promises

§ The Messiah, the Christ, would be King David’s heir

· He is in David’s line

§ He would reign on David’s throne forever

o But if we stopped there, then you might say

§ Ok, so King of the Jews

§ What does that mean for the Gentiles in Rome?

o The resurrection proves Jesus as the Son of God

§ That he reigns now and is Lord over all

· Again no distinction between Jew and Greek

§ And by the power of the Holy Spirit

· All those in Christ are Abraham’s offspring

o Children of promise

· No matter who our physical ancestors are

o And Paul spends a lot of time in the letter outlining what that looks like

§ To be a child of promise

§ To live life according to the Spirit

§ Experiencing not just being made right before God because of Christ’s work on the Cross

§ But also, what it looks like to be in relationship with God now that we have been made right, now that we have been reconciled

- So he starts with who his master is, his call to deliver the gospel

o Then gives more info about who is master is as well the gospel itself

o This leads him back to what the gospel means for his call

- Verses 5-6

5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

It is through the gospel, through his relationship with Jesus, that he has the ability to fulfill his call

- It is through Christ that he has received this grace, this gift

o We often think of grace only as it might relate to sin

§ Our unrighteousness

- But here we see that grace is much more than that

o Paul unpacks this idea in chapter 5

o Here it is through grace

§ Gift language with an emotional component

§ It is through God’s joyful and delightful favor and kindness

· That Paul is enabled to do what God has called him to do

Do we think about God’s call in this way?

- Not only does he call us, but he also empowers us to fulfill that call

o He takes delight and joy in it

- What has God built you to do?

o How are we to serve our master?

o What are we supposed to do for his Kingdom?

- Now, does that mean that we will have worldly success in whatever God calls us to do?

o No, sometimes that call leads to failure

o Sometimes, God’s grace just gives us the ability to be faithful

o Often, we don’t know what our impact is

§ But we know that God is accomplishing his purposes through us

§ Even if we don’t see the fruit

So what does Paul say his purpose is?

- To bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations

- What does this mean?

- He makes it clear later that we are saved by faith apart from works

o But being obedient sounds like a work

- First let’s talk about faith

o Faith is a relational term – a faith relationship

§ God’s faithfulness to us in Christ and our subsequent response of faith

· This is a relationship we did nothing to earn

o It again is founded completely on God’s grace

§ Out of this faith relationship

· Which includes not just being made right before God

· But also experiencing actual relationship with God in Christ via the Holy Spirit

comes obedience

§ Righteousness

· If you are in Christ, you will look different to the world

· Does that mean you stop sinning?

o No!

o All of us still struggle

o but as your relationship grows

§ so will your obedience

§ you reflect Christ more and more

§ By obedience of faith

· He’s talking about not only the obedience of responding in faith to God’s faithfulness

· But also the obedience that flows out of the faith relationship

Verses 6-7:

, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, you might read the first couple of verses of the letter and say

- ok, that’s the way Paul’s call works, but not mine

- and yes, we’re not called to be apostles in the same way he was

- but we are still called

o are you called to belong to Christ?

§ Is he your master?

§ Is your relationship founded on God’s love, faithfulness, grace?

§ Does that relationship lead you to reflect God’s character, his holiness?

o As part of God’s people, our answer is yes to all of these

So often, we gloss over these letter introductions

- But the words are chosen very carefully

Grace to you and peace

- This is Paul’s standard greeting in his letters

- It would be customary in the culture to just say: Greetings

o In fact, James does this in his letter

- Paul is saying he wishes God’s favor and delight on them, as well as peace, wholeness of relationship

- Is this our general disposition towards others in the Church?

o Paul doesn’t just use this greeting with those he’s on good terms with

o Do we engage others with the idea of encouraging them towards God’s grace and peace, even when we disagree with them?

§ Or do we just want them to know that we’re right and they’re wrong

Now we go to the prayer and thanksgiving section

Verse 8:

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.

Paul is thankful for them

- Remember, these are churches that he doesn’t really know on a personal level beyond a few scattered individuals

- But even from afar, Paul has been encouraged by them and their faith

- What does he mean by that?

o Is it just that there is a group of gentile Christians in Rome?

o He talks later about their faith and his faith, as if they were different

§ Do they believe something different than he does?

§ Is this a pluralist move?

§ Is Paul saying something to the effect of:

o I’ve heard about what you believe. It’s different from what I believe, but I think it’s great if it works for you. You do you

§ Our different beliefs are all equally valid

- No! Absolutely not

o That’s getting away from the faith relationship aspect and limiting faith to a set of beliefs

o Paul has been encouraged by their story

§ The way God has worked in and through them

§ Not just what they believe, but what that has meant for their lives

§ Their faith, their relationship has served as a great testimony

o He’s heard about how the gospel, the same gospel that he proclaims, has affected them

§ How it’s affected them as a group

- We love this kind of encouragement

o Hearing what God has done or is doing elsewhere

§ How he’s working in other parts of the country

§ How he’s working in other countries

§ knowing that God’s Kingdom is growing

· that it goes beyond our cultural context

§ being reminded that the gospel is universal

· it is a message that is relevant for and is to be taken to every race, tongue, and tribe

- Do we really allow ourselves to be encouraged by these stories?

o Do we see these stories as the gifts that they are?

o So often, we can be so absorbed with what’s going on in our own lives and in our own context

§ That we fail at having this kind of Kingdom perspective

- Verses 9-10

9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.

So Paul has heard about their story, their faith

- And that has given him desire to know them better

- Not just know about them, but to know them

o Connect

- When we hear others’ stories, does that drive us to connect?

o Does it drive us to relationship?

o This is hard

§ There are barriers

· Sometimes physical

· That’s been Paul’s barrier, he’s wanted to go to them, but hasn’t been able to yet

§ Sometimes, though, the barriers are just excuses

· I’m not like them

· We don’t really have much in common

§ When it comes to connecting to others that belong to Christ

· We should never let our differences, our backgrounds be a barrier

§ We have the most important things in common

· We belong to Jesus

o He has saved us

o We are connected to each other because we are connected to Him

· Our differences should be a source of encouragement

· I want to hear your story because it’s different from my story

§ Sometimes we don’t want to connect because we’re afraid of being open with one another

§ If I get to know this person better, then that means I have to let them get to know me

· What if that doesn’t go well

· What if they reject me?

· We can allow our history, our emotional baggage, or our shame get in the way

§ Again, this should drive us back to the gospel

· All of us need Jesus

· For those of us that belong to Jesus

o All of our stories involve grace

§ Experiencing God’s favor despite the fact that all of us deserve God’s wrath

· All of us fall short, all of us are broken

· All of us have baggage

· All of us have shame that we want to guard

o That we don’t want to be open about

§ So it’s a good thing that the main character in our story is not us, but Jesus

· Because there is no shame in Him

o There is no shame in the gospel

Verses 11-12

11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

So Paul states the reason he wants to see them, connect with them

- So he can personally encourage their faith

o Their relationship with God can be strengthened through their relationship with him

- But he also makes it clear that he wants to be encouraged by them

o Paul, an apostle and one of the great leaders of the early church

§ Is saying he wants to know them

· So that his faith can be strengthened

§ They can each be part of the other’s story

- We can be encouraged by someone else’s story from afar

o But for that encouragement to be reciprocal requires a real relationship

- Do we see our relationships with each other as a way God strengthens our faith?

- Do we realize that we need each other?

- The church is an assembly of people in Christ who are all called to minister to each other

o We have all been given gifts, different gifts, that help to build each other up

o If you think that this is only about you and Jesus

§ That you don’t need the church

· Then you are depriving yourself from having your faith strengthened by others

· And you are depriving others of having their faith strengthened by you

- What Paul is talking about involves the whole person

o We can sometimes try to separate out the spiritual component from the rest of ourselves

§ But the gospel affects every aspect of our lives

o He tells them later that he’s hoping for their help and financial support on his way to Spain

o Encouragement and strengthening doesn’t just involve praying and sharing our stories

§ It also involves doing

· Supporting and helping each other with physical needs when needed

Verse 13

. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.

Verse 13 is an extremely important verse

- It contains something called the disclosure formula

- In letters of the time, there would be a purpose statement towards the beginning

o It almost always starts with something like

§ “I wish you to know”

§ “I would have you know”

§ Or “I do not want you to be unaware”

- When you read letters in the New Testament, look for these phrases near the introduction, because they help you to know what the letter is about

o Why they’re writing it

- Paul is writing to the Romans, because he’s wanted to visit for a long time

o But has been unable to so far

o While he’s still planning on going

§ He so wants them to know him

§ That he’s writing to help establish a relationship

o His desire is also to reap some harvest among them

§ And the rest of the Gentiles

o So he wants to strengthen their faith, those who already know Christ

§ That’s his primary audience for the letter

o And also evangelize those in Rome and beyond who don’t know Jesus

§ Basically, he wants to try to reach everyone

- What should be our view when it comes to reaching others with the gospel?

Verses 14-15:

14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Paul also uses this language of obligation in .

- It’s not just kind of a disconnected

o This is what I’m supposed to do

o He’s saying that he is a debtor

- Because of who is his master, this is what he does

o This is his calling

- And going back to the first couple of verses, because of the gospel, because of the grace given to us

o We are empowered to fulfill whatever obligation He puts on us

- In he says that all of us are debtors

o Debtors to Christ

§ Debtors to live according to the Spirit

- Again, this empowering does not guarantee worldly success

o Paul never makes it to Spain

o He will make it to Rome eventually as a prisoner

- But think about the good that God pulled out of it

- If Paul had not struggled to reach Rome, we might not have this letter

o And what a gift to the church that has been

- Because of his indebtedness to Jesus

o He’s indebted to everyone

o The gospel is for everyone

§ Regardless of background and education level

- We should feel the same sense of obligation to continue reaching people

o Encouraging and strengthening those who already know Jesus

§ And desiring to see new people come to faith

o And this can happen not just by sharing the content of the gospel

§ But by sharing our stories

§ Our testimonies

§ Seeking and allowing others to be part of our lives

§ This is a hard thing

· But remember who your master is

o Remember that our ability to do this is founded on

§ His love, his faithfulness

§ His grace

Let’s pray