ROMANS 1 PT 2 // INDEBTED TO ALL PEOPLE
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
I was able to see Walt & Maribel on Monday
I was able to give them $450 for the month of January
For the Month of February we invested in our community by providing free loads of laundry.
SLIDE: DAVE DOWNS
For the Month of March we are going to pray for, and invest in a church plant in Turin, Italy.
Dave and Denae Downs moved there and they have begun to meet in their home.
Dave was one of the guys that answered a ton of questions for me
I roomed with him on my first mission trip to the UK
He has helped plant and pastor a few churches in Italy
Montebelluna
Ferrara
Keep them in prayer, and keep us in prayer as we take steps of faith.
We know that giving involves sacrifice, and sacrifice hurts
Fruitfulness, as we will learn today involves labor, sacrifice, and faith
So Pray that we would continue to be faithful with the funds that we have been intrusted with.
SLIDE: ROMANS ART
LAST WEEK
LAST WEEK
We looked at the life of Paul the Apostle
We looked at his conversion
We looked at his life prior to his conversion
We looked at the details of his confrontation with the Messiah
We saw first hand the paradigm shift that happened in Paul’s life
From Pharisee to Servant
From Leader to Slave
From Persecutor to Preacher of the Faith
This week we will look at the purpose of his calling
Why did the God of the Bible interrupt his very zealous way of life?
Why did the Son of God interrupt Paul in his legalism?
Why did the Savior of the World save this man, instead of giving him the just punishment for consenting to the death of Stephen?
WE LEARNED LAST WEEK THAT PAUL WAS A BONDSERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST, BUT WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?
SLIDE: WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO SERVE JESUS?
Serving God sometimes seems limited
Some think that you can only serve God at Church
Some believe that serving God is only for church leadership
What if I told you, that our entire lives should be a service to God?
What if we saw every opportunity as a way to serve the Lord?
What would happen if we had that mentality
SLIDE: DO ME A FAVOR, WRITE DOWN 3 VENUES THAT YOU FIND YOURSELF VISITING ON A WEEKLY BASIS?
LET’S TURN TO
1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Romans 1:1-
1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
PRAY
SLIDE:ROMANS 1:1-3
ROMANS 1:1-
1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
ASK: WHAT IS IT LIKE TO SERVE JESUS IN THOSE 3 VENUES
WRITE 3 THINGS THAT YOU CAN PROACTIVELY DO IN THESE 3 PLACES
WE KNOW THAT PAUL WAS SEPARATED TO THE GOSPEL OF GOD
He was set apart to the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God
The Gospel was the driving force for all of his actions
The Gospel came first, it was Protocol 1
FOR PAUL, THE MISSION CAME FIRST
THE GOSPEL WAS THE THING THAT GOD HAD PROMISED THROUGH THE PROPHETS
THE GOSPEL WAS THE HOPE THAT ONE DAY MESSIAH WOULD COME
What was the Good News?
SLIDE: PAUL SAID TO THE CORINTHIANS IN
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
That one day He would send His son in the likeness of men
That one day He would send His son in the likeness of men
That one day He would send His son in the likeness of men
That one day, a Messiah would be born
That one day the Promise that was given to Abraham would be fulfilled through the lineage of David, according to the flesh.
AKA the bloodline of Mary.
SLIDE: GALATIANS 4:4
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
THE GOOD NEWS IS NOT ONLY THAT GOD KEPT HIS PROMISE OF SENDING MESSIAH
BUT THAT THIS MESSIAH WOULD PROVE HIMSELF TO BE THE SON OF GOD
That Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with Power
Not in some weak manner
But in a powerful way
According to the Spirit of Holiness
Notice how His power didn’t come with entitlement
The power that Jesus displayed was in His Spirit of Holiness
Also Perfected by the Resurrection from the dead
SLIDE ROMANS 1:4-6
IT IS THROUGH JESUS, HIS HOLINESS, AND HIS ABILITY TO RISE FROM THE DEAD
That we have received Grace and Apostleship
We all know what Grace is, and we are kind of aware of how awesome it is
But what about Apostleship?
SLIDE: APOSTOLE
This word in the greek is APOSTOLE
It is the term for Apostleship
Or Sending off as Ambassadors on a Journey
It also speaks of this word as a Gift
CHURCH WE HAVE BEEN GIFTED GRACE TO GO OUT AND BE AMBASSADORS OF JESUS CHRIST
THAT WE WOULD BE FOUND OBEDIENT TO THE FAITH AMONG ALL THE NATIONS FOR HIS NAME
IN WHICH, WE BOTH, ARE CALLED OF JESUS CHRIST
God has called us to be ambassadors
God is calling all the nations to repent and be converted, that they too would be sharers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
THIS LITTLE SECTION OF PAULS INTRO, IS A GLIMPSE OF WHAT WE ARE GETTING OURSELVES INTO
PAUL IS BRINGING CLARITY TO WHO JESUS IS
HE IS DECLARING WHAT JESUS DID, AND WHAT GOD WANTS TO DO
SLIDE: :7
7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
TO EVERYONE WHO IS IN ROME
BELOVED OF GOD
CALLED TO BE SAINTS
This is how Paul saw the citizens of Rome
He saw them beloved of God
He saw their calling in Christ
Called to be Saints
Called to be Hagios // Holy
Most of the time, we look at Rome as Gentile, Pagan, Idolatrous, Political, even as Babylon
Paul here is seeing the entire population of Rome, Church and Unchurched
As Beloved of God
Called to Holiness
THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING COMMAND
Imagine being a Pagan Roman Citizen
Hearing about this letter that was written to the church
Finding it on the dark web
Reading this verse
Many people love God
They acknowledge God
But when God says, “Be Holy for I am Holy”
We kind of shove that stuff to the side and render it irrelevant
Imagine being a Pagan Roman Citizen
Hearing about this letter that was written to the church
Finding it on the dark web
Reading this verse
We’d laugh at this command
Called to Holiness?
Called to be a Saint?
Beloved of God?
Nonsense
We sometimes agree with our pagan nature
We say “I could never be holy, so why try?”
“I’m never going to be perfect, so why even go there?”
Though we are human
The Beauty of God’s love for us is this
That even within our human nature
God still loves us
God still desires us to be holy
Paul knew this
This is how he begins to address his audience.
SLIDE: WRITE 3 THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO TO INVEST IN HOLINESS
3 THINGS YOU CAN PRACTICE TO INVEST IN HOLINESS
TO BE LIKE JESUS IN THIS WAY
Here Paul is linking the two together
It is almost a call to the Roman Audience
Not only are you loved by God
You have a calling on your life
A calling to be Holy
A calling to be set apart to the Lord
This expression would be common to the Jewish reader
But to the Gentile, it was a bit foreign
A Gentile wasn’t interested in Holiness
Their worship was fueled by the policy of appeasement.
They would worship their gods just to appease them and have a pseudo peace.
It is just like the things we do in the name of religion
I’m going to go to church, just so if I die, I can hold God accountable for that one time I went to church
Paul is presenting a new way of living for the Gentiles, and a new way for the Jews to see the OT promises.
Remember, Paul is trying to build unity between both people groups
So that together they would see change in the Roman culture.
SLIDE:
Romans 1:8-1
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
AFTER USING HIS COMMON GREETING
HE BEGINS TO THANK GOD, THROUGH HIS SON, FOR THE ROMAN CHURCH
Paul is thankful because the Faith of the Roman Church has a great reputation
In fact, what they have overcome and what they have accomplished is known throughout the world.
THOUGH PAUL HAD NOT BEEN THERE TO INVEST PHYSICALLY AND BE INVOLVED IN THE CHURCH GROWTH
He was invested through intercession
As God as his witness, Paul had been praying for this group of believers constantly
Not only for their growth
But that one day he would be able to visit them
To be on mission with them
PAUL WAS INVESTED SPIRITUALLY, BUT HE WANTED MORE
HE WASN’T SATISFIED WITH JUST PRAYING FOR THEM
HE WANTED TO BE THERE
HE WANTED TO DISCIPLE THEM
HE WANTED TO IMPART SOME SPIRITUAL GIFT
HE WANTED MORE FOR THIS CHURCH
HE WANTED THEM TO BE ESTABLISHED.
HE WANTED THEM TO KNOW THAT HE CARED, AND KNEW THEIR POTENTIAL
SLIDE: ROMANS 1:10-12
It was Paul’s desire for a long time to go to Rome
But it hadn’t worked out
Paul was a Fruit Seeker
He wanted his life to be fruitful
For Paul, bearing fruit was the fuel to his life
He says
SLIDE: :13-15
“I am a debtor to Greeks and Barbarians, to the Wise and Unwise”
“But I am ready to preach the Gospel to everyone who is in Rome”
From this verse we can feel the Passion Paul had for all people
He felt it so much, that he considered himself indebted to all people
Greeks, Barbarians aka Native Tribes that had yet to be assimilated to the Graeco-Roman Culture
But also the wise and unwise
THESE ARE THE MARKS OF A PASTOR
TO WANT TO BE AMONGST THE PEOPLE
TO DESIRE TO SEE THEM GROW
TO WANT TO SEE THEM ESTABLISHED
TO EXPECT THEM TO TRUST JESUS
TO ENCOURAGE THEM, CHALLENGE THEM, LEAD THEM INTO PERSONAL GROWTH
IN PRAYING FOR YOU, I FEEL INDEBTED TO YOU
I FEEL LIKE GOD HAS SO MUCH MORE FOR YOU
I FEEL LIKE THOUGH THERE HAS BEEN SOME LOSSES, THERE ARE SOME WINS TO GO GET
I WILL CONTINUE TO PREACH THE GOSPEL UNTIL THAT COMES TO PASS.
Look, I get it, Pastors always complain about not having much participation
I can sit here and complain about how you let things get in the way of church
I can sit here and call you out on all of the bad decisions you’ve made
I can sit here and judge you
BUT INSTEAD, I’D RATHER SHOW YOU WHO JESUS IS
I’d rather share the good news of Jesus Christ
Because if I show you who Jesus is
If I point you to Jesus
Who am I to scold you?
I’d rather point you to
If I put on display what following Jesus looks like
You’ll want to be more like Him and less like me
You’ll want to listen to Him more
You’ll depend on Him more
You’ll be more likely to change your habits when He calls you out, than when I call you out.
I CAN SHOW YOU WHAT THE SCRIPTURES SAY
I CAN GIVE YOU TOOLS TO GROW YOUR WALK WITH THE LORD
I CAN DESIGN BOOKLETS, GIVE YOU INVITES FOR YOUR FRIENDS, PUT SERMONS ONLINE FOR YOU TO SHARE
BUT UNTIL YOU TAKE THIS STUFF SERIOUS, ITS ALL FOR NOT
YOU KNOW WHY?
BECAUSE I CAN’T WANT IT MORE THAN YOU DO.
I can’t desire growth more than you do
But I can give you a glimpse of what it looks like
I can’t force you into frutifulness
But I can show you the fruit of Canaan
SOMEONE ONCE ASKED ME,
“YOUR SMALL MAN, WHY DON’T YOU SHUT IT DOWN AND GET HIRED BY A BIG CHURCH”
Because I am just like Paul
I feel indebted to you
To
My financial advisor told me that If I want to get out of debt, I should get a bigger shovel
FOR ME, THERE IS NO OTHER PROTOCOL THAN PROTOCOL 1
THE MISSION COMES FIRST
WHAT IS THE MISSION FOR THIS CHURCH?
THAT EVERYONE WHO COMES HERE WOULD BE CONFORMED INTO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON BY THE WASHING OF THE WORD
BACK TO THE THREE VENUES: