Introducing the Greatest Letter

Keith Falconer

Romans 01 • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

Romans 1:1

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Introducing the Greatest Letter Ever Written

This morning, we begin a new series of sermons to begin a new year - a new decade. And I need to tell you - I have never been more nervous, nor more excited, to begin a series, ever. I have been here at Maranatha for 24 years, this May - since Mothers’ Day, 1996. And for 24 years, I have wanted to lead you in a study through Paul’s letter to the Romans. And for 24 years, I have been like a kid, who’s climbed the ladder up to the top of the high diving board at the pool … tiptoed up to the end … peered over the edge … and backed away, climbed down and gone back to the short, little diving board beside. It’s too much. This letter is too much … I’m not sufficient, not ready to try to expound such depth … such riches. Over and over I’ve dreamt of launching out on adventure with you, through the letter to the Romans … and over and over, I’ve backed away. The book is too important. There’s too much in here for me to handle. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached through this letter - 372 sermons! … and that doesn’t include the last 2 chapters. John Piper preached through Romans on Sunday morning, at his church for 8 and a half years. Where do you start?

But for several months now, I’ve had a growing sense - that the time is now. I’m 53 years old … With every new sports injury, I realize more and more clearly, that

I’m also more and more clear that I have less time ahead of me in the pastoral role than I’ve completed … if we don’t start the journey through this letter soon, we may never get through it.

And something else - the older I get, the more I realize how much we tend to be driven by the tyranny of the urgent - - - - always seem desperate to do something new, try something fresh … BE RELEVANT .... and I can’t buy into the panic anymore. There is nothing more relevant; nothing more needed - than to grow deep into the truth of God’s word .... and no better place to put down deep roots - than in the book of Romans.

This letter has impacted me deeply. Let me just share a little with you about my journey with Romans, through life.

A LETTER OF COMFORT - When I was in Grade 10, at Seacliff Christian school in Richmond - our class was close - small school, single class for all the Grade 10’s. But naturally, you get closer with some friends than others. One of my closer friends was Bruce Niebuhr. Big Bruce - giant - bigger than anyone else in the school, stronger than anyone else in the school - but kind. And good. I remember the last day of school before Christmas holidays, we had basketball practice after school. Some of us made plans to get together over the holidays. Then headed off for home. Just after supper, the phone rang - it was another friend from school, crying on the line - saying that Bruce was gone. Between school and home that day, he fell asleep in the back seat of the car he was riding in … and never woke up.

I had never lost anyone close to me before - it was devastating - - and my heart broke for his family - Bruce was one of 6 kids in his family - his twin sister was in my class as well. I wanted so badly to do something to comfort the family … but had never been in a place where I needed to comfort anyone in a time like this. Knew I needed to go visit the family. Dad said he would take me - but I didn’t want to go empty-handed. Bought a sympathy card and knew - from seeing mom in action - that a comforting verse from the Bible would be important at a time like this. But I didn’t know where to start. Went flipping through the Bible, looked in the concordance at the back - and somehow my eyes were drawn to a verse that hit me with massive force … “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” .... . And there, I began to see this letter to the Romans - as a letter of comfort. Then I discovered , “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

A LETTER OF SALVATION - When I got to Bible College - in a first year course on Evangelism … the professor introduced the class to something he called, ‘The Roman Road to Salvation’ .... I wondered, ‘What in the world is that?!’ Then I learned how you can introduce a person to the need and meaning of conversion, by walking them through some key verses in Paul’s letter to the Romans. How you start with the need to be saved, from , “that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” , that ‘None is righteous, no , not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”.

Then you explain to a person that the penalty for our turning aside from God is a devastating one. You take the person to , “The wages of sin is DEATH ...”; then you hold out the hope of , “God demonstrates His own love toward us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - God loves enemies, like us. And then the promise of salvation by faith alone, that comes in , that, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you WILL BE SAVED.” It blew me away. I had always been terrified of being asked about my faith by someone curious about Christianity because I had no idea how to explain the Good News … and after that course, I had an understanding of how to explain the gospel in a nutshell - by walking through Paul’s letter to the Romans.

And in following years, in question after question, theological issue after issue - I have seen how the letter to the Romans encapsulates the united teaching of the whole of Scripture. Even though I have never preached through this book before … over and over, it’s the truths of this letter that have sustained my life and ministry - - times of great trial, walking through the deepest of waters - threatening to wash over my head and drown me … “In all things, God works together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.” “He who did not spare His Son but gave him up for us all, How will he not now, together with Him, graciously give us ALL Things.”

And at funeral after funeral, over the years, I can say with John Stott, that I have heralded the final triumphant verses of .... and never lost the thrill of them. , “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You know, as much as funerals hurt - as much as I hate having to say good-bye to someone dearly loved - I don’t enjoy funerals … but I do find so much more reward preaching at funerals - - than at Weddings. Way more rewarding. People need God at funerals.

Throughout the years of my life, it is in the letter to the Romans that the truths of God’s absolute sovereignty, His gracious election and unstoppable plan of God for His people have been powerfully driven home to me. I’ve been richly, richly nourished and come to deeply, deeply love this book. And I know I’m not alone here this morning.

And we are not alone. Throughout history - there is story after story of people whose lives were rocked, turned upside through their encounters with this book - - Augustine,

Martin Luther - a Catholic monk, teacher of theology … lecturing his students on this letter. As he was studying this very letter, the truth of justification by faith and faith alone dawned on his mind - took over his heart and set free his whole being. He was truly saved - and it was this letter that really provided the spark that ignited the entire Protestant Reformation that we are heirs of.

John Bunyan - author of Pilgrim’s Progress - it was this letter, along with Galatians and Luther’s commentaries that God used in his salvation.

John Wesley - was already a pastor in 18th century England, but was a complete failure. He ended up, one day, in 1738, in a meeting in Aldersgate Street, London, and it just so happened that someone was reading the Preface and Introduction to Luther’s Commentary on Romans and Wesley sat there listening. As he sat there, he found his heart ‘strangely warmed’ as he reports it .... and he knew that God had forgiven his sins - ‘even MINE’ he says. It was there and then that he was given certain assurance and was turned from being a preacher who was failing, into a great and mighty evangelist that many people credit as being a prime force that brought revival to England and kept it from going through a horror show like the French Revolution.

Story after story of how this letter has shaken the world. Actually, if you look at where the letter is placed in the NT - have you ever stopped to wonder why it comes first of all the letters? In the NT - it’s not the first letter because it was the first one written - it definitely wasn’t first chronologically. So why is it first? Because it’s longest? I don’t think so. From the beginning, Romans has always come first among the letters, and I agree with those who suggest the reason for that is that the Holy Spirit gave the Church the wisdom to realize that this letter is first in importance. It is the letter that brings us face to face with ALL of the foundation truths of the whole Bible.

So, in the NT - we have the Gospels first - of course we do - they point us to the life of Jesus Christ. Then comes Acts, that recounts how the church was formed and built up and spread. And then comes Romans - which completely makes sense because it reminds the Church of Jesus Christ - spread around the world … reminds us of the foundation truths that we always need to stand on. No matter where we are; no matter when we are alive - no matter the pressures coming from the world around us - if we stand HERE … if we build our lives on the immovable truths of this book - we will stand.

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What’s amazing is that such a God-glorifying, CHRIST-EXALTING letter could be written by a man like Paul. There is no serious doubt that Romans was definitely written by the apostle Paul. Remember who Paul WAS -He HATED JESUS Christ - It was his mission in life to try to stomp out the Christian Church in its early days - by persuasion … by FORCE. He was there when Stephen was martyred. Remember in - Stephen the Christian is put on trial for his faith and instead of promising to be quiet and give up on Jesus Christ - he stands firm. His accusers - judge and jury - get so angry .... “… when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. .... (v. 58) Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.” (That’s Paul - Saul is his Aramaic name; Paul is his Latin name). Paul guards the coats of the killers of the first Christian martyr.

And you know how sometimes you do something in the heat of the moment - you aren’t thinking, your blood’s boiling - you do something terrible .... and then, when you cool down, you realize - “That was awful. I can’t believe I did that” - and you decide, ‘I’m never going to do anything like that again.”

That wasn’t Paul. , “And Saul approved of his execution.” Verse 2, “Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. (3) But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men AND WOMEN and committed them to prison.” See the religious zealot - dragging women away from their children - breaking up families and making sure they are thrown into prison. Simply for worshiping Jesus as the Son of God - finding in him their freedom.

Now here he is, writing to Christians who are living IN ROME - at the very heart of the greatest Empire in the world. How does that happen?

Verse 1 gives us an answer to that question, in the first three phrases of the entire book: “Paul, a SERVANT of Christ Jesus, CALLED to be an apostle, SET APART for the gospel of God.” In the rest of our time this morning, we’re going to look at these phrases, one by one, so we can get our feet under us before we venture any further into the letter. That’s right - this morning we’re going to deal with 1 verse of this book - now you can understand why I have no idea how long this journey is going to take. Don’t worry - we’re not going to do the whole letter in one shot - we’re going to take one chapter at a time, deal with it. Go somewhere else in the Bible and come back for another chapter.

A SERVANT OF CHRIST JESUS

Remember, the book of Romans is a letter. Now when you write a letter - you follow a format. You usually begin with something like, “Dear … so and so”, then you get on with what you want to say and finally, at the end of the letter, you identify who you are: “Sincerely … Fondly … With love.” In Paul’s day, there was a standard format for writing letters, too. Except in that day, you identify yourself, not at the end of the letter, that’s the first thing you do (and when you think about - doesn’t that make a lot more sense than our way - - - keep them guessing until the end?). Verse 1 begins the letter with an introduction, “PAUL ...”, but he doesn’t stop there. He goes on to identify himself by the most important thing about him.

If you were writing a letter, to people you haven’t met before - and you wanted to identify yourself - so they know what makes you tick - what would you say about yourself? An athlete, playing on a professional sports team - #27 - and your team; if you’re a doctor - you make sure you have right behind your name, all the letters you’ve earned … M.D., PhD, whatever best shows off your dignity. Paul could have done that - he would have had the equivalent of a PhD - doctorate - studied under the greatest teacher in the Jewish world of his day. Was a mover and shaker - Paul was a super achiever ... he could have introduced himself by a long list of accomplishments. He could have cited his ancestral tree, his degrees, his success in founding churches—even his writings, Romans wasn’t the first of his letters.

But no - look at the very first thing he says about himself, in verse 1, “Paul … A SERVANT of Christ Jesus.” Your translation may read ‘servant, bondservant … even slave.’ SLAVE is exactly what the word means. The Greek word is ‘doulos’ and it points to someone who has become the property of an owner - someone who is completely at the disposal of a master. There’s not a person who would have read the original letter and NOT understood that Paul was saying that he belongs fully and completely to Jesus Christ. And that’s massively important!

Remember, Jesus was a contemporary of Paul. They were alive at the same time. Paul is writing this letter in about 57 AD. Jesus died, rose from the grave and ascended into heaven in about 33 AD. Paul is certainly more than 24 years old right here. So think about that - Paul isn’t just saying, “I’m a slave of God” .... He’s saying, “I live my life entirely in devotion and obedience to Jesus, the teacher who came out of the backwoods of hillbilly Nazareth.” “He’s my master. He is alive and He is my LORD”.

There are only two explanations for that radical about face - either Paul has gone absolutely crazy - lost his mind … or he has become convinced that Jesus Christ really is who He claimed to be - the eternal Son of God.

And if you haven’t already done so, it’s up to you to decide, over the weeks ahead — who do you think Jesus Christ is? Does Paul convince you?

“But I don’t want to be a slave!” Isn’t that our first reaction to Paul here? “I want to be free - and the idea of being a slave to Jesus Christ - or anyone else … is a giant turn off!” Oh, but friend, that’s the whole point … you are born into slavery. Every single one of us enters this world a slave to sin. You know it - as much as I do.

Mentioned the name Augustine - St. Augustine. Between the close of the New Testament and the time of the Reformation, there was probably no person who had a greater impact on the Christian Church than Augustine from Hippo in North Africa. He didn’t begin his life as a Christian, that’s for sure. He was a professor - brilliant philosopher - hugely respected, lots of money. And living a life that would be

Christian History Magazine—Issue 67: St. Augustine: Sinner, Bishop, Saint The Dark Heart Filled with Light

Before he left Thagaste to come to Carthage, his mother had given him a solemn warning:

“My mother commanded me not to commit fornication, and especially that I should not defile any man’s wife. This seemed to me no better than women’s counsels, which it would be a shame for me to follow.… I ran headlong with such blindness that I was ashamed among my equals to be guilty of less impudence than they were, whom I heard brag mightily of their naughtiness; yea, and so much the more boasting by how much more they had been beastly; and I took pleasure to do it, not for the pleasure of the act only, but for the praise of it also.”

He loved the good life - had a taste for expensive things ... took a mistress - had a son with her, but never married her. Augustine’s mother, Monica, was a devout Christian and prayed and prayed for her wayward son. But he just kept descending further and further into immorality. So much so that when he went home - his mom threw him out of the house.

One day, in agony of soul, feeling the conviction of God about the direction, the corruption of his life. He ran out of the house he was in - ran into the garden - the friend who was with him was afraid he was going to harm himself ....

… found himself sitting in a garden, under a fig tree, trying to find peace, when he suddenly heard the voice of a child, chanting: ‘Tolle, lege, Tolle lege’ (‘Take up and read’ take up and read’), through tears, he stumbled back to his room, opened the closest book - the Bible - started reading the first section his eyes fell on … and it just happened to be the 13th chapter of Romans, “Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put … on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh”

He didn’t have to read any further - “… Instantly at the end of this sentence, by a light as it were of serenity infused into my heart, all the darkness of doubt vanished away.” The light of the truth of the glory of God in Christ drove the darkness away, Augustine was saved … he became a ‘doulos’ - a slave of Christ - and in that relationship with Christ, he knew what it was to be set free from his old life of decay and misery. Anybody with a past here?! Can you identify with Augustine?

I am bought, I am ruled - I have ONE person to please .... CHRIST. AND THAT. IS. FREEDOM.

CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE

Second phrase - “Called to be an apostle ...”. What does ‘apostle’ mean? The word ‘apostle’ in Greek just literally means, ‘to be sent’. But Paul means more than that here. When he talks about an apostle of Jesus Christ - - he is talking about a person with 2 qualifications: FIRST - it’s a person who had seen Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, so he could give personal, first-hand testimony. SECOND - that person must have been commissioned and given authority by Christ to represent him and speak for him … this is someone specifically commissioned by Jesus to be a foundation for the Christian church with authoritative teaching.

And Paul saw Jesus on the road to Damascus. He’s on his way to throw more Christians in prison, when the light shines from heaven - drops him to the ground, on his face and blinded. In , “(Jesus) appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.” And while Paul is on his face in the dirt, Jesus said to him, as Luke records in , “Rise and stand on your feet for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness, to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you.” And with that commission - Paul becomes one of the foundation stones that the Church is built on. , “… built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief Cornerstone.”

Question: What do you take as the authority for what you believe. We all take someone’s word as authority. Kids do it to each other: “You can’t watch tv - you’re supposed to do your homework.” “You’re not the boss of me” (IE - you are not an authority figure in my life). “Mom said so. And if you don’t - I’m telling her.” And the response: “I can’t stand you. And you aren’t really my sister - someone just left you at the front door.” Translation: “Okay - you’ve got me - you appealed to the real authority in my life - and I give in - but I don’t like you right now.”

Reading this week about Social Media Influencers - people

So, when different views of reality are confronting you and you’re trying to decide, “Where is truth here?”, how do you decide? The foundation of the apostles and prophets is found in the writings they left behind in this book. Paul tells us that he was ‘called to be an apostle’ - so that when we read this book - we read it, NOT, as the best attempts to explain God and reality, written by a man trapped at his time of history, with all of his pre-enlightenment shortcomings … this is Paul, for sure, with all of the personality of the man shining through .... but it is so much MORE than that. And oh, that we would read this book for what it is - The authoritative word of God” - written by a man inspired by God Himself - writing the very words of God.

SET APART FOR THE GOSPEL OF GOD

The third thing Paul says about himself in v. 1 comes at the end of the verse: “… set apart for the gospel of God ...”. Let’s finish our time by looking at this phrase. When was Paul set apart to be this servant of Christ who spread the Good news? When did that setting apart happen? He doesn’t tell us in Romans. But in he tells us, “(God) set me apart BEFORE I WAS BORN.” “From my mother’s womb”, some of your translations say.

Hang on a second - if Paul was set apart to be God’s special apostolic witness for Christ, from before he was even born .... then how do you explain the detour in the road? How do you explain the 20 or 30 or more YEARS when Paul HATED Christ and His people … when he was so consumed with hatred that he would chase down Christians - would separate parents from children, throwing dad or mom in jail. When Paul was so filled with hatred that he took part in murder. God had already set him apart to spread the very good news he was trying to silence?

Right here, in v. 1, we are brought face to face with the wonder of the God Paul worships in …

Was God watching Paul, in his years of rebellion, wringing his hands, because He’d lost control of Paul - “Oh, no - I set him apart for me - - - and now look at him - so far off the rails.”

: “God had mercy on me, the chief of sinners ..... in order that he might display his perfect patience to all who would believe in him for eternal life (AFTER ME)”

He did it for you this morning. He did it for you who are here this morning and you have walked such a twisted pathway in life - you’ve made so many terrible decisions and feel such a weight of guilt on your shoulders right now that you’re convinced, A HOLY GOD COULD NEVER FORGIVE ME. THERE IS NO CLEANING ME UP!” GOD DID IT FOR YOU.

That’s why God let him go. So that when Christ spoke to Paul on the Damascus road - it would be plain to you - If Jesus was willing to choose someone like that?! You choose someone like that to spread the Good News. God says, “THAT’s EXACTLY WHAT I DID.” Do you get it?

Do you get ROMANS?! Do you get the GOSPEL OF GOD?! THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD?! This is God’s Good news - let’s wrap up with this thought. Paul could have said that he was set apart for the Gospel. But he is intentionally specific here: The ‘GOOD NEWS OF GOD’. He’s making sure we get it: this message is FROM GOD. This is the message of the eternal, unchanging, Sovereign God, who isn’t trapped in time - But stands above it. Do you see what that means for the message? It means it doesn’t change. It CAN’T change - otherwise it’s not God’s.

Episcopal Bishop - John Shelby Spong, wrote a book, “Christianity Must Change or Die”. Do you see how incoherent that is? If it’s God’s good news - can’t change

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