Romans 1:1-17

Big Idea: Get excited about the gospel

What gets you excited?

Are there any Big Kev fans here this morning?

I think there's something admirable about an overweight man who peddles cleaning products for a living being able to capture the imagination of a nation. And he's done it with one great catch phrase.... "I'm excited." What gets you excited? Brighter brights and whiter whites? A particularly good dishwashing liquid?

When I was growing up... I had a friend who got excited by cats. She had three of them. Every weekend she would travel with her family and the three cats... to whatever town was hosting the next cat show... and groom the little fur balls to within an inch of their life... and wait all day for someone with a funny hat and bad eyesight to tell her what a fine specimen she had in her cage.

Cats... the love of cats... the preparation of cats... the showing of cats... cats were her life. Cats got her excited.

What gets you excited? What do you most love talking about? What do you day dream about?

Over the next couple of months, here in church each Sunday morning, we are going to be reading and looking together at Paul's letter to the Romans... and we are going to be struck this morning by what excited Paul. What really got him going. Over the years, this letter has actually been the thing which has excited some of the greatest Christian leaders in history. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley and Karl Barth all put their conversion down to the influence of reading this letter.

I first understood what it meant for Jesus to die for me... as I read this letter. I'm excited about looking at Romans with you... and as we look at it together... we are reading words written by someone who was excited too.

1. Who wrote it?

Have a look at the letter with me. The first bit we come to

is the letter head... that tells us who wrote it.

READ Romans 1:1

Paul

describes himself in three over-lapping ways. He is;

• a servant of Christ Jesus...

• called to be an apostle.

• a man set apart for the gospel of God

That's who he is. A servant, a slave of Christ, a chosen and authorised ambassador... an apostle, set apart for the gospel.

So as we read this letter, we're not reading the musings of a

wise man... a few thoughts from a guru... a bit of advice

from a church leader... the distilled wisdom of the early

Christians...

We are reading a letter written by one of Jesus' own hand

picked apostles who was set apart for the gospel. So who's

the letter to?

2. Who was he writing to?

Look at verse 7 with me.

READ Romans 1:7a

The most important part about who this letter was written to, was not that they lived in Rome... but that they were loved by God and called to be saints. In verse 6 he describes this same group as those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

Are you a saint? Do you think of yourself as a saint? To belong to Jesus Christ is to be a saint. Saints are people who are pure... who have been washed clean, and no-one becomes pure by their own goodness... or by having miracles conjured up in their name. People are made pure by the forgiveness that Jesus' death on the cross brings. And so as Paul writes to people who belong to Christ, he calls them saints... and here this morning, if you belong to Jesus... then you are a saint too... and this is a letter for you.

Let me ask you another question.

Why does a man write a letter to a group of people, most of whom he's never met? Why does he write a letter to a city, so far away? Why does he say that he wants to visit them? Why does he thank God for them? Why does he go to such trouble? What is that has got Paul so excited?

3. Q: What got Paul excited? A: The Gospel

"Why?" The answer is the gospel. The gospel is the thing

that's got Paul so fired up.

On my count he mentions it six times in the first 16 verses.

Its the gospel in verse 1 that Paul's been set apart for.

Its the gospel in verse 2 that he goes on to describe.

Its the gospel that he preaches in verse 9 as way of serving

God.

Its the gospel that he wants to preach in Rome in verse 15.

And then look at verse 16, because Paul says something

very strange here.

"I am not ashamed of the gospel."

Not ashamed of the gospel... why would he write a thing

like that? Why would he have to?

You know, I think Paul wrote that... because being ashamed of the gospel is a very real temptation. It was a real temptation for Paul... it was a real temptation for the Christians in Rome... and it’s been a real temptation for Christians and Christian leaders ever since. How many people will you tell tomorrow, about where you were this morning? If someone was to ask you, what would you tell them? And if they did know that you came to church and they asked you why... what would you say then? Good music... good friends... good-looking preacher... Or are they just my answers!

Look at verse 2 again with me, as Paul describes this gospel... this proclammation... this message of good news... that he's been set apart for and is so excited about. In fact even before verse 2, we're told that it is the gospel of God. That is, its God's gospel... its not Paul's, it doesn't belong to the church... no person invented it... its God's gospel.

It's God's gospel that the Holy Scriptures... (Paul's talking about the Old Testament here...) the Holy Scriptures promised.

And in verse 3 we see that this gospel is all about God's Son.

The Son who was born a descendant of David... and at his resurrection from the dead was powerfully declared to be the Son of God. The gospel is all about Jesus Christ our Lord.

If you say you want to be with friends on a Sunday morningt... sing great music... that's OK...

But if you start talking about Jesus and a resurrection from the dead... as if anyone really believes it, or it makes any difference... well... its all a bit awkward isn't it.

But Paul says in verse 16. READ Romans 1:16

The gospel is powerful to save

I am not ashamed of the gospel... the gospel is the power of God to save people.

The irony is that when we become embarrassed, ashamed of the gospel... we let go of the only way that God has given us for people to be saved.

I want to tell you this morning from my heart, "I'm not ashamed of the gospel, because its God's gospel... and it is powerful to work." Not only does it work... but it’s the only thing that does work… because God has made it like that.

The gospel & the righteousness of God

Look at what verse 17 says about this gospel.

READ Romans 1:17

A righteousness from God, or of God... is revealed in the

gospel.

That is, the gospel tells us that

God is righteous...

God is fair and just.

It also tells us that

God acts righteously…

uprightly, fairly, and compassionately in saving us.

But I think Paul's main concern here is with God's provision

of righteousness for us. That is. God gives us a righteous status...

God declares us to be all right in his sight.

The gospel tells us about how we can be given righteousness by God.

This righteousness the verse goes on to say, is by faith from first to last. Or is from faith to faith. This declaration of righteousness... of being right before God... comes from a faithful God to faithful people. And as far as people are concerned... comes entirely from faith and from nothing else.

I talked with a young bloke the other week about how his life had completely fallen apart because all his life he had been looking for other people to tell him that he was all right. That's a conversation I seem to have with someone most weeks these days. We long for approval... to be accepted... to be somehow classed as all right in the eyes of others. Paul says, "You Christians have that already". And not just from your peer group or your parents.. but from God... and it's based entirely on faith, so you can stop worrying about whether you think you measure up or not. God says you do! And it's based on his faithfulness first... and on your faith as a response.

The righteous will live by faith

The righteous will live by faith, Paul says.

Now what does that mean?

It might mean that righteous people will live... will run their

lives by faith. Up in verse 5, Paul talks about the obedience

that comes from faith... and he'll pick this up later in the

letter. But I don't think that's what the phrase means here. I

think its more dramatic.

You'll notice in the footnote at the bottom of the page, that this phrase is a quote out of the book of

Habakkuk 2:4.

Habakkuk is a small book mostly concerned with the day of judgment and wrath that is coming... God speaks to Habakkuk about how terrible the judgment will be for people... but in the midst of all of that, he promises that the righteous will live by faith. If you look down to the rest of chapter 1 in Romans, you'll see how similar the theme is.

The emphasis then is not on how the righteous will order their lives... but the simple fact that because of faith... they will live at all. There is only one way to live... and that is to have faith... to be one of the ones who in verse 16 respond to the power of the gospel by believing. That's what's got Paul so excited.

We want life… we cling desperately to life… but in the end there is only one way to have enduring life… to have the assurance of life… even life beyond the grave.

Paul knows it and that’s why he’s excited.

All the effort I can muster couldn’t get me this life…

All the money in the world couldn’t buy me this life…

To get this life you need righteousness… you need to be ‘alright with God’

The gospel is the power of God to bring about this righteousness… this life... to everyone who believes.

This gospel… this message is powerful enough to change your eternal destiny…

this gospel is powerful enough to change the course of your life here and now…

this gospel has time and against changed the course of human history as people have understood and believed it.

There is no more powerful force for change in the world, than the gospel of God.

Obligated by the gospel

The gospel is powerful… but it also brings obligations.

Paul says in verse 14 that he's obligated... he's actually in debt to the Greeks and non-Greeks... to all kinds of people... why? Because he has heard the gospel and has been set apart for it.

He knows the one way that God has shown us... that we can be right with him and live. "That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you are at Rome." He writes in verse 15

He wants them to live. He has heard the gospel and he wants to share it.

I want to say to you this morning. I am…

not ashamed of the gospel

God became a human, fulfilled all that was promised in the

Old Testament, died on the cross, physically rose from the

dead, and now rules the universe from heaven as Lord of all.

He said that whoever believed in him would have eternal

life... and I stake my life on it.

I am not ashamed of the gospel.

Simple? Yes. Unscientific? Maybe. Unrefined? Probably.

But I am not ashamed of the gospel.

ashamed of…

Let me tell you what I am ashamed about. I'm ashamed that there are more than 50 thousand people that I have shared this town with for the last four years... and most of them don't know about this righteousness that we've been talking about this morning. I'm ashamed that I'm not doing more to meet and talk with them about it.

You see I am not ashamed of the gospel… but sometimes by the way that I am so timid about sharing the gospel with others… you could be forgiven for thinking that I was ashamed of it.

What are you ashamed about?

What excites you? What really rings your bells? Are you excited that God has said that you are all right in his eyes? Are you excited that he has promised you life with him forever. Are you excited that we have the power of God in the gospel we share? Are you excited that everyone who believes will be saved and share that life?

Friends, that's why we're here!

Sure, the music is great... our friendships are great...

the preacher is good looking...

But the reason we exist as a group of people... is the gospel.

Let's be proud of it.

And instead of feeling guilt ridden or paralysed about all the opportunities we may have let slide in the past… let’s rejoice that God is already preparing many more for us ahead. Let’s rejoice that we will be joined in January by this great team of godly, gifted and enthusiastic young people… for a week of Maitland Alive. A week of fantastic opportunities to share this powerful life changing and life bringing gospel… with our friends and neighbours.

Although Paul had never been to Rome himself at the time he wrote this letter, he was able to tell them that their faith was being reported all over the world. People were talking about these Roman Christians and what they believed. And do you see why Paul wanted to get over there and visit them?

The precious spiritual gift

READ Romans 1:11-13

Friends you and I don’t need to go to Rome or anywhere else to be involved in exactly what Paul was longing for.

Week by week as we gather here and in one another’s homes and other places… we have the opportunity to share a precious gift with each other. Not just a precious and valuable gift... but a spiritual gift.

What is this spiritual gift?

Well it is simply to encourage one another by our faith.

· Faith comes from responding to the gospel which is all about Jesus.

· Faith results in us being credited with the righteousness of God.

· Faith brings with it, the promise of life.

As we live out and share our faith with others… we are sharing and imparting a precious spiritual gift. It’s not rocket science. It is simply living a consistent life of integrity.