06AM June 25 Romans 1 16_17
June 25, 2006—Morning Worship
The “Go Fish!” Series – Part 3
Where Is Your Hope?
Responses to God’s Grace
Romans 1:16-17
Intro: According to an article written by Matthew Foster in January, 2001, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control, on average – approximately 52 million people die every year world wide. That means that, world wide – there are roughly 2 people that die every second! IOW, in the time it’s taken me to tell you that, about 100 souls have passed into eternity, today!
Just in the US alone, roughly 2.6 million people die every year! That’s 7,123 people per day, 297 people per hour, 5 people per minute or 1 person every 12 seconds! Just since our service started this morning, ____ people have entered eternity from the US alone!
Where could hope possibly be found in all that? Where is the hope for the world? Where is the hope for the US? Where is your hope? This is a question many people are asking today, “Is there hope?” & I firmly believe that as Christians, we have the answer to that question! My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood & righteousness! I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name! On Christ the solid rock I stand! All other ground is sinking sand!
I'm convinced the Lord wants to use us more than we realize, & He wants to accomplish more w/us than we know. In fact, Paul wrote to the Romans in chapter 12 & said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” IOW we are to be a living sacrifice for the Lord our God 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! We are not to think of what we do as a sacrifice we make to God – we are to think of ourselves as the sacrifice! It’s not what you do – it’s you!
Looking back at the history of the church, it was said of the early church that “those who have turned the world upside down have come here also.” The early church was a world changing church b/c the early church considered itself a sacrifice to the Lord! The church today should be a world changing church! We have the message that will change the world but we lack the motivation to tell it b/c all too often we don’t consider ourselves as living sacrifices!
But not the Apostle Paul! He says in our text today in…
Romans 1 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 & 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."
So today, let's look at these vv. in this great book b/c they provide 3 responses anchored in the hope of God’s grace for those wanting to change their world.
1. Respond to Your Calling (v. 16a). 16a For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ…
- We're called to be conveyers of the gospel. We are the track, the belt, vehicle on which the gospel travels.
- In the 1st few verses, Paul introduces himself & greets the church in the city of Rome.
- In doing so, he used the word "called" 3 times.
- The 1st is in v. 1: "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle."
- He goes on to say in v. 5, that through Christ he has received "grace & apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name…."
- Then he says: "...among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints."
- We are called, we are called to call others, we are the called of Jesus Christ, & we are called to be saints.
- It's as though the Lord is leaning over the balustrades of heaven, calling down to you & me, saying, "Hey! Go in that direction. Go tell those people. There's someone for you! That's your assignment."
- You never know when God may use you to plant a life-changing seed in someone's heart, for that's your calling.
- So respond to your calling…
A. W/proper Attitudes “For I am not ashamed…”
- If you have been called by the gospel—you should never be ashamed of the gospel!
- Paul’s attitude was one of confidence in Jesus; consciousness of His forgiveness & the completeness of his salvation!
- If Jesus had not come to rescue you & me, we would still be lost in our sin!
- We would still be hopeless & helpless & utterly unable to do anything to secure our salvation!
- But God in His mercy reached down to you & to me, just when we needed Him most!
- How can you be ashamed of the message of your Savior?
- How could anyone be afraid to tell the good news?
- It’s b/c of persecution; strife; hardships; poverty & isolation!
- These things become excuses for keeping quiet about the good news of Jesus Christ!
- The reason why Paul was so ready & willing to preach the gospel, even where he ran the greatest risk of his life, was, b/c it was "the Gospel of Christ" he preached, & he was not ashamed of it.
- This supposes that some were ashamed, but Paul was not, ashamed of the Gospel.
- Some hide & conceal it, who have abilities to preach it, & do not.
- Some preach, but not the Gospel; or they only preach part of the Gospel, using ambiguous words to cover themselves.
- Some blend the Gospel w/their own inventions, seeking to please men, & live by popular applause; regarding their own interests & not Christ’s.
- But Paul was not ashamed of the gospel; that is, to preach it, or to live it, which he did fully & faithfully, plainly & consistently, openly & publicly, & boldly, in the face of all opposition.
- We are to stand, flat-footed, in the face of all opposition & unashamedly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ!
- So, like Paul, you are to respond to your calling w/proper attitudes &…
B. W/proper Allegiance “…of the gospel of Christ…”
- This was the good news, or the glad intelligence. It’s called that b/c it contains the glad proclamation that sin may be pardoned, & that the soul may be saved.
- It’s the good news of the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed One. It’s the good news of His character, coming, preaching, life, death, resurrection, & ascension.
- This was the only hope of salvation, & Paul was ready to preach it even to the rich & splendid world.
- He was ready to preach it to the poor & wretched world. Paul was ready, willing, able & devoted!
- His allegiance was to Christ alone—to the Person & completed work of Jesus Christ!
- A word that is synonymous w/allegiance is dedication.
- I submit to you today that we, as Christians, ought to live lives of dedication to the Lord!
- & as I pondered that point this week, a phrase that leapt to my mind, which spells out dedication was: Deliberately Emphasizing Devotion, In Christian Allegiance, Toward Intentional Outreach, Now!
- Just as Paul lived a life of dedication in his day—today, right now is the time for us to do the same!
- We need to be wholly devoted to the Lord & we need not to be ashamed of the gospel!
[William Carey, the “Father of Modern Missions” labored in India, Adoniram Judson, America’s 1st missionary labored in Burma, Robert Morrison, founder of the Protestant Mission of China, labored in China. & all 3 of these men labored for 7 years before seeing their 1st converts to Christianity!]
- They could have given up. They could have become discouraged. They could have become ashamed of their God, their calling & the gospel.
- But these men had all responded to their calling. They had done so w/proper attitudes & w/proper allegiance to the gospel of Jesus Christ!
- They were not ashamed of the gospel! They knew that God called them & sent them & He would provide believers for His glory!
- We must be so living a life of dedication: Deliberately Emphasizing Devotion, In Christian Allegiance, Toward Intentional Outreach, Now!
- My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood & righteousness!
- Not only should you respond to God’s grace as you respond to your calling, but also as you…
2. Pray and Plan for Open Doors (v. 16b). 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 & also for the Greek.
- The George Barna Research Group gives the following statistics: 43% of all who come to Christ do so before age 13; 21% of all who come to Christ do so between ages 14-18; 13% of all who come to Christ do so between ages 19-21, which means that only 23% of all who come to Christ do so after age 21.
- We can't just wait around for witnessing opportunities to happen.
- We need to be intentional about our witnessing, & we need to pray for open doors.
- Paul was strategic. In reality, we can say that from about A.D. 47 to 57, Paul evangelized the eastern half of the Roman Empire while on 3 great missionary tours.
- As he finished his last tour (Acts 20), he stopped in Corinth where he rested for 3 months in the villa of a Christian friend named Gaius, & there he planned his next move.
- Paul dreamed of evangelizing the western half of the Empire, so he devised a plan to go to Rome & from there on to Spain.
- So in Corinth he wrote the book of Romans & sent it on its way to prepare them for his visit.
- He was praying for open doors. He was asking God to send him to Rome, to Spain, to the West.
- He was pleading for more opportunities to share the gospel.
- What does all this mean to us? If you have never shared Christ w/another person, let me suggest this prayer: "Lord, show me an open door. Lord, open my eyes to the person you want me to tell about You. Lord, give me a soul."
- Pray for open doors. Make it an earnest, daily prayer.
- Then begin thinking strategically. Begin planning.
- Say to yourself; Next Christmas, as I send out Christmas cards, is there a way to use them to evangelize my unsaved family.
- As I select birthday gifts for my friends this year, can I give them something containing the gospel?
- As I think about Easter, are there people I can round up & bring w/me to church?
A. B/c of the Power of the Gospel “…for it is the power of God….”
- The gospel IS the power! The gospel IS the power!
- Paul was not talking about certain aspects of the gospel – he said the whole gospel IS the power of God!
- It is so vitally important that we share the whole gospel! Half the gospel cannot save!
- A watered down version of the gospel has no power!
- It’s only the full, total, unabridged, unaltered, complete gospel that IS the power of God!
- We cannot afford to take liberties w/the gospel!
- We must give the whole gospel message which includes the bad news that no one is good enough to be saved & that everyone is already condemned b/c of sin.
- But the gospel also includes the good news of God’s love & mercy & grace to provide so great a salvation!
- The gospel includes the truth that Jesus Christ is God the Son & that He came to live the life we could never live & to die a horrible death as our substitute!
- The gospel includes the truth that God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus & that He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him!
- Jesus died but the gospel also includes the truth that He arose again & that He is alive & that He is coming back to take all who believe in Him home to heaven!
- Pray & Plan for open doors to share that message b/c it IS the power of God!
- But do it also…
B. B/c of the Purpose of God “…to salvation for everyone who believes….”
[Pastor Wallace Hostetter of Rochester, Michigan, went for a haircut one day. His barber was a young Muslim woman. In the course of their conversation, he told her he was a pastor, that he believed in Jesus, & that later that day he was going to perform a funeral.
She replied, “Once I was supposed to cut a dead man’s hair. They were going to pay me $150, but I wouldn’t do it.” “Why not?”, the pastor asked. “I don’t like to touch the dead. I’m afraid they’ll sit up.” “I know one who did,” said the pastor. “Ugh! You’re kidding.” “No, I’m not,” & then he told her about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When his haircut was finished, she asked, “Are you going to keep coming here?” “Yeah, I’ll come back.” She said, “I’d like to know more.”]
- God’s purpose in the gospel is that everyone who believes be saved!
- God’s purpose in your not being ashamed of the gospel is that you make the most of every opportunity to share the gospel.
- When the power of God is used for the purpose of God revealing the Person of God in Jesus Christ, then the people of God rejoice & all who believe are eternally pardoned from their sin!
- Jesus said “I have come to seek & to save that which was lost.”
- God’s purpose in the gospel is the salvation of all who will believe.
- Almost everyone in the US knows John 3:16 (QUOTE) & in that single verse there’s enough truth for God’s Holy Spirit to open the heart & illuminate the mind of any sinner!
- But not every one will be saved b/c not everyone will believe – but those who do believe will be saved & God will be glorified through their salvation.
- It’s His plan, power & purpose!
- & we should follow His pattern & pray & plan for open doors & then as God provides, be faithful to walk through those doors & plow & plant & water & weed & cultivate & care & love & lead souls to Jesus!
- My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood & righteousness!
- Oh, dear fellow believers; respond to your calling & pray & plan for open doors &…
3. Share the Gospel w/o Shame (vv. 1417).
- I imagine it would have been easy for Christians in 1st century Rome to have felt embarrassed about the gospel.
- They were such a strange little group. & just a few years later, in fact, Emperor Nero would blame them for burning part of the city of Rome, & they would be viciously persecuted.
- But Paul said, Romans 1 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks & to barbarians, both to wise & to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
- Paul said, "It doesn't matter what others think. I am a debtor. I have an obligation. I owe it to my Lord & to the world around me to share the gospel."
- Specifically, Paul said what every believer should be able to say: Romans 1 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 & 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."
- It’s God’s power & purpose that we tell everyone the good news b/c it reveals the righteousness of God as our faith grows.
- But how can we do that? How can we tell everybody the good news?
- Let me give you 6 different approaches to sharing the gospel.
A. Peter’s Confrontational Approach—He was direct, bold, & to the point. CAUTION: if you use this approach be sure “not to burse the fruit.”
- Leave the situation so you will be welcomed back again.
B. Paul’s Intellectual Approach—He could be confrontational, but he was a well-educated man who could reason from the Scriptures, explaining & proving that Jesus was the Christ.
C. The Blind Man’s Testimonial Approach—The man in John 9 didn’t know a great deal of theology, but he could say, “One thing I know: I once was blind & now I see.”
D. The Samaritan Woman’s Invitational Approach—Leaving her water jug at the well, the woman in John 4 went into her village & invited her friends to come & hear the man “who told me everything I ever did.”
E. Matthew’s Networking Approach—In Luke 5:29 Matthew put on a big banquet for his tax-collecting buddies in an effort to expose them to Jesus.
- He relied on the relationships he’d built w/these men & sought to further build their friendships, inviting them into his home & using his channels of friendship for evangelism.
F. Dorcas’ Service Approach—In Acts 9, we meet a woman who witnessed by serving others in Jesus name, making clothes for the needy & helping the poor.
- There are many other ways you can share the gospel w/others. Be creative! Think!
- Their eternal souls depend on hearing the life-changing message. So go & share it!
- After all – My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood & righteousness!
Conclusion: So respond to your calling, plan & pray for opportunities to evangelize, & share the gospel w/o shame. Be proud of the Lord. Boast in Him. Brag about Him. Tell others of Him. You never know what's going to happen when you share the gospel. As one gospel song says: I'll shout it from the mountaintop, I want my world to know. The Lord of Love has come to me. I want to pass it on.
Invitation: In the time that we’ve spent in this service today, literally thousands of people have died world-wide. What are you doing to stop the flood of people who enter eternity w/o Jesus? Every time the clock clicks off another second, 2 more people have died. Where will they spend eternity?
Every one of us has unsaved family & friends. Are we looking for opportunities to share? Are we planning for those opportunities? Are we praying for those opportunities?
God has issued a wake up call today! He is calling to His church—this body of believers—WAKE UP & SEE THE IMMEDIATE NEED! Don’t wait – work! The time is short; the need is great; the hour is near! What are you doing personally for those closest to you? What are you doing personally for those who may be farther away? Where is their hope? How will they know the truth if you don’t tell them?
Would you come today & commit yourself to take a pro-active role in winning people to faith in Christ? You’ve heard my say many times that the chief end of man is to glorify God & enjoy Him forever. Charles Spurgeon said, “Our great object of glorifying God is to be mainly achieved by the winning of souls.” Would you commit to being a soul-winner?
Or maybe God has shown you the destiny of your eternal soul this morning. Perhaps you’ve never come to Christ on His terms of repentance & faith but now, you know your need & you see the Lord Jesus as the only way, the only truth & the only life. Would you come now & receive Him by faith?
As God speaks today about your soul, your obedience, your baptism, your church membership, your involvement, your faith—would you come?
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood & righteousness! How about your hope? Where does your hope rest?
Hymn 317 Only Trust Him