Today, we are starting a new series this term, looking at the first four chapters of Romans. This is a letter written by a guy called Paul who is writing to Christians in Rome. There is a bit more background on this letter in the Bible study notes for this week, if you want to check that out.
Today we are looking at the letter’s introduction, where we see that Paul is eager to share some news with the Christians in Rome.
So today we’ll meet Paul, the believers in Rome, but also God and see how Jesus is the King who need to be proclaimed because He saves.
Paul sees himself not as some autonomous individual expressing his belief how he feels like it, but as a servant of Jesus. He follows his Christ, which is another word for King. Paul has given up his original life and now lives for King Jesus.
You know how sometimes people are let go from a company because their values are different. They might be told that they are moving in different directions, or that there is a misalignment in vision. Well, that was Paul originally with Christians. He wasn’t tracking with them at all. He had different values.
Paul wasn’t brought up in a Christian home. Instead, he was a well-trained Jew. And He hated the Christians. Like a lot. Not just posting mean messages on Facebook about them, but in Jerusalem when Stephen, the first Christian, was killed, Paul was there, giving his approval.
Paul’s mission was to go from town to town to smoke out these Christians, to put an end to their new religion. But one time, while on the way to destroy the church, Jesus turned up, knocked Paul off his horse and blinded him for three days. After that, Paul believed that Jesus rose from the dead. He could not not believe and so followed Jesus. He was convinced Jesus was the promised Jewish saviour of the world, so he sought not to end the Christian church, but to plant more. To spread this news far and wide.
This is what Paul means when he said he was called to be an apostle. What Paul was doing was not his career choice, but was a summons by his King. He was an apostle, which is a sent one, with a message to tell. And this message we are told is the gospel of God.
He goes on
Jesus was born in this world, with a genealogy that included royalty. But not only did Jesus have royal Jewish blood in Him, He also had a resurrected body and had defeated death for us. Jesus is the Son of God and is given power to now rule over all things.
And these facts about Jesus, that He is from David and resurrected, isn’t just something interesting for a historian to know, but this is news for everyone. For those who had access to check out the promises in scriptures and for those who didn’t. And this news has the power to change lives. It did back then, and it still can today.
Paul tells the Christians in Rome how this message has impacted them:
So today we’ll meet Paul, the believers in Rome, but also God and see how Jesus is the King who need to be proclaimed because He saves.
Paul
Paul introduces himself this way:Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God (Romans 1:1Paul calls himself a servant, a sent one and set apart for a message he calls the Gospel.
NIV)
Paul sees himself not as some autonomous individual expressing his belief how he feels like it, but as a servant of Jesus. He follows his Christ, which is another word for King. Paul has given up his original life and now lives for King Jesus.
You know how sometimes people are let go from a company because their values are different. They might be told that they are moving in different directions, or that there is a misalignment in vision. Well, that was Paul originally with Christians. He wasn’t tracking with them at all. He had different values.
Paul wasn’t brought up in a Christian home. Instead, he was a well-trained Jew. And He hated the Christians. Like a lot. Not just posting mean messages on Facebook about them, but in Jerusalem when Stephen, the first Christian, was killed, Paul was there, giving his approval.
Paul’s mission was to go from town to town to smoke out these Christians, to put an end to their new religion. But one time, while on the way to destroy the church, Jesus turned up, knocked Paul off his horse and blinded him for three days. After that, Paul believed that Jesus rose from the dead. He could not not believe and so followed Jesus. He was convinced Jesus was the promised Jewish saviour of the world, so he sought not to end the Christian church, but to plant more. To spread this news far and wide.
This is what Paul means when he said he was called to be an apostle. What Paul was doing was not his career choice, but was a summons by his King. He was an apostle, which is a sent one, with a message to tell. And this message we are told is the gospel of God.
Jesus is the King
The word “Gospel” has become a bit of a Christian term, but what it means is good news. In Rome, when it was announced they had won another battle, that announcement would be the gospel, the good news. Paul here identifies himself as someone who wants to share the good news, not from Rome but from God, and in the next verse we are told just a little of what this good news is. Over this term this gospel will be explained a lot more.He goes on
the gospel he [God] promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 1:2–4 NIV)We see here the good news Paul is on about is God’s Son. This news isn’t something he has made up. This it isn’t even new. This was something that was promised long ago through the Jewish prophets and scriptures. Here, Paul is talking about the first three quarters of our Bibles, the Old Testament. At that time, the Bible was a bit like an Agathia Christy novel, without the last chapter. In the Old Testament, there were promises about a saviour, but they hadn’t come yet. No one knew who it was. But Paul says, this person is Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus was born from the line of King David and through the Spirit was raised from the dead.
Jesus was born in this world, with a genealogy that included royalty. But not only did Jesus have royal Jewish blood in Him, He also had a resurrected body and had defeated death for us. Jesus is the Son of God and is given power to now rule over all things.
And these facts about Jesus, that He is from David and resurrected, isn’t just something interesting for a historian to know, but this is news for everyone. For those who had access to check out the promises in scriptures and for those who didn’t. And this news has the power to change lives. It did back then, and it still can today.
Paul tells the Christians in Rome how this message has impacted them:
Through him [Jesus] we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:5–7 NIV)
Paul describes the Christians in Rome as those who are called. Like Paul, they are also summoned by the resurrected King. While Jesus was from a Jewish Kingly line, Jesus is King for all peoples. Gentiles, all who are non-Jews, like us, can also be called and loved by God. All those who are God’s people are holy and receive grace and peace from God.
Today, when you might call someone holy, it might mean you are calling them a goody two-shoes, someone who is squeaky clean, or straight as an arrow. But we will see that this is not the case. Being holy here is about being set apart from the rest. It is about being in a new group of people. This may sound like some exclusive club, but all people, from all nations, can join.
You can be called holy by God today. Even if you don’t think you are straight down the line. We will see that the message about Jesus is powerful enough to align us with God, even if we are crooked. We need simply to trust in God that what Jesus has done for us is true, that His promises of forgiveness and salvation are real.
The offer to come to Jesus and be holy is for all, and this is part of Paul’s motivation for writing this letter. He wants to tell this message to as many people as he can.
Prayer and Proclamation
At the back of the letter, we see that Paul wants to use the Roman church as a base so he can go on to Spain and tell the Gospel there. But in the introduction, we see his initial plan for coming to Rome.First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. (Romans 1:8–10 NIV)He were see Paul’s pastoral heart. He has been strengthening the church for about 25 years now, and we see how he constantly prays for the believers whom he has only heard about, and how he wants to visit them.
We may think of Paul as a bold preacher or a church planter, but in most of his letters, and here in Romans, we see his heart of prayer. He tells them he is always praying for them, which might be strange as he has never met most of them.
I wonder what your prayer life is like? Do you constantly pray for fellow Christians and churches? It might be hard to know what to pray for.
Every month I try and pray for everyone in the church members' list. Some people here I know better than others. So, besides SMSing everyone at church for what to pray for, use a prayer from the morning prayer book service to help me. It goes
Eternal God and Father, by whose power we are created and by whose love we are redeemed; guide and strengthen us by your Spirit, that we [names] may give ourselves to your service, and live this day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.How could you be praying for your brothers and sisters to strengthen and encourage their faith? If you are in a Bible Study, do you remember to pray for each other throughout the week?
Paul tells them he is constantly praying for them, which is probably a great encouragement to them. Once you pray for someone, you can let them know that you have prayed for them. In sharing that news, it too might be an encouragement to them. And as God answers your prayers, there can be wider sharing of joy in witnessing what God is doing in our lives.
Paul goes on to say how he wanted to visit them.
I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. (Romans 1:11–13 NIV)The timing for Paul to visit hasn’t worked out till now, but now he wants to go over and encourage them. But not just him giving encouragement to them, but to be muatually be enocuraged by their faith. He wants to tell them how God has been working in his part of the world, and he wants to hear from them about how God has been working in Rome.
Catching up and sharing stories of how God is working across the world is encouraging to hear. Every time we have a missionary visit, they normally run an information night saying what they have been up to. You should get on those and hear what God has been doing. You should get on their mailing list to pray for them and to hear what they are seeing God do.
On the 24th May, one of our link missionaries, Simon and Lydia, will be down. Don’t miss seeing them. Come and hear what they are seeing God in their part of the world. We have a group going to Nias Island, and when they come back, I am sure we will hear some great stories about God’s work over too.
Paul wants encouragement, but also notice what Paul wants to do when he gets there in verse 15:
That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. (Romans 1:15 NIV)Paul wants to preach the message about Jesus to them. Is that a bit strange? Paul wants to tell Christians that Jesus fulfils scripture, that Jesus is from the line of David, and died and rose again. Do you think that they have heard it before? He’s already told them in this letter. But he wants to tell them again.
The Gospel is a message for all people, for all nations and also for all believers and unbelievers. We need to remember that every cool Bible verse we have about the Gospel was originally written to Christians. What Christians need to hear is the Gospel. What those who don’t follow Jesus need to hear is the Gospel. The Gospel is a message for everyone. One method we call discipleship, the other we call evangelism, but the message is the same. And it is good, and worth sharing and telling and re-telling. Who might you be able to tell this message to? Who are you with tomorrow in the public holiday? Family? friends? Neighbours? Some of those might already be Christians, but that shouldn’t stop you from talking about the good things Jesus has done.
The Gospel
So why is the Gospel so great? Paul comes to the heart of the letter in the next two versesFor I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16–17 NIV)
The Gospel is a message that saves anyone who believes in it, regardless of national identity, regardless of what religion you grew up in, regardless of what subculture you are a part of. The Gospel message about Jesus saves all who believe.
Do you know this message? Jesus died and rose again. He took on the sins of the world on Himself to save us from God’s wrath. We were not in step with God, we did not follow His straight ways, and so faced the consequences of being misguided. But Jesus brings us back to God, so we can be adopted into God’s family. Jesus cleanses us from our crooked deeds, so that we can be seen as right. This message saves. It gives us peace, from our guilt, our shame is forgiven. This shapes our identity, for it means we are loved by God. We experience the free gift of grace, so that we can extend that to others around us.
I hope that you can say that you know this. That you know, not just intellectually, but personally, that because of the work of Jesus on the cross, because He took my punishment in my place, as my representative, I am saved, and brought back to God.
This is a good message, a great message that is worth telling, for it has the power to save. It can save Paul, who was on a mission to kill Christians; it can save you, who was disobeying God; it can save those you know.
But sometimes we can be cool-shamed by the world. We can feel like this might sound dumb, or unbelievable, and so feel like we can’t share it, for fear of shame or embarrassment.
Back then, in Rome, the Christ was the Emperor and the Romans perfected crucifixion in order to publicly shame the victim. And Paul, writing to Rome, the capital of the Empire, says the real Christ died on a cross. That might not sound like a reasonable story. That might not sound very intelligent, but Paul didn’t care what it might sound like; he knew it was real. He was not ashamed of the message. He has been called to it. He has been saved by it. Have you?
People might shame you for what you believe, but you don’t have to feel ashamed of it. The Gospel is good news; it is powerful to save. It is a free gift that comes from faith.
Verse 17 says, in the Gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed.
In our series, we are going to be using a different word than justification or righteousness. Both those words are kinda the same in Greek, one is a noun and the other a verb. In English, we kinda don’t have a word for “right-ification.”
Instead, as our series, we are going to be talking about alignment, Divine Alignment. God is the standard, the straight line, and he asks that we be aligned with Him. If we are honest, we know we are crooked; we are not in parallel with God. So the massive problem we face is, how can we, a crooked line, be made straight for God?
In verse 17, we see that there is a righteousness that is by faith. There is an alignment from God that we can get, that comes only from faith. We don’t straighten up through activity but through trust in God.
An Old Testament line is quoted, “The righteous will live by faith”. This comes from the prophet Habakkuk in chapter 2. In that passage, God wants His words written down as what He says will take time, and that requires waiting. Those who don’t listen will be puffed up, but the righteous person, the one who is aligned with God’s word, will live by faith. So as they continue to trust in God’s promises, they will be living by faith. They will live out their life, based on God's word and trusting in His promises to come.
Jesus rose from the grave and promised He would be with us till the end of the age. He said He is preparing a place for us and will come back to take us there. He also said that he will come back, He will judge the living and the dead. So while we wait, and live out our time here, we wait in faith, trusting in His word. And so while we wait, we can share this good news, to help remind and encourage each other and to offer it to all who don’t know it, so that they too can know the power of this message.
The Gospel is that Jesus is the King, who is to be proclaimed to all, for it has the power to save.
Almighty God, who promised the Gospel of your Son through the prophets,Help us to see Jesus Christ as our true resurrected King.We thank you that this Gospel is your power to save everyone who believes,Revealing your divine alignment to all who continue to live by faith.Give us the courage to proclaim his name among all nations,That every heart may respond with the obedience of faith.Through Jesus Christ our Lord,Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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