How To Become A Dynamic Christian
Romans 1:1
Paul, a bondservant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart unto the gospel of God,
• Do you have a desire to be a dynamic believer in Jesus Christ.
To be the real thing instead of playing religious games?
Years ago the Emperor of China had a famous orchestra.
One particular member of the group did not have any real musical talent but had simply weaseled his way into as a member. During the concerts he would always pretend to play but loved the attention and the money he was paid.
One day the Emperor had a idea. He wanted to have each member of the Orchestra play him a special solo performance. The man whose life was only pretend realized he couldn’t escape having to admit his lie and ended up committing suicide.
This event coined the phrase we still use today of being unwilling to ‘face the music’.
• Are you the real thing? What if your Christianity became a solo act? ‘Give your testimony’ ‘Share your faith’….one day we will all stand before Jesus the King and give a solo performance!
• PAUL WAS THE REAL DEAL:
Romans describes the genuine Christian life and what it is all about;
1) What is sin?
2) How is a person saved?
3) How do I live life by the Spirit’s power?
4) What about spiritual gifts? Genuine surrender?
Hints on a successful marriage. Don’t do these: Rodney Daingerfield
1. My wife and I have the secret to making our marriage last: Two times a week, we go to a nice
restaurant for some good food and relaxation. She goes on Tuesdays, I go Fridays.
2. I asked my wife where she wanted to go for our anniversary. "Somewhere I haven’t been in a
long time!" she said. So I suggested the kitchen.
3. My wife told me the car wasn’t running well because there was water in the carburetor. I asked
where the car was. She told me, "In the lake."
4. I haven’t spoken to my wife for 18 months. I don’t like to interrupt her.
5. She got a mudpack and looked great for two days. Then the mud fell off.
I believe every couple wants to have a successful marriage. And I believe every Christian desires to live a successful Christian life. Yet many of us have blown it.
The devil discourages us because of our many failings.
We want to serve God but find it so difficult to consistently live the way we know we should.
Paul was a successful Christian. In the first verse of Romans we find some characteristics of Paul’s life that made him successful. Characteristics of a successful
• We are beginning a new study and I promise that if you give yourself to learning the truths of this book your life and the life of this church will not be the same when we are done..
Someone has said ‘ Romans is the most powerful document that has ever been written’. There has never been a significant revival moment apart from the book of Romans.
1. Not a simple book although the ROMAN ROAD is used to lead to salvation
2. Paul wrote because he could not physically go to Rome where a church had formed and
wanted to explain the Christian life and essential Christian principles.
3. Our benefit that Paul wrote instead of went: wrote from Corinth which was one of the most
wicked cities of his day. 55-56 A.D.
ROMANS’ IMPACT THROUGHOUT HISTORY
AUGUSTINE(386) – Sitting in the garden of a friend and was upset over his sinful life. Heard a little girl’s voice from the other side of a wall singing ‘Tolelego’ take up and read.
He looked around and saw a scroll which had been left. Opened it and read the 13th chapter of the Book of Romans, ‘Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh with regard to it’s lusts’.
MARTIN LUTHER(1511) – Augustinian monk who was teaching a class on Romans and read 1:17, ‘The just shall live by faith’. WORKS RELIGION: Indulgences Sacrament
Made right before God without any action we do but by simple faith.
Brand new truth to him and changed him and let to the Protestant Revival.
JOHN BUNYAN – Sitting in a Bedford jail with the Book of Romans. Bunyan puts the themes of Romans in allegory through a book called Pilgrim’s Progress.
JOHN WESLEY(1700’s) – Came to Georgia as a missionary to the American Indians. Failed miserably and came to the conclusion that he was not saved. ‘I came to America to convert the Indians but who will convert me?’
Return trip: Storm – sailors panic – Moravians praying and praising.
Some time later while walking down Aldersgate street – reading Luther’s preface to Romans and heard 1:17 – ‘heart strangely warmed’.
Samuel & Suzanne Wesley: on deathbed ‘seek the Holy Spirit to work in your life’
If the Bible could only contain one book I would choose ROMANS
• THEME: Righteousness of God and subtitle is The Total Depravity of Man
“I greatly longed to understand Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, and nothing stood in the way but that one expression, ‘the righteousness of God’ … Night and day I pondered until … I grasped the truth that the righteousness of God is that righteousness whereby, through grace and sheer mercy, he justifies us by faith. This passage of Paul became to me a gateway to heaven.” AUGUSTINE
• Divided into three sections:
1) 1-8 Doctrinal Section 2) 9-11 National Israel Section 3) 12-16 Practical Section
2cnd Century description: Short, bald, hook-nosed, had an eye disease and was not an eloquent speaker: God used to changed the world – may think you have nothing much to offer.
• One verse this morning: Description of Paul given by himself. Not a physical descriptionHow would you describe yourself? Clues to why Paul was such a dynamic Christian.
1) No physical characteristics mention nor vocation or age: Hard to pick out of a police
line up described this way.
• Three Important Truths(Keys to success in the Christian life) MASTER MISSION MESSAGE
A MAN WHO KNEW HIS MASTER Paul, a bondservant of Christ Jesus…
1. BONDSERVANT:
a. Unique word for slavery: English language has 26,000 words and you would be shocked
at how few of them we really use in conversation but the Greek has about 122,000 different
words to chose from. Paul chose a very specific word to describe himself: DOULOS
Jewish slavery was unique
Debt related – Exodus 21 – Jew only a slave to fellow Jew for 7 years or year of Jubilee
At that point a decision: Slaves choice to stay a slave: doorpost/Awe/stigmata
Sign that he has forsaken his own free will
Marketplace observation: ‘what a wonderful master’
It is said that someone followed Mother Teresa around Calcutta watching her minister to the sick and poor people, many of whom were in a leprous condition. The person was repulsed and said, "I wouldn’t do this for a million dollars!"
Mother Teresa replied, "Neither would I, but I would do it for Jesus for nothing."
2. When Paul introduced himself this way it was a term of derision:
a. 600.000 in a population of 1 million
b. Could have said ‘Paul a citizen of Rome’
Remember the last time you were in a department store and heard the announcer come on the public address system and say "Attention shoppers, there is a special sale on Rolex watches in aisle three"? BLUELIGHT SPECIAL IS MORE MY SPEED.
What you heard was the information about the item on sale. What you may have overlooked was that the announcer called you a name. You were called a shopper. Is that what you are? Do you want your friends calling you that? Do you get up in the morning and look in the mirror and see a shopper looking back?
We are all called many names. We are shoppers or sports-fans or couch-potatoes.
No doubt, you have been called other names as well, which might not be appropriate to mention.
Many of these names reflect what we do. We are described as a lawyer, or doctor, or engineer, or accountant, or pastor. And we even see ourselves in light of those names.
Take time to consider just how God sees you?
How would God describe you? BAPTIST/church attender/good person by world’s definition
WELL DONE GOOD AND FAITHFUL BAPTIST?
SERVANT of God is who we are to be regardless of what other hats in life we wear and Paul understood that intimate relationship he had with God. Description that mattered
. c. Resting under God’s authority is a huge secret to living a successful Christian life.
Trusting Him without trying to call the shots or set the agenda for your life.
No doubts or second judging His will and ways but learning to trust.
1) Luke 13 ‘How I would have ______ but you would not’….
List of God’s ‘would haves’ for our lives and I am not sure I want to ever see that list.
There is a wonderful line from the movie Hook. In that movie Robin Williams plays a Peter Pan who grew up. In the process of growing up he lost the memory of his real identity and of his adventures in Neverland.
Now he is married with children. He has become Peter Banning, a busy executive with more time for his cellular phone than for his children.
When he and his family return to England to visit Granny Wendy, something horrible happens. Captain Hook secretly steals his children and takes them back to Neverland in order to provoke a confrontation with Peter Pan. As Granny Wendy attempts to explain to Peter Banning that he should fly away to Neverland and rescue his children, he is confused. Fly away to Neverland? How could he do that? What is she talking about?
She looks directly at him and whispers, "Peter, dear- don’t you know who you are?"
A fantastic line! It’s the key to everything! What Peter really needed was to know his real identity. You see, once you know who you really are then you know how you should act.
A MAN WHO KNEW HIS MISSION Paul, a bondservant of Christ Jesus, called to be an APOSTLE
1. Second description Paul gave of himself Lit. Called Apostle(to be not in the original)
2. Summoned for a very important task: Apostolic boat/commission for specific use
3. My relationship of being a servant/slave/doulos had placed upon my life an
extremely important calling.
a. World desires to pull us aside to it’s priorities instead of God’s(squeeze us into it’s mold
Rom 12) exhaust us with it’s priorities/waste our years on it’s ways
b. KEY: Use to punch holes/screwdriver/pick teeth or other parts.
Lots of potential uses but only one real purpose.
Designed with personality(ridges/cuts) for only one lock.
May find a key and have no idea what to do with it.
Use it for all these other reasons but never discover the real purpose it was made for.
Keys on keychain that not sure what they are for but don’t throw them away because some day I might discover their use. Some here in church today and not sure why God made you but just keep going hoping to someday discover your real purpose
Can keep yourself busy with many other things but to miss God’s calling is tragic.
WHERE ARE MY KEYS? Not where supposed to be. God must ask the same question
Every time I preach I am reminded that God has a sense of humor.
The farthest possible thing I ever imagined for my life.
Shows how far on my own I was missing what God had designed me for.
JAN 1979: Walking on an Australian Beach I began a process of surrender to God on His terms and allowed Him to lead me to wherever His will was for my life.
WHEN THE LEVEL OF MY FAITH RISES ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE FEAR I HAVE OF ANY PARTICULAR THING GOD MIGHT CALL ME TO DO THEN ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IN GOD’S WILL.
Do you have that kind of confidence in God’s sovereignty over you life and His willingness to do great things thru you? God does not use great people but great faith.
HEBREWS 11: List of people who were nothing without God but who allowed God to use them in spite of their fears and accomplish mighty things.
ADRIAN ROGERS: Great preaching pastor in SBC….called on to pray in a church service as a young man and simply said NO….intimidated to do even that much for God at that point
GOD WANTS TO SHOCK YOUR WORLD WITH THE DIFFERENCE HE WILL MAKE THROUGH YOUR LIFE.
4. The will of God is what you would choose if you had enough sense to
choose it: Profound statement!
If you could see from God’s perspective or vantage point knowing past present and future and
how He has gifted and designed you and what will come along the path of your life.
A MAN WHO LIVED FOR A MESSAGE Paul, a bondservant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart unto the gospel of God.
1. SET APART: Apharidzo – sound like Pharisee(similar root ‘separated ones’)
Lit. ‘off horizon’
a. Horizons are the boundaries of life: 2007 your life exists within certain boundaries:
geographical, relational, responsibilities, authorities over you
b. God came along in my life in 1979 and changed my horizon:
Changed where my life was and made me a new creature with a whole new set of boundaries.
COOKIE DOUGH layed out: Cut horizons, moved me from one to another where I need to learn to live instead of going back to the old horizon that I was used to.
One shaped like a 19 year old typical American male with no real life purpose other than to run in circles and another shaped like a 19 year old American male with a great future in God’s plan.
One of the initial steps in the Christian life is to LEARN WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST
GOD WILL ENLARGE THE POTENTIAL OF MY LIFE BY THE NEW HORIZON HE PUTS ME IN. I can hide in my fear or expand and expand to live out the potential God has for my life.
Old Horizon had me at the center and new has Jesus
Before 1983 I was my own man: Wake up and ask ‘what am I going to do today?’ Go with that
December 1983 things changed, totally new horizon for my life:
Finally married a wonderful woman I had met. I still wake up and ask the same question but just add one word, ‘What am I going to do today HONEY?’
Could have lived out years of things being all about me but instead I look back at almost 24 years of family and memories and shared purpose and becoming one together.
My horizons became brand new and it came with a brand new potential
2. UNTO – Pharisees were separated from various things but we are separated unto
one thing. Religion vrs Relationship Bruised and bleeding Pharisees thousands
a. Don’t have to remember a long list of don’ts but only remember one thing:
MY LIFE IS CENTERED AROUND THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST!
b. Make peace within God’s horizon and trust every element of His plan for you.
Testimony of one missionary that many mission organizations have become more relief organizations than those who share the gospel. Often forbidden to mention the name of Jesus.
INDIA missionary who is a native Indian said to one pastor, ‘If you take all of the wealth of America and pour it into India in six months there will be just as much starvation and poverty as there is now because the very religious foundation of the nation condemns them to poverty and destruction….go tell your people ‘what does it profit a man if he gain the world but lose his soul’.
SET APART UNTO THE GOSPEL: Great Commission to share it, make disciples, be unashamed to stand for it regardless of the cost
FANNY CROSBY: Eye infection at age 3 – treated by a doctor who placed a chemical compound on a rag and put it over her eyes – caused her to become blind.
Doctor was so ashamed he left and disappeared.
Fanny grew up and stated, ‘I wish I could find out where that doctor is…If I could I would thank him and tell him that is was all right, and that God had a bigger plan in mind than any of us could have ever know. BECAUSE I LOST MY PHYSICAL EYES I WAS ABLE TO SEE THINGS WITH MY HEART THAT MIGHT NEVER HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE.
7000 hymns: Blessed Assurance
D.L. MOODY asked her once, ‘If you could have on thing in life what would that be? Everybody would assume her answer would be eyesight but she said, ‘I would ask that I would never be able to see for the rest of my life….WHY?.....I want the first face that I ever remember seeing to be the face of my Master Jesus Christ’.
She was separated unto a Person
So many things steal the successful Christian life: Live for things that have so little real meaning. WOOD HAY STUBBLE
Missing out on what really matter in life. Not seeing with our heart.
Paul was a man who had a MASTER….knew his MISSION….lived for a MESSAGE
