Romans – God’s Glorious Gospel
The Release of the Gospel
Romans 1:13-17
* It matters not which statistics you quote or whose research you recite, one thing is certain; the moral climate in this nation is changing and NOT for the better. We are seemingly on the slippery slope of moral decay that will not be checked. It’s killing our country, our communities, our culture and especially our kids.
* In 2003 (Kaiser Family Foundation) 62% of seniors in High School had had sex before marriage, and no surprise, is that 4 million teenagers every year contract AIDS.
* Why is this happening? On Wednesday evening, Men’s Fraternity saw a chart not too many weeks ago that serve as an eye-opener about why we are where we are. (Show chart on Screen). IN 1960, over 80% of children in America lived with their biological father compared to 1990, less than 40% have that influence. I make no apologies for saying this; the moral decay, the changing culture, as well as the violent nature of our society can be traced back to the disintegrating home and the disappearing “dad”. It is sad to say but some homes have a resident dad but not a “present father.” The results of these truths are far-reaching. One (and I only mention one) of these results is a generation or a culture that has lost her way, her step, and her direction. The modern day thinking goes something like this; “I have to watch out for me, take care of me, and be concerned for me, because we all have to take care of ourselves. I owe no one anything, I have no obligation to anyone or anything, as long as life fits in my plan, runs by my schedule, and I am in control, them it’s okay.”
* By the way, this can well be the reason we have a generation of teenagers that are only concerned about getting the coolest, latest, and greatest widget available. You see, they have been conditioned to believe that “if’ they get the latest and greatest it will eventually bring them happiness and personal satisfaction and because such genuinely flawed, we have a culture of searching & miserable people. (TEXT)
1. The Principle in the Gospel – (Verse 13). There IS more than one principle taught in scripture, but we must never forget this principle which Paul is teaching us in his opening words. He says to the Romans, “I long to come to you to have some “FRUIT” among you.”
* Let’s begin with the bad part of this truth. The truth is that over the past years there has been a “mistruth” taught and seemingly taught systematically. Here is the lie: “as believers, we are only called to be faithful, not fruitful.” The only problem with this teaching is, “it is NOT biblical”. We are called to be “BOTH!!” We will never be fruitful without being faithful and we cannot be faithful without becoming fruitful. Never forget, being fruitful is an integral theme in the gospel.
* Hear the voice of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:7-10. Not only is the believer to produce “fruit”, but it to be “fruit in keeping with repentance.” Additionally, if we don’t produce “good fruit” consequences will follow.
* Be reminded of our Lord Jesus himself in Matthew 21:18-19. He went to a tree expecting to get some fruit off of that tree and when He found the tree not producing good fruit, He cursed the tree. Scriptures record that the tree withered and died. Furthermore, Jesus reserved His harshest criticism for those who are unfruitful.
* It take no stretch of my imagination to comprehend this truth; that ONE OF THE REASONS we see our culture on the slippery slope to decay is the lack of fruit within the lives of individual believers. Christ has issued a call for us to be “salt and light”. Could it be that in the comfort of our padded cushions, air conditioned building, and a battery of programs which is all about us that we have lost our flavor and our ability to spiritually illuminate the way. This principle is entrenched in the gifts & callings of the believer. If you are a believer, this resonates in you.
2. The Pressure from the Gospel – Seeing the word “pressure” and “gospel” in the same phrase evokes two distinct responses. First, there are those who remember the days of the “high pressure” tent revivals & invitations while for others, you cannot imagine any commonality.
* Yet, there IS pressure for the believer. Let’s see it through Paul’s eyes. He says, “I want to come see you to produce some fruit among you and the reason I do this is because I am OBLIGATED or I owe a DEBT.” If you will consider this with me, very few things apply pressure in our lives like a debt.
* When we signed the mortgage on our house, we became “obligated” to pay them at least once a month. Everything is okay as long as we pay, but if we do not pay the debt what happens? They begin to turn up the heat until they are paid.
* Paul had a sense of the “heat being turned up” to fulfill the obligation which resulted from Jesus sparing His life. Paul is not alone. Our Lord Christ spared my life when He should have taken it. The result is that, as a man of the gospel, I like Paul am obligated to produce fruit and when I don’t many consequences befall me and those in my sphere of influence.
* Don’t miss this; the same obligation which Christ has placed on me, He has placed on YOU. And like me, if you are truly one who has been changed by the gospel, you have an appointment, a destiny, a purpose which He has given you. You can know it’s from HIM “IF” the result is fruit. And not just any kind of fruit, but good fruit.
TRANS: When I consider the principle which says I must bear fruit and the pressure of being obligated, my next question is “how?” How do I (little ole me) do it?
3. The Power for the Gospel – (Verse 16). This is the exciting part! The scripture says, we do not have to produce fruit in our own power and strength; we have the power of the Gospel which is GOD’S power! Think about God’s power;
* In the Old Testament He parted the Red Sea, brought down the walls at Jericho, shut the mouths of the Lion for Daniel, cooled the fiery for the 3 Hebrews, and even kept Jonah alive in the belly of the whale.
* In the New Testament He had Jesus born of a “Virgin” (big stuff) and in Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies of the Old Testament.
* Then in God’s power Jesus walked on water, calmed the storm, healed the sick, raised the dead, gave sight to the blind, and even changed lives. One life that He changed was Saul of Tarsus. This change was so pronounced that it required a name change to Paul.
* This is the same gospel which we hold today. It is the power of God for the Salvation of ALL people. We do not have to defend or protect it, we only have to release it and the way we do this is by living it. When we live it and based on an authentic life speak about it, God’s power is released to change lives and save souls.
* This brings into focus ONE inescapable question; If the power of God is in the gospel, why is the gospel not changing more lives than it is?
In a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push
his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.
Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist,
stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life.
For two years needless trouble had come become a routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting the power to work.
* Could it be that our connection with the source is loose?
4. The Product of the Gospel – While it is true that the divine expectation through the life of a believer should be to have a display of fruit it is equally true that the gospel has an impact, a characteristic, or a product, INSIDE the lives where it dwells. When the gospel is released in my life, 2 things result; B) God’s righteousness is revealed in me. Simply stated, “righteousness is purity of the heart and mind, being and doing what is right.” The righteousness of God is seen in that fact that He does right every time. The cross shows God’s intolerance of sin and His love for mankind. The world doesn’t understand this concept of “loving the sinner and hating the sin”, but God does and so does His people. B) Faith. You see, the life of a believer begins in faith at salvation, ends in faith in heaven, and is the trek of our lives as believers.
* Just as surely as one must release a balloon to fly, so it is with the gospel. The process is something like this. We release it FOR our lives at Salvation, IN our lives for growth, and THROUGH our lives in maturity.
