1. The book of Romans is a wonderful gospel of Grace.
• It’s God’s letter of freedom & liberty to us.
• As we study it together we’ll see the work of God’s Holy Spirit infusing grace & love throughout our lives!
• It opens in v1 with Paul a BONDSERVANT…
Paul is how we know him after His conversion…
• His original name was Saul of Tarsus.
• He was born a Roman citizen into a Jewish home.
• We know at the age of 13 he went to Jerusalem and studied diligently under the rabbi Gamaliel…
• He became a rising star among the Pharisees & eventually took it upon himself to destroy Christianity single handedly.
• In his own life he had a lot to boast about… Philippians 3:3-11
• And so God took ‘Saul the self-righteous’ and made him Paul the bondservant!
APP: I think that is the work of God in all of our lives.
• He takes who we think we are, & makes us his servant.
• He takes who we think we R & makes us who He wants us to be!
• Doing well and rising high!… now a bondservant of the Lord.
• Doing poorly & struggling!… now a bondservant of the Lord.
A bondservant was not one because HE HAD TO BE…
He was a BONDSERVANT because HE WANTED to be.
• He had worked his debt off and it was time to go free.
• But he had fallen so in love with his master & family… things were good there, better than they would be out in freedom.
• And so the servant would choose to stay rather than leave.
• It’s different now. I want to serve no longer out of my legal obligation, from now on I want to serve you of love!
• There was a ceremony when this happened.
• The servant would stand next to the master’s doorpost and the would take the servant’s earlobe and puncture the ear.
• A piece of the ear would stay in the doorpost and a ring would be put in the hole showing his new relationship!
• Strange & interesting huh? Not really…
NOTE: What God is showing us and saying to us is that the Master has a piece of the slave’s ear!
• God knows that whoever has your ear, has you!
• Whoever you listen to has you.
• Whoever has your attention has your devotion too.
• That’s why Jesus says over and over again…
Revelation 2:7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…”
APP: Jesus wants your ear. He wants you to be His bondservant!
• He wants you to serve him out of love not out of obligation!
• Really it’s a great time to stand back and ask the Lord if it’s really love that’s motivating you.
2 Cor. 5.14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
Guys… the two motivations are so different!
• One says, I’ll serving the Lord & I’m working my way to heaven even if it kills me! Gotta work!! Let’s go everybody move!
• OR… Jesus you’re so good to me, better than any other person I’ve ever known… & I voluntarily give you my life. Take it!
• There’s a big difference between serving because I MUST and serving because I get to!
• One is of law & legal obligation… The other out of love & grace
2. (1-2) An apostle separated…
a. An apostle was literally someone sent forth with a message.
b. A representative for a king with an important message!
c. In the big picture we are all sent out with the gospel.
d. Yet in the narrow sense this term refers to a narrow group of 12… Paul being chosen by God not man to the Gentiles.
NOTICE: Paul was separated TO THE gospel of God.
• A lot of people are separated FROM SOMETHING. That’s good.
• You’ll hear testimonies of how God delivered them from drugs, alcohol, and all sorts of stuff that was destroying their lives!
Maybe you were separated once to drugs, or to selfishness, or to bitterness or greed… or some other sinful behavior!
• BUT NOW you’re set apart for Jesus Christ!
• You just want to please Him!
• Saved & Delivered by His wonderful free flowing grace!
HEY… that sounds like you’re telling people they can do anything they want and still be a Christian!
• Well in Jesus a new love has been created and now I do what motivates me in love of my Savior. He has my ear! My life!
• Religion says ‘serve God or go to hell’.
• The gospel says serve Me because I saved you & love you!
AND Even Paul at one point in his life could say he lived a separated life as a Pharisee to the Law!
• But now the real separation begins! TO THE GOOD NEWS!
• It’s a compelling message isn’t it?! It grabs your life!
• Gospel is not man’s good news, it’s God’s good news for man!
• The prophets didn’t invent it, neither did the apostles.
NOTE: It’s not like some great fiction best seller… interests you.
• It’s not like some great Christian best seller… a season.
• The gospel of God grabs your life & doesn’t let go!
Romans 5.8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 3.17-18 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
3. (3-4) Declared to Be the Son of God!
a. The gospel is all about Jesus Christ the Son of God!
b. The good news is Jesus PERIOD!
c. Not some church, or religion, or movement.
d. The gospel concerns the SON.
Hebrews 10:7 Then I said, ’Behold, I have come--In the volume of the book it is written of Me--To do Your will, O God.’ "
Here we see the INCARNATION OF Jesus spoken here…
• Born of the seed of David… his humanity.
• Declared to be the Son of God… His deity.
• He’s fully man and fully God! John would say it this way…
John 1.14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
THE DECLARATION that Jesus is the Messiah came by the Spirit of Power and His resurrection!
• Paul met the resurrected Jesus Christ on the his way to destroy Christians in Damascus…
• IT was 25 years earlier that he became that bondservant of Lord
Acts 9.6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
• And for 25 years, 30 years, 45 years… Paul steadied on!
• A strength, a key to Paul’s life was commitment.
• He left everything to focus his life entirely upon Jesus!
• With passion. With Zeal. With focus. With tenacity!
Why do folks bounce around in their Christian life today?
• Why do we see people bouncing in service? Bouncing in commitment? Bouncing from church to church to church?
• Could it be a lack of this personal encounter? What?
• Paul was so dedicated, so consecrated, so separated in his service to the Lord because it was REAL!
• He didn’t commit to a theory. He didn’t commit to a theology.
• He didn’t commit to a church or to an organization!
• No, he had an encounter with the RISEN Lord. Jesus is alive!
• If all we do is study… and learn… and argue… then I believe we’ll miss the heart of ministry altogether.
But if we really understand Jesus is risen & dwelling within us…
• Then we can talk with Him, share our hearts with Him, and fellowship with Him… our lives will never be the same!
4. (5-7) Through we have received grace & apostleship.
a. Guys, we’ve received grace and we extend grace to you!
b. God’s unmerited, unearned, undeserved love & favor!
c. Why grace? For obedience.
d. We’re not saved BY works but FOR works.
John 15.16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
GUYS… you are beloved of God! He loves you unconditionally.
• Just like the saints in Rome, the saints in Aurora are loved!
• Isn’t that beautiful? Wonderful? Awesome!
• We are beloved of God. And that’s what I want you to walk out of here knowing, believing, and living…
• He looks down upon you with a smile, with a heart of joy.
• He’s saying GRACE & PEACE to you. Right now.
• Rest in His perfect love and care for you! You can be content and trust Him with every area of your lives!
As you read through the Old Testament, the last verse in Malachi:
Malachi 4.6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."
• But look how the NT ends: Let’s flip there Rev 22:20-21
The LAW ends w/ a curse, the gospel begins & ends with GRACE.
• God wants to surround in His grace and that’s what Romans is all about… the letter of liberty is here to free us from bondage, from the flesh, from sin… so that we might fully serve the Lord!
