Dakota Community Church
January 18, 2009 pm
Romans – Chapter 1(a)
Read Romans 1
Romans 1:1, 5-7
1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—…5Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
1. What is this “call of God”?
We spend a lot of time these days talking about, analyzing, defining, and trying to determine who has the “call of God” on their life.
Paul mentions that he is called to be an apostle, and we tend to think of pastors and teachers and evangelists as having a “call” of God to their offices which is the case but we then think of people not holding an office in the church as “not called”.
Every believer is called of God. When Paul says he is a “servant” of Jesus Christ the Greek word here is: Doulos which literally means “slave” and the opposite of a slave is the Greek word: Kurios which is translated “LORD” and indicates one who has “undisputed possession of” or is “master” or “owner” of another or a thing.
Paul sees himself as called to be the doulos of his kurios Jesus Christ; and further to that he sees every believer as sharing in this call.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Paul sees himself as a slave, as a dead man, as one entirely owned by the Lord.
Slaves and dead men have no agendas.
Slaves and dead men have no concern for their rights or their personal comfort.
1 Corinthians 11:1
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
Jesus echoes this call to a servant attitude:
Luke 17:1-10
Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves.
"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ’I repent,’ forgive him."
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" {Hey this is HARD}
He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ’Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ’Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ’Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ’We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ "
Jesus doesn’t just talk the talk either:
Luke 22:27
For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
The point I am trying to make here is that as Christians we are all “called” and that the calling has nothing to do with our personal gain, in fact I would say that we are only great to the extent that we really grasp that we are slaves and our greatness is in Christ.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."
We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.
If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed.
This is a command from God! Doing your job is pleasing to God, he wants us to settle down and earn our dinner! This is a calling! It is as important as feeding the hungry or visiting the sick or pastoring a church.
Colossians 3:18-24
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Husbands love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
The Christian Hydro worker serves his fellow man by keeping the lights on, the Christian farmer serves his fellow man by putting food on the market, the Christian salesman serves his fellow man by doing it not for selfish motives but for the Lord.
Your job is a calling from God, when you go to work and serve your fellow man in your occupation, you are fulfilling the call of God on your life and it is a “good work for which there will be eternal reward” as defined in scripture.
Ephesians 6:5-9
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
1 Corinthians 7:17-24
Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.
Paul even expands on this thought to include married or single life. Are you married to a non-believer? Don’t seek a divorce. Are you single, try to be happy and serve.
Ephesians 2:1-10
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
The call of God is not about some special status for certain individuals.
If you are faithful in your marriage, if you are dutifully working at your job as unto the Lord, you do not need to add works to gain a better standing before God.
Continued next week…
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
