We all know people who find themselves in debt “up to their eyeballs.” The majority of the time it is due to their own foolish lifestyle. They seem to be constantly expecting someone to bail them out without any sacrifices on their part. Some feel that the sole purpose of the church is to be a lifeline for them to meet their obligations. And they are not far from being wrong.
Over the next few weeks we are going to roam through the Book of Romans with Paul. We will be studying such topics as sin, salvation, Christian growth, God’s sovereignty, and our service.
Romans is a letter written to the church that was established in Rome by Jews who had come to the faith on the day of Pentecost. None of the disciples including Paul had visited them yet. So Paul, who was in Corinth at the time, decided to write them a letter of encouragement and instruction.
Follow with me in your Bible as Paul introduces himself to the members of the church in Rome.
Romans 1:1-10 This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.
And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith (faithfulness) in him is being talked about all over the world. God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.
One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you.
In his greeting Paul makes a couple of points. One of them is to remind the Jews that have established the church that they are in a Gentile region. He says he has been given the authority through Jesus to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles and to remind them that they are included in with the Gentiles and not held with a higher esteem.
Paul also points out their faithful living. He complements them on not just declaring to be followers of Christ but by actually setting an example of faithfulness by the way they live. And this example of righteous living has become known among other churches world-wide.
In the next five verses he paints a picture of the church community and why we need to be involved.
1) To bring your gift.
Romans 1:11 “For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord.”
Each of us has a gift given by the Holy Spirit to be used to strengthen the church. Notice Paul writes “I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong.” Paul is not sure what they are lacking in their growth so his desire is to come to them and impart a gift that will compensate for what they lack. That is the beauty of the church. Here is a place where you can begin to discover the gift or gifts you have to serve Jesus. The Holy Spirit will empower people to serve where needed in order for the church to grow strong. And as we grow more people will begin discovering the gift given to them by the Spirit.
You may say “I have no gift of service to offer.” If that is the case then the Bible lies.
Here is what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:7“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” We are assured by God’s Word that all of us as believers have something to offer. The problem is we often do not want to use the gift that has been given us. If someone gives you a toaster but you never put a slice of bread in it, then what purpose does it really serve? We must step forward and meet each others needs so our gift is not wasted.
2) to encourage each other
Romans 1:12 “When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.”
We all need encouragement and that includes me. When I bring the message on Sunday I do so with the hope of encouraging and challenging you. I want to deliver a message of God’s grace and love. I want to know about your struggles and try to offer Godly wisdom to help you.
But I need to be encouraged also. I need to hear if what I said impacted you. I need to know that the message given to me by the Spirit has altered your life or thinking in some way. I need to know that you are praying for me and the ministry at whitestone.
I must admit that on some Sundays when it’s getting near to church starting and there is only three people in the seats I get a little discouraged. But then people come in and my spirits are lifted. It’s essential that each week we speak words of encouragement to someone and in return you will be encouraged.
3 to see spiritual fruit
Romans 1:13 “I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles.”
We live in a troubled world. In our work place we see hostility, anger, selfish ambition, dissension, and envy. We may deal with family members that are filled quarreling and jealousy. We are bombarded by visual temptations of sexual immorality, impurity and lustful pleasures. We hear stories of drunkenness and wild parties.
We need a place where we can find peace from this haywire world we live in. We need a place to rest and receive some spiritual nourishment or fruit. We need each other.
Paul described this refreshment in Galatians 5:22-23
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
The church is a place where we can be with people who love each other, who are patient with each other. A place filled with joy and peace and kindness and goodness. A place where people exemplify Jesus and treat each other with gentleness. A people with enough self-control to not be judgmental or rude.
It is refreshing to walk into this building and see people talking, laughing, hugging, shaking hands, enjoying their time together. Sometimes I like to just watch as the love of Jesus is poured out in such abundance.
4) to pay your debt
Romans 1:14 For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike.
Remember the video we showed earlier? (Meet the Sanders: Bailout) They were looking for a way out of debt, although it was the wrong way. You might say they were pursuing a deliverance from what had them bound. Paul wrote that it is to these people that we have an obligation.
Remember how the neighbor shut the door in their face? Perhaps he should have invited them in to discuss how they could become really debt free.
Like Paul we have an obligation to people for the debt that Jesus paid on our behalf. Here is what the Psalmist wrote
Psalm 49:7-8 “Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death
by paying a ransom to God. Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough---”
We could never save ourselves from God’s wrath. But there was one who could “pay enough” and that one was Jesus. He paid our ransom so that we could have eternal life and while it is true that nothing was required by us, we should feel a sense of obligation to serve him at our best.
So what is the best way to accomplish that? We have talked about a lot of positive aspects about our church, so we are obligated to share this joy with others. It doesn’t matter about their social status or their financial status. It doesn’t matter where they live, how they dress, talk, or smell. We have some good news and we should feel obligated to share that good news with everyone.
5) to show your eagerness
Romans 1:15 “So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.”
On a Sunday morning, a wife went to the bedroom to wake her husband for church.
"I'm not going," he announced.
"Why not?" she asked.
“It’s to early to be awake. The building is cold. There are other things I would rather do on a Sunday. It’s boring. They don’t like me and I don’t like them. Is that enough reasons?”
The wife replied “Maybe, but I only have one reason that you are going. You’re the pastor.”
Are you eager to be at church on Sunday morning? Do you look forward to it? People can tell if you enjoy going to church. If you act like it’s a chore or a responsibility no one will want to come. How do you answer if someone asks you “Why do you go to church?” Are you able to make it sound inviting? Ask yourself that question this morning; “Why do I come to church?” Hopefully, you can answer it.
