GRATITUDE That ADORNS The GOSPEL-II—Romans 1:15-25
OR: Gratitude That Graces The Gospel
Attention:
Christians employ Christmas Trees to symbolize & remember the birth of their Savior & Lord.
Christians ‘adorn’ the tree[itself representing eternal life & continual growth] with various things that honor their greatest interests—God & family.
Need:
There is an undercurrent of Christian influence in American society, which causes a deep appreciation for the family that God has blessed them with. These openly recognize God’s provision for them. These realize that they have been abundantly blessed by the Lord their God.
Even those without Christ may recognize ‘a higher power’ as it were. Unfortunately this can lead to sentimentality during Christian holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas , & Easter.
For those of Christ, our Thanksgiving holiday is an opportunity to reflect on God’s love for them & to offer many heartfelt thanks for all they have been blessed with.
Titus 2:9-10—“Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.”
1Pet. 3:3-4—“Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle & quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
For the Christians in Rome, Paul delineated the relationship of gratitude to the Gospel.
Personal Gratitude must properly adorn the Gospel of Christ.
What manner of Gratitude properly adorns the Gospel of Christ?
OR...
How can your Gratitude adorn the Gospel of Christ?
8 assurances that your Gratitude is one that Adorns God’s Good News.
Last Sunday morning we found that
Our Gratitude adorns the Gospel thru...
1. Our SHAMELESS TRUST(:15-16)
2—Gratitude adorns the Gospel thru...
SHARING(:17)
Explanation: (:17)
:17—“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.””
In the Gospel of Christ(“it”—Good News(:16)), “the righteousness of God” is manifested to all yet it is only revealed “from faith to faith.”
“From faith to faith”—quoted from Habakkuk 2:4:
Hab 2:2-4 “Then the LORD answered me & said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, & it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.”
This phrase is a description of the fact that the truth of the power of God in Christ(“righteousness of God”) moves & conquers by means of my personal faith to your personal faith, to another’s personal faith, etc.
God’s “righteousness” is “revealed” on at least 2 planes—
—1)Horizontal—meaning that faith can only be “revealed” to another person upon their faith acceptance of the Gospel. It can never be “revealed” in its fullness except thru another’s faith. And thus it continues, multiplies, progresses & prospers.
—2)Vertical—meaning that the believer’s relationship to the understanding as well as exercising God’s righteousness is something that continues to grow greater & more multifaceted thruout their lives. Thus the believer is carried to new levels of faith which reach into all areas of life.
To be “Just” is to be ‘declared as righteous’ & thus accepted by God. Thus by God’s declaration those who are full of faith in the revealed God, are ‘justified’ in what they believe & do in Christ. And therefore they are ‘just’ in their dealings. Their actions reveal their faith.
Rom. 4:19-5:2—[of Abraham]“And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead(since he was about a hundred years old), & the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, & being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, & was raised because of our justification. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
And we obviously should invite others to this faith!
“Righteousness”—dikaiosunh—Noun Fem.—1) in a broad sense:--State of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God—1a) The doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God, 1b) Integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, & acting; 2) in a narrower sense--Justice or the virtue which gives each his due. Strong—Equity(of character or act); specially(Christian)--Justification.?From—dikaiov(below)—Righteous, observing divine laws; Rendering to each his due & that in a judicial sense, passing just judgment on others, whether expressed in words or shown by the manner of dealing with them. Strong—Equitable(in character or act); by implication--Innocent, holy(absolutely or relatively).
“Revealed”(See :18)—apokaluptw—Present Passive Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up—1a) Disclose, make bare; 2) To make known, make manifest, disclose what before was unknown. Apokaluptw is an “unveiling” or internal disclosure, to the thinking believer, & abiding. Strong—To take off the cover, i.e. Disclose. Used 26X.
“Faith”3X—pistiv—Noun Fem.—1) Conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God & divine things, generally with the included idea of trust & holy fervor born of faith & joined with it; 2) Fidelity, faithfulness. Strong—Persuasion, i.e. Credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, Constancy in such profession; by extension, The system of religious (Gospel) truth itself.
“Just”—dikaiov—Adj.—1) Righteous, observing divine laws—1a) in a wide sense--Upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God—1a1) Of those who seem to themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves in their virtues, whether real or imagined, 1a2) Innocent, faultless, guiltless, 1a3) Used of him whose way of thinking, feeling, & acting is wholly conformed to the will of God, & who therefore needs no rectification in the heart or life—1a3a) Only Christ truly, 1a4) Approved of or acceptable of God, 1b) in a narrower sense--Rendering to each his due & that in a judicial sense, passing just judgment on others, whether expressed in words or shown by the manner of dealing with them. Strong—Equitable(in character or act); by implication--Innocent, holy(absolutely or relatively).
“Live”—zaw—Verb—1) To live, breathe, be among the living(not lifeless, not dead); 2) To enjoy real life—2a) To have true life & worthy of the name, 2b) Active, blessed, endless in the kingdom of God; 3) To live i.e. Pass life, in the manner of the living & acting—3a) Of mortals or character; 4) Living water, having vital power in itself & exerting the same upon the soul; 5) metaph.--To be in full vigor—5a) To be fresh, strong, efficient, 5b) as adj.--Active, powerful, efficacious. Strong—a primary verb; To live(literally or figuratively).
Argumentation:
Mat. 28:18-20—“And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
That is how the Good News about salvation & life in Christ Jesus multiplies!
Mk. 16:15—“And He said to them, “Go into all the world & preach the gospel to every creature.”
Acts 1:8—“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; & you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, & in all Judea & Samaria, & to the end of the earth.””
Lk. 24:45-47—2 disciples on a trek to the town of Emmaus—“And He[Jesus] opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, & thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer & to rise from the dead the third day, & that repentance & remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
Yet we are also told...
Mat. 7:6—““Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, & turn & tear you in pieces.”
Christians are to redeem the time so that we are not to waste an inordinate or unrestrained amount of time with those who are unappreciative of the true treasure in the Gospel! Therefore public ministry events are intentionally time limited.
Eph. 5:15-17—“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Col. 4:5-6—“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
Gal. 6:1-7—“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, & so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, & then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, & not in another. For each one shall bear his own load. Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
Mat. 9:35-38—“Then Jesus went about all the cities & villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, & healing every sickness & every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary & scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.””
Jn. 4:34-38—“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, & to finish His work. “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months & then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes & look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! “And he who reaps receives wages, & gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows & he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows & another reaps.’ “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, & you have entered into their labors.””
Do we just wait for the harvest to come to the church house? No! It requires the labor of God’s people. To meet them in their various walks of life. It requires your sharing the Good News/Gospel conversation with others.
Phm. 1:4-6—“I thank my God, making mention of you[Philemon ] always in my prayers, hearing of your love & faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus & toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”
Heb. 11:6—“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, & that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Noah was ‘a preacher of righteousness’ for 120 years but saw no conversions but among those of his own family—8 people including himself, his wife, his sons, & his son’s wives.(2Pet. 2:5; Gen. 6:13-14ff., 7:1).
Gen. 6:13-14; 7:1—“And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; & behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, & cover it inside & outside with pitch.”.....“Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you & all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.”
2Tim. 1:7-12—“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power & of love & of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us & called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose & grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death & brought life & immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, & a teacher[all of which entail intentional ‘sharing’] of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed & am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”
Illustration:
BBQers have ‘secret’ sauces & techniques/Contain vinegars, tomatoes, sugars, spices, fruit/Dry rub-Wet rub-Marinades/Different woods—Cherry, Hickory, Mesquite/Indirect heat for a long time/Not too keen on giving up their information/Built on secrecy—NOT SHARING
Just the opposite of Christianity!
However, BBQers also share their finished product/That is why there are cook-offs, competitions & judges—to see who makes the ‘best’ BBQ around/People are fed by the BBQers/Its delicious!/SHARING
As Greg Laurie says, “We’re just one beggar telling another beggar where to find food”—the ‘food’ of the Good News found in Christ!/SHARING
We roast, bake, fry, casserole, & make sandwiches out of turkey for Thanksgiving/We will offer our guests the dark & white meat no matter what our preference/We don’t take the last piece, spoonful, or forkful until the preference of others has been met/The turkey(& everything else) is meant to be shared/SHARING
Application:
?Does Your SHARING Adorn the Gospel of Christ?
?Does Your Gratitude Adorn the Gospel of Christ?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Christians ‘adorn’ Christmas Trees with various things that honor their greatest interests. What are you thankful for?
Action:
Gratitude Adorns the Gospel thru...
2. SHARING(:17)
1. SHAMELESS TRUST(:15-16)
Pt#2 onlyI Presented 11/25/2018pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(Se Ave. A).
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Presented 11/20/2011am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
