Be Willing to Witness for Jesus Christ
The Book of Romans
Romans 1:1-17
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - March 6, 2016
(Revised August 17, 2020)
BACKGROUND:
*Tonight, we begin a verse by verse study of Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome, and what a special book it is! William McDonald tells us that "Romans has always stood at the head of Paul's letters, and rightly so. It is certainly one of the most important books in the New Testament, because it contains the most complete discussion of Christian beliefs in the whole Bible.
*Down through the history of God's Church, Romans has had a powerful influence on key leaders. In 380 A.D. Augustine was saved after reading Romans 13:13-14. There God's Word says, 'Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.'
*Over a thousand years later, the Protestant Reformation was launched, when Martin Luther was enlightened by the truth of Romans 1:17, 'The just shall live by faith.' Then in the 1700s, God used John Wesley to help bring a mighty revival in England. But Wesley never had assurance of his salvation until he heard the opening words of Martin Luther's commentary on Romans." (1)
*The Book of Romans has an almost unique place in God's Word. William Barclay helped us understand why when he said, "With very few exceptions, all of Paul's letters were written to meet an immediate need. There was some threatening situation in Corinth, or Galatia, or Philippi, or Thessalonica. In almost all of his other letters Paul was dealing with some immediate trouble, some pressing situation, some current error, or some threatening danger, which was menacing the local church. And Paul wrote letters to meet those needs.
*For example, in Galatians 1:6-8, Paul had to tell those Christians, 'I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.'
*Romans is different. And a big part of the difference is that in Romans, Paul was writing to a church that he did not start, and had never even visited." (2)
*Why then did Paul write this letter to the Romans? One huge reason was to request their prayers, and we will see this reason when we get to Romans 15. But Paul also wrote this letter, because he had a compelling desire to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ all over the world.
*Barclay explained that "it had always been one of Paul's dreams to preach at Rome. When he was in Ephesus, he was planning to go through the regions around Corinth and Philippi again. Then in Acts 19:21 came a sentence straight from Paul's heart: 'After I have been there, I must also see Rome.'
*Later on in Jerusalem, the situation was threatening, and the end seemed near. But in Acts 23:11, Paul's heart was lifted when 'the Lord stood by him and said, "Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome."'" (3)
*Rome was always on Paul's heart. But that's not all. Barclay noted "it has been said of Paul that he was 'always haunted by the regions beyond.' He never saw a ship at anchor without wishing to get on board and carry the good news to men across the sea. He never saw a range of mountains, without wanting to go over and take the story of the cross to men who had never heard it." (4)
*So, in Romans 15:23-24, as Paul neared the end of this letter he wrote, "But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you, whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while."
*Paul was willing to witness for Jesus everywhere he possibly could, and we should be willing too. Tonight's Scripture shows us why. Please think about that as we read Romans 1:1-17.
MESSAGE:
*Think about the faithful witnesses in your life. One of those people for me was Wesley Humphreys. When it came to being a Christian, he was the real thing, and he was most faithful to witness to me. No matter how much I argued with him, no matter how much I ridiculed him, he never gave up witnessing to me.
*Wesley was always willing to speak the truth to me. And he always did it with a patient, kind, friendly spirit. Wesley sat in front of me in one of my classes, but I haven't seen him since 1969. He had no idea that I got saved six years later and was later called to preach.
*Fifteen years ago, I started thinking about all of this, and I decided to try to call Wesley. I wanted to thank him for being such a great example and faithful witness to me, so I searched for him online. Thank the Lord, his name wasn't Bill Smith! There aren't too many men named Wesley Humphreys, and I found him in Orlando. Then I called to say thanks. What a shock; what a pleasant surprise for him!
*Wesley was a grandfather by then, and an elder in the Presbyterian Church. He was overjoyed to hear from me. He was amazed to learn what God has done in my life. And I believe that for all his prayers, patience and kindness to me, one day Wesley will hear words like Jesus said in Matthew 25:23, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord."
*Wesley Humphreys was a willing witness for Jesus Christ, and that's the way God wants us to be. Tonight's Scripture shows us why.
1. FIRST: IT'S BECAUSE GOD HAS GIVEN US A GREAT CALL.
*In vs. 1-6, Paul was willing to go to the ends of the earth to tell people about Jesus Christ. He saw this as his calling, but in these verses, Paul also talked about OUR calling from God.
*Please listen for our call in vs. 1-6:
1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
2. which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
3. concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,
4. and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead,
5. through whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,
6. AMONG WHOM YOU ALSO ARE THE CALLED OF JESUS CHRIST;
*Christians: We are all called to do everything we can to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ all over the world! We are called to spread the good news that God the Father loves us in spite of our sins, and that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins.
*But that's not the end of the story! Here in Romans 1:4, Jesus is declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. Jesus is alive forever, and able to give His eternal life to everyone who will receive Him as Lord and Savior.
*Surely God has called us to be faithful witnesses for this most important truth. In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His Apostles: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.''
*What Jesus said in Acts 1:8 was not just for the Apostles. It was for everyone who knows and follows Jesus, and we know this because the Apostles have been in Heaven for 2,000 years!
*God calls all Christians to be His faithful witnesses, starting in our Jerusalem. That’s right here at home with our friends, our family, neighbors, and co-workers, the people right here in Caldwell Parish.
*Jesus said, "You shall be My witnesses," and Rick Warren explained: "Notice that Jesus doesn't say, 'You will be my defense attorney.' He doesn't say, 'You will be my prosecutor.' He didn't say, 'You will be my salesman.'
*You don't have to defend God. You don't have to be a salesman for God. All God wants you to do is to be a witness. But what is a witness? -- It's just somebody who tells what they have experienced: 'I saw this, and then I saw this; and this is what happened.'
*A witness tells what happened to them. You see, you are the expert on your life. Nobody can be a better witness on your life than you. Nobody can be a better witness of what God has done in your life than you. So, God says, 'I just want you to tell other people what's happened to you, what's happened in your life, and I want you to start with the people close to you.'" (5)
*There is a great example for us in Luke chapter 8. There Jesus healed a man who was possessed by demons. After the Lord healed him, the man really wanted to go with Jesus, but the Lord sent him back to be a witness in his own hometown. Listen to God's Word in Luke 8:38-39:
38. Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying,
39. "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.'' And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.
*That man did exactly what the Lord wants us to do. Jesus wants us to be faithful witnesses right here at home, but also in our Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth. That’s all across our state, our country and all over the world.
*There are many opportunities for us to help share the good news today We can go all over the world like never before in history! Thank God for the incredible opportunities He has given to us!
*And even though all of us can’t go to those faraway places, all of us can get involved. We can help support our missionaries with our prayers and money, and we should. Millions more people desperately need to hear about Jesus, and God has called us to help them every way we can.
2. WE MUST BE WILLING TO WITNESS BECAUSE GOD HAS GIVEN US A GREAT CALL, AND BECAUSE IT WILL BRING GREAT COMFORT.
*Witnessing for Jesus Christ multiplies God's comfort in our world. Of course, new Christians receive the infinite comfort of salvation. And I can't think of anything that makes Christians happier than to hear that someone else has trusted in the Lord.
*That's why Paul's heart overflowed with gratitude when he heard about the Christians in Rome. It's the gratitude we see in vs. 7-8 where Paul wrote:
7. To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
*Paul was thankful that some faithful Christians had witnessed to these people in Rome. He was thankful that they had been saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Paul was thankful their faith was so strong that people all over the world had heard about the difference Jesus made in their lives.
*Paul also wanted to visit the Christians in Rome, because he knew that they could multiply each other's comfort. That's why he was praying to see them in vs. 9-12. And in the KJV, Paul said:
9. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
10. Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.
11. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
12. That is, that I may be comforted (or "encouraged") together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
*Paul knew that meeting with those other believers would bless both him and them. They all would be comforted, strengthened and encouraged. This is one of the main reasons why God also wants us to meet together. He wants to multiply His comfort in our world, but that can't even begin to happen unless Christians are willing to witness for our Savior.
3. WE MUST BE WILLING TO WITNESS BECAUSE IT WILL BRING GREAT COMFORT, AND BECAUSE THERE ARE GREAT CONSEQUENCES.
*Paul had these consequences on his heart as he spoke to the Roman Christians in vs. 13-15:
13. Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.
14. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.
15. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
*"As much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel." In the NIV Paul says, "I am so eager to preach the gospel." With all his heart, Paul was eagerly ready to preach the good news wherever he possibly could.
*In vs. 14, he considered this to be a great obligation or debt to all non-Christians. Why did Paul think of himself as a debtor? It seems like an odd thing to say: "I am in debt to people I have never met."
*Why did he say that? -- There can only be one reason: It's because Paul had a clear vision of the cross. He knew what Jesus Christ had done for him. He knew that Jesus had paid the ultimate price for him. He knew that Jesus had saved his soul!
*Paul's heart had been touched. His life had been transformed. And he didn't want anybody in the world to miss out on what God could do for them, so again in vs. 14 Paul said, "I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise."
*Paul is saying here that we are obligated to reach as many people as we possibly can with the good news about Jesus Christ: People who are like us, and people who are not like us. All kinds of people: People we've known for a lifetime, and people we've never met.
*You see, Paul knew the consequences: It's the difference between being saved or lost. It's either Heaven or hell, eternal life or eternal death, everlasting joy or everlasting judgment.
4. WE MUST BE WILLING TO WITNESS BECAUSE THERE ARE GREAT CONSEQUENCES, AND BECAUSE WE HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE IN THE GOSPEL.
*If we really know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we can say the same thing Paul said in vs. 16-17:
16. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith.''
*Church: We can have the same confidence Paul had, because the gospel of Christ "IS THE POWER OF GOD TO SALVATION FOR EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES."
*The gospel has the power to touch hearts and transform lives, and everybody needs this transformation. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us why. There God's Word says: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. . ."
*That's where we are stuck without the power of the gospel, but in Ezekiel 36:26-27, God says:
26. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."
*The gospel of Jesus Christ has miraculous power for our lives! It can take lust out and put love in, make a prostitute pure, make an alcoholic sober, give courage to a coward, give wisdom to a fool, and make a crooked man straight. Jesus can wash away hatred, anger, envy and pride. With God, all things are possible!
*One of my all-time favorite professors was Dr. Don Wilton. He is a tremendous preacher and teacher, with a very British sounding accent from his days growing up in South Africa. In 2002, "The Baptist Message" told an amazing story that happened back when Don was a seminary student in New Orleans. Don and another seminary student had stopped at a local grocery store. There in the store they noticed a scruffy looking couple with a baby, who had nothing on but a diaper.
*God's Spirit moved those students in a special way, and they decided to open their wallets and give the family all the money they had. Don rolled up more than $200 in bills. Then he sneaked up behind the barefoot man, stuck the roll in the man's back and told him not to turn around.
*With a gentle voice, Don spoke to the frightened man and said: "My friend, you don't know who I am. But I want you to know that there is another man and I here tonight who love the Lord Jesus Christ. He has done something for us that we cannot do for ourselves. Because of Him, we just want to give to you something from the two of us."
*The man tearfully received the money, and Wilton thought he would never see him again. But years later, Dr. Wilton was teaching at the seminary, and one of the new students recognized his voice. It was the man from the store.
*He told Dr. Wilton that they were desperate that night. They were so desperate that they had driven from their home in Alabama to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge in New Orleans. They planned to take their baby with them, but they decided to feed her first, so she at least would die with a full stomach. That's why they stopped at the store. But they were so encouraged by the kind words of the man who would not let them see his face, they changed their minds. (6)
CONCLUSION:
*Don Wilton's brief witness set that desperate couple on the path to salvation. And more amazing things will happen when we witness for the Lord!
*So, if you have never trusted in Jesus Christ, why don't you trust in the Lord right now? Our crucified and risen Savior loves you. He will save you. He will begin to transform your life. And He will give you a testimony that can make an everlasting difference in someone else's life.
*As we go back to God in prayer, ask Jesus to save you right now, and make the commitment to be a willing witness for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
(1) Adapted from BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William McDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Copyright 1995, 1992, 1990, 1989 - "The Epistle to the Romans - Introduction: Unique place in the Canon"
(2) Adapted from BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES - NT by William Barclay - Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew - Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - "A General Introduction to the Letters of Paul - The Immediate Situation;" "The Epistle That Is Different"
(3) Adapted from BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES - NT by William Barclay - Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew - Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - "Introduction to the Letter to the Romans - The Occasion of Paul's Writing to Rome"
(4) Adapted from BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES - NT by William Barclay - Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew - Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - "Introduction to the Letter to the Romans - The Object of Paul's Writing"
(5) See "The Purpose Driven Life - Part 6: "Made for a Mission" by Rick Warren - Saddleback Church - Lake Forest, CA - November 2-3, 2002
(6) "The Baptist Message" - 06/27/2002
