"A GOOD VIEW OF THE GOOD NEWS"
Romans 1:1-7 and II Timothy 4:2-5
If you’ve ever listened to Paul Harvey’s radio program you know that many times he recognizes couples who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Occasionally I’ve heard him recognize those celebrating their 75th anniversary.
That’s a long time to be together! Just think, for 50 or 75 years, where you see one spouse you see the other. 75 years in the same home. 75 years eating at the same table. 75 years looking at the same face when you wake up in the morning!
I heard of a couple who, as they were paying for groceries in the check-out line, were discussing their soon to be 50th wedding anniversary, when the young cashier interjected by saying, "I can’t imagine being married to same man for 50 years!"
The wife wisely replied, teaching the young girl a lesson at the same time, "Well, Honey, don’t get married until you can ."
I want to introduce to you a couple -- a couple that epitomizes true togetherness. Where you see one, you’ll always see the other. For almost 2,000 years this couple has never been separated -- Paul and the Gospel. Theirs is a marriage made in Heaven and consummated on Earth. I want to share with you "A Good View of the Good News!"
Romans 1:1, describes the relationship: "Paul ... ’separated unto’ the ’Gospel of God’ … "
You cannot mention Paul without mentioning the Gospel … and when you mention the Good News, you can’t mention it without mentioning Paul. How they go together and compliment one another!
As in any other relationship, this one had a beginning and a progression:
As Saul the Pharisee, Paul was at first furiously antagonistic toward the Gospel;
As Saul on the Road to Damascus, Paul was favorably attracted to the Gospel;
As Paul the bond-slave of Jesus Christ, Paul was forever attached to the Gospel.
Not only was Paul’s named changed from Saul, but he also received a new job -- Jesus asked him: "Saul, wouldn’t you like to change from being a cantankerous old Pharisee and be an evangelist and preach about me, sharing Good News with everyone?"
What made Paul so attracted and then attached to the Gospel? I believe the union started and continued as a solid relationship because Paul at first:
Marveled at It’s Promise; then became Married to It’s Person, and finally was Motivated by It’s Purpose.
This attraction began when …
I. The Evangelist Received
THE PROMISE OF THE GOSPEL OF GOD (Romans 1:2)
A) The Gospel of God comes in fulfillment of a Promise by God:
The O. T. Scriptures consistently point beyond themselves. When you read the O. T. you are reading a "Promissory Note" from God.
In Genesis 3:15, God promised that the Serpent would bruise the heal of Eve’s offspring but Eve’s Offspring would crush the Serpent’s head.
Many of the Psalms are Messianic and portray The Coming Deliverer.
Jeremiah, spoke of a New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34).
B) God made these promises through His Prophets:
Holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Then the messages were recorded by being written down. What the Prophets wrote down became Holy Scripture. Let me summarize all this for you:
God’s promises came by Scripture; Scripture originated with God; God used Prophets to communicate His promises and will; The Prophets accomplished that purpose by writing down what God revealed; The result is Scripture that is Holy!
It is not by accident that everything Paul the Evangelist tells us concerning, sin, salvation, sovereignty, service, and soul-winning, has not only its inspiration and foundation, but also its application in the Holy Scriptures.
Paul was not only favorably attracted to the Gospel of God, but he was also forever attached to the Person of the Gospel of God …
II. The Evangelist and
THE PERSON OF THE GOSPEL OF GOD (Rom. 1:3)
A) It should go without saying that the Gospel of God concerns The Son of God, The LORD Jesus Christ, for the Gospel is forever tied and tethered to this God Man.
Gospel means Good News and without Jesus it is never Good News and you can’t help but have good News when you preach about Jesus!
B) The Gospel of God was conceived in Jesus. It was with great joy that the angel, on the night of Christ’s birth, announced with excitement, " …behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord …"
It was news of great joy, not just because a child was born, but because a Savior was born – the long awaited Messiah!
Romans 1:3 says that Jesus, " … was made of the seed of David according to the flesh … " This speaks of his humanity.
And herein can be found a great truth of the Gospel of God: It relates to Jesus in all of His earthly character and being. Being born of the flesh meant He would also live, suffer, and die in the flesh!"
C) The Gospel of God is also completed in the Person of Jesus.
Again, the birth of Christ is only the beginning of the story of the Good News of the Evangelist. Paul proclaims in 1 Corinthians 15:1-3, "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved … For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen …"
When one proclaims the Gospel of God, he must not only include the birth of Christ, but also His vicarious, substitutionary death; His precious, and proper burial; and His glorious, life-giving resurrection!
"One day when heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
Dwelt among men, my example is He.
Living, He loved me, dying He saved me,
Buried, He carried my sins far away,
Rising he justified freely forever:
One day He’s coming – O glorious day!" [J. Wilbur Chapman]
D) The Gospel of God is centered in Christ … In Romans 1:1-7, we see references to "Jesus." The Good News of God is not only about Jesus, but it is centered in the Son of God Jesus Christ!
Without Jesus, there is no Good News to tell! Did you hear that? I said, "Without Jesus there is no Good News to tell!" Again, did you hear what I said? Did you hear me ...
Mr. Buddhist? ... Mr. Hindu? ... Mr. Mormon? ... Mr. Jehovah Witness? ... Mr. Muslim? ... To Mr. Osama bin Laden and the rest of his ilk, Allah is not God and Mohammed doesn’t come anywhere near to being a prophet!
The only comparisons you can make between the LORD Jesus Christ and Mohammed is that they both lived in a hot desert and died. But that is where the comparisons end! The Good News is that Jesus arose! He was not only human, He is divine!
E) The divinity of Jesus: The Bible not only speaks of Christ’s humanity, but also of His Divinity. And as the Divine Son of God, Who was not only The Prophet of God, The Priest of God, but King God Himself, when they wrapped His body in grave clothes and laid Him in a tomb. But it was all in vain. Christ arose and is alive! Good news!
Look at Romans 1:4: Christ is "Declared to be the Son of God with power; holiness; and resurrection!
Sure, there is nothing special about an empty tomb in a Judean hillside, except for this distinction: It’s the only tomb ever where the previous occupant got up and walked away!
He is the Promised One, The Provided One, The Most Pure One, The Most Powerful One – He raised Himself to life!
To every Muslim and other unregenerate, Jesus did die on that cross, crucified for your sins and mine. And He was buried; and on the third day He did arise; and He did ascend into Heaven; and as both the Bible and Koran predict, He is coming again! Then Mr. Muslim, since you attribute greatness to the latest prophet, who will be "latest and greatest," then?!
"Jesus:" that’s His Earthly title.
"Lord: " that’s His Heavenly.
"Christ:" that’s His Hebrew title.
And as such, it declares His anointing of God, and designates Him as God over all. Mr. bin Laden, one day you’ll bow your knee and bend your neck, and confess with your tongue, with all of creation, that the Jew, Jesus Christ, is King of kings and Lord of lords!
Because of the Person of the Gospel of God, Paul was not only favorably attracted to the Gospel, nor just forever attached to the Gospel, but he was totally abandoned to the Gospel …
III. The Evangelist and
THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL (Rom. 1:5-7)
The compelling purpose and the universal scope of the Gospel or Good News is expressed in Paul’s definition and description of his task:
Chapter 1, verse 5, says: "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name. Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ ... "
The NIV says it this way: "Through Him and for His name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith."
The Gospel of God is to be proclaimed as Good News! by those who have received the grace of God and It is to be believed by those who are obedient to God’s Word.
Yet, we know ...
A) All who hear the Good News of God do not respond in faith and obedience to it.
The great "O. T. Evangelist," Isaiah, knew of this frustration. In Isaiah 6:8-13, we read:
"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land ... "
And we also know that ...
B) All that have received the Good News and good favor of God’s grace aren’t proclaiming it, but should be.
Paul tells Timothy in 2nd Timothy 4:2-5, "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Consider Paul’s calling in verse 1 of Romans 1, and then his statement in verse 6 of Romans 1, that we, like he, are "also called" unto the Gospel of God: "Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ."
The awareness of the faithless ones should never diminish our awareness of The Faithful One ...
Evangelist John Guest says to all born again believers: "’Do the work of an evangelist.’ The apostle Paul doesn’t say ’express your gift of evangelism.’ There’s a myth in the Christian community that evangelism comes easily to those who are gifted, and those who don’t have the gift don’t have to do it. We have to attack that myth.
Evangelism is hard work for three reasons:
First, Evangelism is the front line of the battle, engaging the enemy with the Gospel. Every time you approach the front line, you’re into spiritual warfare, a real battle, because if Satan can stop evangelism, the battle he lost at the cross he wins on the field.
Secondly, Evangelism is hard work because nobody else wants to do it. You have to mobilize sluggish, tardy, defensive, evasive people, stimulating them to go to the front lines with you. It’s tough enough for you to be there. If it’s tough for you, it’s tough for everybody else.
Thirdly, Evangelism is hard work because of what it takes to train people to get them out there doing it. Any presentation technique is powerful because the power is the Gospel. So whether it’s the ’Four Spiritual Laws,’ ’Four Steps to Peace with God,’ ’Evangelism Explosion,’ or lifestyle evangelism, training people so that they can do it is hard work."
[In conclusion] If the Gospel is Good News, and It is, then we better be about the purpose of not just experiencing It as a: Treasure to Guard; or a Truth to Commit to some; but as a Trumpet to Sound to All!
Vance Havner said, "Evangelism is to Christianity what veins are to our bodies. You can cut Christianity anywhere and It’ll bleed evangelism. Evangelism is vascular, it is our business. Talk about majoring on evangelism, you might as well talk about a doctor majoring on healing. Evangelism- that’s our business!"
As Saul on the Road to Damascus,
Paul was favorably attracted to the Gospel;
As Paul the bond-slave of Jesus Christ,
Paul was forever attached to the Gospel.
As Paul the recipient of God’s grace,
He was fervently abandoned to the Gospel.
May God help us do the same.
Do the work of an Evangelist! This is the right view of the Good News!
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[Pastor James Cook; New Canaan Baptist Church, Dallas, GA, 30132; www.NCBCnet.org]
