The Gospel of God
Romans 1:2-7
• This morning: Paul’s definition of himself
1) Man who knew his MASTER
2) Man who knew his MISSION
3) Man who knew his MESSAGE
25 years before the Book of Romans was written by Paul a man named Saul was walking along a road to Damascus. A bright light shone and he was stopped. ‘Who art Thou Lord that I might serve Thee’. 25 years later Paul introduces himself as a ‘bond-servant of Christ Jesus’.
1) No longer Saul(term of derision in Greek) but Paul ‘small one’.
2) Resting under Jesus as his supreme Master in life.
• Three Distinctions of the Gospel of God
(First six verses are one long sentence)
THE GOSPEL IS DISTINCT IN PROPHECY the Gospel of God (2) which he promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures.
1. The gospel was not a new thing. Promised before. Jesus Christ is the subject of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
a. Promised after first sin was committed(seed of the woman)
b. 330 prophecies fulfilled by Christ’s first coming.
1) Isaiah 53/Psalms 22/Genesis 49/Zechariah/Micah
2) Two walking to Emmaus ‘are the only one who doesn’t know what has happened in these last few days?’ He explained how all they had seen had been foretold.
3) Pharisees ‘you search the Scriptures because in them you think you will find life but they speak of Me’.
THE GOSPEL IS DISTINCT IN A PERSON (3) concerning His Son, Who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, (4) Who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection of the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1. CONCERNING HIS SON – Peri – periscope, perimeter, that which surrounds, revolves around, encircles, that which boundries a person. The Gospel revolves around the person of Jesus Christ.
Man who dearly loved his son who died suddenly. Broken hearted man died soon after. He was a very rich man who owned man art treasures. His will was to be read on a certain day and to be begun by auctioning his art treasures.
Began with simple painting of beloved son. No one knew the son nor was the artist of any note. No one bid, after a long time a servant who loved the family and especially the son finally bid $1. After the painting was sold the executor read the next step. ‘Whoever loved my son long enough and strong enough to buy his portrait shall all the rest of what I own’.
2. HIS INCARNATION: Fully God yet fully man. Born of a descendant of David according to the flesh
a. Descendant of David. Both Matthew and Luke establish this fact. One thru Joseph and the other thru Mary which Y’s at David.
b. Declared(made evident) God’s Son. Proven by two proofs
1) The Resurrection
2) His Sinless Life
THE GOSPEL IS DISTINCT IN IT’S PURPOSE (5) Through Whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His Name’s sake. (6) Among Whom you alo are the called of Jesus Christ. (7) To all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
What difference does this all make in our personal lives?
1. GRACE: unmerited favor, God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense
Love that looks up is worship, love that looks around is affections but LOVE THAT STOOPS is grace. God stooped down to reach us through what Christ did for us.
Indonesian missionaries and path of trees and poles with bark peeled. Made columns toward village. “Why are those trees that way’. ‘
‘We are a wicked people, many things we have done that are wrong and shameful’ ‘God is not like that and we cannot approach Him’ ‘We also know that trees and wood have done no wrong, we have put them outside the village, we are not sure it will work but maybe if he comes to us he will see them and not punish us for our wickedness’ How easy it was to share the gospel about Jesus Christ, God’s grace which we have received.
Almost entire village was saved.
2. APOSTLESHIP: Like Paul we too have a calling to share the gospel with a lost world. Regardless of our limitations we all have a purpose.
D.L. Moody was approached by a man who had attended his crusade and actually counted every grammatical mistake Moody had made in his sermon. He strutted up afterward to let him know about 11 mistakes.
‘I am sorry for that for you see my early education was quite limited but I am using all my abilities to share with people about Jesus? How about you?
Another man came to tell him that he didn’t like the way his invitations were handled. I have never been satisfied with the way I do it, what is your method, how do you invite people to know Jesus? I don’t have any method….I like mine better’
God took a man like Moody and effected two continents
We are here with a purpose
3. REASON: To bring about the obedience of faith. Equipped by Grace and given a specific task for a reason and purpose.
a. Obedience and faith run one with another. You do not have one without the other. James states, ‘Faith without works is a dead faith’(false confession)
A man followed Mother Teresa around Calcutta and watched her minister to the sick and poor people, many of whom were in a leperous condition. The repulsed person finally said, ‘I wouldn’t do this for a million dollars’. ‘Neither would I, but I would do it for Jesus for nothing’.
Obedience is all about loving Jesus. ‘He who has My Commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me’. ‘For His Names sake’
Someone compared the church to the experience a man had when he fell while jogging. Three groups of people came to him.
1) Those who saw the blood and ran away saying ‘yuck’, demands too much to really get involved.
2) A news reporter who came to see who pushed me. More concerned about gossiping about my condition.
3) A man who genuinely came and ministered to me by cleaning and bandaging my wounds and helping me back to my feet.
b. CALLED: you also are the called. They were not to be spectators of Paul’s life and ministry but to find their own place of service.
4. TWO FINAL DESCRIPTIONS:
a. BELOVED OF GOD – God loves the world but His own, the church, the body of Christ are called ‘the beloved’.
b. SAINTS: Called Saints. All about our position.
George the V had two sons: George the VIth and Edward the VIIIth. When George VI came to the throne he was a horrible king. He eventually lost his right to reign. Edward the VIII followed him and served the people faithfully making a great king. BOTH WERE KINGS BUT ONLY ONE WAS KINGLY. MANY ARE SAINTS BUT NOT ALL ARE SAINTLY.
CONCLUSION:
1. A wonderful message that revolves around God’s Son Jesus Christ.
2. Places a calling upon our lives that is beyond belief: Out of which we are equipped and given a specific task.
3. Through which we had an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father.
A portrait hands at the Alamo in San Antonio Texas where a great hero once accomplished a great feet. It is not his but of a descendent that favors him closely. We have no portrait of Jesus but His likeness should hang from our lives.
