Roaming Around Rome with The Gospel
(Romans 1:8-17)
1. This week, the movie, “The Passion of the Christ” will open in Kokomo.
2. Christians all over the country are excited that so many people want to see this graphic depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
3. I would like to share three things in light of this:
(1) The film is not anti-Semitic. The Jewish leaders are portrayed as instigating the crucifixion, which they did. Many of the Jewish leaders were against the crucifixion, but they were left out of the proceedings, which is why these trials were held at night with select members present. Most of the Jewish people would have been appalled at the proceedings. Remember, Jesus, the 12 Apostles, and the majority of Christians up until 75 AD were Jews.
(2) Friends who see this film might be open to talk about the work of Christ. The film will not make clear WHY Christ died, for our sins, or what we have to do to receive Him, repent and believe. Make sure you have tracts to hand out, and see if any of your friends or family is ready to accept Christ. Lead them in the sinner’s prayer.
(3) This film is graphically violent and should not be seen be many people for that reason. I predict that you will hear of instances of post-trauma syndrome, etc. I would not recommend this for minors, and unless you typically have been able to stomach violent movies, I would think twice. You’ll see an editorial in our next Body Builder about how graphic violence affects us. It’s a shame that the film wasn’t released one week later so that you’d have my article first. At the same time, if you feel seeing this will give you help in witnessing, you might consider it. One pastor’s adult son, for example, who saw a preview showing was very much traumatized. This movie is not for everyone.
(4) Even though I do not think it is good to portray such violence graphically, and the NT avoids the most gory details, because it based on the Scripture, the Holy Spirit can use this film At the other end, many people will be shook emotionally and make professions on that basis, but time will sort out those convicted by the Spirit and those reacting merely on the basis of emotion.
4. This movie, the Passion of the Christ, serves as a great introduction to our text as we discuss the importance of sharing Christ with others and the power of the message itself.
MAIN IDEA: Since the church is about God’s people, God’s people need to focus on God’s truth. Sharing the Gospel produces the church, and the church shares the Gospel reproducing the church. Paul shares two key truths we all need to embrace with enthusiasm.
I. The Church is About ___Growing__God’s People (8-13)
1. Grateful for their strong _____TESTIMONY___________(8)
Our mission statement really hits the target:
(1)Like a person, a church has a reputation, a collective character, a personality
(2) Our church has a reputation as well,
2. Motivated to _____PRAY_________for them (9-10)
(1) When people are doing something for God, it is much more exciting to pray for them than to pray for God to light the fire for listless, passive, negligent believers who are more like glaciers than the light of the world
(2) Do your friends in Christ seem motivated to pray for you, or do you elicit yawns and a sense of frustration?
3. Eager to _____NURTURE_____________them along (11-13)
(1) Paul wanted to SHARE his wealth of knowledge with them as a gift
(2) He wanted to receive a blessing from them as well
----the GREATEST rewards of ministry are to see people saved, growing, living for Christ, witnessing, families holding together, marriages that make it, kids that are reared in the nurture of the LORD…it doesn’t get better than that!
4. Note here that Paul’s intention to visit Rome had not yet been realized…(13)
(1) In Thessalonians, Paul mentioned that he had wanted to visit the Thessalonian believers, but that Satan had thwarted him….
(2) He doesn’t say that here: Often we do not know what God is doing, what Satan is doing, or what circumstances God simply chooses not to interfere with…we do not have to know, we do not have to make a judgment call…frankly, unless it is clearly a case of spiritual warfare, we should rest in the Sovereign hand of God…because God even uses Satan to accomplish His purposes…
(3) So, like Paul, we should feel no pressure to assign happenings…
Since the church is about God’s people, God’s people need to focus on God’s truth. Sharing the Gospel produces the church, and the church shares the Gospel reproducing the church. Paul shares two key truths we all need to embrace with enthusiasm. The first truth was, “The Church is About Growing God’s People.” But there is a second truth.
II. We Hold the Gospel in__TRUST___(14-17)
A. It is a divine trust (14-15)
1. An __Obligation___(14-15)
Two ways to get in debt: Borrow, or be given something to take to another…
2. For ___All Categories of People______(14; also 16b)
1. Greeks= cultured, civilized gentiles
2. Non-Greeks= uncultured gentiles
3. Jews (16b)= God’s special nation
B. We are not to be ___ASHAMED_____of the Gospel (16-17)
It makes no sense to mention you are NOT ashamed of something unless you are TEMPTED to be Ashamed….
1. What is meant by it being the _____POWER_____of God?
(1) The giving of Law was thought to have taken place on the Day of Pentecost…this is the traditional Jewish belief…the TALMUD
Here is the Talmud’s comments on the passage from Ex. 20:18, “And all the people saw the Thunderings.”
Rabbin Akiva says, “They saw and heard that which was visible. They saw the fiery word coming out from the mouth of the Almighty as it was struck upon the Tables…Rabbi Johnanan said: what is meant by the verse, The Lord gives the word: They that publish the tidings are a great host? Every single word that went forth from the mouth of the Omnipresent was divided into seventy languages (Shab.88b).”
You can see how this parallels the events on the Day of Pentecost....the Book of Hebrews also mentions fire…one Pentecost, tongues of fire and different languages…the correlation between the Word of God and the Holy Spirit’s power
Hebrews 12: 18-19, “You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them…”
(2) Since all Scripture is inspired, there is power in all Scripture, but especially the distilled Gospel message…the Holy Spirit is the power behind the Word…
2. It reveals a _____RIGHTEOUSNESS__________that comes FROM God
This is technically called __imputed_____(or counted) righteousness
Note these clarifying verses:
Romans 4:6, “David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works…”
Romans 10:3, “Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”
Regarding this text, John Stott comments, “Paul’s concern here is not how righteous people live, but how sinful people become righteous.”
This righteousness from God should be thought of as a white robe God gives us….not one we make or buy, but one He freely gives us when we believe in Chirst…
3. _____FAITH_______begins this new life, and this new life continues by ___FAITH___.
Those who have been made righteous by faith also live by faith.
4. The object of our faith is crucial: Not any kind of faith or faith in anything:
Not any kind of faith
(1) “In the Bible faith is agreeing that something is true so much that you actually go out on an limb to rely on what you believe to be true. The dictionary definition of the Greek word for faith here is believing to the extent of complete trust and reliance (Louw and Nida 31.85).” (source: Timothy Peck, Sermon Central) TRUE FAITH DEMONSTRATES ITSELF IN FAITHFULNESS.
Object of faith is crucial
(2) An “experienced climber named Evelyn Mooers rappelled from a drain pipe grating on the roof of the Mark Twain South County Bank in St. Louis. Evelyn was an experienced climber, so she thought this job would be a breeze. The problem was that the drain pipe grating wasn’t anchored, so while bank officials and friends watched, Evelyn fell to her death. Faith that’s not properly anchored in reality will fail no matter how strong that faith is.” (source: Timothy Peck, Sermon Central)
Is our faith in the sacrifice of Christ for us, or in the church, rituals, or own efforts?
A faith eventually willing to go public
(3) Baptism, confessing Christ publicly; not necessary for salvation, but God’s ordained way to confess our faith…
Since the church is about God’s people, God’s people need to focus on God’s truth. Sharing the Gospel produces the church, and the church shares the Gospel reproducing the church. Paul shares two key truths we all need to embrace with enthusiasm. The first truth was, “The Church is About Growing God’s People.” The Second Truth is that we hold the Gospel in trust.
CONCLUSION
1. You and I have a trust: the Gospel. We are about to enter a climate where people will be talking about Jesus and His work on the cross, right and left.
2. You need to look for opportunities to fill in what is missing and see if you can be used of God to lead people to Christ. You need to look for opportunities to invite people to church.
3. Sharing the Gospel produces the church, and the church’s job includes nurturing and connecting believers, but it also includes sharing the Gospel.
4. Although not everyone may agree with my assessment, I think we have a Christianity in this fellowship that is worth REPRODUCING. Let’s be about our Father’s business.
