1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Romans 1:1) Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set a part for the gospel of God.
I love this verse, “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.” When I read this it makes me want to walk around all day introducing myself to everyone in that same way. Zak, a servant of Christ Jesus.
In reality as Christians we really should be introducing ourselves this way. Being a Christian should be our primary role in life. Our number one thing. And if it is our primary role, and we do feel in our hearts that it is, it should be what we say we are first, not second or even last. It should be what we say we are and it should be truly who we are.
Not to say that we shouldn’t take pride in what we do for a living. Our jobs are given to us by God. We should always be proud of what we do and do it well in order to glorify God. Doing your job poorly or being resentful of your job does not bring God glory.
That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be looking for better job opportunities. But while we are in the job we are in, always thank God for it and glorify Him by doing that job the best that we know how.
(Colossians 3:24) Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Paul humbly calls himself here a servant of Jesus Christ. For a Roman citizen, which Paul was, and to choose to be a servant of anything was unthinkable. Then as now, if you are a servant of someone it is not looked upon as a job that would earn you respect and honor. Back then servants for the better part were just slaves.
But Christ is not just anyone. He is the Messiah, The Son of God, and The Chosen One. Paul chose to be completely dependent on, and obedient to, his beloved Master. He chose to be a servant of Christ. We should all strive for this.
What is your attitude towards Christ? Is He your beloved Master that you desire to serve? Or does He fall somewhere down the list a little?
Our willingness to serve and obey Jesus enables us to be useful and usable servants. Servants to do His work. Work that as Christians we are called to do.
Why are we servants of Christ? Most servants or slaves have to be purchased right?
(1 Corinthians 6:20) “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”
In the original text the term “bought at a price” is equal to the phrase, when slaves are purchased. Christ’s death on the cross freed us from sin, but it also now obligates us to His service. He bought us with His death on the cross. We now as Christians must repay that dept by giving our entire self to Christ and serve Him however He sees fit. As Christians though, our service to Him is done with a true desire to serve, from our heart, and not because of the obligation.
(2 Corinthians 5:15) “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.”
If you are living in a home owned by someone else, you respect that home and try not to violate the rules of that home. If you are a Christian your body now belongs to Christ, and Gods Spirit is living in you, you must now follow Their rules. That means not violating the demands that God and Christ have put on us.
We are no longer our own, we are now Christ’s. We must put away the thoughts and things in our past that are all about us as individuals. There is no more us, only Christ.
Being a Christian is not just something we say we are. It is something that we live. It is something that should be seen in everything we do. Non-Christians should be able to see this in us also.
Being a servant of Christ is also being a servant to others.
In (John 13:15) after Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, He said “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
Being a Christian isn’t really about what we get for being a Christian. It is about what we are called to be and do for others.
Christ was the model servant, and He showed His servant attitude to His disciples. Washing guest’s feet was a job for the household servant to carry out when guests arrived. But Jesus wrapped a towel around His waist, as the lowliest slave would do, and washed and dried His disciple’s feet.
If even He, God in the flesh, is willing to serve, we His followers must also be servants, willing to serve in any way that glorifies God.
Paul summarizes the facts about Jesus Christ.
(Romans 1:3-5) 3Regarding His Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
5Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
(1) Jesus is God but came as a human by natural descent.
(Mathew 1:18-21) 18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
(2) Jesus was part of the Jewish royal line through David.
(Mathew 1:1-17) Genealogy of Jesus Christ
(3) Jesus died and was raised from the dead.
(Mathew 28:1-6) 1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.
(4) Jesus opened the door to God’s grace and kindness to be poured out on us.
(Ephesians 2:8) 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Christ’s work on the cross for our sins was able to be put to use in us through the gift of faith that God has instilled in us. It took Christ and His work on the cross, the Holy Spirit working within us building up our faith, and of course God being the master mind behind it all directing it to fulfill His purpose.
(5) We are called as Christians to spread the Word of God and call non-Christians to repentance and faith.
(Mark 6:7,12) 7Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two.
12They went out and preached that people should repent.
Let me ask you a question. We know that Jesus sent out His Disciples to spread the news about Him and teach others about Him. So if we are all Disciples of Christ today, which if you say you are a Christian you are a Disciple, then doesn’t it make sense that all Christians are called to spread Christ’s message. Yes
(Romans 1:6-7) 6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you are a Christian you are no longer your own. You are Christ’s. You now belong to Him. He paid the price for your salvation on the cross and now he owns you. And once you are His no one can take you from Him. It is impossible if you are a Christian to fall from grace.
Expound
(John 10:27-29) - My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
So here is the question you need to ask yourself this week:
Are you doing a good job repaying Jesus for what He has done for you? We could always do better can‘t we. I know I can. Always keep in your mind and in your prayers how you can be a better servant for Christ. This must be what we desire to be, a better servant for Christ. It is what we are called to be and we must insure we are doing our best at it every minute of everyday.
Verses to think about:
(Galatians 2:20) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
(John 15:5) I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
In closing I would like to read to you from a book written by John Piper called, The Passion of Jesus Christ. I recommend it to you.
The love of Christ is not only a demonstration of God’s love; it is also the supreme expression of Christ’s own love for all who receive it as their treasure.
The early witnesses who suffered most for being Christians were captured by this fact: Christ loved me and gave Himself for me. They took the self-giving act of Christ’s sacrifice very personally. They said, “He loved me. He gave himself for me.”
Surely this is the way we should understand the sufferings and death of Christ. They have to do with me. They are about Christ’s love for me personally. It is my sin that cuts me off from God, not sin in general. It is my hard-heartedness and spiritual numbness that demean the worth of Christ. I am lost and perishing. When it comes to salvation, I have forfeited all claims on justice. All I can do is plead for mercy.
Then I see Christ suffering and dying. Dying for me.
Piper goes on to say…
My heart is swayed, and I embrace the beauty and bounty of Christ as my treasure. And there flows into my heart this great reality – the love of Christ is for me. So I say with those early witnesses, “He loved me and gave himself for me.”
And what do I mean? I mean that He paid the highest price possible to give me the greatest gift possible. And what was that? It is the gift He prayed for at the end of His life: “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory.” In His suffering and death “we have seen His glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The question is, have we been captured by Christ and what He has done for us. Is what He did for us enough for us to serve His cause? Are we ready commit to serving Him first in our lives and not second?
