St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

28th June 09
Reading Romans 1:1 -17
Think about the most important letter you have ever read; maybe a job offer or love letter or an exam result.
Today I’m going to begin a series of studies on what many people consider the greatest letter ever written. To quote,
“The most profound writing in existence of all time.” Samuel Coleridge.
“In every basic sense, western civilisation is a by product of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Nothing was written by a man that had a greater impact on modern history.” Richard Halbertson
John Calvin. “If a man understands Romans he has a sure road open to help him understand the entire Bible.”
Now the best way to approach Romans is by regarding it as a letter written personally to us, here at St Andrews KL, by the Apostle Paul.
Obviously the first Christians to receive Paul’s letter were the members of the Church in Rome, however Paul was concerned for all believers.
Now as you read your letter notice Paul’s introduction; in ancient Greek culture, people had a very practical approach to letter writing.
The first thing they did was tell you who it was from;
A letter from Paul to the people of St Andrews KL.
Actually it was only dictated by Paul. to a man called Tertius who wrote it all down, he was Paul’s secretary. Romans 16:22 says,
“I Tertius who wrote this letter greet you in the Lord.”
Now Paul was a most remarkable man – a man at home in three cultures;
i. By Race and Religion a Hebrew – in fact he calls himself, “The Hebrew of Hebrews.” Phil. 3:4ff.
Before his conversion to Christianity Paul persecuted the Church; we can read the story of his conversion in Acts 9.

‘Paul was on the road to Damascus, on his way to persecute Christians when God spoke to him,

“Saul, why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you Lord?” asked Paul and voice replied, “I am Jesus who you are persecuting.”

From that moment on, having learned the truth Paul had only one question of Christ, “Lord what do you want me to do?”

ii. By Culture Paul was a Greek – born and raised in Tarsus, a sea port on the coast of modern day Turkey and in Paul’s day Tarsus was a great University Centre.
Paul was such a good scholar he was well respected by other Greek scholars of his day.

iii. Politically a Roman Citizen – which, carried very great privileges and was greatly prized; Paul used his Roman citizenship on several occasions, to get out of trouble.

Now not only does it take a very special man to be at home in three cultures but as a result he was perfectly equipped for the work God had called him into; to travel throughout the known world to preach the Gospel and establish Churches.
God often prepares us for the ministry He is going to give us.

So who was Paul?

I think after Jesus Christ no one has made a greater impact on the world than the apostle Paul.

Not only was he a great man, and not only did he establish many of the first churches in the Roman Empire but the writings of Paul, contained in the New Testament, continues to make the Good News about Jesus Christ available to people in a very powerful way.

Now the first 17 verses in the Book of Romans are really an autobiography statement – Paul shares about himself; he shares his heart and reveals his life and I want to begin this morning by looking at four words each beginning with the letter ‘M’.

I. Paul the Man – (verse 1)

Paul introduces himself with three words.
1. ‘Servant’
“I am a servant of Christ Jesus.”

Paul was actually born a free man but in fact, no one is ever really free; everyone is a servant of someone or something.

In Roman’s 7 Paul states that he had been a slave to sin and legalism but he changed masters and unashamedly now called himself the servant of Christ.

John Dillon’s, ‘Slow Train Coming’, – “You’ve got to serve somebody…

In John 8: 34 Jesus said, “Whoever sins is a slave to sin.”

2. “Called to be an apostle”

God’s army is not made up of volunteers – like Paul we are called and commissioned to serve.
Some people think that they are doing God a favour when they volunteer their gifts.
The fact is, if we are not serving the Lord, we are AWOL – absent without leave.
You may not be called to be an apostle (missionary) like Paul but you are called to do something based on your gifts and talents.

3. “Set Apart for the Gospel of Christ”

“I’m not a ‘jack of all trades, I’m a specialist in the Gospel. The Good News of Jesus Christ is my life and passion”.

ii. Paul’s Message – (verses 2 – 4)

The word Gospel simply means – good news – although it’s not a distinctively religious word; it can mean any good news.

One of our young married ladies may have come home from the doctor and said, “Daring I’m pregnant” – that’s usually good news.

Although she may say, “Darling, I’m not pregnant” – that could also be good news.
Paul said several things about his gospel.

1. First he said it was promised in the Bible
“…the gospel he (God) promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures” – what we call the Old Testament. vs. 2
Hebrews 1:2 says,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.”
When Jesus talked to the two men on the Emmaus Road, Luke records that,
“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 24:27
The Christian Gospel didn’t begin with the birth of Christ;
Moses preached the Gospel and everyone after him and its all there in the sacrifices, symbols and promises of God in the OT.
Actually the seeds of the Gospel can be found in Genesis and it gets more and more specific the closer it get to the time of the Messiah.
So Paul says the first thing we can say about the Gospel is that it is promised throughout the Bible. The second thing Paul says about the Gospel is in verse 3
2. It was Centred on God’s Son

“…regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David,” vs. 3

If you take the Buddha out of Buddhism, Buddhists still have a philosophy to live by.

But if you take Christ out of Christianly you have nothing because Christianity is not a religion it’s a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Paul says Jesus was a real person, like us, he also had a substantial Hebrew genealogy; Jesus was descended from David, Israel’s greatest king.

When Jesus gave up his deity he experienced everything that we go through and a lot more besides.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” Heb. 4:15

So having said that Jesus was fully human, Paul goes not to say that he was also fully divine;
3. Jesus Was Fully God
“…and 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.” vs. 4
Everything Jesus said about his deity during his years of ministry was ultimately validated when he was raised from the dead.

For example Jesus said, ‘if you have seen me you have seen the Father’.

Paul said Christ was, “declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead”

The resurrection was and is proof that Jesus is not just a good man.

“If Christ Jesus has not been raised from the dead our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” 1 Cor. 15:14

So Jesus was fully human and yet fully divine, which is reflected in his name. ‘Jesus’ is Greek for Joshua, which means, ‘God is salvation’.

‘Christ’ was his title – the Greek word for Messiah which means ‘anointed one.’

So what can we say about Paul’s Gospel?
i. It was promised long before Jesus was born, in the OT
ii. It centres on the person of Jesus Christ – the man who was God.

4. Extending Grace.

None of us deserves God’s love and forgiveness; grace is what we extend to someone when we give them something valuable that they don’t deserve.
God has an amazing desire and capacity to love us and give us what we don’t deserve.
Paul tells us why in verse 5;
“Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace…” vs. 5
5. It’s a Gospel for the Whole World
Paul, writing to Gentiles (non Jews) when he says, “…you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” vs.6
This is a most remarkable change in Paul’s thinking.
In Jewish mindset there were only two groups in the world, Jews and non- Jews – called Gentiles. If you weren’t a Jew you were a Gentile and outside the blessing of God.
Paul said, not so! The Gospel is global, which is why we support mission; it’s a message for all people.
So we have Paul the man and Paul’s message # 3 is Paul’s ministry.
III Paul’s Ministry – (vs. 7 -13)
What we read in the next seven verses is an insight into Paul’s relationship with the Christians in Rome.
If we want to learn how to relate to people in ministry these next few verses are very helpful.
1. Paul addresses the believers in Rome as saints (vs7); a saint is anyone who belongs to Christ.
If you are a Christian you are a saint – although there is still work to do but it will happen one day.
“Grace and peace to you…” This is Paul’s greeting;
‘Grace’ implies rejoicing – what the Greeks would say;
Peace or ‘shalom’ is typically Hebrew and when you put the two together the implication is that, if you have received grace you will have peace.
2. He begins with an affirmation
Verse 8, “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you…”
Do you want to influence people and help them grow in the Lord be an affirmer; develop a ministry of encouragement.
There are plenty of critics in the world – it’s easy to find fault.
But the secret of bringing out the best in people is though the generous use of words of encouragement and gratitude.
Now what do we know about the Christian’s in Rome; how did they get there? Most likely they were early Christians who took their new faith with them when they moved to Rome.
There were Roman visitor in the Pentecost crowd in Acts 2.
Look at the reputation of the Roman Church;
“…your faith is being reported all over the world.” vs. 8
What a great reputation to have!
Rome wasn’t exactly an easy place to be a Christian; it was a very sinful City.
Most of us have heard stories of Emperor Nero’s decadence – I guess it was a lot like the excesses of modern day decadence.
But there is a saying, “the darker the night the brighter the stars” and the more corrupt a society becomes the more Christian’s should stand out.
‘The stronger the wind, the stronger the Oak tree becomes.”
Q. What do you think a church ought to be famous for?
Its size or architecture, its music or preaching perhaps but this is not really what God is looking for.
The Roman church was known for its faith – this is so much more important; faith and love.
Q. What would you personally, want to be known for – we as individual’s make up the church? What we value is going to be reflected in our congregation.
Paul says, “I thank God for you because your faith has made you famous.”
3. He prayed for them regularly
“I constantly remember you in my prayers.” vs. 9
Q. Do you think St Andrews would be a better church if Paul prayed for us every day? Absolutely!
What if we all prayed for our Church each day? Same answer!
Because praying members make strong churches.
How often in this past week did you remember to pray for your church?
Do you know that in praying for the people in Rome Paul was praying for people whom he had never even met and yet he says I pray for you every single day?
Can I encourage you to pray for St Andrew’s every single day and find out what kind of difference it makes?
“I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you”. vs. 9 & 10
4 Paul also wanted to share himself
Paul not only prayed, but he was willing to be a part of the answer to his prayers.
Ask yourself, “How can I give something back”?
“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong…” vs. 11
Paul had many spiritual gifts e.g. teaching – he wanted to come and pass on what God had taught him and the whole point of his letter was to lay a foundation for his visit.
IV. Paul’s Motivation
Q. What was in Paul’s heart that so motivated him to do what he did?
Three things:
i. “I am obligated.” vs. 14
Let’s say I discovered a cure for ADDs or Cancer – I would be under an obligation to do something about it.
If we have Christ in our life we are obligated to share him with others – to tell people the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It’s too important to keep it to ourselves.
Paul says he was obligated to everyone, “to the wise and the foolish” alike, to share Christ.
ii. “I am eager” vs.15 – to preach the Gospel to you who are in Rome – it wasn’t grim duty.
Paul had the heart of an evangelist – he believed that it was the greatest thing in the entire world to share Christ with another person.
iii. “I’m not ashamed.” Paul didn’t have any embarrassment about being known as a Christian and talking about God.
Sadly some Christian’s are ashamed to admit their love for God.
The Gospel reveals our helplessness, we can’t save ourselves, which some find hard to acknowledge, it pricks their pride and hurts their ego.
Paul says I’m not ashamed and then he gives three reasons why, in verse 16.
1. It’s our only hope to change – in the way we want to change.
“…because it is the power of God for the salvation…”
2. It’s for everyone who believes
The Gospel isn’t just for Jews but all who call on the name of the Lord.
3. It is easy to understand – a simple matter of faith accessible to the greatest thinkers and the smallest child.
‘Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.’
Verse 17 clarifies verse 16
“For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Paul introduces us to four words; gospel, righteousness, God and faith, which are the four major themes of Romans.
Righteousness means living in a right relationship with God.
How do we do that? Paul says, by faith – we can’t do anything to earn or add to it – in any way.
Finally – it’s “by faith from first to last” and this is where we end our study for today with a quote from Habakkuk 2:4,
“The righteous will live by faith.”
Prayer
In the first 17 verses of Romans Paul shares his life and passion for the Gospel, which is for the whole world.
Can I encourage you to think of one person in your life who needs the good news; perhaps a relative, friend, neighbour or someone you work with.
Does it scare you to share your faith? Why not ask the Lord to help you?
“Lord help me to find a way to make it natural and easy for me to share my faith, help me to be really enthusiastic, confident and not ashamed.”
Heavenly Father, thank you for your written Word, as we begin to look at this wonderful book of Romans and as we start this journey together, teach us, feed us so that we will be mutually encouraged and strengthened. In Jesus name we pray.