Intro To The Book Of Romans

I know that God is going to begin a great work tonight, and I'll tell you why I know it. It's because right in the middle of the day today, I started feeling very queasy. I don't do that very often. I know Scott and I have shared on numerous occasions prior to teaching how the enemy will come and try to lay some symptoms on us and get us to feel a little sore throat or a little sick. And those of you who pray for us, thank you for praying because that's, I believe that's what overcomes. And so I stand here tonight, I feel great, I just believe that God has purpose for us to go on this journey together. How many people here tonight have never studied through the book of Romans verse by verse, never done it before? How many of you, how many of you have studied verse by verse before? Permit me to read something. I felt this was so well said, I'm just going to read it verbatim. The epistle to the Romans holds a special place in the life of the Christian church. One author and scholar that I studied with F.F. Bruce said this time and again in the course of Christian history, Romans has liberated the minds of men and brought them back to an understanding of the essential gospel of Christ and started spiritual revolutions. One of those liberated minds belonged to Augustine, who is universally acknowledged as one of the world's most influential theologians. One day as he wept under a fig tree in deep distress of soul, desperately convicted of his own sinfulness, he heard a young child singing, take up and read. Turning to a copy of Paul's writings, which lay nearby, he opened it and read, let us walk properly as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and wantonness, not in strife and envy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 13, 13, Augustine believed and obeyed and became the great mind that was liberated for the glory of God. Centuries later, Martin Luther, the serious ardent scholar of Wittenberg, came under the influence of Romans and his life was also transformed. We sang one of his hymns tonight. As he delivered a series of lectures on the epistle, he grasped for the first time in his life what he called the righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justified us through faith. Then a man that we're all familiar with by the name of John Wesley, whose cultured mind was matched only by a spiritual sensitivity and servant attitude, returned to England from Savannah, Georgia, a discouraged man. If you're discouraged tonight, listen to this. He had run into rough water in his dealings with the colonists and he encountered even more troubled seas in the voyage home. Both experiences led him to the awesome discovery that he had no assurance of his acceptability to the Lord that he loved and served. He didn't have assurance of his salvation. In this frame of mind, he went one evening most reluctantly to a meeting where Luther's preface to the epistle to the Romans was being read. In other words, he was dragged to a meeting and someone was reading the preface to the commentary to Romans. And during the reading, John Wesley said, My heart was strangely warmed. I felt I did trust Christ, Christ alone for salvation. And an assurance was given to me that he'd taken away my sins. And armed with this message, he embarked on 40 years of ministry that beggars description and gladdens the heart. His revivals blazed through England and America. Frederick Louis Godet was not exaggerating when he stated in his introductory classic commentary on Romans, the probability is that every great spiritual revival in the church will be connected as effect and cause with a deeper understanding of this book and finally, John Calvin. Those of the reformed tradition, the light Presbyterians and so on said this. When anyone gains a knowledge of this epistle, he has an entrance open to him to all the most hidden treasures of scripture. Now, you say, well, that's great. All that stuff's 200 years old or more. What's in it for me? Well, never more than today do I believe that a book, this particular book can be relevant. And the reason is because we have so many authorities that are screaming for our attention out there in the marketplace today. And what the world really needs is a revelation of God, a revelation of who God is. And the book of Romans gives us a revelation. Romans tells us, number one, what man is like. Next week and the following week, we're going to look at what man is really like, folks. And believe me, don't come if you have a weak stomach the next two weeks. If you believe man is just an improving version of the ape on his way, destined for glory, then you need to come and hear what the Bible says about the condition of man. But even more, Romans reveals a sovereign God moving relentlessly to redeem man and fulfill his, that is, God's beneficial plans for man's blessing and God's companionship. But in the midst of all this, Romans teaches us how to live in the here and in the now. And what is going to be very exciting is when you see how all this theology, this description of God, this explanation of man, this definition of how the church is to function and so on, how all this fits down to living in your home, working in your job, relating to your friends, and even in some cases, things in the political arena and other parts of the world view that we find ourselves. Now, we know that no one was more appropriately prepared to write this epistle than Paul. How many of you know Paul was a Roman? Who better to write an epistle to the church at Rome than a Roman? But Paul was also a Jew. So he understood both of those frameworks and both of those perspectives. And the epistle reflects that. As we read through it, you'll see Paul is sensitive to the perspectives of these two people, these groups of people that are reading it. He was a pioneer missionary and evangelist. Listen, Paul had a zeal, and we'll see, that will put us to shame. But he also was a supreme theologian. By the way, don't be afraid of the word theology. What is theology? It's the study of God. How many of you are theologians from that definition? Turn to someone and say, you're a good theologian. We'll see. Now, Paul had experienced the grace of God in a marvelous way, and all of this spills over into what is clearly one of the most profound writings that man has ever accomplished. And we're going to notice some things about this whole introduction. Let's read together now Romans chapter 1 and verse 1. And just before we do that, I want to say one more word about myself. I'm a little bit intimidated in starting this study because I know that some of you have sat under great scholarly men who've been able to exposit this book far better than I would ever be able to. I don't present myself today as an accomplished scholar or as one who would be even necessarily classified as a student of the book of Romans. But I will say this. I believe God wants this church at this time to study this book. And therefore, you get me for most of the Wednesday nights. And, of course, some of the other pastors and others may share in that responsibility. But this summer, as we went to the Rocky Mountains and spent some time, I remember driving down the long plain into Denver and seeing those mountains and imagining what the pioneers must have felt. They've been going in that flat land and all of a sudden there's nothing but it goes from nowhere and suddenly the mountains are there. And that's kind of what Romans is. It's kind of like the mountain peaks of the New Testament. But somehow, this summer we got through the mountains. And I believe by God's grace we're going to get through this book. And by the end of our study, when you're all in retirement, you'll feel so much closer to God. You'll sense so much more of his presence because, as you'll see tonight, his word is powerful. And if you'll do the studies during the week and you'll be in your home group, it's going to be a total package. And we've never done this before. This is a first. We're going to connect your daily studies, those of you who want to, with your home group study and this Wednesday night. And I believe we're going to really know this book by the end of the next several months. Number one, Roman numeral one, verse one, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God. First of all, let's talk tonight about Paul, the man, Paul, the man. Paul was not the founding pastor of the church at Rome. In fact, he had never been there. He never even visited the city, let alone been sent to minister to the church. He'd been stymied. We read later in several attempts to go to visit the church at Rome, but had never been able to make it. Many Christians in the church didn't know who he was. And so he begins the epistle by describing himself in this first verse. The first thing Paul says, you need to know about me, church, he said, is my name is Paul. And though it may seem a little bit arrogant to start a letter by saying I J or I Dave or I Ron, it was a very common literary technique in that time. But what is so significant about this, folks, is was that really his name? Who had given him that name? The God that he encountered on the road to Damascus. You see, when Paul wrote that name, every time he spoke his name, Paul was reminded of that encounter with the living God on the road to Damascus. Imagine how powerful that must have been. That once arrogant, brash, prideful, legalistic Pharisee, Saul, is now that humble, powerful, wise, pioneering missionary. Paul, Saul became Paul. Imagine if every time you introduced yourself to someone, your name was different, what that would trigger in you. You know, I understand, though I've not been to India yet. I'm going in November, as most of you know. But I understand that in the Hindu culture, and maybe John and Don Hooker could confirm this, that many times when the Hindu people come to Christ and are baptized, they literally get a new name in the waters of baptism because they have to leave their families. They have to leave everything that was dear to them. And they come up and they have a whole new name, Joshua, Samuel, James, whatever it might be. Dear ones, what Paul begins here is a profound statement of the change that's happened in his life because of God's operating in his spirit. I used to be this old Saul, he would think, but now by God's grace, I'm Paul, Paul. And then he says, a servant of Jesus Christ, a slave. Some of your Bibles will say, Paul said, you need to know that my name's been changed. My name is now Paul. And you need to know that I'm a servant. Did you know that in the time of the writing of this epistle, there were six million slaves in the Roman Empire? Slavery was rampant. And so when he said a slave of Christ Jesus, his readers knew exactly what he meant. A person with no rights, a person who was owned by someone else, a person who was there to do the bidding and call of another person. Paul said, in essence, I'm legal property of the one that I serve, Jesus Christ. I'm not embarrassed about it. I delight in serving him. I'm honored that he's my master. I'm not a man pleaser, a crowd pleaser, a pleasure seeker, or a ladder climber. I'm a servant of God. That's my status. And then he said, I'm Paul, a servant called to be an apostle. Now, if you know the Greek New Testament at all, you know that the word apostle means one who is sent out, one sent with a message. And there are apostles spoken of numerous times through the scriptures. And by the way, there are apostles today. However, it's a matter of debate among scholars that when Paul says here, I am a called apostle. How many of your Bibles say a called apostle? Anyone say a called apostle? All right. Some of the translations reinforce what I think may be true, which is Paul is saying I have a unique calling as one of the twelve. Let me explain why I believe that so. To be one of the original apostles. Number one, you had to have seen Christ. And Paul had that revelation. Number two, you had to have been commissioned by Christ. Paul had been commissioned. Number three, you had to have an anointing of the Holy Spirit as those apostles did, which also happened to Paul, as we read in the book of Acts. And finally, those apostles were commissioned with the ability to perform signs and wonders and miracles. And certainly, how many of you know, Paul all through his ministry moved in signs and wonders and miracles. You see, authority is the issue here, folks. There's no way to establish the church in all of the known world unless you have a clear anointing of authority on your life. And Paul was very evidently aware that this was an issue. They'd never seen him. They didn't know who he was. And so he said, listen, I am a called apostle. And if you know much about the book of Acts, you know that he was constantly tested on this issue. Let me just bring this into 1989 and a half. One of the most fundamental issues in this church and every other church that's seeking to follow Jesus Christ is this issue of authority. And unfortunately, many people have not yet grasped the significance of this. Without authority, we are vulnerable to being pulled apart in separate directions. Everyone does what's right in their own mind. And sadly, that's how the church is rendered ineffective. Paul is very clear in saying, I am a called apostle. Isn't it a wonderful balance? Do you see that? I'm a servant of Jesus, but I'm a called apostle. How many of you know that that's needed? You know, there's the humility of being available to God, but there's the authority that says, and I'm an apostle. I have the blessing, the call of God in my life. I have to say to you, folks, to be called to anything is a crucial ingredient in knowing the joy of serving God. I've discovered something. People who know what they're called to are happy servants. If you don't know what you're called to and you're just doing a ministry, I'll describe you. In other words, if you're just out there because you think you should be doing it, ministry is a chore for you. Number one, you're always unhappy when you're doing it. Number two, you're always finding fault with others who are doing it. Number three, you're always needing encouragement from somebody around you because you don't want to be there. And number four, you usually quit after a short period of time. And sadly, many people serve the Lord in just that spirit because they think they ought to. How much better to be called to serve God and to know it? You see, a person who knows they're called to serve the Lord is thankful to do it. They can't help but do it. They're wholehearted. They'll sacrifice whatever it takes to get the job done. And they're looking to God for their approval and not just a man. Very important for them not to do their ministry would be to be disobedient to the calling. And Paul says, I am called to be an apostle and look finally at this description of himself set apart. For the gospel of God, Paul said, my name is Paul, my status as a servant. My calling is to be an apostle and my passion is for the gospel of Jesus Christ. My passion is for the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you know anyone that's preparing for the Olympics, you know people who have a passion. Some people think I have a passion for chocolate. That's not true. I like chocolate. But to have a passion for anything means that you have a single minded devotion to obtain that which you're setting yourself after. Paul was set apart, passionately set apart for the gospel. You know, a person in training for Olympics simplifies their lifestyle. They root out extraneous things that would distract them from their mission. They streamline their schedule. They avoid those things which would compete because they have one goal in mind. What is it? To win the gold medal in the Olympics. And Paul is saying, I am set apart. I am passionately devoted to the gospel. That is a feeling that I believe gets away from many of us in the heat of the battle of all that we have to do. My name is Paul. My status, let's look at them again, is a servant. My calling is to be an apostle and my passion is the gospel. That's who I am. Interestingly, he didn't mention here that I've gotten all these degrees from the school of Gamaliel. You know, he didn't write here about all of his accomplishments and all the things that he'd done and all the churches he'd started. He just described himself in this one sentence. Let me ask you a question tonight. If we were to stop the sermon right now, besides being happy, how many of you would say you could write a letter right now to the church somewhere else? Let's say the church in Beaver Falls. You like that? How about Newcastle or someplace? If you were to write a letter to the church in Newcastle, how would you describe yourself? What words would you use? Kind of challenging, isn't it? Could you use the same kind of clearly descriptive, identifying words about your relationship to God? It's something we need to consider. All right. Number two, let's look at Paul and his message. What is this gospel? Very quickly, the next couple of verses, it's described the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. This gospel was promised. How many of you are thankful today that we're not just picking up something that started in 1984? And Paul is saying this gospel, my beloved, was prophesied for centuries prior to this time. And then he said it was the gospel concerning the son who, as to his human nature, verse three, was a descendant of David. That appealed to the Jews. You see, this gospel came down through the lineage of David. And then Paul said, and who through this spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the son of God. This Jesus was confirmed to be the son of God by the resurrection. Please understand something. If you take the resurrection out of Christianity, you've taken the power out of what we believe. And then he said, this gospel, this message can be described as that which calls people to obedience of faith. I like that phrase. Let me tell you why. Those who truly come to Christ, those who truly are born again, those who truly know God, discover that it's not just believing up here, but it's living a life of obedience, the obedience of faith. How many of you maybe spent a lot of time in a church earlier in your life where you did religious things? Hello? Yeah. You know, you did religious kinds of things. You went to services, you did perform these different things you were supposed to do. Well, you were obedient, but what was lacking? Faith. You didn't understand what a trusting relationship is. Paul saying, you need to do the things, but you need to have faith that the root of it is God's, what God has done for you. The obedience of faith. Later on, of course, James tells us that faith and works, faith and obedience have to go together or faith is dead. So that's the message that Paul is about to declare. Let's go on and see now. The next thing about Paul is his manly love. Let's read it together. He said, I write this to you, verse six, who among those called to belong to Jesus Christ, to all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his saints. Grace and peace to you from God, our father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve with my whole heart and preaching the gospel of his son is my witness. How constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times. Now, remember, Paul has never been there. He's never seen these people. He doesn't really know them. Guys were ringing a bit. He is thankful, though, for them. And I want to just encourage you to do something. Why not make a list tonight or right now, as you're thinking about it, of people that maybe you're not with, but you're thankful for and thank God for their life. And you'll find something warm will be generated in your spirit toward those people when you do get to be with them. Paul has taken it upon himself to pray for them. And note this Thanksgiving and intercession go hand in hand when you're thankful for someone, you find yourself frequently praying, as Paul did later here for them. He said, I really want to visit you someday. I really want to be with you. Verse 10 tells us, and I pray now that at last, by God's will, the way may be open for me to come to you. Paul was a man in love with the church. Let's all say that. Paul was a man in love with the church, second only to Jesus Christ. Paul loved the church. I want you to hang on this with me for just a second. Paul writes in Colossians 124, I gladly suffer and make up the afflictions of Christ. For the sake of his body, the church. You see, Paul loves Jesus so much that what Jesus loves, he loves. And Jesus called us the church his bride. Jesus was passionately devoted to his bride. Men, think of your wedding day. I know that was a long time ago, but think back, okay? Think back. Think of all the feelings that you had towards your bride. The hope and the unbounded sense of excitement and passion and love. Paul loved the church. And he wanted the church to have everything that God had purposed for it to have. Not because the church was perfect, because it wasn't. Not because the church had never failed, but because it did. But he loved the church, problems and all. And I want to say to you tonight, listen now carefully. It's possible to gauge your love for Jesus Christ by your love for his church. It's a fairly accurate barometer of your love for Christ. If you'll look at your love for the church, how much do you love the church? How much do you marvel at the miracle of God's people working together in harmony? How much do you care? How much do you often find yourself saying, Lord, I thank you for being part of the church. Being part of where we can corporately worship like we did tonight. Being part of a place where people can combine their energies and their resources to make an impact in the world. Being part of a place where if I stumble, somebody's there to care for me. That's the miracle of the church. Paul says, I love the church. One of the things that happens here that means so very much to me is when I get to work together with people in this church to make a difference. You know, it's one thing for me to have a message, it's another thing for 40 men to stand up here and sing and contribute their gifts. It's another thing for you to to be part of this service tonight and contribute your faith to someone else's prayer needs. I remember so well our Christmas banquet. If you've not been part of a Christmas banquet yet, it changes your whole perspective. To see the people behind the scenes cutting the vegetables and putting them together. To see the people setting up the tables and hanging the decorations. To see the musicians setting up. And to see the people helping the elderly to get to their seats and to hear the songs that are sung. What could be more incredibly fulfilling than being part of a team of people that God calls his church. The other day at a reception that we just had at our home for Discovering the Way graduates, one gal that I think is here tonight came up to me at the end. She said, you know, I thought I'd never find another church like the one I came from. And now I have and it's great and I just love it. And even though I'm living in the South Hills, I'm going to come all the way up here two or three times a week. Because I love this church. The people cared for me and there was joy. And dear ones, that's the marvel. It's not just this church, but all around the world you can find the same spirit that we enjoy right here. The church was so important to Paul that he looked for ways to give to it. Look at verses 11 and 12. He said, I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong. That is that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. I don't know about you, but I lived a number of years before I realized how special it was to be part of the church. The desire to give to the church my very best. When I was a first year seminary student, I had my first experience in a church that opened my eyes to see how marvelous it was to be part of a body of believers. Because I'd never really been in a church like that. I went to Lake Avenue Congregational Church. And I remember singing the great hymns. That's where I learned to sing things like A Mighty Fortress is Our God and really know what I was doing. And that's why if it's uncomfortable, learn to do it. I hate to tell you this. I really hate to say it. But probably 100 years from now, we declare that the kingdom of God is here will not be in the great panels of history. But A Mighty Fortress is Our God will be. Y'all don't agree with that? I mean, that's the truth. I love all the new songs. But you see, the great statements about the church are going to remain. And it's so imparted to me a sense of importance and identity and character and heritage and destiny. People who walk closely with Jesus, in tune with the Holy Spirit, end up loving what Jesus loved. And that's the church. Paul wanted to give the church something. What do you want to give to the church? What could you impart? What could you give? Have you thought about it? Have you connected yourself with a network ministry or some other ministry where you can find out what you have to give that will make the church be all that God wants it to be? Listen, this Roman church was not a sweet little group of people. There were some wildos in this church, kind of like other places I've been. There were some Jewish conservatives who were very legalistic. There were some Gentile free spirits. There were some highly educated in culture. And there were some people that Paul calls later on, barbarians. But Paul loved them all because he loved the church. And that leads me to the final point, and that's Paul's motivation. Paul says, I'm eager. Look with me. He says, verse 14, I'm obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. And that is why I'm so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. I'm eager to preach the gospel. I'm not ashamed of it, verse 16. I'm not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew and then for the Gentile. For in the gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last. Why does Paul want to visit this church so badly? Personally be there with him. Why? Because Paul wants to witness what happens when the power of the word of God is unleashed in a congregation. He wanted to see what happened when the power of the word of God preached is loosed in a group of people who are open to it. He wanted to see lives transformed, bondages of sin broken, and marriages restored, and hope and confidence instilled. He wanted to see ministry released. He wanted to see people liberated to love those who weren't like them. He wanted to see people desire to worship. Dear ones, all of those things happen when the word of God is preached under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, I desire to come so I can preach the word and see the explosion that will happen as a result. The power of God unto salvation. The word salvation in the Greek means wholeness. Wholeness. Wholeness in body, soul, and spirit. Paul said, I want to preach so the power of God can be released in you. Dear ones, why is it that we tend to go so far in a Christian life and then we just kind of plateau off? What happens that we hit those obstacles and don't press through them? One of the reasons is we've not learned. I'm not really talking so much to this group, but you can pass this on to those who need it here. We've not learned to attend to the preaching of the word of God. Many have come from places here tonight where the power of God was dead in the water as far as your church was concerned. Have you ever felt the stifling sense that people gathered together for a service, had no idea what was supposed to happen, and in fact found themselves wondering, what am I doing here? Have you ever been in a service looking at your watch and wondering when is this going to be over because it was so dead that you couldn't stand it? Have you ever said to your wife or your husband, you go because I know what's going to happen. You see, I need to say to you tonight that where the power of the word of God is unleashed, exciting, liberating, life-changing things happen all the time. People are transformed because God's word has the power inherent in it to change lives. There's nothing worse to me than being in a place where God's power has been shut down. Programs don't have power, folks. Activities don't guarantee relationships. Gatherings happen, but no glory is present. Few changes ever really take place. No sense of the presence of God. And you know what happens when that's the case? That kind of existence in a church spills over into your marriages and your homes. When you're frustrated in your church, you're frustrated at home. Paul said, I want to preach the word of God so some things can begin to happen. Let me just close with the three things that he lists right here. Number one, he says, look, he said, believers will be strengthened. Look at verse 11 and 12. He said, if I'm with you, I may mutually strengthen or encourage one another's faith. Three things are going to happen. Number one, you're going to be strengthened. When the word of God is preached in power, strength begins to happen. You find that the things that were pulling you down just kind of fall off. Dear ones, this is one reason why I am not reluctant to tell people come to church. Hello? People who stay away from church are cutting themselves off from the very source of supply of power that can restore their strength. It's a very subtle thing the devil does. You know, you get discouraged or something happens that you don't like so you don't come back. And the cycle begins and it begins to just slip right on down until finally, you know, you don't want anything more to do with it. Paul says then, number two, that when I preach the gospel, he says, the unbelievers will be evangelized. Believers will be edified, unbelievers will be evangelized. When the word of God goes out in power, it breaks through the shell, the veil, whatever, the scales that are over the eyes of the unbelievers. One reason why, despite all the work that it's been, I'm so excited about Saturday evening services are that people will be bringing folks to hear the gospel. And as the word is preached and as it's reinforced in drama and in song and testimony, I believe that scales will fall off of people's eyes. And they're going to see Jesus for who he really is. When the word is preached in power, unbelievers are evangelized. And finally, Paul said this, when the gospel is preached in power, something of God's character is identified. It says that his righteousness is revealed. His righteousness is revealed. I have discovered something. That as I allow God to show me more about who he is, I have discovered the more I know of God, the more I know him, the more he changes me. And when I get bogged down in my life, you know what I've discovered? I've stopped learning about God. And when you're in a place where the word of God is preached, and by the way, it's not just here on Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights. It's also in your home group. It's also where anybody with any kind of sense of preparation and prayerful anointing preaches the word. It can happen in a children's ministry class. It can happen in the youth. On Sunday morning when you teach a junior high class, it can happen anywhere. Believers basics, discovering the way. Anytime the word of God is preached and God's character is identified, people's lives will be changed. It's kind of like the word comes through a prism and breaks open, and you see God in all the light, but you never understood him before. As we study Romans, you're going to see more about God than you've ever known before. I guarantee it. If you stick with it, God will be revealed to you. Let me conclude with this last thought. Paul is saying in effect, church at Rome, I dream of the day I can come and be with you and impart a gift to you. The gift of the gospel preached i