Romans 1:8-17

The Gospel of Grace

Scripture reading –

Rom. 1:7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray

Intro

√ By way of review Paul wrote this letter to the believer in Rome for the purpose of…

1) Announce his plans to visit them and minister to them.

2) Give a clear presentation of the Gospel of Grace

3) Address the problems between Jewish & Gentile believers

Paul’s plans to visit Rome (vs. 8-13)

Rom. 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Rom. 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,

Rom. 1:10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.

Rom. 1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established--

Rom. 1:12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Rom. 1:13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.

√ Following Paul’s greetings to the believers in Rome he now states the first purpose for writing his letter.

His desire to visit Rome!

Why not!? Rome was the imperial capital of the world at that time – around which the rest of the world revolved.

Paul recognized that if he could preach the Gospel in Rome that he would have the opportunity to reach people throughout the entire world with the message of Grace.

Ex. Rome was the center of…

Political power – legislation passed in Rome dictated the law for the whole Empire. Also, rulers from around the world came to Rome to study the Roman government system.

Commercial – Rome was a wealthy consumer nation. Merchants from Europe, Asia and Africa came to trade and sell their wares.

Paul recognized that an effective witness for Christ (a strong church) at the center of the Roman Empire could have a world-wide impact.

How?

Reaching more people more quickly and with less effort by focusing his attention on where the most people could be reached from around the world.

If you study Paul’s mission trips you’ll find that he would always begin preaching at the major city in whatever region he was led to.

From which the Gospel would then spread to surrounding cities and towns.

One reason the Gospel spread so quickly without the aide of modern technology!

Ap. This is one reason I’m so excited about ministering here in NW Arkansas. I can’t help but think that this area is a strategic place from which to spread the Gospel!

Ex. XNA – Wal-Mart – Tyson – Hunt

People coming here from all over the world! If the Lord tarries my dream is that we can reach those people.

√ Brings up a good question

If Paul hadn’t yet been to Rome, how did they hear and believe in the Gospel?

We have a clue in…

Acts 2:10 “Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

Acts 2:11 “Cretans and Arabs--we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”

Acts 2:12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

Peter then preached his first evangelistic message and about 3,000 people got saved!

Some of those folks very likely took the message back to Rome.

So, we find that there was a group of believers in Rome to which Paul wrote and desired to visit.

√ The other reason that Paul wanted to go to Rome was that he might strengthen the believers.

Note vs. 11 & 12

Rom. 1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established--

Rom. 1:12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

As an apostle, a shepherd of God’s flock – Paul’s heart was to strengthen the faith of these believers.

Part of his spiritual gifting was to recognize and then impart whatever might be lacking in the life of the saints.

Ex. Ephesus

Acts 19:1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples

Acts 19:2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

Paul meets this group of believers and having visited with them recognizes that they are lacking in their personal experience with the Lord.

Ap. The Christian experience is supposed to be a growing experience!

Ex. The parables of the soils, the sower, the mustard seed, the growing seed, the fig tree, etc.

Getting saved is only the beginning of our growth in Christ! God has given the Church people gifted and anointed to help believers to grow in Christ-like maturity.

Teaching

Discipleship

Listen – if a person isn’t growing in Christ – they’re going backwards in their relationship!

Ex. Two plants – one dead one alive – the difference? Feeding and watering.

Living in the grip of Grace (vs. 14-15)

Rom. 1:14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.

Rom. 1:15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

√ You’ll remember from our study last week that Paul described himself as…

“bondservant” (slave by choice) and an apostle (messenger).

Now he adds another title to his business card…

“I am a debtor”

Normally we don’t think of being a debtor as anything to brag about. In what sense was Paul a debtor?

He believed that he had a debt of love to share the saving power of God with every person he came in contact with!

You see, Paul’s salvation experience on the road to Damascus forever changed his life. He was so overwhelmed by the Love and Grace of Christ given him, though he fully recognized that he didn’t deserve it, that he felt he had a debt of love to share that Love and Grace with others.

Paul lived in the grip of Grace.

1Tim. 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

1Tim. 1:16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

You see Paul understood that he deserved nothing but judgement! He saw himself as the worst of all sinners for persecuting the church.

Yet, God in His rich mercy and Grace reached out to Paul and saved him.

Therefore, Paul made it his life’s goal to share the same power of God with every person he could that they too might experience the Grace that he had been given.

Ap. How about you!?

Do you live in the grip of God’s Grace? Do you really understand the extent of Jesus’ love for you - that you don’t deserve His love and grace!?

Grace = God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense

I’m convinced that one of the reasons that Christian’s don’t share the Gospel with others is that we don’t fully appreciate the Grace that we have received.

My personal prayer is that I grow in my understanding of God’s Grace toward me which I think comes in part as we recognize that we too are debtors!

How’s that?

To share the Gospel – our verses 14 & 15 this morning.

To obey the Holy Spirit – Romans 8:13

To encourage one another – Romans 15:1

To help one another – Romans 15:25-27

To love everyone – Romans 13:8

Listen this is how it works.

When we recognize our sinfulness in the light of the Law – we find ourselves under heavy condemnation.

When we recognize our sinfulness in the light of Grace – we find ourselves rejoicing in God’s mercy and love!

Ex. Those living under the Law act like policemen vs. those living under Grace who live like paramedics.

The power of the Gospel (vs. 16-17)

Rom. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Rom. 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

√ Not ashamed!

Paul had supreme confidence in the Gospel message.

Why?

Because he had experienced the power of the Gospel to change his own life.

1Tim. 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,

1Tim. 1:13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

1Tim. 1:14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

Ex. Paul’s testimony before King Agrippa in Acts 26

Ap. Do you understand that we have been given the greatest power in the universe contained in the simple message of the Gospel!

The power to literally change a person’s nature! To be reprogrammed with an uncorrupted code!

2Cor. 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

A new nature! The power to change us…

From blasphemer to worshipper!

From sinner to saint

From criminal to citizen

From hater to lover

From rebel to servant

The power to regenerate us!

From a walking dead person to a person alive in Christ!

The power to give us eternal life!

Transfer our name from the warden’s book in Hell to the Book of Life!

Which brings up a good question…

√ Why would anyone be ashamed of the Gospel?

1Cor. 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

1Cor. 1:22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;

1Cor. 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,

Friends listen, to those in the World the message of the Gospel is stupid. Paul identifies two groups of people…

The Jews = the religious person

The Greeks = the intellectual

The religious person:

Believes that we approach God by our own good works – observing some religious ritual or subjection our body to some extreme life style to earn our salvation.

Ex. E. Stanley Jones who ministered much of his life in India surrounded by false religion said it well…

“Religions are Man’s search for God; the Gospel is God’s search for Man. There are many religions, but there is only one Gospel!”

So, to the religious person the Gospel of Christ is a stumbling block because they won’t accept salvation as a gift – thinking they have to earn it.

Based on a wrong perception of God and our personal sin.

Paul will deal with that later! J

The intellectual person:

Believes that God is apprehended though philosophical understanding. That is, they exalt the mind – the thinking process.

To the intellectual the gospel is foolishness because it is so simple. That by simply believing in our heart that Jesus is Lord, and that God has raised Him from the dead is all that is required to be “saved” – is not appealing to the person who believes themselves to be wise.

Yet, the truth is that while the Gospel message is simple, it is simple only in that anyone can understand it and receive it.

However, for the person who wants to explore the truth of the Gospel it is the most sublime message and incomprehensible for the greatest intellect.

Ex. The Person of God

1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

Just try and explain how God became a Man, while at the same time still running the universe, and never for a moment leaving anything to chance!

We get ourselves in trouble when we try and make God’s revelation of Himself fit into our limited – finite – intellect!

Ap. Are you ashamed of the Gospel of Christ?

When people come to you with a problem to whom do you point them?

Do you really believe that Jesus is the answer to every problem?

We do people, both sinners and saints, a disservice when we point them to anyone, or anything other than Jesus Christ!

Be bold! Honor the power of Jesus to change a life by sharing the simple truth of the Gospel!

√ Verse 17 is one of the key verses in Romans because it captures the theme of the book…

“The just shall live by faith” – vs. 17

…how?

Paul’s point – Man will never…

Reach God

Please God

Justified before God

…by the works of our flesh.

We can only ….

Reach God

Please God

Justified before God

…by faith.

Paul will go on to demonstrate that all of the saints of God from Adam to the end of Human history are recognized by God as being righteous through their faith in Him.

Because God has chosen to extend justification only to those who come to Him in faith.

Justification = Just as if I never sinned

Ap. How do you want to stand before God’s throne?

In your own righteousness, or Jesus’?

Close

√ Have you received God’s Grace?

√ Are you living in the Grip of His Grace?

√ Are you an ambassador of His Grace?