ROMANS 1:2-6
THE HEART OF THE PASTOR’S MESSAGE
If you ask, “what is our pastor’s chief calling and message?”, then we must reply, “The chief calling of the pastor is this faithful, consistent proclamation of the Gospel of God”.
If you then say, “well is this all?”, then the answer is clearly “no!” for from the heart proceed the issues of life (Prov. 4:23 KJV). Even as the human heart is a vital organ – perhaps the most important one - and yet not without reference to the other organs, so the gospel is the heart of our life, but it connected to all sorts of other important applications. The gospel produces a healthy spiritual heart and therefore a true gospel spirit will produce the fruit of the Spirit – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” (Gal. 5:22,23). The gospel produces a life of good works. We shall see what the application of the gospel produces in Romans 12 and following. The gospel not only makes us glad. It not only makes us worshippers. The gospel also drives us to consider the world in which we live. So the gospel produces so much more than we would bargain for. In one sense this is what the whole letter to the Romans is all about – the Gospel of God - in all its fullness.
To that end we will find the key text in 1:16,17. This is followed by a lengthy explanation from 1:18-3:20 as to why the gospel is necessary. Sin makes the gospel necessary. Paul shows us the pervasive problem of sin (all have sinned- that means – me, you and the whole world) and he shows us the consequence of sin (the wrath of God). The gospel is then introduced in 3:21 by means of the great “But now” and an explanation of how sinners are justified by grace alone through faith alone, through Christ alone.
And
therefore we can say that this is what the work of your pastor is all about. He
is the one man who must keep these
things constantly before your eyes – constantly, because we forget these
things so very quickly. That is also why
we regularly have the Lord’s supper – to remind us of the gospel.
We
are a gospel church in Robertson. “We exist for the gospel of God”.
Now I remind you that the word Gospel means good news (euaggelion) and good news is only meaningful if we understand why it is good. The Good news is meaningful against the background of bad news. The God who loves this world has placed the church into this community called Robertson, South Africa, Africa and the world to be explainers and examples of the Good news in a world ravaged by sin and degradation. This clarifies our vision as a church. It helps us to understand why we exist. It gives reason and meaning to our gathering. 1. The gospel makes us glad. Therefore we worship the God who has saved us by His gospel 2. The gospel compels us to share this good news with those that still live under sin’s curse, and who are not yet reconciled with God, and who continue to live under the wrath of a holy God. The gospel gives us reason to pray for our world, and evangelise and engage in missionary activity. 3. Once the gospel is received it gives us power to say “no!” to ungodliness (Titus 2:12ff NIV). This means that men become better husbands and fathers, women better wives and mothers , children more obedient to parents etc…
1:2-6 THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
And now let us consider this message or content of the gospel in itself
4 Things
1. It is promised beforehand through the prophets in the holy Scriptures...The gospel is not Paul’s invention. It is not a new thing. It is based on a promise consistently contained in all the OT Scriptures. In Acts 17:2 we read that Paul “reasoned with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead and saying, “This Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ.”
The Lord Jesus Christ explained Himself to 2 discouraged disciples on the Emmaus road by means of the OT Scriptures, beginning with Moses and the prophets (Lk 24:27)
At RRCC we need to make sure that we spend enough time in the OT to understand how the gospel is rooted there.
2. It is concerning His Son (Jesus) – descended from David according to the flesh.
This promise is concerning a Messiah (an anointed One) who would in due time be sent from God to redeem His people Israel from the weight of their slavery – and especially from the burden of the slavery of sin. The gospel is not an abstract philosophical concept. It is a person and He makes a massive difference in the lives of those that embrace Him. The first thing about the gospel is that it is not something new. It has ancient roots. Paul tells us that the OT prophets had spoken about this gospel. The gospel is found in the OT. Concerning him we learn two things (i) that He would arrive in a form of a human being, via the line of David. This is what Paul consistently draws attention to in his preaching everywhere (e.g. Acts 13:23). The gospel is rooted in God’s ancient revelation 2 Sam. 7:12ff (Davidic covenant) tells us that a greater Son of David will sit on the throne, occupying an eternal kingdom. Through the Genealogies in Matthew (1:1-16) and Luke (3:23-38) we know that both Mary and Joseph were descended from the line of David, so that when Jesus was born, one could truly say, “as to his human ancestry” that he was a son of David! He was often called “Son of David”. Sadly Jesus came to His own but His own did not receive him (Jn 1:10,11. Yet there were a few that saw Him for who He was.
- The Magi saw him for who was (Matt. 2:1-12
- Simeon and the prophetess Anna saw Him for who he was (Luke 2:22-38). But that was not all ...
3. He was also declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by His resurrection from the dead: The Holy Spirit confirmed Christ’s identity as Son of God :
- At his baptism (Matt. 3:17)
- At the transfiguration (Matt 17:1-13)
- BUT the gospel was made supremely visible by the Holy Spirit at Christ’s resurrection (1:4)
Although Jesus was the Son of David as a physical descendant, He was more than the physical Son of David. He also is the eternal Son of God - God the Son. At this point Paul asserts something very important. Jesus is both fully man (and as such He identifies with us – minus sin) AND fully God. These two aspects of Christ’s nature were much debated in church history. People have always found it difficult to hold to the two natures of Christ, because our human experience finds no counterpart in Christ. But early church councils e.g. the Nicene creed and Chalcedonian creed, made it very clear that the Bible reveals that our Lord Jesus Christ had two natures, which were undivided. And here, in the opening sentence of the letter to the Romans we have a powerful statement of the fact that Jesus is descended both from a human ancestry (through the line of David) AND from a divine ancestry through Holy Spirit’s work at the resurrection. He represents both realms.
And so Paul
names him, “Jesus Christ our Lord
“ (1:4). He is ….
• Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins
• Christ (Greek- Christos);
Messiah (Hebrew) – God’s anointed One,
• Our Lord ( Greek- kurios) – literally our Master, Owner. He is the One, says Paul,
who has called me into service to bear testimony to the Gentiles.
Having said that, the gospel is rooted in the Old Testament redemptive purposes, revealing the Messiah as the Son of David and as the eternal Son of God, Paul now he goes on to say that…
Paul is announcing something radical here. He is a Jew. The knowledge of salvation came from the OT scriptures to the Jews. But this does not exclude the nations – the gentiles. The gospel for which Paul has been set apart now becomes a message for the whole world – for Jew and gentile. The gospel is for all nations. The gospel brings a divided world together again.
The Implications Of The Gospel
In 1:5-7 we see just how radical are the implications of the gospel are – particularly in terms of how we view ourselves. You and I need to understand what the gospel does for us.
The
gospel is not a little addition to life e.g. going through the rites and
motions (baptism, church membership etc).
The gospel transforms you. It changes who you are, because of who He is.
And He redefines us and helps us to see what we are meant to be. Paul says 4 things concerning this:
1. 1: 5,6 Paul makes it clear that we are part of a united body which includes both Jew and Gentile - i.e. those that are saved out of the whole world, uniting us in gospel bonds, uniting Jew and Greek, Israel and the nations into one church, transcending cultural boundaries that separate us “in the obedience of faith for the sake of His Name”. The gospel redefines the way in which we look at people and culture. The gospel makes us one people through Christ. The gospel changes the way we look at one another. It changes the way we look at the world.
2. 1:6. He goes on to mention specifically that we are called by Jesus Christ Himself. Think of yourself that way. Jesus has called YOU! A personal, particular call.
3. 1:7 Those saved by the gospel are loved by God the Father. Think how important that would have been for those early Roman Christians. They were hated by the world. They were thought to be part of an evil sect and accused of all sorts of things, including cannibalism. But the apostle Paul says that they are the loved ones of God. If you have the hate and wrath of the world against you but the love of God for you, then you have what really matters.
4. 1:7 “called to be saints". Christians are holy, set apart for the pursuit of holiness. Our fallen nature is progressively recreated by God.
We must preach the gospel. It is the gospel alone that changes everything because it re-introduces us to the One who made us – the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone has the power to change us.
This gospel is for all the nations- for all people.
This gospel not only transforms us individually but it places us into one body – the body of Christ.
Now this is my message. This is my calling. This is my work. This is what I am called to remind you of. Amen
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