Notes from My Files
How To Talk to Romans About Jesus
Romans 1:1-7 (NIV): 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
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
q Know Your Identity. – Servant – Called – Set Apart
q Know Your Message Jesus Christ – Start to Finish – Good news of resurrection, grace, apostleship, obedience, and belonging.
Know Your Audience - Location and Vocation
Romans 1:1-7 (NIV) 8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10in 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.
q A Cause for Thanksgiving
q A Crucible for Service
q A Constancy for Believers
q A Call for Presence
Romans 1:11-17:11 -For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; 12 - That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. 13 - Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. 14 - I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. 15 - So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at
q I am a debtor - He was a man under conscription.
q I am willing and eager - He was a man under compulsion.
I am not ashamed - He was a man under conviction.
Romans
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
- God's revelation is compelling.
- He has made the invisible visible (20).
- People really do know the truth (v. 18).
- Our rebellion is considerable.
- We are ungodly.
- We are unrighteous.
- God's righteousness is consistent.
- God is God
God manifests Himself.
The Bogus Exchange - Romans
q It is DECEITFUL.
o The fear of the Lord is the begininng of knowledge. To reject Him is to reject truth.
o We make the exchange knowingly and deliberately. We buy into a lie because we want what we want.
o When we get what we want we find that we haven't really gotten anything.
q It is DARK. Darkness exists where light is excluded.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. - John 3:19
o We really need to see darkness for what it is - dark.
o The only way to expose the darkness is to turn on the light.
o Jesus is the light of the world.
q It is DECAYING.. What do we do?
o First we Wake Up. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. - Ephesians 5:14
o Then we Rise Up to worship Him as God and acknowledge Him as Lord.
o Then we Give Up the praise and gratitude that is due Him which we have foolishly withheld.
Sermon: No Excuses: Romans 2:1—4: 1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
How We Make Excuses for our sin:
q By passing judgment on others.
q By avoiding the truth.
When We Make Excuses for Our Sin
q We condemn ourselves
q We show contempt for God.
When We Stop Making Excuses for Our Sin
q We accept God’s kindness.
q We come to repentance.
The Same Boat
Pastor Tom’s 11:15 A.M. Message
Romans 3: 9What shall we conclude then? Are we any better[a]? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
11there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
12All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."[b]
13"Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."[c]
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."[d]
14"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."[e]
15"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16ruin and misery mark their ways,
17and the way of peace they do not know."[f]
18"There is no fear of God before their eyes."[g]
19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Footnotes:
- Romans 3:9 Or worse
- Romans 3:12 Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Eccles.
- Romans 3:13 Psalm 5:9
- Romans 3:13 Psalm 140:3
- Romans 3:14 Psalm 10:7
- Romans 3:17 Isaiah 59:7,8
- Romans 3:18 Psalm 36:1
From the Message: We’re All in the Same Boat
9-20: So where does that put us? Do we Jews get a better break than the others? Not really. Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners. Scripture leaves no doubt about it:
There's nobody living right, not even one,
nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God.
They've all taken the wrong turn;
they've all wandered down blind alleys.
No one's living right;
I can't find a single one.
Their throats are gaping graves,
their tongues slick as mudslides.
Every word they speak is tinged with poison.
They open their mouths and pollute the air.
They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year,
litter the land with heartbreak and ruin,
Don't know the first thing about living with others.
They never give God the time of day.
This makes it clear, doesn't it, that whatever is written in these Scriptures is not what God says about others but to us to whom these Scriptures were addressed in the first place! And it's clear enough, isn't it, that we're sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? Our involvement with God's revelation doesn't put us right with God. What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else's sin.
Characteristics of the BOAT It is a (an) …
Broken Boat. – It is broken by sin and cannot be repaired.
Old Boat. – There is nothing new about this same old story.
Abandoned Boat. – God has given up on the law to save.
Tawdry Boat. – It is cheap, disgusting, and ugly.
So … What can we do?
Switch Boats!
Romans 3: 21 – But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify:
The new boat is …
Better. – It is from God.
Open to observation. – It has been made known.
Apart from the Law. – It does not come through deeds.
Testified to in advance. – Everything points to it.
22 - This righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 – and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
The new boat is a grace ship. It is …
Solid – It is through faith, but not just any faith – In JC!
Humane. – Not the usual word we use, but descriptive.
Impartial. – All need it and it is available to all.
Paid for .– The price has been paid b Jesus Christ.
You have a fully paid ticket.
Will you get on board?
Will you tell others?
Who?
Romans 3:21-26 - Ministry
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
1. Righteousness
q Apart from the Law
q Through Faith in Jesus Christ
q To All Who Believe
2. Justification
q Grace
q Redemption
q Atonement
3. Justice
q Nothing but the blood of Jesus
