Sermon: Sunday, 1st September, 2024
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Romans 1:1-5
Paul’s letter to the church in Rome has been used mightily by God down through the centuries.
Matin Luther: ‘The more thoroughly it is treated, the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes.’
I hope that you will be able to say the same! As we begin this letter, let’s put it in context. Paul is writing to Christians in the church in Rome. He has not yet been able to travel to Rome, so is writing to Christians whom he has never met! We read in Romans chapter 16 of Paul’s desire to visit Rome on route to Spain. Some think he wanted the church in Rome to become partners in this Spanish work, through their prayers and financial support.
Some of the key themes of the letter are that:
• all people are sinners and with exception need to be saved from their sin;
• through the righteousness of God, sin is judged and salvation is provided;
• we can only be accepted in God’s sight through faith in what Jesus has done.
The letter also deals with the future of God’s ancient people the Jews, our future hope of Heaven and how Christians ought to live out the gospel in their everyday lives. One verse which encapsulates the message of Romans is: ‘For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ (Romans 1:17)
When ministers start talking about how we all need to tell others about Jesus, it’s all too easy to switch off. We don’t need another guilt-trip. It’s just not something we are comfortable doing, even if we’re glad when other people do. We just want to be background Christians, blending in at work and with neighbours and not being seen as odd or weird. Plus, the truth is, many are afraid to talk to others about Christianity. We don’t want to look stupid, and we don’t want to be asked questions which we can’t answer. Or perhaps our faith is wobbly and we’re just not as sure about things which we used to be sure about. Then we read Paul’s words which ooze with a heartfelt resolve to speak to others no matter what: ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.’ (Romans 1:16)
Paul has confidence in the gospel. He believes the message is one people urgently need to hear. Here’s a question for us this morning – how can we come to share more of Paul’s confidence in the message of the Christian faith? How can we get to a place where even though we might feel uncomfortable, we will actually start taking opportunities to talk about Jesus when they arise, rather than shying away from them? I believe Romans chapter 1 is an excellent place to start. Or, perhaps you haven’t yet come to a place where you trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Why should you listen to Paul? Again, this passage provides some helpful reasons.
One of the key words in this passage is the word ‘gospel’. Many of us know that this word means ‘good news’. It means good news which really changes things significantly. This is crucial for us to understand. Christianity is not a mere set of rules to follow, or a way to earn ‘brownie points’ with God. It’s not advice about how to improve our lives. It is good news that all humanity desperately needs to hear, because it deals with our greatest need – how to have a right relationship with God. What does this passage teach us about this good news?
1. Where does this good news come from?
Verse 1 tells us that it is the ‘gospel of God’. In other words, the message of Christianity is not made up or concocted by people trying to deceive us. It does not have its origin in Paul, clever as he was. It is not a human invention, designed to make a world full of suffering more bearable. Rather, it is true because it comes straight from the mouth of God. God revealed the truth of the gospel to the prophets and to the apostles (such as Paul) and God has made sure it was written down, so that we may know how to get into a right relationship with him.
When we preach at this church, we’re not making stuff up as we go along. We are sharing what God has revealed to the world, and this has many important implications. It means that we can never change the message of the gospel. The message is not ours to change; it is the gospel of God. It belongs to him. We must stick to what God tells us in the Bible. Sadly, some so-called churches (which are not true churches) change the message of the Bible saying that as long as we try our best then that’s all God wants. But that’s not the gospel and that’s not what God wants. The good news isn’t about what we can do for God, but about what he can do for us.
The fact that the gospel has its origin in God is an encouraging truth. This alone ought to help us to share it with others. What could be more important to share with others than the message of God? It also means that when people reject the good news, they are not rejecting our good news, but God’s good news. Christians are to be just like postmen and postwomen, delivering God’s letter of love to others in the world.
R C Sproul: ‘It is God’s gospel. God owns it, God originated it, God designed it and now God is simply using the apostle Paul to communicate it to us.’
We listen to many voices today, from celebrities and influencers to friends. There’s a voice you must listen to above all others – God’s.
Is the good news brand new? No, it is not! As well as New Testament writers such as Matthew and John and Paul proclaiming this good news, we also find the good news foretold in the Old Testament. In this way, the trustworthiness of the gospel just seems to increase more and more. It is God’s good news, attested to by both Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles: ‘the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures…’ (Romans 1:2) When we have to carry something which is valuable but also heavy, we sometimes use 2 carrier bags instead of 1 to make it more secure. The truth of this news is carried by God’s servants spanning many hundreds of years. This ought to give us double confidence in the gospel. It is impossible to make this news up, bearing in mind that all the Old Testament gospel prophecies come true.
2. What is the gospel about?
Verse 3: ‘regarding his Son…’ If you want to tell other people the gospel then you must be telling them about Jesus Christ. Telling people about our church is not sharing the gospel. Nor is telling them about our café, good as that might be. Christianity is essentially good news about a person – Jesus Christ. Again, it’s not a mere set of rules, a religion or a philosophy. It is a relationship with the person called Jesus Christ. We talk to him in prayer and he talks to us as we read his Word- the Bible.
John Calvin: ‘..the whole gospel is contained in Christ…to move even a step from Christ means to withdraw oneself from the gospel.’
What does Paul tell us about the person Jesus Christ? He tells us that he is fully human and fully God at the same time. That is absolutely unique. We cannot say that about anyone else. And it is essential, because Jesus had to be fully human to die on the cross in the place of humans, and he had to be God so that his sacrifice was big enough to atone for all of his people. Paul says: ‘… regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Romans 1:3-4)
Jesus is so glorious because he is both Christ and Lord. He is truly human. He is the long-promised king, descended from David, through whom God was going to save a lost humanity and right all the wrongs in the world. Because he shares our humanity fully, he understands all that we go through. He understands our doubts and fears and anxieties. He is the Christ, God’s anointed king. But he is also the Lord. This means that he is God. How do we know this? Because of the empty tomb! Jesus’ resurrection proves beyond doubt his identity as God the Lord. This qualifies Jesus as the only Saviour of the world. Jesus’ resurrection tells us that the cross was a complete success in that sin has been paid for and death has been destroyed.
There is no one who loves us more than Jesus. No one else has conquered death. No one else has lived the perfect life we could not live. No one is more glorious or just or wise. The gospel contradicts our culture which so often places human beings at the centre of the universe. In reality, Jesus is the centre of all things. He deserves our worship and allegiance. In sport, we speak of the GOAT (the greatest of all time). In tennis, that might be Federer or Nadal or Djokovic. In snooker, it is Hendry or O’Sullivan. However, sport doesn’t matter that much in the grand scheme of things. I hope we only loosely follow teams or sports stars or favourite singers. Jesus is the only one truly worth following and surrendering our lives to. He will never let us down.
3. Who is the gospel for?
‘Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.’ (Romans 1:5)
‘all the Gentiles’ is another way of saying all the nations of the world. Paul was a patriotic Jew, and yet God called him as an apostle to the other nations of the world. He was the first great missionary of the early church. God’s message of salvation extends to every man and woman, boy and girl in the world. No one is excluded. That means it is good news for you today.
J Stott: ‘If we are to be committed to world mission, we have to be liberated from all pride of race, nation, tribe, caste and class, and acknowledge that God’s gospel is for everyone, without exception and without distinction.’
We know in theory that we must not keep the gospel to ourselves. Imagine during the pandemic, we discovered a comprehensive vaccine but kept it to ourselves. That would have been so wrong. We must not do that with the gospel. We have the only vaccine for eternal life – a relationship with Jesus.
4. What does the gospel demand from you?
The gospel demands a response from you. ‘… to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.’ (Romans 1:5) If you are not a Christian yet, you need to understand the urgency of listening to and acting upon the message of the gospel. It’s not the kind of news which you hear and then just shrug your shoulders. You must act upon it. Like if you were on a ship which was going to sink and you heard good news that there are lifeboats you can get into! You wouldn’t just stand on the ship’s deck with total apathy.
I’ve been challenged this week by someothing RC Sproul said. His concern was that too often we present the gospel as a mere invitation, as if people can take it or leave it, like an invitation to attend a party or not. But Sproul points out that the gospel is more of a command than an invitation. ‘In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.’ (Acts 17:30-31)
R C Sproul: ‘God does not invite people to repent, he commands them’.
So, yes, the gospel is good news. It is the best possible news, but we only realise that when we understand are enormous need of God’s forgiveness. And it is certainly not ‘take it or leave it’ news, but rather news about the only person qualified to rescue us from God’s judgment. Will you believe in his death in your place?
One of the most famous Christians of all time is St Augustine. Before placing his trust in Jesus, he lived a life of wine, women and song. He lived a licentious life, with a pagan philosophy of life; however, he was not content. In fact, he was depressed with his life. One day, the young man was walking and heard children chanting in a game ‘tolla lege, tolla lege’ which means ‘Pick up and read, pick up and read’. Just then, he saw and New Testament and began to read a section at random. It was from Romans: ‘Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.’ (Romans 13:13-14)
Augustine was immediately convicted by God the Holy Spirit, and this was his conversion to Christ. For the first time he saw that he needed God’s forgiveness and came to realise the wonderful news that through trusting in the life and death of Jesus, our dirty clothes can be removed and Jesus’ goodness can be wrapped around us, making us righteous. This is really what the letter of Romans is all about. It’s a wonderful letter. Will you pray to God admitting your clothes are filthy and you’ve nothing with which to remove the stains? Will you ask Jesus to clothe you anew with his goodness?