Romans: By His Grace - For His Glory
2nd in the Series
Paul,
A Man With A Message
Romans 1:1-2
March 3, 1996
by J. David Hoke
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God- the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures
(Romans 1:1-2 NIV)
Just the other day I was reading a story in the newspaper about a recent political
debate. It seems that during this primary season certain candidates have resorted to name
calling. What a surprise! It reminds me of the kind of thing we used to do in grade
school. And these guys are running for President.
While you may remember some of the names that you were called in grade school, you
might be surprised to learn that you are still called names today. Do you remember the
last time you were in a department store, hearing the store announcer come on the public
address system and say "Attention shoppers, there is a special sale on Rolex watches
in aisle three"? What you heard was the information about the item on sale. What you
may have overlooked was that the announcer called you a name. You were called a shopper.
Is that what you are? Do you want your friends calling you that? Do you get up in the
morning and look in the mirror and see a shopper looking back?
We are all called many names. We are shoppers or bargain-hunters or sports-fans
or couch-potatoes. And, no doubt, you have been called other names as well, which
might not be appropriate to mention just now.
Just the other day I was asked by a gentleman whether I have any lawyers in my church.
He attends a church larger than mine. I did not ask him whether he had any lawyers in his
church. In fact, I'm not sure just how difficult it is to find lawyers in church. I told
him that I had at least one who would admit to it and that I would give him his number. I
share this because it reminds us of the fact that we are known by these names we are
called. In fact, we call ourselves by these names. Many of these names reflect what we do.
We are described as a lawyer, or doctor, or engineer, or accountant, or pastor. And we
even see ourselves in light of those names. Most often, this is very convenient. But is it
always good?
It might benefit us to take time to consider just how God sees us? How would God
describe us? What does the Bible say concerning us? By answering these questions we will
be able to answer the most important question of all. How should we see ourselves?
The answer to the question of how we should see ourselves is important because we must
know who we really are. You see, how we see ourselves will determine how we live. Most
people either live up to or down to their own self-image. And we all have a self-image.
However we come by it, whether defined by ourselves or others, we all have one.
There is a wonderful line from the movie Hook. In that movie Robin Williams
plays a Peter Pan who grew up. In the process of growing up he lost the memory of his real
identity and of his adventures in Neverland. Now he is married with children. He has
become Peter Banning, a busy executive with more time for his cellular phone than for his
children. When he and his family return to England to visit Granny Wendy, something
horrible happens. Captain Hook secretly steals his children and takes them back to
Neverland in order to provoke a confrontation with Peter Pan. As Granny Wendy attempts to
explain to Peter Banning that he should fly away to Neverland and rescue his children, he
is confused. Fly away to Neverland? How could he do that? What is she talking about? Then
comes the line. She looks directly at him and whispers, "Peter, dear- don't you know
who you are?" What a fantastic line! It's the key to everything! What Peter really
needed was to know his real identity. You see, once you know who you really are then you
know how you should act.
This is the problem with most Christians. They don't know who they are, and so they act
like someone else. We must come to know who we really are in Christ if we are going to act
like the person God has made us. As we look at our text today, we will discover that Paul
knew who he was. He was a man with a message from God.
Paul - His Mentality
The very first word we encounter in the book of Romans is Paul. When you think
of where Paul had come from, it is remarkable that he is there at all. Indeed, he was a
very unique and remarkable man. We know that he was a citizen of Tarsus, a Greek city in
Cilicia. He refers to it as "no ordinary city" (Acts 21:39). Tarsus has a
rich and old history. As a matter of fact many believe that it has a better claim than
Damascus to being the oldest city of the world. By the time of Paul it had become a center
of intellectual achievement. In Tarsus there was a major University. And no doubt Paul was
educated in Greek thinking in Tarsus. We also know that Paul was a Roman citizen. This was
a high privilege that was rare among Hebrews. Paul was also educated under one of the
finest and most respected Jewish Rabbis in Jerusalem- Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). So we can see
that Paul was a privileged and educated man.
From the Scripture we also know that he was the son of a Pharisee and would become a
Pharisee himself (Acts 23:6). To be a Pharisee required a great commitment, and only a
select few could achieve that position. There is no doubt that Paul had achieved much in
his short life. He had much of which to boast. But Paul saw himself, not in terms of his
secular achievements or even his religious achievements. Rather, he saw himself as a
servant of Christ Jesus.
As a Pharisee, he had been very zealous. He saw the church of Jesus Christ as a threat
to the Jewish religion. So he set out to persecute those who followed Jesus. On his way to
Damascus one day, he had an encounter that would change his life. On the road he met the
risen Christ, who spoke to him and changed his heart. From that moment on he was never the
same. He had met the Lord. He had fallen in love with Jesus.
Now he considered himself Christ's servant. The word translated servant is doulos,
which means slave. What Paul is saying to us here is that he considered himself Christ's
slave. In other words, he loved his Lord enough to voluntarily become His slave. As
passionate as he had been for the Jewish religion, now he was more passionate for Christ.
Nothing was too menial to do.
It is said that someone followed Mother Teresa around Calcutta watching her minister to
the sick and poor people, many of whom were in a leprous condition. The person was
repulsed and said, "I wouldn't do this for a million dollars!" Mother Teresa
replied, "Neither would I, but I would do it for Jesus for nothing."
The question we must ask ourselves is clear. How much do we love Jesus? Do we see
ourselves as His servant? Is that our first thought about ourselves in relation to God? It
was for Paul.
Paul- His Ministry
Paul goes on to say that he was called to be an apostle. This was his ministry.
The word apostolos means "sent one." Many people misunderstand this word
today. While it can refer to anyone sent, here it refers to special ones called by Christ
Himself. And Paul had received such a call from Christ. Many people believe that he
received that call on the road to Damascus. But he really received it while he was serving
in the church at Antioch. We find the account in Acts 13. Paul, still known as Saul, is
listed as one of the prophets and teachers in the church. In Acts 13:2 we read, "While
they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me
Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'" From that point on
Paul began an exciting ministry as an apostle.
In the New Testament we find that apostles founded churches. They were the first
missionaries. They would come to a place and preach the gospel, see people converted, and
band them together in churches. Later they would set these churches in order by appointing
elders in each one. They would continue to teach with authority and counsel those who were
in leadership. And we find that, in the case of Paul, he was used to write most of the New
Testament.
This was Paul's ministry. It was a ministry to which he had been called. And each of us
has a ministry as well. Ours may not be the same as Paul's, but we are just as responsible
to fulfill our ministry as he was to fulfill his. The question we need to ask ourselves is
clear. To what ministry have we been called? Do we see ourselves in that role? Are we
fulfilling our ministry?
Paul- His Mission
Paul goes on to describe himself as set apart for the gospel of God. This is
significant. You see, Paul was a Pharisee. The very word Pharisee means "separated
one." He was separated from the common things of the world in order to better serve
his God. Pharisees were very strict in their observance of this separateness. There were
multitudes of regulations they had to observe in order to maintain this distance from the
world. Now Paul was set apart in a new way. He wasn't simply separated from
something, he was set apart for something. This is what we saw in Acts 13. God called him
and set him apart so that he could preach the gospel of God. This was now his mission. His
ministry was that of an apostle. But his mission was to preach the gospel of God.
God is in the business of setting people apart. We read in Leviticus 20:26, "You
are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the
nations to be my own." This was what God said to the people of Israel. And He
calls us to be set apart for Him as well.
Paul was called. So are we. Paul was set apart for God. So are we. You see, just as
Paul was set apart for the gospel of God, so we all have received the Great Commission. We
find recorded at the end of the Gospels and the beginning of Acts the command of Jesus
that we should proclaim the good news of His gospel throughout all the world until
everyone has heard. So our mission is the same today as Paul's. Again, the question is
clear. Do we see that mission? Are we fulfilling our mission? Do we see ourselves as set
apart for God?
Paul- His Message
Paul's task, and ours, was and is to proclaim the good news of the gospel of God. Paul
describes it as the gospel He promised beforehand through His Prophets in the Holy
Scriptures.
Paul's message was the gospel. The very word means "good news." It is the
good news of Christ's plan of salvation. It is the good news that Jesus Christ died on the
cross in payment for our sins and that because of His sacrificial death we can receive
forgiveness. In other words, the good news is that we do not have to pay the penalty for
our own sins because Christ has already paid the price.
Paul says that this gospel was promised in the Old Testament by the prophets of God. In
fact, there are over 330 prophecies fulfilled by Christ coming. Many people misunderstand
the place of the Old Testament. They think that the Old Testament doesn't speak of Christ.
In fact, Christ is the subject of the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. He is all
through the Old Testament.
The only Scriptures that Paul had were what we now call the Old Testament. From it,
Paul preached. From it, Peter preached. And where did they get their understanding of
these Scriptures? Well, probably from Jesus Himself.
Luke records how Jesus met some of His disciples on the road to Emmaus after the
resurrection. He was amazed that they had not understood what the Old Testament had taught
concerning Him. We read in Luke 24:25-27, "He said to them, 'How foolish you are,
and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ
have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all
the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning
himself." Jesus Himself taught them what the Old Testament Scriptures said
concerning Him. This was nothing new. In John 5:39, Jesus is speaking to the Jews who were
persecuting Him. He said, "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think
that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about
me." Jesus is the subject of all the Scriptures.
This was the message of Paul. This is the gospel message. And we have that same message
today. The question again is clear. What are we going to do with that message? Will we
share it or keep it to ourselves? Do we believe it enough to encourage others to accept it
for themselves?
Paul was a man with a message. He had been given a ministry and was on a mission from
God. He saw himself as Christ's servant and followed Jesus because Christ had set him
free.
Our challenge is to see in Paul something we want in ourselves. We should see ourselves
in terms of our calling and commitment to serve Christ as witnesses to the good news of
the gospel message.
At the beginning of this message I asked you a question. I will ask it again. How do
you see yourself? What is your highest image? Are you a doctor, lawyer, engineer,
accountant, or something else? Or are you Joe Jones, servant of Jesus Christ? How you see
yourself will determine how you live. Peter, dear - don't you know who you are? Christian
- don't you know who you are?
Copyright (C) 1996 J. David Hoke. This data file is the sole property of
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