Sermon Tone Analysis

As we go to our passage, the beginning of Paul’s letter to the churches in Rome, let’s set a little context for what’s going on

Big Idea: Because of our relationship with Christ, one of the greatest things we can offer one another is our story in Him.

As we go to our passage, the beginning of Paul’s letter to the churches in Rome, let’s set a little context for what’s going on

- Paul’s writing to a group of churches that he doesn’t really know

- While he knows a few individuals there

o They are mostly strangers to each other

o They know him by name and reputation

o And he’s heard things about them

- He has yet to go to Rome and meet them, but he really wants to

o He’s planning on going on his way to bring the gospel to Spain

o So he’s hoping this letter helps establish a connection between them before he gets there

- So thinking about that let’s go to our passage,

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Longing to Go to Rome

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.

9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.

11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.

14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

So, my wife and I were theatre majors in college, that’s where we met.

And 10 years ago, our acting pursuits led us to New York.

While we were there,

- Our college, Valdosta State, hosted an event in New York where current students

- Could connect with Alumni

- The desire was for the alumni to be a resource and a source of encouragement for the current students

o We could share our experiences, our stories,

o Provide advice

o And be there for them if and when they moved up there

- The theatre department used the trip to provide testimonies for the students

o It’s one thing to hear from faculty that our program will equip you to be successful

o But it’s something else to see people who went through the program and are having some success

- Testimonies are important, they carry weight in helping us make decisions

o Or often help to affirm decisions we’ve already made

Do we realize the importance of testimonies in the church?

- Not just sharing the basic content of the gospel

- But also how the gospel has affected us

- How it has transformed our story

- Do we realize how biblical and important the idea of a testimony is?

o I’m not just talking about how we come to faith

§ But also what our lives look like now that we have a relationship with Jesus

§ Sharing with each other what God has done in our lives

o This sharing of our faith happens not just in what we say

§ But often more powerfully in what we do

o Lives of encouraging others

§ Both believers and nonbelievers

§ In looking to Jesus, in experiencing the salvation offered in the gospel

- But this is hard, because it means being open and honest with one another

o Putting yourself out there

§ Being honest about our own brokenness

· And how much we actually need Jesus

o How can we do this?

Why is it important?

§ These are some of the things that Paul helps us with in our passage this morning

Let’s see how Paul is encouraging the Romans with his faith, and how that should drive us to do the same with each other

Verse 1:

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God

In the culture, letters had a format just like they do today

- You start out with who the letter is from

o Followed often by additional information relevant to the point of the letter

- Then you have who the letter is to

- A greeting

- And then a section of prayer/thanksgiving, often tied to the purpose statement for the letter

Paul uses this format

- And the first thing he says about himself is that he is a slave

o This isn’t the word for servant that also means deacon

o This is the word that is translated elsewhere as slave

- Paul is making it clear that his master is Jesus

o It is Jesus who sent him as an apostle

o It is Jesus who set him apart for the gospel

§ To deliver the good news of salvation

Do we view ourselves that way?

- Jesus is our master

- Do you ever think about how freeing it is to see that as your identity?

- How it takes away our fear as we relate to each other

o We can throw off the pretenses of the world

§ What culture says about how we should relate

§ And love each other because we ultimately answer to Jesus, not the world

§ Now, does that mean we ignore the authorities around us?

· No, and Paul covers that later in the letter

· Because we are slaves of Jesus,

o We are to submit to the authorities that God has put around us

§ The government

§ Our bosses

§ Our leadership in the church

§ Our parents

o But they are not our ultimate authority

o Jesus is

- Verses 2-4

2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Here, Paul gives a preview of one of his major points in the letter

- Salvation has always been by grace through faith

o For everyone

o Both before Jesus and after

- There is no distinction between Jew and Greek

- We all fall short of God’s standard of righteousness

o Left to ourselves, none of us seek God

- People have never been saved by their own works