Romans 15:14-21: We are a gospel community with a gospel mission

Romans  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
0 ratings
· 15 views
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
View more →

Introduction

Hook:
Paul has written a lengthy letter full of dense, robust instruction.
The gospel, the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes
People need salvation because every person is hopelessly broken and has rejected and rebelled against God, thus trading the source of all life for idols that will only bring death
God has provided a way by which sinners can be justified before him, forgiven of their sins, freed from the chains of their sins, and redeemed from the law: Jesus, who offered his life as a propitiation, that is, a substitutionary sacrifice where God’s just and righteous wrath would be averted from us and poured out on Jesus
This must be believed and received with faith
As a result, God has reconciled us to himself and made peace with us
He has adopted us into his family as sons and daughters
He has put his own Holy Spirit in us to guide us, help us, teach us, convict us, and make us more like Jesus
Why has Paul written this letter? Why does Paul give such instruction? Is it because the Roman Christians were deficient in some way? Was Paul dissatisfied with something in their community and felt the need to correct it? Were they way off track and needed to be steered back in the right direction?
NO! It was exactly BECAUSE they were gospel people that Paul wrote to them.

I. We are a gospel people who still need the gospel

Romans 15:14–21 ESV
14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
Paul was writing to gospel people
Romans 15:14 ESV
14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
Full of goodness
Full does not equal occasionally good; rather, they have a plentiful supply of goodness
They have a consistent and characteristic desire to be and do good, with a contextual bent toward holding the good of each other in high regard
In other words, they had a consistent concern for what was good not just for themselves but for their church and community
Filled with all knowledge
A robust understanding of the Christian faith, genuine comprehension of the gospel, the teachings of Scripture
A true gospel oriented worldview, not informed primarily by the cultural norms of the day but by the scriptures that bear witness to Jesus
Able to instruct one another
Goodness + knowledge = ability to instruct one another
Desire to do good without knowledge is impotent
Knowledge without goodness is malicious
Instruct = admonish, correct what is going off track
Mutual obligation and accountability, part of what it means to be a member of a church
Every member of the church has the obligation to help each other toward spiritual maturity
None were so wise that they had nothing more to learn, and none were so inept that they had nothing of value to share.
None were so wise that they had nothing more to learn, and none were so inept that they had nothing of value to share.
Robert H. Mounce, Romans, vol. 27, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 266.
A Few Honest questions
Is our church characterized by these things? How do we need to grow?
Where are we strong, where are we weak?
Where do you need to grow as a member of this church?
Do you have a robust enough understanding of the scriptures to give biblical counsel to your brothers and sisters?
Have you cultivated a desire not just for knowledge in order to be right, but genuine concern for the good of your brothers and sisters?
Sometimes Christians have a tendency to just want to have knowledge of the Bible and use it as a club to beat people up with
Sometimes Christians give profoundly unbiblical counsel because they don’t actually understand the scriptures very well
We are a gospel church - we are defined only and always by the gospel, our response to it by faith in Jesus, and our proclamation of it
Some of you are asking, “what other kind of church could we even be?” GREAT QUESTION!
“Gospel Church” is kind of redundant - like saying “organic apples,” because all apples are organic, but we have to nevertheless label them to differentiate, emphasize and make sure that an essential quality is known and understood
Paul was writing to a gospel people that still needed the gospel
Romans 15:15–16 ESV
15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
The Roman church is in good shape; why then does Paul write these things? Because he was writing to a gospel community that still needed the gospel.
Why? Because gospel people still need the gospel; we have to continually be reminded of it
Because we drift
Our default direction is not to drift toward Jesus
No one accidentally matures in their faith in Christ
Because we never graduate from the gospel
Every issue of great importance comes back to the gospel - we begin our journey in Christ by receiving the gospel, and we continue it by the gospel
First example, serving in the church is ultimately a gospel issue
Why I serve is a gospel issue - If God has given everything for me, the only right response is to give everything to him
How I serve is a gospel issue - if Jesus is ultimately the Lord of my life, all that I do is not for the purpose of pleasing my boss or friend or family, but ultimately under the Lordship of Jesus, which is why Paul says in Colossians to work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you are really serving the Lord Jesus.
On what basis I serve is a gospel issue - what qualifies me to serve in God’s house is not my greatness or competency
Some of us have a tendency, on the basis of past sin, regret, brokenness, that we are disqualified from service in some fashion
Does the blood of Christ redeem us from our sins or does it not?
If you are redeemed by the blood of Jesus by receiving him in faith and repentance, on what basis can you disqualify yourself from ministry?
To be sure, a person cannot lead in the church while simultaneously rejecting the Lordship of Jesus by continuing in unrepentant sin, but that’s a whole different animal than “I am disqualified because of past sin that I have repented of”
Second example, Leadership is a ultimately a gospel issue
I am not ultimately the leader of this church, nor are the elders: Jesus is the ultimate pastor and leader of this church
The gospel changes leadership
Rather than being in a place of authority over others, I am under the authority of Jesus to serve his people in the way he tells me to
My leadership is not about what I want to achieve, but the mission that God wants to achieve
My leadership is not about pleasing my constituents, but about presenting a people holy and blameless before God by the power of the gospel - I don’t really care if you are comfortable and happy all the time, I care if we are together living out our belief in Jesus in every sphere of live
Gospel people still need the gospel, because no matter how far we have come, we still have a long way to go
All issues of great importance are ultimately gospel issues
Gospel people still need the gospel, because no matter how far we have come, we still have a long way to go
Transition
Paul’s qualification for writing to this church: even though he had never been there, God had appointed him as apostle to the gentiles
Romans 15:15–16 ESV
15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
God had given Paul a mission to preach the gospel to the gentile world
II. Our mission is the proclamation of the gospel to bring people to obedience of faith
Our mission is the proclamation of the gospel to bring people to obedience of faith
Gospel priority - the aim of gospel ministry is nothing short of complete life transformation of those who come to Christ
“Obedience of the gentiles” = obedience of faith, people coming to Jesus and turning their lives over to him in faith and submitting in him to all things
People don’t do this short of a complete transformation
This is a miracle every time it happens
Gospel methodology: The power of God himself - HOW DO WE ACCOMPLISH THE MISSION OF CHRIST?
a. Methodology of gospel ministry
a. Gospel methodology: Authentic experience of God - HOW DO WE ACCOMPLISH THE MISSION OF CHRIST?
Word and deed
Power of signs and wonders
Paul invited the Roman church into this mission; in essence, he was teaching them that his gospel mission was really the mission of the church
Power of the Spirit of God
In essence, we are utterly dependent upon the power of God for any gospel transformation at all
Francis Chan illustration of raising someone from the dead in the graveyard
Target of gospel ministry: Those who have not heard the gospel WHO IS THE OBJECT OF THE MISSION OF CHRIST?
To preach the gospel to those who have not heard it

II. We are a gospel people who have a gospel mission

Romans 15:17–21 ESV
17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
Paul refused to speak of or boast about anything other than the gospel ministry that God had accomplished through him
God had brought about obedience in the gentiles through the ministry of the gospel
By word and deed - by Paul’s proclamation of the gospel and lifestyle that backed it up
By signs and wonders - by God doing miraculous works to bring people to faith in Christ
By the power of the Spirit of God - in short, Paul’s words and deeds were empowered by the Spirit of God himself to bring about transformation that Paul could NEVER have brought about himself
Like Paul, we are a people who have a gospel mission that can only be accomplished through the power of God
All our church can ever boast about is our gospel witness and ministry: we are a people who are defined by, growing in, and proclaiming to the world what God has done to save us
We must live lives that display the gospel, and speak words that proclaim the gospel
We must appeal to the power of God to bring about transformation: PRAY!
Paul had an ambition to go where no other Christians had gone -
Romans 15:19b–21 ESV
19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
Paul had preached the gospel "from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum”
Hundreds of miles of traveling in order to preach the gospel to people who had never heard it
Paul had an ambition to go where no other Christians had gone - “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation”
Paul did not want to preach the gospel where it already had a foothold, which was pretty much everywhere at that point
He had preached the gospel all the way around the northern edge of the mediterranean sea
Hundreds of miles of traveling in order to preach the gospel to people who had never heard it
This was not due to pride, but due to Paul’s burning desire for people who had never heard the gospel to hear it and respond in faith
This is why he quotes , which incidentally is a part of Isaiah’s prophecy about the “suffering servant,” Jesus himself
Those who have never been told of him will see
Those who have never heard will understand
Paul invited the Roman church to participate in this mission,
because he would need support he had never before had to go to places where no one had ever gone -
Paul’s ambition for the gospel drove him to constantly push forward, to pull God’s people along with him, to go places they had never gone before, to endure hardship, to take great risks, to move forward with a grand vision of what God could do with them in their gospel mission
Like Paul, we must have a gospel ambition
To make known the gospel to those who have never heard it
Our great goal is not to draw Christians who are bored with their churches into our church but to proclaim the gospel to people who are far from God.
Our great hope is for the gospel to actually reach into the most broken and darkest areas of our culture
For God to lead us as a church to places we have never gone, to dream dreamt we have never dreamt, to see visions we have never seen
When Paul refers to “those who have never been told, and those who have never heard,” I don’t think of people in a faraway country, I think of the Pacific Northwest
This is the region of our country known as the “unchurched belt,” spoken of by Christians across the country as a dark place spiritually, a region inhospitable to the gospel
This map shows in gray the states in which “no religion” is the most common religious affiliation
But I have the audacity to believe that the gospel can transform this region, state, our county and city, and that we can be part of it, because the gospel changes everything
The gospel has the power to transform lives
The gospel has the power to heal brokenness
The gospel has the power to break the chains of sin and addiction
The gospel has the power to reconcile people to God
The gospel has the power to pierce the darkness of the Pacific Northwest
The gospel has the power not just to bring revival, but to bring brand new faith and life to those who have never known God
The gospel has the power to reconcile people to God
The gospel has the power to change the entire spiritual landscape of our region
Gospel priority - all our church will ever boast about or speak of with pride is our gospel ministry and witness - we are a people who are defined by, who are growing in, and who are proclaiming to the world what God has done to save us
We are a gospel people with a gospel mission
Gospel methodology
The power of God displayed in lives that have been transformed
Illustration: Francis Chan on trying to raise the dead
The gospel will transform lives as people see in our lives and hear in our words the message of the gospel spoken and lived out
We are a gospel people with a gospel mission
Gospel ambition
We want the gospel to be made known to those who have never known it
We want the gospel to be made known to those who have never known it
Our great goal here is not to draw Christians who are bored and dissatisfied with their churches into our church but to proclaim the gospel to people who are far from God
Everyone is welcome, but our gospel ambition is for those who have never heard the gospel to hear it, respond to it in faith, and grow in maturity in this community
We are a gospel people with a gospel mission
We want to be a church with gospel ambition, with big dreams and a grand vision, not of ourselves but from God
When Paul refers to “those who have never been told, and those who have never heard,” I don’t think of people in a faraway country, I think of the Pacific Northwest
This region is the one that the rest of our country says is the furthest from God, the darkest place in the country, the most inhospitable region for the gospel, and this is exactly where God has put us
But I am not afraid of whatever darkness may lurk in our region, because the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes
The gospel has the power to break the chains of sin and addiction
The gospel has the power to pierce the darkness of the Pacific Northwest
The gospel has the power not just to bring revival, but to bring brand new faith and life to those who have never known God
The gospel has the power to reconcile people to God
The gospel has the power to change the entire spiritual landscape of our region
We are a gospel people with a gospel mission
Gospel ambition will require much of us
It will require us to wake up, to have passion, to get out of survival and maintenance mode and into the mode of faith, of risk, of dreams, of zeal and passion for the gospel
What got us to where we are today will not get us to where we need to go tomorrow
I’m not talking about programs or events or styles, but faith - when we talk about God’s vision for our future, what got us here will not get us there
The faith that has helped this c
We will need greater faith, greater unity and accountability with each other, greater commitment to the kingdom, greater sacrifice, greater generosity, greater compassion for lost people, greater passion for the gospel.
We must be a gospel people with a gospel mission and a gospel ambition to have grand vision for how God is going to lead us in that mission!
We must be a gospel people with a gospel mission
Key action steps for our church
Pray
That God would guide us and direct us into new dreams and vision for our future for the sake of greater gospel ministry
For the city of Redmond, for Deschutes County, for Oregon, for the PNW, that God would draw people to himself through the gospel
For God to grant you opportunities to show with your life and share with your words the gospel to those around you
Remember
Talk about faith with your families, friends, life groups, neighbors,
Put somewhere visible and constant that we are a gospel community with a gospel mission, to remind you to:
grow in your understanding of and living out of the gospel
share your faith in Jesus with friends, family, coworkers, neighbors
Sharpen the faith of each other through life groups, friendships, bible studies
Transition to communion
Speak
Take every opportunity to talk about faith with those around you
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more