Sermon Notes 8/25/2024

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

Paul was a slave to Christ, commissioned by Christ for the gospel of Christ.

Romans 1:2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,

The gospel was God’s plan and promise all along.

Romans 1:3-4 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 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,

The gospel is complete in the resurrected Jesus, Who was fully man and fully God.

Romans 1:5-6 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, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

For the sake of Christ, Paul and the other apostles were given the task of offering “believing obedience” to all people.

Romans 1:7 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.

Those with “believing obedience” are uniquely loved by God, and offered grace and peace from Him.

Romans 1:8-15 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 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. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

The gospel is necessary for all people…saved and unsaved alike.

Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

The gospel has one source (God’s faithfulness), one power (God), one focus (people), one purpose (righteousness: complete, holistic, eternal restoration of the relationship between God and people), all toward one end (the name of Jesus). It was made possible by one act (the resurrection of Christ), has one condition (believing obedience) and one outcome (a life of believing obedience).