PAUL'S GREETING TO THE ROMANS (PARTS 2 & 3)

Text: Romans 1:1-7.

Delivered on: February 8, 2009. Streetsboro.

INTRODUCTION.

1. In our last lesson on this passage, we learned about…
   

   1. Paul’s attitude. He was humble.

   2. Paul’s servitude. He was a bondservant and apostle.

   3. Paul’s solitude. He was separated to the gospel.

2. So much is said in the first seven verses of this epistle.
   

3. Let’s look at the remainder of this passage and glean from it as much as we can.

4. Romans 1:1-7. Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God ² which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, ³ concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, ⁴ and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. ⁵ Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, ⁶ among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; ⁷ To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

BODY.

1. VERSE 2. Which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures.
   

   1. That which was promised was the gospel (v.1).

   2. The gospel is…

      1. The account of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. ³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

      2. The New Testament. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8. And to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, ⁸ in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
         

         1. Notice that the gospel is something which must be obeyed.

         2. Therefore, it is not just the story of the death, burial, and resurrection.

         3. Acts 16:10-15. Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. ¹¹ Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, ¹² and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. ¹³ And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. ¹⁴ Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ And when she and her household were baptized…

         4. It is through the gospel that we are born again. 1 Corinthians 4:15. For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

   3. It was promised before by the prophets.
      

      1. Jeremiah 31:31-34. “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ³² not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. ³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ³⁴ No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

      2. 1 Peter 1:10-12. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, ¹¹ searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. ¹² To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

   4. Why is it important to realize that the Gospel was prophesied beforehand?
      

      1. Because there are some who believe that Jesus’ rejection by the Jews caught God off guard.

      2. They believe that Jesus came to set up a material kingdom and since He was rejected by the Jews, He postponed it and established the church instead.

      3. Besides being a hideous insult to the omnipotence and omniscience of God; this doctrine is just plain FALSE!

      4. Jesus’ rejection was foretold in the Old Testament.
         

         1. Isaiah 53.

         2. Psalm 22.

         3. Luke 24:44-46. Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” ⁴⁵ And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.

      5. Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world (not material). John 18:36. Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”

      6. If He had desired to set up an earthly kingdom, He could have. John 6:15. Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.




2. Verse 3. Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh.
   

   1. The gospel which was spoken of by the prophets, concerns Jesus Christ.
      

      1. Isaiah 9:6-7. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

      2. Isaiah 11:1-5. There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. ² The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. ³ His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; ⁴ But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. ⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

   2. You can not separate Jesus from His gospel.
      

      1. Many of us have probably heard people say, “Just give me Jesus.”

      2. Most people in our country believe in God but not the church.

      3. They don’t view the church as a necessity.

      4. Let’s show why that claim is false.
         

         1. Philip preached Jesus to the eunuch. Acts 8:35-36. Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. ³⁶ Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”

         2. He preached Jesus… but this obviously included baptism as we see from the Eunuch’s response.

         3. It is baptism that puts us into the body. 1 Corinthians 12:13. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

         4. So, in Acts 8, preaching Christ was not only preaching about Christ but it meant preaching about baptism and the church as well.

      5. If a person wants Jesus, then he must want what was important to Jesus. Like the church. Ephesians 5:25-27. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

   3. Born of the seed of David according to the flesh.
      

      1. Ever wonder why God gave us the genealogies?

      2. The Messiah as to be a descendent of David. 2 Samuel 7:12-14. “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.

      3. Thanks to Matthew and Luke’s genealogies, we know that Jesus was a descendent of David on both Mary and Joseph’s side.
         

         1. Joseph’s side. Matthew 1:6. And Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.

         2. Mary’s side. Luke 3:31. The son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David.




3. Verse 4. And declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
   

   1. Declared to be the Son of God with power.
      

      1. He was the Son of David according to the flesh but He was also the Son of God according to the Spirit. Matthew 1:20. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

      2. “With power...”
         

         1. He came into the world in lowliness and weakness. Philippians 2:7. But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

         2. After the resurrection, He as the Son of God with POWER.

   2. By the resurrection from the dead.
      

      1. Literally, the phrase is “by the resurrection of the dead ones.”

      2. He was declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection of the dead ones.
         

         1. This would have reference to His own resurrection but not only His.

         2. It could also have in mind the spiritual resurrection that takes place when one believes and obeys Him. John 5:24-25. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. ²⁵ Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.

      3. He was declared to be the Son of God before His resurrection as well.
         

         1. Matthew 3:17. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

         2. The resurrection, however, was the final and ultimate proof of His deity.

         3. John 2:18-22. So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But He was speaking of the temple of His body. ²² Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

   3. So, in verses 3 &4, we see the dual nature of Christ. He was both man and God.
      

      1. John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

      2. John 1:14. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.




4. Verse 5. Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name.
   

   1. In this verse, Paul is talking about the apostles.

   2. Paul had received his office as an apostle as a special act of grace.
      

      1. 1 Timothy 1:12-15. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, ¹³ although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ¹⁴ And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

      2. Galatians 1:11-12. But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. ¹² For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

   3. For obedience to the faith.
      

      1. Even though Paul had received his office as an apostle was an act of grace, he still had to be obedient to the faith just like everyone else.
         

         1. God is no respecter of persons when it comes to salvation.

         2. Romans 2:11. For there is no partiality with God.

         3. Galatians 3:28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

      2. This is the first time in this letter that Paul uses the word faith… and it is connected with obedience.

      3. The letter ends in the same fashion. Romans 16:25-26. Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began ²⁶ but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—

      4. The doctrine of “faith only” is not taught by the apostle Paul.

   4. Among all nations.
      

      1. The gospel is for all nations.

      2. The disciples were told to go into all the world. Mark 16:15. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

      3. Romans 1:16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.




5. Verses 6-7. Among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; ⁷ To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
   

   1. The called of Jesus Christ.
      

      1. Christ’s call is to all.

      2. Matthew 11:28-30. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

      3. He calls us through the gospel.

   2. He calls us to be saints.
      

      1. Saint = Holy one.

      2. Holy = That which has been set apart for a divine purpose. That which has been purified.

      3. Do we behave like saints?

      4. Do we strive to keep ourselves clean. James 1:27. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

      5. Do we walk in the light? 1 John 1:7. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.