I want you to turn with me to
Romans chapter one, if you would, this morning. Romans chapter
one. We'll look at the first seven
verses. In these first seven verses,
we'll find four things that are absolutely imperative for us
to know. Let me give them to you up front,
and then we'll look at them individually. These verses reveal first, God's
preacher. Secondly, God's gospel. Thirdly, God's savior. And then lastly, God's people. Now, the first thing that Paul
deals with in verse one is God's preacher. Rightly, God's preacher
is the first thing mentioned, for without preaching, sinners
wouldn't hear God's gospel, they wouldn't hear about God's Savior,
and they wouldn't know how God's people are saved. In verse two,
Paul tells us about God's gospel. In verses three and four, he
talks about God's Savior. And then in verses five, six,
and seven, he talks about God's people. This is one of those
text passages of scripture that just outlines itself. So first,
God's preacher, verse one. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ,
called to be an apostle and separated unto the gospel of God. And I
love how Paul here identifies himself. God's preachers are
not interested in titles. I'm suspicious of preachers who
are. The very man that God used to
author 14 books of the New Testament, probably one of the few men that
ever lived to deserve a title, refused to take one. Throughout
the scriptures, he refers to himself simply as Paul, nothing
more. Not Reverend Paul. Not Dr. Paul. You know, anymore it seems
that large member churches won't even consider a pastor unless
he has a doctorate degree of some sort. They like the title
of doctor in front of their name. Paul introduces himself as simply
Paul. I just love that. Not Bishop
Paul, not even Pastor Paul. You know, they came to John the
Baptist and they asked John, are you the Christ? And he said,
no. Then they said, well, you must be Elijah. He said, no,
not Elijah. He could have said, no, I'm John,
I'm the forerunner of Christ. That's what he was. He could
have said, well, I'm born of women, there's none greater than
I. The Lord Jesus said that about him, but he didn't say that about
himself. He didn't say, I was promised
of God in the Old Testament scriptures. They said, well, who are you
then? And he said, just a voice. A voice crying in the wilderness
and make the path straight and prepare the way of the Lord.
Just a voice, nobody. The Lord warns us about this
kind of thing. In John chapter five, Christ
said, how can you believe which receive honor one of another
and seek not the honor that cometh from God only? Paul said, I am
a servant. of Jesus Christ, called by God
to preach, separated unto the gospel. Now that's how every
true gospel preacher thinks of himself. He didn't think he was
worthy. Trust me, he didn't. On one occasion,
he said, I'm less than the least of all saints. Another time he
said, I'm the chief of sinners. No servant of God feels worthy
because they aren't. To the church of Corinth, Paul
wrote, I am the least of the apostles. I'm not meet, I'm not
fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. God called him to be an apostle.
God separated him into the gospel. He said, I'm a servant of Jesus
Christ. That's what preachers are, they're
servants. Servants of Jesus Christ, servants
of his people, tenders of Christ's sheep. That's what the word pastor
is. shepherd or under shepherd. The
word servant actually means bond slave. You know, the story of
the bond slave is found in Exodus chapter 21 under the old covenant. If a man owed a debt that he
couldn't pay, he gave himself over to be a slave, but he could
only be kept a slave for six years. And on the seventh year,
he could go free. But if he loved his master, and
he loved his master's house, and he wanted to willingly continue
to be a servant, why, he would have his ear bore with an awe,
and he would willingly and he would voluntarily serve his master
forever. That's what a true gospel preacher
is. The bond slave. Willingly. voluntarily serves
the Lord. God made him so. He's a bond
slave to Christ, his master, a willing and a loving servant
of God. Paul said, I'm called to be an
apostle. He didn't call himself. You know,
I'm convinced that's a big problem that we have in religion today.
We got too many men and women calling themselves into the ministry. In Ephesians 4, we're told that
God gave. Don't miss that. God gave some
apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors
and teachers for the perfecting, for the maturing of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ. A preacher's desire is to edify
you, to encourage you, to comfort you. The one thing true of all
God's servants, one thing that they all have in common is that
they're called of God and God puts them in the ministry. That's
what Paul told Timothy. He said, I thank Christ Jesus,
our Lord, who hath enabled me for that he counted me faithful,
putting me into the ministry. And I can say the same thing.
Gene, I know you can. Like all God's servants, I wasn't
worthy. I certainly didn't covet the
position. I didn't have aspirations to
be a preacher or a pastor. It's a high and honorable calling. It's an absolute privilege. No
higher calling. But I'm leery of one who has
ambitions to be a preacher, and I'm not talking about a man that
God's called. I'm talking about one who is
ambitious of being a pastor who has not considered the seriousness
and the weightiness of the position. Concerning John the Baptist,
the scriptures say there was a man sent from God, whose name
was John. God sent him. God sent him and
his message. He was sent from God to preach
and to prepare the way of the Lord. John was sent to preach,
to prepare the way of the Lord. And that's why we preach today.
We're preparing the way of the Lord. He's coming again. Paul
said in verse one of our text, I'm separated unto the gospel
of God. The gospel is God's gospel. The
gospel ministry is his. It was God that separated him. I'll never forget one time I
was with Brother Montgomery and someone asked him, and they were
trying to be respectful, I know, but they asked him to what did
he attribute the success of his ministry? And I wish you could
have seen the expression on his face. He quickly responded, my
ministry? My ministry? He said, I don't
have a ministry. He said, it's the Lord's ministry.
I don't have a ministry, it's His. And it's all I can do to
lead and to comfort a handful of God's sheep. I never forgot
that. This is the Lord's ministry and
every God called servant knows it to be so. The success, it's
all in God's hand. And let me tell you something
else. Every believer, is in the ministry. God hath given to us
the ministry of reconciliation. God hath committed to us the
word of reconciliation. That's scriptural. We who have
freely received the gospel must freely give the gospel. The gospel
is the word of reconciliation. It's the good news as to how
ungodly sinners can be reconciled to a holy God. And some people
will never hear the gospel apart from your lips. Serious business. Paul was separated into the gospel. His one objective was to glorify
God in the preaching of the gospel. A young man who had some interest
in being a preacher once asked to season preacher that I know
advice about going into the ministry. And by the way, that's a word
we call ourselves when we get old. seasoned. Not seniors, seasoned. But this seasoned pastor said,
well, if you can do anything else, do that. And the fellow
looked at him, he was about heartbroken from the answer. But what my
friend meant was this. If God calls you into the ministry,
you won't be able to do anything else. If you can be happy doing
anything else, then God didn't call you into the ministry. That's
what he was saying. And that's excellent advice.
But Paul said, woe unto me if I preach not the gospel. If God
has called you into the ministry, you'll be in the ministry. God
puts His preachers in the ministry. He separates men unto the gospel
of God. And if that man tries to do anything
else, or tries to be anything else, he'll fail. God's preachers
are servants of Christ. They're willing bond slaves.
They're called of God, and they're separated unto the gospel. And
that brings us to the second thing, God's gospel. Everybody
claims to preach and believe the gospel. Paul said, there's
another gospel, which is not another. This is the gospel that
God's preachers preach. This is the gospel that God's
preachers are called and separated unto. And it's the gospel of
God. It's the gospel, verse two, which he, being God, promised
afore by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. That's very
similar to what we studied in the first chapter of Hebrews
this morning. The gospel of Jesus Christ is
what the Old Testament scriptures are all about. It's what God's
prophets spoke in times past, in sundry times, and in diverse
manners, as we saw this morning. It's God's gospel. It's the gospel
of God. God is the author of this gospel. He purposed it before the foundation
of the world. Jesus Christ, God's Son, is the
Lamb slain when? Before the foundation of the
world. It was God who had, from the beginning, chosen particular
sinners to salvation. God not only purposed it, He
executed it. When the fullness of time was
come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the
law. Why? To redeem them that were under
the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. God sent
His Son into the world. God sent His Son to the cross.
It pleased the Lord to bruise Him. It pleased the Lord to make
you His people. It pleased the Lord that in Christ
should all fullness dwell. And it's God who applies the
gospel. How do I know? Because the scripture
says, when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's
womb and called me by His grace to reveal His Son in me. God
executed this. He purposed it before the foundation
of the world, but he executed it in time. This is God's gospel. He's the author. He purposed
it. He executed it. He applies it. He sustains it. How are we kept? By the power
of God. God is able. Jesus Christ is
able. He's able to do exceeding abundantly
above all we ask or think. He is able to save to the uttermost
those that come unto Him by Jesus Christ. He is able to keep that
which chosen sinners have committed unto Him. What have you committed
unto? What? Your very soul. He's able
to make thee wise unto salvation. He is able to succor them that
are tempted. He is able to keep you from falling
and to present you faultless. He's able to change your vile
bodies and make them glorious like His. He's able. We don't serve a defeated God.
If you get nothing else this morning, please latch on to what
we're told in verse three. The gospel of God is what concerning
His Son. The gospel has nothing to do
with what you and I think and nothing about what we do. Nothing. God's gospel is concerning His
Son. The gospel concerns what Christ
did. And that brings us to the third
thing we see in our text, and that is God's Savior. Did you
notice what Paul wrote in verse two? The gospel was promised
by God's prophets in the Holy Scriptures, verse three, concerning
His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, which was made, He was made of
the seed of David according to the flesh, God the Son became
a man. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us. Christ came into the world,
he took upon himself the likeness of our flesh, yet without sin,
and he was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
And He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. And He died
and He was buried and He rose again for our justification.
He died because the sins of God's elect were put on Him. And the
wages of sin is death. The soul that sins, it shall
die. And die, Christ did. Glory be to God. Death in the
grave could not hold him because we sung it. He paid it all. He
paid for all the sin of all the elect throughout all time and
God's law was fulfilled and God's justice was appeased. The Lord
Jesus rose from the dead to make us just. The scriptures say for
our justification. He was delivered for our offenses
and was raised again for our justification. Romans 4, 25.
He rose from the dead because no sin was found on Him. Well,
what happened to our sin that was put on Him? It was paid in
full. And with the shedding of His
blood, God removed our transgressions from us as far as the East is
from the West. Psalm 103, 12. I love to think
about that. Go as far as you can to the east
and as far as you can to the west and the two of them never
meet. That's how far our sins removed from us. Since death
and the grave could not hold him, he ascended on high to the
right hand of God where he ever lives to make intercession for
us. That's the heart of this gospel. God cannot save any sinner apart
from justly doing so. His law and His justice cannot
be compromised. It's how Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures. Not just that He died, but how
He did. And that's what verse four is
telling us. Jesus Christ was made flesh.
He was made a perfect and righteous man to die for sinful men and
women. Verse four, and declared to be
the Son of God with power. according to the spirit of holiness."
Now look at this, by the resurrection from the dead. Now, what does
that mean? Well, he was declared to be the
son of God by his resurrection from the dead. His resurrection
declared him to be all that he claimed to be. If God had not
accepted his sacrifice and his substitution for us, he would
have never raised him from the dead. Our Savior, our substitute,
our perfect sacrifice has entered within the veil and He sat down. His work's finished and God accepted
Him. God accepted His work. And here's
the best news of all, He accepted us in Him. And that's why Paul
said, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath
made us accepted in the beloved. He made us accepted and He is
the beloved. Jesus Christ is all in all. He's
the cause of God accepting us. Paul is telling us here that
God's preacher is a servant. He's separated unto the gospel.
It's the gospel of God. It's the gospel of His glory
and the gospel of His grace. It's the gospel concerning His
Son. Next time you hear that word
gospel, I hope you think of these things. It's the same gospel
that Abraham believed, and the same gospel that Jacob believed,
and that Moses believed, and David believed, and all the other
Old Testament prophets believed and preached. The Lord Jesus
was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, Paul
says here. According to the flesh, He was
a Jew. He was of the tribe of Judah.
But He was declared to be the Son of God. He's the Son of God. That's what we preach. He's God
the Son. He wasn't made the Son of God.
He was already the Son of God and declared to be God the Son.
Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of the angels, preached to the
Gentiles, believed on in the world and received up in the
glory. Let me say it again, in order
to be our savior, in order to redeem us, Christ in the flesh
had to honor the law. God's law must be fulfilled. All of it has to be kept perfectly. God's justice had to be fully
satisfied. And it was, and it was. You and
I can't honor the law, we're sinners. But Christ honored the
law as a man, as our substitute. One day very soon, you and I
are gonna die and we're not gonna lay down our life like he did.
We don't get to decide when and how we're going to die. But he
did. Did you know that? He said, no
one takes my life from me, I lay it down. He gave up the ghost. He laid down his life. And he
raised himself up by his own power. He said, I got the power
to take it again. You know why? Because he's God. And then fourthly,
we see, God's people. Look at verse five. By whom,
speaking of Christ, we have received grace and apostleship for obedience
to the faith among all nations for his name, meaning for his
name's sake, among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ. Boy, I'll take that name and
title any day. That's a title I will take, the
called of Jesus Christ. To all that be in Rome, beloved
of God. That's another title I'll take.
Beloved of God. Called to be saints. There's
another one. Grace to you and peace from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here we have God's
description of his people and it's just so plain and it's so
simple. I don't understand how anyone
who reads the Bible can think that men and women have anything
to do with their salvation. I really don't. First of all,
God's people received grace. Does that know what it says?
We didn't work for it. We didn't earn it. We certainly
didn't deserve it. It was a free gift. We received
it. Verse five, God's people received
this grace and apostleship by God's free and sovereign grace
in Christ. It's all in Him. Every bit of
it. Secondly, we see in verse five,
that these people not only receive grace in Christ, but they are
obedient to faith. They believe God. They love God. They walk with God, obedient
to God. And they are for His namesake.
Thirdly, they are among all nations, verse five. God has a people
out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people under heaven.
And they're new creatures in Christ Jesus. Jew, Gentile, bond,
free, male, female, among all nations. Verse six, they are
called of Jesus Christ. Paul says to all that be in Rome,
beloved of God, called to be saints. It's God who calls. It's God who loves. We love Him
because He first loved us. For whom He foreknew, He predestinated
to be conformed to the image of His Son. Whom He predestinated,
He called. And whom He called, He justified.
And whom He justified, He glorified. We are the called of God. How
are we called? By His gospel. How are we called? Through the means of preaching.
God's people are beloved of God. God loves his people. I love
how Paul addresses believers as brethren beloved of the Lord. You can call me that anytime. Beloved of the Lord. I thank
God that I am. God's people are given grace
and peace. Did you notice the order there?
Grace always comes before peace. People who have peace with God,
peace in their hearts, peace with one another, peace within
themselves, are people who are recipients of God's grace. And they know something about
the grace of God. It's just a fact. Today's gospel,
which is no gospel, another gospel, which Paul said is not another,
comes as an offer. But the gospel is not an offer,
it's a gift. Men say, God will save you if
you, no, no, no, no. God will give you life if you,
no, no. Salvation is not an offer, it's
a gift. You don't offer a gift to someone,
do you? You purpose to give it. You give
it out of love. You put thought into it. If there
are any strings attached, then it's not a gift. If there are
any strings attached, it means you sold it. God doesn't do that. He gives freely. Freely. He requires nothing of you. Thank
God that He doesn't, because we don't have a thing to give.
has to be perfect for him to accept it. We don't have anything
perfect to give him. Modern day preaching substitutes
human reason for divine revelation. That's right. Many preachers
today don't even open a Bible. They'll write a little verse
down on an index card and then they'll walk around and tell
you what they think about it. That's human reason. That's not
divine revelation. As I said earlier, Paul said,
study to show yourself approved. Get in this book, seek God, ask
God to reveal His will and His word to you. Today's gospel substitutes
a decision for regeneration. Today's gospel substitutes church
membership for divine union. The Lord Jesus said, I am the
vine and you are the branches. He said, I'm the head and you
are the body. That's not church membership.
That's a divine union with the living Lord. You and I and every
believer belong to the same body. Well, we've got a hand here and
a hand there and a foot here and a foot there, but they all
belong to the same body of which Christ is the head. And let me
tell you something else. And you know this to be so. You
stump your toe and your whole body hurts. Being part of the
same body with the same head, we suffer with one another. Today's
gospel substitutes a profession of faith for the preservation
of the Lord. Brother so-and-so made it through
his trial by his great faith. No, brother so-and-so didn't.
Nope. He made it through his great
trial by Christ's faithfulness to him. Today's gospel identifies
a believer mostly on what they don't do. Have you ever noticed
that? Why, he is such a fine Christian. He didn't smoke or
drink or chew or run with those who do. He's such a good Christian. A believer is identified by what
God has made him. God has made them a new creature
in Christ. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things have come new. What a believer does or does
not do is a result of who they know and what God has made them. The true gospel that the true
believer has been separated unto, the true gospel that God promised
afore by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, is concerning
His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and He was made a man according
to the flesh to do for you what you in your flesh and in your
heart cannot do. He is declared through preaching
to be the Son of God and God the Son because God declares
you to be dead and trespasses in sin. The gospel that I preach
is a free gift. It's a free gift by which you
received grace and apostleship for obedience, and it's for His
namesake. It pleased the Lord to make you
His people. You wanna know why? For His namesake,
for His glory, for His honor. And that's why we're referred
to as the called of Jesus Christ. Now listen, if God hasn't chosen
us, if God hadn't called us, if God hadn't justified us, we're
gonna die in our sin. Let religion brag on all they're
doing for God. They have their reward. But you,
be sure to thank God for doing for you what you can never do
for yourself. You'll have peace and you'll
have comfort and you'll have assurance and happiness and joy
and you'll live out your days in perfect rest. Knowing that
your salvation is not dependent on you, but on a sovereign God
and a sovereign Savior who loved you, and I love this, and gave
Himself for you. It's a gift. He's a gift. He
gave Himself for you. The greatest gift of all. Now
that's where you can rest. So let's rest. Let's rest right
there. How about it? May God be pleased
to make it so for our good, for his glory, and for Christ's sake. Father in heaven, thank you,
Lord, for your word, for giving us a time and a place to come
together and open it and learn of thee. Lord, we acknowledge
that we're undeserving. That's what grace is. It's undeserving. It's unmerited favor. It's a
gift. Thank you, Lord, for that unspeakable
gift found in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.