We live in a time of sensationalism. The world is consumed and can't
seem to get enough of exciting and shocking stories which provoke
mass public interest. Sensationalism has never been
more prevalent even in the religious world. Just last year, as many
of you know, a false prophet, I don't need to mention his name,
announced on the radio and put on billboards all over the country
that God would be returning on a certain date. His announcement
made the world news. As the day approached, you saw
it more and more. And thousands of men and women
quit their jobs sold all they had, and waited for the day to
come. And it came, and it went. I remember several years ago,
my oldest son lived in Chicago, Illinois, and Teresa and I were
watching the news one night, and just down the street from
where he lived, on national news, under an overpass. Thousands
of men and women had gathered to see what was supposedly a
picture of the Virgin Mary which had formed from water that had
flown down and stained the concrete wall there. Sensationalism. People love it. Thousands flock
to it. Time and time again when this
kind of sensationalism has been announced and claimed to have
been seen, thousands if not millions of people gather together hoping
somehow, some way or another that they might hear and receive
some kind of sign or a word from God. And yet the only way, as
we just read in Hebrews 1, that God speaks to sinners today through
His Son, through the preaching of the Gospel. It's neglected,
willfully rejected throughout the religious world and in the
vast majority of churches. Friends, God speaks through His
servants by the preaching of Christ in this book. Today, especially
in religion, most people consider preaching as no more than just
a religious ceremony. After an hour or so of singing
and entertainment, a few minutes of self-serving prayer, and then
a man or a woman stands up and says a few words which are meant
to encourage, uplift, and somehow make people feel good about themselves,
and they call it preaching. That's not preaching. That's
not preaching. Multitudes of people flock to
religious sensationalism. and what they believe to be supernatural
acts. But the very way in which God
speaks to sinners has almost become extinct. The means that
God uses to save sinners is ignored by the masses. We just read God
who at sundry times and divers manners spake in time past unto
the fathers by the prophets. And then it says these words,
have in these last days spoken unto us by He is Son. You know without turning in John
1 it says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. Christ is the Word. God speaks
to men today through the true preaching of this book. And sadly,
so-called preachers get up and tell a few funny stories, state
some self-revealed, self-serving facts, and they call it preaching. But preaching is much, much more
than just stating some facts. True preaching, now listen to
me, is God speaking. God speaking. Now, not all preaching,
but true preaching, there's a difference. It's God speaking, and sadly,
most people in this religious world, maybe even some of you
here this morning, I don't know, treat it as though it's something
insignificant, which can either be taken or left. But one day,
friends, we're all gonna stand before God Almighty, and we're
gonna give an account, not only for what we heard, but what we
didn't hear. I beg you, as a man, God doesn't beg you, I beg you,
Take it seriously. I readily confess to you that
I'm not standing before you this morning just because I like to
stand before people and talk. And I'm not standing before you
this morning just because I desire and want some kind of attention
or respect. There was a time where that may
have been my motivation. I'm not going to lie to you.
that I stand before you this morning literally shuddering
and trembling in my heart with my feeble and weak ability as
a man, a sinner, saved by the grace of God, just like you that
know Him, to endeavor to give you a word from God. Who's sufficient for this? I'm
sure not. It's a serious thing. God has,
not in the fullness of it now, but to some great extent, shown
me the tremendous responsibility and urgency of preaching. There was a time when I didn't
know better. I thought that being a preacher or a pastor just seemed
like a desirable, notable thing, and it is. But listen to me. I now see by the grace of God
that without the grace of God and a message from God, I'm in
way over my head. And every preacher, true preacher,
will tell you the same thing. Oh, don't let me stand without
you, God. And I don't care if you're preaching
before 500 or 200. It don't matter. The same urgency
and the same responsibility applies. I heard a friend of mine whom
I respect dearly, he's been a faithful man for many years, once say,
to be a preacher, a pastor, a true preacher, you either got to be
crazy or called. I pray that I'm called, truly
called. For this thing we call preaching
is a matter of life and death. I can't make you see that. Only
God can. If you leave this world without
a divine revelation of the truth of God given through preaching,
you'll go out and meet God in certain death. Preaching is a
revelation. That's what I want you to see.
It's not merely a warning, though it is that. Preaching is more
than just a thread or even a feel-good pep talk, it's the means that
God uses to reveal the truth about His Son. It's a divine,
God-given revelation which consists of two things in particular.
First, it's a revelation of God's grace and mercy to sinners by
one way only in the Lord Jesus Christ. And secondly, it's a
revelation of man's fall into ruin and condemnation, his or
her guilt and their need of redeeming grace. It reveals both of those
things. True preaching does. Preaching
was the first thing that our Lord did when He started His
public ministry. That's the first thing He did.
Before He called His disciples, the Word of God tells us in Matthew
4.17, it says, "...Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And one of the last
things that He commissioned before He left this earth and ascended
into heaven after His death and resurrection was, "...Go ye into
all the world." And what? Entertain men. Sing for an hour. Dance and raise your hands in
the air. No! Preach the gospel to every creature. That's the only thing that will
save men and women. That's the means God uses by
the foolishness of preaching. God saves those who believe.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, our Lord said,
but he that believeth not shall be damned. Believe what? Believe
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
Our Lord was a preacher, and you know what He preached? He
preached Himself. And as our example and pattern,
perfect pattern, that's what we must preach. Well, when did
the Lord preach Himself? Our Lord said, I am the way,
I am the truth and the life, and no man comes to the Father
but by Me. But by me. He preached Himself,
didn't He? Now anyone can stand and state
some facts. That's not preaching. And God
sends His messengers to His people with a message from Him. Christ
is the Way. Christ is the Truth and the Life.
And no man, no woman, no one cometh unto the Father but by
Him. Now I want you, if you would,
turn with me to Romans 1. And I know that was a lengthy
introduction. I think it will help us in seeing
what the Lord's got for us here in Romans chapter 1 this morning.
Romans chapter 1 verse 1. Now let me say as you turn there
with me, the true preaching which comes from God, it moves the
soul. When you preach, Preach to men's
hearts. Don't preach to their heads.
Don't preach to their intellect. Preach to their hearts. That's
what true preaching is. It's preaching to men and women's
souls, their hearts. It breaks the heart and then
it heals it. It brings it down and then it
lifts it up. That's what true preaching does
and it quickens the dead. It makes the dead alive and gives
them life everlasting. True preaching does. And there
are four important things that I hope we can see this morning
concerning God's revelation and preaching. Four things that I
want to endeavor in just a few minutes to discuss and show you
from God's Word. First, in these first few verses,
first six or seven verses, Paul reveals himself. And then Paul
reveals what the Gospel is. And thirdly, he reveals that
true preaching is preaching Christ. And lastly, he identifies the
believer. Now, in verse 1, Paul reveals
himself. Notice what he says. Paul, a
servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto
the gospel of God. He says, I'm Paul. He doesn't
say, I'm Dr. Paul. He doesn't say, I'm Reverend
Paul. I wrote a little article in the
bulletin this morning that says, don't call me Reverend. There's
nothing Reverend about me. Reverend means deserving of honor. There's none but God deserving
of honor. I got a little thing in the mail
this week. It said, Reverend David Edmondson.
I'm telling you, I cringe. I don't want to see it. I don't
want to hear it. There's nothing Reverend about me. Paul said,
I'm Paul, just Paul. And what am I? I'm a servant.
I'm a servant of Jesus Christ. God's preachers, now listen,
are nothing more than servants. That word servant means a bond
slave. Now a bond slave in the Old Testament
was a man who was a slave and when there was a, every 50 years
I believe, there was a year of Jubilee in which his freedom
came. But many times, slaves were so
beloved of their master, so well treated, that they chose to stay
with their master and forever be their master's slave. That's
what a servant of God is. He's a bond slave. All the slave's
provisions were provided. His master was a good and faithful
master who loved him. had his best interest at heart.
His master was his friend. And he chose to stay because
his beloved master loved him so much that he was better off
than he would have been if he had left and went out on his
own. Boy, doesn't that describe the servant of God? Rather be
a pawn slave to the Lord Jesus Christ. knowing that He is my
God, provides everything I need, takes better care of me than
I can take care of myself. True preachers do not desire
worldly titles or worldly honor. True preachers are bond slaves
to Jesus Christ, choosing to stay and serve Him. And Paul
was a servant of Christ, called to be an apostle. Now, I don't
want to make light of the office here. The office was honorable. It was a calling. He said, I'm
called to be an apostle. But the man that holds the office,
friends, he's a servant to the Lord Jesus Christ. I suppose
one of the things that a preacher needs help from more than anything
is to take any attention that's given to him and direct it right
on to Christ. God helped preachers to do that.
Preachers don't want you to make a fuss over them. They want you
to make a fuss over their God. How did John the Baptist identify
himself? You know, in John 1, and I never
paid much attention to this before, it said that they asked John,
they said, who are you? And then they said, I believe
it was in verse 22 of John 1, it said, what do you say of yourself? Who do you say you are? Or how
would you describe yourself? And he identified himself this
way. He said, I'm a voice, just a
voice. I'm a voice of one crying in
the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord." God's preachers
are nothing more than a voice, messengers, crying in a spiritual
wilderness. This world in which we live,
friends, is a spiritual wilderness. You remember Cornelius, when
Peter came to see him, he fell at Peter's feet and worshipped
him upon his arrival. And Peter said, Stand up! What
are you doing? Stand up! He said, I myself also
am a man. So what preachers are? They're
men. Like passions. Dealing with the same nature
and sin. Nothing special about the preacher. When the men at Lystra called
Paul, Mercury, and Barnabas, Jupiter, supposing they were
gods. You know what they did? They rent their clothes and they
said, Sir, why do you do these things? We're men of like passion
just like you. Don't put a preacher on pedestal.
Listen, you'll be disappointed every time. Every time. We're servants. Servants. We're not somebodies. We're nobodies. Just like all men and women.
Now Paul said in Romans 1, verse 1, I'm Paul. I'm a servant of
Christ. I'm called to be apostle. And
notice this. I'm separated unto the gospel
of God. Here's where Paul reveals the
Gospel of God. Paul was a preacher separated
unto the Gospel of God. He said in 1 Corinthians 1.17,
he said, For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the
Gospel. There's no salvation in baptism. Salvation's in the preaching
of the Gospel. And a man believing and trusting
in Christ. Baptism is just a profession,
a confession of faith. in the Lord Jesus Christ publicly.
He said, God sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel, not
with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made
of none effect. Man's words will do you no good,
friends. You've got to hear from God on
high. God's got to show you that your sin was so horrific that
He took His Son and nailed Him on the cross in your place. doing
to Him what you deserved and giving you mercy which is what
you didn't deserve. Paul said, I'm going to make
the cross of Christ a non-effect. True preachers concern themselves
only with Christ and Him crucified. What did Paul say about that?
He said, I'm determined. I'm determined every day of my
life to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. What do you think of Christ? That was His determination. That
was His goal. Preachers are concerned with
the souls of men and women. I'm determined, Paul said. Now
today preachers are, and taught in seminary to be, they're organizers,
they're promoters, they're entertainers, but I tell you, they're very
few preachers. God calls preachers. Paul said in another place, he
said, I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you. That's
what preaching is. We tell men what's profitable
to their souls. He said in another place, I'm
not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. True
preachers are separated unto the gospel of God. Well, what
is the gospel? Would you turn with me? Hold
your place here. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 just
for a minute. I ran across this a week or so
ago in reading and I thought, you know, that's a pretty good
summation of what the gospel is in just a few verses. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 1. Moreover, brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which you also have
received, and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved."
You see the progression here? The gospel is preached. It's
received. That doesn't mean that you made
a decision to receive it. That simply means it was a gift.
And what do we do with gifts? We receive them. And by which
you are also saved. If you keep in memory what I
preached unto you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered
unto you first of all that which I also received." Where did the
preacher get it? He received it just like you
did. How that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. And that He was buried. And that
He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. He rose from
the dead. The gospel of God is according
to the Scriptures. What does this book teach? I remember Brother Mahan once
saying concerning Roth Barnard, that Barnard preached about every
fourth or fifth time on 1 Timothy 1.15. And that verse you know
very well, this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom
I am chief. Henry said he heard him often,
and he said about every fourth or fifth time he preached, he
used that text. And this is what Mr. Barnes used
to say. He used to say that there was
one question that you could ask yourself that would test whether
or not the gospel you believed was the true gospel. The simple
yet profound question was simply this, friends. Who gets the glory? You want to know if the gospel
that you were raised under is the gospel? You ask yourself
that question. In that gospel, who gets the
glory? God's gospel always, always,
always glorifies Him. He gets the glory. That's a telltale
sign. God's gospel always glorifies
His wisdom, His power, His mercy, His love, and His Son. If man
gets the glory, it's not of God. That's a true test. Paul said
that no flesh should glory in His presence. No flesh! 1 Corinthians
1.31, he says that according as it is written, He that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord. Who gets the glory? The true
test of our prayers. Men stand and often pray in churches
and go on with these flowery words. And when you get done,
you go, my, what a prayer. That man got the glory. God did. When it comes to our prayer,
our words, our giving, who gets the glory? The songs we sing
and worship. Special music. Do the words glorify
and honor Him? That's a good test for everything,
who gets the glory. Whether therefore you eat or
drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. Now,
back in Romans 1, look at verse 2. It says, called to be an apostle,
in verse 1, separating them to the gospel of God, and notice
this, which he had promised afore by his prophets, in the Holy
Scriptures. There wasn't a New Testament
when this was written. These men were writing the New
Testament. He's speaking here of the Old Testament. Right,
Ray? The Old Testament was where God had before promised by His
prophets salvation and redemption. The Old Testament is the gospel
in picture and promise and type. And we see the gospel of Christ
in so many things in the Old Testament. Christ is seen in
the clothing of Adam and Eve. You know why? They hid themselves
with fig leaves. That's self-righteousness. God
killed animals and clothed them with skin. That's the blood of
Christ. What a picture that is of the
blood of Christ. It was covering by the shedding
of blood. And so is ours. Our covering
in righteousness before God in Christ is the shedding of His
blood. We see Christ in Abel's offering
to God. Cain brought Him the best of
the garden. Abel brought Him animal sacrifices. Blood was shed. That pictures
and points to Christ. God was appeased and accepted
the offering based on the shedding of blood. Why? We see Christ
in Noah's ark. For all who were in the ark are
safe from God's wrath. We see Christ, our salvation,
in the manna that fell from heaven and the water that came from
the rock in the wilderness. Christ was that manna. Christ
said Himself, I am the bread that came from heaven. And in
another place it said, and that rock was Christ. He is our bread. He is our water. He is our everything. We see Christ in that brazen
serpent upon the pole that Moses held. The children of Israel
out in the wilderness. And these fiery serpents come
out of the ground, poisonous. The men and women are dying left
and right. And Moses is holding that pole
with that brazen serpent and says, look and live. That's Christ. We see Christ in the cities of
refuge. The cities that God ordained
where men could flee from vengeance and wrath. Christ is our city
of refuge. We see Christ, our gospel, in
that scarlet lamp hanging in Rahab's window. The scarlet blood
of Christ shed was Rahab the harlot's hope of redemption.
And friends, it's ours. Christ is pictured in Boaz, the
kinsman-redeemer. The Ark of the Covenant, as we've
seen in our study of Joseph, is a picture of Christ. Isaac's
substitutionary ram that was caught in the thicket. God is
able to provide Himself a sacrifice, and that's what He did. He provided
Himself as our sacrifier. What a picture of Christ that
ram called in the thicket is. The blood of Christ is represented
in the first Passover. You remember when they put the
blood above the door and the lentil. The angel of death passed
and God said, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. That's
Christ. Third thing, and I'll hurry,
Paul reveals Christ is our salvation. Look at verse 3. Let's back up
again before we read it. Paul. He said, I'm Paul. Just
Paul. Plain old Paul. A servant of
God. I'm called to be an apostle.
I'm separated unto the gospel of God. And this gospel of God
He promised the four by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning
His Son, Jesus Christ. That's the gospel. That's the
gospel. Christ is salvation. Christ,
our Lord, which is made of the seed of David according to the
flesh. The gospel is concerning His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Notice that He was made of the
seed of David according to the flesh. God became a man. He was
made under the law to redeem them that were under the law.
Now listen, He fulfilled the law of God in every single way. He was a perfect substitute. Please see that. Please understand
that. We have a great High Priest in
Him. And Paul said, let us come boldly
into the throne of grace. Without Him as our High Priest,
now listen, we have no right to come. Much less an invitation
to come. Verse 4, "...and declared to
be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness
by the resurrection from the dead." Now listen, friends. His
tongue never spoke an evil word. Not one. His eyes never beheld
jealousy. Covetousness, envy, or hatred,
never once. His feet always walked in a path
of perfection, all the days of His earthly life. His heart never
pondered anything but the will of His Father. My heart's deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked, and only God can know
it, but not His. His heart never pondered anything
but the perfect will of his father. He was perfectly holy and therefore
death could not hold him. Death had no claim upon him.
He is truly our all and in all. Substitution. But it's just not
a matter of flippantly saying substitution. He was a perfect
substitute. perfect in every way. And lastly,
Paul reveals to us the believer. How does the world identify a
Christian, a believer? You think about that for a minute.
The world identifies a Christian by what they've done or what
they're doing. Isn't that right? He's bound
to be a Christian. I can tell by what he does and
what he's doing. But look what verse 5 says. Paul
reveals here the true believer. He says in verse 5 of Romans
1, By whom we have received what? Grace. And Christ was saved by
what we've received, not by what we've done. Not by what we've
given, not by what we've contributed, but what we have received as
a free gift from God. You know what I received? I received
grace and mercy. I received His Son. And again, I don't say that to
mean put any value upon me receiving. Oh, I accepted it. No, that's
not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about, Lord, it's
mine. I see that. It's freely given
to me. You see, I was lifted from the
dunghill of sin and depravity and made there to sit among princes. Who lifted me from the dunghill? Who set me among princes? God. Paul reveals the believer is
one who has received grace. Look at verse 6 and 7 and I'll
close. Among whom are ye also, what? The called of Jesus Christ. Notice verse 7, to all that be
in Rome, but he's speaking here to specific people. Beloved of
God. called to be saints. Friends,
a true believer is called by Christ, given grace in Him. They are the beloved of God because
He was God's beloved Son who died in our place. Grace is given. It's not earned. It's not purchased. It's given. It's a free gift.
Peace from God is ours and it's from God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now listen, that's the gospel
of God. That's God's gospel right there.
Not by works of righteousness that you and I have done. No,
sir. Saved by grace through faith.
That's not of yourselves. It's the gift of God. Not by
works, lest any man should boast. Men will boast. Men will boast.
But grace is a free gift. And that's God's gospel. Oh,
rejoice, friends. Rejoice in the fact that God,
in covenant mercy, determined to save some folks. And everyone
will be saved that He determined to save.