God's Preacher

Q: What does the Bible say about God's preacher?

The Bible identifies God's preacher as a servant called and separated for the Gospel of God. According to Romans 1:1-6, God's preacher is depicted by the Apostle Paul as a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, and separated unto the Gospel of God. This emphasizes the humility and dedication required of someone called by God to preach His Word. Paul, in his self-identification, demonstrates that titles and recognition are secondary to the call of Christ in his life. He views himself merely as 'Paul'—a bond slave of Jesus, indicating his voluntary servitude and commitment to the Gospel mission.

Q: How do we know the Gospel is the message of God?

The Gospel is the message of God as it is described as 'God's Gospel' in Romans 1. In Romans 1:2-3, Paul explicitly refers to the Gospel as 'the Gospel of God,' highlighting its divine origin. This indicates that the Gospel is not merely a message invented by men but is rooted in God's eternal purpose and plan. It has been promised beforehand by His prophets, aligning with the fundamental sovereign grace belief that salvation and redemption are orchestrated by God's meticulous decree throughout history, culminating in Jesus Christ.

Q: Why is grace important for Christians?

Grace is essential for Christians as it is through grace that we receive salvation and peace with God. In Romans 1:5-6, Paul underscores the importance of grace, stating that through Christ, we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to faith. Grace is the unmerited favor of God that enables believers to be brought into a relationship with Him. It is foundational to the Christian experience, as it not only initiates salvation but also empowers believers to live obediently for Christ. Without grace, there would be no foundation for faith, love, or spiritual peace.

Q: What is the nature of the Gospel preached by Paul?

The Gospel preached by Paul focuses on the person and work of Jesus Christ. The nature of the Gospel, as articulated in Romans 1:3-4, is centered around God's Son, Jesus Christ. It affirms His dual nature as both a descendant of David according to the flesh and as the declared Son of God with power. This duality underscores the significance of Christ’s incarnation, His fulfillment of the law, and His role as our Redeemer. The Gospel is concerned not with human efforts but rather with the divine work and person of Jesus, showcasing God's redemptive plan through Him.

Q: Why is it important to recognize we are called by God?

Recognizing we are called by God affirms our identity and mission as Christians. In Romans 1:6, Paul addresses the believers as those who are 'called of Christ Jesus.' This calling is significant as it marks the transformative work of God in the lives of the faithful. It reassures Christians that their faith is not by their own initiative but by divine appointment. This understanding fosters a sense of purpose and commitment to live in obedience to God's commands, reflecting the faith that has been granted to them through His grace and mercy.

I want you to open your Bibles
with me today to the book of Romans. I'm going to be bringing
a message from the first chapter of Romans, Romans chapter 1,
verses 1 through 6. Now my subject today is God's
preacher, God's preacher. These first six verses of Romans
chapter 1 identifies four things for us. And you can remember
these four things. This will make the message a
little easier for you to remember and to, I believe, understand.
The first thing that Paul deals with in verse 1 is God's preacher. He tells us about God's preacher,
the man whom God has called and sent to preach His gospel. And
then in the second chapter he talks about, or second verse,
he talks about God's gospel. the gospel that that preacher
preaches. And then in verse 3 and 4, he
talks about God's Redeemer, the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And then in verses 5, 4, and
5, he talks about God's people, the people of God. Now, did you
hear me? Listen carefully. We're going
to look first of all at God's preacher. Now, Romans chapter
1, verse one we'll go through verse seven one through seven
and we'll see first of all god's preacher and secondly god's gospel
and thirdly god's savior and fourthly god's people now this
will be interesting i know it'll be a blessing to you so you listen
carefully to the message now here in verse one paul begins
this way paul a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,
separated unto the gospel of God." Now, here's God's preacher,
Paul, called to be an apostle, a bond slave of Jesus Christ,
separated to the gospel of God. Now, first of all, he calls himself
Paul. God's servants are not are not
interested in titles. He doesn't call himself Reverend
Paul or Dr. Paul or Father Paul or Bishop
Paul. He just calls himself Paul because
he's not interested in titles and he's not interested in recognition
by men. They came to John the Baptist,
the forerunner of Christ, and they said, Are you the Christ?
He said, No. They said, Oh, well, are you
Elijah? He said, no. Are you that prophet? He said,
no. Well, who are you? Now, he could
have identified himself in several ways. He could have said, well,
I was supernaturally born when my mother and father were both
old, very old. I was promised of God. I'm the
forerunner of the Messiah. And even the Messiah himself
said that none born of women are greater than I am. He could
have said all these things, but when they said, who are you?
He said, I'm a voice. I'm a voice crying in the wilderness,
make the straight path, prepare the way of the Lord. Not worthy,
Paul said, to be called an apostle. Less than the least of all the
saints, he said on one occasion, and the chief of sinners. So
Paul, no titles, no recognition, just Paul. And then secondly,
he said, I'm a servant of Jesus Christ. We're the servants of
Jesus Christ. We're the servants of his people.
The apostle said on another occasion, he said, we preach not ourselves.
We're not the subject. We preach Jesus Christ and him
crucified and ourselves, your servants for Christ's sake. Paul,
a servant of Jesus Christ. And this word servant, you know
what it actually is? It's the word bond slave. Over
in Exodus chapter 21, we have the story of the bond slave.
Exodus chapter 21. Back in the Hebrew days, if a
man was taken into slavery, he may owe a great debt and can't
pay it. Or he may be very poor and has
to give himself over to be a slave or whatever. But they could only
keep a slave for six years. And on the seventh year, he could
go free. Six years he served, and when the seventh year came,
then all the slaves were free to go. But this particular man,
the Scripture says, if he loves his master and loves his master's
house and wants to continue to be a servant, a willing, loving
servant, willingly, lovingly, because he wishes to, Then they
take him down to the temple and bore a hole in his ear. And he's
then a bond slave, a willing, loving bond slave. And that's
what Paul is saying here. This is God's preacher. No titles,
not seeking recognition. And he says, I'm a bond slave.
I'm a servant of Jesus Christ, a willing, loving servant of
the son of God and a servant of his people. And then thirdly,
he said that I'm called to be an apostle. Now in the church
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the scripture says there are apostles
and there are prophets and there are missionaries and there are
pastors and teachers. But all of these have one thing
in common. They're all called of God. They're
called of God to be an apostle, called of God to be a prophet,
called of God to be a missionary, called of God to be a pastor.
Someone may ask me, well, preacher, can you describe that call? No,
I'm sorry, I cannot. I just cannot. I can't tell you
what a call to the ministry actually is like. Some people may be able
to. I cannot. But I think Paul described
it best this way. He said, God put me in the ministry. Supernaturally, mysteriously,
God opened the door. God gave me the message. God
gave me the gifts. God sent me on this particular
mission. God gave me a stewardship. God
gave me a dispensation. I didn't seek it. I didn't volunteer
for it. I didn't covet it. It's like
John Gill said, I neither sought it, thought it, nor bought it.
But God put me in the ministry, called of God to be a preacher
of the gospel. Now, watch this. Paul said he's
identifying God's preacher. He said, Paul, a bondservant
of Jesus Christ, called of God, called of God, supernaturally,
mysteriously called of God and sent to his people with his message. And he said, I'm separated unto
the gospel of God. Now, listen, the ministry is
God's ministry, not ours. I hear people talk about their
ministry. I really don't have a ministry. It's God's ministry. I'm in the ministry. I'm in the
ministry of God. And so are you. All believers
are in the ministry. All believers, all children of
God are in the ministry. You see, as the body is one and
has many members, so the church is one body. It has many members.
Christ is the head, but we're all members of the body. We're
all in the ministry of our Lord. We're all accomplishing His purpose
and His will and His glory and serving His purpose. Everybody's
in the ministry. We all serve God in this great
house of our Lord. We're different vessels, but
we all serve Him. We're all in the ministry. But
the pastor, pastor teacher, The missionary is called to minister
the Word of God. He has one calling. He has one
goal. He has one obsession. He has
one supreme love, and that is the gospel. Paul said, I'm separated
to the gospel. I'm obsessed with the gospel. My one objective is to glorify
God in the preaching of His gospel. You see, back in the in the book
of Acts chapter 6, there arose a problem in the early church. There was some kind of problem
about the distribution of food and supplies and things of this
nature. And Peter called the people together
and he said, Peter and the other apostles, and he said, now it's
not right for we preachers, pastors, God's servants, preachers, to
leave the Word of God and wait on tables. You look out among
you seven men of good report, good reputation, integrity, filled
with the Holy Spirit, and appoint them over this business, and
we'll give ourselves to the ministry of the Word and to prayer." Now,
that's God's preachers' goal and objective and obsession.
He separated to the gospel. And if he's not separated to
the gospel, then he's a misfit. If he tries to do anything else
or be anything else, he's a failure at both. God's preacher, a servant
of Christ, a bond slave of Jesus Christ, called of God, sent of
God, and separated to the gospel. All right. Now, notice in verse
2. Here's that gospel that God's servant preaches. Here's that
gospel. Separated, now watch this, the last part of verse
1 says, I'm separated to the gospel of God, the gospel of
God, which he promised afore by his prophets in the Holy Scripture. Verse 3, concerning his son. Are you listening? Here's that
gospel. It's identified in a threefold
way. Paul says, I'm separated to the
gospel of God. It's God's gospel. It's not the
gospel according to men. It's the gospel of God. In I
Timothy 1, Paul called it the gospel of his glory, the gospel
of God's glory, the glorious gospel of God. And this is a
test of a man's gospel. Who does it glorify? If it glorifies
men, if it glorifies Him, if it glorifies you, then it's certainly
not God's gospel because God's gospel is the gospel of the glory
of God. So when Paul defines his gospel,
he said, I'm a preacher. I'm separated to the gospel.
And that gospel, first of all, is God's gospel. He's the author
of that gospel. He planned it. He purposed it.
Before the foundation of the world, clear back in the council
halls of eternity, God purposed this gospel. For Jesus Christ
is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. And
God's elect were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the
world. God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. So,
he purposed it. And he, not only did he purpose
it, but God is the, God executes this gospel. In the fullness
of time, God sent his Son into the world. He sent his Son. He
purposed to send him, and he sent him. And not only did he
send him into the world, but he sent him to the cross. Because
it says it pleased God to bruise him. It pleased God to make you
his people. It pleased God to make Christ
our surety. It pleased God that in Christ
should all fullness dwell. It pleased God to bruise him.
And then God applies the gospel when it pleased God who separated
me from my mother's womb to call me by his gospel. And revealed to me his son. God
applies this gospel. It's his gospel. He purposed
it. He executes it. He applies it. And he sustains it. For the scripture
says he's able to save them that come to God by him. He's able
to keep them. He's able to present them faultless
before his throne of glory. And he's able to raise their
vile bodies and make them like his own. It's God's gospel. And
then secondly, it's the ancient gospel. We don't preach a new
gospel. We don't preach a gospel of this
generation. We preach a gospel that goes
back to Abel. Abel brought a lamb and sacrificed
that lamb as a blood offering for sin. Abraham, Christ said,
saw my day. He rejoiced to see it. He believed,
and it was counted to him for righteousness. Oh, they said,
we have Moses. Christ said, if you'd have believed
Moses, you'd have believed me. Moses wrote of me. This is Moses'
gospel, you see. I'm separated to the gospel of
God, which he promised by his prophets, Abraham, Moses, Jacob,
David. One gospel. It's the gospel he
promised in the Holy Scriptures. It's the gospel he prophesied
in the Holy Scriptures. It's the gospel he pictured.
From the Passover lamb all the way to the cross, one gospel. Now watch this. Carefully now.
Stay with me. God's preacher and the gospel
God's preacher preaches separated to the gospel of God the gospel
which He promised afore by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures.
And it's the gospel, underscore this, verse 3, concerning His
Son. The gospel is concerning His
Son. The gospel has nothing to do
with who you are or who I am. The gospel's concerning who Christ
is. That's what the gospel's all
about. It's concerning His Son, who He is. The gospel has nothing
to do with what you or I do. The gospel concerns what He did,
who He is, and what He did. He came into the world. He took
upon Himself the likeness of our flesh. He was obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross. He bore our sins in His
body. He died and was buried and rose
for our justification. He ascended to the right hand
of God where He ever lives to make intercession for us. The
gospel is concerning His Son. The gospel has nothing to do
with what you and I think. The gospel concerns God's thoughts. His acceptance of Christ worked
for us He said he has appointed a day in which he's gonna judge
the world by that man Jesus Christ whom he hath appointed Whom he
hath appointed and he gave this evidence of the acceptance of
Christ he raised him from the dead It's what God thinks It's
God accepting Christ in your place. It's not what you do or
what you think about what... God said, when I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. It's not what you think of the
blood. Well, I just don't think that's right. It's not what you
think. Well, I just don't believe that's the only way. It's not
what you believe. You see, the gospel is not concerning
who you are and what you do and what you think. It concerns His
Son. It's concerning who He is. and
what he did and how God looks upon him. We're accepted in the
Beloved. When God accepts Christ, He accepts
us. Our forerunner has entered within
the veil and is sat down and God accepted him and us in him. Gospel has nothing to do with
where you are. It concerns where He is. Do you
see that? This is what the great preacher
John Flavel preached in his message, Method of Grace. He said everything
that a holy, righteous, almighty God has for a sinner like you
and me is in Christ Jesus. And that, those riches and spiritual
blessings in Christ Jesus become ours by a union with Christ. God never looks upon us for acceptance
and looks upon us for agreement or looks upon us for righteousness.
He looks on His Son. And our union with Him, He's
the heir. We're joint heirs. You see, He's
accepted and we're accepted in Him. God looks upon Him. And that union with Christ comes
by faith. And that faith comes by hearing
the Word of God and believing it. You see that? God's preacher. God's preacher, a simple man. God's preacher, a servant. God's
preacher, separated to the gospel. And that gospel is the gospel
of God. the gospel of His glory, the
gospel of His grace, that gospel is concerning His Son. And it's
the same gospel that Moses and Abraham and David and Jacob and
all the other Old Testament prophets believed and preached. Now, let's
look at the person. He said here in verse 3 and 4,
it's the gospel concerning His Son who was made of the seed
of David. according to the flesh, and who
was declared to be the Son of God with power." Now, these two
things are so important. How is he identified? It said
he was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and he
was declared to be the Son of God. One day our Lord was being
questioned by these religious Pharisees, lawyers and Sadducees
and other members of the Jewish court in Sanhedrin. They asked
him several things and finally when he answered all of their
questions and they were, they just were ready to leave him
alone, he said, wait, I have a question. I have a question. What think ye of the Christ? What think ye of the Messiah?
Whose son is he? Whose son is the Christ? Now
all these fellows knew the Christ was coming. If you ask, if you
ask an Orthodox Jew today, about the messiah chances are he'll
say we're still looking for the messiah we're still looking for
the christ he was promised through the whole old testament well
he said to these pharisees now who is the christ what think
ye of the christ and they answered he's the son of david the christ
is the son of david that's what scripture says he'll be the seed
of woman he'll be of the lineage of abraham through his son isaac
He'll be of the tribe of Judah, born in Bethlehem. He'll be of
the root of Jesse. And he'll be the son of David.
And they answered truly, he's the son of David. You remember,
blind Bartimaeus said, O thou son of David, have mercy on me. And these Pharisees said to Jesus
of Nazareth, the Christ will be the son of David. And then
he said to them, then why did David call him Lord? For David
said, Thee, Lord, said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
till I make thine enemies thy footstool. And they couldn't
answer him. And here's what Jesus of Nazareth is saying to them.
How can he be David's son and David's Lord? How can the same
man be David's God and David's son? Here it is right here. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God, concerning
his son, which he promised to forward in the Old Testament
Scriptures, concerning his son, who was made of the seed of David,
the son of David, according to the flesh. Jesus Christ in the
flesh was a Jew, son of David, son of Jesse, tribe of Judah,
from Abraham, seed of woman, but declared to be the Son of
God. He was made of the seed of David
according to the flesh. He was declared. He wasn't made
the Son of God. He was already the Son of God.
And He was declared to be the Son of God. This Savior, this
Messiah, this Redeemer is the seed of David according to the
flesh and the Son of God, declared to be the Son of God. Now, this
is essential and this is what John's gospel deals with. 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
and we beheld his glory God was in Christ Reconciling the world
to himself Paul said 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 unto glory you see 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 honored. God's law must be honored and
God's justice must be satisfied. Well, I can't honor the law,
neither can you. We're sinners. with sinners. We may admire God's law and respect
God's law and even love God's law, but to fulfill God's law
is a whole different matter. But Christ did perfectly as a
man, the Son of God in human flesh, the Son of God and the
Son of Man in one, perfect man and perfect God. And He honored
that law and He satisfied justice. He's the only one who can die
and raise Himself. He said, I lay down my life. No man takes my life. Someday
I'm going to die and you're going to die. But we're not going to
lay down our lives. We're not going to decide when we're going
to die and how we're going to die, are we? He did. He gave
up, He gave up the ghost. He laid down His life and He
raised Himself by His own power from the grave. He's the Son
of God. This gospel's concerning the Son of God who was made of
the seed of David according to the flesh, born of a woman, and
declared to be the Son of God, which He is by right, which He
is by essence and equality, one with God. I am a father of one.
Now, what's the people of God? Paul's the preacher. I believe
I'm a preacher of God. Paul to be an apostle, a preacher,
not an apostle, but a preacher. Separated to the gospel of God,
the gospel concerning his son. Concerning Christ, made of the
seed of David, declared to be the son of God. Now, here are
the people of God. In verse 5-6, listen. By Christ, we have received
grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations
for His sake, among whom you also are the call of Christ Jesus. To all that be in Rome, beloved
of God, called to be saints, grace to you and peace from God
our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, here are God's
people. First of all, they have received
grace. By Christ, they have received grace. It's all in Him. Grace,
grace, grace. God's grace, amazing grace. How sweet the sound that saved
a wretch like me. I was lost, but now I'm found.
By God's grace, I'm free. By His grace, I see. All right. Secondly, these people not only
have received grace, but they're obedient to the faith. They believe
Him. They love Him. They walk with
Him. They're obedient to Him. Thirdly,
they're among all nations. He has a people in every tribe,
kindred, nation, tongue, and unto heaven. New creatures in
Christ Jesus, Jew and Gentile, bond and free, male and female,
among all nations. They're called of Christ Jesus.
Whom He foreknew, He predestinated to be conformed in the image
of His Son. Whom He predestinated, He called. Whom He called, He
justified. Whom He justified, He glorified.
We're the called of God. called by his gospel. And then
he says they're beloved. God loves them. God loves his
people. Beloved of God. I thank God for
you, brethren. Beloved of the Lord. God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation. And they're called
to be saints. And they have grace and peace
from our Lord Jesus Christ. And I'll tell you this, grace
always come before peace. People who have peace with God
and peace in their hearts and peace with one another are people
who know something about the grace of God and have been made
recipients of the grace of God. God's preacher, God's preacher,
a humble man, separated to the gospel. God's gospel, it's God's
gospel. It's the ancient gospel. It's
concerning His Son. And His Son is the Son of Man
and the Son of God. And His people are a people beloved
of God who have grace and mercy and peace through Christ Jesus.
Would you like to have this message, to share it with someone else
or to hear it again yourself? Send two dollars and we'll mail
it to you. Here's the address on the screen. You write for
it and we'll mail it to you. Call God's Preacher. Until next
week, may God bless you.

God's Preacher

What does the Bible say about God's preacher?

How do we know the Gospel is the message of God?

Why is grace important for Christians?

What is the nature of the Gospel preached by Paul?

Why is it important to recognize we are called by God?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

God's Preacher

What does the Bible say about God's preacher?

How do we know the Gospel is the message of God?

Why is grace important for Christians?

What is the nature of the Gospel preached by Paul?

Why is it important to recognize we are called by God?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

More from Henry Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Henry Mahan

Books by Henry Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book