Romans 1: 8-17
When I was at school, there were roughly speaking two groups of people as far as I could see.
One group was the in-crowd. And the in-crowd contained the ’lads’. It contained the beautiful people. It contained those people who were popular, people you really wanted to spend time with. It contained the ones who might get into a fight every so often - most days in fact. It contained the ’cool’ people. But most importantly, this group contained people who you wanted to be seen with. If you were with this crowd, you had maximum ’street-cred’. You had respect. You were proud to be with such people, or you really wanted to be with such people. Perhaps you have in your minds eye one such person, or a group, from your school days.
And then there was another group. And I seem to remember that I was in this other group - but please, no sympathy - that is not the point. This other group contained people who might be rather embarrassing to be seen with. They had no fashion sense. They listened to weird music. They said really weird things. They were the kind of people your Mum might want to invite round for tea, and your face would just go purple in embarrassment. This lot had not much going for them. We were the really embarrassing ones.
Now in all seriousness, my purpose is not to trample upon those of us who were trodden on at school. And if I have just stirred up some memories, or some current realities which are really painful, then please, ask Jesus to heal those memories. Ask a Christian friend to pray with you.
My point is this: The way of Jesus is not the way of the world. But the way of the world is this:
We want to spend time with some people. We do not want to spend time with others. Some of our friends we are proud to be seen with. But there are times in our lives when there are certain people we are embarrassed to be seen with.
Into which category do we put Jesus?
When people know that we are Christians, and when we are asked about Jesus, into which category do we put him? Are we proud to be a friend of Jesus? Do we boast about Jesus? Or do we shuffle in embarrassment? Do we hope that no one else is listening?
My friends, are we ashamed of the gospel? Because the gospel of God ...the gospel of His Son ...is not a thing. The gospel is not a set of statements. The gospel is not a church institution ...The gospel is a person. The gospel ...the Good News of God ...is Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. The saviour.
My friends, who is Jesus to you? One to be seen with, or one to keep under wraps? One to speak about with joy, or one to never mention? Is Jesus a friend that you are aching to introduce to others?
Verse 16: Paul wrote, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." Jesus is the ultimate friend to introduce to your friends ..to your family ...to your neighbour ...and to your work colleague.
Are we ashamed of the gospel? Are we ashamed of Jesus?
You know, if from today, by the grace of God, we are no longer ashamed of the gospel, the transformation and the salvation of our local community will multiply. Persecution may also multiply - but God’s transformation and salvation of this community will multiply.
Do you want the transformation and the salvation of this community to multiply?
As we become unashamed of the gospel, the story of our faith in Jesus will be reported.
Do we long for the faith of the church - for the story of Jesus - to be reported all over this community, and throughout the places that we work?
I long for the story of Jesus to be headline news. For the story of Jesus to replace stories of homosexual bishops, and for the story of Jesus to replace stories of a church that is against this, and against that.
I recently received a letter from a friend who is at Bible College. I think he must be fed up with some questions that he gets asked. He said, "when people ask me if I agree with homosexual bishops, I just want to reply by saying, do you know Jesus and the forgiveness of your sins?"
Brothers and sisters, my prayer is that we will be so much in love with the gospel, so in love with Jesus, that our faith, our love for Jesus, will be reported far and wide. My prayer is that the story of our faith - our love for Jesus - our love for His way of doing things, will be reported far and wide.
My prayer is that every home in this town and many homes further afield, would know the story of Jesus, and the story of our faith in Jesus, and everything that Jesus stands for.
Do we desire it? Are we up for it?
Verse 8 of Chapter 1 of Romans: The faith of the early Roman church was well known. Paul thanked God for the faith of the Roman church which had been reported all over the known world!
We don’t know who it was that began the first church in Rome. Quite possibly, it originates from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We know from Acts chapter 2 verse 5 that when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, ’...there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven." Since many Jews lived in Rome it is therefore true that there were Roman Jews in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit came.
And quite possibly, it was a group of Jews from Rome, who were among the three thousand that accepted the gospel that day and were baptised (Acts 2:41). If that is the case, they would have wanted to return to Rome to share the good-news story of Jesus back in their home city, leading to the formation and growth of the church in Rome. And it seems that by the time Paul writes to the Roman church it could well be 20 years old, and it contains believers of both Jewish and non-Jewish origin.
Are we ashamed of Jesus?
Do we desire the story of Jesus to be spoken of in every home in our community and our places of work?
And what part does visionary prayer play in all of this?
From verses 9 and 10 we learn that Paul is constant in his prayer that, "at last by God’s will the way may be opened for [him] to come to [Rome]." But it’s not some sight-seeing ’jolly’ that he hopes for. This is no all-expenses paid business trip to Rome! He has not been scanning the brochures of the ancient travel industry!
It’s because Paul serves God, "with [his] whole heart in preaching the gospel of [God’s] Son" that he desires to be in Rome. He also wants to then travel to Spain, but that is not he main purpose in wishing to travel to Rome.
Later in verses 14 and 15 Paul makes it clear that he is eager to preach the gospel in Rome. And specifically, "to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish."
It might be helpful to remember that Greek speakers made mistakes which the church of England (the church that I love so much) sometimes makes. Greek speakers generally thought of themselves as eloquent, wise, and civilised. They were the establishment.
Generally, Greeks thought that non-Greeks, in other words Barbarians, were somewhat simple, rough, uncouth, and foolish.
Paul knew that the gospel ...that Jesus, was a universal message. For the educated and for the uneducated. For the religious and for the non-religious. For the rich and for the poor. For all peoples.
Even though Paul was hundreds of miles away, he was praying constantly for the church in Rome, and he was praying constantly that the way may be opened for him to get to Rome to preach the gospel. And without being too precise, Paul must have prayed this prayer for several years before God delivered him to Rome under armed guard. And as we know from the end of the book of Acts, Paul did eventually get to Rome, and preach the gospel of Jesus for two years without hindrance.
Again and again I believe God would call us to constancy in prayer. Visionary prayer. Praying for, and asking God for the fulfilment of gospel opportunities. Praying that a way may be opened for the next stage.
For us (for you who read this also) that must surely include at least these prayer requests, but many others also:
Praying that the way be opened for ’non church’ children to hear and respond to Jesus’ love.
Praying that the way be opened for the gospel to be ’gossiped’ in our local pubs and clubs.
For Home Churches to be praying together that the way be opened for the gospel in the lives of specific people known to that home church.
Constancy in prayer. Visionary prayer. Being prepared to be a part of the answer to our prayers.
If we are truly not ashamed of the gospel ...If we truly desire the story of Jesus ..and the story of our faith in him to be known far and wide - then our commitment to prayer will increase.
It’s been said that most Church sermons fall into one of three categories:
Mission: Evangelise more.
Money: Give more.
Prayer: Pray more!
That’s not my aim! But, our mission statement must surely ring loud and clear: "To know Jesus better, and to make him better known."
Verses 11 and 12: Paul longed to see the Roman Church so that he and they might encourage one another. Can this be our aim? That we encourage one another - with prayers to our Father God for the Holy Spirit to equip us in service, that we might be strong in The Lord. That we might sharpen one another’s focus upon Jesus ...that we might become more like Him ...For in becoming more like Jesus, we will take on His character, and his heart for unbelievers.
And verse 17: "...in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ’the righteous will live by faith.’"
What does that mean? Well this is where I hope I do not become over complicated, because in its essence, the good news of Jesus is not complicated.
...In the gospel we get to know God’s righteousness. And this righteousness means God’s justification. In the gospel God has revealed the way in which we are able to enjoy a ’right-standing’ before him.
And this justification is literally ’from faith to faith’.
[Faith can best be described as trust, belief and commitment.]
The saving work of God begins with God Himself. And God’s saving activity both awakens faith, and then subsequently produces faith. It is both the spark and the oxygen. God’s saving activity both awakens faith, and then subsequently produces faith. It is ’from faith to faith.’
And Paul’s use of language is very important to the way in which we consider what ’faith’ actually means. In verse 16 when Paul says the gospel is the power of salvation for everyone who believes he is specifically using a word which means an ongoing activity on the part of the believer.
Faith is not a completed or finished activity. It is not simply a past event. Faith is a present activity. It’s an ongoing reality. It’s as if Faith begins with the first breath of air which we take, and continues with the 24 hour action of breathing.
The Faith which Paul speaks of is an ongoing and continuing activity. It’s not something to be switched on and off, but it is to be woven into the basic stuff of our lives as disciples of Jesus.
And at the end of verse 17, a verse which is easy to misread: ...’The righteous will live by faith.’ Paul is quoting the Old Testament, Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 4, but I don’t believe the NIV quite does this justice. A better reading of this last phrase would be this: "The one who is justified by faith will live." Otherwise it can seem as though Paul is referring simply to our earthly life - but he’s not. This is about eternal life.
The truth is that the person who is justified, made-right in God’s eyes, through trust in God, belief in God, and commitment to God - that person will live for eternity. "The one who is justified by faith will live."
Brothers and sisters, our faith in the gospel - our faith in the person of Jesus is an ongoing activity. It’s belief in him. It’s trust in him, and it’s commitment to him.
Salvation is his work alone. We cannot save ourselves.
...We are being called to visionary prayer - to committed, believing, trusting prayer. We are called to live out the story of Jesus in this community, such that the story of Jesus, and the story of our faith would be known far and wide.
...I’m going to end with a true story concerning a guy named Milton Cunningham. (Milton, if you are listening, or you ever get to read this, please forgive me, I have no idea where this story actually originated from but I have every reason to trust it).
There was an occasion when he (Milton Cunningham)was onboard an aircraft, and in the seat next to him there was a little girl with Down’s syndrome. After a while she turned to him and said, "Do you smoke?"
"No," he said, "I don’t smoke."
"That’s good," she said, "My Mummy says you shouldn’t smoke."
Then, she pointed to the businessman who was sitting the other side of him and said, "Does he smoke?"
Milton Cunningham was naturally a bit embarrassed by this, but he thought he ought to humour her, so he asked the businessman sitting next to him, "excuse me, but do you smoke?"
"No," he said. "That’s good," said the girl.
There now followed a bit of a pause, and then a few minutes later the little girl said, "do you love Jesus?"
"Yes," the man replied, "As a matter of fact I do love Jesus!"
"That’s good," she said. "Everyone should love Jesus."
And then, our hero suddenly realised what the little girl was going to say next. And he hunched down in his seat and hoped against hope that she wouldn’t ...But she did.
"That man next to you," she said, "does he love Jesus?"
So he swallowed hard, and turned to the businessman sitting next to him, and asked him.
And with a tear in his eye the man replied, "do you know, I’ve been wanting someone to ask me that for a long time."
And Milton Cunningham led that businessman to Christ.
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes."
Let’s pray.
