The Book of Romans: Called and Commissioned

The Book of Romans

Introduction:

Good morning Eastern Shore Baptist Church. Good morning guests and visitors. If you are visiting with us this morning, we are glad that you are worshipping with our church family. My prayer is that you will feel welcomed and honored this morning. I would also like to take a moment and thank everyone who may be tuned in online. If you are watching live and in person, or if you are watching online, I want to encourage you to participate in our prayer line. If you have a prayer request this morning, text our prayer line. 251-222-8977. A member of our prayer team will receive it and immediately pray for you.  

This morning we are starting in a new series creatively titled “The Book of Romans”. I will give you one guess as to what this series is about. That’s right! We are studying Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome. This series will last a grand total of 27 weeks. We are going to go verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and hear what Paul said to those believers so long ago. 

You might be tempted to think that this ancient letter has little to no modern impact. Oh friends, that is wrongheaded on every level. The Book of Romans is a powerfully practical book. It offers ancient wisdom and proven advice for our modern world. You might look at Romans as a user manual for the Christian life. You will find warnings. You will be given Holy Spirit inspired prescriptions for living. Paul also speaks of behavioral boundaries for the disciples of Christ. 

I can remember one of the first times that I read through the book of Romans. I remember thinking to myself, “so, that is what a Christian should do. That is how a Christian should look. That is what a Christian should say. That is how Christ expect me to live”.

Background and Context:

Before we jump into God’s Word this morning. I want to set up the context of the Scripture. What’s happening? What’s going on? 

First off, Paul is writing to the believers in Rome. By the way, Paul is writing people that he has likely never met. He didn’t plant the church in Rome. These are not his people. At least not in the same way the Philippians and the Ephesians were. So Paul was a bit unfamiliar with these people and they were a bit unfamiliar with him. Which is why you see Paul laying out his credentials as an Apostle to start the letter. In verse one, Paul gives a short resume to explain exactly who he is and why he is writing. 

The next think that you need to know is that the Church is a mixture of Jewish and Gentile believers. Two groups. Two ways of living. Two ways of seeing the world. Two traditions. Two of pretty much everything but one church. For those of you who have been believers for a long time, have you ever noticed that the church can sometimes be a bit messy? Have you ever notice that there can be a lot of fussing and fighting in the church? Well that’s nothing new. Even in the Church in Rome, things were sometimes messy. There is some tension in the church. Some confusion. What they needed was clarity. What they needed was solid Gospel teaching. 

That’s why Paul writes the letter. Paul is setting the table for this massive, sweeping explanation of what the Gospel really is…not just good advice, but the Good News. Paul is going to cover sin, salvation, sanctification, and God’s sovereignty. Paul introduces himself as a servant. The Greek word is “doulos”, meaning bondslave. Paul is communicating that he belongs to someone else. Someone else is calling his shots. He has a Master. 

Do you know who he is talking about here?

Jesus! 

Paul was a man under a calling. Called to share a message and commissioned for a mighty work. 

In fact, that’s the title of today’s message. Called and Commissioned. 

Do me a favor this morning. Fill in the blanks under Today’s Thought. The Gospel isn’t a weight to carry but a wonder to proclaim. 

Today’s Message:

“Called and Commissioned “

Today’s Thought:

The Gospel Isn’t A Weight To Carry But A Wonder To Proclaim!

As we read Romans 1 this morning, you will find that Paul was a passionate Christ follower. He was enthusiastic about the Good News. He longed to see lives changed. Hearts reoriented back to God. Paul knew that the message of the Gospel was the very power of God setting men and women free from death. 

What about you friend? When I say words like “Gospel”, “evangelism”, “Good News”, how do you react? Does telling someone about Christ cause you anxiety? Does telling someone your testimony make you break out into a cold sweat? Does inviting someone to church send you running to the hills?

Reminds me of a story about a young man who was attending Florida Bible Institute. He was wrestling with his calling. Was he really called to preach? Was he really called to evangelism? He had never seen a convert from his preaching. Not one single person gave their life to Christ. Every time he thought about standing up to preach, he would break out into a cold sweat. In fact, he was so worried about preaching, he would practice deep into the woods so no one but the birds and animals would hear him. 

The first time that he preached at a real church, he panicked. He had prepared four sermons. Sadly, he blew through all four sermons in under 10 minutes. 10 minutes! He was so embarrassed. He thought that he failed. Thankfully that failure didn’t stop him. He trusted that if God had called him that God would equip him. Little by little, sermon by sermon, conversation by conversation, God raised up a mighty preacher. 

That scared kid attending Florida Bible Institute was none other than Rev. Billy Graham. Credited with leading some 2 million people to faith in Jesus Christ. 

Know this brothers and sisters, when it come to sharing the Gospel, practice makes perfect. 

Imagine if Barry Bonds would have quit playing baseball at his first strike out. 

Imagine if Michael Jordan quit basketball for good when his 10th grade coach cut him from the team. 

Imagine if the Wright brothers tossed their dreams of flight in the trash can after their first failed flight. 

I could go on and on and on. Diligent practice can stir passion. Believe it or not Christian, you may not have a passion for evangelism now but practice develops passion. Practice informs passion. Practice worked for Barry Bonds. It worked for Michael Jordan. It worked for the Wright brothers and it worked for Billy Graham. 

It will work for you too. 

I was thumbing through Tony Merida’s book “Ordinary: How to Turn the World Upside Down”. Listen to what he says about the Great Commission. 

Today’s Quote:

“If the Great Commission is true—and it is—then our lives, our dreams, and our church plans are not too big; they’re far too small. We tend to dream of comfort, safety, and success, but Jesus calls us to risk, sacrifice, and serve. The call to make disciples of all nations should shake us out of a casual Christianity and into a passionate pursuit of the lost. Ordinary believers, empowered by an extraordinary God, can turn the world upside down—if they simply obey.”

— Tony Merida, “Ordinary: How to Turn the World Upside Down”

Statement of Belief and Introduction of Scripture:

Friends, open your Bibles to Romans 1:1-7. Let’s read together the introduction of Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome. Before we do that I want to remind you that…

We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect.

Today’s Scripture:

Romans 1:1-7 ESV

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, [2] which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, [3] concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh [4] and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, [5] through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, [6] including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, [7] To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor: This is the Word of the Lord!

Congregation: “Praise His name. Praise His holy name.”

According To Paul, The Gospel Is Defined As…

I. A Promise Fulfilled vs 1-2

So friends, Paul gives a great definition of the Gospel in Romans 1. After all, you can’t share what you don’t know. So, what is the Gospel? How would you define it?

Fill in the blank on Roman numeral 1. According to Paul, the Gospel is defined as a promised fulfilled. 

“The Gospel was long foretold by God through the prophets and has now been fulfilled in Christ.”

Go back to verses 1 and 2 this morning. 

Paul introduces himself as being “set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures…”.

Years before Christ came, years before He was born, the promise of Christ was prophesied. 

Go back to Genesis 3:15. This is what theologians call the protoevangelium which means “the first Gospel”. Right after Adam and Eve fall into sin, right in the middle of the curse, God gives a promise:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” 

Translation? Someone is going to come, born of a woman, who is going to defeat Satan. This man, even though he will win, he will also be wounded. This man is Jesus! There He is, right at the start of Holy Scripture. 

Then we come to Genesis 12:1-3. God makes a promise to Abraham. 

God told Abraham, “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”(Genesis 12:3, NIV)

That’s not just about Israel getting wealthy. That’s about the Gospel. Through Abraham’s family would come the Messiah, and through Jesus, salvation would be offered to every tribe, tongue, and nation.

So when you’re reading Genesis, you’re already reading Gospel promises!

What about Isaiah 53? We encounter the suffering servant. Perhaps one of the most clear representations of the Gospel in the Old Testament. Isaiah absolutely sings with Gospel promises. 

Isaiah 53 is one of the clearest:

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities… and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5, NIV)

If you were to hand someone only Isaiah 53 — without telling them where it came from — most people would think you’re reading from the New Testament about Jesus’ crucifixion! It’s that clear.

Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would suffer and die — not for His own sin, but for ours.

That’s the Gospel: substitutionary atonement.

Then we come to Psalm 22. The cry of the cross. 

David wrote Psalm 22 centuries before the cross was even invented as a form of execution.

Yet listen to his words:

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1, NIV)

Sound familiar? That’s exactly what Jesus cried out on the cross (Matthew 27:46).

David describes hands and feet being pierced, lots being cast for garments — it’s like a play-by-play of Good Friday.

Even the Psalms preach the Gospel.

Friends I could keep going but for the sake of time I will stop there. You need to understand that the Gospel did not happen by accident. I heard a so called preacher the other day say from the pulpit that God was surprised by our sin. He was taken aback by our wickedness. This preacher said that God didn’t know how to handle humans. He was stumped with our sinful behavior. 

Hogwash! The Gospel was not plan B. It wasn’t as if God said, “Oops, humanity is really messed up, I guess I better figure something out to save them”.  No! From Genesis to Malachi, God was weaving together the story of redemption, hinting, promising and preparing the way for Christ His Son to come and save me, save you, save everyone. 

The Gospel starts and ends in the Jesus. Listen to Paul’s words captured in 2 Corinthians 1:20. 

2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT

“For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding ‘Yes!’ And through Christ, our ‘Amen’ ascends to God for his glory.”

According To Paul, The Gospel Is Defined As…

I. A Promise Fulfilled vs 1-2

II. A Person Revealed vs. 3-4

So, according to Paul, the Gospel is a promise fulfilled. Next, the Gospel is a person revealed. 

“The Gospel centers on Jesus Christ—fully man and fully God—vindicated by the power of the resurrection.”

Go back to verses 3 and 4 this morning. 

Jesus…God’s Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh [4] and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord…

Again friends, Jesus is the center. He is the story. He is point of the Gospel. If you remove Jesus from the Gospel you don’t have the Gospel. If you remove Jesus from the Gospel, you rob the Gospel of its power to save.

One of the most dangerous things that churches are doing these days is missions minus the Gospel. Churches will spend thousands of dollars to travel around the world. They will feed children. They will dig water wells. They will prayer walk neighborhoods, do backyard Bible clubs. They will have big worship services and perform concerts. You will hear churches say phrases like, 

“We told them about God.”

“We let them know about the church.”

“We shared our testimony.”

All of those things are great. All of those things are important. I would even say that they are vital. Telling people about God, inviting people to church, sharing your testimony are core values even of Eastern Shore Baptist Church. 

We as a church can do all of those things and if we do not tell them about Jesus, His life, His death, the reason for His death, and the story of His resurrection, then all we have done is something nice that has no eternal value. 

We toss around phrases like social gospel, prosperity gospel, or even the American gospel. Do you know what’s missing from those phrases?

Jesus!

If you have to add any precursor to the word Gospel, then it is not the Gospel. 

As many of you know, I grew up in the greatest decade known to man. The 1980’s. I grew up riding in the back of station wagons, riding big wheels, staying out all night long when I was 7 years old and my parents had no idea where I was but they always assumed that I was fine. Those were the days. 

One of the things that I did as a kid was ride my bike. By the way, I never wore a helmet with my bike and guess what…I survived. I lived. Think of a bike this morning. Think of the wheels of a bike. You have the outer rim, all the spokes, everything turning, but what holds it all together? The center hub! If you take out the hub, guess what happens? The spokes collapse. The rim falls apart. The whole wheel is useless. 

Friends Jesus is the hub of the Gospel. Remove Him and everything falls apart. Do all the good works your hand can muster. You can tradition yourself to death. You can be moral, keep all the codes, say all the right things. Do it all, but without Jesus, it is meaningless. 

Jesus isn’t a part of the Gospel, He is the Gospel. The Gospel without Jesus is like the sun without heat, it cannot give life and light. If you remove Jesus, you remove salvation, hope, forgiveness and eternity. You remove the very core of Christianity. 

The Apostle Paul understood this when he wrote Philippians 2:6-8 when he put Jesus at the very center of God’s nature saying…

Philippians 2:6-8 CEB

Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit. [7] But he emptied himself by taking the form of a slave and by becoming like human beings. When he found himself in the form of a human, [8] he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

According To Paul, The Gospel Is Defined As…

I. A Promise Fulfilled vs 1-2

II. A Person Revealed vs. 3-4

III. A People Called vs 5-7

So, according to Paul, the Gospel is defined as a promise fulfilled, a person revealed, and lastly a people called. 

“The Gospel doesn’t just declare a message—it creates a mission and a people set apart for obedience and grace.”

Go back to verses 5-7 this morning. 

through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, [6] including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ…

“We’ve all heard that old thought experiment: ‘If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?’

Here’s a better question:

If someone knows the Gospel but refuses to share it… will the Gospel still have the power to save the people they never told?”

Friend, the greatest act of love in the world is to tell someone about Jesus.

Chances are you are familiar with the famed magician Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller. The two men, Penn and Teller, are world renowned for their amazing illusions and magic shows. Penn Jillette is what I like to call an “evangelical atheist”. He engages with Christians and other religious people and tries to actively convince them to exchange their faith for his belief in atheism. Penn tells a story about a show that he did years ago. He encounters a man there at the show who gives him a small Gideon Bible. Penn Jillette is immediately impressed with this man’s intellect and his sincerity. This gentleman goes on to tell Penn Jillette the Good News. He tells him of Jesus’ love. He tells him about repentance, the resurrection, and life ever lasting. You might think that Penn Jillette would have been angered by this zealous Christian but instead, he was moved. 

“If you really believe that there is an actual hell, the most unloving thing that a person can do is to hide the manner and mode of escape. If you truly believe that there is an everlasting place of punishment and torment, the most unloving thing that a believer can do is to hide the only way to be pardoned.”

That’s what Penn Jillette said after meeting this man. No, he did not give his life to Christ but a seek was planted. 

Penn Jillette is right. If you really believe that there is an eternal hell to  escape and a real heaven to gain, the most unloving thing that a Christ follower can do is to hide the saving power of the Gospel. 

Friend, the greatest good work that we can do is to tell others about Jesus. Paul even tells us in Ephesians 2:10 that we were created for good works. Listen…

Ephesians 2:10 GW

God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do.

I want to close with this, have you ever heard of Edward Kimball? Probably not. 

Edward Kimball was a Sunday School teacher in the 1850s.

One day, he felt compelled — really nervous, but compelled — to go visit a teenager who was working in a shoe store. He didn’t know if he’d say the right words, but he went anyway. In the back room of that shoe store, Edward Kimball led that young man to Jesus.

That young man’s name was Dwight L. Moody — D.L. Moody, who would become one of the greatest evangelists of the 19th century.

Moody went on to preach the Gospel to millions.

Through Moody’s ministry, another man was influenced — Wilbur Chapman, who also became a great evangelist.

Chapman ended up mentoring a former professional baseball player named Billy Sunday, who left his athletic career to become a fiery preacher.

Billy Sunday then preached all across America, and under his ministry, another young man named Mordecai Ham gave his life to Christ and became a preacher.

And then one night, Mordecai Ham was preaching a revival meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. The crowd was mostly cold and disinterested — but there was a lanky, teenage farm boy sitting out in the audience.

That boy’s name was Billy Graham.

You may never know this side of heaven the ripple effect of your obedience. But trust this — when you share the Gospel, you are part of something so much bigger than you realize. One seed can change the world.

You Can’t Carry The Gospel Unless You’ve Been Changed By The Gospel!

Church family — listen to me — you can’t carry the Gospel unless you’ve been changed by the Gospel.

If you’ve truly been changed — if the love of Jesus has gripped your heart — you won’t be able to help but carry that Good News to somebody else.

Edward Kimball didn’t have a microphone. He had a message. He didn’t have a crowd. He had a calling.

And the same Gospel that changed him… can change you… and through you, it can change the world.”

Closing Prayer:

“Father, thank You for the power of the Gospel — the Good News that saves, transforms, and sends us.

Lord, we don’t want to just know about the Gospel; we want to be changed by it. We want to carry it with boldness, with love, and with urgency to the people around us.

Break our hearts for those who don’t yet know You. Make us faithful like Edward Kimball — willing to share even when no one’s watching, even when the world doesn’t notice, because You are always at work.

Change us, Lord. Use us. Let the ripple effect of Your love move through our lives, for Your glory and for the salvation of many.

We love You, Jesus. Thank You for changing us by Your Gospel. It’s in Your powerful and saving name we pray — Amen.”