SERMON: GM15-046
SERIES: Renewal Through Romans: The Gospel Defined, Explained
& Applied
SETTING: North Kelso Baptist Church
SERVICE: Sunday AM (February 8, 2015)
SUBTITLE: The Man and His Message (Part 4)
SCRIPTURE: Romans 1: 1b-4
SUBJECT: the credentials of Paul
SUMMARY: The Apostle Paul was qualified by God for his task
SCHEME: that Christians understand the qualifications that rendered the Apostle
Paul effective for the service of God to the Gentiles
_____________________________________________________________
Our theme
is: The
Credentials of Paul
This
is a good reminder for us all that we need to understand the various
ingredients that God used to make this man such a unique player in the eternal
plans of God
Proposition: The
Apostle Paul was qualified by God for his task
Interrogatory Sentence: What were the qualifications
that enabled Paul to write his letter to the church at Rome?
Transitional Sentence: The
passage before reveals three (3) attributes that God used to make Paul such an
important player in the life of the church;
1. He is the Serving One
2. He is the Sent One
3. He is the Separated One
4. He is the Scripted One
4. He is the Scripted One
The Man and
His Message
Romans
1:1b-4
(Part 4)
INTRODUCTION
Credentials. Connections.
Credibility
That is how we become known and trusted even
by those who don't know us personally. Americans accomplish this task through
their resumes and personal references. When we look for a job, we try to establish
(or re-establish) a network of people in our profession who know about us and
our abilities and our attributes.
We talk with people on the
phone, write letters about recent professional accomplishments, and meet with
them to discuss items of mutual professional interest.
We also let people know that
we are looking for a new position, in hopes that they might know other people
who might also have connections within our industry. These colleagues are
important to us, and we are important to them, because we are one another's
connections in the job market.
When actively seeking work,
we also develop a resume that includes the names of previous employers and
colleagues who know our abilities very well. Our resume is especially strong if
these credentials are both credible and from a credible source.
So, it is with the Apostle
Paul. He is a stranger to this church and yet he writes this incredible
theological letter with over half of it containing instructions and commands
that he expected the Roman believers to carry out. In order to pull this off he
had to have some strong and impeccable credentials.
I want us to examine those
credentials. But before we do, let’s take a minute and….
REVIEW
Our theme continues
to be: the
apostle Paul; the man God chose
Our
theme is a good reminder for us all that we need to understand the various
ingredients that God used to make this man such a unique player in the eternal
plans of God
Proposition: God
uses various ingredients to make a believer useful to His plans
Interrogatory Sentence: What were the ingredients
that God used to make Paul into the man who played such an important role in
the life of the church?
Transitional Sentence: The
passage before us identifies four (4) ingredients that God used to make Paul
such an important player in the life of the church;
·
The Childhood of Paul
·
The Conversion of Paul
·
The Credentials of Paul
·
The Commission of Paul
Last time we met we were
looking at the conversion of the Apostle Paul. As we began our look at his
conversion we discovered a number of lessons.
We were able to take make a
close examination of his conversion by looking first at Paul’s Allegiance to Judaism. Paul
was trained and committed to the Old Testament Judaism of his family and
ancestors. He was seeped in the law and in tradition.
Next, we were able to
closely examine Paul’s Abhorrence of Jesus. Paul hated “the way” and all those
who were connected to “the way.” As a matter of fact, if you remember, he so
hated Jesus and “Christians” that he was animated, or made alive by obtaining
warrants for the arrest of Christians in order to drag them to trial.
We looked at Paul’s
Adjustment by Jehovah. In God’s timing and in God’s manner, God chose
to regenerate Paul and give him to life. We were able to learn several lessons
from Paul’s conversion experience:
·
God determined when Paul was to be converted, not Paul nor his will
·
God is able to convert the most unlikely of sinners
·
God revealed Jesus in Paul as both Lord and Savior
·
God used Paul as a pattern for those who were converted subsequent to
Paul
·
God leaves indelible marks on a person when he converts them
·
God uses converted sinners as instruments to spread the gospel
[So, now let’s move now to
the third ingredient in the Man and his Message, and that is…]
3B Paul’s Credentials (1b-4)
We now come to where we can
begin a detailed study of our text. We begin looking at the first piece of
information that Paul reveals about himself.
[Look at what he says about himself
in verse 1…]
“…a bondservant of Jesus
Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God…” (1:1b, NKJV)
Remember Paul has never
visited Rome. Therefore he has never
visited this church. Having read this letter in its entirety we discovered that
he does know a few of the members of this church. As a whole he does not know these
people and the overwhelming majority of its members do not know him.
Paul wants to win their
confidence and their good will. In keeping with the custom of his day, he
attempts to invoke their goodwill by creating a predisposition so they will
listen to what he is going to say to them.
So he begins his letter to
them with these words. Paul uses great
dignity and sensitivity to get close to his readers right away. He gives a
three-fold description of himself.
It seems to me that you have
to ask yourself, ‘Why did he use those designations?’ What is the meaning that
he attached each one of those phrases? Are they in a special or significant
order or did he just write them as they occurred to him?
[Let’s begin with the first
phrase, let’s start with…]
1C He is The Servant
First of all, if you took
the time to browse through the letters of Paul you will find that this is his
most often method of referring to himself. It is like Paul is saying, “this is
who I am.” Or, “this is what I am.”
Paul thinks of himself
almost instinctively in these terms.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones made this
statement, “…it is as if to say, the most
important thing about this man Paul, who is writing to you, is that he is a
‘servant of Jesus Christ.’ [1]
Paul is a bondservant
of Jesus Christ.
Now, this is a significant
choice of words. This word, bondservant comes from the Greek word doulos, (doulos). This word and its derivatives
describe the status of a slave, or the attitude that corresponds to a slave.
This definition is simple
and self-explanatory, since we all know what a slave is. There is one important
thing to learn however, the emphasis is always on “serving as a slave.” In
other words this is a service or a function that is not a matter of choice.
Choice is actually totally foreign to a slave. The doulos is absolutely and totally
committed to the will of his/her master. The bondservant is not permitted to
have any will of their own.
Paul could have used another
word to describe himself as a servant. He could have used the word oikeths. This word is similar but it
has a stress on the relationship of a servant to the outside world or human
society. But the word doulos stresses the complete or
absolute dependence on the owner. Every choice, every action, every part of the
slave is used to serve and obey the master.
Stop for a moment and think
about this. Look at this idea in the light of its historical setting. Try and
grasp the significance of Paul’s choice or use of the word that he used to
describe himself.
The distinctive feature of
the self-awareness of a Greek or Roman citizen was freedom.
The Greek or the Roman found
their total dignity in their whole being in the single fact that they were
free.
This self-awareness of
absolute freedom stood out sharply in juxta-position to anything that smacked
of enslavement or the performing of a service under any type or kind of
bondage.
When you are forced to set
aside your total human autonomy, an alien or a foreign entity takes command
over your own personal will.
The distinction is this – a doulos or a bondservant had no way
of evading any command or job and had no right of any personal choice. The
bondservant had to do what another person command them to do, no matter what
the command or duty was.
In the Greek or the Roman
mindset only scorn, rejection, ridicule, and horrible treatment was to be
applied to any idea that had the slightest resemblance to that of being or
becoming a slave. The Romans took a number of slaves captive when they
conquered an enemy because the Romans who die before every submitting
themselves to a master.
If you understand the Greek
mindset and if you study history at all you will know why the Greeks and the
Romans fought so hard and fierce for political and personal independence. You
know why they had nothing but absolute scorn for barbarians and for people who
served under masters.
You might find it
interesting to know that Plato in his description or picture of the ideal human
personality excluded any thought or reference to a person being under the power
of someone else or to be subservient to the will of another person.
So, a Greek and especially a
Roman upon reading this or hearing it would not have understood it, to say the
least. They would ask, ‘Paul, why in the world, or how could you even remotely
identify yourself as a slave, a bondservant?”
Now, just for the record,
the Jewish mind was predisposed to the idea of slaves and slavery. The first
time that word slave/or servant is used is in Genesis 9:5. By the time we get
to chapter 24 we see Abraham with a whole household of slaves.
Also, it might be
interesting to note that the Jews were allowed to take prisoners captive and
make them slaves. The Jews were allowed to buy slaves if they were foreigners.
The Jews were expressly
forbidden to buy, keep, or treat fellow Jews as bondservants. You’ll find that
in Leviticus 25. If you had a Jewish national as an indentured servant, not a
slave, you had to redeem them or release them during the year of Jubilee.
In the NT, the word doulos is used somewhat different
than the Greek mindset. The slave is still considered to be in ‘bondage’ and
has limitations on what they could or could not do or say. In the NT a slave is
never spoken of despairingly or contemptuously. The bondservant is not despised
or rejected simply because he/she happens to be a slave.
At the time of Christ, the
bondservant was:
•
Considered to be on a lower level than the rest of humanity
•
Was classified as ‘goods’
•
Had absolutely no legal rights
•
Could not own property
•
His wife, children, or family were not considered ‘his’ but belong to
his master who could do with them as he desired
Unfortunately, because the
bondservant was classified as property, the master could do anything that he
wanted. Even the mutilation of a slave was no a punishable offense (Exodus
21:26) However, if you knocked an eye or tooth out of your slave you were
required to set them free.
The attitude of the Rabbis
was even bad at this time. To call another person a “slave” was to call a
person the worst of names. They considered it the worst insult that you could
inflict on another.
Another thing to note is
that Christianity did not necessarily condemn or end slavery. Slaves were
integrated into the Christian community. Paul gave instructions to slaves to
serve as Christ would serve, and if you were free be free but if you were a
slave remain a slave.
Paul wrote to the
Corinthians, “Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if
you can be made free, rather use it. (2 Corinthians 7:21, NKJV)
A legal degree did not end
slavery. The fact that in the Christian community there is neither male nor
female, Greek, or barbarian, slave nor free, but in Christ all are equal,
because all believers stand in the same level as they are united with Christ.
Remember, Paul’s plea to
Philemon, “…that you might receive him
forever, no longer a slave (doulos) but more than a slave – a
beloved brother (adelphos)…” (Philemon 16)
When we trace this word
“bondservant” through the NT, we find that it is used very little of Christians
as actual slaves. Most of the references of Christians as “slaves” refer to our
relationship to Jesus Christ. Such Luke 1:38; Acts 2:18; James 1:1; Titus 1:1.
What we see in the NT is
that Christians belong to Jesus Christ as His “bondservant.” Meaning that our
total and complete being belongs to Jesus Christ.
Paul this clear in Romans
6:15-23: [Read & comment]
Paul considered himself a
purchased possession of the Lord Jesus to do the complete will and bidding of
Jesus Christ; “Paul, a bondservant of
Jesus Christ…”
Let me final comment before
we move on. You are probably familiar with the concept where a slave could
become a permanent slave of his/her master. Usually because they loved their
master. Slaves could purchase freedom, be freed, but they had to be freed
during the year of jubilee, which occurred every 50 years.
Exodus 21:5-6 made provision
where a slave could come and have an awl (icepick) pierce their ear making that
slave a permanent bondservant of their master.
Maybe that idea was the
backdrop of what prompted Paul to give himself so whole-heartedly in love and
service to his divine master.
The challenge for you and me
today is to recognize that in Christ we are bond-servants,
or slaves of Jesus Christ. We are to have no will of our own but we are to
do his will. “Not my will be done, but
thy will be done.”
Our challenge is to learn
how to die to ourselves every day and to die to sin and the flesh and the
humanistic, secular system of this world and to faithfully carry out the will
of the Father.
So, Paul characterizes
himself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ.
[Secondly, Paul
characterizes himself as an apostle. Let’s look at his designation as…]
2C He is The Sent One
“…called to be an apostle…”
Paul uses in my opinion one
the greatest words in Greek or English; klntos apostolos
The words “to be” are
supplied in the English to fill out the Greek translation, which literally
reads, “Called apostle.”
The verb Paul used is used
approximately ten (10) times in the NT. (Ro 1:1, 6,7; 1 Cur 1:1, 2, 24; Jude 1;
Rev 7:14.
klhtos comes from the family of kalew,
klhsis
When it is used in what we
call the active voice it means to invite, to call aloud, to call or name by
name, or to summon.
[For example]
In Matthew 2:15 - we see God
calling His Son out of Egypt
In Matthew 4:21 – we see
Jesus as he calls His disciples into service
In Matthew 9:13 – we Jesus
as he calls sinners to repentance
The nuance of this word
“called” is fantastic and should never missed. It is that God calls men to
Himself for His purpose. And the great about this verb, it implies according to
Kittle in his Theological Dictionary, that when God calls, it renders man
willing to obey.
It is with this phrase that
Paul establishes his authority for his ministry, and particularly the ministry
he wants to have in this church in which he has never even visited.
What Paul is establishing
for this church and for these people who don’t know him, is that being an
apostle was not his idea or by his own doing, nor by anything other human
agency.
Paul infers that he was
invited, summoned, or called by the Lord Jesus Christ. We saw that when we
looked at his conversion on the Damascus Road. (Acts 9:15; 22:14-15; 26:16-18)
apostolos
carries the
meaning or the idea of “one who is sent or commissioned. It is used of someone
who was given an official position or job on the behalf of someone else.
This word appears some 79
times in the NT. Most of the time it appears it refers to the twelve (12)
apostles and to Paul. But it can be used of any or all believers – because we
are all sent or commissioned by God into this world as witnesses or as
ambassadors of Jesus Christ. (Ro 16:7; Acts 14:14)
So, Paul states that he is a
bond-servant and he is a called apostle; someone who has been divinely
appointed by God for a mission or job.
[Paul goes to list another
designation of himself; he is also…]
3C He is The Separated One
“…separated to the gospel of
God.”
Because Paul was called and
sent by God as an apostle or as an ambassador, his whole life was set apart in
the Lord’s service.
The word that Paul used is a
severe word. It is the Greek word aforizw. It is used 10 times in nine
NT passages. It means to separate or to sever; to cut out. It means to mark out
or cut out a boundary. It actually comes from the root word orizw from which we get horizon.
The horizon is the boundary that is cut off or marked off by an imaginary line
in the sky between the earth and the sky.
aforizw means to limit, to set
apart, to mark off, to make a boundary, and or to mark off from others. Paul
was separated, or marked off, or cut off by God from all of mankind for his
office as an apostle. For those of you who might be interested this verb is a
participle which speaks of a past completed action that continues to have
present results.
Somewhere in eternity past
God marked out, cut out Paul for this job and upon that determination by God in
the past, it not only took place what had continuing results.
If you would permit me, let
me digress for a minute. I want try to help you see the significance of this
word.
aforizw or orizw carries an important meaning
for you and me. They mean to set apart, to separate, to limit, to mark or cut
out. Throughout the Bible God has marked out or cut out his chosen people from
among people in general. God has separated his people from the world:
[For example…]
He separates the redeemed
from the unredeemed
He separates the wicked from
the righteous
In Leviticus 20:26 - Israel
is marked out from the rest of the nations
In Exodus 13:12 – The first
Born is marked out and belongs to God
In Numbers 8:11-14 –
Israel’s crops were marked out for God
What is God teaching by this
practice of marking or cutting out people and things? What is the lesson?
The lesson is simple – there
is to be a separation or a distinction for God’s people. There is to be no
intermingling with the unrighteous people of this world.
2 Corinthians 6:17 says, “Therefore, come out from among them and be
separate says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” (2
Corinthians 6:17, NKJV)
When God calls and draws us
unto Himself, that calling includes an automatic responsibility of separating
ourselves from the unsaved or the unrighteous.
Paul was separated to the
gospel of God.
The gospel of God – the good
news of God.
Glad tidings. This word is
used some 60 times in Romans. It is the good news that God will deliver us from
our selfish sin, free us from the burden of sin, and will give meaning to our
life and provide an abundant life for us.
Those in Rome would have
understood this word well. It was a common word in the Roman period. It was used
especially in the cultic worship of the Emperors.
Most of the emperors
declared themselves as “gods” and demanded worship from everyone in the Roman
Empire. When favorable or good things happened to the Emperor they would be
proclaimed by what we would call town heralds or town criers. They would shout
the good news that a child had been born or that a son had come of age or that
the Emperors health had improved. The news was called “good news.” The same
word for the gospel, the gospel is the good news of God proclaimed to sinners.
So, Paul says that he has
been commissioned and set apart to proclaim the good news, not good news of an
Emperor, but look at what he says, “…to
the gospel of God.” You have to stop and wonder what would make God
condescend in order to provide good news for you and me, especially in a world
that scorns, rejects and hates God.
Well, at this point Paul
moves from a discussion of himself to his message. He established his
credentials as a messenger, a messenger of God who had appointed him. He now
directs the attention of the Roman Christians to his message. He does this with
three different means: with a general
mention of his message, then with a scriptural anticipation of his message, and
finally with the mention of a special theme.
4C He is The Scripted One (2-4)
Paul calls his readers
attention to the Old Covenant, or what we call the OT.
“…which he promised before
through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures…?”
1D Scripted through the
Scriptures (2)
Paul wanted his readers to
know immediately that the good news he was writing about was not new, that he
did not make it up. He wanted to establish the fact that the message, the good
news is related to the past, that it is connected with continuity something
that they had previously had had confidence in. What was that? The OT. This
good news is not an afterthought by Christ or came from Paul.
Maybe it was for the sake of
his Jewish readers that he emphasizes that this gospel did not originate with
him. Remember Paul was frequently accused of teaching against Moses and the
Mosaic Law. So Paul wanted to make it very clear that this gospel, this good
news was the same good news found in the OT, “which he promised before through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.”
The promise of the coming
Messiah and of his wonderful redemption is found throughout the OT, the old
covenant which his readers would have been familiar with.
By the way, here is a
free-be, you can see Paul’s attitude and opinion or his views of the OT. You can
see his thoughts in a three-fold description he gives:
·
He calls them holy writings (Scriptures)
·
He states that they came from God
·
He states these holy scriptures from God came through God’s prophets
Why would this be important?
It shows that Paul believed
the OT had a binding authority on him, his message, and his recipients. The key
thought is that this good news is not new.
A man named Denney made this
statement, “The gospel is not in
principle a new thing, a subversion of the true religion as it hitherto been
known to the people of God. On the contrary, God promised it before through His
holy prophets in the Holy Scriptures. The gospel of good news is the fulfillment
of hopes which God himself inspired. (Denney)
Paul is cutting away any and
all objections to his message from the Jews who often accused him of
introducing something new or something that opposed the Mosaic economy.
Paul’s use of the prophets
refers to the OT writers – the spokespersons for God.
Most of the Jews of Paul’s
day were used to looking to rabbinical teachers and teaching for their
religious instruction. The OT was really looked at as a relic rather than as a
source of truth. Even Jesus had to remind his disciples about the truth of
Scripture when he said:
“…O foolish ones, and slow
of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25, NKJV)
It has been said that there
are some 332 prophecies about Christ in the OT. Most of them were fulfilled at
this first coming. Don’t forget that even Jesus said that he did not come to
break, contradict the scripture but to fulfill them:
“Do not think that I came to
destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For
assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle
will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:17-18, NKJV)
Some of those prophecies are
Gen 3:15; 12:3; 49:10; Deut 18:15; Ps 2:2, 45:2, 68:18, 69:12, 110:1, 118:22,
132:11, Isa 2:4, 7:14, 9:2, 7, Isa 11:10, 25:8, 28:16, 42:1; 49:6, Jer
31:31-34, Eze25-27
2D Scripted through the Savior
(3)
“…concerning his son Jesus
Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh…” (Romans 1:3, NKJV)
Paul is now going to use his
message to emphasize the divine son ship of Christ. Right here we have a
mystery – Jesus Himself is God, but he is also the Son of God.
The gospel concerns God’s
Son. The entire sum of the gospel is contained or framed in the knowledge of
Jesus Christ, by being known by Him and by knowing Him. We are all well aware
that there is no other person or name anywhere under heaven by which men can be
saved. To depart from the Son of God by faith alone and grace alone is to
depart from Salvation.
Paul’s Message includes two
designations – our Lord and born of the seed of David.
The word Lord is the Greek
word kurios. It
comes from a root which means “supreme,” or “master”, even “sir.” It means to
“whom a thing or person belongs to, someone who has the power to decide, the
possessor or disposer of a thing, one who has absolute control, such as a
master, a sovereign, a prince, and a chief.”
Paul emphasizes to the
Romans that Jesus Christ as the Son of God is Lord, or Supreme over everything.
Paul also emphasis that
Jesus was born of the seed of David by human birth.
Son of God refers to the
deity of Jesus, that He is God
Born of the Seed of David
refers to the humanity of Jesus
John 1:14 reminds us that, “…the
word became flesh…”
God, through the incarnation
entered a new state or condition by assuming a human body and putting himself
under human limitations.
God displayed unparalleled
wisdom that is beyond our comprehension in displaying His son both as a human and
as divine.
Paul continues without a
break or even a breath and moves right into verse 4.
3D Scripted through the Spirit
(4)
“…and declared to be the Son
of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from
the dead.”
We have actually seen this
word “declared” before. It is the word orizw. In addition to be used to
mean “to cut out, to mark out, to separate,” it also is used in the NT to
signify “to determine, to appoint, to ordain.”
Taken properly in its
meaning it means to limit, just like boundary lines are used to set a field to
regulate measurements. Jesus was made or became the Son of God at his
incarnation but he was declared, defined, or demonstrated to be the Son of God
by his resurrection.
Paul is not saying that Jesus
became the son of God by or after his resurrection. That would contradict
scripture.
Colossians tells us that “He
is the image of the invisible god, the firstborn over all creation.”
(Col 1:15, NKJV)
The word horizo, to mark out
or set a boundary signifies that in the view before men, before the world,
before humanity Christ was determined to be the Son of God. In other words, he
is demonstrated to be what He already is! He was openly appointed and his
resurrection manifested or demonstrated what he was. And Paul says ii was with
great power.
Power, a might work, great
strength, miraculous power or energy. It was in this sphere of power that this
declaration or marking out was made known.
It was “…according to the Spirit of
Holiness, by the resurrection of the dead.”
Is this Spirit of Holiness
the HS or something else? Calvin and a few others took it to mean the HS. But
not sure that is the correct interpretation.
First – there seems to be a
little antithesis or play going on in the phrase:
According to the flesh –
according to spirit
According to the flesh Jesus
is the Son of David according to the spirit or the divine nature He is of God
or God; flesh is human nature- spirit is his divine nature
The resurrection defined
Jesus as the person being spoken of by the prophets as the Son of God. Had he
remained dead he would have been proved to be a fraud and not the son of God.
By his resurrection God
proclaimed to the entire universe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of David
and was His Son. The resurrection did not constituted him as son, it only
evidenced it.
When Jesus had declared
himself to be the Son of God and the Jews charged him with blasphemy and said
that he was a demonic deceiver
By the resurrection we see
the clear manifestation of his character and it was vindicated publicly and the
controversy was settled forever of who he really was. In raising Jesus from the
dead, God settled the contest for ever. God declared him to be His son,
accepted his death as satisfaction and justified his claim.
So, by his incarnation Jesus
received his human nature, the very fullness of his spirit, but he received it
covered with a veil, his flesh. By His death he satisfied the penalty for sin,
by his resurrection he entered into the full exercise of this right and was
marked out or defined, or declared to be the Son of God.
Well that wraps up Paul’s
credentials. We have examined his childhood, his conversion, and now his
credentials. Next week we will wrap up the Man and His Message by looking at Paul’s
commission.
Our theme has
been: the
apostle Paul; the man God chose
Our
theme is a good reminder for us all that we need to understand the various
ingredients that God used to make this man such a unique player in the eternal
plans of God
Proposition: God
uses various ingredients to make a believer useful to His plans
[Let’s wrap this up shall
we?]
CONCLUSION
Henry Augustus Rowland, professor of physics at Johns Hopkins
University, was once called as an expert witness at a trial. During cross-examination
a lawyer demanded, "What are your qualifications, or credentials as an
expert witness in this case?"
The normally modest and retiring professor replied quietly,
"I am the greatest living expert on the subject under discussion."
Later a friend well acquainted with Rowland's disposition
expressed surprise at the professor's uncharacteristic answer. Rowland
answered, "Well, what did you expect me to do? I was under oath."
I
think you see the point – this little story is opposite of what Paul said about
Himself. Paul, merely stated humbly that he was a slave, was commissioned by
God to be an apostle, and was set apart for the gospel ministry.
[Exhortation…]
And So, I
exhort you as genuine believers to adopt the credentials of the
apostle Paul in order to be a useful vessel in the extension of the church of
Jesus Christ.
Remember
Mary said in Luke 1:38…
“…Behold the maidservant of
the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word….”
(Luke 1:38, ESV)
You
can see Mary’s credentials, she was a willing servant, she was one sent by God
for a mission, and she was separated to God and from the unbelieving religious
crowd.
Let’s
pray! J
Benediction Blessing:
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you all. Amen. (Philippians 4:23, NKJV)
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