SERMON: GM15-048
SERIES: Renewal Through Romans: The Gospel Defined, Explained
& Applied
SETTING: North Kelso Baptist Church
SERVICE: Sunday AM (March 1, 2015)
SECTION: The
Prologue to Righteousness (Romans 1:1-17)
SUBTITLE: The
Introduction & Overview of Romans (Part 8)
SCRIPTURE: Romans1:7
SUBJECT: the recipients of Paul’s letter
SUMMARY: The Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the HS
addressed his letter to
Christians at Rome communicating with a firmly established collection
of believers in that city.
SCHEME: that Christian grasp the identity of the recipients of this letter written
by the apostle Paul
_____________________________________________________________
Our theme is: Paul writes to the Church @ Rome
This is a good reminder for us all to examine the identity
of the people to whom he wrote this letter in order to gain a deeper
appreciation for this remarkable piece of Christian literature.
Proposition: The Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the
HS addressed his letter to Christians at Rome communicating with a firmly
established collection of believers in that city.
Interrogatory
Sentence: What do we know about
the people of the church at Rome?
Transitional
Sentence: Our topic this morning supplies at least five (5) elements
that identify the people to whom Paul wrote this epic letter - The fiver (5)
elements are:
1. The Condition of the
City
2. The Conversion of
the Congregants
3. The Construction
of the Church
4. The Calling of the
Christ
5. The Chemistry of the Church
The
Introduction & Overview
Romans 1:7
(Part 8)
INTRODUCTION
When
Paul wrote his letter to the Christians at Rome towards the end of his third
missionary journey, he was communicating with what appears to be a firmly
established collection of believers in that city.
God
had prepared a way for a body of believers to be established in the capital
city of the Roman Empire. Although we know very little of this church it’s establishment
and ministry was of great importance to Christianity. This church had a major
impact on the growth and development of the Christian faith.
Using
verse seven and some historical data we are going to take a close look at the
church at Rome. We will examine this church through five (5) different aspects:
1. The Condition of the City
2. The Conversion of the Congregants
3. The Character of the Congregation
4. The Calling of the Christ
5. The Chemistry of the Church
Our theme this
morning is: Paul writes to the Church @ Rome
This
is a good reminder for us all to examine the identity of the people to whom he
wrote this letter in order to gain a deeper appreciation for this remarkable
piece of Christian literature.
Proposition: The
Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the HS addressed his letter to Christians
at Rome communicating with a firmly established collection of believers in that
city.
Interrogatory Sentence: What do we know about the
church at Rome?
Transitional Sentence: Our
verse before us reveals at least four (4) aspects about this church at Rome.
[So, let’s move to the first
aspect that is revealed, and that is…]
5A The
Audience
1B The Condition of the City
Paul begins verse seven
with, “To all who are in Rome…”
Rome. Rome was the capital
of the 4th World Empire depicted by the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s
dream in Daniel chapter 2.
Remember:
Babylonian Empire – Head of
Gold
Medo-Persian Empire – Chest
& arms of silver
Grecian Empire – belly &
thighs of bronze
Roman Empire – legs of clay
& iron
Rome was the capital and
most important city of the Roman Empire. It was founded in 753 B.C., but is not
mentioned in Scripture until NT times. Rome is located along the banks of the
Tiber River, about 15 miles from the Mediterranean Sea until an artificial harbor
was built at nearby Ostia. Rome’s main harbor was Puteoli, some 150 miles away.
In Paul’s day, the city had
a population of over one million people, many of whom were slaves. Rome boasted
magnificent buildings, such as the Emperor’s palace, the Circus Maximus, and
the Forum, but its beauty was marred by the slums in which so many lived.
The city at that time
must be imagined as a large and irregular mass of buildings unprotected by an
outer wall. It had long outgrown the old Servian wall; but the limits of the
suburbs cannot be exactly defined.
Neither the nature of the
buildings nor the configuration of the ground was such as to give a striking
appearance to the city viewed from without. "Ancient Rome had neither
cupola nor camyanile," and the hills, never lofty or imposing, would
present, when covered with the buildings and streets of a huge city, a confused
appearance like the hills of modern London, to which they have sometimes been
compared.
The boast of Augustus is
well known, "that he found the city
of brick, and left it of marble." Some parts of the city, especially
the Forum and Campus Martius, must have presented a magnificent appearance. Many
of the principal buildings which attract the attention of modern travelers in
ancient Rome were not yet built.
The streets were
generally narrow and winding, flanked by densely crowded lodging-houses
(insulae) of enormous height. Augustus found it necessary to limit their height
to 70 feet.
St, Paul's first visit to Rome took place
before the Neronian burning of the city but even after the restoration of the
city which followed upon that event, many of the old evils continued. The
population of the city has been variously estimated. Probably Gibbon's estimate
of 1,200,000 is nearest to the truth.
One half of the population
consisted, in all probability, of slaves. The larger part of the remainder
consisted of pauper citizens supported in idleness by the miserable system of
public gratuities.
There appears to have
been no middle class, and no free industrial population. Side by side with the
wretched classes just mentioned was the comparatively small body of the wealthy
nobility, of whose luxury and profligacy we learn so much from the heathen
writers of the time.
Paul was very aware of
the strategic importance of Rome in regards to the spread of the gospel. God
used Rome for at least four major reasons to spread the gospel:
·
Rome built most of the roads that the missionaries traveled
on
·
Rome allowed religious freedom
o
When Rome conquered other countries they added those
deities to their own collection
o
One could worship any god or goddess as long as you
also worshipped Roman gods
·
Rome permited free travel of its citizens, and free
residents – allowed missionaries to travel
·
Rome was a trade center for hordes of people who would
come, engage in trade or recreation and then take the gospel back to their own
countries
Paul knew when he wrote this letter that the HS could utiize
the advantages of this metropolitan community which would aid him in furthering
the gospel around the world.
And so it was to a church
in this city that Paul wrote this magnificent letter.
[Now let’s move to the
second aspect revealed about this church at Rome and that is…]
2B The Conversion
of the Church
How did the members of the Roman church become
believers?
How did this church ever
come into being? How was there ever a church there?
First – we have to take
note of the fact that this church was not founded by the Apostle Paul.
We have already
established the fact that Paul had never been to the city of Rome or to this
church prior to writing this letter to them. He on more than one occasion had
hoped to visit this church but up until this time he had never been there.
He makes this truth clear
in the opening paragraph when he wrote:
“For God is my witness… I
make mention of you in my prayers…if by some means I may find a way in the will
of God to come to you. Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren that I
often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have
some fruit among you also, just as among other gentiles.” (Romans 1:13, NKJV)
This church had been
functioning and flourishing long before Paul wrote to them. Paul probably wrote
this letter around late winter, very early spring of 57 or 58AD.
So from all that we know
about Paul, it is clear that he did not plant this church.
So, the natural question,
is who did? How did this great church come to be?
First of all, and somewhat
quickly, Peter did not plant this
church either. There is no indication that Peter was in Rome until the
end of his life when he was crucified with his wife.
There is no historical
record of Peter being in Rome or planting this church. There is no biblical
record including this letter making reference to Peter planting this church.
Peter was not its first pastor nor was a pastor at this church ever.
Remember, Paul made it
clear that he never interfered with someone else’s work. If this had been
Peter’s church, Paul would not sent this letter to them. He did not build on
the work of others. He was a pioneer, planting works everywhere he went.
Secondly, there is no
record historically or biblically that
any other apostle planted this church.
So, how had these people become converted? How did they become Christians?
[These questions lead us
to our third aspect revealed in this passage and that is…
3B The
Character of the Church
The character of the
church is quite interesting. When you look at the greetings in the last chapter
you get the idea that this is a mixed church. The church in Rome had both Jews
and Gentiles as members. There were a number of converted Jews who became
Christians. Of course there was a large if not majority of believers who were
Gentiles.
Another interesting thing
to note about this church, is that a good number of its members were slaves
that had become believers.
Let’s stop here for a
moment and without trying to ride a hobby horse, let me make a distinction or
clarification of something that is really important.
There are a number of
believers and ministries who extrapolate an idea and justification for certain
ministries. Often you read in scripture about a term called “household.”
For example in Acts
16:25-34 we read of the account of the salvation of the Philippian jailer:
“So they said, ‘Sirs,
what must I do to be saved?’ So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and you will be saved, you and your household.’”
Ac 10:7 And when the
angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household
servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;
Ac 16:15 And when she
was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me
to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she
constrained us.
Ro 16:10 Salute Apelles
approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus’ household.
Ro 16:11 Salute
Herodion my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which
are in the Lord.
1Co 1:16 And I baptized
also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any
other.
Ga 6:10 As we have
therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who
are of the household of faith.
Eph 2:19 Now therefore
ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints,
and of the household of God;
Php 4:22 All the saints
salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household.
2Ti 4:19 Salute Prisca
and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.
Household includes the
primary head of the household, family members and slaves. It is not limited to
immediate family including children. We have no examples of child baptism in
the Scriptures.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
wrote: “Whenever you see a reference to
those who are of a man’s ‘household’, you can take it as meaning his slaves;
that is how they were described.” [1]
Also, a final thought
here – when you read the NT you see more talk about “churches” that about “the
church.” More than likely there were several house churches in Rome that
comprised the church in Rome. Remember when Paul greeted Aquila and Priscilla,
he said that he wanted to send greetings to the church that is ‘in their
house.’
The church in Rome did
not have a central building where they all came together on Sunday morning. The
met together in several houses.
My point is simply this;
we talk much about the ‘church’ instead of thinking instead of terms of
‘churches’ fellowships, gatherings of saints where Christ is in the midst.
4B The Calling
of the Church
“…beloved of God, called
to be saints…”
There seems to be no
doubt that the church came into existence because of Pentecost. We are told in
the second chapter of Acts in the list that is given of the various priests and
proselytes who had gone up to the feast at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost
that some of them had come from Rome.
It doesn’t take much
imagination to see that some of these people who came from Rome to Jerusalem
were converted when they heard Peter preach. Some of that crowd of over 3,000
people were saved and then traveled back to Rome. There on their home turf they
shared the gospel and fellow Romans were converted.
Also don’t forget, Rome
was the seat of the Imperial Government. Rome was the metropolis of the Roman
Empire. People were constantly coming and going to Rome from all parts of the
known world. Soldiers, merchants, prisoners, ambassadors, officials, pilgrims,
vagabonds, and untold others traveled to Rome regularly.
For example: Aquila and
Priscilla weren’t born in Rome. They traveled there. Probably for business.
Don’t forget they were tent-makers similar to the apostle Paul.
So some Christians
traveled there as well. These Christians would share the gospel also. So a
number of people were converted by the simple sharing of the gospel and a
church was formed.
Let’s look at these two
phrases; first
“…beloved of God…” (7a)
Or loved by God. God
loves these Roman believers and has loved them from eternity past.
Paul is implying here
that these believers in this church are God’s chosen people. These two phrases
actually are OT designations of Israel. Paul transfers these designations to
these Christians reminds his readers that they are dependent and exist because
of the love of God for them.
Second, “…called
to be saints…” (7b)
Paul is telling these
Roman believers what, by God’s grace, they are. He is stating that something
has happened to them. They have been effectively called.
William Hendriksen
writes, “By this inner or effective call
is meant that the operation of the HS whereby he so applies the gospel to the
minds and hearts of sinners that they become aware of their guilt, begin to
understand their need of Jesus Christ, and embrace him as their Lord and
Savior.” [2]
Hendriksen
is saying that this how these believers, or these people had become saints. God
summoned them, He named them, and He effectually called them. God took these
men and women who were dead in trespasses and sin, formerly God-haters, men and
women who hated the light and loved darkness, and through the work of the HS
rendered them willing and able to turn from their sin and to turn to God in
repentance and faith.
There
are some tremendous truths here that should just squeeze your gizzard until you
are ready to shout and dance before the Lord!
God
displays his love toward the sinners whom he calls. The first outward effect of
our unconditional election, and his love for us is his calling them. Mind you
the bible tells us that this effectual calling is for a few, not the many. It
is limited to a few.
Matthew
22:14 – “For many are called, but few are chosen.” This
call is a general announcement for all men to repent. It is like someone
standing on the corner of a street with a megaphone and shouting to all who
pass by, “repent.” (Matthew 22:14, NKJV)
Only
those whom God has chosen and effectually called respond and are saved. Look at
Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving
kindness have I drawn thee.” (Jeremiah 31:3)
This
verse is written to Israel, but God makes it clear in John 6 that God calls the
saint unto himself and no one can come to God unless God calls him.
The
unconditional election of believers is traced through their calling. Take
careful heed to 2 Peter 1:10:
“Therefore,
brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you
do these things you will never stumble.” (2 Peter 1:10, NKJV)
The
word “saint” means those who are holy, those who are devoted or consecrated to
God. The radical idea of the work is, “that which is separated from a common to
a sacred use.
This
word is applied to anything that is set apart to the service of God, to the
temple, to sacrifices, to the utensils in the temple and even to the clothing
of the priests. It was applied to the Jews as a people separated from other
nations and devoted to God alone.
It
is also applied to Christians as people devoted to or set part to God.
According
to Albert Barnes, “The radical idea,
then, as applied to Christians, is that they are separated from other men, and
other objects and pursuits, and consecrated to the service of God.” [3]
This
devotion to God, this consecration as holy people is a result of our union with
Jesus Christ, who is the source of our sanctification. This is the result of a
real change of heart, whereby we are made new creatures.
So
Christians are not saints by their natural birth, nor are they made saints by
any work or effort. They are made saints by the grace that results from the
sovereign love of God which he bestows only upon his elect.
All
believers are saints. In a final sense all believers are sanctified the same
and are equal. Believers are fully saints, there are no partial saints in God’s
family. However, it is no secret that all believers are not equal in maturity
or spiritual growth.
As
you know there are babes in Christ, growing believers, and there are those
battle worn, time tested, mature saints.
And
so Paul writes to a church in the city of Rome. Rome is a corrupt city of great
importance as a cultural, financial, and religious center. These believers
probably were evangelized by those who attended the feast of Pentecost and
heard Peter preach.
They
were effectually called by God to salvation and were made saints by God’s
specific act of salvation.
Now,
we will examine the fifth aspect of this church, and that is…
5B The Chemistry of the Church (7c)
Paul
now returns to the standard practice of his day in writing letters, he gives in
his greeting ‘well-wishes’ for his readers. He writes…
“Grace to you
and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
This
form of his greeting is found in most of his letters.
But
have you ever stopped to think how wonderful and unique these two nouns really
are? Grace and peace. They are an interesting combination, one from the Greek
mindset, grace, and one from the Hebrew mindset, peace.
The
Greek word caris - is really ‘Joy to you!’ It was expressed as ‘Rejoice. “The Hebrew
shalom – is peace! Paul joins these greetings and transforms them into a
Christian greeting for believers.
When
believers met they often exclaimed to one another, ‘Rejoice and peace to you or
be on you.’ Rejoice and peace. What are they? What do they mean? What do they
mean to us?
Grace
is God’s spontaneous, unmerited favor in action. It his freely bestowed loving-kindness
in action. It is God’s favor that leads to the joy in our heart. This word is
used in the NT to express the happiness or joy that Christians have in the
experience of the highest level of God’s goodness to us.
Grace
brings peace. Peace with God, which by the way leads to peace of God. This
peace is the reconciliation with God and a condition, the inner conviction that
all is well with us and God. Peace with God is the great blessing that Christ
grants to his believers by his atoning sacrifice on the cross at Cavalry. There
is no more war or enmity between God and the sinner.
Contrary
to poor theology, God does not love everybody nor does he have warm fuzzy
thoughts about sinners. God does not love the sinner and hate the sin.
The
bible tells us that God is angry every day at the unrighteous. The bible tells
us that God hates the sinner. God hated Esau. The bible tells us that before
Christ we were at war, at odds, at enmity with God.
It
is wrong to tell the sinner that God loves them, first of since we don’t know
who the elect are we don’t know if he does or doesn’t, second, it gives them a
wrong idea about their immediate condition.
We
need to tell them that they have been judged by God, they are under his
condemnation, he is angry with them, and they are facing eternal punishment.
But the good news is that Gods has provided a means by which you can be reconciled
to God.
Fortunately
God love those whom He elected to salvation and that love prompted him to
provide Jesus Christ for them and them alone. Because of this love for his
elect he called them and saved them, bestowing on them unmerited favor and granting
peace, ending the hostility, warfare, and anger that God has toward unrighteous
people, which we were prior to being made a believer by God.
This
grace (joy) and this peace have their origins in Jesus Christ and in God. God
is at peace with us as much as Jesus Christ is at peace with believers. Jesus
is not in heaven trying to get God to love us or be good to us. God through
Christ grants to us both joy and peace. By the way, Mary is not in heaven
pleading with Jesus to go before God in order to get God to be nice to us
either.
There
are four important lessons that we learn from this portion of Paul’s greeting
to these believers:
First
– Paul regarded God as the source of grace and peace – we don’t have to worry
if God loves us, accepts us, or wants us
Second
– these things are both items that belong to the believer at the same time, we
don’t have one or the other nor do we need to worry about obtain one or the
other
Third
– Paul believed that Jesus was Divine, or of the same essence of God and he without
apology or explanation made this point to the believers he was writing to.
Fourth
–the only people who receive the marvelous blessings of grace and peace are
those who are the beloved, the called, and the holy one of God. Only they can truly call God their Father,
because only they have been adopted into the family of God through His Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ.
And
so, we rejoice in the words written by R. Kent Hughes:
We are loved
of God,
We are saints,
We are objects
of his grace and unending favor,
His peace is
ours
Forever. [4]
Our theme this
morning has been: Paul writes to the Church @ Rome
This
is a good reminder for us all to examine the identity of the people to whom he
wrote this letter in order to gain a deeper appreciation for this remarkable
piece of Christian literature.
Proposition: The
Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the HS addressed his letter to Christians
at Rome communicating with a firmly established collection of believers in that
city.
[Well,
let’s wrap this up, shall we?]
CONCLUSION
Well, these first seven
verses are just one sentence in the Greek text. These seven verses, or this one
sentence is an important portrait of the Apostle Paul. His subject is simply a
greeting to the church in Rome. The information that he supplies is of the
utmost importance and blessing to the believer.
Let’s end this first
division of this first section of this letter with a quote from Dr. J. Agar Beet:
“Paul’s opening sentence is
a crystal arch spanning the gulf between the Jew of Tarsus and the Christians
at Rome. Paul begins by giving his name; he rises to the dignity of his office,
and then to the Gospel he proclaims. From the gospel he ascends to its great
subject Matter, to him Who is the Son of David and Son of God. From this summit
of his arch he passes on to this apostleship again, and to the nations for who
good he received it. Among these nations he finds the Christians at Rome. He
began to build by laying down his own claims; he finishes by acknowledging
theirs. The gulf is spanned. Across the waters of national separation Paul has
flung an arch whose firmly knit segments are living truths, and who Keystone is
the Incarnate Son of God. Over this arch he hastens with words of greeting from
his father and their Father, from his Lord and their Lord. [5]
[Exhortation…]
And So, I
exhort you as genuine believers grasp, digest, and cherish the
importance of this letter.
Remember
the Apostle Paul said in Romans 12:2…
“And do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
you may prove what is that good and acceptable perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2, NKJV)
Let’s
pray! J
Benediction Blessing:
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you all. Amen. (Philippians 4:23, NKJV)
[1] D.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Exposition of Chapter
1 The Gospel of God, (Carlisle: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2012), p. 19
[2] William
Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary
Romans, (Grand Rapids: Baker House, 1993), p.47
[3] Albert
Barnes, Barnes on the NT, (Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979), p. 27
[4] R. Kent
Hughes, Romans: Righteousness from
Heaven, (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1991), p.21
[5] J. Agar
Beet, A Commentary on St Paul’s Epistle
to the Romans, 10th ed. (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1902),
p. 38
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