Let me ask you a question: “What is the most important letter you have ever received?” If you’re a veteran of the Vietnam war then this question might bring up a bad memory because the letter that stands out most in your memory was your DRAFT NOTICE. In that same negative light—some of you might say the most important—the most life-changing letter you ever received was a letter telling you that you were about to be AUDITED by the IRS. But think back for a moment—and don’t just think negatively—“What was the most important letter you ever received?” Was it a piece of paper telling you that you had been accepted to the COLLEGE of your choice? Was it from a lawyer notifying you that you had INHERITED a small fortune from a distant relative? Was it a letter containing a life-changing JOB OFFER? Anyone receive a WEDDING PROPOSAL in the mail? “What is the most important letter you have ever received?”
You know…even in this day of e-mail—and perhaps ESPECIALLY in this day of e-mail, letters written on actual paper—delivered by the U.S. Postal service at an ever-increasing cost—SNAIL MAIL letters can be powerful, life-changing, very IMPORTANT things! And, I bring this up because today we are beginning a study of what I consider to be the greatest letter ever written. I’m referring to a letter God used Paul to write to the church in Rome in the spring of 57A.D.
In fact, I would go so far as say we can’t overestimate the influence of this particular letter. For the past two millennia God has used it to make a profound impact on this lost world. Countless lives have been changed by reading this letter. Here’s some examples.
In the 4th century a distinguished philosopher and teacher named Augustine was under conviction concerning the truthfulness of Christianity. Now…Augustine was a brilliant man. Historians also tell us he was physically attractive; but like many of the intellectuals of his day Augustine was living an immoral life—and this focus on living for earthly pleasures…well, it held him in a vise-like grip. He writes about this in the eighth book of his Confessions, where he says that—although he was convinced of the truthfulness of Christianity—he knew he needed Jesus and he knew he needed to change his lifestyle—but he kept putting all that off. One day, while in the garden of a friend’s estate near Milan, Augustine heard a child singing the words “…tole lege, tole lege…” which means, “take and read.” He had never heard a song with words like that before so he believed it was a message from God. Obeying the message in the song’s lyrics, he rushed to where a copy of the Bible was lying open and began to read the words that first met his astonished gaze, which just happened to be Romans 13:13-14 where it says, “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
Well, that is exactly what this 4th century playboy needed to hear. St. Augustine—as he was later called—St. Augustine said that these words from Paul’s letter were the words that led him to put his faith in Jesus. He said, “Instantly, as the sentence ended, by a light…infused into my heart…all the gloom of doubt was vanished away.” Augustine went on to become the greatest figure in the early Christian church between Paul and Martin Luther.
And, speaking of Luther, Romans affected him powerfully as well. His life-style was the opposite of Augustine’s. I mean, Luther wasn’t a playboy—he was a very pious monk—but like Augustine he was also a man without peace. You see, more than anything Luther wanted to please God and to be accepted by Him, but the harder he worked at it, the more elusive the assurance of his salvation seemed to be. And as a result, instead of coming to love God, Luther found himself hating God for requiring an apparently impossible standard of righteousness. Well, in desperation Luther turned to the study of Paul’s letter to the Romans and in verse 17 of chapter 1 he found these words, “For 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.’” As God opened the meaning of this verse to him, Luther realized that the righteousness he needed was not his own righteousness but the righteousness provided by our loving God, a forgiveness and righteousness that would be freely given to all who would receive it. Furthermore, this was to be received, not through any of Luther’s pious works but by simple faith. Luther describes this chapter of his life and writes, “I had no love for that holy and just God Who punishes sinners. I was filled with secret anger against Him. I hated Him, because not content with frightening by the law and the miseries of life, us wretched sinners, already ruined by original sin, He still further increased our tortures by the gospel…but when by the Spirit of God, I understood the words when I learned how the justification of the sinner proceeds from the free mercy of our Lord through faith…then I felt born again like a new man. In very truth, this language of Saint Paul was to me the true gate of Paradise.” Luther came to love this letter to the Romans and referred to it as, “…the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest Gospel.” He also said, “…every Christian should know it word for word, by heart and occupy himself with it every day as the daily bread for his soul.” So this letter led to the protestant reformation! Talk about the power of the pen!
Several centuries later an ordained minister of the church of England by the name of JOHN WESLEY was also confused about the true meaning of the gospel and he too was searching for a genuine experience of salvation. Here is what he wrote in his journal on Mary 24, 1738, “I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street where one was reading Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for my salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” Wesley’s reading of Romans led to the great awakening in England.
The 17th century Puritan preacher, John Bunyan spent 12 years in jail in Bedford, England and his only “crime” was seeking to worship God according to his own conscience. While studying Paul’s letter to the Romans in his jail cell, Bunyan was inspired to write an allegorical novel entitled, The Pilgrim’s Progress. If you’ve read it then you know it creatively, powerfully illustrates how Christians should relate to God and the world around them. Today, 500 years later, it is still a widely read classic.
So I think we can easily see the world-wide impact of this letter. The great Swiss commentator, F. Godet acknowledged this and wrote, “In all probability every great spiritual revival in the church will be connected as effect and cause with a deeper understanding of this book.” Richard Halbertson went so far as to say, “In a very basic sense, western civilization is a by-product of Paul’s letter to the Romans because nothing was written by man that had a greater impact on modern history.” The poet Samuel Taylor Colleridge said, “Romans is the most profound writing in existence of all time.” John Calvin said, “If a man understands the book of Romans, he has a sure road open to help him understand the entire Bible.”
Now—I must admit—after reading of quotes like these and studying about all the powerful effects of this letter….well I’m a bit nervous and more than a little intimidated. As we begin this series I feel as if I’m standing at the base of Mt. Everest, feeling overwhelmed by it’s grandeur while at the same time strangely attracted to the climb that lays ahead. I mean, in spite of my fear I’m drawn to study and preach through this book—and with God’s gracious help—that’s what I’m going to do. I must warn you—Paul’s letter to the Romans is a LONG letter. And this is unique because back then most letters weren’t long mainly because paper was expensive and hard to get. The average letter in the Roman Empire during this time was probably about 150 words. Cicero wrote a letter that had 4,500 words in it and everyone complained that it was enormous. It’s a good thing Michener wasn’t around back then to write his lengthy novels! Well, Paul used—not 4,500 but 7,100 words in this letter, which shows that he obviously had a lot to say—and because he did, this will be a long sermon series—perhaps my longest—but I promise, if you stick with me until the end—and MOST of you SHOULD still be living by then—if you hang in there with me…well, then I believe like Augustine and Luther and the others….you’ll experience the power of this letter in your own life. If you can get the basics of this book under your belt I believe you won’t ever be the same…not because of the PREACHER…but because of the content. Romans is so rich and deep that even if I do my typical mediocre job—you’ll be changed—as I expect to be.
If you doubt that a letter written 2000 years ago can have that kind of life-changing impact on your life today, then think again—because as John MacArthur puts it, “Romans speaks to us today just as powerfully as it spoke to men in the 1st century. It speaks MORALLY, about adultery, fornication, homosexuality, hating, murder, lying, and civil disobedience. It speaks INTELLECTUALLY, telling us that the natural man is confused because he has a reprobate mind. It speaks SOCIALLY, telling us how we are to relate to one another. It speaks PSYCHOLOGICALLY, telling us where true freedom comes to deliver men from the burden of guilt. It speaks NATIONALLY, telling us our responsibility to human government. It speaks INTERNATIONALLY, telling us the ultimate destiny of the earth and especially the future of Israel. It speaks THEOLOGICALLY, teaching us the relationship between the flesh and the spirit, between law and grace, between works and faith. But most of all it profoundly brings God Himself to us.” And I would agree. This letter helps us to see exactly what God did when He provided THE way for our sins to be forgiven so we could come into relationship with Him. It shows that in Jesus God came to us. The first seventeen verses will be our text this morning because they serve as the introduction to Paul’s letter. Take your Bibles and turn to chapter 1 and follow along now as I read.
1 – Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—
2 – the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures
3 – regarding His Son, Who as to His human nature was a descendant of David,
4 – and Who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
5 – Through Him and for His name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
6 – And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7 – To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 – First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
9 – God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you
10 – in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11 – I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—
12 – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
13 – I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14 – I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
15 – That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.
16 – I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.17 – For 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.”
Okay—let’s get to it. Ready to start the “climb?” Now—if we look closely at today’s part of the “trail” we can see that in his introduction we find three main things (I’m indebted to a Bible Study on Romans taught by Bill Hybels several years ago).
(1) First—in verses 1-7 we find Paul’s biographical information.
Now—Paul has never been to Rome before—he’s probably never met most of the people that make up this church—so he begins his letter with a brief bio—kind of like that first part of your FACE BOOK page—I think its called your “profile.” But it’s the part where you answer certain questions that give your “readers” the basic facts about yourself. Well, that’s what Paul does with these first seven verses.
a. And he starts with his NAME.
I mean, the very first word you read in this letter is a proper name, PAUL. Now—that may seem like an odd way to BEGIN a letter to us—but it wasn’t in the 1st century because back then they flipped things around opposite to the way we write letters. They BEGAN with the signature much like we do when we send a MEMO—so the first word—not the last—the first word in this letter tells them who is writing. In essence he begins his letter by saying to the people in this church in Rome, “The first thing you need to know about me is my name. It’s ‘PAUL.’” I think whenever he used his name…whenever he said, “My name is PAUL…” Well, I think every time he did this PAUL did so with a sort of inner “wow”…a sigh of thanks—humbly thankful for the amazing transforming grace of God in his life. I say this because of course his name wasn’t always PAUL…so whenever he introduced himself he would have had an instantaneous flashback to his conversion and the days when he was called, “SAUL.” I think when he introduced himself he’d shake his head and think…I used to be SAUL the persecutor—Saul, the arrogant—Saul, the self-assured sinner in desperate need of a Savior. He’d remember that day of days when he was on the way to Damascus to hunt down and imprison and possibly execute Christians. But then in His great love Jesus intervened…with light so bright it knocked him off his horse saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
Whenever he introduced himself, I’m sure Paul remembered that day and also the days that followed as he repented and put his faith in Jesus and began to be experience this love of God that had transformed him into the mighty missionary he was. I mean, he couldn’t help but remember the DIFFERENCE knowing Jesus had made in his life whenever he simply said, “My name…is PAUL.”
In INDIA, whenever a Hindu becomes a Christian—it is traditional at their baptism for them to ask that their Hindu name be changed to a Christian name. For example, at the service the pastor says, “I baptize you ADHIRA but from now on you will be named…LUKE.” or “I baptize you ALKA but from now on you will be called MARY.” It’s a moving symbol of the fact that following Jesus changes us—and it does! As Paul put it in his second letter to the church at Corinth, “If any man is in Christ he is a NEW creation. The old has gone. The new has come.” (2nd Corinthians 5:17) So, Paul introduces himself using his NEW name and just saying it is a reminder of the miracle of grace God had performed in his life.
Think for a moment. How has knowing—following—Jesus…how has it changed your life? What “old” has gone? What “new” has come? What difference has the name, “Christian” made? Do you understand—do you appreciate the miracle of grace that identity really is?
b. Next Paul says, “You need to know more than my name. You need to know my STATUS.”
He says, “I have SERVANT status because I see myself as a SERVANT of Christ Jesus.” And, with six million slaves running around the Roman Empire at that time, Paul’s readers would have had no problem whatsoever relating to that description. In fact, there’s a very high probability that some of the members of that church in Rome were slaves themselves. In any case his readers would have known that every slave was the property of—and served the wishes of a master—so they would have understood that Paul was saying, “I am the legal property of and serve the wishes of my Master, Jesus Christ.” They would have known that Paul was saying, “I’m not a man-pleaser, a crowd-pleaser, a pleasure-seeker, or a ladder-climber. I’m a SERVANT—a servant of Jesus the Christ.”
Please understand—Paul knew the value of freedom. After all, he enjoyed the rare and much-prized freedom of being a free-born citizen of Rome. But he counted his highest honor as being a BONDSLAVE of JESUS. He had learned that this “indentured status” gave him the TRUEST freedom and the GREATEST joy. Of course, there are a lot of other ways Paul could have described himself. I mean, this guy was a super achiever with a long list of accomplishments. He could have mentioned his ancestral tree…because he came from a VERY important Jewish family. He could have said he was a Pharisee. He could have listed his academic degrees—because he had one of the best educations available at that time. He could have mentioned his success in founding churches…or even his popular writings—because Romans wasn’t his first letter. But he didn’t do this because for Paul, when it came to listing what was MOST important to him—the thing that described him BEST—was the fact that he was a SERVANT of Jesus.
Let me ask, fellow Christian, is this how you think of yourself? What is your status? Does your identity flow from the fact that you are an engineer or a salesman or a computer programer or a housewife…is that your MAIN identity as a person? Is that WHO you are? OR…would you say as Paul did, “First and foremost, I am a SLAVE. I am a SERVANT of Jesus Christ. I live to do His bidding. He is my Lord in every sense of the word.” If you’re confused as to how to answer, then remember, as Paul says in 1st Corinthians 6:19-20, “You are not your own. You have been bought with a price!” And the ONLY way to experience TRUE FREEDOM…is to look at every moment of your life as another opportunity to serve our Lord….striving to be His hands and feet and mouth and heart.
c. So in the opening words of his letter Paul gives his name, his status—and next he tells his Roman readers about his CALLING.
He says, “I’ve been CALLED as an APOSTLE.” In other words, Paul considered himself under orders from his Master. He had a calling. He had been given a divine task..a mission to complete.
Now the word, “apostle” literally means, “one who is called out.” And fellow Christian, that is how we should think of ourselves! We are servants of Jesus—who are under orders. Our Master has given us a task to complete a calling to fulfill.
My son graduated from Grove City College and I remember one of the things that impressed us about that school during our campus visit and tour was one of the professors who said, “I believe my calling from God is to help my students prepare for their calling.” I liked that a lot because the fact is every Christian has a CALLING from God. For some of us our calling is to preach from pulpits like this one. For others it is to serve in some government office…or real estate office…or lab. Others are called to raise children in the home…but as Christians we are ALL called to full-time ministry. We are all ORDAINED. So—let me ask—is that how you look at your job—do you see it as your CALLING? You should! This is part of what Paul meant with this word “APOSTLE.” He was on a mission from his master. He was a “called out one.”
But most scholars feel that Paul was also telling his readers that he had been chosen as one of the original apostles—Jesus’ first disciples. Paul was saying he was the 13th apostle. To be an apostle in this official sense you had to meet certain requirements:
- You had to receive your commission from Jesus personally.
- You had to have had eye witness contact with Jesus.
- You had to be the recipient of a special anointing for ministry
- And you had to be capable of performing signs and wonders…miracles.
Well, if you read the book of Acts and Paul’s other letters then you can see that Paul met each of these requirements. So Paul was right in seeing himself as being called to this position of being an official apostle. In any case he starts his letter by saying, “I didn’t aspire to this. I was CALLED to this by God Himself. And my assignment isn’t a tedious chore—rather it is a CALLING that brings me great joy.”
Well, do you look at your assigned task in life as a CHORE or a calling? Do you see your job as strategic in that God has put you there to serve Him in that particular mission field? Fellow, apostle—fellow CALLED OUT ONE! Maybe your work would be more of a joy and less of a burden if you looked at it as a calling! Maybe your WORK would be more exciting if you realized that every day in the office or classroom or laundry room—you were on a mission from God!
d. This brings us to the fourth thing Paul includes in his profile—his Passion.
Paul says, “I am SET APART for the Gospel of God.” And with this phrase Paul was saying, “I am PASSIONATE about this gospel I have been CALLED to share. I’m PUMPED to share it. Nothing else really matters to me. I have put everything else aside and am SET APART for this one task.” In other words Paul had a burning desire to obey God’s orders. And like and athlete preparing for the Olympics, he eliminated anything in his life that would keep him from this task.
When you run in a foot race you don’t do so while wearing an over coat and combat boots. No—you eliminate all the weight you can. Some guys even shave their legs and heads. I mean racers who are passionate about winning set themselves apart to win by setting apart anything that would slow them down and keep them from winning. It’s as Paul advises in Hebrews 12:1 “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Well, Paul is saying, MY PASSION in life—is to share the GOSPEL with all who haven’t heard it and one thing that fueled Paul’s passion was his realization as a Jew of Jews that the Gospel not a new idea. I mean, Paul’s excellent education paid off because once he became a Christian he looked back and saw that—as he says in verse 2, “…the Gospel was promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures.” He saw that sending Jesus as the Messiah and Redeemer was not a recent development in God’s plan to save the world. No! Jesus Christ was the plan all along!
And I must point out that no other religious leader can make that kind of claim. This is another thing that sets Jesus apart as unique among all the religious voices of the world. No other leader was predicted long before he came—and the fact that Jesus was verifies that He is Who He said He is—the Son of God—the long-awaited Messiah and Redeemer.
During the days of WWII in the French underground, they often needed agents to meet one another at various places to exchange information and to carry on the work of the underground. Of course, it had to be secretly and some of the agents had never met each other before. Well, they had a very simple means of identification so that each agent would know without a doubt that the man he met was the man he could trust….the man he was supposed to meet. All they did was to take a piece of paper and tear it in half; they gave one man half of the paper and then they mailed the other half to the other man. When they met, all they did was compare the two pieces of paper. If the papers matched, the agents were identified and there was no doubt about it. Well, think of the Old Testament’s very specific predictions of the Messiah as one half of the paper—and Jesus as the other half because He literally fits the bill in every way. Jesus was a PERFECT match for all the written prophecies. And this THRILLED Paul—because he was a student of the Scriptures. This helped fuel his PASSION to share the good news of Gospel.
We should stop and realize how GOOD the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel really is. You see, as I told you Sunday, apart from Christianity, the religions of the world are NOT good news. In fact, they are BAD news…because they are a burden. Apart from Christianity all religions are SELF-HELP or “works” religions. They say to find God you need human effort. You have to do it yourself. And this WOULD be good news if it were possible…but it’s not. God is too holy for our feeble sinful efforts to do any good. You can’t save you because you are a sinner! So, a religion based on what you or I do instead of faith in what Jesus has done is comfortless because, as Luther learned, its requirements become burdens that can never be lifted. In Romans 7:24 Paul says this is what his life was like before Christ. He says that trying to do it on his own made him a “…wretched man.” Paul knew firsthand that the Gospel was good news that men everywhere DESPERATELY needed to hear. So he was passionate about sharing it. As he puts it in verse 9,“I serve God with my whole heart in preaching the Gospel of His Son.” In fact, in his mind he was IN DEBT to the lost people of the world. He felt obligated to share Christ with anyone…anywhere…anytime! And Paul did. He shared the gospel with everyone from a runaway slave named Onesimus to a King named Agrippa. Well, Paul was ready and rarin’ to share the Gospel with Rome as well. He knew how strategic that city was. He knew how evil it had become. And he knew that the Gospel was what the people of Rome desperately needed to hear.
Okay—that’s all that Paul says about himself: his name, calling, status, and passion. And you know—I think it would be a good thing for each of us to write a pretend letter to another church in which we introduce ourselves using Paul’s outline. Try it this week. Start with your name—but then describe your STATUS. Do you see yourself as a servant of Jesus? In what way? And—tell your fictitious readers about your calling. Are you using your spiritual gifts and talents to take advantage of every opportunity to share the Gospel with the people in your realm of influence? Are you doing it with a passion? Are you streamlining your life so you can carry out your mission?
(2) In the next part of his intro–verses 8-10 we see Paul’s sentiments toward the church at Rome.
As I said, he had never been there but that was not because he didn’t want to. In fact, he had tried to go several times before but something always happened to force him to postpone the trip.
In fact, as he writes this he is in Corinth preparing to go to not to Rome but Jerusalem delivering the offering he has collected from the various churches to help the impoverished Christians there. So by way of introduction he’s sending this letter to Rome with one of the first deacons—a woman named Phoebe who served as a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. But even though he’s never seen the church in Rome—he already loves it and admires it and thanks God for it. He’s heard about their faithful actions all over the world and has prayed thanking God for them and asking that God make a way for him to come to Rome. Now—the thing I want you to note here—and in all of Paul’s writings—is how much He loved the church. In Colossians 1:24 he basically says, “I don’t mind being tortured. I don’t care about enduring the tortures of persecution if it will forward the progress of the church.” I think Paul loved Jesus so much…that he ended up loving what Jesus loves so much and Jesus loves THE CHURCH.
Remember, Jesus calls the church, “His bride.” You men, think of your wedding day as you saw your bride coming down that aisle. Do you remember the way you felt? And women, do you remember seeing your handsome groom up there waiting for you? Well, that’s how Jesus loves the church. And Paul loves it as well. Now…Paul is not naive. He knows all churches have their warts but he loves them no matter what. He marvels at the amazing things a body of believers can do TOGETHER. I think it’s possible for us to take a fairly accurate reading for our love for Jesus by measuring our love for the church. So let me ask. How much do you love God’s church? How often do you just marvel at the miracle organism that Jesus called His bride? How often do you find yourself thanking God for THIS church? Isn’t it great being a part of this TEAM of believers…doing together what we couldn’t do alone? Isn’t it?! Are you moved as I am when I see the way you guys respond to a known need whether it’s providing food for a soup kitchen or school supplies for foster children or funds to build a gym? Are you as humbled as I am when I see men and women gather in small groups on Sundays or Tuesdays or Wednesdays or Thursdays and are changed by their study of the Bible? Are you amazed at the way this church cares for the grieving by throwing together a great meal—or the way they swarm around the youth house finishing the work needed? Are you moved at the response when we ask for people to spend their own money to go on mission trips? I love this church! And Paul loved the church, including the church at Rome—even though he hadn’t yet been there.
(3) Finally, in verses 11-17 we find Paul’s dreams, intentions, hopes for that church in Rome.
Now—Paul wanted two things. He wanted to finally MEET these people. Paul wanted to fellowship with them and be encouraged by their faith, but he also wanted to repay the favor. He wanted to encourage them through his teaching. You see, unlike other 1st century churches, the church at Rome had not had a visit from one of the Apostles and Paul thought, “This is an amazing church. Their faith is known all over the world. Imagine what could happen if they had the benefit of teaching by someone who has actually met our Risen Lord!” He thought, “If I can preach the Gospel there…something amazing will happen.” And Paul is not being conceited because there is an inseparable link between the proper passionate prayer-filled preaching and teaching of the Word of God and the unleashing of God’s power in the church. You can’t have one without the other.
I hope we never forget that here at Redland—because an ESSENTIAL when it comes to church health and growth and effectiveness—is rightly dividing this Word of Truth. Growing churches—churches known for their faith—churches through which God does amazing God-sized things—are churches where the Gospel is preached and taught. And Paul was excited about the potential of that church. For years he had been dreaming about what COULD happen in the church in Rome if the Gospel was preached there…and he wanted to be a part of that.
As we wind this up, let me ask you, do YOU dream about what could happen in this church? Don’t get me wrong. As I said, this is a GREAT church. But have you ever dreamed about what could happen if we got even more serious about trusting God? I mean, we face a potentially EXCITING year here at Redland as the gym comes on line and we begin to learn how to faithfully use it as a tool to share the gospel. Amazing things will happen as, with Bobby’s help, we learn to do family ministry. New growth will come as we bring other staff members on. Are you excited about that? Well, I want to make you this promise. I will do everything in my power to be prepared and prayed up and passion-filled when I step into this pulpit—so that you leave stronger than when you came. I want to see the power of the Gospel unleashed here. I want to see us reach our fullest potential. I want to see people come to faith in Jesus. I want to see believers equipped to do things they couldn’t do on their own. I want to CONTINUE to see God do great—grace-driven things through this church. Do you?
Let us pray.