Gospel Mission
Romans 15:1-7
The GOSPEL AND adoption
rOMANS 15:1-7
Acts 17:6–7: “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also… saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
Main Idea: We are called to ordinary gospel-driven lives to the glory of God.
I. We Love Our Neighbors (15:1–2)
Romans 15:1–2: “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up”
II. We Resolve to Appear Foolish for Christ’s Sake (15:3)
Romans 15:3: “For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
1 Corinthians 1:18: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
III. We Holdfast to the Sufficiency of Scripture (15:4)
Romans 15:4: For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope
1 Peter 3:15: “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”
1 Corinthians 15:3–4:“Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”
IV. We Live in Christ Exalting Harmony (15:5-6)
Romans 15:5–6: May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
V. We Welcome One Another as Christ has Welcomed Us (15:7)
Romans 15:7: Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you
Conclusion: For the Glory of God (15:7b)
We exist to see a greater worship of Jesus through declaring and displaying the gospel.
The Gospel and Adoption
Romans 8:12-17
The GOSPEL AND adoption
rOMANS 8:12-17
What is a Christian? The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father… If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all.
~ J.I. Packer, Knowing God
Main Idea: Though we were orphans, we have been adopted into God’s family and guaranteed an inheritance with Christ.
I. Brothers & Sisters by the Spirit (8:12-13)
John 14:16-18: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
II. Sons of the Father (8:14-16)
The Spirit makes the heart of Christ real to us: not just heard, but seen; not just seen, but felt; not just felt, but enjoyed. The Spirit takes what we read in the Bible and believe on paper about Jesus’ heart and moves it from theory to reality, from doctrine to experience. It is one thing, as a child, to be told your father loves you. You believe him. You take him at his word. But it is another thing, unutterably more real, to be swept up in his embrace, to feel the warmth, to hear his beating heart within his chest, to instantly know the protective grip of his arms. It’s one thing to hear he loves you; it’s another thing to feel his love. That is the glorious work of the Spirit.
~ Dane Ortlund, Gentle & Lowly
III. Co-Heirs with the Son (8:17)
We should not try to correct Scripture. It is true that in Rome ‘sonship’ was a status of privilege and power given only to males. Yet Paul now has the boldness to apply this to us - to all believers! This shows that God does not distinguish in giving honor. All Christians, male and female, are now his heirs. It was a subversive thing for Paul to take a masculine-only institution and show that, in Christ, the institution of "empowering-through-adoption" is used on females as well as males without distinction. Christian women should not resent being called "sons" any more than Christian men should resent being called part of the bride of Christ (Revelation 21:2).
~ Tim Keller, Romans 8-16 For You
Our inheritance with Christ means:
Our Past is Redefined (Gal. 3:13-14)
Our Present is Redeemed (Heb. 2:11)
Our Future is Secure (Eph. 1:3)
The Gospel and Church Planting
Romans 1:1-15
The GOSPEL AND CHURCH PLANTING
rOMANS 1:1-15
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Main Idea: The gospel compels us to plant churches among the nations for the sake of Jesus’ name.
I. The Foundation of Church Planting (1:1-5a)
The Gospel of God (1:1; cf. 1:16)
The Word of God (1:2)
The Son of God (1:3-4)
The Grace and Commissioning of God (1:5a)
II. The Aim of Church Planting (1:5b)
“... to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name” (cf. Phil. 2:9-11)
The highest of all missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is), but rather zeal — burning and passionate zeal — for the glory of Jesus Christ.”
~ John Stott, The Message of Romans
III. The Scope of Church Planting (1:5c)
“... among all the nations.” (cf. 15:8-9, 20-24)
By planting churches, we have the privilege of being in on God's sovereign work in the world. God's redemptive plan has always involved having a people for himself (Titus 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:9-10). When you start a church, you’re doing more than starting an event at a storefront, school, under a tree, in a house, or at some other location You're actually participating in the grand narrative of God having a people for himself (Acts 18:10), a story that culminates in John's glorious vision in Revelation where a people from every tribe and language and nation are giving praise to the Lamb (Rev. 5:1-14). This vision compels us to be faithful in our present generation until the mission is finished.
~ Tony Merida, The Faithful Church Planter
IV. The Results of Church Planting (1:8-15)
The Gospel is Preached (1:15)
The Lost are Saved (1:13-14)
Churches are Strengthened (1:11-12)
God is Glorified
Implications:
We must pray for the work of church planting (cf. Matt. 9:35-38)
We must be generous toward the work of church planting
We must be eager to share the gospel to catalyze the work of church planting
Social networks are the basic mechanism through which conversions take place ... Most conversions are not produced by professional missionaries conveying a new message, but by [church] members who share their faith with their friends and relatives ... Although the very first Christian converts in the West may have been by full-time missionaries, the conversion process soon became self-sustaining as new converts accepted the obligation to spread their faith and did so by missionizing their immediate circle of intimates.
~ Rodney Stark, Cities of God
The Church & Her Members
Romans 12:3-16 | The church is the body of brothers & sisters in Christ, called to serve and love one another.
The Church & Her Members
Romans 12:3-16
“The reality of God’s family is that people have different backgrounds and personalities and opinions. They will clash. It will be messy. It’s a huge challenge committing to a family like this, but it’s not optional. Adopted sons & daughters of God can’t just throw in the towel and retreat to our just-like-me friend groups and homogenous cliques. We must lean into the awkward conglomeration of people who comprise the church.” ~ Brett McCracken
Main Idea: The church is the body of brothers & sisters in Christ, called to serve and love one another.
I. The Church is a Body (12:3-8)
The imagery of the “body” signifies two things:
1. Unity
Ephesians 4:1-6: I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
2. Mutual Dependence
Implication: The church ought to serve one another (12:6-8) in order to build up the body of Christ.
“This truth should give you confidence: your particular gifts have a valuable, God-appointed place. It should also humble you: your particular gifts are simply one part of the body, and you desperately need other people with their particular gifts… this truth should increase your love for the local church: the gifts in the body are exactly what God knows your congregation needs. Because of God’s sovereign choosing, no part is missing, and every part is valuable.” ~ Megan Hill
The various “lists” of spiritual gifts in the NT can be categorized broadly into Speaking Gifts, Leading Gifts, and Serving Gifts. Regardless of gifts or categories, the exhortation is “having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them” (12:6).
II. The Church is a Family (12:9-16)
As the “household of faith” (Gal. 6:10; 1 Tim. 3:15), the church is:
1. Divinely Selected: Though we did not choose one another, we are given the gift of one another.
“By their simple and repeated use of the term brothers and sisters, the writers of the Epistles underscore that the people in the pews around us are in, in fact, our family. Like the members of our biological family, we haven’t chosen them for ourselves, but they have been chosen for us, and we are therefore inseparably bound to them. Because we are allied with Christ, we are allied with his family.” ~ Megan Hill
2. Deeply Interconnected: We are designed to be with real people, in a particular place, with a meaningful presence in one another’s lives, embracing uncomfortable & counter-cultural accountability as a gift from God (i.e.: church membership).
3. Steadfastly Committed: Despite our inevitable family dysfunctions and difficulties, we are called to commit to one another through the ups and down of ordinary life
Implication: The family of faith ought to love one another, in both affection and action.
Affection: Brotherly affection, fervent in spirit, rejoicing, constant in prayer
Action: contributing to the needy, showing hospitality, turning away from evil, holding fast to what is good, pursuing the lowly & overlooked
“At her best and at her worst, Jesus loves his church. He laid down his life for her (John 10:11). He will never leave or forsake her (Hebrews 13:5). He will complete the work he started in her (Philippians 1:6). In other words, Jesus never looked for more of God by having less of the church. Instead, he married her. The church is the chosen, beloved Bride of Christ.” ~ Scott Sauls
The Spirit of Adoption
Romans 8:12-17
Though we were orphans, we have been adopted by God through Christ, making us fully and completely children of God.
Romans 8:12-17
January 20th, 2019
What is a Christian? The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father… If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and control his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all. - J.I Packer
Main Idea: Though we were orphans, we have been adopted by God through Christ, making us fully and completely children of God.
I. TRULY BROTHERS AND SISTERS (8:12-13)
To address the church in Rome as “brothers and sisters” was revolutionary in this context. The constant threat of division between Jews & Gentiles within the church is the single biggest issue of the New Testament outside of the gospel itself.
The question that looms over the early church and the New Testament: Are we really brothers? Are we really sisters? Is this really our family?
Paul urges the church to no longer live “according to the flesh” which always leads to tribalism. This looks like an “us” vs. “them” mentality that only ever goes skin-deep. And it leads to “death.”
We are a family not formed by the blood of biology but by the blood of the cross. Caring for orphans makes perfect sense when we grasp this. We are not the sum of our biological background or our biological family, no matter what that may look like.
John 20:17 Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.
II. TRULY SONS (8:14-15)
Paul strikes at the heart of what it means to be “spiritual” here. The primary work of the indwelling Holy Spirit is to instill a deep sense within us that God is indeed our Father. The Spirit works to confirm this identity in us.
Adoption is a choice, not an obligation. This should confirm to us that God does not merely “tolerate” or “put up” with us, but he views us as beloved sons and daughters.
The Spirit here leads our souls to cry out “Abba! Father!” Abba is a term of intimacy, but this is more intense than a childish babble. It is a cry (or a scream or “groan” cf. 8:26) of desperation toward our Father, realizing he is the only hope that we have in this face of brokenness.
The only way that we are given this identity and this privilege is because Jesus himself became an orphan for us. He was adopted into an earthly family, cries out in the garden of Gethsemane “Abba!” and on the cross “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
…But all they knew was the orphanage. It was filthy, but they had no other reference point. It was home. They are now thoroughly Americanized, perhaps too much so, able to recognize the sound of a microwave ding from forty yards away. I still remember, though, those little hands reaching for the orphanage. And I see myself there. - Russell Moore
Growing in Christ means leaving behind what we know as “home” and what is comfortable, which is always scary. But when we leave behind what is “comfortable” for what God is calling us to, we leave behind the spirit of slavery to fear and instead move toward our eternal family and the true Kingdom. This is where our true identity is found.
III. TRULY HEIRS (8:16-17)
The issue of inheritance was far more than receiving a lump sum of money when a relative died in the 1st century; inheritance was tied up to your livelihood and lineage far more than we can imagine today.
Paul assures us that we are “heirs” of God and “co-heirs” with Christ. This means that we are going to inherit the whole world alongside Jesus, receiving the very same blessing that is given to him from God the Father. But this is all in the context of family.
The picture that Paul is painting: though we were orphans- though we were not the “natural-born” children- God has made us truly brothers and sisters; we truly have God as our Father; we are truly heirs of God. This should be hard for us to believe.
The picture we get of the Kingdom of God is a bunch of adopted children.
It is not a matter of “if” God has called us to orphan care but rather “how” he has called us to this.
This mission of the church is to declare and display the gospel to the “least” of these, because Jesus is there with them (Matt. 25:40).
More important than your name, however, is hearing it called out by the One you’ve come to know, or rather who has come to know you. When you see him for the first time face-to-face, when your legal adoption is fully realized, the Spirit within you will cry out, “Abba! Father!” And you’ll hear another voice, louder than all the others, cry out the same thing. You’ll turn to see him, the Messiah of Israel, the Emperor of the universe, Jesus of Nazareth. And you’ll call him “Brother" - Russell Moore