Proclaim!

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

7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, [c] that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, [d] both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Prayer: Father God thank you for this opportunity to gather and worship you, thank you for giving us this opportunity to read, teach, and preach the gospel that will cause lives to be changed. Your scripture is king! In Jesus name amen.

Over the next several weeks in the book of Romans you will discover the revelation of God’s judging and saving righteousness in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will learn that God judges' sin and at the same time manifest his saving mercy.

Paul is the author of Romans as we see that immediately in verse one. Overall, Paul addresses some issues of concern to the Roman Church. Those concerns are

made relevant in our churches today. Paul points the church to the saving righteousness of Christ alone.

Our life verse for today's sermon comes from verse eight “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.”

How are you proclaiming your faith? As believers we are all called to proclaim... Proclaim:
The gospel
The name of the Lord

Your faith in Jesus

Your healing

Your deliverance

Your righteousness in and through Christ alone!

Righteousness is the quality or state of being morally correct and justifiable. It can be considered synonymous with "rightness" or being "upright".

A person is righteous coram deo, that is, he is in a right relationship with God, when he simply receives the imputed obedience of Christ and the forgiveness of sins through faith. ... A human person is not righteous in God's eyes because of his choice or commitment, his good works or his piety, his emotions or intellect. He is righteous because of the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus.

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

7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Point 1- Proclaim the gospel

I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God’s words and acts. I write this letter to all the believers in Rome, God’s friends.

The word gospel means good news, throughout Romans it refers to the entirety of salvation: justification (salvation past), sanctification (salvation present), and glorification (salvation future).

We are all called to proclaim the gospel, the scriptures, God’s words that gives us life and others. God ordained that he would send us a savior to give His life as a ransom for our sin, guilt, and shame. Causing us to receive His grace, moving us to a place of obedience in faith, propelling us to proclaim His name to the nations. Jesus!!

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.

Point 2- Display and be bold with your faith

Paul was thanking the church for displaying their faith not only in Rome but to the world.

How will you be bold this week, month, or year?

These were not secret agent Christians, these people went public with their allegiance to God’s kingdom agenda, they were open in their testimony, and so should we...

9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—

Point 3- God's word is designed to strengthen you

Paul states he mentions the church all the time... praying for the church, he has a desire to be present with the church, he desires to share the gospel physically to impart the spiritual gift the word of God to them.

Beth

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

10 With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!

11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

12 Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!

13 With my lips I declare
all the rules [c] of your mouth.

14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.

15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.

16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.

Point 4- Demonstrate encouraging faith

Paul was clear that we should encourage each other with our faith.

13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, [c] that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, [d] both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Point 5- You are obligated to all...