The good news the world has

been waiting

for

ROMANS 1:1-17

“1Paul, a servant 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 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.

ROMANS 1:1-17

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, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may

ROMANS 1:1-17

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, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

ROMANS 1:1-17

What does Paul call himself and why?

85-90% of RomeProtected, paid,

part of the family Allegiance Everyone will be a

slave to something or someone

SERVANT OR SLAVE?

The idea of the individual didn’t come along until the Enlightenment

John Locke We are all owned by

something aren’t we?Faced with our

vulnerability, we are aware that maybe we aren’t as free as we thought

“Laughing With”

IS IT TRUE?

Paul says that there are competing forces as work in the universe

One degrades and distances

The other restores and reconciles

This “slavery” doesn’t produce shame in Paul

IS IT TRUE?

Noted atheist Christopher Hitchens said his goal in life was to help people be more free

Gain freedom through giving it up

Lose freedom by making it everything

Luke 9:24Verse 6 (Belonging

that creates freedom not alienation)

WHAT IS FREEDOM?

THE CONTEXT OF GOOD NEWS

Bad Good

Verse 2That God Almighty has

both guided history by His power and invaded it in the person of Jesus to reclaim and restore all things

After the prophets quit speaking, some started to say only God could fix this

God doesn’t give up on relationship, but comes into the mess

WHAT IS THIS GOOD NEWS?

Rooted in the story of Israel

Jesus is a link, a bridge between man and God, death and life

His resurrection is the turning point from weakness to power

God has bridged the gap and is calling people back to Himself (Verse 6)

WHO IS THIS GOOD NEWS?

The story of humanity has been one of choosing

Adam and EveThis gospel is essentially

saying that humanity has the chance to choose again

To speak truth to one another unlike they did in the garden, which led to shame and hiding

That choosing to believe (Verse 16) activates some sort of power that undoes all that went wrong

Is God like this?

BACK IN THE GARDEN

Verse 7To move forward

with God and with God’s plan to restore all things

To be fundamentally different

Not just for Israel, but for everyone, even barbarians

Grace and Peace

CALLED TO BE SAINTS

Paul says the Romans need something

The character of this good news has to be global AND personal

Salvation means deliverance (Exodus)

What from?

BUT…

ApocalypticSomething happened

here that tells us about God and us

Something about His character, His justice, His faithfulness

How far would He go and HOW would He do it?

But something also happens that contrasts with Hab. 2:4

What saves you here is not you

RIGHTEOUSNESS REVEALED

This and this alone is the good news that saves

It doesn’t mean you can’t have other gospels

God’s good story will go on and all other stories will end

Lost?

NO NEUTRAL GROUND