©2000 Larry Huntsperger
Peninsula Bible Fellowship
|
5/28/00
|
The Four Crucial Questions
|
...
|
5/28/00 The 4 Crucial Questions
We are entering into a study
of the book of Romans.
Last week we spent our time
looking at some background concepts
and some introductory ideas
to help set our mental approach to the
book.
Today I want us to return to something I started last
week
but never finished.
I mentioned
that Paul's letter to the Roman Christians
was written by him
to provide the answers
to 4 crucial questions,
4 questions that demanded answers
as the message of Christ
was being introduced into the world.
Paul's letter to the Romans
is in many respects unique
when compared to all the rest of Paul's
writings.
Most of you were involved
in at least part of our study
of Paul's letter to the Philippians.
If you remember that study
you will remember the deeply personal nature
of Paul's comments throughout the book.
He talked with them
about what was happening in their lives,
and what was happening in his.
He talked about their mutual friends,
and about experiences they had shared together.
In other words,
it was a deeply personal communication
between the writer and the reader.
Most of Paul's writings are that way.
But the book of Romans is unique
in that apart from a brief personal greeting at the
beginning and the end of the letter,
there is not one personal reference to Rome
or the Roman Christians
throughout the entire letter.
We now have this book preserved for us
as it was addressed to the Romans.
But I believe Paul wrote the document
most of all as his concise summery statement of
the Christian message,
in much the same way
as we would write a tract
or a booklet today.
It was a document he would want to leave behind
with every group of believers he contacted
so that they would understand
the fundamentals of this Christian
message.
And in this document he offered the answers
to the four questions that had to be answered
for anyone who was looking seriously at the
message of Christ.
And before I share those questions with you,
let me just remind you of what the religious
scene looked like at the time of Christ.
Within the Roman Empire
there existed the entire spectrum
of religious diversity.
Whatever you wanted you could find.
There were Greek gods,
and Roman gods,
and the cherished deities
of every people group under the
control of Rome.
There were temples to some gods
where the "worship service" involved having
sex with one of the temple prostitutes.
I would imagine those religions
had especially strong followings
among certain aspects of the adult male
populations.
There were groups who believed
the key to happiness was found
in catering to every physical impulse and
desire the human body offered,
and there were other groups
who believed the path to truth
could be found only through
total denial of all fleshly impulses.
And then, of course,
there was the nation of Israel
with their proclamation of a single,
all-powerful Deity
who had selected them, and them alone as His
chosen people,
and then gifted them with His divine revelation
of truth.
And then, onto this diverse and chaotic religious
landscape
came a small but deeply passionate and
committed group of people
proclaiming yet another deity.
This One was a Jew by the name of Jesus,
a Jew who claimed to be the Son of God.
He was executed in a joint effort by the
Jewish religious rulers and the Roman government
because of the disruption He was causing throughout
Israel,
but His followers were now reporting
that this same Jesus
came back to life
three days after His execution.
Now, from a strictly human point of view
this rather strange little off-shoot of Judaism
shouldn't have had even the hope
of any significant success
as it entered the already cluttered
religious arena.
And it wouldn't have
except for three things.
First of all, with all of those religions floating
around,
none of them were filling the God-shaped
vacuum
within the lives of their followers.
We are created beings
with an emptiness within us
that only our Creator can fill.
Everything and everyone else in the religious
marketplace
was offering people guidance in how they could
or should reach up to God.
But all of them were like ladders
propped up against a concrete wall
offering people a way
to reach the moon.
Even if you climbed to the very top
of the highest ladder there,
when you reached the top rung
there was still an infinite chasm
between yourself and your God.
But when Jesus Christ entered human history
He did not come telling them
how they could reach up to God.
He came as God reaching out to us.
There was no way we could ever get to Him,
so He came to us.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God...
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the
world was made through Him, and the
world did not know Him...
John 1:14 ¶ And the Word became flesh,
and dwelt among us, and we saw His
glory, glory as of the only begotten from
the Father, full of grace and truth.
And just a little side comment here -
one of the big breakthroughs
in my early Christian life
came when I finally realized that
the only thing that has the power
to fully satisfy the human spirit
is the truth,
which means that,
whenever I am talking with a person
who is not a true Christian,
I know I am talking with a person
who has deep unmet needs within them.
Our hunger for God,
and for His love,
and for His forgiveness
cannot be satisfied by anything else on earth.
No matter how many human relationships
we try to cram into that void,
we still feel empty.
No matter how many things,
or how much success,
or how much travel,
or how much excitement,
or how much affirmation and praise
from others we try to pour into the void,
it still remains.
And it helps me to remember
that, no matter what kind of external facade we
try to hide behind,
without Christ in our lives,
under the facade there is always
an emptiness and a void
that only God Himself can fill.
Second, the message of Christ in the first century
had such an impact on the world
because the overwhelming evidence
confirmed that this Jesus really did rise from the
dead.
Paul said simply,
(He) was declared the Son of God with
power by the resurrection from the dead,
according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus
Christ our Lord...(Rom. 1:4)
And, as the enemies of the message of Christ
attempted to destroy the early church
through executing the followers of Christ,
they discovered to their utter frustration
that the threat of death
had no power over the early Christians.
They had seen their Lord alive after His execution.
They had heard His promise
that they, too, would be raised from the dead,
and the enemies of the Church
discovered to their own terror
that it was impossible to kill those
who believed they would never die.
The threat of death was no threat.
Church tradition tells us that Andrew,
one of the first 12 disciples,
and the younger brother of Simon Peter,
so enraged the political leaders
with his preaching of the message of Christ
that he was ordered to join in a sacrificial
offering to the heathen gods.
When he refused
he was severely beaten
and then executed by crucifixion.
But to make his crucifixion last longer
he was fastened to the cross
not with nails,
but with chords.
For the two days it took for him to die
he hung on the cross,
praising God,
and encouraging the spectators to come
to Christ.
Now, how in the world do you go about defeating a
message
that creates that kind of fierce loyalty in its
followers?
And third, the truth of Christ flourished
because it was (and is) the work of God
Himself.
What the men and women in the early church
were offering to their world
wasn't just one more man-made religion
offering yet another ladder
to get people to the moon.
It was the truth of God Himself,
being fueled by the Spirit of God
as He worked in the hearts of those who
were open to Him.
And none of this has changed, of course.
There are some of you sitting here this morning
who came to this fellowship
with little more than a casual desire
to hear some interesting ideas
about the Bible and Christianity.
But something has been happening inside you,
something you did not expect,
something you don't really understand.
You are discovering within yourself
a hunger you didn't even know was there.
And it's not just a hunger for more knowledge.
It is a hunger for something much deeper.
From my own personal experience
I can tell you what it is,
and I can tell you why it's there.
It is a hunger for God Himself.
And it is there because the Spirit of God is
working within you,
drawing you to Himself.
It has nothing to do
with any kind of persuasive manipulation
technique I'm using.
It is something that God is sovereignly and
miraculously accomplishing in your life.
Don't be afraid of that hunger.
Don't try to run away from it.
I promise you...GOD promises you -
what you long for most of all
you can and you will find
in the arms of your Creator.
Now back to those 4 questions...
As the message of Christ began to spread,
four crucial questions
were undoubtedly asked repeatedly,
questions that needed answers.
The first of those questions was this:
why was in necessary for Christ to come and to
die as He did?
And it was His death, of course,
that formed the heart of the question.
That God would take on human form
in order to reveal Himself to His creation
was understandable.
But why was it then necessary
for Him to allow His own creation
to kill Him as we did?
In different forms
this same question continues to be asked today.
The CBS "60 Minutes" program last week
advertised an interview
with an Episcopal Bishop
who claimed he disliked religious
people.
He sounded like my kind of guy
so I watched the interview.
If you saw it you know that
he not only didn't like religious people,
he also didn't like Christianity.
He was on a life-long crusade
to free people from what he viewed
as the restrictive
and destructive teachings of the church.
At one point in the interview
he said he really could have no respect for a
God
who would nail His own Son to a cross
and then turns around and demands
that everyone who comes to Him
must do so on their knees.
Now, in his own twisted way
this sad little man was asking the same question
Paul was answering in the first part of Romans-
why did Christ have to die as He did?
By the way, when I heard that interview
I remembered that a number of years ago
I had read some of the writings of this fellow.
He was raised in a strong Christian home,
but his father died when this bishop was still in
his early adolescence.
As I read his comments about that time in his life,
it was clear to me that he blamed God
for taking his daddy away.
In my mind I could see this thirteen year old boy
shaking his little fist at his Creator,
demanding an answer for the pain and loss
he was suffering.
And as I listened to that interview last Sunday
I could hear that same little boy
now housed inside a 60 year old body,
still angry at God.
If God took his daddy away,
then he would devote his life
to taking as many of God's people away
from their faith in Him as possible.
We live in a world that is saturated
in the consequences of 6000 years of man's evil
and rebellion against God.
Every one of us will experience both suffering and
loss
as a result of that evil.
And every one of us must decide
whether we will blame God for that evil,
and for the pain it causes us,
or whether we will take that evil
and place it into His hands,
and allow Him to reshape it into good in our
lives.
But back to Romans...
The first question Paul answers
in the book of Romans
is, "Why did Christ have to come and die as
He did?"
He answers that question
in Romans 1:18-3:20.
And I need to prepare you for the way he answers
that question.
What he does in those two and a half chapters
is to show us exactly what our world
and our relationship with God looks like
without Christ.
With perfect,
powerful,
precise logic he describes for us
our options apart from Christ.
And the result is dismal,
depressing,
and drenched in despair.
If the only passage of the Bible we had
was Romans 1:18-3:20,
and if we were to read it honestly,
it would created within each of us
an agonizing sense of hopelessness.
Because, apart from Christ,
that is all there is - hopelessness.
Then, in Romans 3:21 through the end of chapter 8
Paul answers the second major question:
What is a Christian?
What does it mean for a person to live with God
on the basis of faith in Christ?
What are the basics of this new agreement
offered to us through Christ?
It is a powerful section of the book
in which Paul offers us
all the basic principles
of a grace-based life with God.
And just to whet your appetite,
I'll read you the opening and closing statements
of this section.
It begins in 3:21 by Paul saying,
Rom. 3:21 ¶ But now apart from the Law
the righteousness of God has been
revealed, ...even the righteousness of God
through faith in Jesus Christ for all those
who believe...
But now apart from the Law...!!!!!
And the section ends with Paul saying,
Rom. 8:38 For I am convinced that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor powers,
Rom. 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor any
other created thing, will be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
The third question Paul answers with the Book of
Romans
is one we would be less likely to ask
because most of us are not from a Jewish
heritage.
But it is a question that I guarantee will fascinate us
when we get to it
because it is the key passage in all the Bible
dealing with the relationship between
the sovereign will of God
and the free will of man.
The question being answered is,
given the fact that God has now established a
new work through His church,
a work that draws people from
every tribe, and nation, and people group in
the world,
what now happens with the Jews?
Are they no longer God's chosen people?
If they are, then what does that mean
in the context God's work through the
church?
And Paul answers that question
in Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11.
And then the final question dealt with in the book of
Romans
is answered in chapters 12 through 15.
It is the question, "What is the church and how does
it operate?"
And in that section Paul offers
the 6 key principles for New Testament church
life.
That's where we're going in the weeks ahead.
And for those of you who like to see it all in detail,
along with our notes for this morning
I've included a one-time offer
of my own verse-by-verse outline for the
entire book.
You may find it of value in your own personal study
of the book of Romans.
ROMANS OUTLINE
I. Romans 1:1-17, Introduction
II. Romans 1:18-3:20 Why was Christ needed? Life under the law covenant.
Key verses Rom. 3:19-20
A. 1:18-2:61 The need for the law
1. 1:18-23 current world condition
a. 1:18 we are under the wrath of God
b. :19-23 explains why
c. 1:24-2:11 explains how - two phases of God's wrath
1) 1:24-32 present phase: God gives us over to impurity, degrading, passions,
depraved mind.
2)2:1-11 future phase: the day of wrath to come.
B. 2:12-3:20 The Law: God's basis for righteous judgement
1. 2:12-16 Basis of gentile judgement
2. 2:17-29 Basis of Jewish Judgement
3. 3:1-18 Some critical questions answered
4. 3:19-20 purpose of the law - summery statement
III. Romans 3:21-8:39, What is a Christian? The new agreement in Christ.
A. 3:21-31 The New agreement
1. 3:21 two witnesses to the new agreement
2. 3:22-24 the New agreement stated
3. 3:25-26 How the new agreement operates
4. 3:27-28 relationship of works to the new agreement
5. 3:29-30 who qualifies for the new agreement
6. 3:31 concluding; statement
B. Romans 4:1-25 The New agreement illustrated in Old Testament
1. 4:l-8 Abraham and David show salvation by faith
2. 4:9-16 Abraham shows salvation my faith is for Jew and Gentile
3. 4:17-25 Abraham shows that salvation by faith has power to bring life from death
C. Rom. 5:1-11 Eight gifts Given to those who share in the new agreement
1. 5:1 Peace with God
2. 5:2 Introduction into the Grace Foundation
3. 5:2 Now exult in hope of the Glory of God
4. 5:3-4 Exult in tribulation process
5. 5:5 God's Love Revealed
6. 5:5 the gift of the Holy Spirit
7. 5:6-10 saved from the wrath to come
8. 3:16 Exult in God
D. Romans 5:12-21 New and Old Agreements contrasted: Adam v/s Christ
1. 5:12-14 The 1st Adam's failure
2. 3:15-21 The 2nd Adam's success
E. Romans 6:1-7:6 Two critical concepts
1. 6:1-11 Our resurrection to new life
a. 6:1-3 baptism into Christ
b. 6:4-7 died to sin
c. 6:8-11 resurrected to new life in Christ
2. 6:12-7:6 Living under Grace v/s living under law
a. 6:12-14 Now we can choose
b. 6:15-23 the slavery principle
c. 7:1-4 law and grace illustrated
d. 7:5-6 the law of sin and of death
F. 7:7-8:11 The battle we face: new spirit v/s misprogrammed body
1. 7:7-14 the law and sin
2. 7:15-21 the rude awakening - rebellion in my members
3. 7:22-23 the problem clarified: a spirit submitted, a body not
4.8:1-11 How to handle the problem
a. 8:1-4 there is now no condemnation from God
b. 8:5-8 the Christian spirit and nonchristian spirit contrasted
c. 8:9-10 the Christian spirit defined
d. 8:11 the certain hope
G. 8:12-39 Summery statement: What is a Christian?
1. 8:12-17 The family likeness: 5 characteristics of the Christian
a. 8:12-13 by the Spirit he is putting to death deeds of body
b. 8:14 he is Being led by the Holy Spirit
c. 8:15-16 he has the spirit of adoption
d. 8:17 he is an heir of God, joint heir with Christ
e. 8:17 he suffers with Christ
2. 8:18-30 Living with the family likeness: 5 supports for suffering
a. 8:18 our future glory will surpass present suffering
b. 8:19-22 this abnormal world will be put back right
c. 8:23-25 your body's rebellion will end
d. 8:26-27 The Holy Spirit helps us in prayer
e. 8:28-30 God works all things together for my character growth
3. 8:31-39 The Family's Father: 5 doubts forever dispelled
a. 8:31 God is for us, stands with us, fights on our behalf
b. 8:32 He gave His Son for us and will thus supply all other needs
c. 8:33 No one can bring a charge against God's elect
d. 8:33-34 God has justified us, no one can condemn us
e. 8:33-39 No created thing shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus
IV. Romans 9:1-11:36 What happens with the Jews now that God has established the Church?
Key verses 11:30-32
A. 9:1-33 The role of God's will in Israel's salvation
1. 9:1-5 Paul's concern for Israel
2. 9:6 God is faithful to His promises
3. 9:7-13 The true Israel is by promise, not blood descent
4. 9:14-18 God is sovereign in His promises and choices
5: 9:19-29 His sovereignty defended
6. 9:30-33 results
B. Romans 10:1-22 the role of man's will in God's salvation: why Israel has become a vessel of wrath
1. 10:1-3 Israel's ignorant zeal
2. 10:4-13 the needed knowledge
3. 10:14-15 God's media for the needed knowledge
4. 10:16-21 Israel's rejection of the needed knowledge: the cause for their being a vessel of wrath
C. Romans 11:1-36 God's ultimate plan of acceptance for Israel
1. 11:1-2 God has not rejected Israel
2. 11:3-6 the remnant
3. 11:7-10 the hardening
4. 11:11-16 the Gentiles
5. 11:17-24 the illustration
6. 11:25-29 the fulfillment
7. 11:30-32 the purpose
8. 11:33-36 the benediction
V. Romans 12:1-15:13 What is the Church and how does it operate? The six key principles for
New Testament Church life. Key verses Rom. 12:1-2
A. 12:1-2 Principle #1: The Battle we face - bringing the body under the leadership of the spirit.
B. Romans 12:3-21 Principle #2: the Body of Christ and spiritual gifts,
1. 12:3-5 two necessary attitudes
a. 12:3 your gift doesn't make you more or less important in the Body
b. 12:4-5 Each Christian needs the other members of the Body
2. 12:6-8 The Gifts explained
a. 12:6-7 two major categories of ministries (note I Pet 4:10-11)
1. 12:6 prophecy - speaking ministry
2. 12:7 service - serving ministry
b. 12:7-8 five motivational gifts
1. 22:7 teaching
2, 12:8 exhortation
3. 12:8 giving
4. 12:8 ruling/leading
5. 12:8 showing mercy
3. 12:9-21 Practical guidelines for use of the gifts
C. Romans 13:1-7 Principle #3 The Church and Human Authority
1. 13:1 The Command: be in subjection to governing authorities
2. 13:1-5 five statements of explanation
a. 13:1 no authority except from God
b. 13:1 authorities which exist are established by God
c. 13:2 to resist human authority 1s to resist ordinance of God
d. 13:4 human authority is a minister of God for good
e. 13:5 necessary to be in subjection for two reasons
1. avoid sharing in the wrath disobedience brings
2. for conscience sake
3. 13:6-7 An illustration - Pay your taxes
D. Romans 13:8-10 Principle #4: the law we are under - the law of love
1. 13:8 the command to love
2. 13:9-10 the explanation: goal of commandments is to restore right relationships
E. Rom. 13:11-14 Principle #5: the enemy we face and how to fight him
1. 13:11 A proper perspective
2. 13:22 the basis for change - a new world coming
3. 13:13 the enemy we fight: the deeds of darkness
4. 13:14 two keys to victory
a. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ - grow in that relationship
b. make no provision far the flesh.
F. Romans 14:1-15:13 Principle #6:Use and abuse of Christian freedom
1. 14:1-12 weakness and strength in Christianity
a. 14:1 the principle: accept the weaker brother
b. 14:2-3 Illustration #1: meat v/s no meat
c. 14:4 Illustration. #2 don't judge another man's servant
d. 14:5 Illustration. #3: special days v/s no special days
e. 14:6-12 our accountability is to God, not one another
2. 14:13-23 Principles governing use of Christian freedom
a. 14:13 Key principle: don't put an obstacle in a brother's way
b. 14:14 why our lists differ: because areas of weakness differ
c. 14:25-18 the greater issue - not who is right, but do we relate in love
d. 14:19-21 the healthy approach to other Christians' lists
1. pursue peace
2. seek to build up one another
e. 14:22-23 the healthy approach to our own lists
1. 14:22a Accept and hold to the list God has given you
2. 14:22b accept and enjoy the freedom God has given you
3. 14:23 The attitude, not the action determines sin.
3. 15:1-13 concluding comments an Christian freedom
a. 15:1-2 the strong bear the burden
b. 15:-3-4 two sources of encouragement: Christ and Scriptures
c. 15:5-7 final plea for unity
d. 15:8-12 sources of encouragement illustrated
e. 15:13 Benediction
VI. Romans 15:14-16:27 concluding comments and greetings
A. 15:14-21 Paul's Reasons for writing
1. 15:14 Paul's confidence in Romans
2. 15:15-21 Paul's three-fold responsibility
a. 15:15-16 to remind them again
b. 15:17-19 to boast in things of God
c. 15:20-21 to preach in new regions
B. 15:22-33 Paul's traveling plans
1. 22-24 future plans to visit Rome
2. 25-29 immediate plans to visit Jerusalem
3. 30-33 plea for prayer concerning Jerusalem
C. 16:1-23 comments concerning people
1. 16:1-16 greetings to those in Rome
2. 16:17-20 warning against false teachers
3. 3.6:21.-23 greetings from those with Paul
D. 16:25-27 Final benediction