Preaching sermons that work from Romans 1 is a sermon about sharing Jesus Christ with great enthusiasm. Talking about sharing Jesus Christ is not the same as actually sharing Jesus Christ with someone.
Preaching Sermons That Work From Romans 1
Preaching Sermons That Work From Romans 1 is an expository sermon about Sharing Christ With Great Enthusiasm.
Times have not changed. We still talk a great deal about sharing Christ BUT are we actually sharing Christ as a church and as individuals?
Hopefully these sermon notes will help the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ!
INTRODUCTION: While D.L. Moody was attending a convention in Indianapolis on mass evangelism, he asked his song leader Ira Sankey to meet him at 6 o’clock one evening at a certain street corner. When Sankey arrived, Mr. Moody asked him to stand on a box and sing. Once a crowd had gathered, Moody spoke briefly and then invited the people to follow him to the nearby convention hall. Soon the auditorium was filled with spiritually hungry people, and the great evangelist preached the gospel to them. Then the convention delegates began to arrive. Moody stopped preaching and said, “Now we must close, as the brethren of the convention wish to come and discuss the topic, ‘How to reach the masses.’”
Moody graphically illustrated the difference between talking about doing something and going out and doing it. We do talk a great deal about sharing Jesus Christ, but do we actually share Christ with enthusiasm. D. L. Moody was a person who shared Christ with great enthusiasm.
In many ways, times have not changed. We still talk much about sharing Jesus Christ with the lost, but are we actually doing it as a church and as individuals? Of course, it is never easy sharing Jesus with others. In fact, statistics tell us that this is one area we all struggle with. Nevertheless, the Bible still encourages us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
In that sense, we need all the encouragement we can get so that we will share Jesus in our part of the world. Romans 1:1-7 is a passage of Scripture that encourages us to share Christ with enthusiasm.
Paul’s life shows us three ways to share Jesus Christ with great enthusiasm.
1. We need to have the right heart (1:1)
Our heart response to Jesus Christ will have a profound effect on our witness for Christ. This was exemplified in Paul’s life. What was Paul’s heart response to Christ.
A. Paul knew he belonged to Christ (1:1a)
Look at verse 1, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ…”
Paul had no doubt in his mind that he belonged to Jesus Christ. Because of this, he gave himself totally to the Lord and the work of God. He held nothing back!
Paul understood Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.”
How we see ourselves in relation to Jesus Christ will affect our witness for God. It will impact our witness for God!
B. Paul knew he was sent by Christ (1:1b)
Look again at verse 1, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle…”
Paul had no doubt that Jesus called him to be a witness for God.
Jesus Christ Himself said to Paul, “Rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you, I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the gentiles, to whom I now send you” (Acts 26:16-17).
How we understand our call in relation to Jesus will also affect our witness for God.
We must keep in the forefront of our minds and activities the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
C. Paul knew he was set apart for the gospel (1:1c)
Look again at verse 1, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God”
Paul knew his assignment and he did not stray from it regardless of the circumstances.
His heart response to Jesus Christ kept him focused in both good and bad times and he never lost his enthusiasm to share Jesus with others.
Our heart response to Jesus will have a profound effect on our witness for God.
2. We need to have the right goal (1:2-4)
Paul’s goal in life was to make Jesus known through the preaching of the gospel.
Why did Paul make this his goal?
A. The gospel is good news (1:1c)
The word “gospel” means good news. Paul wanted people to hear this good news. After all, the good news of the gospel radically changed his life.
B. The gospel is good news about Jesus Christ (1:3-4)
Paul wanted people to hear what Jesus Christ had done for them. He wanted them to hear the message that Jesus died for their sins and rose again to bring new life.
This good news was promised in the Old Testament but now realized in the New Testament, which is a testimony about Jesus Christ.
Paul lived and ultimately died to make Jesus Christ known through the preaching of the gospel. What a noble goal! What a worthy precedent!
This is a goal we need to set in our own lives. As Peter said to his readers in 1 Peter 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you my proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”
If we are believers today, we have the gospel message. Let’s share and proclaim that message to everyone that God gives us the opportunity!
3. We need to have the right challenge (1:5-7)
A. For Paul the challenge was to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ (1:5)
The Good News Bible presents this verse this way, “Through Him (ie Christ) God gave me (ie Paul) the privilege of being an apostle for the sake of Christ, in order to lead people of all nations to believe and obey.”
This challenge was always before Paul. He not only wanted to share Jesus Christ but he also wanted to lead people to Jesus Christ.
B. For us this challenge is the same (1:6)
We are called to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ (1:6) “… Among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ.”
It is never easy to witness Jesus to others and called them to faith in Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, we have God’s grace to carry us through (1:7).
Look at verse 7, “To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints; Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
CONCLUSION: Sharing Jesus with great enthusiasm requires the right heart, the right goal and the right challenge. Let’s not only talk about doing it, let’s do it.
A young man was asked: “What do you think of God?” His answer was: “God helps those who helps themselves!” It wasn’t until someone shared with him the gospel message that Jesus died for his sins and rose from the grave to bring forgiveness and salvation that this young man realized his ignorance. This young man is now a Christian and has served God in pastoral ministries for thirty plus years. This man who is now retired and when he looks back to those who took the time to share the gospel, he does so with great gratitude. You can make a difference by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others. Make it a goal in your life today!
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