"The Righteous Will Live by Faith"

Gospel First

What do you think of when you think of Easter? 

- While hunting for eggs is fun, it is important to remember the real reason why we celebrate this season: the Gospel message!  

- The events that transpired on Easter Sunday are what make the Gospel message possible. They are what validate the truth of who Jesus was, speak to His mission here on Earth, and make eternal life with Him possible! 

What is the Gospel? 

- It is the Good News about Jesus Christ

- We live in a very broken and fallen world, which is overrun by the presence of sin.

- By sinning, we separate ourselves from God.

- But the Good News is that God does not leave us to our own devices, he has not abandoned us to live in continual sin.

- God chose to come to Earth in the form of His only son, Jesus, to save us from our sin.

- Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, he overcame sin, death, and the world.

- By believing in Him, by having faith in Jesus, we have the promise of eternal life and getting to spend it in His presence. 

John 3:16-17 - “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

- We are saved by Grace, through Faith.

- We are called to live righteous lives, constantly striving to break out of our sinful habits through the process of sanctification.

- THAT is the main message and what we need to make sure that we focus on today on Easter Sunday. 

- If anyone here does not know Jesus, but would like to, I encourage you to do that today, don’t wait! Come talk with me after the sermon and we can go over who Jesus is and the hope that he holds. 

What were the events that transpired on Easter Sunday? 

Angels appear at the tomb of Jesus to announce that he had risen from the dead:

Mark 16:1-4 “1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

- The stone likely weighed several thousand pounds (given the common dimensions of a tomb at the time) and it was not small feat to throw it to the side.

- Also, God chose to roll the stone away, not so that Jesus could get out, but rather so that these women could get in to see that He had risen from the dead.

Mark 16:5-7: "5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

- At this point, Jesus has not physically shown himself yet, but he chose angels to deliver this message to the women who came to check the tomb.

- Additionally, he sent angels to comfort the women and encourage them to spread the message to the other disciples. 

Jesus first reveals himself physically to some of the women who had followed him:

Matthew 28:8-10 “8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

- At the time, people would not have believed the account of these women. It is just another example which demonstrates how Jesus is not of the world and does not operate as the world does.

- This shows us that God often reveals Himself to those that the world overlooks. 

Jesus meets the disciples in Galilee to give them the great commission:

Matthew 28:16-20 “16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

- Jesus takes the time, when all 11 disciples are gathered together, to deliver this important message to them.

- One of the last things that Jesus did before physically leaving the world was to deliver this message.

- He also promises to be with them always, to the end of the age. This is important in that the Holy Spirit had not yet been given to the disciples. This would not happen until Pentecost, some time later. However, Jesus makes a promise here that his presence will be with them forever. We have that same promise today. 

Jesus ascends into Heaven:

Luke 24:50-53 “50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God."

- Although Jesus physically left the disciples, and the world, at this point, he promised to be with them always and delivered on that promise through the gift of the Holy Spirit that is seen in Acts. 

- These are the events that give credibility to every claim that Jesus made.

- Jesus followed through on his promises and He fulfilled every single prophecy from the old testament.

- The events of Jesus' resurrection are what make the Gospel message possible. They are the events which sparked a movement that created countless churches and have given people hope in the future for generations.

So what does this have to do with the book of Romans? Well I’m glad that you asked. 

Introduction to the book of Romans

With God following through on His promise to deliver the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, churches began to appear throughout the world. As people travelled, the truth about Jesus began to spread life wildfire. One such church which was started by Jews who had come to faith during Pentecost was that in Rome. At this point, Paul (the author of the book of Romans) had only heard about the Roman church but he had a strong desire to visit them to share some spiritual gifts with them.

Romans 1:8-12 “8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. 11 I long to see you so that I may impart you some spiritual gifts to make you strong - 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”

- We see in this passage of scripture that Paul already feels a deep connection with the Roman church. This type of a connection is that which can only be found through mutual faith in Jesus Christ. 

-  The connection that we have as believers across the world is a testament to the incredible power of the Holy Spirit.

- To see people separated by physical distance, cultural barriers, language barriers, and everything else the world can think of come together and be unified under the Gospel is a life-changing experience. 

The entirety of the book of Romans was written to do a number of things:

1) To inform the Roman church what specifically to believe (the Gospel)

2) To give practical guidance for how to behave as a believer

3) To generally encourage the church.

- By studying this book carefully throughout our lives, we will never be at a loss for what to believe or how to live that out. 

Conclusion - Romans 1:16-17

In this first section of Romans covered today, Paul writes about how his confidence is in the gospel and the truth of how we as believers are called to live by faith.

Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed - a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.””

- Not ashamed: Paul was bold about the Gospel. Are we? 

- Power of God: The Gospel isn’t just good advice, it changes our lives

- Everyone who believes: No one is too far gone

- The righteous will live by faith: We don’t earn righteousness; we receive it by believing

- “The Righteous will live by Faith” comes from the prophet Habakkuk and is quoted several times throughout the new testament.

- As believers, we must trust that God is allowing and directing all things according to his purposes. When life gets difficult, we must remain true to our faith and lean on God for direction in all things.