​Romans part 2
By Pastor Greg Byman
St Joe Community Church
August 30, 2020
 
Qualities of Spiritual Leaders
Romans 1:8-15
God’s Truth is Timeless
Every generation faces the same issues and struggles
 
The Bible provides truth for living in every generation
 
Our faith in God can have a worldwide influence (vs 8)
 
The Apostle Paul demonstrates timeless qualities of spiritual leadership
-A good example for healthy accountability
 
Spiritual Leadership is Spiritual Influence!
-Everyone influences someone (more than one!)
-Question:  HOW are we influencing people spiritually?
 
Qualities of a Spiritual Leader (Influencer)
vs 11-15
Provides spiritual gifts to the church  vs 11
-serve through the gifts given by the Holy Spirit
-provide general spiritual gifts to believers
 
Strengthens the church  vs 11
-am I building up or tearing down the faith of others?
-do I bring gas or water to a fire (conflict)?
-Philippians 4:8-9  Do I lead others to focus on the right things?
 
Gives and receives encouragement  vs 12
-Spiritual leaders must influence through encouragement!
-Spiritual leaders need encouragement too! 
 
Wants to be fruitful  vs 13
-Fruitfulness = new people placing their faith in Jesus Christ
-note:  Paul had a mission to share the Good News everywhere
-Fruitfulness and Faithfulness go hand in hand
 
A spiritual leader is not bias or prejudice  vs 14-15
-Jesus came to save everyone! “For God so loved the world…”
-We don’t choose who God gives us to share His Good News
   -We DO choose our response to who God puts in our path!
-1 Corinthians 9:19-23  “all things to all people…[to] save some”
-Am I helping everyone in my community find and follow Jesus?
    -Or am I encouraging racial strife and segregation?
 
Am I leading people towards Jesus Christ?
Have I placed my faith in Jesus Christ?
-I can’t give what I don’t have!
-I can’t lead people where I am not being led
 
How am I spiritually influencing others around me?
 
How am I spiritually influencing in my local church?
 
Who do I tend to avoid or exclude when I serve others?
-with my words
-with my investments
-with my time and energy
 
Is God calling me to go?
-Paul had a life calling to preach the gospel in new places
  And among people different than he was (non-Jews)
-Has God given you a burden
   -For a specific people group or geographic location?
   -For a specific place where the gospel is not well established?
-Do you sense a call to start a new church beyond ours?

Introduction to Romans
Why study Romans now?
1. Romans is a timeless letter to every church
-The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write this letter
-Paul addressed issues specific to the Roman church
-These issues are also important to every church!
 
2.  Romans is a letter for every people group
-We need a message of unity in a climate of division and strife
-Jesus is the Savior for all of humanity, not any one race
 
3.  Romans declares Good News!
-“the gospel” is the main theme of the entire letter
-we need good news in a time of negativity and confusion
 
4.  Romans explains how to properly relate to government
-Paul doesn’t dwell on the pagan nature of Ceasar
-Paul expresses God’s purposes for establishing government
-The letter explains how to live within any governmental order
-The focus is on living within God’s kingdom rule through faith
   and obedience to Jesus Christ our Lord
 
5.  Romans explains the degrading results of rejecting God
-He describes a sinful culture that sounds much like today
-We shouldn’t be overwhelmed by our godless culture
-Paul doesn’t dwell on this sad reality, and neither should we
 
6.  Romans calls out prideful Christians
-Today, some Christians have an us/them mentality
-Everyone is justified by faith in Jesus Christ! 
-We cannot boast in legalism or codes of Christian conduct
 
7.  Romans describes our security and victory in Christ
-Fear, instability and fatalism dominate our culture today
-Romans declares we are secure in God’s gracious love for us
   through our faith in Jesus Christ
-Paul writes how we don’t have to live a defeated life because of
   the power God grants us through our faith in Jesus Christ
 
Observations from Romans 1:1-7
God calls us to trust and follow Jesus Christ
-Paul is a special called Apostle under the Lordship of Christ
-Every Christian is called to follow Jesus as Lord
-This is a supernatural calling
-We must respond by faith to this calling
 
The Good News of God is all about Jesus Christ
-Jesus was a real person in history who died and rose again
-Jesus was announced by the OT prophets as the Savior
-Our faith is rooted in a real person who solved our real
   problem of being separated from God because of sin.
 
The Good News is for everyone!
-Gentiles- every people group that is not Jewish
-Jews-  even Jews must trust in Jesus Christ to be saved
 
 
What should we do now?
Read Romans on your own!
-write out your thoughts, questions, encouragements
 
Respond to God’s call on your life!
-Place your faith (trust) in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord
 
Receive God’s love, grace and peace
-Loved:  you are already loved!
            -based on who you are, NOT what you have done
            -You are a saint in God’s eyes because of your faith!
-Grace:  unmerited favor, acceptance by God
-Peace: true peace that helps us in crisis and chaos
               A peace that settles our hearts to know we are ok
-Lord:  We have ONE boss, ONE authority who is Jesus
     -this clears up the confusion of trying to obey multiple voices
          that are competing for our allegiance today

God requires all
1 Kings 19:19-21
What does it cost to follow God?
 
 
 
 
Observations from 1 Kings 19:19-21
God speaks through godly people
-Elijah comes to Elisha
-Listen to people who are listening to God
 
 
We are an answer to prayer
-Elijah had just experienced depression, abandonment
-illust:  I almost quit serving at Indiana Tech, then Craig Dyer
            Asked me to help him start a student Bible study
-Following God encourages others to keep following God!
-God is waiting to bless someone through you! 
 
Following God requires total surrender
-Career- Elisha cut up his plow and sacrificed his oxen
   -Mark 8:36  For what does it benefit someone to gain the
     whole world and yet lose his life?
  
   -Luke 5:11  Peter, James & John “left everything and followed         
      Him.”
 
-Family- Elisha said goodbye to his parents
   -parents, give your children back to God!
   -children, follow God!
   -fathers, your job is to lead them to trust the Father!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jesus was even more clear about the cost of following
Luke 9:61-62  We can’t look back
-imagery comes from 1 Kings 19:19
-plowing straight lines requires looking forward!  Like mowing
 
-Looking back- longing for what we are walking away from
   -gazing back on the things abandoned in order to follow Jesus
  
   -Do you wish you could step back into a certain sin?
      Are you jealous for the activities of unbelievers?  Tempted?
 
 
Luke 14:25-26  Jesus demands first place
-Jesus is explaining allegiance in the most contrasting language
-Old Testament language describing absolute allegiance-
    You are either for or against God, you can’t be in between
-Does your family control your decisions or God?
   -do the life patterns of your upbringing match God’s Word?
 
-My personal goal:  transforming generations-  praying and pursuing the goal of each generation of families becoming more transformed than previous generations through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord
 
 
God requires all!
What your next right step?
-What is God telling you to give up in order to follow Him?
-Who is influencing your life decisions?
    -godly people who are already following God?
    -or are you being led away from God by your friends/family?
 
 
God requires all!!
 
What must you abandon to follow Jesus Christ? Do it now!
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