The Righteousness of God

 These are my notes from my sermon last Saturday.  Hope you enjoy :)

Romans 1:15-17

 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 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.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Introduction:

Paul is anxious to preach the Gospel in Rome. Why? Because he is proud of it! Why is he proud of the Gospel? Because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes! How does it bring salvation? Because it makes known the righteousness of God and His righteous requirements. What is the righteousness required by God? Faith!

1. Paul is anxious to preach the Gospel in Rome.
   Paul eagerly wanted to go to Rome to preach the Gospel. He was so determined to go that he was even willing to go in chains! That is what he did! Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome from Corinth and after this he was headed to Jerusalem to bring money that had been collected from the Gentile churches to help the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. On the way to Jerusalem he was told, “Don't go, they will imprison you!” But Paul was sure that this is where God wanted him to be. In Jerusalem he was indeed arrested and spent THREE YEARS in jail and traveled as a prisoner in chains to Rome. On the way he was ship wrecked and snake bit, but he arrived in Rome and was finally able to preach this Gospel. But why was he eager to preach this Gospel to those who had already believed?
   ( Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,  and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 ESV) )
   The Gospel is not just how we come to know God, but also how we live in God! We are saved through the Gospel and we are daily being saved by the same Gospel.
   ( O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.  Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?  Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?  Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?  Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?(Galatians 3:1-6 ESV))
   We start into this life with Christ by faith and we stand in it by faith, faith in the same Gospel!
2. Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel
   This is the Gospel which Paul is not ashamed to proclaim. He is eager to proclaim! Why? Because he is proud of it! This Gospel of the Christ and Him crucified is a scandal to the Jews and it is foolishness to the Greeks, but Paul knows that it is truly the wisdom of God and powerful to save those who will believe. “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (I Corinthians 1:18)

3. The Gospel is the power of God for Salvation
   God's power to save is not only looking back to His delivering us from slavery and bondage to sin, but also looking forward to the time when Jesus will come back with great power and glory and deliver us from this world of sin. First, when we think of God's power, we cannot think too big! We cannot over exaggerate His power and might. It was with a mighty hand and outstretched arm that God, Himself, delivered the Israelites from the hand of Pharaoh. It is by this same mighty hand that He has delivered us from the “hand” of sin. It is this same hand that Peter tells us to “humble ourselves so that at the proper time He may lift us up” (1 Peter 5:6)
4. The Gospel reveals the righteousness accepted by God
   We must humble ourselves and submit to this power if we are to be saved. What is the righteousness that God has required? Your righteousness? My righteousness? No! “Not a righteousness of my own that comes from works of the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” Philippians 3:9 Our own righteousness is not only not good enough, but it is repulsive and offensive to God. In Isaiah our own righteousness is compared to filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) and Paul compares all of his righteous accomplishments, apart from Christ, as trash! (Philippians 3:8) This is the righteousness accepted by God: Jesus Christ!
5. The Righteous will live by Faithfulness
   Jesus is our righteousness! It is only by faith in Him that we can be saved! There is no righteousness, apart from that of Christ, that God will find acceptable! The righteous shall live by faith! Do you want to live? Then stop relying on your own righteous deeds and rely on Christ's. Do want power to live a life acceptable in the sight of God? Stop trying to impress Him with your good works and rest in Christ's righteousness! Jesus is our righteousness, and those who will live in Christ, must live in Him by faith is Him and His works. He has already accomplished our salvation! We must rely on Him for everything! Cease from your works and rest in Christ!
   Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
   (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV)