Book of Romans, Sermon Starters—Week 3

Lectionary Readings

• Genesis 18:1–15
• Psalm 116:1–2, 12–19 (UMH 837)
• Romans 5:1–8
• Matthew 9:35–10:8 (9–23)

Scripture Notes

Overview Romans 5:1-8: Justification: Past, Present and Future
This week's passage begins with a transitional word, therefore — a signal that what follows is the result of some previous action. The previous action is justification through Jesus Christ's atonement. Paul explores the past, present, and future impact of justification.

[Past] What Jesus Christ did through atonement on the cross provides justification.
[Present] Through belief in Jesus Christ, a person is justified; that is, reckoned the status of righteous. Being justified brings about peace with God, access to God's grace, and
[Future] glorious hope of eternal life with God.

God's Peace Versus Roman Pax
Paul clearly addresses the context that confronts the first-century Roman audience. His writing notes the stark contrast between the Roman Pax (Roman Peace) and God's peace. Augustus Caesar established the Roman peace through conquest, and he maintained that peace by squelching rebellions through force. God established peace through the sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ.

Roman leaders carried titles of "lord" and "savior," but now the eternal Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has brought about eternal peace. The peace of Christ includes reconciliation between humanity and God and among people — a communal peace. Paul's message is politically subversive — God's peace is the real peace, which dwarfs the false version offered by the Roman peace.

For more information on Pax Romana (Roman Peace), go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_Romana

Hope and Love Accompany Christians in Suffering
Paul focuses on another key point — suffering, which builds Christian character. The stoicism of the day valued patience during suffering as a virtue. Others dutifully endured suffering as a form of fatalism. Both approaches lacked the eternal hope that Christians have in God. Paul reminds us that eternal hope accompanies Christians through periods of suffering. In addition, Christians receive the love of God in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. When Christians endure suffering with the help of the love of God and hope, they build Christian character.

Sacrificial Love
Verses 6-8 outline Christ's sacrificial love toward us. Jesus died for ungodly humanity. His sacrificial death stands in contrast to limited human selflessness: people normally do not die for even worthy individuals. Christ's sacrificial death for ungodly people displays God's immeasurable love toward us.

Key Preaching /Teaching Points:
Key Terms:
Does your congregation understand these terms found in or alluded to in Romans 5:1-8?

• Justify — Declare righteous.

Paul uses the concept of justification more frequently than do the other writers of the New Testament. For Paul, justification was a central truth of the gospel. A prevailing question in biblical and contemporary times is, "How is it possible for sinful people to be justified before a holy God?" Paul answers this question in Romans 5:1: We are justified through faith in Jesus Christ. God imparts righteous status to those who believed in the resurrected Jesus.

Paul and James on Justification —Clear Up Any Confusion
Paul spoke of justification as the result of belief in Jesus Christ. James appears to contradict that in James 2:24 "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." Upon closer examination of the writing of James, it is clear that his point is that works are the evidence of faith. Saving faith transforms the believer, thus enabling good works to follow.

• Faith — The term faith contains many rich meanings. The Old Testament concept of faith carried a basic understanding of belief, trust, and loyalty. In the New Testament, faith was used in reference to trust in God's promise to God's new covenant. Faith also yielded results — radical changes in the people who placed their trust in Jesus Christ.
  Saving faith refers to believing in Jesus Christ and relying upon him alone for salvation.
• Suffering — One of the character traits of Christians is their ability to endure suffering joyously. There are two levels of suffering: (1) Dutiful endurance without complaint or (2) Relying on hope in God to strengthen one's patience. Even rejoicing is possible while suffering.
• Grace — The common definition of grace is unmerited favor. One Bible commentator notes that grace is largely a Pauline idea. When dealing with Paul's writings, be aware of the many nuances and meanings of grace that he uses.

In today's passage, Paul uses grace metaphorically by likening it to a room, "through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand" (verse 2).

Elsewhere, Paul uses grace in his salutations and benedictions. Paul also takes occasion to broaden the definition of grace, as in Romans 15:16. Paul refers to grace as a gift from God with an attached human responsibility. In that case, grace refers to the power that God gives a human being to carry out a task. It is our responsibility to participate in God's grace to carry out good works.

Evangelistic Preaching Tips for Romans 5:1-8
This week's passage is thick with theological content. Consider addressing one of the following:

• Justification for a pre-Christian audience
• Christian suffering for a Christian audience
• Christ's sacrificial love for a "de-churched" audience

Reading: Romans 5:6-8 [An Evangelistic Approach — To lead people to Christ]

5:6: For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

5:7: Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.

5:8: But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

The Welcome Mat — Emphasize God's perpetual pursuit of us, to the extent of putting on human flesh, experiencing the foibles of humanity, and suffering to death on our behalf through Jesus Christ. Why did God do it? Out of pure love and the hope of restoring humanity into a loving covenant community. Believing in Jesus Christ enables us to receive the benefits of justification — being "right with God" (receiving from God the status of righteousness).

Aim: Highlight God's loving pursuit of us through Jesus Christ — the ultimate example of sacrificial love.

Note: This approach is most effective when your congregation is actively demonstrating God's love in tangible ways.

Reading: Romans 5:3-5 [A Renewal Approach — To strengthen the faith of Christians]

5:3: And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

5:4: and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

5:5: and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

The Making of Brave Christians — A radio talk show once discussed the difference between courage and bravery. These "street-corner linguists," armed with their wits and a dictionary, made this distinction: Courage is a quality that enables one to face fear or danger with confidence. Bravery carried a slightly elevated meaning — mastery of fear. Are we developing brave Christians?

Christians are not expected to suffer stoically as if oblivious to pain, nor are Christians expected to embrace a fatalistic response to suffering. Suffering can actually strengthen Christian character. Rejoicing in the midst of suffering is even possible. Why? Because Christians do not walk into suffering or hardship alone. The love of God and hope in God accompany the Christian into the most trying situations. This love and hope enables Christians to endure to the extent of glorifying God while suffering.

Aim: With hope and the love of God, Christians can endure suffering, which builds Christian character.

Reading: Romans 5:6-8 [A Reclamation Approach — To restore "de-churched" individuals to vital faith in Jesus Christ]

5:6: For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

5:7: Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.

5:8: But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

On Hold — People can and do become disillusioned with the institutional church. Even Christians manage to say and do things that drive people away from the local church. These dropouts or "pushed outs" often wander about with genuine hurts and resentment. There is real temptation to reject God and the church because of personal pain. At the very least, the tendency is to put God and church on hold.

Being hurt or wounded by church folk can weaken faith in God and the church; nevertheless, God's love for the individual remains intact. God, through Jesus Christ, offers a standing invitation for reconciliation with God and the body of Christ. Paul points out that when we are at our weakest, God overextends God's self to love us:

5:6: For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. . . .

5:8: But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Aim: Emphasize God's far-reaching love toward us through Jesus Christ.

Provide Opportunities for a Faith Response

1) Invite individuals to receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior.

a) Be prepared to provide tangible demonstrations of God's love to those who respond.

i) Invite them to fellowship activities.

ii) Invite them to participate in some short-term ministry activity to encourage them to demonstrate God's love toward others.

b) Find out if there are specific ways that your local congregation can welcome people who respond to the invitation to discipleship.

2) Second-Mile Ministry. Make a list of the ministries that your congregation currently provides that reflect God's love to pre-Christians. Challenge the congregation to go the second mile in those ministries. How can you take those ministries to the next level? What more could be done to show God's love to people who are without Christ?

3) Random acts of kindness. Invite people to practice "random acts of kindness" this week as a demonstration of God's loving pursuit of people. You might have people gather to watch Pay It Forward; then invite the viewers to do good works without expecting anything in return.

4) Create prayer support groups for people who are suffering. These groups could offer prayer support via face-to-face prayer, telephone, or e-mail correspondence.

5) Consider developing a "neutral ground" ministry — a place where loving ministry can take place off-site from the church building. People who have been hurt by church folk may need a different setting to begin reconciliation with God and the body of Christ.

Provide Opportunities for Follow Up

1. Invite several people to share their experiences involved with "random acts of kindness" or paying it forward. These could be live testimonials during worship, Bible study, or Sunday school; or they could be written and shared in the worship bulletin, church newsletter, church website, or other appropriate medium.

2. Make frequent invitations to join prayer support groups to build a strong core of intercessors in your local church. See the online resources below.

3. Share any plans for going the second mile in ministry with your congregation.

Online Resources

The Upper Room Living Prayer Center
www.upperroom.org/prayer_center

• Download Small Groups & Accountability: The Wesleyan Way of Christian Formation
• Pax Romana [Roman Peace]
• Free download in pdf format: The Faith-Sharing Initiative Participant's Manual
• The Foundation for Evangelism
• World Methodist Evangelism

Helpful Print Resources

• Shaped by the Word by Robert Mulholland
• A Disciple’s Journal 2017 by Steven W. Manskar
• Transforming Evangelism: The Wesleyan Way of Sharing Faith by Henry H. Knight III and F. Douglas Powe Jr.

Resources for Romans

• The New Interpreter's Bible A Commentary in Twelve Volumes: Volume IX — Acts, Introduction to Epistolary Literature, Romans, 1 Corinthians. Abingdon Press.
• The Message of Romans: God's Good News for the World (The Bible Speaks Today) by John R. W. Stott
• Romans: Tyndale New Testament Commentaries by F. F. Bruce
• Romans: A Shorter Commentary [ABRIDGED] by C. E. B. Cranfield

General Evangelism Resources

• Ancient Future Evangelism by Robert Webber
  Webber explains Pentecost as the traditional time to declare one's Christian vocation.
• The Faith-Sharing Congregation by Roger Swanson and Shirley Clement
• Faith-Sharing: Dynamic Christian Witnessing by Invitation by H. Eddie Fox and George Morris
  The Faith-Sharing initiative Participants' Manual (Spanish Version) — El compromiso de compartir nuestra fe: Manual del Participante (pdf)
• The Faith Sharing New Testament
• That the World May Know Jesus Christ! by Brazilian Methodist Bishop Paulo Lockmann
• Transforming Evangelism: The Wesleyan Way of Sharing Faith by Henry H. Knight III and Douglas Powe Jr.
• Witness: Learning to Share Your Christian Faith by Ron Crandall

This week's passage begins with a transitional word, therefore — a signal that what follows is the result of some previous action. The previous action is justification through Jesus Christ's atonement. Paul explores the past, present, and future impact of justification.