May 3, 2020 · Romans 1:1–6

Resurrection Obedience

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God — the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

“He has received this grace, and he's received this title of apostle. So he can ask all the Gentiles to what? To obedience. The good news is the obedient to Jesus. And why does that come? Where does that come from? It comes from faith. This obedience comes from faith, for his name's sake. I obey because I believe. Now, he calls all these Gentiles from all the world. This is a brand new thing that God is doing on the earth. Before, his people were a very specific ethnic group called the Jewish people. And by the way, it was down to two and a half tribes left of the twelve tribes. There was just three little tribes left. And these people who still live in Judea — they were the Jewish people. And they were conquered by multiple empires, and now they're being ruled by the Romans. And Jesus has expanded this kingdom not just from the Jewish people, but to all people. They now have a chance for the good news. They can be part of the family of God. This is great news. This is beautiful news. And this is what we hear. Having faith in Jesus resurrected — for — the dead means that I can believe he truly is King. He overcame death. He is the King of life. And this belief, this faith, needs to result in obedience to the King. If you really believe in the resurrection, you will obey — King. By faith in the resurrection, Jesus calls me to kneel at his feet, to obey his words. I love my Lord.”