In the sermon 'Jesus the Servant Sender,' Jason Dohm explores Romans 1:1-7, emphasizing the role of Jesus as the central figure of the Gospel. Paul, once known as Saul, is depicted as a bond servant of Christ, transformed from a persecutor of Christians to an apostle sent to spread the good news. The sermon underscores that Jesus is the essence of the Gospel, fulfilling Old Testament promises. Paul introduces himself as a messenger under orders, highlighting the transformative power of Jesus' call. The Gospel is framed as God's promises kept, with Jesus being both fully man and fully God, affirmed by His resurrection. This dual nature is crucial for salvation, and Paul's dedication to spreading the Gospel is presented as a model for believers. The sermon challenges listeners to recognize Jesus as the hero of the Christian faith and to respond to the Gospel's truth.

This text will be Romans 1. We will be reading verses 1 through 7. Romans 1. Paul, a bond servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God, which he promised before through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning his son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the Son of God with power according to all spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. Through him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name, among whom you are also the called of Jesus Christ.

To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The title of the sermon this morning, our first sermon, official one anyway, in the book of Romans is Jesus, the servant-sender. I think that is really just a summary of the first verse here. Jesus took Paul to be his servant on the road to Damascus, and then he sent him out into the world to declare the good news of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done.

Jesus is a servant sender. He takes his enemies and makes them his own. Then he sends them into the world with the good news. Of course, Paul as an apostle has a special place in Jesus' work doing that. Paul is working hard up front to tell us that this letter isn't about himself, but it's about Jesus.

And So you're going to find Jesus all in this text, and the one after this one, and the one after that one, and the one after that one. Paul is wonderful, but he's not the hero of Christians. Jesus is the hero of Christians. So Paul sets him in our text as the center of the Gospel and the center of the book of Romans. Let's ask God to help us.

God, in our more sober-minded moments, we know exactly who we are. And we know we have no business at all dealing with a perfectly holy God, A perfectly good, truthful God. So we thank you that there is good news for people like us, that you haven't left us in that condition, but that you have sent your Son Jesus into the world to make a way for things to be right between us and you. Thank you for how Paul labors to honor the Lord Jesus Christ and I pray that spirit would spread among us, our hearts would yearn to honor our Savior. May He be honored by the preaching today and may we acquire knowledge, wisdom, but more than that, affection for you by considering your word in Jesus name.

Amen. We're going to split verses 1 through 7 into four parts. The first part being verse 1. So let me reread verse 1 and then we'll look at it before we continue on. Romans chapter one, verse one.

Paul writes, Paul, a bond servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God. In this verse, Paul very simply introduces himself to his readers. So if you're taking notes on the handout by filling in blanks, introduces, fills in the first blank. Paul introduces himself to his readers. Remember from the introductory sermon last week, we learned in chapter 1 verse 13, that Paul has often wanted to go to Rome, but to this point he's been hindered.

So now he does the next best thing and he writes them a long letter. So He's not writing to people that he's already met and ministered among. He's writing to people to whom he's largely unknown. And so he introduces himself. When we think about the history of our author, we know that Paul wasn't always known as Paul.

When we first encounter him in the New Testament, it's in Acts chapter 7. He's known as Saul in Acts chapter 7, and he's looking on with approval as other men stone Stephen to death. In Acts chapter 8, he's taking up the work of persecuting the church. In Acts chapter 9, he's on the way to Damascus, Syria to do the same. And he's taken captive by Jesus.

I don't think that is an inaccurate way to portray what happens in Acts chapter 9. Paul's not looking for Jesus, He's looking for the disciples of Jesus, men, women, and children, to throw them into jail. And worse, he is apprehended by the Lord Jesus Christ. What happens in Acts chapter 9 isn't Saul's idea. It's Jesus's idea and he takes this man captive.

He makes him his bond servant. The Greek word translated bond servant in New King James here, means literally, one who gives himself up to another's will. So, Paul had a completely different agenda in Acts chapter 9, until he's confronted by Jesus Christ, and Then all of a sudden this man gives himself up to the will of another, to the will of Jesus Christ. He was a champion for working for the favor of God through law keeping. We know from the New Testament that Paul was a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee.

It ran really deep. Working for the favor of God through law keeping was deep, deep, deep in Paul. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. He was trained under Gamaliel, a famous rabbi. And He had spent his life believing that he ought to be working for the favor of God through law keeping.

Now he's confronted on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter 9, and Jesus takes him captive. He becomes a champion for salvation by grace alone through faith alone. So this is our author. In Men's Bible study, I was asking us to call him Saul-Paul. Just to keep those two things together.

What he was and what he has become as a result of Jesus deciding to take this man and make him a bond servant. Jim was starting to talk about this before he led us in prayer. The New Testament teaches you will be someone's servant. You will give yourself up to the will of something or someone else. The question is who?

The truth of the New Testament is that all the other masters in the end proved to be cruel masters. There was only one good master. So if Jesus takes you captive, you'll be so happy that he took you captive. It sounds negative. Oh, he took him captive on the road to Damascus.

Paul would look back and say, the best moment of my life is when I was taken captive by the Lord Jesus Christ. And really, so it is of all believers. Jesus called him to be an apostle. This is what verse 1 says. The Greek word translated apostle means a messenger.

One sent forth with orders to all parts of the known world to deliver this message of good news. So just as Jesus repeatedly makes the claims in the Gospel, I didn't come to do my own will, or to say my own words, or to do my own things, so Paul says He's not coming in his own name. He is the bond servant of another. He's given himself up to the will of another. That other is the Lord Jesus Christ.

And that Jesus has made him a messenger and sent him with orders. So Paul writes this letter as a man under orders. Now, what must be the effect on his Roman readers? This is the first line of the letter. Hi, I'm Paul.

I've given myself up to the will of Jesus, who has sent me forth as a messenger under orders. At that moment, after the first line of the letter, you are at a fork in the road. Forced to accept what he says of himself and then give yourself over to the implications of that. What this man writing to me isn't what he wanted to write to me. He's a man writing under orders and it is the authoritative word of God that now I am faced with in this letter or no I don't accept this in which case you can pitch the letter.

Because he's claiming to be something that you don't accept that he is. So just understand as readers Paul has brought us to our first fork in the road in Romans in verse 1. Either you believe that, that he's given himself up to the will of Jesus Christ, and Jesus has sent him forth as a messenger under orders, or you don't. If you don't, you can excuse yourself now. I have nothing of value to say to you.

But if you do, then we are being brought face to face with the authoritative word of the only God who is, who has made us and given us the lives that we're living. So that doesn't have an impact just for Roman readers, it has an impact for you. You've been brought to the fork in the road, what's it going to be? Finally, Paul says, as a bond servant of Jesus Christ, having given myself up to Jesus Christ, and as an apostle, as one who is Jesus' messenger sent under orders, I am separated to the gospel of God. I am set apart to advance this good news.

We're going to see gospel or a derivative of that word gospel over 60 times in the book of Romans. So get used to it. I hope you like the word, because we're going to be encountering it all the time. I don't know, that's probably four and a half times a chapter or something like that. We're going to be seeing this, it just means good news.

Paul claims to be set apart, set aside, to advance this good news. Listen to what John Murray, one of the commentators I'll be quoting right along, I can tell that already. Listen to what John Murray says. All bonds of interest and attachment, alien or extraneous to the promotion of the gospel, have been cut asunder. And He is set apart by the investment of all his interests and ambitions in the cause of the gospel.

That was sort of long, and using words like extraneous that we don't usually use. What's he saying? That everything else means nothing to Paul, and advancing the Gospel means everything to Paul. He's been set apart to the gospel of God. Everything else outside himself, all his other interests and hobbies have been completely subjugated, subjected to this one grand mission that God has given to him And that's to advance the good news in the world.

And so study Paul in the New Testament. Does that describe Paul? You bet it describes Paul. It's clearly the great and really The only mission of his life that you see Paul engaging in is to advance the good news of Jesus. So this is once Saul, now Paul's introduction of himself.

I'm a bond servant. I've given myself up to another's will and that person whose will now becomes my great object is Jesus. I'm an apostle. I'm a messenger sent forth under orders. So that's why I'm writing this letter.

And I'm separated. All the other things that used to occupy me, all my Other interests and ambitions have been totally put aside and now I am separated to advance the good news. Verses 2 through 4. Let's move to verses 2 through 4. So you really need the last words of verse one leading into verse two, or it doesn't make sense.

So I am going to use the last words of verse one so that we can get a running start and it will make sense. It will make sense. The gospel of God, which he promised before through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of Holiness by the resurrection from the dead." So verses 2 through 4 is about the gospel of God. That's why we got the running start. I believe in these verses, verses 2-4, Paul gives us the essence of the gospel.

Jesus is the essence of the gospel. So if you're taking notes on the handout, you're filling in blanks, essence fills in the first blank, Jesus fills in the second. Paul gives us the essence of the Gospel. What's the core of the Gospel? Jesus is the core of the Gospel.

I believe there are four very important points about the essence of the Gospel here. So let me give you what I think are the four important points of the essence of the Gospel in verses 2-4. Number one, the Gospel is simply the promises of God made in the Old Testament being kept. That's all it is. The Gospel is simply the promises of God made in the Old Testament being kept.

God keeping His promises. He made them in the Old Testament. He kept them in what we see recorded in the New Testament. Look again, let's get the running start again at the end of verse 1 and just read verse 2. Separated to the gospel of God which He, God, promised before through His prophets in the holy scriptures.

The gospel is the fulfillment of the promises that God made through prophets in the scriptures. I don't think it could be more clear than that. Christianity was never a new religion. It was always and only the continuation of God's faithfulness to his promises. He made promises, He raised up prophets to speak those promises, and he put them in his word.

He saw that these promises were recorded in black and white in scripture. And then the New Testament is simply the keeping of those promises. Christianity is not a branch of Judaism. As if now there's a new thing. Who Jesus is and what Jesus has done isn't part of the gospel, it is the gospel.

The person and work of Jesus is the promised Savior. Those Promises starting to be made in Genesis chapter 3 verse 15. The seed of the woman crushing the head of the serpent. That's when the promises start flowing and they keep flowing through the Old Testament. These promises about the person and work of this promised Savior is the good news.

Verse 3 starts with these words, concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord. The Gospel is simply those things concerning the Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord, who God promised to send. Remember Christ is a title. Jesus who is Christ. Jesus the Christ.

Jesus Christ. Christ just means anointed. You anoint to set apart to and commission into service. Jesus Christ has been set apart to be the Savior of sinners. He's been anointed to be the prophet and priest and king.

That's who's anointed in the Old Testament. Jesus is all of those things to His people. Jesus is the Christ, the promised Savior, anointed to save us. So that's number one. The Gospel is simply the promises of God made in the Old Testament being kept.

Number two, the gospel is about the Son of God, Jesus who is Christ our Lord. I think I've jumbled things up here in my notes. Have I already said that? Did I already give you number two? No.

Okay. Good. Number two. I've already said some of the things pertaining to number two, so this will go really fast now. Number two.

The gospel is about the Son of God, Jesus, who is Christ our Lord. And I've already said this, but now I'm in the right place in my notes. Who Jesus is and what Jesus has done isn't part of the gospel, it is the gospel. I'll say everything a second time if I'll get some amens. Number three.

In the fulfillment of those promises, Jesus was fully man. Jesus was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. That's what's said in verse 3. He was born of the seed of David, a man, according to the flesh. John 1.14 says, And the word became flesh and dwelt among us.

So remember John 1, 1, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and then we skipped to verse 14, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, but not just of any family. If we look back to the Old Testament promises, we can narrow it down not just a member of humanity, but you can narrow it down to the seed of David. In Matthew 22, Jesus asked the Pharisees, what do you think about the Christ, whose son is he? They immediately answer, the son of David.

Why did they say that? Because in so many places in the Old Testament, the promised Savior was going to be in the line of kings. He was going to be a king of Israel in the line of David, the King of the people of God. And so they know, the Pharisees knowing the Old Testament promises when Jesus says, what do you think about the Christ whose son is he? They immediately know to answer He is the Son of David.

He is the Savior King. So the Gospel of Matthew opens with these words, the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham, and then that genealogy takes you from Abraham and traces the family line through King David all the way up to the birth of Jesus Christ. Why is that necessary? Why do we have the genealogies? Because it is fulfillment of specific Old Testament promises, and it's a way that you can know Jesus is the fulfillment of those promises.

All of this proves what Paul is saying in his introduction to the Romans. The Gospel of God, which concerns His Son, Jesus Christ, is what God promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures. Jesus being in the line of King David is all part of that. So that was number three. In the fulfillment of those promises Jesus was fully man.

Number four. In the fulfillment of those promises Jesus was fully God. Look at verse four. "...and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. Now looking at verse 4, let's take out the middle phrases for a moment just to simplify it.

So I'm going to take out the middle phrases so we end up with the first and the last just to make sure that we get the main point of this verse. What do we end up with? Jesus was declared to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead. That's the main simple truth of verse 4. The resurrection declared something.

That Jesus was the son of God. That word translated declared literally means to mark out the boundaries. To Set out the boundary lines of something. Jesus was marked out as the Son of God by His resurrection. Jesus was proven that He was the Son of God by His resurrection.

Jesus was shown to be the Son of God by His resurrection. Every self-claim that Jesus made in the Gospel is validated by the empty tomb. It proves that what he said of himself was really true that God raised him from the dead. I turn to John chapter 10. You know John chapter 10 as the good sheep, as the good shepherd.

Fortunately it's not good sheep, It's Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd passage. We'll pick it up after that. I'm going to read John chapter 10, verses 22-33. John chapter 10 verses 22-33.

Now it was the feast of dedication in Jerusalem and it was winter. Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded him and said to him, How long do you keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe.

The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand." Look at this, verse 30, I and my Father are one.

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, many good works I have shown you from my father. For which of those works do you stone me? The Jews answered him saying, For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, and because you being a man, make yourself God." Why did they say you make yourself God? Because He said, I'm the Son of God.

Not a son of God, the Son of God. The only begotten son, as John says in John 1.18. The unique son of God. If I say, I'm a son of God, you all would say, I'm with you brother, you know, I'm a daughter of God, I'm a son of God. If I say, I'm the son of God, you would completely think differently about that, and I would be out of here.

Confident of that. You wouldn't put up with that. It's not that the Jews didn't understand what he was saying. It's that the Jews perfectly understood what he's saying. That as the Son of God, he was of the same essence with God, he was one with his Father, these are all things that Jesus said with breathtaking clarity.

They didn't kill him because they didn't understand, they killed him because they understood exactly what he was claiming to be. To be the Son of God is to be God. Now let's look at these middle phrases that we cleared out of the way for a moment. Jesus' resurrection marked him out as the son of God, quote, with power, and quote, according to the spirit of holiness. This is the toughest part of the passage.

And There are multiple different views held by commentators I respect. I'm not even going to tell you what they are. I really don't have any big objections to any of the others. I'm just going to tell you what I think it means. You can talk to me at lunch if you want to know what the other guys think.

I believe this is the best and most straightforward understanding of with power according to the Spirit of Holiness. Listen to Luke 1.35. Just note Luke chapter 1 verse 35 as the cross reference that I think best explains exactly what Paul is saying here. The angel answered and said to her, so this is the angel talking to Mary. This is Luke chapter 1.

This is before Jesus was born. The angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore also, that holy one who is to be born will be called the Son of God." That's why you call Him the Son of God. Because though He had a human mother, his father was not Joseph. The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary, and the Virgin was pregnant with the Son of God, who is God.

Now look at verses 3 and 4 together again through that lens. Jesus Christ was born the seed of David according to the flesh. He was fully man. He took on flesh. And He is the Son of God according to the work of the Holy Spirit.

He is fully God. Listen to Galatians 4 verses 4 and 5. I'll probably have read it and be talking about something else by the time you turn there. So just listen to Galatians 4 and 5. Paul writes, but when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

It is this identity of Jesus Christ as fully man, born of the seed of David, and fully God, the Son of God, that makes Him fit to be our Savior and the one mediator between God and man. The God-man. This is the essence of the gospel. That the gospel is the fulfillment of the promises that God made in the Old Testament. Which concerns this promised Savior Jesus as the God-man.

In Matthew chapter 22, when Jesus asks the Pharisees, What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he? They say the son of David. He then says, then why does David call him Lord? What's he objecting to there?

He's objecting to if David rejecting to if David calls one of his ancestors Lord, then honor is flowing in the wrong direction. Honor is supposed to flow from son to father, not from father to son. Jesus says, okay, so you've got these promises of God that promises that this Messiah, this Christ, this Savior will be the Son of David, then why does David call him Lord? Why would David call one of his sons Lord? They don't know how to answer.

What's the answer? Because one of his sons who is fully man is also fully God. David was right to call him Lord. He is the Lord. This answers, this is the puzzle piece that fits so much that puzzles us in the Old Testament.

Sometimes these prophecies sound like it's a man, one of us. And sometimes these prophecies sound like it has to be God Himself. How can He have an eternal kingdom if He is like us? He is the God-man. It solves the puzzle.

It is essential to the Gospel. Paul sets forth Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of these Old Testament promises that he will be fully man and yet fully God. Back to Romans 1. Now verses 5 and 6. Romans 1 verses 5 and 6.

Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ." Whew, He loves a modifying phrase, doesn't he? We're going to hit a lot of modifying phrases. They all mean things, and we'll try to untangle them as we go. Here in these two verses, we learn that Paul is not alone. So if you're taking notes on the handout by filling in the blanks, alone fills in the blank.

We learn that Paul is not alone. Paul is a part of a we. And it can't be the Romans because later, just at the end of the next verse he says you so he's