Text: Rom. 1:1-7
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4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
Christmas ornaments shine and bring joy as we behold the beauty of the Christmas tree. In this time of Advent, we prepare to behold God’s son our Lord Jesus Christ.
Some ornaments we hang on our tree may depict a church and have an opening for a light to be placed inside.
As it is hung and the light shines, it takes on a whole new identity.
Displayed among all the other lights, this particular one stands out as a light with a special purpose, as the light shines out of its windows, drawing one’s attention not to the ornament itself but to the light inside.
Paul’s opening words in his letter to the Christians in Rome bring out the similarity to this simple church ornament:
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God” v 1
Just as the ornament was filled with darkness until the light was placed inside, so also was the life of Paul.
As a young Pharisee, he went by the name of Saul, and, like many of his contemporaries, he lived a strict life of observance to the Jewish religious laws and ceremonies.
His life’s goal was to persecute Christ and see to the arrest or murder of anyone, including the apostles, who preached and proclaimed Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Messiah.
Amazingly, Saul became the great apostle we know as Paul, the author of our text who so beautifully writes about his faith as one who had been set apart for a special purpose in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Set apart in an extraordinary life that was not chosen by himself but as one sent by Christ, a life as a servant with a mission to shine the light of Christ into the lives of the Gentiles.
Paul didn’t choose to be a servant for Christ; quite to the contrary, he’d chosen a life of artificial shining success within the world. Even as Paul refers to his readers as those: “Loved by God and called to be saints” (v 7),
There is much confusion in the hearts and minds of man. The world would have us to believe in ourselves, to be wise and strong in making our own choices, taking the initiative to be good and worthy first, long before God would even consider loving us.
For we in the world, becoming a saint is a challenging work that we must strive for and accomplish. The world would also have us to believe that once you or I accomplish sainthood then we may have earned the right to be loved by God. Isn’t that what Saul was really trying to do through his persecuting of Christ and arresting those who witnessed of him?
If we’re honest, as God’s Word reveals our sinfulness, we’ll humbly admit as Paul writes, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Rom 3:23
But God had even murderous Saul in mind when he set apart his own Son, Jesus, for his most special purpose: to be the, the Messiah promised through the Old Testament. Jesus is the Good News,
“Who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead” 3–4
Yes, this Good News message centers on Jesus Christ, who was born of a humble mother and laid in a manger.
Born a direct descendant of David through Mary and Joseph.
Born to fulfill God’s first promise to Adam and Eve—to send a Savior, the Seed of the woman, to rescue all men from their sins.
Born to suffer and die with the burden of every man’s sin laid upon him on the cross of Calvary.
Born to die and be laid in a tomb.
But God’s grace did not send his only Son into this world to be born and die to the same dead end that death is for every other human. Christ Jesus, after taking our sins upon himself, put them to death and then was vindicated as the Son of God, conquering death by his resurrection.
As Christ’s chosen instrument, Paul listened and obeyed the words of his Lord.
Christ had called him: to be an apostle, set apart to shine the light of Christ’s Gospel through to others.
“We have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ” 5–6
Rightly so, Paul refers to himself, in v 1 of our text, as a “servant of Christ Jesus,” taking great joy in being a slave for his Lord and Master.
No longer did he wish to achieve his own glory but sought endlessly to share the light of Christ with those living in darkness. Paul realized the light that was now shining through him was not based upon his own merit or worthiness, but was rather a pure and holy gift of grace.
“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Rom 5:8
We, too, have been called by God’s free gift of grace in Christ for the purpose of living and sharing with others, through word and deed, this Gospel message.
It is entirely a matter of grace that we are among those “who are loved by God and called to be saints” 7
Paul in his letter to the Ephesians writes:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” Eph 2:10
Paul was called by Christ to be a light with a purpose.
He was “set apart for the Gospel of God” v 1 to shine the light of Christ into the lives of the Gentiles.
We, too, have been called by Christ to be “lights in a dark world” and to let our light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” Mt 5:14–16
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit!
Amen
And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in and through Christ Jesus our
Lord and Savior now and forever. Amen
Based on Sermon series Behold the light! Rev. Steven R. Schumacher 2018
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