The mission of preaching

(Rom. 15:14-21)

Introduction: Last Sunday’s sermon title was ‘Accept one another’ based on Rom. 15:1-13. Those who understand the principle of the gospel and grow up in faith should try to live for other people. We should not criticize those who are weak in faith but accept them as brothers and sisters in Christ. It may not be easy, but we must try in the love of Christ. Eventually, we, Jews and Gentiles, will praise the Lord in heaven. Through reading and studying the Bible, we will change our way of thinking and our behaviors. Today’s passage is Rom. 15:14-21. By almost concluding the epistle to the Roman believers, Paul emphasizes the mission he received from God to preach the gospel and recognizes the work of Christ through him in evangelism. Through today’s word of God, we will learn the attitude for those who receive the mission to preach.

1) The priest of the gospel (14-16): Paul is convinced that the Roman believers are full of goodness and understand the gospel. They also teach one another in words. Still, Paul wants to share with them the grace God has given him. The grace is the gospel and preaching it to the Gentiles. Paul said he was appointed as a priest of the gospel. A priest in the Old Testaments was the one who offered the animal sacrifices for sinners. By preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, Paul is offering them as living sacrifices to God through the blood of Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for sinners. The priest should be clean and faithful in his job and mission. God even killed some of the unfaithful and unclean priests in the Old Testaments. Paul feels that he is the priest of the gospel who has been appointed by God to preach the gospel for eternal salvation (II Cor. 5:18-20). In fact, Paul is not the only priest for the gospel. We are all priests of the gospel. Anyone who receives eternal redemption and eternal life through the gospel is appointed by God as the priest of the gospel. We are the priest of the gospel.

2) What we should boast (17-19): Paul had several things he could boast about. He was circumcised on the eighth day, was of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, and a disciple of Gamaliel (Phil. 3:4-6, Acts 22:3). But these things were not important to Paul. The most important thing to Paul was the fact that Christ worked through him in evangelism and the blood of Christ on the cross. Paul confessed that he had nothing to boast about except the cross of Christ and His grace (Gal. 6:14). He decided not to know anything but Jesus Christ and His crucifixion of the cross (I Cor. 2:2). As a priest of the gospel, we must preach the gospel as it is and with a pure heart.

3) Those who have not heard about the gospel. (20-21): We know that there are so many people who have not heard about the gospel. Paul wanted to preach the gospel to those who had not heard about it. We need to look around us and find anyone who has not heard about the gospel. When we do, it is our job to present the gospel to them. That is what God asks us to do. Thank you and God bless you.