Serving God – Romans 1:7-15
“To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” (ESV)
The apostle Paul dedicated his ministry to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and making known the glory of God. This singular focus is made clear as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches “Serving God” from Romans 1:7–15. Paul was not a cultural commentator, nor was he a politician, but he was concerned that what God has done in Jesus Christ be known to all. From this, Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that the church should imitate Paul with the great doctrines of salvation and of God. Many preachers have lost this focus on biblical truth and use the pulpit as a platform for nothing more than social or political change. He says that this is in contrast to Paul who said that his ministry was to proclaim Christ and Him crucified, not the changing interests of humanity. This is why Paul writes to the Romans, expounding many great teachings, some of which are hard to understand. The church today should not be content to substitute God’s word with the mere opinion of people, but they ought to stand firm on the truth of God as given by the Holy Spirit in the writings of the apostles and prophets. For it is only God’s word that has the message of salvation. MLJ Trust