First Baptist Church of El Dorado - Sermons
Tune in each week as Pastor Taylor Geurin leads us into a study of God's Word.
First Baptist Church of El Dorado - Sermons
Not Ashamed: Transformation Through Faith and Service | Romans 1:1
This episode delves into the transformative journey of Paul the Apostle, paralleling his life with that of an athlete excelling in multiple arenas. Listeners explore how knowing Christ leads to profound change as Paul served as the ultimate example of a transformed life dedicated to sharing the Gospel.
• Discussion of Paul’s unique identity as both a Pharisee and Christian leader
• Exploration of the Apostle’s mission to unify the church in Rome
• Understanding the significance of Romans 1:1 in revealing Paul’s humility
• Emphasis on serving as the ultimate expression of the Christian life
• Practical insights on living out faith beyond the church walls
1st Baptist, baptist El Dorado. Will you join me now in listening to our sermon from this week?
Speaker 2:Romans 1.1 says this Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. Let's pray together. Lord Jesus, thank you so much for your word, thank you for the transformation you offer, for the life that you give us, thank you for the gospel. We praise you, lord, in Christ's name, amen. I think when I get to heaven I'll probably have a few you know questions, things I've wondered throughout life. One thing I may ask is Lord, who know questions, things I've wondered throughout life? One thing I may ask is Lord, who is the greatest athlete you ever created? Who's the greatest athlete you ever put on this earth? And I think he'll look back at me and say, taylor, don't you think it was obvious? It was Bo Jackson.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you've done a deep dive into Bo Jackson lately, but a Heisman in Auburn in 85 and then was drafted into the NFL but didn't immediately go, actually because of a dispute with the team that he didn't want to play there. And so instead of going to that NFL team, he actually went and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals and he went and played major league baseball. And he actually went and played major league baseball at a high level. And so here's what a year in the life of Bo Jackson looked like in the late 80s and early 90s. He'd play a full season for the Royals from early April to late September, early October a full season and then he would and this is his words he'd fly out to LA to enjoy his hobby. Now, you and I have hobbies. We read books, we ride bikes, maybe we bake different things. What was his hobby? It was being an NFL running back. Five weeks into the season he would go to the LA Rams and he would play as a running back and he literally called the NFL his hobby, his off-season hobby. And many have tried to do that. Deion Sanders did it at a decent level, michael Jordan tried it. He was good on the basketball side of things and baseball didn't catch on. But for Bo Jackson, he was an all-star in both sports, in both sports, and his entire life revolved around playing two professional sports at the highest level.
Speaker 2:He is the ultimate two-sport athlete. I wonder this it's silly to say, but I do wonder in Christianity, do we have a Bo Jackson? Does Christianity have its own Bo Jackson, the two-sport athlete? I would claim we do, and I would claim his name is Paul the Apostle, the ultimate two-sport athlete. He could do it all.
Speaker 2:A Jew of all Jews. Read Philippians 3. He could fit in with the Jewish crowd very well. He knew the Scriptures, a Pharisee of Pharisees, zealous for the things of God. He knew the Word of God better than anybody knew the Word of God On the Jewish side. He had it all the credentials, but also this called to be an apostle to the Gentiles, called to take the gospel to a people that had never heard the gospel before. He could do it all in any direction. Anything you asked him to do, he was able to do, and do it at an incredible level. This is who Paul was.
Speaker 2:And Paul wrote the letter to Romans, to the church at Rome, this two-sport athlete writing to a church that was filled with Jews and Gentiles. And he wrote what may be the most beautiful letter ever written. I've told people before that if you put me on a desert island and said I could only take one chapter of the Bible with me, I'd take Romans, chapter 8. And if suddenly you were generous and you offered me two chapters of the Bible, I would take two copies of Romans, chapter 8, just in case the first one wore out Romans is the most theologically rich, beautiful letter maybe we've ever seen written by Paul, written by Paul.
Speaker 2:It's interesting this is the only letter he wrote to a church that he did not plant, or that a co-worker of his did not plant, or that a co-worker of his did not plant. This is actually the church in Rome is a church that Paul had never personally visited when he wrote this letter. So why did he write this letter? A few reasons. Number one is this to build up the church and glorify God. That can be our answer, for why did he write any letter? To build up the church and glorify God. Also this he knew the power at the church in Rome, the power for the spread of the gospel, both in Rome that at a time had a population of around a million people, but also beyond.
Speaker 2:Paul desired that Rome would be somewhat of a missionary sending ground. Paul wanted the gospel to go further west. He wanted the gospel to reach Spain and he felt that the church at Rome could be a sending ground. Both geographically it could be a sending location, but even financially it could provide for the mission further west of the gospel. There was also likely some division between the Jews and the Gentiles within the church at Rome that Paul wanted to speak to. He does later on in Romans 14. He may have been speaking to some of the division there to create a more unified and strong church, but again, more than anything, he desired to glorify God in the life of the church at Rome. So he wrote this letter and in this beautiful letter he shows us the beauty and the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:And this morning I want to cover the first six words of Romans, romans 1, 1. Throughout this year we're going to walk through the entire book of Romans. We're going to have some stops in between some different series along the way. There's going to have some stops in between some different series along the way. There's going to be a few things here and there, but we're going to walk through this letter to see the glory of the gospel. I want to begin Romans 1 1 as we see this that to know Christ is to be transformed by Christ. To know Christ is to be transformed by Christ. Romans 1 1.1 begins this way Paul, let's stop there.
Speaker 2:Paul, who is Paul? We just talked a little bit. The two-sport athlete, the Jews and Gentiles he could minister to any of them, but really at his core, who is Paul? Sometimes, when a question is asked of you, you respond this way you say, well, who's asking? And what you mean by that is what is the agenda behind this question? What is the question behind the question? Well, who's asking? What are you getting at? If you ask the question who's Paul? The question is not who's asking, but really is when are you asking when? Because there's two periods in Paul's life that if you ask the question who is Paul, you'll get very different answers. Colby spoke to this a little bit last week in the life of Paul, but you can get very different answers. Look with me in Acts, chapter 7, for one answer of who Paul is.
Speaker 2:There's a moment when, after Pentecost, the church is beginning to expand. People are seeing and experiencing the gospel of Jesus and beginning to follow the way of Jesus Christ, and the gospel is going forward. But there are some Jewish individuals, leaders of the religious world and those who like to live out the law, and even laws that God didn't say we had to live out, and these Pharisees of Pharisees that wanted to be in control of religion Guys like Paul at the time saw. They didn't like that. The gospel was going forward. They didn't like that. There was a man named Jesus who had claimed to be the Messiah and had even claimed to have risen from the grave. He didn't like that.
Speaker 2:And late in Acts, chapter 7, there's a man named Stephen who's executed for his faith, the first martyr in the church, killed because of his faith. And we see in verse 57, but they verse 58, then they cast him out of the city and they stoned him. That is Stephen. They executed him and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. There's our guy, saul, who will become Paul, chapter 8, verse 1,. And Saul approved of his execution. So it looks like when they were seeking to execute Stephen, they needed an individual who could give the nod of approval, give the go-ahead. Who did they look to? They looked to Paul. He was the one to give the order, to give the word. We continue in 8.1,.
Speaker 2:And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. They were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles Verse 3, but Saul was ravaging the church and entering house after house. He this is who Paul was the greatest threat of the church, the greatest threat to the gospel, the individual who thought he was so zealous for the things of God. Yet how misguided was he that he would look at those who were following Jesus, who tasted and saw the beauty of the true Messiah, and he wanted to be rid of them, put them in prison or put them away. Prison or put them away. We can't understate just how much of a threat Paul was. Think about that person, even in today's time that you look at, you see on the television, on the news and in your mind they must just be the, the face of evil in our world, maybe because of the oppression they've overseen, the destruction they've caused. Whatever it is, this was Paul, a killer of Christians, the greatest threat to the gospel. But then you literally just turn a page.
Speaker 2:Romans Acts, chapter 9, who is Paul now? Verse 1, but Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest. He went to the high priest because he wanted a letter that he can take to a place called Damascus. He can give it to those in Damascus to let them know that if they find any Christians, that they are ordered to bring them back to Jerusalem, but bring them back bound, bring them back in chains and so that Paul and others can deal with them.
Speaker 2:But then he's on the road to Damascus and something happens verse four and falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him Saul, saul, why are you persecuting me? And he said who are you, lord? And he said I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. I wanna say a quick side note, real quick. It's fascinating Jesus' words. He says Saul, why are you persecuting me? And we step back and we realize well, I mean, is he persecuting Jesus? Really? He's persecuting these Christians. And yet in Jesus' words, very intentional, why are you persecuting me? Because in Jesus' mind and his heart and in reality, to persecute the church is to persecute Jesus. You don't separate the head from the body, the head of the church from the body that is the church. So for Saul to go persecute any Christian is really to persecute Jesus.
Speaker 2:And on this road to Damascus, something profound happens and Paul's life is turned upside down by the very one he wanted to be rid of, by the very one that he sought to destroy. Jesus Christ got a hold of his life. And we read here and we read in Galatians the story of what followed, where Paul kind of went away for a while not straight into a public ministry, but learn more about the things of Jesus and was discipled by individuals and grew as a believer before he began his public ministry. And again, don't miss just how wild this is. Think of that person again in your life, or on the TV, or on the news. That just seems to be the face of evil in our world, a cause of so much destruction and oppression in our world. Whoever that is in your mind, think about it and then imagine if one year from right now, that individual were standing behind this pulpit preaching to us the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's scandalous to say, it's almost offensive to say. And yet that's Paul, the greatest threat to the church of Jesus Christ, had been transformed by Christ and has now become the greatest missionary of the church of Jesus Christ. That's the kind of transformation that only God can do.
Speaker 2:Martin Lloyd-Jones, the preacher in London. He was at Westminster Chapel from 1939 to 1968. Now, within that time, from 1955 through 68, a little over 13 years he preached through the book of Romans Truly for 13 years, sometimes verse by verse, I'm convinced, sometimes syllable by syllable 13 years. And I'm very blessed to have all these sermons bound in my office. I'll show you a picture. It may be the most theologically rich collection of sermons in what may be the ugliest binding you've ever seen in your life. When I walk into my office in the morning, I don't drink coffee. I just look at my shelves. Those colors wake me up.
Speaker 2:But in these beautiful, glorious sermonsmons, in one of his sermons on Romans 1-1 I emphasize, one of them, on 1-1 he says this both about you know, paul and these believers in the church at Rome, that there is only one explanation for their change, as there is only one explanation for the fact that Christian people are seated here in this building. We could say this building week by week. There is only one explanation for the fact that Christian people are seated here in this building. We could say this building week by week. There is only one thing that can turn men and women who belong to the terrible categories described into saints, and that is the thing Paul talks about in the 16th verse. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, he says, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Nothing else could have produced Christians in the Roman Empire and in Rome, but the gospel could do so and the gospel had done so. And we would say this that for 2,000 years following this letter, the gospel has continued to do so.
Speaker 2:If you want to know what can transform a life, I'm willing to tell you Scripture's willing to tell us. It's not the programs that we do in this building. I love our programs and God can use them. I'm not discounting them. It's not the clever things we can come up with. We're all clever, you're very clever. It's not just my ability or your ability, though. God has gifted us in so many ways where they step out of the realm of death and darkness and into the realm of light and step out of a road that is heading to hell and end in a road that is heading towards glory in Christ Jesus.
Speaker 2:If you want to know, the only thing that can do that is the gospel of Jesus Christ, proclaimed through the power of the Holy Spirit. That's it. What can transform a life? The gospel of Jesus Christ. What can do the work that we desire to do, what can do the very work that we want to see? This year, as many would be baptized, as they have come to know Jesus Christ personally. It's Christ's gospel, through God's spirit.
Speaker 2:That's what can do it, that's the only thing that can do it, and Paul knows this. Why he's going to speak about it? He's going to spend 16 chapters talking about it and Martin Lord Jones is going to spend 13 years breaking it down. Why? Because Paul has seen it in his own life. He's not speaking on the outside, looking in. He's speaking from experience In your own life.
Speaker 2:When you gaze upon the glorious richness of Christ Jesus found in the beauty of his gospel, are you gazing at it from an outsider or are you gazing at it from the standpoint of? I was the one lost in darkness and Christ Jesus found me. That's what the gospel can do, that's the transformation that's possible and that's what our God is capable of. But we see this, that the number one, that to know Christ is to be transformed by Christ. But I also want to see this to serve Christ is to be a servant of Christ. You say, taylor, that seems pretty obvious. I mean, the word is there in the definition To serve Christ is to be a servant of Christ. And yet it may not be as obvious as we think, because so many times we're tempted to live a life in service to Christ that really doesn't involve much service to Christ. But I want to think about this If Paul had never visited the church at Rome and Paul was writing a letter to the church at Rome and Paul was going to ask for a lot from the church at Rome to be a missionary sending base for the gospel to go further west, what might Paul do to show, maybe an authority, to maybe show, humbly speaking, I don't mean a dictator, but humbly show maybe I'm someone worth listening to, maybe I'm someone that knows a little bit about what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2:What could he do? What's his resume he could put forward? Well, there's many things. This is Paul Romans written later in Paul's life, between 55 and 58 AD. He had already been through three missionary journeys.
Speaker 2:He could talk about many things. He could talk about what we talked about earlier. His resume we see in Philippians 3, and how impressive he is as a biblical scholar. We could talk about moments in Lystra when he healed a man who couldn't walk from birth, or when they wanted to execute him by a stoning and he narrowly escaped and then went back to preach in the same town where they wanted him executed. We could talk Acts, chapter 16, when he's preaching in Philippi and a lady named Lydia is listening and comes to know the gospel for herself and then is instrumental in beginning the church at Philippi. We could talk about in Philippi when he and Silas are in prison but they're just singing their songs late night and the ground starts to shake and the prison walls fall down and the man guarding the jail thinks he's done for and he is done for because Christ's gospel gets a hold of him and his life's changed and his whole family's lives are changed. He could tell all these stories about preaching in places like Corinth and Ephesus and Macedonia and Greece and Ephesus. He was preaching and a little boy fell out of a window and died and Paul walked right out to him and raised him back to life. These are the stories I want in my resume. These are the stories that if I want to show a church that hasn't met me just what my credentials are, I'm starting here.
Speaker 2:Now, where does Paul start in Romans 1.1? Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. That word servant doulos. It's a slave, a servant, a bondservant. Paul loves this word, used 32 times throughout his letters, now sometimes literally used for a servant or bondservant, but most times used a servant of Christ. What is Paul's top item on his resume when he's speaking to a new church? Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus?
Speaker 2:I want you to know, as you climb the ladder, as we would use in secular terms of the Christian life, where does the highest rung take you? Where, when you are leveling up quote unquote in the Christian life when have you reached the top? Where's the penthouse of the Christian life? I can tell you, the greatest thing you can achieve in the Christian life is the role of servant. When you arrive at the top quote unquote in Christian life you're actually at the low place of service. Christian life. You're actually at the low place of service Because we live a life where achievement looks like serving those around us.
Speaker 2:When Jesus, on the night he was about to be betrayed, what did his final achievement look like, at least before the cross? It looked like getting low and washing the feet of the disciples. And you know, as I said those things about climbing the ladder or scaling to the top, I don't mean that, because that's really not how the Christian life works, but it works like this becoming a servant of Christ Jesus, acknowledging that, before anything else, he is Lord of all, that we are mere employees and he is the employer. And you say but Taylor, look at you, you're behind the pulpit. You must at least have this authority, or you the boss. I want to be clear. I'm not the boss, I have a boss. Colossians 1.18,. Christ Jesus is the head of the body, the church. At the end of the day, he's in charge of this thing. I answer to him he's my boss. Don't tell the staff that They've got to come to staff meeting. But he's the boss.
Speaker 2:I love what Karl Barth says, one theologian, that here is no genius rejoicing in his own creative ability. The man who is now speaking is an emissary bound to perform his duty, the minister of his king, the servant, not the master. Are you a servant of Christ Jesus? Have you come to the point in your life where you realize that the life God has called us to is the life of serving those around us, that the goal of this Christian life is not to sit in the ivory towers of the salvation that we've been given but, because of the salvation we've been given, to go to the places where the gospel has not been proclaimed. That could be around the world, that could be in your office, that could be in your home, that could be on your team, that could be anywhere. Have you realized that the Christian life is about serving those around us? Why? Because we have an authority. And I just ask this question If Paul himself, the greatest missionary to, I believe, ever walk the planet, if Paul himself realized that he was but a servant of Christ Jesus I'm not lifting Paul up on a pedestal, but I'm just making the statement how much more should I realize If Paul was the one who, again and again, took the gospel to where it had not been heard and he knew he was nothing but a servant of Christ Jesus? How much more should I be a servant of Christ Jesus Church family? The Christian life looks like the life of being a servant, a servant of Christ Jesus and, through that, being a servant of all those around us that they may know the glorious riches of Christ Jesus in his gospel, which has first transformed us and now has the power to transform others. What does it look like for First Baptist Elderator to be a church that is in service to Christ Jesus, made up of servants, individual servants, but as a church we exist to serve, to be in service of our authority, of Christ Jesus. I think it looks a little bit like this I look at this new year 2025, and I think about the time we will be in this room.
Speaker 2:I love this hour on Sunday morning and I think about 52 Sundays in a year. You know, add in a Christmas Eve and a Good Friday and add in I'm probably going to go over five minutes here or there. We're going to spend about 55 hours together in this room. 55 hours in this room. Those are going to be, honestly, some of my favorite hours of the year those 55 with you in this exact room at this exact time. Let me tell you the time you're going to spend not in this room 8,705 hours.
Speaker 2:8,705 hours, I think the story of how God moves in 2025, the story of how First Baptist El Dorado will be a church in service of Christ Jesus. A lot of it will be told in the 55 hours we're together, praise God. But I got to tell you a lot of the story is going to be told in the 8,705 hours that you are not in this room, that you are going out, that you are part of this mission to take the gospel forward, that you are living out your calling as an individual, your calling and command and command by Christ Jesus not to live a Christian life, that you sit on the sidelines, but you live a Christian life where you go forward and you proclaim the gospel and you use every one of those 8,705 hours to make much of Jesus, not just in this place, but far beyond it, where the gospel has not been taken before or at least needs to be taken again. I think that's what it looks like in 2025, to be a people like Paul, transformed by the gospel, and to be a people in a church like Paul, to be servants of Christ Jesus. And I want you to know church family. I'm in it with you. This is not something a pastor stands in a pulpit and asks his church to do. Hold me accountable. This is something your pastor will be doing.
Speaker 2:This morning I was at the Hillsboro McDonald's, as I am every Sunday morning at the drive-thru about the same time every week. Get a sausage, egg, biscuit and a large Diet Coke every Sunday morning at this clockwork. I don't know why by this point, they don't just have it ready for me and meet me at the front door, but I was there this morning in the drive-thru and every week, every week it's been six months now I see the same lady there. I see the same lady at the window nice as can be, just nice as can be. But I see her every week and we'll say a hello or something.
Speaker 2:But I've often thought, I mean, taylor, you're sitting here in a suit. I mean, it's kind of obvious, you may be heading to church and you're just sitting there, you know, giving her a polite smile each week. But are you doing any more than that? I started to wonder is your pastor not being bold enough in his faith? Is your pastor wasting an opportunity that God may be putting right in front of him? And God's good and God's faithful.
Speaker 2:This morning I was there and I was driving through and I get up to her window and she's there and she laughs and she says you're here every Sunday morning. Exact words, and I'm no Billy Graham, but surely I can do something with that. You know, thank you, lord. I say, yeah, you know, I am. I'm actually the pastor at First Baptist Church and I come here every morning to get my breakfast before we go to staff meeting about this same time. I love coming every week and she brings a friend to the window and we all talk which church is it? It's the one with the bridge. Yeah, all that, and you know the conversation and we just have a good laugh and have fun and I'll see her next week and I'll be honest, that's what happened this week. That was the conversation, but I want to tell you what I'm looking for. I'm looking forward to what's going to happen next week. I'm looking forward to what's going to happen the next week and the next week. As an acquaintance becomes a friend, becomes more and more conversation about what I'm up to on a Sunday and what I'm up to every other day of my life. I'm looking forward to the conversations you're going to have as you're a missionary to McDonald's or Slim's or wherever it is. I'm looking forward to the conversations you're going to have with people on your team at school or in your workplace or even in your living room. I'm looking forward to hearing about the seeds that are planted, because the harvest is plentiful, and I believe this. The workers from the harvest are in this room. I'm looking at them and I can't wait to think about this.
Speaker 2:January 4th, 2026, the first Sunday of 2026. I'm not rushing through this year, but I'm already thinking about that Sunday. Who's going to be in the room this time next year that right now doesn't even know Jesus, that right now hadn't even walked into a church? Who's going to be walking towards Jesus alongside of you at the coffee shop? Who's going to learn more about Jesus, be discipled in the faith? Which one of your children in your home is going to know Jesus because, as a parent, you are pouring into him or her? This year? I'm thinking about this time next year.
Speaker 2:What is God going to do in the life of this church? Because we're not just individuals that spend 55 hours hanging out on a Sunday morning and I love it and I'm never going to trade it for all the world but we're also individuals who then go out with our 8,000 hours and we make much of Jesus, then go out with our 8,000 hours and we make much of Jesus. And, who knows, maybe my friend from the drive-thru will be sitting beside Katie and I one of these Sundays. I hope so. It started this morning. Let's see what we say next week and the next. But when we realize that we are lives transformed by the gospel and we realize that our ultimate goal in life is simply to be a servant of Christ Jesus. When those things are ingrained in our hearts and minds, I believe not only is the harvest plentiful, but the laborers are ready to go out. Believe not only is the harvest plentiful, but the laborers are ready to go out, and I believe God can do it right here, right now, that more might come to know the transforming power of the gospel because of people in this room who have been changed by the gospel.
Speaker 2:Maybe that's you this morning. I'll be down front in just a moment as we sing together, and maybe you want to know Jesus right here, right now. Maybe you want to join this church this morning. You want to be part of this family. Maybe you just want to respond. You want me to pray for you. I'd love to get to do that. However, you'd like to respond, I'm going to be right down front and we'd love for you to come. Come talk with me. I'll be down here, let's pray together and then we'll worship Lord Jesus. Thank you for this day, thank you for your gospel, thank you that you have transformed us, you have saved us, and thank you that, by your gospel, we are servants of you. By the cross, we are forgiven. By your death and resurrection we now have life, and Lord, send us out to love and serve you well, and will we do it for your glory. Lord in Christ's name, amen, would you stand now as we worship?