Sermon Prepared by James McCullen
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Thanks In The Book of Romans
Romans 1:8, 6:17, 7:24-25, 16:4 also Col. 3:15

1. Thankful for the . . Call of God. Col. 3:15

3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. NKJV

Rom 6:17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. NKJV

    A.    Thanks for the Call from their Past . . Position before Christ. 6:17 a
        "But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin,. . ."

        KJV 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, KJV

1. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
The expression in the first member of this verse is somewhat unusual, although the sense is plain: "God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin;" that is, that this slavery is past; or, 'God be thanked, that ye, being the servants of sin, have obeyed,' etc. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans

2. MacArthur New Testament Commentary
First the apostle gives thanks to God. No one can come to Me," Jesus said, "unless the Father who sent Me draws him, [and] unless it has been granted him from the Father" (John 6:44,65).

Obedient from the heart: God works His salvation in a person's innermost being. Through the grace provided by His Son, God changes men's very natures when they trust in Him. A person whose heart has not been changed has not been saved.

Obedience neither produces nor maintains salvation, but it is an inevitable characteristic of those who are saved. Paul later warned him that "the time will come when [men] will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires" He also admonished Titus to "speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine" (2:1).
MacArthur New Testament Commentary

3. New American Commentary
6:17 People obviously are the slaves of the one to whom they offer themselves to obey (v. 17). Paul set forth two masters: one is sin, and the other is obedience [to God]. Jesus taught, "No one can serve two masters" (Matt 6:24). We also are reminded of Joshua's challenge to the Israelites at
Shechem, "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve" (Josh 24:15).

Christian obedience is never coercive; it is always voluntary. The teaching was not entrusted to the converts but the converts to the teaching. New American Commentary

B. Thanks for the Call to their . . Practice of Christianity. 6:17 b
". . . yet you obeyed from the heart. . ."

C. Thanks for the Call to their Present . . Posture in Christianity. 6:17 c
". . . that form of doctrine to which you were delivered." NKJV

" to that form of teaching to which you were committed," NASU

". . . the form of teaching to which you were entrusted." NIV

". . . that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to," (HCSB)

1. Holman New Testament Commentary
Paul does not refer to the "form of teaching which was entrusted to you." Rather, he says the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. Holman New Testament Commentary

2. Life Application Bible Commentary
The form of teaching (didache) entrusted to the Roman believers was the good news that Jesus died for their sins and was raised to give them new life Now we are to be wholehearted servers, but doing so requires grace, repentance, forgiveness, the Lordship of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, restraint of our desires, and disciplined effort. Life Application Bible Commentary

Illustration
This week I heard a story on a Christian radio broadcast. It seems a pastor's daughter rebelled against the teaching of her parents. She broke many of the commands of God, and the heart of her mother and father.

Then the father decided to go to his daughter and apologize for his mistakes as a father. She received him rather coolly, and he felt his remarks were wasted. He left saddened by his daughter's response. Back home he and his wife tried to proceed with their lives. A few weeks past, and they got a letter from their
daughter with only two words. It said "I Believe!"

The parents wanted to assumed their daughter acknowledged the Lordship of Christ in her life but were cautious. A few weeks later a call came and the daughter wanted to know if her daddy would baptize her. Can you imagine the joy this father and mother shared?

Application

This daughter's sin illustrates this verse.

Rom 6:17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. NKJV

2. Thankful for . . Christian Brothers and Sisters. Rom. 1:8 & 16:4
1:8 "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. NKJV

16:4" who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. NKJV

A. Thanks for . . Fellow Believers. 8 a
"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,

1. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
Such then being the clear doctrine of the Bible, that in all our approaches to God in prayer or praise, we must come in the name of Christ, that is, in him, referring to him as the ground of our acceptance, there is no need of the various forced interpretations of the words in the text, which have been given by those who are unwilling to admit the idea of such mediation on the part of Christ. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans

B. Thanks for . . Faithful Believers. 8 b part 1
" that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. NKJV

1. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
That your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Their faith was of such a character as to excite general attention and remark. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans

2. Life Application Bible Commentary
First a word of thanks and later, a word of hope. Just as it was through Jesus Christ that Paul received grace and apostleship (1:5), it is also through Jesus

Illustration Life Application Bible Commentary
A visitor to your town stops by the local restaurant for lunch and casually asks the waitress to tell him about the church in town. How would the waitress describe the church you presently attend? When people talk about your congregation or your denomination, what do they say? Are their comments accurate?

What features would you want them to notice? What is the best way to get the public to recognize your faith? How often does your church seriously evaluate its impact on the community?
Life Application Bible Commentary

C. Thanks for . . Faithful Believers. 16:4 part 2
" who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. NKJV

1. Life Application Bible Commentary
Paul was indebted to these dear friends, even explaining to the others that they risked their lives for him. Paul is grateful that they saved his life, and the Gentile churches would also be grateful that Paul's life was spared. Life Application Bible Commentary

Illustration SACRIFICE, Love, Calvary: When Do I Die?
Five-year-old Mary was obliged to undergo an operation, and lost so much blood that it was
necessary to resort to blood transfusion. The blood of thirteen-year-old brother Jimmy was found by
test to match exactly the little patient's. "Will you give your sister some of your blood, Jim?" asked
the doctor. Jimmy set his teeth. "Yes, sir, if she needs it." He was prepared for the transfusion. In the
midst of the drawing of the blood, the doctor observed Jimmy growing paler and paler. "Are you ill,
Jim?" he asked. "No, sir, but I'm wondering just when I'll die." "Die?" gasped the doctor. "Do you
think people give their lives when they give a little blood?" "Yes, sir," replied Jimmy. "And you are
giving your life for Mary's?" "Yes, sir," replied Jimmy. Can you tell me of a finer heroism than this?
-- From AMOS R. WELLS, in Christian Herald. Sent by Eleanor L. Griffith, Rockland, Maine.

Application

3. Thankful for . . Christ. Romans 7:25
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 "I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. NKJV

A. Thankful for the Victory of . . Salvation In Christ. 7:24-25 a
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 "I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! NKJV

1. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (7:24-25)
But the Scottish commentator Robert Haldane wisely observed that men perceive themselves to be sinners in direct proportion as they have previously discovered the holiness of God and His law. In one of his penitential psalms, David expressed his great anguish of soul for not being all that he knew
the Lord wanted him to be: "O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy wrath; and chasten me not in Thy burning anger. For Thine arrows have sunk deep into me, and Thy hand has pressed down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Thine indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me" (Ps. 38:14).

B. Thankful for the Victory In . . Struggle In Christ. 7:25 b
". . . So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. NKJV

1. Holman New Testament Commentary
MAIN IDEA REVIEW: The mature believer in Jesus Christ is not one who never struggles to obey God. Rather, the mature believer is one who has been released from the law's condemnation and made free to serve its requirements by dying to the law through Jesus Christ. Holman New Testament Commentary

Paul next asks a question to which he well knows the answer: Who will set me free from the body of this death? He again makes clear that the cause of his frustration and torment is the body of this death. It is only a believer's body that remains subject to sin and death. Rhuomai (set free) has the basic idea
of rescuing from danger and was used of a soldier's going to a wounded comrade on the battlefield and carrying him to safety.

Paul longed for the day when he would be rescued from the last vestige of his old, sinful, unredeemed flesh.

Illustration
It is reported that near Tarsus, where Paul was born (Acts 22:3), a certain ancient tribe sentenced convicted murderers to an especially gruesome execution. The corpse of the slain person was lashed tightly to the body of the murderer and remained there until the murderer himself died. In a few days, which doubtless seemed an eternity to the convicted man, the decay of the person he had slain infected and killed him. Perhaps Paul had such torture in mind when he expressed his yearning to be freed
from the body of this death. MacArthur New Testament Commentary

Application

If you can imagine having a dead body attached to your back and having to do everything you do with that extra burden weighting you down. How thankful would you be if someone took the body off your back?

Paul gave thanks to Jesus for removing an unbearable burden.

Thankful for the . . Call of God.

Thankful for . . Christian Brothers and Sisters.

Thankful for . . Christ. Romans 7:25