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Sunday February 25, 2024
We'd love to hear from you. Message us here.
Sunday February 25, 2024
Alright, romans, chapter 15. Alright, we are really getting close now. Last few words here in the book of Romans, and like many last words, these are more personal perhaps than the rest of the book. Paul, you will remember, has shared 11 chapters of doctrine detailing the work of salvation, how God has saved us. It's the gospel, it's the good news and, as he says in chapter 1, verse 16, it's the power of God to salvation. That's why it's so important that we understand what God has done for us, where God has taken us. And so Paul take a turn in chapter 12, begging them, in light of all that God has done for them, in light of the mercies of God that they now practically present their bodies a living sacrifice. And that's what God wants to do not just fill our head with a lot of knowledge, but to really have our hearts just practically living for him in our lives. And so that's what we've been looking at. Now he is closing this letter and remember it's a letter and he shares a little more of his heart. He explains his motivation for writing, he details his method in ministry, he makes him aware of some plans he's made and he concludes the chapter by making a motion for them to pray. So let's check it out in verse 14. We'll probably read as we go, since we're covering kind of a lot, so let's just jump in there, verse 14,. For I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able to also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. So here we see, perhaps, paul's motivation for writing.
Speaker 1:Why did Paul write this book of Romans? We knew some of it right there. As he says straight out in chapter one, I'm not ashamed of the gospel. And then he goes on to explain it. Definitely a reason why Paul was writing to them. But notice what he says there. I'm confident in writing this. I'm confident, I'm totally convinced that you are full of goodness. So check it out.
Speaker 1:Paul is definitely not writing to these people in Rome because he thought they weren't able to take care of himself, that they weren't good people. You could say Now, what he's not saying, though, in this is that by nature, you are full of goodness, because I would go totally against everything that he said so far in the book of Romans. He's pointed out our sinfulness. There's this idea that we have that people are generally good. This is not true, right, look at the Old Testament. Well, you look at our own lives, but look at the Old Testament, the book of Judges.
Speaker 1:Some of us went through in our mornings, and the book of Judges is just so disheartening. Right, because it shows us that there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. So, left to ourselves. Where do we end up? The last part of the book of Judges, remember that. Remember even somewhere like well, that was rough.
Speaker 1:The book of Judges. In the end, it just gets so ugly. What does it show us? By nature, we're not good. We know that. We can say we're good, but we're not good. Leave us to ourselves, think about this. Leave us to ourselves, and every single one of us is capable of the worst evil. That's what the Bible shows us. We're capable of all of it. We're messed up. So Paul is definitely not saying here you guys are by nature good, so I'm not worried about you.
Speaker 1:But there is this part that God is working in their hearts. Right, that's what we saw there in chapter 12. In light of God's mercies, we present our bodies as a living sacrifice. We're not conformed to the world, but we're transformed by the renewing of our minds. There's this work of sanctification as the big word, right, sanctification that God changes us, changes us from the inside out, and hopefully you can look at your life and know you can. You can look at your life and go. I'm not the person that I used to be, and that's the work that God does in our hearts. So they're full of goodness, but it's not because of them, it's because of what God has done, and Paul lets them know. I'm not writing this to you because you guys are just bad, lost people.
Speaker 1:You know these things, jesus says. He also says he also says you're full of knowledge. Right, notice, there, I'm confident you're full of goodness, filled with all knowledge. You have knowledge. Paul tells him you know the right thing. So God doesn't just hit light in our hearts to goodness, he changes our mind.
Speaker 1:Right, romans 12, too, says by the renewing of your mind. Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And we look at our lives and that's something that God does with us too. He transforms our mind, he renews our mind. Man, when we're left to ourselves, we can clutter our mind with so many nasty things right, so many just evil things in our mind. And yet one of the wonderful truths is that God transforms our mind. He renews our mind by His spirit, we could say, convicting us of what's right, but more directly than that, by His word. You get sick of hearing me say it, but by His word God shows us what's right, what's real, what's important. God transforms our minds by His word.
Speaker 1:And notice, he goes on to say well, I know that you're full of goodness, you're filled with all knowledge and you're able to admonish one another. Paul says I know you could do this work by yourselves. Romans, it's something that God wants to use us for to admonish or encourage one another. And Paul would say there, you really don't need me. I know you don't, you didn't need me to say all this stuff because you could say it to one another. That's important, that we understand that God might want to use you to admonish, that is, encourage other people. Now notice, before we leave this, if you do feel called and I think you are called to admonish and encourage one another, make sure it's done with love and humility. Right, think about it. God gives us the truth. We can look at other people's life and hopefully we look at our own life and say this is what God says. I got to know in your life. This is what God says is right and good and everything.
Speaker 1:But if it's not done with love, paul would tell us in 1 Corinthians 13, it's a sounding brawn gong and clanging cymbal, something like that. Right, picture it a clanging cymbal. You got a band full of instruments and stuff. But if you have a band and it's just a cowbell, you know what I mean. It's just a clanging cymbal and you're just. It's a little more like those you know when our kids are young and they take all the pots and pans out and they just it's cute for a second and then you just can't handle it anymore. So check it out.
Speaker 1:Encouragement, admonishment, without love and without humility is obnoxious. Don't start that ministry without love and humility. But Paul here says hey guys, you have it. God can give you the ministry there to encourage each other with these things. Nevertheless, look at verse 13,. All that aside, nevertheless, brother and I've written more boldly to you on some point as reminding you. And so Paul really gets to the bottom of this and he says why am I telling you all this stuff? It's not that you don't know it, I'm just reminding you. That's my ministry is to remind you. Now check it out. Little secret here.
Speaker 1:I get a little self-conscious about saying some of the same things over and over again. Right, read your Bible. Oh, god loves you. Jesus died on the cross for you. Grace, is God giving us what we don't deserve? And I go in the back of my head. Let me tell you the attack that's in the back of my head While I'm saying those things. They know that, of course. You say that every week. And Paul here says the whole reason I'm giving you this book is not that you don't know it, it's that you do know it, but you forget right Now.
Speaker 1:The funny thing is we're generally not interested in things that we think we already know. You're with me probably. You hear things that you've heard before and you just kind of shut down and you go I know that. Oh, I've heard that before. Oh the gospel, why I've heard that before, right. And then we're so taken in by things that we've never heard before, right? I mean, if you're gonna write a book in the Christian world, you ought to find something that nobody else has ever said. Maybe some last days kind of revelation, or how you can count every seventh letter in the Bible and you get this amazing message Maybe, I don't know, maybe that was a book, that was actually a book, and we go whoa, that is crazy. Have you ever heard that before? And, honestly, a little rhyme that Chuck Smith used to say if it's true, it's not new. If it's new, well no, if it's true it's not, it's just new things. He said something so profound. But you get it right. Be careful, right, the sensational it's not always true. Oh sure, it's exciting. But Paul here says I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. I'm just reminding you. We need to be okay with the reminding part.
Speaker 1:I love the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah shows God's people rebuilding the city of Jerusalem and there's all sorts of intrigue and attack from the outside. There's battling and all sorts of suspense. Right, and Nehemiah, my favorite part of the book. He gets in chapter four, verse 14. The people are frustrated and ready to give up. And Nehemiah stands and looks at the people and he says do not be afraid of them, remember the Lord. Great and awesome.
Speaker 1:And I love that because he says remember the Lord. Let's stop and remember who God is. It's not the stuff we don't know, it's the stuff we do know. But we forget when times get hard. God is good, god is able to take care of me, god's with me. These aren't things that we don't know, they're just things that we forget. And Paul here says that's the whole reason I'm writing is to stir you up, as a reminder. It's the same thing that Peter told his friends there in 2 Peter 3, verse 1, beloved. I now write to you the second letter, which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder. So they all did it right. I'm not telling you something new, I'm just telling you what you've forgotten, all these simple things. So that's his motivation.
Speaker 1:Then we see his method there in verse 17,. Verse 17,. Therefore, I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus and the things which pertain to God, for I will not dare speak of anything of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient in many signs, mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Elysium I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man's foundation, but as it is written, to whom he was announced. They shall see, and those who have not heard shall understand. So here we see how Paul went about it, his method, I guess you could say. He notices there, in the very beginning, that the work that's done has to be done by Christ, through him. So real ministry happens when God works in us and through us. But notice though, it's through word and deed Happened through word.
Speaker 1:Paul didn't necessarily sit around and tell stories about himself I can be guilty of that. He didn't necessarily hand out a bunch of poems not much at least or current events, but he gave people the word of God, right Word First, corinthians 2, verse 1 and 2. He says in brethren when I came to you, I did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God, for I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. So we know Paul. Everywhere he went he handed out that simple word of what God has done for us. Now I'm sure he talked about other things. I'm sure when he was with friends he talked about the things of the day, but he always brought it back to the word, always brought it back to Jesus Important. But notice also he says in verse 19, there were mighty signs and wonders.
Speaker 1:Now in our world there's been a lot of abuse and thrown out as signs and wonders, miracle type ministries, but our response has sort of been oh, we don't talk about that stuff, we don't have a part in that stuff. But God can do whatever he wants. I mean we really ought to realize that God can heal people. God can give us the words to say God could give us other languages to communicate something. I mean he really could. We got to remember that God can do it all and maybe God would do it.
Speaker 1:Imagine this week if God wanted to use you for something supernatural at your work. Now, just a little side note. I think if he does and it's really a work of God the amazing thing will be that you'll turn around and not even realize that it happened. If you said something that just hit somebody right where they were at, or you had a part in praying for somebody and they got better, it's probably not going to be where you go. Whoa, is that me? What happened? It's just going to happen naturally and God could do it and everybody's going to look at God.
Speaker 1:But notice, even though I think signs and wonders I know signs and wonders God could totally use them today. I think it's important to notice that the word comes first, that it's important to have that solid foundation of truth Because, second, thessalonians 2.9 tells us that the lawless one, the anti-price, is going to come According to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders. So check it out. God could do whatever he wants. But that's not the foundation that we're getting out, because there are such things as lying signs and wonders. In the last days there there's going to be miracles that happen, just like the magicians in Pharaoh's day. They could perform some of the same things, but they were lying signs and wonders. So we have to be careful. We have to have that grounding of the word. But you never know, god might use you in a miraculous way this week and it would be all to point to him.
Speaker 1:Now Paul here says I came in word and indeed mighty signs and wonders by the Spirit of God. That's the only way that those things happen. And he says I have fully preached the gospel of Christ and we see again. That's where Paul lands. What I'm really trying to get out is this profound truth that God's loved us and saved us. This is what the world needs Now. Notice. He says in verse 20, before we leave this, my method. I made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was nameless. I should build on another man's foundation.
Speaker 1:So Paul had kind of a way of doing things. He didn't necessarily go where other people had gone. I could go there. It wasn't wrong for him to go there. You know, there in Corinth there was already a work going on and a little bit of misinformation had gone on through a guy named Apollos and Paul went there and Paul wrote to them.
Speaker 1:But generally Paul looked at the world and he said you know what? There's thousands of places I could go. I'm going to go where they haven't heard. And you think, here in Texas, how could that be? Is there really a place where people have never heard that truth of what God's done for us, and we know it's true. Isn't it Shocking sometimes when you're just talking into someone, you're like, well, I'm sure they're, probably they go to church, I'm sure they probably know, maybe they do go to church, and they're like I've never heard that thing. What do you call it sin? You call it sin. Yeah, sin. Sin separates us from God. Oh, okay, and what did Jesus do? He took our sin on the cross and paid the price. I've never heard that. Now, you know, I'm not joking. Right At your work, there are people that maybe go to church all the time, and they have never heard what God has done for them. And what's weird is we maybe heard it, some of us have heard it in our ear, but we've never taken it to heart. So here Paul would look at it, though, and he would say I'm going where nobody's ever heard. There's plenty of room. But that may be your job, you know what I mean. That may be in your family, that all at once, this realization, the light goes on. That's what God's done for me, and we ought to take it to them as well.
Speaker 1:Now check out verse 22. Paul's going to let us know some plans that he's making. For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you there in Rome, but now, no longer having a place in these parts and having a great desire these many years to come to you whenever I journey to Spain. So on Paul's itinerary, spain, interesting, I shall come to you, for I hope to see you on my journey and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while. But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints, for, please those in Macedonia and a KI, to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. It pleases them indeed, and they are their debtors, for if the Gentiles have been partakers of the spiritual things, their duty also is to minister to them in material things. Therefore, when I perform this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. But I know when I come to you I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
Speaker 1:So Paul gives us the rundown on what he's thinking about doing. Ultimately he wants to go to Spain. It's kind of one of the farthest places you could go in the Roman Empire, there in the West. And Paul says this is my plan, I'm going to end up going there. Nobody's told the people in Spain yet. I need to go out there and tell them. But first I'm going to Jerusalem. And we know the story right. When he says I'm going to Jerusalem, we get this kind of haunting feeling in our stomach, this feeling of like oh, paul, don't go to Jerusalem. If I could stop you right now in the book of Romans, you know, just don't go.
Speaker 1:And you remember there in the book of Acts, paul just had it on his heart to go to Jerusalem. The people were, it seems, experiencing a famine in Jerusalem. They were experiencing want and throughout the other churches. The Gentiles sent a gift there with Paul and Paul wanted to go to Jerusalem. I have to go to Jerusalem, I have to be there. Before the fees I got to go.
Speaker 1:And you know, in the book of Acts, as he got closer, everybody said Paul, I feel like God's telling me chains and imprisonment await you in Jerusalem. Don't go Even one time. While Paul was talking, this guy named Agibus cool name, agibus gets up and he takes Paul's belt off and he wraps it around Paul's wrist and he says so will the owner of this belt be bound when he goes to Jerusalem? What are you trying to say, agibus? You're going to be bound, paul. And everybody begs in with tears. He says why are you breaking my heart? I'm willing to go and be bound, I'm willing to die for Jesus. Are you kidding me?
Speaker 1:And Paul goes to Jerusalem, and you know the story. While he's there in the temple, he's accused of bringing Gentiles into the temple to defile it. And they arrest Paul and they nearly kill him right there and they drag him out. Right, the centurion drags him out to save him from being torn apart. And from that moment on, paul is in chains, he's captive. He sits around. You know, in this, you know court system there in the Roman Empire. He sits around for a couple of years. He goes to Caesarea and he's bound and says you know what? I'm sick of this. I appeal to Caesar. And from that moment he's sent to Rome to stand in front of Caesar himself.
Speaker 1:Nero, now, now, this was Paul's plan. Right, we have it here. He's just saying this is what I want to do. I want to go to Jerusalem and after that I'm going to go to Spain. When I go to Spain, I'll stop by and see you guys in Rome. That's my plan.
Speaker 1:But we see the thing here that we all know, things don't always go the way we plan. In fact, isn't it funny, they like never go the way we plan. Oh, I have so many plans earlier on in life of what I was going to do. Let me tell you everybody I'm going here and doing this, and it wasn't what happened. Now. What happened, I think, was even better. But things don't go the way we plan. This five-year plan thing, just forget about it. That's not the reality of the Christian life. I don't think God changes plans almost every time.
Speaker 1:So James tells us in James, chapter four, verse 13, you can always turn, especially if you're quick. James 413. Come now, you who say today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy, sell, make profit. You know what. You don't know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It's even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say I should have had us turn here. Instead, you ought to say if the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. So James spells it out and he says you don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. I mean, look at your last week, look at your last year. You don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. He says your life is like a vapor, and most of us get that. It just is there, blows away, life is over before you know it. And yet James says you don't know what's gonna happen.
Speaker 1:Say, if the Lord wills, things don't always go according to plan, like Paul, right, god had different plans, some diversions there. Now check it out. Let's look at his story, though really quickly, in that Paul stood in front of governors, two governors, two Roman governors. He stood before a king named the grippa, countless centurions and prison guards. He appealed to Caesar and then went and stood before Nero, as tradition tells us. Even going to Rome. On his way to Rome, he has a shipwreck and he ends up at an island called Malta. Little bit of ministry there at Malta, he ministers to the people by God, causing a serpent to bite him on the wrist and he survives and the people go whoa, what do you gotta say to us? And there was ministry all along the way, but it didn't look like what Paul had in mind. Now it's probably better, but it wasn't necessarily easy for what was planned.
Speaker 1:But a loose grip. You have to have a loose grip. We have no choice in the matter. Right, god, I'm gonna trust you with all of my heart and I'm not gonna lean on my own understanding. I may acknowledge you in all of my ways. This is Proverbs 3, 5 and 6,. Right and God, just direct my paths and he will. You have to think of Joseph. Life did not go as Joseph planned, right, not at all. And yet at the end of his life he tells his brothers you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, to bring it as it is this day, to save our whole family, guys, and who knows the end result of what God wants to do. As we just trust him, even with our plans. Now, verse 30,. Let's finish it up. Verse 30,.
Speaker 1:Now I beg you that's pretty intense I beg you, brethren, through the Lord, jesus Christ and through the love of the spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints that I may come to you with joy by the will of God and may be refreshed together with you, and the God of peace will be with you all, amen. And so he says, guys, why don't you pray with me? Notice what he says there. I beg you, strive together with me in prayers to God. So Paul looks at his life and he says, guys, what I really need from you in Rome right now is some prayer. Why don't you pray with me for what comes next? Now, I mean, the way he prays is we see the whole story right. He says pray that those in Judea, you know, won't have it over me as I bring this gift to Jerusalem, it will be acceptable to the saints. And then pray that I'll come to you. Now, none of that exactly happened the way Paul intended, but even in prayer he lets it up to God. Right, he trusts God with it with all of his heart. But I love how he brings the people into it. Now come back for a second. This is good, good for this week.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of ministries that you could do. You could go on a missions trip, you know. You could go the other side of the world this week. I mean, if you could go ahead, right, but sometimes the ministry of prayer is even more effective. I think that's what Paul is saying. He's like strive together with me in prayers, guys, join me in prayer. And I don't understand why prayer works, but it's the way that God works, that we right now could sit and we could pray for people on the other side of the planet who are struggling. We could pray for people in other parts of our city who are right now listening to God's word. We could pray and we could do more. I don't get it, but we could do more in that ministry of prayer than we could if we were actually there in some cases.
Speaker 1:And Paul here says hey, pray, maybe we need to pray a little. Of course we need to pray a little more. We all need to pray a little more. And Paul here really encourages them hey, join me in prayer. But we see in all these things Paul's heart. I'm just wanting to remind you of the things you already know. You know I'm doing this in humility, in love, the word, word. Indeed, I'm giving you these things and God's gonna work. I just know it. But hey, pray, pray for me. Let's do that, god, thank you so much for this example with Paul and thank you for his heart to just remind people of the simple things.
Speaker 1:I pray this week that we would just be reminded of the simple things, god, that you love us, god that you saved us.
Speaker 1:And God, you wanna work even in the hearts of people that we love and we feel so hopeless and helpless to do anything.
Speaker 1:And yet, god, I know even now you wanna work in hearts and you wanna work in our city, god, in our country.
Speaker 1:God, we just pray that you would. God, I just pray for my friends even now, and the things that we don't even see this week, the opportunities, and, god, maybe it's the people in our lives that are just out of crossroads this week. And God, you might put us right in our lives for a time such as this. God, give us the boldness and the heart. God, give us your spirit that we would look more like you and less like ourselves. God, I just ask that, whatever ministry you have for each one of us this week, we would do it and God, it would be all to your glory. God, thank you again for this time and thank you for just all you do, jesus, and I do ask that everyone, quicker and quicker, better than in your lives, that you would pray, that you blacken the hearts of your friends that know Jesus, god, god, look at your words and Lord, I'm the Lord, Jesus, I give all my heart. I won't break down into world, your things, and God witnessed my worship, you.