BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT

Paul was a man who lived solely for the glory of God and to do His will. In today’s passage you get a sense of his submission to Christ and his passion to preach the Gospel. Oh, to be a church full of followers of Christ who would live likewise!

INTRODUCTION

Three and a half years ago we brought a display case out with 4000 ping-pong balls, each representing $200 in mortgage debt ($800,000 total). Our ambition was to pay down the debt early, which we did, praise the Lord! Incidentally, the bank just let us know they’ve transferred the funds and our loan is paid off! But as a missional community, a group of people who believe we have a mission to achieve, we never get to a place where we say, “Aha, we’ve arrived! Let’s sit back on our laurels and chill.” 

In my early days in the Army the Army changed it’s doctrinal thinking from “Mission Complete” to “Change of Mission.” Whenever a unit completed a specific task we used to declare, “Mission Complete.” It was a signal that we’re done and we can go home! But it didn’t represent reality in a Post-9/11 world. We were never “mission complete.” Instead, when we completed one mission, we got a new one; it was a “change of mission.” 

In a similar way, the church is never mission complete, at least not until Jesus returns. Instead, we continually ask the Lord, “What next?” So these ping-pong balls, which represented money coming in to pay off debt, are now being given to you to represent money sent out into the world. No, not back into your pocket! Come back next week when we’ll unveil the new vision we believe the Lord has for our church. Somehow by God’s will, we will change the world! 

ROMANS 1:8-15

http://nonprofit-success.com/tag/impostor-syndrome/ 8  http://crochet247.com/tag/unforgettable-hazel-100th-scarf/ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.  9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 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. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Paul says in verse 8, First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 

FIRST PRIORITY

First, as in of utmost importance and priority, Paul gave thank(s) to God. You get the sense that Paul really was grateful to the Lord for what He was doing in the world. Ten of Paul’s thirteen letters open with a word of thanksgiving to God. 

Notice how Paul addressed God. He said I thank my God. That’s personal. That’s intimate. God is not a far off impersonal ruling deity. He identifies Himself as Father and He wants to be known. 

Notice, too, that the prayer of thanksgiving was through Jesus Christ. It is only because of what Jesus achieved in His death on the cross, His burial, and resurrection that Paul was able to approach God personally in thanksgiving. A hopeful and grateful personal relationship with God is made possible only through Jesus Christ. 

Nothing should cause a Christian, especially a Christian leader, more gratitude than to hear of another’s faithfulness. Imagine what was implied in Paul’s greeting. This was a group of ordinary followers of Christ who heard the Gospel in Jerusalem and took the message back to Rome and started evangelizing their friends and family. They planted a church without any apostolic oversight. This church, which was led by untrained and uneducated people, was the talk of the whole Christian world. What an incredible, beautiful, crazy glorious thing God did! We ought to rejoice whenever we see the Lord at work. 

Paul was happy about it because he was totally fixated on the glory of God and the expanse of the Kingdom, rather his own dynasty. He couldn’t take credit for what was happening and he couldn’t care less. He rejoiced that ordinary people were being used to do extraordinary things for the kingdom! It wasn’t what he was used to, but he couldn’t deny it was the Lord’s blessing. So he celebrated them.

WITHOUT CEASING

Let’s continue in verse 9, 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, 

Paul appeals to God as his witness that he is telling the truth when he says he prays for them without ceasing. Further he adds that he serves God with his whole spirit. In other words, God had all his heart and all his devotion. He was sold out!  

The word Paul used for serve is linked to service in worship. Christian service is worship in that it comes from the Christian’s heart for God. Service as worship is not begrudging, though it may be difficult and uncomfortable. It’s not begrudging. It is as I have said before a delightful duty.    

Paul’s service to God was specifically service in the gospel of His Son. He was not just a religious zealot. He was a born-again evangelist, a herald of the Good News of God’s Son. Paul was ultimately concerned about the ultimate concern – eternal life. It is appointed that all men die and then face judgment. (cf. Hebrews 9:27) 

The gospel of His Son is the Good News that sinners can be forgiven their sin and they can escape God’s just wrath on the day of judgement by placing their faith in Christ. That’s why we exist as a church! That’s the message we’re here to proclaim and protect. 

Paul continued in verse 10 describing the nature of his prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. In addition to gratitude there are two things we should notice in Paul’s unceasing prayer for the Romans. But I want to conclude with those, so let’s continue in verses 11-12. 

MUTUALLY ENCOURAGED

Paul said 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. What is surprising in this statement is that Paul was an apostle, a messenger of Jesus. He had been taught the Gospel by Jesus Himself. Yet he recognized his own limitations. He hoped that in coming to them he would encourage them. But encouragement in the faith would be mutual. He, too, needed the church. What humility! 

Notice the purpose for this desired visit. He said in verse 13, he hopes to make his way to the Roman church not to take in the sights and sounds of the big city. No, he was desperate to get to them in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 

Paul was a man on a mission and he was eager to bring as many people as possible into the mission effort with him. His driving passion was to see people come to know Christ and to live faithfully to Him, which is what he means by a harvest among you as well as the rest of the Gentiles. Gentiles means nations; anyone not a Jew is a Gentile. Paul’s scope of mission was huge!  

He said in verse 14, I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. That phrase Greeks and barbarians was a common phrase referring to all the people of the world just like Jews and Gentiles. To the Greek, anyone not a Greek was a barbarian. 

Now the implication of barbarian hasn’t really changed in 2000 years. It’s a derogatory term now, it was a derogatory term them. Paul wasn’t advocating the term; he was redeeming it. He recognized that “the foot of the cross is level ground” as they say. Irrespective of their lot in life, everyone is a sinner and everyone needs Jesus. 

INDEBTED TO GOD, PAID TO MEN

Notice Paul says he was indebted, or under obligation both to Greeks and barbarians. R. Kent Hughes wrote in his commentary citing the example of Hudson Taylor, the great nineteenth century missionary to China. He wrote of a time when Taylor was asked if he had given his life to the Orient because he loved the Chinese. Taylor responded “No, not because I love the Chinese, but because I love God.” 

Hudson Taylor felt the same toward the Chinese that Paul felt toward the Greek and barbarian. They felt indebted, not to the people but to God. It’s just that payment of that debt, call it a debt of gratitude for saving their souls, was remitted to men and women who would then in turn find themselves with a debt of gratitude and perhaps eager to keep the cycle going. 

Paul said in verse 15, I am eager to preach the gospel to those in Rome. They needed to hear the full gospel. Even though they had great faith and had planted a great church, they still lacked certain information and understanding that Paul could bring to them. Plus, they would need to hear from him if they were going to become his partners in the mission to the Gentile world, something he very much wanted to see happen.

He was compelled to this task to taking the Gospel to the nations. He said he was eager to preach the gospel to them. Paul burned for Christ and for His gospel. He said in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” Woe to me if I do not preach! That’s how I feel. In the words of Jeremiah, it’s like fire in my bones. 

Charles Spurgeon famously told his seminary students, “If you can do anything else, do it!” Why would he say that? Shouldn’t we encourage more men to preach? We need elders who cannot help but preach and teach the Gospel! Elders for whom teaching the Word of God and reaping a harvest among the nations is in their blood! Where are these men?!

Where are the men who are willing to give up everything if God so desires and give themselves wholly and fully to this task? I can tell you right now, there’s a pastor shortage in the United States and it’s getting worse. There’s especially a shortage of pastors and elders who are willing to speak the truth.  

We better be making more of them! Jesus said the harvest is ripe, but the workers are few. Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more workers! Jesus, we pray for more! 

SOMEHOW BY GOD’S WILL

I said I wanted to conclude with verse 10, so let’s return there. Paul’s prayer was that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. Like I said earlier, I’d like us to notice two things here.

First, notice Paul’s complete submission to the Lord. He didn’t say, “I’m trying everything I can to make this happen.” He said he was asking that somehow by God’s will I can come to you. Paul’s life was totally submitted to God’s will. 

Obviously coming to them had been on Paul’s heart and mind for some time. In verse 13, he wanted to ensure that they are not unaware…that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented). 

Prevented implies an alien will, an outside authority deciding for him. Even if that which prevented him from coming was the imperial edict of 49AD which evicted Jews from Rome, Paul would have perceived God’s sovereign hand in the matter. He is after all the one who penned Romans 8:28, “We know that God works all things together for the good…” 

Oh, church, that we would embrace Christ’s sovereignty and submit our wills to our Lord! That we would live our lives with the mindset of Paul, which was also Christ’s. “Lord, your will be done.” Too often I’ve found that Christians want to present their will to the Lord rather than submit it, and then try to convince Him to bless it. 

They say to the Lord, “Lord I’m going to do this and I want you to bless me in it. I want your protection and favor and success in it.” They’ve determined what they want to do without much regard for seeking the Lord’s will. Or worse, they know the Lord would not approve so they live by the principle “it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission.” 

Then they get disappointed when He doesn’t come through for them. It’s really upsetting to some Christians when God doesn’t meet their list of demands on their timeline.   

I often tell young people who are looking for a spouse that they need to stop looking for a spouse and fix their eyes on Jesus, running as hard and as fast as they can for Him – submitting everything in their life to His will – and then watch out of the corner of their eyes as Jesus brings into peripheral view a person running as hard and fast for Christ as they are. That’s who they should then pursue. 

So often we make the pursuit of what we want the ultimate goal in life rather than seeking first His Kingdom and trusting Him to provide everything good. Church, that we would embrace and internalize the words of James 4:15, “Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” Live, as in total surrender of everything. That’s James’ point and it was Paul’s example.   

Second, notice the sincerity of his desire. Paul’s greatest desire is that the Lord would allow him to go to them physically so that he could continue to preach the gospel and advance the kingdom. You can sense the passion when he says somehow by God’s will. In other words, if it’s at all possible, if there’s any way feasible I will come to you. 

The irony is that ultimately Paul did end up in Rome, but he did so in chains for Christ and he remained there under house arrest for two years. And you know what? I don’t think he regretted it at all. 

AND THEN THE END WILL COME

Oh to be a church full of Christians who hear the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” and then respond with a sense of sincerity, “Where can I take the Gospel? How can I impact eternity? How can I advance the kingdom? How can I join His mission? Lord, I can’t go, but show me how I can send, how I can encourage, how I can pray! Somehow by God’s will let me be part of the greatest rescue mission of all time!” Amen? Amen!   

Blessings to you, Wildwood! 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bruce, F. F. (2008). Romans: An introduction and commentary. Inter-Varsity Press. 

Doriani, D. M. (2021). Romans. P&R Publishing. 

Hughes, Kent R. (1991). Romans – Righteousness from Heaven. Crossway. 

Kruse, Colin G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans. W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Longenecker, Richard N. (2016). The Epistle to the Romans. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 

MacArthur, John. (1991). Romans 1-8. Moody Publishers.

MacArthur, John. (1991). Romans 9-16. Moody Publishers.

Moo, Douglas J. (2018). The Letter to the Romans, Second Edition. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Mounce, Robert. (1995). Romans. B&H Publishing.

Schreiner, Thomas R. (2018). Romans, Second Edition. Baker Publishing Group. 

Sproul, R. C. (2019). The Righteous Shall Live By Faith – Romans. Ligonier Ministries