“From the Community to the Continents”
(Romans 15:14-33)
Series: Not Guilty!
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Henderson, KY
(12-13-09) (AM)
- Take God’s Word and open to Romans, chapter 15.
If you’re visiting with us we preach through books of the Bible, expository preaching, verse-by-verse, through books of the Bible, believing this to be the best way to preach, teach, and learn the Word. Earlier this year we began a study in the book of Romans and we are nearing the end of our study as we are concluding chapter 15 this morning.
Next week I anticipate our hitting the pause button in our study of Romans in order to preach a text more specifically addressing Christmas and what Christmas is all about. But for now, let’s turn our attention to the second half of chapter 15, beginning at verse 14. Paul is wrapping up his letter now and he speaks loving words of encouragement to the churches at Rome, reminding them of God’s bringing together Jew and Gentile and then he goes on to speak of his further missionary plans.
- Stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God,
16 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.
17 Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God.
18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient —
19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
- Pray.
Introduction:
When I study a passage each week I try to look for an overarching theme in the text. Usually after reading the passage several times we can identify one main theme. I really felt as I read this second half of chapter 15 that I was reading about a man who had a heart for being missional, preaching and teaching the Gospel from the community to the continents. You note that especially in the last verse we read a moment ago, verse 19. Look again at the last part of verse 19: “so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.”
The church exploded outwardly from Jerusalem. You remember that, in some sense, the church was born at Jerusalem following Pentecost. The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and they began taking the message of the Gospel outwardly to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Paul says in our text this morning that this has always been his plan, to take the Gospel from the community to the continents, again verse 19: “so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ.” The distance from Jerusalem to Illyricum covers a span of about 1,500 miles. That’s quite a journey in a day before automobiles and airplanes!
So we learn from this passage about fulfilling the commission of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus says back in Acts 1:8, that “we shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, equipping us to be His disciples,”—to be missional—“in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
In January, we’re going to take a few weeks to kick off our church theme for 2010. We’re going to present a brief study of Acts 1:8 and taking the Gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Where is our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and ends of the earth? It’s helpful to think of 4 Cs: our Community, our Commonwealth, the Country, and the Continents. We’re to be taking the Gospel to these four areas—these 4 Cs—simultaneously. And so we’ll be talking about that in the weeks ahead, how every member is a missionary all the time. In fact, God gave me this statement this morning, “Life is a mission trip.” Life is a mission trip. Missions is not something we do occasionally, missions is something we are to be doing all the time. Every member is a missionary.
This passage teaches us some things we need to know as we take the Gospel from the community to the continents. First:
I. We Must Ascribe Praise to God (14-21)
We live for the glory of God. All that we do should have this as its chief end: praise and glory to God. Let’s read about Paul’s living his life for the glory of God as these verses unfold.
14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
Remember that Paul had just been addressing the congregations in Rome about the need for Jews and Gentiles to come together on the essential matters of the faith and to show love and compassion to each other on the non-essentials of the faith. They were dividing over these non-essentials, whether eating certain meats and observing certain days were required of all Christians. Paul had taught them about Christian liberty, about the importance of seeing from the other person’s perspective and not doing anything that would cause spiritual harm to another. In essence, he had taught that we should live our lives in such a way as to draw people closer to Christ rather than pushing them further away.
So he says here in verse 14 that these Jews and Gentiles in the churches of Rome were able to admonish one another on these matters. They were, verse 14, “filled with goodness and knowledge.” They were “able also to admonish one another.” Verse 15:
15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God,
So Paul is saying, “You really already know these things and are able to provide the counsel of Scripture regarding these matters, but I, verse 15, “nevertheless, have written more boldly on some points, as reminding you.”
Paul says these Christians in the churches at Rome knew the truth and they knew enough to help out one another, providing admonishment and encouragement to one another based on their knowledge of Spiritual things, but that he is merely writing more boldly to them on some points.
Here is an immediate point of application. You all as church members of First Baptist know enough of the Scriptures to counsel one another. Many of you do this well. The pastor is not the sole biblical counselor. You all know enough spiritual truth to provide encouragement and admonishment to one another. My role is often that of the person who speaks more boldly on some of these matters. This is the place of public proclamation, of preaching and teaching the Word of God. It is not so much that I say things you have never heard before, but rather, verse 15, “as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God.”
Now watch how Paul speaks of himself as an agent or channel of praise to God:
16 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.
Paul refers to himself as a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. Of course, he was also a minister to the Jews, but you will remember that God had given him a special calling to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Romans 11:13). So he thinks of his life—his ministry, his intentionally missional life—as worship and praise to God. He says in verse 16 that he is “ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” You get this picture of a priest at the temple, worshiping God. That’s what Paul’s life was! He came before God and his offering was the Gentiles, an offering sanctified by the Holy Spirit, received by God.
17 Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God.
18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient — (that is, obedient to the Gospel; obedient to receive the truth of the Gospel)
19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
Paul is glorying in the Lord. He is praising God for God’s blessing upon his taking the Gospel from Jerusalem to Illyricum. He is talking about how God worked through him, verse 19, “in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God” as he has preached the Gospel from the community to the continents. You really have to look at a map to see this, Paul’s taking the Gospel from Jerusalem to Syria, to Turkey, to Greece, and up to Albania, “from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum,” some 1,500 miles.
And he says in verse 17, “I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God,” not, verse 18, “those things which Christ has not accomplished through me.” Paul was very careful to give God the glory and praise for all that happened and he bit his tongue if he were ever tempted to boast of anything other than that which Christ had done in him and through him.
How easy it is to boast of our own accomplishments! Like the guy who sang, “Lord, it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way.” Paul is a good example for us in that he always took care to ascribe praise to God. He gave credit and praise to the Lord Jesus Christ for whatever happened in his life. He was so consumed by his passion and love for the Lord Jesus Christ that affected everything, including his view of church planting:
20 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,
21 but as it is written: “To whom He was not announced, they shall see; And those who have not heard shall understand.”
Verse 21 is a reference to Isaiah 52:15, a messianic reference, a reference to the Messiah—Jesus Christ—as foretold by the Prophet Isaiah. Paul takes that Old Testament text and applies it to the spreading of the Gospel. He says, “I want to take the Good News of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, to those who have never heard.”
So, verse 20, “I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation.” Paul had no interest in starting a church where there was already a church. He did not wish to “build on another man’s foundation.” He viewed Gospel expansion as the work of a pioneer, taking the Gospel to areas where there was no significant Gospel work.
Occasionally I will meet with local pastors over a cup of coffee and we will share our victories and our struggles. On more than one occasion, we have shared our concern that so much of what is called “church growth” is really just the moving of members from one church to another. Someone gets upset at one church and goes and joins another. Another gets his feelings hurt and joins another church. I remember hearing Andy Stanley talking about this once, about how we bring our personal, bad experiences into the next church we join. It’s like baggage that we bring and we just move it all into the next church!
Paul didn’t want to start a church where churches already existed. He wanted to start a church where people had not heard the Gospel. You will remember a few weeks ago when Tanner Turley was with us that he shared how they are starting a church in Boston because there are so few people in that huge city who have heard the full Gospel message and are living in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s the sort of thing Paul has in mind. He says in verse 20, “my aim is to preach the gospel, not where Christ is named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation.” He is not interested in “making a name for himself.” He is interested in the name of Jesus Christ and taking that name to those who have not heard.
We must ascribe praise to God. Secondly:
II. We Must Accept the Plans of God (22-29)
22 For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you.
This is an interesting statement that, at least to some degree, calls our attention to the providence of God. We read often in the Book of Acts how the apostles are providentially hindered from going into certain places. Through the Holy Spirit, God guides and moves in such a way as to see that His perfect plans are carried out. Paul has been “much hindered” from going to Rome.
But he says here that the reason for his being hindered is because of the work to be done in other areas. He has been much hindered, but now he is able to come:
23 But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you,
24 whenever I journey to Spain, 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.
Paul subjected his plans to the plans of God. He accepted the plans of God. He trusted in God’s timetable and not his own. How important this is for us to accept! You and I may have our own ideas and opinions about what we think God ought to do, but He will do in accordance to His perfect plan. We serve a God who is always good and who always does what is right. Never forget that!
I don’t know fully what some of you are going through. You may be facing personal loss, tragedy, or anxiety. You may have your wants and desires and you wonder whether God is there for you or cares for you. Well, I’m here to tell you this morning that He does! Paul had “a great desire” to go to Rome and a great desire “these many years.” We wonder how often he had prayed for God to make it possible for him to go, but it was never the right time. Now it is. He will go to Spain, he says, and will see the Romans on his way there to be encouraged by them.
But even now he subjects his own will to the will of God! Verse 25:
25 But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints.
Well, are you going to Rome, or not?! Yes, Paul is going to Rome, but first he must take a 1,500 mile detour from Corinth to Jerusalem. He is going down to Jerusalem to take monies for the needy Christians there. This is not the first time we read of churches taking up collections for others. You remember reading of this in the Book of Acts and you will also read of it in 2 Corinthians.
26 For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem.
27 It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.
There is a neat picture of God’s bringing together of Jew and Gentile. Paul notes that the Gentiles have been partakers of the Jews’ spiritual things. That is, they have come to know the God of the Jews who came to us in the Person of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. So the Gentiles have been partakers of the Jews’ spiritual things and now regard “their duty” to “minister to them in material things.” The Gentiles have taken up a collection, a love offering, for their Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul is taking this love offering to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.
28 Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain.
29 But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
So Paul says I am on my way, but first I need to go 1,500 miles in the opposite direction! “When I have performed this…I shall go by way of you to Spain.” I love this guy! He reminds us that life is a mission trip. Acts 1:8 is about taking the Gospel from the community to the continents. I mean he starts in Jerusalem, goes as far as modern Albania and says he is on his way to Rome, but first will go back to Jerusalem and then is going to Rome, but is actually just going to “stop by” Rome because he really is on his way beyond Rome to Spain!
Here is a reminder that the Great Commission of Acts 1:8 is not to be interpreted sequentially, but simultaneously. Jesus does not say “Take the Gospel first to Jerusalem, then second to Judea, then thirdly to Samaria,” and so forth. No! Missions is a simultaneous endeavor. We are to be working the 4 Cs of community, commonwealth, country, and continents simultaneously. That is what Paul illustrates here in his going from Jerusalem to Turkey to Abania, now back to Jerusalem, then on to Rome, then on to Spain. Our work is never done in any one area and we are to work all those areas simultaneously.
And Paul subjects his will to the will of God. He accepts God’s plans for his life. He works in accordance to God’s timetable. He says, “I know I am coming to you” and he even says in verse 29, “I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.”
Yes, Paul! You will get to Rome and you will get there “in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ,” but do you know how you will get there? Do you know that you will arrive in Rome—in chains? Yes, Paul would get to Rome. Yes, God would get him there, but not before Paul’s arrest and imprisonment. Yes, Paul would get to Rome, but only as a Roman prisoner. That was God’s plan. Even then, Paul accepted the plans of God.
You and I have our own ideas about how we think things ought to work, don’t we? But God always knows what is best and He always does what is right. He is a providential God.
Sometime back I came across this helpful definition of providence. Providence is, “the belief that the events of our lives are not ruled by chance or fate, but by our sovereign and loving Lord who works out His plan and purpose in the lives of all His children.” Let me read that again. Providence is the belief that the events of our lives are not ruled by chance or fate, but by our sovereign and loving Lord who works out His plan and purpose in the lives of all His children.”
We must Ascribe Praise to God and we must Accept the Plans of God. Thirdly:
III. We Must Ask for Prayers to God (30-33)
30 Now 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,
Paul asks his Christian friends for prayer. We are starting off the New Year with a “Prayer Revival.” I can’t think of any better way to kick off the first week of the New Year than by having a prayer Revival. Brother David McCollum will be with us the first week of January, Sunday through Wednesday, leading us into a closer walk with God, learning better how to talk to Him in prayer.
Paul asks his Christian friends to pray specifically for a few things:
31 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,
32 that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you.
All these prayers are answered. Every single one, maybe not in the way Paul anticipated, but they were all answered. He does, verse 32, “come to them by the will of God” and is “refreshed together with them,” but who would have guessed he would come the way he did, coming bound in chains and spending the latter years of his life in house arrest? God knows best.
And so, after asking the Romans to pray for him, Paul concludes with a brief prayer for them:
33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
- Stand for prayer.
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