A. Once there was a young woman who brought her fiancé home to meet her parents.
1. After dinner, her mother told her father to find out more about the young man, so the father invited the fiancé to his study for a talk.
2. “So what are your plans?” the father asked the young man.
a. “I’m going to be a biblical scholar,” the young man replied.
3. “A Biblical scholar. Hmmm,” the father said, “Admirable, but how will you buy my daughter a beautiful wedding ring, such as she deserves?” asked the father.
a. “I will concentrate on my studies,” the young man replied, “and God will provide for us.”
4. “And what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in?” asked the Father.
a. “I will study,” the young man replied, “and God will provide for us.”
5. “And children?” asked the father, “How will you support children?”
a. “Don’t worry, sir, God will provide,” replied the fiancé.
6. Later, the mother asked, “How did your conversation go, Honey? What did you learn?”
a. The father answered, “I learned that he has no job, and no plans, and he thinks I’m God!”
B. And what about you and me, do we have any plans for the future?
1. Maybe you’ve heard of or experienced this funny quote from Woody Allen: “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.”
2. It appears that Woody Allen borrowed that idea from an old Yiddish proverb that says: “We plan, God laughs.”
3. The truth of the matter about planning is that I believe that God wants us to make plans, but to always keep a loose grip on them, believing that God is ultimately in control.
4. We should adopt the attitude and practice that James suggested in his little letter of wisdom: Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (Jms. 4:15)
C. Today’s sermon from our series on Paul’s letter to the Romans, brings us to the end of chapter 15.
1. Paul’s letter to the Romans is his longest and most theologically complex letter.
2. So it should not surprise us to find that Paul’s closing of this letter is also the longest by far than in any of his other letters.
3. Today, as we work through Romans 15:14-33, we will see Paul discuss his travel plans.
4. Paul’s main purpose in this section is to help the Christians at Rome to understand why Paul has not yet visited them.
5. You might recall that back in chapter 1, Paul brought that up at the beginning of his letter.
a. In chapter 1, verse 11, Paul wrote: For I want very much to see you…
b. And in verse 13, Paul wrote: Now I don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now)...
c. Finally, in vs. 15: So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
6. Now, as Paul concludes his letter, he assures them that a visit to them is in his future plans.
7. As we work through today’s section, I want to encourage us to be on the lookout for important spiritual principles that can apply to our plans for living and serving the Lord.
8. These verses contain more than one man’s two-thousand-year-old personal travel plans, they also include a useful glimpse into the thinking and practices of the Apostle Paul as he lives and serves the Lord.
D. Paul begins this section, saying: 14 My brothers and sisters, I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. (15:14)
1. We should notice and should be impressed by Paul’s tact and diplomacy in writing to a church he has neither planted nor visited.
2. Back in chapter 1, verse 12, he had suggested that if he visited them, they would be: mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
3. Here in chapter 15, verse 14, we see him compliment the Roman Christians on being “full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.”
4. Paul wants them to know that he knows that he is not writing to a novice community or to a deeply sinful one (like the Corinthians), but to one who knows and practices the faith.
5. Paul often had to confront people about their failures and struggles, which Paul did to some degree in Romans, but he almost always bathed it in some sincere commendation.
6. Paul didn’t just say something nice for the sake of saying something nice, he didn’t exercise empty flattery, rather he tried to be observant of people’s strengths as well as their weaknesses, and tried to point out both.
7. Unfortunately, sometimes we think that the best way to get people to change is to criticize them and so people criticize their spouses, their children, their co-workers, or employees.
8. But criticism alone usually doesn’t work; it never has, and it never will.
9. We all respond better to criticism and correction when it is tempered by genuine praise.
E. Paul continued: 15 Nevertheless, I have written to remind you more boldly on some points because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the gospel of God. My purpose is that the Gentiles may be an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:15-16)
1. Paul acknowledged that his letter did contain some things that he had emphasized rather boldly.
a. But Paul did that in order to remind them of some important things they already knew.
b. Obviously, the believers in Rome did not know everything (certainly not everything Paul knew), but they certainly needed to be reminded of some things and have them clarified.
2. Paul’s second reason for writing so boldly is because of his strong sense of divine commission.
a. God had given Paul the gracious ministry of bringing Gentiles into obedience to God.
b. Since the Roman church was mainly Gentile in composition, then it lies within the scope of the mandate God himself had given to Paul.
3. Paul used some interesting language to describe his ministry.
a. He calls himself a “minister” or “servant,” but the word he uses has priestly connotations.
b. That word usually refers to priestly service in the temple.
c. Paul saw himself as a priest and his practice of sharing the gospel is a priestly service.
d. And Paul viewed the people who trusted Jesus through his witness as an offering, which he, as a priest, gave to God.
e. Notice vs 16: that the Gentiles may be an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
4. I want to encourage all of us to have a strong sense of divine commission as well.
a. The great commission that Jesus gave to his apostles in Matthew 28 to go make disciples of all nations is our commission as well.
b. We are Christ’s ambassadors and Christ is making His appeal through us (2 Cor. 5:20).
c. Bringing people to Christ is one of our highest forms of worship; our service to God.
d. It should clearly be one of our top priorities in life just as it was for Paul.
e. And one of the only things from this life that we can take with us into heaven are people.
F. Paul continues: 17 Therefore I have reason to boast in Christ Jesus regarding what pertains to God. 18 For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me by word and deed for the obedience of the Gentiles, 19 by the power of miraculous signs and wonders, and by the power of God’s Spirit. (Romans 15:17-19a)
1. Paul points out that because God is the One who had given Paul this service, it was something that he could legitimately “glory” in or boast about.
2. Glorying in or boasting about something can be wrong when we are trying to take the credit for our own achievement, but it is appropriate when it is the product of God’s work and we give Him the credit.
3. Paul certainly had reason to boast in the Lord, because God had accomplished many notable things in and through Paul’s life.
a. Paul had brought countless Gentiles to Christ.
b. Paul had performed countless signs and wonders to relieve human suffering and to legitimize the fact that his teaching was from God.
4. But Paul never took personal credit for any of it – he knew full well that he was just a clay pot (2 Cor. 4:7), and that it was all God.
5. The Bible says over and over again that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
a. Pride can be a huge Achilles heel, for many people, including preachers and Christians.
b. When things start to go well in our church or in our ministry, Satan loves to encourage us to think “Aren’t I something!” “God sure is lucky to have me on His team!”
c. Pride is an ugly thing. It crops up so easily; we all struggle with it at times.
6. When Mohamed Ali was in his prime, he was never famous for his humility.
a. He never claimed to be humble. He liked to refer to himself as Superman.
b. One time while traveling on an airplane, the flight attendant told him to fasten his seatbelt.
c. And he looked at her and said, “Superman don’t need no seatbelt.”
d. And, quick as a flash, she snapped back with, “Superman don’t need no airplane, either.”
7. We need to cultivate the same attitude that Paul had “For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me” (15:18).
a. It is not about us; it is all about Him! We are nothing, but Christ is everything.
G. Paul continued: As a result, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum. 20 My aim is to preach the gospel where Christ has not been named, so that I will not build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but, as it is written, “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.” (Romans 15:19b-21)
1. In the second half of verse 19, Paul describes the scope of his ministry – he has preached the gospel from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum.
a. Illyricum was the Roman province that incorporated modern day Albania and parts of the old Yugoslavia.
b. If you know Paul’s missionary journeys, then you know that his journey from Jerusalem to Illyricum has not been a direct one but a winding one.
2. But more important than geography is Paul’s sense of having completed a significant phase of the ministry God had given him.
a. Paul had been able to plant thriving, self-reproducing churches throughout the region he has described, and now he was in a position to move on to other untouched territory.
3. Paul then explains his personal goal – to preach the gospel in places where it has never been.
a. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with building on someone else’s foundation, but that wasn’t the mission that God had given to him.
b. Paul saw himself carrying out the commission given to the servant of the Lord in Isaiah 52:15 preaching to those who have never seen or heard about Jesus.
c. Isaiah had predicted that somebody was going to go to those difficult areas where no believers had ever been, and to where the name of Christ had never been heard.
d. At one time this was true of every place on earth, somebody had to go to those pioneer mission fields and lay the foundation, doing the tedious spade work necessary to found the church, and then to move on to someplace else to do the very same thing all over again.
e. Paul was a foundation layer - that was his calling.
4. In some respects that is what David and Audrey Bentley are doing in their mission work.
a. Rather than planting churches themselves, as Americans, they are teaching the people of that country to go and spread the gospel in areas where there is no church.
5. We live in the United States where Jesus has been freely known for hundreds of years, but there are still places on planet earth where Jesus is unknown.
a. There are still people groups who are unreached and where there are no Bibles translated into their native languages.
b. Can you imagine not having the Bible translated into the only language you know?
c. Timmy Callahan, who worshiped with us while a student at SUNY ESF, just told me that he and his wife Mindy have joined a Mission organization and will be sent to Brazil in an effort to bring Jesus to a remote people group and translate the Bible in their language.
6. But it doesn’t matter whether we are more like Paul who broke new ground, or like Apollos who came after and watered, we all can play a part in bringing the gospel to others.
a. And while we do our part, we know and depend on the fact that God is the only one who can make it grow, as Paul wrote: 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. (1 Cor. 3:6-7)
H. Now that Paul has shared his ministry priorities, he is ready to share his travel plains: 22 That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you. 23 But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you 24 whenever I travel to Spain. For I hope to see you when I pass through and to be assisted by you for my journey there, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while. (Romans 15:22-24)
1. Here Paul mentions two of his next three destinations: he wants to go Rome, and then Spain.
2. As I said earlier, Paul’s main concern was to explain why it has taken him so long to get to Rome, and also why once he gets there, he doesn’t plan to stay very long.
3. Paul must fulfill his commission to bring the gospel where the name of Christ has not yet been heard.
a. Paul has completed that ministry in the east, and there is no longer a place for him in those regions, but the west is unreached, and Spain is a fertile field for pioneer church planting.
4. Paul had always wanted to come to Rome, the capital of the Empire, and a place where the church exists, but because it was not an unchurched region, Paul didn’t need to stay there long.
5. But a stop in Rome would be helpful both for the Romans and for Paul.
a. Paul likely hoped that the Roman church would support his new outreach to Spain – they could be a base of operations, give financial support, help with translators and other needs.
I. But before Paul could go to Rome and then Spain, he first had to go to Jerusalem.
1. Paul explained: 25 Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints, 26 because Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27 Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to them in material needs. 28 So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds to them, I will visit you on the way to Spain. 29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. (Romans 15:25-29)
2. Collecting a gift from the Gentiles for the relief of poverty stricken Jewish Christians in Jerusalem was one of Paul’s major concerns and major projects on his 3rd missionary journey.
a. Paul wanted to relieve the suffering of the Christians in Jerusalem, who were mostly Jews.
b. The church in Jerusalem was desperately poor and famine had taken its toll on the people.
c. And besides that, the Jewish religious leaders were doing everything in their power to oppress the Christians, even denying them employment whenever they could.
3. Another reason for Paul’s concern is found in that word contribution (vs. 26) is actually the word koinonia, meaning “fellowship” or “partnership.”
a. We know that tension existed in the church between Jewish and Gentile believers, but if the Gentiles would contribute to the physical needs of the Jews in Jerusalem, that would do wonders in cementing the unity and oneness of the church.
b. We feel a sense of kinship and partnership with someone who helps us or with someone we are able to help.
4. A third reason for Paul’s concern is described in the idea of paying a debt (15:27): Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to them in material needs.
a. Believers in Jerusalem had shared the gospel with the Gentiles by sending out missionaries, like Paul.
b. Now the least the Gentiles could do was minister to the physical needs of their Jewish brothers and sisters who were suffering so much and who had so little.
5. Paul saw it as a debt they owed, and it was actually a promise he had made.
a. On a previous trip to Jerusalem, when Paul met with James and Peter and John, he promised them that he would continue to do everything in his power to help the poor believers in Jerusalem (refer to Galatians 2:10).
b. In verse 28, Paul says: So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds to them, I will visit you on the way to Spain.
c. Why did Paul feel that he needed to personally deliver the collection to Jerusalem? Why couldn’t he just send it to Jerusalem with others so that he could head to Rome?
d. Perhaps one reason was that Paul felt responsible and accountable – People had trusted him with the money, and he felt that he needed to make sure it was used for the right purpose.
e. Additionally, I think Paul felt that he must accompany the gift to Jerusalem in order to authenticate its purpose as a healing gesture between the Gentile and Jewish churches.
6. Overall, Paul gives us an excellent example to follow.
a. When Paul made a commitment, he followed through and kept his promise.
b. This was one of the reasons why he accomplished so much for the glory of God, and had so much joy and blessing in ministry.
c. Unfortunately, following through and doing what they say they will do is not as important as it should be for some Christians.
d. Many people place membership with a congregation and with that act of joining they make a promise to pray for its ministry, attend its services regularly, and support it financially and practically with their time and talents, but many fail to follow through on some of those commitments.
e. It is so harmful to the fellowship and mission of the church when members fail to be present when the body gathers, or fail to make their financial and practical contributions, or when they accept a job or role in the church, and then fail to show up to do it.
f. Like Paul, we all need to do our best to follow through with our commitments.
J. Paul ends this chapter by asking for prayer and by offering a prayer: 30 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in fervent prayers to God on my behalf. 31 Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my ministry to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you. 33 May the God of peace be with all of you. Amen. (Romans 15:30-33)
1. Prayer is so powerful, because God is so powerful.
2. Everything of eternal value that we are ever privileged to accomplish is accomplished by God’s power at work in us in answer to somebody’s prayer: our own or somebody else’s, or both.
3. Do not miss how Paul described prayer: “strive together with me in fervent prayers.”
a. There is a spiritual war going on that requires striving together in fervent prayers!
b. Although the ultimate victory has been won and the evil one is defeated, the present, individual battles still rage and cannot be won without prayer.
c. Everything needs to be bathed in prayer.
K. Paul asked for them to strive together with him in fervent prayer about three things.
1. First, that he would be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea - that was an important request.
a. The unbelieving Jews in Judea and Jerusalem hated Paul and they wanted to see him dead.
b. When somebody wants you dead, it’s important to have people praying for you! Amen!
2. Second, that his service would be received by the believers in Jerusalem.
a. Many of the Jewish Christians resented him for not insisting that his Gentile converts follow the whole Jewish law.
b. Some considered him a traitor to his nation for directing his primary ministry to Gentiles.
c. There was a question as to whether the Jews would accept a gift from the Gentile churches.
3. Third, that with the first two prayers answered, he might head for Rome and then to Spain.
4. So let’s ask this question: Did God answer all of those requests?
a. It would seem that He didn’t, at least not in the way Paul expected them to be answered.
b. While number two was answered and the Jewish Christians accepted him and the gift, but his actions were misrepresented by the unbelievers in Jerusalem and they instigated a riot in which he was dragged from the temple area and beaten.
c. In one sense, you could hardly say he was “delivered” from the unbelievers, and yet, in another sense he was, because the Roman guard in Jerusalem saw his plight and rescued him from his would-be assassins - they were going to kill him, but he was delivered.
5. Did Paul ever get to Rome and Spain?
a. First he was imprisoned in the Roman army barracks in Jerusalem.
b. Then he was moved from there because there was a plot to kill him.
c. He was moved to a prison in the regional capital of Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast where he remained for two years.
d. After appealing to the Caesar he was put on a ship for Italy, then shipwrecked on the island of Malta, and arrived in Rome where he remained for two more years under house arrest.
6. So did God answer his prayer or not? Well, yes, I guess He did.
a. He did arrive in Rome with joy by the will of God – that’s what he prayed for, wasn’t it?
b. And look what God enabled him to accomplish along the way.
c. He had the opportunity to give testimony concerning Jesus Christ before two Roman governors and a regional king in Caesarea, and eventually before the court of the Roman emperor himself.
d. His shipwreck allowed him to proclaim the gospel on the unreached island of Malta.
e. Then during his two years of imprisonment in Rome he was able to witness to one Roman soldier after another, so that the gospel penetrated the entire Praetorian Guard, which was Caesar’s personal security brigade.
f. So very many good things had happened along the way that Paul was able to write to the Philippians from prison in Rome and say, “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel…”
7. Tradition tells us that Paul did make it to Spain.
a. John Chrysostom mentions that “Paul after his residence in Rome departed to Spain,” and Jerome states that the apostle reached Spain by sea.
8. Wherever Paul went and whatever he tried to accomplish, he devoted himself to pray and asked his brothers and sisters to pray for him and his mission, and we should do the same.
9. It is with humility that we should make our plans to accomplish God’s purposes and then we must bathe them in prayer.
10. As we plan and proceed in our mission for God we should expect the unexpected and enjoy the journey.
Resources:
Romans, The NIV Application Commentary, by Douglas Moo
Meet the Author, by Dr. Richard Strauss
Keys to Useful Service, by Dr. Richard Strauss
I’m Coming to Rome Someday, I Hope, by Ray Pritchard
