By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study, we looked
at verses 1-14 of chapter 15.
1.1.1. We saw that
Paul’s arguments from chapter 14 continued over into our study as he finished
up his discussion about how to deal with those times that will occur when
brothers and sisters in the body of Christ disagree with one another about
different things. Paul talked about the
fact that we as Christians need to bear one another’s weaknesses and be of one
mind and accord in the body of Christ.
1.1.1. Paul’s
exhortations to the church were expanded in that study beyond what we read in
chapter 14.
1.2.
In our study today, we are going to look
at verses 15 – 33 of chapter 15.
1.2.1. We
will see that Paul is wrapping up his teaching and admonishments to the church
in
1.2.2. Paul
tries to explain himself and his motives in life in general, as well as why he
has written to the Romans in the manner he chose in this epistle.
1.2.3. Paul
will tell us that he has reason to boast, but only to boast in God, of those
things that the Lord had done through his life.
1.2.4. Paul
explains his heart’s desire in ministry is to go and to preach in those regions
of the world where no one has heard the gospel message before.
1.2.5. Paul
tells the Roman church why he had not yet visited them and then tells them of
his plans to soon come and visit them.
2. VS
15:15-16 - “15 But I have
written very boldly to you on some points, so as to remind you again, because
of the grace that was given me from God, 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to
the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, that my offering of
the Gentiles might become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” - Paul tells us that he has written boldly
concerning some points as a reminder
2.1.
In verse 15, Paul begins to explain to his readers his
special calling as the apostle to the Gentiles.
He was not merely called as an evangelist, or a church planter even, he
had a special calling as an apostle to lay the foundation for a work for
reaching the Gentiles with the gospel.
2.2.
In verse 15, Paul begins to defend himself and his
writing style to the Romans. He tells
them here that he has written so strongly on some points because of the fact
that he was called to be the apostle to the Gentiles in opening up this way for
reaching them through the preaching of the gospel message, something which had
not been done before.
2.3.
In verse 16, Paul writes of himself as being ‘as a
priest’ in his ministry to the Gentiles.
In other words, he was faithfully offering the Gentiles up as a
sacrifice to the Lord, one in which he desired that the Lord would be well
pleased. For this reason, he had to
write very strongly about some things in order that the people might not be led
astray into anything which would not be healthy for them as Christians. He had to lay a strong foundation for their
faith, and thus he could not compromise or be unclear concerning any point of
doctrine or conduct acceptable for a Christian.
2.3.1. In the
church, we all need to be careful to listen and heed the wise words of the
elders and leaders for the Lord places them in our lives for the very important
purpose of guiding us and protecting us from harm. Paul was very serious about and focused in
his ministry and calling to preach the gospel far and wide to the Gentiles.
3. VS
15:17-19 - “17 Therefore in
Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God. 18
For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished
through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, 19 in
the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from
Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel
of Christ.” - Paul tells
us that in Christ Jesus he has found reason for boasting in things pertaining
to God because of how God has worked mightily through his ministry
3.1.
Paul could boast in the things pertaining to God as
long he boasted in what the Lord had done through him. He couldn’t personally take the credit since
he knew that it was really all the Lord’s working.
3.2.
We know that boasting in ourselves and what we have
done is wrong. In the book of Daniel we
have the story of king Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and we are told in
Dan. 4:30 about how he became filled with pride and boasted in himself and what
he had done when in his heart he declared, “Is not this Babylon great that I
have built to be the house of the kingdom within the might of my
safeguarding walls, for the esteem of my honor!” We read that because of his pride that
Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was immediately taken away from him and he was made to
have the mind of a beast and was chased away from human beings to live with the
animals. He ate herbage like the oxen
and his hair grew to look like vulture’s feathers and his claws became like
those of a bird. In Dan. 4:17 we read
why the Lord caused these things to happen to him, “unto the intent that the
living shall know that the Supreme is in authority in the kingdom of mortals.”
Finally, after seven years like this Nebuchadnezzar’s mind came back to him and
from that point on we read that he thought of himself no higher than he should,
and he learned to give God the glory He deserves.
3.3.
Paul’s boasting was not like that of
Nebuchadnezzar. Paul was boasting but he
was boasting in what God had done, and, he was not boasting in the Lord in such
a way that he was taking any of the credit for what God had done through
him. Paul writes in 2 Cor. 10:17, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord,"
and then in Gal. 6:14, "Far be it from me to boast except in the cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ."
In 1 Cor. 1:27-29, Paul writes about how that in the New
Testament era God chose what is foolish to shame the wise so that no human
being might boast in the presence of God, “God chose what is foolish in the
world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to
bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the
presence of God.” Paul knew
that all of his righteousness was as filthy rags (Isaiah 54:6) and that no good
thing dwelt in him (Rom. 7:18) and thus he never got a big head even though God
had done great things through his life.
Paul never forgot where he came from.
Paul never forgot that he once was a violent persecutor of the
3.4.
When man boasts in man he is looking at and admiring
the wrong thing. God created men and women
to admire and worship Him, and Him alone.
Plus, it is foolish to boast in men for that is ill-placed boasting
since men and women can do nothing apart from the Lord and there is nothing
that man has that he has not been given.
For eternity we will be admiring and worshipping the Lord, as the book
of Revelation as well as other books of the Bible reveal to us, therefore we
ought to begin to practice boasting in and worshipping the Lord today.
3.5.
The work that God had done in reaching the multitudes
of Gentiles in city after city, some of which we find recorded in the book of
Acts, was a work which the Lord Himself had done. Paul knew that he could not take the credit
for anything that was so awesome that had happened through his ministry and
life.
3.6.
We Christians need to give God all of the glory for
all of the things that He does through our lives. It is His Word, His power, His leading, His
work in our lives, and the door of ministry which He opened up to us that has
allowed us to be used in other people’s lives.
Therefore, to God should all of the glory go. If we will glorify God and not ourselves, He
promises to exalt and glorify us.
3.7.
In verse 19, Paul reveals that his ministry as one who
had been called as an apostle was confirmed by the fact that the Lord had
performed ‘signs and wonders.’
Ability to perform ‘signs and wonders’ was something which every
apostle could do, and it something that verified the calling of an
apostle. Paul write to the Corinthians
in 2 Cor. 12:11-12 about how that his apostleship was confirmed by the signs
and wonders that were performed through his hands, “…Actually I should have
been commended by you, for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent
apostles, even though I am a nobody. 12 The signs of a true apostle
were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and
miracles.”
3.8.
The apostle Paul has been called the most successful
Christian to ever live. Paul’s ministry
was a ministry which was an example of the “demonstration of the Spirit and of
power.” As Paul went about
establishing churches from city to city, it is evident that wherever he went
God was performing a powerful work through him.
In many cities, Paul merely spent a few days or weeks, and yet a church
was planted which would continue after he had left. Such success is hard to fathom or imagine.
3.9.
Paul explains the scope of his ministry as ‘from
3.10.
So many times, we Christians pray that the Lord will
open up doors and use us in a mighty way, and we strive and strive to be used
by God in our ministries. However, if we
would spend the majority of our energy upon being usable to God, then He will
find plenty of opportunity to use us, and, the fruit that will be produced will
last and last.
4. VS
15:20-21 - “20 And thus I
aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might
not build upon another man’s foundation; 21 but as it is written, “They who had
no news of Him shall see, And they who have not heard shall understand.”” - Paul tells us that because of God’s calling
of him he aspired to go and to preach the gospel where Christ was not named and
no one had heard of Him
4.1.
Paul wanted to go to those places where Christ had
never been preached before, and plant a church in that area. He felt no need to go to an area where a
church had already been planted and do further evangelism. His work was always that of breaking new
ground. He felt compelled not to ‘build
upon another man’s foundation,’ but rather to build his own unique
foundation wherever he went.
4.2.
Paul’s ministry was truly that of an apostle for it
was ground breaking work since he did not ‘build upon another man’s
foundation.’
4.3.
The darkest area spiritually was probably the area
that had the most appeal to Paul.
4.4.
Several years ago, Calvary Chapel pastor Mike
Macintosh at a pastor’s conference told us the story of David Livingstone, the
missionary who first went deep into Africa to preach the gospel. David Livingstone had been at a missions
conference hearing a missions update and he heard that in
4.5.
Spurgeon once preached about how that he was always
ready to preach the gospel for he knew that it brought such great blessing to
people as it alone could make a lasting change in the lives the lives of men
and women, “The great civilizer is the cross. Nothing else can make the
barbarian into a civilized man, but the cross and the vision of Christ hanging
on it. Blessed are the feet of them that
bring glad tidings of peace, for where they bring the glad tidings of peace
with God, they bring also good news of goodwill towards men, — even goodwill
towards men as creatures here, as well as good news to them as creatures that
are to exist for ever. My dear brethren
and sisters, if you would bless the world, in the largest possible sense,
temporarily, spiritually, and eternally;
if you would bless the bodies and the souls of men, if you would bless
men in their children, in their houses, if you would bless them in their meats
and drinks and in all the necessities of life, the one simple means of doing
all this, is just the proclamation of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
that fully preached and received, has been proved in instances which I need not
now stop to recall to your memories — instances abundant and recent, to be
after all, the power of God, not only to salvation but to civilization too.”
4.6.
We Christians ought to look for people who have not
been reached with the gospel, and pray and trust that the Lord will enable us
somehow to establish a ministry with these people.
4.7.
Paul had such a great desire and dedication to the
preaching of the gospel to the lost that it is no wonder that God used him so
greatly. It is no wonder that for
instance in Acts 16 we read that Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia
beseeching him to come and to help, and thus Paul was redirected by the Lord to
that region and to that man (the Philippian jailer of
Acts 16?) in order to preach the gospel and lead him to Christ.
4.8.
I do want to make the point that it is not everyone’s
calling to have a ministry that is not built upon another man’s
foundation. All men and women in
ministry are eventually called to move on, even it is to go on to heaven, and
someone must come along and take over the work that they have started. David wanted to build the temple but he had
done the work that God had called him to finish, and he needed to pass on so
that his son could take over that work.
It is humbling to build upon another man’s foundation however the vast
majority of ministries are built upon another man’s foundation. One who is taking over another’s ministry
must be faithful in that charge before the Lord, hopefully as faithful as the
one who laid the foundation.
5. VS
15:22-24 - “22 For this reason
I have often been hindered from coming to you; 23 but now, with no further
place for me in these regions, and since I have had for many years a longing to
come to you 24 whenever I go to Spain—for I hope to see you in passing, and to
be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a
while—” - Paul tell his readers that it
is for this reason that he had been hindered from coming to them, however at
this time he now was planning to come and to see them
5.1.
In verse 22, Paul writes that because he was always
looking for ways to go and plant churches in areas where the gospel had never
been preached, that he had never yet been able to come to the church at Rome in
order to bless them and be used to further the work of God in their lives. He wanted the church to know his great desire
that he had always had to come and to see them, however he also wanted them to
know that because of the fact that the Lord was leading his life and ministry
of preaching the gospel where it had never been preached, that he had ‘often
been hindered’ by God from coming to them.
5.2.
Paul writes in verse 23 that he is basically in the
process of wrapping up his present ministry since he has pretty much preached
the gospel in the whole area (wherever it had not been preached). Because he had now accomplished what he had
been called to accomplish, and since he had ‘for many years’ longed to
visit to the church in Rome, he writes here that he now has a plan to come and
to visit them in the near future.
5.3.
Paul is planning to visit the church in Rome as part
of his trip to Spain, a trip in which we do not know that he ever made.
5.4.
Paul tells the church in
6. VS
25-29 - “25 but now, I am
going to
6.1.
It is almost comical to me to consider what Paul is
saying here because he is making all kinds of plans for his life and ministry
and yet from reading the book of Acts I know that every one of his plans here
becomes completely convoluted. God
completely redirected Paul’s life and things soon became very difficult and
confusing for him.
6.2.
In these verses, Paul refers to an offering that the
Gentile churches had brought together in order to bring relief to the church in
6.3.
It also appears that a real persecution had begun
against the church in
6.4.
It is an unusual thing that the missionaries sent out
by a church end up sending money to help the mother church in its poverty. However, the Gentile churches felt a great
sense of debt to the Jewish mother church, and thus they had put together a
rather generous offering to help those in need.
6.5.
The Christians in ‘Macedonia and Achaia’ had
brought their money together to create this gift for the church in
6.6.
Mark Twain once said, “Life is just one darned
thing after another,” and I believe that I can agree with that quote from
my own life’s experience. God sometimes
has a way of interrupting the great plans that we make for our lives. As I mentioned, we see this often in the book
of Acts in Paul’s second missionary journey where we read that several times
Paul had made plans and yet the Lord forbade him from going to an area and
redirected him elsewhere. Paul’s plan to
go to Rome and meet with the church there and then go on to Spain didn’t
exactly happen according to how he tells the Romans here that he planned that
things would occur. The book of Acts
reveals that indeed Paul did eventually go to Jerusalem and bring the gift to
the church there, however he was arrested in the temple in Jerusalem and his
journey to Rome occurred because he was a prisoner of Rome and in an attempt to
save his life made an appeal to Caesar to hear his case. Because of Paul’s Roman citizenship this
request of his was granted and off to
6.7.
We Christians are to be indebted materially to those
who share with us spiritual things. Paul
wrote about this to pastor Timothy in 1 Tim. 18 For the Scripture
says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while
he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
7. VS
15:30-32 - “30 Now I urge you,
brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive
together with me in your prayers to God for me, 31 that I may be delivered from
those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove
acceptable to the saints; 32 so that I may come to you in joy by the will of
God and find refreshing rest in your company.” -
Paul urges his readers to strive together with him in his prayers that
he might be delivered from those who were disobedient in Judea so that he would
be able to come to them eventually in joy and by God’s will
7.1.
In verse 30, Paul requests that the church in
7.2.
Paul always knew that his greatest need was that the
churches would pray for him and thus here he requests prayer that the saints in
7.3.
Paul requests prayer for safety and a ministry that
would be accepted by the church in
8. VS
15:33 - “33 Now the God of
peace be with you all. Amen.” - Paul invokes
yet another blessing upon his readers, that of the God of peace being with them
8.1.
In this verse, Paul finishes the letter he intended to
write, so therefore he blesses the readers by saying ‘the God of peace be
with you all.’
8.2.
Chapter 16 includes all of the personal greetings
which Paul desired to make.
9. CONCLUSIONS
:
9.1.
As we think about this study and how that we ought to
apply it to our own lives, I want to say first of all how that I am impressed
with Paul’s focus and commitment to his calling. He was a man who was always in step with the
Lord’s leading in his life, and he was always praying and looking for
opportunities to fulfill his calling and ministry.
9.1.1. Are you
focused and committed to fulfilling God’s calling in your life? Is your life consumed with trying to make
sure that you complete all of your heavenly assignments on time and that each
of them bring glory to the Lord?
9.2.
Paul desired to preach the gospel to those who had
never heard it, and I would ask you if it is your desire to share the gospel to
those people you run into in your life who have never heard the gospel message
and thus do not even know how to come to eternal salvation through Christ? Are you praying for, prepared, and looking
for those opportunities?
9.3.
Paul so greatly knew his need for prayer, and prayer
is greatly needed in any ministry. Are
you a faithful prayer warrior praying for the work of God, the lost to come to
salvation, the church, the church leaders, etc.?
9.4.
People often ask me what they can do to help the
church, and I will always tell them first of all to pray. This is no trivial request or need. More than anything I would ask each of you to
pray for our church, its leaders, and the ministries that the Lord would lead
us in.