Paul's Example

Romans 15:14-33 

Praise God for his indescribable gift!  It is too easy to overlook the blessings we have in Christ.  I know we all face challenges and even trials of many kinds.  And yet, in Christ, we have something which the world simply does not have.

Friday night around the campfire we were talking briefly about our inability as individuals to serve others and accomplish worldly achievements.  In particular, we were talking about not being able to pursue achievements which would be to our own advantage and I don’t even mean selfish advantage.  Arguably, these advantages to pursue now would allow the chance to have more freedom to do good in the future.

So, there is room for people to go in either direction.  I don’t think working hard now to have a future opportunity is wrong.  Nor do I think that serving others now to the point where an opportunity is lost is wrong.  What I am saying is how we concluded the discussion Friday night … in Christ.

Psalm 37:8 “Do not fret—it leads only to evil.” and I Peter 3:6 (ESV) “Do not fear anything that is frightening.”  The world can be a confusing and complex, difficult and sometimes scary place.  Why then shouldn’t we fret or fear?

Because the Lord says, “Do not be afraid for I am with you,” throughout scripture.  Twice in Genesis (26:24 and 28:15) including the exhortations “I will bless you, and I will watch over you wherever you go.”  Twice in Isaiah (41:10 and 43:5), including the familiar verse Isaiah 41:10, “Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  Then, in Jeremiah where times were bleak for the Jewish people, we see God’s promise five times!  (1:8, 1:19, 15:20, 30:11, 42:11, 46:28)  These verses also include the promises, “I will rescue you; the enemy will not overcome you; I will save you; I will deliver you.”  Twice in Haggai, the LORD Almighty declares, “I am with you.”  And then Jesus says to us in Matthew 28:20, “And surely I am with you always.”

In Christ, we do not need to be afraid even in difficult and frightening circumstances.  We place our faith in Him and cast our cares on Him and He cares for us.  Surely He is with us always.  Amen!

Father God, we are eternally gratefully for the body and blood of Your Son Jesus poured out for us.  Thank You that we are rescued from death.  Help each of us to have confidence in You that we would not fear but recognize Your presence with us always.  Thank You for Your goodness.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Let’s carry on in Romans 15 looking at the example of Paul’s life.

I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. – Romans 15:14-16

Paul is encouraging the believers there at Rome.  He is not writing to instruct them about something they don’t know.  Instead, he wants to remind and to encourage them to do what they already know is right and good.

We’ve talked through it many times in the series.  Paul has shown us how apart from Christ, we are disconnected from God without life and without hope.  In Christ, we are in a new life and under a new law.  Nothing can separate us from Christ.  We are grafted into Christ.  As members of the family of God, we live lives of love blessing others and encouraging one another.  This is to be our response to God’s gracious gift of life.  I don’t know who to attribute it to but I have heard it said that if you were going to be stranded on a desert island with only one book of the bible, Romans would be a good choice because it is so rich in truth and exhortation.

Although Paul is writing to the Romans for the first time, he indicates that the doctrine which he shared in the earlier chapters has been made known to them before.  How would Paul know what the Roman believers knew?  He could know it from God Himself, of course.  He could also know it through other believers.  Who could those other believers be?  We do know of Priscilla and Aquila who are introduced in Acts 18:2 when Paul meets them in Corinth.  They had fled the persecution of Jews in Rome.  We aren’t told explicitly that they were believers before they met Paul, but this seems probable as Acts does not tell how they came to faith.  So, how could they have become believers in Rome?  Don’t forget there were people from Rome at Pentecost there in Jerusalem who returned as believers.  I just think it’s neat to imagine the body of Christ at work even in those early years when the number of believers was still in the thousands.

He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. – Romans 15:16-17

Paul was called from the very beginning to go to the Gentiles.  If we look back to Acts 9:13-15, Ananias was told by God to go and heal Paul.  Ananias objected explaining what he had heard of Paul about the harm Paul had done to the saints at Jerusalem and how had he come to Damascus with authority to arrest “all who call on your name.  But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.’ ”

Paul wrote at the beginning of Romans in 1:5, “Through [Jesus Christ our Lord] we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for His name's sake.”

And so, Paul has a new priestly duty, not serving in the temple performing sacrifices and following other points of the Levitical requirements.  His priestly duty is to preach the gospel.  His offering to God is the Gentile believers.

And in this work, Paul says “I glory in Christ.”  He is not boasting of himself.  He is excited and praising God about what Christ has accomplished rather than something he did.

I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done-- by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. – Romans 15:18-19

It’s not a specific doctrinal statement here by Paul, but it is interesting to note that Romans 15:16-19 highlights the trinity.  We see God, Christ Jesus, and the Spirit of God mentioned by name as persons and yet as one.  Paul is a minister of Christ Jesus proclaiming the gospel of God through the power of the Spirit of God.  That gospel of God is the gospel of Christ.  They are one and the same.

Paul mentions signs and wonders.  There are more than a few.  In Acts 14:8-10 at Lystra (a town in Asia Minor, modern Turkey), we see Paul healing a man born lame and unable to walk.  Then in Acts 16:16-18, Paul commands the evil spirit to leave the woman fortune teller in Philippi (Macedonia).  That leads to Paul and Silas getting arrested and thrown in prison which leads to another miracle (16:25-26) where an earthquake loosens the chains of all the prisoners and opens all cell doors.  Then in Acts 19:11-12 during the two years of ministry at Ephesus, “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” In the next chapter (20:9-12), we hear about Eutychus.  Do you remember Eutychus?  He fell asleep while Paul was teaching and fell three stories and died, but Paul ran down to him and brought him to life.  This happened at Troas on the western coast of Asia Minor, modern day Turkey.  Finally at Malta (28:8-9), Paul healed the father of the chief official and subsequently the rest of the sick on the island.  Like I said, a whole lot of signs and wonders going on.

Why were there all those signs and wonders?  I think we find a compelling answer in Acts 8:6.  This verse is not about Paul but Philip.  When there was a great persecution in Jerusalem, the believers were scattered.  This brought Philip to one of the towns of Samaria.   “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said.”  These signs and wonders definitely met needs and blessed people.  In addition to that, they caused people to stop and listen.  These things caused the gospel to go forth.

Paul mentions Illyricum.  You won’t find that name in Acts interestingly.  Illyricum was the province north of Macedonia at that time.  Let’s look at a map of Paul’s missionary journeys up to this time.  At the time of this letter, the last journey to Rome (in orange) has not happened, yet.  There is a north east segment of the Mediterranean Sea where Paul has fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.  Therefore, Paul regards his work completed in this region from Jerusalem up to and possibly including the province of Illyricum.

It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. Rather, as it is written: "Those who were not told about Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand." This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. – Romans 15:20-22

We see again that Paul wanted to finish his work in the eastern Mediterranean before coming to Rome.  So much so that he was hindered from coming to Rome.  Paul is focused on a purpose, a goal, there to fully proclaim Christ.

I think we can draw from Paul’s example and ask ourselves whether or not Christ has been fully proclaimed in the areas or spheres we have been placed.  I think it’s okay to dial it down even to think in simple terms.  Where hasn’t Christ been proclaimed that I go?  How can I plant seeds or give glory to God?  What about in ways I haven’t done before.  I encourage you to think and pray for opportunity in the days ahead.

Paul felt his particular calling was to help fulfill this Old Testament prophecy.  It comes from Isaiah 52:15, and it is speaking about what will happen following Jesus’ resurrection.  The verse is not a command, but it is an interesting thing to think about.  I don’t know if you hear people talk about a “life verse.”  Some believers find that a specific Scripture speaks to them.  Some people have different verses at different times in their lives.  It’s not that you have to have one or shouldn’t have one.  I just think it’s interesting to consider that Paul seems to have a verse that aligns with God’s will and Paul’s passion.

In the previous map, we saw three missionary journeys.  The first journey is estimated to have begun in 46 AD.  The third journey is estimated to have ended in 57 AD.  Nine years.  Of that, seven to eight was spent somewhere other than his home base in Antioch.  Two years were spent in Ephesus where the entire population of western half of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) was at least exposed to the gospel.  Cyprus, Macedonia, and Achaia (modern day Greece) were also impacted.  Prior to those specific journeys, Paul was active in ministry in Syria and Cilicia.

But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. – Romans 15:23-24

It would not be correct to say that everyone in the eastern Mediterranean had placed their faith in Christ as a result of Paul’s ministry.  But, no one was left who had not heard (or heard of) the gospel.

Paul longs to visit Rome.  I shared a couple of weeks ago that Paul mentioned in Romans 1:11-12 his desire to share and be mutually encourage the believers at Rome.  Also, Paul told that many times he planned to come, he felt obligation to them, I think Paul felt obligation to all, including those at Rome.

Some writers point out that Paul may have seen Rome as a potential base of operations for going to Spain.  If you think back to Paul’s first three missionary journeys, those looping routes all started from Antioch in the east.  You can imagine a similar picture starting with Rome and then heading to the western part of the Mediterranean.

Whether or not, Paul was thinking of a base of operations, he was certainly planning for more than a stopover in Rome.  He planned rather to stay “for a while” to encourage and be encouraged.

I was curious about the word Spain.  What would it be in the Greek?  It was a real tough one.  Quite obscure.  In Greek, it is Spania.  The Romans called that region of modern day Spain and Portugal, Hispania.

So, did he ever go?  Did Paul ever make it to Spain?  Scripture never tells us.  However, several of Paul’s letters strongly indicate that he was released from prison after the end of the book of Acts.  In Titus, he talks about how Titus remained behind on Crete to carry on the ministry there.  Since we never hear about Paul in Crete, it is most likely that he went to Crete after the event in Acts.  In I Timothy, he speaks of urging Timothy to stay in Ephesus while he travels to Macedonia which also aligns with other travels not described elsewhere.  In II Timothy, we hear about Erastus staying at Corinth and Trophimus in Miletus.  These events also fit with travel subsequent to Acts.

What about Spain though?  Of course, we have Paul’s declared intent to go here in Romans 15.  Then, there are at least six sources among the early church fathers and historians that indicate that Paul did go to Spain.  From the early 300’s AD, Eusebius wrote that Paul was released from his first Roman imprisonment and continued to preach to the Gentiles.  Clement of Rome writing in 70-100 AD said Paul reached the farthest bounds of the west which at that time would have most likely been Spain.  The Acts of Peter which were not written later than 200 AD say Paul had a vision while in Rome to go to Spain at that the believers provided for his needs and sent him off with two young men who were believers.  Then, the Muratorian Canon written some time from 170 to the 300’s AD says Paul departed Rome and journeyed on to Spain.  Two other writers from the 300’s AD, John Chrysostom and Cyril of Jerusalem mention Paul preaching in Spain.  So perhaps Paul did make that journey.

Some have in proposed an itinerary of Paul’s “fourth missionary journey.”  I tried to find a copy of this route online, but I couldn’t really.  The black and white map on the screen comes from my old NIV Study Bible.  I’ve highlighted the names to show places mentioned in Scripture.  The expectation starts with Paul’s release from prison in Rome in 62 AD followed by three years in Spain.  Then, as I mentioned, Paul needed to travel to Crete to fulfill what he wrote to Titus.  After that, Miletus, Colosse, and Ephesus all match with passages from I and II Timothy and Philemon.  From there, in the next year, Paul was in Macedonia at Philippi and Achaia at Nicopolis.  From there, after winter, Paul would have had a relatively short journey to Rome.  For reference, I added the color map there which shows the Mediterranean Sea superimposed on a map of the United States.  Paul really did some traveling.  Has anyone driven that far, across the country?  Could you imagine doing that by boat or cart or horse or donkey or on foot?  Wow!

I’ve zigged and zagged us all over the place.  Let’s come back to where we are in Paul’s letter.  He’s writing to Rome.  He’s writing from Corinth or Cenchrae which are two adjacent towns.  I marked them with the Red circle.  Paul’s travels are going to take him toward Jerusalem on the right in the blue box.

Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord's people there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord's people in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. – Romans 15:25-27

Paul wanted not only to send the money to Jerusalem, he wanted to travel there in person and express the love and concern of the Gentile believers for their Jewish brothers and sisters.  This gift is mentioned in both 1^st and 2^nd Corinthians.

The Jew’s spiritual blessings can be seen earlier in Romans 9:4-5 … “the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.  Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all.”

So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ. – Romans 15:28-29

Here Paul mentions Spain a second time.  It is a deep desire of Paul’s to go there.

Paul has a confidence about himself.  “I know that I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.”  Paul doesn’t always write in such a chipper mood.  He’s honest that there are highs and lows.  He describes persecution they were suffering in II Corinthians 1:8 saying that things were so difficult that they “despaired of life itself.”  That’s pretty bad.  It is good and right to be honest about how we are feeling.  It is also good and right to open our hearts to Christ and to one another being refreshed.  We too come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ because the full measure of the blessing of Christ is not contingent on us.  It’s not dependent on how we feel or what we can do.  The blessing of Christ comes from Christ.  Therefore, once we have received it, then we carry it always and we can give of it freely.

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord's people there, so that I may come to you with joy, by God's will, and in your company be refreshed. The God of peace be with you all. Amen. – Romans 15:30-33

Paul wanted to go to Jerusalem, but he also knew there were dangers there to him personally.  He had mentioned in his second letter to the Corinthians that he would bring representatives with him to avoid criticism in how their generous gift was administered.  Now he asks for prayers that the gift would be favorably received by the Jewish believers.  It’s just interesting to see how this handling of money in the church was a delicate and difficult task more than 2000 years ago.

We can all take note that pastors, leaders, missionaries, teachers, evangelists all need our prayers!  Workers in the gospel as well as persecuted believers are sustained by the power of the Spirit through the support and prayers of the body of Christ (that’s us!).  We need to join together in the struggle.  Literally, the language behind struggle means to agonize together.  It emphasizes the importance and intensity of this spiritual battle.  Let’s not forget to pray daily for others.

William Carey, an early 19^th century missionary to India, said, “I will go down into the pit, but Brother Fuller and the rest of you must hold the rope.”  Andrew Fuller along with William Carey and others was one of the charter members of the Baptist Missionary Society in England.  Fuller was not a missionary, but was active in supporting the work.  Fuller held the rope for Carey and others until his death in 1815.

And so, as many of you and others we know step out in faith, let us “hold the rope” in prayer and intercession before God.

We touched on Romans 1:11-12 that Paul indeed looked forward to being refreshed by in addition to refreshing the Roman believers.

We can take a peak ahead of Paul’s letter to the Romans in Acts 28.  There we can see the fulfillment of Paul’s desire.  Paul did go to Jerusalem.  I was imprisoned in Judea for two years.  Since he was a Roman citizen, he appealed his case to Caesar, so the governor sent him to Rome.  Paul endured storm-tossed seas ending in shipwreck and three months in Malta.  He finally arrives in Rome not as planned, but in chains.  And yet Acts 28:15 says, “The brothers and sisters there [in Rome] had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged.”  The ship which Paul was carried on landed at Puteoli, the main port of Rome.  It was 75 miles southwest of Rome.  The Forum of Appius was 43 miles from Rome.  The Three Taverns was 33 miles from Rome.  And so, Paul was encouraged face to face by the Roman believers, at last.

Let’s close thinking on Paul’s final words in Romans 15.  Paul likes to say God of peace in closing his letters.  He will use it again in the next chapter and 1^st and 2^nd Corinthians, Philippians, and 1^st and 2^nd Thessalonians.  The God of peace is with us because of what Paul wrote in Romans 5:1, “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Let’s pray.

Father God, may Your peace be with us all.  Thank You for Your blessings.  We pray for those who labor in the gospel sharing their faith.  We pray for the pastors and teachers and evangelists and missionaries who faithfully serve You.  Strengthen them and enable them to stand through each challenge and recognize each opportunity.  We pray too for those who are persecuted for their faith.  Bless and protect them.  Please meet their needs and help each one to stand firm in their faith.  We praise You in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.