Plans of Paul

Good morning, everybody. How are you today? Glad to be back. We had a great time on our trip. We just happened to go to a little church in Spokane and drug a couple people out of that church to come visit us. So I thought we could probably pass the plate today. What makes that funny is that we don't ever do that. Anyway, we're working our way down to finishing up the book of Romans. So the first slide I have today kind of is gonna show us where we're headed.

I got this from Chester McCauley, he calls it the epilogue. It's the last part of the epistle and he divided it up into five sections and that's kind of how we're going to teach it. Last week Roger covered 14, well we've covered 14 through 21 over the last couple weeks.

Persuasion or conviction. Paul was convicted or persuaded about some things. Today we're gonna talk about Paul's plans. What's he got, where's he going, what is he gonna do? And then he has in 30 through 32, a request, several. So we'll talk about that next. And then we get a list in 16 of all of Paul's friends. And when you spend time with that list, you find out that the networking that went on in the early church still goes on today, still goes on today. And lastly, the benediction. So that's kind of where we're gonna go and what we're gonna do.

So, The persuasion and conviction by Paul in 14 through 21, he said in 14, and concerning you, my brethren, I am also convinced, about what? That you yourselves are full of goodness, you're filled with all knowledge, and you're also able to admonish one another. A couple weeks ago, we talked a lot about admonishing, and it really does matter because admonishment, as we talked about, allows believers to talk to each other and remind each other and to bring back to memory things that maybe we have forgotten. So he starts out with a compliment to the Romans, But if you see, if the Roman church was full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to admonish one another, then why is Paul telling them in the next verse, but I've written to you boldly?

To you on some point, so to remind you again because of the grace that was given to me. So when I was reading this, I'm one of those people I'm always interested in, how do people, deliver messages to other people, and do it in such a way that they'll listen.

Paul was a master at that. He always started with the compliment. And then he told them, here's the problem I see. Based on the compliment, they're still listening to the compliment, and he's telling them, pay attention now, I got a problem with you. So that's basically what he's doing here. The answer is, is to remind them that there was a constant need for all believers to be reminded.

Do you find that true in your life? I find it true. I'm constantly, someone will say something or I read something and it reminds me of something I really already knew, but it slipped out of my memory. And as some of you older guys recognize, a lot of stuff slips out of your memory. all levels of maturity, no matter where you are, all the leaders of a body of believers, fathers, mothers, everybody, they need reminding about spiritual things all the time. And that's a really good thing to have going on in a body of believers.

So his policy was as Jim talked about this morning, his policy was to only go to places where Christ had never been preached. Verse 20, and thus I aspire to preach the gospel not where Christ was already named, that I might not build upon another man's foundation. So We don't have that same policy today. The policy today is a little different.

If you look at 1 Corinthians 5, 1 Corinthians 3, 5 through 10, when Paul talks about what then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one, I planted, Apollos watered, but it was God who causes the growth or gave the increase. So what is he saying?

His ministry given to him by the Lord was to always go someplace to spend his energy and time talking to people that didn't know who Christ was. But once that happens, then there are other gifted people within the body of Christ that plant and water, but everybody recognizes in that process that it is God who gives the increase.

Second Peter 1.12 says, therefore, I shall always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them. and have been established in the truth which is present with you. So this is a really good thing that being reminded, the word of God is reminding us all the time. As a matter of fact, I think where we go next is gonna be really a reminding of a lot of principles that we teach at Holly Hills all the time. So I was gonna read through this, but Jim did a good job so I don't have to. This is the verses we're talking about today. So, for this reason, I have often been hindered from coming to you, verse 22.

What was the reason? The reason is that Paul's preaching throughout the territory just mentioned had kept him from coming to Rome. And if you kind of study the history a little bit about what went on out of the church at Ephesus, and the school and the things that were happening and his journeys around there, he was always looking for the town, the person who had not heard the name of Christ, and that's where his focus was. 1 Thessalonians says that, for we wanted to come to you, I Paul, more than once, but Satan thwarted us by some direct, Desperate, stand thwarted, is hindered. Hindered. But here, countless present responsibilities have hindered him. You all know that if you're busy, I have five things on my list, and boy, I really hope I get to the fifth one before the end of the day, and you're, you know, I don't know how, like Bob went to China, he had to speak in four different cities, six different hospitals or something in four days, I would have forgotten where I was, let alone.

So Romans 1.13, Paul says, and I don't want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you and have been prevented thus far. So this is not something new to Paul, but again, he's reminding him, I've always wanted to come to Rome, but I've been prevented because I'm working my way there. The word often shows continually how the Roman Christians were on his mind and his desire. The other thing that's interesting, and I looked around for my little, I don't, somebody took this out of my, where I sit and put it, this is my pointer. I wanted to point out all of this area here, Paul starts here, And he had gone all the way to here. He had spread the word of Christ through that whole entire area.

But he lived in the Roman Empire. And the Roman Empire was, in his mind, the area that was really the known world at the time. So as we're gonna see in the next verses, he wants to move on and get to Rome because it's on his way west. So, but now with no further place for me in these regions.

In other words, he's got it covered. He covered all of the people. The Word of God has gone out in all of that area that I just showed you. And since I had had of many years a longing to come to you with no further place for me in these regions. It's like coming to Denver and I'm gonna go to every suburb. Well, I've been to all of them, now I'm moving on to Colorado Springs kind of thing. Does this mean that everybody in that whole area was converted? Answer, no, it doesn't mean that. Does it mean that all the things were established and perfected? No, it doesn't mean that either.

But the word had been given. Paul had this desire from the Lord to go where no information of Christ had ever come. He was the planter of the seed. That was his job. Paul, so now he's free to go to Rome finally. because there's no more demand for him where he is.

He's got enough people there who know the word and enough people who are spreading it that he's comfortable to move on. So verse 24 says, and whenever I go to Spain, interesting, why Spain? We'll talk about that in a minute. For I hope proceeding this to see you in passing, and to be helped on my way by you when I have first enjoyed your company for a while." He's gonna go to Spain. Why Spain? Spain is at the west end of the Roman Empire. In his mind, I'll have covered it all if I get to Spain.

So the same Greek word here for a go-to is the word of pursuing. It isn't that I'm just gonna go there. I've been pursuing to get to Spain at some point, and I'll show you in a couple spots where the Lord Jesus, it's said about Him. The Lord Jesus set His face to proceed on His course to Jerusalem, set His face to go to. I must proceed on my course today and tomorrow in Luke 13, 33. I have to go. I have to do the will of my Father.

The Son of Man proceeded on his course as it was written of him in Luke 22, 22. Notice that the Lord Jesus is here with a ministry and a focus, and that is his focus. The Apostle Paul, focus on what the Lord had called him to do, focus. We see that Paul's realization of his course was appointed by the Lord, which he had not finished even at his first imprisonment. So that drove him on. He kept going.

Contrast this with Jerusalem. Most of the other apostles were in Jerusalem, and they got real comfortable there. And the Lord told them at the Ascension I want you to teach the gospel here in the Samaria and in the whole world. Well, they got Jerusalem down pretty good, but they weren't too happy to leave and go somewhere else like Paul was. Well, what did he do? He destroyed the temple, scattered them. He did that several times in the Bible. He did the Tower of Babel. He wanted people moving around.

So in Philippians 3.12, Paul says, not that I've already obtained or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

Christ laid hold of him and said, here's what I want you to do. You know, when he met the Lord on the road to Damascus, What did he do? The first thing he said is, Lord, what would you have me do? And there was a lot he was gonna tell him and teach him. Took him several years just to get the message into him.

But Paul recognizes that the Lord laid hold of him for a mission, and he was eager to fulfill the whole thing, not just part of it. So brethren, I do not regret, regard myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press towards the goal of the prize of the up call of God in Christ Jesus. I think that believers, growing believers especially, understand what this is about, that there is within them a pressing on, a goal to be reached. It's like Paul says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection. It's not that he didn't know the Lord Jesus, but he wanted increased intimacy with him more and more and more all the time, all the time, and it drove him. I think that that's what the study of God's Word does. It allows a believer to find the Lord Jesus the prize of the up call of God. He's the prize. It's not what he can do for you, it's him.

So whenever I go to Spain, for I hope to see you in passing, and to be helped on my way by you when I have first enjoyed your company for a while." So what is he telling the Romans? I'm going to Spain, but I'm gonna stop in Rome, I'm gonna spend some time with you, and I'm, interesting how it's put, that I've enjoyed your company for a while.

Coney Bear renderings this, he put it this way, after I have in some measure satisfied my desire for your company. I like how he put that, it's pretty neat. I must to some extent at least have my fill of your company. It's a world holy lovingly expectancy. And we were on vacation and we got to spend time with Donna's sister and brother-in-law and other people. we were enjoying being with them. We really did, we had a great time, we loved going to church, it was great.

When's the last time any of you went to church in the park? We drove up to the church and there was not a single car in the parking lot and I thought, oh, this isn't good. So we drove around and there's this big sign, handwritten sign on the glass door that said, because of renovation, we're holding church in the park. I think it named the park, but you know, we've got the Google map out and we're, oh yeah, that looks like a park. We go over to the park and here they are in the park with a pavilion and they have a, you know, there's a study in the Bible and there are people sitting around in lawn chairs.

It was really neat. It must have been how when Paul met the Jewish people down by the river or whenever they went, you know, if they weren't in the house, they were somewhere. just gathering together. It was really kind of a cool experience. Plus we got to meet you. That was really special.

Paul also hopes not only to see the Christians at Rome, but he wants them to help him on his way. What does that mean? He expects them to help him, support him in what he's gonna do. We find today there are bodies of saints who by prayer and gifts send the preacher on to other fields. We support missionaries that go to other places to spread the gospel. And we support them, because they couldn't go if they didn't have the support. So why Jerusalem? Well, the purpose of going to Jerusalem He'd been going around and collecting a gift for the saints that were there. But now, 25, I'm going to Jerusalem serving the saints.

For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. What's interesting about this is that it doesn't say that all of the Jews in Jerusalem were poor, but there were some. And they were under persecution, and they were having a really tough time just surviving. And so Paul had started to take up, and I don't know what people contributed, I guess money, And he, through all of Macedonia and Achaea, and we've talked before here about how some churches that were really poor, like Philippi, contributed as much as they could possibly contribute, and other places like Corinth, which were very rich, they were kind of tightwads. And so, He's got this gift for them, and he's got to take it back to Jerusalem to make a contribution that all of these people had contributed to. And what's cool about this is that it led the Gentile Christians into a special blessing, because you have to think about who we're talking about, Jews and Gentiles. These are all Gentile, for the most part, Christians, and they're the ones that are picking up, taking a collection to send to Jerusalem for Jewish Christians.

The offering was for the poor Jewish believers in Jerusalem, and it really pleased the Gentile believers just to be able to do it. You all know what that's about. When you are able to help somebody, you're pleased to be able to help them. There's a real benefit to you personally when you can help somebody who needs the help.

So, yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them, for as the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things. So what did the Gentiles receive? They received spiritual blessings because salvation is from the Jew. The spiritual things of which the Gentiles took part were the spiritual blessings of salvation.

And like the Lord said in John 4.22, that salvation is of the Jews. Why is it of the Jews? The Lord Jesus was Jewish. The promises were all made to him. to the Jewish nation, and the Savior, Christ, is a Jew. So they had tremendous benefits derived from what God did through the Jewish nation.

Material things was the Gentiles ministered to the Jews are the necessities of life, food, clothing, shelter, in short, money. Why? Well, they thought they owed them because what they got for free was spiritual knowledge and information. They thought it nothing to help supply their physical needs. So here's the reason for a special ministry towards the Jewish Christians. And as Gentiles, to help the Jews in any way possible, we have been made partakers of their spiritual things.

I don't know if you ever sit down and think about, how did I get to and where did you get this salvation message? Where did it come from? It came down 2,000 years through this process to you, a Gentile living in a place called the United States of America.

Who do you owe for that? You owe the Jews for that. This thing that goes on today with the anti-Semitism, I don't understand it. Well, I do understand it, but we owe them. We owe them because of what they've given us for free. It's not that they are presently recognized as, quote unquote, Jewish Christians nationally by God, because they're not. But we are their debtors. As a result, we should be ready to minister to them as we are able.

These spiritual things does not mean that our calling is Jewish or earthly, it's heavenly. And in any sense, when we went through chapter 11, so the principle which Paul states concerning himself to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 9, 11, if we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we should reap material things from you? If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use the right, but we endured all things that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

Paul knew that as a minister and the carrier of the gospel to the people in Corinth, that it was free to them, but it put them under an obligation. They should be appreciative of it, and they should help support the person who brought the message. But he wouldn't let them do that. He wanted to make sure in every sense of the word that the gospel was free. So he worked so that they didn't have to support him. But he's laying out the principle here. The principle is that if we sold spiritual things, you should help us with material things. And that's, I mean, the church just does that. We've done that forever.

So verse 28, therefore, when I have finished this and I've put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain. So when he's finished to bring an end, to accomplish, to execute this mission he has to take this money, I think it's probably money, to Jerusalem, there's a seal.

Interesting, he says, to put his seal on it. So I was thinking that, how would you, I don't know, who knows how much money we're talking about, but how would you protect that money for 1,200 miles of walking or on a boat? How would you protect it? Well, you have to have, obviously, you gotta have some people go with you. but where you got it stuffed under your arm or something, I mean, you have to protect it.

So the seal is, then he says, the point in the figure cannot be said to be clear. It may be possible suggests that Paul, in handing over the money to the saints, authenticated it to them as a fruit of their spiritual gifts, which they have been sown among the Gentiles. That may be what the seal means. Or it may only mean that when I've secured this fruit to them as their property, once I left it and gave it to them, the seal, my work is done. You know, what would we do today? We'd Venmo him or send him a check. give him a debit card, that would be our seal.

Note Paul's confidence of the success of his ministry. If you read these verses together, you begin to see that here's Paul, he's extremely confident that his plans are, I'm gonna go to Jerusalem, drop off this gift, and then I'm gonna go to Spain. Like, you know, I got tickets, reservations, rent-a-cars, I'm ready. You know, this is where I'm headed. Well, he doesn't know that there's gonna be some surprises for him in Jerusalem when he gets there. That giving is regarded as a proper fruit which seals to other believers the reality of who you are as a believer.

2 Corinthians 9.13 is about the same issue. Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ, for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all. And this, Newell had a very interesting comment about this.

He said, confession of Christ, if it does not result in ministering to others, it is not an obedient confession. I don't like the word obedience, you know that. I don't like that word at all. But there is a life that comes from Christ, and it's a life of service, and it's a life of ministry. It's part of the life. So it isn't so much I obey in order to think I'm doing something well. It's just a normal way of doing things.

It's like this morning in Sunday school, Paul says to the saints in First Timothy, if you're a believer and you don't take care of your widow in your family, you're worse than if you were a non-believer. In other words, you know better, and if you don't take a widow in who is your grandmother, whoever it is, you're worse than a believer. You're worse than a Gentile. You're worse than a non-believer. I mean, how do you get worse than a non-believer?

Pretty strong language. 29, and I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. Interesting word here, the word oida, is the word used here for I know. A lot of times you see, you'll see the word gnosko or gnosis for the word knowledge, but here it's the word oida, and there's a difference. Gnosko frequently suggests the inception or the progress of knowledge. I studied today, I got it down. Oida suggests a fullness of knowledge.

So he's saying in the fullness of knowledge, I know when I come to you I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ." Paul had a divine inspired knowledge that he was going to go to Rome. He knew, I'm going to Rome. He didn't know how. He thought he knew how, but he hadn't. The Lord told him, you're gonna go to Rome. He had the same knowledge that when he did go to Rome, it would not be on the lower plane. In other words, he isn't gonna sneak in the back door. And the full apostolic message would be there with him in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

Acts 19.21 says, now after these things were finished, Paul proposed in the spirit to go to Jerusalem, after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, after I have been there, I must also see Rome. So he knew, he knew where he was headed. God told him, you're gonna go to Rome.

So we've talked about God's plan for Paul today. Next week we're gonna talk about, Paul has a lot of requests for prayer and other things. And then we'll list Paul's, listing of Paul's friends, and then a benediction. And then I'm gonna say, Roger and I have been talking about what are we going to do next? I'm going to give you one hint. We're going to spend the next months reminding you. That's all I'll tell you. So let's close.

Father, how thankful we are for your servant, Paul, for your son, the Lord Jesus. How thankful we are that we can study your word line by line, word by word. Our desire is to grow in the knowledge and grace of your son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for that and we pray in your son's name. Amen.