Godly Ambition: Romans 15:14-21 (Sermon)
.jpg)
WELCOME
Good morning. Wasn’t VBS amazing! This place was packed. I counted sixteen families that I didn’t know. If you are here this morning because of VBS, welcome. It is great to have you with us this morning. Maybe God is drawing you to be a part of our family of faith? We, and by that I mean this church, put a lot of work into VBS. Why? Why did we do it? What was our ambition? Was it to have a good time? You bet. And I think we did. Was it to bless our community? Absolutely. However, our primary ambition was to share God’s love with the children. God has loved us so much, we want to let people know about it and share that love. And by God’s grace, I am encouraged by how things turned out. Are you? That was our aim this week.
PERSONAL
What were your personal aims?
Maybe it was to get some house projects done.
Maybe it was to do some planning.
Maybe it was to go grocery shopping.
Or maybe it was to pay some bills.
AMBITIONS
What are your broader ambitions?
Maybe you hope to climb the corporate ladder or do some travel.
The Bible offers us examples and instructions that can improve our direction and ambitions. The apostle Paul shared his 2000 years ago, and I think it will help us as we think through our priorities and time management. Let’s go to God’s Word and hear what he has to say to us this morning.
TEXT
With that, I am going to have _____ read for us. Would you please stand with me in honor of God’s Word?
I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written,
“Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand.” (Romans 15:14–21, ESV)
PRAYER
Thank you. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, we need you. I need you. Help us to understand and apply your Word. In Jesus’s name we pray, amen. You may be seated.
CONTEXT
In Romans 15, Paul was wrapping up his letter. His audience included two factions: the Jewish followers of Jesus and the non-Jewish ones. Paul was headed to Spain on a mission trip. He wanted to preach the good news where it had never been before. He reminded this church of the basic Christian message and its implications. His point was to call the church to “Live together in the power of the gospel because it saves everyone who believes.” God has been merciful to humanity. We see that primarily in his sending his one and only Son, Jesus, to live, die, and rise for our salvation from sin. God’s mercy inspires worship and love.
POINT / STRUCTURE
The passage this morning includes a commendation, a direction, and an ambition. Here is a rough structure of the verses. Paul was saying, in a sense,
V 14 COMMENDATION: You are doing great
VS 15-16 DIRECTION: I am writing a reminder that Gentiles are now part of God’s family
VS 17-21 AMBITION: My mission is to teach them by God’s power and its working
The main thrust behind these eight verses was that the good news about God is for all people. That can be hard for people who are judgmental, self-righteous, and stuck in their cliquey culture. Paul played his part in getting the word out, and he was not alone. God helped him, and the Roman church was seeing and hearing of the fruit. Paul called them to follow up. They were a welcome committee for God’s family. He let them know he was on his way to join in and share this good news again. All people can participate in God’s expanding kingdom, not just the super missionary saints.
COMMENDATION
If you have a Bible, turn to Romans Chapter 15, verse 14. This is Paul’s encouragement to the church, almost like a pat on the back. What does it say?
“I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another” (Romans 15:14, ESV).
Paul was satisfied with this church. He was thoroughly persuaded that they were doing great. He had heard of their goodness and generosity, in contrast to the churches in Corinth and Galatia. Those churches had theological and moral failings.
QUESTION
What might Paul say to Converge if he were writing a letter to us? How would he address us? I think he might say something similar.
INDIVIDUAL
How would he address us individually?
Do we know the truth?
Are we full of goodness?
Are we able to share our faith with others?
What would it take for Paul to say what he said to Rome to each of us? If you think there is a difference, let me commend some resources.
For example, at 10 AM on Sundays we have a Sunday School class called Scripture Discovery. All ages are welcome. We unpack the passage for the morning and prepare our hearts for our worship service. It’s great.
Let me also plug our women’s Bible and book studies. The information for them is in the bulletin.
If you are a guy, on Friday we have a little devotion right here at 8 AM in the kitchen, and we pray for one another.
On your own, you can read and listen to things that will instruct you so that you can be where God wants you.
Spiritual growth is not passive. God calls us to move towards him. But I am getting ahead of myself. Paul’s first point was that they were doing great. They were spiritually mature.
POINT TWO
Point two,
V 14 COMMENDATION: You are doing great
VS 15-16 DIRECTION: I am writing a reminder that Gentiles are now part of God’s family
VS 17-21 AMBITION: My mission is to teach them by God’s power and its working
This ancient letter was not just a thank-you, it was not just a pat on the back. It reminded them about the gaps. Look at verse 15:
But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:15-16, ESV)
Paul was bold, very bold. He called them,
To offer their bodies as a sacrifice to God in worship (12:1),
To compete to honor others (12:10),
To be patient in trials and constant in prayer (12:12).
He challenged them,
To pray nice things to those who hurt (12:14),
To connect themselves to lowly people (12:16),
To never think they are the smartest (12:16).
He put the goal out there for them,
To not ever take revenge (12:17, 19),
To submit to the government (13:1),
And to not be judgmental (14:13).
Those were hard instructions. They still are. The apostle Peter personally knew Paul, and he wrote of him,
“Our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:15b–16a, ESV).
Paul’s words can be hard. He was very Jewish and committed to Jesus. He was passionate and forthright. For example, he wrote to the church in Galatia,
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him [God the Father] who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6–8, ESV)
[PAUSE] God inspired Paul to write to the churches for us. God met him and transformed his life from a devout Jewish persecutor to an evangelist, missionary, and church planter. God gave him a mission to share the good news with non-Jewish people.
DEFINITION
He was a tent maker, supporting his ministry. He would take a team of people and go into a community. He would use his connections and their platforms to share his faith. The Jewish synagogues and marketplaces were launching pads for conversation. He would talk to strangers and the rich and famous. He would attempt to convince them of the truth, whether at sea and/or on land, in a home or in prison, at dinner or at court. Paul was unique. But we all are unique. The mission of the church is to be witnesses to this good news to all people, until he comes again to judge the living and the dead. We all can join in. We all have a part to play.
Barnabas helped and encouraged Paul.
Mark, Luke, and Silas were some of those who joined him on the journey, even in prison.
Timothy and Titus cared for the churches he planted.
Women and married couples helped Paul, like Lydia, Priscilla, and Aquila.
Ministry is a team effort.
SOCCER
My family has been watching a lot of soccer this week. And as great as Messi or Ronaldo are, they need a team to win. They can’t do it alone. In the same way, we need help in fulfilling God’s mission. He equips us and empowers us. God told Paul his plan. God used Paul to tell the Romans God’s plan for them. It was to welcome all believers and love genuinely. It was a landing pad for those who came to faith. They forgot. So Paul reminded them.
NEXT POINT
That brings us to our third point:
V 14 COMMENDATION: You are doing great
VS 15-16 DIRECTION: I am writing a reminder that Gentiles are now part of God’s family
VS 17-21 AMBITION: My mission is to teach them by God’s power and its working
Paul had an ambition to reach the non-Jewish people with the good news. Paul was locked in. He was obedient.
PRIDE
He wrote in verse 17,
“In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God” (Romans 15:17, ESV).
What? Maybe that verse strikes you as odd. What is going on? God hates pride, doesn’t he? Was Paul sinning? Was he contradicting himself? Was he being hypocritical? He wrote to the church in Rome,
“Do not be arrogant” (Romans 11:18a, ESV).
And,
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Romans 12:3, ESV).
What was Paul saying? Keep reading:
VERSE 18a
“For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me” (Romans 15:18b, ESV).
Paul acknowledged that Jesus was working through him. God was getting the credit. Paul could boast in God’s work. The same is true for us. When we do good, it is God at work. Ephesians 2:10 states,
“For we are his [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV).
God fashioned us in our mothers’ wombs for good deeds. He has that as our mission. He then planned it out and empowered it. Paul’s boast was in God. God opened and closed doors. God spoke and empowered Paul, and he will do the same for us who follow, too.
VERSE 18C
What was Paul’s specific ambition? What was his aim? Keep reading:
“To bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:18c –19, ESV).
God told Paul that he would have a ministry to the non-Jewish people. In Acts Chapter 22, we read, “[God] said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles’ ” (Acts 22:21, ESV). Not many of you will hear from God as Paul did. However, for all of us, he calls us to worship:
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory [or praise] of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV).
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17, ESV).
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1, ESV)
God made us with a purpose to worship him, and we have life and breath to bear witness about him.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, ESV).
We who believe in Jesus as our Savior can be a witness where he has us. Where does God have you?
Maybe you are married. If that is so, then God has called you to that marriage.
Perhaps you are a parent? If that is so, then God has called you to those kids.
Possibly you are a worker? If that is so, then God has given you clients, employees, bosses, customers, and vendors to minister to.
Potentially you are a student? If that is so, then God has given you classmates to care for.
Where does God have you?
What roles do you have?
God does the convincing. He used miracles and natural means to convince people of the truth. He used Paul’s words and healings. That is not new. He used signs and wonders in Moses’s time to get Pharaoh to listen. He used them during the ministry of Elijah and Elisha. He did it with Daniel. He did it with Jesus. And he is doing it around the world now.
In the latest issue of the magazine Voice of the Martyrs, it shares the recent martyrdom of a Lao man named Thongkham.
He was an animist: worshipping his ancestors and the spirits of nature. His dad died when he was eighteen, and he went to live with his uncle who had recently become a Christian. The year was 2000. Thongkham was having stomach pains and throwing up blood. He went to the hospital for six months. “Then one night he considered the change in his uncle’s life. He prayed that God would heal him and promised to follow Jesus if he did. The pain and bleeding stopped that night and never returned.” (p. 8) He told his uncle, and his uncle said he needed to meet a woman whose husband was in prison for his faith. She shared the Jesus film with him, and this family began to disciple Thongkham. God saved him and made him a witness to his people. He traveled to Thailand for training and brought Christian material back to Lao. After twenty years, he was training and leading ninety-some churches. When warned about the growing dangers of his witnessing, he said, “I am ready, if God allows me to die; I am willing. Everybody in this world, all of us, we will die. But how I die — it is up to me to give glory to God or not. I am not afraid. I am ready, because everything I do is for God” (p.10). God was at work healing and helping him. And he is at work all over the world. God is appearing in dreams and arranging details. He is even bringing people to our country to expand his kingdom. He is not done with us. He does the heavy lifting. He invites us to join our ambition to his mission.
VERSE 20–21
So what was Paul’s ambition? Look at verse 20:
And thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written,
“Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand. (Romans 15:20–21, ESV)
Paul sought to go to the unreached. He shared his faith with believers like the Romans, but he was primarily seeking to share his faith with people who had never heard. He was an answer to a 700-year-old prophecy from Isaiah. “Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard will understand.” Today, we have people who are not reached in the world. Most of them live in what is known as the 10x40 window. Here is a picture of it.
10 degrees longitude and 40 degrees latitude, and 96% of the unreached world lives there. 1.7% of the missionary dollars are spent there. This is where a majority of the impoverished are. Thongkham ministered there up to his murder in July two years ago.
Our missionaries are supporting those ministering there:
Jeff Dryden, Jonathan Swift, and Gil Zinke train pastors and church leaders in this region.
Matt and Julia Rogers covertly help the local church in this region and evangelize.
John Mehn equips church planters in this region.
Mitchell Wimbush helps map out language groups in this region for the purpose of translating God’s Word.
And Marian Prince uses her technological skills in this region to share Jesus in an interpersonal way.
Converge World Wide and IREF work in this region.
Thank you again for your generosity and participation in mission giving.
Many of us will never be able to go to these countries. However, we can help support those who do. We can be the Barnabas to the Pauls. God can make us encouragers. We can be the supply lines, restocking the essentials needed to keep the frontline healthy. We need each other.
Many of the unreached are desperately trying to come to America. America has been a refuge for those who have been persecuted, impoverished, or looking for a better life over the years. It is a land of opportunity and freedom. So, if we keep our eyes open, God may bring the unreached to your door.
Another venue for the mission is the next generation. Our neighbors need Jesus. Our families need Jesus.
God may call some of you to go, to leave, to travel to the unreached, like Paul. If you feel a tug like that, an organization we support has a five-minute assessment. They also have a more in-depth training program. Due to your generosity, we have scholarship funds that can take away the financial burden of assessing if God is calling you to go. Just talk to us pastors if you are interested.
The fields are ripe. The time is now. Let me go back to the Mycircle principles.
What roles do you have in life? Write those down.
Who is one person that you care about enough that you want to see them in heaven?
Will you commit to praying for them each day?
In your prayers, consider one way to care for them this week.
Make it your ambition to love God and people and watch what God will do. Let’s make this our godly ambition to see Jesus honored inside and outside of the church.
Perhaps you don’t know Jesus as your Savior. He can be. Turn from your sin and seek his mercy and forgiveness. Turn to follow him. He is worth it. If you do that today, let someone know. Don’t keep a spiritual change like that to yourself.
Let’s pray.
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment