Gospel Greatness

The Saints would take your Bibles
and turn to the Book of Romans, Romans Chapter 15. We are drawing near to the end
of this great epistle. And Paul has turned his attention
to essentially his relationship with the Roman Church. But just
like so many passages of scripture, when I first opened some of these
passages and I wonder as I read, what am I going to do with this?
Some of these have been the most rich and enriching passages that
I’ve ever turned to. I hope that I’m not embellishing
that for you when I say that. I hope that you will find this
passage not unlike what we found the rest of Romans rich. And
there are lessons here for us. There is instruction here for
us. Paul is essentially dealing with
his relationship, his friendship with the Roman church. And if
you recall, Paul had at least intimated, if not suggested that
he he was going to visit the church of Rome. He had not done
so up to this point. You read this detailed, incredible
epistle, and Paul had never even met these people face to face.
But. He had suggested that he was
going to do that, and the Roman church was waiting. You might
even suggest by looking at chapter one that perhaps they were even
impatient, perhaps they were there were some that were questioning
his credibility or his integrity. that perhaps he had said something
that he didn’t intend to fulfill. There does seem to be a tension
because now Paul is going to address it again. Paul had opened
this section back in verse 14 by providing both blessing and
encouragement to the Roman church. He is turning his attention to
their relationship. But as he does so, he immediately
begins to talk, as we saw in verse 17 through 19, about boasting. That Paul wasn’t about to boast
in anything that he had done, but he would boast in things
pertaining to God. He would boast in how God had
used him. And as we have seen, Paul most
notably was used of God in the proclamation of the gospel. And
that becomes his focus in verses 20 through 29. Would God’s people
read along with me as we turn? And thus I aspire to preach the
gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might not
build upon another man’s foundation. But as it is written, they who
had no news of him shall see, and they who have not heard shall
understand. For this reason, I have often
been hindered from coming to you. 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 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. But
now I am going from Jerusalem to Jerusalem serving the Saints
for Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution
for the poor among the Saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were
pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them for the Gentiles
have shared in their spiritual things. They are indebted to
minister to them also in material things. Therefore, when I have
finished this, and to put my seal on this fruit of theirs,
I will go on by way of you to Spain. And I know that when I
come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. There was tension and there needed
some explanation. Paul attempted that in chapter
one. We’ll review that in just a moment. But Paul comes back
to that subject of his visit to Rome. And I pondered as I
look at this passage, I’ve had the privilege now of course,
I’ve been looking and meditating at this passage for about five
years along collectively with the entirety of Romans. But over
the last month, say six weeks. I’ve had particular opportunity
to really focus in on this passage and what I can what I began to
liken it to is We all have our favorite candy, whether it’s
Tootsie Pops with the Tootsie Roll Center, or whether it’s
Skittles that have that nice outer shell that as soon as you
break it, you get a burst of fruit flavor. I sound like an
advertiser, don’t I? There are lots of candies. I
think Rolo has that Caramel Center. Now I’m making you all, everybody’s
going to bust out and go get candy after church. I guess that’s
what I like in this, too. That’s the that’s the thing that
popped into my head most frequently. And this is a really sorry illustration. For a rich passage, what you
get is this you get this principle that lies on the surface that
really is pretty plain and simple, and we would all affirm it. And
then three times, Paul gives not only this principle, but
he gives the principle behind the principle that is so rich.
And so good and so wholesome. There are three of them. Three
of them in this little passage. And I wanted God’s people to
see them. This morning. First of all, in
his preaching of the gospel, Paul details his great passion,
the preaching of the gospel, but he gives us not only the
what, But how? Look, if you would, at verse
20. Where Paul says, thus I aspired to preach the gospel. It would
be to go back and essentially review the entirety of this epistle. To even begin to embellish what
he says right there. Paul said at the very start of
the book of Romans that it is the power of God for salvation.
Paul was all about the Gospel, and there was nothing about the
Gospel until we have dealt with sin. And Paul deals with sin
in those opening chapters. But sin is not the Gospel. It
is the initiator of the Gospel. It opens you up to the Gospel.
It tells you why we need the Savior. That’s what the ensuing
chapters are for. The gospel also contains sanctification
and Paul opens up to that as well. Well. Paul was all about
the gospel. We saw just the immediately preceding
verses when he says thus, I aspire to preach the gospel, he’s pointing
to those verses that we had just considered now a month ago. Where Paul said, therefore, in
Christ Jesus, I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining
to God, for I will not presume to speak of anything except what
Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in obedience of
the Gentiles. And so what did he do? It says
that he had fully preached the gospel of Christ, but how? Look,
by word, remember, not just his written word, but his spoken
word. His admonitions to people, his one on one encouragement
to people, his rebukes. Preaching of the gospel. His
deeds, not just what he did as he went about doing things, but
the principles on which he operated. Remember, we spent no little
time on that. By word and deed, by the power
of signs and wonders and the power of the spirit, so that
from Jerusalem roundabout as far as Illyric Illyricum. I’ll get it one day. I have fully
preached the gospel of Christ. Paul says, look, I went about
preaching the gospel. I did it unto the Lord Jesus. And we saw that Paul is all about
the gospel. But here he dwells on that point
and he says that he aspired, he had ambition. He made it a
point of honor to strive after that. One great goal of proclaiming
Christ. A lot of times we get nervous
when we talk about ambition. Paul’s not just giving an excuse
here, Paul’s not just saying that, look, the reason I didn’t
come to you is because I was so overly ambitious about proclaiming
the gospel. But essentially, essentially,
that’s at the core of his explanation. The ambition here is not how
we would typically use the word in the world or in a worldly
sense. Paul wasn’t off key here. He
was simply doing what God wanted him to do. Whenever God has a
job to do, he will appoint men to it and he will grant them
the grace to accomplish that great task. Paul’s honor, his
ambition, was to do the one thing that God had called him to do.
And so, in a very real way, this was an excuse. This was an explanation. This
should have been acceptable to the Romans, and I believe was.
Paul said, I desire to do nothing more than what God has called
me to do, and that is to preach the gospel. But as I said, And
that’s why there’s no way that we can even begin to do that
statement justice that Paul aspired to preach the gospel. That’s
the entirety of the book of Romans and then some. But there’s more
here, there’s a principle behind the principle. And if you look,
Paul says not only what, but how Paul aspired to preach the
gospel, not where Christ was already named. that I might not
build upon another man’s foundation. That little phrase is kind of
foreign to our ears, not where Christ was named. Basically,
where Christ was identified as an object of worship, he was
placed forward as the eminent. One to be worshiped, even as
we just did this morning. Christ was not named in many
places. Christ was not the object of worship. Christ wasn’t even
known in a great many parts of the world, even at this time.
And Paul said, until I have reached the uttermost, my job is not done. One pastor said it is important
to teach believers all things. It would have been just as noble
for Paul To pause in what he was doing and to stop at the
first church that got planted and to roll up his sleeves and
open the scriptures and to teach them everything. It would have
been just as noble. It is important to teach believers
all things, but it is more important to convert sinners from the bondage
of Satan. Love that point. And a lot of
times we get caught up in one as opposed to the other. He goes
on and says the peculiar business of an apostle and of missionaries
is the latter, that is evangelism. The former that is teaching is
that of the pastor, though neither object is to be neglected by
one or the other. So, in other words, the apostles
went about and the evangelists will go about primarily reaching
out to the lost and culling in souls from Satan’s grasp. But they’re not against pausing
to teach some element of doctrine or scripture. They’re called
to do so. That’s just not their primary
function. Likewise, the pastor or the shepherd,
the elder, if you will, his primary function is to teach and nurture
and and cultivate the saints in their graces. But he’s certainly not excused.
From pausing to talk to some individual who was wayward, walking
out on his marriage, abandoning principles, caught up in all
manner of sin. Paul was all about the gospel. Paul took time to teach. Paul
took time to write the majority of the New Testament. Paul took
time to come alongside and be an encourager. Paul was a shepherd
even to the shepherds. But Paul was about souls. Paul was about proclaiming the
gospel. And it’s an interesting observation
in our day. When he says, not where Christ
was already named, that I might not build upon another man’s
foundation. I think we have a. I think we
have a bit of a sickness in our day. And I’m as guilty as anybody. Somebody said some time ago that
there’s about a thousand believers in Fort Collins and they just
keep changing churches. And I’ve been the recipient.
over and over again of people coming into our church frustrated,
irritated, downcast over what offerings have been given them
at other places. That’s been our focus, the honest
truth. That’s been our focus for 16
years. And we said when we started,
we wouldn’t turn away believers. We don’t want to turn them away.
And I’ll tell you, I have tried to be faithful That when somebody
comes to me, I’ve tried to be faithful to reach out and to
find out, did you leave clean? Did you leave as a Christian?
Did you come here in peace with your former church? I can’t tell
you the occasions that God has provided to really be a peacemaker
and to sit down at the table with their former pastor and
to sit down with people who were left in their wake and to iron
things out and to bring about peace and reconciliation. We haven’t done enough. We haven’t
done enough of digging into the field where Christ has not been
named. We haven’t done enough in reaching
out to the lost. We haven’t done enough in reaching
out to those people who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ. And
in that sense, I know that’s not what Paul’s talking about
specifically, and we can’t all pick up and go be evangelists
in foreign countries where Christ has never been named. But we can leave people alone
if they’re in a church. One of our little evangelism
cards that we used years ago just asked the simple prompter
question on the front of it. Do you have a place of worship?
If you do, great. That’s great. Stay there. Be
at peace. I don’t want you. Not really. It presumes a couple of things,
doesn’t it? Do you have a place of worship? Number one, you should.
There is a God who is worthy of worship, as we just sang.
He deserves to be worshipped. You should be worshipping. I
don’t have to prove the existence of God. I just have to tell you,
you know what? You should have a place of worship. And if you
don’t, please come to ours. You’re more than welcome. We’ve done that. That’s what
it is to to reach out where Christ is not named. If Christ is named,
if they’re going to a faithful church, if this is where they
want to go, then by all means, encourage them in their walk,
rejoice with them, pray together, study the Bible together, but
leave them alone. I’m not forbidding anybody from
coming into our church, but I’m I’m done. I’m done with calling
out from other churches. Send him back. Go be at peace. What I want is the lost. What
we need to be about is looking and digging into the lost in
this city. And what did we get last week? 30,000 more of them as CSU opened
their doors? I remember when we were planting
this church. Somebody in preparation to plant, somebody asked me if
we had done our demographics. I said, yeah, I did our demographics.
There’s plenty of sinners in Fort Collins. What, about 150,000
of them? That’s our focus. That’s what
we’ve got to change is our focus. And again, I’m not forbidding
anybody from coming in. If they’re not being fed elsewhere,
they’re welcome here, but they’ve got to come in peace. Paul embellished upon this very
subject in his letter to the Corinthians. He said, we are
God’s fellow workers, you are God’s field, God’s building,
according to the grace of God, which was given me like a wise
master builder, I laid a foundation. And another is building upon
it. And Paul didn’t see that as a bad thing. He’s not forbidding
here that you ever work collaboratively. To go and preach in another brother’s
church is a privilege. But I’m not inviting them to
come here. But each man must be careful
how he builds upon it, for no man can lay a foundation other
than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now, if any
man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident for
the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire
and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.
If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will
receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up,
he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved. Yet, so as through
fire, I think you should examine everything you do in the ministry. You should constantly be about.
Examining your heart, examining what you do, examining who comes
into your midst and making sure. That you’re honoring the Lord
in that. Calling. Paul wanted nothing
more than to be a point man. He wanted to be a pioneer. He
wanted to go out and to preach the gospel. That was his main
thrust. He wanted to go where the need
was the greatest. And to bring the news that was
the greatest and would have the greatest effect on the lost. As one said, he set it up before
him as a point of honor, not merely to carry forward the work
that others had begun, but to build up the whole edifice from
the very foundation himself. That was Paul’s work. That’s
what Paul wanted to be about. Paul wanted to preach the gospel
and he wanted to build the foundation from the ground up. Well. To do that, we’re going
to have to give up Things right. We’re going to be about the gospel
and if we’re going to be about the gospel in its foundational
element in reaching out to those who need it the most. We’ve got
to switch gears, we’ve got to we’ve got to really re-engage
with. This world. One of the things we’ll talk
about here later is just our efforts in outreach. Some people
wait around for a class, they wait, you know, they think that
they’ve got to have a seminary degree or they’ve got to have
this or that in order to go reach the lost. I could give you a
couple of things that in five minutes would equip you beyond
what most people will ever achieve. And what’s needed most is just
a willing heart. Go talk to them, go love them,
go serve them. Paul had a great calling to preach
the gospel. But Paul wasn’t content. Paul
wasn’t content with the what. It was built on the how. There’s
a second principle here this morning. Paul had not only a
great passion to preach the gospel, he had a great plan. He had this
great plan to visit Rome. And I’m sure that the Roman church,
as they turn to this section, finally, Romans chapter 15, Of
course, it wasn’t exactly like that, it was written as a love
letter, right? This incredible epistle, I’m
sure that as they read it and I’m sure they didn’t read it
in, you know, incremental verses over a course of four years,
right? They took this letter as a letter from a beloved friend
and they devoured it. But as they came to this section,
they rejoiced. Oh, finally. Here comes the answer
to our most burning question. When is he coming here? Verse 22, he had a great plan. For this reason, I have often
been hindered in coming to you, but. Yes, Paul, you know, you
can hear him. You can see him sitting up, sitting
forward. Yes, this is it. For this reason, I’ve often been
hindered from coming to you, but now, yes, with no further
place for me in this region, yes. And since I have for many
years a longing to come and see you, yes, go on. Whenever I go
to Spain, OK, when is that? For I hope to see you in passing,
passing. And to be helped on my way there
by you. When I first enjoyed your company for a while, OK.
You know, the interesting thing about this passage. It’s incomplete. In a sense. It’s there’s an interruption
here at the end of verse 24, and really, truly, you could
almost say that there’s an interruption in the middle of verse 24. I
hope to see you in passing. And then immediately he jumps
to this idea that, oh, by the way, as I come through, I’ll
need a bag of groceries as I go. That’s essentially what he asks
for. Now, he’ll come and he’ll essentially
come back to this whole thing, land the plane, if you will,
in verse 28, look at verse 28. Therefore, when I have finished
this, this plan that he’s going to go effect in Jerusalem and
have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way
of you to Spain. Spain is his ultimate destination,
he’s going to be cruising through Rome. He’s finally get to see
them, they will finally get to see him. There is going to be
a visit. But it’s temporary. It’s an interesting
passage, and I’m sure it had an interesting effect on the
Roman church. I’m sure that a lot of the Roman
believers, they had to they had to apply God’s grace here. They
had been waiting for Paul for a long time. Remember, I’m not
I’m not at all surprised if there was a question of integrity that
Paul takes great time and effort to. Correct. In the opening of this passage. So in this particular question
or this particular principle, rather, Paul answers the question
not only where but by what means. Look at this. Paul says, I’ve
often been hindered in coming to you. It had been about four
years since Aquila and Priscilla came from Corinth and brought
news of this little church in Rome that was beginning to really
flourish. Acts 18 is where it’s recorded.
Just listen quickly. After these things, he left Athens,
went to Corinth. He found a Jew named Aquila,
a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife
Priscilla because Claudius had commanded the Jews to leave Rome.
He came to them and because he was of the same trade, he stayed
and they were working for the tent makers. So Paul learns of
this fledgling Roman church from Aquila and Priscilla. And in writing to them, listen,
listen to the intimacy, listen to the care that he has for them.
He could have just said, you know what, Roman Church, you
know, Christ, I’m an apostle. I’m about preaching the gospel.
Deal with it. Right. Listen to his heart in
the opening chapter of the book of Romans. Go ahead and turn
if you would. Romans 1. We’re learning about where Paul
is going to come to Rome by way of Jerusalem on the way to Spain. But this is what he addressed
in the opening chapter. For I long to see you, verse
11, so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you that you
may be established, that is, that I may be encouraged together
with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both
yours and mine. What a humble statement. I do
not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I’ve often planned to come
to you and have been prevented thus far so that I may obtain
some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.
Paul longed to fellowship with the Roman Christians, and Paul
tells us plainly here that with regards to Rome, Paul’s activity
wasn’t limited to dreams. It wasn’t limited to prayers.
He tells us that he had made definitive plans to visit Rome. And that he had actually done
so not even once or twice, but often. He had often, and we’ve
all done these things, right? Some of my greatest trips I’ve
never taken, right? You go through this thing and
pull out, you know, you’ve got everything mapped out and then,
you know, everything crumbles, right? Well, for me, anyway. And now here at the end of this
great epistles, he’s addressing the same thing, that this is
a long awaited desire. He says it again in 22, I’ve
often been prevented from coming. I wanted to. This this word even
here planned could easily be translated as set forward, he
had it down on paper, as it were. He purposed to go. But it was on account of his
dogged determination to obey God’s command. To follow God’s
directive in his life that Paul had been unable to come to Rome. And so in verse 23, as he starts
to lay out this plan, I have no further place for me in these
regions and essentially my my job is done. I’ve preached the
gospel fully, as he said in previous section. Since I’ve been For
many years longing to come. I want to come. My work here
is done. You could hear. You can almost
feel it. It’s palpable. The excitement
welling up. Finally. We’re going to get to
see the beloved apostle here in our own city. He’s going to
come to our Bible study. That’s how they were. But the sentence breaks off.
And in a very real sense, it’s never completed. I love the way
one characterized it when he said that Paul does not finish
the sentence because he feels that he must explain what is
the connection between his visit to Spain and his desire to go
to Rome. You say that you want to come
here, but now all of a sudden you bring up Spain. Do tell. Goes on and he says then he feels
that he must explain the reason why he does not start at once.
You say you’re going to go to Spain Just a hop, skip and a
jump. Let’s do it. But now you say
you’re going to Jerusalem. How badly do you really want
to come to Rome, Paul? Ultimately, that. Helps him to
address the fact that he is a long way away from what he originally
started to say. He’s going to Rome. Look at verse
24. Whenever I go to Spain, I hope
to see you in passing. He wanted to see them face to
face. He tells them that. I mean, this is this is a man
of full integrity. He longed to meet these people,
but he tells them here plainly that it’s going to be in passing.
I’m looking forward to this, but it’s going to be a short
visit, or at least that’s what he had planned. He at least has
planned a short visit. But as we know, it didn’t exactly
work out that way, did it? He would get to Jerusalem. Doing
a good deed, and when he got there, he would be arrested.
And he would be taken to Rome in chains. But it records. He was there. He came. God fulfilled his promise to
the Roman church and in Acts 28 30, it says that he stayed
two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all
who came to him. Not exactly what he planned.
And try that on the next time that your plans go awry. Paul says in verse 28, therefore,
when I finish this and put my seal on this fruit of theirs,
I will go on by way of you to Spain. Paul was bringing a gift,
a monetary gift. to the Jerusalem church. And
he puts this mark of ownership, probably to indicate that the
gift was there in full and that the Gentile believers brought
about by the mission of the Jewish church had called a great blessing,
not money, but the hearts of the Gentiles that were with these
believers in Jerusalem. Whether Paul ever made that journey
to Spain, we don’t even really know for sure. It’s if it if he did go, it has
to be after what is recorded in the book of Acts, Acts leaves
him in Rome. But early church father Clement,
there are a lot of people that take hope of a visit to Spain
from Clement’s words. Clement, one of the early church
fathers, wrote, Paul received the prize of endurance, having
borne chains seven times, having been banished, stoned, having
been a herald in the East and the West, teaching the whole
world and having come to the limit of the West. And having
witnessed as a martyr before rulers, he was released from
the world and went to the holy place. Well, Clement, Clement
wasn’t anywhere near Spain. Spain would have been the limit
of the West. And most people take that to mean that Paul did
make this journey. Paul did make the trek. Paul
did fulfill his word literally to the Roman church as he continued
on to Spain. And so Paul is on this journey.
He’s going to Rome by way of Jerusalem and Spain. That answers
the where. But by what means? Glance, if
you would, again at verse 22. For this reason I have often
been hindered from coming to you, 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 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 first enjoyed your company for a while. You
know, God puts a premium on hospitality. I got a phone call this week
from a young man who we met at the Shepherds Conference last
year, had been pastoring a church, was checking out another church,
wanted to come up and see Colorado on his way back to Massachusetts,
and was essentially stuck. And so, without even a second
thought, We took care of his needs. He came up here and spent
a night. That’s essentially what Paul’s
talking about when he says, I want to I need to be helped along
on my way. What he’s talking about is assistance
and a blessing for the journey, but he’s not just you know, we
have this idea that it’s enough sometimes just to pray for somebody
in their party. Be at peace, be warmed, be filled,
remember like James rebukes. There are those moments recorded
in the book of Acts, Acts 15, three, therefore being sent out
on their way by the church. You probably picture some kind
of a prayer service for them laying on of hands and they’re
sent out. Acts 17, verse 14, immediately the brethren sent
Paul out to go as far as to see Silas and Timothy remained there.
So they again, they had this kind of a send off of sorts.
Acts 21 5. When our days there were ended,
we left and started on our journey while they all with wives and
children escorted us until we were out of the city. You know,
the kind of this parade to the boat kind of a thing. Acts chapter
20. The same kind of situation. Remember
this. dramatic scene, right? Everybody
sobbing and crying and falling all over each other when they
had said when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed
with them all and they began to weep aloud and embrace Paul
and repeatedly kissed him. So is that what he’s appealing
for here? I hope to be helped. Would you
please come and pray at the edge of the city as I leave it to
me? It doesn’t even come close. They
would have. Well, Paul, what are you going
to eat? Where are you going to stay? I could see somebody, you
know, he’s standing there shivering and some guy taking off his foot,
look, take this and go. I’m going to just let him. Care for himself after all this,
this is the their beloved friend. He comes through town and whether
it’s food or means or money. Whatever he needs, They’re going
to provide, and he just tells them that. I need your help. I want to be helped along my
way. I want you to participate. I want you to have the privilege
of participating in this ministry. I want you to help. I love the way one Puritan said
it, the Lord could have provided miraculously for the apostles.
He didn’t need people. It doesn’t need our money. The
Lord could have provided miraculously while they preach the gospel,
or he could have commanded for this purpose, the treasures of
the Roman Empire, right? Could have spilled it all in
the streets. But he chose to do this great work by the contributions
of his people. What a glorious privilege. When
I preached the book of Philippians, I referred to chapter four. as a privileged partnership.
Would you turn there just briefly? Privileged partnership. Sometimes we get caught up in
this idea that giving is an obligation or that, you know, we do it just
out of duty. It is such a glorious privilege. And when you think of what Brett
Laird and not just Brett, but what Brett is overseeing there
in Ukraine. People without roofs over their
head, people without food, people, people who have lost loved ones,
people have lost everything that they own. What is our responsibility to
that? Look at verse 10. What Paul was
appealing for to the Philippian people who were so magnanimous
in their giving. This was a giving, loving church. Look at verse 10. He wanted action,
not intention. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly
that now at last you have revived your concern for me. Indeed,
you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. We don’t
know exactly what happened. But it waned. They had good intention. They, you know, oh yeah, Paul,
we’ll get our support check in the mail. Verse 11, not that I speak from
one for I’ve learned to be content, whatever circumstances I am,
for I know how to get along with humble means. I know how to live
in prosperity in any and every circumstance. I have learned
the secret of being filled and going hungry of both having abundance
and suffering need. I can do all things through him
who strengthens me. Essentially, Paul says quite
graciously, I don’t need your money. God doesn’t need your
money. I am content with what I have.
Look at verse 14. But he appeals. Even in the face
of that, for the Philippians participation, nevertheless,
you’ve done well to share with me in my affliction and you yourselves
know Philippians at the first preaching of the gospel after
after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the
matter of giving and receiving, but you alone. What a commendation
for even in Thessalonica, you sent a gift more than once for
my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself,
but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But
I’ve received everything in full and I have an abundance, I am
amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have
sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your
needs. according to his riches in glory
in Christ Jesus. Paul says, look, I need your
help. And he told the Romans that he wasn’t ashamed of that
at all, because he knew the principle of Scripture where your money
is, there will your heart be also. And that if you support
me, I know that I have your heart. But it was not just hospitality
that Paul was looking to share with the Romans. He also mentions
fellowship that he would enjoy their company for a while. Isn’t
that the best that we have of any Christian believer? We you
know, some of us get to actually live with Christians for a lengthy
season, but even that is bookended, right? It had a beginning and
it will have an end here on Earth. But the way that Paul says this,
it’s almost like he speaks of a measure of fellowship, just
a sampling, just going to come in for a visit. It’s going to
be rich and it’s I’m going to rejoice to be there, but it’s
just for a moment, just for a season. He almost talks about it like
he could never get enough. But there’s a third principle
here, Not only a great passion, the preaching of the gospel,
where he tells us not only what, but how. Not only a great plan,
this ministry to visit to Rome, not only where, but by what means. But the third principle that
we see in this passage is a great project. Serving the saints. Where he tells us not only who,
but why. Look at verse 25, if you would.
In verse 25, he picks up this thought. He almost interjects
it, really. He’s talking about this visit
to Rome that gets hijacked with this all of a sudden, now there’s
a visit to Jerusalem. I’m going to Jerusalem serving
the saints. Well, when did that come up? The Bible records a
number of such visits by Paul to Jerusalem, but this one was
special. This one was the service of the Saints. By way of bringing
a monetary gift from the Gentile world. Back to the heart of the
church. To Jerusalem. Acts 19 verse 21
records this after these things were finished, Paul purposed
in the spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia
and Achaia. Now, with a church like the Philippians,
it’s not surprising that he would go back through Macedonia, right?
He wanted to collect their offering. That’s what he tells them. He
wanted to collect their offering, the Corinthians offering. He
wanted to go and take that offering and bring it as a gift to the
Jewish church. He says this in chapter 20, verse
22, as he bids farewell to the Ephesians. He says, Now behold,
bound by the spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem. Not knowing
what will happen to me there, Paul knew it was like walking
into the lion’s den. Paul wasn’t going to be dissuaded
by that. He had a mission to fulfill, most notably the mission
of bringing this gift. He says the same thing to Felix.
In his defense before Felix, he said, after several years,
I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. Essentially,
that’s exactly what he’s talking about when he addresses the Corinthians.
Listen in your. Mind’s ear, just briefly, when
I say in Chapter 16 of Corinthians, listen to this now concerning
the collection for the saints, and he’s talking about the collection
for the Jewish believers. As I directed the churches of
Galatia, so do you also on the first day of every week. Each
one of you is to put aside and save as he may prosper so that
no collections be made when I come. When I arrive, whomever you approve,
I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem. And if it is fitting for me to
go also, they will go with me. Well, that’s what the Lord laid
on his heart. This is the mission. The Corinthians response was
praiseworthy. It was so good, in fact, that
Paul boasts about them to the Macedonians. The Macedonians,
boy, they responded incredibly, so much so that Paul turns it
around and he uses this example to spur on the Corinthians, who
are kind of flagging in their effort. And that’s what, as he
writes 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9, I would encourage you
just to review those. You know them. Paul doubles back
and he comes back to the Corinthians with this appeal. Don’t give
up, don’t give up on this commitment that you’ve made. And he talks
about this contribution. It’s a fascinating little word. Says, I’m going to Jerusalem
serving the saints for Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased
to make a contribution. You know what the word is? Not
a contribution, not a donation. You know, everybody flips a dollar
into the plate. The word there is fellowship,
that’s what it could be translated partnership or fellowship. And
what happened is they saw that, you know what, we need to share
in their suffering. We need to come alongside these
poor people who are suffering. We need to share in it, as one pastor
said, the term points to something more than money, the term is
the ordinary one for fellowship, and it indicates here that money
was not a soulless gift, but the outward expression of the
deep love that binds Christian believers in one body. See, God
arranges these things in times. He arranges those with needs.
And He arranges those with means to meet those needs. And He says,
here’s an opportunity. Paul is going, and I said that
it’s not only who, but why. He’s going to the Jewish church
in Jerusalem. He’s going to… behalf of Macedonia
and a K, he’s going on behalf of the Gentiles. But why? He tells us right there at the
end of verse twenty seven. The Gentiles have shared in their
spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them and material
things. That’s a principle that Paul
will touch on again and again in his writings. What’s of more
value? Do you remember when the woman
came to worship Christ? And she broke a vial of alabaster
perfume, very expensive. There were people that were upset
by that. Jesus takes occasion to explain that to Peter. And
he basically points out that this woman, this woman is doing
this act of worship and Jesus received it as such. Because she had been forgiven
much. Where are we? And can we stand by and look
at what the church in the Ukraine is going through? As we receive
all of God’s good spiritual blessings lavished upon us. I shared with
somebody this past week that even if we never received another
blessing, Other than the salvation that’s already been secured by
Christ’s blood, not our works. If we never received another
blessing, we are rich beyond all measure. And the fact that
we have received that, that spiritual blessing, doesn’t that free us
up to let go and to help in a privileged partnership? with some of our financial means.
I want to set a deadline of next week. We want to make a contribution
to what Brett’s doing. We want to stand with him. It
may not be a lot of money by the world’s standards, but it
will be something. I don’t want to see the money.
I don’t want to know how much you give. The Lord knows. The
Lord knows your means. The Lord knows your limitations,
but the Lord knows that we need to stand with what Brett’s doing
there. We need to stand with these people.
They’re believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. They don’t have
food. They don’t have loved ones. They
don’t have clothes. We’ve got to do something. Let’s
pray. Our merciful King, we humble
ourselves at your feet. That you would be so kind to
us to preserve these words of Paul that at our first reading
so seemingly insignificant and irrelevant to us in this day
and age. Words about Paul and a church
in Rome. That Father, as we see these
great principles lay out before us, as we savor them, We are instructed
by them and we are enriched by them. We thank you for your grace
at work in our lives. We rejoice in the salvation that
we have come to know. We thank you and praise you for
the challenge of our own ministries to reach out to the lost and
not to give up on other people of. Members of other churches,
not to turn our backs on them, to rejoice and to fellowship
with them, but to turn our attention as a church to the lost. And
by great example given to us here by Paul and the Gentile
churches, to turn our attention by God’s grace and to provide
what means we can to help. Lord, we pray that you would
be at work in every heart And if there are those who do not
know Christ, Lord, may they know first and foremost that God does
not need our money. What He needs is their faith
in Christ. What He needs is their heart.
Lord, we thank You that You have provided. You have provided for
our sin in the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, let us rejoice in that.
And as we rejoice, may our hearts be full to overflowing in what
we would do in this small gift to a small corner of the world.
It’s in Jesus name that we pray. Amen.