In last week’s passage Paul introduced himself to the Romans whom he had never met before as “a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.” (1) Paul had a strong assurance and feeling that he had been called to be “set apart for the gospel of God”. (1) He had such a strong assurance of his calling that he was able to dedicate himself to the preaching of the Gospel.
Today’s passage is the continuation of last week’s and the introduction to the main contents of the letter, but here Paul is sharing why he wanted to go to Rome. He gives the reasons. Paul really wanted to Rome. “I long to see you.” (11) “I planned many times to come to you.” (13) “I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.” (15) Today let’s look at why Paul “longed” “planned many times” was so “eager” to go to Rome.
I. Faith that is being reported all over the world (vs. 8)
First let’s look at the first reason which was that Paul wanted to go to Rome because the faith of the Roman Christians was being reported all over the world. First Paul thanks God for the Roman Christians because their faith was being reported all over the world. What kind of faith is a faith that “is being reported all over the world”? (8)
I Thess. 1:8
Here a faith that “is being reported all over the world” (8) is not having the manner of living a pure life nor that their lives were full of love, but because of their “faith in God”. (I Thess. 1:8) This was a faith in Christ. This was a faith that by Christ they were saved of their sins, they were given a new life, and by given a new life, they were living in faith with Christ. Paul talks about this faith in Galatians.
Galatians 2:20
It was this type of faith. The Roman Christians lived this type of faith. To be in Rome the capital of Roman empire which made the emperor god, to live in this type of faith must have been difficult. However, they lived in this faith, and witnessed greatly about Christ. If you looked at the whole of Rome, it may have been a very small group of people, but their unyielding faith was a great encouragement to and example for the Christians in other places. Paul was thankful to God that the Roman Christians were able to have such a faith.
This was faith that they had in common with the men of faith in the Old Testament. In the book of Daniel three young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego appear. The king, Nebuchadnezzar had ordered that whenever the music sounded for everyone to worship a gold image he had set up. However, the three young men did not do so. Therefore, they were thrown into a furnace. At that time they said to the king,
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17,18)
The words, “But even if he does not” (18) are fantastic. They said that God who they believe in can save them from the burning furnace, “but even if he does not” (18) they would not worship the image of god. They valued their faith over their lives. They had the kind of faith that no matter what conditions they were in, they were not shaken and depended on God.
How about you? Do you have a faith of “but even if he does not”? Even if things do not go the way you want, even if your desires are not granted and as a result you have many hardship, will you have the faith that depends only on God.
I read about the Swedish missionary, David Flood. He went to the Congo in Africa to spread the Gospel in 1921 with his wife and 2 year old son. He continued to struggle working among a tribe that was starving, sick, and saw him as an enemy. His only fruit of ministry was one young man. He taught this young man the Bible every Sunday. His wife had a baby girl and 7 days later died. Flood who was already exhausted from such heavy struggles, was now devastated from being pushed to the limits by loosing his wife. He lost hope in God, gave up his fervent faith, left his daughter at the mission center there, and returned to his home country with only his son.
Later, at age 73 he met his daughter for the first time in 40 years and heard an unbelievable thing. While she was on her way to meet her father, she met a black preacher in London. The preacher was the young man from Congo. The young man had grown up splendidly and became a preacher, and became a vessel for sharing about God in the Congo which is known as an area that is very closed to the Gospel. And now the Congo has sent out missionaries to 32 countries, and can be proud of having 110,000 Christians. Because her father’s dedication and her mother’s giving of her life, new life is being born in the Congo. His daughter’s words that what he had done was definitely not worthless, made Flood cry and repent.
When we have put out effort for the Lord and the results aren’t what we anticipated, we lose hope. However, even if it is not what we expected, it is necessary that we have a faith to just follow God. If we believe in the real God, we can be thankful for all kinds of results.
The Roman Christians had this kind of faith. They weren’t like the people of this world who seek after the things of this world, but sought after God and eternal things. Their faith was alive. The Romans Christians weren’t led to the faith by Paul, but he heard about their faith and was thankful to God for leading them. Therefore, he wanted desperately to meet them.
II. Being mutually encouraged by each other’s faith (vs. 9-12)
Although Paul had never met the Roman Christians through prayer he was always thinking of them. Through prayer Paul always thought of them and by the will God he wanted the door to be opened for him to go to Rome. He wanted to visit them very strongly because he wanted to impart to them some spiritual gift so that their faith would be stronger. Paul wanted their faith to become stronger, but not only that, if we look at chapter 15 of this letter we can see that Paul wanted to go further west to Spain. He wanted to preach the Gospel that far. He wanted the Roman church to become the center for that work. Therefore, it was necessary that their faith be established strong. This is because there is strength in the Gospel. The Gospel is God’s power for all. Paul wanted them to stand firmly on the Gospel so he is writing this letter to them. It would have been good if Paul could have gone to Rome and met them face to face and taught them. However, now he can’t do that so he is writing this letter so that they would be stronger.
However, Paul did not just want to go to Rome to impart to them some spiritual gift so that their faith would be strengthened, but he also wanted them to “be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” (12)
All Christians are given gifts of the Spirit.
Romans 12:3-8
In one body there are many members, but the members don’t all do the same job. In the same way even though there are many of us, we are all though Christ, one body. Each of us is a member. Therefore, the gifts we have received are so that we can please the Lord should be used for other people’s benefit. Paul probably had a gift prophecy. He may have had gifts of teaching, and leadership. Even so that did not mean that he was almighty. I think he was weak in his ability to encourage. We can see this in his strong quarrel with Barnabas. When they got ready to leave on the second missionary trip, they had a heated discussion over whether to take Mark. Paul thought that because on the earlier trip Mark had gone home part way through that he wasn’t the right person to go with them. Barnabas thought that no one is perfect and everyone is weak, so that it was necessary to accept such people. In the end Mark went with Barnabas. Paul had a hard time accepting Mark. Later Paul forgave Mark from his heart. It is not important who was right. More important is that people have different personalities, gifts and thinking and so such differences arise. However, Paul’s actions came from his narrow heart, limitations caused by his weaknesses. Barnabas was much better at encouraging. However, if everyone was like Barnabas then that would not be good either. It is important that there be people like Barnabas and people like Paul, and by each using the gifts they are given, they will be mutually encouraged. To do this God puts the necessary people in each church. Therefore, we need to use the gifts we are given and together serve God. To do that we need to realize fully that it is necessary in order to be blessed, we must be taught, and have love to share the gifts you have received joyfully with other brothers and sisters, and cover each other’s weak points. When mutually the gifts are shared, there is Christian fellowship and it brings overflowing grace.
In 19th century America there was a large group of people that supported the great evangelist, Moody. Wherever he went he had Ira D. Sankey, a Gospel singer, do the special music. Sankey gave his whole life to working with Moody. Wherever Moody went, Sankey sang and the people’s hearts were opened and burning. The relationship between Sankey and Moody was a relationship of co-workers. Moody not only took Sankey, but he also took Dr. R.A. Torrey with him. Dr. Torrey was a seminary professor. He wasn’t an exceedingly great preacher, but he had a solid theological background. Moody while working in a shoe store dedicated his life to the Lord and thus never had a great education so for Moody to have someone to make Bible study texts, drafts for sermons and sum up theological papers coherently was a great help.
One of the great preachers of the twentieth century was John Stott. There were many people who supported him. Among them was Frances Whitehead. She worked for about 40 years as his secretary. She even filed his manuscripts and filled in the areas that were deficient. Stott dedicated his book, The cross of Christ to her. They had gifts of serving. They used the gifts they were given faithfully and only served so together they were able to be abundantly blessed
Paul said, “that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” (12) We all need this encouragement and grace. Let’s open our hearts to each other, and encourage one another to have this kind of fellowship.
III. An obligation (vs.13-15)
The third reason that Paul wanted to go to Rome was that he was obligated to do so. Paul tried many times to go to Rome, but he never seemed to be able to go. He is yet to get there. Paul is writing this letter after staying in Ephesus for 3 months on the third missionary trip when he visited Macedonia and Achaia when he was staying in Corinth for three months. Rome was only a rock throw away from Corinth. He was almost at the point where it would be possible for him to go, but he had to take the offering from the Macedonians to Jerusalem. He was still prevented from going. Therefore. since he couldn’t go he is writing this letter and is asking Phoebe from Cenchrea to deliver the letter. The reason why Paul wanted to go to Rome is written in verse 14. “I am obligated to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.”
Paul thought he had an obligation. He felt that his calling was an obligation. The reason that Paul wanted to go to Rome was because of the abundant grace of God Paul was obligated to preach the Gospel.
This is what we should be like. We all have things we want to do, and places we want to go to. We shouldn’t make decisions by what we want, but by what God wants. It is important that we find out what God want, and do it. We should live by this.
In this age no one wants to be told what they have to do. Rather everyone stands up for their rights. They can’t be happy unless everything is the way they want it to be. They have hearts like selfish babies. If our hearts aren’t changed then we will never grow up and we will never get off the road to destruction. That is because not all things will go the way we want them too. We can become splendid adult Christians when we have a heart that thinks that this job is for God so I will do it so that God will be pleased. Paul was like this. He always sought and chose what was best for God. For example in I Cor. 9 Paul talks about the right to eat and drink, the right to bring your wife with you, in other words, marriage, and the right to receive pay for his ministry of sharing the Gospel, but even though he had those rights he didn’t use even one those rights so that he could “win as many as possible.” (19)
He did everything for the Gospel. He always made decisions by faith thinking about what is best for the Gospel. This is a spiritual adult’s thinking. When we think this way, this obligation is really a blessing. The fact that God has given us such a duty means on the other side of the coin that God sees us as a person who can do it and has expectation for us. That is something to be really thankful for. If we consider the obligations and responsibilities that we have received from God as wonderful, then we will surely mature as a person and as a Christian.
Paul said, “I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.” (14) This means Paul is obligated to all people in the world. Where ever Paul went he was concerned about sharing the Gospel. That was his calling and his obligation. We are the same. We have the same obligation. If we consider this not as just an obligation, but from our hearts want to do so, then not only will God’s kingdom be spread out further and further, but we will be blessed too. More than anything it is the most natural response to God’s sacrificial love of giving up his life so that he could save us from our sins. Paul wanted to go to Rome so badly because he wanted to share he Gospel. We too need to have the burning enthusiasm to share the Gospel.