Romans Chapter 15 Verse 14

• Real quick, see the pattern there? The end of it is admonishment. Which in the Greek means exhortation, or warning. We might think of it as instructing or guiding…telling folks what to do…see what I’m saying? But notice the beginning of it? Paul says, “I am confident that you are full of goodness.” Agathosyne in the Greek…and what it really means is kindness. Only used in three other places in the Bible. Twice in the context of spiritual fruit in Galatians 5 and Ephesians 5 and once in referring to the work of faith and power in 2 Thes 1.
• So the beginning of it, it what it…admonishing man…is fruit! Whatchu mean? Like apples and oranges? No man…love, gentleness, kindness…then comes the knowledge and it is only then, after those two things…you arrive at leadership! Admonishment, exhortation and warning. Does that make sense? Because we often get that wrong…”I know what’s right, I got the knowledge…let me holler at ya.” But that is not the Biblical arrangement…Exhortation, admonishment, encouragement, correction, leading begins with being full of goodness…
• And so Paul here is confident in their kindness, in their knowledge and he is saying here that he would expect that they could teach these truths themselves to eachother yet…

Romans Chapter 15 Verses 15 – 16

• He says I’ve spoken boldly to you on some things, some tough truths, not only because I know you can handle them but because that is what I’ve been sent to you to do. See that? Because of the grace of God so that I might minister and in that ministry grow you in Jesus that your lives as a living sacrifice, an offering, might be found to be acceptable being sanctified by the Holy Spirit…See that? He says look Romans, I got something for you in this letter. Go and seek, listen and learn, download it man and install…get the app homies…because in order to roll with God, get with righteousness, know power and the secrets of eternity, you gotta be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
• What’s that? Yea, another scratch and sniff given by Paul. Right there in verse 16. To be acceptable, the work we do, the prayers we pray, the ministry we have…must be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Oh sanctified, what a churchy word…it simply means to be holy man…to be consecrated, separated, dedicated…to be fully rooted and focused on the Person of Jesus Christ. Wait, I thought Paul said sanctified by the Holy Spirit, not Jesus…
• He did but what is the ministry of the Holy Spirit? To proclaim Jesus man! John 15:26, Jesus said, “When the Helper comes, the parakletos, the Holy Spirit, whom I shall send to you from the Father (here’s the Trinity in one verse!), the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He (a person!) will testify of Me!” And so yes, I know what Paul says here and I ask that you follow the scratch ‘n sniff! What he is teaching here is that for the work, the ministry, the marriage, the counsel, the day at work, the service at church, the prayer, the minute, the hour, the life…for it to be acceptable, answer this question in the affirmative…was it done for Jesus man?
• Paul says that’s why I’ve come to you Romans in this letter. Not like last time when I tried to win you over with intellect. Remember that, Acts Chapter 17? When Paul preached in Athens only he didn’t preach the gospel, he preached an academic lesson…and no church was established! Not this time! This time it’s pure admonishment, filled with knowledge, rooted in goodness, sanctified by the Holy Spirit and fully acceptable to God…therefore…look at verse 17…

Romans Chapter 15 Verses 17 – 18                

• You see, he’s learned from the last time. I will not dare do it again he says. From here on out man, take it or leave it, I’m only going to teach that which I have learned myself…and what I have learned myself. And that’s quite simple…Jesus Christ came and declared that He was the Messaiah, the Savior…God in the flesh, stepped down into this mess of creation to save it…and then He taught ultimate wisdom, showed signs and wonders and foretold His death and resurrection…He said He’d take my sins to the cross…not just cover them with an animal sacrifice but do away with them entirely with His perfect sacrifice…and then He did it all…did it all! And lives today!
• And notice this word obedient does NOT mean BOW DOWN! It means look there’s a truth, respond to it. If I tell you to step away from that ledge you’re about to die and you do it, would that not also be obedience? Obedience is not a bad word. It is not a demeaning or condescending word. It’s a word that means wisdom in light of the truth of an Almighty God!

Romans Chapter 15 Verse 19

• Mighty signs, wonders and powers Paul says…yea Matt that sounds like my story man, that sounds like my life, what God has done, what God is doing…slow your roll hard charger…finish the verse. I know you got a story, I know you know it well, but Paul does not link mighty signs, wonders and powers to his story. What does he say here? “So that from HQ, Jerusalem, and round about to Illyricum, which was a major Roman province, I have fully preached my powerful testimony…nope. The gospel of Jesus Christ.
• The power is in the gospel man…the power to change hearts. Mighty signs, wonders, powers. Sometimes our stories can insulate, our testimonies…they’re very powerful, no doubt, especially to those who have known us B.C., but simply point to the cross. Paul made that mistake in Acts 17…won’t do it again in Romans 15…

Romans Chapter 15 Verses 20 - 21

• People have used this verse in the past to lay down territory…but that is really taking this verse out of context. He’s talking about reaching folks for the gospel…he just finished says “everywhere.” So he’s not talking really about geography but about primary ministry. Primary ministry? Yes!
• In other words he doesn’t want to fish in an aquarium! He wants to go and find and catch new fish! Know what I’m saying? People say, oh we can’t plant a church here because there is one right on that corner there…non-sense! Are you telling me that it would be a bad thing to have a strip mall with 20 churches? It would be like heaven!!
• I mean we love having Antioch so close to us that they even use this building!!! No we’re not talking geography here. We cannot have too many good Bible believing, Jesus loving churches! What we’re talking about here is that God has sent us to His lost sheep so if you start a new work, go get ‘em! What would be tragic is if those strip mall churches started to argue over folks…what ridiculousness! They want to go, let ‘em go…there’s more fish in the sea man! Only a few in the aquarium…
• And so Paul says, I want to seek need, see need, find need and then fill the need…I don’t want to create need…know what I’m saying? That is the heart of the one in love with Jesus man…for sure!

Romans Chapter 15 Verses 22 – 26

• Most scholars believe that Paul was writing this from Corinth. Not the most inviting place for him. His heart is to go back to Rome by way of Spain. But first he says that he is going back to Jerusalem. Why? Because they are King’s Kids and they are rolling in the luxury baby…name in and claim it! Prospering with the prosperity of the gospel there in the mother land…NOT AT ALL!
• Notice what Paul says here…they’re poor over there man…does this not totally refute the false doctrine of the prosperity gospel? Here are saints and what are they…poor! You see the gospel is not to make you a monetary monarch but that you would find true value, (not the hardware), that you would find out what is right, what is worthy, what is real riches man…the peace of your little one as they sleep, the extra-terrestrial satisfaction and joy of making peace or accepting that you’ve been wronged and serving anyway! The kindness of the touch of a friend, the grace and love and mercy of a God who laid down His kingdom so that you could be free…something on our own we could have never accomplished…
• We were hopeless…no matter the digits in the bank…no matter the stack of titles, the education, the possessions…hopeless man…a ticking time bomb that one day would go off and we would be eternally lost…and God in His great love and compassion and broken heartedness for what sin has done to us…what our own choice has done…where it has taken us…made a decision. To give us His riches…so no this prosperity gospel, word of faith false gospel…is not Biblical…we see saints right here, right after the time of Jesus, at HQ…poor…does that make them any less a saint?
• Of course not man…the word faith, prosperity gospel will leave men in charge of men and that is the root of it all…it’s a power grab. If the formula is that your bank account is equally apportioned to your faith and your righteousness in Christ then guess what? If I can show you more than you got…I’m better…bow down! Foolishness, weakness man…doesn’t matter what any of us have or have not…we all have access to Jesus!
• So Paul’s heart is to go back to Rome…did he go back to Rome, yes of that we are sure. Did he ever make it to Spain? Church tradition says that he did but we have no record of that in the Bible although one thing Paul did say in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have finished my course.”

Romans Chapter 15 Verse 27

• Notice the Biblical pattern. The spiritual things precede the material things…many times we get that backwards don’t we? We place material things ahead of spiritual things…Good practical way to ask yourself that…what’s the first thing you do when you come up on some material like paper (money?) Does your mind go to serving the Lord first with those tools or does it go to paying this or getting that?
• Just a simple test there to discover our own hearts…we need those. Without a test, there is no testimony…no lesson learned, no truth received…faith that is not tested, cannot be trusted…Paul gives us the right order here…

Romans Chapter 15 Verses 28 – 32

• Wow, so we see here that Paul had some beef at HQ. Why? Well he tells us…some of them don’t believe him. They’re suspicious of him…why? Because of what they’ve seen man…he was like Jason, Freddy, Chucky to those Christians back in the day…and some folks are skeptical. Notice his heart. Tell them, defend me, send them a letter, text ‘em…nope…pray for me. That they may see? Nope…that they may be served by me…wow. Powerful.
• Why, because Paul is not after popularity or prosperity or permission or approval…he’s looking for peace man…

Romans Chapter 15 Verse 33

• Blessed are the peacemakers, Jesus said in Matthew 5:9, for they will be called children of God. No others. No other is called that in Matthew 5…the peace makers….Jesus was a peace maker…He continues today…Would you receive Him today, and receive peace? Just call out to Him. Repent of your sin in wisdom. Obey His call and get off that ledge and enter into the joy of His salvation. In Jesus name.
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