Priorities, Plans & Prayers

Good evening everyone, really good to have you with us this evening.

As Neil says, we've got a bit of a plethora of peas over the next few minutes.

I hope it doesn't become too wearisome or appear too strained,

but it came to me as I was studying the passage for this evening.

Three of them to look out for as we read the passage,

I think they divided it up quite nicely.

There will be Paul's priorities, there will be Paul's plans,

and then there will be Paul's prayer.

So look out for these Paul's priorities, Paul's plans, and Paul's prayers.

So let's read from Romans chapter 15, and we'll be reading from verse 14.

Romans 15 · chapter mention

Romans chapter 15 and verse 14.

Romans 15 · chapter mention

Paul writes,

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness,

complete in knowledge, and competent to instruct one another.

I've written you quite boldly on some points,

as if to remind you of them because of the grace God gave me,

to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles,

with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God,

so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God,

sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.

I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me

in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done,

by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit.

So from Jerusalem all the way round to Illyricum,

I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.

It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known,

so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.

Rather, as it is written,

those who are not told about him will see,

and those who have not heard will understand.

That is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.

But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions,

and since I have been longing for many years to see you,

I plan to do so when I go to Spain.

I hope to visit you while passing through,

and to have you assist me on my journey there,

after I have enjoyed your company for a while.

Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem,

in the service of the saints there.

For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution

for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

They were pleased to do it,

and indeed they owe it to them.

For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews spiritual blessings,

they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.

So after I have completed this task,

and have made sure that they have received this fruit,

I will go to Spain and visit you on the way.

I know that when I come to you,

I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.

I urge you, brothers,

by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit,

to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.

Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea,

and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there,

so that by God's will,

I will come to you with joy,

and together with you be refreshed.

May God of peace be with you all.

Amen.

Thank God I'm sure we'll bless his word as we consider it together.

One of my favourite books on Romans is this one,

written by the hymn writer Michael Saywer.

It's got a nice pink 70s cover.

I've had it for many years.

And when I was a teenager, I found it particularly useful.

It's very short, full of pictures and big print,

and it gives a very brief introduction to the book of Romans.

What appealed to me particularly about it,

was the metaphor that Michael Saywer drew for Romans.

Romans, he said it's like a good meal.

Your good meal starts with oysters.

Now the first time you taste oysters,

you think you've just been given some salty water to swallow.

They taste horrible.

But I'm told if you persevere at it and you keep going,

oysters become a real delicacy

and something that really sets you up for the meal that's to follow.

And that's broadly what the position is

in the first two and a half chapters of Romans.

Something you look at and say, this is horrible.

It's talking about man's sinfulness compared with God's holiness

and the judgment that we rightly deserve.

And you think this really isn't very good.

But when you have read through the whole Romans,

come back to it, you recognize it is an essential part of the book.

It is the thing that whets your appetite for what's to come.

The next few chapters, from the middle of chapter 3 to chapter 8,

Michael Saywer says are like roast beef.

It's a good, hearty meal.

Roast beef and all the trimmings.

Solid meat you can get your teeth into.

And that is really satisfying.

It is the heart of the gospel,

as Paul writes to us about the grace that is ours through the Lord Jesus

and all the wonderful blessings that come to us from that.

We then have a kosher course for three chapters,

chapters 9 to 11, written specifically for the Jews.

And then the dessert, which is described as fruit perfect,

perfect fruit, what is the result of the work of Christ in our lives.

And it is the fruit that we should display to others.

So a great meal.

Michael Saywer doesn't go quite this far,

but I think if we're looking at the last chapter and a half of Romans,

we would say that it is the coffee and after dinner mints.

It is the time when we put our feet up a bit, relax a little bit more,

and are able to chat about more personal things,

talk about people that we know.

John will be talking a lot about that next week in chapter 16.

It is Paul writing much more personally to the church in Rome

rather than the great theological treatise

which has made up the bulk of the book.

And as he does it, I think Paul is very aware

that this is a church that he hasn't been to visit.

You got that, I'm sure, as we went through our reading.

Paul was really eager to visit them.

It's a church he didn't visit.

And usually for those he wrote to,

it's a church he also obviously didn't find.

And perhaps as he was writing

and as he was explaining the gospel to them,

he was thinking, well, I wonder if they're going to think

this is a bit basic.

Am I being condescending in the way I write to them?

And to some extent, I think that colours what comes

particularly in the early verses

of what we're looking at this evening.

So as I said, it's priorities, plans and prayers.

And we're starting with Paul's priorities

which go through from verse 14 down to verse 22.

What is Paul's priority as he writes to the Romans,

as he thinks about his work in the gospel?

Well, the first priority I would suggest is people.

It always was with Paul.

Paul, as I said, is very aware of those he is writing to.

And he is very aware as a minister of the gospel,

as a servant of the Lord Jesus,

that he wants to treat these people with real respect

and to show them how much he cares for them.

And so in verse 14, as he writes,

as he thinks how many they might receive his message,

he wants to make clear to them,

he doesn't see them as being infants in the faith.

He isn't talking down to them in any way.

Rather, as he always is,

he's very thankful to God for all that he's done in their lives.

And he says three things about the Romans.

He says you're full of goodness,

you're filled with knowledge,

and you're competent to instruct,

or some versions say to admonish one another.

You're full of goodness.

What the effect of the gospel has been in your lives

is to make you good.

It is to make you want to do what is right,

and particularly to show the love of Christ to others

and to show how much you care for them.

And very much what Paul has been writing about

in chapters 12 through to 14

is what you could have gone on to the church in Rome

and probably found there.

People who are exercising their spiritual gifts

for the benefit of the church,

people who showed hospitality,

who showed love to others,

people who had real goodness.

They're also filled with knowledge.

They're people who had taken the time

to study the scriptures,

to think through the gospel,

and to understand the greatness of their salvation.

They had come to a knowledge of the Lord as Savior,

and they wanted to be filled with knowledge of him

as Lord as well.

And finally, they're competent to instruct one another.

Some versions say to admonish.

I think this speaks both of the preaching side

and of the one-to-one side,

of being able to talk honesty with one another

and to help one another to grow in their faith.

Three things which should be evident in our church as well.

They were characterized by goodness,

that we are people who have a love for the Lord Jesus,

and that is shown in the lives that we live

in pleasing him.

People who have a knowledge of the Lord

and of the scriptures

and want to deepen that knowledge

and come to know him better.

And people also who are able to be open

and honest with one another

and to build one another up in our faith

and instruct each other in what is right.

And Paul says to the Romans,

my priority, one of my priorities,

is the people and I've looked at you

and I'm thanking God for you.

You're displaying these things

and yet I think it's good to remind you of them.

Even if we feel we know the gospel very well,

even if we've been many, many years in the faith,

it's good to be reminded of God's greatness

and of God's grace for us.

And Paul says,

that's what I've been doing

in the letter that I've written.

So Paul's first priority is people,

the people he's writing to.

Priority number two

is that Paul sees himself as a priest.

Now that is in some ways

slightly surprising with Paul.

It's not something we'd need to associate.

Priesthood you think of perhaps the book of Hebrews

rather than the writings

that are normally attributed to Paul.

But Paul in these verses

clearly sees his work among the Gentiles

as being a priestly work.

He says, verse 16,

he gave me the priestly duty

of proclaiming the gospel of God

so that the Gentiles might become an offering

acceptable to God,

sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

And a lot of the other words

around the word he uses for minister or serve

is also a word that has priestly connotations

in this passage.

What is Paul saying here?

He's saying that his work

is to reach out to others

with the gospel,

particularly reach out to the Gentiles,

and then to bring them to God

as an offering to him.

That God would be pleased

that the Gentiles had turned to him

and that they were living godly lives.

Remember the chart of chapter 12,

Paul exhorts his listeners

to present their bodies

as living sacrifices,

holy and acceptable to God.

I think a similar idea here,

but in this case,

it's not the individuals

presenting themselves to God.

It is Paul being able

to present the Gentiles to God

and say the work of the Lord Jesus

has been effective,

not just among the Jews,

but among the Gentiles.

And here are those

who are worthy of being seen

as a sacrifice.

Not in any sense,

it repeats the work of the Lord Jesus,

the ultimate sacrifice

that he made for us on the cross.

But it is something

that is going to be pleasing to God

as sacrifices were

when they were done in the right way

with the right attitude.

It is something that God

can take great pleasure in

that his people have come to him

and Paul is able to present them

as a sacrifice before God.

His work among the Gentiles

was a work of the priest

in presenting acceptable offerings to God.

Third priority that Paul has

is a word called power.

The word power is mentioned

a couple of times in the past.

And the power of Paul

is particularly talking about here

is the power of miracles,

of signs and wonders.

Miracles in the New Testament

were never done just for effect,

not done even just for the benefits

of those who experienced the miracles,

although obviously they were.

The miracles of the Lord Jesus,

indeed of Paul,

helped many people

in a physical sense.

But miracles ultimately

were to show the power of God

and to demonstrate

that those who were able

to perform the miracles

had been sent by God,

were truly God's servants.

And for Paul,

as he went around the Gentiles,

as he went around cities

that were very pagan,

among people who had little concept

of the one God,

the great God of heaven,

and to a multitude of gods

around their cities.

The fact that Paul was able

to display something

of the power of God

in the way that he worked among them,

that was a really effective way

of validating his ministry,

of showing to these people

this is something

that really is from God.

So he places some stress

on these verses

of the fact

that he had come

with the power of God

and what he had accomplished

among the Gentiles

was a result of that power

and the power

that would spread miraculous signs

in particular

was a demonstration

as the people were amazed

at what happened.

They were a demonstration

of the power of God

in Paul's life.

Number four,

there are five in total

in this section.

All peas,

as I said,

proclamation.

Again,

a couple of times

Paul talks about

proclaiming the gospel.

And as I said,

if he showed works of power

among the Gentiles,

the purpose of that

was so that he had a platform

on which he could proclaim

the gospel of the Lord Jesus.

That is Paul's job.

That is Paul's calling.

That is what he sees

as God's purpose

in his life.

He gave me,

he says in verse 16,

the priestly duty

of proclaiming

the gospel of God.

And in verse 19,

from Jerusalem

all the way around

to Illyricum,

we'll have a geography lesson

in a few minutes.

From Jerusalem

all the way around

to Illyricum,

I have fully proclaimed

the gospel of Christ.

It has always been

my ambition

to preach the gospel

where Christ

was not known.

Paul was the missionary

to the Gentiles

and very important to him

as he went around

that he was able

to proclaim

the gospel.

Now,

Paul's normal pattern,

as you know,

certainly early

in his ministry

when he went

to a new city

was he went first

to the synagogue

and he proclaimed

Jesus to the Jews

who had the Old Testament

background and should

have understood

what it was about.

Generally rejected

by the Jews

and then he went out

and proclaimed

wherever he could

get a hearing

among the Gentiles.

But his particular ministry,

he says,

is to proclaim

the word of God

among the Gentiles.

Now,

some of the most public

places in the ancient world

and the marketplace

in Athens

and Mars Hill

and all over the place,

Paul was able

to proclaim

that Jesus

is the Lord,

he is the Christ,

he is the Son of God,

he is the only way

of salvation.

And of course,

that is our

principal duty

as we are in the world

today,

to proclaim Jesus,

to let others

know about him,

whether it's in a public way

or in a private way

as we talk to our friends,

that we may proclaim

that Jesus

is the Savior

of the world,

the Son of God

who is able

to forgive our sins.

So Paul's priority

of proclamation.

And then the last one

on this bit,

Paul was a pioneer.

Paul is very clear

in this passage,

he didn't want

to be going to places

which had already

heard the gospel.

Now,

there is a role

in missionary work

for missionaries

who go to places

where the gospel

has been preached,

perhaps where the church

is fairly new

and immature

and to teach the word

and to help

and to support

the church

in these areas.

But that wasn't

Paul's work.

Paul's work

was to go to new places,

to go throughout

the Roman Empire

and where they hadn't yet

heard the name

of the Lord Jesus,

to proclaim Jesus

and to see men

and women

coming to faith

in him.

That wasn't just

that he went to a place

and he had a two-week

gospel campaign

and then he went down

somewhere else.

He stayed for a considerable

time in places

like Corinth

and Ephesus

to see the church

established

and beginning

to be built up.

But he very much

saw that his ministry

was to the unreached

in the world

of his day,

not to those

who already

had the gospel.

Particularly relevance

of that in Romans,

the gospel clearly

had reached Rome

through other people,

there were others

who had gone perhaps

naturally to the centre

of the empire

with the gospel

and Paul didn't see

Rome as being

his particular mission

field.

Now,

when he was in Rome,

he did proclaim

the gospel,

we know he did,

and he was there

as a witness

for the Lord Jesus,

but that wasn't

his particular calling,

his particular work.

His work was to be

a pioneer missionary.

Pioneer missionaries

are really,

really valuable

even nowadays,

going to parts

of the world

where people

don't know the gospel,

parts of the world

often where it is

dangerous to be

a missionary

in places like

the Middle East

or China

where being a missionary

is a difficult

and often dangerous

thing and where

being a Christian

can be very difficult.

Still a place

for pioneer missionaries

in our day

and we should really

be praying for them

as they seek

to serve the Lord Jesus

in this way,

as well as those

who go to support

the church

and to reach out

in other parts

of our world

which are equally

ungodly in many ways

even though the gospel

has reached them.

So five Ps there,

people,

priest,

power,

proclamation,

pioneer.

Allow me two more

as I sum up this section

and try and apply it

for us today.

It's two that Neil

mentioned to us.

And what comes across

very clearly

in this passage

is that God saw

a purpose of God

in his life.

His sole purpose

in life,

he says,

is to glorify God

through proclaiming

the word to the Gentiles

and being able

to present them

as an acceptable sacrifice

before God.

Paul had a clear sense

of his calling,

of what it was

that God had called him

to do

and he was determined

that he was going

to fulfill that

even though it might not

have been what others

thought would have been

the right thing.

This was God's purpose

for him

and Paul was determined

that he was going

to pursue it

to the end.

Application for us.

Important that we

understand God's purpose

for us

as much as we can.

That we are very much

looking for

what is it that God

wants me to do?

What are the areas

of service

with which God

has called me?

This is something

I've struggled with

a bit

in recent years.

When you're in

church leadership

and I don't think

it's just in this church

or almost any church

you tend to be

dragged along a bit

by what needs

to be done.

You see a need

that needs to be met

and you feel

I'm able to meet that.

And perhaps at times

not a lot of it

apart from being called

to be a church leader

which is a very high calling

but in the day to day

the detail stuff of it

a lot of it

you perhaps

don't immediately see

the purpose behind it

how God is leading you

in it.

And I've certainly felt

over the last few years

that from my point of view

there are some things

I feel God has

particularly called me to

which are not particularly

part of being church leadership

in the church.

Here's things like

Basic Bank and Ferrywell

one and two others as well

which I felt

this is God's purpose

for me

at this point

in my life.

And I think it's good

if all of us

can take that step back

and think

what is it

that God

is calling me

to do?

Is my life

just dictated

by events

by things

that happen

in the church

and it's go along

with them

and I don't really

have any purpose

any plan

for my life?

Or am I looking

very deliberately

and saying

what is it

that God

has laid on my heart

for me to do?

How can I

particularly serve?

And whether it's

in the church

or whether it's

outside the church.

Paul's purpose

I said

was very clear

to him

and he was

single-minded

in pursuing it.

I think too many

of us as Christians

just drift along

and we're not

deliberate enough

in looking to God

for his guidance

and to know

what it is

that he has

planned for us

for acts of service

acts of worship

to him

as we would seek

to live lives

that are pleasing

to the Lord Jesus.

Now you may feel

that it's very clear

for you

and if you do

and forgive me

for labouring it

for me it wasn't

for me it was

something I felt

I need to think about

I need to

before God

think about

what it is

that God

wants me

to do.

And unlike

the purpose

there is

passion.

If you see

a purpose

in something

you're much more

likely to be

passionate about it.

If you feel

this is something

that God

has really called me to

then you're going

to put your whole

heart into it.

And don't we see

that with Paul?

That with the Gentiles

here is something

that he has

completely poured

himself into.

He has travelled

thousands of miles

with the gospel.

Plans to travel

thousands more

which we'll come

on to in a minute.

He has a real desire

that throughout

the world

the name of Christ

should be known

and should be worshipped

and the Lord

should be followed.

He has as we read

any of his letters

such a deep love

and commitment

to those

who have come

to know the Lord

Jesus through his work

and even those

he hasn't yet met.

He has a passion

for the work

that God has

called him

to do.

And we too

need to have

that kind of passion

in our Christian lives.

Not that we become

what people might call

passionate

in the sense

that we would think

of in the world

there's no harm

in that

but some of us

are more understated

and quiet

perhaps particularly

in Scotland

but that we have

a real desire

to do things

well for the Lord

Jesus

and that it is

something that

really motivates us

and that drives us on.

That we're not

half-hearted

in the work

that God has

called us to do.

We're not happy

with second best

with doing a bit

but not going

the whole way.

Paul was

absolutely

passionate

in his work

among the Gentiles

and whatever work

God has called

us to do

we similarly

should be

passionate about

as we fulfil

God's purpose

in our lives.

So Paul's priority

is summarised

by his purpose

and by his passion.

You'll be pleased

to know that's

the end of the Ps

apart from the main headings

and we won't have

any more

this evening.

I want to move on now

and look at Paul's plans

and we have a bit

of geography.

Hope you can see

that map

reasonably well.

It's a kind of

modern map

in terms of the places

that are named on it

but it's a map

of Paul's work

and Paul's ministry.

So a number of places

number one

is Corinth.

Corinth almost certainly

was the place

from which Paul

wrote the letter

to the Romans.

So this is where

Paul is now

in Corinth

in Greece.

Number two

I'm sure he recognises

Rome

Rome for which

Paul was writing

and the place

where he had

that deep

longing

to go to.

Number three

again you might

have a good

stab at

is Jerusalem

and so Paul

has a desire

to go to Jerusalem

the mother church

is in Jerusalem

and he wants

to go there

for a particular

purpose

we'll come to

in a minute.

Number four

is the one

you might have

a little more

difficulty placing

and it's the

perhaps slightly

unfamiliar

name in the passage

Illyricum.

So broadly

speaking

in modern

terms

that's Albania

it's a bit

of Bosnia

and perhaps

a little bit

of Croatia

in there as well

as that kind

of Baltic

region

around

what used

to be

Yugoslavia

by and large

and that was

the kind

of far

extreme

of where

Paul had

been

in his

missionary

journeys

and number

five of course

on the left

is Spain.

So Paul

is writing

from one

to two

from Corinth

to Rome

and he says

I have preached

the gospel

from Jerusalem

to Illyricum

and that's

a distance

of about

1400 miles

and remember

Paul wasn't

going around

in planes

or terrains

he was going

very often

on foot

or by ship

and he was

going backwards

and forwards

a lot of the time

he had travelled

an enormous

distance

with the gospel

and that is

what he really

brings out

in the early

verses

of the passage.

But Paul's

ultimate desire

is to go

to Spain

Now if

Jerusalem

to Illyricum

is about

1400 miles

I would guess

Jerusalem

to Spain

is maybe

something like

2000,

2500 miles

it's a very

long way

and yet

Paul sees

Spain

as being

strategic

in the gospel

Now Spain

in that day

was an important

place

Seneca

who was

Nero's tutor

came from

Spain

many of the

more intellectual

people in the

ancient world

came from

indeed a couple

of emperors

eventually would

come from

Spain

so it was

an important

place

that obviously

hadn't yet

been reached

by the gospel

and Paul

thought

here is

somewhere

that I

could

go to

So Paul's

plan

was to go

from Corinth

to Spain

but he wanted

to go via

Jerusalem

So he started

in Corinth

in the middle

of the map

he heads down

to bottom

right

to Jerusalem

and then he's

going to head

all the way

back up

to top

left

to Spain

and by

taking him

on the way

as well

why would

Paul want

to do

such a long

journey

why bother

going back

to Jerusalem

when his

ultimate purpose

was to get

to Spain

via Rome

and the answer

to that

in the passage

is that Paul

has been taking

a collection

among the churches

in Macedonia

and Achaia

broadly

in Greece

the church

in Jerusalem

was going

through

difficult times

there were

a number

of Christians

in great

poverty

and Paul

said to the

Gentile believers

here's the

opportunity

for you

to enjoy

fellowship

with the

church

in Judea

here's an

opportunity

for you

to repay

some of

the debt

that you

owe

to them

and Paul

very much

saw the

Gentiles

as owing

a debt

to the Jews

those who

had first

heard the

gospel

and first

proclaimed

the gospel

who for

many years

had been

God's

people

and from

whom the

Messiah

had come

Paul saw

that the

Gentiles

had some

kind of

debt

that should

be paid

to the

Jews

and so

when he

heard of

the poverty

in Judea

Paul had

this collection

some churches

like Philippi

gave very

willingly

and very

generously

others like

Corinth

gave slightly

more grudgingly

but when Paul

exhorted them

it appears

that they did

give

and he was

able to say

that they

gave happily

in the end

and Paul

had this

probably

quite substantial

sum of money

that he

wanted to

get to the

church

in Judea

in Jerusalem

and he

felt it

was really

important

that he

went there

personally

with it

now we

might think

for Paul

the obvious

thing to do

was to get

Timothy or

Titus or

one of the

others he

could trust

and get

them to

take the

gift to

Jerusalem

while Paul

headed off

to Spain

it has to

be said

that many

of Paul's

accompanied

people

felt the

same thing

because there

was a prophecy

from a guy

called Agabus

who said

that if Paul

went to

Jerusalem

he would

be bound

and would

be handed

over to

the Gentiles

and look

and Paul's

companion said

to Paul

you really

don't want

to go there

then do

you

and Paul

said

no I'm

going

whatever

happens

to me

I'm

going

to

Jerusalem

I am

taking

this gift

to them

personally

this gift

was really

important

to Paul

it was

important

partly

because he

cared about

his people

the Jews

and he

wanted them

to be

have some

relief

in their

poverty

and a

great

Christian

duty

to give

all help

we can

to those

who are

going

through

times

of

poverty

it was

important

to him

too

as coming

from the

Gentile

church

as being

from them

an indication

of the

respect

that they

had

for the

Jewish

church

and I

said

for the

debt

that was

paid

that was

due

to

the

Jewish

Christians

but it

was particularly

important

to Paul

in terms

of how

the Jews

received

it

and we

come to

the prayers

that is a

lot of

what Paul

is praying

about

Paul was

really quite

concerned

that the

gift might

go to

Jerusalem

and be

given to

the Jewish

Christians

and they

would say

no we're

not taking

this

we're Jews

we don't

take anything

from the

Gentiles

it wouldn't

be right

for us

to do

it

take it

away

we're

having

nothing

to do

with it

and if

that were

to happen

that would

destroy

much of

what Paul

had spent

his ministry

trying to

build up

he had

presented

that there

is one

church

we are

all one

in Christ

Jesus

and whether

we're a

Jew or a

Gentile

it really

doesn't

matter

because we're

all accepted

by God

on the

same

basis

and so

it's really

important to

him that

when the

gift went

to Jerusalem

it was

well received

by the

Christians

in Jerusalem

they recognised

the concern

the Gentiles

had for

them

and that

they recognised

this was

another

evidence

that there

was one

church

one Lord

and there

weren't two

separate groups

Jews and

Gentiles

within the

church

who really

still didn't

get on

with one

another

and I

think that's

why Paul

planned

to go

to Rome

and then

to Spain

but with a

detour

through

Jerusalem

to go

personally

to take

the gift

and to

show the

Jews

just how

seriously

he took

it

and the

unity

that there

was

in the

church

and so

Paul made

his plans

well we don't

know if he

got to

Spain

and he

may well

have

there's a

lot of

church tradition

that says

he eventually

did get

to Spain

we don't

know

we do

know he

got to

Rome

but he

got to

Rome

as a

prisoner

because when

he was in

Jerusalem

there was a

great deal

of trouble

stirred up

against him

he appealed

to Caesar

and he was

eventually

taken to

Rome

and his

initial

imprisonment

there under

house arrest

later of

course

martyred for

his faith

in Rome

but he

made his

plans

and God

in one

sense

honoured

these plans

but honoured

them in a

different way

from how

Paul might

have

envisaged

very simple

lesson for

us

there

it's good

for us

to plan

and if

we just

drift along

as Christian

is talking

about we

really won't

get very

far in

service for

the Lord

Jesus

but we

must recognise

we make

our plans

and with

the understanding

that God

knows better

than we

do how

they may

best be

brought to

fulfilment

and it

may not

happen in

the way

that we

expect

Paul's

plans

Jerusalem

then Rome

and then

Spain

and perhaps

eventually

he accomplished

all that

finally

last few

minutes

Paul's

prayers

in almost

all his

letters

Paul encourages

the Christians

to pray for

him

and he

makes it

clear that

he prays

for them

as well

even the

churches

like in

Colossae

where Paul

hadn't been

didn't know

most of

the people

he was

very faithful

in his

prayer for

them

and he

was very

aware

of how

dependent

he was

on their

prayers

for him

and so

in the

final verses

of this

chapter

from verse

30 onward

Paul talks

about his

prayers

and the

prayers

of God's

people

and the

first thing

is he

talks about

prayer

as a

struggle

now the

captioner

says

struggling

with God

I'm not

sure that

is what

Paul is

talking

about

here

I'm not

sure this

is a

kind of

Jacob

moment

where

Jacob's

wrestling

with God

and Paul's

imagining

we need

to wrestle

with God

as well

I think

rather he's

saying that

when we

come to

pray

we don't

do it

lightly

we don't

do it

half-heartedly

we come

to pray

and to see

it as a

real struggle

as we

bring to

God

perhaps with

tears

with longings

in our

heart

and the

things which

are most

precious

to us

and so

Paul says

you in

Rome

you're not

going to

go to

Jerusalem

you're probably

not going

to go to

Spain

but be

with me

as I go

and as I

probably will

have difficulties

and struggles

be with me

in that struggle

and the way

that you can be

part of it

is by struggling

in prayer

by wrestling

in prayer

by bringing

to God

with

fervency

and with

real desire

the ministry

that Paul

has

and praying

for God's

blessing

as he

goes

about it

and two

things he

particularly

wants them

to pray

for as

he goes

to Jerusalem

he wants

them to

pray for

his

protection

and

pray

verse 31

pray that I

may be

kept safe

from the

unbelievers

in Judea

Paul

recognised

that wherever

he'd gone

in the

ancient world

there were

Jews who

were out

to get

him

and he

had

suffered

stoning

and beatings

and many

other things

as he

travelled round

with the

gospel

so he

prayed

asked him

to pray

for his

protection

while he

was protected

eventually

there was

the riot

and the

people tried

to get

him

but he

was protected

by the

Romans

ultimately

and he

emerged

safely

from Jerusalem

as he

later went

to Rome

and he

says also

as we

just talked

about

that he

wanted them

to pray

for unity

to pray

that the

gift that

he was

taking

with him

to Jerusalem

would be

favourably

received by

the church

that the

church in

Jerusalem

would recognise

the unity

that there

was among

all Christians

in the

Lord Jesus

two things

we can pray

for as well

as we come

before God

pray for those

who go into

difficult situations

now difficult

situations might

be those

where there is

physical danger

the pioneer

missionaries I

talked about

earlier on

a lot of

people in our

own country

who go into

situations where

it's difficult

to talk

about Jesus

and perhaps

it can subject

them to some

ridicule

or some

difficulties

I'm thinking

particularly

of people

like teenagers

in schools

often standing

up for Christ

and that can be

a very very

difficult place

to be a witness

many in workplaces

as well

we should be

praying for

and supporting

one another

in these things

that we may be

protected by God

that we may be

given a good

reception among

those whom we

would seek to

reach

but praying

also for

unity

that as a

church

and with

other Christians

who love

the Lord

Jesus

and to

proclaim the

gospel

that we may

be united

and that there

may not be

divisions among

us which really

shouldn't be

there not

nowadays

divisions of

Jews and

Gentiles

but perhaps

denominational

divisions

divisions over

particular doctrines

which are

secondary and

not fundamental

to the gospel

these kind of

things we

should seek

to be

together as

Christians

following and

serving the

Lord Jesus

and anything

we can do

to promote

that unity

among Bible

believing

gospel

proclaiming

Christians

is something

that should be

a priority

for us

as it is

for Paul

and we