Romans 1:8-15
This morning, I want you to begin by thinking about some of the most beautiful Christian people you know. By beautiful, I mean Christians whose character and faith and faithfulness stand out in your mind such that you are filled with gratitude whenever you think of them, and you are filled with a longing to be like them. I have had a number of such people in my life. I can remember the small town where I grew up and the remarkable heritage that I have of becoming a Christian in a strong bible-believing, cross-centred, Christ-centred church in this little village of Wheatley. There in that little corner of the world, pastors came and taught us the word, and men and women faithfully loved and discipled us to the best of their ability.
It was out of an environment like that, that God has been pleased to raise up Christians, and send out Christian leaders to the nations. I know literally of dozens of Christians who are in missions and ministry who came out of that little church in that little village where I grew up.
What if no one was willing to come there? What if no one was willing to faithfully spend his/her days serving there?
It has taught me that it is very important for Christians to keep clearly in mind that what God is often pleased to honour and to bless is faithfulness in seemingly unexciting places and we ought not to despise the ministry that goes unwatched by most of the world but is never unobserved or unimportant to God. A love for the peoples of the earth causes us to work and to serve faithfully and joyfully in some seemingly insignificant or dark and difficult places.
In this passage this morning, we see Paul’s determination to go and to serve where God has calls him to serve, even when he has long wanted to go and see firsthand where he has heard that God is doing a great work.
Ministry is not about going where it appears to you that God is working most. Ministry is about faithfulness. Ministry is going where God has sent you and faithfully praying and serving until God is pleased to do in you and through you what pleases Him for His glory. Ministry is thinking about what you would ultimately want, if you were an unreached person in an unreached community in an unreached and unresponsive corner of the world.
Ministry is about being faithful to serve where God has sent us to serve.
I. Paul’s Gratitude – Paul thanks God because of what He has heard about the faith of the Roman Christians (vs. 8).
Why thank God for people’s faith?
a. The existence of the faith: God is able to produce faith in difficult and dark places. Rome was a very dark place. In 49 A.D., the Emperor Claudius evicted Rome of Jews, and that would have included Jewish Christians. Christians would have been seen as a Jewish sect. Following Claudius, Nero (54-68 A.D.) came and he proved to be no friend of Christians. This letter was probably written around 57 A.D. – early in Nero’s reign.
b. The encouragement of such faith: Faith like theirs strengthens the faith of other Christians serving in difficult and dark places. The impact of God’s work under dark and difficult circumstances has an encouraging effect upon Christians in other places: “your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.” It is often not necessarily the nature of the success of Christians but the faith and faithfulness that encourages us – when we see Christians serving and sacrificing against the odds. Jim Elliott’s mission to the Aucas was a faithful response to the call of God to go to an unreached people group. It hardly looked like success but Jim Elliott’s journal’s and his story has profoundly motivated and encouraged people. The story of the church in China continues to be of enormous encouragement to Christians around the world today.
We ought to rejoice when we hear of the faith and faithfulness of God’s people when they press on and serve where the going is tough.
II. Paul’s Longing: Paul asks God continually to allow him to go to the Roman Christians(vs.9-12)
Why does Paul have such a strong desire to go to see the Roman Christians?
a. His ministry to the Gentiles is a heartfelt passion (vs.9): Paul serves God from the core of his being. He writes “God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of his Son.” Paul’s heart is to see the nations come to Christ. When he hears of some growing in a difficult place, Paul longs to go and to help them.
b. He longs to see them established (vs. 11). With all that is against them, he wants to do his part to build them up and keep them pressing on for Christ.
c. He longs to be encouraged by them himself(vs.12). There is nothing more encouraging then to encounter Christians who sincerely love God and who are faithfully labouring against the odds. Such faith strengthens our confidence in God and our resolve to serve God.
We ought to pray for and seek to encourage and to be encouraged by believers who are faithfully ministering in dark and in difficult places.
III. Paul’s Limitation: Paul was unable to come up until this point in time because he too was called to minister faithfully where God had placed him. (vs. 13-15)
Why didn’t Paul go to Rome sooner?
1. He has been prevented (vs. 13). God has given Paul the responsibility as an apostle to go where others have not gone (see Romans 15:22). The opportunities in Asia Minor were part of his calling. He couldn’t leave places where Christ wasn’t known to go where Christ was (ie. Rome). Paul needed to be faithful where he was planted.
2. He is under obligation (vs. 14). Paul was often in the sticks with the hicks. He was an educated Roman citizen. Yet, God had called him to go both to the sophisticated (Greek) or the unsophisticated (barbarian – non-Greek). Faithfulness to God is realizing that the gospel is for all people, and not just those most like us, or most likeable to us.
When we see others faithfully and joyfully serving where God has placed them in dark and difficult places, it should encourage us to be faithful to serve God joyfully where God has called and placed us or it should compel us to go where God has calling us, no matter how difficult and challenging – because we really are concerned for all peoples.
