THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE FAITHFUL
Part 1
Summary: There is always a common bond between those who faithfully serve Christ. Their sharing in grace-gifted service for the Gospel of Christ gives mutual encouragement be it by distant learning or close fellowship.
Outline for this Lesson;
I. A Thanksgiving for Faithfulness, 1:8.
II. Faithful Praying, 1: 9-10.
III. A Longing to Impart, 1: 11-13.
A. A longing to share spiritual blessings
B. A longing to share in Gospel harvest.
IV. The Gospel Debt, 1:14-15.
Scripture:
Romans 1:8-15 (NKJV) 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established– 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. 13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
And;
Ephesians 4:1-16 (NKJV) 1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”
9 (Now this, “He ascended”–what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head–Christ– 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Having introduced himself, Paul now gives a general introduction common in his letters. He was writing to the Church in Rome because he had for a long time been touched -fortified- by their deep commitment to Jesus and the high quality of their faithfulness to each other. So, he continues his introduction with expressions of encouragement. It breathes the spirit of love toward his brethren and of gratitude and devotion towards God.
There is always a common Christian bond between those who faithfully serve Christ. And their sharing in grace-gifted service for the Gospel of Christ gives mutual encouragement, be it by distant learning or close fellowship.
Though there is much to say, Paul starts by expressing thanks to God for his readers in verse 8.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. ”
Paul begins his letter by complimenting them. Some tongues are tuned to praise and others are tuned to criticism. Some eyes are focused to find faults, other eyes are focused to discover virtues. When you talk of others what kind of words prevail? Do you find yourself praising them or criticizing them? When you look at other believers do you see their virtues or their faults?
Paul uses the term my God for although he belongs to God, he also possesses God as his own. He gives this thanksgiving “through Jesus Christ” for the only way to God is through Jesus Christ.
What was the reason for the Apostle’s thankfulness to God; “because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.” His thankfulness for the believers was because of the demonstration of their faith in the world. Their faith was seen in the lives they lived and the deeds they did for Christ.
Rome was a city where, according to Roman historian Tacitus, “all vile and abominable things were encouraged.” Not only did the saints live pure lives there, they were experiencing explosive growth because church members were leading others to Christ. Thus, their faith was spoken of “throughout the world.”
- FAITHFUL PRAYING 1:9-10.
9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.
Appreciation for their faithfulness to Christ is followed in verse 9 with the deep and longing nature of his intercession for them.
A witness is one who tells what he has seen or heard. God has seen and heard all. So that the believers in Rome may know how earnestly he prays for them and how deeply he yearns to see them, Paul appeals to the Omniscient (or All-knowing) God, who cannot lie and who judges human hearts and motives, for confirmation of what he writes.
This reverent appeal to the searcher of hearts is often used by the Apostle
2 Corinthians 1:23 (NKJV) Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth.
Philippians 1:8 (NKJV) For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
Serve [is from which] means hire, hireling, so to serve for hire
Matthew 4:10 (NKJV)
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ “
Luke 1:74 (NKJV)
74 To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,
Hebrews 9:9-10 (NKJV) 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience– 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.
Hebrews 9:13-14 (NKJV) 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Revelation 7:15 (NKJV) Therefore they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.
Revelation 22:3 (NKJV) And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
He served God with his spirit. Paul’s spirit was made alive when he accepted Christ and by it, he now serves Him. The serving that Paul was doing in the Gospel, was not motivated by or in the flesh, but it was from his regenerated spirit.
Part of Paul’s serving is mentioning the Roman believers in his prayers. Notice Paul mentions church members in his prayers, not in gossip. Paul seems to have had a prayer list and the Romans were on his prayer list. They did not know of Paul’s prayer support, but the Lord knew about it and honored it.
You should let the people you are praying for know it. How encouraging it is to know someone is praying regularly for you.
Although Paul did not know the people in Rome personally, he nevertheless consistently upheld them before God in prayer. It is the disciple’s privilege and duty to bear our loved ones and Christian laborers before the Throne of Grace.
Paul states in verse 10 that his prayers also include the request for the fulfillment of his desire to minister to them in Rome. “Making request if perhaps how at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.”
One of Paul’s prayer requests was that he might visit them. The prospect of visiting those whom he had so longingly and devotedly prayed, for now, looks as if it will come about. But despite his great longing and desire, his prayer is that if it is “God’s will” he “may succeed in coming.” [ -to lead in the right way, to prosper one’s journey – succeed.]
Notice it is Paul’s voluntary act to subject himself to God’s will. He desires all things in his life to be ordered by God. So, he consciously subordinates his own wishes and adds, “by the will of God.” How Christlike this surrender is. Christ prayed “Not My will by Thy will be done” (Mt. 26:39-42).
God’s will be found in subjecting your will to His. Have you done this? If not, you will never find it and thus never fully walk in God’s will for your life.
Paul’s petition is that if it is the will of God for him to see the Romans, that God would bring it about in His time and in His way.
