Paul for the Roman's

Have you ever had a heart for someone, or people that you had not met? Paul did for the church at Rome and we are going to start seeing that in our passage today.

He had qualified himself (vv.1-2)

A bondservant, called to be an apostle

He had given the one who gave the authority (vv.3-6)

It was all about Jesus who was the Son of God who gave grace and apostleship for obedience of faith for all the nations.

He name the recipients (v.7)

To the citizens, the believers, the beloved, the saints who are in Rome. Those who are beloved of God - so the church, the body of believers that were in Rome.

That leads to today

Paul’s heart in thanksgiving for them (v.8)

Paul’s heart in prayer for them (vv. 9-10)

Paul’s heart in love for them (vv. 11-12)

Paul’s heart indebted to them. (vv.13-14)

Paul’s heart to visit them (v.15)

Before getting to the sections, first we need to look and glean from the passage

Romans 1:8–9 NASB95

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. 9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you,

Romans 1:10–11 NASB95

10 always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established;

Romans 1:12–13 NASB95

12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.

Romans 1:14–15 NASB95

14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

What observations do you make from the passage?

Why is Paul thanking God for them (v.8)?

For their known faith being proclaimed throughout the whole world

What is Paul’s prayer (v.10)?

That it would be the will of God that he would succeed in coming to them.

What is Paul’s desire (v.11, 13, 15)?

To Impart some spiritual gift

Obtain some from among them

To preach the gospel

Heart of thanksgiving

Now that his authority had been established now his heart is coming into place. A heart of thanksgiving. Most he did not know.

Paul’s heart in thanksgiving for them (v.8)

Paul’s heart in prayer for them (vv. 9-10)

Paul’s heart in love for them (vv. 11-12)

Paul’s heart indebted to them. (vv.13-14)

Paul’s heart to visit them (v.15)

A heart that was thankful, prayerful for their known faith.

Faith that was known to the whole world, meaning the whole Roman Empire. They all knew the faith of the Christians. Faith in Jesus Christ vs. the plethora of God’s the Roman’s believed in.

Due to the Pax Romana travel on roads was made much easier at this time, and the saying “all roads lead to Rome” was common. So carrying the message from town to town within the empire was easier than it had been. The church was growing abroad as it had in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and into Macedonia. From the visitors from Rome on Pentecost to the believers like Aquila and Priscilla the church in the Roman Empire was established and growing.

Is your faith known? What ways can we improve in sharing our faith in our world?

Heart of prayer

Paul had a prayer warriors heart. And it is clearly declared his prayers, intercession for the church at Rome.

Paul’s heart in thanksgiving for them (v.8)

Paul’s heart in prayer for them (vv. 9-10)

Paul’s heart in love for them (vv. 11-12)

Paul’s heart indebted to them. (vv.13-14)

Paul’s heart to visit them (v.15)

Have you ever had people praying for you and you did not know about it until much later? The church at Rome did not know of Paul’s prayer warrior heart for them. God knew, and God made the way for Paul to get to Rome all expenses paid in the near future.

Paul under the witness of God says he mentioned them in prayers.

Paul under the witness of God prayed to be able to find a way in the will of God to make it to them.

Remember Paul was writing from Corinth on his way to Jerusalem to carry the special gift for the poor saints in Jerusalem. This is a special gift from the Gentile churches to the Jewish Christians. Then his intentions were to come to Rome then onto Spain to open the door there.

Well, things did not go as planned in Jerusalem, he was arrested, accused, and then requested an audience with Caesar, and as a Roman citizen he had the right to do that.

Speaking of prayer warriors and Paul’s heart for prayer

He asked them to pray for him (Rom15:30-33) Let’s turn there together

Romans 15:30–31 NASB95

30 Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, 31 that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints;

Romans 15:32–33 NASB95

32 so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company. 33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Hey, it was good that they prayed wasn’t it? He needed the prayers for the journey to get to them. That included beatings, ship wreck, snake bites and a long journey in chains to get there. So, he did make it, just not how he planned

Heart of love

When you love someone you want to spend time with them. Paul had a heart of love for the Romans and wanted to be able to spend time with them.

Romans 1:11–12 The Message

11 The longer this waiting goes on, the deeper the ache. I so want to be there to deliver God’s gift in person and watch you grow stronger right before my eyes! 12 But don’t think I’m not expecting to get something out of this, too! You have as much to give me as I do to you.

Paul’s heart in thanksgiving for them (v.8)

Paul’s heart in prayer for them (vv. 9-10)

Paul’s heart in love for them (vv. 11-12)

Paul’s heart indebted to them. (vv.13-14)

Paul’s heart to visit them (v.15)

Paul had the heart of a pastor (shepherd) who longed to be with them.

We too can have a heart of love for one another, longing to be with one another and to share God’s gifts with them and watch them grow and flourish right before our eyes

(Insert growth story of men I’m working with right now)

Some of the saints were known to Paul. Those who risked their lives for Paul like Priscilla and Aquila

Rom16:3-4 “3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles;”

or look at Rom16:12 “12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord.”

Paul heart, love, his desire was to impart spiritual gift

A spiritual gift to help establish them. Purpose of the gift was to prove what they were saying, teaching was true, this more than likely was a miraculous gift.

Paul’s heart was fellowship, encourage the church

It was not just for them but it would be an encouragement to him too.

(insert returning to Idalou story)

Paul’s heart was for faith to be exchanged

Does it excite you when someone shares a faith story with you? It does me, I love to hear what God is doing in someone’s life, or how they are exercising their faith.

(Transition) A life of fellowship in faith will result in bearing fruit, new fruit and maturing fruit for the kingdom. Paul’s desire, Paul’s heart, Paul’s love was purposed and planned but the plan had not happened yet. Though he felt indebted to them.

Paul’s indebted heart

Paul felt indebted, obligated to come to Rome as the apostle to the Gentiles. Indebted and eager!

Romans 1:13–14 NLT

13 I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles. 14 For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike.

Paul’s heart in thanksgiving for them (v.8)

Paul’s heart in prayer for them (vv. 9-10)

Paul’s heart in love for them (vv. 11-12)

Paul’s heart indebted to them. (vv.13-14)

Paul’s heart to visit them (v.15)

Paul’s heart wanted to see and share some spiritual fruit with them and receive from them.

Paul’s desire was to come to them before but was prevented due to Satan and other kingdom work. IT was not just in Rome but in Thessalonica too.

1Th2:17-20 “17 But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. 18 For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us. 19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.”

There was much work to do and being done in Asia Minor and in Greece and could not get away right away to get to them.

Paul felt obligated to them, indebted to them and knew he had to pay his debt.

Remember the Lord told him he would go to Rome and preach.

Paul was obligated to the all men to preach the good news.

Greeks considered all non-Greeks as barbarians, and Rome was a place of philosophers and many god’s, a place of the educated (wise) and the foolish.

Paul was eager to preach the gospel to those who were in Rome.

Consider who is he preaching to? The church, the believers, the gentiles, also any unbeliever who was there.

Are you eager to proclaim the good news to those who are in your Rome, your world?

Paul felt obligation to all men, he had the burden to share the gospel with the whole world (remember Rome was considered the whole world).

Romans 1:15 NKJV

15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

The NKJV uses the word “ready: and in the Greek there are two words are translated from that.

One meaning prepared, further seen in Act21:13 “13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.””

The other meaning “eager” with a ready mind.

Paul was not eager to die, but was ready, prepared to die. He was eager to preach the good news. He was eager to minister, share fellowship and spiritual gifts with them.

(Transition) I think you can see Paul was for the Roman’s his heart for them, his love for them, his desire for them was to share the good news, the righteousness of God revealed. For without a doubt there were false teachers that we trying to impose false teachings, trying to poison the people in Rom; Rom3:8 “8 And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let us do evil that good may come”? Their condemnation is just.”

Some Jews accused Paul of being anti-law and a traitor, others would twist words and make it seem that grace made an open way for loosing living Rom6:1-2 “1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”