Romans 15:22-33 Ours to Do: Receive God's Blessings

The Text

Romans 15:22–33 (CSB)
²² That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you.

²³ But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you

²⁴ whenever I travel to Spain. For I hope to see you when I pass through and to be assisted by you for my journey there, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while.

²⁵ Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints,

²⁶ because Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

²⁷ Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to them in material needs.

²⁸ So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds to them, I will visit you on the way to Spain.

²⁹ I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

³⁰ Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in prayers to God on my behalf.

³¹ Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my ministry to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,

³² and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you.

³³ May the God of peace be with all of you. Amen.

Our God

^22-24 That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you. But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you whenever I travel to Spain. For I hope to see you when I pass through and to be assisted by you for my journey there, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while.

You have God's blessings: You are never outside the will of God

Matt 6:10 (CSB) Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Matt 26:42 (CSB) Again, a second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Ephesians 1:4–11 (CSB) For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him. In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will,

Your one misstep? Your millionth misstep? (It's me.) You can't get the will of God wrong because you don't dictate the will of God wrong.

And miss me with that, "What if I choose sin?" Have you heard the gospel response when Adam and Eve introduced sin into our perfect universe?

Genesis 3:15 (CSB) I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

How did God ultimately answer that? Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ is the fix. Christ is the answer. Christ is the will of God for your life. If you sin, Christ is the fix of your broken.

Christ wasn't sent here because you made good decisions. Christ came here because you and I are not well. We are sick. We are broken. We are in sin.

Luke 5:31 (CSB) Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick.

^25-29 Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints, because Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to them in material needs. So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds to them, I will visit you on the way to Spain. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

You have God's blessings: God will provide for you

Let's not make God a genie. God is not going to bless every single wild, hair-brain scheme of yours. God has granted us himself, his Son, his Spirit, his wisdom, his will, his grace, his mercy and his love along with your mind, will, heart, and feelings. From that, you decide. And God provides. How does he provides? It might not be the way you think. It might not be a simple equation--no matter how good and holy you think the work is.

It might start off hot and as a colossal failure. But do you know that is the will of God for your life. Because everything--even evil--will be used for our good and his glory, and will conform us, sanctified us, and discipline us so that we will look like his Son? Your wrong turns, your missteps, your failures, your mistakes, your sins, your bad decisions, your bad choices, your bad habits, your bad attitudes, your bad thoughts, your bad words, your bad actions, your bad reactions, your bad responses, your bad everything--all of it is used for your good and his glory.

James 1:2–4 (CSB) Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

And:

Romans 5:3–5 (CSB) And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

³⁰ Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in prayers to God on my behalf.

³¹ Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my ministry to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,

³² and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you.

You have God's blessings: Pray for one another

Whatever decisions you have to make, whatever path you seek out, pray. Ask for wisdom and pray:

James 1:5 (CSB) Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.

Seek godly counsel and pray:

Proverbs 19:20–21 (CSB) Listen to counsel and receive instruction so that you may be wise later in life. Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the LORD’s decree will prevail.

Most of all, pray:

James 5:16 (CSB) Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

To the rest of the world, prayer means you are doing nothing. They think it is nothing because they do not fear, worship, nor love the living God. You are just mumbling some words to nothingness. So to them you are doing nothing.

I know this little old lady. Lived to about 88 years old. Loved the Lord her God. Was blessed with a husband, three boys and adopted a little girl. This little old lady prayed every day and every night that God would save her family.

Husband lost his good sense and ran away with some other woman. This lady promptly drove to Phoenix in their family station wagon, picked his sorry butt up and brought him home. A few months later was diagnosed with prostate cancer and passed away after that diagnosis pretty quickly.

The little old lady continued to pray.

Their youngest son was the worst kind of human being. Porn absolutely wrecked his life. So much so, he sexually abused his own children, got caught, and then got sent to prison for about 400 years before he died in prison.

The little old lady continued to pray.

And then his son (her grandson), while thank God did not hurt any children, did the lion's share of his own sexual immorality. You might be thinking, "Lion's share? How can you top adultery and child molestation?" Her grandson was introduced by his dad to porn at the age of 5. And it had gripped his heart for all of his life. His addiction became so crippling that he went to go work in the porn industry just as the internet was coming online. Websites, servers, photos, videos, recruiting--whatever it took in order to feed his wicked heart.

Yet, the little old lady continued to pray.

How did God respond to this little old pray who prayed for years... up until a half a century?

After yanking her husband back from Phoenix, her husband came to know Christ and repenting of all his sins. Shortly thereafter, around 42 years old, he died from cancer and went to be with the Lord.

Her son, who was rotting away in prison, wasn't saved by Christ until he was 56--20 some odd years after being in prison. God gripped his heart so hard, that he gave up what little he had to be with God. Even his supposed future freedom. When he was finally up for parole, he declined. When the board asked him why, he simply stated, "There are many men in this place who are in darkness. I have the light of God in me. If I leave, who will show them the light of Christ? Therefore, I have to stay." He continued to do ministry for a few more years until he went to be with the Lord.

Her grandson, foolishly thought he was saved from damnation and death just because he had said some sinner's prayer when he was 8 years old. Never mind the fact that he was dealing in so much porn and living the most depraved, sexual immoral life with no repentance. But then, right before his 32nd birthday, God grabbed a whole of this man's heart. This man laid everything down and repented before God. Did the young man's life suddenly became awesome and easy? Nope. Yet, this man knew he belonged to God and God belonged to him forever.

This little old lady, by God's sweet grace, got to see each of her prayers answered before she went to be with God.

If this story sounds a little bit personal, because it is. That little old lady was my grandma. Her name is Frances and her husband's name was Jack. Her youngest son in the story, who ended up dying while doing ministry in prison? His name was Joseph.

His oldest son, the grandson in the story, is me. I am Joseph Jr.. I was the grandson with the crippling porn addiction and the jacked up, messed up life to show for it.

My grandma contended for our lives. And each of us Louthan men went to the utter extremes of sin and depravity to find out that none of that was remotely satisfying. We have sinned way more than the average man. Yet, I know for a fact that God is the mighty one who saves. God asks in Isaiah, "Is my arm too short to save anyone?" I promise you cannot out sin the salvation of God.

So when Christ commands us to "go and pray", we pray because that is when we get to see the glory of God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (CSB) Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Because we are praying and giving thanks to the Almighty Creator of the heavens and the earth, we are not doing the bare minimum thing but we are the doing the most we can possibly do.

You want to do the most that you can? Pray.

Our Response

³³ May the God of peace be with all of you. Amen.

Amen