THE BEGINNING OF THE END (Of the Book of Romans)

Romans 15:14-20

• 14 I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
• 15 I have written to you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me
• 16 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.
• 17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.
• 18 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-
• 19 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.
• 20 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.

Introduction:We have come today to the "beginning of the end" of the Book of Romans. The doctrinal teaching is past. The chapters on how to be a strong Christian are past. Now Paul begins to bring his Book to a close. This passage is really one that Christians should study BEFORE they embark on reading the Book of Romans, because it clarifies for us the purpose of the Book with regard to the Church in Rome. It was written TO the Church in Rome, but it was not (completely) written FOR the Church in Rome. Part of it was just for the Romans, but most of it was written by Paul for all of the Gentiles in his world, (and for us today) and it was meant to be copied and circulated among all the churches.

There are three main points in this passage of Scripture:

I. Paul's compliments toward the Roman church

• 1. They were full of goodness.

The churches of Christ are indeed full of goodness. We have good people. We do good deeds. We are not perfect. But we are good. We hesitate to call ourselves good, because of these verses in the Gospel of Mark, chapter ten:

• 17 ¶ As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
• 18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No-one is good— except God alone.

But Jesus was just making the point that God is good, that He (Jesus) was God, and that goodness comes from God.

In other verses Jesus says that those who follow Him are GOOD, and that their deeds are GOOD.

• Mt 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
• Mt 5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
• Mt 12:35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him.
• Lu 8:15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
• Lu 23:50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man.
• 22 News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
• 23 When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.
• 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
  (Acts 11:22-24)

So I say to you what Paul said to the Romans. You are good people. You are Christians. You are filled with the Holy Spirit. You love your family. You love your neighbors. You give to help the poor. You give to send the Gospel around the world. You are not perfect, but you are full of goodness.

• 2. They were complete in knowledge.

What was true of the Romans is also true of you here this morning. Now, we are not all equally educated. We are not all equally knowledgeable about Bible trivia. We do not all know the names of Moses' father and mother, and Moses' sister and brother. But I am convinced that you all know the Gospel. We don't all know as much as we should, but we know a lot.

• 3. They were competent to "warn" each other.

The Greek word translated "instruct" in the NIV is from the verb "noutheo," which really means to "warn" or to "admonish." The same word is used in Acts 20:29-31, and here the NIV correctly translates the word as "warn" in verse 31.

• 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
• 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.
• 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

I believe that we here today are also competent to warn each other, both about the temptations of sin, and the seductions of false teachers.

II. Paul's calling to minister to the Gentiles

• 1. Paul wrote the Book of Romans as part of his larger plans to minister to the Gentiles.
• 2. It was only God's grace that called and appointed Paul to his office of Apostle to the Gentiles.
• 3. It was Paul's priestly duty to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, and bring them to God.

After all, what is a priest? He is one who offers sacrifices. Paul was a priest, in that he was gathering in Gentile believers, and offering them to God.

You and I are priests, as we offer up the sacrifices of praise and service to God.

• 4. You and I (Gentiles and all who come to Christ) are an offering to God; so we should be acceptable and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

III. Paul's confidence in his own success

• 1. Paul rejoiced in Christ in his service to God.
• 2. Paul was not interested in taking credit for the accomplishments of other Apostles or Evangelists.

Paul reminds me of Captain Kirk on the starship Enterprise. "Space... the Final Frontier. These are the continuing voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life forms and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before."

Romans 15:20 "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."

Today our missionaries go all around the world. Some go to places that have seen much of Christian civilization in the past, and in the present. But there are many who have the desire of Paul the Apostle to go to uncharted territory. To go to places where people have never heard the name: Jesus.

• 3. Paul testified that he was supernaturally empowered in his work as an Apostle.

I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I am not at all inferior to these superlative apostles, even though I am nothing. The signs of a true apostle were performed among you in all patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong! (2 Cor 12:11-13 RSV)

• 14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
• 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
• 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
• 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
• 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
• 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
• 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.
  (Mark 16:14-20)

I cannot cast out devils. I cannot speak in tongues. I cannot be bitten by poisonous serpents and take no notice. I cannot drink poison and live. I cannot lay hands on the sick and heal them. But Paul the Apostle, and the other Apostles, could and did do all these things. Whatever gifts we DO have, let's use them for the Lord.

• 4. Paul was "proud" of the wide-ranging success of his proclamation of the Gospel.

Of course he wasn't proud in the sense of "arrogant." But there is a good kind of pride. People who take pride in doing their work, for example. Do you remember the story of the stone mason high up in a cathedral, carefully carving an angel in a far off dark corner, a place where it could barely be seen. But he was being very careful, and doing a really good job. Someone asked him why he took so much trouble with something that was so out of the way, and would not really be seen by people. "Yes" he said. "But God sees it."

Paul proclaimed the Gospel from Jerusalem to Illyricum (Present day Albania, Croatia). These were the days before cars and highways, and no airplanes. Travel was difficult and very time consuming. No Hampton Inns for a nice bed and hot shower and breakfast in the morning. But Paul made wonderful church-planting progress. Eventually he did make it to Rome, and it is possible he even made it to Spain.

Summary and Conclusion:

• 1. Paul was complimentary toward the Roman church. How would Wayside measure up in the eyes of Paul?
• 2. Paul was called to minister to the Gentiles.
• 3. Paul understood his calling, and he pursued it faithfully.

What has God called you and me to do? Are we willing to accept our calling? Are we energetically pursuing the calling given to us?