In the sermon 'Fulfilling the Ministry of the Gospel of Christ' by Douglas Campbell, the speaker examines Romans 15:17-19, highlighting the Apostle Paul's unique form of pride. This pride is not in himself but in Christ's work through him, emphasizing that all accomplishments in ministry are due to God's power. Campbell discusses the dangers of pride as a root sin and contrasts it with Paul's example of humility and devotion. The sermon underscores the importance of obedience to Christ in both word and deed as a true mark of salvation. Paul’s extensive travels to preach the gospel to the Gentiles serve as a testament to his dedication. Douglas Campbell also touches on the role of signs and wonders as confirmations of the apostles' divine mandate during a period when the Word of God was not yet complete. The sermon concludes with a call to reflect on one's own ministry and the lasting impact of spreading the gospel, urging believers to prioritize eternal values over temporal pursuits.

Good morning. If you would turn with me to Romans chapter 15. This morning I'd like to look at verses 17 through 19. That's Romans 15, 17 through 19. The word of God says, In Christ Jesus then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.

For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem all the way around to Lycarium, I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come to you this morning, Father, in deep gratitude as we sing and remember the work of Christ. That work which redeems sinful man. Father, that work which gives us hope.

That work, Father, which demonstrates your love and your patience towards the people who did not love you back. Father this morning as we have been changed by your love, as we have been redeemed from the curse of sin. As the slavery of sin has been broken and in all those lives who have turned to you in repentance and faith in Christ. Father, as we come to this scripture, we're reminded once again that it's all you. That even our service to you, Father, is because of you, is a result of you.

So Father this morning as an infant depends upon its mother and father. Father, we have that same dependence upon you to give us light, to give us truth, to give us understanding. Father, we need you today. Father, we pray that you would draw us close, that you would change us, that God we would glorify you in our lives, we pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Amen. Well this morning we as we continue on in the book of Romans, the apostle Paul again we're in the end. We're starting to wind down, and he is beginning to share with us the results of his ministry. Let's look first this morning at Romans 15 verse 17. Again it says, In Christ Jesus then I have reason to be proud of my work for God.

As I read this verse, there's something very striking about this. As we read it, something should stand out to us that it seems as if Paul can't really be saying what he has just said. We know that pride is a root sin, that there are many sins in our life, there are many different types of sin in our life, and all sin can really be boiled down to three roots. And pride is one of those roots, one of those things which separates us from God. But as we study this verse, we find that the Apostle Paul isn't sinfully proud.

The verse starts, it says, in Christ Jesus then I have reason to be proud of my work in God." In essence, this proud, this pride that Paul has, or this pride that he shares, is not so much pride in himself, but it's pride in Christ Jesus and what Christ Jesus is doing through him. In fact, Paul clarifies this in Philippians 3, 4 through 6 about how proud Paul is of himself. It says, though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also, If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more. Paul was not like me. He was not like you.

Paul devoted essentially his entire life to the study of Scripture, to the study of the Old Testament, the Torah. Paul had the greatest teacher of his time, the greatest instructor, the greatest, we could say, maybe say, discipler, or the greatest person to even instruct him and was richly devoted to his training. And so Paul in Philippians 3 verse 4 is saying, if you have confidence in your flesh, if you have confidence in your flesh, if you have confidence in your your training or your knowledge, he is, it seems almost a little proud, he is saying I have more to be proud of than you. If we're going to boil this down to our flesh, you better not be proud because I have more training than you do. I have a higher degree, or we could say.

I have done more. I have obeyed better. But look what Paul says. He gives reason. He says in verse 5, it says, He was circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law blameless." Paul would even say, compared to the rest of you, I would be blameless.

Now I believe Paul understands rightly that he is not blameless compared to God, but compared to all of you, Paul is saying, I'm blameless. I have had more zeal than you. I have done more things than you. I have been obedient. Even as a child, I was circumcised on the eighth day.

I was a Hebrew of Hebrews. I was a Pharisee compared to the law. If you know the Pharisees were were supposed to be the experts of the time in the law. And Paul said, I even put this to practice. I was so zealous that I even persecuted the church when I believed that they were contrary to Scripture.

Paul says, not only do I have more knowledge than you, I have more zeal than you. I put it to practice more than you. But Paul says he has no reason for confidence in his flesh. Paul's saying, I have nothing to be proud about. I have done all the right things and I have nothing to be proud about.

And if that's true of me, you have done less—I'm talking as Paul, I'm not talking as Pastor Doug. But, you have done less than me. You have no reason to be confident in your flesh either. Philippians 3, 7 through 8, continuing on, he says, "'But whatever I gained I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord.

For His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I might gain Christ." Paul would have been a terrible politician because Paul did all of the right things. He, in our time, he probably could have been the president of the United States. He was raised, separated, raised to be, you know, the leader of the Pharisees, the leader of the Sanhedrin. Paul was from childbirth raised for this very specific purpose, and Paul says, I throw it all away. I don't care to be the leader of the Sanhedrin.

I don't care to be the, in essence, the leader of all of the church. I don't care about any of that. It is all rubbish compared to knowing Jesus Christ, my Lord. I willfully throw it all away, then I might gain Christ. Paul was not proud of himself.

Paul was proud of Christ. Paul was proud of Christ working through him. Now understand this morning what Paul had, which would seem good to you and I. You and I all have the same treasure in our life. It may not be as Paul, it might not be that you were a doctor of ministry from the greatest college of our time, the greatest instruction institution, but each of us have things that are extremely valuable to us, whether it be hobbies, whether it be TV shows, even whether it would be family.

These things are incredibly dear to us. And yet, as we come to rightly know Christ, it all becomes rubbish. It all becomes as Jesus told the story of the man who found a treasure in a field, and it far surpassed everything that he had, so much so that Jesus in this account says the man sold everything that he had and bought this field that contained the treasure. It's that treasure of which the Apostle Paul found. It's that treasure this morning that I plead with God that you find if you have not.

Because it's that treasure that will cause you to sell out, will count everything else as rubbish, that you might have Christ, that you might gain Him. Look at the work that Paul was proud of. So Christ used him in reaching the Gentiles. And if you have studied the ministry of Paul, Paul wasn't, he didn't just go to a few towns here or there. He didn't just go on a missions trip once a year or once every couple of years.

Paul was a traveling man. Paul was all over the place, from one town to the next. Not just close towns, but all over the world in this time. He traveled all over the place that he might serve Christ. Now look what the result of his work was in 2nd Corinthians 6, 4 through 5.

It says, But as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way by great endurance in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, and hunger. Sleepless nights and hunger. See the problem with my heart and probably all of our hearts is we start to serve God and things don't go the way we think it should go, and somehow we think that we have something to do with it, and so we get down about it. We're like, but God, I did what you wanted me to do and those people just beat me for it. I must not be the guy you've called.

That's not true. Right? Paul is proud of what Christ did for him, and Paul looks back not just on a thriving megachurch with multiple sites, Paul looks back on beatings and shipwrecks and all kinds of hard things. And yet, Paul says, it doesn't matter. All of that is rubbish compared to Christ.

He willfully gives up all for his king. We're further clarified in verse 18. It says, "'For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed.'" Now, verse 18, we see Paul says, I'm proud of what God has done through me, but look at 18, it says, Christ has accomplished. It is Christ who accomplishes. It's simply my part to be obedient.

It's simply my part to do as He has called me to do. Christ is the one who accomplishes. Christ is the one who builds His church. This morning I look into a congregation, and maybe, I don't know, four or five years ago, it might have been smaller on a winter day. But you know what?

It's not your pastor. It's Christ. It's Christ who builds the church. When we begin to think it's your pastor or a charismatic leader, we begin to step outside of what God has called us to do as a church. We begin to discredit Christ, and we start to accredit the person who is in front who is speaking.

And just as the disciples and the Apostles so often did when people would turn to worship them—I'm sorry, my back hurts—when they would turn to try to worship the Apostles, the Apostle said, do not do that. This is God. This is Christ. Don't worship us. Don't put me in fear of being struck down before God.

Don't worship your pastor. I've had to tell people, I think only once, I've had to tell someone in ministry a very hard truth. And that truth was this, God doesn't need you. You're not a gift to the pulpit. God doesn't need you.

He can, he, God loves, God has put a love in my heart for everybody in this room that is deeper than I can comprehend. But even in that, God loves you more. God loves you deeper. God doesn't need a bald preacher. God can use whomever He wants.

And if God would remove, if you would begin to worship your preacher and God would strike me with lightning, He will have somebody else standing here very shortly. Amen? Christ has accomplished. It's Christ who accomplishes. It's Christ who builds the church.

It's Christ who who draws us. It's Christ who cleans us up. Even in my sanctification, apart from God, I would not be sanctified. Apart from God, I could never say that In essence, I can celebrate overcoming sin, but I can't really celebrate it as if it's all me. Right?

I might celebrate that I have stopped eating blizzards. And people would say, Pastor Doug, you've done so good at stopping eating blizzards. But I'll be honest with you, my flesh can't do that apart from Christ. Just can't. 1 Corinthians 2, 1-5, it says, And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God was lofty speech or wisdom.

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but the power of God. I want you to understand this rightly. Paul said again in chapter 2 verse 1, And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom." Now again, to come back to the beginning, Paul, of all men, had lofty speech. Paul had great wisdom.

If there was anybody that could talk somebody into turning to Christ, it would have been Paul. If any of you have ever heard Todd Friel, every so often Todd Friel and I would disagree about an opinion, but he is so good at presenting his argument that by the end of it I'm like, yeah, maybe, right? He's good at it. But if I was to guess, the Apostle Paul would have been better. He was a trained debater.

He was trained at the... I mean, this was his life. This was like those in other countries who, countries not like ours, that they would pick a young child based off of their physical makeup, that this child is going to be good at this sport in the Olympics, and so we are going to take them, and for their entire life, we are going to train them just on how to swing up with their hands in the circle things. There are countries that do that, and America still beats them. But the Apostle Paul was in a similar—I mean, he was raised for this.

He was a smart guy. He was a wise, wise man. And yet, what did Paul say? I didn't bring it. I simply brought the Word of God.

The Word of God surpasses what I can do. I might be the best at what I can do, but the Word of God surpasses it. I'm not bringing lofty speech or wisdom because the Word of God is that which does the work. Donald Gray Barnhouse wrote, Paul's greatest talent was his ability to enter a completely pagan city which practiced devil worship and gathered a group of transformed believers in the name of Christ. He then hovered over them in prayer and by constant admonition lifted them from the most corrupt stratum of hedonism to the highest level of Christian godliness and morality.

And Paul accomplished it through Christ and through the Word of God. This was also demonstrated by the Puritans. It was demonstrated by Jonathan Edwards in his famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. I thought it was interesting that Brother Jack actually shared with me that Jonathan Edwards, when he preached the sermon, he preached it in monotone, simply because he wanted the words to be what convicted. It was that sermon was the catalyst for the first great awakening, especially in America.

As Jonathan Edwards preached the sermon, it's reported that such was the impact of his preaching that the people listening shrieked and cried out, and the crying and weeping became so loud that Edwards was forced to discontinue his sermon. Why? It wasn't because Jonathan Edwards was practicing his excellent speaking skills. It was simply because He was presenting the Word of God. And Romans 15-18, continuing on, says, For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, to bring the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed.

At the end of this verse, we find what it truly means to be born again. What does it truly mean to be saved? It's kind of what is captured here in a nutshell, when it says that through Him to bring the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed. So often in our culture, we for many years have tried to separate the idea of salvation and the idea of Christ's lordship. But nowhere do we see that in Scripture, and even as demonstrated here in Romans 15-18, that obedience was also by word and it was also by deed.

Obedience, this Greek word, the definition of it, is the state of submissive conformity to the law, custom, or practice of an authority. It was more than just a mental ascension. It was more than just believing in Christ. It was obedience by word and deed. In fact, James reminds us in the book of James, I think it's the first or second chapter, that he says, you believe that there is God.

Well, and this is a paraphrase. He says, well, good for you. Even the demons believe that That belief alone doesn't change our outcome. It doesn't change our position. But when we come to Christ, when we're born again, we find that we obey not only in word, but also in deed.

We don't only acknowledge Christ, but we obey Christ. He's not only our Savior, but He is our Lord. When Christ changes someone, He changes them in word and deed. There is no separation. Continuing on, Romans 15, 19.

By the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem all the way around to— how do you pronounce that, Caleb? Lycarum. I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ. So we find with Paul, as we find many times in the New Testament through the apostles, that not only was Paul was sharing the Word of God, but it was being confirmed by signs and wonders. This wasn't the normal thing to happen through scripture, but we find we're at a point in history where the Word of God is not complete, and God is confirming for those who are speaking for Him that they are speaking for God Himself.

The signs and wonders were a confirmation to the Gentiles that this Paul of whom they heard proclaim the word of God was God's man for this time. In John 3, 1 through 2 it says, Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you're a teacher come from God. Now look at how he knows that. For no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.

So even the Pharisee on whom many of which sought to discredit Jesus could not argue with the fact that God was working through the disciples of Christ. Although Satan has more power than you or I do, he does not have the power of God. So often we think of This mis-concept that on our shoulder is the devil and an angel as we've seen in cartoons as we were a kid. But in essence, the devil is a creation of God and he has not the power of God. And yet, though we find in scripture that we shouldn't be quick to blaspheme the glorious ones or to blaspheme the devil or his demons because they can wipe us out if God allows them.

We are no contest to them. But Satan cannot bring something out of nothing, and Satan cannot bring life out of death. There are limits to what he can do. We find this also demonstrated in Exodus chapter 7, 8 through 12. It says, Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, When Pharaoh says to you, Prove yourselves by working a miracle, then you shall say to Aaron, Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent or a snake. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers. The sorcerers would get their power from the devil. When we think of magic, sorcery, witchcraft, these are all positions that do things by the power of the devil.

Debating to take a rabbit trail. Young people, I want you to hear that. The sorcerers were able to do things that you and I can't do. But the sorcerers were working through the power of the devil. When we dabble in these fields, when we dabble in witchcraft, sorcery, those things of which our culture thinks is glorious and writes books about and makes movies about, these are things that directly are from the devil.

If you're trying to participate in those things or enjoy those things, these are things that are extremely detestable to God. You are aligning yourself with the one who wants to destroy you. So please think about that. The Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret art. For each man cast down a staff, and they became serpents.

So, understand that. God tells them to cast their staff down and become the snake. They get the sorcerers and the witchcraft people. You guys show them that you can do that too. So they throw down their sticks and they become snakes.

So how do we tell what's of God and what's of the enemy. Notice the enemy tried to simulate the very same thing, right? They did the same to these people who did a trick. These people Did by the power of God the real thing now look what it says, but Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs The enemy can mimic God the devil can mimic God, but he is in no way will ever conquer God. God is the one who permits his ability.

So, backing up just a bit, The Pharisees understood it. The Pharisees have seen people do tricks, but they knew nobody can do what you're doing apart from God. God was confirming that these people who spoke for him were his people. He called them to this position. He called them to share the gospel.

The signs and wonders that we find in the Bible were never to get the preacher a bunch of attention and a bunch of money. They were always to uplift God every single time. There's no exceptions. It was to confirm that this was from God. And this morning while there was a time that this happened, I would tell you that we live in a different time, that now we have the completion of the Word of God.

It's complete. And this, not signs and wonders, but this is the evidence that God is who He says He is. The Word of God is that sign. It is that wonder. If you doubt God, turn to His Word, read it.

It will change you through Christ. Understand that distinction. So this morning in conclusion, we've walked through only three verses, but there's a lot of journey there to go through. The first question I have for you is, Are you proud of your work for God? If you looked at your life, if you looked at what, no matter where God has called you, this morning in Sunday School we talked just briefly that that we're at a time in history where the nations of which we used to send missionaries to are now sending missionaries to America.

We live in a mission field. Are you a part of that mission? Are you part of what God is doing to reach those around you? Doesn't mean that you have to be like Paul and you're called to go to bring it to places that have never heard, but where does God have you now in your work? Are you proud of what God is doing through you in your occupation?

Are you proud of the work that God is doing through you and your family? I truly believe, I believe that we're to go into the world and proclaim the gospel to every creature, but I truly believe that God uses families to have a lasting and long-term effect on the church. If we're fruitful and multiply, and if we pour our lives, if God hasn't called me to go all around the world and proclaim the gospel, but if He's only called me to have children and disciple them and proclaim the gospel to them, that in just a few generations we could once again be a nation that stands for Christ. But so often we look at Paul and we get overwhelmed and then we tend to do nothing. Are you proud of your work, what God is doing in your life for His kingdom?

Has He accomplished much for His kingdom through you? Two, has God brought others to obedience in word and deed through you? Are you currently discipling someone? Are you pouring into someone? If you don't have children, are you pouring into someone else?

A grandchild or a neighbor or someone you know, a friend? Are you teaching them to be obedient? Do they look at your life and say, here is one who is obedient in word and in deed to Christ? And three, are you fulfilling the ministry of the gospel of Christ. It is, at the end of the day, in a hundred years, it's all that will matter.

It's it. I don't go to graveyards and see on there, on headstones, if I would have only spent more time watching TV. Someone on their deathbed, all the things that we tend to think are important now is never important. It's most men grieve, even preachers. And I will, I grieve even at this moment.

It'll never be. I wish I would have done this or that. Most of the time it's, I wish I would have prayed more. I wish I would have studied more. I wish I would have proclaimed God's Word more.

I wish I would have loved my family more. I wish I would have discipled my children more. Because the only thing I can leave them is the only thing that will last, and that's Christ Jesus. It's all at the end of the day. It's all that we have.

Everything else really is rubbish. If I think in my mind of the things that I like to do, and as you think in your mind the things that you like to do and spend much time with, over and over I have to tell my mind, you're deceiving me. This is rubbish. Now listen, there's nothing wrong with relaxing, there's nothing wrong with a hobby, But at the end of the day, it's rubbish. We tend to, or I tend to, even direct my children.

I will tell them myself, because I never realized how silly it was until now. But Malachi was looking for a hobby and he began metal detecting and so he's found some different coins and stuff. And my advice to him was, well, if you're going to have a hobby, if you're going to invest in that stuff, you should really get, invest in silver coins, because they'll be worth something, like even when your hobby's not. But you know what, in a hundred years, silver coins still rubbish. Think of all the things that we think are so important and they're rubbish.

At the end of my life, I pray for me and I pray for you that my cry is, God, I am proud of what you have done through me. Thank you so much for using me. Amen? Amen. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we come to you this morning so often challenged by your Word, but Father word. But Father, challenge this morning that we might serve you better, that you might use us more. Father, we know that everything we accomplish is by you. Father, I don't even get out of bed this morning apart from your strength. I don't even speak this morning apart from your breath that you give me.

Father, let us keep our eyes fixed on eternity. There's such deception inside of time. There's the deception that we will always have more. There's the deception that we can put off today for what we can do tomorrow. There's the deception of things being so important when they really aren't, when they're really rubbish.

God, let us have eternal vision. Let our soul desire be to fix our eyes upon you, to serve you, Father, wherever you might lead, whether that be in the prisons, whether that be across the world, whether that be in Antarctica. And Father, where you work most, where you call most to, Father, whether that be inside of our families. But God, let that calling have urgency in our hearts. That every day we wake up with the resolve that God, I want to be proud of how you used me how you used me with my wife how you used me with my children how you used me with my church family How you used me with helping those who could not help themselves.

How you used me for standing up for the innocent. How you used me to protect those whom the world takes advantage of. Father, above all, how you used me in proclaiming your word that God, you might be glorified in the salvation of a soul. Father, as we think of signs and wonders, Father, the greatest sign and wonder that we will ever see is the changing of a heart. And God, what a blessing that you would use mere sinful man to proclaim your word that you use to change hearts.

God put urgency in us, I pray in Jesus name. Amen.