In the sermon titled 'A Minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles,' Jason Dohm explores Paul's mission as an apostle to the Gentiles, as outlined in Romans 15:14-21. Paul expresses confidence in the Roman believers, acknowledging their goodness, knowledge, and ability to admonish one another. Despite the believers' struggles, Paul emphasizes the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, which produces fruit and leads to conversion. Paul highlights the importance of his God-given role in preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles and stresses the significance of obedience as the culmination of faith. The sermon also discusses Paul's priority of spreading the Gospel to new regions, aligning his mission with biblical prophecy. Through mighty signs and wonders, Paul glorifies Christ's accomplishments and underscores the necessity of bold speaking and encouragement in the faith community. The sermon concludes by urging believers to maintain awe for what God accomplishes through His people.

The scripture text this morning is Romans 15, 14 through 21. I'm going to back up one and start on verse 13. Now may the God of hope fill you with all the joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, I have reasoned the glory in Christ Jesus, in the things which pertain to God, for I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient, in mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illicham I have fully preached the gospel of Christ, and so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man's foundation. But as it is written, to whom he was not announced, they shall see, and those who have not heard shall understand. This week we're beginning the final section of the letter where Paul explains what he's been aiming at. If you wanted to know what Paul's been trying to get at, he tells us. And that's why the title is a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.

This is right at the core of what Paul has been trying to do with this letter, is to minister Jesus Christ to this Gentile church, largely Gentile church. And in this section, he's going to close things out with his future plans as best as he knows them and with final greetings. So we're gonna hit lots of names that Paul's gonna want to greet before he ends the letters at the end. Our summary, summary sermon on Romans is scheduled for June 23. So schedules are made meant to be broken.

We'll see if we get there by June 23rd, but really we're coming right to the end. Probably in July we'll be out of Romans. We'll have some interim sermons on, maybe some psalms and some a few topical things that we might want to preach on. And then our intent is to go to Genesis 1 through 11. We won't preach through all of Genesis because that's a multi-year project.

I'm not sure we want to do that. But all the major doctrines of the Bible are found at least in seed form in Genesis 1 through 11. And Jesus is there in a lot of Genesis 1-11. So fear not, we're not leaving Jesus when we go to the early chapters in Genesis. As we come to our text, let's ask God to help us.

Our God, we thank you. Thank you, thank you for raising up this brother. Who knowing his past would ever have thought that Saul of Tarsus would be a brother? But you captured him, captivated him, raised him up, and made him a mighty minister of Jesus Christ to people born in darkness outside the borders of Israel. Really we can trace each of our personal salvations back to this in so many ways.

Thank you God for giving us a glimpse into the ministry of this enemy turned son and made a brother of ours, the Apostle Paul. Thank you so much for doing that and showing us how you did it and that you did it. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, let's subdivide. We're gonna begin with Romans chapter 15 verses 14 through 16, those three verses.

Follow along as I reread those verses and then I'll talk about them. Romans 15, 14 through 16. Paul writes, "'Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In these three verses, Paul speaks of his confidence in the Roman believers, but also of his role.

So he actually does have a strong degree of confidence in these brethren. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't have a role among them. It's both I have confidence in you, this, this and this, or three things, I'll talk about them. But also that that doesn't mean that I'm not needed the role that the work to God has given me to do isn't needed. But both of these things are true, I have confidence towards you, and God has given me a role, even so.

What does Paul think of these Roman believers? Let me start by saying this, he doesn't want them guessing. He doesn't leave them guessing what he thinks about them. Why doesn't he want them guessing? Because he's put his finger on some of their struggles, hasn't he?

He's talked about tensions in the church between believers who are weaker in the faith and believers who are stronger in the faith, and he's told them exactly what to do about it. And he's given them some forceful admonitions. I think that's a fair characterization of some of the previous chapters, is forceful admonitions. They are not apostolic suggestions, they are apostolic commandments about how the brethren are to treat each other in within their their local church. So because he has felt the need to give them forceful admonitions, Does that mean that Paul is discouraged by their condition?

Actually, the answer to that is no, not at all. Paul is actually confident about them. And he finds a number of things that he is encouraged about and admires. And so he doesn't want to leave them guessing what his disposition towards them in he's actually encouraged about a number of things he admires a number of things about them. So even though he's had felt the need to bring them some fourth full forceful admonitions about things that the tensions that are happening in the church it doesn't mean that his disposition lacks confidence in them or that he doesn't find anything that's encouraging or that he admires about them Before we talk about what encourages Paul about these believers in Rome and what he admires, note how he addresses them.

So how does Paul address them? Just look at look at the text, my brethren in verse 14. And again, brethren in verse 15. These believers in Rome are spiritual family to Paul. And we know spiritual family is more than physical family to Paul.

So we've already seen this in his letter to the Romans that he values his physical family. He's not renouncing his connection to the Jews at all and he actually has high hopes for his physical family. But above and beyond this physical family he values his connections to his spiritual family. Paul has brotherly love for these brothers and sisters in the Lord. And he wants them to know it.

He wants them to feel it. He's not coming to them as a king. He's coming to them not even as a father, though in some ways he might be able to consider himself their spiritual father, he's come to them as a brother valuing his spiritual family and valuing their spiritual family bonds. So he addresses them that way. He wants them to think of themselves not as his subjects.

He doesn't want these Roman believers thinking of themselves as his subjects. He wants them to think of themselves as his brothers and his sisters in the Lord. What encourages Paul about these spiritual brothers and sisters? Three things, I'll give them to you. In order number one, they are also full of goodness.

The Holy Spirit has been producing fruit in Paul's life. Right? He's a believer, so indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Wherever the Holy Spirit takes up residence, he produces fruit. So the Holy Spirit has been producing fruit in Paul's life.

The Holy Spirit has been producing fruit in the lives of these Roman believers too. They also, in addition to Paul, they also are full of goodness. Listen to Ephesians 5 verse 9. Paul writing to some more Gentiles in Ephesians 5 verse 9. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.

For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. Goodness is a fruit of the Spirit when The Holy Spirit indwells a believer and begins to produce fruit. Goodness is one of those fruits. He described what the natural man is like in the early chapters, and it ain't pretty, right? The condition that we're born in, the nature that we're born with, the description of that isn't pretty, but we are born again when we trust in Christ.

And we were characterized by all kinds of unrighteousness, but then the spirit indwells the believer and he begins to produce fruit and goodness, the opposite of all that unrighteousness and wickedness that characterized us before. If people had really been able to see all that was in our hearts, they could have characterized this well that way. But now God is producing goodness in its place. Galatians 522, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness. Number six out of nine, I won't finish the list, but you have that list of nine fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5, 22, and 23, and goodness is number six on that list.

The indwelling Holy Spirit of God, one of the things He produces in the life of every believer, as fast as we want, no, as complete as we want, no, But does he produce it? Absolutely. One of those things is goodness. When you trust in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells you. He takes up residence in you.

He is holy. He is the Holy Spirit. He is almighty. There's nothing he can't do. And so he makes you holy, even if it is little by little, he transforms you.

Where there are true believers, there is transformation. That is a law like gravity. You can't get away from gravity. You jump off a cliff, we know what's gonna happen. If a plane's engine fails, we know what's going to happen.

If the Holy Spirit indwells a person, we know what's going to happen. They will be transformed. Maybe not at the same pace, but they will be transformed. Look back at verse 13, the verse leading right into today's text, now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. So the verse leading into today's text talks about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the work of the Holy Spirit, in the life of these believers.

And then we're going to see it again in verse 16 talking about the work of the Holy Spirit. And here sandwiched in between these mentions of the work of the Holy Spirit is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. So there are true believers in Rome and so they are being transformed and the fruits of the Spirit can be found in these believers because there are real believers there. Where they're real believers there is transformation. Did Paul know that there was room to grow?

Of course he knew that. Did Paul know that there was room to grow? In his own life, of course he knew that. Yet they are full of goodness. That is not flattery.

He knows that they're real believers in Rome. He knows that the Holy Spirit produces goodness in the life of believers so he can say you are full of goodness. Number two, they also are filled with all knowledge. Paul is, when God captured Paul on the road to Damascus, He filled Paul with knowledge. These are believers who have been captured by God, taken to be his own, and they too are filled with all knowledge.

It's amazing to see how the writings of Paul and the writings of Peter and the writings of John, these different apostles writing to different groups of people say the same things in so many ways. Peter and John acknowledge much of the same thing in their letters to believers. Just listen to these two for examples. 2 Peter 1, 12. 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 12, Peter writes this, For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.

Because Peter was writing to believers, he knew he wasn't writing to ignorant people, but he was writing to people who had been established in the present truth, in the full revelation of the New Covenant. They had been established in the present truth, in the full revelation of the new covenant. They had been established in the present truth. And so when he writes, he's writing to people, not as if he's writing to the ignorant, but he's writing to people who might be able to use a reminder. Are you a person who could use a reminder?

I have a lot of people in the room, but the answer to everyone is the same. Yes, you're a person who could use a reminder. I am a person who could use a reminder and the the Paul knew this Peter knew this john knew this, they're writing to believers not as people who don't know anything, but as people who are established in the present truth of the New Covenant. And yet could be reminded of these things. I'm sure in Romans he wrote some things that they didn't yet know.

And yet he does understand that they are established in the present truth. If that wasn't true, they wouldn't be believers. In verse 15, in our text, Paul is going to say as reminding you so he's picking up on exactly the same language that Peter uses a second Peter 112. Or listen to first John 221. First John chapter two, verse 21, John says, I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it.

I'm writing to you not because you don't know the truth, but because you do know the truth. So it gives me things to write to you about. Connected with the truth that I know you know. Because believers have a knowledge, are established in this present truth, to use Peter's words. Where there are true believers, there is knowledge of the truth.

Sometimes an amazing Knowledge of the truth. Again, when you're indwelt by the Holy Spirit, guess what the Holy Spirit knows? Everything. And guess what He does? He throws light on the Word of God to help us to understand the Word of God.

And He brings to remembrance the things that Jesus taught, and Jesus is the Word of God. All of these are really Jesus' words. It's the Holy Spirit's job to teach, and He does teach, and believers have knowledge. Even many untaught believers, meaning they're not formally trained, and they may have had very little in the way of teaching. If they have a Bible and the Holy Spirit, they are established in this present truth.

Did Paul know that there was room to grow in their knowledge? Of course he did, yet they are filled with all knowledge, because they're believers. It comes with being a believer. Number three, They also are able to admonish one another. Paul is able to admonish believers, but they too are able to admonish one another.

The Greek word being translated admonish, able also to admonish one another, is very broad, meaning the translators were stuck with picking one English word. But the Greek word being translated actually is broad enough that it probably, to do it justice, is going to take more than one English word. Listen to the Greek lexicon. It says, to admonish, I don't use admonish very much, Urge might be a good substitution for admonish if you don't use admonish very much. To admonish or urge, to warn, to exhort, keep going.

You can do it. Let's go. So think all of these things. Urging, warning, exhorting. He says to these Roman believers, You are able to urge one another.

You are able to warn one another when you see things that aren't right. You are able to exhort one another. When your brethren need your encouragement, this is built into your church within itself. This church has the ability to one another each other in these ways. Paul has confidence in that.

Think about our memory text from last quarter. Romans 12, 3, and I'm actually going to go beyond the the part that we memorize I'm going to go into verse 6 listen to Romans 12 3 through the beginning of verse 6 for I say to you through the grace given to me to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function. So we being many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another, Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. Remember the phrase from those sermons was, go for it, use those gifts with gusto.

That's really the thrust of what Paul is saying. That in Christ, God has created a body where not all the same member or body part has all kinds of different body parts working together. Paul has such confidence that within this church, because of how God does this, that they are able to admonish one another, this key one another, where they can urge one another and encourage one another, warn one another, exhort one another, that all that has been placed into the church. Because he knows they have different members, not all having the same functions, but God has gifted them, and he's told them, you go for it. You exercise those gifts with gusto.

Where there are true believers, there is the ability to urge and warn and exhort and encourage one another. You have a group of true believers. You can be confident, to use Paul's word, you can be confident that there is within that body the ability to urge and warn and encourage and exhort one another. It must be so, it's how God does things when he puts people together in a local body. Something else worth noting, half of chapter 16.

So we're not there yet. But we're almost there. When we get there, we're going to find half of the chapter is filled with greetings. Name, say hi to probably greetings means more than just that to Paul, but it's at least say hi to and it begins with Priscilla and Aquila. And we know that Paul knows them well, Paul has actually lived for an extended period of time with them, he knows them well.

Now, Priscilla and Aquila are back in the Church of Rome. And so Paul has inside information on the church at Rome. We know because of his relationship with Priscilla and Aquila. He got inside information. So on a general level you can say, this must be true of believers because believers are indwelt by the Spirit of God and they are going to bear these marks because the Spirit indwells and is almighty and produces fruit so at a general level you could say I have confidence in these things but Paul also has inside information on these believers.

And I'll bet, I'm confident that he had first person accounts, eyewitnesses accounts that these things were actually true of this body of believers. Paul acknowledges all these things about the believers in Rome. They are full of goodness. They are filled with all knowledge. They are able to admonish one another.

And yet, so he doesn't stop there. It's not period. It's comma and Then he continues to assert that he still has a God-given role to play so look at verse 15 Nevertheless, so I'm confident about these three things. I'm sure of them nevertheless Brethren I have written more boldly to you on some points as reminding you because of the grace given to me by God." Paul explains why even though he didn't found this church, Paul didn't found the church at Rome, they weren't his converts. And even though he has never been to this church, most of the people in that church probably didn't know him by sight.

There's still one Aquila did, maybe a few others did. Most did not, they had never seen him. He'd never been to this church. He is so bold as to write to them authoritatively. So he's explaining why he I didn't found the church.

I know that. I've never been to this church. I know that and yet, I'm going to be so bold as to write to you authoritatively as an authority telling you what to do on some points. He explains that. The reason is that Paul is not a self sent man that can decide for himself what he will say and what he will do.

Paul didn't view himself that way or not. He didn't wake up in the morning saying, what would I like to do today? What should I say today? And He had this compelling sense that the things he was doing, he had been sent by God Almighty to do and he could do no other, that the things that he was saying were things that he had been sent by God Almighty to say, and he could say no other. And so he's willing to take the risk to write to them with all boldness authoritatively even though he didn't found this church even though he'd never been to this church, even though he's never met most of the people in this church, he'll still write to them with boldness on certain points, because he's not a self-sent man.

He is a God-sent man with gifts given to him by God to go certain places, to say certain things, and to do certain things. God compelled him to do it and gave him the gifts to do it, And he's busy doing those things and saying those things. Listen to Acts 9, 15. So, Acts 9 is the chapter where Saul of Tarsus is saved and becomes Paul the apostle. And at this point in the account in Acts chapter 9, he's blind and God is sending a believer to pray for him to receive his sight and to encourage and exhort him.

And this is God speaking to that man to send him to blind Saul to pray for him to receive his sight. God says to this man, go for he, Saul, becoming Paul, for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles. So just as Saul, the persecutor of the church, is becoming Paul, the apostle to the church, God sends him, someone who's already a believer, and says, you're doing this because he's a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name to the Gentiles. So this was true of Paul, from the very start. Paul himself has already affirmed this in Romans.

Let me remind you of Romans 11, verse 13. Romans 11, verse 13, Paul had written, for I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry. I want you to see that my ministry looms large because I'm an apostle what is an apostle one who sent on a mission it just means a sent one I am a sent one to the Gentiles, I am an apostle to the Gentiles. So I magnify my ministry, my ministry should look large to you, it should be magnified, It should loom large because I'm actually sent by God to use what he's saying in Romans 1113. So God told that to the man he sent to Paul to restore his sight.

And, And Paul had an overwhelming sense that this was true, that he was the sent one to the Gentiles. That's why he started the letter with these words. Just listen back to the first words of the letter, Romans chapter 1, verse 1. Paul, a bond servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle separated to the gospel of God. So he knew he wasn't free to go wherever he wanted to go.

He was to go where God sent him. He was not free to do whatever he wanted to do. He was to do what God gave him to do. He was not to say whatever he wanted to say. He was to say words that God put into his mouth.

Where am I in my notes? Okay, there it is. Paul can write to believers in a church that he didn't found, has never been to, boldly, authoritatively, because God sent him. So, we would be a little squeamish to write to another church boldly on certain points, knowing that they probably be thinking, who are you? Okay, but if, if God had expressly sent you to a certain group of people, then you would have the boldness to write to them authoritatively.

This is what Paul had. In verse 16, we have the conversion of unbelievers. So unbelievers that are converted are made into believers set forth as the combining of the ministering of the gospel by human agency so a human preacher combined with the work of the Holy Spirit so in verse 16 this is how Paul sets forth conversion. Paul, what do you think about conversion? It's the combining of two things.

Paul, what are the two things? The ministering of the gospel, or the proclamation of the gospel, the delivering of the gospel through human agency, through a preacher, a person who's preaching, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Look at verse 16. That I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Paul ministers Jesus Christ through the Gospel.

He brings Jesus Christ to people through the preaching of the Gospel. And the Holy Spirit sanctifies, meaning the Holy Spirit grabs hold of and sets apart people to God through that word. Honestly it's really the Holy Spirit working from both ends right? Working through the human agent who's ministering the gospel, that's only because of the Holy Spirit, working through them and working in the one who hears the gospel. This is how conversion happens.

It is through the ministering of the human agency, but that's the Holy Spirit doing that through the human agent and and the Holy Spirit in The one who is being ministered to by the gospel and setting them apart to God. Okay God says you're his I'm laying claim to you and I'm setting you apart and I'm doing it through the human agency conversion is set forth in verse 16 as the combining of these two things which are both really the work of the Holy Spirit. These converts, these unbelievers who have been turned into believers, are then an acceptable offering to God. God is pleased with them in His Son. The day before, God brought together the human agency of the preaching of the Gospel together with the sanctifying or the setting apart work of the Holy Spirit.

The day before that, there was nothing acceptable about them to God. But when God brings these two things together to make an unbeliever willing to believe, to make them believe in His Son Jesus Christ in a saving way, that moment they become an acceptable offering to God. Now listen to Isaiah 66 verses 19 and 20. Listen to Isaiah 66 is the last chapter in that magnificent prophetic book. Isaiah 66, the end of verse 19, the beginning of verse 20 says this.

They shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all the nations. So this is the great centerpiece of the prophetic book of Isaiah is the messianic prophecies, the promises made that God will send a messiah. Isaiah 53 is sort of the pinnacle of that. And then in this last chapter, God says they're going to declare my glory among the Gentiles.

This is gospel preaching, the declaration of the glory of God among the Gentiles. And they'll bring all your brethren For an offering to the Lord out of all the nations. Paul is using almost exactly the same words here. As a fulfillment of what God has promised to do in Isaiah 66. In giving himself an offering out of all the nations.

An acceptable offering out of all the nations by the declaration of the glory of God to the Gentiles, the foreign nations. Brothers and sisters, Paul saw himself as a fulfillment of this from the laboring side. So there's this promise that they'll declare my glory among the Gentiles. Paul looks at that and says, that's me, I'm part of the they that are going to declare the glory of God to the Gentiles. The gospel is the glory of God.

That God would save sinners through the offering up of His Son is the glory of God. And There's going to be a group of people who are going to go to the nations to declare this, and they're going to bring in brethren as an acceptable offering to the Lord out of the nations. Paul reads that and says, that's me, God's doing that with me, he's sending me to the nations to bring in brethren as an acceptable offering to God as a praise offering to God. And you and so Paul says, I'm a fulfillment of this from the laboring side. I would say this, you and I are part of this, definitely from the receiving side.

And we ought to also be part of it on the laboring side too. Maybe not in the same way as Paul. I'm confident not in the same way as Paul. Our labors will probably not stack up to Paul's labors. We're coming to that in the next section.

But we should be part of really both sides of this, the receiving side and also the sending of the declaring of the glory of God among the Gentiles, to bring in all of our brethren as an acceptable offering to the Lord out of the nations. Next section, verses 17 through 19. Romans 15, verses 17 through 19. Paul continues. Therefore, I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God.

For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient in mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. In these three verses, Paul glories in what Christ has accomplished through him. Filling in blanks on the handout, glories and through fill in the two blanks. Paul glories in what Christ has accomplished through Him. Paul tells us that He has a right to glory in Jesus Christ because of all the things that he has personally experienced Christ accomplishing through him in word and deed.

I have a right to glory in God. Why, Paul? Because of all the things that I've personally experienced. I'm not talking secondhand anything. I'm talking first hand everything.

I personally experienced Christ accomplishing through me. In word and deed, he gave me words to say, and I said them, and things were accomplished for God in the world. He gave me deeds to do and I did them and things were accomplished through what Christ has done through me in the world. He doesn't dare take the credit himself. He won't speak of what others have said, what others have done, and the things that he himself has said and done.

He gives the credit where the credit is due. He glories in Christ Jesus. As we sing in the hymn, to God be the glory great things He has done. Or as the psalmist says in Psalm 115 verse 1, I love this, Psalm 115 verse 1, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to your name give glory, because of your mercy, because of your truth. The psalmist is saying, oh please don't let any of the glory fall to us God.

Let all of the glory go to your name. It's your mercy, you ought to have the glory. It's your truth, you ought to have the glory. Please don't let the glory come to us. It would be misplaced glory.

Let your name have the glory. Paul is saying the same thing in our text. He's saying, I have every reason to boast in Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished through me because I've experienced it in the first person. I don't know about what others are saying and doing. I'm not talking about that.

I dare not talk about that. And I dare not take any of the credit for myself not unto me but to you God be the glory it was your mercy it was your truth you just set me apart to do these things and to say these things it was only doing what you sent me to do I was only saying what you sent me to say Some of what was accomplished through Paul were mighty signs and wonders. It wasn't all just walking and preaching. It was Also miracle working. There were mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God.

So of course Paul didn't have it in himself to do mighty signs and wonders. It was the Spirit of God empowering him to work miracles, to do mighty things that were signs that that distinguished his preaching as not just the word of man and wonders things that people would be amazed at because they were so far out of the ordinary. They were not things that a man could do and yet they were done by a man because the Holy Spirit was mightily working through Paul. And John, you remember we went through John, Jesus is doing all these miracles and we kept calling in time after time after time after time authenticating signs. Meaning God stamped that the preaching isn't just man's thoughts, but this is from heaven.

How do you know? Because the laws of nature, so called, are being totally suspended by the one who is preaching these new truths. They are authenticating signs, God stamping the preaching as coming from heaven. Jesus was ushering in the new covenant. So God gave him miraculous signs to do to authenticate that what Jesus was preaching about himself was actually revelation from heaven.

And Paul was commissioned by God to take the new covenant to places where it had never been heard before, where it had never been embraced before. Now when he goes to these places where these strange sounding things have never been heard before and no one has ever embraced them before, how could anyone know that this radical new thing wasn't the imaginations of a madman? How would you know? God authenticated it by giving his preachers the ability to work signs and wonders, by suspending the laws of nature and doing things that men can't do. You could know that this preaching came from heaven and God is giving men power to do things that men can't do.

Heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, read the book of Acts. The preachers of the new covenant in the places where these things, these strange things had never been heard, no one had ever believed them, God was authenticating it through signs and wonders. Paul says that he fully preached the Gospel of Christ from Jerusalem roundabout to Illyricum. If you have maps at the back of your Bible, you'll undoubtedly find one with dotted lines and unbroken lines in different colors, Paul's missionary journeys. And when you look at these three missionary journeys that Paul took, you'll find that Jerusalem is the southeastern boundary and Illyricum is the northwestern boundary of his labors of these three missionary journeys.

Illyricum is modern-day Albania. Is that as meaningless to you as it was to me when I read all the comments it's modern day Albania like you might as well just continue saying a lyricum I don't know where either one of them are. And So I'll tell you where modern day Albania is, if you're as geographically illiterate as I am, it's just off the coast of east, east of Italy. So you know, Italy looks like a boot. At the at the tip of the heel of the boot.

If you go east, and you go across the Adriatic Sea, it's not far actually when you at least when you're looking at a globe it doesn't look far. From the the tip of the boot of Italy east across the Adriatic Sea you'll immediately hit Albania. It's north of Greece and it's the northwestern boundary of Paul's labors in a straight line, Jerusalem to Illyricum is over 1000 miles. So if you just draw a straight line from Jerusalem to Illyricum, you get more than 1000 miles by foot because you have to walk around the Mediterranean Sea and walk around the Aegean Sea, it's closer to 2, 000 miles. So if a crow is flying, it's more than 1, 000.

But if you're walking, and Paul was walking, It's closer to 2, 000 miles. Paul established churches in many of the major population centers in this vast region. Think about how vast region that is. It's 2, 000 miles of walking or approaching that. And the surrounding areas, when you look at the major population centers in that region, Paul has established churches in most of them, written letters to those churches in this vast region.

And then the gospel went out from these churches to the surrounding areas. So he gave the great, he was fulfilling the great commission and giving the great commission to the churches that he founded. And So in the major population centers, he's establishing churches. And then from those churches, the word of the Lord is sounding forth, 1 Thessalonians, and permeating these areas. Friends, this is amazing.

This is amazing. And Paul wants to say, only God could do that. Two thousand miles of walking, all the major population centers, and then each of those centers becoming a place from which the word of the Lord sounded forth so that the gospel permeates all of this region only God could do that Christ Jesus ought to have the glory for that is what Paul was saying in our sex Jesus ought to have the glory for that no person can do that in his lifetime only God can do that One final point before we move to the last section. Paul gives us this phrase. It's a really unique phrase.

To make the Gentiles obedient. Wait, that's got to be a translation error. Surely it says to make the Gentiles believe. To take them from unbelievers and make them believers. Surely that's the objective, is to bring them into saving faith.

That's actually not what he says. He doesn't say to make the Gentiles believe. He says to make the Gentiles obedient. It is faith and only faith that saves. Because our faith is in Jesus and Jesus saves.

So Paul's not going back on that and introducing a contradictory thought to what he taught when he taught the salvation is by grace alone, it's just a gift, through faith alone, the only channel is by trusting in Jesus, he's not going back on that. But belief and trust is not the termination point of God's work. In many ways, saving faith is the start point of God's work in your life. May it never be that the saving faith that was at the beginning for you would be the termination point of God's work in your life. May it never be that the saving faith that was at the beginning for you would be the termination point of God's work in your life.

Well, now you believe in Jesus, alright, you're in, we'll move on to the next person. Obedience is the determination point. Growing. It is offering ourselves up to live as living sacrifices isn't it? Believing yes and then offering ourselves back to God.

Obedience is the termination point. Being transformed in day-to-day life is the termination point. Saving faith is the beginning. It's the start line. Daily transformation is the continuation the termination point is obedience final two verses Romans 15 20 and 21 all concludes this section So I have made it my aim to preach the gospel not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another's foundation.

But as it is written, to whom he was not announced, they shall see. And those who have not heard shall understand. And these two verses, Paul gives us his priority. Priority fills in the blank, his aim or his priority. Paul understood his place in the Great Commission.

Go and make disciples of all the nations. Paul said, okay. I'll go to all the nations. Oh, you already know about Jesus? I'm moving on.

The place that God gave Paul was to spread the Gospel as far as possible, as fast as possible. Now Does everybody have that exact place in the Great Commission? I doubt it. I know not. But the place that God gave to Paul was to spread the good news to Jesus Christ that a sinner can be parted from his sins forever because of who Jesus is and what he's done to take that, to spread the glory of God, to declare the glory of that, that glory of God as far as possible, as fast as possible.

This had nothing to do with Paul's ego. Somebody else has done the work here and then I want to go where it's never been named because I have a psychological need for that. No. This has everything to do with the work that God specifically sent Paul to do. Go as far as you can, as fast as you can.

He made it 2, 000 miles. Way to go, Paul. He never would have made it 2, 000 miles if God hadn't sent him with that mission to go as far and as fast as possible. God sent Paul to preach the gospel to people who had never heard it, to start churches with the converts that the Holy Spirit set apart to God and to establish those churches. So Paul is not just an evangelist.

Don't read this as, oh, Paul was only an evangelist. As soon as he evangelized one area, the next day he was off to the next area. In Acts we find that that is very far from the truth. Actually in the New Testament we find that that is very far from the truth. He stayed for extended periods in some of those churches that by God's grace were established.

More than a year in Ephesus, more than a year in Corinth, because of imprisonment, more than a year in Jerusalem, more than a year in Rome. You'll spend more than a year there because of imprisonment. So we know that he went back to many of the churches that he established. When you look at that map of Paul's missionary journeys, you find loops, you find circles. Why is that because he's going back to those churches to encourage and strengthen the brethren in the churches that he established.

And he's a letter-writing machine. Isn't he a letter-writing machine? So he didn't establish these churches, move on and forget these people. He never forgot these people. In many cases he went back personally and his letters he's saying I hope I could come back personally and in the meantime he's he's sending letters to them.

Is that the only place in the Great Commission Frontier Missions for Everyone? Of course not. Did others build on Paul's foundation? So Paul's saying, I have this conviction, I shouldn't build on others' foundations so that I could go as far as possible, as fast as possible with this glory of God to the nations. Did other people did others build on Paul's foundation?

Of course they did. But God put Paul firmly in that work to go to the frontier to stretch the frontiers Paul understood his place as God as excuse me all right now I get the point of what this was saying my notes I should get it should Paul understood his place as God fulfilling the promise that he made in Isaiah 52.15. So this is the last verse of our text. It's just a quote of Isaiah 52.15. To whom he was not announced, they shall see.

And to those who have not heard, those who have not heard shall understand. Paul looked at his ministry, the work God had given him to do and said God's fulfilling his promises by raising me up to send me as far as possible as fast as possible. That's me. Now, where is Isaiah 52? It's one chapter before Isaiah 53.

What's Isaiah 53? It's the great gospel chapter in the Old Testament. If there is a great gospel chapter in the Old Testament, it's about the substitutionary atonement of God raising up a suffering servant that would be without sin to bear the sins of those who were guilty of sin. It's Isaiah 53. So what he's quoting is right before Isaiah 53.

It's in the most messianic stretch of Isaiah. It's got all these promises about God promising to send a Savior for sinners. And Paul looks at what it's prophesying that people where the Messiah was never announced, they would see the Messiah. People who had never heard the good news that sinners could be parted from their sins would understand. Paul looks at that and says, that's me.

God sent me to fulfill this promise to people. Applications I'll give you four in less than a minute each so I can be under an hour. Number one, are you confident your brethren are full of goodness filled with knowledge able to admonish one another? Paul was. Paul was confident that his brethren were full of goodness, filled with knowledge, and able to admonish one another.

Everybody have warts and beauty marks, figuratively speaking? Both? Got both? Pretty confident I have both. When we live with each other long enough, we start to take the beauty marks for granted, and we feel like, ugh, those warts, ugh.

We lose confidence that our brethren are full of goodness, that The spirit of God is actually producing fruit in their lives, filled with knowledge, and able to admonish one another. But if we'll just back up, we'll actually see the work of God in their life. We won't just take God's work in their life as a baseline. Oh, well, they've been like that for a long time. No.

This is the work of God in their lives. We should continue to give thanks for it and maybe we'll look away from the warts more if we can. Paul was aware that the Romans had warts, figuratively speaking, and he was still confident that they were full of goodness, filled with knowledge and able to homage one another because he knew as believers they were indwelt by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit can't help but to bear fruit. He must, he's almighty. Number two, Do you have room for bold speaking into your life?

Paul says, yeah, I know all these things are true of you. I'm confident of it. But I've been willing to speak boldly to you on a few of these points. Speak authoritatively, even though I didn't found this church and never met most of you, never been to that place. For each of us, God sends us people to speak boldly into our lives.

You better have a place for that. We all have the, who in the world do you think you are impulse? If you say you don't, you're a liar. We all have a, who in the world do you think you are impulse? Especially when People speak to us boldly.

That's true. I know that's true of me. You know that's true of you. We want to carve out a place. You want God to stop speaking into your life through various ones of His people because you don't have a place for bold speaking.

Number three, we should keep the places where Christ is not named in our crosshairs. That might front stretching the boundaries of the frontier might not be the place where God has put us, but if it's not, then we've got to find people who God has given that work to and help them. The places where Christ is not named have to stay in our crosshairs. Just in thinking about this I've been personally convicted. For a while it was so firmly in our crosshairs.

So we're going to have to, in some way or another, we're going to have to find somebody to help or something and get this back in our crosshairs. Four. Got 15 seconds. Never lose the awe at what God has accomplished in the world through his people. God can take an enemy who is persecuting his people and convert him relatively late in life, Paul was no boy, and cause him to fully preach the Gospel on a 2, 000 mile walking tour.

That's not Paul. Don't be in awe of the man. The man by nature was a persecutor of the Lord's people. By the power of God, he was the 2, 000 mile missionary. Never lose the awe for what God has accomplished and can accomplish in the world through his people.

God, thank you. We do stand in awe of how the Gospel made it to us. Thank you for raising up people and doing things that are inexplicable except the power of God, the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Thank you in Jesus' name, Amen.