Please open your Bibles to Romans 15 and find verse 22. Romans 15, 22. This is the inerrant, all-sufficient, sweeter than honey word of God. Romans 15 22. For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you, but now no longer having a place in these parts and having a great desire these many years to come to you.

Whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company awhile. But now I'm going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. It pleased them indeed and they are their debtors.

For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things. Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed them to this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. But I know that when I come to you I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ Now I beg you brethren through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem might be acceptable to the saints, that I may come to you with joy by the will of God and may be refreshed together with you. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Let's pray. Oh Lord, I pray that you would give us such understanding of these words for us, each of us individually, and that you would equip us today even more to go in the blessing of the power of Jesus Christ. Lord, we thank you for sending the Lord Jesus to us, that we might have his blessing and Might carry it with us everywhere we go Amen Please be seated So here we are we're coming to the end of the greatest letter ever written in this in this final section. Paul is on a journey, he's telling us what he's doing on that journey.

Now note this, These verses are very unusual compared to the other verses in Romans. And we learn, of course, here that The letter to the Romans serves multiple purposes. You know, chapters one through 11, you have really the declaration of the depravity of man and the only remedy is Jesus Christ. And then in chapters 12, you know, up to 15, 13, you find really the functionality of the church and the culture, the beautiful culture that God has built into the church, how to head off trouble and bitterness and people's differences and things like that. It's just a remarkable section.

But here is something very different. Paul is telling us what's important to him. He's simply explaining his ambitions. There are no commands, there's no gospel message in these verses, just simply a disclosure of what it means for him to be a minister. And what I think we should look at this morning is what do we learn from him about what it means to be a minister?

What does it mean to be a minister? What might be, what might we be missing? And you have an outline in front of you, and there are four areas of ministry that I'd like for us to example. There's a lot to say in this passage about Paul's example, but the apostle Paul is just like you. He's just like me.

He's on a journey through life, and he has particular requirements and objectives and there are starting points and there there there are things in between their obstacles their ups and downs their Distractions their attacks their disappointments. There are all kinds of things that happen in the intervening period of this journey that we are all on. And the question I want to ask is, is there anything holding you back from these kinds of things? Because God has actually appointed all of us as ministers. Have you ever heard of dead water?

Anybody heard of dead water? I didn't know about dead water until this last week. I was reading about this seafaring phenomenon. So here's what happens. Imagine you're in a boat in the ocean, the water is smooth on top, and there's no waves, there's no wind, and The engine is on, you press the button and you expect it to go forward and it doesn't go anywhere.

It just stays right there, barely moves. Ancient seafarers thought it was demons under the water that caused this to happen, because it's something that does happen. You mash down the throttle further and the boat doesn't move, the engine just gets louder and the boat's just almost stalled, barely moving. And this is called dead water. Dead water happens when you have two different kinds of water.

You have this water that's on the surface, but then there's another layer underneath, and it looks calm, but underneath, something is pulling against that boat, and the boat uses all of its energy fighting and But here's the lesson Our lives can be like that boat On the outside, you know, everything looks fine We come to church. We have all the right answers. We know the doctrine We sing the songs but underneath there's something There's something that's holding us back underneath. Nobody else can see it, most likely, but you know it's there. So that's what I want to talk about.

In chapter 15 the word ministry is repeated four times. In 15 verse 8 Paul says he's a minister, he's like a deacon, a servant of the circumcision. In 1516, he says that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ, ministering the gospel of God. In 1525, he says I'm going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints, to act like a deacon, a deacon, a servant to the saints. In 1527, he says that the Gentiles have been partakers of spiritual things.

It is their duty to minister to them in material things. So this theme of ministry is very clear in this chapter. And I want us to think about who we are as ministers. And I was thinking this morning at 1 Peter 4 verse 11, where the apostle says, if anyone speaks, let him speak the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability that God supplies.

That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever, amen. Let him serve in the strength that God supplies. But there are things that hinder our strength, for sure. And I just wanna remind us of something. The purpose of preaching is really to move a person from one position to another.

I'm just quoting Martin Lloyd-Jones who said that. The job of the preacher is to uproot and to plant, to tear down and to build up. It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. And actually, God lays that on pastors to do it. And it's really for the purpose of equipping the saints for this holy war that we are in, to not waste our lives that God has given us on the earth.

And the question is, you know, what is your life? What are you doing with the breath that God gives you, the time that God gives you. These are the most precious gifts that he's given. And is there anything holding you back? Is there anything under the surface that's holding you back as a minister?

So, and this all comes out in terms of Paul's strategy as a minister, and I want us to just sort of look in the mirror of the apostle Paul and use it to think about our own lives, even though there are no commands here or anything like that, Paul is an example for us, and I think that's what's important. You see there are four areas of ministry that I've identified. There's actually a lot more to talk about in this passage than what I've got in this outline. Maybe we'll cover some of it, but First of all, consider the ministry of perseverance, verses 22 to 24. He says, for this reason I have been much hindered from coming to you.

He has been hindered. And he's explaining this problem. Things don't always go the way that you think that they will go or that you will want them to go. The word that he uses for hindered the Apostle Paul is it means cut down, it means blocked, impeded. And it brings sort of an imagery of a military practice of impeding the advancement of troops by digging ditches and obstacles and roadways, to hamper and delay troop movements, like maybe even blowing up a road, things like that.

Hampering, you know, blocking. That's what the apostle Paul was talking about here. It might have to do with some kind of suffering. You know, my mom was reading a book by Elizabeth Elliot and she read me this quote, suffering is having what you don't want or wanting what you don't have. And that happens to everybody and it happened to the Apostle Paul.

But he says here, notice in verse 23, he says, I had a great desire. The apostle Paul is really revealing kind of his inner life in many ways, his emotional life actually. He has great desire. That bears witness to this inner life that he has. He talks for, later he says, for I hope, then he says that I may enjoy your company.

And then he says, I beg you. Anyway, the apostle is revealing really the inner thoughts of his heart in this passage of scripture. And he's answering why he hasn't visited Rome yet because he was hindered. Somebody blew up the road, really. And by the way, he's not exaggerating here about the troubles that he has experienced.

In Acts 20, there was a plot against him by the Jews and he was delayed. In 1 Thessalonians 2, 18, he says he was hindered by Satan. Who knows what that means? In St. Corinthians 11, 24, he starts talking about the terrible situations that entered his life.

He says, from the Jews, five times I received 40 stripes, minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have been in the deep, in journeys often in perils, waters, in perils of robbers, perils of my own countrymen, perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings, often cold, and nakedness, besides the other things. Besides the other things, which come to me daily and my deep concern for the churches. So the apostle, he had several imprisonments. He had problems in Colossae, in Philippi, in Corinth, and he was postponing his plans.

He was getting derailed by various external forces that were going on. And, but even though Paul was hindered, notice he had a great desire, and nothing could quench that desire. Is anything quenching your desire, I think is one question that comes to my mind. Is anything slowing you down? Has any trouble in your life slowed you down?

Anything got you discouraged and you just thought you'd just throw up your hands, you just stop moving. But because there's something going on underneath the surface in your life that's slowing you down from ministering. And it's critical to understand how important it is to maintain the ministry of perseverance, even though you've been hindered by something. Okay, so after explaining why he hasn't visited, then he asks for help on his journey to Spain. He had this great aim.

He's, well, there are various stopping points that the apostle Paul has. He's in Corinth, he's headed to Jerusalem, he's going to Rome, and then he's going to Spain. So he has a plan, you know, but there are, you know, there are potholes in the road that are blowing up his tires. And he wants to prepare the Romans for his visit. And he's listing all these reasons why.

Open your Bibles to Romans one verse seven, find verse one seven. We'll have a brief distraction here in Romans one seven because Here we get insight into some of the reasons the Apostle Paul wanted to go to Rome. And if you look at verse seven, well, he had just said, I'm coming because I may enjoy your company for a while. Well, in 1 7, we get even greater insight. He says, to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints, grace to you and peace from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

He says that the Romans are beloved of God and then he says that he's thankful for them in verse 8 you see that First I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all that your faith is spoken throughout the world He's going because he's thankful for he's a thankful man Thankfulness in Greta and gratitude is the best energy drink you'll ever have in your life. And that was Paul. Next he says he's been praying for them. He says, for God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you in my prayers. So the Romans are on his mind.

He's been praying and now when you pray for someone, it attracts you to them. It gives you tenderness toward them. And then we learn in verse 10, he's scheming. He's scheming to get there. Verse 10 cracks me up.

Making a request if by some means at now, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. Paul is scheming, he's trying to find a way in the will of God. He's not just saying, oh, you know, let it be. He's saying, I wanna make this happen. He's not just sitting on his hands.

And then he says, for I long to see you, verse 11, verse 12, that I may be encouraged together with you "'by our mutual faith.' And then he says that, "'I might have some fruit among you.'" So Paul had many motives for going to Rome and that's why he says, I desire it. I hope to be there. And you have this enjoyment of fellowship that he longs for. Well, here's another question. Is there anything holding you back for longing for the fellowship of the saints?

Anything holding you back? One thing I love about this church is when we're together, you can just hear the enjoyment. You really can. People are smiling. People are, you know, rejoicing with one another.

They're encouraging one another. They're seeking one another out. They're inspiring one another. They're giving thanks for one another. I think part of that is because people hang around each other a lot.

We eat 52 meals together every year, at a minimum. And we are sitting, breaking bread together, looking in one another's eyes and navigating those relationships. It's very, very important. And so, but the apostle Paul, He's persevering in this. And it's critical that we're a persevering people.

You know, I know people are making New Year's resolutions right now. It's, I think it's important to set goals. That's what the apostle Paul did. You could see his goals. He's traveling, he has objectives in mind.

But I think it's really critical to understand that just having goals doesn't fix anything. What really is helpful is to have regular habits. Regular habits are better than big visions. Regular habits that continue to take you in the right direction are really better than big visions. Your Daily routines are more important actually than your goals because they actually propel you in a right direction.

Orderly, plodding along, day after day, is more effective than big and fancy vision statements. And that has to do with feeding your soul, feeding your soul. That's how you are a persevering person. I heard somebody say, new goals don't deliver results, new lifestyles do. So the apostle Paul was persevering, he was engaged in the ministry of perseverance and it doesn't seem like he allowed the dead water to slow him down.

He kept moving. Next, the ministry of giving, the ministry of giving, verses 25 to 28. But now I'm going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. And he's talking about bringing an offering. That's the kind of ministry.

It's the ministry of giving. For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia, these are Gentiles, to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem, you know, who were former Jews. It pleased them indeed, and they are debtors, oh, there's that word again, This word showed up at the beginning of Romans. They are debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is to minister to them in material things.

Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit I shall go by way of you to Spain." So he is going to he is going to bring this offering. So as I said before Paul is writing the letter to the Romans from Corinth. From Corinth, he's headed to Jerusalem. And from Jerusalem, he's headed to Rome. And from Rome, he's headed to Spain.

So that's his track. From Corinth to Jerusalem is 800 miles, the first leg. From Jerusalem to Rome, it's 1, 400 miles on foot. From Rome to Spain, it's 950 miles. That's 3, 150 miles he's going to walk in a pretty short period of time.

Just this leg, by the way, this is just this leg of his ministry. That's like walking from this building to Newport Beach, California, and then keep walking for 600 miles out in the ocean. That's how far that is. This just gives you an insight to Paul's motivations. He was so motivated to give to these people and to preach the gospel.

And it's all about the collection of saints for Jerusalem. He says that those people up in Macedonia who gave the money, They're debtors, they are debtors. They have a financial obligation to the saints in Jerusalem. We don't typically like to think about obligations. Like we are obligated to give money to people, to ministries or things like that.

We just want to do what bubbles up in our hearts, as if we don't have any obligations toward one another. But Christianity is much richer and much generous than your heart and your inclinations. Obligations make a church more resilient, more capable, more adaptable, and it prospers the church. While it is true, Christ's disciples, they operate out of love, and they serve in the strength that God supplies but at the same time and this is not a contradiction they are under obligation they are an under obligation to give and they're under obligation to give money here's the principle We have a financial duty to minister to those who minister to us. The churches in Macedonia were planted by the church in Jerusalem.

Those saints, that revival spread out and the gospel went to Macedonia and churches were planted in Macedonia out of the Jerusalem church. And As a result, those in Macedonia, they obviously didn't just feel an obligation, they had the joy to give back to those suffering saints in Jerusalem. There was a famine and a lot of persecution going on in Jerusalem. And those who had benefited from the gospel were sending money to those who brought them the gospel. So you get the idea?

Look at the language. If I am a partaker, verse 27, then I am a debtor. And if I'm a debtor, I have a duty to minister to them in spiritual things. That's what these verses are saying. God laid this obligation, and there were obligations laid upon them.

And I think, you know, the apostle, he's teaching us a principle about how to think biblically about our finances and who to give to. Like, How do you decide? How do you decide who you're gonna give to? There are thousands of worthy places you could send your money in the church. And I think it establishes a principle of giving that you can't give to every work in the world.

You can't support everything. But you should ask the question, to whom am I a debtor in spiritual things? Who has blessed me spiritually? That's where you should give. Who's helped me in my walk with the Lord?

That's where you should give. This is where you begin. You give materially to those who have been a blessing to you spiritually. And that's true in this church, that's true at Church and Family Life, where the people that give to us, they give to us because they've received benefit from us. That's the only reason they do it.

And the Gentiles should send money to the church in Jerusalem because the Gentiles in Macedonia were direct recipients of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So that's a principle of giving that's really critical. Now, in our church, by the way, you know, a lot of churches, they pass a plate and do an offering. There's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes I thought we should do that because, you know, giving is a critical thing that the church should always do.

And sometimes people stop giving and that's sinful when they do that. But we make it really hard to give. I mean, if there's a visitor here, they're gonna have to hunt and peck all over this. They're gonna have to ask somebody, how do I give to this church? You know, there used to be a little wooden box back in the back, and then one day showed up, I saw this little slot in a wall back there, you know, you can drop your, so.

We're probably overreacting from the money-grubbing evangelicalism, you know, but the truth is all of you who have received spiritual benefit from this church should be giving, okay, and you should ask yourself, have I been giving? Every once in a while, somebody stops giving for certain reasons. Sometimes there are different reasons. But you should ask yourself why. And are you receiving benefit?

Because you should give to where you receive spiritual benefit. And then the apostle has confidence in this blessing that is gonna come. So you have the ministry of perseverance first, the ministry of giving second. And then thirdly, the ministry of the fullness of the gospel. Verse 29, but I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

What a great statement. I couldn't get that out of my mind all week long. I thought that's the heart, that's the heart of this. When you're preaching, you're always asking, what's this, What is the singular phrase in this passage that brings it all together? What's the heart of it?

What's the thing that you cannot, you cannot miss when you speak about it? And this is one of them right here. To come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. You know I know many are going to go out into the neighborhoods today, it's Evangelism Sunday and how should you go? You should go in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

You have the greatest treasure to share and it resides in your heart. What does it mean to come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ? Well, Paul is saying he's coming with something. Just like all of us walked in here with certain things in our pockets, right? So you came in here with something.

You actually came in here with thoughts, with pressures, with difficulties, with joys. Alan Hellman, he prayed about that. We come in with all kinds of situations. What Paul is saying is he's coming with something. He's coming with the things of God.

He's coming with the things of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He's coming with the recognition that there is forgiveness in God. He's coming with the recognition that you can be reconciled to God. He's coming with the news that you can be adopted into the family of God. He's coming with the news that you can be set free, you can have peace with God, that you can have joy in your suffering, that you can have confidence that God is in control, that you can be set free from the power of sin, that you can have eternal life.

Paul is coming with the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I thought, what is that? Well, it's everything that is in God. How do you even capture it in a sermon? You can't because it's the whole council of God.

That's what the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ is. It's every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. You know, he uses this word blessing, and he uses this word that we translate eulogy, which means to speak finally of, to speak beautifully of. You know, one of my, one of my pastor friends died on Tuesday. Oh man.

He, he was one of the funniest, most mischievous, wide-open, hilarious, blessed men I've known. And he just died. And I just talked to his son yesterday, his son. His son is gonna start preaching behind him now. I said, brother, this is your finest hour.

But to speak finally, you know, there are gonna be people who are gonna stand up there and speak about Josue Ramundo, and they're gonna speak finally. It's gonna be a eulogy, okay? Because he was such a dear man. Paul, one commentator says it like this, Paul's confidence not rests not on his own calling or his apostolic powers but finally in the expansive power of Christ. Christ is clearly the subject of the blessing.

It's Christ's blessing, he says, is the way it should be translated. So come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You know, as we speak with people about the gospel, we always need to remember something. You cannot logically argue anybody into believing in Jesus. All your arguments are not gonna win their hearts because faith is a gift.

Faith is a gift of God. God can give it in a moment even with your stupid argument. Not kidding. What you need to go out with is just a sense of the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because that's what people need.

I mean, that's why the apostle Paul said right at the beginning of this letter, remember? For I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. He's not ashamed. He's not ashamed because he knows the fullness of the blessing of the gospel. Changed his life, he was murdering believers, and God changed his heart.

And now he's breathing words of life to believers. You can go out and you can just make it really clear that you were once lost but now you're found and that you have a God that can change your heart and He can deliver you from all of these harmful things that you're involved in, and he can forgive you. He will forgive you. So don't think that you can just argue people into the kingdom, because Faith is a gift. And then the ministry of prayer, the ministry of prayer, verses 30 to 32.

Paul requests their prayers for ministry. Now I beg you, notice he's begging them. I beg you through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit." Now there could be a sermon on that phrase right there. He's begging them through the Lord Jesus Christ through the love of the Spirit. What is that?

The love of the Spirit? That you strive together with me in prayers to God. The love of The spirit is connected to praying. The love of the spirit is something that equips you and prepares you and motivates you to pray. I've never met a Christian who didn't struggle with prayer.

I'm one of them. And the secret to prayer is the love of the Spirit. I beg you through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in my prayers." Okay, let's say it like this. It's really clear Paul needed prayer. Why did he need prayer?

He answers it in verse 31, That I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe. In other words, Paul understood that there is opposition ahead. This is a very common situation in the church. People are against the church. There are certain people who hate the church.

There are religious people who hate the church, like Muslims, and there are irreligious people who hate the church. And, you know, last week, somebody sent me stories in the Wall Street Journal where Hindus are persecuting Christians in India. All over the news are reports of Muslims persecuting Christians. And here's the deal. We as a congregation should never shrink back from proclaiming what is true because of some threat on the outside.

We should never be embarrassed for anything we say. A lot of what we say, a lot of what I say is determined as hate speech. Let it be. We will continue to proclaim the hate speech that isn't. And so should you.

And if there are ever people out here protesting or it looks dangerous, just recognize, look, this is what the church has always experienced. Don't think this is something unusual that's happening. And don't mince your words and don't mess with your message just because you think you're not going to cause more controversy. The churches and the people that have had the greatest effect are the ones who are not afraid. Now Paul is asking for prayer because of this.

Our purpose as a church is not to be safe. Paul's purpose was not to be safe, but he still needed prayer, okay. And he says he wants to come to them that he might be refreshed together with them. He needs refreshment. There's a lot of pressure And he just, you know, he's gonna hear prophecies.

There's trouble ahead, you know, when he goes to Jerusalem from Agabus. But he went on anyway. And then he concludes in verse 33, after speaking of these great ministries, the ministry of perseverance, the ministry of giving, the ministry of the fullness of the gospel, and then the ministry of prayer. And then he says, and by the way, this is actually the end of the letter. Verse 33, it's the benediction.

But it's funny, commentators often write about this and they say, well, Paul is like the person who wrote a letter and says, and gives the salute sincerely, Paul, and then he has, oh, a few other things come to mind and then he goes on and then there's another benediction at the end of chapter 16 but this arguably actually is the end of the doctrine this is the end of the teaching in Romans And now the God of peace be with you all, amen. I'll loop back to that later when we get to the second benediction in Romans. So is there anything holding you back from the ministry of perseverance, from the ministry of giving, from the ministry of the fullness of the gospel, from the ministry of prayer? Is there something underneath, is there dead water? Are you in the midst of a dead water where something is holding you back from fruitfulness?

Is there a secret sin? Is there a distraction? Is there anger that you won't forgive? Is there a disobedience that you're hiding? Is there a crummy attitude that nobody else knows about that you carried around all the time?

And you try harder and you promise more and you make more New Year's resolutions and you push yourself but you don't move forward very much. You can't fix a heart problem by pushing harder. That boat doesn't need more power. It needs to look underneath. Is there something under the surface that you need to bring to God that's slowing you down?

If you're not moving forward, check what's underneath. Usually there's some misalignment beneath the surface. Maybe you're just scrolling endlessly and wasting an enormous amount of your time. Maybe you're just going to all these news sites and your life is like all out there and you're just so interested in every controversy, and you have to know all the details of what everybody else thinks. And your life actually is lived in cyber world.

You know, there are just distractions that take us down, and they hinder us. There's an unseen resistance under the surface. That's the question I want to press this morning. Because Often the most dangerous things are not the things that you can see on the surface, like rough water and heavy wind. Sometimes they're under the water.

So, I think the apostle Paul gives the remedy to all this, that you might always be coming in the blessing and the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that day by day, that's your great obsession and you're filling your mind there. In Joshua 24, 15, he said, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. That's what the Apostle Paul was doing. The Lord Jesus said the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.

Peter said, let all serve in the strength that God supplies. And I'm here to say, do everything you can to strengthen your soul, so that you might be prepared to serve. And stop the distractions if they're there. Confess the sin and be set free. Would you pray with me?

Lord, we thank you for giving us the Apostle Paul. Thank you for giving us a window into his life so that we could have a window into our own lives. Lord, I pray that we would all excel in the ministry of perseverance, in the ministry of giving, in the fullness of the gospel, in the ministry of prayer. Lord, let it be so among us, amen.