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Paul’s Plans (Romans 15:22-33)
Perhaps you’ve heard that you can tell a lot about somebody by (fill in the blank). Like, you can tell a lot about someone by the way they speak to children. Or, you can tell a lot about someone by the way they treat a server at a restaurant. Or, you can tell a lot about someone by looking at their bank account. Or, my favorite, you can tell a lot about someone by what they keep in their bathroom.
In today’s passage, we’re going to learn that you can tell a lot about the apostle Paul by how he plans his travel.
Today’s sermon is simply entitled “Paul’s Plans.”
As Paul nears the end of his letter to the Romans, he is revealing some of his plans to them. As he does so, we see at least four aspects of Christian living in these verses.
We learn that Paul can’t even make plans without dropping spiritual truth in there!
So, let’s see what God has to say to us through the words of Paul. Before we do, let’s go to God in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.
(prayer)
Before we dive into what we might learn from this passage, let’s dive into the passage itself. Look with me at Romans 15:22-33:
22 That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you. 23 But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you 24 whenever I travel to Spain. For I hope to see you when I pass through and to be assisted by you for my journey there, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while. 25 Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints, 26 because Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27 Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to them in material needs. 28 So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds to them, I will visit you on the way to Spain. 29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
30 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in fervent prayers to God on my behalf. 31 Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my ministry to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you.
33 May the God of peace be with all of you. Amen.
Ok, let us now see these four aspects of Christian living from the passage.
First, lets us see . . .
I. Christian fellowship (22-24)
First, we see that verse 22 starts as if we should have more information. Of course, we do have more information. We have the previous fourteen chapters and the first twenty-one verses of this chapter.
Paul says, “That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you.”
What prevented Paul from coming to see the Romans was the work of expanding the gospel in all the regions between Jerusalem and Illyricum. This expansion is what we learned about last week.
So, Paul wanted to see the Romans, but his mission work prevented him from doing so.
Paul says in verse 23, “But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you.”
Paul is saying that this part of his mission is over, and he is gearing up for his next mission, which we learn is in Spain.
By the way, when Paul mentions Spain, he is more than likely speaking of what is called the Iberian Peninsula, which occupies what is modern-day Spain and Portugal.
So, going back to the map from last week, Paul wanted to continue to travel in a western direction to expand the gospel.
Spain would have been all t
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By First Baptist Church Bartow
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Perhaps you’ve heard that you can tell a lot about somebody by (fill in the blank). Like, you can tell a lot about someone by the way they speak to children. Or, you can tell a lot about someone by the way they treat a server at a restaurant. Or, you can tell a lot about someone by looking at their bank account. Or, my favorite, you can tell a lot about someone by what they keep in their bathroom.
In today’s passage, we’re going to learn that you can tell a lot about the apostle Paul by how he plans his travel.
Today’s sermon is simply entitled “Paul’s Plans.”
As Paul nears the end of his letter to the Romans, he is revealing some of his plans to them. As he does so, we see at least four aspects of Christian living in these verses.
We learn that Paul can’t even make plans without dropping spiritual truth in there!
So, let’s see what God has to say to us through the words of Paul. Before we do, let’s go to God in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.
(prayer)
Before we dive into what we might learn from this passage, let’s dive into the passage itself. Look with me at Romans 15:22-33:
22 That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you. 23 But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you 24 whenever I travel to Spain. For I hope to see you when I pass through and to be assisted by you for my journey there, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while. 25 Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints, 26 because Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27 Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to them in material needs. 28 So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds to them, I will visit you on the way to Spain. 29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
30 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in fervent prayers to God on my behalf. 31 Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my ministry to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you.
33 May the God of peace be with all of you. Amen.
Ok, let us now see these four aspects of Christian living from the passage.
First, lets us see . . .
I. Christian fellowship (22-24)
First, we see that verse 22 starts as if we should have more information. Of course, we do have more information. We have the previous fourteen chapters and the first twenty-one verses of this chapter.
Paul says, “That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you.”
What prevented Paul from coming to see the Romans was the work of expanding the gospel in all the regions between Jerusalem and Illyricum. This expansion is what we learned about last week.
So, Paul wanted to see the Romans, but his mission work prevented him from doing so.
Paul says in verse 23, “But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you.”
Paul is saying that this part of his mission is over, and he is gearing up for his next mission, which we learn is in Spain.
By the way, when Paul mentions Spain, he is more than likely speaking of what is called the Iberian Peninsula, which occupies what is modern-day Spain and Portugal.
So, going back to the map from last week, Paul wanted to continue to travel in a western direction to expand the gospel.
Spain would have been all t