Sunday Sermons

After Paul’s third missionary journey or near the end of it, the bible tells us in Acts 20 that he spent 3 months in Greece (Acts 20:3).

Most scholarship acknowledges this was in AD 57 or AD 58.

It’s believed this is when and from where Paul wrote the letter to the Romans.

Possibly from Corinth which is in south central Greece.

From there Paul is going to go back through Macedonia (northern Greece).

Paul collected money from the Macedonian churches to take to the Jerusalem church:

Romans 15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem.

What we see is that Paul not only has the physical wellbeing of others in mind, he most assuredly has their spiritual wellbeing at the forefront of his mind.

Paul confesses that the unbelief of his people causes him “unceasing anguish”.

He goes from the climax of celebration in chapter 8 to words of lament here in chapter 9.

Paul has been addressing the relationship between the Jew and Gentiles in Christ throughout the letter, and now turns his attention to the biblical evidence concerning God’s purposes in history.

And so, Paul turns to the Old Testament.

As a believer in the Jesus Way, Romans 8 takes our hearts and thrills them, by the power of the Spirit. Romans 8 takes our minds and renews them, ultimately taking our lives and changing them for the sake of the glory of God.

Paul is going to give us five rhetorical questions on which to build our life.

Present sufferings… Paul says you are no longer slaves to fear, rather the Spirit testifies that we are God’s children …. Heirs of God, Co-heirs with Christ... if we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

And the two are not worth comparing...