April 8, 2018 AM Jesus, Our Pride And Joy by Pastor Josh Sheldon

Chapter 15 Put our attention this morning

on verses 22 to 29.

Apostle Paul's to the church in Rome the word of the God

with the Word of God to the church today is this.

This is the reason why I've so often been hindered from coming to you but now since I no longer have any

room for work in these regions and Since I have longed for many years to come to you I hope to see you in

passing as I go to Spain and to be helped on my journey there by you.

Once I've enjoyed your company for a while.

At present, however, I'm going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the Saints.

For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the Saints at Jerusalem.

They were pleased to do it and indeed they owe it to them for the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings.

They ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.

When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected.

I will leave for Spain by way of you.

I Know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

These verses are really very simple on the face of them.

This letter to the Romans is coming to a close.

Beginning at chapter 12 Paul was saying, okay, therefore you need to behave within a church in a certain way so he talks to them

to the church speaking to us as a church and Now it's sort of transitioning

from them to him explaining to them his plans his desire to be there and

What has hindered and what is going to continue to hinder?

He's been hindered in the past because of the work that he was doing in those regions where no one had before Proclaimed the

gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and He's going to be hindered even

further as he goes to Jerusalem to deliver this gift.

And we'll speak a little bit more about that very simple verses on the face of them an itinerary if you will.

Demonstrating to us a few things.

One is that Rome was expecting him that Rome did know he was coming through whatever means now, of course, they didn't have

Telephones or internet or anything that quick.

So what this information would have been transmitted over would be horseback donkey back

by foot very slow.

But in any case they were expecting him.

They knew he was coming and we have no evidence actually that he ever got to

that church in Rome.

We don't know if he ever really got there the way he expected at the end of Acts the book of Acts.

We find that he did have this desire to go to Rome.

Finally fulfilled though not quite the way he had expected or was anticipating when he wrote this letter to

the Romans.

He went to Rome as a prisoner after having exercised his right as a citizen of Rome to be heard in

Rome's higher courts and Acts ends with him under house arrest.

Though he was free to move about and the final chapter of that book makes clear that he knew or

excuse me the final chapter of our book The Romans makes clear that he knew a good number of

people at Rome.

So in that sense, he was no stranger to them.

But whether he ever actually got there, we don't know.

So we have this itinerary.

Really just saying where he's been where he's going what he wants to come through.

Therefore where he's going next this sort of thing a travel plan a travel log.

But there's more in these verses.

Than just that it's more than just a simple itinerary embedded in them is the privacy of the gospel

and Paul's Determination to complete the course of life that it inherit to him.

It's going to stay the course and nothing's going to deter him from accomplishing his mission.

There's a continuation in these verses of this priestly idea that we spoke of a few weeks ago of Offerings that are

acceptable to God and there is here a lesson on the oneness of

believers everywhere.

Perhaps separated by oceans yet bound together by the gospel.

So it's more than just his plants it's more than just where he's been and where he's going.

There are a couple of things that delayed Paul's coming to Rome and First and foremost, of course was

his pioneering work as a church planter.

When he says this is the reason I've so often have been hindered from coming to you.

This is what he means.

He was hindered because he was doing his Missionary work his ministry the work that

he knew Christ had given him to do which is to go to places where the gospel had not been

declared where there was no church where there was no knowledge of Jesus Christ or even of God and

his anger at sin or any of these things that the gospel finally resolves for us he was going there and that

was what hindered him from going to Rome and it says in the passages that we read many

years.

He'd been wanting to go to Rome.

Hindered by his work.

Well, where was he when he was being hindered what was he doing if we can borrow from the original Star Trek series.

He was going for no man had gone before.

That's where he was building his church a hard work and a long -lasting work.

His wish to visit them his desire to be there was well enough known to them.

That this explanation of delays was warranted.

In other words if you knew he's coming just good manners would tell us to to call ahead if we were gonna be late

somewhere for a dinner appointment something like that much less such a Visit as what was anticipated

here.

So he tells of the reason.

He tells them what hindered him this reason and the reason was basically to finish what he had started.

It wasn't just a matter of having things to do.

It was the thing that he did and nothing could get in the way Paul we know from

1st Corinthians chapter 3 verse 10 by his own self -description.

He says according to the grace of God given to me like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation

and someone else is building upon it.

Let each one take care how he builds upon it.

So he's a wise a skilled master builder and as a wise as a skilled builder.

He knew it was time for him to move to fresh territory.

And the entire course of his life was one of determined and dedicated service to Christ particularly

in founding churches by particularly Declaring the gospel of Christ to the Gentile world.

So he was at a point where the area he had been was now Satisfactorily bathed with the Word of God the Word of

God's forgiveness in the gospel of his son.

This doesn't mean that every person in the region had heard much less that every person who had heard had been converted.

He meant that he had done what he set out to do.

The gospel had been brought to Europe.

Now that's Acts chapter 16 if you want to read that sometime later that's Acts 16 and you recall he went

and he found Lydia and the women at their prayer meeting by the river and Later when he was in jail

the Philippian Jailer and both these two Lydia and the jailer coming to faith with their whole

household to mean baptized in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ

Paul could move on with confidence.

He knew that the churches he left behind were well founded on the gospel.

Which is the death the burial the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That was their basis.

That was their foundation.

He knew that and he knew that they were fully equipped to continue to grow in knowledge of the Lord Jesus

and to perpetuate this message of God's forgiveness.

You know the stereotypical Gunslinger in the old cowboy movies remember at the end of the movie.

He he tips his hat and he says something like well, I've got to move on now, man.

There's another town somewhere that needs these guns.

I never really saw the old Western.

I love old Westerns, but I never saw the one where they actually say that.

I think it came from Shane.

Where Shane rides off to the sunset?

That's Alan Ladd plays Shane rides off in the sunset after dispatching all the bad guys in the town.

And Something like that Paul had dispatched his Commission in that part of the known world and he set his

sights on Spain.

We're not told how he came to this conclusion.

That he was done with that part of the world and that Spain was next.

But I want to stop here for a moment just by way of application and I want us to together to think about this.

How did he come to this conclusion?

We might have expected something from him such as I saw a vision of a man in Macedonia telling

me we're all set here.

It's now time for you to move on then.

He mentioned Spain to me.

And so I knew that that vision was from the Lord sort of the vision that he had in the beginning of act 16

where he saw a man from Macedonia say come here and help us and Paul then knew

that that was from the Lord.

So it went to Macedonia and that's what led to the events in act 16 that I alluded to a moment ago.

So you'd expect to say something like that.

It says I knew I was done here because Someone came to me in a vision and said come to Spain and help us or said

you're done here in Macedonia.

But we don't get that.

Somebody the the skilled master builder knew when to move on.

There's no more room for his work in those regions.

Now, we know Paul was a man of prayer.

We know Paul was a man who intimately knew God and Jesus Christ his son.

We know this by the by by the biographical material we have of his life and acts.

We know this by the letters that he wrote and the things that he it conjoins us to.

When I look at how he moved on with confidence and how in this case He doesn't give a basis

for Why he's moved on why he knows he's done in these areas.

It's time to go west all the way to Spain the end of the known world back then.

It makes me wonder if there are times when We can pray ourselves into complete

paralysis.

That we have no confidence just to move on knowing that we have been commissioned by God to do a thing

but not knowing what that thing is and unwilling to move until we have some sort of

Confidence so we feel some movement of God within us.

We see a verse in the Bible that Exactly meets our circumstance or whatever.

It is that we're struggling with.

I wonder if sometimes We pray ourselves into paralysis where we just can't move.

When we hold our ministry to others hostage to some special movement of God a kind of Gideon's fleece.

I mean would we ask would we stop and pray and say Oh Lord?

Should I give this one a cup of water in your name?

When Jesus has already said that we should.

Reason I stop here for a moment.

It's because I believe that churches are bereft of the services of too many of us who agonize over

things like what spiritual gift do I have and Never really by prayer and by supplication

before God.

Never find the one that they feel suits them or they're confident that God actually gave them

and all the while the scriptures promise Unequivocally.

That it is the endowment of every believer.

To be gifted in some special way a unique way and that to the benefit of

us all.

I mean, how long do we deny ministering to each other?

Because I don't feel led by the Lord.

I've been praying about what my gift is or how I might use this gift that I've discovered and I don't have the

feeling That God has moved me to do this or to do that yet.

I Just wonder sometimes if we can look at Paul in his dynamism here his

willingness just to move on.

Knowing that overall He has God's Commission.

He knows what Christ would have him to do and within that sphere of working of ministry

of gifting He seems to just move with a certain confidence.

Not without prayer, I'm not advocating no prayer not without consulting others.

This all began.

Paul's whole missionary journey began in Acts chapter 13 when as they were praying

the church was told set up beside Paul and Barnabas for the work I have for them and The church then

confirmed that and sent them.

So I'm not saying not prayer, but once sent once sent once placed in a church.

Once the gift that he had that Christ had explained to him and how he's going to use it had been made clear.

There's a certain dynamic confidence that he had.

Well, he just moved.

You see for us the question isn't whether God has placed you here.

Is it pleased him or whether he has endued you with a gift that benefits everyone because the scripture 1st

Corinthians 12 comes to mind.

That's the most detail we have on this topic.

Romans 12 would also address this.

The scripture says clearly that God has certainly done this.

Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Is your faith in him?

Do you know salvation before God by faith in the cross work of the Lord Jesus Christ if

these?

Source of questions are answered.

Yes.

I do know that he saved me.

I know that I am his.

I know that he is mine.

Then the question is not Whether you've been gifted the question is not whether you have a sphere of ministry.

The scripture already says you do the real question.

Becomes whether you see God is powerful enough and the gospel as big enough to make you.

Yes, you you whose voice quivers too much when you sing you whose thoughts get

jumbled when you talk.

Yes.

You you who are happier to be one of the private parts who are given more modesty and hidden away in the corner

to make even you a blessing and a benefit to all of us

the scripture says.

Despite your lack of confidence.

You've been placed here by God.

You've been given us given us fear and a gift to exercise within it.

I wonder if Paul's example here where he doesn't stop and give us a an Excursus and say I had a vision and I

prayed for a week and God finally told me and the circumstances came together in this way.

Paul just knows what his ministry is.

And he's a skilled master builder and he just goes and does it within that scope not off on his own commissioned by the

church after prayer and the Holy Spirit.

Confirming all this.

Then he just moves.

If you hear me talking to you here.

If you're saying oh, he must be speaking to me if you're right now building up your defenses.

I need to tell you something.

God does gift us all differently.

Some of us we have to admit.

I often have to admit some of us are smarter Than the rest of us.

Some of us are better spoken.

Some of us are more confident.

Some of us are a lot of things.

But not one of us is better than the other.

Not one of us is better than the other.

And it's not my feeling.

That it's time to move on and to exercise my gift because if we wait for our feelings, we'll never get anywhere.

One sense we get from the scriptures it doesn't matter what we feel it matters what God has done in you through faith in

Christ.

It's not your confidence That matters.

I must seem very self -confident to some of you because I can stand here and speak publicly.

There's not confidence in myself.

Let me tell you.

My wife will tell you when I was going to seminary.

I had no idea to do this.

I had other plans, but my confidence is in Christ who called me to this.

And your confidence is in Christ.

It must be.

I just wonder if we can get away from this inertia these things that hold us down.

More like Paul using Paul right here in this itinerary he gave as an example.

He knows what he's supposed to do.

He's not jumping around and doing different things in different places and just figuring it all out as he goes.

He knows what Christ sent him to do and knowing his Commission.

He moves with a certain dynamic confidence.

We're all necessary.

For the health of this body.

You won't one day want to be a master builder a Skilled builder like Paul,

you know, the first thing you have to do is pick up a hammer.

And maybe you don't know how to use it.

Maybe you don't know how to swing it.

There's somebody here who does.

Maybe somebody can show you how to hit the nail each time you swing.

If you can show me that I'd appreciate a lesson right after church.

I've never been able to do that.

I can't hit the nail three times, but you get my point.

If God has set you here, he set you here for a reason.

Join, Paul move with confidence say I'm going to Spain next.

Why are you going to Spain?

What's the vision?

I am just supposed to be in places where the gospel has not been proclaimed and it has been proclaimed there.

And I'm going and you're gonna help me by the way, that's why I'm stopping.

Paul didn't walk out of the bet baptismal and suddenly found churches.

He became a master builder all to the glory of God and here in this single verse He blazes

this path for us all.

Don't wait for your own self -confidence to lead you to saturate your sphere be a church home

neighborhood wherever with this gospel.

Trust Christ in you to help you which is what I believe Paul did.

Don't hold yourself to a theological dissertation to defend what you think you might do.

Do as Paul did and do.

Trust God and not yourself as did the Apostle here.

You know, I think back to ancient Israel.

And they had some very direct guidance didn't they.

Just think where they had a cloud by day and a fire by night and the scripture says that when the cloud moved.

They moved when the cloud didn't move they stayed put and when the cloud turned left.

They turned left and if the cloud made a u -turn they made a u -turn.

They followed that cloud.

But once they saw that cloud They did move with confidence when they saw that cloud come up over the

tabernacle.

They packed up then they looked at that cloud.

So which way is it going today or this week or month or whatever the case is and they followed it.

Are you less?

Directed than that.

No.

Today we have the Holy Spirit.

We know from Scripture Paul says in 1st Corinthians 10 that rock was Christ speaking of that whole leadership.

The pre -incarnate Christ showing them the way We have the post -incarnate

Christ by his spirit leading us.

Showing you.

Be confident in him and not you.

What would a church be like if each person in this church?

Agreed with what the scripture already says and says well if I believe in Jesus, I Pray

you do and the scripture says he has gifted me in a unique and particular way

which it does and Therefore I must exercise this gift to the good of

my own walk with Christ and those around me if

each of us Stood up Orderly, yes.

We do need to be somewhat organized about this.

We can't be jumping around and one person is going to be painting walls.

Another person is doing some other thing but if each of us with confidence faith in

Christ came forward and served each other

With this special gifting.

I just wonder what flourishing Church Would we then have?

Not to complain about how the church is.

I love this place.

But I do fear sometimes that we hold ourselves back.

There's a lot of opinions.

There's a variety of opinions on Paul's purpose in the gift that he spoke of or that he wrote of.

I'll read about this in First Corinthians there's a second Corinthians eight where he's gathering up this gift.

He wants to bring it to the poor in Jerusalem.

What was the reason behind it?

Was it a symbol of the unity of Jews and Gentiles?

Perhaps he meant it as a wrecking ball aimed at the final layer of stones in the in the dividing wall between them.

Which was the law?

Was it a reminder to the Gentiles of their spiritual indebtedness, which is explicit here in these verses?

Something that Paul had in mind the Jewish idea that real piety was proven by generosity to the poor and

Back in the day Gentile proselytes who converted Judaism's would be judged by

how they treated the poor.

And some think that Paul had in mind the prophecies of Isaiah chapter 60 verse 11 Zechariah

chapter 14 verse 14 both of which speak about the wealth of all nations.

Flowing into Jerusalem.

Well, there's a word there in verse 27.

That kind of helps us here where he says they ought also to be a service to them

the Gentiles to the Jews.

In Material blessings that word service is the Greek word.

Let her get.

Oh later get.

Oh, and it's where we get our word liturgy.

And it has to do with cultic or temple worship now use that term a lot cultic.

The cultic practices don't confuse that with cults or the occult.

Cultic the way we use it here from this pulpit simply means the practices ordained by God.

For the priests in the temple that bear that bears his name.

Cultic simply means to worship God in the right way within the procedures the the the laws that

he had given.

So this word here in verse 27 being of service to them.

Is that word liturgy to be of cultic to be of Holy service

to them.

Caring for Christian brethren who are in dire straits is service to God.

It's even priestly service to God if we back up to was it verse 16.

We talked about making the Gentiles unacceptable offering to God a few weeks ago.

We talked about that priestly language of that sacrifice that offering to God be made in a priestly and an

acceptable way.

This language is much the same and I think it continues that that idea so

caring for the poor.

Is service to God?

I think that's one reason why this was so important to Paul.

The unity between the Jews and the Gentiles in the church was very important to him.

Also that Exodus chapter 22 verse 23 says that when this

service this service to the poor this liturgy that we are to do for the poor is

Ignored.

God's special attention is on that poor man whose needs were carefully avoided.

It reminds me of the parable in in Luke with Lazarus and the rich man

where the rich man Basically trying to keep himself from tripping over Lazarus as he ignored him day

in and day out.

I Think that parable where the rich man ends up in torment is a good picture of

Just how seriously God takes that.

So there's a liturgy.

There's a priestly service to this offering.

I think there's also Paul's idea of Joining the two together Jew and Gentile because in the church there is no more

Jew or Gentile or male or female.

Any of that we're all one in Christ.

John Stott writes here when we Gentiles are thinking of the great blessings of salvation.

We are hugely in debt to the Jews and always will be.

I think he refers back to Romans 3 and Romans 9 those two chapters where by God's design the

Jews were Custodians of many of the types and the figures that revealed Jesus Christ to us.

They had the law which exposed what exposes our sin and The

righteousness that we cannot attain to.

The law making us yearn for an answer to that to that righteousness that we can't ourselves

attain.

They were custodians of the temple worship, which everything prophesied in there of Christ's ultimate and final

sacrifice.

Every furnishing in the temple granting a view.

Excuse me of what heaven is like.

If they had the prophets they're convicting words and the prophets with their laser -sharp beam set on the

Lord.

Who brings it all to a conclusion?

Who gives purpose and coherence to all their words all this kept faithfully?

By a nation who at their core really didn't believe.

But we have an indebted unindebtedness to them.

We open the Old Testament or find in come our comfort in the Psalms or repentance and the prophets.

There's a debt to that nation who guarded all this.

Think out how important this was to the Apostle.

His desire to visit Rome wasn't feigned at all.

I mean we look at chapter 16 which we'll get to in a few weeks.

It lists more people that he knew personally in Rome than we have even coming here to Providence.

To go to Rome for Corinth via Jerusalem is about as circuitous a route as you could ever find.

It delayed his trip to Rome by months maybe years if the weather wouldn't cooperate.

One estimate is that his route would add 2 ,000 miles to his travels.

Now I looked up a Boeing 737 Passenger jet flies at about 600 miles an hour.

How many of us if we had to do something in Hawaii?

And that was important to us would go there by way of I think Columbus, Ohio.

It's about 2 ,000 miles from here.

Well, we're traveling at 600 miles an hour now not on foot not with boats with oars.

Important as it was.

To get to Rome though Rome had no part in the gift.

That interests me that Rome had no part in the gift there.

They might not have even been founded as a church when Paul was collecting the money for it.

But no matter.

Everybody does their part.

The Macedonians provided to Paul satisfaction.

He was more than satisfied.

He rejoiced at their sacrificial generosity and Rome was not criticized for not having

been involved.

Their role was different.

Their role would be to send him off to Spain.

No reliable record that ever got to Spain.

A Church father of the first century a man named Clement.

He wrote to the whole he said this quote to the whole world Paul taught Righteousness and to the

limits of the West which Spain was at the time to the limits of the West.

He bore witness before rulers and some take this to mean that Paul actually at one point got to Spain.

We can't be sure of this.

But if he did then they must have been released from the prison that he was in at the end of the book of Acts.

Gone off to Spain and somewhere been arrested again and finally Executed.

We can only be sure though that he wanted to go to Spain.

And that had he.

The church at Rome most likely provided him the material support for doing it.

But first he has to get there from Corinth via Jerusalem on his way to Spain.

There's more to his visit there than just garnering Their financial aid to his church building program.

He says I know when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ that's at the end of our passage this morning.

And that brings us right back to the beginning of this book chapter 1 in verse 11.

He said there in the opening he said for I long to see you.

But may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you that is that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's

faith.

By yours and mine.

I want you to know brothers that I've often intended to come to you.

But thus far have been prevented in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the

Gentiles.

I'm under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians both to the wise and to the foolish.

So I am eager to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome.

You know I sometimes hear brethren That are concerned when we have our missionaries come here

During their furlough time.

The last time we had one here.

He taught Sunday school, and then he came and preached which is a lot of work and we Sometimes are

concerned that during their furlough we're taking up too much of the time.

We're impinging on this time of refreshment.

That is supposed to have time to visit with family time to visit with friends.

And here we are taking up their time and making them come here and teach Sunday school and give pastor a break from the preaching.

Well we have among our missionaries Men who are primarily church planters and

one of them by the way will be here in July.

More about that later.

There are opportunities to come and to visit relatives and friends are few and far between Between so we know it's a precious time

for them, and we do well to be sensitive to that.

But we do need to have them come.

They knew do need to be here, and they do need to speak to us in that formal way.

The way they see it, and I've spoken to them personally on just this score the way they see it is that they

receive from us as much spiritual blessing as they give to us

and Some of us say without that two -way.

Spiritual blessing from us to them from them to us.

They'd be in despair.

To see and to shake hands and to even hug the people who have their back in Prayer and in financial support

is more important to them than we sometimes credit.

And here the Apostle Paul has exactly that attitude.

He wants to exchange spiritual blessings.

Think of this.

Think of this in relation to what I was telling you a moment ago about each of us being important and gifted by God and having

Ministry that we need to just get out and do with each other.

Well, I lost that train of thought.

Excuse me

yes.

Think of the Apostle Paul in Rome.

The Apostle Paul who saw the third heaven and uttered things that are not to be uttered uttered things that we're not going to

hear.

Until the Lord calls us to himself, and we're there with him.

Think of the Apostle Paul.

There's one who faced down Kings called out blindness upon pagan

sorcerers.

He's going to go to this church.

He'd come to a church just like this one and come to any one of you and

He would be saying he's going to receive as much from you as you from him.

It's not a false humility.

He's the Apostle who taught us that the importance of each one of us when our missionaries come to

us.

We need to be sensitive to their time.

They don't get away that often.

But it's as important to them to be here and to receive from us and to see us as it is the other way

around.

That's what the Apostle Paul says he's going to receive and he's going to give.

Like Paul these men are no mercenaries.

They're not hard -headed businessmen.

They're men whose lives are given over to the singular mission as was Paul's One

which without the Lord's blessing is impossible.

Without being without it being Christ building up his church by and through them the results

Impressive as they might be are just things to get done.

Not anything that is a gospel accomplishment in the Lord name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Nothing that would have eternal benefit.

The benefit to the sender is To see and hear and touch the scent.

It's to remember that they are flesh and blood men with spirits like ours.

Who need to see and hear and touch the brothers and the sisters who pray for them?

You see this fullness of Christ's blessing is a two -way transaction in Rome.

They're waiting for this famous apostle.

The one who's some thought if they touch the hem of his cloak as he walked by they'd be able to be healed by him.

And what a joy it's going to be.

What a joy it would be how much they would gain.

And Paul circumvents all that any elevation of himself.

He insists that the exchange is mutual.

Well again, there's an important lesson here.

You know we work hard.

To bring the Word of God week in and week out.

And when I say it that way week in week out.

It sounds like maybe there's a bit of a trudge to it.

It's not that at all.

It's a glorious thing to be entrusted by this church to preach the glories of our Savior and the blessed

gospel.

That we proclaim here.

But you're not the sole recipient of this spiritual food.

I Am too.

When our brother Conley preaches he is too we bless each other.

If I happen to be a famous preacher Let's say I was a John MacArthur and all this Alistair Begg or a John Piper

which of course I'm not.

But if I were it would be no different.

If we're just a one -way street from me to you, then I'm nothing more than a hired hand.

I'm not an under shepherd of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Well, I praise God that that's not the case that we're a family bound together by a single faith who seeks each other's good.

Let's remember that the spiritual blessings Are something that have to be received

both ways.

The pulpit is up here just a couple of steps only so we it's visible.

Not because the man is anything special above anybody else.

Whoever comes here guest preacher or faithful deacon a missionary whoever comes Let's always

remember that it is Christ that must be lifted up and glorified and that the ministry we embrace flows two ways.

There's a blessing of Christ that he anticipates that we should always expect.

Our letter to the Romans is wrapping up

and Paul makes it very clear how much he wants to be there.

And even telling them I'm only passing through.

Whether ever got there or not is really not even the case.

It's the heart is his desire to be there is desire to exchange with them these spiritual blessings.

Let's pray that as We look at this as we think about these verses as we consider this Book of

Romans and as it closes for us as it's coming to its summary and its conclusion in a few

weeks.

That we understand that God has placed us here.

God has given us as he did Paul a work to do a Mission field

and while we do pray and we do fall down before God in supplication

I would enjoin all of us to not let that become an excuse to not

move forward and Do what God has certainly gifted and brought you

here to do amen.

Heavenly Father.

Thank you for this day once again.

I pray father that you continue to Bless us and watch over us and be with us Lord.

That we might continue in worship throughout this day in a way that is honoring and pleasing to you before we ask

it in Jesus Name.

Amen.