Loving People — Don McClure

Romans 1 8. First I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world 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 always in my prayers making requested by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come to you for I long to see you that I impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end that you may be established.

This is that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I would not have you ignorant brethren that oftentimes I purpose to come unto you but was let hitherto that I might have some fruit among you also even as among the Gentiles.

I am a debtor both to the Greeks and the barbarians both of the wise and the unwise so as much as in me I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. Father we thank you for your word and as we look at it this evening we ask that you would feed us teach us Lord as we get some wonderful insights into this wonderful man the Apostle Paul and Lord we might learn something as we see his heart kind of opened up and exposed to us in this greeting we ask that you teach us strengthen us all in Jesus name amen.

One of the things that is very common I think oftentimes in fact if you are one to read commentaries and follow them oftentimes you'll notice that many commentaries they kind of you know they they'll actually break down the commentary you know with all sorts of outlines and things with it which is very good very helpful but oftentimes at the beginning it'll just have it'll explain the greeting and it'll just say Paul is greeting the folks in and saying hello to so-and-so and doing this and that.

But they just kind of have a general thing as if it's a greeting and they almost have a great tendency just to kind of fly by a lot of the opening things in many of the Paul's epistles and oftentimes maybe almost beginning at verse 16 that we won't look at tonight but where Paul says I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for is the power of God into salvation.

And this is where many look at now Paul beginning to really teach and to really get into things. But so far he's kind of given a greeting he said who he is what's going on and where he's been and what he's doing and then kind of giving some initial greetings to those that he is writing to.

But actually I believe that there is tremendous information about Paul and about his heart and about what made Paul the man that he was. Sometimes we look at somebody and we wonder God why is it that some people you look at this guy he saw this scripture so mightily he understood them he taught so tremendously he he had this tremendous gifting he had this tremendous heart this tremendous capacity to minister and we almost envy it and wish God why.

I wish I could do these things and had this capacity to teach or do to minister or to be used mightily and but I think God when he picked somebody and he uses somebody it isn't for their ability it isn't for the giftings he is going to put in them or any human capacity as much as oftentimes it has an awfully lot to do with the type of a person they are with their heart.

And here in the initial opening part and portion of this book here Paul he opens his heart to us in a tremendous a wonderful way in the sense that if we were just to slip by these greetings we would miss a lot because I believe that if you and I can pick up the truth in these verses we're looking at tonight it can transform our very life.

I believe that. And so as we look at it I hope you'll look at this and wonder is there something that I read here that is that transforming. But here as we look at Paul we're looking at obviously a tremendously godly man a spiritual man a mature man a man there that had so much to give and so much to share with so many people.

But one of the things first of all that he says first there is like the first thing I want to say to you is in verse 80 says first I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

But Paul is somebody the first thing he mentions to him so I got a lot of things I want to tell you and I'm gonna be writing a letter he didn't know he was writing Romans he just thought he was writing the letter to some friends in Rome and as he's writing that he just pouring his heart out to him and the very first thing he wants a she's first.

I want you to know how thankful I am for you. And one of the things about a spiritual person about a godly person about somebody whose life is really desiring to be used and as fact is being used. You'll see from Paul not just here but in many of his letters and we're gonna look at a number of his greetings in a moment but you'll see he is constantly thanking God for people and he is constantly thanking people for their lives and what they mean to him and what they mean to the kingdom of God.

Paul you can look at somebody in and you just sense within him as you read his letters that here was a man immensely grateful to people in the first Corinthians 1 4 and I'll just read these these are the greetings in his epistles and 1 4 he says I thank my God's all my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given to you by Jesus Christ.

He's looked it was. He starts to the church at Corinth. I thank God always on you for you. In 2nd Corinthians 8 16 he says but thanks be to God which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.

But he looks at it. Aren't we how wonderful of a God we have how thankful we are to be godly people are thankful people there people that they look around and then they can't believe they get to be alive.

They can't believe that God wants to use them. And God gives them all of these people around them. In Philippians 1 he says I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. He just had this wonderful memory of people.

In Colossians 1 3 he says we give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ prayed always for you over and over. In Paul's epistle then 1st Thessalonians 1 we give thanks to God always for you all making mention of you always in our prayer you somebody that he just read my remembrance of you my my thoughts of you as soon as like Paul you get as soon as your name would pop up in my mind I'm thankful for you.

I even the memories I have of you. And it's interesting many of the people that Paul was actually so excited to tell him how he remembered them they were not happy. Introductions. When he met them. Some of them beat him some of them had him in prison.

Some of them you know stoned him left him for dead and he was sent back. And now the Lord wakes him up lets him lives and revives him sends back. That is now those people that just tried to kill you go back and tell him again we love him and God loves him.

He said okay let's go you know it. And then he would go. But God had done so many things within his life that something had happened that he realized I do love them. And I am thankful for people. And I am in one of the most wonderful things that begins to happen somebody like the apostle Paul where God's grace and peace.

As we looked at last week it transformed his life. Is that that great grace in that piece that is so powerfully come in. He looked at people in an entirely different perspective. He saw people differently look at God.

I see people. He was like a kid in a candy store. People look at them all. God it is so wonderful. In many times we you know we've got people around us and we're not thankful for them. And then as soon as you're not thankful for somebody at that very moment I think you've been extremely limited any capacity you have to work with them to help them to encourage him to bless them to teach him to do anything for him of any good.

The Bible says speak the truth and love. Many times we speak the truth. But if there's no love if we are not thankful for the people that we're we're with and ministering to or around we will not be able to help them.

And one of the greatest things that can happen in somebody's life was when God gives them a grateful heart and one for people that they love them. How many times it may be tonight. You may even you think coincidentally but maybe some of you you got a bunch of people you don't like you sit right here right now.

And as soon as I bring up the thought and I said you've got a list already going and I even even asked you for a list yet and you said I sure do you know or something. And then you could go down you know my boss my husband my wife my these people that my neighbor you know or whatever else it is.

And I now these people people people you know or something and you know. And then that'll destroy your capacity. If you don't love people even more than your own life. That's how Paul was and he was thankful for them so often.

We're kind of like the two great buddies supposedly out one day taking a walk through the forest and as they come out into a clearing in a little valley there all of a sudden they look over and here's this huge grizzly bear that has just looked and seen lunch and it starts running at him in one of them.

He reaches down he grabs into his knapsack and he's putting on his tennis shoes. And his friend looks over. He says are you kidding. He says oh but you can't outrun a grizzly bear. And he looks at him says I don't have to outrun the grizzly bear.

I just have to outrun you you know. But sometimes we think we're great friends. But when push comes to shove we'll run over each other and survive. Paul was not that way. He looked at people and he cared for them he loved them.

They meant an awfully lot to him. And first Thessalonians 2 13 Paul says for this cause I also thank God without ceasing. Because when you receive the word of God which you heard from us you received it.

He looks at them. He says I'm just so grateful I'm so thankful first Thessalonians 3 9 for what thanks can we render to God again for you. Here's the guy he said I don't even know how to thank him anymore for you.

I I'm just what thanks more can we render to him just so immensely grateful. And maybe you know one thing tonight you just might if there's people you look and realize I don't like them. I don't like people.

I don't need people you know. Or that you're it immediately it has a greater effect on you than the people you don't like then the people you aren't thankful for. Paul was somebody God was so powerful to him he was so real to him he was so sovereign to him that even when people were doing things to him throwing rocks at him wanting to kill him one that he could she could see a look in their eye that he as he saw that look it was something there that he no doubt remembered.

I had that look once. That's my look. That's how I was. And God won me. The gospel changed me. And Paul. I think he could look at people and realize I want I want you to know I know how we can get that look out of your eye and we can transform you.

And if there are people we don't are we. And we're not thankful for. And we can't love and we don't want around. We're in trouble and kind of like I don't have ever told you the study of the father's story the full-on trip to Israel you know with his wife and mother-in-law.

And his mother-in-law died tragically. Sorry. But you know. And on the trip in Israel and and the undertaker meets with him and says to him. He says well we've. We can either bury her here for a hundred and fifty dollars or we can send her back to America for five thousand.

Fellow says send her to America. He said no. I don't think he understood. He says if we can bury your mother-in-law here for a hundred and fifty dollars or we can return her to send her back and have her buried in the United States but it's five thousand.

He says I don't send send her back. He says why. And he says two thousand years ago you killed somebody and buried him here in three days later they rose from the dead. And I don't want to risk that with this woman.

But sometime there may be somebody that if they were dead you'd be fine and you'd pay five thousand dollars to have it done. And then you're. And then at the same time you wish God would change their life.

I think God looks as I'd like to change you first. But how important it is. Are we thankful for people. Has that ever got into us. Because that is one of the greatest keys that there is in life. And it's also a great weakness at least with many.

And I suppose to me it's a tremendous weakness to tell you that be very honest with you. On one hand I have a tremendous gratitude for people but I'm terrible at verbalizing it. Paul wasn't. Paul was somebody you could hear over and over.

I thank you. I'm so thankful for you. You're so wonderful. And I don't know why. I don't have any excuse. My parents are this way my mother you can't get around her without getting kissed and getting touched and getting hugged.

And how grateful for years. And you know hey I love you too you know or whatever. I get my I got two brothers. My older one ID calls me and he calls me sister. I am so thankful for you. You're their greatest brother.

And I say oh sorry you feel that way you know or whatever. And they're so verbal my sister I mean people. I don't know why I fit in this family or worried but but the thing is is that I am is I'm unbelievably grateful by verbalizing it when we determine God teach me how to say what is in my heart to communicate these things.

Paul had so no such weakness he could look at people and what in. And he loved him. And he could tell him and he was thankful for him. And he would tell him and not only though did he did he was he thankful for him.

It goes on there in verse 9. And she said 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 always in my prayers. People that are thankful for people pray for people.

They're truly thankful to God. They realize I am thankful for them. They're they're going to be somebody that that they are going to be going to pray for them. They're going to not just realize well I'm thankful for him.

But it is something there were Paul he had not just a heart that had them for people. They look as he said I'm thankful for you. And you're always in my heart. But then he could look at him. And he says in the reason I'm here in my heart is because I'm praying for you always caring for you.

He Paul doesn't think about people. He just didn't wonder about people. He just didn't consider people. He prayed for people a lot of times. How many people do you have in your your your life that maybe you're not thankful for them.

Well if you're not thankful for me you're probably not praying for me either. You know sometimes you know and my nature is I can look at somebody and say well I don't pray for you but I pray about you you know or something.

But Paul was somebody he says I pray for you. And there's a huge difference when there are people. If we are thankful for people then you will automatically you'll pray for them. And if you have a difficult time praying for people you probably having a difficult I'm being thankful for people.

James 5 James writes. And you notice his confession confess your faults one to another. And he says and pray for one another that she may be healed. He Paul says pray for each other that God will work within your lives.

And the thing here is that friends are not only people that that are thankful for each other. They pray for each other. They intercede for each other. Okay. You know with Aaron and her. You know the story coast of course with Moses when Exodus 17 and begins his and then came Amalek and fought with Israel and Moses spoke unto Joshua and he says take out.

You know the men gather them together and Aaron and her and I we're gonna go up in the mountain and you take you know the army down in the valley and you'll fight. But then they went up in the hill and Moses had the rod of God in his hand.

It tells us when the rod was held high when Moses just lifted up and interceding offering up himself and the people to God there that says when Moses held the rod of God high Israel prevailed. But is he tired and the hand was down.

It's his Amalek prevailed and then Aaron and her. It says one got on one side and the other on the other side and they lifted up his hands. Until you know the battle was won as Moses was weary. But there they came alongside.

They know what it was to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Know what it is to do to pray. And I don't think. Sometimes we realize how that that seems to touch God's heart when he sees people that pray for others they care for each other.

One of the most interesting phenomena I thought suppose that there is about prayer in the Bible is the Lord says when two or more you agree on earth touching anything. Do it when you can come. And there is an agreement that happens when you know you and you come to me with it and you know I it moves my heart.

I love it. I think God's so used to seeing his kids. We come. God I need this God I want this God. How come when you know come on. But when but when somebody else it's not like our own kids sometimes when they're young and grown up.

Daddy can I daddy how about when please. And I don't know how much we listen as parents but I I have three sons and when the two of them would bring the third and say dad would you please do this for him.

Sit there and say all right. What are you guys up to. Don't get with this. See three of them unified to see three of them coming and and two of them laying hands in a sense on the other green not for themselves but for somebody that they love.

God loves to see us brought together that that would motivate me to say look I don't even really want to give it to you. And it's probably a bad decision. But just seeing you guys care for each other like this you can have it you know.

And and I don't know what you're gonna do with a stick of dynamite but have fun. But anyway no but the or whatever else. But the point of it is is that when we when we realize that what it is to intercede and what it is to care and to pray for one another.

I've had a friend that I've had for over 40 years grew up with him and yesterday he called me. And we've been through a lot of times through our lives he stills in and out of contact is in different levels and things.

But we have a great love for each other. And yesterday he called me and told me that he found cancer in his lung. And in here it was unlike any conversation we've ever had and we've had a lot of conversation spiritually and there's been a lot of time a lot of scripture a lot of sharing.

But there was something there that just was so real. And you realize this is out of man's hands in it this is in God's hands. And in here I not only I look there is somebody that I'm very thankful for but they're also realize the opportunity before we hung up to pray for him.

And then I to tell him I won't cease to pray for you. I can't know I won't stop praying for you. And when we have something you know when we when you care for people you you pray for people. And Paul had this this heart and this is a great fundamental ingredients of a godly person.

Do we are we thankful for them. Do we pray for them. And in verse 11 he says for I long to see you that I may impart to you some spiritual gift that to the end you may be established. You know people that are thankful for people pray for people.

And people that pray for people long for people. In poem Paul says longing there you know I'd be in in Philippians Paul says I long for you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. In other words this is something when Paul says there is the people he's gonna write this tremendous letter to.

Why did God give him the letter. Why did God give him these great truths. Why did God give to Paul one of the greatest you know things ever written the book of Romans and I don't believe was just any little coincidence.

He just happened to be the right guy came along at the right time. And God wanted to send a letter somebody here you got the time you can write here send it. No I think there was somebody that because God was giving the some of these great truths to somebody that was thankful for people he loved people he prayed for people he longed for them.

Do you ever have something happen where for another person ever had something that can maybe happen in your life. To where you literally when Paul says how I long for you in the bowels of Jesus Christ the pit of your stomach is what he's in something that it literally in the pit of your stomach it just grabs you emotionally.

It is so profound. This is how Paul when he thought of people when he cared for people when he was thankful for people and when he prayed for people he says hi long for you. They weren't just statistics.

They weren't just people. They were people that he deeply cared for that he deeply wanted to see happen in Romans 9. Later on Paul is gonna write and he's gonna tell him in this very letter he says for I wish I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren my kinsmen according to the flesh.

Paul looked at these people that everybody else could hate these Jews that were so hostile and angry and trying to destroy the church his brethren. But he looked at him and he said you know I I wish God could take my name out of the Lamb's Book of Life and write their name in it.

Now that is a remarkable thing. Think about that think about. Is there anybody in the world that you care for you long for so much. I mean we look there. We're kind of like again the guys out there in the forest you know.

Hey you're a great buddy. But when the grizzly bears coming I'm sorry I got a run. Yeah it's your me. But to think there that Paul looks there and he says I could wish myself accursed for my brethren's sake.

They would know God. There's a man who longs. There is a man who sees people with the heart of God because you see that's exactly God's heart. God long for people. So much is he let his son be accursed for our sake.

And when God can implant this kind of a heart within us. Do I long for people. Do I care for people. Is this in my heart for people. And it is something there were. You know Paul had this a great love a great care a great compassion.

You know for people. Read a story of a couple of fellows back in World War one. Actually. But they growing up they were inseparable so much so as they enlisted in the army together they trained together they were shipped overseas together they fought side-by-side in the trenches.

And one time during an attack one of them was out of the out of the trenches trying to get over to another one and he was shot and laid out there dying. And there was no way anybody could possibly even dream to getting who.

He's a sitting duck but just laying there dying in front of him. And this buddy he started to get up to go out. And the sergeant comes over and grabs him. He pulls him back in. He says I order you don't go.

There's nothing you can do for him except for you will just die trying. And so at the moment the sergeant turned around to go this fella still jumped right out ran out there and grabbed his. His buddy coming back.

He was mortally wounded here either by the way. And his buddy had already died. He comes back and he by the time he gets him back his buddy is dying is dead. He's dying. The sergeant is both angry and yet moved.

And he says why why did you do this. And he says it was such a waste of your life and of his and yet. And then he says oh no his last words you know we're not a waste. He said his last words out of his mouth he said when I got to him the sergeant the only thing he said was I knew you would come Jim.

There was something there that he looked at his friend and realized I've got somebody in the world that I know he'll come. And Paul was that kind of guy he looked at people and he so loved them he so cared for them that he was going to get to him one way or another.

He was going to pray for him he was going to intercede he was going to reach out. He was going to find a way to make a trip to my long to be with you that I can impart something to you. And when these are the type of people so often we want to get to a letter and study it and learn the Greek and study the Hebrew and learn how to parse the sentence and do all sorts of things when they come to the deeper meaning.

But so often the people that the deepest meaning really comes to are the ones that find themselves sitting before God and saying make me this type of a person. One time many years ago I am in Mary very long and at the time I was over one night gene our day.

I can't whether it's day or night now but it my mother and father-in-law's house. And while we're there the phone rang and it was Wilbur Smith. Now some of you may have heard and know that name is very good friend of my father-in-law's they prayed together.

Billy Graham once said about Wilbur Smith he never man who knew the Bible better in all the world than Wilbur Smith. He was a brilliant man at the Bible. But he called and my mother-in-law answer the phone she's so high and she and my father-in-law he was kind of said put out his hand that take the phone and and because it was always you know calling to talk to him and he's holding his hand out there and and she says oh just a minute let me get you Phil or something he and she says oh oh oh oh you know she just kind of several times said yes well oh yeah okay you know or whatever.

And then she says yes and by to you you know and hangs up the phone and we're looking at this thing and and said there what was that. He says you know what what was that conversation. She said well it was Wilbur and he asked me if I pray for him and I said you know what you know.

And and he said well I'm tired I'm starting to teach Romans again he says I've already taught the book over 50 times in my life I know it very well but as I was studying to this time the Lord put you on my heart and asked told me to call you and ask you to pray for me as I teach this book because he spoke to me and he said you do not know it as well as Marguerite Anderson.

And there was something I think that when we find sometimes I mean look at this guy he boy he knew it on one level but he looked at her and he says I don't know it like you. And when there is something within us that we sing God I want your word not just in my mind I wanted to penetrate my heart what makes me tick.

Who am I when I think of people when I think of the world when I think of the frustrations or I think of what happens in life. Am I somebody that before God so deeply I want to be a thankful person. I want to be somebody I'm a prayerful person.

I want to long for other people. These are the ingredients I believe that made Paul so much of what what Paul. Paul was even like Moses had this kind of a heart it reveals to me why God chose Moses in so many ways.

When one time God even you know it is upset with the children of Israel and he says Moses step aside. I'm gonna just destroy him. That's it. And Moses I'm sure God knowing exactly you know what was in Moses his heart but allowing a situation for Moses to have some wonderful work happen within him where something rose up within Moses his heart he comes back before God he says wait a minute.

God if blot my name out of your book not theirs. And I think God looked and he says that's what I was looking for you care. And Moses he could get angry and he could be frustrated and he was at times.

But he was somebody there that he he knew what it was to long for people. Paul knew what it was to long for people not in the end because he longed for me also encouraged him. In verse 12 it says. And that is he says that I may come again that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

He looks at me so I'm just long. I'm just looking together for us just to be together our faith talking about it sharing together. Being comforted in the word there it suggested means encouraged. He said I could just to get with you and just have something that we start talking.

I know it'll be so encouraging to be with you. I know it'll be so wonderful if I could just get there and we could just sit down and we could talk and we could be together. I got so many so many things that I know would just be such a wonderful time we could have.

Paul was the type of guy I think sometimes when he looked at people he there he did it was everybody he saw was almost like a saint or it was somebody who didn't know that that that's what God's plan for him was yet and he could just look at him to say.

I got so many things to tell you. If you'll just let me talk to you if you'll let me share a little bit I can tell you what God thinks about you and what he's got for you and what he's got to give you.

The mutual faith is the way I can share it and I can I want to come I want to be there with you. Paul is the type of guy you know that you all would always hope I suppose to be around with you when you're in trouble you look at this guy if ever there's somebody might want to call on.

When you're down you realize this guy no matter where he was he had hope he could be in anything and he had encouragement and he had a message and he had a heart and half the time when he write these letters he'd be in prison he'd be in chains.

But when you wrote the letter you thought you'd think he's sitting on Tahiti you know out on the beach you know with the waves coming in with you know with somebody playing music and while he's saying let me write a letter what will I say that they're so beautiful they're so powerful and yet here he's in prison and he's suffering and he's going through terrible things and yet it's like Paul could you say let me think about people and he could sit there in prison and all of a sudden in his trials he runs.

I'm so thankful for these people they're so wonderful and I pray for him and I long for him and I want to encourage them. I got some for him and I think most of people when they get one of Paul's letters and he's so positive so overwhelmingly wonderful.

Paul's the type of guy to me you'd read his letter and you'd almost think you know Jesus Lord why can't I be in prison like Paul you know or something it's sort of a thing this guy's got it made look at what he put what.

Why does Paul get to go to all the prisons you know or something. He was a guy that he had so said victory was so deep and so real within him it had nothing to do with any external situation. And you'd get around a guy like this and you just look at him and just say talk to me.

I don't care what you say. I know you love me. I know you care and I know you if you'll pray for me. And when we are somebody that we would long to be like that if you can because Paul was somebody just encouraged and he loved and he enjoyed people.

In verse 13 he says now I would not have you ignorant brethren how that oftentimes I purpose to come unto you and I led some other place that I might have some fruit among you also I've been wanting to come and I'd have some fruit as I just wish I could.

You could just see how much Paul was this type of a guy that he just seemed to enjoy people. He seems like the ultimate Christian socialite you know sort of a guy this they did. He loved being around people.

And the amazing thing about this is this was not what he was. Paul was a guy that when you look back at his life before you want to meet a guy who hated people and hated life. People were the major irritation in the world for him.

He loved to make people miserable. And so often we sometimes maybe think well you know I'm not real outgoing. I'm not real sociable. It's one of my things. I mean I I do love people but and I'm kind of thankful for him.

But but we have this thing. Well God made me different. I'm not one of these social people. I'm not outgoing you know I'm a single you know my only child. I have only child syndrome and you know or something and you know only child I was just told you know to speak when you're spoken to and they never spoke to me.