Okay, now, coming back to Romans,
Romans chapter 15, we'll bring this lesson today from verse
15. I hope to get down through verse
21, but one of the things I like about a continuing study, if
we don't get that far, we'll just come back and look at it
again next week. Now, we're back where we left
off. At verse 15, Paul was a determined
preacher of the gospel. He was a determined preacher
of the gospel, and he certainly was not ashamed of the gospel,
was not ashamed to preach the gospel everywhere he went. He had but one message, and that
one message was all around. You remember he said, I'm determined
to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He was a determined preacher
of the gospel. I'm not ashamed to declare it.
Remember in Romans 1, verse 16, he said, I'm not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ. For the gospel of Christ is the
power of God unto salvation to everyone that is blessed to believe
it. Now, verse 15, nevertheless,
it is needful, brethren. He's writing to these believers,
brethren, the church family, I've written boldly, the more
boldly unto you in some sort, putting you in mind or making
you mindful, because of the grace of God given to me, because of
the grace that is given to me, and this grace is of God. Now, there's no grace revealed
in the Scripture, but sovereign grace. This grace of God, it
is of Him in its origin. It's an everlasting grace. It's
a sovereign grace. It's calling grace. It's fetching
grace. It's saving grace. But Paul says
here, he was a writer of Holy Scripture. He was not only a
preacher of the gospel, but he was one blessed of God and chosen
of God to write Holy Scripture. Now, when we read Holy Scripture
in these different epistles of Paul, we know that he's writing
Not just out of his whim and out of his mind and out of what
he thinks, but he's writing according to the dictation of God the Holy
Spirit. Where he writes in 2 Timothy
3.16, all scripture is given of God and it is good and it
is profitable. So Paul was blessed to be a writer. a writer of the Word of God. Aren't we blessed to have his
epistles that God gave him to the Romans, Ephesians, Galatians,
these different epistles that we have? What a blessing it's
been to the church. But he said, I write boldly Because
God has given me these words, and He did boldly write, and
His writings, and the Word of God, the Scriptures, what do
they do? They put us in mind, don't they?
The Word of God, when we read it, corrects our wrong thoughts. You know, by nature, left to
ourselves, all of our thoughts of God are totally wrong. Our Lord said, you thought I
was altogether such as one as yourself. Left to ourselves,
all of our thinking about God and the gospel is totally contrary
to what's revealed in this book. That's why the Holy Spirit, through
the Apostle Paul, write boldly unto us to correct our thinking,
to put you in mind. Now, It is good to have your thinking
corrected, is it not? I don't want to trust my thoughts,
I want to trust His Word. You see, through thy precepts
we get understanding, right? Therefore, you remember the rest
of that verse? Through thy precepts I get understanding,
therefore I hate every false way. Being put in mind of the
gospel of God makes us despise everything that contrary to the
gospel of God. Because he said, here's the cause,
here's the cause of this. The cause of this, is the grace
of God given unto me. Paul was chosen in that covenant
of grace. He was made a preacher and an
apostle by the grace of God. And as I said earlier, there
is no grace but sovereign grace. He will have mercy on whom he
will have mercy. As God, the grace of God that
comes from him has to reflect his character, Like His mercy,
sovereign mercy, sovereign grace. That's what He said, it's given
to me of God. And all and every believer can
harmonize with the Apostle Paul when he says, I am what I am
by His grace. It's through the grace of God
that we believe the gospel. Now, he writes about his ministry
in verse 16, you see that? Now I love this word, how it's
used in scripture, that. You see that, that. The grace
of God has given to me that, that I should be a minister or
the minister of Jesus Christ. Now that word can also be rendered
servant. You remember Romans 1.1, how
this epistle began? Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ. Now that's a high, high title,
is it not? To be a servant, a minister,
a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord calls himself
a minister, does he not? He said, I didn't come to be
ministered unto, but to minister and to give my life a ransom
for many. Remember the Lord Jesus Christ is also called, God says
of him, he's my elect and he's my servant, my elect and whom
I so love it, that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ,
a servant of Jesus Christ, serving his people. Now notice this,
to the Gentiles, to the Gentiles, Now, the Jews of old, they didn't
have any use. They didn't have any use for
the Gentile people whatsoever. They considered that whole race
nothing but a reprobate race, nothing but an infidel race,
and for the most part, they were. God, thank God, he has his elect
among the Gentiles, and to call them out, God raised up a special
servant. To specifically minister to those
who are the elect of God among the Gentiles. Ministering the
gospel of God. Now what do we minister? What
do we preach? The gospel of God. What is the
gospel of God all about? Well, we have to go back all
the way to Romans 1. Verse three, concerning his son,
Jesus Christ the Lord, made of the seed of David, but declared
to be the son of God, according to the power of God, the Holy
Spirit. You see what he's saying here,
that I should be a minister, ministering the gospel of God.
that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable to God, acceptable
to God, being sanctified. They're not accepted or acceptable
apart from being sanctified by God, the Holy Spirit. Now, Paul
was a minister of Jesus Christ. Now, let's find the scripture
here. Find 2 Corinthians 3. He was a minister of Jesus Christ. Now, notice in 2 Corinthians
3, verse 5, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything
of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God, who also had made
us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter,
talking about the law, but of the spirit, for the letter killeth
but the Spirit giveth life. Paul did not preach the deeds
of the law for salvation. Remember in Romans chapter 3,
by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. He was
not a minister of the law. A minister of the law and those
who would point you to the law for salvation, that's the ministry
of, he calls it the ministry of death. We're not ministries
and preaching the ministry of the law. We're preaching the
ministry. We're pointing sinners to the
Lord Jesus Christ, who is life. That I should be a minister of
the gospel by the grace of God. You remember Paul's testimony.
Let's turn over here to 1 Timothy 1, and let's see if we can remind
ourselves And I'll put you in mind of what Paul says of his
own self. This is 1 Timothy chapter 1. According verse 11 according
to the gospel the glorious gospel of the blessed God Some have
rightly said this could be the blessed the blessed gospel of
the glory of God Which was committed to my trust. I thank Jesus Christ
our Lord who enabled me for that. He counted me Faithful putting
me into the ministry who is before a blasphemer a persecutor and
injurious but I obtained mercy because I did it in ignorance
and unbelief. and the grace of God and the
grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love
which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners and He said, I'm the chief, I'm the chief
one. So, we are what we are by God's
grace and Paul, his ministry, his conversion is nothing short
of a miracle of God's grace. And that's true of every believer
today. It's a miracle that you're here. It's a miracle if you're here
and believe the gospel of the grace of God. There's not many
people who do. There's not many people who do.
The Apostle Paul was raised up to be an apostle to the Gentiles.
You remember we read that? Turn back a couple pages. Romans
11. Romans 11. Verse 13, For I speak to you
Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify
my office. So God raised this man up specially. We know He replaced Judas, right? He raised up the apostle Paul,
and sent him specifically to the elect of God, in the Gentile
world, we read in 2 Timothy 1, he says, 2 Timothy 1, 11, 1,
2, I am appointed a preacher and an apostle, a teacher of
the Gentiles. Now, thank God, we've benefited
so much from the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Now we have
from Peter and John and James, but these epistles of Paul, they
are tailored to meet our very need and to magnify the Lord
Jesus Christ. In Acts chapter 15, when Saul
of Tarsus met the Lord, and the Lord said unto Ananias, remember? He said, go thy way. Ananias
said, wait a minute, I've heard a lot about Saul of Tarsus. He's
the fellow that's going around killing everybody that names
the name of Christ. And you want me to go talk to
him? You remember Acts chapter 9, but the Lord said to Ananias,
go thy way, he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before
the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel, he preached
to the Jews too, for I will show him how great things he must
suffer for my name's sake. And this man Now, why did God
send him? You know, he was blessed of God,
chosen, had this special ministry, was an apostle, this special
man, a chosen vessel. And when you read his story through
his ministry in the book of Acts, he was hated, he was hunted,
he was hounded, he was beaten with rods, whipped, stoned, shipwrecked. Ah, he had so many trials. But
the Lord, all through those trials, He said, my grace is sufficient. It's sufficient. I love what
Paul says down in verse 19. He said, through mighty signs
and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem
round about Illyricum I fully preach the gospel of Christ.
He fully preached the gospel of Christ. What is it to fully
preach the gospel of Christ? You can't preach the gospel without
fully preaching the gospel of Christ. To fully preach the gospel
of Christ is to set forth His person, who He is, and His redeeming
work. That's fully preaching the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, He said, Woe is unto
me if I don't preach the gospel. It is the gospel of God that's
the power of God unto salvation. Turn just a couple pages. Remember
1 Corinthians? talking about this gospel, this
gospel, that's the power of God unto salvation. Look at verse 18, 1 Corinthians
1, 18. He said, for the preaching of
the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which
are saved, it is the power of God. Now, the power of God, what
does it take to raise a dead sinner? from the grave of his
spiritual deadness and make him a new creature in Christ. Well,
just turn over a new leaf. It takes the power of God to
raise a dead sinner. You have he quickened who were
dead. It is the power of God. Look
down at verse 22. This is 1 Corinthians 1.22. For
the Jews require a sign, the Greeks seek after wisdom, but
we preach Christ crucified. Unto the Jews it's a stumbling
block. Unto the religious man, the self-righteous man, Christ
crucified. He said, I don't need a substitute
to die for my sin. I can take care of the sin question
myself. Unto the Greeks it's just mere
foolishness. the wise man. But unto them which
are called, both Jews and Greek, Christ the power of God and Christ
the wisdom of God." It is the power of God that causes us to
believe the gospel. We only believe according to
the working of His mighty power. Now look back at Romans 15-16. The last part of verse 16, that,
he said, I'm a minister to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel,
that the offering up or the sacrificing up of the Gentiles might be acceptable
being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, that the sinner converted
and made a new creature in Christ through the ministry of the Word
and the Gospel, the Gospel being preached, might be accepted before
God in the Beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's through
the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Now, what do I mean by
that? Let's see if we can get some
help on this. Let's find 2 Thessalonians, 2
Thessalonians chapter 2. There is a necessity of that
work of the Holy Spirit in the new birth and in regeneration.
In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13, we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through, there's
that work of the sanctification, the sanctification of the spirit
and the sanctification of the spirit, the sanctifying work
of the spirit leads us to believe the gospel. whereinto he called
you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, if you look back at 1 Thessalonians
1 verse 4, Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God,
for our gospel came not unto you in word only, it did come
in word, Paul went everywhere preaching the gospel. but also
in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you
know what manner of men we were among you for your sake." Remember
what our Lord said about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in
John chapter 16? What is the chief office of God
the Holy Spirit? He said it's to take the things
of Christ and to show them unto you. The chief office of God
the Holy Spirit is to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ within
our heart. That's what we call the sanctification
of the Spirit. God making us new creatures in
Christ. And when that happens, We believe
the gospel and we love where we fall in love with the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now look at verse 17. I have
therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those
things which pertain to God. Now Paul gets right back on his
favorite subject. What is it? The glory of God. I have therefore whereof I may
glory, see verse 17, through Jesus Christ in those things
which pertain to God. Now that word glory can be rendered,
we rejoice, we boast in those things that pertain to the gospel
of God. Now if you look back at chapter
15 verse 6 and 7, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify
God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, receive
ye one another, as Christ also received us unto the glory of
God." It's no wonder that the gospel of God is called the gospel
of His glory. You know, in Ephesians chapter
1, every time when Paul describes the work of the triune God in
the Father choosing us to the praise of the glory of His grace,
When he talks about the Son redeeming us, it's to the praise of the
glory of His grace. And then when he talks about
the sanctifying work and the sealing work, revealing work
of God the Holy Spirit, he says it's all to the praise of the
glory of His grace, His grace alone. And then we know that
scripture that Paul uses In Galatians 6.14, God forbid I should glory
say in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. I have therefore
whereof I may glory, but only through the Lord Jesus Christ
in those things that pertain to God. Now, what are those things
that pertain to God? everything in regard to spiritual
blessing that we have received in Christ. But of him are you
in Christ Jesus, who God has made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption, that according as it is written,
he that with glory, let him glory only in the Lord. Now let's see
if we can take a look at verse 18. For I will not dare I will
not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not
wrought by me, worked in me, through me, to make the Gentiles
obedient by word, and that's the preaching of the word, and
in deed, and in truth." Now, Paul was thankful for the ministry
of others, other apostles. You remember John, Peter, and
James. But he would not take credit
for their ministry, nor would he say that I'm going to build
upon their ministry. But he was quick to point out
that he was indeed thankful for what God was pleased to do through
his ministry. Through Paul's ministry, God
wrought Mighty miracles and grace through him, as it says in verse
19, through mighty signs and wonders
by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem unto
Lyricum I fully preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we'll close with this, but
turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 3. Our time is gone, but let's
look at this right here about the ministry that Paul had and
how God blessed his ministry. He said, I glory in those things
that God wrought by me in the ministry. Now look at 1 Corinthians
chapter 3 verse 5, who then is Paul and who is apostle, but
ministers by whom you believe. ministers by whom you believe.
Even as the Lord gave to every man, I have planted, Apollos
watered, but God gave the increase. So then, neither is he that planteth
anything, neither is he that watereth anything, but it's God
that gives the increase." You see what he's saying there? I
only glory in those things that Christ wrought by me to make
us obedient. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of His power.