+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
__________
A reading from Romans: Romans 16:1-2 (NLT)
Phoebe (1st century) was a deaconess of the Church at Cenchreae, the port of Corinth.
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.
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Conclusion: The providence of God in the ministry of Paul (Romans 15:14–16:27)
Paul takes the Roman church into his confidence about the salient characteristics of his ministry… giving us insight into the outworking of God’s providence in his life and work.
His commendation and greetings (Romans 16:1–16)
‘I think’, wrote Chrysostom, ‘that many even of those who have the appearance of being extremely good men, hasten over this part of the epistle as superfluous …Yet’, he went on, ‘the gold founders’ people are careful even about the little fragments …it is possible even from bare names to find a great treasure.’
1. A commendation (1–2)
It seems very likely that Phoebe was entrusted with the responsible task of carrying Paul’s letter to its destination in Rome, although other business was apparently taking her to the city as well, perhaps commerce or ‘quite probably a law suit’. So she needed a ‘letter of commendation’ to take with her, which would introduce her to the Christians in Rome. Such letters were common in the ancient world, and necessary to protect people from charlatans. They are several times mentioned in the New Testament.
In his testimonial for Phoebe Paul asks the Roman church both to receive her, giving her a worthy Christian welcome and hospitality, and to give her any help she may need, as a stranger in the capital city, presumably in connection with her other business. Before and after these requests Paul supplies some information about Phoebe, ‘so placing on each side of the needs of this blessed woman’, writes Chrysostom, ‘her praises’. Indeed, he goes on, ‘see how many ways he takes to give her dignity’.
First, he calls her our sister, ‘and it is no slight thing to be called the sister of Paul’.
Secondly, he acknowledges her as a servant (‘minister’, REB; or ‘deaconess’, RSV and NIV) of the church in Cenchrea, which was Corinth’s eastern port at the head of the Saronic Gulf.
Thirdly, she has been a great help to many people, including Paul…. Phoebe was evidently a woman of means, who had used her wealth to support the church and the apostle.
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“Come to the Banquet” – by Fay White
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
__________
A reading from Romans: Romans 15:30-33 (NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit. Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God. Pray also that the believers there will be willing to accept the donation I am taking to Jerusalem. Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.
And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you all. Amen.
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Conclusion: The providence of God in the ministry of Paul (Romans 15:14–16:27)
Paul takes the Roman church into his confidence about the salient characteristics of his ministry… giving us insight into the outworking of God’s providence in his life and work.
Prayer as a struggle (Romans 15:30-33)
Paul refers to prayer as a struggle: our need to wrestle with the principalities and powers of darkness; and/or an activity demanding great exertion, a struggle in fact with ourselves, in which we seek to align ourselves with God’s will.
Paul’s reference to the will of God in relation to prayer is very significant…. His use of this qualifying clause throws light on both the purpose and the character of prayer, on why and how Christians should pray.
The purpose of prayer is emphatically not to bend God’s will to ours, but rather to align our will to his. The promise that our prayers will be answered is conditional on our asking ‘according to his will’. Consequently every prayer we pray should be a variation on the theme, ‘Your will be done.’
What about the character of prayer? Is praying… ‘if it be your will’ a cop-out and incompatible with faith? In response, we need to distinguish between the general and the particular will of God. Since God has revealed his general will for all his people in Scripture (e.g. that we should control ourselves and become like Christ), we should indeed pray with definiteness and assurance about these things. But God’s particular will for each of us (e.g. regarding a life work and a life partner) has not been revealed in Scripture, so that, in praying for guidance, it is right to add ‘by God’s will’.
If Jesus himself did this in the garden of Gethsemane (‘Not my will, but yours be done’), and if Paul did it twice in his letter to the Romans, we should do it too. It is not unbelief, but a proper humility.
Prayer is an essential Christian activity, and it is good to ask people to pray for us and with us, as Paul did. But there is nothing automatic about prayer. Praying is not like using a coin-operated machine or a cash dispenser. The struggle involved in prayer lies in the process of coming to discern God’s will and to desire it above everything else. Then God will work things out providentially according to his will, for which we have prayed.
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“Let Your Kingdom Come” – Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
__________
A reading from Romans: Romans 15:23-32 (NLT)
But now I have finished my work in these regions, and after all these long years of waiting, I am eager to visit you. I am planning to go to Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have enjoyed your fellowship for a little while, you can provide for my journey.
But before I come, I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there. For you see, the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. They were glad to do this because they feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual blessings of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the least they can do in return is to help them financially. As soon as I have delivered this money and completed this good deed of theirs, I will come to see you on my way to Spain. And I am sure that when I come, Christ will richly bless our time together.
The Apostle Paul, Rembrandt van Rijn (and Workshop?) c. 1657 Widener Collection, National Gallery of Art Washington, DC
Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit. Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God. Pray also that the believers there will be willing to accept the donation I am taking to Jerusalem. Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.
Conclusion: The providence of God in the ministry of Paul (Romans 15:14–16:27)
Paul takes the Roman church into his confidence about the salient characteristics of his ministry… giving us insight into the outworking of God’s providence in his life and work.
His travel plans (Romans 15:23–32)
Paul now looks into the future and confides to the Romans his travel plans. He specifies three destinations. First, he is about to sail from Corinth to Jerusalem, taking with him the collection which he has long been organizing. Secondly, he is intending to go from Jerusalem to Rome, even though he will only be ‘passing through’ rather than settling down among them for an appreciable period. Thirdly, from Rome he will travel on to Spain, determined to resume his pioneer evangelistic commitment.
1. He plans to visit Rome (23–24)
Although Paul has so far been hindered from coming to Rome, now at last the time seems to be ripe for his long-awaited, long-postponed visit. A combination of three factors has facilitated it. First, his missionary service in the East Mediterranean zone is complete…. Second, he has been longing for many years to see them…. Third, he has come to see his visit to Rome as a stepping-stone to Spain…. Perhaps Paul hopes to establish an ongoing relationship with the Christians in Rome, so that they will continue to support him, as other churches have done previously. This conjunction of three factors must have presented itself to Paul as evidence of the providential guidance of God. It has led him to make plans to go to Rome. But first, he explains, he has another journey to make.
Paul’s voyage to Rome.
2. He plans to visit Jerusalem (25–27)
The facts may be simply stated. For Macedonia and Achaia (that is, the churches of northern and southern Greece respectively) were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem (26). In order to understand this, we need to think first about the poor in Jerusalem, and then about the Christians of Macedonia and Achaia.
First, no explanation is given of the cause of poverty in Jerusalem. It may have been caused partly by the ‘severe famine’ which Agabus predicted. But the plausible suggestion has also often been made that it was related to the economic sharing of the first church there…. Second, Paul writes that the Macedonian and Achaian Christians were pleased to make a contribution for the Jerusalem poor…. They did give freely and willingly, but only because Paul had urged them to do so!
It is right for Gentiles to acknowledge what they owe to the Jews. When we Gentiles are thinking of the great blessings of salvation, we are hugely in debt to the Jews, and always will be. Paul sees the offering from the Gentile churches as a humble, material, symbolic demonstration of this indebtedness.
3. He plans to visit Spain (28–29)
Having explained the facts and the significance of the offering, Paul now looks beyond its presentation in Jerusalem, and hopefully its acceptance, to the long westward journey which he plans then to undertake to Spain via Rome. So after “I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received” this expression of solidarity (offering), “I will go to Spain and visit you on the way” (28).
Whether he reached and evangelized Spain we shall probably never know. The nearest thing we have to evidence is the statement by Clement of Rome in his first letter to the Corinthians (usually dated AD 96–97) about Paul’s ‘noble renown’ as a herald of the gospel: ‘To the whole world he taught righteousness, and reaching the limits of the West he bore his witness before rulers.’
As Paul mentally prepares for his visit to Rome, however, he is full of assurance…. Paul’s confidence is not in himself but in Christ.
4. He requests prayer for his visits (30–32)
Paul refers to prayer as a struggle… our need to wrestle with the principalities and powers of darkness. .. and/or an activity demanding great exertion, a struggle in fact with ourselves, in which we seek to align ourselves with God’s will.
Two topics: first – for his protection and deliverance from his opponents… Paul knows he is in danger, even for his life; and second -for acceptance among believers… Paul longs that Jewish—Gentile solidarity in the body of Christ may be strengthened by the Jewish Christians’ acceptance of its tangible symbol (the offering).
Paul now requests prayer also for his visit to Rome. Indeed he sees the two visits to be inseparably connected. Only if his mission in Jerusalem succeeds will his voyage to Rome be possible. So he asks the Romans to pray that he may be protected and his gift accepted in Jerusalem, not only because these things are important in themselves, but also so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed (32).
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“Send the Light”
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
__________
A reading from Romans: Romans 15:14-22 (NLT)
I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them. Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace, I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit. So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them. They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.
My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, “Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.”
In fact, my visit to you has been delayed so long because I have been preaching in these places.
__________
Conclusion: The providence of God in the ministry of Paul (Romans 15:14–16:27)
Paul takes the Roman church into his confidence about the salient characteristics of his ministry… giving us insight into the outworking of God’s providence in his life and work.
His apostolic service (Romans 15:14–22)
Paul begins by… assuring them that he knows and appreciates their qualities — their kindness, extensive Christian knowledge and proven ability to teach and admonish one another. Paul has written to them 1. to remind them of the original message of the Gospel, calling them back to it; and 2. of his special vocation, by God’s grace alone, to be the apostle to the Gentiles, as follows:
1. Paul’s ministry was a priestly ministry (16–17)
Although Paul’s priestly ministry as apostle to the Gentiles was unique, the principle he enunciates has a vital contemporary application. All evangelists are priests, because they offer their converts to God. Indeed, it is this truth more than any other which effectively unites the church’s two major roles of worship and witness. It is when we worship God, glorying in his holy name, that we are driven out to proclaim his name to the world. And when through our witness people are brought to Christ, we then offer them to God. Further, they themselves join in his worship, until they too go out to witness. Thus worship leads to witness, and witness to worship. It is a perpetual cycle.
2. Paul’s ministry was a powerful ministry (18–19a)
Paul alludes to at least five features of his ministry: 1. Its objective is to lead the Gentiles to obey God; 2. He is Christ’s agent or instrument, Christ working ‘through’ him and Christ receiving the glory; 3. What Christ has accomplished has been by what Paul have said and done… words explain works, but works dramatize words; 4. Christ’s ministry through Paul was by the power of signs and miracles; and 5. Paul’s ministry was also through the power of the Spirit… including both physical miracles… and the power of the Word of God… in the minds, hearts, consciences and wills of the hearers. Every conversion is a power encounter, in which the Spirit through the gospel rescues and regenerates sinners.
3. Paul’s ministry was a pioneer ministry (19b–22)
Paul succinctly and modestly summarizes ten years of strenuous apostolic labor, including his three heroic missionary journeys…. Paul’s own calling and gift as apostle to the Gentiles were to pioneer the evangelization of the Gentile world, and then leave to others, especially to local, residential presbyters, the pastoral care of the churches…. On the one hand, because he was concentrating on pioneer evangelism elsewhere, he was not free to come to the Roman church. On the other hand, because the Roman church had not been founded by him, he did not feel at liberty to come and stay. Soon, however, as he is about to explain, he will visit them, since he will only be ‘passing through’ on his way to the unevangelized field of Spain.
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“I Will Go”
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
__________
A reading from Romans: Romans 14:13-23 (NLT)
So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.
I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.
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The will of God for changed relationships: (Romans 12:1–15:13)
All believers, irrespective of their ethnic origin, are brothers and sisters in the one international family of God, and so all have precisely the same vocation to be the holy, committed, humble, loving and conscientious people of God.
(Romans 14:1-15:13) Our relationship to the weak: welcoming, and not despising, judging or offending them
If we are trying to picture a weaker brother or sister, we must not envisage a vulnerable Christian easily overcome by temptation, but a sensitive Christian full of indecision and scruples. What the weak lack is not strength of self-control but liberty of conscience.
2. The negative consequences (Romans 14:2–15:13)
(b) Do not offend or destroy the weaker person (14:13b-23)
Two additional theological foundations:
(i) Welcome him because he is your brother for whom Christ died (14–16)
If your brother is distressed (feels grief and even pain) because of what you eat, not only because he sees you doing something of which he disapproves, but because he is induced to follow your example against his conscience, you are no longer acting in love, no longer walking the path of love. For love never disregards weak consciences. Love limits its own liberty out of respect for them.
Paul’s warning is that the strong who mislead the weak to go against their consciences will seriously damage their Christian discipleship. He urges the strong against causing such injury to the weak. Do not allow what you consider good (i.e. the liberty you have found in Christ) to be spoken of as evil, because you flaunt it to the detriment of the weak.
(ii) Welcome him because the kingdom of God is more important than food (17–21)
The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit…. Our responsibility is to seek to build up the fellowship, not to tear it down. And in particular we must not tear it down for the sake of food.
So it would be evil for the strong to use their liberty to harm the weak. Alternatively, it would be good for the strong (Paul drives the argument to its logical conclusion) to eat no meat and drink no wine, that is, to become vegetarians and total abstainers, and to go to any other extreme of renunciation, if that were necessary to serve the welfare of the weak.
Paul concludes (22–23) by drawing a distinction between belief and action, that is, between private conviction and public behavior.
There is no need either to parade your [private] views or to impose them on other people. As for public behavior, there are two options: 1. The strong Christian is blessed because his conscience approves of his eating everything, so that he can follow his conscience without any guilt feelings. 2. The weak Christian who is plagued with misgivings because his conscience gives him vacillating signals, is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith… is sin.
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“Let Your Kingdom Come” – Sovereign Grace
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Peanut Gallery 