Let us all pray. Again, our gracious Heavenly Father, we are before Thee. Thy Word is open before us. We do confess that we need the help of the Holy Spirit as we come to read and study and meditate upon Thy Word. I pray that Thou will take this Word and apply it powerfully to every single one of our hearts. Do draw near and go with us. Grant us that enablement that we need, and to Thee be the glory. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Let us turn in our Bibles once again to Paul's epistle to the Romans, chapter 1. I want to read again just a small portion of the chapter that we read earlier in the service. From verse number 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 request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift. To the end ye may be established, that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith, both of you and me." We have commenced to study together the prayers of the Apostle Paul recorded in the New Testament. These are the petitions that are found within the various epistles that were written to certain churches, such as the church at Rome, the church at Corinth, and so on, and also individual believers, Timothy, Titus, Philemon. When we come to the prayer before us today, in Romans chapter 1, it is somewhat unclear whether it was in fact the actual prayer that he offered, or if he was referring to the way in which he usually remembered them before the throne of grace. In other words, a reference to the kinds of petitions that he normally made on their behalf. But whichever it is, and I feel that it's not so important, whatever it is, what is vital to note is the basic and blessed fact that Paul did pray for them. Now we should understand that the Apostle Paul was a stranger to the saints at Rome. He had never visited them. He hadn't been there. It wasn't because he didn't want to be there. He intended to visit. He had tried to visit and was hindered. But he was going to attempt to see them in the near future. We find that, for example, from verse 10 of Romans chapter 1, where he speaks of making requests that he might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. And you'll see in verse 15, it is his desire, as much as in me is, he says, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. It is his desire to visit them. He wants to impart spiritual benefit to them. And if we go further in the book of Romans, to chapter 15 to be exact, from verse 22 Romans 15 verse 22, we read here, For which cause also I have been much hindered, and that means really many ways or often times, hindered from coming to you. But now, having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you, whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you, for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company." So, it is certainly Paul's intention to visit them. Nevertheless, though he had not seen them in the flesh, Paul's heart was moved to pray for the Roman Christians. By the way, there are several recorded prayers of the Apostle Paul for them in other parts of this epistle. We have been already in chapter 15, if you were to look at verses 5 and 6 of that chapter, and we will note this in due course. He says there, Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus, that ye may with one mind and one mouth Glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then down in verse 13 of Romans 15, Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. And then in chapter 16 from verse 24, We have these words, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest by the scriptures of the prophets according to the commandment of the everlasting God made known to all nations for the obedience of faith to God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ forever." Now these were the desires that Paul felt for them but they are written in the form of a doxology as salutations or benedictions if you like but they are prayers However, we want to concentrate on that prayer mentioned in the very first chapter. In Romans chapter 1 from verse 8 to verse 12 we note the following things about the praying of Paul for the Roman Christians. First of all, there is the manner of his praying and we must stop to comment here that there is a right and proper way to offer prayer. Therefore, there is also a wrong way to offer prayer. How do you know? Well, we recall the request of the disciples to our Lord Jesus in the days of His flesh. In Luke chapter 11 and verse number 1, the scripture records, and it came to pass that as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples. Teach us to pray. And it was an answer to that request that the Lord said to them, when ye pray, say, and then you have the words of the disciples prayer or the Lord's prayer. And you have the full version of it in Matthew chapter 6 And our Lord, interestingly, on that occasion, says in distinction from the heathen, by way of contrast to the heathen, you are to pray in this manner. There's a right way to pray, there's a wrong way to pray. When you pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do. There are folks who think that you have to have beads to pray. Even the Muslims have beads that they use to pray. Some Buddhists, I think, use some kind of a method of prayer like that. When you pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them. You're not to pray the way they do. For your father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him. After this manner, therefore, pray ye. Our Father which art in heaven hallowed by thy name and so on. This is a pattern prayer. The Lord is teaching on the subject of prayer. There is, I say, a right way to seek God. One thing we notice about Paul's praying right away in Romans chapter 1 verse 8 and that is his plea in prayer. First, I thank my God. My God! You will see here, God was a living reality to Paul. God wasn't a concept. He wasn't an idea. He wasn't an abstract notion. He did not just believe in God. You meet people all the time who say, Oh, I believe in God. I believe in God. I believe in a Supreme Being. Well, Paul certainly believed in God, but he didn't just believe in a God or give lip service to the idea of the existence of a Supreme Being. For him it wasn't just God as an abstract idea or a concept but he actually drew near to a living personal God with whom he was in union. A God whom he viewed as his own God. First I thank my God And you need to be able to say that today. If you're going to really pray, you need to realize that you are, in fact, in covenant union with the true and the living God. Paul pleaded that covenant relationship. We know that God is in covenant with His people. Way back in Genesis chapter 17 and verse 7, There is mention made of the establishing of God's covenant with His people, particularly and precisely here, Abraham, or Abram as he was then. Genesis 17 verse 7, And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant. But notice this covenant. What is involved in it? What is it to be in covenant with God? To be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. And I will be their God. So that the people of Israel could say, My God. This is a covenant plea, a covenant relationship. We learn more about this further on in the Old Testament. In Exodus chapter 6 and verse 7, God says, And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God. And ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. There is that covenant relationship and throughout the Old Testament you will see that there were many who used this very covenantal term as they prayed. For example, Caleb in Joshua chapter 14 and verse 8, Caleb says But I wholly followed the LORD my God." Jehovah my God. Do you know that this morning? That He is your God. Don't tell me you believe in God. Lots of people believe in God. Can you say of the Lord that He is my God? Like Caleb could. Or even Ruth. In Ruth chapter 1 we have those blessed words. You remember the story? Perhaps Ruth was a Moabiteess? The family of Elimelech had been down there in Moab? They shouldn't have been. They weren't supposed to go there. But they went there. And they found that the experience was a bitter experience. And the Lord dealt with them there. But in the providence of God, that was where they encountered Ruth. And Ruth and Naomi, her mother-in-law, because Naomi's child had married her, gave that great challenge to Ruth to stay in the house of their husband. And she kissed not only Ruth, but Orpah. She said, now you're going back to your own people. Both of them initially said, well, we're going to return with thee unto thy people. But Naomi said, turn again, my daughters, why will you go with me? I don't have any more sons. Are you going to wait till I have more sons and they grow up and then you're going to get married to them? No, don't be so silly. Go back. And Orpah did go back. She kissed her mother-in-law, kissed her goodbye, and I believe kissed salvation goodbye with it. But Ruth, clave unto her." And Naomi still was trying to get her to go back. She says, look, behold thy sister-in-law is going back unto her people and unto her gods. Return thou after thy sister-in-law. Listen to these great words. And Ruth said, Ruth chapter 1 verse 16, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee. For whither thou goest, I will go. And where thou lodgest, I will lodge. And most significant of all, thy people shall be my people and thy God my God Ruth in covenant relationship with the God of Israel though she was a Gentile she was in fact a prefiguration of the day when the Gentiles generally would be brought in and you could read the book of Nehemiah and you'll see him referring to my God strengthen me my God Daniel used that covenantal term. Jonah employed that term. My God! And of course the psalmist often employed that same term. Psalm 63 verse 1, O God thou art my God! Early will I seek thee, my soul thirsteth for thee, and so on. My God! The one who is in covenant union with all who are in Christ. This was Paul's plea as he prayed for the Romans. Remember what else Paul wrote in other places. 2 Corinthians 6 verse 16. As God hath said, halfway through the verse, I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people. There is that great relationship again. They shall be my people. I will be their God. We find that in the book of Jeremiah and it is repeated in the epistle to the Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 8 verse 10. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts. and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people." Notice, this is a covenantal term. God in union, God in covenant with His people. Paul was praying with that as his plea. But it's not only a plea of a covenant relationship, you also see that my God is a plea of personal relationship. It's not the collective pronoun. Our God, though we can say that too with the psalmist, this God is our God, even unto death. But it is my God. Here's personal, individual union with God. Paul was able to speak of that. I thank my God. He's my God. Paul was able to rejoice that God was his own God by election, for instance. God was his God because that God chose him in Christ. And Paul often wrote of that. Ephesians 1 verse 4, according as he had chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. He talked a lot about election. Romans chapter 9, 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 13. Paul believed in that and he believed that he himself was one of God's own chosen people. My God. But God was His own also by redemption, chosen in Christ. He was purchased by the blood of Christ. And you can say today, if you're a true believer in Christ, He is my God because He has died for me. He shed His blood for my redemption. I thank my God. He was His God by regeneration, by the new birth. He had been born again of the Spirit of God. God had quickened him to life in Christ, enabling him to lay hold upon the Son of God. And then God was His own by reception. He had received Christ. Paul, in common with all other believers, had been enabled to lay hold of Christ by faith, so that he could not only say, He's God, but He's my God. He's my God, by faith. I've trusted him as my own Savior and my own personal Lord. For Paul, it was as it had been for Thomas in the upper room. When Thomas saw the bleeding wounds, he said, My Lord and my God. It was not just a matter of praying to God then. But for Paul it was a matter of addressing Him in truth as my God. That's his plea in the manner of his praying. But I want you to notice his praise. I thank my God through Jesus Christ. Paul offered his thanksgiving in prayer to the Father through the Son. You see Paul knew as we know because the Scripture teaches it. that there is no other ground of approach to God but Christ. We need to remember this. John 14 verse 6, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Let us never forget that. There is no other mediator between God and men but the Lord Jesus Christ. We are living in a day of great ignorance of Scripture. When people seem to know little or nothing about the Word of God. And yet the statements of Scripture are so clear. 1 Timothy 2.5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man, Christ Jesus. Why do people then pray to Mary? Why do people pray to supposed saints? For that matter why do they dig up the body of an old critter called Padre Pio and his body is in such bad shape that they make a wax mask the type of thing that you have in Madame Tussauds in London put it on his head and by their thousands by their thousands, people line up to venerate somebody who's been dead for generations. You know why? Because they believe he's a saint. And they believe that his prayers can avail for them before a holy God. Now friends, that's an abomination. It's an abomination. But yet people believe it. And the last Pope, They're putting him on the fast track, however you do that, to sainthood. So that people can do for him as well what they're doing already for other people who have died. Pray to him that they might have favours from God. What an abomination. Christ is the only mediator between God and men. Period. That's what the scripture says. So not only is it It is futile to seek to pray through any other mediator or mediatrix, like Mary or the saints so-called, for they cannot help us anyway. But more importantly and vitally, it is forbidden to do so. Such praying is not acceptable to God and will not be heard or regarded by God. Our hymn puts it well, O come to the Father through Jesus the Son and give Him the glory, great things. He hath done. We can only come to God through Christ. Look at Paul's words then in Romans chapter 1. I thank my God through Jesus Christ. His praise is offered through Christ. And as he prayed in Jesus name, he gave thanks and praise to God. And this is a feature of all true praying. Thanksgiving. Praise. It was Paul who wrote to the Philippians Be careful for nothing, that is, don't be anxious about anything. Do not be worrying over much. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. When he taught about prayer in 1 Timothy chapter 2, not only did he say that the Lord Jesus was the one mediator, but he exhorted that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men, all types of men. We are to thank God as we pray. Do you ever do that? Do you thank the Lord? One of the Puritans wrote concerning thanksgiving, It is rent due to him for the mercies received. Have you paid the rent to God? Thanksgiving, how important it is. Paul talked about that a lot by the way. Colossians 4 verse 2, continue in prayer and watch in the same with Thanksgiving. Don't forget about the salt of Thanksgiving. When he said pray without ceasing, He went on to say, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Now something that we ought to note carefully here, Paul said, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. That's something we ought to carefully note. Paul praised God for what he saw of the grace of God in other Christians. Do you ever thank God for other believers and for the marks of grace that are in them? It may be that we give thanks and praise for what God has done in us and for us, but how often do we ever thank God for that which He has evidently wrought in others? Thank you, Lord, for the evidences of grace in that person. That's what Paul could do. Here we have his plea. Here we have his praise. And in the manner of his praying, here we have his petition. How did Paul pray? Look at it. I thank my God. He thanked God. He offered praise. But in verse 10, you will see that he also made requests. Making requests. Let's not miss those words. Making requests. In prayer, we must learn to ask of the Lord. Do you know I've heard prayers, public prayers, in which there were no petitions at all. No petitions. Where the person praying never asked the Lord for anything. Now that's not biblical praying. I realize that in prayer there is to be worship, invocation, but there must be in biblical praying requests. Just again consider the disciples' prayer. We call it the Lord's Prayer. There are requests. Hallowed be thy name. Lord, let your name be sanctified among men. Let it be set apart. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. You might even say from the evil one. And then there's praise for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. Look at the petitions that are in there. Definite requests for blessings from God. And when our Lord was asked concerning prayer, When the disciples said there in Luke chapter 11, teach us to pray, he gave them that patterned prayer. But then he went on to say, in connection with that parable of the friend with the loaves, and I say unto you, Luke 11 verse 9, ask, and it shall be given you. How often has a parent said to a child, you only had to ask. You shouldn't have taken it. You only had to ask. Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you." And of course it's often been remarked the first letter of each of those words spells the word ask. Ask, seek, knock. Ask. We are to pray for things. For everyone that asketh receiveth. And he that seeketh findeth. And to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Making requests, Paul says. He made requests. It was John Newton who wrote, Thou art coming to a king, large petitions with thee bring, for his grace and power are such, none can ever ask too much. The Apostle asked for definite things for the Roman Christians from the hand of God. His petition therefore is important to note. And also his perseverance. Now we made reference to this in a general way in the introductory message. This was a feature of all Paul's prayers for the people of God. He never ceased. He never gave up. Look at chapter 1 of Romans, verse 9. Without ceasing, I make mention of you always in my prayers. Without ceasing. He continued in prayer. He never gave up. Let us do likewise. May we never give up. The Lord spoke a parable one time for this purpose. And he told the purpose of it. Often times the parables were spoken and he didn't give a reason why he gave the parable as such. But here we find out why this parable was given. He spake a parable unto them to this end, for this reason, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. And the parable is of the importunate widow, the woman who came asking. for justice from the unjust judge. Men ought always to pray and not to faint. The word faint there could be translated cave in. Do you ever cave in? Just give up? That's it. I've had it. I quit. That's what the Lord's talking about. He doesn't want you to quit. He doesn't want you to cave in in the place of prayer. Men ought always to pray and not to faint. Keep on praying. But brother, I've been praying about this for a long time. Well, keep on praying. Pray without ceasing. Continue in prayer. That's what Paul did. He said, without ceasing, I make mention of you always in my prayers. He continued to pray. for the Roman Christians, continuing prayer and watching the same. Now these are the main features of Paul's prayer, the manner of his praying, but there's one other thing I want us to note in the second half of the message. There's the matter of his praying. We've noticed it's manner, now there's the matter of his praying. What was the actual subject matter of his supplications for the saints of Rome? Well I do believe there were two chief subjects as I see it anyway, there were two main topics. You'll see in verse 8 his delight in their faithful testimony. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Paul thanked God for the testimony that these believers had. a testimony that had spread far and wide right across the Roman Empire. Now incidentally, I have to say this, I can't resist it. This is one of those references to the world that illustrates how important it is for us to define what that term means in any given case. Look at it again. Your faith says verse 8 is spoken of throughout the whole world. You mean it was talked about in America? No. You mean it was talked about in some other country that was not in the Roman Empire? No. Because when Paul says the whole world he is referring to the Roman Empire. That's what he's talking about. It literally means the whole Roman world. Now how often have we heard silly preachers, that's what they are, silly preachers, telling their congregations, now friends, the world means the world. We need to take that word literally, if it says the whole world, then it means the whole world. Have you heard that? I have. It always means the whole world, does it? Those guys haven't read their Bibles. I'm sorry, but they haven't. At least if they have, they just haven't got what it says, and they need to go back and read it again. Look with me, very quickly, we're going to have a tiny Bible study on this. Look chapter 2 verse 1. It's in the context, Paul is praying for Christians, and he's talking about thanking God that their faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Now what does that mean? Look chapter 2 verse 1. And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus. Who was he? That's right, the Emperor of the Roman Empire. The decree from Caesar Augustus was that all the world should be taxed. There you are, preacher says. It means all the world, does it? That all the world should be enrolled. Read on, and this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria and all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. Now who was it that did this? Who went to his own city to be enrolled in the census? Those who were within the Roman Empire. That's what it means when it says all the world should be taxed. That's just one instance. and that ties in with what Paul was saying in Romans 1 and verse 8 and onwards. But let's look again at a couple of other scriptures 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 5 God spared not the old world but saved Noah the 8th person a preacher of righteousness bringing in the flood upon, look at it, the world of the ungodly. The world of the ungodly there is the world of the godly and there's the world of the ungodly and there's the world that includes the godly and the ungodly because we're in the world the world of the ungodly here's a restrictive term you have to look at the word world in its context it doesn't always mean literally every single person on the earth at a given time or even in history Look with me at Revelation chapter 13. Look at verse 3. And I saw one of his heads, as it were, wounded to death, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world wondered after the beast. I thought about that verse when we had the visit from Benedict there. All the world wondered after the beast. and they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast." Now, if you read on down that chapter, verse 7 and verse 8, "...and it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them, and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations, and all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." You see, It tells us that all the world wondered after the beast, verse 3. But it didn't include the believers. It didn't include those who would not worship the beast. Because he made war with them, it says in verse 7, with the saints. So the whole world obviously didn't mean every single person in the world. Because it excludes, by definition, the saints of God who refuse to worship the beast. All the world there is the ungodly. All the ungodly world. And so we could go on. There's another scripture I want to show you before we finish with this. 1 John 5 verse 19. And here we have again this usage of the word in a particular context. 1 John 5 verse 19. And we know that we are of God and the whole world lieth in wickedness. of it, preacher, the whole world means the whole world, does it? Well, it doesn't include the believers, obviously, because he, in verse 19, is making a distinction. We know that we are of God, the believers, and the whole world, that's the rest of the people, lieth in wickedness. So, we must understand this. When we're coming to Scripture, the context will help us to decide what the word means in a given case, and we must look at the overall teaching of scripture as well on the matter. But from that, let me get to this point. Paul says, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. The faith of the Roman Christians was the talk of the whole Roman Empire. Can you imagine that? There were a lot of people who used to travel back and forth and those travelers would come to the congregation in Rome and they would leave that congregation with a very good impression of the believers there. They went away talking about the godly character and the testimony of the saints there. Now think of this, how often do visitors go into Bible preaching churches and they go away with a very bad impression and they don't have a very good idea of those in that congregation. We should think about that. If we ever do have visitors, what do those visitors to our church think? What impression do we leave with them? What opinion do they form of the professing Christians here in this place? Paul is teaching us here that everywhere he travelled, He was told about the Roman believers and their great faith in Christ. They obviously were not ashamed of Christ. Is your faith in the Savior known to other people? Did they talk about it? Sadly, I heard of a man whom I know, an employee of a very large industry in my home city. He was a member of a sizable church. But it was told to me that no one practically in his workplace even knew that he was a professing believer. I know people are shy. I'm shy. People don't often speak a lot. Certain types of people and they may find it difficult to communicate things to people. But I gotta tell you, if you work in a place for a number of months or years and nobody knows you're a Christian, there's something wrong. There's something badly, badly wrong with your profession. Why was the faith of the Romans such a topic of conversation? He says your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Well, if you go to the last chapter of the Book of Romans, that's chapter 16 and verse 19, we have a little more fleshing out of this. For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. So this faith in Christ that they had resulted in godly living. That's why Paul was thanking the Lord in his prayer for their faithful testimony. That's why the faith of the Romans was such a topic of conversation throughout the Roman world. Because of their godly living. Their true faith in Christ. was a faith that produced real fruit. And that fruit was the fruit of obedience to the Word of God. I will show thee my faith by my works, says James. That is as it should be. The matter of his praying, his delight in their faithful testimony, there's a second thing, his desire for their further teaching. He made this a matter of prayer. Verse 10 of Romans 1, making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. In other words, I'm praying that if it's possible after this great length of time I might actually make it to see you. This was a matter of prayer. He prayed that he might be granted the opportunity to visit the Roman Christians, something that had not been granted to him hitherto. Look at verse 13. Now I would not have you ignorant brethren that often times I purposed to come unto you, he wanted to visit Rome, but was let hitherto, that means hindered or stopped, that I might have some fruit among you also even as among other Gentiles. Paul greatly desired to meet these believers at Rome, and he asked the Lord to make it possible. And yet you'll notice that even in this, he was utterly resigned to the will of God. He didn't just say, well I'm going to come and visit you. No, he said in verse 10, I'm praying, I'm making requests that I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God. to come unto you." How often do we preface the things that we say or do with these words, God willing? Now I don't say that you have to say it, though it's not a bad thing to say, but you should get into the habit of thinking it. God willing, if the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that. Don't say, well I'm going to do this, Because the Bible says, Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Paul was utterly resigned to the will of God. He says, I'm praying to God, I'm making requests that I might be able to go to visit the Roman Christians, but only if God makes it possible. He had a longing to go there, but only if it was the will of the Lord. And that's another feature of true praying, by the way. It is always subservient to the will of God. Didn't our Lord Jesus teach us that in the garden? Thy will be done. And I do believe there's a very practical point for Christians here. Do you pray about the journeys that you should make or the places that you should go to? I mean, I don't think Christians should just decide I'm going to do this or that. We ought to want to go and do what we're going to do in the will of God. We must. make all our plans subject to the will of God. And that's what Paul was doing here. Thus in prayer he asked the Lord so to order his circumstances that he might be able to come to Rome and visit them. To providentially work in confirming what he should do. That's why he speaks by the way in that verse 10 of a prosperous journey. It really means that circumstances might be ordered favorably for him, so that he might execute his long cherished purpose of visiting Rome. And if you read Acts chapter 27 and Acts chapter 28, the history of his journey is given there. He actually was able to reach Rome, though it was as a shackled prisoner and with many difficulties, even involving a shipwreck. It really was a hard journey for Paul to get to Rome, but he got there. God made it possible. The Lord kept every person on that boat alive, and Paul was enabled to make it to Rome, and the believers met him there at Api Forum. However, we need to ask the question, why it was that Paul was so keen to get to Rome? I mean, why was he so anxious to come there? Well, he must have believed it to be the will of God, that's the first thing. But in verses 11 and 12 we have the reason for this request and this prayer. For, because, I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift. To the end, ye may be established, that ye may be built up in the faith. That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. I want to be an encouragement to you and of course in turn I know you're going to be an encouragement to me. Paul wasn't going to Rome on a tourist trip. There are people who do that these days. They go on vacation. I remember going to the city of Rome myself. on vacation. Italy's a beautiful country. Rome is a beautiful city. Very fascinating things there. From an aesthetic point of view, if you like architecture and you like wonderful paintings and sculptures, that's the place. Beautiful place. Even the Sistine Chapel is a beautiful place. I visited there. But I was grieved to see the statue of Peter and all the people kissing the toe. And it was all worn off, completely worn smooth. the toes weren't visible anymore. But it was nice that Paul wasn't going as a tourist and he ended up not even being above ground anyway but in the catacombs and down in the dungeons. He was only interested in being used of God there in Rome for the further establishment of those believers in spiritual things. He really wanted to be a blessing to them and that's what he prayed about. Please let me go to Rome. Make it possible for me to go to that city because I want to be of benefit to those people of God there. They're great Christians. I want to help them. And I know it's going to be an encouragement to my own heart. And I think we learn too from this. It's not enough for us even just to see conversions, wonderful as that is. This is what we long to see among us, that there may be conversions, but there must be a teaching and an instruction of believers also. And the words of the Great Commission bear that out. All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Our job is not done when we evangelize. There must be a discipling of those who have been evangelized, and Paul certainly was a great believer in that. That's what he prayed about. That's what he asked the Lord for. That he might be able to go there to disciple further those Christians. That he might be used of God in that way. Paul, when he talked about his own ministry to the Colossians, he said of Christ, the hope of glory, whom we preach. warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." It was his aim and his objective to be used of God as a means of their growth and grace. That's what he prayed about. This was the matter of his praying. Do you ever pray that the Lord would make you a blessing to others? Lord, make me a channel of blessing today. My life possessing, my service blessing. Make me a channel of blessing today. And do you ever pray that others that you meet who are Christians will bring blessing to your heart as well? That's a good thing to pray about. Romans 1 verse 12, that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith, both of you and me. Iron sharpening iron. Paul being a blessing to them, yes, but they being a blessing to Paul. I had to visit someone in hospital one time and when I was going there I was wondering what on earth I could say to this person to be of benefit and blessing to them. And do you know what happened when I went to that hospital and came away? I came away blessed. I came away really encouraged by that person. That was not the intention when I went there. I thought I was going to impart some great spiritual benefit to them. It was the other way around, I'm telling you. I remember walking away from that place, thanking God for what He had done in that person's life. And it was a great blessing to my soul. Paul knew that. Fellowship with other Christians that are true Christians, real people of God. It's a blessing. It's a comfort. The Romans would be an encouragement to Paul's heart in the work of God as well as him being an encouragement to them. So may we learn to pray even as Paul did for the glory of God. May the Lord teach us even as we go through these prayers in these various epistles what it means to really seek Him in prayer. May the Lord teach us what it really means to intercede for others and to pray for them according to the will of God. Amen.