I would ask you to turn in your Old Testament Scriptures to Isaiah chapter 66. We read the end verses of Isaiah 66, which reference, we might say, the spread of the Gospel. You find references to Tarshish and Pul and Lut, nations in some cases considered at the ends of the earth. And we consider from Romans the ministry of Paul, and Paul also wanted to go to the ends of the earth to bring the Gospel. So that is the connection as we read the final verses of Isaiah 66 before our New Testament reading. We'll start with verse 18. Isaiah 66 I would ask that you would stand for the reading of God's Word Isaiah 66 starting with verse 18 for I know their works and their thoughts It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues, and they shall come and see my glory. I will set a sign among them, and those among them who escape I will send to the nations, to Tarshish, and Pul, and Lod, who draw the bow, and Tubal, and Javan, to the coastlands afar off, who have not heard my fame nor seen my glory, and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all the nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to my holy mount in Jerusalem, says the Lord. As the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord, and I will also take some of them for priests and Levites, says the Lord. For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before me, says the Lord. And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against me, for their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched. they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. Our New Testament reading comes from Romans 15, starting with verse 22, reading through the end of this chapter. For this reason, I also have been much hindered from coming to you, but now, no longer having a place in these parts and having a great desire these many years to come to you, whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you, for I hope to see you on my journey and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while. But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints, for it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things. Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, that I may come to you with joy by the will of God and may be refreshed together with you. Now may the God of peace be with you all. Amen. Amen. You may be seated. when we were studying the book of Matthew, and specifically chapter 3, the account of John the Baptist, one of the points of application I made, is that the strong message John proclaimed, a message of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, is a good reminder that issues related to eternal life and death are too serious for you to try to figure out on your own. These are not matters for personal inquiry. These are matters to receive the Word of God and what it states about life and death. There is no room for error when it comes to the eternal well-being of your soul. I also pointed out that it should encourage us to realize that the message of the Gospel that John first proclaimed, that Jesus also proclaimed, is the same message that we proclaim today. The message that we proclaim, the message that you have been given, that I have been given to share, it does not need to be updated. Yes, many things have changed the last 2,000 years. Culture, technology, many other things have changed. But the message of salvation that we offer, salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, His perfect and finished work, that needs no update. And what also has not changed in about 2,000 years is the duty that each member of Christ's church, that each one who is part of a particular local church is given. The age of the apostles, that is past. The age of the prophets is past. The foundation has been laid. The New Testament has been completed. It has been canonized. We do not need apostles. We do not need prophets. And yet the joy and duty of being part of a local church, being part of Christ's church, those duties and joys remain. They have not changed. As we look then at the final part of Paul's letter to the Romans, we see how Paul, even in this closing part of his letter, sets forth the joys of God's grace. We don't want to just look at this passage and say, this is our duty. Yes, there are duties here, but first it is the joy that comes in the Gospel of being part of Christ's church, of being part even of a local church. And so there are joys, there are then also responsibilities that God gives to His people. The message of the Gospel then needs no updating. The vital importance of being part of a local church for the advancement and support of the gospel. That has also not changed. And that's why we read with profit, we consider with profit and application the words of Paul to the Romans. Yes, we're in a much different situation, but what he says reminds us of our duties. And so I think the call of this passage, the thrust of this passage, as some would define it, is to take seriously the joy and duty of being part of Christ's church and part of a local church. We'll look at the text in three parts, verses 22 through 33, first verses 22 through 24. and then verses 25-29 and then the final verses 30-33. I would ask that you would look at some of the blessings that are mentioned in this text. As you scan these verses, look at some of these blessings. Paul talks about the enjoyment of friendship and company. He looks forward to being with the Christians in Rome. People he has never met. Here in these verses, I think we're reminded of the meaningful service that we have being part of a local church. Paul talks about the help he will receive. He's talking about the things that really matter. He talks about the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. Verse 29, what a beautiful expression. the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ. He talks then about the love of the Spirit in verse 30. He talks about refreshment, verse 32. He ends this section with peace. And so again, this text, again, first it must set forth the grace of God in Christ. Yes, there are things that we must do, but we also realize we're going to fail in our duty. who here fulfills all the duties that God sets forth, none of us. And so if we only think about what we must do, which is important, we miss an important part of this text, which exalts the mercy of God to churches. That's the only reason we exist still as a church today. It is God's mercy and grace to us. And so part of the call is let's realize these great blessings. Let's seek for them even as we seek the duties that God gives to us. I would also mention these blessings, because these blessings do not mean the absence of struggle and obstacles. We think of the call of Jesus, who pronounces, find rest in me. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for my yoke is easy, my burden is light." The beautiful words of grace found in Christ. But what does Jesus also call you to do? He says, take up your cross. Follow me. And so this text sets forth the blessings, but then we also see Paul speaking of obstacles. we think of what our Lord endured. Can you think of a single person in Scripture or in history who accomplished much for the sake of Christ without any difficulty, without any suffering, without any sacrifice? If you can think of such a person, tell me after the service, because none comes to mind. And so I think it can be said, the more you attempt to do for Christ, the more obstacles you will face. If you want the easy life, just sit back and do nothing. But if you want to face obstacles, then seek to serve Christ. And so Paul here speaks of the obstacles, the hindrances he faced in his ministry, reminded of 2 Timothy 3.12. Words that probably not too many people have on their refrigerators. Yes, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. So Paul writes of the hindrances that he faced. In 1 Thessalonians 2.18, Paul writes of being hindered by Satan. Paul was led to understand that in terms of his ministry, he was hindered specifically by Satan, by demonic, satanic oppression of some sort. Here, what Paul was hindered by is not specifically stated. other than we can say the difficult ministry that Paul had in Asia in Ephesus. Remember, Paul is writing the book of Romans not long after his ministry in Ephesus where Paul spent about three years. Why did Paul spend so much time in Ephesus? I think he spent longer time in Ephesus than anywhere else on his different journeys. Why so much time in Ephesus? I don't think it was because he loved the lovely views of the Mediterranean Sea, or he loved the food they served in Ephesus. That's not what kept him in Ephesus, was it? Paul spent approximately three years in Ephesus. Why? Not because it was easy, but because it was difficult. That's why he spent so long. He would have moved on, but Paul says he was hindered. from going into other places. He was hindered from moving to new areas of service. We can say it was the work in Ephesus and the work he was doing from Ephesus was so difficult. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 32 gives at least one reference to that work in Ephesus. Paul says, if in the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? Paul describes his ministry in Ephesus like if someone was in the Colosseum fighting wild animals. That's not a literal reference, of course. But it shows Paul's ministry in Ephesus was not by far an easy ministry. It was like fighting with ravaging wild beasts. So Paul was hindered. And yet finally, Paul was able to move on. Last week we noted that Paul had opportunity even to minister in the province of Ilikrium. That is mentioned only here in Romans 15. Paul wrote now the book of Romans from the city of Corinth. He says his work in this region was finished. Look at the words he uses. No longer having a place in these parts. How could Paul have no longer any place in these parts? I think we can say local churches had been established. The work of the Gospel that Paul was called to do in Asia and in those areas surrounding Asia, that work was finished. So it was time now for Paul to move on. Verse 23 also speaks of his great desire over many years to visit the church in Rome. For many years then, Paul wanted to visit Rome, having a great desire to spend time with them. There is in Paul the beautiful demonstration of love for others, even those he had never met. Remember, it's the church in Corinth that is the difficult church to get along with, the church that causes him all sorts of trouble. And yet Paul writes to the church in Corinth about love. Now these three abide, or now abide faith, hope, and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love, Paul says to that difficult church in Corinth. Paul was a great missionary because it was God who made him great. There are books written about Paul's ministry It's not that we can just study the exact methods and strategies of Paul and say, well, we'll accomplish what Paul did. No, it was the Lord who made Paul the greatest missionary. But what I do think we can say is one of the key aspects of Paul's ministry is his love for those he served. The people he knew directly, the others he did not know personally. Paul never had met any of these Romans And yet He had a great desire to be with them. And I think that is an indication of His love. Love is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, isn't it? In fact, it's the first fruit. Love, joy, peace. And so love is not just something you run across. Love is not just something that just happens to be in you. No, it's something that God the Holy Spirit gives. This love for others, a love for God. And so the demonstration of Paul's love, we say, should be also something that should challenge us. How do we get that love? Well, it comes through the Spirit, doesn't it? If it comes through the Spirit, then it is something that should be seen in every believer. If you are trusting in Jesus Christ, you should see in your life then that fruit of the Spirit, shouldn't you? And since it comes through the Spirit's work, we are right to pray and to seek for that. to see the essential importance of love if we're going to do anything useful for Christ. the believers in Rome, though he had never met them. And there's emphasis on him wanting to be with them. You note in these verses, there's many verbs of movement. He's going to go here. He's going to go there, according to God's will, of course. And he wants to see them. We see that in verse 24. We see that in verse 28. And it's interesting. Why does Paul want to go to Rome? Not to establish his kingdom in Rome. The Roman church today tells us, well, you see, Rome is the center of the church. That's not what we find from the New Testament, is it? Paul wants to go to Rome not to establish his base of ministry from the important city of Rome. Yes, it's an important city. Yes, Paul wants to proclaim the gospel there. But Paul wants to go even farther west. Rome is not the center. Rome is just a point to stay for some time and then go out even farther. Paul wants to go to Spain. What we know today as the modern country of Spain. It was a Roman province. Why Spain? I'm not entirely sure. I think we can say perhaps two things. Spain, from what we know, is likely an area where there was no gospel witness. There is debate today about how many Jews were in Spain at the time of Paul. Things that I don't fully understand or have researched. But I think we can say no one, at least at that point, had gone to Spain. Because remember, what did Paul say? He wanted to go where no one else had proclaimed the Gospel. Verse 20. My aim to preach the gospel not where Christ was named, so Spain would seem to be a natural place to go. Christ has not been proclaimed in Spain. It makes sense for Paul to set his sights on Spain. A second reason may be that Spain, in particular a city on the west coast of Spain named Gades, represented the ends of the earth in Greek and in Hebrew thinking. Remember, Jesus instructed his disciples to go as it were literally to the ends of the earth. Spain was one of the ends of the earth. Remember, it's Jonah who is called to go to Nineveh. He goes also to another place considered to be at the ends of the earth, Tarshish. Now, did Paul ever make it to Spain? We have no record, at least in the New Testament. that Paul made it to Spain. There is evidence in a writing following the New Testament period, 1 Clement, which does suggest that Paul made it to Spain. Scholars debate about this work and its reference. Eckard Schnabel, who is a professor at Trinity who's written an extensive work, it's a two-volume work on Christian mission, does believe the evidence is reasonable. that after Paul was released from his first imprisonment in Rome, that he did make his way to Spain. Others are not as certain. That's not the key of this text. Verse 24, Paul speaks of his desire to be with the believers in Rome, to be helped on his way. There's a parallel again with Romans 1 here. In Romans 1, verse 15, Paul says, so as much as in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. In chapter 1, he speaks of preaching the gospel. Here, he speaks of being helped on his way. There's no contradiction between this first reference and what we find here in Romans 15. There is a different emphasis. As Paul comes to the end of the letter in Romans, it's right that he would talk about some of the financial aspects of continuing his ministry. And so, we can see Paul at the end, he's established a relationship with these Christians, now can bring up the idea of, you need to help me. You're going to have to help me get to Spain. And the word that Paul uses in verse 24, to be helped, means all the different aspects. of what it would take to help someone make a journey. Foods involved. Money. Someone's going to have to find a way for Paul to get there. He can get there by land. He can take a boat. He needs the help of the Romans in order to get to Spain. A journey that could take seven days to two weeks by boat. And so I think this portion of God's Word, again, is a reminder of the real partnership that we are also to enjoy with those that we support. Again, much has changed. Missionaries now today generally don't call us and say, I need help to get to Spain. They can make their own arrangements. And yet there are other ways that we need to consider. How can we help those that we financially support, that we pray for? There are other practical needs. that we can be of assistance to. We'll come back to this later in the message. But the reason we do support missionaries is we believe this is the basic pattern. This is the pattern established by Jesus. This is the pattern followed by the apostles. And we believe this is the basic pattern that continues. Those who are sent have to be supported. And I know there's sort of this disconnect that we have probably with almost all the missionaries we support, but we need to try to break down some of that disconnect and see that there's a partnership that we have with those that we support. Well, second, let's consider from verses 25-29, the theology and duty of giving. The theology and duty of giving. What was Paul's main calling? as an apostle. Well, certainly it was to preach. It was to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, especially to those that had never heard. And yet, was that the only thing Paul did? Obviously not. And we see that here in this text. If also, if you want to turn to Galatians, Galatians chapter two talks about Paul's ministry, especially in light of Jerusalem. and the calling He was given. Just read several verses from Galatians 2, starting with v. 9. Paul is talking about one of his visits to Jerusalem after his conversion. And we read, and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do. So this passage is reflecting one of Paul's earlier visits to Jerusalem where he was told, yes, go to the nations, go to the Gentiles, but remember the poor. And Paul says, I am eager to do that. These are the poor in Jerusalem. Needy Jewish believers in Jerusalem. And so Paul talks about the important mission he first had to complete. of going to Jerusalem. This would be, I believe, his fourth visit to Jerusalem since his conversion. So four visits in about 26, 27 years approximately. And this visit is one of the important themes that Paul addresses in 1 and 2 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul talks about those who should set aside funds on the first day of the week. These funds are not the regular offering for the church. These funds are a collection for those in Jerusalem. We read in verse 3, When I come, whomever you approve by your letters, I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. When Paul was ministering in that area, one of the things he was doing was raising funds for believers in Jerusalem. And this wasn't just a fundraising exercise. This was a mission that had deep theological significance, even as we see here in Romans 15. In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul talks about the generosity of Christians in Macedonia. That's north of Corinth, where Paul was. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 8, starting in verse 2, that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy, their deep poverty, abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing. And this is generosity not for their own local churches, not for their own building funds. This is to help the poor in Jerusalem. And so this is at the center of Paul's mission, or part of Paul's important mission, is to bring this relief, because there's a deep theological significance. Paul talks about churches here in Macedonia and in Achaia. Macedonia is the northern part of Greece. That would include those congregations planted in Philippi and Berea in Thessalonica. Paul speaks of Achaia. That was the southern part of Greece where Corinth and Athens were located. And observe in v. 26 and in v. 27, it says, for it pleased those... That's v. 26. It pleased them. V. 27. Here's the beautiful aspect of giving. We give because we should desire to give. That's what so much of the New Testament in its reference to giving. It speaks of the pleasure, the desire that we should have to give. Now Paul does not contradict himself in any way. He says they were pleased to give. And yet he also says they were fulfilling a debt. or an obligation. Look again at verse 27. If the Gentiles, if the nations have been partakers of their spiritual things, he's talking about if they have been blessed by Christians in Jerusalem, they are then obligated to minister to them in material things. The nations were blessed by the spiritual blessings coming from Jerusalem. That's an important point that Paul makes. And so it is right that they give help in material things to these poor believers in Jerusalem. And again, this is much different from the mentality of socialism, the redistribution mentality that is present today. Oh, it's unfair that some have more, some have less. That's not the New Testament. The New Testament talks about giving generously, helping those with needs, recognizing those that have blessed you even, And there is then this beautiful harmony of need and generosity and duty in giving. We think of what Jewish believers in Jerusalem were facing at this time, a very difficult time for them. If you were a believer in Jesus Christ and you were living in Jerusalem, it's not told all the difficulties, but we can say it was a difficult time. That's likely why so many were poor. Not that they were a bunch of lazy people there. No, this was a difficult season. Remember, the Jewish war would start about ten years later. And so if you were living in Jerusalem as a believer, the only thing we can say is it was a time of testing. A very challenging time. And one of the things this text reminds us of is we should not forget that foundation of those faithful Jewish believers in Jerusalem. who were an important part to the spread of the gospel, as many were converted through that apostolic preaching on the day of Pentecost, the days following. And those believers were an important part of the foundation to see the gospel go to the ends of the earth. We have been blessed by those early believers in Jerusalem. Remember the words again of Jesus in Acts 1.8. You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. You shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, to the end of the earth. We have been blessed by those faithful believers. And again, this text should call us to pray again that many in Jerusalem would be saved and brought to true faith in Messiah. We see the importance, again, of sacrificial giving, even to those we don't know. It's not just those that you know that you are called to help. Yes, we might say primarily those you know. But Paul is writing to Christians, they didn't know these believers in Jerusalem. And yet they still gave. Now, Paul is not calling for the Romans to give. He's not going to be there before he goes to Jerusalem. But it's that principle. We can give even to those that we don't know. And again, this is God's method rather than the method of government bureaucratic schemes and the like. And so Paul's journey was theologically important. It was practically important. He uses language in verse 28 which speaks of this importance. He speaks in verse 28 of having sealed to them this fruit. Paul is bringing money. He's not taking a bunch of vegetables or fruits. He's bringing funds that have been collected. But he calls it fruit. And he speaks of sealing this fruit. It's the message of authenticating this is real. What does Paul mean? It's not entirely clear. But I think we can say Paul is going to Jerusalem, not just with a bunch of money to hand it out. He wants the believers in Jerusalem to understand the significance of this gift. Again, we go back to Romans 1. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation for the Jew first, also for the Greek. When Paul brings this gift, which has come from little Greeks, as it were, it is a testimony of God's grace to Jew and to Gentile. This is a very serious mission. After that mission, then Paul again says, I plan to travel to you by, or I shall go by way of you to Spain. We've already noted Paul's desire. And then look at verse 29. When I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. Some suggest this phrase refers to the fact that Paul would bring a blessing to the Christians in Rome. Paul would be blessed by the Christians in Rome. The fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ. That is possible. Others suggest that after Paul was successful in completing his mission to Jerusalem, that Paul would know that the Lord Jesus Christ was blessing his ministry. And so when he came to Rome, he would come with the full approval, my master Jesus Christ has approved my work, my work to the nations. Well, either way, I think this verse emphasizes that when God's people are focused on their duty, when we are focused on what really matters, that is the place of blessing. If we want true joy, if we want true blessing, then let's focus on what is most important. What can compare with the blessing that is found in the gospel of Christ? What blessing that we can receive just in the other aspects of life can compare with being serious for the service of Jesus Christ? And so each of these sections, you'll note, ends with Paul bringing blessing in his coming. The blessing of true fellowship. The blessing of when believers are focused to the great end of Christ. Well, third, from verses 30-33, the call to struggle in prayer. Verses 30-33. Look again at verse 30. Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me." The word beg is a difficult word to translate. It could be also translated as to plead. Take this very seriously. It's a strong word of exhortation. It's not a suggestion by any means. And Paul calls, he begs them, he pleads with them to strive together with me. The reason I think he uses strong language is what he is calling them to do is not something easy. He says struggle or strive with me. Paul often uses the language of with me verbs. This is literally fight alongside of me. Now here it has the idea of prayer, and so it's pray with me, make your plea with me before God. And so it is a strong verb related to the duty of prayer. And I think one of the things we reflect on this passage is, does our prayers ever fall into this idea of a struggle? A striving. Can we say that really characterizes our prayers? The reason why we fail in the duty of prayer is the difficulty of praying in the way we are commanded. Again, we have to be careful not to start to glorify man-centered methods of prayer. I've heard, and I've told you before, people who, I think in Korea, who will fast for 40 days and 40 nights supposedly. I don't find that in Scripture. I don't find in Scripture people should pray 24 hours a day or attempt to do anything like that. Holiness is not how much you pray. And there's a danger even of feeling good about yourself based on how much time you spend in prayer. There's a danger of pride. And Satan loves prayerlessness, but Satan also loves pride when it comes to prayer. And so I think there are two dangers that you have to avoid the danger of prayerlessness, but also of feeling good about yourself because I prayed or I must be special. Well, what is Paul asking for here? I think we can say Paul is asking for intentional, serious prayer for the needs that he presents. How we apply this in our busy schedules may vary. Some have more time for prayer. I think one of the things we are challenged by this passage is what is our commitment to serious times of prayer for the needs that we know. Paul prays or asks for prayer for three things. that he may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, who do not obey the gospel. Second, that his service in Jerusalem would be acceptable to the Jewish believers, the saints. Third, that he would finally be able to travel to Rome with joy according to God's will and be refreshed with the church in Rome. Think of this journey that Paul was about to take. It was an awesome duty for Paul. He's going back to Jerusalem, a city he knew so well. Paul wasn't born in Jerusalem, but he was raised, as we know, at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the famous Pharisees. Paul knew Jerusalem so well. And yet this visit back to Jerusalem, we can describe as an awesome visit. Read the book of Acts. Those who told Paul, you're going to die. in Jerusalem, or you're going to suffer great things. Paul knew the minute he had planned to go to Jerusalem, this would be his most difficult visit. He knew it was going to be dangerous. He also knew there was much misunderstanding about what he taught. People who deliberately twisted his message or who misunderstood his message of grace. Again, Paul's been ministering for about 25, 26 years. He's going back to Jerusalem for at least the fourth time, but this would be the most difficult of those visits. And that's why Paul calls the believers in Rome, struggle with me in prayer. This is gonna be a very difficult journey. Now, were Paul's requests answered? Were these three requests answered? Well, yes, they were. But we might say, in a way, we would call God's difficult providence, if we can use that expression. If we turn to the book of Acts, you don't have to now, but Acts 21 records this visit. And the book of Acts, at this point, sort of slows down the pace of coverage. It really focuses on this time of Paul in Jerusalem, because it was such an important part of his ministry. And so in Acts 21 and verse 17, we read Paul was received by the brethren. His companions were received gladly. There was joy as they heard the mission reports of what Paul and the others had done among the Gentiles. And so part of Paul's prayer was answered right as he came. There was also some misunderstanding. Paul was viewed as not being a faithful Jew by some. And so it was recommended that Paul show that he was a faithful Jew, that he pay for the expenses of someone who had taken a vow, and that Paul also as part of that procedure would have to go to the temple for purification. a week of different rituals in the temple. And we know that one because Paul took that challenge up that he was accused of bringing a Gentile, bringing a Greek into the forbidden part of the temple, which he had never done. It was a great mob, which nearly killed Paul. He was beaten, came close to losing his life, had it not been for the deliverance from a Roman soldier and centurions. And so Paul was delivered. He was delivered by those who did not believe, and yet only by being locked up by the Romans. Paul would spend some time in Jerusalem, but most of the next two years of his life, Paul was in Caesarea, in a jail in Caesarea. Paul did make his way to Rome, we know. Paul talks about coming with joy. That's interesting. One of the books that talks about joy the most is Paul's letter to the Philippians, which he wrote from a Roman prison. So Paul arrived in Jerusalem with joy and yet also with chains. So all three of these requests were answered and yet in ways that Paul would not see from that vantage point. And so we pray not because we know the outcome. We pray because we have been adopted into God's family. We should love to cry out to our heavenly father. That's why we pray. And look again at verse 30. Beautiful reference to the Trinity in verse 30. We pray through the Lord Jesus Christ. That should be of encouragement for you to pray. Who are you? Nothing. But you pray through the Lord Jesus Christ. Why else do we pray? Because we pray through the love of the Spirit. That's why we pray for others. The Holy Spirit has given us a love for others. And so that is why we will pray to our Heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ, through the working of the Holy Spirit. Another very important reference to the triune nature and work of God. The chapter ends with a blessing. A very short benediction, but a very profound blessing. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. We read that and can quickly pass away. Not that we have to spend hours looking at this verse, but this verse, though it just speaks of the God of peace being with you, isn't it such a beautiful summary? of what Christ has done. Because I think at the heart of what Christ has done is peace. Peace with God. Isn't that the most beautiful thing? Paul writes about that earlier in Romans 5. We have peace with God. Here it's the God of peace being with us. It is peace with God, but it's also the presence of the God of peace. That's what Paul prays, the God of peace be with you all. Amen. So a short benediction, but so profound and also significant in terms of how we are to live. Do we demonstrate this peace as we deal with others? This peace in word, indeed, and thought. Last week as we looked at Romans 15, my emphasis was on the calling that God gives to every believer. Every believer is given spiritual gifts. Every believer then has a calling. The use of those gifts in particular areas of service. And our text today is similar in that I think it emphasizes again the duties and privileges of being part of a local church. God's kingdom is greater than local churches. The kingdom includes all of what Christ has authority over, every area of life, math, science, the arts, but local churches have, we might say, a central role in the work of Christ's kingdom. And that is why people who say, well, I don't really have to be part of a local church, they are either deceived or they are not even saved. If they have no desire to be part of a local church, They're in very dangerous ground. Maybe they need to move. Maybe they need to find an area where there is a faithful local church for them to be part of. But those who say, well, I don't need really to be part of a local church. They have not read. They have not understood the New Testament, certainly. And there's even reason to think perhaps they are not even saved. They need to be challenged and called. Perhaps we know people like that. Let's encourage them to consider what the New Testament says, the importance of being part of a local church. And I would also perhaps issue a related challenge that membership in local churches is also important. We don't find a single verse that we can turn to. And I know there's sometimes a process of finding a local church, identifying that this is a place to be. But those who have known this church for a while, those perhaps who have grown up all their lives in this church, I would encourage you, take that step to become a member. Maybe you have concerns. Maybe there are things that trouble you. Let's have some discussion at least on those concerns, because I think it is an important part of the act of commitment that we find in Scripture. We think of the missionaries we support, about ten missionaries. And I know it's easy to say we pray for them, we give to them, and it's difficult to really say we have a relationship with some of them. But I would encourage you to think about ways where you can reach out to some of the missionaries we support. We support, in some cases, individuals. We support, in some cases, organizations. But generally speaking, there's a point of contact that you can have. Each week we attempt to pray for one of these missionaries. So about five times every year we remember the various missionaries we support this week. It's Reverend VandenBosch. Perhaps you can send him an email. Maybe there is even a phone call that you could arrange to have with him. Maybe there are ways you could help him out, encourage him. We can't do that equally for each one of the missionaries, but let's look for ways where we can try to partner with some of our missionaries. I would encourage you to think of creative ways this could be done. As parents, let's help our children better understand the different missions we support. If you don't know them, they are all listed on our website. As I say, we pray for each of them about five times a year, generally in the same pattern and order. This text also then speaks of prayer. We've already talked about that. I would just challenge you, if you see in your life that aspect of prayerlessness, Again, make prayer a priority. Yes, sometimes we are weighed down by other responsibilities, but sometimes we just don't make that commitment. What in your schedule needs to change? As I've mentioned before, perhaps every sermon we could just say, we need to pray more. It's not the only thing to consider, but it is an important part of our duty. We also see here, importantly, giving, not just giving to the building fund or giving to the own local church, but giving to others. We're living in difficult times, certainly. Some have been blessed more, especially they have the joy and duty of giving. But again, Paul talks about those who even did not have much, and yet they are still looking to give to others. And so there are needs we have internally, but there are also then the needs that we have beyond just this church and its ministries that we can support. If our goal is to press the crown rights of Jesus Christ, how can we give anything than our best? And then we also consider we will fail in this duty, at least in terms of perfection. And so again, the message should close with a reminder, the reason we have any grace, any victory is not our own efforts. So let us give thanks for what the Lord has enabled us to do. Let's remember His grace to each of us here. He was the one who ran us down and rescued us in our grace. And so it's not just our duty, yes, that's important, but let's exalt the grace of God and close by thanking Him we have a faithful Savior. May His name always be praised. Pray with me, please. Heavenly Father, for this brief time, we thank you. And for the ability to remember the work of one of your servants, the Apostle Paul, we thank you. And Lord, for those who serve in similar ways today, we also thank you. And so for those that we are privileged to support and to partner with, we pray for their strengthening and pray that as a church we will remain committed to see the gospel message spread locally and around the world. Lord, you know the difficulties we face with our time, with our finances, and in other ways. And so lead us to consider this great duty but also lead us to consider the joy of partnering as a local church for this great end. And so help us where we need to change our schedules, where we need to be more focused on that which will bring the greatest joy in the service of Christ. We thank You that You are faithful even when we are not. We rejoice in blessing and praising Your name, in being called by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. It's in His name we pray. Amen.