“Personal Communication” Romans 1:8-15
Introduction: After the Apostle Paul offers a formal introduction (v. 1) and then establishes his official position as an apostle (v. 5), he then proceeds to some personal communication to those in Rome. Note that he has the zeal of an apostle, the mind of a teacher, and heart of a pastor. Paul has three purposes for his ministry to the Romans. 1. To strengthen the Romans by imparting to them some spiritual gift. (v. 11) 2. To see some spiritual fruit among them (a harvest, if you will). 3. To be strengthened by them. (v. 12)
Paul begins his personal communication to them by thanking God for them. The word he uses is a word we are familiar with every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. (euxpistow) He is especially thankful that their faith is “spoken of throughout the whole world.” (Ill.) What does he mean by the whole world in this context? The Roman Empire. Please note that Paul gives us a clue about the kind of prayer that truly reaches the heart of God. It is through the Lord Jesus Christ. Take a look at Paul’s prayers. Our prayers are offered “in Jesus’ name,” not as a formula at the end of our prayers, but as a proper means of approaching our Heavenly Father. Usually I begin my pastoral prayer with “Our heavenly Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.” This I believe is the proper way to address God in prayer.
I want to expand on this topic of prayer and I believe it will give us more insight into the kind of prayer Paul prays and kind of prayer we should pray. Prayer needs to be according to God’s will. Unless we pray according to the rules God has established, our prayers are useless. For example, I heard of a young couple who was planning on going to the mission field. Realizing that the work would be very demanding, they wanted God to grant them with children who would be well adjusted and perfect children. So they prayed that God would allow them to have their first child born without the taint of original sin!!!! Guess what! God did not answer their prayer. Why did He not answer their prayer? It was because all humans are born with the defect of original sin. The only person ever born without original sin (after Adam and Eve) was the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:23)
Why are our prayers so often unanswered? (Ill.) Little boy who prayed for a pair of skates for Christmas. Sure enough, Christmas morning came and the last present was opened, there were no skates to be found. When the little boy was asked why God did not answer his prayer and grant him a pair of skates, He said, “The answer was no.” This should not surprise us. Even the Apostle Paul did not have his prayer answered when and how he hoped. (1:9-13)
So I ask again why do some prayers remain unanswered and so many of our plans fail? Would you be surprised to learn that in the Bible there are more prayers that God will not answer than prayers He will answer as we expect. You might also be surprised to learn that many “favorite promises” that Christians appeal to are restricted to a very small portion of the human race. One error that Christians sometimes make is to think that everything in the Bible is addressed to everyone. That simply is not true. God answers the prayers of His people (OT or NT). He does not hear the prayers of non-believers. There is of course the offer of salvation broadly extended to all humanity. And accompanied with that offer is the command to repent. “But there is no word of comfort in time of bereavement, no word of consolation in time of sorrow, no word of strength in time of weakness for those who have not been born again through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.” The Bible makes no promise to the non-Christian. In Matthew 7:7 when Jesus says, ESV Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. These words were spoken to believers, not unbelievers. Even when we prayed the Lord’s prayer, it is not a prayer for unbelievers. How does it begin, “Our Father which art in Heaven.”
Before we leave this subject, I want to address the troublesome question as to why Many Christians still have their prayers unanswered. What we are looking at in this passage this morning is not the prayer of a pagan, or an unbeliever, but the unanswered prayers of the Apostle Paul. God seems to have dealt powerfully with the Apostle Paul in many ways and on many occasions, but here through the Apostle’s own words his prayers were not answered, at least as he expected. If he had been praying for something clearly outside of the will of God, we could understand why his prayer was not answered. Look at what he prays for the Christians at Rome (vv. 9-15).
From the human side can we make any sense out of this? One writer has offered this suggestion. If God answered the prayers of the Apostle at the time Paul prayed them and in the manner he expected, we might never have the benefit of the marvelous document we are studying. Think how much poorer the church would be if we did not have before us a clear presentation of the riches of God’s grace given to us in Jesus Christ! I am convinced that if more Christians immersed themselves in the content of Romans, they would be richer spiritually and better equipped to handle the challenges of life.
The Bible is clear that when we pray according to God’s will, our prayer will be answered. Perhaps not in the way we expect or in the time we expect. ESV 1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
ESV John 14:14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
This does not mean we can pray for anything outside of God’s will that it will be answered. Further, when we pray in the name of Christ, we are praying consistent with God’s holiness, righteous, and will.
Another verse that has been misunderstood and misused is ESV Matthew 18:19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
(Ill.) Man who prayed that he wanted to be like a river! He said, “I want to follow my course, stay in my bed, and be helped by two banks.” If I can get you to agree with me concerning this prayer, it will happen. ??????
If that were the meaning, then we could quickly settle all wars, cure cancer, and end all poverty. However, keep in mind that the context of that verse has to do with a sinning brother in the midst of his sin. The context is church discipline. “Verse 19 is further application of verses 18, 20 state that Jesus is present among His people in a special way when the unity and purity of the family are at stake and when the church takes up the duty of discipline.”
Prayer must not only be according to His will, but keep in mind that God is absolutely sovereign in all matters. That means that nothing is outside His will. That means He knows all things. You have heard me say that God can’t learn anything! That’s because He already knows all there is to know. So how does this relate to prayer? If God knows all things and controls all things, then why bother to pray, you may ask. Doesn’t this make prayer a futile exercise? Please know that prayer is not a technique for getting an unwilling God to give you what you want. Rather, it is the privilege we have of asking our heavenly Father to fulfill His will in us and for us. Prayer is not a means for changing God or His will for us. But it is a means that God uses to change us to fulfill His will in us. God may answer our prayers in number of ways:
1. He may give exactly what we ask for right away.
2. He may give us what we ask for – weeks, months, sometimes years later.
3. He gives us not what we asked for, but what we really wanted, even though we may not know what that is.
4. He gives us not what we asked for, nor what we really wanted, but what was best.
5. And sometimes the answer is no.
If you are not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you cannot expect God to hear your prayers, much less answer them. If you are willing to submit to the sovereignty of God, trust Christ and His finished work on Calvary’s cross, then God will open His ears to you and receive you into His kingdom.
PERSONAL COMMUNICATION
Romans 1:8-15
Introduction:
I. His Thanksgiving (8)
1. Prayer begins with thanks.
2. Christ is Mediator.
3. For all
4. Reasons for thanksgiving
II. His Prayer (9,10)
1. Right attitude
2. Sacred service
3. Continued prayer
4. For God’s will
III. His Longing (11,12)
1. A spiritual gift for strength
2. Mutual encouragement
IV. His Purpose (13)
1. To know of his concern
2. New converts
3. Growth in faith
V. His Debt and Readiness (14,15)
1. Universal debt
2. Eagerness to preach the gospel
Reflection:
1. Do you feel mutually encouraged? Why/why not?
2. What in this passage do you find most compelling?
3. For whom are you praying that they might come to Christ?