INSIGHTS INTO A HEART OF GRACE
God’s Invitation to Grace ❧ Part 63
Romans 15:14-16 ❧ Pastor, Dr. John Denney
Not long ago I was startled to hear the age of a well-known pastor whom I have admired and followed for many years. He has been a long silent mentor of mine providing insight into God’s Word that has greatly encouraged and strengthened my walk with Christ. Somehow in my mind he never aged, just stayed the same. Whenever I heard him on the radio, his voice sounded as unchanged as it had years before – strong, passionate, clear, young. I just never thought much about him getting older. When I heard how old he actually is, it took my breath away. The man I am speaking about of course, is Charles Swindoll. In just eight days he will turn 90 years old! For over sixty plus years he’s faithfully taught God’s Word.
When I think about this man’s character, his faithfulness to the Word of God, his staggering influence and crisp boldness, I am reminded in a significant way of the Apostle Paul. Paul was faithful to the end, he never quit serving the Lord even well into his elderly years. I am reminded of the words of the psalmist: Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me (Psalm 71:18, NLT). Not long after Paul penned the book of Romans, he would write: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7, NAS).
We’ve come almost to the end of Paul’s Magnum Opus letter to the Romans. We actually finished the book a couple of weeks ago when we wrapped up 15:1-13. Now, we’re at the PS part of Paul’s letter; his final thoughts that give us insights into a heart transformed by God’s grace. One person described the final portion of Romans (15:14-16:1-27) as though we’ve just finished listening to the great professor Paul lecture on Romans – class is over. And now, we have a chance to personally meet the teacher for a few minutes. Paul’s personal remarks are going to give us a very personal look at his heart of grace. What were Paul’s guiding priorities that made his life so effective for God?
Paul’s life is widely admired among believers as well as unbelievers. Michael Borodin, the American Communist who discipled Ho Chi Minh once reflected on Paul’s life saying, “I used to read the New Testament. Again and again I read it. It is the most wonderful story ever told. That man Paul. He was a real revolutionary. I take my hat off to him”(Hughes, p.277).
If there is anyone worth listening to in how to make our lives count for eternity, it’s Paul. God used him to pen more NT books than any other. He did more to take the Gospel to Gentiles than any other. Hands down, he had the keenest theological mind of any theologian. The ripple effect of this man’s life is still making a deep impact on the world even though he lived two-thousand years ago.
What are some the INSIGHTS INTO A HEART OF GRACE? (Read: Rom. 15:14-16). What are the insights of grace we can gain from Paul’s life? 1) Encouraging recognition, 2) Loving boldness, 3) Affirming value.
- Encouraging recognition. And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another (Romans 15:14, NAS). Paul had never been to Rome. For that matter, nor had any other apostle. He did not know many in the church there. Most had not personally attended the University of Paul of Tarsus. They’d not had the privilege of sitting under his teaching like the believers of Ephesus had for three years. Along the way, though, Paul had met a number of believers from Rome and got to know them personally. People such as Pricilla and Aquilla (16:3) had a house church in Rome as well as many others that Paul knew well. We’ll meet them in chapter 16. So when Paul says he was convinced of their spiritual maturity, he’s not being the least bit insincere – he fully means it. This is impressive. Imagine receiving a letter from the greatest apostle telling you, “I’ve never met many of you, but from what I’m hearing, you’re doing great!” I could tell you, if we received a letter like that from Paul, we’d be walking on cloud nine!
How could Paul be so certain of this group of believers? Well, for one, he personally knew a number of them. But this was a sweeping declaration; he did not leave anyone out. It’s here that I find the first insight into a heart of grace: encouraging recognition. Paul knew God was at work in hearts and lives all believers. He understood the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life. The church in Rome was not started by Paul, nor by Peter. It probably began shortly after Pentecost when God poured out the Holy Spirit on many of the visitors in Jerusalem shortly after Jesus rose from the dead. The church in Rome was clearly a work of God through many believers. The church in Rome was proof of the New Covenant promise God made in Ezekiel: I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Paul understood Jesus promise in the NT as well: But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have said to you(John 14:26). Jesus said, I will build My church(Matthew 18:16). Paul recognized God is the One who is growing and nurturing His Church.
The moment you place your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you receive God’s promise of the New Covenant – God’s Spirit in your heart. God is the One who is work in you to teach you. Sometimes we are too dependent on what our favorite bible teacher says, or what a denomination says, or a commentary, or some other influence. God says your real teacher is the Holy Spirit within you. God clearly uses pastors, churches, commentaries, but they are not the Source of learning, the Holy Spirit is.
This truth is just as relevant and powerful today as it was two-thousand years ago. The Holy Spirit is still The Source in teaching hearts. Not many years ago some missionaries with Faith Comes By Hearing were sharing the Gospel with a village, I believe, in South America that had never heard it before. The villagers were listening to the book of Luke. When they came to chapter eight they learned about the demoniac filled with the demon called “legion.” The demons begged Jesus for permission to enter a large herd of pigs belonging to the community that were grazing on the hillside by the lake (Lk. 7:32). He gave them permission. The moment the demons swarmed on the herd of pigs they fled for their lives running over a cliff into the lake and drowning. The villagers asked to hear the story a second time. They didn’t like what they heard. Livestock was their livelihood, their income. The people said, we don’t want a Jesus who allows our livestock to be destroyed. The elders of village spoke up and said they would discuss the matter among themselves and get back to the missionaries. A short time later they came returned and said the missionaries, they now wanted this Jesus more than ever. The realized if one soul was of more value to God than the wealth of the whole village, they wanted Jesus more than ever.
Who taught the elders this lesson? Not the missionaries. The Holy Spirit did! Paul recognized God was at work in the lives of the believers in Rome in the same way. Over and over the Bible tells us God is One who teaches us (Ge. 41:38, 39; Ps. 119:73, 125, 144; Pr. 2:3–6. Is. 28:26; Da. 1:17; Luke 21:15; 24:45. John. 14:26; 16:13. Ac. 7:10. 1 Co. 12:8. Ep. 1:17, 18. Col. 1:9. Ja. 1:5; 3:15, 17).
A close friend of mine who came to the Lord began attending a fellowship that I was concerned about their doctrine. I shared as much with one of my professors, Dr. Cook. He reminded me of what Paul is doing here. You can’t take the place of the Holy Spirit in someone’s life. We may not always agree with where other believers are at. We can and should say something if they’re out of whack biblically. But we have to ultimately trust the Holy Spirit to work in their lives where we can’t. We have this promise in Philippians 1: For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus(Phil. 1:6). The first insight of grace we see in Paul’s heart is encouraging recognition of God’s work in others. Second…
- Loving boldness. But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again,(Romans 15:15). What did Paul boldly remind the Roman believers of? The Gospel! But he did so in love. There was nothing Paul taught that was new to the believers in Rome, short of possibly the mystery of God’s plans for Israel (9-11). Paul did not bring anything new to the table.
According to historians, Paul wasn’t much to look at. He was short, hunched backed, balding, bowlegged, and scarred. Some didn’t see him as impressive as a speaker or great apostle. It is evident some were disappointed in what they saw when they met him. His antagonists said, His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible (2 Corinthians 10:10). What made Paul’s life so transforming was his bold love for people.
I remember meeting a man once who was a well-known speaker, teacher, and author. One of his books was a popular college text. After years of hearing about him, I had the opportunity to personally listen to him teach. I was a bit taken back when I saw him. He was not what I expected at all. Yet, when he began sharing with us, something happened. He changed before my eyes. Actually, he did not change, I changed. I saw the love and genuineness of who this man was in Christ. His looks transformed in my mind and heart.
Paul would be the first to tell you he was far from perfect. He hadn’t arrived. He was in his own words the chief of all sinners, unworthy of God’s forgiveness. Yet he was bold and lovingly so. Why? I think Paul would say, My boldness is from knowing I am free from the fear of God’s punishment – that there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. My boldness comes from knowing that if God is for me, who can be against me? My boldness comes from being set free from the fear of rejection because God has promised I have received the Spirit of sonship through my faith in Christ. I am God’s child. My boldness comes from knowing that I don’t have to fear despair (suffering without hope). God will give me strength and hope no matter the suffering. My boldness comes from knowing nothing can separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
Bold love is the courage to believe and act on what God’s word says is true about me as a child of God. It’s choosing to live in God’s grace rather than my broken past or my imperfect performance. God forgave me; therefore I can forgive myself. Who am I to say there is a higher standard of forgiveness than God’s? There is none! I can forgive myself. I am free from living a life of condemnation from myself or others. I am confident and accept myself in Christ because God has by His amazing grace! Paul’s counsel to young Timothy is what many of us need today: You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus(2 Tim. 2:1). One lady wrote this prayer,Lord, I crawled across the barrenness to You with my empty cup uncertain in asking any small drop of refreshment. If only I had known You better, I’d have come running with a bucket!
- Affirming value. because of the grace that was given me from God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:15b -16). Paul uses the imagery of a priest in the Temple offering living sacrifices. In fact, the word he uses for minister is λειτουργός, referring to a priest carrying out the sacred work of offering sacrifices. We get the word liturgy from it meaning servant. He carefully chose this word to paint a picture in the minds of his readers. Paul viewed his work like a priest offering sacred worship to God. He says the living sacrifices he’s offering to God are the souls of Gentile believers. This is a remarkable picture in more ways than one! Let me give you two of them. Both have to do with affirming value in others.
First has to do with the Temple worship itself. Gentiles were strictly prohibited from the Temple in Jerusalem. Trespassers would be killed. But now, through the Gospel, Gentiles themselves have become a holy and acceptable offering to God. God had prophesied this in Isaiah: Then they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as a grain offering to the Lord(Isa. 66:20). He is saying one day Jews would go out and bring Gentiles to Jerusalem to offer them as a grain offering to the Lord. In other words, the gentiles would become valuable gifts to God! That’s exactly what Paul’s ministry was. He was the apostle to the gentiles. Where once the gentiles were rejected and viewed as unworthy to approach God, now because of Christ, they are valuable gifts to God welcomed into His presence!
Second, has to do with the rigors of Paul’s hard and tedious hard work as a priest. Looking back on Paul’s ministry we tend to only see the glorious side of it. But there was an inglorious side as well. Paul traveled the ancient world on foot on dusty dangerous roads for countless miles. He willingly subjected his life to long tedious hours of travel, exposed to all kinds of extreme weather, harsh treatment, beatings, rejection. Yet, in his heart he saw all of this as part of his priestly duty.
One writer noted that how we see ourselves greatly determines how we live our lives. Psychologists constantly remind us of the importance of self-image. If Paul saw himself as a priest, then he equally viewed everything he did and went through in his missionary work as part of his sacred work as a priest. Even the most mundane daily occurrences were holy for Paul. Regardless of how he was treated, he saw himself garbed in the imperturbable dignity as a servant of God (Hughes, p. 278).
What would it be like for us if we viewed serving God the same way? Suddenly, the smallest act of kindness would be transformed. Lifting a silent prayer for someone in need. Patiently listening to someone who is hurting. Serving in the kitchen during Coffee Hour. Fixing a broken faucet. Taking time out of your schedule to do an errand for someone. Lifting your voice in worship before the Lord. Nothing is mundane in serving God. Jesus tells us even a cup of cold water offered to a child in His name will not go unnoticed by God (Matt. 10:4:2). Nothing is mundane for the Lord. Everything becomes a sacred act of service.
Paul was affirming his readers’ value both in who they are (holy and acceptable to God) and what they did (their ministry before God).
