To one who asked him the secret of his service, George Mueller said: “There was a day when I died, utterly died;”—“died to George Muller, his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will—died to the world, its approval or censure—died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends—and since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God.” (6102 George Mueller’s Secret as found in Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 1366). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.)
Submitting to the will of God means dying to self, and living unto Him. It was the hallmark of the Apostle Paul and his ministry in submitting to God's will. As we have seen, this submission was marked out by certain elements. Number one was the element of precision in verses 20 and 21. There is a very clear structured design and direction for the ministry of one who is moving in the will of God. Secondly, another key that marks a ministry in the will of God is providence. We saw that in verse 22. There is a sense in which God's sovereign will intersects at this point and He controls the circumstances to bring about the expression that is very personal for the individual believer. The third element we saw is the element of planning. Even though we trust in God's sovereignty, even though we look to God for direction and guidance and the moving of all the circumstances to bring about His will, we still involve ourselves in careful planning. And commitment to sovereign will does not preclude planning and dreaming and setting goals. The fourth principle that unfolds out of this passage in this wonderful insight into Paul's heart is the principle of priority from verses 25 to 28 as we saw last time. Paul says in spite of my dreams, in spite of my plans to go to Spain, in spite of my desire to come to you and get supplies and money and people and go on to Spain to evangelize an area that's never been evangelized, to take Christ where He's never been, as it were, to go where Christ is not named, where no church has been established, aside from the fact that that's my calling and aside from the fact that that's my dream, there is a priority in my heart that I must care for and that is this matter of taking an offering of money to the Jerusalem church for the relief of the poor saints and the conciliation of the Jewish-Gentile factions in the church. Fifthly last time we said there is the element of prosperity. For one who functions in the will of God there is prosperity in verse 29. He says that when I do come to you I know I'll come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. He knows because of past experience. He knows the condition of his heart is one of obedience therefore he receives the blessing of God in his life. Later he did come to Rome and he did enter into a blessed ministry. Even though he was a prisoner he had a tremendous impact. So he knew that he would prosper in the spiritual dimension when he functioned in the will of God. Precision, providence, planning, priority and prosperity are all elements of ministry in the will of God. They are the principles that mark out the person devoted to pleasing the Lord. (http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/45-118/the-ministry-in-the-will-of-god-part-3)
It was the will of God that controlled Paul's life. He was a servant, not living for his own design, not living to fulfill his own desire, but living to do the will of God. In the opening of 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and 2 Timothy, he introduces himself as an Apostle by the will of God. The will of God was that determining factor in his call to ministry. That is a very basic and rather obvious element of Christian living. Anyone in any service rendered to Christ seeks to do the will of God if indeed they're on target as they ought to be. (http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/45-118/the-ministry-in-the-will-of-god-part-3)
Paul’s shows us how to submit to God's will by understanding the 1) Purpose (Romans 15:30a) , 2) Prayer (Romans 15:30b-32), and 3) Peace (Romans 15:33) in the will of God.
1) Purpose in the Will of God (Romans 15:30a)
Romans 15:30a [30]I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, (to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf), (ESV)
A person who fulfills a divine calling is one who has a clear purpose in his service for the Lord. Paul appeals to the believers by “on behalf of,” or “with regard to” our Lord Jesus Christ. His appeal/urging introduces the exhortation to the readers to pray for his protection and ministry. Before giving that exhortation, Paul declared unequivocally that the overriding purpose for his request was to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ.
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 4 (p.965)
The faithful Christian witnesses for the sake of those who need the Lord and he serves for the sake of those who need help, but his supreme motive always should be to serve His Lord and Savior, in whose name and by whose power he ministers to others.
Paul told the believers at Corinth:
2 Corinthians 4:5-11 [5]For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. [6]For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [7]But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. [8]We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; [9]persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; [10]always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. [11]For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (ESV) (cf. 1 Cor. 9:23; 10:31; 2 Cor. 12:10)
• Paul rejoiced in the fact that, if he succeeded in reaching Jerusalem with the contribution of the churches of Macedonia and Achaia, Christ would be glorified, within the church and before the on looking world. For Paul, the Lord would be glorified by the willing and loving generosity of the Gentile contributors as well as by the grateful reception of the gift by the Jews to whom it was sent. Christ is always honored and glorified when His church is unified in His name and in His service.
Not only did Paul minister on behalf of the glory of Christ but also by/for the sake of the love of the Spirit. This phrase and the idea it expresses are not found elsewhere in Scripture. The context, however, seems to indicate that Paul was speaking of his love for the Spirit. Yet, it is based on that very love which the Spirit has poured out into the hearts of all those who belong to Christ (Rom. 5:5) and who therefore can be expected to pray for one another (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Vol. 12–13, p. 496). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
Devotion to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and love for His Holy Spirit should be the foremost and ultimate motive for all Christian living and service. In gratitude for the divine grace by which Christ saved us and for the divine power of the Holy Spirit who indwells us, everything we think, say, and do should express our love for them and bring Him glory and honor. Christ’s cause is at stake, and they should do it out of regard for him. They should do it also out of sheer love, stirred up by the Holy Spirit, out of love for the Holy Spirit himself, and because of the love that the Holy Spirit has for them (Olyott, S. (1979). The Gospel as It Really Is: Romans Simply Explained (p. 195). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.).
Illustration: In determining the purpose in the will of God, sometimes we just don't get it right. There once was a middle-aged farmer who had been desiring for years to be an evangelist. He was out working in the field one day when he decided to rest under a tree. As he looked into the sky he saw that the clouds seemed to form into the letters P and C. Immediately he hopped up, sold his farm, and went out to P-reach C-hrist, which he felt was God’s leading. Unfortunately, he was a horrible preacher. After one of his sermons a neighbor came forward and whispered in his ear, “Are you sure God wasn’t just trying to tell you to P-lant C-orn?” (#1460 as found in Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (pp. 395–396). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)
2) Prayer in the Will of God (Romans 15:30b-32)
Romans 15:30b-32 [30] (I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to) strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, [31]that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, [32]so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. (ESV)
Paul now urges his fellow believers in Rome to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf/for me. Sunagoµnizomai (to strive together) is an intensified form of agoµnizomai, which means to intensely struggle, fight, or yearn in petition and is the term from which we get the English “agonize.” The word was originally used of athletic events, especially gymnastics, in which contestants, such as wrestlers or boxers, struggled against each other. Paul’s use of the language of “striving” to describe his own ministry might suggest that he is inviting the Roman Christians, through their prayers, to participate with him in his “struggle” to complete his ordained missionary work. By referring to them collectively, in your prayers; he refers to the congregational worship (Acts 2:42), and here Paul asks for the prayers, not of individuals, but of the entire congregation (Lenski, R. C. H. (1936). The interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (p. 895). Columbus, Ohio: Lutheran Book Concern.).
• Not only does the Spirit of God move in a unique way through an entire congregation, there is a unified identification that He collectively works through. When an entire congregation submits to God's will, it is a powerful witness to the supernatural work of God.
Quote: John Bunyan’s definition of prayer, which he wrote while in prison, seems to fit perfectly with the prayerful striving-together of the Roman church for Paul: “Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to the Word of God, for the good of the church, with submission in faith to the will of God” (John Bunyan as quoted by Hughes, Stories, p. 326).
Though so many are unknown personally to him, Paul can nevertheless ask the Roman Christians to identify with him in his own struggle so that they might sincerely pray on his behalf Paul shows how the godly ought to pray for their brethren, that they are to assume their person, as though they were placed in the same difficulties. (Moo, D. J. (1996). The Epistle to the Romans (p. 910). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
Please turn to Colossians 2 (p.983)
Prayer is always, in one way or another, a struggle against sin and evil, whether in us or around us. Paul’s struggle on behalf of believers at Colossae and Laodicea doubtless included many hours of agonizing prayer on their behalf, that:
Colossians 2:1-4 [2:1]For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, [2]that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, [3]in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. [4]I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. (ESV)
Although Paul asks for protection while in Judea, in this present passage Paul is not speaking primarily about struggling in prayer against the forces of evil. His emphasis here is rather on earnestly struggling along with his brethren in Rome in their prayers to God for him. (cf. Eph. 6:18-19; Col. 4:2-3; 2 Thes. 3:1) There is a very real struggle going on between the forces of good and evil, and a most significant part of that struggle is prayer. Thus E. Stauffer can say, “the form of the battle is prayer. In prayer there is achieved unity between the will of God and that of man, between human struggling and action and effective divine operation. In prayer, too, there is fulfilled the fellowship of conflict and destiny between man and man. In prayer one man becomes the representative of the other, so that there is here opened up the possibility of one standing in the breach for all and all for one” (E. Stauffer. TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, a translation by Geoffrey W. Bromiley of Theologisches Wörterbuch zum Neuen Testament (Grand Rapids, 1964–76) p. 139).
In verse 31, Paul first asks for safety that he may be delivered from the unbelievers/ disobedient in Judea. The word for “delivered/rescued” (ῥύομαι, rhyomai) can mean “to protect or preserve from harm,” but often it has the connotation of delivering or rescuing someone from a peril that has already come upon him. At the time Paul wrote this letter he may already have known that he was going to be captured and bound by the Jews in Jerusalem; it was certainly made clear to him shortly after this (Acts 20:22–23; 21:10–14). Thus he may be requesting prayer that God will literally rescue him out of this certain captivity (Cottrell, J. (1996). Romans (Vol. 2, Ro 15:31). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.).
Please turn to Acts 20 (p.929)
Paul’s request to be delivered was not for the purpose of his being spared further persecution or even death. He unselfishly wanted to be delivered only to the extent necessary for him to complete the ministry the Lord had given him.
While his ship laid over at Miletus, he told the elders from Ephesus who came out to meet him:
Acts 20:22-24 [22]And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, [23]except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. [24]But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (ESV)
Paul’s prayer request to be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea was therefore answered positively, to the extent that the unbelieving Jews in Judea were not allowed to take his life, yet he was beaten and imprisoned. Does prayer work? Yes, in the sense that it changes us. But it also works in the sense that it is God’s appointed means to spiritual victory and right ends.
The Unbelievers/Disobedient (apeitheoµ) carries the basic idea of being obstinate and unpersuadable. In this context it refers to Jews who obstinately refused to believe the gospel and therefore were disobedient to God, whose Son, the Messiah, they rejected.
Paul’s second prayer request was that, regardless of what dangers might befall him, his service for Jerusalem may be/prove acceptable to the saints. In other words, he wanted success, that his ministry to benefit the Lord’s people there. Because he and his Gentile companions from Macedonia and Achaia were bringing a financial contribution to the church at Jerusalem, which was still largely Jewish, the service which Paul mentions doubtless referred, at least in part, to that offering. He wanted the saints in Rome to pray with him that the gift would not offend Jewish believers in Jerusalem but rather be/prove acceptable to the saints there. He wanted it to be received with loving gratitude for what it was, a gesture of brotherly love and conciliation. It could have been seen as a bribe, and only have intensified the hostility. This request for prayer is an admission by Paul of the tension that probably remains concerning his ministry to the Gentiles. Ever since the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), the question of how to integrate Jews and Gentiles into one body, the church, had been a delicate one. Nearly fifteen hundred years of Jewish culture were being held up to scrutiny by the doctrine of justification by faith alone that Paul preached—and it had not been a trouble-free transition, as evidenced by Paul’s own words on the subject to the Roman church (Rom. 14:1–15:13) (Boa, K., & Kruidenier, W. (2000). Romans (Vol. 6, p. 455). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.).
In verse 32, Paul asks for prayer to find satisfaction. He sought that satisfaction through fulfilling, the will of God. The purpose of prayer is emphatically not to bend God’s will to ours, but rather to align our will to his. The promise that our prayers will be answered is conditional on our asking ‘according to his will’ (1 Jn. 5:14.). Consequently every prayer we pray should be a variation on the theme, ‘Your will be done.’ (Mt. 6:10) (Stott, J. R. W. (2001). The message of Romans: God’s good news for the world (p. 389). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.).
Paul prayed that in coming to them that he would be refreshed in (their) company. There are two types of spiritual refreshment which lead us closer to Christ. One of these is not sufficient without the other. Just as the body needs protein, carbohydrates, fats, and other food elements to make a balanced diet, so we need food from the Bible, and nourishment from the company of other believers. If either of these elements is lacking, the Christian’s life is lopsided. (Barnhouse, D. G. (1964). God’s Glory: Romans 14:13–16:27 (p. 111). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.)
Quote: Charles Hodge wrote in connection with these verses. “Prayer (even intercessory prayer) has real and important efficacy; not merely in its influence on the mind of him who offers it, but also in securing the blessing for which we pray”.
Illustration: The pastor, commentator and evangelist, Dwight L. Moody of Chicago, went to England for a rest. He did not intend to preach. He only wanted to hear Charles Spurgeon, George Mueller, and some others. But one Sunday he was invited to preach in a Congregational church in north London, and he accepted.
Sunday morning did not go well. Moody said that he had “no power, no liberty; it seemed like pulling a heavy train up a steep grade.” It was so bad that he tried to get out of preaching the evening service, for which he had also been invited, but the minister would not let him off.
That evening it was quite different. Moody felt unusual power, and when he got to the end he decided to give an invitation. He asked all who wanted to accept Christ to get to their feet, and about five hundred people did. Moody thought there must be some mistake, perhaps they just didn’t understand him. So he asked them to sit down. Then he said, “After this meeting there will be an after-service in the vestry, and I invite all who are serious about receiving Christ to come to that meeting.” There was a door to the vestry on each side of the pulpit, and when the service was over the people began to stream through. Moody went into the vestry and repeated the invitation in even stronger terms, and the people all once again expressed their willingness to become Christians. Moody still thought there must be some mistake. He said, “I have to go to Ireland tomorrow, but your pastor will still be here and if you really mean what you have just said, come tomorrow night and meet with him again.” A few days later, when he was in Ireland, Moody received a telegram from the minister saying, “There were more people here on Monday night than on Sunday. A revival has broken out in our church, and you must return from Ireland and help me.” Moody did return, and what happened in those days was the basis for the invitations that later took him back to England and then over the whole world as an evangelist.
That alone is a remarkable story, but here is the rest of it. There were two sisters in that north London church, one of whom was a bed-ridden invalid. After the morning service at which Moody had first preached the healthy sister came home and reported that a Mr. Moody had been there that morning. “Mr. Moody of Chicago?” asked the sister. When told that he was the one who had preached, the sick sister said, “I have read about him in the newspapers and have been praying that he would come to London and that God would send him to our church. If I had known that it was he who would be preaching this morning, I would have eaten no breakfast and have spent the time praying instead. Now leave me alone. Don’t let anyone in to see me. I am going to spend the rest of the day and evening fasting and in prayer.” That is what she did, and the revival in north London resulted (The story is told by R. A. Torrey, who was a personal friend of Moody and his successor as pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago (The Power of Prayer, pp. 44–47).).
3) Peace in the Will of God (Romans 15:33)
Romans 15:33 [33]May the God of peace be with you all. Amen. (ESV)
God is the source of all true peace, the peace “which surpasses all comprehension” (Phil. 4:7). In fact, “He himself is our peace, who made both groups,” Jews and Gentiles, “into one” (Eph. 2:14; cf. vv. 11–13). Thus “the God of peace” must mean “the God who is the Author of peace,” that is, who imparts peace (2 Thess. 3:16) and apart from close communion with him there is no peace (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Vol. 12–13, p. 498). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
Basic to it is reconciliation with God through the death of his son. The person who has been thus reconciled has the inner assurance that past sins are forgiven, present events are being overruled for good, and in the future nothing will be able to separate him from the love of God in Christ. On the human level, Paul’s life as an apostle was far from peaceful. As far as outward particulars were concerned, he lived in uncertainty and often turmoil. He was under almost continual threat against his physical safety and life.
But he knew intimately the God of peace, and he lived himself in the peace and settled tranquility that God gives to those who faithfully abide in His will. Amen., May it be so.
Please turn to Revelation 7 (p.1032)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor murdered for his faith in a WWII concentration camp, wrote in The Cost of Discipleship that “in Jesus Christ his followers have witnessed the kingdom of God breaking in on the earth. They have seen Satan crushed and the powers of the world – sin, and death – broken”. Bonhoeffer knew painfully that God’s kingdom is still exposed to suffering and strife. We long for the day when:
Revelation 7:9-17 [9]After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, [10]and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" [11]And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, [12]saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." [13]Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?" [14]I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. [15]"Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. [16]They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. [17]For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (ESV)
So what happened to Paul’s three prayers, in which he asked the Romans to join him, namely that he might be rescued from unbelievers in Jerusalem, that his gift might be accepted, and that he might succeed in reaching Rome? Were they answered or unanswered? Regarding the middle of the three prayers we do not know, since surprisingly Luke does not refer to the offering in his Acts narrative, although he knows about it, because he accompanied Paul to Jerusalem and records Paul’s statement (when on trial before Felix) that he had come to Jerusalem ‘to bring my people gifts for the poor’ (Acts 24:17.). The probability is that the gifts were accepted. What, then, about the other two petitions? Both received a qualified ‘Yes’: the first ‘Yes and no’, the second ‘Yes but’. Was Paul delivered from unbelievers in Jerusalem? ‘No’, in the sense that he was arrested, tried and imprisoned, but also ‘yes’ because he was three times rescued from lynching, (Acts 21:30ff.; 22:22ff.; 23:10.) once from flogging (Acts 22:25ff.) and once from a plot to kill him (Acts 23:12ff.). Then did he reach Rome? Yes indeed, as Jesus had promised him he would (Acts 23:11.), but neither when nor how he had expected, for he arrived about three years later, as a prisoner, and after an almost fatal shipwreck. So prayer is an essential Christian activity, and it is good to ask people to pray for us and with us, as Paul did. But there is nothing automatic about prayer. Praying is not like using a coin-operated machine or a cash dispenser. The struggle involved in prayer lies in the process of coming to discern God’s will and to desire it above everything else. Then God will work things out providentially according to his will, for which we have prayed. (Stott, J. R. W. (2001). The message of Romans: God’s good news for the world (p. 390). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
(Format note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1991). Romans (Ro 15:30-33). Chicago: Moody Press )
