Alba 7-17-2022
A REASON TO GLORY IN CHRIST JESUS
Romans 15:14-21
Michael McCartney, minister at Christian Hills Church in Illinois, said he made a search of the word “glory” in scripture. And here is some of what he discovered about this term from the Bible. He said:
I discovered that heaven is filled with the glory of God and the angels sing about it. I discovered that when God shows up so does His glory. I discovered that sin causes the glory of the Lord to depart from an individual’s life and a nation’s life.
I discovered that many Saints in the Bible saw and beheld the glory of God in their lives. I discovered that miracles point to God’s glory and are done to glorify God. I discovered that when we produce fruit for the Kingdom of God we in turn glorify God.
I discovered that those who do good and live righteous lives bring glory to God. I discovered that as I grow and mature in my faith I glorify God. I discovered that when you experience the glory of God others will see it in your face.
I discovered that if we look at Creation itself we can see the glory of the Lord. I discovered that some people are afraid of the glory of the Lord. And I discovered that we are to do everything for God’s glory.
As the apostle Paul begins to close his letter to the Christians in Rome, he looks back at what God has accomplished through him in reaching people, especially the gentiles, for Jesus.
He is thankful for the many who have come to faith but he also sees it as a reason to glory in Christ Jesus.
He writes in Romans 15:14-21 saying, “14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
“15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, 16 that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
“17 Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. 18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me,”
And we might ask, What are those things?... “in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient— 19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
“20 And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, 21 but as it is written: 'To whom He was not announced, they shall see; And those who have not heard shall understand.'”
Paul points out that because God is the One who had given him his ministry to the gentiles, it was something that he could legitimately “glory” in or boast about.
Glorying in or boasting about something can be wrong when we are trying to take the credit for our own achievement, but it is appropriate when it is the product of God’s work, and we give Him the credit.
In verse 18, Paul says that he would not presume to speak of anything except what Christ had accomplished through him. He wasn't just trying to present himself.
Paul certainly had reason to glory in the Lord, because God had accomplished many notable things in and through Paul’s life. But Paul did not glory [exalt] or boast in what he had done, but rather in what God had done through him.
Paul had it right. The purpose for anything he had done was to bring glory to the Lord Jesus. And that is the same for us today. Anything we do that gives the Lord glory is made possible by the power of the Spirit of God working in and through us. And that gives us something to glory in as well.
Paul was merely an instrument in the hand of God. So he did not talk of what he had done, but of what Christ had done through him. Just like us, he was dependent on God for accomplishing his ministry task.
Paul then explains his personal goal in verse 20 – to preach the gospel in places where it has never been. Last Sunday night we saw the film, “Beyond the Gates of Splendor”.
It told the story of five missionaries who were killed trying to reach the Auca Indian tribe in Ecuador with the gospel. They, like the apostle Paul, were wanting to take the gospel where it had not yet been made known.
Out of this is a quote that has become somewhat famous. One of those missionaries, Jim Elliot, had written in his journal when he was still in college, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
Jim Elliot gave his life, but from that came an opportunity for the Auca Indians to hear the life-changing words of the gospel.
I don’t think Paul knew that he was changing the world for the rest of history. He just knew that God had a plan for his life, his eyes were on God, and that Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit was working in His life. The rest became history.
He said in verse 19 that he preached the Gospel of Christ. Why? Because way back in chapter one verse sixteen he said that the Gospel is the power of salvation to everyone who believes. Not him, not religion or religious ideas. It is the Gospel.
It is the news that Jesus went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins so that we could be forgiven of all the wrongs we have committed. That is good news. That is the gospel.
And when we receive that good news with faith and obedience, it brings changes to our lives; changes that give glory to the Lord, and
gives us reasons to glory in the Lord.
In verse 14 Paul speaks of his confidence in the Christians in Rome. Just as the apostle Paul was confident in them to do well, we should give others reason to have confidence in what we are doing as Christians.
The first thing that Paul was confident about the Roman believers was that they were “full of goodness”. This is a fruit of the Spirit that is available to us all. There should be a moral goodness exhibited by all who claim to be Christians.
I know that there are some good people out there that don’t go to any church, but as a rule there are no better people than those you find in a church. Church people should be good people.
In the beginning of our English language, the word “good” carried the same connotation as the name “God.” To be good then is to be godlike in character and actions. No goody-two-shoes needed here. Just goodness.
But there is a problem. You see, God is good. We are not good. Real goodness comes only as a result of salvation and following Jesus, [it is called santification].
In other words, as we follow and grow in Christ Jesus we are being sanctified or becoming "full of goodness," God's goodness, for only God is truly good. Jesus said so.
The next thing that was a reason to give glory to Christ Jesus was that Paul was confident about the Roman believers that they were “filled with all knowledge”. Now that is not a fruit of the Spirit. But it is still available to all Christians who have a Bible.
How does one get "filled with all knowledge?" The knowledge we need to live right before God and in this world comes from God's Word, the Bible.
Here is a question. If someone asked you to look up a scripture text, say Nehemiah 9:6. Or Jude 4. Would you have any idea where to look? Or how about Ecclesiasticus 4:7. Or 2 Maccabees 12:14?
Now I'm trying to trick you. Ecclesiasticus is not the Bible book of Ecclesiastes. It is not in our Bibles. It is one of the Apocryphal books written at a time between the Old and New Testaments. So is 2 Maccabees.
But the point I am making is that you should recognize a book that is in the Bible and have some idea where to find it, at least whether it is in the Old or New Testament. How do you get that knowledge? By doing some personal study of God's Word.
And even more important is a knowledge of what God has said in His Word. Hopefully the fact that the sermons you hear in this place are based on Scripture, you have some knowledge. But I will say that is insufficient, no matter how good the sermons may be.
Even ministers need to be students of the Word. One preacher never prepared during the week, and on Sunday morning he'd sit on the platform while the church was singing the hymns desperately praying, "Lord, give your message, Lord give me your message."
One Sunday, while desperately praying for God's message, he heard the Lord say, "Ralph, here's my message. You're lazy!" Too often we are lazy about any real study of God's Word.
Janine and I like it when we go to Sam's and they have food samples that you can try. Some are quite good. But usually the amount they give is truly just a sample. Unless there are a number of samples being offered, it does not add up to a complete meal.
It is the same with scripture. Sampling here and there does not allow a person to be “filled with all knowledge”. The Bible is the record of God’s will for His people.
Without it, we are ignorant of the guidance God wants to give to keep us from going in the wrong direction. It is a reality check on all of our private opinions and personal quirks.
For Christians, this written record, the Scriptures, teach us about ourselves, they instruct us about our relationships with God. They give us insight on our dealings with one another. If we learn to read the Bible seriously, it will not let us float off into fantasy-land.
Colossians 3:16 encourages us saying, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” I'll repeat that line.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
That leads to another thing that was a reason to give glory to Christ Jesus. It is that Paul was confident about the Roman believers because they were “able also to admonish one another”.
This word ‘admonish’ means to give warning. To instruct, to give counsel. Paul knew some things about these people, and that is why he was able to say with confidence that they could admonish one another because they also were “filled with all knowledge.”
There are a lot of people who try to give advice, to rebuke or warn. But only a knowledge of Scripture gives a Christian the proper admonishment that ones needs.
Because as II Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
To admonish one another, if done in love, is a very good thing. We must be sure we are on biblical ground and that we are interpreting correctly, rightly dividing the scriptures.
If it is not specifically spelled out in the Word of God, one should not confront another on it. If it is, one should be sure to use the scripture as the basis for the admonishment.
When we appeal to Scripture, we are making it clear it has nothing to do with us as individuals, we are all under the authority of God’s Word.
There are times when we need Christian leaders and friends who observe our wanderings, then come to us in love to warn and turn us back from any foolish action.
The goal in admonishing is to help one another to maturity. That is all. That is the only purpose that is worthy of Christ.
But notice in verse fifteen Paul says that he has “written more boldly to you on some points.” When it came to speaking about the Lord, Paul was bold. But when encouraging believers, Paul was often tender.
Paul’s letters are often something of a balance between direct, some would even say abrasive and confrontational, admonition on the one hand, and brotherly affirmations on the other, designed to both instruct and encourage the reader in his or her faith.
So while he boldly sets forth the content of the gospel and how that gospel should look in the church, he also commends their faith and action.
And he realized it was good to remind them of the things they already knew. We often need reminders, like someone who ties a string around a finger. Because we can be forgetful.
We come to Bible class to be reminded. We come to church to be reminded. We study the Bible to be reminded.
We do these things so that in the things we learn and do, we will have a reason to glory in Christ Jesus along with the apostle Paul.
It is also why we do special things like host Vacation Bible School as we are going to do this week. It gives us an opportunity to share God's Word with children, some of them without much spiritual training at all.
And while we do our part, we know and depend on the fact that God is the only one who can make it grow.
As Paul wrote in I Corinthians 3:6-7, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.”
It doesn’t matter whether we are more like Paul who broke new ground, or like Apollos who came after and watered, we all can play a part in bringing the gospel to others.
And that will indeed be a reason to give glory to Christ Jesus.
CONCLUSION:
There is a reason why we share the good news of the gospel. Because it does change lives. Think about what God can do with people.
Who would have thought that that old cheater Jacob could have become the instrument of God’s purpose? The record is here.
Who would have imagined that the murderer Moses could have become the liberator of his people? It’s in the book.
Who could have supposed that the adulteress Gomer would become a sign to her husband Hosea of the everlasting love of God? It’s all here.
And, for that matter, think about the very author of Romans. Who would have expected that the angry, self-righteous, vicious persecutor of Christians named Saul would have turned into the mighty, eloquent, passionate apostle Paul?
God changes lives; the Bible says so. And it is all to His glory.
