THE DRIVING FORCE OF SPIRITUAL DEBT-II—Romans 1:8-17
Need:
Debt causes many Americans to work at things they never intended to give themselves to.
That is why retirement is sought & defended so vehemently by Americans.
We spend our lives working off our debt—at anything that is financially profitable—Oblivious to our spiritual indebtedness.
Paul related to the Christian church in Rome, his keen sense of spiritual indebtedness.
This sense of indebtedness drives the emissary/delegate/messenger of God.
To What does a keen sense of spiritual indebtedness drive the Christian?
12 products of a keen sense of spiritual indebtedness.
Spiritual indebtedness drives God’s messenger to...
1. SUSTAINED GRATITUDE(:8)
2. SUSTAINED HONESTY(:9a)
3. SUSTAINED SERVICE(:9b)
“Apostle”—See:1—?????????—A delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders.
4—Spiritual indebtedness drives God’s messenger to...
SUSTAINED PRAYER(:9c)
—Explanation:(:9c)
:9—“For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,”
“Without ceasing”—???????????—without intermission, incessantly.
“Mention”—?????—Remembrance, memory, mention.
“Prayers”—????????—Prayer addressed to God. A word of sacred nature.
—Argumentation:
1Thess. 5:16-18—“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Lk. 18:1—“Then He[Jesus] spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray & not lose heart,”
Col. 4:2—“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;”
1Pet. 4:7—“But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious & watchful in your prayers.”
Php. 4:6-7—“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer & supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; & the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts & minds through Christ Jesus.”
Jas. 5:16—“Confess your trespasses to one another, & pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
—Illustration:
Food World/Various jobs/Constant contact & communication w/Bruce Phelps(mgr.)/SUSTAINED PRAYER
—Application:
?Your Spiritual indebtedness produce SUSTAINED PRAYER?
?You have a keen sense of Spiritual Indebtedness to the Lord?
5—Spiritual indebtedness drives God’s messenger to...
SUSTAINED CONTACT(:10)
—Explanation:(:10)
:10—“making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.”
The will of God for Paul’s way to the Roman church was thru imprisonment!
“Request”—??????—To want, lack; To desire, long for; To ask, beg. Asking of the need.
“If by some means/If by any means/If perhaps”—?? ???—If indeed, since, if after all.
1Cor. 10:13—“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
“At last”—????—Once—formerly, aforetime, at some time.
“Find/Have a prosperous journey/Succeed in”—??????—Future Passive Indicative—To grant a prosperous & expeditious journey, to lead by a direct & easy way; To grant a successful issue, to cause to prosper; To prosper, be successful.
“Will”—??????—What one wishes or has determined shall be done; Will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure.
“Come”—???????—Denotes motion or progress generally, & of any sort, hence to "come" & arrive at, as well as "to go.”
Rom. 15:18-25—“For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word & deed, to make the Gentiles obedient-- in mighty signs & wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem & round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 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, but as it is written: “To whom He was not announced, they shall see; And those who have not heard shall understand.” For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you. But now no longer having a place in these parts, & 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, & 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.”
1Thes. 3:9-10—“For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, night & day praying exceedingly that we may see your face & perfect what is lacking in your faith?”
—Argumentation:
Php. 1:24-26—“Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain & continue with you all for your progress & joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.”
Col. 1:27-28—“To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man & teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
Heb. 10:22-25—“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience & our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love & good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, & so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
—Illustration:
Betsy & Miller/Call each other daily!/SUSTAINED CONTACT
Parents/SUSTAINED CONTACT with children/
—Application:
?Your Spiritual indebtedness produce SUSTAINED CONTACT?
?You have a keen sense of Spiritual Indebtedness to the Lord?
6—Spiritual indebtedness drives God’s messenger to...
SUSTAINED GIVING(:11)
—Explanation:(:11)
:11—“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established--”
“Long”—????????—To long for, desire; To pursue with love, to long after; To lust, harbour forbidden desire.
“See”—????—To see; To know. To see with the mind’s eye, signifies a clear & purely mental perception.
“Impart”—??????????—To impart.
“Spiritual”—???????????—Relating to the human spirit, or rational soul, as part of the man which is akin to God & serves as his instrument or organ—that which possesses the nature of the rational soul; Belonging to a spirit, or a being higher than man but inferior to God; Belonging to the Divine Spirit—of God the Holy Spirit—one who is filled with & governed by the Spirit of God; Pertaining to the wind or breath; windy, exposed to the wind, blowing.
“Gift”—???????—A favor with which one receives without any merit of his own; The gift of faith, knowledge, holiness, virtue; the economy of divine grace, by which the pardon of sin & eternal salvation is appointed to sinners in consideration of the merits of Christ laid hold of by faith; Grace or gifts denoting extraordinary powers, distinguishing certain Christians & enabling them to serve the church of Christ, the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating on their souls by the Holy Spirit.
—Argumentation:
2Cor. 2:14-15—“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, & through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved & among those who are perishing.”
Acts 20:35—““I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’””
Mat. 10:5-8—“These twelve Jesus sent out & commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, & do not enter a city of the Samaritans. “But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”
2Cor. 9:6-8—“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, & he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
Col. 1:27-28—“To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man & teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
—Illustration:
Stocks that don’t produce or grow in value/Sell them for those that do!/SUSTAINED GIVING
—Application:
?Your Spiritual indebtedness produce SUSTAINED GIVING?
?You have a keen sense of Spiritual Indebtedness to the Lord?
7—Spiritual indebtedness drives God’s messenger to...
SUSTAINED BUILDING / CONCERN(:11-12, 13c)
—Explanation:(:11-12, 13c) Plot(of ground)
:11—“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established--”
a. ESTABLISHED
In order to BUILD one must first be Established!
“Established”—???????—To make stable, place firmly, set fast, fix; To strengthen, make firm; To render constant, confirm one’s mind.
Jn. 15:4-7—““Abide in Me, & I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, & I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch & is withered; & they gather them & throw them into the fire, & they are burned. “If you abide in Me, & My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, & it shall be done for you.”
7a—Illustration:
Marriage bond/Settled commitment to oneness/Without being established, there is no marriage!/ESTABLISHED
:12—“that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you & me.”
b. MUTUAL ENCOURAGEMENT
Paul is unaware of the exact gift of which they are in need. But he knew that he possessed something of spiritual importance that would meet their need. It appears that their complementary need & Paul’s complementary gift would be discovered & expressed in the event of their meeting face-to-face....& God would reveal it at that time.
Paul’s spiritual gift would aid in the Roman church’s becoming “established.”
“Encouraged”—“Encouraged together/Comforted together” —????????????—To call upon or invite or exhort at the same time or together; To strengthen (comfort) with others.
“Mutual”—???????—One another, reciprocally, mutually.
Rom. 15:30-32—“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, that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, & that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, & may be refreshed together with you.”
7b—Illustration:
Buccaneer’s former Coach Tony Dungy/Winningest coach in Buccaneer’s history/MUTUAL ENCOURAGEMENT of coach & players
:13—“Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.”
c. FRUIT
“Fruit”—“Encouraged together/Comforted together” —????????????—To call upon or invite or exhort at the same time or together; To strengthen (comfort) with others.
—Paul is looking to establish the same type & quality of fruit as in all the peoples of Asia.
7c—Illustration:
Banana Tree/Planted for fruit is should bear
—Argumentation:
Rom. 15:2—“Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.”
1Cor. 8:1—“Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.”
1Cor. 14:1-5, 12, 26—“Pursue love, & desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification & exhortation & comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.”....“Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.”....“How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.”
Eph. 4:29—“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
2Chr. 20:20—“So they rose early in the morning & went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; & as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood & said, “Hear me, O Judah & you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, & you shall be established; believe His prophets, & you shall prosper.””
Rom. 16:25-27—“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel & the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, & by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith-- to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.”
1Thess. 3:1-3, 12-13—“Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, & sent Timothy, our brother & minister of God, & our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you & encourage you concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.”....“And may the Lord make you increase & abound in love to one another & to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God & Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”
2Thess. 2:16-17—“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, & our God & Father, who has loved us & given us everlasting consolation & good hope by grace, comfort your hearts & establish you in every good word & work.”
2Thess. 3:3—“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you & guard you from the evil one.”
Heb. 13:9—“Do not be carried about with various & strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.”
1Pet. 5:10—“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, & settle you.”
2Pet. 3:17-18—“You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace & knowledge of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now & forever. Amen.”
—Application:
?Your Spiritual indebtedness produce SUSTAINED BUILDING?
?You have a keen sense of Spiritual Indebtedness to the Lord?
—CONCLUSION—
Visualization:
Financial Indebtedness drives American workforce.
Action:
Spiritual indebtedness drives God’s messenger to...SUSTAINED...
PRAYER(:9c)
CONTACT(:10)
GIVING(:11)
BUILDING / CONCERN(:11-12, 13)
GRATITUDE(:8)
HONESTY(:9a)
SERVICE(:9b)
Presented 05/08/05pm to:
Richland Baptist Church
40510 Stewart Road
Zephyrhills, FL 33540
