THE DRIVING FORCE OF SPIRITUAL DEBT-III—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. GRATITUDE(:8)
2. HONESTY(:9a)
3. SERVICE(:9b)
4. PRAYER(:9c)
5. CONTACT(:10)
6. GIVING(:11)
7. BUILDING / CONCERN(:11-12, 13c)
“Apostle”—See:1—?????????—A delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders.
8—Spiritual indebtedness drives God’s messenger to...
SUSTAINED REVELATION(:13a)
—Explanation:(:13a)
: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.”
“Unaware/Ignorant”—??????—to be ignorant, not to know; Not to understand, unknown; To err or sin through mistake, to be wrong.
Rom. 11:25—“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”
1Cor. 10:1-4—“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud & in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, & all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, & that Rock was Christ.”
1Cor. 12:1—“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:”
1Thess. 4:13—“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.”
—Argumentation:
Deut. 29:29—““The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us & to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
Prov. 29:18(NKJV)—“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.”
Prov. 29:18(KJV)—“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”
Ps. 98:2—“The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.”
Isa. 40:2-5—““Speak comfort to Jerusalem, & cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD’S hand Double for all her sins.” The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain & hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.””
Amos 3:7-8—“Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?”
—Illustration:
Ellinor/Shoes in the hallway every day/ ‘Put your shoes in your room’/SUSTAINED REVELATION
—Application:
?Your Spiritual indebtedness produce SUSTAINED REVELATION?
?You have a keen sense of Spiritual Indebtedness to the Lord?
9—Spiritual indebtedness drives God’s messenger to...
SUSTAINED INTENTION(:13a)
—Explanation:(:13a)
: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.”
“Planned/Purposed”—??????????—To place before, to set forth—so as to look at or expose to public view; To set before one’s self, to propose to one’s self—To purpose or determine.
‘Plan’—A course of action/determination gotten thru either observation OR revelation.
—Argumentation:
Rom. 3:21-26—“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law & the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all & on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just & the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
1Cor. 2:9-13—“But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
Prov. 16:9—“A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”
Prov. 19:20-21—“Listen to counsel & receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter days. There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the LORD’S counsel--that will stand.”
Isa. 30:1-3—““Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin; Who walk to go down to Egypt, And have not asked My advice, To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore the strength of Pharaoh Shall be your shame, And trust in the shadow of Egypt Shall be your humiliation.”
—Illustration:
Entering life saying, ‘I’m gonna make this happen’(President, Lawyer, Surgeon, Veterinarian, etc.)/If you force the situation & make it happen =Misery!/Rather, ask, ‘God is this how you want to use me? Is this what you want to happen?/SUSTAINED INTENTION
—Application:
?Your Spiritual indebtedness produce SUSTAINED INTENTION?
?You have a keen sense of Spiritual Indebtedness to the Lord?
10—Spiritual indebtedness drives God’s messenger to...
SUSTAINED BLINDNESS(:14-15)
—Explanation:(:14-15) Classless/Color blind/
:14—“I am a debtor both to Greeks & to barbarians, both to wise & to unwise.”
Lack of prejudice
Unconditional love—Independent of anything other than God
“Greeks”—?????—In a wider sense the name embraces all nations not Jews that made the language, customs, & learning of the Greeks their own; the primary reference is to a difference of religion & worship.
“Barbarians”—????????—one whose speech is rude, rough & harsh; One who speaks a foreign or strange language which is not understood by another; Used by the Greeks of any foreigner ignorant of the Greek language, whether mental or moral, with the added notion after the Persian war, of rudeness & brutality. The word is used in the N.T. without the idea of reproachfulness.
“Wise”—?????—Wise—Skilled, expert—Cultivated, learned.
“Unwise”—???????—Not understood, unintelligible; Not understanding, unwise, foolish.
:15—“So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.”
“Ready/Eager”—????????—Ready, willing.
“Preach”—??????????—To bring good news, to announce glad tidings
1Jn. 2:9-11—“He who says he is in the light, & hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, & there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness & walks in darkness, & does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”
Mat. 28:18-20—“And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. “Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
Jn. 3:16—““For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Matthew 5:43-48—““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor & hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, & pray for those who spitefully use you & persecute you, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil & on the good, & sends rain on the just & on the unjust. “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? “And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Mk. 12:28-31—“Then one of the scribes came, & having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, & with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.””
*Good Samaritan—In answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor,” Jesus said....—Lk. 10:30-37—“Then Jesus answered & said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, & fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, & departed, leaving him half dead. “Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. “Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came & looked, & passed by on the other side. “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. “So he went to him & bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil & wine; & he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, & took care of him. “On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, & said to him, ‘Take care of him; & whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go & do likewise.””
—Argumentation:
Lev. 19:15—“‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.”
Deut 16:19—“You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise & twists the words of the righteous.”
1Tim. 5:21—“I charge you before God & the Lord Jesus Christ & the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality.”
Jas. 2:8-9—“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, & are convicted by the law as transgressors.”
Jas. 3:17—“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy & good fruits, without partiality & without hypocrisy.”
—Illustration:
Courthouse/Statue or plaque of a 1)Woman—Tenderness/Kindness/Love/Humility.... 2)Holding scales —Weighing accurately.... 3)Blindfolded—No external prejudices....SUSTAINED BLINDNESS
—Application:
?Your Spiritual indebtedness produce SUSTAINED BLINDNESS?
?You have a keen sense of Spiritual Indebtedness to the Lord?
—CONCLUSION—
Action:
Spiritual indebtedness drives God’s messenger to...SUSTAINED...
REVELATION(:13a)
INTENTION(:13)
BLINDNESS(:14-15)
GRATITUDE(:8)
HONESTY(:9a)
SERVICE(:9b)
PRAYER(:9c)
CONTACT(:10)
GIVING(:11)
BUILDING / CONCERN(:11-12, 13c)
Presented 05/22/05am to:
Richland Baptist Church
40510 Stewart Rd.
Zephyrhills, FL 33540
