[English Sermon 영어 설교]
With Joy and With Love (Romans 15:22-33)
Romans Series 35th
Sunday, February 9, 2025
Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn
2025. 2. 9. 주일예배 설교- 로마서 강해 35
본문: 로마서 15:22-33
제목: 기쁨으로 사랑으로
설교자: 손진국 목사
Today's passage conveys the Apostle Paul's plan to visit Rome. However, one word that is repeatedly mentioned in this passage is "joy." In verse 24, "with joy"; in verse 26, "pleased"; in verse 27, "delighted"; in verse 32, "with joy" and "refreshing." These words continue to appear.
Another word that stands out is "love" in verse 30. Although the word "love" appears only once, as we read the passage, what do we see in the way the Apostle Paul, the churches of Macedonia and Achaia, and the church in Rome carry out God's work? We see them doing their best with love in the tasks entrusted to them.
First, Paul says that he wanted to go to Rome but was unable to. What was the reason? There were likely two major reasons.
The first reason was that there was still work to be done in the place where he was ministering. What was that work? It was proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[Romans 15:22-23] This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you,
Now, he says that it is time for him to leave where he was. Why? Because he had already preached the gospel everywhere, and there was no more place left for him to work.
The second reason was Paul's principle regarding evangelism. What was this principle? It is stated in verse 20.
[Romans 15:20] It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.
Paul had a principle of not preaching the gospel in places where it had already been preached.
Since the gospel had already been preached in Rome and a church had been established there, Paul's destination was not Rome but Spain. He was not planning to go to Rome to preach the gospel but to stop by on his way to Spain to have fellowship with the believers there.
However, we must remember that even though Paul did not intend to go to Rome to preach the gospel, God's plan was for him to do so. In reality, Paul did preach the gospel in Rome and was ultimately martyred there by beheading.
Dear believers, always remember that our plans and God's plans may be different. And if God's plan is different from ours, we must not insist on our own plans but rather lay them down and obey the Lord's will.
[Proverbs 16:9] In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
What are your plans today? Pray to the Lord about them and seek His guidance. If the Lord’s plan differs from what you expect, do not be surprised or stubbornly hold on to your own plans. Instead, obey God's will. That is when God's work is revealed.
In today’s passage, we see Paul and the early churches carrying out their ministry with joy and love. I pray in the name of the Lord that all the members of Heaven’s Hope Church will also carry out the ministry entrusted to them by God with joy and love.
1. The Ministry of Preaching the Gospel
As mentioned last Sunday, when calculating the distances Paul traveled during his ministry, it is estimated to be about 40,000 km, with approximately 30,000 km traveled on foot. This is equivalent to walking from Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of New Zealand, to Stewart Island, the southernmost point, about 20 times.
He walked ceaselessly. Why? To preach the gospel. He believed this was the path he had to take and the mission he received from the Lord Jesus. That is why he said in Acts 20:24:
[Acts 20:24] However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
For Paul, preaching the gospel was far more valuable than his own life. How valuable is the work of preaching the gospel to us?
With what mindset and attitude did Paul preach the gospel, which he considered his mission and life’s calling? Most people, when they hear the word "mission," feel burdened, find it difficult, and think they must fulfill it out of obligation. Paul, too, faced persecution, hatred, misunderstandings, was stoned, imprisoned, and even faced death. Did he barely fulfill his mission out of obligation? No. He carried it out with joy. He lived a life of preaching the gospel with love. How do we know this?
[Romans 15:22-23] This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you,
What does this confession mean? It means that he traveled throughout the region, proclaiming the gospel wherever it had not yet been preached. Since he tirelessly proclaimed the gospel, he could finally say that there was no more place left for him to work.
Now, one might think it is time for him to rest, yet he still expresses his desire to go to Spain, which was considered the end of the earth at that time, to preach the gospel.
Where did he get the strength to continue tirelessly preaching the gospel?
[Romans 8:37-39] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
That strength came from the love of God, who saved him and remained with him. Paul was able to tirelessly preach the gospel because he was filled with gratitude and joy for God’s great love and the grace of being chosen to serve in God’s work.
[Application] Do I have gratitude and joy for the fact that God saved me, a sinner? Do I feel joy and amazement at the fact that God has called me to His work and given me a mission? May we all carry out our mission of witnessing the gospel today with joy, gratitude, and amazement for the salvation and calling we have received.
2. The Ministry of Helping the Church
Paul’s greatest desire was to take the gospel to Spain. On his way, he wanted to stop in Rome, fellowship with the believers there, and receive their support for his missionary journey.
But where is Paul heading now? Not to Spain, not even to Rome, but to Jerusalem. Why is he going there?
[Romans 15:25-26] Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem.
At the end of his third missionary journey, Paul wrote this letter from Corinth. Corinth was a city in Greece, and traveling directly from there to Rome would have been relatively easy and short. Italy was just across the sea from Greece. However, Paul was heading in the opposite direction—to Jerusalem. He was taking a long detour. In fact, it was almost certain that he would not be able to go to Rome after visiting Jerusalem, because there were people there waiting to kill him. Yet, Paul was determined to go. Why?
The reason was to help the church in Jerusalem. Upon hearing that the believers in Jerusalem were suffering financially due to a famine, the believers in Macedonia and Achaia joyfully collected an offering. Someone needed to deliver it, and Paul took on that responsibility.
Today, money can be transferred instantly online, but back then, such technology did not exist. Someone had to physically carry the money and deliver it. Paul set aside his dream of going to Spain to preach the gospel and instead embarked on a long journey to personally deliver the relief funds and support the suffering believers in Jerusalem.
Isn’t this remarkable? Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, who saw preaching the gospel to unbelievers as his calling and mission from God, chose to prioritize helping and serving the suffering church over his mission to reach Spain. Is this the right priority?
[Galatians 6:9-10] Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Doing good includes both preaching the gospel and helping the church. Here, we are encouraged to do good to everyone whenever we have the opportunity, but especially to fellow believers.
Of course, preaching the gospel is of utmost importance, as it is the Great Commission the Lord gave us. However, if we only focus on preaching the gospel without caring for suffering believers or struggling churches, the church will not be able to stand strong, unity will be lost, and divisions will arise. Ultimately, this will undermine the church’s ability to demonstrate the power of the gospel through love.
Look at the early church.
[Acts 2:44-47] All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
The early church experienced revival as the community gathered joyfully for worship and served one another in love. Because of this, God sent more people to be saved.
Therefore, we must look after the believers around us. Are they facing difficulties? Do they need help? We must care for one another. We must also be attentive to the needs of the church—what difficulties it is facing and what support it requires—and dedicate ourselves to helping the church. Why? Because the church is the body of Christ, and the Lord is pleased when we care for believers and support the church.
[Application] Who is the believer I need to care for and help? Am I actively working to meet the needs of the church and support it?
3. The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer
[Romans 15:30] I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.
The Apostle Paul asks the believers in Rome to pray for him with love. What does he request prayer for? The details of his prayer request are written in verses 31 and 32.
[Romans 15:31-32] Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed.
One request is that when he goes to Jerusalem, he may be rescued from unbelievers and not come to harm, and that the relief offering he is carrying may be joyfully received by the believers in Jerusalem. Additionally, he asks for prayers that he may go to Rome with joy according to God's will and have a joyful time of fellowship with the believers there.
Prayer is warfare. One cannot fight a war alone. If there are many enemies and one tries to fight alone, defeat is inevitable. War must be fought together.
When infantry advance into enemy territory, artillery must fire at the enemy from behind. In the sky, the air force must drop bombs on enemy positions. With such supportive attacks, the infantry can move forward, fight, and achieve victory.
This is exactly what intercessory prayer is. We may not be physically present in the battle, but we fire cannons and drop bombs on the enemy from behind. During Wednesday services and early morning prayer meetings, we intercede for the nation, the world, missionaries, and churches. We lift up the ministries of missionaries and churches we know, especially those we have served in, along with the difficulties and spiritual obstacles their leaders face. Why do we do this? Even though we may not go to the mission field ourselves, through intercessory prayer, we are firing bombs at the evil spirits operating in those places. We are dropping bombs on the evil spirits trying to destroy churches in this land.
Paul asks the believers in Rome to intercede for him with love. Even though he has never met them, he considers them one in faith in Jesus Christ, recognizing their unity as a spiritual community.
When someone shares their concerns and difficulties with us and asks for prayer, it means they do not see us as strangers but as their spiritual family. Do you have someone with whom you can share your burdens and prayer requests? Do you have a spiritual family to turn to in times of need? That is a blessing. Having allies is reassuring. If you don’t have such people, it means you are fighting alone. If that is the case for you, others around you might be in the same situation—alone, struggling, and facing defeat.
We must remember that we are a spiritual family under one Father, bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Let us take courage. Trust your brothers and sisters in Christ, share your burdens and struggles, and ask for prayer. Try doing this in your small groups. Then, a strong sense of community as one family will arise among us.
May Heavenly Hope Church be a community that shares life with joy and love, intercedes for one another, and fights together in spiritual warfare to achieve victory.
[Application] Do you have an ally with whom you can share prayer requests and pray together? Who is that person? If you have not yet shared your burdens and struggles, what is the reason?
Through today’s message, may we, like Paul and the early churches, proclaim the gospel with joy and love, support the church with joy and love, and intercede for one another with joy and love, fulfilling God’s will on this earth. In the name of the Lord, I bless you all.
하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.
Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.