WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.720 I'm going to ask you to take your Bible and turn 00:00:01.720 --> 00:00:14.699 to Romans chapter 15. About 11 years after the 00:00:14.699 --> 00:00:19.359 writing of Romans from the city of Corinth, near 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:21.800 the conclusion of his third missionary journey, 00:00:23.179 --> 00:00:28.140 the Apostle Paul sat alone in a dungeon, writing 00:00:28.140 --> 00:00:32.829 a letter to his beloved son in the faith and 00:00:32.829 --> 00:00:36.710 his partner in the ministry, Timothy. He knew 00:00:36.710 --> 00:00:41.429 that his execution was at hand. Paul was not 00:00:41.429 --> 00:00:45.789 afraid of that event as he contemplated it. In 00:00:45.789 --> 00:00:49.630 fact, we have these words from his heart just 00:00:49.630 --> 00:00:54.969 undoubtedly a few days or weeks before the executioner's 00:00:54.969 --> 00:01:01.259 sword beheaded him, at least according to tradition. 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:06.840 I am already being poured out as a drink offering. 00:01:07.859 --> 00:01:10.959 And the time of my departure has come, says the 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:15.540 Apostle. I have fought the good fight. I have 00:01:15.540 --> 00:01:20.180 finished the course. I particularly like that 00:01:20.180 --> 00:01:24.379 last phrase, I have finished the course, because 00:01:24.379 --> 00:01:29.019 the Apostle Paul faced the end of his life contented 00:01:29.019 --> 00:01:34.739 that he had completed his course. That is what 00:01:34.739 --> 00:01:39.500 God had intended for him to accomplish in his 00:01:39.500 --> 00:01:44.560 life. He did not face his execution with regret 00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:48.359 that he might have done more, but he said, I 00:01:48.359 --> 00:01:54.140 have finished my course. If you and I want to 00:01:54.140 --> 00:02:00.599 die that way, then we must plan now to make it 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:05.060 so. Whatever it is that you may want to accomplish 00:02:05.060 --> 00:02:09.280 in your life, you had better make plans now to 00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:13.560 achieve that or you may come to a situation like 00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:20.379 Paul faced with a different attitude. Our text 00:02:20.379 --> 00:02:25.969 in Romans chapter 15 expresses to us why Paul 00:02:25.969 --> 00:02:29.550 was able to say, 11 years after the writing of 00:02:29.550 --> 00:02:34.530 these verses, what he did. He planned for his 00:02:34.530 --> 00:02:40.050 future. And God, by his grace, allowed his plans 00:02:40.050 --> 00:02:46.449 to be accomplished within his will. He says in 00:02:46.449 --> 00:02:50.669 Romans 15 22, for this reason, I have often been 00:02:50.669 --> 00:02:54.370 hindered from coming to you. But now with no 00:02:54.370 --> 00:02:57.909 further place for me in these regions, and since 00:02:57.909 --> 00:03:00.849 I have had for many years a longing to come to 00:03:00.849 --> 00:03:04.330 you whenever I go to Spain, for I hope to see 00:03:04.330 --> 00:03:08.550 you in passing, and to be helped on my way there 00:03:08.550 --> 00:03:12.370 by you, when I have first enjoyed your company 00:03:12.370 --> 00:03:16.610 for a while. But now I am going to Jerusalem, 00:03:16.870 --> 00:03:21.409 serving the Saints. For Macedonia and Achaia 00:03:21.409 --> 00:03:24.050 have been pleased to make a contribution for 00:03:24.050 --> 00:03:27.949 the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, 00:03:27.949 --> 00:03:31.830 they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted 00:03:31.830 --> 00:03:35.430 to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their 00:03:35.430 --> 00:03:38.870 spiritual things, they are indebted to minister 00:03:38.870 --> 00:03:43.909 to them also in material things. Therefore, when 00:03:43.909 --> 00:03:48.180 I have finished this, and have put my seal on 00:03:48.180 --> 00:03:53.360 this fruit of theirs, I will go by way of you 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:57.539 to Spain. And I know that when I come to you, 00:03:57.819 --> 00:04:00.400 I will come in the fullness of the blessing of 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:05.000 Christ. Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:09.060 Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to 00:04:09.060 --> 00:04:12.479 strive together with me in your prayers to God 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:16.920 for me. that I may be delivered from those who 00:04:16.920 --> 00:04:20.339 are disobedient in Judea, and that my service 00:04:20.339 --> 00:04:23.500 for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints, 00:04:24.519 --> 00:04:28.779 so that I may come to you in joy by the will 00:04:28.779 --> 00:04:33.199 of God and find refreshing rest in your company. 00:04:33.959 --> 00:04:40.100 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. The 00:04:40.100 --> 00:04:44.060 Apostle Paul wanted to visit Rome to meet these 00:04:44.060 --> 00:04:48.339 people personally. And in the text he shares 00:04:48.339 --> 00:04:54.000 his plans for the future with them. As we look 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:57.360 at Paul's words, I am reminded that planning 00:04:57.360 --> 00:05:02.240 for our future is an important responsibility 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:06.740 that each of us has. Now I recognize that some 00:05:06.740 --> 00:05:11.399 object to such a statement. and seem to say that 00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:16.379 God calls us to live by faith. And yet I would 00:05:16.379 --> 00:05:20.139 suggest to you that living by faith is not the 00:05:20.139 --> 00:05:24.860 same thing as living haphazardly. There is nothing 00:05:24.860 --> 00:05:28.339 particularly spiritual about poor preparation 00:05:28.339 --> 00:05:34.699 or the lack of planning. The Apostle Paul planned 00:05:34.699 --> 00:05:39.980 out his future. As he shares his heart with us, 00:05:40.339 --> 00:05:45.199 we can glean insights from him to help us to 00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:49.839 plan wisely in relation to the future that we 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:54.339 have. The first insight is found in verse 22, 00:05:54.439 --> 00:05:58.899 where we are encouraged to realize that hindrances 00:05:58.899 --> 00:06:04.319 are a part of life. Now we might wish it were 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:07.670 otherwise. But that doesn't change the fact. 00:06:09.430 --> 00:06:12.769 We should keep in mind that hindrances are not 00:06:12.769 --> 00:06:18.290 necessarily bad for us. After all, hindrances 00:06:18.290 --> 00:06:23.509 can be stimulators of growth, can't they? The 00:06:23.509 --> 00:06:27.069 chick, as it is hatching, is hindered by that 00:06:27.069 --> 00:06:31.589 uncomfortable shell. And yet the process of getting 00:06:31.589 --> 00:06:36.470 out of that shell is important for that chick's 00:06:36.470 --> 00:06:40.269 growth in those early hours of its life. It needs 00:06:40.269 --> 00:06:44.230 that stimulation from the shell, and therefore 00:06:44.230 --> 00:06:47.490 it struggles with that hindrance until it is 00:06:47.490 --> 00:06:51.589 free. And the same can be said for you and for 00:06:51.589 --> 00:06:55.430 me. There are times when hindrances are stimulators 00:06:55.430 --> 00:06:59.110 for our maturing and our growing. We need them. 00:07:01.050 --> 00:07:05.600 Also, stimulators can be protectors. sent by 00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:09.740 God. I suppose that a number of us today could 00:07:09.740 --> 00:07:13.819 relate personal experiences when something hindered 00:07:13.819 --> 00:07:17.779 us for example in our schedule so that we got 00:07:17.779 --> 00:07:20.680 away from home later than we anticipated for 00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:25.439 a trip only to find that down the road there 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:29.860 was an accident and had we been on time as we 00:07:29.860 --> 00:07:32.810 had planned we might well have been involved 00:07:32.810 --> 00:07:37.750 in a serious situation. Hindrances are not always 00:07:37.750 --> 00:07:41.490 bad. Sometimes they are God's protectors for 00:07:41.490 --> 00:07:46.589 us. In addition, hindrances can be indicators 00:07:46.589 --> 00:07:54.730 that we are living the way that we should. Sometimes 00:07:54.730 --> 00:07:57.990 hindrances come to us because of busy, productive 00:07:57.990 --> 00:08:05.480 lives. which often complicate our plans. And 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:08.139 so sometimes hindrances are good in that they 00:08:08.139 --> 00:08:12.959 are indicators that we are living up to our potential. 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:17.420 A person who has time to do anything he wants 00:08:17.420 --> 00:08:20.600 without any hindrances is a person who probably 00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:25.319 is not living up to his potential. So hindrances 00:08:25.319 --> 00:08:28.040 are a part of life, and that's not necessarily 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:31.310 bad. It can be good. The sources of hindrances 00:08:31.310 --> 00:08:36.330 vary. Satan can hinder us. In 1 Thessalonians 00:08:36.330 --> 00:08:39.690 2, 18, Paul says exactly that, that he had wanted 00:08:39.690 --> 00:08:43.149 to go see the Thessalonians, and yet Satan had 00:08:43.149 --> 00:08:47.929 hindered him. He doesn't say how. In Daniel chapter 00:08:47.929 --> 00:08:51.870 10, he prayed for a certain thing to occur. He 00:08:51.870 --> 00:08:54.990 might have understanding. But the answer to that 00:08:54.990 --> 00:08:59.220 prayer was delayed for three weeks. by satanic 00:08:59.220 --> 00:09:03.080 hindrance. We must remember that we are, in fact, 00:09:03.139 --> 00:09:07.000 in a spiritual warfare, and there are times when 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:11.460 Satan will directly intervene in our circumstances, 00:09:11.799 --> 00:09:18.039 in our plans to hinder us. Hindrances can also 00:09:18.039 --> 00:09:21.639 come from physical obstacles that may have nothing 00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:26.120 to do with Satan. Illness, for example, is sometimes 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:28.899 a hindrance. how well I am aware of that this 00:09:28.899 --> 00:09:34.639 morning. There are times when hindrances simply 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:38.399 are the result of physical situations that we 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:42.120 get into. We're not able to do what we would 00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:46.000 like to do, what we would plan to do. And then 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:49.240 there are times when hindrances come, as in the 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:53.279 case of Paul here, because of the demands of 00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:57.080 ministry. You see, what had hindered Paul at 00:09:57.080 --> 00:10:01.679 this point was not Satan, nor was it illness 00:10:01.679 --> 00:10:05.139 as much as we know, but rather what hindered 00:10:05.139 --> 00:10:09.539 Paul was his busy ministry. He has explained 00:10:09.539 --> 00:10:13.139 that his ministry has kept him occupied from 00:10:13.139 --> 00:10:17.220 Jerusalem, 1400 miles to the northwest, to modern 00:10:17.220 --> 00:10:21.120 -day Yugoslavia. And he says throughout that 00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:24.919 whole region we have preached the gospel. and 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:26.879 he had done it quite successfully. It doesn't 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:30.179 mean he had been to every town. Paul's strategy 00:10:30.179 --> 00:10:33.440 was to go to the large cities and then from there 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:37.179 to send out teams apparently to the smaller villages. 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:42.899 But he says very clearly in verse 23 that he 00:10:42.899 --> 00:10:46.899 had no place any longer in that region where 00:10:46.899 --> 00:10:48.960 he was, and at the time he was writing this, 00:10:48.980 --> 00:10:55.240 he was in Corinth. The idea is that he had accomplished 00:10:55.240 --> 00:10:58.360 what he had intended to accomplish there. Not 00:10:58.360 --> 00:11:01.019 that everybody had been evangelized, every village 00:11:01.019 --> 00:11:05.340 reached, but his purpose, according to his philosophy 00:11:05.340 --> 00:11:08.399 of ministry, had been achieved. And therefore 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:12.440 he was looking on to other things. What had hindered 00:11:12.440 --> 00:11:17.379 Paul here was the demand of his ministry. And 00:11:17.379 --> 00:11:22.840 so, as you and I plan, as we should, Remember 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:25.919 this, that we will be hindered at times. And 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:28.220 those hindrances are a part of life. They are 00:11:28.220 --> 00:11:32.620 not necessarily bad. But not only a part of life, 00:11:32.700 --> 00:11:35.419 but we trust them also to be under the sovereign 00:11:35.419 --> 00:11:39.899 hand of God. Turn back with me to Acts chapter 00:11:39.899 --> 00:11:42.740 16 for a moment as we see an example I think 00:11:42.740 --> 00:11:47.059 very clearly of what I'm saying. The Apostle 00:11:47.059 --> 00:11:51.539 Paul was on his second missionary journey. He 00:11:51.539 --> 00:11:53.820 had visited the churches that he had founded 00:11:53.820 --> 00:11:58.320 in the region of Asia Minor on his first missionary 00:11:58.320 --> 00:12:03.539 journey, and then took a turn to head back toward 00:12:03.539 --> 00:12:06.419 the east on the south side of the Caspian Sea. 00:12:08.580 --> 00:12:11.860 But in verse 6 it says, They passed through the 00:12:11.860 --> 00:12:14.679 Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden 00:12:14.679 --> 00:12:17.960 by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 00:12:19.659 --> 00:12:22.980 And when they had come to Messia, they were trying 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:25.340 to go into Bithynia, working their way back toward 00:12:25.340 --> 00:12:29.399 the east. And the Spirit of Jesus did not permit 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:33.360 them. And passing by Messia, they came down to 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:37.539 Troas. What's taken place here? No, we are not 00:12:37.539 --> 00:12:42.580 told. Was it a group of people after Paul's life 00:12:42.580 --> 00:12:48.019 that caused him to change directions? Was it... 00:12:47.960 --> 00:12:52.299 some illness? Did the Lord appear to him in a 00:12:52.299 --> 00:12:54.620 vision and say, don't go this way? We're not 00:12:54.620 --> 00:12:58.580 told. All we know is that Paul had planned to 00:12:58.580 --> 00:13:02.200 go back to the north and to the east and to the 00:13:02.200 --> 00:13:05.659 innermost part of Asia, and God said to him in 00:13:05.659 --> 00:13:09.899 some way no and hindered him. And whatever that 00:13:09.899 --> 00:13:13.570 hindrance was, Paul said this is of God. He believed 00:13:13.570 --> 00:13:15.610 that hindrances were under the sovereign hand 00:13:15.610 --> 00:13:18.149 of God, and he went down where he had liberty 00:13:18.149 --> 00:13:20.610 to go, to Troas, and from there God gave him 00:13:20.610 --> 00:13:24.110 specific direction to go over into Europe. And 00:13:24.110 --> 00:13:28.129 that's the direction that he went. So may I encourage 00:13:28.129 --> 00:13:30.669 you, as you realize that hindrances are a part 00:13:30.669 --> 00:13:34.250 of life, also realize that all of your hindrances 00:13:34.250 --> 00:13:39.190 are a part of God's sovereign plan for you. None 00:13:39.190 --> 00:13:42.919 of us gets to do everything that we want or plan 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:47.460 to do. That's life. Therefore, will you please 00:13:47.460 --> 00:13:50.860 stop being frustrated in whatever circumstances 00:13:50.860 --> 00:13:54.720 are confronting you today? And will you rather 00:13:54.720 --> 00:14:00.259 relax by faith in the sovereignty of God in those 00:14:00.259 --> 00:14:05.299 hindrances that seem to be mountain -like obstacles 00:14:05.299 --> 00:14:10.080 before your plans on this Lord's Day? Realize 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:13.000 that hindrances are a part of life, but they 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:16.120 are under God's sovereign hand and direction. 00:14:17.580 --> 00:14:20.120 Second insight that I see is in verses 23 to 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:24.440 28. As we plan for our futures, we need to keep 00:14:24.440 --> 00:14:28.480 the needs of others in perspective. In other 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:34.500 words, we should not plan self -centeredly. Our 00:14:34.500 --> 00:14:36.940 text says this about Paul. He might have wished 00:14:36.940 --> 00:14:40.460 to go directly to Rome. and to those regions 00:14:40.460 --> 00:14:46.240 beyond Rome, perhaps to Spain. But you see, there 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:48.440 was something that hindered his plans at this 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:51.080 point, that caused him to adjust his plans, or 00:14:51.080 --> 00:14:56.299 his desires rather, rather than planning as he 00:14:56.299 --> 00:15:00.899 might like to have gone, he adjusted his plans 00:15:00.899 --> 00:15:03.940 to keep the needs of the Jerusalem saints in 00:15:03.940 --> 00:15:08.620 mind. Those needs were so pressing upon Paul 00:15:08.620 --> 00:15:12.120 that they overruled what he himself might like 00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:15.779 to have done. Now what were the needs in Jerusalem? 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:20.779 Well, there were two of them, at least, and they 00:15:20.779 --> 00:15:26.159 were interwoven. On the one hand, there was the 00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:31.399 problem of poverty among the saints. They were 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:36.220 lacking food and clothing. because apparently 00:15:36.220 --> 00:15:42.340 of continued persecution. The Apostle Paul wanted 00:15:42.340 --> 00:15:46.860 to care for that need of impoverishment. But 00:15:46.860 --> 00:15:50.700 an interwoven need with that was a certain factious 00:15:50.700 --> 00:15:54.899 spirit that was within the Jerusalem church. 00:15:56.100 --> 00:16:00.399 A spirit of dissension between Jew and Gentile. 00:16:00.909 --> 00:16:03.210 If you go back and look at the Jerusalem church, 00:16:03.330 --> 00:16:06.309 you will see that spirit lift its ugly head several 00:16:06.309 --> 00:16:11.690 times. For example, right after the conversion 00:16:11.690 --> 00:16:14.129 of Cornelius, there was a little problem and 00:16:14.129 --> 00:16:17.490 God went to extraordinary lengths to prove to 00:16:17.490 --> 00:16:20.509 those Jewish Christians at that church in Jerusalem 00:16:20.509 --> 00:16:24.029 that Cornelius and Gentiles were full candidates 00:16:24.029 --> 00:16:29.620 for salvation without becoming Jews. Now they 00:16:29.620 --> 00:16:33.379 learned to accept that. For after all, I'm sure 00:16:33.379 --> 00:16:36.919 they reasoned, Cornelius had been a God -fearing 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:42.460 Gentile. But then the Apostle Paul was commissioned 00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:44.779 by the church in Antioch to go on a missionary 00:16:44.779 --> 00:16:48.320 journey and he went to basically Gentile areas. 00:16:49.860 --> 00:16:52.580 And there were vast numbers of Gentiles converted 00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:57.730 to Christianity. And when word of that got back 00:16:57.730 --> 00:16:59.889 to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, again 00:16:59.889 --> 00:17:02.029 they had a hard time. Now these were not God 00:17:02.029 --> 00:17:05.450 -fearing Gentiles, these were pagan Gentiles. 00:17:06.069 --> 00:17:09.250 And they were becoming Christians without first 00:17:09.250 --> 00:17:13.970 learning about the Jewish law. And so there was 00:17:13.970 --> 00:17:16.690 called a great council in Jerusalem after Paul's 00:17:16.690 --> 00:17:20.809 first journey, Acts chapter 15. One of the most 00:17:20.809 --> 00:17:24.569 momentous occasions in church history. And that 00:17:24.569 --> 00:17:29.289 issue was wisely settled to the wisdom that God 00:17:29.289 --> 00:17:33.130 the Holy Spirit gave to James, who was the chief 00:17:33.130 --> 00:17:36.630 elder in the church in Jerusalem. Then Paul went 00:17:36.630 --> 00:17:40.569 on his second missionary journey. Apparently 00:17:40.569 --> 00:17:45.190 so critical was this spirit in the Jerusalem 00:17:45.190 --> 00:17:47.710 church that when he completed his second missionary 00:17:47.710 --> 00:17:51.549 journey, he returned to the Jerusalem church 00:17:51.549 --> 00:17:54.589 first before going back to his home church in 00:17:54.589 --> 00:17:58.380 Antioch. reported to them in Jerusalem what had 00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:00.460 taken place because he didn't want any kind of 00:18:00.460 --> 00:18:02.940 a misunderstanding to arise again with those 00:18:02.940 --> 00:18:07.539 Jewish believers in Jerusalem. Then Galatians 00:18:07.539 --> 00:18:11.380 chapter 2 records for us this tension that existed 00:18:11.380 --> 00:18:17.200 between these Jewish believers and the Gentiles 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:19.799 who were being saved. You see there were some 00:18:19.799 --> 00:18:23.019 of them who wanted the Gentiles to keep the law 00:18:23.019 --> 00:18:27.259 or at least certain legalistic regulations to 00:18:27.259 --> 00:18:31.460 make them acceptable to the Jews. And there were 00:18:31.460 --> 00:18:36.259 others who may have been concerned over the large 00:18:36.259 --> 00:18:40.220 influx of Gentiles into the church. For you see 00:18:40.220 --> 00:18:42.920 the Gentiles very quickly outnumbered the Jews. 00:18:44.680 --> 00:18:48.619 And the Jews were not used to that. Therefore 00:18:48.619 --> 00:18:50.700 there was a double need you see in the Jerusalem 00:18:50.700 --> 00:18:53.799 church. There was this problem of poverty, And 00:18:53.799 --> 00:18:57.619 there was this problem of this spirit of dissension, 00:18:57.740 --> 00:19:01.059 this factious spirit that kept eating away at 00:19:01.059 --> 00:19:06.000 that Jerusalem congregation. So God led Paul 00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:09.779 to do something that I think was very wise, and 00:19:09.779 --> 00:19:13.619 that was to take an offering. From that we know 00:19:13.619 --> 00:19:17.920 that Paul must have been a Baptist. For after 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:21.059 all, isn't that what most Baptists do when they're 00:19:21.059 --> 00:19:24.980 in trouble? The Apostle Paul took an offering. 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:27.960 He collected it, as it says here in our text, 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:31.519 in Macedonia and Achaia. By the way, if you're 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:33.500 Baptist or visiting, I'm a Baptist, so I'm not 00:19:33.500 --> 00:19:38.220 poking fun at you, but at us. But in Macedonia 00:19:38.220 --> 00:19:44.539 and Achaia, and also in Asia, we read in Acts, 00:19:45.099 --> 00:19:49.799 he began to take this offering. He wanted to 00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:52.059 present that offering to the Jerusalem church. 00:19:52.180 --> 00:19:55.339 Now here in the text in verse 26 he calls it 00:19:55.339 --> 00:19:59.059 a contribution. The word literally is fellowship 00:19:59.059 --> 00:20:02.099 and the idea is he was collecting a love gift. 00:20:02.779 --> 00:20:06.380 He wanted it to be something that was spontaneous 00:20:06.380 --> 00:20:10.940 from the Gentile believers for these Jews down 00:20:10.940 --> 00:20:14.740 in Jerusalem who were believers. It was a love 00:20:14.740 --> 00:20:20.190 gift and he says it pleased them to give. That's 00:20:20.190 --> 00:20:21.410 another reason we must have known these were 00:20:21.410 --> 00:20:23.410 Baptist churches. It pleases them to give. That's 00:20:23.410 --> 00:20:27.130 a good characteristics of Baptist maybe. Then 00:20:27.130 --> 00:20:32.809 in verse 27, he calls it a debt. Not a love gift 00:20:32.809 --> 00:20:36.549 now. He says it's a debt. For he says the Gentiles 00:20:36.549 --> 00:20:42.569 have shared in the Jews spiritual wealth in their 00:20:42.569 --> 00:20:48.460 Christ. Therefore, it's only right that the Gentiles 00:20:48.460 --> 00:20:52.220 now help the Jewish believers in their material 00:20:52.220 --> 00:20:56.960 poverty." So he says there is a certain indebtedness 00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:01.039 on the part of the Gentiles to give. By the way, 00:21:01.960 --> 00:21:04.319 the Jerusalem leaders may well have agreed with 00:21:04.319 --> 00:21:10.500 this. You see, they were used to a temple tax 00:21:10.500 --> 00:21:12.759 being gathered among the Jews throughout the 00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:17.119 world, a half a shekel, a year, to be sent for 00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:21.779 the maintenance of the temple in Jerusalem. And 00:21:21.779 --> 00:21:23.599 so they may have felt it was very appropriate 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:26.299 from their background that the Gentiles send 00:21:26.299 --> 00:21:29.640 in an offering to help the Mother Church, so 00:21:29.640 --> 00:21:34.000 to speak, in Jerusalem. But then the apostle 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:38.900 calls it in verse 28, fruit. This offering, he 00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:43.160 says, was a fruit. of the Spirit of God working 00:21:43.160 --> 00:21:46.900 in their lives. It was the result of the Gospel 00:21:46.900 --> 00:21:50.359 being preached and God working in them. And they 00:21:50.359 --> 00:21:52.740 were liberal as a result of that in their giving. 00:21:52.819 --> 00:21:55.960 They were generous. They wanted to give. It was 00:21:55.960 --> 00:21:59.200 not something that they had to work up. They 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:01.559 didn't have to give away things in order to get 00:22:01.559 --> 00:22:05.339 money. They didn't put on an appeal through the 00:22:05.339 --> 00:22:08.240 Asia Minor television network. But what they 00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:11.720 did was, they gave. because the Spirit of God 00:22:11.720 --> 00:22:14.339 was spontaneously working in them, so it was 00:22:14.339 --> 00:22:18.059 fruit. That's what the offering was like. A love 00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:24.640 gift, a debt, a fruit. Now Paul's hope was that 00:22:24.640 --> 00:22:28.099 in taking this offering, he would go down to 00:22:28.099 --> 00:22:32.460 the Jerusalem church, meet the need of poverty, 00:22:33.220 --> 00:22:35.839 and secondly, show to those Jewish believers 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:38.740 how much the Gentiles loved them and hopefully 00:22:38.740 --> 00:22:45.240 breach. again this factious spirit. Now the point 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:47.859 in all of this is that Paul kept the needs of 00:22:47.859 --> 00:22:52.500 others in perspective as he planned. There will 00:22:52.500 --> 00:22:55.740 be times when your future plans will need to 00:22:55.740 --> 00:22:59.619 be tempered because of the needs of others. This 00:22:59.619 --> 00:23:01.940 is what the Apostle Paul meant in part I think 00:23:01.940 --> 00:23:03.859 when he said earlier in this very chapter that 00:23:03.859 --> 00:23:06.779 we are to please one another and not ourselves. 00:23:09.230 --> 00:23:11.930 That means when a pastor who has an opportunity 00:23:11.930 --> 00:23:17.930 come to him for a bigger church must first look 00:23:17.930 --> 00:23:20.930 at the situation and keep the needs of his present 00:23:20.930 --> 00:23:25.369 church in mind. That's why an executive who has 00:23:25.369 --> 00:23:29.670 an opportunity for promotion must first see how 00:23:29.670 --> 00:23:32.849 that promotion will affect his family, for example. 00:23:33.890 --> 00:23:36.210 That's why a student who's making summer plans 00:23:36.210 --> 00:23:39.809 needs to keep in mind his parents. and their 00:23:39.809 --> 00:23:43.170 needs. That's why a husband who's going on a 00:23:43.170 --> 00:23:47.109 fishing trip, gentlemen, needs to keep in mind 00:23:47.109 --> 00:23:50.650 his wife and her needs over that long weekend. 00:23:52.210 --> 00:23:57.430 You see, in our planning, we need to keep the 00:23:57.430 --> 00:24:01.529 needs of others in perspective so that we don't 00:24:01.529 --> 00:24:05.690 become totally self -centered. That insight will 00:24:05.690 --> 00:24:08.250 help you. It may even bring some peace to your 00:24:08.250 --> 00:24:13.329 home. A third insight regarding our planning 00:24:13.329 --> 00:24:17.809 for the future is that we need to make our desire, 00:24:18.089 --> 00:24:21.569 our number one desire, the fullness of Christ's 00:24:21.569 --> 00:24:26.269 blessing. That needs to be our priority. That 00:24:26.269 --> 00:24:29.549 we might know the fullness of His blessing in 00:24:29.549 --> 00:24:34.809 our lives. All else is secondary at best. And 00:24:34.809 --> 00:24:38.029 the place of blessing, dear friend, is the place 00:24:38.029 --> 00:24:41.910 of obedience. You can write this down in the 00:24:41.910 --> 00:24:44.269 back of your mind. It's a little principle that 00:24:44.269 --> 00:24:48.509 is true. Obedience brings blessing. Disobedience 00:24:48.509 --> 00:24:52.849 brings discipline. When you and I live in the 00:24:52.849 --> 00:24:57.009 place of obedience, then we will be in the place 00:24:57.009 --> 00:24:59.950 of the fullness of blessing. And that's why the 00:24:59.950 --> 00:25:02.089 Apostle Paul was able to say as he did in verse 00:25:02.089 --> 00:25:06.809 29, I know that when I come to you, I will come 00:25:06.809 --> 00:25:10.519 in the fullness. of the blessing of Christ. He 00:25:10.519 --> 00:25:14.480 wasn't fearful of that, but because he was a 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:16.640 man who practiced obedience, he knew that he 00:25:16.640 --> 00:25:20.740 would have that fullness of blessing. Dear friend, 00:25:21.599 --> 00:25:26.980 never allow your plans to rob you of this, the 00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:31.140 fullness of God's blessing. Always make your 00:25:31.140 --> 00:25:34.960 plans consistent with what it means to obey God 00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:40.589 in your life. Never make your plans your own 00:25:40.589 --> 00:25:44.109 direction, irregardless of what God wants, what 00:25:44.109 --> 00:25:48.289 God commands, and thus miss that blessing of 00:25:48.289 --> 00:25:52.630 God in your life. Griffith Thomas said it was 00:25:52.630 --> 00:25:55.069 only as he lived in the fullness of blessing 00:25:55.069 --> 00:25:58.170 that blessing could accrue to others through 00:25:58.170 --> 00:26:02.990 him. Our work will never rise higher than our 00:26:02.990 --> 00:26:05.369 character, and our character will never be stronger 00:26:05.369 --> 00:26:08.599 than the measure of our communion with Christ. 00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:13.680 Is that your number one priority in life, to 00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:18.980 know the fullness of Christ's blessing? Is it? 00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:23.880 Or is it to get the big job, to make the big 00:26:23.880 --> 00:26:34.180 bucks, to become famous, to retire early as a 00:26:34.180 --> 00:26:38.920 wealthy person? to have all of those things that 00:26:38.920 --> 00:26:45.720 your neighbor has and you lust for. Whatever 00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:50.500 other plans you make in life, please, I beg of 00:26:50.500 --> 00:26:54.920 you, make your priority, your number one desire, 00:26:55.819 --> 00:26:59.160 the fullness of the blessing of God. And you 00:26:59.160 --> 00:27:08.599 may have that if you simply obey. There is a 00:27:08.599 --> 00:27:12.500 fourth insight we find in verses 30 through 32. 00:27:18.079 --> 00:27:20.880 We need to recognize the role of others in our 00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:27.180 lives. You see, whoever you are, whoever I am, 00:27:27.420 --> 00:27:31.000 we share a partnership with others who love us. 00:27:35.740 --> 00:27:44.519 friends, family, a local church. And these people 00:27:44.519 --> 00:27:49.380 play a vital role in helping us to realize our 00:27:49.380 --> 00:27:55.359 plans. God does not intend for us to be macho 00:27:55.359 --> 00:28:00.640 Christians. God has not called us to be super 00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:04.210 saints. who are independent and autonomous of 00:28:04.210 --> 00:28:10.250 other believers. We are a part of a body of people 00:28:10.250 --> 00:28:16.529 as believers, and we are part of a family. Others 00:28:16.529 --> 00:28:21.130 desire to share with us our plans and to help 00:28:21.130 --> 00:28:27.049 us. You see, we share the same Lord Jesus Christ, 00:28:27.990 --> 00:28:32.299 just as Paul and the Romans did, verse 30. We 00:28:32.299 --> 00:28:35.339 share together the same Holy Spirit just as Paul 00:28:35.339 --> 00:28:39.039 and the Romans did. The Holy Spirit who sheds 00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:42.299 as a flood in our hearts the love of God for 00:28:42.299 --> 00:28:46.980 one another. And because we belong to each other 00:28:46.980 --> 00:28:49.559 and we serve the same Lord and have the same 00:28:49.559 --> 00:28:53.960 indwelling Spirit, we want to help each other. 00:28:54.440 --> 00:28:58.450 Why is it then that we so often Go off on our 00:28:58.450 --> 00:29:01.069 own tangents and forget about others and don't 00:29:01.069 --> 00:29:04.089 incorporate them and ask for their prayers and 00:29:04.089 --> 00:29:11.690 their help. The Apostle Paul points out two important 00:29:11.690 --> 00:29:16.750 roles that others have in our lives. One of them 00:29:16.750 --> 00:29:20.170 I've already suggested and that is prayer. Paul 00:29:20.170 --> 00:29:22.069 asked him to pray for three things and he might 00:29:22.069 --> 00:29:25.819 be delivered from danger. After all, there were 00:29:25.819 --> 00:29:29.200 those literally who wanted to kill Paul to assassinate 00:29:29.200 --> 00:29:33.920 him. He asked him to pray that he might, in bringing 00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:37.019 the gift to the saints in Jerusalem, be accepted. 00:29:39.180 --> 00:29:41.160 I think perhaps that was the greater concern 00:29:41.160 --> 00:29:44.759 that he had. I think that Paul was a little concerned 00:29:44.759 --> 00:29:49.559 that those Jerusalem Jewish believers might scorn 00:29:49.559 --> 00:29:53.099 this gift from Paul and those Gentiles. So he 00:29:53.099 --> 00:29:55.420 says, you pray that they will accept this gift. 00:29:57.000 --> 00:29:59.140 By the way, sometimes it's harder to accept a 00:29:59.140 --> 00:30:02.819 gift than it is to give a gift, isn't it? And 00:30:02.819 --> 00:30:06.779 yet both graces are important. And thirdly, he 00:30:06.779 --> 00:30:08.980 prays that he might, and he wants them to pray 00:30:08.980 --> 00:30:11.640 with him, that he might have a safe and joyful 00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:15.039 trip to Rome eventually. So he says, pray with 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:20.400 me. And that prayer is a striving, he calls it. 00:30:21.339 --> 00:30:26.180 The word there is the word agony. It pictures 00:30:26.180 --> 00:30:28.799 an athletic contest, for example, wrestling. 00:30:31.019 --> 00:30:35.099 I like to watch real wrestling. I turned on some 00:30:35.099 --> 00:30:37.019 kind of wrestling yesterday, I forget the name 00:30:37.019 --> 00:30:40.099 of it, on one of the channels in the afternoon, 00:30:40.220 --> 00:30:41.819 and I tell you Hollywood couldn't do a better 00:30:41.819 --> 00:30:46.880 job of acting than those two guys. A real joke. 00:30:48.039 --> 00:30:50.799 But if you ever meet a real wrestler, you'll 00:30:50.799 --> 00:30:55.420 know it the minute you shake his hand. You'll 00:30:55.420 --> 00:30:59.579 know if he's real. Wrestlers are strong. And 00:30:59.579 --> 00:31:02.619 why? Because it's agony to wrestle. It's hard 00:31:02.619 --> 00:31:06.880 work. It's muscle against muscle. And therefore 00:31:06.880 --> 00:31:09.619 one who wrestles is one who is in agony. He's 00:31:09.619 --> 00:31:12.140 building up strength. He is striving through 00:31:12.140 --> 00:31:15.859 that process. Now the Apostle says likewise, 00:31:16.720 --> 00:31:21.089 we are to wrestle in prayer. You know something? 00:31:21.150 --> 00:31:24.150 We don't know very much about that. We really 00:31:24.150 --> 00:31:27.990 don't. Some of us say prayers, but we don't know 00:31:27.990 --> 00:31:32.089 what it is to wrestle in prayer, to strive with 00:31:32.089 --> 00:31:38.049 it. I believe that God wants us to be earnest 00:31:38.049 --> 00:31:40.609 about our praying. He wants us to get an urgency 00:31:40.609 --> 00:31:46.730 about our praying. It concerns me that we as 00:31:46.730 --> 00:31:48.910 a church don't have a great deal of urgency in 00:31:48.910 --> 00:31:51.329 our praying, at least the praying that I hear. 00:31:52.029 --> 00:31:54.289 Maybe there's some that I don't hear in our small 00:31:54.289 --> 00:32:00.089 churches or other places. Folks, God wants our 00:32:00.089 --> 00:32:03.150 praying to be like a wrestling match. That's 00:32:03.150 --> 00:32:06.990 where the work gets done. And it's not fun. It's 00:32:06.990 --> 00:32:12.569 not fun. Do you wrestle in prayer for our missionaries? 00:32:14.440 --> 00:32:16.940 You read the prayer letters and they say remember 00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:20.019 this remember that and don't forget this conference 00:32:20.019 --> 00:32:23.519 and this project we're working on It goes in 00:32:23.519 --> 00:32:27.039 your eye gate and right out of your mind Do you 00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:29.440 ever take that letter to your closet and pray 00:32:29.440 --> 00:32:33.460 and wrestle with that missionary in his plans? 00:32:36.880 --> 00:32:39.259 We need to learn something about this matter 00:32:39.259 --> 00:32:42.329 of sharing with one another in prayer Recognize 00:32:42.329 --> 00:32:44.630 the role of others in your life. They want to 00:32:44.630 --> 00:32:47.549 pray for you, but you have to be open enough 00:32:47.549 --> 00:32:51.990 to let them know your needs, your plans. But 00:32:51.990 --> 00:32:55.190 secondly, he mentions the role of refreshment. 00:32:56.230 --> 00:32:58.490 The Apostle says, so that I may come to you in 00:32:58.490 --> 00:33:01.890 joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest 00:33:01.890 --> 00:33:07.210 in your company. It's almost as though Paul looks 00:33:07.210 --> 00:33:09.950 over at the Roman church not too far away as 00:33:09.950 --> 00:33:14.789 he writes this letter. And he sees over there 00:33:14.789 --> 00:33:20.109 in that Roman church a harbor. And it's serene 00:33:20.109 --> 00:33:24.509 and calm and there are no big waves. And he sees 00:33:24.509 --> 00:33:27.470 himself at this point in the middle of a storm. 00:33:28.150 --> 00:33:30.589 And he's longing to get over there and to drop 00:33:30.589 --> 00:33:33.150 anchor in that harbor in Rome and be with those 00:33:33.150 --> 00:33:37.059 believers and be refreshed. and have some rest. 00:33:39.779 --> 00:33:41.940 You know something, we need to refresh one another. 00:33:43.660 --> 00:33:46.400 Will you take your concordance sometime, maybe 00:33:46.400 --> 00:33:50.359 today, and look up the word refresh or refreshment, 00:33:51.619 --> 00:33:53.619 and see what text that will lead you to in the 00:33:53.619 --> 00:33:57.420 New Testament. Are you a refreshing kind of Christian? 00:34:00.099 --> 00:34:02.599 When others bump up against you, do they find 00:34:02.599 --> 00:34:10.920 you a calm harbor or a stormy tempest. Now let's 00:34:10.920 --> 00:34:13.260 face it, there are times when all of us are stormy 00:34:13.260 --> 00:34:18.820 tempests. But the norm ought to be that we are 00:34:18.820 --> 00:34:22.599 at peace so that other believers coming into 00:34:22.599 --> 00:34:26.139 our harbor for a little visit can find some refreshing 00:34:26.139 --> 00:34:32.679 rest there. When the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, 00:34:32.719 --> 00:34:37.059 that last letter. I think out of a broken, maybe 00:34:37.059 --> 00:34:40.900 disappointed heart, he said, everyone's forsaken 00:34:40.900 --> 00:34:46.679 me. No one wants to come to me here in this prison, 00:34:46.940 --> 00:34:52.099 this dungeon. But he said, how I thank God for 00:34:52.099 --> 00:34:58.920 Onesiphorus. He says he has come to me and he 00:34:58.920 --> 00:35:03.340 has refreshed me. And you can see the broken 00:35:03.340 --> 00:35:07.360 heart of the apostle alone there in that dungeon, 00:35:08.059 --> 00:35:10.539 just looking forward to those little visits that 00:35:10.539 --> 00:35:13.920 he could have with Onesiphorus. I want to tell 00:35:13.920 --> 00:35:15.719 you something, around you today are some people 00:35:15.719 --> 00:35:19.659 with broken hearts. Around you right now, there 00:35:19.659 --> 00:35:21.699 are some people who are in stormy tempest, though 00:35:21.699 --> 00:35:25.960 placid they look on the outside. Will you be 00:35:25.960 --> 00:35:29.619 a refreshing rest for somebody today? Will you? 00:35:31.519 --> 00:35:33.780 Will you recognize the role that others want 00:35:33.780 --> 00:35:39.320 to have in your life? There are some people who 00:35:39.320 --> 00:35:41.219 want to minister to you today. Will you let them? 00:35:41.440 --> 00:35:43.320 Will you get close enough that somebody else 00:35:43.320 --> 00:35:46.659 can love you and care for you and refresh you 00:35:46.659 --> 00:35:51.719 and pray for you? Let me close by pointing out 00:35:51.719 --> 00:35:54.239 a fifth insight, and that is that as we plan 00:35:54.239 --> 00:35:57.920 for the future, We must submit our plans to the 00:35:57.920 --> 00:36:00.219 will of God. The Apostle says that I may come 00:36:00.219 --> 00:36:04.699 to you by the will of God. We are responsible 00:36:04.699 --> 00:36:09.300 for making plans. But folks, we must predicate 00:36:09.300 --> 00:36:15.900 our plans upon what God wills. In James 4, we 00:36:15.900 --> 00:36:20.679 are rebuked for making plans without God's will 00:36:20.679 --> 00:36:24.960 in view. He says, now listen you people who say, 00:36:25.179 --> 00:36:28.119 today or tomorrow I'm going to go into this city 00:36:28.119 --> 00:36:30.519 or in such -and -such a place and buy and sell 00:36:30.519 --> 00:36:34.440 and get gain." He says, now listen. He says that 00:36:34.440 --> 00:36:38.480 kind of boasting is evil. You don't know what 00:36:38.480 --> 00:36:40.960 your life will entail tomorrow. You're a vapor 00:36:40.960 --> 00:36:43.780 that's here for a while and it vanishes, it's 00:36:43.780 --> 00:36:49.099 gone. What you ought to say is if the Lord wills, 00:36:49.139 --> 00:36:54.659 we will do this or that. Now as the apostle Paul 00:36:54.829 --> 00:36:59.269 wrote this letter. He had never been to Rome. 00:37:01.769 --> 00:37:06.070 He was going to be shortly though. You say, well 00:37:06.070 --> 00:37:08.349 sure, he made plans to get there. Yes, yes he 00:37:08.349 --> 00:37:11.349 did. But I'll tell you something, he didn't get 00:37:11.349 --> 00:37:16.530 there the way he had planned. Notice he says 00:37:16.530 --> 00:37:19.150 that I may come to you by the will of God. God's 00:37:19.150 --> 00:37:21.510 will was not for Paul to go to Jerusalem, have 00:37:21.510 --> 00:37:23.750 a happy time there, go back to Antioch and say 00:37:23.750 --> 00:37:28.349 hello to the friends and then sail to Rome. As 00:37:28.349 --> 00:37:30.070 soon as he got back to Jerusalem within a few 00:37:30.070 --> 00:37:32.150 weeks of writing this letter, the Apostle Paul 00:37:32.150 --> 00:37:37.030 was arrested. And then he was kept in prison 00:37:37.030 --> 00:37:40.599 in Caesarea for two years. awaiting a trial that 00:37:40.599 --> 00:37:43.420 never came, finally appealed to Caesar and was 00:37:43.420 --> 00:37:46.960 taken in chains to Rome. That's how he got to 00:37:46.960 --> 00:37:51.219 Rome. Not like he had planned. He submitted his 00:37:51.219 --> 00:37:54.159 plans to the will of God. But notice those little 00:37:54.159 --> 00:37:59.079 words there, that I may come to you in joy by 00:37:59.079 --> 00:38:04.579 the will of God. If you go back to Acts chapter 00:38:04.579 --> 00:38:06.679 28, you will find that when the Apostle Paul 00:38:06.679 --> 00:38:09.400 finally got to Rome, He did not get there in 00:38:09.400 --> 00:38:11.840 tears. He got there in chains, but not tears. 00:38:13.000 --> 00:38:16.360 He was thrilled to be at Rome. And as soon as 00:38:16.360 --> 00:38:18.480 he hit the ground in Rome, there were Christians, 00:38:19.039 --> 00:38:21.179 in Italy, there were Christians from Rome who 00:38:21.179 --> 00:38:23.940 came to greet him and to escort him all the way 00:38:23.940 --> 00:38:26.820 back into the city of Rome. The Apostle Paul 00:38:26.820 --> 00:38:29.260 went there with joy, though he went there in 00:38:29.260 --> 00:38:31.519 chains, because he knew that was the will of 00:38:31.519 --> 00:38:35.480 God. And through those chains, he had opportunities 00:38:35.480 --> 00:38:37.360 to witness for Christ he could never have had 00:38:37.360 --> 00:38:40.019 otherwise. In fact, we read in the New Testament 00:38:40.019 --> 00:38:43.539 that even some in the household of Caesar himself, 00:38:44.079 --> 00:38:45.900 there were some who had become saved because 00:38:45.900 --> 00:38:51.400 of Paul's chains, his imprisonment. You know, 00:38:51.400 --> 00:38:52.940 there are some of us who say, well, I'll make 00:38:52.940 --> 00:38:55.840 my plans, and if God's will fits in, fine. If 00:38:55.840 --> 00:38:59.920 it doesn't, then God's out of luck. Oh no, my 00:38:59.920 --> 00:39:02.719 friend, we're the losers. when we have that attitude. 00:39:03.820 --> 00:39:05.460 There are some of us who are afraid to let God 00:39:05.460 --> 00:39:07.340 have His way, because we're afraid He'll mess 00:39:07.340 --> 00:39:11.420 up our plans. But if our plans are messed up 00:39:11.420 --> 00:39:13.320 by God's will, then they need to be messed up, 00:39:13.340 --> 00:39:17.519 don't they? Are you willing to say in advance, 00:39:17.599 --> 00:39:20.420 Lord, here are my plans, but whatever you want, 00:39:21.679 --> 00:39:27.099 I want? The result of planning and living by 00:39:27.099 --> 00:39:29.420 these insights that we've looked at this morning, 00:39:29.889 --> 00:39:33.090 is the blessing of God in our lives, the God 00:39:33.090 --> 00:39:37.909 of peace, as he is called in verse 33. Is your 00:39:37.909 --> 00:39:43.130 life at peace this morning? Are you at peace 00:39:43.130 --> 00:39:48.170 with God? Are you saved? Or are you at war with 00:39:48.170 --> 00:39:50.570 God? Is there still hostility in your life? You 00:39:50.570 --> 00:39:53.190 say, well, I'm not really mad at God, but I'm 00:39:53.190 --> 00:39:55.389 not sure I have peace with God either. Listen, 00:39:56.769 --> 00:39:59.369 because we are sinners, we are at war with God. 00:40:01.329 --> 00:40:04.329 That God wants to proclaim peace between you 00:40:04.329 --> 00:40:07.150 and Him, but He can only do that if you will 00:40:07.150 --> 00:40:09.730 trust His Son, Jesus Christ, and receive Him 00:40:09.730 --> 00:40:13.070 into your life, recognizing that He died for 00:40:13.070 --> 00:40:15.150 your sin on the cross and rose again to save 00:40:15.150 --> 00:40:19.369 you. Will you do that? You say, yes, I've done 00:40:19.369 --> 00:40:22.230 that. Wonderful. Then do you know the peace of 00:40:22.230 --> 00:40:26.469 God? Is God's peace ruling your life, Christian? 00:40:27.889 --> 00:40:31.750 Or are you today in the middle of a battle for 00:40:31.750 --> 00:40:34.710 the control of your life. Listen, if that's the 00:40:34.710 --> 00:40:37.530 case, you better let God have His way today before 00:40:37.530 --> 00:40:41.769 you get messed up any further. We are to plan 00:40:41.769 --> 00:40:47.369 for the future. We're unwise if we don't. But 00:40:47.369 --> 00:40:49.949 as we plan, let's plan according to these insights. 00:40:51.469 --> 00:40:54.750 What action do you need to take today so that 00:40:54.750 --> 00:41:01.489 your future will be in the will of God? So that 00:41:01.489 --> 00:41:04.110 you will be in the place of obedience and thus 00:41:04.110 --> 00:41:10.289 the place of blessing Heavenly Father First I 00:41:10.289 --> 00:41:12.630 want to give you thanks for strength to be able 00:41:12.630 --> 00:41:15.809 to make it through this message Forgiving these 00:41:15.809 --> 00:41:19.469 dear people the patience to listen to a raspy 00:41:19.469 --> 00:41:25.110 voice And I pray that in spite of the physical 00:41:25.110 --> 00:41:27.849 limitations and hindrances that that I faced 00:41:27.849 --> 00:41:33.460 here this morning that you will cause this message 00:41:33.460 --> 00:41:38.920 to be very applicable to our lives and to hit 00:41:38.920 --> 00:41:43.039 home. And Father, if there are some decisions 00:41:43.039 --> 00:41:45.199 and commitments that need to be made this morning, 00:41:45.260 --> 00:41:49.980 may we have the grace to make those that we might 00:41:49.980 --> 00:41:55.280 be in the place of obedience and blessing. And 00:41:55.280 --> 00:41:57.460 Lord, if that means taking our hands off our 00:41:57.460 --> 00:42:02.829 own plans and off our own lives, then may that 00:42:02.829 --> 00:42:08.070 be the result of our decision. You are so big. 00:42:08.449 --> 00:42:10.210 You're bigger than we are. You're wiser than 00:42:10.210 --> 00:42:15.889 we are. How foolish of us to think that we should 00:42:15.889 --> 00:42:22.090 be gods of our own lives. Lord, you have been 00:42:22.090 --> 00:42:26.190 raised from the dead. You are Lord. Now I pray 00:42:26.190 --> 00:42:30.980 enforce your Lordship in each of us. right where 00:42:30.980 --> 00:42:34.699 we are today, in those family relationships, 00:42:35.599 --> 00:42:40.420 in the dorm, in the office, and in our planning 00:42:40.420 --> 00:42:44.559 for the future. In Jesus' name, amen.