 Lord, we are very grateful to be here father and we're grateful that you have brought us here and grateful Lord for your kindness to us in your day set aside for your worship and praise which is for our good and We thank you for that Thank you Lord for the blessing of Working verse by verse to the book of Romans and all the treasures that we can Dig up in your word Through a study of this letter together and thank you already Lord for the blessings you've afforded us through an understanding of what we've talked about and We confess Lord we acknowledge our need that Apart from you We simply cannot understand we need our hearts and minds illumined by your spirit We need the spirit of God to Press those truths upon our heart Even more Lord With understanding we can't apply those truths to ourself and renew our minds or Change our hearts. We need you Lord to do that work And so we pray Lord that you would through your word Wash us Inform us mature us Grow us Cause us Lord to be able to with great confidence come boldly before your throne of grace to obtain mercy find grace and time of need and Help us Lord as we seek to serve you and as we're considering these texts in particular in the example of the apostle paul we magnify the worthiness of our lord jesus christ to serve Him in this way and Love that truth lord in desire that that would take root in our hearts And that we would praise and worship him through our own Lives of submission indebted devotion to him Help us lord as we seek to do that for your glory and if there's anyone here lord who doesn't know you I pray for the good of their immortal soul that you would Cause them to be born again would cleanse them of all their sin and justify them reconcile them to yourself and Make them an everlasting trophy of your grace Pray these things in christ's name. Amen The title of our sermon this morning is indebted and devoted. We're in part two roman's chapter one verses 13 through 15 So this morning we are considering once more this final paragraph At the end of paul's general introduction to the church at rome Now a careful reading of these opening verses Reveals to us as it has the heart and mind of a man who is indebted and devoted. That's where the title of the sermon comes from paul is a man here who is under Obligation and he is singularly focused Singularly devoted to pursuing the work that the lord has given him to do In verse 14 paul says i am a debtor I'm indebted i'm under obligation both to greeks and to barbarians both to wise and to unwise So as much as is in me, i'm already eager determined resolved to preach the gospel to those who are in rome also Necessity paul says has been laid upon me So as we consider the example of the apostle paul the work of the apostle paul It's no mystery to us. What is most important to the apostle paul? And that is serving the lord jesus christ serving his cause serving his people He saw the whole of his life Start to finish so to speak the whole of his life indebted to jesus christ and devoted to his cause now if you're like me We can often we we think about those truths and we think about how we are to live For him we are not our own We are to live wholeheartedly heart soul mind and strength for him We come into a worship service on sunday. We walk out of here ready to charge hell with a squirt gun. We wake up on monday morning and Where has all that zeal gone? Where has all that fervor gone? Where's that understanding gone? Right? We want to lay hold of this example. It is our example paul says for us to imitate paul as he imitates christ We are to imitate this example of the apostle paul It should there should be no question Absolutely no question about your life. What is vastly far above more important to you than anything else You should see it in the way that you you should hear it in the way that you talk You should see it in the way that you live. You should see it in the way that you work, right? We should see that about ourselves There's nothing more important than jesus christ and being devoted to his cause Paul is such a wonderful example of that and we've got to remember that We're not preaching here in a sense to magnify Ultimately the example of paul it is the lord whom paul serves That is worthy of that kind of devotion worthy of that kind of indebtedness, right? We want to have that kind of mindset as we think through these texts together Now our text is laid out for us. We began this last week Our text lays out for us first paul's sense of obligation Paul is a man under obligation. He says in verse 14. I am a debtor In other words compelled constrained by what jesus christ had done for him entrusted with a stewardship So compelled constrained by what god has called him to do He is fueled by his love for the lord fueled by his love for the lord's people And paul says himself that i am a slave of jesus christ a called apostle separated to the gospel of god Obligated indebted to those to whom he has been sent The second we saw the scope of paul's obligation He is indebted both to greeks and to barbaros barbarians both to wise and to unwise In other words paul is indebted to all men everyone in between All men are equally in need and equally desperate Apart from justifying faith in jesus christ and therefore paul would say knowing the terror of the lord We persuade men But thirdly we discussed the substance of paul's obligation To preach the gospel the gospel of god verse three concerning his son jesus christ our lord the only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved A treasure deposited with earthen vessels like paul like you and i fourth We considered paul's spirit under obligation His attitude if you will far from seeing this responsibility is some burdensome dry or weary some duty paul was motivated highly motivated To magnify the lord jesus christ and to edify his people paul longed to be with these people In roam longed to teach god's people to bear fruit among them and that fruit for the glory of god for the glory of his lord jesus christ And so paul then was ready Determined he was enthusiastic to preach the gospel to those who are in roam also full of zeal So before stating the theme then of this letter, which we'll look at lord willing next week in verses 16 and 17 paul ends What has been a theologically rich not only theologically rich but pastorally warm Introduction he ends it with these words in verse 15 So then as much as is in me I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in roam also As much as is in me right as with all my heart Longing to see you i'm ready to preach the gospel to you who are in roam also So we have an understanding then of paul's mission. Don't we we've caught a glimpse of paul's heart paul is gifted paul is motivated This prayer this desire to go to roam is entirely in harmony with his apostolic call now think with me We can see as paul did the great benefit of preaching the gospel at the heart of the roman empire We can see as paul did we have every expectation as paul would that people there are going to be saved The church is going to be built up saints are going to be established It would be a great home base if you will for a future work in spain paul had all of these ideas in his mind in his head as he purposed and planned to go to roam To go to roam god knows is not a selfish desire on the part of the apostle paul This is a selfless desire right paul's not going to roam to be a tourist uh He's not motivated to go for personal gain or for personal fame paul's not trying to build a reputation for himself He's not motivated for his own personal comfort Or personal preferences. I like the atmosphere in roam. I like the people in roam. I like he's not doing that He has no ulterior motive no private agenda in fact This is a very godly request With a godly purpose with good right and godly reasons behind it paul desires in roam to preach christ and him crucified to his people He desires the labor for the sake of the elect to do what he has been called to do what he's been commissioned to do The paul so far has been serving the lord faithfully. We see that on the pages of scripture He fully intends to continue serving the lord faithfully There's no ulterior motive here and listen This has been no flippant Nor has been a has it been a careless Or a half-hearted request on the part of the apostle paul This idea of going to roam this purpose that he intends of preaching the gospel to those who are in roam also This is not a a careless half-hearted request paul is often made plans to go to roam He's prayed for them without ceasing making mention of them in his prayers Making requests if by any means he may find a way in the will of god to come to them praying for them without ceasing pleading with god in prayer Verse chapter 15 verse 23 having a great desire these many years to come to you Now think about paul's Person think about paul's work what paul intends to do. There's nothing ungodly about this request Is there nothing self-serving Doesn't james chapter 5 verse 16 say that the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much And that's true. That's the word of god. We can claim that promise. Can't we? And yet This prayer this request of paul has of yet gone unfulfilled Someone might think his prayers gone unanswered Verse 13 i do not want you to be unaware brethren that i often plan to come to you But was hindered until now that i might have some fruit among you also just as among the other gentiles So having considered paul's sense of obligation his scope of obligation the substance of paul's obligation paul's zealous fervent faithful spirit under obligation lastly And extremely important We see in the example of paul the necessity of submission under obligation The necessity of submission you and i brothers and sisters if you're in christ. We are under obligation. We are not our own You and i must be submitted to the will of god In our obligation to him and to the people of god to those to whom we are sent the lost with the gospel Submitted to his will paul's sense of obligation Includes a profound sense of submission to the will of god So now having established and explained paul's sense of obligation from verses 14 and 15 Having laid the groundwork of paul's indebtedness. I want to go back now to verse 13 And see paul's submission in light of that indebtedness Right from verse 13. I've planned for us to do that under three headings first paul's responsibility second god's sovereignty and then thirdly paul's response first consider with me paul's responsibility robert haldane commented regarding verse 13 that paul's zeal And paul's affection for those to whom he wrote were not of recent origin These people had long been cherished in paul's heart paul's been at this for a long time wanting to see these dear people And paul wants them to know this he wants to convey this aspect of his love to them So he says to them in verse 13. I do not want you to be unaware brethren I want you to know the love that I have for you. I want you to know the love that god has for you I've often planned to come to you, but I've been hindered right on many occasions Frequently I intended that's what the word planned to mean. I intended I purposed to come to you In chapter 15 verse 23. He has a great desire this great desire to come to them for many years This has been going on for a long time and paul expressed that same kind of zealous affectionate intention back in verse nine didn't he Without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers Making request if by some means now at last I may find a way in the will of god to come to you Just the love that paul has for a people remember that he's not yet met He's met a couple of them, but he's not ever been there to be with this church paul loves them We love him whom we've not seen right having loved him whom we've not seen And if we love him who? Begot we love him who has begotten of him, right? There's a love that paul has for these people knowing that they are christ's people verse 11 I long to see you that I may impart to you some spiritual gift so that you may be established the paul's responsibility Is to preach the gospel. He's a debtor both the greeks and the barbarians Peter has been sent to the circumcised paul has been sent to the gentiles sent to the nations He labors to be faithful in the work to which he's been called Certainly the scope of that work includes this church at roam at the very center at the very heart of the roman empire And so paul sees it then as his responsibility to preach the gospel to those who are in roam also And so what does paul then do? He's been praying he's been intending planning purposing Does paul just Retreat in defeat and despair maybe even grumble and complain the lord knows i'd like to go to roam, but i can't go there What does paul do paul adds action to his faith He knows that this is in accord with the will of god And he plans notice that in verse 13. I often planned intended to come to you Now again, these aren't selfish or self-willed plans. Remember these are plans that paul is making In accord in harmony with his god given responsibility and that's important Paul is not his own. He's a man under submission. He's a man under obligation He's in submission to the will of god and in that he's following the example of the lord jesus christ Didn't the lord say the same kinds of things? Listen john 4 verse 34 My food the lord says my food is to do the will of him who sent me To finish his work. We should follow the lord's example Our food should be to do the will of him who sent us as the father has sent me What so send i you John chapter 5 verse 30 i do not seek my own will but the will of the father who sent me John chapter 6 verse 38 i have come down from heaven not to do my own will But the will of him who sent me the lord jesus christ gives us great example and the apostle paul here is following the lord's example He is going to do the will of the father the will of him who sent him But is planning then is that the extent of paul's responsibility? What what can paul do? His prayer his request has gone unfulfilled at this point This is in accord with god's will paul knows it. What else can paul do paul should be praying right Being in submission to the will of god then paul is praying Verse nine without ceasing he makes mention of them always in his prayers And if you think about it in keeping with the apostolic calling on his life and ministry He makes requests then verse 10 if by some means now at last i may find a way in the will of god To come to you notice paul's submission submitted to the will of god All this to say That in these circumstances Listen paul won't make a move Until he is certain That it is in the will of god for him to go to roam That is critical Critical for us to lay hold of to apprehend and apply in our own circumstances paul won't make a move Until he is certain that going to roam is in god's will Psalm 127 verse 1 unless the lord builds the house They labor in vain who build it unless the lord guards the city the watchman stays awake in vain If we're going to take steps brothers and sisters it needs to be in the lord's will and with the lord's blessing Otherwise we're building we're guarding in vain i'm going to go here there and do this and that and Make money and build bigger silo Not without the lord you're not You might as well be putting your extra money in a pocket full of holes The lord will blow it away. He has the power to do that or he may You may find yourself fat and happy with all that extra money and forget the lord your god and fall into apostasy There are consequences to our decisions. We are to serve the lord. We are not our own We are under obligation. We are to be submitted holy to the will of god paul won't make a move until he is certain that going to roam is god's will apart from him. We can do Nothing. So what does paul do paul? praise Now you and i brothers and sisters. We're commanded to pray The scriptures encourage us to pray Think with me We've been given access to the father through jesus christ And we are to come boldly then before the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need Hebrews chapter 4 verse 16 We pray when we pray in accord with his word We have every expectation that our heavenly father hears our prayer Turn with me to first john chapter 5 Sometimes we can be practical or functional atheists in the way that we avoid prayer or in subconscious ways sometimes Neglect to think that god actually hears what we are praying first john chapter 5 Look there beginning at verse 14 Now john john has addressed this letter to those in verse 13 who believe in the name of the son of god He's addressing this letter to those who believe in jesus christ and he's written this letter that you may know That you have eternal life. There's a connection between that and verse 14 If you have this assurance of faith Right this assurance of eternal life through jesus christ With that sense of assurance comes a blessed confidence in the lord When you know that you are his and he is mine There's a confidence isn't there. There's a confidence that comes with that assurance Our heavenly father that when we pray to him the confidence is that when we pray to him for the things that we need To live for him. We have every confidence that he hears us. He hears me when I pray Jesus said in luke chapter 11 verse 13 if our earthly father is being evil Know how to give good gifts to their children. How much more right lesser to the greater this is from Deplorably lesser to infinitely greater How much more will our heavenly father give the holy spirit to those who ask him the lord will show up with Grace and mercy and help and supply and strength. Do you see verse 14 This This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will He hears us and if we know that he hears us Whatever we ask we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of him Now notice first with me The confidence of our prayer The confidence of our prayer the confidence is not a blind faith It's not a presumptuous faith It is the confidence of a loved child Who presents his requests to a loving heavenly father right earthly fathers Good by world these standards good earthly fathers How do they respond when their children come to them with an earnest request a need right How much more will our heavenly father respond to us Who are not only his adopted sons and daughters, but we're coming to him in union with his own son jesus christ How much more brothers and sisters we should have confidence when we pray We've been given access to god as father through our union with jesus christ his son. So now We can come boldly before the throne of grace that word boldly same word Horatia same word as confidence We can come boldly with confidence before the throne of grace He sits on a throne But it is a throne of grace We may come for the very purpose We should come we are expected to come for the very purpose of obtaining mercy and finding grace to help In other words, we're not to pray with doubting fear and ambition When you and I pray In the name of jesus christ through our union with jesus christ We honor God when we pray with confidence It is honoring to the lord For one of his own through jesus christ the son to come to god the father and say lord You know my need You are my heavenly father I come to you for mercy. I come to you for help That is honoring to the lord to come to the lord with that kind of confidence don't go doubting and weak and Suspicious or fearful We should have every confidence in him And that confidence is fueled by the fact that we know he hears us He hears us Notice next then The rule of our prayer If we ask anything according to his will That is the rule that we should come to our prayer with in other words There are limitations on our prayer aren't there there are limits. There should be a limit set on our prayer We are only to ask for that which is according to his will So then His revealed will that's the will that we know Right you understand that's the will that we know His revealed will the will that we know is the will the will that he has revealed to us Those things that are hidden are for him to know those things that are revealed are for us and our children forever We pray in accord with his revealed will his revealed will should inform and should guide our prayers Then we can and we should ask for every promise that he has made to us in it, right? God has made promises to us and we should pray that the lord would grant those promises to us In other words, I have no warrant I have no authority From the word of god to go to god and to pray for selfish or self-serving self-absorbed things I have no warrant no authority to do that. I'm to pray according to his will So not only should our actions then be in submission to the will of god But our prayers should be in submission to the will of god in submission to his service to be in submission to his Glory his cause his purposes his people, right? 19th century Scottish pastor Robert Candlish said this We pray in this way right first john according to first john 514 when we pray in this way It is asking upon the ground of a very close union and through identity between god and us in his son The thing with me It's on the ground of a of a close intimate union And through identity our identity between god and us In him in the lord jesus christ It is our asking as one in interest as one in sympathy as one in character as one in end As one in aim as one in life or manner of living with him whom we ask That's what it means to pray According to the will of god. Did you get that? It's our asking as though we were one with jesus christ In our interest one with jesus christ in our sympathies As one with jesus christ in our character one in end one in aim one in purposes as one in life or manner of living With him who we ask We do that First john 5 verse 15 says we know we have the petitions that we've asked of him Notice last our faith in prayer Our confidence in prayer the rule of our prayer faith in prayer if we ask anything according to his will He hears us statement of fact Verse 15 and if we know that he hears us and we do whatever we ask We know that we have the petitions that we have asked of him That's a faith filled statement there on the part of the apostle john Now That's not always in the manner Nor at the time that we may ask ask or expect But is that any different from what we see right here in romans chapter one in the example in the circumstances of the apostle paul and paul Is an apostle and i am not right That it doesn't negate the truth of that promise It doesn't negate the truth of that promise And what we'll see from our text is that brothers and sisters often Um all the time that's for our good even though we may not understand it. We'll get there, right? This is an example of Our how our good heavenly father relates to us when we pray when we pray Back in romans one What do we find paul doing then well paul is doing what he should be doing paul is praying paul is praying We must be a people of prayer If we expect that anything is going to be done Through us for his glory through the the ministry of this church the ministry of these dear people We must pray must rely on god in prayer What is paul's responsibility As a man in submission as a man under obligation waiting upon the will of god What is paul's responsibility to pray to pray This prayer of paul however Of date has gone unfulfilled So lastly, what else do we find the apostle of paul the apostle paul? What else do we find him doing we find him obeying obeying Submitting to the will of god and waiting on the lord in other words the apostle paul doesn't get anxious paul doesn't start to sweat He doesn't uh worry Get anxious like sol who waited for samuel to come and when samuel delayed what did sol do sol took matters into his own hands And sol had the kingdom torn away from him why because he didn't wait on the lord He didn't wait on the lord Obedience is better than sacrifice What the lord told sol do you see obedience is better than sacrifice And obedience sometimes involves waiting Obedience involves patience obedience involves humbling yourself and waiting upon the lord Like you know that he has heard you And that he is sovereign over all your circumstances and is directing your steps right it's faith paul didn't grumble paul didn't complain like israel in the wilderness I mean god brought me out here into asia minor To a hopeless and fruitless mission i'll Never see anybody saved and i'll never make it to rom god might as well kill me out here in this wilderness But he wasn't like a grumbling israelite He didn't sit complaining in his tent paul had faith in the lord he didn't become fatalistic like elie When the lord intended to judge elie what did elie say? Well, let god do whatever seems right to him What an awful attitude Eli Gird up your loins like a man stand up repent of your sins and go deal with your sons Well, let god do whatever seems right to him, right? What a terrible attitude It doesn't come confidently and boldly before the lord in prayer he Yeah Dismisses god Your faith-filled obedience should be expressed in patient waiting upon the lord while you Continue to pray and obey right pray and obey There's no other way to be happy in jesus This is paul's responsibility. Do you see this is our responsibility If we're under obligation if we're submitted to the will of god then this is our responsibility Notice next then god's sovereignty God's sovereignty. There's a passing reference to god's sovereign control over all things found in roman's chapter 1 verse 13 Now i do not want you to be unaware brethren that i often plan to come to you But was hindered until now. Do you see it there? Sort of in the white spaces between the lines so to speak The verb there is passive Passive was hindered through no action of his own paul was prevented from coming. That's what the word means He was forbidden To come paul made every effort to go didn't he? He made plans to go. He intended to go. He had a great desire to go He fervently and unceasingly prayed for an opportunity to go But as of yet. He has been prevented hindered from going The inference here and that's observable in the passive tense of that verb It is paul paul has been prevented from going ultimately by god Now that's further understood from the fact that who does paul pray to that he might go he prays to god Who does he make requests of that he might find a way in his will to go? He prays to god, right paul sees god as entirely Sovereign over these circumstances paul knows it to be true and god Has executed his divine providence Through secondary causes in verse 13. I think with me Circumstances that paul refers to as hindering him God is executing his decrees Through providence executing his divine providence through secondary causes Those secondary causes mentioned in verse 13 are paul's Circumstances that are hindering him. Do you see that connection how that works in the plan of god, right? Circumstances that are hindering paul. I've often planned to come to you, but was hindered until now These hindrances are the secondary causes that god Sovereignly uses to direct paul his faithful servant according to his will Do you believe that in your own life? It works the same way My life. It works the same way Here's a point to consider Okay, god if god who works all things after the counsel of his own will is entirely Over your circumstances, which he is And he uses the secondary causes of your Circumstances to direct you according to his perfect will which is always for your good Then how do you think you and I should think about those things that hinder us How should we think about hindrances in our christian experience? We need to learn to appreciate our hindrances We need to learn to be grateful For our hindrances God promises to work all things together for our good Having delivered up his own son for us all how much more will he freely give us all things? We should trust that promise god is in control of our circumstances We should Be grateful for our hindrances But we can tell from the passage that to this point All of paul's prayers To go to rom have been answered with hindrances That's easy to think That god's not answering my prayer god's not answering my prayer god's not answering my prayer god is answering your prayer right That's been redeemed by god With the spirit of god working in him paul now makes plans paul now thinks paul now purposes He insists he takes care that his plans his purposes are all in accord with the will of god Right and would a trip to spain be in accord with the will of god and the calling of god on paul's life for ministry to the gentiles Well, of course it would and we have the liberty to do that We're about to plant lord willing if the lord allows a church in dahabon We have the liberty to think to ourselves We are employed in the cause of jesus christ Where can we go and preach the gospel that people might be saved? Where is there a need and as we think and as we pray and as we obey What does god do god directs our steps and how does he do it? He does it through secondary causes He does it through our circumstances and as time goes by We see more clearly in the will of god that it would be right for us to plant a church in dahabon Do you see Right, so that's how god is leading and guiding paul right now Maybe you're here this morning And your regular job Isn't providing enough for you or for your family Maybe it's not providing in the way that you would want it to right you're sincerely grateful to god for that job You're sincerely grateful Your motives aren't self-serving. You're not sitting back grumbling and complaining But in keeping with god's Directive command that you must provide for your family or provide for yourself You begin to pray In accord with his will then right For work that would better support And care for those entrusted to you or better support and care for yourself That's a prayer entirely in accord consistent with the will of god for you And if we pray according to his will what happens he hears us, okay, so You know that god hears you you have that promise in first john check it back relax God wants to give me a job. It's gonna show up in my mailbox And i'm a little upset it's taking so long so i'm gonna wallow in self pity What was me no right no You do what paul does you plan You pray and you obey planning praying obeying How should i be living for the lord right now during this time as the lord delays How should i be living for the lord right now? What can i be doing for him in my circumstances right now? You don't know what the lord is doing it may be that you're there to witness to somebody else Your last day on the job Unbeknownst to you somebody walks in the door you preach the gospel to them that person gets converted He's here with you in the church 15 years later, right? You know, we don't know what the lord is going to do plan pray obey And if there is delay God has better plans god has better plans Maybe he plans to grow your faith which is more precious than gold which perishes Maybe he plans to sanctify you from your complaining Separate you from your matters into your own hands like Saul Violate clear biblical wisdom by abandoning your responsibilities to him Abandoning your responsibilities to the church abandoning your responsibilities to his people abandoning your responsibilities to preach the gospel here But listen, it's a great job It just became available in Providence, Rhode Island How much of a clearer sign could you get than that? It's exactly what I need It's almost of the dollar what I was praying for They need an answer in a week though I'm sure I can find a good church there. I'm sure I'm sure there are solid biblical churches in Rhode Island God may be testing your faith. Do you see? And he may use the consequences of a very bad decision to chasten his self-willed son or daughter so Or god uses paul's work. Secondly God also uses sickness or suffering or affliction to direct his people to direct specifically paul Turn with me to second Corinthians a few pages to the right second Corinthians chapter one and listen Here to the very same language used by the apostle paul in second Corinthians chapter one Beginning in verse eight paul had intended to go to Corinth and paul was hindered Now when paul intended to go to Corinth and said that he was planning to come to Corinth and he was hindered from going to Corinth false teachers in Corinth Seized on that and a called accused paul of not being a man of his word accused paul of being Thickle right his yes wasn't his yes his no wasn't his no So paul opened second Corinthians chapter one here verse eight with an explanation Verse eight same language. We do not want you to be ignorant brethren. Do you see that? For our trouble which came to us in asia. What was that trouble? That we were burdened beyond measure Above strength so that we despaired even of life now that brothers and sisters is a severe affliction He thought he was going to die Okay Yes, verse nine. We had the sentence of death in ourselves that we saw that it was the lord's purpose in it We should not trust in ourselves, but in god who raises the dead Those lessons are hard learned and graciously remembered right Verse 10 That god who delivered us from so great a death and does deliver us in whom we trust that he will still deliver us You also helping together in prayer for us that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many Paul says we have a we have a clear conscience before god We conducted ourselves in simplicity and in godly sincerity look at verse 15 And in this confidence Here it is again I intended to come to you before that you might have a second benefit To pass by way of you to macedonia to come again from macedonia to you and be helped by you on my way to judia Therefore when I was planning this he was planning it. Do you see? Did I do it lightly or the things I plan do I plan according to the flesh? All this comes together doesn't it do you see like there's no self-will planning on the part of the apostle paul Was I doing my planning according to the flesh that with me there should be yes Yes, and no no, but as god is faithful our word to you is not yes and no we weren't flip-flopping or fickle No verse 19 for the son of god jesus christ who has preached among you by us by me sylvanas and timothy was not yes And no but in him was yes For all the promises of god and him are a yes and in him amen to the glory of god through us There were times that satan hindered paul turn over to first thessalonians first thessalonians chapter 2 It's just before second thessalonians First thessalonians chapter 2 And look there beginning at verse 17 Sometimes there were times in which satan hindered the apostle paul verse 17 But we brethren Having been taken away from you for a short time in presence not in heart Endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire He paul loved people But loved god's people right just loved god's people Therefore verse 18 we wanted to come to you even i paul time and again, but satan hindered us For what is our hope our joy our crown of rejoicing is it not even you in the presence of our lord Jesus christ that is coming you are our glory and joy The word for hindered here satan hindered us at the end of verse 18 is a different word and copto is the word The niv probably comes the closest Translating this with satan blocked our way satan blocked our way loy jones Referring back to sort of the the semantic intent of this word Said satan dug a trench To prevent paul dug a trench and trench warfare if you've ever seen pictures of that troops will dig trenches In order to prevent the enemy from advancing enemy tanks fall into a trench Trenches are good spots from which to defend ground So digging trenches prevents an enemy from advancing and that's the meaning of the word here. It's a military term satan dug a trench To hinder paul from coming to them To cause paul to fall fall into a trench that satan had dug for him You can see satan's activities being like this right seeking to undermine the work of god's people We don't battle war against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers right and here's an example of that We see the work of satan don't we in the book of job with job god sovereign over even satan Allows satan to test and afflict righteous job. So sometimes satan hinders paul sometimes satan hinders the work of god's people satan is the great adversary But sometimes and this is interesting sometimes the spirit of god hindered paul look back at ax ax chapter 16 Sometimes the spirit of god hindered paul Axe chapter 16 And look there at verse six Axe chapter 16 verse six now When they had gone through frigia in the region of galatia They were forbidden by the holy spirit To preach the word in asia After they had come to missia. They tried they tried periodzo is the word They tried They put to the test is what that word means right They put to the test to go to bathenia, but the spirit did not permit them Nepal had obviously planned to preach the gospel in asia Uh and was forbidden by the spirit to preach the word in asia. So paul then Tested he put to the test periodzo. He paul has the liberty right So he will put it to the test and see where god allows progress to be made right so To use a practical example for our church there was uh years ago speaking about the church plant in dahabon Where we we were considering a work on the border in Haiti And so what did we do? We just sat back and waited for a sign from heaven No, we planned we prayed and we obeyed We planned our steps and we began to move that direction we Periodzo we put it to the test so to speak and what happened Not a good place to plant a church well Look at that One of them is on the border with dominican republic and just across the border is dahabon So let's put it to the test right. Let's pay rodzo. So what do we do? We planned we prayed we obeyed and behold the lord directed our steps And has been moving us along very evidently for some time now We're grateful to the lord for how he directs our steps. Do you see? So important to understand how this works All this is happening. Paul says in acts chapter 16 according to the spirit through Paul's circumstances The spirit is the one forbidding or preventing hindering and it's through paul's spirit circumstances. So what does paul do? He puts it to the to the test in bethynia, but the spirit did not permit him So verse eight passing by missia. They came down to troas They wanted to go to asia The spirit prevented them. They wanted to go to missia The spirit prevented them. They wanted to go to bethynia. The spirit did not permit them Passing by missia. They came down to troas And a vision appeared to paul in the night a man of mastodonia Stood and pleaded with him saying come over to mastodonia and help us again paul is an apostle directed Immediately by not immediately but immediately by god to Take the word of god to the people of god We don't have modern-day apostles mind you And so god communicates to paul through a vision A man from mastodonia and what does paul conclude? The lord has called us to preach the gospel to them. So what does paul do? He goes to mastodonia. What does he not do? He doesn't get on a boat Like like jonah and go somewhere else. I really didn't want to go there No, that didn't end well for jonah paul goes to mastodonia So paul understands then the revealed will of god and then paul acts with Confidence according to that revealed will trusting god and then discerning the will of god as he goes And there was a great work of god in mastodonia a great work of god in mastodonia We must know And be submissive to subject to the revealed will of god if we Expect to faithfully discern and follow the guidance of god that he gives us through his providence I want to say that again We must know And be subject to the revealed will of god If we expect to faithfully discern and follow the guidance of god Given to us through his providence For that look at romans chapter 12 romans chapter 12 Hang in there with me now romans chapter 12 It's an example of this Romance chapter 12 verse 1 paul says I Beseech you there. I plead with you. I plead with you brothers sisters By the mercies of god That you present your living breathing walking talking bodies a living sacrifice Holy That sacrifice is to be wholly consumed on the altar right wholly consumed It's not not that you present a part or a piece heart will mind and strength you present your bodies a living sacrifice Holy acceptable to god, which is your reasonable letreah worship It's your reasonable worship reasonable. It's not extravagant It's reasonable worship And do not be conformed to this world verse 2 but be Transformed by the renewing of your mind How does that happen? Happens as we grow in our understanding of the revealed word of god Right the more we know his word the more that we are renewed in our mind Be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that With the purpose that you may prove dakimadzo you may test or examine Back to that idea of testing right that paul and axe chapter 16 That you may test or examine prove What is that good and acceptable and perfect will of god? We need god to uphold us at all times right to give us understanding to protect us but The less i know and understand his word the less i am renewed in my mind And the less i then am able to prove test or examine What is his good and acceptable and perfect will you see? discerning god's will submitting to god's will following god Requires That we have that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds So you and i have to study his revealed will the bible so that we can discern his will We we have to Understand his word and what do you see all over the place it's it's it's absurd People attempting to discern his will in all kinds of ways and places and they don't know anything about his word Don't know the bible right feelings experiences all those things and yet the one place where i am told to go Yeah, it's right. And so don't do it. You know It's how fleshly we are how stupid we are We considered paul's responsibility. We considered god's sovereignty. Well, what was paul's response then? What was paul's response? What did paul do in the light of god's sovereign direction in his life? What did paul do when his good and when his good and godly requests were not being fulfilled? What did paul do he planned he prayed he obeyed and he didn't stop He didn't stop There's an example the old testament second king's chapter 13 of king joe ash and elisha, right Elisha comes to king joe ash and says king take arrows in your hand and strike the ground So joe ash takes the arrows in his hand. He strikes the ground three times and stops So elisha gets angry with him rebukes him and said If you had kept striking Then god would have given you complete victory over syria But because you stopped he'll only strike. He struck the ground three times with the arrows. He'll only strike syria three times What's the moral of that story? Don't stop. You're given a charge from god Press on Keep going, you know jesus said ask and it will be given to you seek and you will find knock And it will be open to you promise promise promise For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds to him who knocks it will be open or what man is there among you Who if his son asks for bread will give him a stone or if he asks for a fish Will he give him a serpent if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children How much more will your father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him? I love that promise Paul is a man under obligation. He lives like a man under obligation He thinks like a man under obligation. He prays like a man under obligation And with that sense of obligation comes the necessity of submitting himself fully to the will of god Listen, that is the only place the only place where you're gonna find true peace True security true safety We're at a time right now where people everywhere you turn are fearful Fearful fearful feel and you got a bunch of fear Muggers who are trying to hype up the fear the only place where you're gonna have true Safety is in the middle of god's revealed will for you The only place you're gonna have true security the only place where there's true peace and joy There's no security otherwise right because otherwise god is against you. What are some examples? Then for how we should not respond We can think of ways right what are some examples then of how not to respond one Don't respond like a practical or functional atheist Don't let yourself don't catch yourself responding in that way One to respond like a practical or a functional atheist Is to not concern yourself at all with the will or the direction of god to live as though you Weren't submitted to as well as though he didn't exist Listen christians professing christians do that all the time right how many how many Wake up on a sunday morning. Uh, i'm supposed to go to church today. They go to church. They leave church and then that's it Until the next time the alarm goes off on a sunday morning. They live like functional or practical atheists No practical or observable evidence That that person believes at all that god is sovereign over his circumstances or over all things whatsoever that come to pass He simply lives his life may go to church on the lord's day, but no submission to his lordship Freely does what he wants lives under no restraints doesn't see god. It worked through his circumstances right sees chance as it were or fate May even blame god for poor circumstances Certainly won't thank god for good ones He is a practical antinomian a lawless one practical or a functional atheist But secondly there may be a practical or a functional atheist That that may believe say they believe they say they believe there is a god But that you don't believe that he is good So you worry and you gripe and you complain and you're anxious you take matters into your own hands like eve Somehow god is an ogre who withholds something good from you Or like sol you you don't act as though god hears you Listen when you don't act when you don't believe that god hears you What better are you than all those prophets of bail? That danced around the altar that elijah made cutting themselves Why because their god can't hear them And if you don't believe that god hears you then what better are you than they and elijah mocked them? Right, where's your god? Is he on a journey? Maybe he's sleeping Maybe he's in the restroom It's shameful, isn't it? It's shameful for god's people Not to have that kind of confidence in god who redeemed their wretched soul Bloodbought by the lord jesus christ and then we live our lives as practical atheists. It's shameful shameful secondly you You could respond like a practical or functional charismatic I know I know that god has a perfect plan for my life, but if i'm not careful I can miss it He makes it mysterious He shrouds it from view So that I have to work really hard and build up a bunch of faith so that I can find it I'll look if I look hard enough if I interpret all the tea leaves rightly Or if I interpret all the star charts or the palms rightly I think I can figure it out If I turn over every rock I can find it and if I happen to miss it I'm it could be really in real trouble It's like an easter egg hunt When the eggs are really hidden Really hard to find It's like reading tea leaves This happened or that happened and so that must mean His will revealed to me through feelings Through inferences leanings impressions Oftentimes not even my own but other people Come to me with the same feelings or inferences or leanings or impressions Or an audible word from god So I will seek those things then Rather than live According to the revealed will of god And if I want anything at all I've just got to convince him well enough to give it to me I put enough faith. He'll give it to me And I can do that with extra faith. I just need to be extra convincing If I have a little spread a little oil on it, you know Fourth, yeah, virgin olive oil Fourth, you could respond like a practical or functional hypocrite A practical or a functional hypocrite you act in selfish self-willed ways And then you cover up a whole affair in a cloak of religiosity I prayed about it I prayed about it and I prayed really hard and I feel led. I feel led by the spirit God has opened a door He's lined everything up For me You you see what you're doing. You're a functional hypocrite You have been self-willed And now you wrap your self-will decision in a cloak of religion I got counsel Which means that you shopped for counsel Until you got the counsel that you could agree with or you avoided counsel altogether You know, it's like we have um tested proven godly brothers and sisters here Philippians chapter three brothers and sisters those who are notable among us And yet you've made a decision and when I say well, who'd you talk to about that? You went to your third cousin twice removed Lives in wisconsin who is a buddhist and got counsel, right? And you said you got counsel Well, I talked to pastor mark about it when I didn't tell you to do that to do that thing That happens a lot Well, I'd be I'd be so much better able to serve the lord if I were there When serving the lord is not no part of your motivation for going there Right, it's you're a functional hypocrite Five you could respond like a practical or a functional antinomian You don't want gods revealed will so like Jonah you get on a boat you deny That it's god's will and so you divorce because god would want me to be happy You act first and then expect That god will bless you in your presumptuous action you're testing the lord A functional antinomian law a lawless one. You're not going to his revealed will you're lawless You avoid those means that god actually appoints to help you And so you seek no counsel no help you respond fatalistically like Eli let god do whatever seems right to him Brothers and sisters, we must live submitted to the will and direction of god as paul was You and I as paul is we are under obligation Slaves of jesus christ. We are not our own We must submit to him and that brothers and sisters is for our great and lasting good Eventually paul's prayer was answered Was fulfilled not in the way that paul expected paul was carried to rome as a prisoner and in the just The infinite grace of god right how good is our god paul's taken off to rome as a prisoner. He's under house arrest for two years able to have his own place Where he's able to freely preach the gospel in rome. What does paul do paul preaches the gospel in rome for two years And to the church at filipi paul says that even those there are even those among caesars household who are saved Turned out all of this No doubt paul didn't see it. He couldn't see how it would all turn out. We don't know god knows and our god is good And faithful and he will work all things after the council of his own will for our good All of this turned out for the furtherance of the gospel even paul's chains And paul came to see god's wisdom god's goodness. God's love in it all Let's trust the lord you and I amen Praise god for his sovereign direction and let us fully submit ourselves to him pray with me Father in heaven, we see your goodness and your kindness and your mercy and your grace at work In us and through us and help us lord by your spirit to submit ourselves to your will Renew our minds or transform us by the renewing of our minds according to your revealed will so that we may know to discern To prove to examine the test. What is that good and acceptable perfect will of god? help us lord to Walk wisely walk circumspectly help us to trust you above all help us to To live as we ought not as functional atheists or functional carousmaniacs or as functional Agnostics or Lord help us to believe upon you in your word And guide us and direct us as we know you are so kind to do and may we pray to you in faith may we plan with great fervency and Zeal for your cause your work May you be glorified may your son our lord jesus christ be exalted and all these things we pray in his name amen