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Romans 15:14-19 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. 15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, 16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. 17 I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God. 18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, 19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

As I stated when we began the Book of Romans, this Book is called the “Constitution of Christianity”. Throughout the Book our Lord explains the Christian way of life.

In the first 11 chapters God establishes that all are born physically into this world in need of the Savior. Because of Adam’s sin, we are born the first time separated from God, spiritually dead. We are absolutely unable to make ourselves physically born. We are also absolutely unable to make ourselves spiritually born. We must be born again.

Romans 3:10-12 (KJV) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

In order to accomplish new birth for the spiritually dead us, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to this earth to first show us the Way of God. Jesus then went to the Cross. Dying for our sins, He made payment to God for us, a payment we could not make. Jesus offers this salvation to whosoever will receive Him as Lord and Savior.

Romans 3:24-26 (KJV) {We can only be} justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

The first 11 chapters speaks of our need for salvation and what God did to offer it. The last 5 chapters tells us what God saved us for. He didn’t save us just for Heaven (which is what many believe). He saved us to bring Heaven to us. To make us into children of God. To use us as light in this present fallen world.

This section of Scripture is what I call “Paul’s Three Amens”. From Romans 15:14 till the end of the Book Paul uses examples of those who are saved, and how they live their lives. Paul ends each section with an AMEN. Today we look at Paul’s First Amen, which deals with how the Grace of God changed the Apostle’s life.

Grace Brings Heaven’s Purpose To The Believer

Romans 15:14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

Illustrate: I remember my Mama, years ago, telling me about the tragedy that happened in her Church. Two young women who sang at Church, and loved the Lord dearly, we coming home from meeting one night and had an accident. On a dark rainy night they missed their turn, and ran into a tree, killing them instantly. Mama said “They sang a special for Jesus that night at Church – and now they’re gone! How could a loving God allow such a waste of life? They loved the Lord, and now they’re dead. How?”

I don’t remember what I told my Mama that night, but I was still a young Christian, and I didn’t know how to respond. I believe Mama’s in Heaven, and knows the answer as to why. She’s looking on the face of the One Who loved her so much, He laid His life down for her, and for us all. If I could go back in time to that moment I’d tell Mama what I’m going to tell you today. I’d say,

“Mama, those two wonderful Christian girls didn’t die. They’re with Jesus. Jesus promised us, ‘whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die’ (John 11:26). God didn’t waste their lives, and THEY didn’t waste their lives. God is the Giver of Life (1 Timothy 6:13), and we belong to Him. He purchased us with His Blood, and He can call us home when He wants. These young women lived all of this life that God gave them to glorify Him, and are now in the Presence of the One they so love (Romans 14:8). THEIR LIVES ARE NOT WASTED, but enhanced, elevated, and eternally with Jesus.”

A wasted life is not one that ends early (and we always think its too early) IF those who are enjoying that life are honoring and serving Jesus. Pastor John Piper, years ago, was preaching. In the midst of the sermon he pulled out a page torn from a travel magazine. He read these words:

“ ‘Bob and Penny took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30-foot trawler, play softball, and collect shells.’ Piper then said, “The American Dream: come to the end of your life—your one and only life—and let the last great work before you give an account to your Creator be, ‘I collected shells. See my shells.’ That is a tragedy. People today are spending billions of dollars to persuade you to embrace that tragic dream. Today I’m here to plead with you: don’t buy it. Don’t waste your life.”

God gives us life for a reason. He doesn’t give us life so we can waste it on the mundane, on hours before a cell phone, sitting staring at Facebook, Linked In, X, Tick Tock, or Instagram. The life we have is one that God has allowed us. We can fill that life with useless things, or we can live with eternity in mind. If you are lost, I suspect you’ll hear and disregard this sermon. But if you’re saved, if you’re born again through faith in Christ, then I beg you, DON’T WASTE YOUR LIFE. Live for eternity. Live to make a difference to the glory of God.

Paul writes:

Romans 15:14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

What is interesting about the Church in Rome is that Paul has never visited the Church. He is writing the Church because God directed him to do so, but he’s never been there. Paul has been in ministry to the Gentiles over 17 years (we get this information comparing Galatians 1:18 and Galatians 2:1).Once saved on the Damascus Road, Paul preached in Arabia, Damascus, Syria, and Cilicia, all Gentile territories. Paul tells the Church at Rome:

Romans 15:20-22 Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation: 21 But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand. 22 For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you.

Paul did not go to Jerusalem and Judea to preach, but went strictly to the Gentile nations, just as God led him to do. He said “I have been much hindered from coming to you”. He’s never been to this Church! And yet Paul said:

I myself also am persuaded {peithō} of {peri} you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to ADMONISH {noutheteō} one another

Here’s the question: How did Paul KNOW that these Roman believers were “full of goodness, filled with knowledge, able to admonish one another”? He’s never met them. How does Paul know this? Notice how Paul states this. He doesn’t say, “I am persuaded BY you”, but “I am persuaded ABOUT you”. What Paul is telling us is,

IF you are saved by faith in Christ Jesus,
IF you are born again of the Spirit,
IF you are a child of the King,
THEN you have the capability to do good,
THEN you have the capacity to grow in knowledge,
THEN you are able to support one another, to be in one accord.

Every Christian has the same blessings, the same abilities, the same worth as every other Christian. If you are born again, you are born again with a purpose. We are members together in His Kingdom.

We all do not have the same Calling, but we all have a Calling, a Gifting, a Direction that God wants us to go. Paul is persuaded that the Roman believers will prosper in Grace, because he has seen what Grace did in HIS life.

Paul is not a super Christian. Paul is a surrendered Christian. Paul is a Christian with purpose.

God Did Not Give Us Grace Just To Take Us To Heaven

Romans 15:15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God,

Paul is saying “I wrote these things BOLDLY to you (for Paul had never been to Rome) because I saw what Grace did in me”. Grace changes things. Grace changes us. If a person tells me, “I’m saved by the Grace of God”, but there is no fruit of the Spirit of God in their lives, then I need to lovingly ask them, “Are you SURE?” The Apostle wrote the Church at Philippi:

Philippians 2:5-11 (KJV) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. [9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; [11] And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Why did Jesus die on the Cross of Calvary? Why are we offered Grace through His Bloody Death? Verses 10 and 11 tell us, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow”. That this world, filled with spiritually dead creatures, would come to life through the operation of God’s Grace. That the Spiritually Dead would become the Spiritually Alive, and that “every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. Grace changes darkness to light. Grace changes the lost to saved. Grace changes the son of Adam to the son of God. Grace changes condemnation to glory. Grace changes everything. Paul went on to tell the Church:

Philippians 2:12-13 (KJV) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. [13] For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.

WORK OUT – show fruit. For GOD WORKETH IN YOU. Grace changes you. Grace changed Saul to Paul. Grace changed fisherman Peter to preaching Peter. Grace changed the tax collector Matthew to the Gospel writer. God wrote the Law on tablets of stone. But God writes His Law on our hearts by Grace, changing stony hearts into hearts that love Him!

Grace is given to us not to sit stagnant, but to make us the workmanship of God. One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Ephesians 2:8-10. The first two verses read:

Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.

You cannot be saved by the works of the Law, by being good, by any action that you can think of. You are saved BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ. You receive Him as He is, both Lord and Savior. But once you are saved, GRACE WORKS IN YOU. We read:

Ephesians 2:10 (KJV) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

God’s people WALK in GOOD WORKS. God’s people obey the Lord Who saved them. Paul said:

Romans 15:15-16 … because of the grace that is given to me of God, 16 That I should be the MINISTER {leitourgos} of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, MINISTERING {hierourgeō} the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

Word Study: Before he was saved, as Saul he served the Sanhedrin, seeking to please Judaism. As a Pharisee Saul had nothing to do with the Gentiles. But once he was given Grace, Paul became the “MINISTER of Jesus Christ”. This is the Greek leitourgos, which means “a minister or servant of the state”. Before he was saved, Paul was a servant of Judaism. Now he is a servant of Jesus Christ, of the Kingdom of God. As a servant of the kingdom of Christ, Paul was “MINISTERING the Gospel of God”. This is the Greek hierourgeō, which means to “act as a priest, sharing that which God has given”. Paul did not modify the Gospel in any way, shape, or form, but presented the Gospel clearly and as God gave it to him.

Paul did not inject his opinion or his desires into the process, but gave the Gospel as God gave it to him. And God honored Paul’s labors, as the Gentiles who came to Christ were “sanctified by the Holy Ghost”. Their lives showed evidence that God was working in them.

Romans 15:18-19 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, 19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

Paul didn’t brag on what he did, for Paul was but a tool that God used. The Grace of God “make(s) the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed”. True Grace brings about a change. Paul said, “I have fully preached the gospel of Christ”. He didn’t add his spin to it. Beloved, too many today preach a partial Gospel, a modified Gospel, a Gospel that appeals to the masses. But we are warned in:

Galatians 1:8-9 (KJV) But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. [9] As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

What is the Gospel that Paul preached? It is that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 3-4). The Gospel begins with “REPENT”. Your life is not your own. You are broken. Hear Jesus’ call, and receive Him. The Gospel is:

Romans 10:9-13 (ESV) if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The Grace Of God Takes Us Outside
Our Comfort Zone

Paul said of his calling:

Romans 15:20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation:

He stepped outside of his comfort zone. As Christians, we must all step outside our comfort zones. We must trust the Lord as we reach out to those around us in the name of Christ. Paul was sold out for Christ. He tells the Church at Rome:

Romans 15:24-28 Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company. 25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. 26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. 27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. 28 When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.

The Churches in Macedonia and Achaia , fully Gentile, saved by the Grace of God, sought to help “the poor saints in Jerusalem”, the Jews. Grace erases racism! It erases divisions. It does not matter what color your brother or sister in Christ is. It just matters that they are IN CHRIST. That they are saved. The Gentile Churches were, themselves, very poor. The Church in Macedonia was terribly persecuted. Paul said:

2 Corinthians 7:5 For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

It is a very pagan area. Paul and those ministers with him were attacked constantly, and once the Church was established there, it was persecuted as well. And yet we are told:

2 Corinthians 8:1-5 (KJV) Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; [2] How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. [3] For to [their] power, I bear record, yea, and beyond [their] power [they were] willing of themselves; [4] Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and [take upon us] the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. [5] And [this they did], not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

Impoverished themselves, attacked and downtrodden, the Macedonian Christians, because of the Grace of God in them, gave to the poor of Jerusalem. Paul was carrying an offering to Jerusalem from the Gentiles, an offering that shows how Grace changes things. Paul didn’t know it at the time, but his trip into Jerusalem would not be a pleasure trip. Paul wrote:

Romans 15:29-32 I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. 30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; 31 That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; 32 That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.

Sadly, this was not to be. When Paul came to Caesarea to the home of Phillip the Evangelist just prior to going to Jerusalem with the Gentile offering, God the Holy Spirit spoke to Paul. We read:

Acts 21:10-14 (NKJV) And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. [11] When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his [own] hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver [him] into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ” [12] Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. [13] Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” [14] So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”

Did Paul err? I believe he did. It happened just as God said it would. Beloved, if God had warned me not to go to Jerusalem, I’d listen to God. Paul could have sent the offering to Jerusalem by the hand of Phillip the Evangelist. But he didn’t. However, I salute Paul’s dedication to serve the Lord. It reminds me of what Old Testament scholar Christopher Wright said:

“Too often we ask, ‘Where does God fit into the story of my life?’ The real question should be, ‘Where does my little life fit into the great story of God’s mission’?

Paul would eventually end up in Rome, and would stand before Caesar, sharing the Gospel with him. Paul would, like John the Baptist, be beheaded for the cause of Christ. Was his a wasted life? No! I believe he is in glory now, celebrating the grace of God that gave him a Heavenly Father. The life given to Jesus is never wasted.

Beloved, one day we will all stand before the Lord. Some will stand before God and, never knowing Him, will be cast into a Lake of Fire FOREVER (see Revelation 20:11-15). Others who are saved will stand before Christ to test the stewardship of Grace you were given. The Scripture says:

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (NKJV) Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. [10] For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things [done] in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

When judgment day comes, the works you did will be judged. If you did works to BE saved, you will be cast into the Lake of Fire. No work will save you, but the work of receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. If you did works BECAUSE you were saved, because God is working in you, the works will be judged by fire (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). Those works you did which gave glory to the Lord will be rewarded. I pray you all will receive crowns for honoring the Lord.

Romans 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.