As we look at the world around us, we see what seems to be chaos everywhere. The world is on the brink of war, crime is rampant, people are struggling to meet the basic necessities of life, respected Christian leaders are falling into sin. The question we face is: How do we at Southside respond to these events? We often respond improperly because we don’t know God’s Word and we don’t pray as we should. The proper response only comes when we are living for the gospel.

Probably we all have made New Year’s resolutions but find that after a few months we no longer keep them. The same is often true regarding the promises we made to God when we came to faith in Christ. Initially we were enthusiastic about serving the Lord, but the cares of the world and the demands of life have consumed us, and we shrink back. When we look back over a period of time, we readily see just how far astray we have fallen from our initial commitment. Paul’s dedication to living for the gospel is described in 1 Corinthians 9, where he explained that he would endure anything so as not to be a stumbling block for the gospel. His goal was to preach Christ to Jews and gentiles, and to the weak and the strong; his driving force being to receive the winner’s crown.

Living for the gospel means putting all our energy into fulfilling the Great Commission given in Matthew 28: make disciples of all nations, baptize them into the name of the Trinitarian God, and teach them to obey all that Jesus commanded. Paul was consumed by sharing the gospel. In Philippians 1:21, Paul declared, “For me to live is Christ…” IS CHRIST! His entire life was focused on living for the gospel.

Hebrews 12:1 reminds us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, so our goal should be to bring every thought captive, to make every word and action be ones that honor Jesus. Christ is to fully direct our life because He is the head of the church, and He is preeminent in every aspect of our life. (Colossians 1:18) In Philippians 2:15, Paul exhorts us to “be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” Truly this world desperately needs the light of the gospel and, as ambassadors for Christ, we are to let our light shine. Peter describes believers as being a royal priesthood. (1 Peter 1:9) And Paul described how we are to live out our priesthood, as he commended the Thessalonians for their faithfulness to the gospel. In the presence of much affliction. The Thessalonian church was an example recognized by all the churches in Macedonia and Achaia.

Living for the gospel involves several aspects described in Romans 15. Today we examine Gospel-Driven Planning with sub-headings Sensitive to God’s Providence, Sensible in Organization, and Settled in Understanding.

1. Gospel-Driven Planning (vv. 22-24)

• Sensitive to God’s Providence (v. 22)

The reason for planning is to achieve the maximum results for our objective. For example, we might plan a trip to the mountains to see as many forms of wildlife as possible, so we gather information regarding where particular species of interest can be found, the time of year and time of day when they are most active, etc. We carefully plan all the details of our trip, but then the day you plan to leave, your youngest child is sick with the flu, or a monsoon has washed out all the roads. How do we respond? We must be sensitive to God’s providence and accept the disappointment, trusting that God has a purpose in this disruption.

The church in Rome had been established for more than 20 years when Paul wrote this letter. Paul explains in Romans 15:22-24 that for many years he had longed to visit the Roman church, but he had been hindered each time. Paul had told them in Romans 1:13 that he had often intended to come to them but thus far had been prevented. His great desire was to take the gospel to lands which had not been evangelized (verse 20). Now that his work was finished in the regions encompassing his missionary journeys, he said he planned to visit Rome on his way to Spain.

• Sensible in Organization (vv. 22-23)

Jesus asked the question in Luke 14:28, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” Paul was meticulous in his planning, but he recognized and accepted that God’s providence could override his plans. Paul had been ministering in Corinth but was forced to leave because of persecution, and he traveled to Ephesus. Later he wrote to the Corinthians that he had wanted to come to them to bring them a second experience of grace (2 Corinthians 1:15), but he resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia on his way to Jerusalem and afterward go to Rome (Acts 19:21). Paul had planned every detail of his ambitious travel plans, but he was willing to let God change them.

It is said that Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance, but we understand that this general rule does not always hold true. Indeed, it is important that we make careful plans for our undertaking but also be ready to accept God’s overrule. Like Paul, who was at peace whether he got to Rome or not, we must be content both when God gives us clear sailing and when He puts up a roadblock to our plans. Like Paul, our plan of living for the gospel should be ambitious; it should be a matter of diligent prayer, but it should be flexible to accommodate God’s plan. At that time, Rome was the hub of the world and Paul recognized its potential to be a place where disciples would go to be trained in the gospel ministry, and then take the gospel throughout the world. Paul did not just plan for the immediate future, but he also planned for many years ahead.

We need to be thinking about opportunities to share the gospel now, but also for ten years from now. Peter tells us that God “has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” and then exhorts us to “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:3, 5-8) If we lack fruit, we will be ineffective in ministering the gospel. We want people to see spiritual fruit in us and say good things about us, but we should be far more concerned about what God says about us. The words we should most long to hear from Jesus are “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)

The Jews thought that they could please God through circumcision, keeping of the Law, observing the rituals, etc. They believed that God would exalt them above all other peoples. However, both James (James 4:10) and Peter (1 Peter 5:6) tell us that we must humble ourselves before God, then He will exalt us. We must acknowledge our sinful nature and should ask God why He would save such a wretch as we.

• Settled in Understanding (v. 24)

When Jesus called Ananias to restore Paul’s sight, He said “For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So, Paul was fully aware of the difficulties that he would face resulting from his conversion, yet he was willing to pay the cost. Your elders at Southside are aware of the cost of serving you and, because they are called by God to this position of leadership, they are willing to make this sacrifice. The cost includes foregoing time with family, friends, hobbies, etc., as they deal with the varied tasks of planning for our spiritual growth through worship, teaching, service, fellowship, etc. They pray for us to overcome sin and they sometimes must deal with difficult issues involving discipline; this involves a tremendous emotional cost. Like Paul, your elders have a settled understanding of the cost required in living for the gospel and they find joy in this ministry.

If we are living for the gospel, we too will have a burden for those who are living in spiritual darkness. If we are not sharing the gospel it could mean a) we don’t feel adequate, b) we think that is the pastor’s job, c) we don’t believe that hell is real, d) we don’t care enough about other people, e) we fear man more than God, or ________________(fill in the blank).

Near the end of his life, Paul wrote to Timothy: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8) Paul had much on his mind as he carried a burden for the churches, yet he was focused on one thing: Living for the Gospel. That is our challenge today.

Selah:

1. How much do you pray before making plans for anything you do?
2. How have you dealt with life when your best made plans don’t work out?
3. How do you keep Living for the Gospel in your immediate plans? Your long-term plans?
4. How committed are you to sharing the gospel with your family, your friends, your co-workers, etc?