The Gathering Surf City

All right,

we are in the book of Romans.

And I guess now since this is the second
week actually in the text,

it's cool that we get to continue
moving forward.

I want to point out,

sort of the emphasis from last week
is quite simply that Paul had an

assignment. We find that in Acts 22
that on the road to Damascus,

he was told to go to Damascus.

And you will be told what has
been assigned for you.

So my challenge last week was,

what's your assignment?

What is it that as we
walk through Romans,

as we understand what it is that
God wants us to know about him?

Because the Bible is the revelation
of God himself to us.

I find myself asking that
question every week.

All right,

God, what does this mean to me?

How does this apply to me?

How am I supposed to apply it in my life
and then communicate it to you

and give you the opportunity
to apply it in your life?

All right.

All right.

I'm excited this morning,

just so you know.

I'm kind of excited about
the chaos we've created.

Welcome. You made it.

Those of you who are just
now getting here.

Yeah, we started at eight,

eating meat and potluck
Wednesday night.

That'll be a fun time.

It's always a crowd.

If you get here late,

you get to eat the napkins.

Men's breakfast.

The reason I'm going back over those
announcements is not because Jordan

messed it up,

but.

No, I'm just kidding.

He did not.

He did what he's supposed to,

but really.

Men's breakfast Saturday morning.

Keep in prayer Dennis.

He's one of our longtime cooks in the
kitchen and he can't be with us.

He can't be in a crowd right
now because of some things.

And so keep Dennis and Pamela
in your prayers,

alright? They're watching,

so I'm waving at them.

Alrighty.

Alright, so this morning
we are in Romans,

chapter one.

We're going to start in verse nine because
I went through verse eight

last week and I'll explain
that in just a moment.

Alright, here's the passage.

For God,

whom I serve in my spirit,

in the preaching of the gospel of
his Son is my witness as to how

unceasingly I make mention of you,

always in my prayers,

making requests.

If perhaps now at last,

by the will of God,

I may succeed in coming to you.

For I long to see you in order that I
may impart some spiritual gift to

you, that you may be established,

that is,

that I may be encouraged
together with you,

while among you,

each of us,

by the other's faith,

both yours and mine.

And I do not want you to be unaware,

brethren, that often I have planned
to come to you and have been

prevented thus far in order that I may
obtain some fruit among you also,

even as among the rest
of the Gentiles,

I am under obligation both to the
Greeks and to barbarians,

both to the wise and to the foolish.

Thus, for my part,

I am eager to preach the gospel
to you also who are in Rome.

Alright, let's pray.

God, I thank you for your word again.

And I thank you God,

that you've spoken to us,

God, more than just to us.

You've spoken for us.

So that God we might know you,

we might be obedient and
surrender to you,

God, that we might understand that which
you have purposed and designed

for our lives.

That we might live out a faith,

a testimony that brings you glory,

that points people to you.

God help us to do that today.

And God,

we just pray it in Jesus name.

Amen. So I titled today's message Company
coming because really a lot of

this opening chapter is Paul's
introduction of himself.

And yet most likely the Christians
in Rome know Paul,

understand Paul.

You know,

they've kind of gotten word
of what's going on.

I mean,

it's been a decade or so or more since
the resurrection and that kind of

thing. And so Paul is now writing from
Corinth and we get that in in the

book of Acts.

And that's where most scholars believe
the book of Romans was written and

sent forward onto Rome.

Because Corinth being that kind of western
point of Paul's travels and

his desire to go further
at that point,

you see.

And so we're going to talk a
little bit about that today.

But do y'all know something?

I don't chew gum anymore.

Do y'all know what that
has to do with Paul?

Not a thing.

Just not a thing.

Later. I used to chew
gum all the time.

And there's a reason for this story.

And it sounds like I'm
chasing a rabbit,

but I'm not.

I used to chew gum all the time.

And every time I would chew gum and
it got old and nasty and you know,

just started to make your jaw
hurt because it was so old,

I'd throw it away,

right? Take it out of my
mouth and throw it away.

Problem is some gums,

when you take them out
of your mouth,

they stick to your fingers,

y'all know that?

Ever had that experience?

So I began a habit when I would take
gum out of my mouth of licking my

fingers. And then I'd Take
it out of my mouth,

throw it away,

and it wouldn't stick.

Yay.

So when I was pastoring
up in Maryland,

I was north of Baltimore and there
was a guy named Andreas.

He was our head trustee,

took care of the property and his wife
was very active in town Baptist

church and so was he.

He was the trustee.

And yet one day Andreas goes home.

I've told this story before,

so if you remember,

you just go with me on it.

Andreas went home.

He said,

you know,

he said,

I saw Pastor Bobby do something today
that I'm going to start doing.

And Lisa was like,

oh good,

he's rubbing off on you.

Kind of that idea,

right? It's good that you're
hanging out with the pastor.

Right. He said,

you know,

when he takes gum out of his mouth,

he licks his fingers.

I'm going to start doing that.

And Liza went,

right, you know,

kind of that picture.

Why do we do what we do?

I want to know why Paul's
doing what he's doing.

I mean,

why did Paul undertake to travel
throughout the Roman Empire,

the known world,

at least from Jerusalem West?

Why did he undertake to do that?

Well, I have to believe,

and it's in the text.

So I am on,

I'm on point right now.

It's in the text that in Acts 22 we are
told that Paul went to Damascus

to find out what he was assigned.

And so Paul understands his assignment
by the revelation and will of God

for his life.

And so my question for me,

before I even bring it to you,

is why do I do what I do?

Well, obviously to take
gum out of my mouth,

I lick my fingers so that my gum
doesn't stick to my fingers.

But why do I preach?

Why do I,

Pastor, why do I,

Father, why do I,

husband, why do I,

you know,

all of those questions of why do
I do the things that I do?

And so I started doing
a little research.

So do you know that
to start a habit.

Okay, you ready?

Now go ahead and work
it out in your mind.

Am I referring to a good
habit or a bad habit?

Doesn't matter.

To start a new habit,

studies say takes anywhere.

Now I want to know why the
differentiation here.

To start a new habit takes
anywhere between 18,

254 days.

Why so vast a difference?

I'm going to tell you because
some of us are hard headed.

I'm on the 254 day end
of this thing,

right? 18 days doesn't
accomplish it for me.

It's going to take me,

oh, at least 200 days to
start a good new habit,

right?

So when we ask ourselves,

why do we do what we do?

It's because we've begun and
undertaken to do something,

whatever it is,

to accomplish something,

you know,

I mean,

it's February 2nd.

I feel like I should repeat
myself right now,

but I'm not.

It's Groundhog Day.

I don't know if he saw
his shadow or not.

I don't care.

It doesn't really have an impact,

you know what I mean?

But here you go,

first of the year.

We always hear about resolutions,

right? I remember that question,

have you made any resolutions?

And I remember thinking all along,

you know,

is that what it takes to change
something in ourselves?

I mean,

do I just say,

okay, I'm going to do this?

Well, no.

According to studies,

it's going to take you at least
18 days to establish it.

Then for those of us who are hard,

it's going to take 254
days to start it,

right?

Well, guess what?

To break a habit,

most leading studies say
it takes 66 days.

And somebody said call
that 10 weeks.

So 70 days,

right? To break a habit.

Well, now,

wait a minute.

If there's a habit I'm
changing from,

then why isn't it the same numbers?

Well, if you read the next
study after that,

guess what they say it takes to break
a habit takes between 18 days and

254 days.

Same thing,

right? So when we're asking ourselves
why we do what we do,

here's the question bigger than that.

How do we be different from
who we are right now?

I mean,

if God leads you this morning
to make the decision that,

that you're going to be 100% all in,

on fire,

sold out for Jesus,

how are you going to do that?

What's your first step?

Are you going to read your
Bible every day?

You're going to study it every day.

You're going to get you some commentaries
and some things to pile into

it. I mean,

because the truth is to be better or
to be different from who I am today

is the question,

am I going to be better or
am I going to be worse?

Am I going to undertake a habit that
is worse than who I am now,

or am I going to strive
to do better?

Well, see,

remember I shared with you when we first
did the introduction to the Book

of Romans?

I said that phrase in there.

The righteousness of God is revealed
from faith to faith,

that that picture is faith
first to last.

That picture is faith
beginning to end,

that our faith is meant
to be growing,

that God's doing something in us from
this day's faith to tomorrow's

faith, that our faith is supposed
to be advancing.

There's supposed to be an increase in
our following and in our dependence

and in our connection and contact and
communication and conversation with

God. So how am I going to make it the
habit that my faith is an advancing

and growing and a becoming faith?

I mean,

what did Paul do?

Paul's blind in a basement.

When Ananias comes to him and God
gives him his sight back,

and then Paul gives him his.

I mean,

Ananias. I mean,

God through Ananias,

gives Paul his assignment.

That what?

That you're going to preach
the good news,

the gospel of Jesus Christ
to the Roman Empire.

Right. That's the assignment.

That's got to be the assignment that
Paul received there in Damascus.

It's got to be,

because look at the rest of his life.

That's what it says.

He says,

I'll back up to verse 8 just for
the sake of backing up to it.

He says,

first, I thank my God through Jesus
Christ for all of you because the

news of your faith is being
reported in all the world.

How does he know that
there's no cnn,

Internet, Fox News,

or any of that stuff?

It's because Paul's traveling
to all the known world.

He's going everywhere that he
can find or being led to go.

I mean,

you know,

we read in Acts,

the whole Macedonian call thing.

I wanted to go here,

but God said,

no, go there.

There was a man standing
there saying,

come over and help us.

When you study Paul's life,

you start to see how God is going,

no, here,

let's go here.

And so Paul is traveling
from place to place,

and in every place he's traveling,

people are going.

Yeah, we had some Christians show up
the other day on a shopping trip.

You know,

they were here as tourists and they
were telling us about their faith.

Guess where they're from.

They're from Rome.

And in the next town,

he was like,

yeah, there was a whole group of Christians
from that Roman church,

you know,

First Baptist,

Rome. They showed up here last
week doing a concert.

I don't know.

I'm just making that stuff up.

But here's the point.

Paul was hearing about what Christians
were doing in Rome,

what was happening in Rome.

And so Paul says,

for God,

whom I serve in my spirit,

in the preaching of the
Gospel of His Son,

is my witness as to how unceasingly
I make mention of you.

So Paul's also talking about the
Christians who are in Rome.

Then he goes on to say,

always in my prayers,

making requests.

If perhaps now,

at last,

by the will of God,

I may succeed in coming to you.

So Paul is saying,

I want to come to Rome,

I want to go to Rome.

I want,

I want to come and share
what he says.

Preaching of the gospel of his son.

Because that's what Paul does.

That's who Paul is now.

That's not who Paul was.

That's not the change that took
place in Paul's life.

Did it take 254 days?

I don't know.

I think it took like light ground.

Jesus speaking.

He went into a basement somewhere.

It changed the trajectory of
who he was and what he did.

Okay, so in my life,

what does God use?

How does God work to change
the trajectory of who I am?

Could just be in the establishment
of some new activity in my life.

Could be some idea that.

Alright, Bobby,

I want you to listen to.

For instance,

I had somebody this week,

it was real fun.

I'll just share this
with you because.

Well, if I get too far into that.

Talked to a guy named
Steven this week.

We were standing on the side
of a hole in the ground.

We dug up the well line to my
parents house this week.

I had repaired it two years ago.

So I had a plumber there and we were
looking at some piping and some

stuff. And while we were
standing there,

he starts telling me I had told him a
year and a half ago when he fixed

sink in the house.

I told him that I was a pastor.

I talked to him about Jesus.

I'd asked him,

did he,

you know.

He said,

yeah. He said,

you know,

I got saved when I was 12
and it was just kind of,

you know,

that kind of thing.

Well, we're standing outside this whole
Wednesday morning and he goes,

he said,

yeah. He said,

I meant to tell you.

I said,

well, when can you schedule
to come back and fix this?

He said,

well, not Monday.

I said,

why not Monday?

He said,

well, because on Mondays he said,

I attend Bible study in the morning.

I was like,

you do.

He said,

yeah.

He said,

I meant to tell you
about a year ago,

God got hold of my life.

He said,

I have devoted myself to him.

He said,

I listened to this is what he said
in my truck from job to job.

He said,

I listened to Billy Graham.

I got the whole log of Billy Graham
messages on some digital thing.

He said,

I listened to Billy Graham.

I said,

well, when you get done with that,

move on to Adrian Rogers.

Go listen to his whole
log of sermons.

What did he do he changed
a habit in his life.

What did he used to listen to?

I don't know.

But what he did was because God
got a hold of his life,

because he devoted,

surrendered, made this commitment in his
own life that he was going to be

pouring in the good things of God.

I'm doing this every day of my life.

I said,

well, when can you come
back and fix the mess?

Well, while we were standing there,

after we'd had a 30 minute
conversation about Jesus,

while we're standing there,

what I fixed two years ago,

sprung a leak,

start shooting water across the hole.

And I went.

God timed that if that leak had happened
and you and I had not been

standing on the side of this hole,

we'd have had a mess right here.

I said,

but do you see how God works a plan?

So he said,

yeah, I can be back next Wednesday.

I said,

revival next Wednesday.

Come on,

brother. So we're going to spend time
on the side of a hole in my parents

yard this coming Wednesday morning to
fix a leak that I thought I had

perfectly fixed,

but obviously not.

Why does Paul want to go to Rome?

Because God sent him to Rome.

God sent him to listen to it.

That's what it says.

He said,

for I long to see you in order that I
may impart some spiritual gift to

you. Now don't read quotations.

Spiritual gift,

because that's what we in
churchianity like to do.

What he's saying is that I may give
you something that you may be

established.

See, the gift that God gives
is the Holy Spirit,

okay? And that's not
what Paul gives.

Paul wants to give them something
to ground them in their faith.

It's one of the reasons he undertakes
to write the book of Romans.

That you may be established.

That is.

Now listen what he's talking about giving
you something that you may be

established. That is that I may be
encouraged together with you,

while among you,

each of us,

by the other's faith,

both yours and mine.

Why do we gather like that?

Why do you do what you do?

That's my question today.

Why do we gather like this to
be encouraged in our faith,

to be challenged in who
God wants us to be,

to be about the things in our
lives that exalt God,

that bring God glory,

that promote the kingdom of God,

that push forward the good news and
the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Why are we who we are?

I'm challenged by this
message today,

y'all. I mean,

I look back over 43 years of
ministry and I'm like,

alright, God,

I Don't know why I ended
up where I am.

I do know why.

Now the question is,

do we know why?

You see,

Rebecca, I didn't mean to call
you out this morning,

but I'm about to.

Y'all, we've got a guest with us.

She's been with us before.

She's a missionary.

She served halfway around the world.

She walked in.

I thought I knew her.

I was like,

we've met.

She said,

a long time ago.

I'm glad she's here.

She lives here now.

Yay. Why?

Why is she here?

But they're not just
singling her out.

Why are you here?

I mean,

I'm glad you're here.

Don't get me wrong.

I'm not trying to run you off,

but God has a purpose and plan for who
you are and what you're doing and

why you're here.

God has a plan.

You, every one of us,

have an assignment.

What is it?

And are you taking steps to
fulfill that assignment?

Paul goes on,

in verse 13,

he says,

and I do not want you to be unaware,

brethren. I have often planned
to come to you then in the.

In the NAS.

Oh, I need to mention that Lana found
the NAS New American Standard

Bible, 1977 version on Amazon.

I obviously didn't look hard enough.

So if you want it,

it's on Amazon,

1977 version of the NAS Bible,

which is what I'm using this year.

And I do not want you to be unaware,

brethren, that often I
plan to come to you.

And in parentheses,

and have been prevented thus far.

How was he prevented?

Who stopped him?

I mean,

you know,

if you want to go on vacation,

what do you do?

You jump on what,

hotels.com, right?

Make a reservation,

figure out how to drive there,

get a plane to fly there,

take a boat to go over there,

whatever. You know,

if you want to go somewhere,

you make the plans to go there.

However, Paul,

being very intimately in tune with
God's assignment for his life,

is asking God,

day in,

day out,

what steps next?

Where do I go next?

Where do you want me,

God? See,

is that what you're asking
yourself every day?

Are you asking yourself,

all right,

God, where do you want me today?

Where can I be today?

What do I need to say today?

Who do I need to talk to today?

Who needs to hear my
testimony today?

You know,

because I'll be honest with you.

Bubble gum,

chewing gum.

That is frivolous,

trivial information.

You don't need to know that.

You really don't even know that there's
a well lined Leak in my parents

yard. You don't need to know that.

But around those two
things in my life,

God used the conversation
for his exaltation.

See that be the people of God.

He goes on and says,

in order that I may obtain some
fruit among you also.

What does he want to do?

He wants to go preach
the Gospel in Rome.

Why?

Rome is the center of the
empire at that point,

you know,

Rome is this hub and people are coming
to Rome and traveling from Rome

and the Christians are having
an impact in Rome.

And Paul wants to go to Rome.

But that's what he says,

I may have some fruit among you,

even as among the rest
of the Gentiles.

That's why I haven't come to you,

because I've been around
all the other Gentiles.

I am under obligation.

My assignment is both to Greeks
and to barbarians.

That could be offensive,

but anyway,

that's there.

Both to the wise and the foolish.

That could also be offensive.

But you see what he's saying.

He's saying I am called.

Now those.

Some scholars will say
that refers to,

you know,

Roman culture,

though governmental in its approach,

was also very Hellenistic,

Greek in its intellect and scholarship
and philosophies.

But that's what he's saying.

He said,

I'm under obligation to Greeks
and to everybody else,

we'd be barbarians,

y'all.

Just so you know,

both to the wise and the foolish.

Well, I won't give you
an assignment there.

And then verse 15,

he says thus,

for my part,

I am eager to preach the gospel
to you also who are in Rome.

Eager. Anytime we see the
translations like that,

we understand that English doesn't always
carry the emphasis that Greek

carries.

So, so when he says he's eager,

one of the things that
can be translated,

I am ready,

right? He says,

I have planned to come
to you several times,

but have been prevented thus far.

I want to come to see you.

And I like that line right there.

He said,

now at last,

by the will of God,

I may succeed in coming to you.

So it's almost like he
had made plans to go.

It got foiled,

right? So now he's writing to them
with this anticipatory readiness,

eagerness. I am longing to come and preach
the gospel and be encouraged

by you and encourage you
so that our faith,

Paul's included,

may continue that growing,

advancing, increasing trajectory of
strength and growth and see that,

that, that I am excited about
the Book of Romans,

y'all. I like where it's going,

I like what it's doing.

Because Paul is Saying,

I care about you,

I'm coming to visit you,

and I'm coming in person.

So I want to flip over and read
you just this little text.

I didn't give it to you,

Rick. Sorry.

So you just have to.

That's what it says.

Romans, chapter 15,

verse 20.

Now I'm jumping to the end,

and I hate this.

You know,

when I read a book,

I start at the beginning and I just
read it through to the end.

And I don't like jumping to the
end to find out how it ends.

I only say that because Angie
enjoys jumping to the end.

Angie will start reading a book and she'll
say she'll go read the end of

it, and then she'll decide whether
she's going to finish it.

Well, see,

I'm so ocd,

if I start one,

I can count on one hand how many books
I've started and not finished in

my life because I'm just
compelled to finish it.

You know what I mean?

Listen to what he says.

My aim is to preach the gospel where
Christ has not been named,

so that I will not build on
someone else's foundation.

But as it is written,

those who were not told
about him will see,

and those who have not heard will understand
and listen to what he says.

Right here in verse 22.

That is why I have been prevented
many times from coming to you.

But now I no longer have any work
to do in these regions and have

strongly desired for many
years to come to you.

Listen to this.

Whenever I travel to Spain.

How about that?

For I hope to see you when I pass through
and to be assisted by you for

my journey there.

Once I have first enjoyed your
company for a while.

That's Romans,

chapter 15,

verses 20 through 24.

To Rome.

Yes, but on the way to Spain,

right? What's your tomorrow
look like?

To work?

Who will you pass and
talk to in between?

Who will you be?

I don't know what anybody
does anymore.

So here you go.

I'm just going to use some examples.

Who's in the cubicle next to you?

Do they need to be encouraged
in their faith?

Do they know Jesus?

Who's on the assembly
line next to you?

Do they need to be encouraged
in their faith,

or do they need to know Jesus?

I remember my evangelism professor,

Dr. Charles Kelly.

Chuck Kelly in New Orleans.

He said.

He said,

you know,

he said,

our TV went out.

This was back in the days when
you could actually fix one,

not just throw it away
and buy a new one.

So my TV went out,

so I called The TV repair shop.

And the TV man came to my house and he
was working in the back of my tv.

Chuck Kelly,

who trained us in certain methodologies
of evangelism,

said while he was working on my tv,

he said,

I said to him,

you know,

the one I work for fixes things too.

And the TV repairman said,

oh, really?

Who do you work for?

He said,

well, he said,

I work for God.

He said,

and he fixes broken lives.

TV repairman said,

I understand.

He said,

I'm a Christian and I
knew who you were.

He said,

I just wanted to see if
you'd mention it.

See if people know you're
a Christian.

They expect you to act like it.

They expect you to talk about it.

What's your assignment?

If you don't know Jesus,

we want to introduce you to him.

Okay, let's pray together.

God, thank you for today
and the opportunity,

God, we have to gather and
worship and celebrate.

We thank you,

God, that this is a time,

Father, where you have assigned for
us to meet and gather for worship.

And so,

God, we want to worship you first.

God, we want to celebrate you.

We want to exalt your name and know,

God, that you have an assignment.

God, you know our lives.

So, God,

you. You have already purposed
the assignment of our lives.

God, help us to see it.

Help me to see it for me.

I'll pray for me.

God, help me to see the
assignment of my life.

And then God help me to willingly surrender
and obey to your assignment.

Father, I thank you for Romans.

I thank you for Paul.

I thank you for the people who
first opened this letter,

scroll box,

whatever it was.

God, I thank you,

God, that they heard from
you through Paul.

God, let us hear from
you through Paul,

and we give you praise for it.

In Jesus name,

Amen.