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ROME
Don Stewart's Devotional

1/06/05      Paul’s Perspective on People   

--Chronology of Paul as tool for establishing the CONTEXT > Paul in Rome under house arrest after harrowing journey from Caesarea where had been under house arrest for two (2) years before.

--PEOPLE, not Power > Roman respect for power as the tool by means of maintaining the Pax Romana, the only thing sacred to most Romans.

--Philippians 1:1-18

--Paul’s Relationship with the Philippians, his strongest partners in world missions

--THEME of this epistle is JOY and Paul’s admonition that the church at Philippi not allow anything to rob them of their joy—see Philippians 4:4

--1:1-30 says “Don’t let FEAR Rob You of JOY.”

• Romans used FEAR as a means of controlling People and protecting the “Pax Romana,” the peace of Rome. (See Philippians 1:2, “Grace and Peace to you” from God and Jesus, not Rome).
• Paul and Timothy is 1:1 “Servants of Christ Jesus”
• Joyful prayers caused by the Philippian partnership with Paul (1:4)
• Paul focused on the Saints in Christ (1:1).
• Paul focused on the Overseers and Deacons (1:1).
• Paul focused on the Philippians (1:3).
• Paul focused on God’s Work to be brought to completion in them (1:6).
• Paul focused on his guards (chains 1:11,14,17; guards 1:9).
• Paul focused on his friends (1:7-11).
• Paul focused on brothers in Rome (1:12-14).
• Paul focused on preachers in Rome (1:15-18).

--OUTLINE

I.       Paul CONNECTS with Philippi (1:1-2).

II.                 Paul THANKS God for the Philippians (1:3-6)

III.               Paul LOVES on the Philippians (1:7-8).

IV.              Paul PRAYS for the Philippians (1:9-11).

V.                 Paul ASSURES the Philippians (1:12-14).

VI.              Paul REMINDS the Philippians and ENCOURAGES them (1:15-18).

Paul's Testimony to Personal Sufferings

2 Corinthians 11:18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.

-------------------

 22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.

 23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.

 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

 28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?

 30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.

 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.

 32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:

 33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.

--FEARS that Rob Us of Our Joy:

Pain Ridicule Mockery Rejection Failure  Confrontation Disappointment Death

Dying Hunger Insecurity Heights Close places Water Flying

1/07/05     Paul’s Perspective on Suffering

--Reread Paul’s account of his suffering as found in 2 Corinthians 11:21-28.

--STRUGGLE, not Success > Roman success obsession was an expression of their egotism, their pride. (Was it Vince Lombardi who said, “Success isn’t everything, it’s the ONLY thing.”?)

--Philippians 1:19-30

--OUTLINE

I.                    Paul’s Deliverance Was THROUGH Suffering (1:19-20).

II.                 Paul’s Decision Was Based on THEIR JOY (1:22-26).

III.               Paul’s Delight Was in THEIR Confident FAITH (1:27-30).

--Paul understood the difference between Happiness and JOY > Roman Success would be found in a temporary happiness (freedom from suffering).

--Paul Success was found in ACCEPTANCE of Circumstances (1:20)

   (Martin Luther in the Diet of Worms . . . “Here I stand. I can do no other. Do with me what you will.”)

--Paul’s Hope was for Courage to “not be ashamed” so that Christ would be exhalted (1:20-21).

   (Captain Piloting an F-86 in Korea going on a suicide mission went to the Chaplain for prayer. Chaplain prayed for his safe return. Pilot interrupted him. “I came for you to pray that my death will seal my witness, not that I will live.”)

--Paul’s Satisfaction would be in the Philippians’ FEARLESS FAITH in the Gospel, seen in their willingness to Suffer (1:27-30).

--Remember, most Philippians were Retired Roman Soldiers who understood Paul’s analogy.

1/08/05     Paul’s Perspective on Humility

--SERVICE, not Statutes > Roman domination (Roman Soldier could require a Jewish lad to carry his heavy pack for 1 mile [Persian regulation/statute adopted by Greeks and Romans], but no more. Jesus said, “Go with him two.” Refer to  the Sermon on the Mount AND the Spirit of the Christ. See 2:5)

--Philippians 2:1—3:6 Paul wrote, “Don’t let PEOPLE rob you of JOY.”

   (Service, not Circumcision > Roman legalism was compatible with Pharisaic legalism, one being politically religious, the other being religiously political. In Philippians, Paul was challenging a church under attach by Judaizers. They were appealing to Romans on the basis of a “Works Salvation” approach of keeping ritual statutes in order to “earn salvation” by gaining religious standing by obedience to the laws of Talmudic Judaism > see 3:1-6. Paul called them DOGS.)

--OUTLINE:  Anti-Roman Mindset

I.                      Paul Said, “LIFT UP YOUR BROTHER” (2:1-4).

             (unite around Jesus by fellowshipping with the Spirit and

             finding the balance point between self-interest and

             interest in others [2:3 and Romans 12:10]).

II.                 Paul Said, “THINK LIKE JESUS” (2:5-11).

               (Jesus died at the hands of Romans who couldn’t understand His selflessness, so they mocked Him.)

               (John’s Gospel speaks of Jesus’ Crucifixion as Glorification [see John 17] not humiliation, as the Romans.)

               (Romans 6:1-5 > “Baptized into His death,” in order to be “Raised to walk in newness of life.”)

III.               Paul Said, “WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION” (2:12-18).

• With fear and trembling
• Without complaining or arguing
• Be blameless and pure
• Hold out the Word

1/09/05     Paul’s Perspective on Sacrifice

--RESURRECTION, not Ritual > Roman Temporality

   (Pharisaical belief in Resurrection was strange to the Roman world of the 1^st Century. Any idea of deliverance through surrender OR death was foreign to the Roman mindset. Interestingly, Sadducaic Judaism didn’t believe in Resurrection or life after death, either.)

--Philippians 3:7—4:1 “Don’t Let THINGS Rob You of JOY.”

   (Jesus taught in Luke 12:15 “Guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” [NIV].)

   (As a Pharisee, Paul kept “double-entry” books on what he considered his heavenly account; but his transition to a “new man status” in Christ moved everythi9ng from the PROFIT to the LOSS column—everything.)

--Borden Heir went to Yale Divinity School and became a missionary to the Muslims in Egypt, rejecting the family fortune. He became ill two months into language study and died. His father said, “We’d rather our son be dead in Egypt in the will of God, than alive and well here at home outside the will of God.”

--OUTLINE:

I.                    Paul Sought RIGHTEOUSNESS (3:7-11).

II.                 Paul Reached FOR HEAVEN (3:12-16).

III.               Paul Waited for THE RETURN OF CHRIST (3:17-20).

IV.              Paul’s Hope Was in THE RESURRECTION (3:21—4:1).

--The Administrative Council at NOBTS was interviewing a candidate for VICE PRESIDENT FOR DEVELOPMENT. Mr. Corvin was there. Dr. Leavell asked the standard question about the candidates position on giving, “Are you a Storehouse Tither?” His answer was that he and his wife went beyond tithing to sacrificial giving. Dr. J. Hardee Kennedy sat abruptly on the edge of his chair and said, “I beg your pardon. I don’t believe that anyone in this room knows much about sacrificial giving.” And we all shared in the judgment. Needless to say we didn’t select that man for the Development position on the Administrative Council.

1/10/05     Paul’s Perspective on Unity

--CONTENTMENT, not Contention > Roman Gladiatorial Combat

   (Gladiatorial Combat was the height of Rome’s hunger for entertainment. It was the preferred form, much as Fiesta Brava still is the preferred form of entertainment in Mexico today, in spite of its abuse and killing of bulls and its risk of human life. Perhaps, Roman Gladiatorial Combat to the death was the grossest form of voyeurism in history. The Romans vicariously shared in the struggle that hopefully ended in the death of the chosen or appointed opponent.)

  (Violence in 21^st Century movies and video games today are the electronic equivalent, alongside reality TV. The 21^st Century world is no better than the Roman 1^st Century World in its hunger for extreme emotion, with the exception of real risk.)

--Philippians 4:2-20 “Don’t Let CIRCUMSTANCES Rob You of JOY.”

--OUTLINE—Unity is a matter of the heart, not organizational control.

I.                    Paul Identified the SOURCE (4:2-3).

II.                 Paul Defined the SOLUTION (4:4-7).

III.               Paul Described the STRATEGY (4:8-9).

IV.              Paul Declared the SECRET (4:10-13).

V.                 Paul Directed them to SHARING (4:14-20).

--One Person is a UNIT, but one person can never be UNITED. 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 declares the principle from Paul’s pen in graphic detail.

--Self-centeredness in the Church is doomed to failure. Selflessness is always the key to doing church victoriously.

--Roman point of view equals “What’s mine is mine, and I’m going to keep it” The Christian point of view is “What’s mine is yours, and I’m going to share it.”

--Two deacons had been at odds for twenty years, and their church at East Tallassee, AL, was divided pretty much down the center aisle. I was preaching a revival there for my friend the Reverend Al Dykeman and his wife, Betty Currie Dykeman, with whom I graduated from Gulfport High School. Both were graduates of Mary-Hardin Baylor, and Al was an NOBTS alumnus. We had no decisions until Friday night when those two men met at the front of the church weeping, hugging, and begging forgiveness. I don’t even think they could remember the initial problem, only the snowballing of tensions that had sapped the vitality of the church for almost a quarter of a century. UNITY is essential.

1/11/05     Paul’s Perspective on Faithfulness

--FAITH, not Fear > Roman Intimidation

   (Power and the threat of FEAR were the implements of control by means of which the Romans maintained the PAX ROMANA, “the Peace of Rome.”)

--There is no Hebrew word for FAITH. The Hebrews thought in concrete terms, not in abstractions. The Greeks dealt with abstract ideas, which for them approached reality. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge was a Greek exercise. Knowledge for the sake of living effectively represented the Hebrew approach to knowing.

--2 Timothy 1:1-14  “This epistle, seemingly the only one written from a dungeon in Rome (perhaps the traditional prison, the Mamarteme), was Paul’s Swan Song, it seems, his last epistle, his final admonition to Timothy, the missionary associate he considered his son in the ministry.

--OUTLINE

I.                    Paul Reminded Timothy of the PROMISE OF LIFE (1:1-2).

II.                 Paul Reminded Timothy of the POWER OF FAITH (1:3-7).

--Martin Luther discovered the biblical formula for salvation in Paul’s letter to the Church at Rome, 1:17, “The just shall live by faith,” not ritual, and wrote in the margin of his Latin text the word sola, meaning faith alone.

III.               Paul Reminded Timothy of the PLAN FOR PROCLAMATION (1:8-10).

IV.              Paul Reminded Timothy of the PROTECTION OF THE SPIRIT (1:11-14).

--Four (4) Southern Baptist Missionaries were martyred in Iraq last year.

--Three (3) of our Missionaries were martyred in Yemen the year before.

--Five (5) Missionaries died trying to get the Gospel to the Aucas in the Amazon basin in Ecuador in the middle of the 20^th Century. Elizabeth Elliot, one of the widows, told their story in a book entitled Through Gates of Splendor. Based on their willing sacrifice, others were able to complete the task two years after their deaths.

1/12/05 Paul’s Perspective on The Word and the Work

--WORK, not Winning > Roman Slavery supported their philosophy. (The Romans didn’t believe in working. Consequently, they utilized slavery to accomplish the magnificent building projects spread throughout the city of Rome. The Colosseum, for instance was built by Jewish slaves following the end of the Jewish-Roman War, A.D. 66-70.)

--2 Timothy 3:10—4:8

--The JOY is in the journey. The WORD is our guidebook/ roadmap, AND the WORK is the process of travel. The satisfaction of a job well done is reward enough for the task. Winning is not important, but WORK is and the joy of getting it done.

--A. M. Hunter, a British New Testament Scholar of the 20^th Century, wrote The Work and Words of Jesus, in which he declares, “If you want to know who Jesus is, ask Jesus, and watch His works.”

--OUTLINE:

I.                   LIFESTYLE is FOUNDATIONAL to Successful Ministry (3:10-13).

--Bob Denny, Student Ministry Leader for the SBC before completing his ministry as BWA Youth Ministry Leader, said to a group of Campus Ministry Leaders, “The only apology I offer whenever I use a personal witnessing event is an apology that there are not more of them.”

II.                LOVE FOR THE WORD is Essential (3:14-17)

--In the old fashioned Vacuum Tube radio receivers and transmitters there was need for an exciter. Its absence or ineffectiveness caused nothing to happen—i.e., failure, rather than success. The tubes wouldn’t work without it.

III.             EFFECTIVE PROCLAMATION Is Critical to Evangelism (4:1-5).

--Its always been true, “It’s by the foolishness of preaching that God chooses to save” (1 Cor. 1:21).

IV.              FAITHFULNESS Is Required (4:6-8).

--1 Timothy 6:12 says it well for Paul. “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold on Eternal life, to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

--We must be able to site men to our personal experiences with the Lord, if we ever expect to convince them to follow Jesus.