March 24, 2025 • 32 mins
Prayer extends beyond designated moments of quiet conversation with God into an ongoing spiritual mindset that permeates our entire thought life. When Paul prayed for the Romans "without ceasing," he showed us how to maintain spiritual focus and awareness of God's presence throughout our daily activities.
• Prayer doesn't need perfect posture or flowing words – it's about spiritual connection
• Paul prayed "without ceasing" through both dedicated time and constant thought-focus on Christ
• Unlike modern prayer often centered on physical needs, Paul emphasized spiritual growth
• Even Paul's holy desires and apostolic prayers went unanswered, showing God's sovereignty
• Unanswered prayers aren't punishment but divine redirection toward greater purposes
• Jesus's teachings about asking "in his name" reveal our reconciled relationship with God
• The Holy Spirit established perfect fellowship that allows direct access to the Father
• Prayer flows from our acceptance in Christ, not as a performance to earn God's attention
Visit wakinguptograce.com for the full study guide from this episode. Please leave a positive review on your favorite podcast platform to help others find us in this enormous world of Christian information.
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Episode Transcript
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Announcement (00:01):
Hello and welcome to the Waking Up to Grace
podcast, where we celebrate andexplore the finished work of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
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And now here's Lenny.
Lenny (00:22):
Today we're going to be talking about prayer.
And now here's Lenny.
Today we're going to be talkingabout prayer.
I think it's safe to say that,as Christians, we all have an
idea in our minds what prayerlooks like.
Most of us would probably saywe would like to pray more often
.
Having a clear mind is not aneasy thing to maintain in our
(00:43):
daily lives, and without a clearmind it's pretty hard to feel
that meaningful connection withour Lord.
Other times we reach a point ofdistress that seems to bring us
outside of our suffering andinto his grace and peace.
I'd like to take a closer lookat prayer today and examine what
exactly prayer is.
Does it have to be done acertain way?
Can we do it incorrectly?
(01:03):
Are there things that we canpray for that do not honor our
Heavenly Father?
What's the ultimate purpose ofprayer?
Can prayer actually help us tomature as Christians and further
wake up to the wonders of grace?
I think there's a lot to learnjust from the insight that Paul
leaves behind in his firstchapter of his letter to the
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Romans.
Before we continue, I want tobriefly mention that I did this
episode a little different.
You'll have to let me know whatyou think Maybe you guys like
this and you know, don't beafraid to reach out and let me
know if you liked this way ofdoing things.
So I put together a study guideand this study guide basically
has some questions in itfollowing the verses.
(01:47):
We're kind of going through theverses in this passage and
going through questions and kindof answering those questions.
So if you want atwakinguptogracecom and there's a
link to that exact episode pagefor this episode in the
description part of the podcastdown below, you'll find it at
the very bottom and you can justclick on that link and it will
(02:09):
take you right to that episodepage.
Otherwise, you can just findthis episode on my website at
wakinguptogracecom and click onit and there you'll find the
study guide and you can copy andpaste it if you want.
You can go through it yourself.
You can listen or read thetranscript later and see how the
answers fit for you.
So I thought that would be kindof cool and we'll see how it
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goes.
The Romans passages we'relooking at today come from
Romans 1, verses 8-15.
The full passage reads First Ithank my God through Jesus
Christ for all of you, becauseyour faith is proclaimed in all
the world, for God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit,
in the gospel of his Son, thatwithout ceasing I mention you
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always in my prayers, askingthat somehow, by God's will, I
may now at last succeed incoming to you, for I long to see
you, that I may impart to yousome spiritual gift to
strengthen you, that is, that wemay be mutually you some
spiritual gift to strengthen you, that is, that we may be
mutually encouraged by eachother's faith, both yours and
mine.
I want you to know, brothers,that I have often intended to
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come to you but thus far havebeen prevented, in order that I
may reap some harvest among youas well as among the rest of the
Gentiles.
I am under obligation both toGreeks and to barbarians, both
to wise and to the foolish, soI'm eager to preach the gospel
to you also who are in Rome.
In verses 9 through 10, paulwrites without ceasing I mention
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you in my prayers always.
What are some things that cometo mind when you think about
this statement made by Paul?
What are some things that cometo mind when you think about
this statement made by PaulWithout ceasing in my prayers
always?
Was Paul's thought lifeincluded here.
I'd say it would have to beincluded in this Without ceasing
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and always mentioning them inhis prayers.
It just seems to me that it'skind of about grace living.
He's always got his focus onChrist.
He's always got his focus onChrist.
He's always got his focus onGod, and so in his thought life
he would always have them on hismind.
He'd always be thinking aboutthem.
So that's what we might takefrom without ceasing.
Now, in my prayers always, wemight think of something more
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along the lines of he might bealways literally taking some
quiet time and sitting down andpraying to God.
Do you think Paul intentionallymade quiet time to focus and
talk to the Lord?
I would say absolutely.
When we read all throughScripture, there was definitely
sit down or bow down, andposture probably was a big thing
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on how they prayed.
They would kneel down beforethe Lord, but there was time
committed to prayer.
You know, however they did itthere's no rule as far as
exactly how we do it right, butthere was time committed for
sure, and I think just readingthat passage we can take that
from what was on Paul's heart.
Would you say that Paul had astrong sense of spiritual focus
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and discipline.
Yeah, I would say absolutelyyes.
So, continuing on in verse 8,paul writes First I thank my God
, through Jesus Christ, for allof you, because your faith is
proclaimed in all the world.
This was written before Paulbegan discussing his prayers for
them.
Do you think Paul's choice toopen with this statement
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displays how he might haveopened his own actual prayers?
I would say that that wouldmake a lot of sense.
He was expressing thankfulnessbefore he prayed.
I think that's important to dobefore we think of ourselves and
our needs.
Wouldn't it be honorable tojust thank God for what he's
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done, thank God for everythinghe's given to us in grace?
I mean, it's just incredibleand there's always something to
be thankful for, isn't there?
And I think that thankfulness,it just penetrates deep, you
know, in our hearts.
And next thing, you know youmight even forget what you were
praying about.
Would you say that Paul wasquite proud in Christ about the
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faith that the Roman church wasdisplaying to the world?
I mean, I would say absolutely.
He's thanking God through Jesusfor all of them, because their
faith is proclaimed in all theworld.
Everybody was talking about thefaith of the Roman church.
That's pretty cool.
He was absolutely proud inChrist, expressing his joy for
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the maturity and their learningand their knowledge and their
love.
Why do you think that Paul sayshe thanks his God through Jesus,
which you could say thankingYahweh through Yeshua.
Why do you think he says that?
I think it's an emphasis of thefellowship that he has with God
?
Because of Christ, becausebecause of Christ, we have this
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perfect union with God now thatwe can come to him for things,
we can come to him for allthings.
We can be ourselves with God.
We can be honest with God aboutwho we are and we can be honest
with God about everything.
He knows everything about us,and not only does he know
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everything about us, but hereconciled us to him.
He let us know that through thescriptures, through Christ,
that we're right with him now,so we can be real.
We don't have to fake it withGod.
So I think that's why he said,through Jesus or through Yeshua,
that he thanks his God, becauseit's Christ who allowed us to
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have this perfect relationshipwith God.
Now, what do you think Paulmeant by in all the world?
I mean, wasn't there placesthat had not been discovered at
that time?
I mean, did they even knowabout America.
What did they mean by in allthe world?
I think it'd be easy to gethung up on this.
You know the way we think today.
We're thinking that the wholeworld well, that's a big place.
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They would have to travel allaround, all around the face of
the earth looking for all thesepeople.
But really what he was meaningis all the Gentile nations, not
just the Jewish nation.
It was everybody, this was foreverybody, not just the Jews.
So in all the world is meaningto all the nations.
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And then, going back into verse9, we read For God is my witness
, whom I serve with my spiritand the gospel of his Son, that,
without ceasing, I mention youalways in my prayers.
What do you think Paul means by?
For God is my witness, whom Iserve with my spirit and the
gospel of his Son, god is hiswitness.
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He's basically kind of like hey, I swear to God, I'm serving
the gospel of Christ with myspirit.
My spirit meaning my life force, which is actually the next
question.
What do you see to be thecontext of with my spirit?
What would spirit mean here?
I think he's talking about thevery essence of his life, his
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ability to breathe and everyelement of his being was serving
the Lord, serving the gospel ofChrist.
And he's saying God is mywitness.
That's pretty incredible, andwould you say that Paul's
mindset regarding himself andhis life purpose was servant of
God.
He's saying I serve.
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I serve with my spirit and thegospel of his son.
He's serving the Lord.
He saw himself as a servant,didn't he?
Now, if one has an attitude likePaul, seeing themselves as a
servant of Yahweh, would prayernaturally take place in the
thought life of that person?
I mention this only because Ithink prayer is definitely an
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intentional thing.
It's definitely very honorableand meaningful to sit down and
make time to pray.
I also think that the otherelement of it, where it's our
thought life, it's what's on ourmind throughout the day.
What are we thinking aboutthroughout the day?
What's our focus on?
Are we thinking about Godthroughout the day?
Are we trying to serve Godthroughout the day?
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Are we honoring him just in ourminds, in a thankful heart,
just being grateful for beinghis children and thinking of
others who that we could maybehelp spiritually, praying for
others who could use somespiritual pick-me-up and a boost
in grace?
So I think that's important.
(10:44):
I think Paul was definitelypraying in both of these ways.
So would this thought lifeprayer exclude moments of
intentional and meaningfulconversation with the Lord?
That would be the next questionI have here and I would say no,
it doesn't exclude that, itwould be including that.
I think these are both ways ofprayer.
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I think it's holy and honorableto the Lord to pray in both of
these ways, to be praying in ourthought lives throughout the
day and praying intentionallyand making time to pray
intentionally, I think, is anexcellent practice, an excellent
discipline to have somethinggood to make time for.
So my thinking is that Paul hada very good balance with both
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of these things and I think he'sa good model for that.
Continuing in verse 9 up to 13,we read I mention you always in
my prayers, asking that somehow, by God's will, I may now at
last succeed in coming to you,for I long to see you, that I
may impart to you some spiritualgift to strengthen you.
What was Paul's primary desirein his prayers about the church
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in Rome?
He wanted to see spiritualgrowth.
He wanted to see spiritualencouragement.
He wanted to share faith.
He wanted them to share faithwith one another.
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He wanted them to bestrengthened in Christ.
Would you say that Paul was farmore concerned with the
spiritual well-being of thepeople than their physical
well-being?
I would say when we read allthroughout scripture with Paul's
prayers, it just doesn't seemlike he's praying for the things
that we often hear prayed fortoday.
It seems like Paul was mostconcerned with their spiritual
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well-being.
I just see Paul being a man whowanted the church to be
spiritually strong.
Why do you think Paul is soconcerned about spiritual gifts,
faith and encouragement?
Why do you think that would behis primary thoughts in prayer?
Why wouldn't he be saying Ipray that your ailments are
getting better, I pray that youguys are getting fed, and things
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like that?
Why wouldn't that be hisprimary focus?
I know that a lot of thesechurches were struggling and
there were some issues at handin those regards in some of the
letters, but when he prayed itjust didn't seem like that was
his primary thought.
And the reason why I think thatwas why do I think that was
that he was so concerned aboutthat is because when we are
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focused on spiritual things,when we keep our mindset on
those things, we're kind ofoutside of ourselves.
It keeps us from being selfish,makes us be more selfless, and
in that way we're focused on thespirit.
Because that's what happenswhen we focus on the spirit the
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spirit's inside of us, but ourfocus becomes outside of us and
we're expressing our love,aren't we?
That's the best way to getthings done.
It has to start on the insideand work its way out, not the
other way around.
Can we conclude that Paul'sprayers were not at all
self-seeking, and what could welearn from that?
I don't think Paul's prayerswere self-seeking at all.
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I just think it's incrediblethe way that he prayed.
He was so intentional about thethings that he prayed for.
And what can we learn from that?
Maybe we should be thinkingabout that in our lives and in
the lives of others.
If somebody is not a Christianand we're praying for something
worldly for them, maybe weshould be thinking about
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something more spiritual first.
I mean, isn't it moremeaningful to have a
relationship with God, to haveeternal life, than to have that
person live on in a worldlyabundance, the way that we would
like to see them with our eyes?
Shouldn't we focus more on theunseen realms?
See them with our eyes.
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Shouldn't we focus more on theunseen realms.
I know, the more I readscripture and the more you read
Paul's writings, you just keeprealizing more and more Every
day, just like, wow, thespiritual aspect of things is so
much bigger than anything else.
These are the things that Paulprayed about.
I think that speaks a lot aboutthe things that should be on
our hearts.
I don't think you can help butrealize that praying for
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spiritual things was all thatreally mattered to them.
That was their primary focus.
I'm sure they cared about thewell-being of others.
Don't get me wrong.
They weren't just completelyunmindful about people's needs.
He wanted to make sure theywere fed and things like that.
But the spiritual end of thingswas a big time focus, wasn't it
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?
It was the primary focus.
As we read on, paul writes Iwant you to know, brothers, that
I have often intended to cometo you and in parentheses but
thus far have been prevented, inorder that I may reap some
harvest among you as well asamong the rest of the Gentiles.
Are you seeing that Paul'sprayers were not being answered
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when and how he wanted them tobe?
I'm getting a sense that that'swhat was going on.
He intended to come to them,but then was being prevented.
He wanted to come to them inorder that he may reap some
harvest among them as well asamong the rest of the Gentiles.
So he wanted to see somespiritual growth and then, among
the rest of the Gentiles,wanted to proclaim the gospel
and save some souls.
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But he was being prevented.
His prayers weren't alwaysanswered.
That's what I see from that.
He doesn't come out and saythat but don't you think he was
praying for that?
I think he was.
See from that.
He doesn't come out and saythat but don't you think he was
praying for that?
I think he was praying for that.
Were Paul's desires and then,when we look at that, were
Paul's desires that didn't workout.
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Holy desires.
I mean, he was desiring holythings and he was being
prevented from that happening.
Isn't that kind of interesting.
So you have an apostle sent bythe Lord and he's got these holy
desires and they weren'thappening the way he wanted to
or when he wanted them to.
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But did Paul ever see that asthe Lord not hearing him?
Did he ever proclaim that itwas because he was out of
fellowship with the Lord, forexample, or he had done
something wrong, that the Lordwas upset with him and turned
away from him.
I don't think he ever gives usany kind of indication like that
.
I'm certain of it.
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So do you think God was teachingPaul wisdom through his prayers
in this way?
I think he was definitelyteaching him wisdom.
I think he was teaching him hissovereign wisdom.
Paul, you're not going to geteverything you want, even though
it's holy, because I've got aplan that's greater for you and
I'm going to make sure to carryyou through that plan, and I
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know that Paul had a strongsense of peace in that.
But we're all human.
We have our own plans, don't we?
We have our own sense ofdirection.
One of the Proverbs that weread says a man's mind plans his
way, but the Lord directs hissteps.
So Paul's thinking one thingand the Lord's directing him
another.
Isn't he Pretty cool?
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Do you think Yahweh wasteaching Paul to see blessings
that come through suffering?
Yahweh was teaching Paul to seeblessings that come through
suffering.
I would say absolutely.
You struggle, you suffer, youwanted to go here but you got
prevented.
But there would have beenblessings coming from all that.
I'm certain of it, and I'mcertain that Paul was in tune to
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that.
In John, chapter 14, yeshuamakes a series of statements.
You do not believe that I am inthe Father and the Father is in
me.
The words that I say to you, Ido not speak on my own authority
, but the Father who dwells inme does his works and,
continuing on, he says Whateveryou ask in my name, this I will
do that the Father may beglorified in the Son.
Verse 14,.
If you ask me anything in myname, I will do it.
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And then verse 16, what do yousee to be the primary truth that
Christ is proclaiming here?
When I read these passages, Idon't think he's saying that you
just ask me anything like agenie in a bottle and I'll do it
.
Don't think he's saying thatyou just ask me anything like a
genie in a bottle and I'll do it.
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I've heard takes on this wherepeople came to the conclusion
that he was probably talkingdirectly to the apostles when he
said this.
It was for their age and fortheir era, because they were
apostles and he was going to doanything they asked.
But that can't be true, becausePaul didn't seem to be getting
everything that he was desiringand I'm pretty sure he would
have been praying about that Ifyou ask me.
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Paul wasn't getting all hisprayers answered, not to mention
we're going to be getting intoit in a later study the thorn
that didn't get removed.
Paul didn't get that either.
So he asked and he didn't do it.
So what does he mean by this?
This could be a confusingpassage.
Ask me anything in my name andI will do it.
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I think the primary purpose andtruth that Christ is proclaiming
here is found when we realizethat it's all evolving around
the Holy Spirit being given tothem.
So I'm not saying the HolySpirit came and then gave us
everything we wanted.
What I'm saying the Holy Spiritcame and perfected our
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fellowship with God.
It gave us an unbreakablefellowship with God.
It reconciled us with God whenwe received the Holy Spirit.
We are now right with God.
We can come to him for anything.
We can ask anything in Christ'sname and we go right to the
Father Because of Christ.
We can go right to the Father.
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Our relationship has beenperfected.
I think that's all that he'ssaying here.
It's as simple as that.
You can ask anything because hewas the perfecter of our
relationship with God.
So I kind of already spoiledthis one.
But what is the helper and whyis that so significant to what
Yeshua is telling them?
The helper is the Holy Spirit,and the Holy Spirit was the one
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that put us in this perfectunion with God, where that we
could ask anything in his nameBasically ask anything.
He's always going to belistening.
His face is always shining uponus.
We don't have to worry abouthim not listening.
We don't have to worry abouthim not hearing.
We don't have to worry abouthim turning his head away from
us and saying I'm done with you.
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Those days are over.
Our Lord's not mad at us likethat anymore.
That doesn't happen.
We've been reconciled.
Would you consider the finishedwork on the cross that had not
yet taken place at the time ofthis teaching to be a
substantial point to recognizeabout the name or character of
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Christ?
So what I mean by that questionis what's the significance of
him saying ask anything in myname and I will do it.
Put yourself in their position.
Before the cross, before theresurrection, how much did the
apostles, how much did thedisciples know about what Christ
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was going to do for them?
How much did they know aboutthe Holy Spirit?
They didn't know anything.
They didn't even know thecharacter of the Lord.
Yet they were walking with him.
He was walking amongst them, hewas in their midst, so they
knew him, they walked with him.
But did they really know himuntil they received the Holy
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Spirit?
Could they really understandhis character and his name?
Until they witnessed thefinished work, until they
received the Spirit of God toopen their eyes?
And the answer is no.
They hadn't asked anything inhis name yet, and we're going to
get to that in a passage soon,actually.
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So next question is prior toreceiving the Holy Spirit, was
anyone reconciled to God?
Now, if you've been listeningto my podcast a while, you
should know the answer to thisone, but I'm not mad if you
don't.
It takes a little while tocatch on sometimes.
Prior to receiving the HolySpirit, nobody was reconciled to
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God.
The Spirit that Christ gave uswith his life through his
sacrifice at the cross, hisbloodshed on the cross, that's
what reconciled us, that's whatwashed us clean, that's what
made us right with God.
There was no reconciliationwith God before the cross.
Even the Old Testamentbelievers had to wait for the
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cross to be right with God andthen to be brought up to heaven
at the second coming.
So would unreconciled sin affectprayer requests is the next
question.
If you were living in the OldTestament, if you were living
under the Old Covenant, thefirst covenant of the law, would
unreconciled sin affect yourprayer requests?
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You bet it would.
It's definitely going to affectyour prayer requests.
When you read the Old Testament, you'll find the answer to that
one real quick.
That just strengthens theargument of the fact that Christ
is just telling them you canrequest anything.
Now you are clean before God,your prayers aren't going to be
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hindered.
The only thing that hinders ourprayers now is our own
distractions, our own stupidityand ignorance.
When we get caught up in sin.
That's going to hinder ourprayers.
But God's waiting for us topray at any time.
He's leading us through prayer,he's guiding us through prayer.
He's developing us and growingus and waking us up to grace
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through prayer.
So let's look at a few morepassages in John's gospel.
This time we'll go to chapter16.
Leading up to his point, yeshuasets the context of what he'll
be explaining to them Now.
This would not be understood bythem until Pentecost, when they
received the Holy Spirit andtheir eyes were opened to all
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that Christ had told them.
Yeshua explains that he'll beleaving them for a while, and
that that was a good thing.
In John 16, 7, we readNevertheless, I tell you the
truth, it is to your advantagethat I go away, for if I do not
go away, the Helper will notcome to you, but if I go I will
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send him to you.
So we establish a context hereof the Helper being the next big
thing that Christ was going toaccomplish for them and that
they would receive.
In verse 23, he makes astatement that baffles many.
We read what does Yeshua meanby you will ask nothing of me?
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Well, to me this is prettyclear.
He's saying that you're notgoing to be asking me anything
anymore because I'm not going tobe here, I'm going away.
But what day is he describingwhen he says in that day you
will ask nothing of me?
What day is he describing, Iwould say absolutely being that
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all these passages evolve aroundthe context of receiving the
Holy Spirit?
It would be Pentecost.
It would be when they receivethe Holy Spirit.
They're not going to be askingphysical Jesus anymore, human
Jesus anymore, but whatever theyask the Father in his name, he
will give it to you.
And kind of circling back towhat we were talking about
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earlier.
Why had they asked nothing inhis name?
Why does he say that Until now,you've asked nothing in my name
?
Because they didn't understandthe cross, it hadn't happened
yet.
They didn't understand hissacrifice that would be made.
They didn't understand theresurrection life that he'd be
giving to them at Pentecost.
And at the end of the passagehe says asking you will receive
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that your joy may be full.
What were they to ask for?
What were they going to beasking for in his name, the
Spirit of God, the Helper?
When they received what theyasked for, what would the result
be in terms of their fellowshipwith God?
The result would be perfectfellowship with God,
reconciliation with God Prior toreceiving the Spirit.
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Did anyone have this kind offellowship with God?
Again, no, they didn't havethat.
Yet.
In order to have this spiritualunion with Yahweh, what needed
to take place?
Through what are we able tobecome reconciled and free from
the bondage of sin?
Could this passage bedescribing the perfect union and
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unbreakable fellowship that youget to enjoy with God because
of the cross and the life ofChrist that lives in you now
through faith?
That answers a great big yes,isn't it?
Both of those questions yes andyes.
And then Yeshua continues.
That day you will ask in myname and I do not say to you
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that I will ask the Father onyour behalf Is Christ Yeshua
describing a new loverelationship that you have now
directly with God because of theSpirit that lives within you?
Can we now go right to theFather in our prayer?
Can we go right to Christ inour prayer, or does he count
himself out?
In these statements, I think wecan conclude that the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit areall at work in our lives,
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guiding us by grace.
Is it wrong to pray to one andnot the other?
Absolutely not.
They're three persons in onebeing.
We don't have to complicate it.
We don't have to get confusedabout it.
We don't have to complicate it.
We don't have to get confusedabout it.
I mean, we know yahweh, we knowyeshua, we know the holy spirit
.
They're all lord to us.
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So if you want to simplify itin your prayer just say lord.
He knows who you're talking to.
I'm not saying to downplay thepower of the names yeshua,
yahweh.
I think it's excellent and wecan proclaim those absolutely.
But it's kind of cool to thinkthat you can just say Lord, and
you're talking about all threeof them.
(29:24):
That's pretty cool, isn't it?
Paul concludes this section ofwriting by saying I'm under
obligation both to Greeks and tobarbarians, both to the wise
and the foolish, so I'm eager topreach the gospel to you also
who are in Rome.
Was Paul being forced by God topreach to Greeks and barbarians
(29:45):
, the wise and the foolish, orwas it a mission that he
accepted in his heart andcommitted his life to?
It was a spiritual calling.
Yahweh chose him for thatpurpose.
Paul's heart was changed.
He didn't feel obligated at all.
He was on fire.
If he was under some kind offorced obligation, would he say
(30:11):
so I am eager to preach thegospel to you also who are in
Rome?
I don't think so.
God changes our heart.
He makes us want to do things.
Paul's letter to the Romans isaddressed to the saints, which
is another way of sayingChristians.
So why would he make these twostatements I'm eager to preach
the gospel to you also who arein Rome, and in order that I may
(30:34):
reap some harvest among you aswell as among the rest of the
Gentiles.
When we think of his eagernessto preach the gospel to those
also who were in Rome.
He might have been referring toother people that he wasn't
writing directly to.
He might have been referring tojust the people of Rome as a
group.
He could have also just beenvery eager to preach the gospel
(30:57):
for spiritual growth.
I definitely see both of thesethings going on here.
I mean, let's face it, whenwe're worshiping the Lord and
we're studying his word, we'regrowing deeper in the gospel
every day, aren't we?
I mean, the gospel is so simpleand yet it's so deep at the
same time.
It's just an incredible truth.
So we can study the gospel togrow deeper in it.
(31:18):
We can hear the gospel at first, just to have our eyes open.
It's incredible like that.
And when he says, in order thatI may reap some harvest among
you as well as among the rest ofthe Gentiles, he's definitely
talking about spiritual growth.
So I think that kind of ties in.
He just loves to preach thegospel and strengthen people in
(31:39):
the gospel, doesn't he?
So that's what we got for today, guys.
If you'd like free access tothis study guide for your own
use, you can get there rightfrom the link at the bottom of
this episode description.
The study guide is on ourepisode page at
wakinguptogracecom.
And, while you're there, dropus a line in the comments
(32:04):
section.
Let me know what's on yourheart.
Did the study help you in anyway?
I'd love to hear from you.
You can also help in a big wayby giving us a positive review
on your favorite podcastingplatform.
If you're listening on apodcast platform and you're
enjoying us, it would mean a lotto me if you would submit a
review.
Just find the section in yourapp where you can submit reviews
and send it off.
Your reviews help others tofind us in this enormous world
(32:24):
of Christian information.
May God bless you guys in yourweek Until the next time when we
meet again.
Announcement (32:34):
Thank you for listening to the Waking Up to
Grace podcast brought to you bythe finished work of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
If you enjoyed today's episode,we would love to hear from you.
You can send encouragement ourway right from our episodes and
transcripts page or reach Lennyprivately from the contact form
at wakinguptogracecom.
Hello and welcome to the Waking Up to Grace
podcast, where we celebrate andexplore the finished work of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Tune in to the Waking Up toGrace podcast on every major
platform.
You can also listen to ourepisodes and read our full
transcripts atwakinguptogracecom.
And now here's Lenny.
Lenny (00:22):
Today we're going to be talking about prayer.
And now here's Lenny.
Today we're going to be talkingabout prayer.
I think it's safe to say that,as Christians, we all have an
idea in our minds what prayerlooks like.
Most of us would probably saywe would like to pray more often
.
Having a clear mind is not aneasy thing to maintain in our
(00:43):
daily lives, and without a clearmind it's pretty hard to feel
that meaningful connection withour Lord.
Other times we reach a point ofdistress that seems to bring us
outside of our suffering andinto his grace and peace.
I'd like to take a closer lookat prayer today and examine what
exactly prayer is.
Does it have to be done acertain way?
Can we do it incorrectly?
(01:03):
Are there things that we canpray for that do not honor our
Heavenly Father?
What's the ultimate purpose ofprayer?
Can prayer actually help us tomature as Christians and further
wake up to the wonders of grace?
I think there's a lot to learnjust from the insight that Paul
leaves behind in his firstchapter of his letter to the
(01:25):
Romans.
Before we continue, I want tobriefly mention that I did this
episode a little different.
You'll have to let me know whatyou think Maybe you guys like
this and you know, don't beafraid to reach out and let me
know if you liked this way ofdoing things.
So I put together a study guideand this study guide basically
has some questions in itfollowing the verses.
(01:47):
We're kind of going through theverses in this passage and
going through questions and kindof answering those questions.
So if you want atwakinguptogracecom and there's a
link to that exact episode pagefor this episode in the
description part of the podcastdown below, you'll find it at
the very bottom and you can justclick on that link and it will
(02:09):
take you right to that episodepage.
Otherwise, you can just findthis episode on my website at
wakinguptogracecom and click onit and there you'll find the
study guide and you can copy andpaste it if you want.
You can go through it yourself.
You can listen or read thetranscript later and see how the
answers fit for you.
So I thought that would be kindof cool and we'll see how it
(02:31):
goes.
The Romans passages we'relooking at today come from
Romans 1, verses 8-15.
The full passage reads First Ithank my God through Jesus
Christ for all of you, becauseyour faith is proclaimed in all
the world, for God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit,
in the gospel of his Son, thatwithout ceasing I mention you
(02:53):
always in my prayers, askingthat somehow, by God's will, I
may now at last succeed incoming to you, for I long to see
you, that I may impart to yousome spiritual gift to
strengthen you, that is, that wemay be mutually you some
spiritual gift to strengthen you, that is, that we may be
mutually encouraged by eachother's faith, both yours and
mine.
I want you to know, brothers,that I have often intended to
(03:16):
come to you but thus far havebeen prevented, in order that I
may reap some harvest among youas well as among the rest of the
Gentiles.
I am under obligation both toGreeks and to barbarians, both
to wise and to the foolish, soI'm eager to preach the gospel
to you also who are in Rome.
In verses 9 through 10, paulwrites without ceasing I mention
(03:37):
you in my prayers always.
What are some things that cometo mind when you think about
this statement made by Paul?
What are some things that cometo mind when you think about
this statement made by PaulWithout ceasing in my prayers
always?
Was Paul's thought lifeincluded here.
I'd say it would have to beincluded in this Without ceasing
(04:00):
and always mentioning them inhis prayers.
It just seems to me that it'skind of about grace living.
He's always got his focus onChrist.
He's always got his focus onChrist.
He's always got his focus onGod, and so in his thought life
he would always have them on hismind.
He'd always be thinking aboutthem.
So that's what we might takefrom without ceasing.
Now, in my prayers always, wemight think of something more
(04:23):
along the lines of he might bealways literally taking some
quiet time and sitting down andpraying to God.
Do you think Paul intentionallymade quiet time to focus and
talk to the Lord?
I would say absolutely.
When we read all throughScripture, there was definitely
sit down or bow down, andposture probably was a big thing
(04:46):
on how they prayed.
They would kneel down beforethe Lord, but there was time
committed to prayer.
You know, however they did itthere's no rule as far as
exactly how we do it right, butthere was time committed for
sure, and I think just readingthat passage we can take that
from what was on Paul's heart.
Would you say that Paul had astrong sense of spiritual focus
(05:10):
and discipline.
Yeah, I would say absolutelyyes.
So, continuing on in verse 8,paul writes First I thank my God
, through Jesus Christ, for allof you, because your faith is
proclaimed in all the world.
This was written before Paulbegan discussing his prayers for
them.
Do you think Paul's choice toopen with this statement
(05:32):
displays how he might haveopened his own actual prayers?
I would say that that wouldmake a lot of sense.
He was expressing thankfulnessbefore he prayed.
I think that's important to dobefore we think of ourselves and
our needs.
Wouldn't it be honorable tojust thank God for what he's
(05:52):
done, thank God for everythinghe's given to us in grace?
I mean, it's just incredibleand there's always something to
be thankful for, isn't there?
And I think that thankfulness,it just penetrates deep, you
know, in our hearts.
And next thing, you know youmight even forget what you were
praying about.
Would you say that Paul wasquite proud in Christ about the
(06:16):
faith that the Roman church wasdisplaying to the world?
I mean, I would say absolutely.
He's thanking God through Jesusfor all of them, because their
faith is proclaimed in all theworld.
Everybody was talking about thefaith of the Roman church.
That's pretty cool.
He was absolutely proud inChrist, expressing his joy for
(06:39):
the maturity and their learningand their knowledge and their
love.
Why do you think that Paul sayshe thanks his God through Jesus,
which you could say thankingYahweh through Yeshua.
Why do you think he says that?
I think it's an emphasis of thefellowship that he has with God
?
Because of Christ, becausebecause of Christ, we have this
(07:03):
perfect union with God now thatwe can come to him for things,
we can come to him for allthings.
We can be ourselves with God.
We can be honest with God aboutwho we are and we can be honest
with God about everything.
He knows everything about us,and not only does he know
(07:23):
everything about us, but hereconciled us to him.
He let us know that through thescriptures, through Christ,
that we're right with him now,so we can be real.
We don't have to fake it withGod.
So I think that's why he said,through Jesus or through Yeshua,
that he thanks his God, becauseit's Christ who allowed us to
(07:46):
have this perfect relationshipwith God.
Now, what do you think Paulmeant by in all the world?
I mean, wasn't there placesthat had not been discovered at
that time?
I mean, did they even knowabout America.
What did they mean by in allthe world?
I think it'd be easy to gethung up on this.
You know the way we think today.
We're thinking that the wholeworld well, that's a big place.
(08:10):
They would have to travel allaround, all around the face of
the earth looking for all thesepeople.
But really what he was meaningis all the Gentile nations, not
just the Jewish nation.
It was everybody, this was foreverybody, not just the Jews.
So in all the world is meaningto all the nations.
(08:32):
And then, going back into verse9, we read For God is my witness
, whom I serve with my spiritand the gospel of his Son, that,
without ceasing, I mention youalways in my prayers.
What do you think Paul means by?
For God is my witness, whom Iserve with my spirit and the
gospel of his Son, god is hiswitness.
(08:53):
He's basically kind of like hey, I swear to God, I'm serving
the gospel of Christ with myspirit.
My spirit meaning my life force, which is actually the next
question.
What do you see to be thecontext of with my spirit?
What would spirit mean here?
I think he's talking about thevery essence of his life, his
(09:17):
ability to breathe and everyelement of his being was serving
the Lord, serving the gospel ofChrist.
And he's saying God is mywitness.
That's pretty incredible, andwould you say that Paul's
mindset regarding himself andhis life purpose was servant of
God.
He's saying I serve.
(09:39):
I serve with my spirit and thegospel of his son.
He's serving the Lord.
He saw himself as a servant,didn't he?
Now, if one has an attitude likePaul, seeing themselves as a
servant of Yahweh, would prayernaturally take place in the
thought life of that person?
I mention this only because Ithink prayer is definitely an
(10:02):
intentional thing.
It's definitely very honorableand meaningful to sit down and
make time to pray.
I also think that the otherelement of it, where it's our
thought life, it's what's on ourmind throughout the day.
What are we thinking aboutthroughout the day?
What's our focus on?
Are we thinking about Godthroughout the day?
Are we trying to serve Godthroughout the day?
(10:24):
Are we honoring him just in ourminds, in a thankful heart,
just being grateful for beinghis children and thinking of
others who that we could maybehelp spiritually, praying for
others who could use somespiritual pick-me-up and a boost
in grace?
So I think that's important.
(10:44):
I think Paul was definitelypraying in both of these ways.
So would this thought lifeprayer exclude moments of
intentional and meaningfulconversation with the Lord?
That would be the next questionI have here and I would say no,
it doesn't exclude that, itwould be including that.
I think these are both ways ofprayer.
(11:05):
I think it's holy and honorableto the Lord to pray in both of
these ways, to be praying in ourthought lives throughout the
day and praying intentionallyand making time to pray
intentionally, I think, is anexcellent practice, an excellent
discipline to have somethinggood to make time for.
So my thinking is that Paul hada very good balance with both
(11:27):
of these things and I think he'sa good model for that.
Continuing in verse 9 up to 13,we read I mention you always in
my prayers, asking that somehow, by God's will, I may now at
last succeed in coming to you,for I long to see you, that I
may impart to you some spiritualgift to strengthen you.
What was Paul's primary desirein his prayers about the church
(11:49):
in Rome?
He wanted to see spiritualgrowth.
He wanted to see spiritualencouragement.
He wanted to share faith.
He wanted them to share faithwith one another.
(12:10):
He wanted them to bestrengthened in Christ.
Would you say that Paul was farmore concerned with the
spiritual well-being of thepeople than their physical
well-being?
I would say when we read allthroughout scripture with Paul's
prayers, it just doesn't seemlike he's praying for the things
that we often hear prayed fortoday.
It seems like Paul was mostconcerned with their spiritual
(12:34):
well-being.
I just see Paul being a man whowanted the church to be
spiritually strong.
Why do you think Paul is soconcerned about spiritual gifts,
faith and encouragement?
Why do you think that would behis primary thoughts in prayer?
Why wouldn't he be saying Ipray that your ailments are
getting better, I pray that youguys are getting fed, and things
(12:57):
like that?
Why wouldn't that be hisprimary focus?
I know that a lot of thesechurches were struggling and
there were some issues at handin those regards in some of the
letters, but when he prayed itjust didn't seem like that was
his primary thought.
And the reason why I think thatwas why do I think that was
that he was so concerned aboutthat is because when we are
(13:19):
focused on spiritual things,when we keep our mindset on
those things, we're kind ofoutside of ourselves.
It keeps us from being selfish,makes us be more selfless, and
in that way we're focused on thespirit.
Because that's what happenswhen we focus on the spirit the
(13:40):
spirit's inside of us, but ourfocus becomes outside of us and
we're expressing our love,aren't we?
That's the best way to getthings done.
It has to start on the insideand work its way out, not the
other way around.
Can we conclude that Paul'sprayers were not at all
self-seeking, and what could welearn from that?
I don't think Paul's prayerswere self-seeking at all.
(14:04):
I just think it's incrediblethe way that he prayed.
He was so intentional about thethings that he prayed for.
And what can we learn from that?
Maybe we should be thinkingabout that in our lives and in
the lives of others.
If somebody is not a Christianand we're praying for something
worldly for them, maybe weshould be thinking about
(14:25):
something more spiritual first.
I mean, isn't it moremeaningful to have a
relationship with God, to haveeternal life, than to have that
person live on in a worldlyabundance, the way that we would
like to see them with our eyes?
Shouldn't we focus more on theunseen realms?
See them with our eyes.
(14:45):
Shouldn't we focus more on theunseen realms.
I know, the more I readscripture and the more you read
Paul's writings, you just keeprealizing more and more Every
day, just like, wow, thespiritual aspect of things is so
much bigger than anything else.
These are the things that Paulprayed about.
I think that speaks a lot aboutthe things that should be on
our hearts.
I don't think you can help butrealize that praying for
(15:07):
spiritual things was all thatreally mattered to them.
That was their primary focus.
I'm sure they cared about thewell-being of others.
Don't get me wrong.
They weren't just completelyunmindful about people's needs.
He wanted to make sure theywere fed and things like that.
But the spiritual end of thingswas a big time focus, wasn't it
(15:31):
?
It was the primary focus.
As we read on, paul writes Iwant you to know, brothers, that
I have often intended to cometo you and in parentheses but
thus far have been prevented, inorder that I may reap some
harvest among you as well asamong the rest of the Gentiles.
Are you seeing that Paul'sprayers were not being answered
(15:52):
when and how he wanted them tobe?
I'm getting a sense that that'swhat was going on.
He intended to come to them,but then was being prevented.
He wanted to come to them inorder that he may reap some
harvest among them as well asamong the rest of the Gentiles.
So he wanted to see somespiritual growth and then, among
the rest of the Gentiles,wanted to proclaim the gospel
and save some souls.
(16:13):
But he was being prevented.
His prayers weren't alwaysanswered.
That's what I see from that.
He doesn't come out and saythat but don't you think he was
praying for that?
I think he was.
See from that.
He doesn't come out and saythat but don't you think he was
praying for that?
I think he was praying for that.
Were Paul's desires and then,when we look at that, were
Paul's desires that didn't workout.
(16:33):
Holy desires.
I mean, he was desiring holythings and he was being
prevented from that happening.
Isn't that kind of interesting.
So you have an apostle sent bythe Lord and he's got these holy
desires and they weren'thappening the way he wanted to
or when he wanted them to.
(16:53):
But did Paul ever see that asthe Lord not hearing him?
Did he ever proclaim that itwas because he was out of
fellowship with the Lord, forexample, or he had done
something wrong, that the Lordwas upset with him and turned
away from him.
I don't think he ever gives usany kind of indication like that
.
I'm certain of it.
(17:14):
So do you think God was teachingPaul wisdom through his prayers
in this way?
I think he was definitelyteaching him wisdom.
I think he was teaching him hissovereign wisdom.
Paul, you're not going to geteverything you want, even though
it's holy, because I've got aplan that's greater for you and
I'm going to make sure to carryyou through that plan, and I
(17:36):
know that Paul had a strongsense of peace in that.
But we're all human.
We have our own plans, don't we?
We have our own sense ofdirection.
One of the Proverbs that weread says a man's mind plans his
way, but the Lord directs hissteps.
So Paul's thinking one thingand the Lord's directing him
another.
Isn't he Pretty cool?
(17:56):
Do you think Yahweh wasteaching Paul to see blessings
that come through suffering?
Yahweh was teaching Paul to seeblessings that come through
suffering.
I would say absolutely.
You struggle, you suffer, youwanted to go here but you got
prevented.
But there would have beenblessings coming from all that.
I'm certain of it, and I'mcertain that Paul was in tune to
(18:21):
that.
In John, chapter 14, yeshuamakes a series of statements.
You do not believe that I am inthe Father and the Father is in
me.
The words that I say to you, Ido not speak on my own authority
, but the Father who dwells inme does his works and,
continuing on, he says Whateveryou ask in my name, this I will
do that the Father may beglorified in the Son.
Verse 14,.
If you ask me anything in myname, I will do it.
(18:49):
And then verse 16, what do yousee to be the primary truth that
Christ is proclaiming here?
When I read these passages, Idon't think he's saying that you
just ask me anything like agenie in a bottle and I'll do it
.
Don't think he's saying thatyou just ask me anything like a
genie in a bottle and I'll do it.
(19:09):
I've heard takes on this wherepeople came to the conclusion
that he was probably talkingdirectly to the apostles when he
said this.
It was for their age and fortheir era, because they were
apostles and he was going to doanything they asked.
But that can't be true, becausePaul didn't seem to be getting
everything that he was desiringand I'm pretty sure he would
have been praying about that Ifyou ask me.
(19:30):
Paul wasn't getting all hisprayers answered, not to mention
we're going to be getting intoit in a later study the thorn
that didn't get removed.
Paul didn't get that either.
So he asked and he didn't do it.
So what does he mean by this?
This could be a confusingpassage.
Ask me anything in my name andI will do it.
(19:51):
I think the primary purpose andtruth that Christ is proclaiming
here is found when we realizethat it's all evolving around
the Holy Spirit being given tothem.
So I'm not saying the HolySpirit came and then gave us
everything we wanted.
What I'm saying the Holy Spiritcame and perfected our
(20:12):
fellowship with God.
It gave us an unbreakablefellowship with God.
It reconciled us with God whenwe received the Holy Spirit.
We are now right with God.
We can come to him for anything.
We can ask anything in Christ'sname and we go right to the
Father Because of Christ.
We can go right to the Father.
(20:34):
Our relationship has beenperfected.
I think that's all that he'ssaying here.
It's as simple as that.
You can ask anything because hewas the perfecter of our
relationship with God.
So I kind of already spoiledthis one.
But what is the helper and whyis that so significant to what
Yeshua is telling them?
The helper is the Holy Spirit,and the Holy Spirit was the one
(20:57):
that put us in this perfectunion with God, where that we
could ask anything in his nameBasically ask anything.
He's always going to belistening.
His face is always shining uponus.
We don't have to worry abouthim not listening.
We don't have to worry abouthim not hearing.
We don't have to worry abouthim turning his head away from
us and saying I'm done with you.
(21:18):
Those days are over.
Our Lord's not mad at us likethat anymore.
That doesn't happen.
We've been reconciled.
Would you consider the finishedwork on the cross that had not
yet taken place at the time ofthis teaching to be a
substantial point to recognizeabout the name or character of
(21:39):
Christ?
So what I mean by that questionis what's the significance of
him saying ask anything in myname and I will do it.
Put yourself in their position.
Before the cross, before theresurrection, how much did the
apostles, how much did thedisciples know about what Christ
(22:00):
was going to do for them?
How much did they know aboutthe Holy Spirit?
They didn't know anything.
They didn't even know thecharacter of the Lord.
Yet they were walking with him.
He was walking amongst them, hewas in their midst, so they
knew him, they walked with him.
But did they really know himuntil they received the Holy
(22:23):
Spirit?
Could they really understandhis character and his name?
Until they witnessed thefinished work, until they
received the Spirit of God toopen their eyes?
And the answer is no.
They hadn't asked anything inhis name yet, and we're going to
get to that in a passage soon,actually.
(22:46):
So next question is prior toreceiving the Holy Spirit, was
anyone reconciled to God?
Now, if you've been listeningto my podcast a while, you
should know the answer to thisone, but I'm not mad if you
don't.
It takes a little while tocatch on sometimes.
Prior to receiving the HolySpirit, nobody was reconciled to
(23:06):
God.
The Spirit that Christ gave uswith his life through his
sacrifice at the cross, hisbloodshed on the cross, that's
what reconciled us, that's whatwashed us clean, that's what
made us right with God.
There was no reconciliationwith God before the cross.
Even the Old Testamentbelievers had to wait for the
(23:29):
cross to be right with God andthen to be brought up to heaven
at the second coming.
So would unreconciled sin affectprayer requests is the next
question.
If you were living in the OldTestament, if you were living
under the Old Covenant, thefirst covenant of the law, would
unreconciled sin affect yourprayer requests?
(23:51):
You bet it would.
It's definitely going to affectyour prayer requests.
When you read the Old Testament, you'll find the answer to that
one real quick.
That just strengthens theargument of the fact that Christ
is just telling them you canrequest anything.
Now you are clean before God,your prayers aren't going to be
(24:14):
hindered.
The only thing that hinders ourprayers now is our own
distractions, our own stupidityand ignorance.
When we get caught up in sin.
That's going to hinder ourprayers.
But God's waiting for us topray at any time.
He's leading us through prayer,he's guiding us through prayer.
He's developing us and growingus and waking us up to grace
(24:35):
through prayer.
So let's look at a few morepassages in John's gospel.
This time we'll go to chapter16.
Leading up to his point, yeshuasets the context of what he'll
be explaining to them Now.
This would not be understood bythem until Pentecost, when they
received the Holy Spirit andtheir eyes were opened to all
(24:56):
that Christ had told them.
Yeshua explains that he'll beleaving them for a while, and
that that was a good thing.
In John 16, 7, we readNevertheless, I tell you the
truth, it is to your advantagethat I go away, for if I do not
go away, the Helper will notcome to you, but if I go I will
(25:17):
send him to you.
So we establish a context hereof the Helper being the next big
thing that Christ was going toaccomplish for them and that
they would receive.
In verse 23, he makes astatement that baffles many.
We read what does Yeshua meanby you will ask nothing of me?
(25:54):
Well, to me this is prettyclear.
He's saying that you're notgoing to be asking me anything
anymore because I'm not going tobe here, I'm going away.
But what day is he describingwhen he says in that day you
will ask nothing of me?
What day is he describing, Iwould say absolutely being that
(26:17):
all these passages evolve aroundthe context of receiving the
Holy Spirit?
It would be Pentecost.
It would be when they receivethe Holy Spirit.
They're not going to be askingphysical Jesus anymore, human
Jesus anymore, but whatever theyask the Father in his name, he
will give it to you.
And kind of circling back towhat we were talking about
(26:39):
earlier.
Why had they asked nothing inhis name?
Why does he say that Until now,you've asked nothing in my name
?
Because they didn't understandthe cross, it hadn't happened
yet.
They didn't understand hissacrifice that would be made.
They didn't understand theresurrection life that he'd be
giving to them at Pentecost.
And at the end of the passagehe says asking you will receive
(27:00):
that your joy may be full.
What were they to ask for?
What were they going to beasking for in his name, the
Spirit of God, the Helper?
When they received what theyasked for, what would the result
be in terms of their fellowshipwith God?
The result would be perfectfellowship with God,
reconciliation with God Prior toreceiving the Spirit.
(27:24):
Did anyone have this kind offellowship with God?
Again, no, they didn't havethat.
Yet.
In order to have this spiritualunion with Yahweh, what needed
to take place?
Through what are we able tobecome reconciled and free from
the bondage of sin?
Could this passage bedescribing the perfect union and
(27:45):
unbreakable fellowship that youget to enjoy with God because
of the cross and the life ofChrist that lives in you now
through faith?
That answers a great big yes,isn't it?
Both of those questions yes andyes.
And then Yeshua continues.
That day you will ask in myname and I do not say to you
(28:20):
that I will ask the Father onyour behalf Is Christ Yeshua
describing a new loverelationship that you have now
directly with God because of theSpirit that lives within you?
Can we now go right to theFather in our prayer?
Can we go right to Christ inour prayer, or does he count
himself out?
In these statements, I think wecan conclude that the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit areall at work in our lives,
(28:43):
guiding us by grace.
Is it wrong to pray to one andnot the other?
Absolutely not.
They're three persons in onebeing.
We don't have to complicate it.
We don't have to get confusedabout it.
We don't have to complicate it.
We don't have to get confusedabout it.
I mean, we know yahweh, we knowyeshua, we know the holy spirit
.
They're all lord to us.
(29:04):
So if you want to simplify itin your prayer just say lord.
He knows who you're talking to.
I'm not saying to downplay thepower of the names yeshua,
yahweh.
I think it's excellent and wecan proclaim those absolutely.
But it's kind of cool to thinkthat you can just say Lord, and
you're talking about all threeof them.
(29:24):
That's pretty cool, isn't it?
Paul concludes this section ofwriting by saying I'm under
obligation both to Greeks and tobarbarians, both to the wise
and the foolish, so I'm eager topreach the gospel to you also
who are in Rome.
Was Paul being forced by God topreach to Greeks and barbarians
(29:45):
, the wise and the foolish, orwas it a mission that he
accepted in his heart andcommitted his life to?
It was a spiritual calling.
Yahweh chose him for thatpurpose.
Paul's heart was changed.
He didn't feel obligated at all.
He was on fire.
If he was under some kind offorced obligation, would he say
(30:11):
so I am eager to preach thegospel to you also who are in
Rome?
I don't think so.
God changes our heart.
He makes us want to do things.
Paul's letter to the Romans isaddressed to the saints, which
is another way of sayingChristians.
So why would he make these twostatements I'm eager to preach
the gospel to you also who arein Rome, and in order that I may
(30:34):
reap some harvest among you aswell as among the rest of the
Gentiles.
When we think of his eagernessto preach the gospel to those
also who were in Rome.
He might have been referring toother people that he wasn't
writing directly to.
He might have been referring tojust the people of Rome as a
group.
He could have also just beenvery eager to preach the gospel
(30:57):
for spiritual growth.
I definitely see both of thesethings going on here.
I mean, let's face it, whenwe're worshiping the Lord and
we're studying his word, we'regrowing deeper in the gospel
every day, aren't we?
I mean, the gospel is so simpleand yet it's so deep at the
same time.
It's just an incredible truth.
So we can study the gospel togrow deeper in it.
(31:18):
We can hear the gospel at first, just to have our eyes open.
It's incredible like that.
And when he says, in order thatI may reap some harvest among
you as well as among the rest ofthe Gentiles, he's definitely
talking about spiritual growth.
So I think that kind of ties in.
He just loves to preach thegospel and strengthen people in
(31:39):
the gospel, doesn't he?
So that's what we got for today, guys.
If you'd like free access tothis study guide for your own
use, you can get there rightfrom the link at the bottom of
this episode description.
The study guide is on ourepisode page at
wakinguptogracecom.
And, while you're there, dropus a line in the comments
(32:04):
section.
Let me know what's on yourheart.
Did the study help you in anyway?
I'd love to hear from you.
You can also help in a big wayby giving us a positive review
on your favorite podcastingplatform.
If you're listening on apodcast platform and you're
enjoying us, it would mean a lotto me if you would submit a
review.
Just find the section in yourapp where you can submit reviews
and send it off.
Your reviews help others tofind us in this enormous world
(32:24):
of Christian information.
May God bless you guys in yourweek Until the next time when we
meet again.
Announcement (32:34):
Thank you for listening to the Waking Up to
Grace podcast brought to you bythe finished work of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
If you enjoyed today's episode,we would love to hear from you.
You can send encouragement ourway right from our episodes and
transcripts page or reach Lennyprivately from the contact form
at wakinguptogracecom.
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