WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.200 So today, jeff we're talking all about ambition. 2 00:00:02.600 --> 00:00:05.639 Ambition, Yes, like taking over the world kind of ambition 3 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:08.919 that you have ambition. I am an ambitious person. Yes, oh, 4 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:11.000 I'm looking forward to this one. Then all right, Well 5 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:13.119 he's Chris and I'm jeff and we're the Bible guys. 6 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:27.960 So Jeffrey, yes, sir. Does anybody call you Jeffrey my 7 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:32.359 mom when I'm in trouble? That's true. That's true. Yesterday 8 00:00:32.359 --> 00:00:35.840 at the doctor's office. You know, they're like Jeffrey and 9 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:38.000 I'm sitting in the in the room going I didn't 10 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:38.799 even think about. 11 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:40.280 It, and you want your eight year old Steff to go, yes, 12 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:46.600 I'm here. So today we have dad joke competition. Oh oh, 13 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:49.719 I'm wondering if you have dad jokes on your Okay, 14 00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:50.399 I probably do. 15 00:00:50.600 --> 00:00:50.840 Yeah. 16 00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:53.560 Yeah, So while you look those up, here's what I'm 17 00:00:53.560 --> 00:00:56.439 gonna do, sir, is I'm going to just read out 18 00:00:56.479 --> 00:00:57.920 my dad jokes to you. 19 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:00.119 Okay, and so I'll give you a second. Oh you 20 00:01:00.119 --> 00:01:01.920 have it? Good? There we go, yes, okay, so you're 21 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:03.679 going to read one. Well, let's trade off. Yeah, yeah, 22 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:05.280 you okay, So I'm not gonna look ahead. 23 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:07.239 Then right, here's here's my I think they're different. 24 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:08.040 Are they different? 25 00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:11.799 What's your first two words of your first joke? What's 26 00:01:11.840 --> 00:01:15.680 the Oh yeah, yeah, okay, so it's it's it is 27 00:01:15.719 --> 00:01:16.040 the same. 28 00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:17.879 Okay, all right, I'll read you one. You read me 29 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:18.760 too that okay. 30 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:23.519 What's the difference between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 31 00:01:24.439 --> 00:01:27.040 Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Yes, well, they're two different cities. 32 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:31.519 The people in Dubai don't like the flintstones and people 33 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:33.120 in Abu Dhabi do. 34 00:01:33.719 --> 00:01:38.640 Oh no, oh no, that is terrible. I wish I 35 00:01:38.680 --> 00:01:40.959 knew that. Well. I've been both in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, 36 00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:43.359 So I wish I knew that joke because I would 37 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:46.319 have told that joke. I told that joke. Okay, I 38 00:01:46.359 --> 00:01:49.879 have one. How did the carpenter find her husband? I 39 00:01:49.879 --> 00:01:51.560 don't know. She used a stud finder. 40 00:01:52.439 --> 00:01:54.799 Oh that's funny, but I. 41 00:01:54.799 --> 00:01:56.840 Like that one. Yeah, well have you ever done? That's 42 00:01:56.840 --> 00:01:58.840 how my wife found me? Really? 43 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:02.200 Hey, I always I always make that joke every time 44 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:04.959 I use a stuff under Okay, I always got put 45 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:07.560 my chest yah yeah, okay. 46 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:12.000 Number three, I know, I know it's so dumb. Okay. 47 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:18.120 A truck loaded with Vick's vapor rub overturned on a highway. Amazingly, 48 00:02:18.599 --> 00:02:20.400 there was no congestion for eight hours. 49 00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:26.800 That's a good one. That's actually really good. Okay, that's 50 00:02:26.800 --> 00:02:31.000 really good. I like it. Okay, A priest, a pastor, 51 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:32.360 and a rabbit entered a clinic. 52 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:34.280 A rabbi or a rabbit. 53 00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:39.599 Rabbit because that doesn't fit. A pastor and a rabbit 54 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:43.479 entered a clinic to donate blood. The nurse asked the rabbit, 55 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:47.719 what's your blood type? I'm probably a typo, said the rabbit. 56 00:02:49.479 --> 00:02:53.599 I don't get it, A typo rabbit instead of rabbi. 57 00:02:55.240 --> 00:03:03.159 Oh a typo. Wow, I even it out. You caught it. 58 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:04.360 I thought the joke. 59 00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:06.840 Do you know that that joke probably reads way better 60 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:07.560 when you read it. 61 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:09.639 It's sophisticated. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know you have to 62 00:03:10.199 --> 00:03:11.879 read it, probably because. 63 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:15.599 Typo is is a visual typo, right, yes, So I 64 00:03:15.639 --> 00:03:18.120 wasn't hearing it, And you know, I was actually thinking 65 00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:21.360 when you said the typo, I thought to myself, like, 66 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:24.759 is there a rabbit called a typo? Yeah, like there's 67 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:27.680 a there's like a certain kind, like there's jack rabbits, 68 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:29.439 there's typo rabbits. 69 00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:32.719 So you think priests the pastor and a rabbi, which 70 00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:34.840 is what I caught. That's what you caught. You caught 71 00:03:34.840 --> 00:03:38.439 the typo at the beginning, and then the rabbit admitted 72 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:41.639 he was a typo. By the way, what what blood 73 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:45.680 type are you? I don't know what red I'm read? 74 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:47.919 You know what? 75 00:03:48.280 --> 00:03:51.879 You know what Marion Poppins, the original one. You know 76 00:03:51.919 --> 00:03:54.639 that in the song it says underneath my blood is blue, 77 00:03:55.439 --> 00:03:58.439 and then he's like common knowledge and the back. 78 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:00.439 Then they used to think blood was blue. Okay until 79 00:04:00.439 --> 00:04:02.520 it hit oxygen. Yes, did you know that? Yes? 80 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:06.199 That's crazy, isn't it right? Okay, well enough talk about blood. 81 00:04:06.199 --> 00:04:08.639 It's amazing. I just can't believe you don't. Sitting there 82 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:14.199 having breakfast, mine's oh positive, oh positive? But is that good? 83 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:18.920 I can't believe you know I'm able to donate blood. 84 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:19.879 It's able to. 85 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:24.560 They're able to use it more than just just so positive? 86 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:28.319 Oh negatives? Is universal blood? Oh negative? Is universal? Ab negative? 87 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:30.839 I think right? I don't know. Is the one that 88 00:04:30.839 --> 00:04:32.560 can receive all blood? I should know what kind of 89 00:04:32.600 --> 00:04:34.680 blood I have? Yeah, I can't believe you don't know. 90 00:04:34.839 --> 00:04:37.920 I don't know. Yeah, don't you donate blood for a 91 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:40.519 long time. They wouldn't let me because of all the 92 00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:43.800 places I've been in the kind of vaccines I've had. 93 00:04:44.519 --> 00:04:46.759 I had life culture, yellow fever vaccine, and a bunch 94 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:48.079 of other things, and they told me they didn't want 95 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:51.120 me to donate blood for a while. That's funny. Yeah, 96 00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:54.120 So I don't know I should though. Yeah. 97 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:58.720 So Romans fifteen, we're in verse number fourteen. We're going 98 00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:01.040 to the end of the chapter and Paul is going 99 00:05:01.079 --> 00:05:03.959 to be unpacking the reason for his writing. He's going 100 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:06.120 to be talking a little bit about his travel plans. Yeah, 101 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:07.920 and under the blanket of ambition. 102 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:11.160 His ambition. Yes, Okay, So he says, I am fully convinced, 103 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:13.680 my dear brothers and sisters that you are full of goodness. 104 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:15.720 You know these things so well you can teach each 105 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:18.600 other all about them. Even so, I've been bold enough 106 00:05:18.600 --> 00:05:21.120 to write about some of these points, knowing that all 107 00:05:21.160 --> 00:05:24.000 you need is this reminder, for by God's grace, I 108 00:05:24.040 --> 00:05:27.839 am a special, special messenger from Christ Jesus to you gentiles. 109 00:05:28.199 --> 00:05:29.879 I bring you the good news so that I might 110 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:32.839 present you as an acceptable offering to God made holy 111 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:35.160 by the Holy Spirit. So I have reason to be 112 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:38.279 enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in 113 00:05:38.360 --> 00:05:40.839 my service to God. Yet I dare not boast about 114 00:05:40.839 --> 00:05:43.920 anything except that Christ has done through me bringing the 115 00:05:43.959 --> 00:05:46.120 Gentiles to God. By my message and by the way 116 00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:49.160 I worked among them, they were convinced by the power 117 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:51.560 of miraculous signs and wonders, and by the power of 118 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:54.439 God's Spirit. In this way, I fully presented the good 119 00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:57.160 News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Ollycrium. 120 00:05:58.600 --> 00:06:01.079 My ambition has always Oh, there it is, right there, 121 00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:03.720 there it is. My ambition has always been to preach 122 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:06.560 the good news where the name of Christ has never 123 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:09.839 been heard, rather than where a church has already been 124 00:06:09.879 --> 00:06:13.399 started by someone else. I've been following the plan spoken 125 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:16.079 of in the scriptures, where it says those who've never 126 00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:18.399 been told about Him will see, and those who've never 127 00:06:18.439 --> 00:06:22.000 heard of Him will understand. In fact, in my visit 128 00:06:22.160 --> 00:06:24.439 to you has been delayed so long because I've been 129 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:27.600 preaching in these places. But now I've finished my work 130 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:30.160 in these regions, and after all these long years of waiting, 131 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:32.639 I'm eager to visit you. I'm planning to go to Spain, 132 00:06:32.759 --> 00:06:35.639 and then when I do, I'll stop off in roam, 133 00:06:35.959 --> 00:06:38.000 and after I've enjoyed your fellowship for a little while, 134 00:06:38.120 --> 00:06:40.480 you can provide for my journey. But before I come, 135 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:42.079 I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to 136 00:06:42.120 --> 00:06:44.600 the believers there. For you see, the believers in Macedonia 137 00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:47.360 and Akeea have eagerly taken up an offering for the 138 00:06:47.399 --> 00:06:49.959 poor among the believers in Jerusalem. They were glad to 139 00:06:50.199 --> 00:06:53.399 do this because they feel they owe a great debt 140 00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:56.279 to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual blessings God 141 00:06:56.439 --> 00:06:59.240 of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem. They 142 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:02.279 feel they at least they can do in return is 143 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:04.959 to help them financially. As soon as I have delivered 144 00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:07.199 this money and completed this good deed of theirs, I'll 145 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:08.959 come to see you on my way to Spain. And 146 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:11.959 I'm sure that when I come, Christ will richly bless 147 00:07:11.959 --> 00:07:14.399 our time together. Dear brothers and sisters. I urge you, 148 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:16.160 in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to join 149 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:18.879 in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do 150 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:21.040 this because of your love for me given to you 151 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:23.879 by the Holy Spirit. Pray that I'll be rescued from 152 00:07:23.920 --> 00:07:26.680 those in Judea who refuse to obey God. Pray also 153 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:28.480 that the believers there will be willing to accept a 154 00:07:28.680 --> 00:07:31.240 nation I'm taking to Jerusalem. Then, by the will of God, 155 00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:33.160 I'll be able to come to you with a joyful heart, 156 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:35.920 and we will be an encouragement to each other. And 157 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:38.360 now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you. 158 00:07:38.399 --> 00:07:41.680 All Amen. Amen, there you go. Well, he's planning on 159 00:07:41.759 --> 00:07:45.319 covering some ground. Yeah, it's interesting how Paul made his plans, 160 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:47.759 but there's no evidence he ever made it to Spain. Right, 161 00:07:47.959 --> 00:07:50.319 isn't that great? So he has vision beyond what he 162 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:51.319 actually accomplishes. 163 00:07:51.879 --> 00:07:55.839 Yeah, And I have the Life Application Study Bible here. Yeah, 164 00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:58.680 And the notes actually mentioned something about this. It says 165 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:01.879 Paul's future plan was to go to Spain because Spain 166 00:08:02.040 --> 00:08:06.279 was at the very end of the Western civil civilized world. 167 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:10.199 He wanted to take Christianity there. Also, Spain had many 168 00:08:10.279 --> 00:08:13.720 great minds and influential leaders in the Roman world. And 169 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:17.040 then it lists several first century leaders. Then it says, 170 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:20.360 and perhaps Paul thought Christianity would advance greatly in such 171 00:08:20.360 --> 00:08:29.040 an atmosphere. And you know, it mentions that lyricum lyric, Yeah, right, 172 00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:31.000 lyric And it has a note on that too, and 173 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:33.480 it says that it's actually located somewhere between present day 174 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:37.320 Italy and Greece. So it's actually it's actually just above 175 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:41.080 Athens and just just just uh wet or east of it. 176 00:08:41.679 --> 00:08:47.679 The modern day country of Yugoslavia. Are cool, mister map guy. 177 00:08:47.879 --> 00:08:49.679 So well, it says it in a note right here 178 00:08:49.840 --> 00:08:50.919 at the bottom. Oh does it? 179 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:55.480 By the way, fall o our listeners, Jeff is actually 180 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:58.440 extremely good at maps. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, so you 181 00:08:58.440 --> 00:09:00.840 look at me in my head, Yeah, you could maps, 182 00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:02.840 and you can immediately You're one of those guys like 183 00:09:02.840 --> 00:09:04.080 in the middle of the jungle, you can look at 184 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:05.559 a map one time, I. 185 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:08.840 Can find my way out. Yeah. Always. Yeah. So my 186 00:09:08.919 --> 00:09:12.320 family does a little orienteering, you know, this map and 187 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:15.360 a compass and we do those kinds of things. We've 188 00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:17.200 kind of have like a family game that we play. 189 00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:20.080 It's kind of neat co yeah, I call letterboxing, and 190 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:22.320 it requires you to be able to navigate some of 191 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:24.440 the stuff. But I've always had in my head. I 192 00:09:24.440 --> 00:09:26.440 always had a map on my wall when I was 193 00:09:26.440 --> 00:09:29.480 a kid, a world map. I loved the countries. I 194 00:09:29.519 --> 00:09:31.799 loved the capital cities. I don't know why, but all 195 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:34.000 that stuff is always there, and then if I look 196 00:09:34.039 --> 00:09:35.919 at a map, I can usually find where I'm trying 197 00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:37.840 to go without having to look at it again. 198 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:41.960 You know, I always think of like either military movies. 199 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:45.519 Or bank heist or robbery movies. 200 00:09:45.559 --> 00:09:47.759 Oh yeah, there's so many different movies where they say, Okay, 201 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:50.559 you guys are gonna be positioned here right, and they 202 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:52.320 put like and they put them down. I'm thinking, how 203 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:54.600 do they even know where that is? You know, because 204 00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:57.279 on the map it looks like a red line. So 205 00:09:57.720 --> 00:09:59.159 all of a sudden in the movie, it translates it 206 00:09:59.200 --> 00:10:01.600 like they're behind this brick wall, and I'm like, that's 207 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:02.200 where that was. 208 00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:04.120 Well, now none of us can navigate unless we can 209 00:10:04.159 --> 00:10:05.759 see it on the screen on our TV. And some 210 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:08.840 lady tells us turn here right by the way. Did 211 00:10:08.840 --> 00:10:12.159 you know my wife Bonnie? So on ways, apparently you 212 00:10:12.200 --> 00:10:16.279 can change the voices, and so my wife recorded all 213 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:19.320 those voices and put her voice on my Way's app 214 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:21.240 on my phone, but I didn't know it. So I'm 215 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:23.399 getting ready to go somewhere and then I'm driving down 216 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:25.879 road and all of a sudden, she goes in a 217 00:10:25.960 --> 00:10:28.840 quarter mile turn left, but I missed the turn and 218 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:33.919 then she goes turn around, right, and it's my wife 219 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:35.559 telling me where to go now, so I can't never 220 00:10:35.559 --> 00:10:37.080 get away, even when I'm in a carmel West telling 221 00:10:37.080 --> 00:10:39.360 me where to go. It's so funny, I laugh every time. 222 00:10:39.639 --> 00:10:41.919 Isn't that great? But we've gotten to the point where 223 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:44.679 we can't travel without having somebody on a screen tell 224 00:10:44.759 --> 00:10:46.679 us where to go. Right. Yeah. In those days when 225 00:10:46.720 --> 00:10:50.159 he was traveling, they were traveling more, you know, with 226 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:52.879 the stars and an understanding of topography and all those 227 00:10:52.919 --> 00:10:56.039 kinds of things. So yeah, I find it interesting. 228 00:10:55.679 --> 00:10:59.039 That he, you know, Spain was the perception that was 229 00:10:59.080 --> 00:11:01.080 the end of the h world, you know, the edges 230 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:02.919 of the earth. And it reminds me of that whole 231 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:05.720 you know, take the Gospel to the to the uttermost parts, yeah, 232 00:11:05.799 --> 00:11:07.960 to the to the end of the ages, and it 233 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:10.279 seems like, you know, our job now, of course, is 234 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:12.519 we have we have tracked the whole world. 235 00:11:12.679 --> 00:11:14.440 Yeah, so we know you know where it is. 236 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:17.080 But for them, they were like man that to take 237 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:17.919 the Gospel. 238 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:19.759 Well, they thought, if you, if you, if you went 239 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:22.159 past what we now call the Rock of Gibraltar, which 240 00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:24.840 I think they called it the gates of Hercules. If 241 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:27.600 you go past the Rock of Gibraltar and you enter 242 00:11:27.639 --> 00:11:30.879 out into the main portion of of the Atlantic Ocean, 243 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:32.440 there's a good chance you're just going to fall off 244 00:11:32.440 --> 00:11:34.399 the edge of the world, or that there was going 245 00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:36.600 to be you know, dragons or something eat your ship. 246 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:39.639 So they were terrified of it. Yeah, yeah, I was 247 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:43.559 in my wife and I. Spain and Morocco almost touched 248 00:11:43.559 --> 00:11:45.360 the Rock of gibraltars right in between, but they almost 249 00:11:45.399 --> 00:11:47.159 touch each other. You can get across like and just 250 00:11:47.159 --> 00:11:51.440 a little raft back and forth. So in Morocco it's 251 00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:57.279 the furthest west settlement in North Africa for the Roman Empire. 252 00:11:57.320 --> 00:11:58.879 My wife and I went to all those ruins and things, 253 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:02.120 and they have a little story about that that people 254 00:12:02.120 --> 00:12:04.480 thought that if you went any further you'd probably, you know, 255 00:12:04.519 --> 00:12:06.559 you're going to die. That's where all the monsters live 256 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:09.000 is out there. So yeah, it's pretty easy. So that's 257 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:11.200 why he's thinking about going to Spain, is he has 258 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:13.960 this ambition, he has this desire to go beyond, to 259 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.759 preach where nobody's heard the gospel yet, to do what 260 00:12:16.799 --> 00:12:19.480 nobody else has done yet. And I think that's a 261 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:22.879 pretty cool ambition. But Before he gets into that, he's 262 00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:26.799 talking about how just basically these couple of verses before 263 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:29.799 he talks about his ambitions, so like maybe fourteen through nineteen, 264 00:12:30.039 --> 00:12:32.120 he's kind of saying, Hey, you didn't need me to 265 00:12:32.159 --> 00:12:35.200 write this. You guys already know these things. I'm just 266 00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:38.360 reminding you and you know, to payback off of what 267 00:12:38.399 --> 00:12:42.240 we talked about yesterday. Sometimes we don't need brand new information. 268 00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:45.120 We need more importantly, we need a reminder of the 269 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:47.919 most important information. And so he's saying, you guys didn't 270 00:12:47.960 --> 00:12:50.960 need me to write this, but I wrote it as 271 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:53.120 a reminder to you, and I can't wait to come 272 00:12:53.559 --> 00:12:55.399 and visit you guys after the rest of this work 273 00:12:55.480 --> 00:12:58.480 is done. Right, Yeah, that's great. Yeah yeah. 274 00:12:58.039 --> 00:13:00.679 So then he talks about his travel plans. He and 275 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:04.519 he basically lays out everything. And by the way, we 276 00:13:04.840 --> 00:13:08.279 understand that he's writing this probably from from the city 277 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:12.759 of Corinth. So later on and uh, he talks about 278 00:13:12.840 --> 00:13:16.440 like the city that he's in and most likely people 279 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:18.960 believe that he was writing to Rome from there. Uh, 280 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:21.759 But but he doesn't actually get to Rome like he planned. 281 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:24.279 He eventually gets there, and when he when he's there, 282 00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:25.919 he gets in a little bit of trouble, and then 283 00:13:25.919 --> 00:13:27.639 he visits Rome a second time, and then of course 284 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:28.759 that's his demise. 285 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:30.840 Right, That's that's when they they he's in prison, and 286 00:13:30.840 --> 00:13:32.360 then they had him Nero. 287 00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:36.639 So it's funny how all the way through this last journey, 288 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:39.960 of these last several weeks of this podcast, we've been 289 00:13:40.039 --> 00:13:41.879 in the Book of Romans and he's talking. 290 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:43.360 About his delight and desire to go there. 291 00:13:43.399 --> 00:13:45.559 Yeah, yeah, never knowing that there's really going to be 292 00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:46.480 the city of his demise. 293 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:48.799 Yes, I think. I think there's a couple of times 294 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:51.759 where he does in his writing's hint that he's aware 295 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:54.240 that there's a good chance he's going to die in Rome, 296 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:57.039 but he's still desired to be there. He still wanted 297 00:13:57.080 --> 00:13:59.679 to go. That was before he went back the second Yeah. Yeah, yeah, 298 00:13:59.720 --> 00:14:00.200 yeah yeah. 299 00:14:00.200 --> 00:14:02.279 But this time it's all bright, bright eye. 300 00:14:03.960 --> 00:14:06.799 It's gonna be great. We're gonna hang out, it's gonna 301 00:14:06.840 --> 00:14:07.399 be great. Yeah. 302 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:10.440 So, just for our listeners, it was believed that Paul 303 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:14.519 was beheaded somewhere around sixty eight a d. And it's 304 00:14:14.600 --> 00:14:17.080 he's believed that it's believed that his bodies or bodies 305 00:14:17.080 --> 00:14:20.440 buried between the beneath the catacombs beneath the streets, the 306 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:21.320 catacombs around. 307 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:24.559 Have you have you visited the prison that he was in. 308 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:26.639 I think I've asked you that before. I can't remember. No, no, no, no. 309 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:29.080 I I saw the prison that could have been the 310 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:32.080 prison for John the Baptist when he sent word for Jesus. 311 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:35.720 Yeah. In in Rome, there's a prison that they say 312 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:38.120 that's the cell. That's the prison he was in for 313 00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:41.559 the executed. It was pretty pretty dank. It's pretty rough and. 314 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:44.480 Well, I'll tell you, I've only been to Rome, like 315 00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:47.159 on a layover for about fourteen hours, and we just 316 00:14:47.240 --> 00:14:49.759 drove around and saw things. We didn't even explore them. 317 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:51.559 I was on the outside of the Vatican. I was 318 00:14:51.559 --> 00:14:54.559 on the outside of the Colisseum, you know, the Trevy 319 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:55.559 Fountain whatever that is. 320 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:59.639 And we got some good gelato. Okay, I'm sure that's 321 00:14:59.679 --> 00:15:03.080 why he is excited to go the gelato. The gelato 322 00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:05.960 in spring in Rome is incredible, and that's what he 323 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:11.919 was in. I get meat boves. So so this phrase anyways, 324 00:15:11.960 --> 00:15:14.360 we should, we should. What I wanted to highlight was, 325 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:17.200 he says, my ambition has always been to preach the 326 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:19.120 good news where the name of Christ has never been heard. 327 00:15:19.559 --> 00:15:24.559 And sometimes people imply that ambition is bad, right, And 328 00:15:24.600 --> 00:15:28.240 I think that there's self centered ambition, and then there's 329 00:15:28.440 --> 00:15:32.960 godly ambition, right, or a holy ambition. And in this situation, 330 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:35.440 you know, if my ambition is just about me climbing 331 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:39.480 the ladder, me being impressive, me having power, me having wealth, 332 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:44.360 me accomplishing my agenda, well, then certainly that that is wrong. 333 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:49.799 But ambition just I think ambition itself is fairly neutral 334 00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:53.720 and it's positive when we decide, hey, my ambition is 335 00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:56.399 to align with God's mission, and then that's what he's 336 00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:58.399 saying here. So I think it's reasonable for us to 337 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:02.000 ask ourselves, do you really want more than anything else 338 00:16:02.440 --> 00:16:05.600 for God's work to be done? And if so, then 339 00:16:05.639 --> 00:16:08.080 pray for a holy ambition. Yeah, and that that's really 340 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:10.200 what he's saying. So my ambition is to preach Christ 341 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:13.200 where he's never been heard, and that that's a noble thing. 342 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:15.399 You know, there's still places around the world a few 343 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:18.320 hundred people groups have never heard even heard the name 344 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:19.080 of Jesus. Before. 345 00:16:19.399 --> 00:16:21.200 You know, what you're really saying, the way I heard 346 00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:24.159 it was, it's really the focus of your ambition, that's correct. 347 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:25.039 So it's it's. 348 00:16:24.919 --> 00:16:28.279 It's is it sitting around your you know, selfish needs 349 00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:30.480 or wants or desires. Which is the you know, the 350 00:16:31.200 --> 00:16:34.559 bad form of ambition or is it selfless? Is it 351 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:35.919 for others or for God? 352 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:38.399 And so, yeah, the ambition is a good thing. 353 00:16:38.840 --> 00:16:41.559 In fact, some of the best friends and the people 354 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:43.320 that I spend the most time with are some of 355 00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:45.759 the most ambitious people I know. Yeah, and so it's 356 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:47.759 really great. And I think that I think that some 357 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:51.440 ambition for yourself is okay, But the best ambition is 358 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:55.039 you know, to strive forward for others and have selfless ambition. 359 00:16:55.759 --> 00:17:00.000 Selfless ambition has moved forward some of the greatest movements 360 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:03.480 in our lifetime, right right, Some of the best you know, 361 00:17:04.119 --> 00:17:07.599 organizations that we now look to and have changed the 362 00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:11.839 world have been have been you know, progressed by selfless ambition. 363 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:13.640 That's right. I just think we have to be aware 364 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:17.119 of the fact that every good thing has can have 365 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:20.799 a dark side, right sure, And so sometimes our society 366 00:17:20.839 --> 00:17:25.440 embraces the dark as the norm, right, self centered ambition. 367 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:29.720 But you know, God has made many of us ambitious people. 368 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:33.119 It's just how He's wired us. And he goes Okay, 369 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:36.160 now I want to make God the focus, God's mission 370 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:38.480 the focus of my ambition, and I want to go 371 00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:41.440 where nobody's ever gone before. Well, hey, a lot of 372 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:44.119 people say, oh, Paul, maybe maybe he has critics, or 373 00:17:44.119 --> 00:17:46.039 say Paul is just a prideful person. He just wants 374 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:48.079 to go further than everybody else, or whatever. And there's 375 00:17:48.119 --> 00:17:52.359 always people who are willing to be critics about your ambition, 376 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:54.759 what you believe God wants you to do. That's willing 377 00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:57.400 to tear down what it is that you're dreaming about doing. 378 00:17:57.599 --> 00:17:59.519 And I would just say, you know what, you don't 379 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:02.359 have to gauge. You don't have to argue with those people. 380 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:05.000 You don't have to be angry at those people. You 381 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:08.359 can use their negativity as fuel for you to just 382 00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:10.119 keep going and doing the thing that you believe God's 383 00:18:10.119 --> 00:18:12.039 asking you to do or telling you to do. And 384 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:15.599 it's okay that you have ambition to go accomplish something great, 385 00:18:15.880 --> 00:18:18.359 to make a difference in the world, to fulfill God's 386 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:20.599 mission in your life. And it doesn't matter that there's 387 00:18:20.599 --> 00:18:22.759 other people who look at your ambition and go I 388 00:18:22.759 --> 00:18:25.680 think that that's inappropriate. Right. Only you can know whether 389 00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:27.519 or not your heart is right with God on this. Yeah. 390 00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:29.559 And I would say for those who might look at 391 00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:32.440 Paul's ambition as a possible negative, just realize there's a 392 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:35.400 reason why God recruited Paul right. 393 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:36.000 When he was sawd. 394 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:38.759 He was the most ambitious person for the wrong thing ever, 395 00:18:39.400 --> 00:18:43.519 you know. So God recruited this man who was incredibly 396 00:18:43.559 --> 00:18:46.759 ambitious on his way to Damascus to implement a system 397 00:18:46.759 --> 00:18:50.680 that was working in Jerusalem for persecuting Christians. So was 398 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:54.279 the he was the epitome of campussing or you know, 399 00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:56.240 or what do you call it, expanding your. 400 00:18:56.119 --> 00:18:59.119 Location state for the business multi syite. 401 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:01.519