Are You Seeking Prosperity in All the Wrong Places?
In a world obsessed with success, wealth, and achievement, we often find ourselves chasing after the wrong kind of prosperity. Social media feeds flood us with images of material abundance, while self-help gurus promise financial breakthrough and personal triumph. But what if I told you that the Apostle Paul had discovered a different kind of prosperity—one that transcends circumstances, outlasts earthly rulers, and brings genuine fulfillment to the soul?
The Roman Empire was one of the most brutal regimes in history, yet Paul wrote about having a "prosperous journey" right in the heart of persecution.
What Romans 1:8-10 Teaches About True Prosperity
Let's examine what Paul wrote to the Romans:
"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you." (Romans 1:8-10, KJV)
Notice something remarkable here—Paul hadn't even met these Roman believers yet, but he was praying for them constantly and calling them the object of his prayers. That's pretty good, wouldn't you say?
Three Pillars of God's Prosperity Plan
1. Thankfulness That Transcends Circumstances
Paul begins with gratitude: "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all." But here's what's convicting—he says "for you all." Not just the people he liked, not just those who agreed with him on everything, but ALL of them.
Isn't it easier to fellowship with people you like? Isn't it easier to pray for people who see everything the way you see it? Of course it is! But Paul demonstrates that true Christian prosperity begins with thankfulness for the entire body of Christ.
The Roman believers' faith "is spoken of throughout the whole world"—and they didn't have Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok. They didn't have telephones or television. A few people whose hearts were set on fire for the Living God went a long way. Why? Because they trusted God, and the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth saw to it that His word went abroad.
2. Spiritual Service Over Fleshly Performance
Paul declares, "God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his son." Notice he didn't serve with his flesh or his body, but with his spirit.
We tend to do things in the flesh because that's our nature. But we are spirits housed in bodies, possessed by souls. We usually think body first, then soul and spirit, because we focus on fleshly and carnal things first. But God puts it differently in 1 Thessalonians 5:23—spirit, soul, and body—putting the body last.
Paul didn't need elegant theology, polished preaching, or fabulously designed architecture. He didn't need fleshly music or weekend seminars to get amped up to serve the Lord. All he needed was God and to tap into the Holy Spirit, and God was able to use that man.
3. Submission to God's Will
The key phrase that ties everything together: "if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you."
Paul's requests were subject to God's timing and God's will. Everything he did was filtered through this lens: "by the will of God."
The Historical Reality Check
Let's take a trip back to Rome in Paul's day. The Book of Romans was written around 57 A.D. In 54 A.D., Nero covered Christians in animal skins and sent wild animals after them to kill them. This was a ruler who killed his own mother and both his wives—a wicked, wicked leader.
Paul was likely martyred under Nero's rule, beheaded for his faith. Peter was crucified upside down. In 155 A.D., Polycarp was burned alive. You know what his last words were? "I bless you Father for judging me worthy of this hour, so that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ."
These early Christians found no glory in the Roman regime because they were enlisted in a more powerful Army—the army of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Whose Will Shall Prosper?
The question we must ask ourselves is this: Whose will will prosper—your will, my will, or God's will?
Their testimony was evidenced by the way they lived their lives. When you have people whose hearts have been set free by the Lord Jesus Christ, it doesn't matter who is going to kill your flesh or persecute your body. They've got somebody better ruling in their hearts—and that's what you and I have that this lost and dying world doesn't have.
Stop Fighting the Wrong Battle
Here's something that might frustrate you as much as it frustrates me. On one hand, I hate the way our nation is going. But on the other hand, I'm frustrated because so many well-intentioned Christians spend all their time complaining about the government, vaccines, masks, lockdowns—and all of that consumes them.
Life becomes a way of complaining about the Roman Empire instead of shining the light of the glorious gospel to a lost and dying world.
You know what Paul didn't do? He didn't spend the first half of Romans complaining about Rome. You don't find one word from Paul complaining about all the junk going on. Instead, he says, "You're the object of my prayer. I don't care what obstacles come my way—I'm getting there, and I am committed to come unto you."
Paul was subject to a power that is "far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come" (Ephesians 1:21, KJV).
The Superior Authority
According to 2 Corinthians 4:4, "the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." This world is ruled by Satan temporarily, but our authority is far above all of that.
It doesn't matter who is governing you down here. Thank God we don't live under the type of governorship that existed in early Rome, but even if we did, our power is in the will of God—and that's the only power you and I need to account for.
Living in God's Will Brings Clarity
The world has its ups and downs, rights and wrongs, confusion and clarity. I turn on the news one day and have clarity; turn it on again and I'm confused. But if I live in the power of God's will, I am not confused—and neither will you be.
When we put our focus on the power of God's will at the forefront of our minds every day, we will have direction to serve Him in the midst of confusion.
Your Prosperous Journey Starts Now
Paul didn't bow his knee to Caesar—he was a servant of Jesus Christ, separated unto the gospel. In verse 8, he says "my God." In verse 9, "God is my witness." In verse 10, "journey by the will of God." Everything was filtered through God's will.
Ephesians 1:11 tells us we "obtain an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."
Are you gladly serving Christ among your church family, your home family, and in your workplace? Is your journey like Paul's—by the will of God?
If your journey is by the will of God, don't worry about the Roman Empire, because your journey will be prosperous. It will be prosperous because it aligns with His perfect will.
🎧 📖 Want to experience the full power of this message?
This blog post only scratches the surface of the rich, verse-by-verse Bible teaching found in the complete sermon. For the full expository preaching experience that dives deeper into Romans 1:8-10, I humbly encourage you to listen to the entire message. There's nothing quite like hearing God's Word taught with passion and clarity from beginning to end.
[Listen to the Complete Sermon Here] - Experience the full impact of this life-changing, expository preaching that will strengthen your faith and clarify God's will for your life.