Romans 16:17-27 Final Words to a Faithful Church

Transcription

1 Romans 16:17-27 Final Words to a Faithful Church We come to the final message of this wonderful book of Romans - It has been such a blessing to me personally - And I trust that it has ministered to you as well The book of Romans gives a very detailed view of the Gospel - Condemnation - Justification - Sanctification - Restoration - Application We could spend the rest of our earthly days studying this great epistle - But we would never exhaust its riches and depth This morning, we come to the final eleven (11) verses of the epistle - Paul is very personal with his words Let s read Romans 16:17-27 In these closing verses, Paul lists four (4) personal remarks for the church at Rome - Paul s plea (16:17-18) - Paul s promise (16:19-20) - Paul s partners (16:21-24) - Paul s praise (16:25-27) I. Paul s plea (16:17-18) 17 Now I urge you, brethren, Notice that Paul is not commanding these believers - He exhorts them gently This isn t the attitude of correcting bad behavior - Rather, this is the attitude of encouraging good behavior to continue Even though Paul has never visited this church, he feels a connection with them - This is a doctrinally healthy church keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances But just because the church is enjoying doctrinal stability now is no guarantee that it will have that in the future - Paul writes to warn them about impending danger 1

2 The apostle writes, keep an eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances - Literally, the word for key an eye on is the Greek word skope w - It is the basis for our English word scope We have telescopes and microscopes - These instruments and tools help us to examine things that are either far away or too small Paul s words don t imply a nonchalant or careless attitude - Rather, his words imply an examination There are always those who will seek to cause division in the church - These are agents of Satan who love to cause problems in local churches The word for dissensions appears again in Galatians 5: This is the list that describes the works of the flesh - The opposite of the fruit of the Spirit In Proverbs 6:16-19, we are told of six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him 2 - The seventh item in this list is one who spreads strife among brothers (6:19) Paul has just described the holy kiss (16:16) - Now he begins to address threats to this love, unity, and harmony 3 contrary to the teaching which you learned, These individuals will be known for their false doctrine - They believe and teach that which is contrary to the teaching which you learned Paul was confident that this church believed sound doctrine - They were on the right path The apostle doesn t point to his own teaching as the standard - Rather, he points to a more universally well-known standard This church had learned true, apostolic teaching - They knew the truth So he reminds them to put the plumb line of Scripture against any who would try to steer them away from sound doctrine It s been said before that the way to spot counterfeit currency is to know the real currency well - So it is with doctrine 1 F.F. Bruce, Tyndale NT Commentaries, Romans, Robert H. Mounce, NAC, Romans, William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary, Romans,

3 We could waste our time studying every cult and false teaching in the world - But there would always be more cults - There would always be something new to learn But we spot counterfeit doctrine by looking at the true doctrine - As we know right doctrine well, we can spot any deviation It is helpful to know a few details about various cults - This helps us to know what they believe - It helps us to know how to combat their false teaching But I don t think it is healthy for anyone to spend an inordinate time in this arena - God wants His children to study, meditate, and think on things that are right, pure, and honorable and turn away from them. Notice how we are to treat such individuals - Not a debate - Not a discussion Paul tells us to turn away from them - Literally, we are to avoid such people Paul has said in Romans 12:9, Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good - We should be discerning - Not gullible and naïve Yet, so many times, false teachers are embraced instead of shunned - One writer said this, Mad dogs are shot; infectious diseases are quarantined; but evil teachers who would divide to their destruction and draw away the saints with teaching contrary to the doctrine of Christ and His apostles are everywhere tolerated For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; In verse 18, Paul begins to put his finger on the main problem with these individuals - They are not slaves of Christ (as all Christians are) - Rather, they are slaves of their own appetites Paul uses similar language in the book of Philippians - For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. (Phil 3:18-19) Does this mean that these people were greedy? - Is food the main issue here? 4 William R. Newell, Romans: Verse-by-Verse,

4 Paul is simply saying that these people were enslaved to pleasing themselves - No restraint - No self-control and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. Furthermore, these people use smooth and flattering speech in order to deceive - They use words to cover up their false doctrine and impure motives Isn t this the case in our day and age? - This is why we need to be careful who we listen to Just because someone is a great communicator does not mean that this person is teaching sound doctrine - Let s not be deceived by someone s speech Just because someone uses the same language that we do does not mean that they have the same meaning 5 - We must be on guard! These individuals have no concern for God s glory - They are more concerned with self-glory These individuals have no concern for the spiritual welfare of the flock - They want to divide, devour, and destroy the flock 6 Paul was not one to use flattery in his ministry - my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power (1 Cor 2:4) There have always been those who use the ministry as a means of gain - They try to fleece the flock instead of feeding them There is nothing wrong with paying a pastor to shepherd the flock of God - But a pastor shouldn t serve because of salary - A pastor should serve because God has called him This is why at times, Paul worked as a tentmaker - He didn t want others to think that he was in the ministry for the money We may ask the question, Who does Paul have in mind here in these verses? - He paints with a broad brush - He speaks of general characteristics rather than specifics Paul wasn t identifying any one group of believers - Rather, he was speaking with generic language so as to cover many groups - It was a shot over the bow 5 Alva J. McClain, Romans: The Gospel of God s Grace, John Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistle to the Romans,

5 It could have been that Paul had several groups in mind 7 - We aren t given enough information to be more specific Paul portrays them with two overarching descriptions 8 - They have wrong motives - They have destructive teaching These types of individuals prey on the simple and naïve, here called the unsuspecting - They are gullible and impressionable False teachers rarely try to convince the strong - They target the spiritually naïve Even in the wild, a lion or tiger will choose the young and wounded over the fast and the strong - It will allow the animal to maximize its efforts, energy, and time This is a practical way in which the strong can show their love and concern for the weak - Watching out for the naïve - Protecting the simple Again, this is why we need to be in each other s lives! - No Christian is an island! Paul transitions from the plea (warning) to a promise - This would have been extremely comforting and encouraging to the Christians at Rome We have looked at Paul s plea (16:17-18) - Now let s look at Paul s promise II. Paul s promise (16:19-20) 19 For the report of your obedience has reached to all; The church at Rome was doing quite well - There is no blatant theological error being addressed - There is no obvious misunderstanding of theology being discussed But just because they were doing well now doesn t mean that they would be doing well in the future - Hence, the need for continual reminders to press on Paul writes in 16:19, the report of your obedience has reached to all - The entire region had heard of the obedience of this church - They had a huge influence and impact on the then-known world Thus far, this church had not fallen prey to the temptations from false teachers 9 - But they needed to be warned nonetheless 7 Mounce, John MacArthur, Jr., The MacArthur NT Commentary, Romans 9-16, Alan J. Johnson, Everyman s Bible Commentary, Romans,

6 therefore I am rejoicing over you, Because of their obedience, it shouldn t surprise us to see Paul rejoicing over this - This was certainly cause for great joy and celebration In Philippians 1:6, we are told, For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. - The obedience of these Roman Christians was evidence that God was at work in their lives! but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. Paul is quick to remind these believers, however, of a central truth, I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil - Jesus said something similar in Matthew 10:16, Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. As we live out the Christian in the world, Jesus reminds us that we should be wise (as serpents) - But we must also be innocent as doves - Paul writes, innocent in what is evil I admit that this is a hard balance at times - We must not be so much like the world that we are like them - But there is also a danger in becoming so far detached from the world that we lose our sphere of witness One commentator wrote about this verse - We must not be so simple-minded as to swallow whatever is offered 10 God never intended his children to become intimate with evil in order to communicate the gospel to those in its grasp The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. In Romans 15:33, Paul prayed that the God of peace would be with these believers - Now he returns to this designation of God - I think this repetition is crucial, once we examine the context Paul has just discussed the potential for divisions in the church - Then Paul reminds them that they serve the God of peace Note the specific promise, however - the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet Does this sound familiar to you? - Does this make you think of any particular verse of Scripture? 10 Bruce, Mounce,

7 Back in Genesis 3, God made a promise to the serpent, I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel - This is the first promise of the Gospel - This is the first promise of a Deliverer Thousands of years later, the apostle Paul reminds the Roman Christians of God s faithfulness to that promise - Jesus Christ had defeated Satan This Jesus Christ is He who Paul proclaimed - This Jesus Christ is the epicenter of the book of Romans But notice the specific language of Paul s words, God will soon crush Satan under your feet (emphasis mine) - Satan will be crushed by God - But Satan will also be crushed under our feet Paul has discussed the visible enemies of the Gospel - Those who are self-focused - Those who are self-pleasing - Those who are deceiving others But now Paul connects the dots between the visible enemy and the invisible enemy 12 - God will be victorious over both groups Christians will share in Christ s victory - Co-heirs are also co-conquerors! We know that after the Tribulation, Satan will be bound for 1000 years - Christ will rule and reign on this Earth during that time But at the end of the 1000 years, Satan will be released - He will deceive the nations to wage war against Jesus Christ Jesus will win the war - Revelation 20:10 tells us, the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. This will be the ultimate defeat of Satan - He will be cast into the lake of fire, to be tormented forever and ever The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. This is Paul s typical manner of signing off at the end of an epistle - He emphasizes the grace of Jesus Christ being with these believers 12 W.H. Griffith-Thomas, St. Paul s Epistle to the Romans,

8 We have seen - Paul s plea (16:17-18) - Paul s promise (16:19-20) III. Paul s partners (16:21-24) We have seen Paul greet many people in the Roman church - How Paul sends greetings from his ministry colleagues 21 Timothy my fellow worker greets you, Timothy occupies a huge role in the life of Paul - Apparently, Paul was responsible for leading this young man to faith in Christ - Paul refers to him as my son Here in Romans 16:21, Paul refers to him as my fellow worker - This is the same description that Paul used of Prisca and Aquila (16:3) and Urbanus (16:9) This description implies that Paul and Timothy were serving on the same spiritual team - They were spiritual teammates Timothy was a close companion, assistant, and colleague of the apostle Paul - The apostle wrote of him in 2 Timothy 2:2, he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father - In Philippians 2:20, he wrote of Timothy, I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare Timothy co-authored six of Paul s epistles 13 - He was the recipient of two of Paul s epistles and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. These three men are relatively unknown, especially compared to Timothy - We can rest assured that Paul valued them highly - Otherwise, he would not have mentioned them in this great epistle 22 I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord. Tertius is the amanuensis or secretary - He was the one who penned the words of Romans The Holy Spirit guided Paul to dictate the words of this epistle - But it was Tertius who actually wrote down those words 13 Douglas J. Moo, NICNT, Romans,

9 Paul frequently used a secretary in most of his letters (1 Cor 16:21; Gal 6:11; Col 4:18; 2 Thess 3:17) - But Tertius is the only one who is identified by name We gather from verse 22 that Tertius was a believer - He sends his own greetings in the Lord It is encouraging to see Paul allow this man to include his personal greetings in this momentous of epistles - It shows Paul s appreciation for the service of other believers At this point, Tertius probably hands the pen over to Paul - The apostle would personally write the remaining 5 verses It was common for Paul to include the final words of an epistle in his own handwriting (2 Thess 3:17) - It was sort of an autograph - A sign of authenticity 23 Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. This individual appears to have hosted a church in his home in Corinth - Paul was staying with this man Erastus, the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus, the brother. This believer held a high government position in the city of Corinth - Most likely, he would have been a wealthy man We don t know anything about Quartus other than the fact that he is the brother - He was a believer 24 [The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.] Some of your versions may not even have a verse 24 - It reads, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. This verse is not recognized as being authentic 14 - It was probably inserted as a repetition of verse 20 - You can note the close similarities between the two We have examined - Paul s plea (16:17-18) - Paul s promise (16:19-20) - Paul s partners (16:21-24) 14 Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament,

10 IV. Paul s praise (16:25-27) I was teaching the closing verses of Romans 16 in Russia two weeks ago and was startled when I came to this doxology - The translator looked at me and said, The Russian Bible ends with verse 23 There were a few minutes of discussion as we were trying to figure out two big issues - First of all, why didn t they have verse 24? - Second, why didn t they have verses 25-27? We have already addressed the issue of verse 24 - That verse is not in the original manuscripts But the question of the doxology was puzzling to me - I had not yet studied these closing verses in great detail prior to traveling to Russia The confusion exists not over whether these verses are legitimate - The confusion exists over where to place these verses Some put the doxology 15 - At the end of chapter 14 - At the end of chapter 15 - At the end of chapter 16 I believe that the proper place for the doxology is where it is in our English Bibles - It is a fitting conclusion to the entire book of Romans In many ways, the closing doxology brings back into focus some of the themes from the first chapter 16 - The theme of establishing or strengthening (1:11; 16:25) - The Gospel (1:1; 16:25) - The mystery (1:1-2; 16:25-26) - Prophetic Scriptures (1:2; 16:26) - Obedience (1:5; 16:26) 25 Now to Him who is able to establish you In Romans 1:11, Paul told the church at Rome, I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established - Now, at the end of the letter, Paul writes, Now to Him who is able to establish you The apostle Paul confesses that only God is able to establish these believers - To cause them to be committed - To cause them to stand firm - To cause them to be firmly rooted This is the result of the Gospel being heard, embraced, and obeyed - The Gospel is the power of God! 15 Leon Morris, The Epistle to the Romans, Hendriksen,

11 Paul s confidence was not ultimately in the Roman Christians - His confidence was in God The apostle was convinced that God is able to establish these believers - He has the power - He has the authority - He has the ability according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, The means by which the believers would be established are twofold - according to my gospel - the preaching of Jesus Christ Paul isn t insinuating that he has a different Gospel - Rather, he is saying that the Gospel he preaches is the Gospel that was revealed to him by God - The revelation of God This Gospel is made known through the preaching of Jesus Christ - The heralding forth of the Good News - The proclamation of the Gospel according to the revelation of the mystery The Gospel has come about according to the revelation of the mystery - In the Bible, a mystery is something that was previously concealed, but now revealed - It is a truth that would remain unknown unless God chose to reveal it which has been kept secret for long ages past, 26 but now is manifested, This great mystery of the Gospel has been kept secret for long ages past - This is the secretive part of the Gospel - It was unknown and unrevealed But verse 26 tells us that now (it) is manifested - What was concealed is revealed - What was unknown is known and by the Scriptures of the prophets, The Old Testament is filled with prophetic material - Information that was intended to point toward future events But we know from 1 Peter that the prophets themselves didn t always understand the meaning of their prophecies - Not everything was crystal clear when it was written 11

12 No doubt, Paul is looking back over the entirety of the OT - He marvels at how God has fulfilled what He promised - He has been faithful! according to the commandment of the eternal God, It was God s gracious choice to reveal the commandment of the eternal God - I don t think that Paul is thinking of any one particular commandment - He is simply referring to the entirety of God s revelation has been made known to all the nations, Notice the scope of the mystery - It has been made known to all the nations The Gospel isn t just for the Jews - It for Gentiles as well We remind ourselves of the theme verses of Romans - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH. (1:16-17) The Gospel is universal in scope leading to obedience of faith; The Gospel, when it is truly understood and accepted, leads to obedience of faith - Before Christ, we were sons of disobedience (Eph 2:2; 5:6) - But now that we have repented, we should be sons of obedience In verse 19, Paul wrote of these believers, the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you - Not the report of their belief - Not the report of their profession - But the report of their obedience 27 to the only wise God, Then, in the last verse of Romans, the Holy Spirit guides Paul toward a personal praise to God - Paul s doxology is directed to the only wise God Paul highlights the wisdom of God - As a matter of fact, God is the exclusive wise God - He is not one among many 12

13 Wayne Grudem defines God s wisdom as God always chooses the best goals and the best means to those goals. - The apostle Paul can only sit back in sanctified imagination and be amazed as God s infinite plan of salvation - How God has put all of the pieces of the prophetic puzzle together This wisdom brings us back to another doxology in Romans - Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Rom 11:33-36) through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. As the epistle began with a strong emphasis on Jesus Christ, so it ends - It began with a note of promise - It ends on a note of praise The Gospel centers around Jesus Christ - His perfect life - His sacrificial death - His real burial - His victorious resurrection This praise will resound in the courts of heaven forever - No end Amen. There is no fitting ending to this great epistle of Romans - Amen. This is a term that means - I agree - So be it! For so many years, there was silence - The mystery was unrevealed But now, the silence is broken - The mystery has been revealed For all eternity, God will be praised - Heaven will echo perpetually of the glory, praise, and honor that He alone deserves What a privilege it is to have such book as Romans - Imagine not knowing all of this great truth - We would be ignorant of so much 13

14 So I think it is fitting, as we conclude our study of Romans, - To praise God for revealing Him - To confess how much we fail to study what God has given us - To commit to proclaiming this Gospel to unbelievers around us - To disciple and mentor others with the knowledge that we have been given through this study What a shame it would be for you to sit through this study of this great book - Yet refuse to believe in Jesus Christ Paul has labored to show the full extent of the Gospel - But the Gospel must be personally embraced - It must be personally received The only way for condemned sinners to go to heaven is through belief/trust in the Lord Jesus Christ - Have you done that? 14