Romans 16 (2017) Surprising, Paul ends with a fundraising appeal. And perhaps that makes sense in this case

Transcription

1 Rmans 16 (2017) Paul s greatest written wrk and perhaps the mst imprtant New Testament epistle cmes t an end in a peculiar fashin Paul spent 8 chapters walking us dwn the Rmans Rad, carefully explaining the way t salvatin thrugh faith in Jesus Christ Then Paul spent 3 chapters revealing the mystery f Gd s plan fr His peple Israel Finally Paul taught nearly fur mre chapters n hw the church shuld walk in the light f ur salvatin He s cvered s much grund, and he s tackled many f the tughest tpics f ur faith S what kind f ending d yu tack n t the end f such an impressive letter? Surprising, Paul ends with a fundraising appeal And perhaps that makes sense in this case Because the enrmity f what Paul has given t the church in this letter certainly justifies an expectatin f gratitude We ended last week in chapter 15 v.13 as Paul wrapped up the frmal teaching in this letter And nw Paul turns t addressing his readers specifically, calling n them t respnd t his letter in the apprpriate way Rm. 15:14 And cncerning yu, my brethren, I myself als am cnvinced that yu yurselves are full f gdness, filled with all knwledge and able als t admnish ne anther. Rm. 15:15 But I have written very bldly t yu n sme pints s as t remind yu again, because f the grace that was given me frm Gd, Rm. 15:16 t be a minister f Christ Jesus t the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gspel f Gd, s that my ffering f the Gentiles may becme acceptable, sanctified by the Hly Spirit. We can clearly see Paul turning t address his audience as he says and cncerning yu 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Rmans 16 2! f! 21 What fllws is a diplmatic yet cnvicting appeal fr the church in Rme t supprt Paul s future missinary jurneys T understand hw and why Paul makes this appeal, we need t remember the backgrund I prvided at the utset f this letter As yu may remember, by the time f this letter Paul was the fremst apstle f the church He had traveled extensively thrughut the Rman Empire evangelizing and teaching He had established r discipled churches in majr Rman cities like Antich, Crinth and Ephesus And he had written letters t many ther churches arund Asia Minr, and each letter was treated as a precius bject by the faithful And then there was the church in Rme Rme was the mst imprtant city in the knwn wrld And therefre the church in Rme carried itself with a certain degree f pride What s mre, the church had nt been funded by an apstle, which gave the leadership an even greater sense f accmplishment Yet the great apstle Paul had never visited the church in Rme, even when he had been in the neighbrhd, relatively speaking In fact, Paul had nt even written t church in this great city S by the time Paul sat dwn t write his letter t Rme, the church leadership was feeling a bit verlked and unappreciated And yet Paul was ging t need the help f this significant and well-financed church bdy fr his future evangelism Which is why Paul went t such effrt t impress them with his letter N dubt Paul has blwn them away with an intellectual feast f spiritual truth that uplifted them and humbled them 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Rmans 16 3! f! 21 He gave them smething they culd truly appreciate, smething that hnred them Paul had saved his best fr them And interestingly, Paul has als rganized his letter s that he ended his teaching addressing the equality f Gentiles in the church That rganizatin was strategic n Paul s part, since it leads him directly int his appeal fr supprt Paul is the apstle sent t the Gentiles And as such, he fcused his evangelism effrts n traveling t majr centers f Gentiles One such area wuld be particularly hard t reach Spain It lay at the utskirts f the empire, n the ppsite side frm Judea S fr Paul t travel that far, he wuld need significant time and supprt And nt cincidentally, Rme lay directly in his path frm Judea t Spain Therefre, Paul wrte Rmans t educate and impress his audience in Rme, which then gave him pprtunity t make a heartfelt appeal That appeal will be fr the Jewish leadership in the Rman church t give generusly t Paul s missin t reach Gentiles That s a tugh sell under any circumstances, but even mre s when the church isn t n yur side S returning t chapter 15, we see Paul s smart strategy unflding Paul s argument cmes in three parts First in vs Paul reminds the church f the nbility f his missin t reach Gentiles and his faithfulness in carrying it ut Secndly, in vs Paul presents the Rman church with his appeal fr their partnership with him in his next missin 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Rmans 16 4! f! 21 Finally in vs Paul explains his future missinary plans and the pprtunity the Rmans have t be invlved in that wrk This is a very traditinal missinary fundraising apprach, r at least it has becme traditinal In vs Paul begins in defense f his missin, but starts diplmatically mentining the gd things he s heard f this church Paul says he knew this church Be knew they were full f gdness, filled with knwledge and able t admnish thers in the truth This is a ntable statement, since Paul had never visited Rme But that desn t mean Paul didn t have cnnectins in that city and in that church Take a mment t glance at chapter 16 and yu ll ntice that Paul spends cnsiderable time greeting acquaintances in that city It s the lngest such list in all his epistles He was making a pint that he had cnnectins t the Rman church despite having never visited the city Paul begins saying he knws they are full f gdness, referring t their mral excellence r character The Rman church std as a light amidst darkness in the center f a pagan empire They were a beacn f gdliness, resisting the evil culture s they culd transfrm it by the truth Likewise, Paul knew they were full f knwledge referred t their understanding f biblical truth This was largely a self-taught church, humanly speaking N apstle had made it t Rme as far as we knw, s they hadn t knwn the benefit f persnal instructin by smene like Paul Nevertheless, they were learning the Scriptures, understanding Christian dctrine even befre the cann was cmplete 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Rmans 16 5! f! 21 And ut f that learning, Paul says he knew they were admnishing believers t live ut what they were learning In ther wrds, this wasn t a church cntent with filling heads with knwledge They expected fllwers f Jesus t live in ways that pleased their Master Truly this church was spiritually mature Then in v.15 Paul nevertheless I wrte bldly t yu, meaning he cvered imprtant dctrinal truth in great detail withut the intent t ffend Paul knew that the church might take ffense at receiving such a thrugh explanatin f the Gspel It might seem t suggest t them that he thught the church in Rme didn t understand the basis f their wn salvatin He says he write bldly t the n sme pints as if t imply these were things they prbably already knew In reality, they prbably learned a lt frm Paul s explanatin as d we all Still Paul handled their egs gently, leading him int his main pint in writing: t remind them that he has a Gd-given missin t reach Gentiles In v.16 Paul explains he ministers as a priest fr the purpse f pleasing Gd by cnverting Gentiles Wh in turn will be sanctified by the Hly Spirit This is the heart f the missin f the church, nt just t reach Gentiles but Jews t Furthermre, Paul wants the church in Rme t understand that his absence was rdained as part f that missin Rm. 15:17 Therefre in Christ Jesus I have fund reasn fr basting in things pertaining t Gd. Rm. 15:18 Fr I will nt presume t speak f anything except what Christ has accmplished thrugh me, resulting in the bedience f the Gentiles by wrd and deed, Rm. 15:19 in the pwer f signs and wnders, in the pwer f the Spirit; s that frm Jerusalem and rund abut as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gspel f Christ Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Rmans 16 6! f! 21 Rm. 15:20 And thus I aspired t preach the gspel, nt where Christ was already named, s that I wuld nt build n anther man s fundatin; Rm. 15:21 but as it is written, They wh had n news f Him shall see, And they wh have nt heard shall understand. Paul says that in his wrk he takes every pprtunity t bast in thing Gd is ding, yet he des nt presume t bast abut his wn accmplishments This is Paul s preface t explaining the great things that have happened in his ministry He wants t be sure the church understands he is nt assuming persnal credit fr these utcmes Rather, he acknwledges that the Lrd alne has accmplished this wrk And yet the Lrd has been wrking thrugh Paul s ministry, and the results speak fr themselves Paul s years spent reaching Gentiles with the Gspel has resulted in a tremendus respnse f bedience t the Gspel, bth in wrd and deed Gentiles were turning t the Gd f Israel, embracing Jesus as that Messiah They were cnfessing Christ, shwing bedience t the Gspel by their wrd And they were turning frm pagan lifestyles and immrality t bey the cmmands f Christ These were remarkable achievements that few in Israel culd ever have imagined happening As Paul says in Ephesians, it s literally the breaking dwn f the temple wall separating the Jew and Gentile The Gentile respnse came by the pwer f the Spirit and in cnjunctin with great signs These experiences validated that the Lrd was indeed curting Gentiles and welcming them int the bdy 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Rmans 16 7! f! 21 As the Spirit manifested these wnders in the midst f Gentile acceptance, the apstles were frced t accept their cnfessins and genuine The Spirit wrked in this way t vercme the natural resistance f Jewish evangelists Which is why Paul reminded his readers f these things S in light f the Lrd s remarkable saving wrk amng Gentiles, Paul says he determined t visit places where Christ had nt yet been preached That was in keeping with his ffice as apstle The wrd apstle rughly translates ne sent with a message, and it reflects their missin t g int unreached areas Apstles generally didn t build n tp f anther s wrk, thugh n ccasin they did (see 1Crinthians 3) Instead they pened drs in new places Paul says he had managed t pen these drs frm Jerusalem t as far as Illyricum, which was a Rman prvince Illyricum is ancient name fr the present day Dalmatian cast f the Adriatic Sea It cvered are frm Greece in the suth thrugh current-day Albania, Mntenegr, Bsnia, and Cratia That are was a shrt bat ride acrss the Adriatic t Rme S Paul s saying he s been mving in Rme s directin, but his missin kept him fcused n ther areas first After all, why wuld Paul g s far ut f his way t reach a wellestablished church in Rme when it meant passing by ther unreached areas? That s his argument in vs He says he set his mind n skipping ver places where anther wrk already existed and a church was frmed and grwing Nw we knw Paul stpped in ther cities where churches already existed, places like Ephesus fr example 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Rmans 16 8! f! 21 But these cities were lcated n the way fr Paul, s he wuld have had t g ut f his way t avid them That wuldn t have made sense, s Paul stpped t encurage and teach thse churches Paul was fulfilling the wrd f Isaiah by bringing gd news t thse wh had n knwledge f Gd And he was telling f Jesus t thse wh had nt previusly heard f Israel s Gd much less abut a cming Messiah Yet up t nw, Rme hadn t been n the way t anywhere Paul needed t ministry Which is why Paul hadn t visited them Rm. 15:22 Fr this reasn I have ften been prevented frm cming t yu; Rm. 15:23 but nw, with n further place fr me in these regins, and since I have had fr many years a lnging t cme t yu Rm. 15:24 whenever I g t Spain fr I hpe t see yu in passing, and t be helped n my way there by yu, when I have first enjyed yur cmpany fr a while Ntice Paul says in v.22 Fr this reasn His missin kept him away, and he hped the church culd appreciate his reasning But all that was abut t change Paul nw intended t cme their way sn, and therefre he wanted t smth things ver with the church prir t his arrival with this letter In v.23 he says that he had n further place t g in these regins between Jerusalem and Rme And since Paul had lng desired t visit the church in Rme, nw was the apprpriate time Paul s claim t have exhausted his pprtunities t reach unreached areas in Asia Minr is quite a remarkable testimny Obviusly, Paul wasn t the nly persn evangelizing at that time, s he s nt taking credit fr the mving the Gspel t every place Still, we knw Paul was the mst prlific evangelist, by far 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Rmans 16 9! f! 21 S here s smething t cnsider Paul is sitting in Crinth preparing t return t Jerusalem at the cnclusin f his third missinary jurney He was cnverted t the faith barely barely 20 years earlier And in just tw decades f life as a Christian, Paul had evangelized rughly half the knwn wrld He had written nearly half f the bks f the New Testament cann And he had funded churches in at least 14 majr cities and twns in 20 years Hw much have we accmplished fr the kingdm ver the past 2 decades as believers? Obviusly, that questin is unfair because we nly accmplish what the Lrd determines t d thrugh us Still, there is smething t cnsider here, because undubtedly we culd have dne mre fr the kingdm had we set ur mind t it Paul s remarkable legacy desn t establish ur gal in ministry, but it des challenge us t increase ur effrt and fcus We knw all Paul accmplished fr the Lrd, but we dn t knw all he sacrificed We knw f sme sacrifices, including cming near death and suffering great deprivatin at times In the end, church traditin hlds that Paul was martyred fr his wrk S let his example serve t challenge ur willingness t sacrifice s that we might be useful t the Lrd fr accmplishing great things als Nw lk at v.24 yu see Paul mentining a desire t be in Spain Paul saw Spain as the next great frntier fr his apstlic ministry And as it turned ut, Rme was n his way 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Rmans 16 10! f! 21 S the time had cme t stp and visit the Rman church But Spain was a lng way frm Rme, and if Paul was ging t make it that far, he wuld need supprt And that s exactly why he s written t Rme Paul says he hpes t see them in passing thrugh t Spain and in seeing them t be helped in reaching the Gentiles in Spain This is a simple and bld appeal It s hnest and unashamed I can think f n better way t raise mney fr ministry N need t pander, n need t plead But Paul isn t cming t Rme right away Even thugh Paul was sitting in Crinth as he wrte, and was nly a few days jurney away frm Rme, he was taking a detur Rm. 15:25 but nw, I am ging t Jerusalem serving the saints. Rm. 15:26 Fr Macednia and Achaia have been pleased t make a cntributin fr the pr amng the saints in Jerusalem. Rm. 15:27 Yes, they were pleased t d s, and they are indebted t them. Fr if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted t minister t them als in material things. Rm. 15:28 Therefre, when I have finished this, and have put my seal n this fruit f theirs, I will g n by way f yu t Spain. Rm. 15:29 I knw that when I cme t yu, I will cme in the fullness f the blessing f Christ. Paul cntinues t explain his future missinary plans saying he must first return t Jerusalem He s literally traveling in the ppsite directin frm Rme But take nte f why he s headed back He s delivering a cntributin frm Gentile churches in this regin t meet the needs f the Jewish church in Jerusalem The church in Jerusalem was especially pr largely because faith in Jesus made a jew a pariah in the city 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Rmans 16 11! f 21! Withut the supprt f the Jewish cmmunity, it was nearly impssible t survive in the city S supprt frm ther churches in the regin was a huge issue, and Paul wrked hard t raise supprt fr the Jewish church wherever he went Having persuaded a number f churches t give generusly t the needs f Jerusalem, Paul is nw ready t return t the city And he mentined this trip t thse in Rme because he wants t make a larger pint t them Ntice in v.27 Paul says these Gentile churches were nly t happy t give t the Jewish church ut f gratitude fr what they had received Paul s alluding t the imprtance f Israel and the Jewish peple in Gd s plan t bring salvatin t all mankind As he taught earlier in this letter, Israel s cvenant relatinship with the Lrd is the rt that we ve been grafted int by faith S the Gentile church is indebted t the Jewish peple fr spiritual things S hw can we bject t ffering them material things, which are f far less value Can yu see the wisdm f Paul s appeal here? He s abut t appeal t a church run by Jewish leaders asking them t fund his missin wrk t reach Gentiles in Spain But befre he des, he mentins his upcming trip where he will deliver generus Gentile supprt t a needy Jewish church S as the Jews are being blessed by Gentile believers, s it shuld be that these Jewish believers might bless future Gentiles in Spain Ntice Paul then says in vs that as he cmes back this way and stps in Rme, he will expect t sent n t Spain by the Rman church T be sent n means t be supprted in that jurney Ntice he adds that when he cmes he will cme in the fullness f the blessing f Christ 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Rmans 16 12! f! 21 Paul is referring t the blessing Christ wuld bestw upn the church in Rme n the ccasin f Paul s visit and by way f his teaching and leadership Paul was nt an immdest man, as his letters demnstrate S when Paul says this, he isn t cmplimenting himself He s simply acknwledging the wrk the Lrd was prepared t d thrugh him in keeping with his rle as an apstle S the deal he s ffering the church in Rme is simple He intends t cme t that church s that he might bless them in their missin And s that they might bless him in his missin It s all abut the missin Paul isn t interested in becming wealthy and he s nt interested in visiting Rme merely fr the attentin it will give him Fr Paul, everything is abut the missin f the Church And therefre Paul turns t making a specific request fr supprt fr prayer supprt Rm. 15:30 Nw I urge yu, brethren, by ur Lrd Jesus Christ and by the lve f the Spirit, t strive tgether with me in yur prayers t Gd fr me, Rm. 15:31 that I may be rescued frm thse wh are disbedient in Judea, and that my service fr Jerusalem may prve acceptable t the saints; Rm. 15:32 s that I may cme t yu in jy by the will f Gd and find refreshing rest in yur cmpany. Rm. 15:33 Nw the Gd f peace be with yu all. Amen. The financial supprt Paul needed culd nly cme nce he arrived in the city f Rme But the prayer supprt culd start immediately and wuld be even mre pwerful Paul didn t urge the church t supprt him financially, but he urges them t pray 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Rmans 16 13! f! 21 He refers t their prayers n behalf f his ministry wrk as striving tgether with Paul It s a great way t understand yur pprtunity t pray fr thers in their ministry First, it s a jining with anther persn Gd will accmplish mre thrugh tw members f the bdy united in this way than by individuals wrking apart Even thugh ne is using hands and feet while the ther is using prayer, they are still jined spiritually And in eternity we will understand hw the Lrd used these tgether t accmplish mre t His glry Secndly, bth are striving Paul says Obviusly, Paul s lng and dangerus jurneys were a frm f striving fr Paul But the Rman s prayers fr Paul were equally striving In fact the Greek wrd fr strive is actually a cmpund wrd made up f the Greek wrds tgether and fighting S it cnveys the idea f fighting tgether If yu have ever tried t pray fr smene else s ministry wrk n a cntinual basis, then yu knw full well that it is striving Yu are fighting with the ther persn against a cmmn enemy The enemy will resist their wrk in the field in ne way And he will resist yur wrk n yur knees is ther ways But bth f yu will be striving if yu re wrking at all S as yu cnsider yur pprtunities t supprt ministry, remember there are tw types f supprt we shuld ffer the wrk f the church One is material, the ther is spiritual One is easy, ne requires striving One ccurs in a mment, the ther is cntinuus 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

14 Rmans 16 14! f! 21 One has delayed effect, the ther has immediate effect One enables the wrk, the ther enables success Interestingly, Paul did return t Rme directly after visiting Jerusalem, thugh he entered Rme in chains Jews cnspired t have Paul arrested by Rmans authrities while in Jerusalem As a Rman citizen, he appealed t tried by Caesar, which was a Rman right Which then lead Rme t transprt Paul fr free t Rme Paul spent tw years in huse arrest awaiting trial And accrding t reliable early church recrds, Paul eventually left Rme with their supprt and indeed went t Spain fr a time Later Paul after several years Paul was returned t Rme This time he was excited by Ner, accrding t church traditin With that Paul s legacy was cmplete He had preached frm Jerusalem t Spain Cuntless men and wmen will be in the kingdm either directly r indirectly due t Paul and his writings S in a sense, thse in Rme wh funded and prayed fr Paul s wrk were striving with Paul fr all thse gains as well At this pint, the letter is essentially cmplete but fr greetings in chapter 16 We will read the chapter and I will d my best nt t butcher the names and then we will cnsider a few histrical facts alng the way Rm. 16:1 I cmmend t yu ur sister Phebe, wh is a servant f the church which is at Cenchrea; Rm. 16:2 that yu receive her in the Lrd in a manner wrthy f the saints, and that yu help her in whatever matter she may have need f yu; fr she herself has als been a helper f many, and f myself as well. Rm. 16:3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellw wrkers in Christ Jesus, Rm. 16:4 wh fr my life risked their wn necks, t whm nt nly d I give thanks, but als all the churches f the Gentiles; 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

15 Rmans 16 15! f! 21 Rm. 16:5 als greet the church that is in their huse. Greet Epaenetus, my belved, wh is the first cnvert t Christ frm Asia. Rm. 16:6 Greet Mary, wh has wrked hard fr yu. Rm. 16:7 Greet Andrnicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellw prisners, wh are utstanding amng the apstles, wh als were in Christ befre me. Rm. 16:8 Greet Ampliatus, my belved in the Lrd. Rm. 16:9 Greet Urbanus, ur fellw wrker in Christ, and Stachys my belved. Rm. 16:10 Greet Apelles, the apprved in Christ. Greet thse wh are f the husehld f Aristbulus. Rm. 16:11 Greet Herdin, my kinsman. Greet thse f the husehld f Narcissus, wh are in the Lrd. Rm. 16:12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphsa, wrkers in the Lrd. Greet Persis the belved, wh has wrked hard in the Lrd. Rm. 16:13 Greet Rufus, a chice man in the Lrd, als his mther and mine. Rm. 16:14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegn, Hermes, Patrbas, Hermas and the brethren with them. Rm. 16:15 Greet Phillgus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints wh are with them. Rm. 16:16 Greet ne anther with a hly kiss. All the churches f Christ greet yu. Chapter is a very persnal list f thughts and greetings He mentins 36 names, 8 wh are with Paul in Crinth and the rest are thse he greets in Rme Altgether, he mentins 27 men & 8 wmen He als mentined tw husehlds and three huse churches Mst f the names are Gentile, reflecting the grwing ppulatin f Gentiles in that church It is interesting that Paul culd name s many peple in Rme and yet had never visited the city As I mentined earlier, Paul lists s many names because nt having visited, he wanted t affirm his cnnectin t this church Als, Paul has prbably made sme persnal cntacts with they left Rme t cme visit him S in fellwship, he greets them t be plite and lving 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

16 Rmans 16 16! f! 21 As Wiersbe bserved, Paul was a friend-maker as well as a sul winner The first name Paul mentins, Phebe, is the ne wh carried this letter t Rme frm Crinth frm where Paul wrte it She might have been a deacness The wrd in Greek is diakns, which means servant r minister r deacn Illustrating that frm the beginning wman have played an imprtant and even prminent rle in the church The list frm v.3 v.16 includes many Latin r Greek names )r pssibly they are Jews with Greek names like Paul) Pricilia and Aquila met Paul in Crinth when they fled Rme after the Claudius rdered Jews t leave Rme They were als tent makers and as Paul says, and they risked their lives fr him Paul tk them t Ephesus with him where they als helped Aplls Later they mved back t Rme and had a church in their hme We als read abut them being back in Ephesus with Timthy at ne pint The first cnvert frm Asia refers t Ephesus, (Asia Minr) nt mdern day Asia The reference in v.7 t apstles wh were in Christ befre Paul is striking Ntice these men are called apstles yet they are nt amng the twelve nr mentined anywhere else in scripture This is further evidence that there were numerus apstles nt given high prfile in scripture Lking at verse 10, Paul greets nt Aristbulus but the man s husehld Paul is prbably referring t the slaves f that husehld wh had becme believers, yet Aristbulus himself had nt Rufus may have been the sn f Simn f Cyrene wh helped carry Christ s crss 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

17 Rmans 16 17! f! 21 And apparently his mther was like a mther t Paul at sme pint And in v.14, the brethren is prbably a reference t anther huse church Rm. 16:17 Nw I urge yu, brethren, keep yur eye n thse wh cause dissensins and hindrances cntrary t the teaching which yu learned, and turn away frm them. Rm. 16:18 Fr such men are slaves, nt f ur Lrd Christ but f their wn appetites; and by their smth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts f the unsuspecting. Rm. 16:19 Fr the reprt f yur bedience has reached t all; therefre I am rejicing ver yu, but I want yu t be wise in what is gd and inncent in what is evil. Rm. 16:20 The Gd f peace will sn crush Satan under yur feet. The grace f ur Lrd Jesus be with yu. Interestingly, Paul interrupts his greetings t issue a brief warning against the activity f false teachers in the church In v.7 Paul asks the church t keep a watchful eye fr these guys They will knw them because they cause dissensins They create hinderances t bedience t the wrd This is an example f fruit frm trees, t use Jesus metaphr frm Matthew 12 Yu may nt immediately knw if a teaching is crrect, but if it s a lie frm the enemy, his fingerprints will be all ver it It s effect will be negative n hliness, bedience and unity Peple will nt be edified by its intrductin, they will be harmed Peple will mve away frm sund dctrine as a result, which is why the enemy sws bad teaching in the church in the first place Paul asks the church t take nte f this pattern allwing it t infrm their understanding f thse wh spread such teaching Men wh have this impact n the church are slaves f sin, nt f Christ Meaning they are n believers 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

18 Rmans 16 18! f! 21 S we re nt talking abut mistaken believers teaching falsely We re talking abut unbelievers intentinally manipulating the bdy fr their wn purpses They use smth speech, which means they are well-spken And they ingratiate themselves with flattery which is a subtle frm f lying In ther wrds, their style cvers fr their lack f substances They ffer the church candy-cated pisn fr the sul And in that way they deceive the hearts f the unsuspecting Paul and ther New Testament writers ffer a great deal mre infrmatin abut dealing with false teachers in ther letters (especially Jude) S fr nw, Paul simply issues this warning in passing I suspect he des this because at this time in histry Paul was especially trubled by false teachers hunding him as he traveled The mid-century saw a particularly strng rise in false teaching arund Judaism and the Law as well as ther heresies S Paul may have becme cncerned that his interest in ging t Rme might lead false teachers t get there befre him Als in v.19 Paul seems t think that the reprt f Rme s gd teaching and steady adherence t true dctrine culd prvke the enemy t respnd But in v.20 Paul says the enemy is destined t be crushed under Christ s feet S thugh tday Satan sws cnfusin in the church tday with false teaching, it will nt change the end result fr him Nevertheless, Paul calls upn the Rman church t be wise in what is gd and inncent f evil This is a pwerful statement abut aviding the enemy s schemes First be wise in what is gd, what is true, what is in the Bible 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

19 Rmans 16 19! f! 21 Have a firm understanding f prper things s yu will be in a psitin t identify the lies f the enemy In this, the enemy will find it much harder t deceive yu Secndly, we must remain inncent f evil If we vluntarily engage in sin, we pen urselves t cndemnatin and self-destructin And the enemy can explit ur misdeeds t cmprmise ur witness r distract us frm ur service But if we remain infrmed f the truth and cmmitted t walking in bedience and in lve, the enemy has a much tugher jb At that pint he can nly tempt us t fall And if we dn t take the temptatin, we are utside his reach Easier said than dne, but that s the frmula Finally, Paul s great letter ends with a final salutatin Rm. 16:21 Timthy my fellw wrker greets yu, and s d Lucius and Jasn and Ssipater, my kinsmen. Rm. 16:22 I, Tertius, wh write this letter, greet yu in the Lrd. Rm. 16:23 Gaius, hst t me and t the whle church, greets yu. Erastus, the city treasurer greets yu, and Quartus, the brther. Rm. 16:24 [The grace f ur Lrd Jesus Christ be with yu all. Amen.] Rm. 16:25 Nw t Him wh is able t establish yu accrding t my gspel and the preaching f Jesus Christ, accrding t the revelatin f the mystery which has been kept secret fr lng ages past, Rm. 16:26 but nw is manifested, and by the Scriptures f the prphets, accrding t the cmmandment f the eternal Gd, has been made knwn t all the natins, leading t bedience f faith; Rm. 16:27 t the nly wise Gd, thrugh Jesus Christ, be the glry frever. Amen. The letter ends with a list f names f thse wrking with Paul in Crinth Timthy was wrking in Ephesus but spent time with Paul in Crinth Lucius is prbably Luke, wh wrte the Gspel and Acts Jasn was likely Paul s hst in Thessalnica 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

20 Rmans 16 20! f! 21 Ssipater traveled with Paul n his third jurney Tertius penned the wrds f this epistle as Paul spke them (hw wuld yu like t have that accmplishment n yur resume?) And I wnder what that man was thinking as he heard the wrds f this letter pur ut f Paul? It s als interesting t remember the varius prblems happening in the Crinthian church at that time Yet Paul s stay in that city was used by Gd t pen the Bk f Rmans Certainly turning all things t gd Erastus was the city treasurer f Ephesus His name was fund in 1929 n a marble pavement laid in the city f Crinth The pavement read: Erastus, in return fr his appintment as cmmissiner fr public wrks, laid this pavement at his wn expense This was a lwer ffice than city treasurer, s apparently he mved up after beginning his career in public ffice Paul ends with a pwerful dxlgy It cmbines thughts and phrases frm earlier letters and frm Rmans itself Paul trusted that Gd was able t establish the Rman church accrding t the gspel that Paul delivered as preached by Jesus Christ In ther wrds, Paul trusted that the Lrd wuld make true and meaningful the cmplicated things Paul wrte He didn t wrry abut prviding a cmmentary t accmpany the letter he knew Gd wuld explain it Paul ges n in v.25 t explain that the message he has delivered was a mystery befrehand A mystery in scripture is a truth Gd kept hidden thrugh past ages later t be revealed during the Church age 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

21 Rmans 16 21! f! 21 Paul revealed several mysteries in his letters, including ne in this letter regarding Israel s salvatin S it s a high privilege fr this church t be the first t learn f this truths In v.26 Paul says they were manifested r made plain t them and all the natins That statement makes clear that Paul recgnized that what he was writing was Scripture intended t be shared with all natins He knew the imprtance f what he shared with the church in Rme and f its eternal lasting quality Finally, says these truths were revealed t everyne s they wuld lead t an bedience f faith That s the way t end a letter like this fcused n the bedience required We ve learned many things, we ve been challenged even by these truths We ve expanded ur appreciatin fr Gd s grace give t us in Jesus Christ Nw the questin is what will we d differently as a result? What steps f bedience are nw within ur reach because f what we have heard? T ur wise Gd and Father, thrugh His Sn Jesus Christ, be all the glry, Amen 2018 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.