We have finally reached the last chapter in our Sermon Series on the book of Romans. We started it on 23 May 2021 and it has taken us 9 months.
• By now I hope we have a clearer understanding of Romans, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the salvation that God has provided for us.
Let’s turn to Romans 16. This last chapter can be divided into these segments:
• GREETINGS TO the brothers and sisters at Rome (1-16),
• PARTING COUNSEL to the church (17-19) and then
• GREETINGS FROM the brothers who were with him in Corinth (21-24)
• DOXOLOGY – giving glory to the all-wise God who has revealed to us the Gospel.
This letter is to be taken to Rome by sis Phoebe, likely a travelling businesswoman…
Romans 16:1-16
1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae [Send Cre er] [seaport East of Corinth], 2that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.
3Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5Greet also the church in their house.
If you remember, we read about Priscilla and Aquilla in the book of Acts.
• Paul met them in Corinth and worked with them as tentmakers (Acts 18:1-3).
• Later they went with Paul to Ephesus and served there for some time, helping a brother Apollos know the Word of God more accurately (Acts 18:26).
• The couple is now back in Rome.
… Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8Greet Ampliatus [Empire tus], my beloved in the Lord. 9Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon [Fer li gon], Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15Greet Philologus [Fer law logus], Julia, Nereus [Ni rus] and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
“All the churches” likely refers to the churches whose reps are now with Paul in Corinth, preparing to take the donations they have collected to Jerusalem.
• Paul mentioned this in Rom 15:25-26 “25At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.” [cf. Acts 20:4]
HIS CARE FOR THE FAMILY
Paul greeted his brothers and sisters in Rome, his spiritual family.
• Paul greeted a list of 26 individuals, 24 named and 2 unnamed, Rufus’ mother (13) and Nereus’ sister (15); 17 men and 9 women.
• He greeted TWO households when he addressed “the family of” (10,11) and at least THREE house churches – the church that meets at Priscilla and Aquilla’s house (5), “the brothers who are with them” (14) and “all the saints who are with them” (15).
• We see Paul’s deep concern for people. This is something we can learn.
Among those named, we have his fellow workers (3,9), his “beloved” (5,8,9,12), his kinsmen (7,11), his first convert (5) and one who has been like a mother to him (13).
• He was close to many of them, calling FOUR of them his “beloved” (5,8,9,12).
• Paul has not been to Rome, so these are the people he has met, or worked with or heard about, at different times of his travelling ministry.
• But he remembers them and knows that they are now in Rome.
Isn’t this amazing? The list is long – the longest in all his epistles [e pis sir] but Paul made it a point to address many of them personally.
• Although he has been on the move most of the time and staying at different places, usually for a short time – the longest being in Ephesus for 3 years (Acts 20:31) – Paul remembers the people he met and served with.
• He recognises their work in the Lord and honours them for it, including the work of 9 women, which is worth noting in a male-dominated culture.
• When Paul mentioned the sisters in verses 6 and 12, he said specifically that they WORKED HARD in the Lord. It was something he noticed and acknowledges.
• It seems that the sisters work harder than the brothers! Is that true?
We have here a beautiful picture of an “army of God’s servants”, having come to know Christ from various places and now contributing to the work of God as one body.
• This is the church! This is the picture of the people of God! Jews and Greeks, slave and free, male and female, all coming together as a church.
• Not all of them are as prominent as Paul or as well-known - and we do not need that - but they are all contributing to the work of God in their own ways.
• Many of these names are quite unknown to us, but they matter to Paul, and they matter to God.
• They may play a very small role but none of them is insignificant to Paul.
Paul has a clear understanding of what it means to be a member of God’s family.
• He wrote earlier in 1 Cor 12:21-22 “21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable...”
• Imagine taking Barnabas out of Paul’s life, or Silas, or Timothy, or Priscilla and Aquilla, or Luke, his companion.
No part of our physical body is dispensable, even if some parts are “less honourable or unpresentable” the words Paul used.
• We are all important members of the Body whether we are prominent or not.
• You may never step onto a stage but you are equally important. Your presence encourages us and your absence affects us.
• Daniel, Ron and Roy are VIPs in this place. You may not know their names now or who they are, but they are indispensable. Their absence can cause some panic.
Paul shows a deep concern for the people of God. He remembers them, values them, and expresses his gratitude towards them.
• He acknowledges their contributions to the work of God. He appreciates them.
• Paul is not alone in ministry. He is never alone and he knows that. He is grateful for the support of the people of God.
Charles Spurgeon described it this way:
“They were like the most of us, commonplace individuals; but they loved the Lord, and therefore as Paul recollected their names he sent them a message of love which has become embalmed in the Holy Scriptures. Do not let us think of the distinguished Christians exclusively so as to forget the rank and file of the Lord’s army. Do not let the eye rest exclusively upon the front rank, but let us love all whom Christ loves; let us value all Christ’s servants. It is better to be God’s dog than to be the devil’s darling.”
Let us love the family of God, including the unnamed, unknown, unseen ones, because everyone matters.
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Let me make a quick comment on where the greetings come from, besides Paul himself.
Romans 16:21-23 GREETING FROM…
21Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. 22I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord. 23Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus [a ras tus], the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.
These are Paul’s companions in ministry who are with him in Corinth then.
• Timothy (from Lystra) has been with him since Paul’s second missionary journey (Acts 16), some 8 years now.
• Lucius appears to be the same one who comes from Cyrene, mentioned in Acts 13 as one of the teachers in the city of Antioch.
• Jason was Paul's host when he was at Thessalonica, in Macedonia. Paul stayed in his home when a riot broke out in the city (Acts 17).
• Sosipater may be the man from Berea, mentioned in Acts 20 as "Sopater".
• The few of them were with Paul because they were accompanying him to Jerusalem, to bring the donation to the poor saints there.
• And we have Erastus, the city treasurer with them, an important official in Corinth.
We see a diverse gathering of believers from all walks of life and all levels of society, coming together because of Christ and serving God as one church.
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Finally, let me come to this interesting part - sandwiched between the formalities - Paul gave this short but important counsel to the church (17-19).
HIS CONCERN FOR THE FAMILY
Romans 16:17-20
17I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
The context probably explains why Paul inserted these words - he has been encountering threats to his life from the Judaizers, the enemies of the Gospel.
• When Paul was writing Romans in Corinth, it was during his THIRD missionary journey.
• He was preparing to return to Jerusalem carrying the donation for the poor collected from the churches in Macedonia and Achaia.
• Acts 20:3 “There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.”
We covered this when we did ACTS in Jan 2021. This was the SLIDE we used.
• Instead of sailing straight East for Syria, Paul and his team had to backtrack through Macedonia to avoid the possible threat to his life.
• The Judaizers have been relentless in coming against Paul and the Gospel.
Hence he finds it fitting to give a note of warning against these false teachers.
• It was not meant to be a lengthy discourse but a quick word of caution.
We can pick out THREE important words here - Paul urges them to “watch out”, “avoid them” and “be wise”.
• These false teachers propagate a different DOCTRINE from the one you have been taught. Wrong content. When there is a DIFFERENT CONTENT, we “watch out”.
• Secondly, they show a DIFFERENT MOTIVE. They do not serve Christ but their appetites. They seek to deceive the naive into believing them. We “avoid them”.
• Thirdly, Paul says he was glad that the Romans have been obedient to God, so “19…I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” (19)
• They have a different OUTCOME. Our goal is to be obedient to God and stay holy.
The test for all kinds of teachings - Is it biblical, is it Christ-centred and is it holy?
• (1) Does it agree with Scriptures? (2) Does it glorify Jesus Christ? (3) Does it promote holiness?
• Persevere in this direction and the “20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
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LESSONS FROM PAUL:
• Let Us Love the Family of God.
Spurgeon: “Let us love all whom Christ loves; let us value all Christ’s servants.”
• Let Us Love the Truth of God.
“Watch out, avoid them, be wise.”
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That brings us to the close - the DOXOLOGY
- the longest one Paul ever wrote, praising the God of the Gospel, for His great salvation, in bringing Jews and Greeks together as one.
Romans 16:25-27
25Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith — 27to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, we thank you for these names of men and women who have once served you and the example they set. We thank you for the ministry of Paul and the Gospel you have entrusted to him, as well as for his unwavering passion for the lost and his concern for your church and your Word.
May his life and ministry be an example and inspiration for us today.
Grant us the discernment to stand firm upon your truth and remain steadfast in our witness for you. May we be found faithful, tested and approved in Christ.
We thank you for all the lessons we have learnt from the book of Romans. We give thanks in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
You can view the audio sermon with slides at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAPijXoQhes
and access all our earlier sermons at https://tinyurl.com/KTCC-EnglishService
