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Study given Sunday March 3, 2024
We'd love to hear from you. Message us here.
Study given Sunday March 3, 2024
Music. Roman, chapter 16. That's right, I mean, it is late. Do your best to hold your Bible at Roman 16. We'll see Alright. Well, we are coming to the end of Paul's letter and, if I get through my notes, we're done with it. Today it's been about 10 months, if you weren't aware about 10 months coming up on a year in April that we've been in the book of Romans.
Speaker 1:So you know, I was actually really scared of the book of Romans because there's just so much there, a lot of theology, you know, in chapters 1 through 11. I was actually scared my first time here teaching the book of Romans, but now I have to say that it's time to say goodbye. I'm going to miss it because I feel like I do it in every book. It's kind of strange like that. There are very few books. I don't think I've ever had a book actually where I just say I am so glad to be done with that. I'm not, I'm going to miss it. It's been a good time and I'm no rush to finish it, but that's where we're at. Where to next? I have an idea, but I am up for discussion. If there's anything that's been on your heart, at least we can discuss it. Come talk to me, but we'll see where we end up next.
Speaker 1:But Romans, chapter 16, we've talked a lot about the structure of the book over this last year, almost year. Chapters 1 through 11, a lot of teaching, a lot of theology. But then, in chapter 12, Paul makes a turn, as if to say now, in light, in light of everything that we've just talked about, I'm going to yell. It's nothing personal, by the way. In light of everything we've talked about, live your life as a living sacrifice totally given over to God. In light of this wonderful truth of what God's done for you, it makes sense that we don't hold anything back, that every part of our life belongs to him. So that's kind of the structure we've been looking at.
Speaker 1:But in chapter 16, we have to stop for a second and remember that this is a letter. It's a big old letter for sure. Right that Paul has written down to the people in Rome, but it's a letter. And so, chapter 16, there's some personal messages and Paul gives them to his friends. Now there's about 33 names in this chapter. Now, they're not as bad as if we were in an Old Testament book. I have a little easier time with these names than most, but there's still about 33 names individuals that Paul wants to say hi to. They're in Rome, people that he's passing on a message from in Corinth, where he was writing this letter. So there's a lot of personal stuff here and Paul is going to greet a few friends. He's going to warn of a few fiends, because that starts with the letter F2. Then he's also going to mention a few friends that like to say hi and we have some final words, because that's just cute that it all starts with F, if you wrote that down.
Speaker 1:Anyways, verse one I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the church in Centuria, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and a sister in whatever business she has need of you, or indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also. So here, verse one and two, a lady named Phoebe gets a shout out here and her name means radiant. We won't go over every single name, but her name means radiant, which is really sweet. It's a great name, phoebe, right? And she is our sister. Here Paul mentions that in the family of God she is a sister to all of them. Now notice there it says here she's a servant in verse one, servant of the church. Now the word here is where we get our word deacon from, but it's kind of a feminine thing. So she is a deaconess.
Speaker 1:You could say Now in the modern church, deacons like a position that people kind of vote for, and you know I'm a deacon in my church and we ought to really understand that the word deacon actually just means servant, it's someone who serves. It's not some high and lofty position there really aren't high and lofty positions in the church but they're servants. Deacons are servants and you remember in the book of Acts where it all came about, there were some practical needs there as there was some benevolence ministry where they were giving food and help to those that were widows, and the Jewish widows and the Hellenists, the Greek widows. They had a little disagreement. The Greeks felt like they were kind of getting pushed to the side a little bit. Their widows weren't getting the support that they needed and the disciples said you know, it's better that we don't just wait tables and pass out food. We ought to teach the word but choose for yourself some that are filled with the Holy Spirit to minister in this way to serve people and they were chosen. People like Stephen right, the first martyr there in the church. He was a deacon serving in this practical way in the church.
Speaker 1:Now we could, you know, choose deacons, but the thing I really like is that a deacon serves right. A deacon ends up being a deacon because that's just their heart to serve. And you know, I could look around and I'd say just about everybody here except myself. No, I don't know. We all, you know, all of you guys, you know, have this heart to serve. It's so sweet when we get together for things. None of us are really just sitting off to the side. Everybody's doing something that they feel called to, and that's what deacons do.
Speaker 1:But Phoebe here, she was officially, I guess you could say, a deaconess and she had this ministry of just coming alongside and practically serving. And Paul here says she's coming to you guys in Rome. I want you to receive her and help her in her ministry. What a cool thing that people would just kind of go from church to church and they would use their gifts to encourage the church. And that's what Phoebe here does. And Paul says, when she comes, receive her, help her.
Speaker 1:And verse three greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but also all the churches of the Gentiles Likewise, greet the church that is in their house. And here we see Priscilla and Aquila, a couple, it seems, that are often seen in the Bible working together. Now, it's kind of interesting that Priscilla comes first, because that wasn't really the way it would go. Usually the man would come first there, but, for whatever reason, priscilla is listed first. Maybe, like my wife, she was a little more spiritual than her husband maybe, but here they are and they're serving together.
Speaker 1:We see them first in Acts, chapter 18, in the church in Corinth, right where Paul was at this point when he wrote this letter Priscilla and Aquila. He met them while he was making tents. That's what Paul did to support himself. He made and repaired tents, and Priscilla and Aquila they had the same occupation and it seems, as God had them together, you've got to figure Paul shared Jesus with them and they got saved and they became a team. What a beautiful thing. As husband and wife, they became a team. They're in service. They encourage people. When Apollos needed a little bit of educating, they pulled him aside privately and they educated him on the good news of what God had done for him.
Speaker 1:But here it seems they were back in Rome, originally in Rome, perhaps they were kicked out. When Caesar says no Jews can live in Rome, there was a time where he kicked all the Jews out of Rome and Priscilla and Aquila went to Corinth, which is where they met Paul, which is where they probably met Jesus. But here they're going back to Rome and they are in Rome and Paul says greet them for me. They've risked their own necks for my life and Paul was thankful in all the churches. Now look at verse five. Likewise greet the church that is in their house.
Speaker 1:So we see from this that the church, again, in a lot of different situations Through the book of Acts we see them in the early parts they were meeting in the temple courtyard. They would meet in upper rooms, you could say rented rooms. Later on in the book of Acts they meet in the school of Tyrannus there in Ephesus, the school of the tyrant there in Ephesus. And yet here they're meeting in the house of Priscilla and Aquila. In the book of Acts they met from house to house and the thing we see here isn't necessarily that the church met in houses, so we ought to meet in houses. I mean, that's sort of what we're doing here, but that's not really the point. We can get real, you know, determined that the real way to meet is in a house. Now, I like it. There's a lot of good reasons to meet in a house. You don't have to pay rent, you don't have to pay for electricity. You know, it's easy, right, we don't have any overhead, and I love it, and it's simple and it's close. But here we see, the church met in Priscilla and Aquila's house, and they did that in the early church, so we're not too far off right Now. Notice Paul greets them and he goes on in verse 6.
Speaker 1:A lot of names here. We won't necessarily say something about everybody, but they're people that Paul knew. So let's read on. Greet Mary, who labored much for us. Greet Andronicus and in Junior, my countrymen and fellow prisoners who are of note among the Apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Here we see Andronicus and Junior seems to be a couple again, kind of sweet how that works. But Paul here calls them Apostles.
Speaker 1:Now check it out Very strictly. Apostles are, we would say, the disciples, minus Judas, probably plus Paul. Right, those are the Apostles. They write books of the Bible. They were there in Jesus ministry, except for Paul who says I was born at the wrong time, I had another experience with Jesus and that was my time with him. But these are foundational people in the early church, the Apostles.
Speaker 1:Maybe you want to write this verse down, if I can get to it Ephesians 2, verse 20, that the church has been built on the foundation of the Apostles and the prophets, jesus himself being the chief cornerstone. So check it out. According to Paul and Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 20, apostles and prophets are the foundation of the church. Now just think about that picture very simply, if you're building a house, you start with the foundation, but you don't go back to it Right After you start putting up walls. You don't put more foundation down, you just really don't. The foundation happens at the beginning and that's where it goes. Never, never again do you build a foundation. That's why it's a foundation. So the foundation of the church, with Jesus as a cornerstone, is the Apostles and prophets.
Speaker 1:I don't think that there are modern prophets in that sense. There are people who prophesy, but I don't think there are modern prophets and I definitely don't think there are modern apostles. I say that because some people put it on their business card. You know what I mean So-and-so apostle, and what I think they mean when they say that. And when some that are prophets say, well, I'm a prophet is, don't question what I say, I can say it. If it disagrees with the word, it's because I'm an apostle or I'm a prophet. You know the I don't even want to say it the prophet Joseph Smith, he can say whatever he wants as a prophet. I think the Pope kind of claims that same authority. It doesn't matter what the word of God says. This is what the prophet says or the Apostles says. I don't think there are apostles in that sense. I think it should be a red flag If you ever see anybody that's claiming to be an apostle. In that sense I don't want to be mean. Yes, I do Just forget about it because the foundation is already late. The word is the final authority, all right.
Speaker 1:But here Paul calls them Apostles and I think we have to go back to what that word actually means. It just means sent ones, that's all. Apostle means is sent one, somebody that's sent like an ambassador, right? So Peter and the guys. They were sent out with a message. They were apostles in that sense. But all of us are in a sense apostles, maybe with a lower case, a, I don't know right, apostles in the sense of we're sent out as ambassadors for Jesus. So I think that's what Paul's getting at here, this couple. They are among the apostles, they're sent out.
Speaker 1:Now notice verse 8. And greet Amplius, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Staches. Staches, my beloved. Greet Apolles they're easier than Old Testament but not perfect, approved in Christ. Greet, those who are of the household of Aristotle. Greet Perodian, my countryman. Greet, those who are of the household of narcissists, who are in the Lord. Now greet Triphena and Trifosa.
Speaker 1:Now, this is cute. I'm just going to guess that these were twins. I mean because the names are just cute. It means something like dainty, and I have it here Delicate and dainty. I ain't right, they're twins. Name's kind of rhyme a little bit Delicate and dainty. It's irrelevant, but anyways, there they are. And who have labored in the Lord. They sweat along with me there. Paul says Greet, the beloved purses, who labored much in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. So here in verse 13, we meet Rufus.
Speaker 1:Now in Mark, chapter 15, we see that there's a guy named Rufus who is the son of Simon the sireen. If you remember, simon the sireen was there in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified, came there along the road and Jesus stumbled under the cross. You'll remember the Roman centurion you know tapped Simon on the shoulder here. He was in Jerusalem from Africa. He's an African guy and the centurion says you take the cross. And the centurion could ask that of you. I imagine that if your day was just interrupted by having to carry a cross up the hill, this symbol of shame and somebody being a criminal, and Simon just minding his own business, he's around there and they say take the cross up the hill. Well, he does it. But you can imagine, as he gets there to the cross, where they're going to nail Jesus there to the cross and crucify him. Simon's there and he sees it. Now we get the idea from this that Simon's life was changed there at the cross when he saw Jesus dying on the cross, when he heard the things he said Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. It is finished. Think your hands. I commit my spirit. When he saw it turned to night in the middle of the day and Jesus died and gave up the ghost, right All these things, simon was there to see it. So it was kind of by chance that the centurion tapped him. But in the end we see that his life probably was not the same after that.
Speaker 1:It's possible, although we don't know, that Rufus here he's named Rufus was this son of Simon the Cyrene. If that's true, notice there that Paul greets him, chosen in the Lord and his mother in mind. So what does this mean? Does this mean that Paul also was of African descent? Probably not, right, Probably not. But as Rufus and Simon and Simon's wife, they were all in the church, we'll just guess.
Speaker 1:There was that sweet relationship that we see happen here, where Paul just said, oh, you're like a mother to me, hey, this is my brother, this is my mother and puts his arm around Rufus' mom. Right, and she's been a mother to me. And what a sweet thing, because I look around and I go, you're friends, but you're also family. We experience that, and what an amazing thing. You know, you could spend a lot of time and energy trying to break down walls between racial divides and cultural divides, but if it's Jesus, they should come down. It shouldn't matter at all. You should be able to look at someone of a totally another race and say this is my mom. You know, she's like a mother to me. I love her like a mother and she loves me. And Paul here had this relationship with Rufus and his family there.
Speaker 1:Notice, we move on to verse 14. Greet oh man, I don't even know Fledgian. Hermes, petrabas, hermes and the brethren who are with them. Greet. Vlodis and Julia, nourius and his sister and Olympus and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you. So here we see a couple groups in these couple verses, five and four people groups and it's possible that these are other fellowship church groups, the people that met together and Paul greets them, and those that are with them, people that he knew and loved.
Speaker 1:Verse 16, greet one another with a holy kiss. That would seem rather strange to us if we started taking this up, and you know, you just gave somebody a big smooch when you saw them and our culture would probably be a holy handshake or maybe a holy hug. Right, it would be a little more comfortable for us In that culture. You know it's more European, a little more Middle Eastern, where you grab somebody and you know, and that's what Paul is saying here in verse 16. Just give one another a holy handshake, a holy hug. It's a kiss in this face right Now. You think that would be the end, but Paul's not done. Verse 17,.
Speaker 1:Now I urge you, brethren, I urge you, brethren, these are fiends to avoid. I guess you could say I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord, jesus Christ, but their own belly and, by smooth words and flattering speech, deceive the hearts of the simple. So here Paul says let's just remind you, avoid people who cause dissension or who divide and cause divisions, things that are contrary to doctrine. Now, it's not the first time as Paul talked about this. I think it was in chapter 14, maybe 15, but I think 14, where Paul says just avoid people who cause divisions.
Speaker 1:And the thing we see here is that some people just like to argue. I think we all like to argue a little bit. I like to argue, debate, right, but some things in the Christian faith are really slippery, aren't they? You know some issues of theology, man. You can go round and round and say this is the way it is, and somebody else comes by and says, oh, this is the way it is. And you can argue for hours. That was Bible college for me, right? That was a lot of my friends, you know, working at churches.
Speaker 1:We would argue about theological differences. You could argue about last days events, things that aren't necessarily 100% certain, that people divide on. It's not Jesus that we're talking about, it's not salvation, but it's those things that are just kind of like. They're just kind of having electricity to them. You know what I mean. Or it's just fun to speculate.
Speaker 1:And Paul says just avoid people who want to argue. He would tell there to Timothy that if somebody desires to be a bishop and overseer in the church, they must be blameless. This is in 1st Timothy, 3, 2 and 3. Paul says not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome. So if somebody's going to lead in the church, they shouldn't be quarrelsome. It's fun to be quarrelsome a little bit, we all like it some, but we shouldn't be those that just waste time, because I think Paul is saying there's so much more important things to talk about man with. You know even the cults. It's important to know what you believe for sure. But to sit and argue for two hours straight, it's not always beneficial, all right, and it can just suck time. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:And here Paul says you know, just avoid people who want to argue. Good idea, paul, but notice verse 19. We're moving along here, verse 19, for your obedience has come known to all. Therefore, am glad on your behalf. Now listen to this. I think this is one of those verses you can memorize. But I want you to be wise in what is good and simple concerning evil. I think this is one of those verses that you can memorize and just kind of put there to always remember in life Be wise in what is good and innocent to evil.
Speaker 1:When I was in youth ministry, there was a song that was this verse like exactly, and it was a lousy song, it was just a real silly song, but it was be excellent in what is good, be innocent to evil. And you sing it over and over again Be excellent in what is good and innocent to evil. And then it would wrap the next part, which was ridiculous, and the God of peace will soon cross Satan underneath your feet, right? But all that aside, it's a good verse to have memorized, to be excellent, excellent and what's good? And innocent. Check out that word. Innocent it really could be.
Speaker 1:Be absolutely ignorant of evil, be just dumb when it comes to things that are evil, because for some reason we like to be up on evil, we are entertained by evil. How bad can people be? Oh, let me watch the show on it Now. There are some of us in our line of work. It's unavoidable to see evil around them. There are some times in the news or whatever. It's unavoidable to see the evil around us. But check it out.
Speaker 1:Paul says I want you to be completely stupid when it comes to evil. You don't have to know anything about what's evil, you don't have to be up on it, you don't have to expose your mind to it, because the crazy thing is you can't get that stuff out. That stuff just keeps coming back to you. And the good not so easily. The evil, all that crime that I heard about, that murder case, that scandal man, I can know it right. But Paul says, as much as it depends on you, be totally ignorant of evil. That's good, especially for you that are young and you don't have a lot in your head right now of evil. You have a lot in your head. I'm just saying you don't have a lot of thoughts crowding your head, no offense, but check it out, don't put more in there.
Speaker 1:And if you can get through life and not have any idea what that evil is all about, good, be excellent in what's good. And that's the problem. A lot of times we have no idea what good is. We're completely ignorant of the Bible and we have every opportunity and multiple versions of the Bible in God's truth. But be excellent. Be excellent, dude. And what's good. Be totally ignorant of evil.
Speaker 1:Another good verse, because I don't want to leave but I have to. Another good verse there Philippians 4, 8, and 9. I wanted to turn there, but Philippians 4, 8, and 9. Finally, paul says finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are good, report If there's any virtue and if there's anything praise worthy, meditate on these things. So that's just verse 8. That's all we need.
Speaker 1:Think about these things, the things that are good, the things that are true. Think about them over and over again. Memorize them, like that song that you worked so hard to memorize. Memorize the good stuff that God has. Be excellent in what's good and innocent to evil, and remember verse 20. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord, jesus Christ, be with you, amen. And so he reminds them that God's going to set these things right. You can worry about a lot of stuff, but God's going to set it right one day and we look forward to that. We hope in that Now.
Speaker 1:He has some greetings from friends there in verse 21. Some names that are easier even still to pronounce Timothy, my fellow worker, and Lucius Gosh I have so trouble with that name. Jason and Susapater, my countrymen, greet you. Verse 22,. I, tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord. Wait a second.
Speaker 1:I thought this was Paul's letter to the Romans Tertius. This is Tertius' letter. Tertius, the name just means third. He was probably a slave. He ran out of names. When you have slaves I guess it's horrible. But he's just called number three and he says I wrote this. So he was what's called an immanuensis. He would write as Paul would talk. So Tertius, we know, had the original handwriting on this document.
Speaker 1:Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you Erastus. They're all waving there. In the end of the letter, erastus, treasure of the city, greets you hey. Say hi, cortis, whose name means four. So he was probably also a slave for a brother and for a brother. The grace of our Lord, jesus Christ, be with you. One more Amen. That's actually one more after that.
Speaker 1:Then Paul goes into this final prayer, as people have said hello and given their greetings very practical thing to do. There is the final, final, final, final word, verse 25. Now we could go over verse 25. There's a lot there, but we'll probably just kind of soak it up. It's really kind of a blessing and a prayer from Paul to the people reading this, so let's just soak it up here Now.
Speaker 1:To him, to God, who is able to establish you according to my gospel. Let's hope Paul looks at that. It's my gospel. Now, it wasn't any different gospel, right, that's not what we're looking for. But Paul says this is my good news. He took it very personally. And the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began. The mystery there that Jew and Gentile, all can be saved. In what Jesus has done for us. He now made manifest and, by the prophetic scriptures, made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith To God alone, wise be glory through Jesus Christ forever, amen. So Paul ends with his blessing and this word, this beautiful benediction, and he closes this letter. After 10 months of looking at it, he closes it and we'll do the same.
Speaker 1:To God, thank you so much. Thank you for the friends that you give us, lord, really family, and you. God, thank you that we can go to the other side of the planet and find people in this family as well. God, thank you that one day we'll all be together. God, thank you that there won't be any strangers there. God, it will just be you and your kids. It'll be wonderful.
Speaker 1:But, god, I do pray that in that we would look to share this wonderful truth that Paul's been talking about the power of God to salvation, this good news of what you've done for us. We'd be willing to spread it to the people that are around us. God, we know that you want your family to grow. God, you want the believers to grow. So, god, help us in that. Help us to be those that encourage one another and look to that point where you bring us all together. God, thank you so much for this book and everything that you've taught us through it. Thank you that you're so good. I pray all these things that Jesus said. Amen, god. Thank you that you're here.