824 Rom.16.17-27 Watch Out
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Martyn Iles from the Australian Christian Lobby has written a blog recently about the dilemma Christians face in presenting their beliefs in the public square. He bemoans the fact that their are too many Christians who are unprepared to put who they are, out their in public. He says, “God’s desire to see truth in public is clear. Who will He find to fly that banner?”
Watch Out
Watch Out
Date: 17-02-19 824 Echuca
Martyn Iles from the Australian Christian Lobby has written a blog recently about the dilemma Christians face in presenting their beliefs in the public square. He bemoans the fact that their are too many Christians who are unprepared to put who they are, out their in public. He says, “God’s desire to see truth in public is clear. Who will He find to fly that banner?”
- Our society is awash with falsehoods & lies. It is all about who can cry the hardest & longest
- It's emotion that wins now & truth & reality are cast aside
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- We can think that only a Christ-less world can be a source of problem for the church
- Unfortunately, it is even more concerning than this
- It can come from within the church
- Satan is still active in the world & even well meaning Christians can take their focus away from the truth & put it on themselves
- The results of succumbing to the evil one is the personal ruination of the Christian life, but also the ruination of the church
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- If I may say so, boldly, that designating priests in the church has not followed apostolic teaching – we are all priests of God – the priesthood of all believers is the truth & the reality
- Even more wrong-headed is making this order of priests celibate – in other words, they must remain single
- The fact of the matter is that if a man wants to be a priest in the high church, he can only be one, if he makes a vow of celibacy
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- We know that this has caused untold damage to many precious young lives who have fallen victim to sexually frustrated men
- But it has caused many to hate the church &, by extension, to hate Christ
- Even those who had a respect for the church, even though not part of it, are now struggling to have that same regard
- We know that not every priest is involved in this, but we know it was wide spread enough to warrant a royal commission into sexual abuse
- Apostolic teaching is only held onto, when we get back to reading the Scriptures in their context & obeying them
1. Wise as Serpents, Innocent as Doves
1. Wise as Serpents, Innocent as Doves
1. Wise as Serpents, Innocent as Doves
1. Wise as Serpents, Innocent as Doves
- Paul starts the remaining section in the letter to the Romans with this warning:
17 I 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.
- Some translations say to “mark them out” - in other words, keep an eye on them
- Some translations say to “mark them out” - in other words, keep an eye on them
- The reason for this is that they cause divisions & obstacles which are contrary to the apostle's teaching
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- They divide people (division) – probably, draw them over to their ways, which is then in conflict with the truth as laid out by the apostles
- Obstacles is a little different
- Literally, they create a “stumbling block” for these people
- The people who listen to them, struggle to move forward in their Christian walk
- They are tempted in the “way of sin” which is to walk off course from the apostle's teaching
- The person falls for the wrong belief & walks away from the truth
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Q. Who are these troublemakers & what are they saying & doing?
- It is hard to know, but it is possibly related to Jewish-Gentile issue
- But what we do know is that the desire of these troublemakers comes from their appetites
- Their appetite to have their own way – even to the point of contradicting Scripture
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- The appetite is the desire to have your belly filled
- But appetite here is a metaphor for a person who serves themselves
- So, instead of being slaves to Christ, they are slaves to their appetites or own desires
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- We know some people who are like that
- The first couple found themselves desiring what was for God alone
- They wanted to be like God
- It seems that the apostle is here reflecting on the fall of Adam & Eve
- Notice the next verse, v.18
—18 For 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.
18 For 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.
Q. Who was the one who flattered Adam & Eve?
- The serpent or Satan came to them & held out the prospect of them aspiring to godhood
- It was smooth talk & flattery: - “hahaha, you will not surely die (get out of here you guys), for God knows that when you eat of it, you will be like God, knowing good & evil”
- Not only are you able to be gods, but the creator God is deliberately trying to snuff out your potential – the serpent focused on THEM – it's about you, you, you!
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- Adam & Eve fell for his trickery, firstly, because they liked the idea of what he offered
- Secondly, they were naive, which means, simple-minded or simpletons
- Do you know the Scriptures never encourage people to have a simple-minded faith or knowledge of God
- We are always encouraged to grow in the grace & knowledge of our Lord & Saviour, Jesus Christ
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- Fortunately, Paul expects good things from the churches in Rome
- They have gained a reputation for obedience, but like all churches, we are not to rest on our laurels
- We must ever be vigilant against the schemes of the devil
- He is a spirit that opposes God – a spirit that has been given a certain amount of freedom as we have, but he is one who uses his freedom to seek to usurp God's rule on the earth
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- In this way, he is not a lot different from the men & women of today who use the freedom God has given them, to then oppose God
- They mistakenly see, that His common grace to all will always be there for them
- That is as foolish as saying that because it is raining today, there will always be rain – we know that that is not true
—17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
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- Often, the lure of false teaching is sold as “Christ-lite”
- It is the easy way; Jesus will always heal you no matter what; Jesus will always make you rich – your His child, you deserve it etc. etc.
- Sounds like the flattery in the Garden of Eden, doesn't it
Q. Yet, name me one apostle who was rich; who had an easy life & who never suffered? - something's gone wrong!
- It's all very well to see a vision of a conquering Christianity, but we are not there yet
- Suffering comes before glory
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- The philosopher of the late 19th C. Friedrich Nietzsche believed that Christianity arose or developed out of a slave mentality of servitude to a master – because we came from the lower slave classes
- Instead of acting on the power of their will to change their situation, the early Christians, unable to change their lot in life, chose to see that the strong are evil & the weak are good
- It seems obvious to me that Nietzsche had an influence on Adolf Hitler who went on to massacre millions of people on the altar of creating a master race – a race that had the will to power over their cultural situation & become a form of supermen
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- But we saw in last week's message, that God has called people from a variety of situations: from the upper classes as well as the lower
- Nietzsche, by the way is the guy that pronounced that God is dead
- He may have meant it to mean that God is no longer centre of society, but with his anti-christian stance, he may well have been trying to promote that God is dead or should be dead
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- The first way to avoid getting sucked in by false teachers & prophets, is to stop being naive & realise that these threats are real
- It is so easy to lose our way & to stray from the teaching of Paul & the other apostles
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- Adam & Eve were in the Garden & there life was orderly & beautiful, but sin came & destroyed what they had
- Sin brought chaos & disruption to their relationship with God, to their relationship with each other, to the relationship to work & to having children
- This is the tactic of Satan – he wants to destroy order & create chaos
- He wants to disrupt families, disrupt the church & disrupt society
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- We see the so-called “super-apostles” in Corinth that were used as Satan's pawns in bringing chaos to the church in Corinth
—3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
—13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.
—13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.
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- Now, this does not mean that we have to be suspicious of everyone
- Jesus said to his disciples that as they go out into the world, amongst the wolves, they are to be as “wise as serpents & innocent as doves”
- This is precisely what Adam & Eve needed – they needed to be counter-wise to what the serpent was up to, but innocent, harmless & untainted as doves
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- In ., Paul says that the 2nd man Adam was obedient & through His obedience, many will be made righteous
—19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
- What we avoid is disobedience that was characteristic of Adam & Eve
- They did not follow God's will; Eve was deceived; Adam listened to his wife rather than the Lord - & we all know, what happened after that
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- Paul encourages the church with this truth – that the Lord will soon crush Satan under your feet
- We all know what the fruits of the Spirit are
- They have been presented during the children's talks so many times
- You should keep in mind that the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit is the working of the flesh
- Jesus also said that you will know them by their fruits
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- We don't want to mistrust people & be suspicious of everyone & anyone, but we need to keep an eye on anyone who causes divisions & hinders people from keeping to apostolic truth
2. Paul's Companions Send Greetings
2. Paul's Companions Send Greetings
2. Paul's Companions Send Greetings
2. Paul's Companions Send Greetings
- In the last message, Paul sends greetings to those whom he has known and are now living in Rome
- In this section, those who are with Paul in Corinth are also now passing their greetings on to the church at Rome
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- What can we say about Timothy? – what an amazing young man
- He had a Jewish mother, but a Greek father
- Paul calls him a man of God
—10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.
10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.
- When Paul was in prison, Timothy became Paul's representative to the church at Ephesus
- 1 Tim & 2 Tim were written by Paul to Timothy from prison – to instruct Timothy how he is to pastor the church at Ephesus
- These letters are of immense value to Pastors & Elders as they communicate the how, what & why of pastoral ministry in the church
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- Timothy joined with Paul & his team on his second missionary journey
- He was with Paul when Paul wrote many of his letters to the churches – in fact, there are six that mention Timothy in the greetings
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
—1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
—1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother
—1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker,
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- The other interesting person here is Tertius in v.22 who is an amanuenses or secretary – Paul dictated & Tertius wrote
- Most letters Paul wrote, were written by a secretary
- They had some freedom to put down what was said in their own way, but it would have to be approved by Paul
3. The Obedience of the Faith
3. The Obedience of the Faith
3. The Obedience of the Faith
3. The Obedience of the Faith
- I think it is fitting, as we come to the last point in the book of Romans, to highlight what is the overall theme of Romans – the obedience of faith
- It is true that obedience is associated with coming to faith, but it is more that this
- It is what the apostle highlights throughout the book of Romans, & that is a faith that obeys God
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- This is the ultimate purpose of God
- To have a people that will honour & obey Him from the heart & in what He wants, not in what they want
- Adam & Eve paved the way for disobedience & mankind fell in a great heap & left its stain on the pages of history & still does!
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- But God intervened & has provided a way for true reconciliation with Himself
- This is what is highlighted in the closing 3 verses
- They are considered a doxology or benediction
- Doxology is from the Gk – a word of glory or praise
- Benediction is from the Latin - & means “blessing”
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- Endings are always difficult. but when there are new beginnings, they’re amazing
- Such is the case for those who are “in Christ”
- God will soon crush Satan under your feet, Paul says
- The Gospel transforms everything & in this benediction, we see that God has had a plan for the establishment of a people for Himself from all the nations of the world
- This plan's goal is the obedience of faith
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- What is revealed here is a secret that has been hidden from previous generations, but that is now revealed through the Gospel of Jesus
- It is revealed through the preaching of Jesus so that as everyone hears about Jesus, people will respond to God in obedience
- The very thing God desired at the outset in the Garden of Eden has been brought about, starting in the Garden of Gethsemane
- He is the only wise God & through His wisdom, He has brought about what was impossible for man to bring about - reconciliation
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- The OT does have Jesus as the overarching plan of salvation, but the reality of it all was hidden to those in previous generations
- Like many things in life, you only put it together in hindsight
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- In this, God be glorified, says Paul
- All glory to God through Jesus Christ – may He be magnified – may He be made magnanamous in splendor & glory
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- God has called each one of us to a life of praise, a life that is completely given over to Him.
An elderly gentleman at a midweek meeting offered this prayer:
“O Lord, we will praise You; we will praise You with an instrument of ten strings!” People wondered what he meant, but understood when he continued,
“We will praise You with our two eyes by looking only unto You. We will exalt You with our two ears by listening only to Your voice. We will extol You with our two hands by working in Your service. We will honour You with our own two feet by walking in the way of Your statutes. We will magnify You with our tongue by bearing testimony to Your loving kindness. We will worship You with our heart by loving only You.
We thank You for this instrument, Lord; keep it in tune. Play upon it as You will and ring out the melodies of Your grace! May its harmonies always express Your glory!”
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- What a great joy it's been to journey through the book of Romans
- I hope that you received as much blessing going through this book as I have