Romans 16: Greet one another

Introduction: There are certain things you cannot do yourself

What are things that you do or care about that make no sense to do or care about alone?

Teeter Totter - See Saw

Christianity makes no sense to do alone

As we get to celebrate Thanksgiving today, I do want to celebrate and thank God that he sees fit to provide and display his goodness largely through human beings - God often provides for, encourages, teaches, challenges, and refines us not through supernatural messages in the sky, but through meaningful interactions with other human beings, particularly God’s people

Which is why today I will just say I am deeply thankful for you, church, that in you God is redeeming a people for himself, creating a family, and guiding us in a purpose and mission that is so much bigger than us that we should be grateful to be part of.

Christianity makes no sense solo, which is what makes , the close of this letter, meaningful.

Romans 16:1–16 ESV

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that 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. 3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Romans 16:1–16 ESV

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that 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. 3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Romans 16:1–16 ESV

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that 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. 3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Romans 16:1–16 ESV

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that 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. 3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

A couple of introductory notes on

In this final segment of Romans, Paul sends his own greeting AND is encouraging the church to warmly greet and welcome one another.

Paul mentions 27 people by name and more by general terms

Right here in the Holy Scriptures is a deeply personal section that teaches us something about the nature of faith and the church

In a sense, my hope today is to not simply communicate my concern, care and love for your as my church, but also to encourage you toward each other in genuine Christian community

Meaning of “greet” - more than “hello”

To engage in hospitable recognition of another

To welcome kindly

To express joy about the arrival of someone

Greet one another with a kiss of love

This was a regular cultural way of welcoming and greeting a person intentionally and robustly

This is not meant to create a universal command for churches, but rather to push us toward a rich welcoming of one another that goes beyond casually acknowledging a person and instead reflects an intentional welcoming of them into friendship and hospitality

In Paul’s culture, “greet” meant much more than “say hello” - it had the connotation of real, thriving connection of friendship and acceptance

Romans 16:1–16 ESV

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that 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. 3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

This is a cultural statement, not a statement of universal application: i.e. I do not expect the members of our church to kiss one another as a form of welcome and acceptance.

For Paul to use this phrase was

In a sense, my hope today is to not simply communicate my concern, care and love for your as my church, but also to encourage you toward each other in genuine Christian community

What do we learn from Paul’s salutations at the end of his letter?

I. Greet one another as the redeemed, missional family of God

The kinds of things that Paul uses to describe those he is sending greetings to helps us understand the kind of things we ought to have on the front of our mind when we think about the church and each other.

1. Greet one another as the redeemed people of God

Paul identifies people with descriptions that call to mind the transforming work of Jesus in their lives

Epaenetus is described as a beloved person who was the first convert to Christ in Asia - vs. 5

Apelles is described as one who is “approved by Christ.” - vs. 10

Rufus is described as “chosen by God.” - vs. 13

All believers are called “saints” - vs. 15

“Saint” means “holy one,”

If you are a Christian, you are a saint - you have been made righteous through the blood of Christ by his perfect, sinless substitution for you

Paul greets this community as the redeemed people of God

Through the gospel, God saves individuals, but he saves them into a people

If you are a Christian, you are not just saved into a relationship with God, but a relationship with God as a part of a larger whole

Implications

Fellow Christians are redeemed by God through the gospel

Their sin is not what ultimately defines them any more than your sin ultimately defines you

When you look around the church

We can have honest transparency and authenticity with each other because of our common faith and dependance upon grace

You have true and real belonging here

You will not thrive in your faith in Christ how God has designed you to without a community

There are truths about who God is and what he is done that can only or uniquely be displayed in a group of Christians rather than a single one

We ought not take our community of faith for granted

2. Greet one another as the family of God

Paul goes beyond identifying people by technical theological descriptors; he describes fellow Christians in family terms

Brothers

Kinsmans

Rufus’ mother “has been a mother to me as well”

We are adopted into the family of God as sons and daughters of God through Jesus

Implications

Life in God’s family is not all about you

We are designed to walk through life with a vibrant, thriving connection to one another

Christians do not have sharp lines between “blood family” and “church family”

Jesus said “anyone who doesn’t hate his father, mother, brothers, sisters cannot be my disciple”

This is not meant that you adopt a stance of hatred toward your family members but of recognition that your truest family is found not through blood heritage but through the family of God adopted and redeemed in Christ.

We are designed to live life with a vibrant, thriving connection with other brothers and sisters in Christ

Who regularly sits around your table?

Who do do you welcome into your home?

I absolutely LOVE that I’ve already heard that some of you are opening your homes on Thanksgiving to people who are not your blood family - that is a profound act of “greeting” someone in love and welcoming them into your lives

Live in God’s family, like any other family, is not all about you

3. Greet one another as partners in gospel ministry

Paul describes some of those he greets in purposeful, almost vocational terms

Workers in the Lord

Fellow worker in Christ

Servant of the church

We are given work to do, we are saved into a family and given a purpose within that family

Implications

You are not adopted into the family of God so that you can sit comfortably and spectate

It is not ok for you to simply be a consumer in the church, coming and having your spiritual experience that is uplifting and makes you feel good without contributing in a meaningful way to the life of the body

Every member of God’s family is expected to contribute of themselves and their resources for the mission of the gospel

The church’s ministry suffers without all of its members engaged in the work of the gospel

This church is about the mission of Jesus and the gospel, not about any of our preferences or agendas

One way of summing up all of these ideas about the community of the church is this:

In Christ, you are redeemed and adopted into a family where you have belonging and purpose, but where you are not the only one with belonging and purpose.

Some of you need to be reminded that you personally and individually have belonging, value and purpose within the body of Christ as one of God’s redeemed people.

Some of you need to be reminded that you are not the only person in the church.

Transition: In fact, we have to be on guard against people who want to make this thing about their preference or agenda

II. Strive to maintain the unity of our purpose and identity as God’s people

Paul places right in his warm greeting of those in Rome a stern warning to guard their unity in the gospel. This makes sense in a way: He is greeting the church as the redeemed people of God, the family of faith with a purpose and mission from Jesus, and appropriately interjects a warning against that which would threaten the family of God in their missional endeavors.

Romans 16:

Romans 16:17–19 ESV

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. 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. 19 For 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.

Romans 16:17–18 ESV

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. 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.

1. There are those who create obstacles and divisions

III.

They sow seeds of division

They create unnecessary obstacles

They do this because they are concerned not with the unity and mission of the gospel in the community of faith, but rather with their own “appetites” - their own preferences, agendas, desires

Transition: Even though the Roman church is a healthy church, Paul’s concern is that they may be exactly because of their health a target of those who wish to derail the purpose of Jesus in the world.

Romans 16:

Romans 16:19–20 ESV

19 For 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. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

2. Healthy churches will often be the target of demonic attack

Paul’s concern for the Romans is in spite of, even perhaps even BECAUSE OF, their well known obedience, faith, and health as a church

Even while Paul is rejoicing over the health of the Roman church, he is desiring that they continue to be wise to what is good, and innocent as to what is evil

Paul attaches these concepts to a declaration of God’s imminent victory over Satan - but this is not in the end times apocalyptic sense, but in the sense that through the unity and love of the Roman church, their purposeful gospel ministry, and their wisdom in guarding against division, God will bring about victory over demonic forces that would seek to divide and tear them down

Implication:

Divisive agendas and intentions are actually demonic in nature - I don’t mean this in a magical supernatural sense, but in the sense that to divide God’s people is to advance the cause of Satan, not of God.

3. The church today must be careful not to allow division to creep into our community

We must be careful about the divisive potential of our words

By teaching or saying things that contradict the Scriptures

This is why we hold the Bible to be our absolute authority

This is why I only preach from the Bible, because to disagree with me means either to:

Disagree with my interpretation of the Scriptures, in which case lets have an honest debate and dialogue

Disagree with God

We have to be careful to base our counsel to one another on biblical truth, otherwise we create divisive misunderstandings in the community

“God won’t give you more than you can handle”

“God helps those who help themselves”

This types of things create misunderstandings in people that ultimately cause them to not understand or even question the gospel

When I am going through something more than I can handle, does that mean there is something wrong with my faith?

There is a difference between someone who, with good intentions, gives less than sound advice and a person who is intentionally stirring up division

If you are mistaken about biblical theology, I will gently correct you

If you are intentionally stirring up division in our community, I’ll be coming after you

We must be careful about the divisive potential of our conduct

By living in unrepentant sin

We tend to believe certain sins are not that big of a deal because we convince ourselves that certain sins don’t affect anyone else

Your sin ALWAYS affects other people

Our church even has in its history certain times where the misconduct and sin of leaders devastated the community and brought extreme obstacles and division to the community

We need to develop a culture among our community where it is actually better and safer to confess sin than to sit in it in secret

By gossiping about each other, quarrelling with one another

Conclusion

We have to guard the unity of our church as the redeemed family of God so that we can continue to grow in our faith in Christ and have a healthy, effective gospel ministry.

Ultimately Paul concludes his letter by looking to God as the one who will ultimately strengthen his people through the gospel in order to bring about the obedience of faith.

Romans 16:25–27 ESV

25 Now 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 26 but 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— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Prayer

Transition to Communion

This morning we want to do things a little bit differently and respond together in a practical way in our time of communion. When we take communion, we are celebrating the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and how through the gospel God has reconciled us to him by offering Jesus as a perfect substitute for our sin.

But today, we want to recognize and affirm that we are reconciled to God not just on an individual basis, but as part of a redeemed people of God. I have been saved by God, but I have been saved by God as a part of a people of God who have been together adopted into God’s family and given a purpose and mission.

So we will pass the communion elements as we normally do here, and as you receive them, hold onto them and use that time to reflect on the gospel and celebrate what Jesus has done for you. Hold onto them until we have them, and then we’ll do a little bit different thing before we take those elements together.

PASS ELEMENTS

Before we take these all together, I’d like us to spend a moment to have us all, on a small but practical level, respond in a community oriented way to the gospel.

I recognize this will not be the most convenient thing to do with the way our chairs are ordered, but get with a couple of people around you and spend a moment praying and thanking God that he has saved us not just on an individual basis but into a family where we have belonging, role and purpose.

Ask God that he will continue to bring us together around the gospel and our common work of gospel ministry.

After a couple of minutes, I’ll pray to close it off and then we will take the elements together.