Untitled Sermon (63)

We come to a section in scripture at the closing of Paul's letter where he gives a reminder to this church. It is such an important message that it would be beneficial 2 every Bible believing ministry to take heed of.

The problem is is that we are part of a faith and an institution that was inaugurated by the blood of Jesus back in the 1st century and we sit here so many years later with all of our cultural differences and all of our technology and all the consumerism that exists now and all of that we mix in to this ancient institution that was inaugurated by the blood of Jesus.

This is nothing new this is something that has been going on long before us we just happened to come to this point in time where we are. But because all this was taking place long before we were all born we really didn't have a clue on how much of the biblical gospel we didn't have.

When preachers have forsaken scripture truth to have a focus on the morality of everything what they failed to see from their point in time, the major destruction that had on multiple generations. Because that is what took place in our country it became morality preaching rather than gospel preaching.

It was morality preaching with a little bit of gospel tossed in there here in there. When we should have a gospel focus and when the morality aspect of it comes up then we talk about it but it cannot be our area of focus.

The gospel message of pointing people to Jesus and demanding the repentance of sin is a message that is almost now lossed. And some of you may be listening to this and say I have always heard about repentance and that may be true. And you may be thinking to yourself I always heard about having faith in Jesus and that may be true.

But what didn't take place often is a very description of who Jesus is, who God is, in his triune nature. All of who he is in all of His Holiness and all of his righteousness and in all of his wrath NIS and in all of his love.

We have not had much messages of all of who God is. Therefore we are telling people to turn to somebody they do not know. And then we are disciple in people to trust in someone and we never teach them who he is.

And it goes beyond that. We oversimplified things and people have a very cut and dry understanding of what Jesus has done. Preachers have never magnified the covenant relationships so we have people who are unaware of covenant theology.

Which means they don't understand the full importance of the cross and they don't understand the full importance of God's love. So we don't know the covenant relationship we have therefore we don't know the difference between law and grace.

We don't know the full difference between fallen nature and redeemed nature. And we have lost sight of the federal headship of Adam and the federal headship of Jesus.

These were all normal things that preachers used to preach at one point in time. And when the preachers had this focus of really trying to get everybody to get to know God more the nations and lands flourished.

And some of you may be listening to this and thinking to yourself I don't know what all that stuff is and hey that's OK. One that kind of makes the point of what I'm talking about into that's why we gathered together at church.

So we can learn it overtime through expository preaching. And all of those things I have mentioned we have discussed throughout this letter but it's not enough. And folks God knows it was not enough and he knew it would not be enough which is why he did not provide us with Just one letter.

And so after we're done reading Romans we will move on to another book in the New Testament and grow even further and learn even more. That's the point. That's why God instituted the church so you can learn these things. That is why God reserved his word so you can learn these things.

The problem is is that when people open up the word of God they're too focused on what blessing they're going to receive rather than being focused on learning who God is. And the studies are not taken very seriously.

In our culture the attitudes today are not an emphasis on God's holiness or an emphasis on the repentance of sin. What we are seeing today is a very emotional based positive speech that is meant to make us feel good and the messages that are being proclaimed are not far different and from what the world is saying.

The world is always telling people to be the best you and that is what the church is saying as well. That's not what the Bible says the Bible says you have died , it is no longer you that lives but Christ in you. We translate that is I need to be a better me.

people treat acts of kindness like karma. Good karma. Something good happens to me it's because i had good karma. Somebody is wrong by somebody else they say karma will get them. And even the American version of karma is given a positive twist.

Karma is a form of divine justice that tells you you get what you deserve. Ultimately there are two religious systems in the world there is the one true faith which can only be found in Jesus Christ alone in faith alone.

And then there is that of human merit. Then i get what is owed to me for the work that I have done. Every other world religion follows that . They may disagree on who they are worshipping how they worship but the one thing they all have in common is that it is all human mirat.

I don't care if it's Catholicism, Islam, Jehovah's witness, Mormons, Hindu, or some type of paganism; all of them have the singing exact function of human mirat. 1 system says your righteousness is found in Jesus alone at another system says you have to earn your righteousness and work towards it.

And if we are in the habit of simplifying things then we need to summarize that there are only two religions in the world. And the nonbelieving world is simply just in line with the list that I just named.

They just happen to call it karma or good deeds or bad news or whatever it is that they're calling it. All of this stuff gets infiltrated into the church and has been infiltrated into the church. And I have stood in this pulpit proclaiming this many times.

And a lot of you have heard me say this all has started long before you. And so the challenge that we face when we sit in a ministry thousands of years later in a whole other country is we are battling our own traditions and upbringings.

And we filter everything that the Bible has to say to us through all of that. Which means we truly do not let the word of God speak. Faithful Christian, look around you. Do you honestly think we have it right?

The reason why i went into pastoral ministries because I seen that what was taking place in the culture and what the Bible was teaching were two separate things. That we have allowed our traditions and our culture to have a greater influence on our lives and in our lives than we have allowed the word of God.

And what many of us do not know is it the warning that Paul gives here has been so well active long before any of us were born. The issue is that we have been so used to some of the false stuff that we don't recognize it.

The good news is that former generation pastors, even though they gave in to the temptation of the culture , many of them were still very faithful with the gospel message and so many have been saved through that faithful preaching.

It wouldn't be right of me to throw the baby out with the bathwater or to not give credit where credit is due. But regardless the issue still must be confronted and I don't want to make a lot of these creatures sound like that they were the worst people of the worst because that's not the case.

It is time that the people of God get to concerned with the truth of God and get concerned about the truth of his word and start looking at it the way he designed us to look at it and to start understanding it according to his will and not according to ours.

Which means that this warning that we are looking at we have to take very seriously because folks The American Christian Church has not taken this very seriously. This is not true of all ministries so do not assume that I'm saying this about all ministries 'cause I most certainly am not.

But it is true of our culture in general. This week I read about the man named Todd white. This man is a huge fake and phony he is in line with all those prosperity preachers and he has performed Old Street magician tricks do claim he was some type of divine Prophet.

A man apparently approached him with a copy of a DVD called American gospel. It's a documentary about how far the American church has gotten away from biblical Christianity and the gospel message.

Now I have not personally seen this documentary I have heard good things about it but I have not seen it. I do know that the documentary featured some very great theologians and so it's not that i'm not willing to see it it's just that I don't simply have the time for it.

Apparently Todd white is talked about in this documentary and the person who handed it to him instructed him that and said that I'm giving you this 'cause I care too.

Todd white told his congregation that it was not a caring thing and he ripped up the DVD, his words obviously he broke it, and he ripped up something else that the gentleman gave him.

And then he told his congregation that that DVD was demonic. Keep in mind there's some of today's greatest theologians contributed to that and he is telling his congregation that it is demonic.

Someone can be rescued from a very abusive ministry and he is saying this to his large congregation and to his huge online following because he's afraid that he will be exposed.

Folks, I cannot emphasize enough that we have to abandon our modern day way of thinking and get back to the heart of worship get back to the heart of the word of God give back to real Christianity.

and this letter that we're so close to completing Is a huge aid in helping us get it together. now lets look at the text a little closer.

Romans 16:17 NASB95

Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.

Paul says now I urge you. It is a strong declaration to move somebody I implore you. It is language meant to get your attention that he is trying to get the readers attention and so he says I urge you. Brethren.

He makes it family related and this is all in light of the doctrine of being adopted into God's family. The doctrine of adoption. Today in Christian cultures we use the word brother or sister but we don't use it in the right sense.

For Paul he's not using that word brethren like how we kind of passed out work around. He uses it as if he's talking to actual family.

Not just a word that's being tossed around that to you would be no different than saying bro or dude. He literally is imploring to his family and to us to all who have faith in Jesus we are in this family and here is our older brother Paul saying listen up family.

You have to pay attention to this what I'm going to tell you is so important I urge you family, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary be the teaching which you learned

There are people who will cause division and so you need to keep your eye out for those and those who do it will do it to the contrary of what you just learned. And so if you need to further better understand what Paul is trying to say to us you need to go back and re revisit tired letter because that is what these people just learned.

This is the warning and so we have to take this in light of all of the instruction Paul has given us through this letter. He's not saying keep an eye on those who slow you down what are you saying is that there are will be people who will come and say the opposite of what this letter is saying or the opposite of something within this letter.

And so you need to keep your eye out for these things you need to be on watch all the time. he then adds to turn away from them. That is the instruction. Paul clearly has in mind somebody who is trying to cause problems and So what he is saying is don't get involved with them.

Keep on guard keep your eye out and when you see them and you will recognize them because they will come and contradict what you have just learned when you see them turn away from them.

He explains why

Romans 16:18 NASB95

For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

Four such what? Slaves. What have we been learning throughout this letter what have I been proclaiming from this pulpit. You do not have the freedom that you think you would have you are enslaved to sin apart from Jesus.

And Paul is letting ask know this truth again. But look at the way he says it he states for such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ. if you remember Paul called himself a slave to Christ he had no issue with that word.

For Paul he said a slave represents their master and he has the best master of them all therefore he was afraid of no man not because of who he was or because of who they were but all because who he belonged to and so Paul had no issue with that word when it comes to his relationship with the Lord.

Other people take issue with that word and that's their own personal problems that deal with they shouldn't project their own personal problems onto Paul's relationship with God or to any of our relationship with God.

So Paul has to let the reader know that he is not talking about the positive form of slave that he mentioned in the past no they're not slaves to our Lord Christ but of their own appetites. It is all about what they are gaining whether that be fame that we money that be popularity or this sense of righteousness.

It is not for the glory of God it is for their own appetite it is for their own ego it is for their own financial gain it is for whatever it is it's not for the glory of God. They're not slaves to our Lord Christ but to their own appetites and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

And the unsuspecting are the ones who do not take heed of the word. People will come with all kinds of stories and flattering speeches and really upbeat and positive way to say things they are all finding creative ways to say nothing at all. It is meant to make you feel a certain way but it's not true edification it is not true spirituality.

Because Jesus proclaimed that the true worshippers worship in truth. Which means we immerse ourselves in the truth we expand the truth we do everything we can to get to more of that truth what we do not do is try to have some superficial feeling because we do not want to pay for therapy.

What we don't do is create an atmosphere that is meant to manipulate your emotions so you will keep coming back as you think you are receiving a blessing and really what you are receiving is entertainment.

Paul does not say that you will know them right away he saying they will come in flattering and smooth speech and they do these flattering and smooth things to decieve the hearts.

Deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting but listen Christian, our hearts are so easily deceived and we are so clueless how quick our hearts can be taken away.

And then Paul says this,

Romans 16:19 NASB95

For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.

4 we see that word four which ties it back to what was just sad. So hey you all need to keep a watch out you all need to keep your eyes open for those who are going to come and say things contrary to what you have just learned and when they come they're going to come with flattering speech and smooth talk.

When they come they're going to come in a way that captivates you that sucks you win that entertains you that gets you excited makes you get into a state that keeps you from thinking about the content of that message.

because that is how you find the unsuspecting heart is when you come in a way that will captivate them by entertainment or whatever and however else. Keep gardan the reason why you have to keep guard is for the report of your obedience has reached to all.

Everybody knows about this church. what you are doing church has gone all throughout the world everybody knows about the good things you were doing and it is for that very reason it is because of your obedience it is because of your faithfulness the evil will come.

It's funny how that works. Evil comes to be obedient. Evil comes to the obedient. Paul says therefore I'm rejoicing over you. I'm rejoicing over you because of this obedience because you guys have such a great reputation but, I want you to be wise and what is good.

You must have wisdom in what is good you must have knowledge in what is good you must be active in what is good and innocent and what is evil. You need this. Your obedience entices the evil you are to remain innocent to what is evil.

Whether we like it or not and whether we believe it or not innocence from evil in this world almost even impossible. Even the most faithful among us experience terrible seasons in their life. Seasons of guilt seasons of depression seasons of suffering.

Lot of that stuff is better for us than we give credit for it is a mark of repentance when we have suffered for the sins we have committed one week suffer for our behavior is a mark of wonderful repentance.

It is our obedience that entices evil in the world and so even the most obedient among us falls in despair. Maybe that comes in the form of temptation maybe that comes in the form of depression maybe that comes in the form of wicked acts.

It's not because you're also terribles not because something's wrong with you it's because evil comes from obedience. And I wonder how many of you who are watching this right now has ever felt something like depression or who is suffering with temptation.

Maybe maybe it is because of your son but maybe it's also because of your obedience. And so the goal for us as a church is to heed the warning that Paul has given us here. That we have to keep our eyes open we have to watch for those who are coming contrary to what we have just learned.

And that is a serious warning folks and you need to go back and you need to immerse yourself into this letter and really understand it and really study it. Or do you think Paul is joking when he gives this kind of warning? Perhaps the Holy Spirit is not serious when he inspired Paul to write these words?

Or maybe you were thinking now pastor Brandon you are beginning to sound really silly. Yeah it is silly did think that Paul was joking when he gave this warning it is silly to think that The Holy Spirit was not serious when guiding Paul to write these words.

End with Ministies today and taking this serious.