WEBVTT 00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:03.279 I'll show you when McGee talks about the Bible 00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:06.219 bus that he drives through the Bible in his radio 00:00:06.219 --> 00:00:09.699 ministry and the stops that he has along the 00:00:09.699 --> 00:00:12.400 way. Today we're coming in our little Bible bus 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:18.839 to the end of the book of Romans. Romans has 00:00:18.839 --> 00:00:22.199 been a remarkable discourse on how to be right 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:29.280 with God. We have learned that mankind is sinful. 00:00:30.570 --> 00:00:36.450 and is under the righteous wrath of God. Whether 00:00:36.450 --> 00:00:40.789 Jew or Gentile, all have sinned and come short 00:00:40.789 --> 00:00:45.149 of the glory of God. But God in His marvelous 00:00:45.149 --> 00:00:50.270 grace has provided for man to be redeemed from 00:00:50.270 --> 00:00:55.409 his sin through the offering up of Jesus Christ 00:00:55.409 --> 00:01:00.340 as our sin offering. the propitiation for our 00:01:00.340 --> 00:01:06.000 sins. He paid the full price for our sins once 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:10.459 and for all at the cross. When he died, he said, 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:15.780 it is finished. That drew the line. That summed 00:01:15.780 --> 00:01:19.700 it up. The total price was paid at that point 00:01:19.700 --> 00:01:22.260 for our sins. We can do nothing more to add to 00:01:22.260 --> 00:01:26.120 that. He doesn't need to die again and again. 00:01:26.140 --> 00:01:32.689 He died once, and that for all. And now those 00:01:32.689 --> 00:01:36.349 of us who by faith receive him and trust him, 00:01:36.450 --> 00:01:40.269 the living Savior who rose from the dead, we 00:01:40.269 --> 00:01:43.670 are redeemed from sin and made right with God. 00:01:44.510 --> 00:01:47.790 God declares us to be righteous in his sight. 00:01:48.290 --> 00:01:50.629 And that is really the theme of the whole book, 00:01:51.510 --> 00:01:56.840 the theme of justification by faith. That gift 00:01:56.840 --> 00:01:59.819 of righteousness which God gives to the one who 00:01:59.819 --> 00:02:04.400 repents of his sin and trusts Jesus Christ is 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:09.960 then able to be expressed in the life even though 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:15.360 sin is still within the Christian. We have died 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:19.939 to sin and are alive to God so that that righteousness 00:02:19.939 --> 00:02:23.750 that God has put within us can be expressed in 00:02:23.750 --> 00:02:28.129 our lives. The Holy Spirit is the precious enabler 00:02:28.129 --> 00:02:31.289 who abides within so that we might be enabled 00:02:31.289 --> 00:02:34.889 to live pleasing to God. We have learned that 00:02:34.889 --> 00:02:37.830 this righteousness as it is lived through us 00:02:37.830 --> 00:02:42.370 then is to impact all of the relationships that 00:02:42.370 --> 00:02:48.969 we have. But this book was not written to be 00:02:48.969 --> 00:02:54.580 a systematic theology text, though it is that. 00:02:55.780 --> 00:02:59.039 It is a systematic laying out of the doctrine 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:02.780 of salvation. But it was not written primarily 00:03:02.780 --> 00:03:07.939 to be that, rather it is a letter. Paul did not 00:03:07.939 --> 00:03:11.039 sit down to write a theology text, he sat down 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:14.120 to write an epistle to a church where he had 00:03:14.120 --> 00:03:20.449 not yet been. And as this letter concludes, As 00:03:20.449 --> 00:03:23.189 do many letters, it concludes with various and 00:03:23.189 --> 00:03:27.889 perhaps even disjointed thoughts. These are some 00:03:27.889 --> 00:03:32.710 things he wants to get in as he brings this letter 00:03:32.710 --> 00:03:38.370 to those beloved saints to its close. He begins, 00:03:38.370 --> 00:03:40.310 as we're going to read it in our text in verse 00:03:40.310 --> 00:03:45.009 17, by saying, Now I urge you, brethren, keep 00:03:45.009 --> 00:03:51.129 your eye on those who cause dissensions. hindrances, 00:03:51.129 --> 00:03:54.490 contrary to the teaching which you learned, and 00:03:54.490 --> 00:03:58.849 turn away from them. For such men are slaves, 00:03:59.030 --> 00:04:03.729 not of our Lord Christ, but of their own appetites, 00:04:04.370 --> 00:04:07.810 and by their smooth and flattering speech they 00:04:07.810 --> 00:04:12.210 deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. For the 00:04:12.210 --> 00:04:14.770 report of your obedience has reached to all. 00:04:14.810 --> 00:04:18.209 Therefore, I am rejoicing over you, but I want 00:04:18.209 --> 00:04:22.889 you to be wise in what is good and innocent in 00:04:22.889 --> 00:04:26.089 what is evil. And the God of peace will soon 00:04:26.089 --> 00:04:29.629 crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our 00:04:29.629 --> 00:04:33.889 Lord Jesus be with you. Timothy, my fellow worker, 00:04:34.149 --> 00:04:38.529 greets you. And so do Lucius and Jason and Suscipitor, 00:04:38.649 --> 00:04:42.790 my kinsman. I, Tertius, who write this letter, 00:04:42.930 --> 00:04:47.279 greet you in the Lord. Gaius, host to me and 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:50.779 to the whole Church, greets you, Erastus, the 00:04:50.779 --> 00:04:53.939 city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, the 00:04:53.939 --> 00:04:57.240 brother. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be 00:04:57.240 --> 00:05:01.160 with you all. Amen. Now to him who is able to 00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:04.040 establish you according to my gospel and the 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:07.740 preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation 00:05:07.740 --> 00:05:10.720 of the mystery which has been kept secret for 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:36.079 long ages past, The last words of the Apostle 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:40.540 to the Roman Church in this letter involve three 00:05:40.540 --> 00:05:45.420 themes. There is a word of admonition, verses 00:05:45.420 --> 00:05:50.860 17 through 20, a word of salutation, verses 21 00:05:50.860 --> 00:05:54.920 through 24, and finally a word of benediction, 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:59.060 verses 25 through 27. Let's look at these themes 00:05:59.060 --> 00:06:01.319 this morning and then draw some application to 00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:06.339 our lives. The first word as he closes is a word 00:06:06.339 --> 00:06:10.339 of admonition. The apostle says, I urge you, 00:06:10.600 --> 00:06:14.120 brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions 00:06:14.120 --> 00:06:17.920 and hindrances contrary to the teaching which 00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:21.420 you have learned and turn away from them. They 00:06:21.420 --> 00:06:25.860 were facing a danger in Rome as all churches 00:06:25.860 --> 00:06:32.000 face. It was the danger of threat to the church's 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:37.519 fellowship by those making division. The word 00:06:37.519 --> 00:06:40.860 literally means those who cause you to stand 00:06:40.860 --> 00:06:46.620 apart from one another. Those who cause you to 00:06:46.620 --> 00:06:49.319 stand in such a way that you're not close anymore. 00:06:50.500 --> 00:06:53.420 Those who create division or dissension among 00:06:53.420 --> 00:06:58.339 you. And those who also cause or make hindrances. 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:02.240 This word hindrances is the same one that we 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:05.699 saw in chapter 14 verse 13, their translated 00:07:05.699 --> 00:07:10.740 stumbling block, and it refers to enticements 00:07:10.740 --> 00:07:16.199 or snares. In other words, the apostle is warning 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:20.259 about some people who apparently were even involved 00:07:20.259 --> 00:07:24.160 to some degree within their church, who would 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:26.819 cause them to stand apart from one another and 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:30.800 to be ensnared into teaching that was contrary 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:36.439 to that which they had heard and learned. Contrary 00:07:36.439 --> 00:07:41.459 to the revealed truth of God. That is the danger. 00:07:42.519 --> 00:07:46.300 And it's always a danger. It is always a danger 00:07:46.300 --> 00:07:50.300 with God's people. Because you see in the professing 00:07:50.300 --> 00:07:55.199 church, in the local church, Satan too is scattering 00:07:55.199 --> 00:08:00.649 his seeds with God's. And along with the wheat, 00:08:02.069 --> 00:08:06.870 right now in this age is growing the tares. And 00:08:06.870 --> 00:08:09.389 sometimes they're very difficult to tell apart. 00:08:10.769 --> 00:08:14.709 The only way to tell a wheat plant and a tear 00:08:14.709 --> 00:08:20.009 apart is to wait until there is fruit. And then 00:08:20.009 --> 00:08:22.490 it's easy to see which is genuine and which is 00:08:22.490 --> 00:08:26.490 not. Now the Apostle was saying to us here that 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:30.199 There were some, and I would not necessarily 00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:34.519 say they were totally unbelievers, but they were 00:08:34.519 --> 00:08:37.100 certainly those who were wrong in their doctrines 00:08:37.100 --> 00:08:42.519 and who were slaves to their own appetites. There 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:45.700 were some among them who were characterized that 00:08:45.700 --> 00:08:51.179 way. And he says, watch out for them. He says 00:08:51.179 --> 00:08:56.750 that we have a duty. Keep your eye on them. Don't 00:08:56.750 --> 00:09:00.830 ignore them. Don't pretend they're not there. 00:09:02.009 --> 00:09:04.610 Don't pull the rug over a situation and say, 00:09:04.789 --> 00:09:07.389 well, it'll go away if we just don't worry about 00:09:07.389 --> 00:09:11.830 it, because that doesn't happen. The apostle 00:09:11.830 --> 00:09:14.950 says when you see the fruit in a person's life, 00:09:14.950 --> 00:09:19.929 and that fruit is dissension or division, and 00:09:19.929 --> 00:09:23.950 it is a hindrance to the growth of other people, 00:09:24.009 --> 00:09:27.110 keep your eye. on that person. Don't lose sight 00:09:27.110 --> 00:09:31.649 of him. Don't be unsuspecting. The idea is be 00:09:31.649 --> 00:09:38.129 suspicious. Be suspicious. And he says, secondly, 00:09:40.129 --> 00:09:48.590 turn away from him. Shun him. Avoid him. Now 00:09:48.590 --> 00:09:50.889 in the day in which we live, there's a big word 00:09:50.889 --> 00:09:54.179 that people like to use. cases like this, it's 00:09:54.179 --> 00:09:59.080 the word dialogue. If we find people that don't 00:09:59.080 --> 00:10:02.179 agree with us, well, let's get it together and 00:10:02.179 --> 00:10:09.240 dialogue. And the danger so often with that is 00:10:09.240 --> 00:10:12.139 that people dialogue apart from the Word of God. 00:10:13.080 --> 00:10:14.720 They lay the Bible aside and they say, well, 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:16.620 let's just get together and talk and see where 00:10:16.620 --> 00:10:18.990 we can agree. and they forget about the Word 00:10:18.990 --> 00:10:21.330 of God. There's not a problem dialoguing if the 00:10:21.330 --> 00:10:24.409 Word of God is the foundation, the basis of it. 00:10:26.409 --> 00:10:28.870 He does not tell us here to dialogue with these 00:10:28.870 --> 00:10:32.710 people. He says rather that we are to shun them, 00:10:32.789 --> 00:10:35.450 turn away from them, avoid them, don't spend 00:10:35.450 --> 00:10:41.610 time with them. Generally, he says that our responsibility 00:10:41.610 --> 00:10:46.879 regarding them in verse 18 is that rather verse 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:49.899 19, is that we are to be wise in what is good 00:10:49.899 --> 00:10:53.759 and innocent toward what is evil. Have you ever 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:55.940 heard somebody say, well I want to go down there 00:10:55.940 --> 00:10:58.539 and hear what they say so that I'll be informed. 00:10:59.419 --> 00:11:01.799 Or I want to go over there and see what's happening 00:11:01.799 --> 00:11:04.240 in that place so that I'll know firsthand what 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:08.860 it's all about. Well that may be wise in some 00:11:08.860 --> 00:11:11.679 instances, but I would draw to your attention 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:15.279 what it says in this verse, verse 19. He says 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:17.159 if you're going to be informed, if you're going 00:11:17.159 --> 00:11:20.440 to be wise, then be informed and wise about the 00:11:20.440 --> 00:11:24.759 right, about the good. But he says stay simple. 00:11:27.340 --> 00:11:32.679 Stay uninvolved with. Be innocent regarding that 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:35.120 which is evil. You don't need to be informed 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:39.019 about that. You see that's part of the lie that 00:11:39.019 --> 00:11:44.779 Satan sold Eve. She knew that it was the Tree 00:11:44.779 --> 00:11:48.399 of the knowledge of good and evil and He sort 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:50.179 of insinuated to her. Well, how are you going 00:11:50.179 --> 00:11:53.000 to know what evil is if you don't eat of this? 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:55.820 You see she should have known what evil was simply 00:11:55.820 --> 00:12:00.480 by what God said not by personal experience You 00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:03.000 and I need to be wise toward what is good, but 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:05.580 we need to remain innocent toward. What is evil? 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:10.960 He tells us that these people that he's talking 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:14.580 about are slaves not of Jesus Christ, but of 00:12:14.580 --> 00:12:18.919 their own appetites, their own desires. The thought 00:12:18.919 --> 00:12:25.179 is that they have a hidden agenda. They don't 00:12:25.179 --> 00:12:29.259 talk about it openly, but they have some goals 00:12:29.259 --> 00:12:32.519 that are under the table, so to speak. And that's 00:12:32.519 --> 00:12:35.539 really what they're working for, their own desires, 00:12:35.820 --> 00:12:38.960 their own appetites, not those desires and goals 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:42.419 that would be Jesus Christ's. And he says in 00:12:42.419 --> 00:12:48.179 order to attain these, they use smooth and flattering 00:12:48.179 --> 00:12:55.159 speech. In other words, their speech is plausible, 00:12:56.860 --> 00:13:02.429 it sounds good on the surface, It is perhaps 00:13:02.429 --> 00:13:07.929 insinuating speech. They may employ a false kind 00:13:07.929 --> 00:13:13.649 of flattery to get on your good side. But behind 00:13:13.649 --> 00:13:18.429 all of that talk is their appetite, what they 00:13:18.429 --> 00:13:24.289 really want from you. And he says, don't be unsuspecting 00:13:24.289 --> 00:13:27.870 toward people like this. When I read those verses, 00:13:28.429 --> 00:13:32.029 I think frankly, of some of the preachers that 00:13:32.029 --> 00:13:37.690 I see on television are very smooth and their 00:13:37.690 --> 00:13:42.629 speech sounds so good as you listen to it. But 00:13:42.629 --> 00:13:44.710 somehow there's something there that just does 00:13:44.710 --> 00:13:50.429 not quite ring true. And not infrequently after 00:13:50.429 --> 00:13:53.169 a while there are reports that begin to get out 00:13:53.169 --> 00:13:55.909 of some things going on under the surface that 00:13:55.909 --> 00:13:59.889 they really don't want you to know about. They 00:13:59.889 --> 00:14:05.470 would just prefer you listen to them. And so 00:14:05.470 --> 00:14:10.389 often their teaching causes division and dissension 00:14:10.389 --> 00:14:15.389 among God's people. It's that which ensnares 00:14:15.389 --> 00:14:19.450 people from a genuine walk with God and gets 00:14:19.450 --> 00:14:22.090 them chasing rabbits in some direction so they 00:14:22.090 --> 00:14:24.289 don't make any more progress in their spiritual 00:14:24.289 --> 00:14:29.940 life. It's that which plays upon the unsuspecting. 00:14:31.220 --> 00:14:33.539 And he says that we are to keep our eyes on people 00:14:33.539 --> 00:14:36.039 like that, we're to have nothing to do with them, 00:14:36.440 --> 00:14:40.299 we're to turn from them, and to be wise toward 00:14:40.299 --> 00:14:42.919 what is good and innocent toward what is evil. 00:14:43.980 --> 00:14:48.679 Now he tells us that ultimately the victory of 00:14:48.679 --> 00:14:53.960 God is going to be ours. He says the God of peace 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:57.100 is going to soon crush Satan under your feet. 00:14:57.679 --> 00:14:59.559 Even though there are people like this around 00:14:59.559 --> 00:15:01.659 seeking to hinder the work of God and seeking 00:15:01.659 --> 00:15:04.120 to divide the work of God, he says ultimately 00:15:04.120 --> 00:15:06.740 Satan is going to be defeated in these kinds 00:15:06.740 --> 00:15:11.039 of attempts. Notice he calls God the God of peace. 00:15:11.879 --> 00:15:16.139 God has called us folks to peace. And when there 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:19.399 is a teaching or a personality that begins to 00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:23.049 disrupt and to create a lack of peace and confusion. 00:15:23.370 --> 00:15:28.070 That is not of God. God is the God of peace, 00:15:29.730 --> 00:15:31.950 and it is the God of peace who is someday going 00:15:31.950 --> 00:15:35.669 to crush Satan. It seems like a violent thing 00:15:35.669 --> 00:15:40.250 for the God of peace to do, doesn't it? The language 00:15:40.250 --> 00:15:44.870 there is graphic. It's analogous to what is said 00:15:44.870 --> 00:15:49.389 in Genesis chapter 3, where the The serpent will 00:15:49.389 --> 00:15:53.009 strike the heel of the seed of Eve, but the seed 00:15:53.009 --> 00:15:57.429 of Eve would crush the head of the serpent. Talking 00:15:57.429 --> 00:16:01.090 about Jesus Christ, of course. And here is but 00:16:01.090 --> 00:16:03.629 another word about the same thing, that there 00:16:03.629 --> 00:16:06.750 is a day coming when Satan and all of his attempts 00:16:06.750 --> 00:16:10.009 to hinder the work of God and God's people is 00:16:10.009 --> 00:16:12.750 going to be crushed. And I'm encouraged by the 00:16:12.750 --> 00:16:16.570 fact that it says soon. Now we might say not 00:16:16.570 --> 00:16:20.659 soon enough, But God nonetheless assures us that 00:16:20.659 --> 00:16:23.940 it will be soon. We get very impatient, don't 00:16:23.940 --> 00:16:27.639 we? We need to learn to be patient, to wait on 00:16:27.639 --> 00:16:31.679 God's timetable. The God of peace will give you 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:35.639 his victory. He will execute judgment upon Satan 00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:39.379 and you will experience that peace, that victory. 00:16:40.259 --> 00:16:42.100 But what do we do in the meantime because we're 00:16:42.100 --> 00:16:45.559 in the midst of a battle? And there are people 00:16:45.559 --> 00:16:48.120 who seek to hinder God's work as he describes 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:50.740 here. What are we to do waiting for that victory 00:16:50.740 --> 00:16:53.399 to come? Well, he tells us we have the grace 00:16:53.399 --> 00:16:58.000 of our Lord Jesus Christ with us. Right now we 00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:00.940 have the promise of his grace to strengthen us, 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:06.000 to enable us, to enlighten us, and to keep us. 00:17:06.920 --> 00:17:09.440 We have the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:13.819 we could not ask for more than that. For in His 00:17:13.819 --> 00:17:16.880 grace is all that we need, not only for eternity 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:19.619 to come, folks, but for this life right here 00:17:19.619 --> 00:17:24.380 now. And so there is this word of admonition. 00:17:25.160 --> 00:17:27.980 Watch out for these people that He describes. 00:17:29.140 --> 00:17:31.380 Keep your eye on them. Don't have anything to 00:17:31.380 --> 00:17:34.539 do with them. Don't send them money. Don't fellowship 00:17:34.539 --> 00:17:37.900 with them. Shun them. Be wise toward what is 00:17:37.900 --> 00:17:41.680 good and ignorant, innocent, simple, regarding 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:46.539 What is evil? God is going to give you the victory 00:17:46.539 --> 00:17:48.440 someday, though you're in the battle now, but 00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:50.539 in the battle even now you have the grace of 00:17:50.539 --> 00:17:53.799 God to keep you. That's his admonition to the 00:17:53.799 --> 00:17:56.720 Romans and that's his admonition to you and me 00:17:56.720 --> 00:18:02.559 today. Now we have a section with some salutations, 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:05.859 some greetings. Already we have had greetings 00:18:05.859 --> 00:18:08.599 from the Apostle to certain people. We studied 00:18:08.599 --> 00:18:12.000 those last week. But here we have greetings from 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:16.420 some of those who were part of Paul's team. In 00:18:16.420 --> 00:18:20.259 verse 21, we have greetings from a co -worker 00:18:20.259 --> 00:18:23.960 and several kinsmen. The co -worker is Timothy, 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:27.880 and Timothy is no stranger. He was half Gentile, 00:18:27.880 --> 00:18:31.339 half Jew. From the city of Lystra, a young man 00:18:31.339 --> 00:18:35.809 that Paul had led to faith in Jesus Christ. a 00:18:35.809 --> 00:18:39.529 man who was close to Paul and a man that perhaps 00:18:39.529 --> 00:18:43.569 is most frequently mentioned of all of Paul's 00:18:43.569 --> 00:18:47.750 companions. Timothy was with Paul there in Corinth 00:18:47.750 --> 00:18:51.470 as this letter was written. He calls him my fellow 00:18:51.470 --> 00:18:56.950 worker and what a badge of honor that must have 00:18:56.950 --> 00:19:00.910 been for Timothy. A fellow worker of the Apostle 00:19:00.910 --> 00:19:05.269 Paul, he sends his greetings. But along with 00:19:05.269 --> 00:19:07.869 this co -worker, there are several kinsmen. Jason 00:19:07.869 --> 00:19:12.029 is mentioned. This is perhaps the same as the 00:19:12.029 --> 00:19:15.490 one mentioned in Acts chapter 17, a man who lived 00:19:15.490 --> 00:19:18.490 in Thessalonica. We don't really know much about 00:19:18.490 --> 00:19:21.589 him other than these two possible references. 00:19:22.750 --> 00:19:25.970 And then Solcipitor perhaps is the same as the 00:19:25.970 --> 00:19:28.769 one mentioned in Acts chapter 20 verse 4. He 00:19:28.769 --> 00:19:34.119 was a man of character. and a man that the apostle 00:19:34.119 --> 00:19:36.880 took with him, an appointee of the churches, 00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:41.160 to take that offering back to the Jerusalem church. 00:19:42.140 --> 00:19:46.500 And then he mentions Lucius. I skipped over him, 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:51.279 didn't I? This is possibly Luke, the beloved 00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:55.099 physician, who wrote the book of Acts, as well 00:19:55.099 --> 00:19:58.259 as the Gospel that bears his name. There are 00:19:58.259 --> 00:20:01.180 others who say perhaps it is Lucius of Cyrene, 00:20:02.589 --> 00:20:07.069 Acts 15, verse 1, one of the leaders of the church, 00:20:07.130 --> 00:20:10.410 the early church. We don't really know, but the 00:20:10.410 --> 00:20:12.369 thing that the Apostle says about them is that 00:20:12.369 --> 00:20:15.529 they are his kinsmen. And last week we suggested 00:20:15.529 --> 00:20:17.849 to you that the most likely meaning of that is 00:20:17.849 --> 00:20:19.930 that they were of the tribe of Benjamin, not 00:20:19.930 --> 00:20:24.170 only Jews, but of the same tribe as the Apostle 00:20:24.170 --> 00:20:27.710 Paul. In verse 22, we have a greeting from a 00:20:27.710 --> 00:20:33.799 scribe, Tertius. You see, the Apostle Paul did 00:20:33.799 --> 00:20:38.859 not personally pen all of his epistles. He dictated 00:20:38.859 --> 00:20:42.680 those epistles. And in this case, we have the 00:20:42.680 --> 00:20:48.099 name of his secretary, his amanuensis, his scribe. 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:53.119 And this man's name was Tertius. I, Tertius, 00:20:53.200 --> 00:20:55.400 who write this letter, greet you in the Lord. 00:20:55.759 --> 00:20:58.799 And so at this point he takes the pen in hand 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:03.940 and writes a personal word from himself. As I 00:21:03.940 --> 00:21:07.400 think of this man Tertius, I try to imagine the 00:21:07.400 --> 00:21:09.819 privilege that was his. Have you ever thought 00:21:09.819 --> 00:21:16.420 about this? He was part of the miracle of inspiration. 00:21:18.420 --> 00:21:21.019 For what we say about inspiration is that it's 00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:25.000 the superintending of God the Holy Spirit so 00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:31.579 that the writers of the books of the Bible wrote 00:21:31.579 --> 00:21:35.940 inherently the very words as well as the thoughts 00:21:35.940 --> 00:21:39.460 of God. That means in the case of a man like 00:21:39.460 --> 00:21:43.640 Tertius, the Holy Spirit generated the words 00:21:43.640 --> 00:21:49.349 within the mind of Paul and he spoke them. But 00:21:49.349 --> 00:21:52.430 then the Holy Spirit put his hand over Tertius' 00:21:52.809 --> 00:21:55.609 hand so that as he wrote, he wrote inherently 00:21:55.609 --> 00:22:01.569 what Paul was dictating. And so Tertius was one 00:22:01.569 --> 00:22:05.069 of those key men used of God the Holy Spirit 00:22:05.069 --> 00:22:07.650 in bringing this precious book to you and me 00:22:07.650 --> 00:22:12.410 today. Then there is a greeting in verse 23 from 00:22:12.410 --> 00:22:17.269 Paul's host, a man named Gaius. A man that Paul 00:22:17.269 --> 00:22:20.769 apparently had baptized himself, if he's the 00:22:20.769 --> 00:22:23.430 same one as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1 .14, 00:22:23.450 --> 00:22:26.250 and there's every reason to believe that. He 00:22:26.250 --> 00:22:29.849 may be the same as the man Titus Justus in Acts 00:22:29.849 --> 00:22:33.589 18 verse 7. This would simply be another of his 00:22:33.589 --> 00:22:39.589 names, Gaius. His home was not only a home for 00:22:39.589 --> 00:22:45.680 Paul, but it was the home of that church, apparently, 00:22:45.799 --> 00:22:49.720 because it says here that he is host to me and 00:22:49.720 --> 00:22:53.240 to the whole church. But that would suggest to 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:56.579 us that Gaius must have been a man of some means. 00:22:58.200 --> 00:23:00.200 He apparently had a home that was big enough 00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:04.319 to take care of a fairly good -sized crowd for 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:09.069 that day. He was a host to the church and apparently 00:23:09.069 --> 00:23:11.789 cared for other needs as well as those needs 00:23:11.789 --> 00:23:16.490 arose. So we see in this man, Gaius, a commendable 00:23:16.490 --> 00:23:20.049 spirit of hospitality. A man who was willing 00:23:20.049 --> 00:23:24.730 to use his home for the Lord, are you? Could 00:23:24.730 --> 00:23:30.369 you be commended, as was the man before us, as 00:23:30.369 --> 00:23:33.109 a man who hosts other believers? You know, occasionally 00:23:33.109 --> 00:23:36.220 we have a music group come through, or we have 00:23:36.220 --> 00:23:39.700 a missions conference, or there's some other 00:23:39.700 --> 00:23:41.839 activity that we are sponsoring, and we have 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:45.160 a need for homes to be opened up. And I appreciate 00:23:45.160 --> 00:23:48.619 those who are willing to use their homes as centers 00:23:48.619 --> 00:23:52.779 of hospitality for the Lord. It's the right thing 00:23:52.779 --> 00:23:55.859 to do. I realize occasionally that there are 00:23:55.859 --> 00:23:59.769 reasons that some of us cannot do that. Yet if 00:23:59.769 --> 00:24:03.089 we can we should open our homes to other believers 00:24:03.089 --> 00:24:06.509 when there is an occasion for that Whether it's 00:24:06.509 --> 00:24:09.230 a drop -in for our small church or the youth 00:24:09.230 --> 00:24:12.789 group needs to find a place to settle for a night 00:24:12.789 --> 00:24:16.210 Invite them to come in they pay for all damages 00:24:16.210 --> 00:24:22.450 I Can assure you of that Invite them to come 00:24:22.450 --> 00:24:26.240 in and share your home I think it's significant 00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:29.019 that the Holy Spirit includes this in the book. 00:24:30.299 --> 00:24:32.619 Here's a man who is a generous man, and that 00:24:32.619 --> 00:24:34.960 ought to really characterize all of us, shouldn't 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:38.640 it, with our homes. And then he says in verse 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:40.880 23, the last part of the verse, that there's 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:43.680 greetings from another man. His name is Erastus. 00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:48.920 Erastus is called here, at least in my translation, 00:24:49.099 --> 00:24:54.279 the city treasurer. This is a word that could 00:24:54.279 --> 00:24:57.420 refer to that, but probably refers in a more 00:24:57.420 --> 00:25:01.220 general sense to the city manager of Corinth. 00:25:02.440 --> 00:25:05.619 And so here's a politician who is a Christian. 00:25:06.420 --> 00:25:10.480 The two thoughts are not necessarily opposites. 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:14.900 There are some Christian politicians, and Erastus 00:25:14.900 --> 00:25:18.900 was apparently a man of that character. In fact, 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:21.420 the archaeologists have uncovered a pavement 00:25:21.420 --> 00:25:25.920 in Corinth that has his name inscribed on it. 00:25:26.700 --> 00:25:30.420 And it says on there, Erastus, commissioner for 00:25:30.420 --> 00:25:34.460 public works, laid this pavement at his own expense. 00:25:36.559 --> 00:25:38.680 Now that's not a bad idea. I wonder if we could 00:25:38.680 --> 00:25:40.779 convince the city council of doing things like 00:25:40.779 --> 00:25:45.180 that. Apparently, because the title in that inscription 00:25:45.180 --> 00:25:47.380 is different than the one in the Bible, Erastus 00:25:47.380 --> 00:25:50.859 at one time was the commissioner for public works. 00:25:51.069 --> 00:25:53.670 but then arose in the ranks to become the city 00:25:53.670 --> 00:25:58.650 manager of Corinth. And he is mentioned here 00:25:58.650 --> 00:26:00.670 and sends his greetings along with a man whose 00:26:00.670 --> 00:26:04.470 name is Quartus. Now in the Latin that means 00:26:04.470 --> 00:26:06.650 fourth, and there are some who suggest that he 00:26:06.650 --> 00:26:11.609 may be a brother to Tertius, which means third. 00:26:12.549 --> 00:26:14.329 And so you've got the third in the family and 00:26:14.329 --> 00:26:17.289 the fourth in the family. Who knows? That's the 00:26:17.289 --> 00:26:19.349 only thing I can say about the name Quartus. 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:21.920 There is no other mention of him in the Bible 00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:25.339 or even in secular history. What does all of 00:26:25.339 --> 00:26:28.420 this tell us about Paul? I think something significant. 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:34.819 What this tells me is that Paul was a team man. 00:26:37.819 --> 00:26:42.180 He was a man who surrounded himself with a team 00:26:42.180 --> 00:26:46.140 of people so that as he traveled doing the work 00:26:46.140 --> 00:26:50.839 of God, there were others who assisted him in 00:26:50.839 --> 00:26:54.880 that work, who were associated with him. You 00:26:54.880 --> 00:27:00.119 know something? I believe that all of us need 00:27:00.119 --> 00:27:05.180 to be team people. I don't believe that God has 00:27:05.180 --> 00:27:08.519 created very many Christians to be isolated all 00:27:08.519 --> 00:27:13.000 by themselves out there. Now I realize that there 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:15.039 are some missionaries, for example, who must 00:27:15.039 --> 00:27:18.119 be gifted to do that and they go out into isolated 00:27:18.119 --> 00:27:21.380 areas of the jungle or the desert and they spend 00:27:21.380 --> 00:27:26.220 months or sometimes even years nearly by themselves 00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:28.259 and only with the people that they're trying 00:27:28.259 --> 00:27:33.259 to reach for Christ. I think though that the 00:27:33.259 --> 00:27:37.619 rule is, that's the exception, the rule is that 00:27:37.619 --> 00:27:42.519 we need to be team people. Are you part of a 00:27:42.519 --> 00:27:47.220 team? Are you part of a growth group, for example? 00:27:49.259 --> 00:27:53.119 Two or three or maybe ten people who meet together? 00:27:55.160 --> 00:27:58.279 Are you associated with a small group on a more 00:27:58.279 --> 00:28:04.799 intimate level? People tell us that we can only 00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:10.130 know a certain number of others. I have heard 00:28:10.130 --> 00:28:12.789 that it's only possible for any of us to know, 00:28:13.690 --> 00:28:18.650 to a decent degree, a hundred people. Now some 00:28:18.650 --> 00:28:24.430 may know more than that and others fewer. But 00:28:24.430 --> 00:28:27.390 my point is that we can't know everybody in this 00:28:27.390 --> 00:28:29.650 church and you can't even know everybody in your 00:28:29.650 --> 00:28:35.410 small church. We need to be a part of a smaller 00:28:35.410 --> 00:28:39.970 group. Now it may be that you find your team, 00:28:41.089 --> 00:28:45.750 your group identity at your school. There's nothing 00:28:45.750 --> 00:28:48.750 wrong with that as long as that group is not 00:28:48.750 --> 00:28:51.289 hindering you in your spiritual walk. And the 00:28:51.289 --> 00:28:53.190 same would be true at your office. It may be 00:28:53.190 --> 00:28:57.069 that it's there that you find your intimate identity 00:28:57.069 --> 00:28:59.869 with a small group. But I believe that God has 00:28:59.869 --> 00:29:03.130 built that into all of us with just a few exceptions. 00:29:04.250 --> 00:29:08.250 Now my challenge to you is this. If you are a 00:29:08.250 --> 00:29:12.390 part of a group out there in your office or your 00:29:12.390 --> 00:29:16.049 school or somewhere else, if you're part of a 00:29:16.049 --> 00:29:20.109 group that is not building you and helping you 00:29:20.109 --> 00:29:26.009 spiritually, then you need to find another group 00:29:26.009 --> 00:29:31.049 where you can get that sort of help. I would 00:29:31.049 --> 00:29:34.900 not necessarily say lay aside your others. You 00:29:34.900 --> 00:29:38.700 may be able to reach them for Christ. But then 00:29:38.700 --> 00:29:40.880 on the other hand, you may need to separate from 00:29:40.880 --> 00:29:44.099 them if they are dragging you down spiritually. 00:29:46.059 --> 00:29:50.539 My point is that we need to find a group somewhere, 00:29:52.059 --> 00:29:56.380 an intimate association with a few individuals 00:29:56.380 --> 00:30:01.380 where we can be helped along spiritually. We 00:30:01.380 --> 00:30:05.740 need that. God hasn't created you and your wives 00:30:05.740 --> 00:30:09.519 to sit there retired in your apartment by yourself 00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:13.119 all week to watch television and to be sort of 00:30:13.119 --> 00:30:17.259 isolated by yourselves. God wants you to be a 00:30:17.259 --> 00:30:21.960 part of a group. Career young person, God wants 00:30:21.960 --> 00:30:24.059 you to be a part of a group. It may not be so 00:30:24.059 --> 00:30:26.099 difficult for you. You're a little more free 00:30:26.099 --> 00:30:30.259 for that kind of thing. You know who it's really 00:30:30.259 --> 00:30:34.609 tough on? I think it's tough for mothers with 00:30:34.609 --> 00:30:37.069 small children to find that kind of identity. 00:30:37.769 --> 00:30:42.029 With one or two or five other mothers, perhaps, 00:30:42.930 --> 00:30:47.450 so that they can talk on an adult level. I got 00:30:47.450 --> 00:30:51.690 a real charge out of my wife yesterday. She often 00:30:51.690 --> 00:30:58.230 gives me charges. She told me that a fella had 00:30:58.230 --> 00:31:01.490 called her from a church in California. I'd called 00:31:01.490 --> 00:31:04.809 out there to get some information and he had 00:31:04.809 --> 00:31:10.069 called back with that information for me. And 00:31:10.069 --> 00:31:14.950 she said, do you know he talked to me? And he 00:31:14.950 --> 00:31:17.829 gave me that information for you. He talked to 00:31:17.829 --> 00:31:28.390 me like an adult. He did, huh? And you know, 00:31:28.700 --> 00:31:32.740 I was reminded again that a mother who is with 00:31:32.740 --> 00:31:36.180 small children all day long enjoys conversation 00:31:36.180 --> 00:31:43.900 beyond goo goo and da da and stop it! Go to your 00:31:43.900 --> 00:31:49.099 room! And those kinds of things. But it's really 00:31:49.099 --> 00:31:52.519 tough. I think it's really tough for mothers 00:31:52.519 --> 00:31:55.039 with small children to find that. But we all 00:31:55.039 --> 00:31:57.470 need it. Now I don't know where you're going 00:31:57.470 --> 00:32:00.970 to find yours, but find it. Find it somewhere. 00:32:01.730 --> 00:32:04.210 Say, I don't know where to start. Well pray, 00:32:04.250 --> 00:32:06.690 ask God to show you where to start, to find that 00:32:06.690 --> 00:32:11.069 group identity, that team, that team of people 00:32:11.069 --> 00:32:15.349 who will support you and be with you and help 00:32:15.349 --> 00:32:21.309 you. Let's move ahead to verses 25 through 27, 00:32:21.650 --> 00:32:24.769 the benediction. No, we're not quite done yet, 00:32:24.769 --> 00:32:28.490 but Paul is just about. His benediction is a 00:32:28.490 --> 00:32:31.470 dedication of the book. He dedicates it to God. 00:32:32.150 --> 00:32:36.269 He says to him, and in verse 27 he picks up on 00:32:36.269 --> 00:32:39.009 his thought again, to the only wise God through 00:32:39.009 --> 00:32:43.410 Jesus Christ be the glory forever. That is the 00:32:43.410 --> 00:32:46.490 dedication for the book. In the dedication, he 00:32:46.490 --> 00:32:53.059 gives praise and glory eternally to God. for 00:32:53.059 --> 00:32:58.980 two things. First for his work and secondly for 00:32:58.980 --> 00:33:03.019 his word. Now what is the work of God for which 00:33:03.019 --> 00:33:07.059 he gives glory to God? It is that work of establishing 00:33:07.059 --> 00:33:10.460 his people. Not a him who's able to establish 00:33:10.460 --> 00:33:13.720 you according to my gospel and the preaching 00:33:13.720 --> 00:33:17.759 of Jesus Christ. That word establish is an important 00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:22.380 word. It means to fix. It means to set, S -E 00:33:22.380 --> 00:33:26.740 -T. It means to make stable. It comes from a 00:33:26.740 --> 00:33:31.940 root word which meant a prop. Back behind these 00:33:31.940 --> 00:33:34.619 curtains are some props for a play that's going 00:33:34.619 --> 00:33:39.119 to be presented here in a few weeks. And those 00:33:39.119 --> 00:33:43.519 props are supported. They're sets, we call them. 00:33:44.039 --> 00:33:48.000 Now what this word is telling us is that God 00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:53.720 props us. He sets us. He establishes us. He holds 00:33:53.720 --> 00:33:59.140 us up. You and I are not left to hang on by our 00:33:59.140 --> 00:34:03.420 fingernails to the Christian life. But it is 00:34:03.420 --> 00:34:07.920 the work of God to establish us who belong to 00:34:07.920 --> 00:34:12.079 Him. I like that. Back in the book of Exodus, 00:34:12.500 --> 00:34:17.519 there is a story about Moses. The people of Israel, 00:34:17.519 --> 00:34:19.579 you'll recall, are down there in the valley, 00:34:19.699 --> 00:34:23.380 and they're going through a war. Moses is up 00:34:23.380 --> 00:34:26.679 on the mountaintop with Aaron and Her, and he 00:34:26.679 --> 00:34:29.599 has the rod of God in his hand, and as he lifts 00:34:29.599 --> 00:34:33.659 that rod of God, a symbol of intercession before 00:34:33.659 --> 00:34:37.150 Jehovah, The people of Israel are winning the 00:34:37.150 --> 00:34:39.969 battle and as he lures it, because he's tired, 00:34:40.389 --> 00:34:44.489 they're driven back. And so what he needs is 00:34:44.489 --> 00:34:47.230 somebody to steady his hands and to hold up his 00:34:47.230 --> 00:34:50.989 hands so that that rod can stay there. And so 00:34:50.989 --> 00:34:55.309 Erin and her take a hand and they hold up the 00:34:55.309 --> 00:34:58.030 rod of God along with Moses. And the people of 00:34:58.030 --> 00:35:01.210 God won the victory. Now in the Greek translation 00:35:01.210 --> 00:35:03.750 of that Old Testament passage, it's called the 00:35:03.750 --> 00:35:07.309 Septuagint, this word establishes you when it 00:35:07.309 --> 00:35:13.909 says, they held up the hands of Moses. Dear folks, 00:35:14.010 --> 00:35:17.250 you and I have one who holds us up, it's God. 00:35:18.210 --> 00:35:23.010 It's God. It is he who is committed to establish 00:35:23.010 --> 00:35:28.309 you. To make you stable you say but I feel like 00:35:28.309 --> 00:35:34.409 water at 211 degrees Don't we all at times? But 00:35:34.409 --> 00:35:37.849 let me tell you God is even working in that situation 00:35:37.849 --> 00:35:42.250 Ultimately to only strengthen you more God's 00:35:42.250 --> 00:35:44.869 work is to establish you and Paul praises God 00:35:44.869 --> 00:35:48.590 for that and by the way in second Peter 1 12 00:35:48.590 --> 00:35:52.070 He tells us that the means of God doing that 00:35:52.070 --> 00:35:58.900 is the word You and I are not established just 00:35:58.900 --> 00:36:02.840 by God zapping us with little things from heaven 00:36:02.840 --> 00:36:07.239 every now and then. You and I are established 00:36:07.239 --> 00:36:10.539 as we spend time in the Word of God. God uses 00:36:10.539 --> 00:36:17.119 it to establish us, to set us. That's His means. 00:36:17.739 --> 00:36:21.219 But then He praises God for His Word, the Gospel, 00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:25.679 the preaching of Jesus Christ. And he says three 00:36:25.679 --> 00:36:29.900 things about this word of the gospel. He says 00:36:29.900 --> 00:36:34.519 it has been kept secret, it's now manifested, 00:36:35.360 --> 00:36:39.400 and has been made known. When he says that it 00:36:39.400 --> 00:36:42.199 has been kept secret but now is manifested, he's 00:36:42.199 --> 00:36:44.579 really defining that word mystery that you see 00:36:44.579 --> 00:36:53.010 in verse 25. refers to that which has before 00:36:53.010 --> 00:36:56.570 been in silence. Nothing has been said about 00:36:56.570 --> 00:37:02.989 it, but now it has been told. That's a mystery 00:37:02.989 --> 00:37:05.389 in the Bible sense. Now what is the mystery? 00:37:06.130 --> 00:37:08.730 Well, the mystery really is the Church of Jesus 00:37:08.730 --> 00:37:12.429 Christ. You see, in the Old Testament, there 00:37:12.429 --> 00:37:19.500 wasn't a word about the Church. Not a word. It 00:37:19.500 --> 00:37:23.119 was in silence. Now we can go back into the Old 00:37:23.119 --> 00:37:27.019 Testament with our New Testament flashlight and 00:37:27.019 --> 00:37:30.119 we can see prophecies and hints about the church, 00:37:30.639 --> 00:37:32.699 but if we didn't have that flashlight, we'd still 00:37:32.699 --> 00:37:35.800 be in the dark about it because it was a mystery. 00:37:36.739 --> 00:37:40.760 And it was not revealed until the New Testament 00:37:40.760 --> 00:37:45.559 time through the Apostle Paul. He is the apostle 00:37:45.559 --> 00:37:49.139 of this message of the church. He is the man 00:37:49.139 --> 00:37:51.820 that God used to declare it so that we understand 00:37:51.820 --> 00:37:55.619 it. And the real heart of it is, as we have already 00:37:55.619 --> 00:37:58.800 studied in Romans, that no longer does God favor 00:37:58.800 --> 00:38:03.579 the Jew, but God looks at Jew and Gentile alike 00:38:03.579 --> 00:38:07.760 and both may come directly to him and be united 00:38:07.760 --> 00:38:10.579 in Jesus Christ without any more distinction 00:38:10.579 --> 00:38:15.119 between Jew and Gentile. That's what has been 00:38:15.119 --> 00:38:18.949 made known. Listen, listen to me. That has been 00:38:18.949 --> 00:38:24.949 the purpose of God from long ages past. You know 00:38:24.949 --> 00:38:29.590 what that refers to? That refers to way back 00:38:29.590 --> 00:38:36.409 yonder before time even began. Before there was 00:38:36.409 --> 00:38:39.670 a calculation of years and months and so on, 00:38:40.530 --> 00:38:46.110 way back then, God's purpose was to redeem mankind. 00:38:46.400 --> 00:38:50.820 and unite mankind to himself. And the church 00:38:50.820 --> 00:38:55.940 was the heart of that. Do you realize that today, 00:38:56.260 --> 00:39:01.179 if you're a Christian, you have entered into 00:39:01.179 --> 00:39:05.659 a relationship with God that God planned before 00:39:05.659 --> 00:39:10.860 he ever said, let there be light, and that God 00:39:10.860 --> 00:39:17.800 had you in view to be a part of that? That's 00:39:17.800 --> 00:39:23.119 an amazing thing. The purpose, the focus of all 00:39:23.119 --> 00:39:28.000 of history is that of which you are a member 00:39:28.000 --> 00:39:34.559 and a part, the Church of Jesus Christ. And someday 00:39:34.559 --> 00:39:37.239 when we get beyond time and we look back, I don't 00:39:37.239 --> 00:39:40.059 know how God's going to do it, but I think somehow 00:39:40.059 --> 00:39:44.219 He will. Maybe it's going to be on a video cassette 00:39:44.219 --> 00:39:47.420 or maybe there's going to be a I don't know what, 00:39:48.099 --> 00:39:51.480 but we're going to look back on time when we 00:39:51.480 --> 00:39:53.800 get in eternity. You know what we're going to 00:39:53.800 --> 00:39:57.139 see? We're going to see highlights and things 00:39:57.139 --> 00:39:59.639 happen here and there, but the thing that's going 00:39:59.639 --> 00:40:02.960 to tie it all together is God's redemption through 00:40:02.960 --> 00:40:06.539 Jesus Christ and his bringing together of Jew 00:40:06.539 --> 00:40:11.840 and Gentile into one body in Christ. And we're 00:40:11.840 --> 00:40:16.440 going to marvel again that we were and are part 00:40:16.440 --> 00:40:19.739 of all of that. And God says this thing has been 00:40:19.739 --> 00:40:23.360 made known to all the nations. Somebody said 00:40:23.360 --> 00:40:26.440 the book of Romans is a missionary manifesto. 00:40:27.599 --> 00:40:30.340 Because this good news of redemption in Jesus 00:40:30.340 --> 00:40:33.559 Christ and God's purpose for the ages is not 00:40:33.559 --> 00:40:36.300 something for just the white race or just for 00:40:36.300 --> 00:40:39.420 those who speak the English language or for those 00:40:39.420 --> 00:40:42.079 who are in the Western culture, but this is a 00:40:42.079 --> 00:40:46.079 message for the world. And that's why we invest 00:40:46.079 --> 00:40:49.840 thousands of dollars every year and hours of 00:40:49.840 --> 00:40:56.679 praying time into missions. Because it is God's 00:40:56.679 --> 00:40:59.460 purpose that this message be made known to all 00:40:59.460 --> 00:41:03.360 the nations to bring them to the obedience of 00:41:03.360 --> 00:41:08.340 faith. Men are called the sons of disobedience 00:41:08.340 --> 00:41:13.300 in the Bible. We are the children of disobedience. 00:41:13.559 --> 00:41:18.559 it said, because we're sinners. But God intends 00:41:18.559 --> 00:41:22.199 for us to be brought to obedience. And where 00:41:22.199 --> 00:41:24.860 do we start? We start by obeying the command 00:41:24.860 --> 00:41:28.559 to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. For not 00:41:28.559 --> 00:41:31.380 to believe on Him with all of your heart is to 00:41:31.380 --> 00:41:39.980 disobey God and to go to hell forever. The obedience 00:41:39.980 --> 00:41:44.860 of faith begins by obeying the gospel, to believe 00:41:44.860 --> 00:41:49.380 on Christ, and then that obedience begins to 00:41:49.380 --> 00:41:52.360 express itself in our lifestyle. So we begin 00:41:52.360 --> 00:41:56.780 to obey God instead of disobey God. Do you see 00:41:56.780 --> 00:41:59.139 that the reason that God saved you, my friend, 00:41:59.280 --> 00:42:02.599 is that He might bring you into obedience to 00:42:02.599 --> 00:42:05.679 Himself? He wants you to live an obedient life. 00:42:05.739 --> 00:42:08.820 Are you doing that, Christian? Are you doing 00:42:08.820 --> 00:42:13.150 that? Or is there an area of gross disobedience 00:42:13.150 --> 00:42:17.110 in your life? If that's the case, will you today 00:42:17.110 --> 00:42:20.030 repent of that? Come back to your Father and 00:42:20.030 --> 00:42:23.989 say, Father, I want to be obedient. Forgive me 00:42:23.989 --> 00:42:27.389 and give me grace in this area that I may be 00:42:27.389 --> 00:42:31.070 obedient to you. He has called us to the obedience 00:42:31.070 --> 00:42:36.010 of faith, this only wise God, and to him be the 00:42:36.010 --> 00:42:39.610 glory forever. He deserves glory from your life 00:42:39.610 --> 00:42:48.309 and mine. If you are saved, and I hope you are, 00:42:50.289 --> 00:42:54.869 you can summarize your purpose for living in 00:42:54.869 --> 00:43:01.610 that one phrase, the glory of God. And I hope 00:43:01.610 --> 00:43:05.550 that our lifestyle today and our words and our 00:43:05.550 --> 00:43:10.639 thoughts is consistent with what glorifies God. 00:43:11.679 --> 00:43:13.820 If it's not, let's deal with it and stop playing 00:43:13.820 --> 00:43:17.719 around with sin and let's get to the place of 00:43:17.719 --> 00:43:21.679 obeying and trusting and bringing glory to God 00:43:21.679 --> 00:43:27.460 through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. Heavenly 00:43:27.460 --> 00:43:33.719 Father, I thank you for these closing perhaps 00:43:33.719 --> 00:43:37.079 even disjointed words of the Apostle. They stimulate 00:43:37.079 --> 00:43:40.199 me and I trust all of us as we look at them. 00:43:41.199 --> 00:43:43.420 And Father, there are some applications in the 00:43:43.420 --> 00:43:47.300 admonition and the salutation and in this benediction 00:43:47.300 --> 00:43:50.639 for each of us. I pray that our lives will be 00:43:50.639 --> 00:43:54.159 in conformity to your will. Lord, it's so easy 00:43:54.159 --> 00:43:57.659 for us to go on day after day and to fantasize 00:43:57.659 --> 00:43:59.400 and to think that everything is all right without 00:43:59.400 --> 00:44:03.949 taking a close look. Forgive us for that insensitivity 00:44:03.949 --> 00:44:10.829 to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Father, I pray 00:44:10.829 --> 00:44:12.750 especially for that one who may be here today 00:44:12.750 --> 00:44:15.489 without Jesus Christ, who has never obeyed and 00:44:15.489 --> 00:44:21.309 believed on him. That one today would obey and 00:44:21.309 --> 00:44:25.269 trust Jesus Christ under the saving of his soul. 00:44:26.570 --> 00:44:29.849 And I pray this for Jesus' sake as well as his 00:44:29.849 --> 00:44:31.760 and in Jesus' name. Amen.