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Your Day in Romans - 16:17-20

Started by Al Moak, January 16, 2005, 09:29:21 AM

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Al Moak

The Twenty-Fourth Sermon
Romans 16:17-20
The Focus


Let's suppose for a moment that you're the quarterback of a football team.  The team has had its problems.  It seems that every member of the squad has his own idea of what plays should be called in given situations.  So you as the leader say to them, "Let's not quibble about what play to use.  Everybody just do what you think is best!"

Needless to say, you'd have people running all over the field, no one knowing what the others were doing.  Everyone might be pleased at doing what he wants, but, needless to say, the team would be getting nowhere. Nor would there be additional team harmony either.  Instead there'd be lots more blame!

Would you think that this extreme never happens in real life?  Unfortunately, you'd be wrong!  There are many in the Church of our day who want peace and harmony.  But what they seek is "peace at any price."  On the other hand, of course, maintaining peace and unity is extremely important.  The apostle, in fact, seeks peace and unity in the verses before us.  He expresses his profound concern about it.  He even exhorts the Romans to have nothing to do with those who cause divisions and disunity.

But dear ones, It could never be "peace at any price!" Notice another thing he says here.  He says, "Note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned . . ." What he's saying is that there's a price for peace that we mustn't pay: we mustn't - ever - pay the price of false doctrine, confused doctrine, or no doctrine at all!

In one sense he's actually exhorting these Romans to disunity!  He's calling for disunity with those who, by "smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple."  He's telling them that it's very, very important to maintain a distinct disunity with those who teach falsehood.  Those false teachers are themselves the ones causing the real division by their teaching - however smooth, however flattering - when they teach things contrary to the doctrine these Romans had already received. 

We don't know what doctrines Paul was particularly concerned about.  It's possible that he was concerned about what they might have heard from others who had come to the Roman church before he sent this letter.  It may be that the Romans had heard doctrines that differed from those of this letter, and tlhat's why His great concern for them had driven him to expound the truth very fully in this letter.  It would be their best defense against whatever false views they might be hearing.

But no matter what the background - Paul urges these Roman Christians to completely avoid any who would cause division by teaching anything contrary to what he is now teaching them.  In other words, They were to avoid those who don't teach the total depravity of man, the entire inadequacy of law righteousness for salvation, justification by grace alone through faith alone, the need of sanctification through the Spirit, the free, uninfluenced choice God makes of each and every one who should be saved, the wonderful result through this Gospel of a beautiful new Israel of God - the Church - as the means for perfecting God's people, the need for a truly Christian relationship to civil government, and, finally, a truly loving relationship to "weaker" brothers and sisters in Christ.

These are essentials, and any who don't teach them, or who teach contrarily, must be avoided, because they are the ones who will cause the real divisions in the Church.  Divisions are not caused, he implies, by teaching even the most complex doctrine – if it's the truth.  Paul seeks unity – but on the basis of solid Christian doctrine - not on the basis of compromise for the sake of peace.

We need the right kind of unity today as well.  Paul makes it quite evident that unity is of tremendous importance.  But he makes it just as clear that78 it has to be unity that doesn't "tone down" doctrine for the sake of some kind of "peace." Our Lord's apostle is here telling us that our unity must never be upon any other basis than God's inspired doctrine.

And there truly is a danger.  Paul says, "For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly . . ."  In saying this he's referring to false teachers, and of course many guesses have been made about the meaning of "their own belly."  It may be referring to financial gain to those who might come in, draw off some disciples, and receive their financial support.

But I believe we should view it more broadly to mean, simply, "their own benefit"  - no matter what specific benefit it might be.  The meaning, then, is that such persons, whether or not they are themselves fully aware of their own motives and tendencies, use any means they can to gain approval, support, or any other such "benefit."

Such persons aren't concerned to glorify the Lord.  They may very well sound as though that's their purpose - and they may even promise to "do it better" - but two things give them away: their doctrine always differs from what Paul has taught in this letter, and what they say doesn't center around Jesus Christ.  We must always conclude that any doctrine that doesn't exalt Jesus Christ is not His Gospel.

So our Lord's apostle wants God's people to avoid those who are false teachers.  So we need to ask, what's the best way to do this?  He says we can do it by "taking heed to ourselves."  In other words, we mustn't try to combat false doctrine by focussing attention on those responsible for it, but we need to focus on ourselves!  If we're fully steeped in the truth, we won't fall into error.  Dear brothers and sisters, we need to quit being "weaklings in the faith" who avoid doctrine at any price!

He makes clear his precise meaning when he says, " . . . be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil."  Concentrate, in other words, on the truth and its application to your Christian lives.  Don't make the mistake of concentrating on the false teachers and their errors.  What you and I need is to be entirely filled with the truth of God's Word!  That's the best defense against being persuaded by smooth words and flattering speech.  In that way we can stand, and we can glorify our Lord.

The apostle delivers an encouraging promise to us if we will do this.  He says, "And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly."  The point of this wonderful encouragement is that the real conflict is not ours but God's.  He is in conflict with false teachers because their false teaching is inspired by Satan, and the promise of Genesis 3:15 is that God will bring all of it to an end by crushing Satan under the feet of Christ and His people at the last day.  Dear brothers and sisters - that Day is coming! 

Leave it to Him.  Focus on Him.  If you are focussing upon Him, and upon His Word, you can successfully persevere until that last day!  That's why he finally says to these Romans, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."  That grace will keep us.

Let's apply this exhortation to ourselves.  Let's be very, very concerned for loving unity and peace.  But let's base it on the solid rock of true, God-inspired doctrine!


Chris & Margit Saunders

Yes bro,, try judging a figure in the church today and you might get told -"touch not the Lord's anointed!!"
"Dont judge!"
But we are told to weigh and judge our teachers and preachers, to make sure their doctrine is founded on the Rock.
Phewwwwwwwww. :)
The " Lord's anointed", eg.  king Saul was anointed by Samuel at God's direct command, I guess today that anyone true or false could say he was God's anointed.
No wonder we are told to test the spirits, so many deceiving spirits are loose in the church now, be on guard.

Al Moak

#2
The Lord's annointed does the Lord's work in the Lord's power and with the Lord's success.  All others do their own works, in their own power (or lack thereof), and their successes (when there are any) don't glorify God, but only man.  So you're right - we need to be on guard and to test the spirits.