This morning we come to the final verses of Romans. Paul offers a doxology (a hymn of praise) affirming God’s power, wisdom, and glory in salvation. God is powerful to do what we cannot do for ourselves. God alone is wise to save whosoever believes on Jesus—even Gentiles! His ways are not our ways. The glory for whatever good comes from the gospel, from our faith, belongs to God alone.
Here is the doxology in Romans 16:25-27: “Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith—to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.”
The Power of the Gospel to "Reach" and "Keep"
In Romans 1:16 Paul begins this letter this letter telling us the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Now as he ends this letter he tells us that God is “able,” literally “powerful” to establish us in the gospel. What value is there to rescuing someone if you don’t also establish their footing on firm ground? What’s the value of reaching/evangelizing the masses, if we also disciple/ establish in the faith?
But here is the reality. It takes just as power to “reach” someone as it does to “keep” someone in the faith. We ought to praise God every time we reach someone for Jesus, but then we must earnestly pray that by the power of God, their feet get established on the rock solid foundation of Christ Jesus, and this gospel of grace!
Notice Paul’s language. He says, “God is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ...” What does Paul mean by “my” gospel? Some people falsely accuse him of being an egotist. What he is actually emphasizing here, is that the gospel he has been preaching now (for sixteen chapters)… stands in stark contrast to the false gospels being peddled in Rome. Paul is preaching “the mystery that has been hidden for ages past, but that has now been revealed and made known through the prophets by the command of God Himself.”
How did Paul begin Romans? He began telling us in Romans 1:2-4 how God “promised the gospel beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. Regarding God’s Son, Jesus as to his earthly life was a descendant of David. But through the Spirit of holiness he was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead. Jesus Christ our Lord.” This doxology bring us full circle to start of Romans!
In Romans 1:5 Paul declares how he received grace to “call the Gentiles to the obedience that come from faith for the sake of Jesus’ name.” What is Paul’s hope in Romans 16:27? It’s that “Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith.” The opening/closing verses are two beautiful bookends tying the whole together!
When Death Rattles Our Confidence
I have one question today. How powerfully are you established in the gospel?
Sometimes death rattles our confidence. We’ve been having too many funerals this past year at Lakeside. It’s hard to lose brothers and sisters in the Lord, even though its only for a while. It’s not like death discriminates. As believers, we are no more exempt from death then the next person. The great Apostle Paul, was subject to death. Even Jesus, the Son of God, was subject to death.
I’ve noticed how quickly we try to brush death under the rug. Someone dies, we do a quick visitation, a quick funeral, and wham-bam-boom we move on. People hardly attend funerals anymore. We barely want to acknowledge the pain, the reality, the finality, of death. Death rattles people’s confidence, they don’t want to face deal with it.
But we have this gospel. Jesus, as to his human nature was a descendant of David. But through the power of the Spirit, this same Jesus was shown to be the Son of God. He died according to the Scriptures, he was buried according to the Scriptures, and he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
It was hard to say goodbye to Dad last year. Actually, I didn’t really get to say goodbye, because death came so quickly and rudely. But Dad knew that I loved him, and I knew that he didn’t want me doing anything other than preaching. Right now, one of my friends from college is asking for prayer. Greg and I spent four years together, taking all the same Bible and preaching classes. Right when he thought his wife’s breast cancer was gone, it returned with a vengeance. They have an amazing family, their praying fervently for God’s healing.
At some point “this gospel” becomes “my gospel.” “This hope”, becomes “my hope.” The longer you live, the more relevant and the more personal our resurrection hope becomes. Death may rattle our confidence, but it doesn’t steal our confidence. Why? Because God demonstrated his power over death by Christ’s resurrection. My resurrection hope is that Jesus will through death unto eternal life. Just as Christ was raised from the grave, so I will live a new life, and Dad, and Greg, and Jill.
Do you remember what I said? I have one question this morning. How established are in you in the gospel of Jesus Christ? Maybe death has left you rattled. Why not ask God to more deeply establish your hope, in accordance with the gospel?
When Sin Rattles Our Confidence
This week the headlines have been all about Charlottesville. Just like death rattles us, sometimes sin itself leaves us shaken. Just like a funeral reminds us of the power of death, so an event like Charlottesville, reminds us of the power of sin. This week we’ve seen a vivid illustration of how far sin can progress. In service to hate, people will exchange the truth of God for a life. They will kill and maim, and teach their children to the same. The violence being done around the world in the name of Islam, was being done in our homeland under the name of Christ.
I watched an interview of a white supremacist couple by a black TV reporter. The couple could barely make eye contact with the woman, as they misquoted Scriptures, mischaracterized God as a God of hate, and described how they wanted to burn Blacks and Jews.Everyone has been on the bandwagon this week, denouncing nazi-loving, white supremacists. Even good-ole Arnold Schwarzenegger came out this week and was like, “Let’s terminate these haters… let’s annihilate these Nazis…”
Isn’t it curious to you how, in Romans, Paul makes the case to ethnic Jews that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone (including Gentiles). But now it’s as if the reverse case has to be made! The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone (including Jews). I don’t who these people are on TV. I don’t know how many alt-right, nazi, white-supremacists there are out there. Are there thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands? I “might” know one person who expresses hate like that couple… he doesn’t come around Lakeside anymore, I wouldn’t tolerate his racist rants about Obama.
In Matthew 5:43 Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” We might be tempted to hate those who hate. But isn’t the reason people hate (even in the name of Jesus) because they’ve only known hate? I saw many of you get on social media to denounce nazi-loving, white supremacists. I saw people forwarding articles that basically suggest every white person is a closet-racist.
Let me ask… how many of you spent the week praying for these people in Charlottesville? And by praying, I don’t mean praying for their annihilation. If these people consider themselves “Christians,” did you pray that by the power of God, that their blinders might be removed, that they might come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil, that they would understand/be established in, and obey the true gospel? I have to confess, I didn’t think to pray until I started to work on this sermon. But isn’t the gospel the power of God for salvation of everyone, just as much the racist, as anyone else?
Headliners versus Hypocrites
Let’s call the people in Charlottesville “Headliners.” Headliners are those people whose sin, and self-delusion, are apparent to all. The funny thing about haters is they don’t consider themselves haters. They call evil good and good evil, they are deluded. Paul tells us in Romans 1:18 how “the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” Only the gospel and sustained prayer can save a racist, a nazi. Hate will not drive out hate. Darkness will not drive out darkness. Satan will not drive out Satan.
In Romans 2, Paul addresses a far more prevalent problem than the headline of hate/racism. He spends more time speaking out against religious hypocrisy. You see, we have a funny way of acting morally outraged about sin (preaching about it, railing against it, blogging against it) while ignoring the sin in our own lives, and within our own communities. Because of our hypocrisy, we lack credibility. In Romans 2:1 Paul says, “You have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.”
Jesus had his own way of confronting hypocrisy. Once when a mob of angry men gathered to stone a woman caught in adultery, Jesus said, “Let he who is without sin be the first to cast a stone.” Later in Romans 2 Paul asks, “do you consider yourself superior because you have God’s law… do you consider yourself a guide to the blind, a light for people walking in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children… you who teach others do you teach yourselves? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? It is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
The reason headliners are headliners, is because it distracts attention away from our own hypocrisy. The more the monster we can paint someone to be, the more room we grant ourselves to continue in our own sin. Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re saying, “Hey, wait a minute. There isn’t any moral equivalency between me and those people in Charlottesville. I’m not a hater. I’m not a murderer!” People said the same thing to Jesus. Do you remember what he said? “I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
“Yea, But I go to church every Sunday.” Let’s see, what else did Jesus say? “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” … “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Granted, maybe you’re not a headliner. But could you be acting just a little bit hypocritically on this issue? Great, you’re a social media crusader. You can out-blog, out-tweet, out-instagram anyone. What are you doing about the cries of the oppressed in your own city? Who are you advocating for in the face of justice? Its pretty easy to assign labels, judge hearts, and over-generalize about entire categories of people. Who are you forgiving? Who are going to God on behalf of? Who are you reconciling?
I was really encouraged this past week, I saw a story Larry Rose posted, about a group that is bringing urban youth together with men/women in blue, to discuss their perceptions of one another. What did Jesus say? He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be children of God.” James 4:17 says, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.” Does this describe anyone here? In Paul’s view… the Romans 2 hypocritical moralizer is just as much a sinner, and needs just as much grace, as the Romans 1 headliner.
The Haughty (Proud, Self-Righteous)
In Romans 3 Paul addresses a third category of sinner—people who the Bible often calls the “haughty” or the “proud.” In Paul’s day there were people who imagined they could attain some standard of righteousness, whereby they could be declared holy, and perfect, and good apart from Christ. They pointed to their religiosity. They loved praying in front of the cameras, broadcasting their generosity with trumpets, putting on shows of sincerity, and bragging about their obedience to the law of God. Still other’s pointed to their ethnicity. They were Jews. They were blood-line descendants of Abraham.
In Romans 3:10-13, Paul lowers the gavel on the haughty when he says, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” He lowers the gavel in Romans 3:22-25 when he says, “Righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Now I hope none of you are headliners. I hope you’re not a hypocritical moralizer, imaging yourself, imaging your category of people, people of your political persuasion, people of your own race, nationality, religious persuasion to be entirely innocent of sin. I certainly hope you’re not one of the haughty, trumpeting your ethnicity, trumpeting your own self-righteousness, imaging that grace is definitely for other people but not so much for you.
The Humble
So what’s the alternative? We’ve heard from the headliners, the hypocrites, and the haughty all week long. We’ve yet to hear from the humble. The humble are those who have given up any illusion of self-righteousness, and clearly announce their need for Christ’s righteousness.
We’ve yet to hear from the humble. Those who put no confidence in their race—Jew, Gentile, White, or Black. Those who put no confidence in their nationality, their skin color, their past (slave or free), their gender (male or female). Those who put no confidence in their politics (democrat, republican, liberal, conservative). Those who put no confidence in man (I follow Paul, I follow Apollos, I follow Obama, I follow Trump, I follow a Clinton, I follow Reagan). The humble realize that there is no name/no banner given under heaven, with sufficient integrity, under which we can all truly unite, than the name of Jesus. Only Jesus was without sin. And He is the only one under whose name we can stand, while hoping to maintain even a modicum of integrity.
We’ve yet to hear from the humble. The humble realize that every single human being, without exception, only gets one deal before a holy God… and that deal is grace. The deal is stand before God on the merits of your own righteousness and melt… or stand before God by faith on the merits of Christ’s righteousness and be saved.
It’s the wisdom of God that we would ultimately trust in Christ’s righteousness not our own. It’s the wisdom of God that we would walk in obedience out of profound gratitude for God’s gift of grace, and that we’d give up any illusion of attaining righteousness apart from God’s perfect gift, Christ Jesus our Lord. It’s the wisdom of God that we would trust in God’s power to save us from sin. It’s the wisdom of the God that we would trust in God’s power to save us from death itself.
Two realities we cannot conquer in the flesh—the power of sin, and power of death. And yet what a glorious gospel we have… God is not only powerful to save us, but to establish us. And he’s not only able to save/establish us… but save/establish all who would believe (even Jews, even Gentiles, even ________).
The days are evil. We’ve yet to hear from the humble… what would Christ have you say in such a time as this?