Romans 15:14-16

Old Testament: Psalm 118:19-27

New Testament: Romans 16:17-27

 

  1. Well, here we are at the final sermon in the book of Romans. Number 13 of 13.
    1. Could be a weird one. . .I golfed yesterday :~)
    2. I, for one, will be a little sad to leave the Letter to the Romans. Am I delusional, because I am up here, or has this been a great series?
  2. Well, what about the end of chapter 15 and chapter 16? Why preach on a list of names?
    1. Because we will glean one final, lovely insight about this man Paul. And it is Paul who wrote this inspired book. To understand the man is a great insight into the book. Don’t you just love that God did not take people out of the mix? That he did not turn them into dictation robots? Ok, that would be pretty cool :~) but, he didn’t, so each letter is fragrant with the scent of its author. There lives, their joy, their pain is all included in the text. We miss a lot when we miss the man behind the text.
  3. Prayer
  4. The Man
    1. We already know a lot about Paul, we know he is Roman citizen, born in Tarsus to a pious family, Hebrew of Hebrews, from tribe of Benjamin
    2. Pharisee, as to the law, faultless. Student of the great teacher Gamaliel
    3. Persecutor of the Church, sanctioned the stoning of Stephen
    4. Redeemed and commissioned on the road to Damascus
    5. By this point Older and bolder. Paul has spent the past 10-years (from 47-57) in intense missionary activity throughout the territories along the rim of Aegean Sea, planting churches at Iconium, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, and Ephesus and in towns all throughout these regions.
    6. It is late in the winter of 57 AD and he is in Corinth staying at the home of Gaius planning a missionary journey to Spain. And “somewhat apprehensively” (15:31) planning a trip first to Jerusalem to deliver the offering collected for the saints.
      Unfortunately, Paul’ misgivings will are founded and a few days after his arrival he was charged before Roman officials at Judaea. Sent to Rome where he spends the next couple of years under house arrest, free to take guests and propagate the gospel. It is uncertain if he ever reaches Spain, but it is certain that a few years later he is lead outside the city on the road toward Ostia and beheaded.
    7. Needless to say Paul made his mark. For heavens sake we are studying one of his letters 2000 years later. But I think chapter 16 will reveal another side to this great scholar.
    8. He had friends. I know seems like an easy thing to say. But seriously, Paul was a friend maker. And his friends crossed every ancient world boundary you can imagine. Furthermore, I would suggest that another mark of a man may the kind of friends he keeps.
    9. Look how he starts this chapter. . .
    10. The people Paul knew

                                                               i.      Phoebe

1.      Cenchrea is Corinth. Remember he is writing from Corinth

2.      A woman. You know of the 26 names in this list 9 are women? Paul is often associated with misogynistic ideologies. Paul was actually way ahead of his time. He lifted women up to equal fellows.

3.      He had a woman carry his letter and places her at the beginning of his list on honorees.

4.      He calls her a deaconess, and official servant of the church

    1. Prisca and Aquila

                                                               i.      Jewish Couple

                                                             ii.      Also Tentmakers from Corinth who lived in Rome.

                                                            iii.      Won Apollos to Christ, great preacher of North Africa, disciple of John the Baptist

                                                           iv.      These are dear friends of Paul

                                                             v.      NIV says Priscilla, but the text says Prisca, a nickname – a gentle sign of familiarity.

                                                           vi.      Again a women’s name first, against protocol

    1. In their house, persecuted church
    2. Mary
    3. Epenetus

                                                               i.      Here a Greek name

                                                             ii.      Asia = Turkey

                                                            iii.      Notice how the citizens of Rome came from everywhere

    1. Adronicus and Junias

                                                               i.      Relatives  -likely brother sister

                                                             ii.      Met in prison

                                                            iii.      Paul has done a lot of prison time and has met some of his best friends there!

                                                           iv.      Many met in prison

    1. Stachys

                                                               i.      A slave name! A few names in this culture are reserved for slaves. So here Paul greets a slave friend

1.      Women, Missionaries, Foreign Greeks, Prisoners, Slaves. This is quite a list Paul is building

    1. Apelles

                                                               i.      Possibly an actor – approved in the Lord.

    1. Aristobulus

                                                               i.      This does not indicate that the relative of Herod Agrippa I is a Christian but rather his servants – “Belong to the Household.” Not “of.”

    1. Herodian
    2. Narscissus

                                                               i.      Another woman

                                                             ii.      Apparently everyone in her house is a friend

    1. Tryphena and Tryphosa

                                                               i.      Slaves and women

    1. Persis

                                                               i.      Named after her home Persia. Another foreigner

    1. Rufus

                                                               i.      We know from Matt. 15 that this is Rufus the son of Simeon of Cyrene, who carried Jesus cross. Wow, what a connection! Paul and the boy who watched his father carry Jesus’ cross.

                                                             ii.      It says his other like a mother to Paul, and now the wife too takes in Paul, which paints a tender picture.

    1. Hermes and Hermas are more slave names
    2. Then in verse 21, the inner circle sends their greetings. Timothy and Lucius, Jason and Sosipater. Even Tertius, his amanuenses, his secretary, writes his greeting. Apparently, he knows many of these people as well.

                                                               i.      You know, Paul clearly had bad eyesight and papyrus was expensive. You remember at the end of Galatians that he remarks how large the letters are in his own hand. I like to think that he eyes were fine before Damascus, but carried a reminder of his conversion. Pure speculation.

    1. Then Gaius, his host
    2. And finally Erastus and Qaurtus, the first being a Public Roman Official!
  1. WHAT A LIST!
    1. From slave to aristocrat, ex-cons, homeowners and missionaries, men and women, Jew and Greek, locals and distant foreigner. Paul had friends. I seriously doubt I could compile a similar list. Certainly not one with similar economic, sociological diversity. I know my father could. It is one of the things that has driven me mad and made me respect him deeply. Doesn’t it just round off the picture? For heavens sake, Paul had never even been to Rome! When he does get there we know that he becomes great friends with Casers court.

                                                               i.      We can all take a lesson from Paul, derived from this list:

1.      Be genuinely interested. Do just say you are. When you say you will pray – pray. Paul often ends with praying for those he loves.

2.      Remember names. Notice it does not say greet that one guy, the slave of Urbanus.

3.      Purpose to make friends outside your circles. Love the broken and hurting and do not spurn the wealthy.

  1. The Proposal
    1. Well, this great man had a great message for the churches in Rome and by God, to an audience he could not even imagine. Anchored in verse 17 of chapter 1.
    2. Short and sweet, these 31 words radically revolutionize world religious thought.

                                                               i.      There is a complete redemption with the one true God - provided by the one true God; that is not dependant on your merit, but simply on your faith.

                                                             ii.      An idea that continues to fly in the face of EVERY OTHER RELIGION IN THE WORLD Your salvation, Right relationship and perseverance in that relationship is completely based on Jesus’ merit.

                                                            iii.      I remind you that Christianity is the sole proprietor of Salvation by Grace.

1.      I watched a special this week on the status of Islam in Pakistan, and I was once again struck with the magnitude of works righteousness faith. It is a real enslavement. I quote one Mullah’s response to someone asking question about why all music was forbidden. The Mullah answered not with Koran, but rather with the following proverb. One man will be on his way to Heaven then because of one tiny sin will miss heaven by a hairs width and go to hell. Another man on his way to hell will because of one small act make it to heaven on the breadth of a hair. Do you really want to risk it he says? Then he figures the argument won. The one asking the question leaves discouraged. Quite plainly, Allah will honor the one who deserves honor. But Paul argues. . .

  1. The Easy Point of Romans
    1. No one deserves Honor. Because God is truly all holy, simple ceremony to not erase your sins against him. He is timeless and no one is perfect, even if they are good. All people, Jew and Gentile, Arab alike, law abiding and grievously wicked, man women and child alike are hopelessly lost before the almighty God.
    2. But the selfsame God, out of great love, and in his righteous demand for justice, came as a man himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, and by his obedience and resurrection has provided for the total justification of all who believe.
    3. Consequently, the redeemed have a new relationship with sin and life. They are dead to the condemnation and enslaving power of sin and have inherited a New Life in Christ.
    4. This of course, creates a great war within the “saved person” against the old sin habits and desires of “the flesh” or fallen humanity
    5. But do not worry over the struggle either! Remember there is no condemnation is Christ Jesus. For we have been imparted a New, overwhelming and victorious Power in the person of the Holy Spirit, God who literally dwells within us.
    6. Therefore let us live lives of worship, in right relationship and right living with everyone, including the government and especially fellow believers. And let Love be the Hallmark of Christianity. For it is in Love that we have been redeemed for the fulfillment of God’s justice.