Paul’s Final Words
Romans 16:17-27
* September 11, 2001, is a day that will live in infamy. Everyone is aware of some of the events of that day. We know that radical Islamics took over several commercial planes to wreak havoc and death on the USA and her people. Additionally, we know that at the end of the day, almost 3000 innocent people were dead from these actions. Did you realize that Moises Rivas, 29, who was a chief at Windows on the World atop the North tower, realizing the imminent danger, called and left a message for his wife which said, “I Love you.” Melissa Harrington called her brand new husband who was asleep in San Francisco and left this message, “There’s a lot of smoke and I just wanted to let you know I love you.” On that day many took the last opportunity to give their loved one’s final words for remembrance.
* We all remember those last words of Todd Beamer’s spoken to GTE operator, “Let’s Roll”. George Washington said, “I die hard, but I’m ready to go” while another former President, Woodrow Wilson, said simply, “I am ready.” What would you like YOUR last words to be?
* Candidly, it is few people who realize that they words they are speaking will be their last. Over the years I have been present when a number of people have slipped away and many did not realize this was the end. Final words.
* Have you ever written a note, postcard, or letter only to get to the end and be stumped as to how to finish it? You know what you want to say, but because these are the last words you’ll write, you want them to be right.
* Paul comes to the end of this extended letter and, I believe, he possessed some spiritual insight into the troubles which lay ahead for the Roman church (and maybe all churches). So he attempted to give some thoughts which would help, protect, encourage, and remind them of their task.
1. The Warnings He Exposes – Paul knew (like most of us know) that, for the believer and the church, enemies abound. Jesus told us that they would hate us because they first hated Him. To read the New Testament in Toto is to understand that not all the enemies of the cross, church, and the fellowship are found “outside the church.” This is a warning about those who have “crept in” as wolves in sheep’s clothing.
a. Their Identity – The very interesting part of Paul’s warning is this; he didn’t say “if” or he didn’t say “on the chance that this happens.” Paul says, “I implore (I.E. urge, appeal to, beseech, etc) you to watch out (I.E. mark, take heed, observe, look at, watch out for, keep your eye on, etc) those who cause dissentions and pitfalls or obstacles.” It would seem that Paul says, “you know who they are, keep your eye on them.” It amazes me that scripture tells us things we seem to ignore and particularly about protecting the fellowship. The 21st century church has almost come to the concept of thinking it’s unchristian to expect believers to act like believers.
* Have you ever studied the number of places in the New Testament where we are “warned” about these people coming in to cause problems to the church? In Galatians 2, Paul writes about this very issue saying, “False brothers were smuggled in.” Can you imagine who smuggled them in? In 2 Peter 2 we read of false prophet among the people just as there will be false teacher among you. Jude tells us that certain men have come in by “stealth”.
* Paul says, “Mark those people, identify the troublemakers, & keep your eye on them.” One question is this; “How do we identify them?” The answer is in our text.
b. Their Impact – They cause dissention among the brethren, obstacles to the gospel, and offences among the community. Real believers are those who want the Gospel to be shared at all cost. They want lost people to know the Lord. This is the heart of authentic believers. Paul is saying that there will be those who are trouble makers. Watch them, identify them, and you will be able to tell them by their impact. We can return to the teachings of Jude (16) where he writes, “They are discontented grumblers, their mouths utter arrogant words, flattering people for their own advantage.” The words of Jesus always ring in our ears when He says, “You’ll know them by their fruits.” Think about that person who is at the center of every difficulty which the church faces. It seems like every time there is a problem—you know who is behind the scenes feeding the dissention. Paul says, “Based on their works ‘mark’ them. It’s kind of like teaching a class with a troublemaker in it. When you go out to recess, you don’t let that kid out of your sight. In fact;
c. Their Isolation – Paul gives us some instructions about the church troublemaker. He says, “Avoid them!” The Greek language uses a compound word for “avoid” which means, “turn one’s self away from to the point of being separated.” We need to understand that Paul showed little patience with the troublemaker. Writing Corinth (1 Corinthians 5) he says, “Turn them over to Satan,” to the Thessalonians he writes to “Keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life,” to Timothy he says, “stay away from these,” and to Titus he says, “reject the divisive man.” We can go further and quote John who says, “Do not receive this person.” Have we caught on to the message yet? Don’t play with fire. Why?
d. Their Intention – These folks do NOT serve Christ but themselves by their smooth talk and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the (watch this) unsuspecting. Paul’s warning, in a nutshell is this; some people who claim to know Christ and can talk a good game are really of the enemy and are in the church only for what they can get out of it and not what they can give or what is best for the advance of the Gospel. Be warned.
2. The Wisdom He Explains – We are told to be wise about the things of God and innocent about the things of Satan. Evidently Paul felt that these people had a good start but needed a little encouragement.
a. The Report of their Submission – The reputation of the Romans believers seemed to be that they were obedient to the faith. They were known to be so obedient that it was a reason for rejoicing. Just like your child. As a toddler, you were excited when they began to obey you. Why? Well there are a lot of reasons, one of which would be that you felt you can keep them safe and protected as well as give them the best in life. This same principle applies to you and I as believers. When we become spiritually mature enough to actually obey God’s word without question it is a day to rejoice (for all kind of reasons). When we are wise enough to obey, God is powerful enough to have people take notice even to the point of following us in obedience to Him.
b. The Reassurance of their Success – Think about the first statement of verse 20. It almost seems like an oxymoron! The “God of Peace” will “crush Satan under your feet” seems to have a contrary feel to it until we realize that Jesus came to return peace to God’s crown creation and that Satan is doing His best to destroy that peace. Again, in the shadow of Calvary Jesus said, “My peace I leave with you. Not peace like the world gives, but peace in your heart that is free from fear or trouble.” Even though the enemy is using people to bring problems in the church and your life, don’t forget that God is stronger and working to bring peace.
c. The Reminder of their Security – The last part of verse 20 is a great encouragement and reminder that God is always with you. The offer of grace is continuous. It matters not who you are or what you’ve done, it’s offered from the Throne of mercy. As Paul writes these final words, he wants his readers keep this thought with them wherever they might go. You and I are never too far from God to receive His grace. However, His grace requires a submissive, repentant, and obedient attitude. He still resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. In His grace we are secure and outside of His grace there is no security. Any type of real wisdom would call for us to know Him, to submit to, and receive Him.
3. The Warmness He Emphasizes – Think about this, Paul has already called by name over 2 dozen people, and yet, he wants to identify a few other people. Why? Because these people were “in the fight” with him. Please note, they didn’t “fight” him, but rather, were “in the fight” with Him.
a. His affection for People – Once again, Paul is naming names. These are people who are doing work with Him for the Kingdom. Were we to track out these names, we would likely discover that each one of those (like Timothy) have a personal ministry for the Lord. Ministry binds hearts.
b. His affinity with People – Did you notice that Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater are all from the same area that Paul is originally from? He calls them, “My fellow Countrymen.” I only mention this to affirm that Paul loved the people of his home. Remember, he professed Roman Citizenship and loved the people of his land. Perhaps that is why the Roman letter is the Magna Carta of all his letters. Could this be why he wanted so desperately to go to Rome and preach? Additionally, Paul allowed the scribe to offer a personal word of greeting. Paul loved people.
c. His affirmation of People – Once again, Paul’s desire was to encourage his fellow workers. Think about it; after greeting everyone with a personal greeting, Paul offers them a word of grace. And not just any grace but the grace of Jesus Christ. This is the grace which was shown to Peter, to the thief on the cross, and to Saul of Tarsus.
4. The Worship He Expresses – Paul last words serve as a model for the many people who read those words. Look at Paul’s example.
a. The Direction – His first 3 words give us clue about the direction of Paul’s worship and praise. He begins, “Now, to Him.” IF we learn and take action on no other part of this message, this part should serve to get our lives on course. There exists a laundry list of scriptures which teach us about the direction of our lives and thus, our worship. Think about the Psalms, “Speak, Shout, and Sing to God.” OR how about the New Testament which gives us words like, “Be thankful to, approved by, draw near to, submit to, and in all you do—do it as unto God.” The direction of Paul’s life is the same as the direction of His worship.
b. The Declaration – Worship comes from the heart. Look at Paul’s heart when declaring His praise toward God. It is in this that Paul declares the power of God and that He has the power to strengthen you in 3 ways; according to my gospel and proclamation about Jesus, to the revelation of the sacred secret, and to the command of the eternal God (or His own command). Beginning at his Damascus road experience and following Him through his years of ministry Paul had been a witness to the power and strength of God. Every step he took seemed to affirm this power. A life well lived is one that declares God’s power.
c. The Desire – Like no one else in the Bible, Paul is singularly focused. Look at his desire, his focus, even his purpose at the end of verse 26, “to advance the obedience of faith among the nations.” This purpose is in line which 1 Corinthians 9 where he writes, “I have become all things to all people that by all means I may save some.”
d. The Directive – Give Him glory forever!! Paul ends this letter with an old fashion “Doxology” and he says, “Let it ring!” Because Jesus lives you and I have a reason to celebrate! It is his, the, and GOD’S gospel.
According to writers Kent McDill and Melissa Isaacson, Don Calhoun worked for five dollars an hour at an office supply store in Bloomington, Illinois. He had attended two Chicago Bulls basketball games in his life, and now he was going to his third. When he strolled into Chicago Stadium, a woman who worked for the Bulls organization walked up to him and told him they were selecting him to take part in a promotional event during the game called the Million Dollar Shot.
The Shot came after a time-out in the third quarter. If Calhoun could shoot a basket standing seventy-nine feet away that means he had to stand behind the free throw line on the opposite end of the court and throw the ball three quarters of the length of the court-he would win one million dollars.
Calhoun played basketball at the Bloomington YMCA but he had never tried a shot like this before. He took the basketball in his hands and looked over at Michael Jordan and the rest of the Bulls. He could see they were pulling for him.
Calhoun stepped to the line and let fly. As soon as the basketball left his hand, coach Phil Jackson said, "It’s good." Indeed, the ball went through the basket in a swish. The stadium crowd went wild. Calhoun rushed into the arms of Michael Jordan, and the Bulls players crowded around slapping him on the back.
When Don Calhoun went home that night, he had only two dollars in his wallet, but he would receive fifty thousand dollars a year for the next twenty years of his life.
Sometimes one action, one decision, one moment can change everything for you. So it is when you choose to accept God’s Glorious Gospel and receive Christ into your life.
