Romans 16:1-16, 21-24

Well, good morning. Let me invite you to take your copy of God's Word and join me in Romans chapter 16.

Romans 16 · chapter mention

! Romans chapter 16.

Romans 16 · chapter mention

Romans chapter 16. Our text for today is Romans 16 verses 1 through 16 and verses 21 through 24.

Romans 16 · chapter mention Romans 16:1–16

As we begin to consider chapter 16, we find ourselves coming to the beginning of the end of this glorious letter.

I find in myself a bit of joy. It is always nice to complete a large task, and I am anticipating our next study.

And I find in myself a bit of sadness, as I have really enjoyed preaching and hearing preached and studying and preparation this wonderful text.

I have chose today to lead us in thinking about the first 16 verses of chapter 16 and those additional three verses,

four verses, 21, 22, 23, and 24, because they contain all of Paul's concluding remarks concerning Christian people.

He has a following warning as well as a doxology at the end, but this is all of that Christian people address found in these verses.

These 19 or maybe 20, if my count was wrong there, verses mention 35 people by name,

as well as the mention of groups of Christians in households and companions to people mentioned by name.

This text is the longest such list in the New Testament, and it begs the question,

what do we do with these kinds of verses?

Often we read right past them as we're coming to the close or even in the opening sometimes of epistles.

What do we do with them when we're given the task of preaching verse by verse through a text of Scripture?

When I preach before the reading of the text for the sermon, I say,

Beloved, this is God's Word to us, written for His glory and our good.

We would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.

I do so as a means of drawing your attention to the weightiness of the task before us

and to remind us of what we intend to accomplish together.

It's no small deal to open up the Bible together and consider it each Lord's Day.

However, we do not see any clearly expressed promises in today's verses.

Neither do we see any clearly expressed commands.

So what do we do with it?

We do believe that this is an inspired text.

It has God as its author.

However, the inspiration of the Bible does not mean that God didn't use the culture and language and experience and personality of the human author of the text.

Today's text is the place that we see this most readily.

Paul was a real man, carried along by the Spirit in the writing of this letter to real people.

There's a real context in which he's writing.

That doesn't minimize the fact that it is God's Word for us today,

but it needs to be understood in that light.

Paul, in this closing chapter, who we see as giving dictation to a man named Tertius,

expresses his affection and the affections of his companions for the Christians in Rome.

I love these verses and names that are in these verses.

So let's read together.

Romans 16, verses 1-16, and then I'll jump to 21-24.

Romans 16:1–16

But before I do, let me remind you, beloved,

that this is God's Word to us,

written for His glory and our good.

And so we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises

and obey its commands.

I'm going to let you know before I read

that the way I pronounce all of these names

is not the official pronunciation,

and you should not quote me.

In fact, they're probably wrong the way I pronounce them,

but I'm going to do my very best.

So here we go.

Romans 16, verse 1.

Romans 16:1

I commend to you our sister Phoebe,

a servant of the church at Kincrea,

that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints

and help her in whatever she may need from you,

for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.

Greet Prissa and Akilah,

my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,

who risked their necks for my life,

to whom not only I give thanks,

but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well.

Greet also the church in their house.

Greet my beloved Epinetus,

who was the first convert to Christ in Asia.

Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.

Greet Andernicus and Junia,

my kinsmen and fellow prisoners.

They are well known to the apostles,

and they were in Christ before me.

Greet Ampliatus,

my beloved in the Lord.

Greet Urbanus,

our fellow worker in Christ,

and my beloved Stachys.

Greet Appelus,

yep, not Apples,

Appellus,

let's try that,

who is approved in Christ.

Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus.

Greet my kinsmen,

Herodian.

Greet those in the Lord

who belong to the family of Narcissus.

Greet those workers in the Lord,

Trephana and Trephosa.

Greet the beloved Persis,

who has worked hard in the Lord.

Greet Rufus,

chosen in the Lord,

also his mother,

who has been a mother to me as well.

Greet Asencritus,

Phlegon,

Hermes,

Petrobus,

Hermas,

and the brothers who are with them.

Greet Philologus,

perhaps,

Julia,

Nereus,

and his sister,

and Olympus,

and all the saints who are with them.

Greet one another with a holy kiss.

All the churches of Christ greet you.

Timothy,

my fellow worker,

greets you.

So do Lucius,

and Jason,

and Sosipater,

my kinsmen.

I,

Tertius,

who write this letter,

greet you in the Lord.

Gaius,

who is host to me

and to the whole church,

greets you.

Erastus,

the city treasurer,

and our brother,

Cordus,

greet you.

Most of these people's names

are found only in this place,

and we know very little

about them.

We know Prissa,

or Priscilla,

and Achilla in verse 3.

We read about them in Acts 18,

and know that they were tent makers

that Paul stayed with

in Corinth.

They now find themselves

in Rome.

We can be fairly certain

that the Rufus of verse 13

is the one mentioned

in Mark 15 and verse 21.

There it says,

and they compelled a passerby,

Simon of Cyrene,

who was coming in from the country,

the father of Alexander and Rufus,

to carry his cross.

So the one who carried

the cross of Christ,

it's most probable

that this is his son.

Otherwise,

why would Mark have mentioned

him being the father

of Alexander and Rufus?

Of course,

we know the Timothy

of verse 21.

So Cepater,

whose name is also mentioned

in verse 21,

is likely the Sopater

of Acts 20,

who meets Paul at Troas

after he left Ephesus.

If so,

he was one of the Bereans

who were more noble

than those in Thessalonica,

who received the word

with all eagerness,

examining the Scriptures daily

to see if these things

were so,

many of whom believed.

That's found in Acts 17.

But the rest of these names

are unknown elsewhere.

So no mention anywhere else

in the text.

There is some evidence

based on the actual names themselves

that some of them

may have been related to Paul,

that some served

in a noble's house,

that others were slaves,

but none of this is sure.

It's on some level

just some conjecture.

What we can be sure of, though,

is that Paul loved them.

And that's what's so cool

about this list of names.

These 35 people

mentioned by name

plus some others

who were around them.

Paul used expensive

writing material

to send this tome

of theological excellence

to the church in Rome,

and he spared no expense

to take the space

to mention

these beloved Christians

by name.

And you might think,

well, he had some extra room

on the papyrus,

so he thought,

I might as well

greet some others.

But they used writing material

in this day.

He would have been

doing them a service

to send them

extra writing material

that he hadn't written on.

They could cut it up

and use it for something else.

It was extremely expensive.

And so Paul,

by the power of the Spirit,

thought it important

to take the time

to write down

these people,

for them to be commended

and greeted.

The Greek word

translated greet

is a good translation

of that word.

But it does mean

more than just say hi.

Somehow we use the term

in that way often.

It's so much more than that.

It carries with it

the meaning of

welcoming,

enfolding,

or embracing.

And so we can imagine

that Paul is saying,

give so and so

a great hug from me.

He is affectionate

for these people.

Why is it that he is

so affectionate?

Note what Paul mentions

of them.

He calls one a sister,

others brothers,

servants,

saints,

a patron,

fellow workers

in the Gospel,

the church,

the very people

that Christ died for,

first convert,

likely under his ministry,

kinsmen,

fellow prisoners,

beloved,

approved in Christ,

chosen,

and a mother

to me.

All of these people

are dear to Paul

because they are all

recipients of God's grace

and pictures of God's grace

as they have supported

and labored alongside Paul

for the sake

of the Gospel.

These are

Christocentric relationships

that Paul

is expressing to us here.

I think we can most

readily draw

application from today's text

at this point

in two ways.

He asks,

what do we do

with a text like this?

I think right here,

on the forefront,

let me give to you,

I think,

two applications

of a text like this.

First,

we,

like Paul,

ought to know

people

by name

and not just

vaguely know them,

right,

not be able to just

run down a list

or point at a person

and know their name,

but know

who they

are.

Know how God

has shown them

grace in Christ

and how God

is using them

to love

and serve the church

and share

the Gospel.

We should know people

and we have a limited

capacity for that.

We don't have to know

all people,

but we should

know people

and I don't think

we should think

that Paul had

some special gift

for names

as we read

a text like this.

But he was affectionate

towards these people,

right?

They were in his heart

and he wanted

the church in Rome

to be sure

that these people

knew

that he was thinking

about them.

We are a part

of a family

of faith.

That church

that is invisible,

that we can't see,

that's spread across

the entirety

of the world

today

and throughout

time.

We couldn't

possibly know

the names

of all those people,

but we do have

a group.

We're gathered

together this morning

that we could

start that work

of knowing people

and knowing

how it is

that God

has been gracious

to them

and how it is

that they are

working by His grace

in the world

in which they live.

This is why

Paul encourages

greet one another

with a holy kiss.

It was culturally

normative to greet

a family member

in this day

by kissing them

on the forehead

or the cheek.

And the early church

had adopted the practice

as many of its members

were estranged

from their families.

They had adopted them

into the life

of the church.

They were saying

to one another,

we are in Christ.

Because of our faith

in Christ,

we are a family.

And this practice

had become known

as a holy kiss.

I know he's talking

about there.

Treat each other

as family

is what Paul

is encouraging here.

So don't kiss me

on the forehead

or the cheek

next Sunday.

But treat me

as family.

And there are other ways

we do familial things

together,

are there not?

We ought to be

thankful for one another

and recognize

that when we see

or think of one another,

that we are beholding

some measure

of God's grace.

Consider that

as we gather together.

A way that we are served

when we gather

as a church

is to look around

at people

who as far as we know

have been saved

by the grace

and mercy

of our God.

What a wonderful thing

that we face to face

can see people

and shake hands

and give hugs

and be reminded

that God is saving

a people

for his glory.

Do you want

to be encouraged

that our God

is kind-hearted

toward you?

I need that encouragement.

Pay attention

to how gracious

he is

to his people.

Stop for a moment

and think that maybe

the gospel

isn't powerful.

Well,

think about the way

the gospel

has been powerful

in the life

of others.

There are manifold

examples of that

in the life

of a local church.

So we ought to know

people

and know how it is

that God is working

in them

and through them.

Secondly,

we,

like Paul,

ought to recognize

that God

is advancing

his kingdom

through

lots

of people.

Paul the apostle,

right?

the apostle

to the Gentiles

is recognizing

that this church

in Rome

is about this work

itself,

right?

And that there are

people who are

carrying it out

by the grace of God.

If you are a leader

in any measure,

this should humble you

as a reminder

that God

doesn't

need you.

There's a list

of people

here in Romans 16

that God

is using,

right,

on top of

the ministry

of Paul.

It should humble us.

God doesn't

need us.

He's going to

accomplish his task

with or without

us.

If you don't

know how to fit

into the life

of a church,

you don't feel

like you're useful,

this should embolden

you as a reminder

that God

uses people

of various

gifting

and means

to accomplish

his purposes.

seemingly

insignificant

people

doing seemingly

insignificant

things

is most

normally

the way

that God

brings about

his reign

in the hearts

of his people.

It doesn't

feel like a big

deal

week in

and week out

to gather

with the church.

I'll say to you

honestly,

it doesn't feel

like a big deal

week in

and week out

to prepare

and to

preach

sermons.

I have the

stage right now,

everything happening

in this church

in a temporal

sense.

I'm doing it

at the moment

and yet

I've been doing

it for a lot

of years.

This sermon

doesn't feel

to me

to be significant

in any way

whatsoever.

It's just another

sermon in a line

of sermons,

but we have

seen the way

God uses

seemingly

insignificant

things to

accomplish

significant

things in

the hearts

of his people.

And so we

press on

and we do

the thing

that God

has given

us

to do.

So there's

this beautiful

thing going

on that God

is building

his kingdom

and he's

doing it

with lots

and lots

and lots

of people.

We see an

example of

that here

at the

beginning

of chapter

16.

I want you

to notice

and pay

special attention

to the

Christ-centered

nature of

how Paul

speaks

about these

people.

Here are

just a

handful

examples

if you

look at

the text.

In verse

2,

Paul says,

welcome her,

speaking of

Phoebe,

in the

Lord.

As a

Christian

sister.

Verse

3,

my

fellow

workers,

Prissa and

Akilah,

in Christ

Jesus.

Verse

5,

the

first

convert

to Christ

in the area

that's now

known as

Turkey.

Verse

7,

they were

in

Christ

before

me.

Verse

8,

my

beloved

in

the

Lord.

Verse

9,

my

fellow

workers

in

Christ.

Verse

10,

a palace

who is

approved

in

Christ.

Verse

11,

greet

those

in

the

Lord.

Verse

12,

greet

those

workers

in

the

Lord.

Verse

13,

Persis

who has

worked

hard

in

the

Lord.

Verse

14,

Rufus

chosen

in

the

Lord.

So we

see this

layered

up

language

of

Christ

sinness

as

Paul

speaks

about

these

people.

When

we feel

deeply

the

realities

of

the

gospel,

we

will

love

God's

people.

Now

I say

feel

deeply

because

many

of

us

have

a

lot

of

mental

knowledge.

We

can

carefully

articulate

the

doctrines

of

grace.

Many

of

you

could

have

taught

us

through

the

book

of

Romans.

I

am

quite

sure.

But

if

these

doctrines

don't

permeate

our

hearts

and

inform

our

every

thought

and

action

and

emotion,

then

we

have

failed

to

understand

them

rightly.

Jesus

tells

us,

in

John

13

and

verse

35,

by

this

all

people

will

know

you

are

my

disciples.

We

ought

to

be

really

paying

attention

to

what

Jesus

is

saying.

By

this

thing

I'm

about

to

tell

you,

all

people

will

know

you

are

my

disciples.

If

you

can

articulate

the

doctrines

of

grace,

it's

not

what

follows

that

statement.

It's

not

what

he

says.

I'm

not

saying

it's

not

important,

for

one

another.

So all

of that

doctrine

that is

so

incredibly

important

should

be

leading

us

to

this

place.

And I

love

chapter

16

because

Paul

expresses

this

great

affection

and

love

for

the

church

and

then

it

ends

with

the

doxology,

his

praise

of

God.

It's

where

all

of it

should

lead.

Recall

that Paul

spent

the first

11

chapters

of this

letter

carefully

outlining

how it

is that

we are

accepted

by

God.

We are

justified

by grace

alone

through

faith

alone

in the

person

and

work

of

Jesus

Christ

alone.

And now

having been

accepted

by God

what a

life of

faith

looks like

and what

the

doctrine

of

justification

means

for the

nations.

That's

where we

end

chapter

11.

The

beginning

in

chapter

12

he gives

specific

application

with a

particular

emphasis

on

Christian

love.

He

makes

statements

like

Romans

Romans 13:8

13

verse

8

no

one

anything

except

to

love

each

other

for

the

one

who

loves

another

has

fulfilled

the law.

I

love

these

verses

chapter

16

and

names

therein

because

Paul

is not

just

telling

us

how

we

ought

to

feel

toward

one

another

but

he

is

modeling

it

for

us.

Here

he's

not

just

saying

you

ought

to

love

others

he's

actually

showing

us

that

he

loves

others.

It's

so

good

to see

it

on

display

in

this

way.

All

of

the

things

that

Paul

is

taught

in

this

letter

lead

him

to

these

affections

and

ought

to

do

the

very

same

for

us.

So

I

want

to do

something

a bit

different

at this

point.

If you're

interested

I would

encourage

you to

read

some

of

it.

There's

some

good

guesses

about

who

these

people

actually

were.

The

character

of each

of them

is

pretty

plain.

You can

read

through

there

and

see

the

way

Paul

is

showing

us.

These

are

people

worth

emulating

for what

we can

know

about

them.

We

could

spend

some

time

talking

about

Phoebe

and

the

nature

of

what

Paul

means

and

calling

her

a

servant

of

the

church.

But I

think

that's

best

for

another

time.

I

have

given

to

you

the

application.

First

we

ought

to

know

God's

people

by name

and be

thankful

God's

grace.

And

secondly

we

ought

to

recognize

that

God

uses

people

many

of

them

for

the

advance

of

his

kingdom.

So

what

are

we

to

do

with

the

rest

of

our

time?

I

think

we

could

stop

at

that

point.

I

think

the

text

has

been

lead

us

through

a

reading

of

Paul's

letter

to

the

Romans.

I

have

made

this

case

that

this

is

his

conclusion

how

did

he

get

here

doctrinally?

As

we

prepare

ourselves

to

finish

our

study

of

Romans

in

the

coming

weeks

let's

be

reminded

of

the

glories

that

it

contains.

Let's

consider

what

Paul

lays

out

that

builds

the

foundation

for

his

affectionate

closing

words.

Now

to read

this

letter

in

its

entirety

would

take

about

an

hour

and

we're

not

going

to

do

that.

So I

have

abridged

it

for our

remaining

time.

I

made

choices.

Don't

be mad

at me

about

my

choices.

Please

don't

come

ask me

why I

left

one

thing

out

and not

another.

I

did the

best I

could

to

work

through

the

letter

and give

the

summary

of it.

You'll

find

there

will

be

full

chapters

read

because

I

can't

not

read

some

of

these

chapters

together

and

some

things

that

will

definitely

be

bounced

across.

But my

hope,

my prayer

for us

this morning

is that

we'll see

the beauty

of all

this

doctrine

and

where

it

leads

us.

So I'm

going to

begin

in chapter

1 and

verse 1.

So if you'll

join me

there,

chapter 1

and verse

1.

and I'm

going to

conclude

at chapter

15 and

verse 9

and I

will give

you

instruction

as I

proceed.

So be

ready to

jump and

skip with

me as

we move

through

this.

Romans

Romans 1 · chapter mention

chapter

1 and

verse 1.

Paul,

a servant

of Christ

Jesus,

called to

be an

apostle,

set apart

for the

gospel of

God,

which he

promised

beforehand

through his

prophets

and the

holy

scriptures,

concerning

his son

who was

descended

from David

according to

the flesh

and was

declared to

be the

son of

God

in power

according

to the

spirit

of

holiness

by his

resurrection

from the

dead,

Jesus

Christ,

our

Lord,

through

whom we

have

received

grace

and

apostleship

to bring

about

the

obedience

of

faith

for the

sake

of his

name

among

all

the

nations,

including

you who

were called

to belong

to Jesus

Christ.

To all

those in

Rome,

who are

loved by

God

and called

to be

saints,

grace to

you and

peace from

God our

Father and

the Lord

Jesus

Christ.

First,

I thank my

God through

Jesus Christ

for all of

you,

because your

faith is

proclaimed in

all the

world.

For God is

my witness,

whom I serve

with my

spirit in

the gospel

of his

Son,

that without

ceasing I

mention you

always in

my prayers,

asking that

somehow by

God's will

I may now

at last

succeed in

coming to

you.

For I

long to

see you,

that I

may impart

to you some

spiritual gift

to strengthen

you,

that is,

that we

may be

mutually

encouraged by

each other's

faith,

both yours

and mine.

I do not

want you to

be unaware,

brothers,

that I have

often intended

to come to

you,

but thus far

have been

prevented,

in order that

I may reap

some harvest

among you as

well as among

the rest of

the Gentiles.

I am under

obligation both

to Greeks

and to

barbarians,

both to the

wise and to

the foolish,

so I am

eager to

preach the

gospel to

you also

who are in

Rome.

For I am

not ashamed

of the

gospel,

for it is

the power

of God

for salvation

to everyone

who believes,

to the Jew

first and

also to the

Greek.

For in it

the righteousness

of God

is revealed

from faith

for faith,

as it is

written,

the righteous

shall live

by faith.

For the wrath

of God

is revealed

from heaven

against all

ungodliness

and unrighteousness

of men,

who by their

unrighteousness

suppress the

truth.

For what can

be known

about God

is plain to

them,

because God

has shown it

to them.

For his

invisible attributes,

namely his

eternal power

and divine

nature,

have been

clearly perceived

ever since the

creation of the

world and the

things that have

been made.

So they are

without excuse.

For although

they knew God,

they did not

honor him as

God or give

thanks to him,

but they became

futile in their

thinking,

and their

foolish hearts

were darkened.

Claiming to be

wise,

they became

fools,

and exchanged

the glory of

the immortal

God for images

resembling mortal

man and birds

and animals

and creeping

things.

Therefore God

gave them up

in the lust

of their hearts

to impurity,

to the dishonoring

of their bodies

among themselves,

because they

exchanged the

truth about God

for a lie,

and worshipped

and served the

creature rather

than the creator,

who was blessed

forever.

Amen.

For this reason

God gave them

up to dishonorable

passions.

For their women

exchanged natural

relations for those

who were contrary

to nature,

and the men

likewise gave up

natural relations

with women

and were consumed

with passion

for one another,

men committing

shameless acts

with men

and receiving

in themselves

the due penalty

for their error.

And since they

did not see fit

to acknowledge God,

God gave them

up to a debased

mind to do

what ought not

be done.

They were filled

with all manner

of unrighteousness,

evil,

covetousness,

malice.

They are full

of envy,

murder,

strife,

deceit,

maliciousness.

They are gossips,

slanderers,

haters of God,

insolent,

haughty,

boastful,

inventors of evil,

disobedient to parents,

foolish,

faithless,

heartless,

ruthless.

Though they know

God's righteous decree

that those who practice

such things deserve

to die,

they not only do them,

they give approval

to those

who practice them.

Therefore you have

no excuse,

O man,

every one of you

who judges.

For in passing judgment

on another

you condemn yourself

because you,

the judge,

practice the very

same things.

We know that

the judgment of God

rightly falls on those

who practice such things.

Do you suppose,

O man,

you judge those

who practice such things

and yet do them yourself

that you will escape

the judgment of God?

Skip to verse 12.

For all who have sinned

without the law

will also perish

without the law

and all who have sinned

under the law

will be judged

by the law.

For it is not the hearers

of the law

who are righteous

before God

but the doers of the law

who will be justified.

For when Gentiles

who do not have the law

by nature do

what the law requires,

they are a law

to themselves

even though they do

not have the law.

They show that

the work of the law

is written on their hearts

while their conscience

also bears witness

and their conflicting thoughts

accuse

or even excuse them.

On that day

when according to my gospel

God judges

the secrets of men

by Christ Jesus.

Chapter 3

and verse 10.

None is righteous.

No, not one.

No one understands.

No one seeks for God.

All have turned aside.

Together they have

become worthless.

No one does good.

Not even one.

Their throat is an open grave.

They use their tongues

to deceive.

The venom of asps

is under their lips.

Their mouth is full

of curses and bitterness.

Their feet are swift

to shed blood.

In their paths

are ruin and misery.

In the way of peace

they have not known.

There is no fear of God

before their eyes.

Now we know

that whatever the law says

it speaks to those

who are under the law

so that every mouth

may be stopped

and the whole world

may be held accountable

to God.

For by works of the law

no human being

will be justified

in a sight

since through the law

comes knowledge

of sin.

But now the righteousness

of God

has been manifested

apart from the law

although the law

and the prophets

bear witness to it.

The righteousness of God

through faith

in Jesus Christ

for all who believe

for there is no distinction

for all have sinned

and fall short

of the glory of God

and are justified

by his grace

as a gift

through the redemption

that is in Christ Jesus

whom God put forward

as a perpetuation

by his blood

to be received

by faith.

This was to show

God's righteousness

because in his divine

forbearance

he had passed over

former sins.

It would show

his righteousness

at the present time

that he might be just

and the justifier

of the one

who has faith

in Jesus.

Then what becomes

of our boasting?

It is excluded.

By what kind of law?

By a law of works?

No,

but by the law

of faith.

For we hold

that one

is justified

by faith

apart from works

of the law.

Chapter 4

and verse 4.

Now to the one

who works

his wages