I invite you to turn to Romans 16, the last chapter, and counting this one, maybe three sermons left, maybe two. I haven't decided. That sounds so short. sounds so short. Chapter 16 tonight of Romans, we'll be looking at verses 1 through 16. I think if you listen to this text carefully, how appropriate it is in light of this morning's message: Jesus' emphasis on the least of these. And so ask the question as I fumble through some of these names tonight: why are these names being mentioned? And I think that will help us toward an answer to this great passage.
This is Romans 16, 11-29, beginning at verse 1: "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Sincrea, 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 Frisca and Aquila, 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 Eponetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my 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 Statius. Greet Apellas, 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, Tryphena and Tryphosa. 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 a syncretus Phlegon, Hermes, patrobots hermos and the brothers who are with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, nerarus that's not right. I practice this. Scott Clark will correct me later. I really bugs me because i practice that name. Anyways, and olympus and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss, and all the churches of Christ greet you."
May the Lord bless the hearing of his Word. I'm sorry that I really messed that up. Nereus. Nereus is the name, okay?
Nereus is the name. Now, this is a marvelous text tonight. Tonight's passage gives us a look at how the Lord values the least of these in his kingdom. The least of these, his brethren, in his kingdom. It's fascinating to me that the first time we have the word "church" in the entire epistle is here tonight, and it's five times in chapter 16. That's remarkable. Five times in chapter 16. That's important because I made the case this morning that the great evidence of true or genuine Christianity that was contrary to the religion of the scribes and the pharisees is love for those for whom Christ died. Right? The church, which is his body. The church is the body of Christ, the body that he died for.
If there is anything we need in our day, it is a lot of teaching again on the importance of the local church. Because the church is today The state of the church is in america is not good. the numbers are not good We have been bleeding out. And I think part of that is is because we don't understand any more the importance of the local church: why we need the local church, what happens in the local church, and how God views his church, how God views his people.
Heidelberg lord say 21 what it says about the church: that Jesus, through his Spirit and Word, is gathering, protecting, and preserving for himself a community chosen in faith. And of this community, I am and always will be a living member. The Lord loves his church. The Lord loves his kingdom. And that is so beautifully captured here tonight in chapter 16.
Chapter 16 is reminding us of this and what it is all about to be a part of the body of Christ. members of the body of christ And that the goal of all this receiving of doctrine, all this training in our minds, all of this knowledge that has been given to us in the book of Romans, all of this, what we are doing is that the body would grow together in love and in service and that the gospel would continue to go out.
But you see how important all the names were to this great project? Tonight shows us how valuable each one of you are to the Lord. How valuable each one of you are to the Lord!
So what we have to say here initially is Paul is explaining and demonstrating to the church in Rome that he knows them, that he loves them, how he views the church, how he wants us to view the church, how he wants us to think about the church. Because I've noticed in my time as a pastor especially in sort of generational christianity there can become an attitude to the church. There can become a sour attitude to the church: "Oh, it's just this thing. It's like the one and sometimes hindrance in my life." That's not good. This is such an encouraging passage to show how Paul viewed the church and what is the intention with each of the individual members and how they were valued in the kingdom: to be received in love in the body of Christ and how important they were to the overall project.
That's what we've been looking at in these later chapters. And it demonstrates how we are to think about one another. Paul is doing this to encourage us to think about love, encouraging us to think about our brothers and sisters, to recognize and receive one another, to think about how we are doing that, to not be disconnected from the body.
Today we're all on the Internet and we're all islands to ourselves. No, no. We are physical body, and involvement and integration and involvement in that body is so important to him. These are the people Christ died for. And wherever his church is, all around the world gathered together, these are the people he laid down his life for.
I couldn't have put a better passage together in light of this morning's message, when Jesus says and speaks of "the least of these, my brethren." What we have, I guess you could say it dawned on me, is a sort of book of life here. Remember I mentioned the two books this morning: the book of deeds and the book of life. There's the Lamb's book of life where names are written. And you have a sort of Lamb's book of life right here, given at the end of Romans, of people who have gone before us, people who existed before us, people who are like us, people who have the same problems as us, people have the same challenges as us. We looked at the jew gentile struggle common folk common folk in the body of Christ who were purchased by the blood of the Lamb. And they're here recorded for us in Romans. And Paul is ecstatic about them.
We typically go if I were to ask for the Hall of faith to Hebrews 11. And there are great names there: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Joseph. Great names. I don't know anyone who has called this "the hall of faith" and has gone here, maybe because they'll do what I did at the beginning when they read it and butcher names. But Rufus is a great name, isn't it? I think it's a great name. I wouldn't name my kid Rufus, but I think it's a great name.
There are 24 names mentioned in this chapter: um Rufus, Junia, Mary, urbanus people we we don't know who will be with us in heaven. I like to think about who lived and existed years ago, these common folk in the life of the church who did wonderful things in Christ's kingdom. I think that's what you're struck with as you read this: wonderful things in the kingdom of Christ. And what a message this is at the beginning of Romans 16: that the heart of Christianity and the heart of the doctrine we study is not just for the elite. It's not just for elite workers.
We know they had the problem of Gnosticism in the early church. And it's not just for those who have this sort of super knowledge. It's for the least of these.
Now, Paul hadn't been to Rome. Uh, he didn't have Facebook. He didn't have X. didn't have any of these things. Um, most likely he had heard of many of these through reports, and many of them some of them here, you'll see he met on his missionary journeys and had knowledge of them and had come across them, and who were great blessings to him. But most he knew here the names of 24 people that stand out in his mind are for the good fruits in their lives. They were of great significance to the Lord and to his church.
So I want this to be an encouragement tonight, um, to think about the importance of this. And I'll come back to that in light of something that was said to me this morning after the service, that I think is really important in this regard.
When you come to Romans 16, what you have here is God's inspired record of people, and he is telling us he knows them. These are his people. He knows. This is how the Lord looks at the little people, the common people in his church the little people that nobody ever writes home about, the ones that never make it onto the national scene. You know, you have to see these big conferences, and I just saw there were all the greats, you know? John Piper and lig and Duncan, all of them on the stage. And we look with all at these people. I'm sorry, but we've got to stop this. In the kingdom of God, everything's backward! Who are the greats?
The Holy Spirit, through the apostle, wants us to share here in the joy of what God is doing in the lives of his people with things that really matter in the local church. This is the perspective of the Bible. As I said, you know, we all try to be a pastor to something bigger than us, or as pastors and we are assigned a certain place. Calvin talks about that. And if everyone didn't cross over boundaries, we wouldn't have the problems that we have today. That's right out of Calvin's Institutes.
The whole perspective of the Bible is: when God saves a sinner, the most amazing, joyful thing has happened. I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 just persons who need no repentance. And we need to be reminded of that: how heaven looks at the people who repent.
The reason I say this is because we can often and I think you'll see in the next section um i appeal to you, brothers: verse 17, watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught. Avoid them. Just stay away from these people. They're distracting What's most important is what he's saying: that you can get so caught up in ministry and all the conflicts in life and in ministry. And you can miss things. You can have fights over sometimes necessary doctrinal points. But you can live in that and miss things.
What is the danger? To forget what the goal is. It's easy to forget who all this is for. Who is all this for? It's easy for us as leaders to get caught up in all the problems, and then who do we forget? In fact, Paul's about to warn here of these divisive people. He just says, "Stay away from them. Rid them out of your life," because we can become terribly warped and sidetracked through their behavior and forget the goal. We can forget the 90 year old saint who has come to faith in Christ but is suffering. So on and so on. And so all these distractions it's easy to overlook the marvelous progress of the Spirit in the ways that we never look, in the areas that we never look, or the things that we never think about in the lives of God's people, in your lives.
And Paul's showing us what this is about tonight and not losing the goal of our service. It's for the people. It's for the people.
He had I think what comes across here is such an intense love for God's people, full of recognition that these are the people the Lord has saved. And it's amazing how he looked at people. Um, it's remarkable because, as you know, the natural sort of default way that we look at people is to pick them apart, right? And everyone has a share of their own failures. So I could pick apart you and you could pick apart me, and we could just pick each other apart all day long. It's just what we do. That's not how Paul looked at the church.
Um, all this ministering was done with a goal in mind. If you remember, in Philippians, Paul said this to to the church in Philippi: "Therefore, my beloved and longed for brethren, my joy and my crown, so stand fast in the Lord."
What he pictures there he says, "You are my crown. You are my stefanus in the in the Greek, which means a victory wreath. Paul was saying, "On that day, my very crown I get to wear is you." that you're there That's that's what I want to celebrate. That's the reward!
See, he was thinking of the day of judgment, when uh Jesus renders his righteous judgment against the world, and those whom Paul served. He will say, "I labored for them, and they're here. It's beautiful." There will be a deep sense of joy that through him God brought people into the kingdom. And that the people he labored over will be presented perfect in Christ. Colossians 1: "Spotless and radiant and clothed in white robes." And I will be able to see you presented to Christ on that day. is what he's saying so chapter 16 is this list of names recognizing who they are and what they have done. And that's important because one of you came up after the service and said, "That really struck me this morning because it's so encouraging. The pressure's off. You don't have to be great. You don't have to do all these great things for God, which is what we've been obsessed with. The pressure's off." And it's encouraging because what are the works that are celebrated? Well, it's the same kind of thing as Matthew 25.
So I want to highlight for you a bit of what Paul says about these names that had a particular impact upon him in his gospel labors, and we can apply it in the ways that we can among us.
The first is Phoebe. You'll notice and you'll notice there uh in verse one of of chapter 16 i commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church." You could just stop there. It is first time mentioned in Romans, as far as I counted and looked: first one is a woman mentioned. It's really, really beautiful. She was, you'll notice here, interesting figure. She's actually called, and this has led to a lot of dispute and discussion, she's actually called a diakonos, a deacon.
Well, that had many people debating whether there were women deacons in the early church. And I have never taken that position because of this strong commands that in positions of authority, the men are to be in the positions of authority. But I don't want to miss in saying that the common commendation she gets as a servant in helping the apostle. Right? If anything you want to take is that you'll notice in verse 2 that Phoebe was sent to the Romans for what end. She was, probably, it was probably through the hands of Phoebe that this epistle was delivered. What a work! What an amazing thing! Paul was at the port of Corinth when Romans was spoken and drafted and written. And he entrusted this epistle, most likely, to this woman who, through whose hands it was delivered. And thousands of years later, we have it.
She was a woman full of good works. She was a woman, and this is important today because there's a movement that has risen up in the church that is very hard on women, to put women in their place. And I think we need to speak positively about the service of women in the church.
There was another woman in Shoppa, a disciple named Tabitha, which is translated means dorkist. She was full of good works and acts of charity. And when she died, it devastated. It just was a blow to the church.
You have heard me say before, but in any minister's labors, there are all sorts of people. And I can say that here, just from a pastor's perspective, and even as I'm sure the elders and deacons can say, There are all sorts of servants who come along and encourage. It can begin I can't even begin to name all of the women along the way who've written notes of encouragement: "I pray for you. I bless you." I can't even begin to talk about all that. It's happened all through. I want you to know I'm so thankful for that. You are the pillars and backbones, backbone of the church's service to the needy, in the works of not knowing what the right hand, knowing what the left hand's doing, which is the works that are celebrated.
Remember, sometimes I i have wondered if, because of the women's ordination issue, that we've reacted the other way and not used enough the gifts of women in the church to encourage them to be active not in positions of authority, but to be active in service this way. And here I see it. It's a wonderful encouragement to the women of the church.
Phoebe. Imagine this: fruit of being said you are a servant and helper to your minister and church in advancing the truth of the gospel. That's what he just said. What a privilege!
Next, he mentions prisca and Aquila: "My fellow workers in christ you'll notice this who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but all the churches of the gentiles literally it's it's all the churches of the gentiles give thanks as well." Um, it's beautiful. "Risked their necks." And we all give thanks for them.
Who were Prisca and Aquila? They were a married couple, and who met Paul in Corinth. Or a kind of team. And Paul had to work there for a time, and he got to know them. And then Paul went on to Ephesus. And what happened was this couple went with him to help him in the ministry and encourage him. And when it says that they risked their necks for him, it's probably referencing in Ephesus, when he was almost killed by the mob when the riot broke out in the temple over the goddess Diana. And whatever they did, they risked their necks. They were on the front lines, helping him, identifying with him.
Now, "A certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord and, being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he only knew of the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately." And when he desired to cross Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him. And when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace. For he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
Where was he helped? Who was he helped by? This couple. God used them in a remarkable way. And he says, "I thank them, as do all the churches, for such fruit."
Greet them. And we'll come back to that. Greet them. It's if he's saying, "Recognize what's going on through these little works."
You know, my um, my father was a basketball coach for many years. And he had amazing players for many years. And without sounding boastful here, I'm going to chide myself. So I was the guy who made it into the papers. And he i remember he was the athletic director And he purchased this big scoreboard and it would put up on the scoreboard all the players and the points they were scoring during the game. What do you think I was looking at, Allgate? The scoreboard!
One day, the scoreboard didn't work. And I said, "Dad, how many points did I have today?" And he pulled me aside. I'll never forget it. He pulled me aside, hand out. And he said, "Yes, I'm turning off that board." And he said, "Who do you think you are? You scored because of the sweat and the rebounding and the picks of the no names out there. They worked hard." And then he instilled a principle in me that I think parallels ministry in so many ways: "Chris, you are as good as the players around you. Don't ever forget it."
Whatever success there is in gospel ministry does not rest on me, you see. Your service matters. You get that point? Your service matters.
That's why the apostles always demonstrated deep humility in their callings. They were in the trenches for sure. They they were helped along by God's people. The whole is the whole New testament helped along by God's lay people who seemed insignificant in the ministry. And this is why this chapter matters. But without every member understanding this, or appreciating their part, or seeing what was said to me this morning about the importance that these are the things raised on the last day see how easy the ministry would not advance without understanding these things?
Paul was in awe over every single one of those in the church for whom Christ laid down his life. And again, "Then the King will say to those on his right hand, come you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me paul paul knew that.
From all the people like this: "When did we see that? When did we do that?" And "as much as you did it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me."
Let's highlight just a few more. "Greet the beloved eponetus who was the first convert to Christ in Asia." That's amazing! What he just said was this: was one of Paul's greatest encouragements. Greet this man because he was the very first convert in Asia to the gospel, to Christ. The greatest blessing is a ministry to see people saved through in a humbling it's a Lord calls us to do. And Paul saw individual people saved, and he marveled at that. There is so something so wonderful to think about people being saved through the ministry that you had the privilege to give. From a pastor's perspective, that's one of the greatest joys.
I see what he's doing here. He greet him. He's my first fruits. I can never forget him. I can never forget him.
"Greet Mary. Greet Mary. She worked really hard. She worked really hard for you." Isn't that beautiful? What'd she do? I don't know. But she worked hard for him and for the church.
"Greet Andronikus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They're 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 Statius. How about Apellas? Approved in Christ. Greet him. He's approved in Christ."
What do you want God to what do You want to put on your tombstone? You could grab something here. It's pretty neat. Sometimes we'll just go and look at the Los Angeles Times obituaries. It's really eye-opening to see what people talk about in death of what mattered to them. Go do it. You can read obituary after obituary after obituary, and the thing that you will gather is there's nothing about faith in their lives.
How about this one: "Approved in Christ."
"Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, there's one and his mother who has been a mother to me as well."
Well, that's all. that's that's just Jesus on the cross saying to John, "Behold your mother." This is a family. See where paul's paul's heart is?
We can't go through all these, the church and the works in them. These are the least of these jesus's brethren. What would be said about us? Well, I hope it wouldn't be so and so a grumbler and a complainer," right? Wouldn't want that. Now we want to i want to remember what this is about: so and so really helped in the service of the church and kingdom and the advancement of the gospel. And they helped people. They encouraged people."
I think you can see how quickly, in these last few weeks, our brothers and sisters can be here and gone. That's what I felt. Here and gone.
"Greet one another with a holy kiss."
That was a common way of embracing in this world. What he is saying is, "I want you to greet one another in the Lord. This is your family. Not just your blood family. We should not be able to walk past our brothers and sisters and ignore them. We should not stiff people who are our brothers and sisters. Greet them. Embrace them. Encourage them, smile at them, love them, embrace them the same way you've been embraced by the Lord. Recognize what God has done in them. Recognize he christ loved these people so much he gave his blood, shed his blood for them. Receive one another. Greet one another with tender affection as members together of the glorious body of Christ."
That's um, to close this out that's the genuine religion I've been trying to emphasize today. See, it's not about us. It's about the advancement of the cause of Christ and the love of our neighbor in such a way that's sincere and real.
May God give us grace as a church to demonstrate and be a church just like this. And may we be a people who love one another and serve one another, not disconnected from one another, but in this way encourage the ministry.
For you are very important to the Lord. You matter to the Lord. He cares deeply about you, and you are his brothers and sisters in Christ. You are his adopted children.
So remember what a privilege it is to be a part of the church and love the church, love the kingdom. These are the saints for which Christ died.
Let's pray together.
Heavenly Father, thank you for this encouraging testimony tonight. This sort of hall of faith we never celebrate. We thank you for these names. For they're us. They're us. They're the common people. They were sinners just like us, delivered so many years ago. And you put their names down to encourage us of how they were a blessing in the ministry.
Thank you for this great record. May we be a people who love one another fervently with a sincere heart people who are redeemed and take all that we've learned, all this good doctrine, and care very much to see the cause of Christ advanced in the earth, beginning with loving your kingdom, oh Lord.
In jesus name we pray. Amen.