Romans 16 God Has Overcome--Amen
The Text
Romans 16 (CSB)
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae.2 So you should welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she has been a benefactor of many—and of me also.
3 Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus,
4 who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches.
5 Greet also the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia.
6 Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews and fellow prisoners. They are noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles, and they were also in Christ before me.
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
9 Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord.
13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother—and mine.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them.
15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send you greetings.
17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them,
18 because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.
19 The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is evil.
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
21 Timothy, my coworker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow countrymen, greet you.
22 I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.
25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept silent for long ages
26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles—
27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to him be the glory forever! Amen.
Our God
Romans 16:1–16 (CSB) I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae. So you should welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she has been a benefactor of many—and of me also. Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches. Greet also the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews and fellow prisoners. They are noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles, and they were also in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother—and mine. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send you greetings.
God Has Overcome: Christ has saved us to one another
Consider these Christians in Acts 16:
- Ex-Pharisee hunter of Christians, Apostle Paul
- Greek Jewish Christian, Timothy
Acts 16:1 (CSB) Paul went on to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman, but his father was a Greek.
- Business owner, Lydia
Acts 16:14-15 (CSB) A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying. After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
- Demonic-possessed slave girl
Acts 16:16-18 (CSB) Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling. As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation, are the servants of the Most High God.” She did this for many days. Paul was greatly annoyed. Turning to the spirit, he said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! ” And it came out right away.
- Blue-collar dude, the jailer
Acts 16:27-34 (CSB) When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we’re all here! ” The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had come to believe in God with his entire household.
Congratulations, you now have a home church:
Acts 16:40 (CSB) After leaving the jail, they came to Lydia’s house, where they saw and encouraged the brothers and sisters, and departed.
Paul listed Timothy, Prisca and Aquila, Epaenetus, Mary, Andronicus and Junia, Ampliatus, Urbanus, Stachys, Apelles, Aristobulus, Herodion, Narcissus, Tryphaena and Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, Philologus, Julia, Nereus, Olympas, and the saints in Rome.
Who is on your list? Who do you get to be thankful for? Take the moment right now to give thanks to God for them.
And the next time you see them, greet them with a holy kiss and encourage them with the words of God.
Amen.
13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother—and mine.
God Has Overcome: Christ has brought us together
Mark 15:20-21 (CSB) After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple robe and put his clothes on him. They led him out to crucify him. They forced a man coming in from the country, who was passing by, to carry Jesus’s cross. He was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
Where we cannot be absolutely sure, most Bible scholars have determined that Mark's Gospel was the first gospel to be written, finished and distributed (in around 60AD). This means that Mark's (secretary of Peter) account, more than likely got into the hands of the other Gospel writers, (Matthew, Luke, and John) as well as the Apostles Paul and the writer of Hebrews.
Now why is that so important. The writing style of Mark was very action-oriented, almost a journalistic style of writing--documenting what Christ has actively done in his ministry. In other words, the actions of Christ. Think of that as a news report.
When Mark alone reports of Simon of Cyrene being forced by the Roman army to help Jesus carry his cross, he adds this tidbit: He was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
Mark mentions this because this was the same Simon, who was the father of Rufus who was doing the work of the Lord in the church in Rome in whom Paul tells them to greet. How amazing is it, that timely visit of Simon crossing paths with our Lord as he is descending unto saving his people from their sins would save Simon in that moment--then would save Simon's wife, and sons, Alexander and Rufus.
Praise be to God!
17-18 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them, because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.
God Has Overcome: Christ shepherds us
John 21:15–19 (CSB) When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Feed my lambs,” he told him. A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Shepherd my sheep,” he told him. He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” “Feed my sheep,” Jesus said. “Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.”
Ephesians 4:11–16 (CSB) And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.
The pastors--the elders, the under-shepherds--are there to minister to the flock and care for Christ's little lambs. The administer the sacraments and preach the word of God over our souls and hearts and ears. Praise be to God.
And in that, we function as one body--helping and encouraging one another. And we help protect one another from bad and heretical teaching. And that training is by preaching the word.
Listen, pastor, if you are faithful to God's word and in preaching of God's word, you are training the congregation to maturity.
Run some other yahoo spouting nonsense and the church is going to shut it down. What if you were in error or going off the rails? Then because the church was faithfully under the preached word, they have been trained up to push back on your nonsense.
Pastor, is that what you want? Or do you want a bunch of yes-people? Do you want a bunch of elders who are yes-men with wet noodles for backbones? If you are trying to build your little kingdom of sand, this is exactly what you want.
Matthew 18:6 (CSB) “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.
And:
Jeremiah 23:1-4 (CSB) “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! ” This is the LORD’s declaration. “Therefore, this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend my people: You have scattered my flock, banished them, and have not attended to them. I am about to attend to you because of your evil acts” — this is the LORD’s declaration. “I will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands where I have banished them, and I will return them to their grazing land. They will become fruitful and numerous. I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them. They will no longer be afraid or discouraged, nor will any be missing.” This is the LORD’s declaration.
God protects his sheep. He is not above stomping out your sand kingdom and removing you to protect his people.
But go ahead and build that little kingdom. That is on your neck when you stand before the Lord of lords. Good luck with all of that.
19 The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is evil.
God Has Overcome: Christ will grow and mature us
Matthew 10:16 (CSB) “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.
Hebrews 12:6 (CSB) for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he receives.
Romans 8:29 (CSB) For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Hebrews 5:11–6:3 (CSB) We have a great deal to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And we will do this if God permits.
Pastor, this is one of the goals you want for your church. Brother and sister, pick a church that wants this.
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
God Has Overcome: Christ has conquered
Colossians 2:13–15 (CSB) And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.
Revelation 12:10–12 (CSB) Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they did not love their lives to the point of death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great fury, because he knows his time is short.
Romans 8:35–37 (CSB) Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
I think Octavius Winslow says it best:
“Through him that loved us.” Here is the great secret of our victory, the source of our triumph. Behold the mystery explained, how a weak, timid believer, often running from his own shadow, is yet “more than a conqueror” over his many and mighty foes.
To Christ who loved him, who gave himself for him, who died in his stead, and lives to intercede on his behalf, the glory of the triumph is ascribed. And this is the song he chants, “Thanks be to God which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Through the conquest which he himself obtained, through the grace which he imparts, through the strength which he inspires, through the intercession which he presents, in all our “tribulation, and distress, and persecution, and famine, and nakedness, and peril, and sword” we are “more than conquerors.” Accounted though we are as “sheep for the slaughter,” yet our Great Shepherd, Himself slain for the sheep, guides his flock, and has declared that no one shall pluck them out of his hand.
We are more than conquerors through his grace who loved us in the very circumstances that threaten to overwhelm. Fear not, then, the darkest cloud, nor the proudest waves, nor the deepest needs- in these very things you shall, through Christ, prove triumphant. Nor shrink from the battle with the “last enemy.” Death received a death-wound when Christ died. You face a conquered foe. He stands at your side a crownless king, and waving a broken scepter. Your death shall be another victory over the believer’s last foe. Planting your foot of faith upon his prostrate neck, you shall spring into glory, more than a conqueror, through him that loved you. Thus passing to glory in triumph, you shall go to swell the ranks of the “noble army of martyrs”- those Christian heroes of whom it is recorded, “THEY OVERCAME HIM BY THE BLOOD Of THE LAMB.”
Octavius Winslow. No Condemnation in Christ Jesus. 229.
21 Timothy, my coworker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow countrymen, greet you. I, Tertius, who wrote 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 Quartus greet you.
God Has Overcome: Christ is always with us
Philippians 1:3–6 (CSB) I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
I know that we love the stories of startup businesses that started in their garage. None better than the story of Apple. Oh look, from sheer perspiration, determination, grit, and a little bit of luck, you too can start in your garage and grow into the world's most valuable company.
That's all fine and great except in the case of Apple, it is just a myth.
“The garage is a bit of a myth. It’s overblown,” Wozniak told Bloomberg BusinessWeek on Thursday. “The garage represents us better than anything else, but we did no designs there. We would drive the finished products to the garage, make them work and then we’d drive them down to the store that paid us cash.” 1
Much like successful business, every large, seemingly success church started in the living room of the church planter. Too often, the full story never really gets told. Sure, we hear stories that spin into sometimes myths about the charismatic leader but what about the not-as-charismatic people around that leader.
Here Paul is saying, "It is not me but whom God has put around me."
We, Americans, are enthralled with the lone wolf, solo success stories. Yep, we can do it all our own and we have no one to thank but ourselves.
But the kingdom of God is the opposite of that. Start with God. God is not even solo yet Triune--Three-in-One--Father, Son, and Spirit, together in perfect relationship. If the Almighty God of the Universe did not do anything alone, what makes us think we can live this life alone?
That is why he sent his Son to come build the Church. We have each other and it is called the Church.
Don't try to cowboy this life alone. Do it together. Yes, I know it is riskier and you might--nope, will--get your heartbroken. But you ain't going to see the glory of God alone. You are not Moses. And even when Moses was on that mountain alone, think about this: the people rather worship their idols. Not even Moses' wife, nor sons, nor brother nor sister was with him.
Moses tried to do it alone. He ended up not seeing the promise land.
Take the moment right now to thank the people who have ministered with you over the years. Praise God for their lives and their love for you. Praise God for your love for them.
Our Response
25-27 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept silent for long ages but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles--to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to him be the glory forever! Amen.
God Has Overcome: Glory to God forever! Amen!
Hebrews 1:1-3 (CSB) Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen.
Peace to you. Amen.