Okay, I invite you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans. Romans chapter 16 is where we're going to be focusing this morning as we finally make our way to the end of the book of Romans. We are going to basically finish our study through Romans this morning. And unlike what I normally do, instead of just covering a few verses, we're gonna try to basically cover this whole 16th chapter this morning. Now last, a couple weeks ago, we basically dealt with most of chapter 15, and so we're gonna do a lot of chapter 16 this morning. You're probably saying, are you really gonna do it? We're really gonna do it. I've titled the message this morning, Paul's Friends. Now, as you get to Romans chapter 16, you know, it's despite the fact that Romans is, I believe, the most important book that has ever been written. Now, I'm not just talking about a spiritual type book. I think Romans is the most important piece of literature, anything that's been written. I think it's more important than anything that's ever been written. Now, if you can challenge that and show me something that would go against that, then let me know. but I believe that Romans is so very important. And the fact is though, is that although that Romans, the book of Romans is important, Romans chapter 16 is often just unnoticed and overlooked. Now you ask, why would that be? If Romans is such an important book, then how come you say that chapter 16 is overlooked and often neglected? Well, a couple of reasons. One is, is that there's really not any real teaching in the book in chapter 16. The other reason is, is because as you glance and look down through this chapter, and I'm sure you've read this before, and you can see that a lot of chapter 16 is nothing more than a list of names. I believe there are 33 names that are mentioned in this chapter. Now, a lot of those names, well, first of all, they're hard to pronounce. And I'm not even, nothing about them except the fact that they are mentioned here in this chapter. Now, as I approach this, I wondered, how am I going to deal with this chapter? You know, am I just going to do like so many and just not deal with it and say, we're done with the Romans, with chapter 15, we're finished? Or do I look in here and try to find some things that are be of help to us? Well, at first I was tempted just to finish with chapter 15 and not go any further. But then as I began to look at it, I thought, you know what? I think there are some things in this chapter that are of help to us, can be a benefit to us. And so that's what I'm going to try to do this morning. I believe that chapter 16 gives us a close look at the Apostle Paul. Now, I've said it before, and I'll continue to say it, that I believe that Paul was the greatest man, apart from our Lord Jesus Christ, to ever walk this earth. And so he is a great man. And so what we do in this chapter is we really get a glimpse of Paul as a man, as he relates to other people, as he serves alongside of other people. We kind of get a glimpse of Paul as a man. Now, as I looked at this chapter, I started to title the message this morning with a little help from our friends. The old Beatles tune, I don't know why that just came to mind. I thought, boy, that really kind of fits with this chapter, but I'm not gonna use the Beatles tune for the title, but I'm just gonna simply title this Paul's Friends. What we have in chapter 15 is we have a look at Paul as a minister, as a servant. We kind of see him as he seeks to minister and as he seeks to serve. And how it was his intention to go to certain places, but he was always, always led by the Lord on what he would do. So we kind of get a glimpse of his ministry in chapter 15. Well, here in chapter 16, we're gonna see Paul as a faithful friend. We're gonna see him as a man. We're gonna see him as he relates to other people, other people who are serving the Lord. Now, if all you had to know about Paul was what is found in chapter 16, if nothing else, you knew nothing else about him, I think by reading chapter 16, I think you would come to one conclusion. Paul is a people person. You hear that phrase sometimes used about somebody, well, he's a people person. And by that, I mean they're just someone who just enjoys being around other people. They don't like to be by themselves. They like to talk to other people, and they like to strike up friendships with other people. And the more, the better. And so they're just that kind of person who likes to be around other people. Well, I kind of get that impression when you get in chapter 16 and you look at all the different people that Paul dealt with. You know, Paul was not a recluse. He wasn't a lone ranger servant. No, he was one who made friends easily and he enjoyed working alongside others as they sought to serve the Lord. So, as we see Paul in chapter 15 as an example that we can follow as a faithful servant, and most certainly he is, and we should follow his example. Well, now as we get into chapter 16, we're going to see him as a faithful laborer, as a worker who didn't do it on his own, who had many others who helped him, who were friends of his, and worked alongside him as they sought to carry out the Great Commission. So what I've done is I have divided this chapter into four parts this morning. We're going to look at, first of all, Paul's commendation. We're going to look at Paul's companions, Paul's caution, and then Paul's conclusion. And again, we're going to briefly look through some of this because there's not a whole lot that needs to be said. So, first of all, let's start off with Paul's commendation. Look at verse 1 and verse 2 of chapter 16. I commend unto you Phoebe, our sister, which is a servant of the church, which is at Sincreia, that you receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that you assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you. For she hath been a succorer of many, and of myself also. So Paul closes this important letter by mentioning not a man, but a woman. a woman by the name of Phoebe. Now, all we know about Phoebe is what we read in verses one and two of this chapter. We know that she was from Sincrea, which is a port city to the east of Corinth. Now keep in mind, Corinth is where Paul is writing this letter from, the city of Corinth. So she is right there close to where Paul is. And so Paul knows, knows very well this woman, Phoebe. Her name is a pagan name. And so she comes from a pagan background. And what Paul writes to the Roman church about her, not so much of what she's done in the past, although he does mention that, what she is going to do in the future. And what important task is Phoebe going to do? Well, Phoebe is given the privilege, she's given the responsibility to personally deliver this letter that Paul is writing to the Romans. Now, do you understand that? She has the responsibility of taking this letter and delivering it to the church there at Rome. So Paul doesn't get a man to do this. He gets Phoebe, this woman, to take on this huge responsibility. Now you have to understand, there's no postal service. There's not UPS or FedEx or someone who can deliver that letter. No, back in that day and time, letters were delivered personally by individuals. And so here we see Phoebe, this woman who's going to take this important letter, the most important letter that's ever been written, and she has the responsibility to make sure that this letter gets to the church there at Rome. Now, I don't know about you, but I think that's quite a responsibility. for anybody to have. And here you see that Phoebe is given that responsibility. Well, what do we know about her? Well, we're told here, first of all, that she was a sister in the Lord. Now, we know that everyone who is in Christ, everyone who's been saved, everybody who's justified, We're all citizens of Christ's kingdom. But not only are we citizens of his kingdom, but we're also, we're all brothers and sisters in his family. And so we're told here that Phoebe was a sister in the Lord. She is from the family of God, and she is a devoted member of God. of God's family. We're also told that she was a servant. Now, that word servant has been used several times in the book of Romans. You can go back to chapter 8. I'm sorry, chapter 13. And where Paul talks about civil authority, he talks about civil authorities being ministers or servants. When you get to chapter 15, he talked about Jesus Christ himself being a minister, a servant to the Jews. Later on in chapter 15, Paul talks about himself being a minister, a servant to the Gentiles. Same word is used here with Phoebe. Phoebe is a servant, a minister. Now that word is where we get our word deacon. That's why a lot of people believe that Phoebe was a deaconess. She was a woman deacon. Well, I'm not even gonna touch that this morning. I'm not gonna deal with whether that's right or wrong, because that doesn't have anything to do with what we're talking about this morning. But what it does mean is that she was a servant. She was a minister. And how would she, as a woman, be able to minister back in that day and time? Well, by doing works of mercy, by doing evangelistic work, by visiting those who are sick, helping those who are poor, showing hospitality, caring for those, visiting those who were in prison and so forth. Those were all works that women did back in that day and time. She was a proven and a valuable servant, not just to the church there at Rome, but, or the church that she belonged to, and to the Apostle Paul. So, she is entrusted to carry this letter to the church there in Rome. Now also you need to keep in mind that I'm of the opinion that's the only copy of the letter that they had at that time. It wasn't as if this letter was written and then they took it to the copy machine and started making copies of it and started passing it out to people. They didn't have copy machines. They didn't have Xerox. No, it was handwritten. And I made the opinion that there was only one copy of this letter. And then it was given to Phoebe. And Phoebe, you make sure this letter gets to the church at Rome. Now, it wasn't a case she could just travel a few miles down the road and hand it to who she was gonna hand it to. No, she had to travel hundreds of miles over land and sea to get that letter to the church there. So you see that, well, Paul commends her, commends her to the church there. So when she gets there, receive this letter and receive her because she's coming on my behalf. We also see that she was a helper, a helper of many. The word helper there, it's called succorer, and that just means simply to help. She was, that word's usually used to signify someone who was a wealthy person, someone who was able to help out certain causes or certain organizations. So it's probably safe to say that Phoebe was a woman who had some money. She might have been a businesswoman, kind of like Lydia in the Book of Acts. And she was able to use her money and any influence she had. She was a woman of integrity, and she helped use that in serving the Lord and helping the Apostle Paul. So here's what I want you to understand. Although God called no women to write any of the books of the Bible, and we understand that, He did use a woman to make sure that this letter got to where it was intended, to the church there at Rome. I don't know about you, but I think that's important. That's important, because we live in a day and time when a lot of times people wonder, well, just what is the role of women? What ministry do women have today? How can they serve? They're not to stand up and preach. They're not to have authority over men. So what can women do? Well, ladies, I would say look at Phoebe. Phoebe's an example, just as there's others that are in this chapter that are examples on things. You don't have to stand behind a pulpit in order to serve the Lord. And all of us here today would say that what Phoebe did was very important in taking this letter. to the Romans, but not just that, the other thing she did in serving, faithfully serving the Lord and using whatever gift or gift she had in service for the Lord. So I mentioned that, I commend Phoebe to you to follow her as an example. And then secondly, we see Paul's companions. Here's where we get into the good part of this chapter. Because what you have is beginning with verse three and going down through verse 16, you have Paul sending greetings to members of the church there at Rome whom he was acquainted with, whom he knew. 24 names are mentioned. There's two women who their names are not mentioned. And so you have these people. Then in verses 21 through 23, you have a list of nine people who were there in Corinth with Paul. who also send greetings to the church there at Rome. Little is said of these people except for what you see here in this chapter. Now, there's a few of them that are mentioned elsewhere, but mostly all we know about these people are what we're told here in this chapter. Now, when you get to verse 21, you'll see Timothy's mentioned, so we know a little bit more about him, but the rest of them, All we know is that they were men and women who Paul was acquainted with. They were friends of Paul. They worked alongside Paul. They faithfully served the Lord. They used their gifts. And Paul wants to let them know how much he appreciates all the work that they do. So what we see here is, is that we are to use the gift or gifts that God has given us, whether we're male or female, we're to use those in serving the Lord. Because here's what I want you to understand. The Lord takes note. of all those who serve. Not just someone like Paul, but you see in this chapter that he takes note of a lot of these people that were associated with Paul. I say that because it's interesting that here you have all these names and we're still looking at these names 2,000 years later. And these were people that were not preaching great sermons, that were not planting churches, that were not going all over the Roman Empire doing missionary work like Paul. They're just, you know what they are? They're just common, ordinary folk like we are. They're just like us, except for they lived 2,000 years before us. But they served wherever the Lord called them to serve. And see, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write this letter. We all agree with that. But you know what? He also inspired Paul to write down the list of all these names that are found in this chapter. That's why you shouldn't just say, we're going through Romans when we get to chapter 15, that's it, we're done. We're not gonna go on to the next chapter because this chapter is here for a reason. And so there are things that we can glean from what we see here. And so what we see here is that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to mention all of these names, maybe not important to us, but they were certainly important to him. And more so they were important to God because he took note and he wanted their names to be written down in his inspired words. So 2000 years from now, Storms Creek Missionary Baptist Church will be looking at this and talking about these people whose names our mention there. Earlier I read from Matthew chapter 25 and the reason I did is because there in that passage that I read you'll see that Jesus the King is going to welcome him to his kingdom. Not people who preach great sermons and planted churches all over the place, but people who did what? Well, they fed the hungry, they welcomed strangers, they clothed people, they visited people in prison and so forth. Those are the people just like us who have a responsibility to serve. So you see that there are no insignificant people in Christ's kingdom. Understand that. You say, well, I'm just a nobody. I can't do, I can't stand and preach or I can't teach or whatever. There's a lot of other things you do besides that. And here in this chapter, we see a list of a lot of people who just faithfully serve the Lord in whatever gifts he gave them. And Paul takes note of it. The Lord takes note of it. So how are we going to list all these names here? What are we going to do? Like I said, I'm not going to try to read these names because I looked over them, and at least half of them I don't have any idea how to pronounce. And I hate to stand and try to pronounce names that I can't pronounce. And so what I've done is I'm just going to pick out a few just for a sample that we can see what he says about them. The first one is pretty easy. And that is, look at verse 3, "...greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus, who have for my life laid down their own necks, and to whom not only I give thanks, but also the churches of the Gentiles." Now, Aquila and Priscilla are the exception because we do know something about them. In fact, they're mentioned something like six times in the Bible. We know that Aquila was a Jew. He was from, at least he was from Rome, or he was, they settled in Rome, and they had to leave Rome because Claudius, the emperor, expelled all the Jews from Rome. And so he and his wife left, and they ended up in Corinth. Well, not by accident, but by divine appointment. Because while they're in Corinth, they happen to meet a man by the name of Paul. And I believe the reason they meet is because they both had the same occupation, and that is they were tent makers. And so Aquila and Priscilla, they're Christians, they're servants of the Lord. Now, I don't know if Paul led them to the Lord or somebody else, but they get together and they start working together there in Corinth. Then when Paul left Corinth to go to Ephesus, guess what? Aquila and Priscilla went with him, because they're going to work together. And so they ministered there in Ephesus. Well, when Paul left Ephesus to go somewhere else, Aquila and Priscilla didn't go. They stayed in Ephesus. You want to know why? I hope you do, because I'm going to tell you why. because there was a man there by the name of Apollos. We've all heard about Apollos, a very gifted speaker. Well, Apollos was, well, he had a lot that he needed to learn about the gospel. He needed to be trained because there was a lot that he just wasn't taught, that he wasn't aware of. Aquila and Priscilla stay there in Ephesus and help train him and help prepare him for ministry as Paul begins to travel and go to other places. Well, then Aquila and Priscilla end up at the time that Paul was writing this letter, they end up being back in Rome once again. And so that's why Paul is greeting them in this letter. In fact, while they're in Rome, they were told that a church meets in their house. And so he says there in verse three, that they were his helpers. They were his helpers. Probably on more than one occasion, they risked their lives for Paul and for the gospel. So we know about Aquila and Priscilla. Let's move on. The next one's in verse five, and that is, likewise greet the church that is in their house. I'll salute my well-beloved Epaponitis. He was the first fruits of Achaia into Christ. So this man, Eponitis, was a beloved friend of Paul. And the reason he's of note is because he was Paul's first convert in Asia. And so this man was, well, he was very special to Paul. The next one, you look at verse six, he says, greet Mary, who bestowed much labor on us. Now, we know that there are a lot of Marys that are mentioned in the Bible, in the Gospels. Mary was a common name. I don't think we are to associate this Mary with the Marys that are mentioned in the Gospels. This is a Mary that she didn't have any really official title, but it is said that she worked hard for you. She certainly must have had the gift of helps. And she was one of those who was always looking for ways that she could be of help in whatever way was needed. Well, guess what? We need people like Mary in our churches. We need those who are ready to pitch in. Oh, you need something done here, I'll help with that. Need something there, I'll help with that. That's the way she was, someone who was always willing to help and do what was needed. And then you look at verse seven, salute Andronikos and Junia, He says, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners who are of note among the apostles who also were in Christ before me. So these two men are important because they're called kinsmen. Now, I don't know if that means that they were related to Paul. Probably not. It probably just means that they were fellow Jews. They were kinsmen. And what do we know about them? Well, they had been in prison with Paul. They also, they were saved before Paul was ever converted. And then if you would, go down to verse 13. It says, Salute Rufus, chosen in the Lord and his mother and mine. So Rufus, who is this Rufus? Have we ever heard that name before? Uh-huh. In Mark chapter 15 and verse 21, when Jesus was being led to Calvary to be crucified, the weight of the cross was so heavy upon him, he needed someone to help carry, they needed help. So we're told that they compelled one Simon of Cyrene to carry his cross. Well, who is Simon? We're told there that he was the father of Alexander and Rufus. Now, is this Rufus that Paul mentions the same Rufus? Probably so. Now, understand that he must have been well-known, or why even mention his name? And so when Mark wrote his gospel, he wrote especially to the Gentiles and to the church there at Rome. And they were very much aware of Rufus because he was a part of that church. How did that all happen? We don't know. I'm of the opinion that his father was probably converted because of what he witnessed there when Jesus was crucified, and then led his sons to the Lord, and then they became active servants. So what you see here in all these names is just a sampling of those who were associated with the Apostle Paul. And they were important because their names are recorded in God's inspired word. Then when you get to verse 21 through 23, you just have a list of nine companions of Paul who were at Corwinth with him and who send greetings also to the church there at Rome. And the one who's most prominent is, of course, Timothy. Then thirdly, moving right along, we see Paul's caution. Not everyone who said they were working for the Lord was truly working for the Lord. Not everyone was a friend to the Apostle Paul. And so what he does here is he warns of those who were causing division there in the church. You know, if you love someone, you're going to warn them of any danger that they might face. Well, that's what Paul does here. In fact, what he feared might happen ended up actually happening. Hold your place here. I want you, if you would, look back to Philippians 1 and verse 15. Philippians 1 and verse 15. Because I think this applies to what Paul is writing of here in Romans 16. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife, and some also of goodwill. The one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds, but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the deliverance or the defense of the gospel." So we know that that's exactly what happened. Some began to preach Christ for other motives than that which was sincere. So what does he caution them about? What's he warning them about? Well very quickly notice what he says in verse 17 Now I beseech you brethren mark them which calls divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them Now he says they're causing division We don't know what division he's talking about because he didn't elaborate on it Does it mean that they're teaching heresy? possibly, probably so as some of them. They are teaching things that are contrary to the Word of God. They are teaching those truths that you are to reject and have no part of. But He also could be teaching about those who are making their way into the churches that just are focusing on one central truth that's really not essential and they're neglecting other things. He says, don't, you know, and doing that they're causing division. Now back in chapter 14, we talked about Christian liberty and how that those who were focusing on non-essentials were causing division in the churches. Well, that might be what Paul's talking about here as well. So he says, avoid those who are causing division. And then he also talks about those who are putting obstacles in your way. Now, an obstacle is where we get our word scandal. And that means that they were maybe doing things that were adding on to the gospel that was harming, they were harming the people. I think the Pharisees were good at that. The Pharisees added things to the gospel, added things, burdens on the people that they really didn't need. to try to keep." So that's what they were doing, they were telling the people, now you need to do what we're telling you to do or otherwise, and that's not simply the case. And then look at verse 18, it says, "...for they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." for your obedience has come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf, but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good and simple concerning evil." So the motivation for these that are causing division that he's warning them to avoid is they're not wanting to edify or build up the church. No, they're wanting to make a name for themselves. They're wanting people to follow them. They're wanting power. They're wanting wealth. And what they use is they use deception to get that. Now, the idea of false apostles, false teachers isn't something new. I talked about this a couple weeks ago on Wednesday night. This has been going on for a long time. And so anytime you have those who are truly serving the Lord, Satan will make sure he has a counterfeit. When you have those who are faithfully preaching the Word, you're going to have those who are a counterfeit. And that's what Paul was warning here about. And we still see that going on today. Let me give you a couple examples. Robert Tilton, don't hear much about him anymore. Used to be pretty well known. He was a TV evangelist. Well, here's something that he said, and I want you to listen to this. He said, not only is worry a sin, being poor is a sin when God promises prosperity. Wow. Frederick Price. Don't hear much about him anymore. He says, and this is even worse, he says, if the mafia can ride around in Lincoln Continental town cars, why can't the king's kids? Now, just take those two quotes by people who call themselves Christian teachers and preachers and contrast that with our Lord Jesus Christ. and how different he was from that. Because Jesus, it said, didn't even have a place to lay his head. So being poor is a sin? Really? See, that's what Paul is saying here. He says, these kind of people, and they're around us today. And the problem is because of our technology, they have a lot more ways to promote all their false teaching. He says here, don't watch them on TV. Now, Paul doesn't know about TV, but that's what he would say if he was alive today. He says, don't read their books, don't attend their meetings. He says, avoid them. So that's Paul's caution to the church at Rome, and it's his caution to us today as well. And then finally, Paul's conclusion. He says in verse 24, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and to the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. To God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. So here's his doxology, his benediction. It's longer than most because it's concluding, I think, the most important piece of literature that he ever wrote. The mystery he talks about here is God's purpose to bring the Jews and the Gentiles together. He says that mystery is now being unveiled. And so he mentions in verse 25 that just as he had wanted to go and visit them, And he did. It was his intention to go and visit them. He reminds them that if that doesn't happen, just keep in mind that you're not in my hands, you're in God's hands. He's the one who's going to keep you. He's the one to watch over you. If I don't make it to Rome, Well, that's God's will. But just realize that I'm not the one who's holding you up, God's the one who keeps you. And then he says in verse 27, to God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ forever, amen. So as we finish, and I say finish the book of Romans, and we did, I know we just kind of skipped through this last chapter, but we did finish the book of Romans. We've looked at Paul, the faithful minister, and the faithful friend. And what I want you to leave here with this morning is the fact that whoever we are, whether we're man or woman, whether we are called to preach or do something else, just realize that everyone who's a part of Christ's kingdom is significant. Understand that. Don't leave here today saying, well, there's nothing that I can really do. I'm not gifted to do anything. Don't have that attitude. Because we've looked at people here who weren't preachers, who weren't missionaries, who were just people who were in a church and faithfully served in that church using the gifts that God had given unto them, whatever they were. But realize this, that not only does Paul take note of that, but the Lord inspires him to make sure that those names are mentioned because they're important. They're very important. And so as this letter, wherever it goes, may God be given all the praise and all the honor and all the glory. So that is our study through the book of Romans. I told you a few weeks ago we'd been in Romans longer than I realized. I'll go ahead and tell you. We've been in this for over six years, in the Book of Romans. That's kinda like the Puritans. I'm like the Puritans used to be. But we didn't do it every week, and we had breaks along the way, so it's like that. But a lot of the messages, I think, are on the webpage or Sermon Audio. I don't think all of them are, but we did finish the Book of Romans, and I can now say that I have preached through the Book of Romans. And so I'm thankful for that. And I do, I do believe that it is the most important piece of literature that's ever been written. And if you can top that, then you show me something that's more important than the Book of Romans.