We're coming now to essentially the end of the Book of Romans. So if you would open there to the last chapter, chapter 16, we have his final admonition to the people and then his doxology to them. So we'll look at his final admonition today in verse 17 and following. And Lord willing, the doxology on the next Lord's Day, starting at verse 25. I think we will start our reading at verse 17. And read the rest of the chapter as we read the whole chapter last week. So I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions. and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught. Avoid them. For such persons do not serve the Lord Christ, but their own appetites. And by smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, and so do Lucius, Jason, and Suspeter, my kinsmen. 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. Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed through the prophetic writings, has been made known to all nations according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith, To the only wise God be glory forever, through Christ Jesus. Amen. Let us pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, as we come now to this final passage and we think Lord on these things, we pray that you would open our hearts to see the important final instructions that Paul has for the church in Rome before his Visit and pray, Lord, that you'd give us insight to understand them. In Jesus' name, amen. So we read 2 Chronicles 18 earlier. And we saw the rather terrible state of religion in Israel at that time. And we saw Jehoshaphat kind of willingly cooperating with their false religion. They had 400 false prophets prophesying before their king. As we come to this passage, I chose that Old Testament passage for the reason of what's in our text today. Paul starts off his final instructions, his final admonition to the people, to watch out for those who cause divisions with their false doctrines. He starts off saying, I appeal to you brothers. This is not a simple thought in passing or in a general instruction, but it's an appeal to the Christians in Rome and to all Christians. He's trying to be the one who is maintaining the biblical unity in the true biblical doctrine. And he's stressing the importance, once again, of keeping that all together. So he starts out with a warning here in 17 also, to watch out for those who cause divisions. It's an important warning. Divisions within the body of Christ really can be quite devastating. Devastating to the work of the church, devastating to the spiritual lives of the people of the church, and to the purpose of the church. The church is there that people meet together to mutually encourage and build one another up in the faith and in good works. And so divisions can be quite a bad thing. Paul also speaks of those who stir up divisions in his letter to Titus. And I think that passage is helpful, so I want to read that one to go with the one we're looking at today. I'll read it quite a bit, but it's really the last part that's important, but I want to set the context because the context is similar to what Paul is saying in today's passage. Titus chapter 3, starting at verse 1, remind them to be submissive to rulers in authority, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, to show perfect courtesy towards all people. For we ourselves were once foolish and disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another." So he's pointed out what they were and what they, and before that, what they should be. He says, but when the goodness of loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. So a very important statement there concerning our salvation, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but by His mercy and through the work of the Holy Spirit. So that being justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life, a great reminder of our place in Christ. And the saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. Oh, and these things are excellent and profitable for people. So having just reminded them of the sins of their past, of the things they should be doing, of who they are in Christ, he's telling them that that is trustworthy, an important thing to be taught and said. Live your new life for God, doing works, good works as is natural for those who have been converted. Now we're getting to the part I'm going to talk about. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. In other words, those things are not part of our new life in Christ. And verse 10, as for the person who stirs up division, this is the strong link between the two. After warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him. Knowing that such a person is warped and sinful, he is self-condemned. Now the condemnation there is self-condemned by his actions to being essentially an unbeliever and condemned to hell because he is creating divisions in the church and not willing to listen to the church when they warn him not to do those things. Now the divisions have to do primarily with doctrine, false doctrine and right doctrine. And people leading them astray by these false doctrines, controversies, genealogies, dissensions, quarrels about the law, would all kind of come together. And in our passage today in verse 17, He's saying, you know, watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught. Now, doctrine sometimes gets a bad rap in our age. People say foolish things like, doctrine divides, but love unites, as if doctrine were evil. What is doctrine? Well, this is the only place in the ESV that this word is translated doctrine. Everywhere else it's treated as teaching, not a verb, but the teachings. In other words, the accumulation of the things that are taught, which is what? Doctrine. So people think this is the only place it mentions it, but it's not. It comes up quite often. I want to give you a couple of examples. because it'll help us. In John 7 16, Jesus answered them, my teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. In other words, my doctrine, if we could translate it that way, is not mine, but it's his who sent me. Again in Hebrews 6, let us leave the elementary doctrine, oh it does translate as doctrine there, but the word there is not the same. The word there is lodos. You may recognize that word, it means word, but it's used for the word of God often. So let us leave the elementary word of God, or of Christ in this case, the elementary word of Christ, and go to a maturity not laying a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God. and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal life. Hebrews 6, 1 and 2. So they translate the word doctrine should be the word, the elementary word of Christ. And the word instruction is doctrine. So of doctrine about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead. I want to kind of build an idea of what we're looking at when we talk about doctrine because it's important. Back in Romans 6, it's the only other place Paul uses it here in Romans. But thanks be to God that you who are once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed. Teaching there is doctrine, really, to the standard of doctrine to which you were committed. In other words, the doctrine, particularly in the biblical sense, is the teachings that have come from God through the Word, through the prophets and through the apostles and others who are writing the New Testament under inspiration. The word doctrine is really the set of teachings. In our passage today, it's really the principles concerning faith as taught in the Bible and the teachings about God from God the Holy Spirit. And true biblical doctrine is really essential. If our doctrine is wrong, then our worship and service to God will be wrong. If we don't believe the things that God has said in the Word, then we're not obviously worshiping the God of the Word. And that is lost, I think, on much of modernist Christianity, modernistic Christianity, but it's important to us. In his rebuke of the Sadducees, when they were trying to trip Jesus up and trap him, he answers them, you're wrong because you know neither scriptures nor the power of God. Not knowing scriptures is what leads men into false doctrine, into divisions, into conflict, and really, as with the Sadducees, into unbelief and hell. They were in opposition to God because their doctrine was bad, their knowledge of scriptures was bad. So we shouldn't let anyone tell us doctrine divides but love unites, as if somehow doctrine were evil. It is true that false doctrine divides. True doctrine is what all Christians, all believers, should be united in, a common faith, which is really a common doctrine. And so he gives a stern command here to avoid them. He's saying that those who divide with bad doctrine, false doctrine, are self-condemned and is declaring them really unbelievers and warning us to avoid them. We think normally of division and schism in the church. It's often over man following or over questionable things. However, it's often over false doctrine as well. When it's over questionable and unimportant matters or man following, it's really sinful and it damages the church. But the Bible does command separation just like in our passage today. It says avoid those people who are spreading this false doctrine and dividing the church over it. When he rebukes the Corinthian church for their sin of man following and divisions, He's leading up to the part about the Lord's Supper, but he says to them, in the following instructions, I do not commend you. Because when you come together, it is not for the better, but for the worse. In the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. There were many divisions, and he goes on to talk about how They were divided up at who had food and who had wine, and at the Lord's Supper, and some people were going hungry, others were eating off by themselves in their little sect, and it was very quite sinful in what they were doing. But he says, before he gets to that, he says, for there must be factions, I believe it in part that there are divisions, for there must be factions among you, in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. That's 1 Corinthians 11, 17 through 19. You know, there is a division in the church between the believers and the unbelievers. And that the genuine believers are recognized by not fellowshipping and not being involved with the unbelievers in the church, but trying to call them to repentance. As I said, he goes on to rebuke their disunity in celebrating the Lord's Supper. But there is a necessity at times for a division within the church. His call in our passage to avoid those people is a reminder here that there isn't always fellowship together because of unbelief. The unity of the body of Christ is very important. but so is separating from those who have false doctrine and have no faith. Now the turn of phrase that he uses here, avoid them, also shows up in Peter's writing. Peter says, let them turn away from evil and do good. Let them seek peace and pursue it in 1st Peter 3 11. Let them turn away from evil and do good is pretty much what we see here. who turn away from those who divide with false doctrine. And while it's not explicitly stated, cling to the truth of God's word, I think, would be the alternative. You know, the turning away involves a separation from something, the words there in the Greek. Separation from, because that phrase has the word from in it, in the Greek word that we usually translate from. So turning away from evil and doing good, turning away from false doctrine and those who preach it, teach it, and insist on it, and turning to the good, the truth. Concerning this fellowship with unbelievers, we are to try and treat them with honor and respect and try to bring the gospel to them and let them understand that if they're in the church, the gospel is still critically important. But Paul writes rather harshly about the tendency to unite in so-called love. And we'll get more to that later. But in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, 14 through 18, he writes, Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness and lawlessness? What fellowship has light and darkness? Now, note that he says yoked with unbelievers. Sadly, this has been used to create many schisms and divisions in the church, because anybody who doesn't follow the pastor is an unbeliever. And all the denominations and all the churches in the world who don't follow him are unbelievers, and therefore you must separate from them. It's not always that way. It's never that way. And he says, do not be unequally roped with unbelievers. And I think this is, you know, if we're being told to avoid them in Paul's passage, then he's referring really to unbelievers in Romans today. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. What partnership is righteousness with lawlessness? What fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will make my dwelling among them, and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, go out from their midst and separate from them, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. When we talked about that in 2 Corinthians 6, It's 14 through 18. We talked about the abuse of this passage in the modern church, or at least in the church of the last 50 to 60 years. And I'm not thinking of that side, but I want to just focus on what it's telling us to do, that we need to be careful about fellowshipping with unbelievers. and to turn away from, to separate from those who are doing evil, who are dividing the church over false doctrines. And we need to separate from that because that will corrupt our church and our testimony. When we look at just American church history of the last 100 years, or 100 and now 25 years, starting with the turn of the century, the late 1800s, early 1900s, unity brought about the destruction of the church because they were unified with unbelievers who, when the unbelievers had a large enough critical mass, pushed the believers out. One of the saddest cases of this was Princeton University, which was the most godly place probably in all of America, maybe the world at the time, to train pastors. And at some point, all of a sudden, all the believing pastors are forced out and start a new seminary. But we see that in churches as well, that when they focus too much on unity, Over time, unbelievers who are not driven out, people with bad doctrine who are teaching and making sex within the church are not driven out or dealt with or commanded to be quiet, as Paul instructs in other places. Eventually, the vote changes. And now the majority vote in the congregation is unbelieving, and believing pastors are kicked out. And truth is silence, so it's not dividing. I spoke recently of what happens is then the church starts to become a business, and how many members you bring in is what's more important. And the insistence that you not be so provocational in calling sin, sin. And over time, the church fails to be a church of God anymore. And so these are very serious matters that he's talking about. And so we are to turn away from those people if they won't stop teaching them. Now, if we do unite in love with them, what happens? Well, that's why I chose the passage we read about King Jehoshaphat, he made a marital alliance with the wicked king Ahab. I believe his son married Ahab and Jezebel's daughter. And then he goes off to fight a war with Ahab, even though he was told it would fail by the prophet. So after he comes home and Ahab is dead, Jehu, the son of Hananiah the seer, went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Ahab was very wicked and his hatred for God and God's prophet was very great. And his insistence on doing evil was perhaps the greatest of all, the most wicked of all the kings of Israel. And so Jehu the prophet is sent by God to intercept King Josaphat and tell him, should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this wrath has gone out from you, gone out against you from the Lord. And that's 2 Chronicles 19 verse 2. We read 2 Chronicles 18. You know, it's a very serious matter. Love is critical. And in this case, I think love that they're talking about is his willingness to love Ahab as a brother and say, my people are as your people, as we read. That kind of love is a sinful love when it's directed at another. How should Jehoshaphat love Ahab? Call him to repentance. Why are you listening to all these false prophets? Why are you doing all these sinful things? Turn back to God and do what God has said in the word. And won't you find acceptance from the Lord? That's how you love somebody, not by encouraging them in their sin and helping them in it. So it's a very deadly, serious matter. You might wonder if those who create divisions in the body of Christ really hate the law or hate the Lord. Well, it would seem to be what the scriptures are saying in the Corinthian letters and here in Romans, that the false doctrine is really a hatred for the God and the two things that God has said and God has required. And those who bring false doctrine are not able, therefore, to serve the Lord. Verse 18, for such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. The word appetites there is stomach, literally, but the implication is the things, the desires that they have. You may remember I've made this point before concerning the false teachers in 2nd Corinthians. Paul says, In the end of 2nd Corinthians chapter 11, 12-15, what I am doing I will continue to do in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. He's got all these people in Corinth trying to fight him for supremacy. I follow Paul, I follow Apollos was the good part. What's been happening by the time 2nd Corinthians get there is They have these religious adventurers who come in and try to hijack Christianity and add the philosophical nonsense of the beliefs of the Greeks and the Romans of their day. And people are being led astray to follow them. And so he's trying to do what he can to undermine them. Because he says, for such men, chapter 11, verse 13, For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. You may not immediately see the connection between servants of Satan and the people who are causing divisions with their false doctrine. Remember, we tied that back in to the things Paul had been saying. In 2 Corinthians 2.17, we are not like so many peddlers of God's Word, but as men of sincerity commissioned by God in the sight of God, we speak in Christ. So the law that was peddling Christianity, the word of God, they were making it acceptable and finding ways to make it desirable to people so they would join them. Because really, in the Greco-Roman tradition, the greatest philosopher is one who had the most people follow him. And that's what ultimately led from, instead of coming up with great ideas and defending them, irreligious or godless pagan ideas, mind you, but, bringing them together and defending them, they moved on into slander and lies and deceptions and tricks, which reached its height in the sophists, where we get the word sophistry. And they were working hard, and Paulos called them false apostles that were peddling the word for their own good, not just for money, but for power and followers. And in chapter 4, verse 2, he says that we have denounced disgraceful underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with the Word of God, but by open statement of the truth, we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. So again, he's contrasting with his opponents. What are they doing? peddling with God's Word, tampering with God's Word. In other words, they're trying to find false doctrines that are more appealing than the true doctrine. And in that way, he is calling them servants of Satan, working for his kingdom and against God. Such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. So he's calling what they're doing the work of the devil. In our passage today, Paul is saying that such people serve their own appetites rather than serving God. And we see that false doctrines do this. They serve the person's desires, not God's word and God's will. And they often do this by making a false way of getting to God, an alternative to the vicarious atonement of Christ. By that I mean Christ taking our sins upon himself and paying for them and giving us then the credit for his righteousness that was perfect so that we can have a place in the kingdom of heaven. They have other ways to do it. Paul, speaking of the Jews, he writes, I bear witness that they have a great zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness for everyone who believes. Romans 10, 4. The Jews were ignorant of that vicarious atonement that Paul is preaching, that we see proclaimed in Scripture. They didn't understand it and they didn't want it. They wanted their own way. So in other words, they were tampering with God's commands to make the law of the Pharisees that could save them because the right interpretation of the law of Moses was that they were all condemned and there was no hope for them outside of Christ. So they made their own doctrine and their own tradition and they were teaching that instead of the true doctrine. And so they would fall into that group that Paul is talking about of those who are not teaching essentially the truth, but are dividing over false doctrines. And you might wonder, well, how do they do that? How do they get people to turn away from the truth to error? It continues in verse 18, by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. Two primary tools here, smooth talk and flattery. Paul never used smooth talk. Smooth talk is, I think in their context, the You know, the persuasive wisdom and philosophical speech that makes people think, wow, you're smart, I should listen. Paul says, when I came to you, brothers, I did not come to you proclaiming the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. Taking a poke directly at the philosophers. This is in 1st Corinthians chapter 2. The philosophers he was fighting. He said, I did not come with lofty speech or wisdom, for I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified, setting aside all the tricks used by the philosophers, which he would have been quite familiar with, having been raised in that part of the world. He said, I was with you in weakness and fear and much trembling in my speech and message, were not in plausible words of wisdom. but in a demonstration of the Spirit in power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Many today seek to build their church by their wise speech and their clever speaking and clever examples and clever redoing of the Word, peddling it and tampering with it. so that it becomes more acceptable. And in the end, they always end up leaving the word of God and leaving the truth and not having anything that is valuable from God's perspective. Paul also warned the Colossians to be wary of the same thing. He says, see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy or empty deceit, according to human traditions. according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ, Colossians 2.8. Again, warning them against that clever smooth talk that is so deceitful that you think, wow, I need to be following this and doing this. If any of you have ever been sucked into going to one of those timeshare pitches where they'll give you a free gift, I remember I just got out of college And I had a good job, but I was going to have to travel on business. And I had a beat-up old suitcase that my mother loaned me that was hardly usable. So I could get a free set of luggage and went and heard their spiel. And what is it for love? That smooth talk, that cleverness, that making you think, oh, this is good for me, when absolutely it is not. We all know at this point, 50 or 40 years later, All of those scams about timeshares are now involved in many lawsuits of people trying to get their money back. But that's the kind of smooth talk that I think we're speaking of. The second tool is flattery. And it really, I think, builds up on the smooth talk, builds upon that foundation. Aren't we wise to be able to follow the superior wisdom of the wise, aren't you? You know, you're really clever. You should really understand this and be following along because you're so smart and so capable. You're not a fool like those other people. This works on them. Many people are deceived by flattery. And also by appeals to the traditions. Oh, you know, you're one of the holy people who knows enough to follow the teachings of our fathers, the Pharisees or the Roman Catholic. You understand the greatness of the church fathers and you follow them and me. and that appeal of you're better, you're more knowledgeable, or of the Greek philosophers who say you have the secret knowledge now, and that makes you superior to those around you. And many are tricked and led astray. A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruins. Proverbs 26, 28. Because the man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet. Proverbs 29, 5. Flattery works, but it should be seen by the wise as being evil and that they really are spreading a net for your feet. It's interesting that Paul points out that those deceived by small talk or smooth talk and flattery are actually naive. They're caught by convincing them that they're wise, but it makes them naive. Nothing like stroking the ego to control those who want to be wise. I've seen it my whole life, the manipulation of people by appealing to their desire to be better than they are, and if you just tell them they are, and try to show them they are, and encourage them that they are, you can control them to some extent. Not usually to do good, but only to destroy. We are warned in scripture about this. Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 26, 12. And again in Isaiah 521, woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and shrewd in their own sight. It just leads to manipulation. And where do we get our wisdom? From ourself? Or from the Word of God? We get it from the Word. Paul, however, has much higher hopes for the Romans. In verse 19, he says, for your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you. A really beautiful commendation of the church in Rome that not only they're obedient to the scriptures, but the world, the Christian world at least, is well aware of that. And note that Paul sees this as a cause for rejoicing. They know who God is. They know what God commands. They're obedient to God's commands. And so Paul is very excited and encouraged by that. And we should also be, when we think of Rome and the Romans of the day of Paul's letter, they were a godly church or churches. They were apparently obedient to him. Paul is giving them the most sophisticated instruction of any of his letters because he feels they can understand that and he wants to lay that groundwork before he visits. Note also that this is not Paul's church. It's not a church he planted. He's rejoicing over a church that is formed without his direct involvement. at this point. We see the men who are usually the ones who are making the divisions, they only rejoice in what they have done, not in others. Paul is greatly encouraged and rejoicing in what has been done in Rome without him, and now he wants to see them on his way to Spain, because they are well done and well put together and understand the truth and are living the truth, and he is greatly encouraged by them. And he says, I want you to be wise as to what it is good, and innocent as to what is evil. My first thought is, of course, in how do we know the difference between good and evil? I trust my heart. No. Scripture, the doctrines of Scripture. We don't use the word doctrine that often, but since he's using it in this passage, I want to stress that that is what the Bible is full of, doctrines. Doctrines are really the system of the teaching of all of Scripture, when we think of Christian doctrine. It may have been given a bad meaning in our day, but it is in truth. most important thing, a systematic understanding of all of Scripture, related to Scripture. But he wants us to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to evil. How are we wise to what is good? Well, by thoroughly knowing and practicing what God in his revealed will, the Holy Bible says is good. Back in verse 12, when he starts with Chapter 12, where he starts off with the new life in Christ and how we should be living. In verse 2, he says, Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect. How do we know what is good? Well, by renewing our minds, yes, and by testing and discerning God's will. And we do that through Scripture. So we're going to be experts in what is good, as is taught in Scripture. And doing it, we're not necessarily also to be experts in evil. He doesn't say be ignorant of evil either. He says be innocent. Some people say that therefore the Christian should have no knowledge of evil. Well, some of us were quite evil like Paul before we became believers. And that's not what he actually says. He says, be innocent. The Bible has a lot of long lists of things which are evil, things which God hates, things that we shouldn't do. And if the Bible contains them, we probably ought to know what they are. And in fact, one of the ways we know and are able to test what is good is if we see it on the list of what's evil, we know it's not good. So it's not asking for ignorance, which some people I have heard teach is what we're supposed to be ignorant of evil. We ought to be innocent. And to be innocent, we need to recognize what is evil, what is sin, and not do it. If we can't recognize something is evil, then we can be led astray to do it with fine-sounding arguments and plausible wisdom of man. We may be tricked. So we really do need to know what God says is good and what God says is evil. And then in verse 20, we have a wonderful promise. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. God loves peace, calls us to live peaceably with all men as much as it lies within us. and promises us an eternity of peace with Him. And indeed, through Christ, we have reconciliation with God and peace with God. So this is a very sweet promise. The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet. Satan really is a powerful foe. He prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to desire, 1 Peter 3, 5, or 5, 8. He is subtle, he is clever, and he is dangerous. And while we live in this world, he will ever be our foe. There is no escaping him in this life, in this world, until Christ grabs him by the scruff of the neck and throws him into the lake of fire to be tormented forever and ever. So until then, he is our enemy, but we are promised that he will be crushed under our feet. His time as the power over this present darkness is limited because God is fixed today when he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has appointed. And of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead, Acts 17 31. We can look forward to him being crushed, being cast into the lake of fire, and never again able to stumble us. In fact, we can look forward to eternity where nothing is there that will stumble us from following God and doing what is right. Wonderful promises. And so he finishes with the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. and all of these things. And when I was reading this, I was reminded of another passage in Jeremiah. It's Jeremiah 6, 18. It's become kind of a motto for many Reformed people in our age. It says, thus says the Lord, stand by the roads and look and ask for the ancient paths. But the good way is, and walk in it and find rest for your souls. The ancient paths, or you may have heard it, the old paths. Why? Because God's Word never changes, because what God wants never changes, what God says is good never changes, what God says is evil never changes. We often get distracted and want to follow some new way, some great idea, some way to become saved, way to become a better Christian. You know, somebody has the methodology, they have the other books other than the Bible that teach us the truth, they say. Many new adaptations of Christianity come about for the modern sensibilities to appeal to them. They've been tampered with, they've been peddled. and they are beloved by many. And they come up with ideas that make it easier for the world to come into the church, thinking that joining the church is what it's all about, and not salvation. And so they don't require salvation, and they stop teaching it because it will turn them away. True doctrine is not something never before known. but only now uncovered. True doctrine has been around forever. The truth doesn't change. True doctrine is found only in the word of God, not in the wisdom of men. Right doctrine saves us from many errors. But the point Paul is making in our passage today, particularly with verse 17, watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have received. is really warning us. Do not be deceived. Bad company corrupts good morals. 1 Corinthians 15, 33. Going back to my Jeremiah 6 passage. Seek the old paths, the ancient paths. It continues. I ended it before it's finished. It says, thus says the Lord, stand by the road and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it and find rest for your souls. But, they said, we will not walk in it. The world is full of those who hate the right way. They love what God hates and hate what God loves. They want to twist the doctrines that we listen to and believe and follow. And they have high-sounding arguments. One of the most troublesome to me when I was a new Christian was that if you don't agree with and don't welcome these basically unbelieving teachers and books and TV evangelists, then you're without love. I think true doctrine is what we love because it is what the Lord has given us and what the Lord wants us to know and what the Lord wants us to do. And if we love Him, we will do that. And if we love sinners, we will call them to repentance. Let us pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for the Book of Romans and the great joy we have had in studying it and in learning from it. And thank you, Lord, for allowing us to go through the book. And pray, Lord, that after our doxology next week, that you would encourage our hearts with a great change of pace as we look to the life of your Son as called out to us, and especially in the book of Luke. And ask, Lord, for your mercies and your grace and your strength. according to the doctrines you have revealed, the truths of your word you have revealed, but show us your heart, your desire for us, your love for us, and the things that you love, and the sin that you hate, that we might more glorify you and please you in our lives. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. So our catechism reading is question two of the larger catechism. It's on the inside cover if you'll read along the answer with me. How does it appear that there is a God? The very light of nature in man and the works of God declare plainly that there is a God. but his word and spirit only do sufficiently and effectually reveal him unto men for their salvation. Many people have looked to God's creation, God's works, and man's nature, and concluded that there is a God, and then they develop a God of their own fantasy to be that God. Only in the scriptures do we find the fullness of that revelation, but it is apparent to all men that there is a God. Atheism comes about by training. All right, our closing hymn is number 285, Blessed be the tithe that binds. Number 285, standing if you're able. In a time that binds our hearts in years to one Unfair or bullshit, it can never be undone Before our Father's throne, we pour our heart and prayers. With our hope, our hands, our love, our confidence. I want the world, I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain. But we shall still be joined in heart and hope to meet again. This glorious hope revives Our courage by the way Each in expectation lives And longs to see the day In love of toil and pain, in sin we shall be free. In perfect love and friendship ready, all in three. Now the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.