Again, that sermon text is Romans 16, 1 through 16. If you are using a church Bible, you can find this on page 1024 and on into 1025. Romans 16, 1 through 16. If you don't want a copy of God's word, please take that one in front of you as our gift to you. We can hardly give you a better gift than a copy of God-breathed scripture. So please take that one if you don't want a copy of God's word and give that away, read that, love that word that testifies to Jesus Christ. Hear now the word of the living creator God from Romans 16, one through 16. I commend to you our sister Phoebe. who is a servant of the church, which is Aunt St. Crea, that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matters she may have need of you. For she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well. Greek Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks To whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Also greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epinetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junius, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Greet Ampietus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Erbonus, our fellow worker in Christ. Enstachys, my beloved. Greet Apellas, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristopoulos. Greet Herodian, my kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphena, and Trifosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis, the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine. Greet Asyncretus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobus, Hermas, and the brethren with them. Greet Philogos, and Julius, Nerus, and his sister, Olympus, and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. This is the word of the Lord. You may be seated. Almighty God and merciful Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we praise you, the awesome three-in-one God of all eternity. We marvel at your grace and your goodness and your holy word. We're amazed at your gospel's power. We thank you so much for your willingness to draw near and make a way for us to be reconciled to you and fully forgiven for all the wickedness of all of our sins and trespasses that offended you and your holiness. Thank you, Lord. We ask now that by your Holy Spirit, through your holy word, you would sanctify us and reform us that we would see in Jesus Christ the perfect savior and the one in whom our union is secure, that we might delight in and treasure Jesus all the more as we anticipate his return this time of year. All this we ask in the precious and powerful name of King Jesus and all who agreed said together. Amen. Well, I have a question for you, and it's this. If you were alive in the first century in the city of Rome, would the Apostle Paul have written to you? Would the Apostle Paul have written, friend, to you, similarly to all who he just wrote to in this farewell greeting at the end of the book of Romans? Of course, this begs the question, who is Paul writing to? Clearly he's writing to Christians and we'll get into what kind of Christians, but also when you ask someone, what is a Christian? If you just ask 10 people separately, you'll often get 20 different answers. People have all sorts of opinions, all sorts of thoughts on what a Christian is and what a Christian ought to do. Perhaps you're here and you think Christians are just nice people. They're kind, they're loving. Perhaps you're here and you think the exact opposite. Christians are jerks. They're hypocrites. They're fools who are prideful and self-righteous. They're delusional. Or maybe you think Christians are a lot of things. They vary from person to person. And we shouldn't worry too much about what a Christian is because after all, it's gonna vary from person to person and culture to culture. Actually, all three of those would be incorrect because they're incomplete. They lack biblical support. And as we'll see today in this text before us, there is an answer, a glimpse into what a Christian is and what a Christian ought to do right in Romans 16, 1 through 16. But again, I go back to this question again, would the apostle Paul have written you? If you were alive in the first century, would your name be listed here amongst these sisters, amongst these brothers? What would Paul say to you? What encouraging word or what rebuke based upon the way that you are living or not living? It's easy and tempting to skip past greetings. And why? Well, you might think, I know none of these people. Their names are hard pronounced. I'm never gonna name my child after any of them. And after all, this is ancient history. So with all these difficult, hard to pronounce names, ancient history, people I don't know, I'll just skip past it and get to the theology. But friends, that would be a mistake because just like skipping past any part of God-breathed scripture, there is something here for you. There's something here for me that the God of heaven and earth wants us to take hold of, wants us to be encouraged by and blessed by and be built up in our most holy faith through. Heinrich Bollinger, the reformer, of the 16th century said this about Romans chapter 16, quote, chapter 16 of Romans at first glance seems to be simple and of little importance. However, underneath it holds more than what at first meets the eye. Even though the whole chapter seems to be devoted to straightforward greetings, nevertheless, these greetings wonderfully place the duty of charity before our eyes. They relate friendliness and compassion and teach us to show appropriate and due honor to each person. Now, it is especially notable that Paul here praises no one on account of wealth or some other good fortune, but on account of faith, love, simplicity, hospitality, and other virtues of this kind. In addition, you see that there is no distinction here between believers because, of course, The matter of faith and piety is concerned." Well, Bollinger's point there is profound. And the more I've studied and examined this text, Romans 16, 1 through 16, it is very clear that there's not just a little bit of truth here to help us and guide us. There's a lot of truth found in this farewell greeting, as it were. Paul's closing words to specific saints in Rome whom he knew. Now questions have come up and scholars have debated, how did Paul know these individuals if he had never been to Rome? There are different solutions that are given. In 49 AD, Caesar Claudius had expelled the Jewish people and did not differentiate between Jewish Christians and those who continued in some form of rabbinic Jewish faith. And so all Jewish people were expelled from Rome in AD 49. When Claudius eventually died, they were welcomed back in, but some scholars have speculated that it was during this time whenever Paul met at least the Jews listed here, Jewish Christians, those who were believers in the Lord Jesus Christ from Jewish backgrounds. Perhaps he met them on a missionary journey or on another time whenever he was taking the gospel or through a mutual friend who was a fellow Christian. Remember, these times were unlike ours. This is the... time of the early church, the time when they did not have the peace and comfort of gathering here in a building like we do. We see this even in the text before us when there is mention of the church in the home of individuals. And so the Christian community, the Christ-confessing covenant community was smaller. It also had to be more stealth and wise about how they met. They couldn't just say, we're meeting here at this time. because the Roman authorities and others who were suspicious of them would have gone after them, would have perhaps hunted them down. But as you look in this passage, one of the things that we see very clearly is that what a Christian is and what a Christian does is detailed here for us. So we're gonna look at this and I do pray that you actually would line up your life and ask yourself, am I in this category of a true Christian, a part of the true church of Christ? Am I doing the kinds of things that these first century Christians that Paul's greeting are doing? And if you're not, friend, I pray that you repent and I pray that you would start doing these things to the glory of God. Because here's the main takeaway from this section, because Christ is Lord and you are his. You should live like the saints that Paul greeted. because Christ is the Lord and because you are his, if you're in Christ. We got to live like the saints that Paul greeted. He is commending their faith as we see there right at the beginning about this sister Phoebe. So we're gonna walk through, we're gonna note what a Christian is and also what a Christian is not and what the true church of Christ ought to be marked by and known for. I pray that you ask yourself, is my life oriented around these things around this one true living God. The first and probably most clear distinction from the world that sets apart Romans 16, one through 16 is simply this. Christians are united to and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christians are united to and in the Lord Jesus Christ. You see this in multiple verses, 10 according to my count in these 16 verses. We see this over and over and over again, in Christ, in the Lord, in Christ, in the Lord, in the Lord, in the Lord. Paul is pressing home a theme that he has drawn from and expounded on in previous chapters in Romans. He's going back to this to show the commonality that they have in Christ Jesus, because this is the most fundamental thing about them. And friend, I hope you understand this as well. It is the most fundamental thing about you as well. Are you in Christ? Are you in Christ, Jesus? Can you honestly answer in your heart of hearts? Yes, I am Christ and Christ is mine. It's the most important thing about you. It's more important than who your father is, who your mother is, who your children are. This relationship to Jesus Christ is more profound and consequential both here and now and forevermore than anything else, any other earthly relationship. It's a matter of life and death. It's a matter of heaven and hell. And I would plead with you to not leave here without having that resolved in your heart and mind. In a group this size, there are no doubt some of you who are uncertain. You're wondering, am I in Christ? How can one know? Well, two comments I would make on this. One, it is through the word of God that the spirit of God will confirm this in your life. Sadly, some people will manipulate others and say, you're a Christian, don't let anyone tell you differently. For the rest of your life, you said this prayer, you did this, and then they bear no fruit in their life and they live like godless pagans. And they fall back on this thing they did once, one summer, one camp. And dear friends, what a tragic deception and delusion they are under. We know from the scriptures that those who are in Christ will bear fruit, will look like the Lord Jesus Christ. We will not perfectly imitate him, but we will long to bring glory to God with our lives. We will long to be humble before the word of God, to receive the word of God. And as Jonathan Edwards once put it, those who are truly in Christ will love what God loves and hate what God hates. So does this describe you? Can you say, yes, by God's grace, not my own merit or work, not because I've earned it or deserve it, but because of God's grace alone, I can say with the assurance of the word, I'm in Christ. I'm a new creation, I'm forgiven. I've called out to God and repented of my sins. I've trusted in Jesus alone. Friends, over and over in the book of Romans, we have seen this throughout our study of Romans. Romans 3.23, for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Union to Christ. The most consequential and important thing about you, what is your relationship to Christ? What wells up in your heart when I even ask the question? When you hear his name, Jesus Christ, is there affection and wonder? Is there awe and reverence? Or is there distance and uncertainty? Is there fear? See, it is a good thing, brothers and sisters in Christ, that we who are in Christ fear the living God in a healthy way. But let us make no mistake that there is a way to fear God in an unhealthy, unbelieving way as well. Where we do not see Jesus as our mediator, our savior, the one we are in and whose blood covers us, who we are trusting in and banking our whole life on, but rather we think about Jesus Christ and we think about judgment. We think about God exposing our sins on that last day. It is a gift of God's grace if you are here today and confronted by this for the first time. It is a gift of God's grace if you are plunged to a place where you actually throw off self-righteousness, works righteousness of any kind, and cast yourself in the mercy of Almighty God. That's the invitation that God gives us today, because all throughout this greeting, you see this in the Lord, in Christ Jesus. And all throughout Romans, we have seen this as well. Romans 8, 1 through 2. Therefore, there is now no condemnation. For whom? For those who are in Christ Jesus. That means there is condemnation for those who are not. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. There's that language again, in Christ, in Christ. Paul has pressed it home and Paul wants us never to forget this. For the apostle Paul, one of the most defining marks of a Christian is union to Jesus Christ. He goes back to that theme in Romans and all of his other letters as well, the other 12 in the New Testament. Christians are those who are united to and in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the most profound and important thing about a believer, and Paul presses that home here in this greeting, in this farewell greeting. But that's not all. Christians are also more than this, and we see this in the language Paul uses here in multiple greetings. Christians are sisters and brothers. They belong to the same household, the same family. Sisters and brothers who are beloved saints. Devoted servants. of the local church and those who suffer for the gospel. Now, there's so much here that we will unpack and look at in particular verses here, but look in your Bibles at Romans 16, one through two to see this. I commend to you our sister, Phoebe, who is a servant of the church, which is in Centuria, that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you. For she herself has also been a helper of many and of myself as well. Most scholars think Phoebe was a wealthy patron, funding ministries, funding gospel ministry and devoting herself to this for gospel causes. Praise God for the Phoebes of the world. And Paul here is commending Phoebe, her faith. And why? Well, she was a servant of the church Notice the local church. And Paul wants everyone to know that this was a sister saint, a holy one, that's what that means. We've looked at this in previous weeks throughout Romans. And in the New Testament, a saint is someone who is holy by virtue, again, of their relationship to Jesus Christ. From the second you believe in Jesus Christ, repenting of your sins and trusting Christ, you are, according to the scripture, a saint. A set apart one, devoted to God, devoted to his kingdom, devoted to holy purposes and not unholy. No longer devoted to destruction, now devoted to eternal purposes that honor God. Set apart to be what? Sanctified. Increasingly made holy. And one day, to the praise of our great God's glory, all of us standing in glorified resurrection bodies. in Christ, those who are new creations today, but who will be set free from not only the power and the penalty and the presence of sin, but free from the curse and any temptation to want to sin and go down that route. Christians are sisters and brothers. We belong to the same household. Paul says this throughout his farewell greeting here, as he's saying, greet, greet, greet all these individuals, but their beloved saints, notice this, We read this in Romans 16, 15. We greet all the saints who are with them. The language of sainthood is something that is very confused in our day. There are other religious traditions, including Roman Catholicism, who says that there has to be a certain practice by which you become a saint. after you've been dead for a certain number of years, maybe then we can pray and make you a saint. I know they'd say there's more processes than that, don't care to show the process, but at the end of the day, if you are just an ordinary Christian who trusts in Jesus Christ, sainthood is not something conferred upon you in the same way that others who are a different level of saint have sainthood conferred upon them. It's unhelpful, it's unbiblical, it's actually not found in the scriptures. And so we look to the scriptures and see very clearly that Paul considers those who are in Christ Jesus, brothers or sisters of the same household who are also saints. But notice as well, Paul's language of love all throughout this greeting. 16.5, greet Epentheus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia. And then 16.8, greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 16, nine, greet Urbanus and our fellow worker in Christ and Stachys, my beloved. 16, 12, greet Persis, the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord. My beloved, my beloved, my beloved, the beloved. This is a affectionate term, a term of endearment. And the Apostle Paul is trying to press home here that there are not just this distant, yeah, we're both Christians, we belong to the same whatever this or that. No, there's this dearness, this affection that characterizes Christian life together, even those who are separated from cities or miles apart. Notice though, it's not only brothers and sisters of the same household, beloved saints, that is holy ones, but also devoted servants of the local church. Where do we get this? Well, we've already seen Phoebe as one example of this devotion to this local church, but look elsewhere, down at Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. And then we see down in 16.6, Mary, who has worked hard for you, Urbanus, our fellow worker in the Lord. Tryphena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. persists the beloved who has worked hard in the Lord. Brothers and sisters in Christ, to be a Christian is not to be lazy, is not to be careless with our time and effort, it is to be a devoted worker, a devoted servant, especially in Christ's church. It is to be zealous for Christ, for his kingdom, for his glory. It is to spend yourself for the kingdom, and especially with your local church family. May this be a rebuke to any slothfulness that we might be tempted to engage in. Someone else will take care of that. That's someone else's problem. In the life of the local church, there ought to be maximal ownership to the glory of God, serving joyfully and gladly. As Romans said earlier, Paul said in Romans earlier, outdoing one another and showing honor. being glad to serve and working diligently unto the Lord, as Paul puts it in Colossians chapter three. Devoted servants of the local church, but also notice this as well, sufferers, sufferers. Now there's so much to be said here, but notice Prisca and Aquila. Prisca is a female's name, Aquila a male's name, husband and wife team. They're written about in other parts of scripture, including Acts 18. They were fellow workers in Christ Jesus. Paul says, who risked their own necks for my life. And now all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks for the sister and for this brother, because of the way that they risked their necks. They put their life on the line. We also note as well that there were two others, Andronicus and Junius in 16.7. Look there, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. Now, we don't know exactly what kind of prison sentences it would have been. Some scholars debate maybe Paul was with them in a certain imprisonment time, or maybe they just underwent the same kind of sufferings in a different place, in a different location, but were fellow prisoners in that sense. The point, though, is that these were those who suffered for the gospel. This is what a Christian does. A Christian is devoted to Christ's church, serving Christ's local church especially. and also suffering for the sake of the gospel. Not as the Apostle Peter puts it, suffering for the sake of your sin. In other words, when you do something, it is criminal, and then the lawful authorities come in and punish you. You can't say I'm suffering as a Christian. If you're doing something, it is actually criminal. No, we're talking here about suffering for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When those who oppose Christ, including the state at times, and very clearly this was the state opposing Christ, Standing for truth, saying Jesus Christ is Lord and Caesar is not. Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is something that we in the West have difficulty with. We love our convenience and our comfort. We are addicted to the love of comfort. We do not know how to suffer well. And so we want to be those who are praying often and remembering those who are in chains, as Hebrews 13 puts it. But we also have to be those who are praying, Lord, help me to suffer well as a Christian. It could be slander at work or in your neighborhood when you proclaim Christ. It could be today going with brother Jared and someone denying the gospel or throwing down the gospel track to give him or cursing you out for even having the gall to come invading their space in the subway. It could be something else as well, and increasingly we are seeing hostility towards Christianity in the West. We see also, as we've mentioned in previous weeks, hostility towards the gospel of Christ in Christians in other nations like Nigeria. We gotta be praying for those brothers and sisters diligently. We gotta working and planning for ways we can support them with financial means as well. Paul is writing to these saints, And he's saying, these are saints who have suffered for the gospel of Jesus Christ. They've undergone the same sorts of things that I have underwent. Now, what's amazing about a text like this, though, is that Paul mentions his kinsmen a few times. He mentioned this earlier in Romans 9, how he has this burning heart for his kinsmen. He wants them to know Christ. He's like, I myself will be accursed and cut off for the sake of my kinsmen. That's how bad I want Jewish people to come to faith in Jesus Christ. And Paul has this zeal to want to see them saved. But here then he lists some who are his kinsmen and who are saved. And what's amazing about 16.7, Andronicus and Junius, his kinsmen, his fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, I'll say more on that later, God willing, but is that they were in Christ before me. In other words, as John MacArthur has pointed out, and other New Testament commentators and pastors and preachers for many years now, this could be a husband and wife duo who were converted before Paul, who God saved before Paul, and who Paul, when he was zealous to persecute the Church of Christ and went after them, this could have been a couple, a husband and a wife, who the Apostle Paul persecuted before his conversion. And here he is writing a greeting, speaking about their faith in Christ before him. Outstanding among the apostles. Now there's much to be said about this outstanding among the apostles. Some have taken this to be, oh, there's an example of a woman who was an apostle, because the name Junius. has recently been characterized as a woman's name by some scholars. For many centuries in the history of the church, though, the name Junius was taken as a male name, and there's reasons for this when you look at the Greek and the grammar there. But understand this, that the word apostles can also just mean sent one, emissary, one who was sent out, more like a missionary as it were. This is not a formal declaration of an office, and this name Junius actually has some ambiguity with it as well. And so we should recognize this and we should realize that Andronicus and Junius, which I would say I think is a woman's name, Junius, is outstanding among these apostles. That is, those who were apostles for Christ and were with them and were blessing to these men who were sent out or who were themselves sent out to do good gospel work together. It does not mean that she was one of the 12. That's not what the text is saying. It does not mean she was one of the apostles, and we should build this whole ecclesiology off of a text that is actually disputed. That would be very foolish and unwise for many reasons. At the same time, let us recognize that here is a husband and wife who are Jewish in their lineage, in their background, Paul's kinsmen, who suffer for Christ. And in this sense, they are outstanding. They are those who are worthy of having esteem, respect, Amongst who? The ones who were sent out with the gospel. Amongst those who were esteemed by the gospel, or amongst those who were sent out themselves as missionaries of the gospel of Christ, and they were before the apostle Paul. Christians are sisters and brothers, those of the same household, beloved saints, chosen by God and set apart, and those who are devoted servants of the local church who suffer for the gospel. So that's just two characteristics of what Christians are. Christians are united to and in the Lord Jesus Christ, and Christians are sisters and brothers, beloved saints, devoted servants of the local church, and sufferers of the gospel. But that's not all. True Christians, true Christianity, and the true church is also marked by more than that. And this is a very important thing that could easily be missed as you're reading through names, unless you're careful and paying attention to the details. Three more points. The third is this. True Christians, true Christianity, and the true Church of Christ is for men and women and is not anti-women or anti-man. Now, this is so important because you have religious distinctions, philosophies. Islam today is saying this is a man's religion. You hear this sometimes. That's a real man's religion. Well, it's nonsense because it's not built on the truth, first and foremost. And if you're going to claim this is a man's religion and not actually have allegiance to truth, you already are toying with something that is less than manly. But let's just notice this as well, that throughout the history of the church, throughout the history of Christianity, many have claimed Christianity is all for men or Christianity is all for women. It's a feminist religion. It's this or that. The Roman empire, for example, saw that all these vulnerable people, slaves and women, were converting to Christianity. And they looked at it and they said, oh, it's a religion of women, these kinds of things, some would say. It's mostly because they were caring for the downcast, caring for the weary, and actually, the scriptures made it very clear that in Christ, at a salvific level, at a grace-based level, there is no distinction. We all are equal at the foot of the cross. And that was a message very appealing when you had all these patriarchal deities and gods, this kind of pagan masculinity that was running rampant all throughout the first century Greco-Roman empire. all sorts of understandings of this is for men, that's not for you, you have no place here. Then all of a sudden, Christianity comes on the scene, and the Lord Jesus Christ is doing what? He's interacting appropriately, in a God-honoring way always, with women. There's a sense of dignity that is being brought there. Christianity is not anti-women. You see this very clearly. When women, sisters in Christ, particularly Phoebe is being praised, but also other women, other sisters in Christ are being praised. True Christians are not afraid of or ashamed of praising God-honoring women who are worthy of that according to the Word of God. On the other hand, make no mistake about it. True Christianity will not just elevate women in our feminist age for the sake of the fact that they're women, they must always be right. Nonsense. That is not what a true Christian will do. True Christians care about truth and honoring God supremely. But we will not also get caught up in this trap that is so foolish as well and say we can never praise or commend a woman, a sister who has godly virtue, who is modest, who respects her husband and submits in all things to him in the Lord, is worthy of virtue, is a Proverbs 31 woman, and is glorifying God with her life, being devoted to hard work. Look at that Christ-like virtue she possesses. There's nothing that any Christian man or Christian woman should be ashamed about and think like that's less than Christian because a woman is being praised. Nonsense. But on the other hand, let's not lose sight of this. We don't just praise men because they're men. Godless men wreak some of the greatest havoc in the world. And so we don't just praise men because they're men. We care about the biblical qualifications and criteria. We care about character and truth. And so we recognize as the scriptures do, as Paul does, true Christians, true Christianity, and the true church of Christ is for men and women, boys and girls. And also it is not in any way, shape or form anti-women or anti-man. If you're here today and you've heard that, or you've read a myth about this or that, that, oh, Christianity puts women down, puts women in their place. I would urge you to read the scriptures. I would invite you to reconsider by reading Romans 16, one through 16, and see who Paul praises. Read the rest of the counsel of God's word. If you think on one side or the other, Christianity is this effeminate religion, it's not. And it's a soft religion that's only for women, it's not. But if you think on the other hand, that it's this pro-patriarchal, there's no place for women, God doesn't esteem them, it's not that either. Christianity, by the grace of Almighty God, is for men and women, boys and girls, and it is not anti-women or anti-men. The next point, the next characteristic is this. True Christians, true Christianity, and the true Church of Christ is made up of many people and is not mono-ethnic or class-based. And we could lose this, we could miss this at many levels, but there clearly are those who are wealthy. Phoebe is listed as one. Others who have homes, Prisca and Aquila are others. They had a home, so that means that they were wealthy. They also had a church in their home, so it was probably a more spacious place as well. But true Christians, true Christianity and the true Church of Christ is made up of many peoples from many backgrounds, rich and poor, weak and strong, you might say. and people from every tribe, tongue, language, and nation, as Revelation 7, 9, and 10 puts it. After these things, I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, and all tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands. And they cry out with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. The vision that God has and the work God is doing to call people is not for a specific ethnic group, not just Jewish people, not just a certain kind of Gentile people, not just people in the West, not just people who are wealthy, and not just people who are poor. Christianity, Church of Christ, it is something that is made up of many peoples. We see this in the early church and it is true today. There are people who are living in poverty and people who are very wealthy and they belong to the same Lord. They have the same Messiah, Jesus Christ, and they're going to be in heaven for all eternity with one another, worshiping God gladly, side by side, not looking down on one another, but embracing one another as long lost friends and dear brothers and sisters in Christ. That's what true Christianity is. It's made up of many peoples from many backgrounds. It's not monoethnic. There are people today pushing for this kind of monoethnic understanding of Christianity. It's pagan in its roots. It's wicked. It's idolatrous. It promotes a gnostic idea that I have special knowledge of how God wants to order society. The true church of Christ is made up of many peoples, many backgrounds. And we see this because in this greeting, there are Roman names. There are Jewish names. Very clearly in the first century, make no mistake about it, these names are filled with both Jewish names, Mary, for example, very Jewish names. And then you look down further, and then you have almost pagan deities. Those who were named after a pagan god or goddess, who kept that pagan name, and were reminded that God saved them from that, but were now in Christ. And so you look at these, you see this down in verse 14. Hermes, Hermes, Olympus, These are not Jewish names. These are pagan names, Gentile names. And so we know from sacred scripture that Paul is greeting here Jews and Gentiles. Remember, he is writing to a church that was tempted to look down on one another, to be divided, to divide over things concerning the ceremonial law and some other things, to maybe form their own fellowships. And some New Testament scholars think Paul's writing here to bring them together. You meet at this person's house with your church. You meet at this person's house. Come together. You are one in Christ. And I'm writing to you and you and you. so that you'd remember this, that Christianity is made up of many peoples. The true spirit rock Christianity that is actually heaven sent, that is God given, that is the work of God building his church, as Jesus put it in Matthew 16, that is made up of many peoples. It is not monoethnic or class-based. It never has been, it never will be. Fifth and finally, true Christians, true Christianity, and the true church of Christ is full of Christ's beloved ones. This is not a boring, but a gloriously weighty matter. True Christians, true Christianity, the true church of Christ is full of Christ's beloved ones. It is not a boring, but a gloriously weighty matter. Why do we say that? Well, because notice that as Paul presses home in this greeting again and again, not only who these people are, he says, beloved, we've already seen that, but also they are listed by name. They're listed by name. God knows you by name. He knows exactly who you are. He knows exactly where you've been. He knows exactly the day you were born. He knows exactly when you will die. There's a personal God in heaven who made you for himself and for his glory. And the division right down squarely in the scriptures that is the dividing line, you might say, is are you in Christ? Are you Christ? Would Paul write to you and say these same things? Would Paul say about you that he or she is blessed to the Lord, that he or she is commended to you, has worked hard for you, has been a fellow prisoner, is my beloved? Or would Paul say something else about you? Would Paul issue a warning about you to the true church of Christ? Would Paul maybe write a rebuke and say, rebuke him or her for his love of money and comfort Rebuke him or her for his or her neglect of Christ's church. Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, we cannot be those who live our lives thinking that the scriptures have nothing to do with us, even a greeting. And friend, if you're here today and you've been tempted to maybe skip past the greetings, think there's nothing there for you, If you're here today and you have not yet been confronted with the reality that you will stand before a holy God and give an account of your life, and that the only thing that you can count on, the only thing you can bank on with any certainty, is if you are in Christ and a new creation. And I pray and I plead with you that today would be the day you turn from your sins and you trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. He will unite you to himself this day and make you yours and grant you all the blessings of God, full forgiveness, the future of eternal life, union with Jesus, the promise of sanctification, ongoing holiness in your life, and a forever family of brothers and sisters in Christ who are on the same journey devoted to the same Lord and God. We can and we should praise God for what true Christians are, what true Christians should be about. We know that true Christians are those united to and in Jesus Christ. We know as well that true Christians are sisters and brothers who are beloved saints, devoted to serving the local church and suffering for the gospel. We know that true Christians, true Christianity, and the true church of Christ is for men and women. It is not anti-women, it is not anti-men. We know the true Christians, true Christianity, the true Church of Christ is made up of many peoples from many different backgrounds. It's not mono-ethnic, it's not class-based. And we know the true Christians, true Christianity, the true church of Christ is full of individual beloved ones known by God. And they should fill your time and heart with awe and wonder. It is not a boring subject, but a glorious one. And one so amazing that someday through our all eternity, when we are with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, consider this, you will have an opportunity to meet each one of these saints listed, and every other saint listed in the New Testament, and every other saint that you wish you could have more time with in this local church, and every local church that truly knows and is in Christ Jesus. You think you're gonna be bored with this theme? Ephesians 3, 10, God tells us there concerning the church, it is the manifold wisdom of God. That is where he puts his wisdom on display. For all eternity, there are gonna be men and women, boys and girls who God saved and called and chose for himself, whose stories and lives and where God led them, you're going to be able to delight in and give praise and glory and honor to God too. This, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, is our future, this is our hope, and this is what true Christians want to be in the business of learning and also promoting, because they want heaven to be filled with people. Neighbors, friends, family, those far from Christ, like the apostle Paul once was, before he came to faith in Christ like all of us once were. And notice this as well, that Paul here has so much affection, and our affection according to the New Testament has power, it has gospel power and apologetic power. In John 13, 34 and 35, Jesus Christ said this, a new commandment I give you, that you love one another. Even as I have loved you, you also must love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. There is gospel apologetic power in the love the saints have for one another, for the brothers, for the sisters. It is a powerful, powerful thing, and it honors God when believers love one another. Matthew Henry said this, quote, those who are united in the blessing of God should be united in affection one to another. And so I ask you, would the Apostle Paul have wrote to you, friend, What would he write to you now? Dear church in the Chicagoland area, dear Christian, fill your name in there. What would the Apostle Paul say to you? I pray it would be, I hope you are well in the Lord. I praise God that you are a devoted, dedicated servant of the local church. I praise God that you are suffering well for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I commend your faith. I want the saints there to greet you warmly and receive you fully. I pray, dear brother, dear sister, friend, that this would be true of you and me, not just now, but throughout all our earthly days, that we would say yes. Paul would write to me. He would say these things by the grace of God, not because of what I've done, but because God has done this in me. Let us pray. Almighty God and merciful Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we thank you and praise you for being a faithful God who has called us and saved us. You have come to seek and save the lost, Lord Jesus, as you tell us in Luke 19 10. We marvel, God, that you have come not for those who are healthy and righteous, but those who are sick and the unrighteous sinners. And so, God, be glorified in us, we pray. We do ask that you would help us to bear much fruit in the time we have left to be devoted servants of Christ Church. To be those who are eager to welcome one another, to love one another. Be eager, God, to devote ourselves to your kingdom, to your purposes, and to be a hospitable, loving church, knowing that you are the God of all grace and the Lord of all glory, who is worthy of all that we have and will forever be. Be glorified in us, we pray, in Jesus' name and all God's people said, amen.