if you would, and turn to Romans chapter 15. Romans chapter 15, we're going to conclude the book of Romans this evening as we read Romans chapter 15, starting with verse 14, and we're gonna read through Romans chapter 16. The book of Romans says more about, by the way, if you have not got the notes, you slip up your hands, we'll have somebody bring you the notes this evening. If you do not have the notes, slip up your hands. Somebody's got their coming around with the notes right now. The book of Romans says more about the plan of salvation, God's plan for salvation than any other book that is written in the New Testament. It is a book that just takes God's simple plan of salvation and just focuses in on that. Paul's purpose in writing this book was to make sure that the Romans understood that there was no difference between the Jews and the Gentiles. Every one of us are under sin. Every one of us deserve to go to hell. It doesn't matter if you're religious It doesn't matter how good you are. It doesn't matter what type of religious experience you have. It doesn't matter what your national background is. It doesn't matter how often you've gone to church. It doesn't matter if you've been baptized. It doesn't matter what you have been or what you have done. You as an individual without Jesus Christ are a sinner and you deserve to go to hell. Now that is the message that Paul preached and that was the message that was unpopular in his day. That was the message that got Stephen in trouble this Sunday. I'm preaching from Acts chapter 7 about the first martyr, Stephen. I was reading and rereading and rereading the book of Acts chapter 7 today. Faith walked into my office and she began to talk to me and she walked back out. Then she walked back in and she said, is something wrong with you? And I said, well, no. She said, you just look so somber. I said, I'm just reading about Stephen being stoned to death. She said, oh, and she walked out. Stephen was stoned to death because he said the message is true. You're a sinner. You put Jesus Christ to death. You, you, the nation of Israel rejected the Messiah that was sent to you. You killed the Holy One. You are sinners just like everyone else. The problem that we have in our culture today, by the way, The problem we have in our culture today is everybody, everybody wants to think they're all right with God. And the Bible says, no, you're not all right with God. The worst, most vile person in the world can die and then they have a funeral for him and they say, oh, we're all looking forward to see him and we're going to see him in heaven. That's not what the Bible says. The Bible doesn't say we all have an automatic pass to heaven. The Bible says we all deserve to go to hell. That's reality. And that's true of you. That's true of me. And we need to understand that. Now the good news is you don't have to go there. Can you say amen to that? That's the good news. The good news is that even though you and I deserve to go to hell, whether we're Jews or Gentiles, whether we're bond or free, whether we're male or female, no matter what our nationality is, though we all deserve to go to hell, there is a God in heaven who loves us, and He doesn't want us to go to hell. But He is also just, and He says the penalty has to be paid. the just God and the loving God said, I'll pay the penalty. And he became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. He went to the cross. He suffered and died to pay the penalty of your sin and mine. He was buried Three days later, he rose from the dead, he went back to heaven, having paid for our sin, and now he says all we have to do to get to heaven is come to him and admit we're sinners. Admit that we deserve to go to hell, ask him to give us eternal life, say, Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, I know that you're God, and I know that you died in my place to pay for my sin. I know I deserve to go to hell, but I know you already did that for me, and right now, in the best way I know how, I'm asking you to give me eternal life. I'm asking you to save me from my sin and give me eternal life. The Bible says, at the moment you do that, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. That is the only way anybody gets to heaven. Can you say amen to that? Well, the problem was, you can say amen to that, but the religious people in Paul's day, the religious people in Stephen's day would not say amen to that. They would say, Stephen, that's okay for you because everybody knows how wicked you were. But I don't need that, see, because I've been religious all my life. You see, that's true for Ray because everybody knows how bad he is. That's true for Craig because everybody, including his wife, knows how bad he is. But That's not true for me, you understand. I'm a religious person. I've grown up in the Jewish faith. I've grown up as a Baptist. I've always, I've just always believed. It doesn't matter what you've always believed. There has to be a time where you personally come to Jesus Christ and say, yes, I too am a sinner and I need to get saved. And I need you to give me eternal life. I need a savior. I'm telling you today, I was just listening, just not to, Probably a half hour ago, maybe 45 minutes ago, I was listening to a preacher who said this. The latest Gallup poll says that 94% of Americans believe in God. That's all well and nice, but if they don't believe in the God whose name is Jesus Christ, they're going to hell. That's just reality. I don't mean to be unkind. I'm not trying to be a hate monger, but I want you to understand, catch this, that in the weeks and months and years ahead, the more we proclaim the truth that the only way to get to heaven is through Jesus Christ, the more, just because of saying that name, we're going to be called hate mongers. Because we're saying, no, religious experience will not get you to heaven. No, we cannot say that a Muslim is going to heaven because he is sincerely believing in Allah. No, he can sincerely believe in the wrong thing and he'll wind up going to hell. I can sincerely believe that if I put my hand over fire it will not burn me, but if I put my hand over that fire it will burn me whether I sincerely believe it won't or not. The facts are not changed by my sincerity in a belief in the wrong thing. It is my obligation in love to share the truth even if that truth is unpopular. And the Apostle Paul takes all of the book of Romans And he explains that salvation is by grace through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now when he comes down to the end of the book, he answers a couple of questions. The first question he answers is this. Why are you writing to us, Paul? He has never been to Rome. He's been asked to come to Rome, but he's never been there. People have queried why he has not come to Rome. And so he's writing to a church that he did not start, and he's writing to them, He's writing to them about the basic doctrines. And as he's coming to the end of this, he's questioning in his mind whether or not they even understand why he has the authority to be writing to them. You've had nothing to do with this church, then why are you writing this letter to us in Rome. So he wants to answer that question. And then he wants to let them know what he's heard about them. He wants them to know what he what he has heard about them. And so he takes the first couple of words of his conclusion to say, hey, look, I know who you are and I believe I have confidence in you. He wants to answer the question. He wants to let them know why he's taking time to write. He also wants to let them know why he hasn't personally come to visit because some are a little frustrated with him. You know, when you have the big shot guy who everybody knows and he's been invited to come to your church but he never wants to come, he never shows up, you wonder why. What's the problem? Do we have leprosy here? I mean, is there a problem? It's funny, when we invite people to Las Vegas, preachers that we've invited to come and speak in Las Vegas, they always come up here and they always say, you know, I told my people that I was going to Las Vegas to preach. And they said, oh, and they made jokes, you know, about the gambling and what are you going to do and are you going to win us some money to pay off our building fund? It's always the same thing, you know. You know, people coming to Las Vegas, when we first came to Las Vegas to start this church, we tried to get several people to just help start the church, come and help work with us. I'm not going to Las Vegas. You know, there's lepers there. I might get their sin on me, on my shirt, and I don't want that kind of thing. They're wondering why he didn't come. So he writes to let them know. He answers the question, here's why I'm writing. He says, he then lets them know why he did not, why he hasn't come. And then he gives them some parting instructions. And that's what we're going to read here as we read through these last several verses in the book of Romans, starting with chapter 15, verse 14. Before we start, let's pray. Father, Lead us through Your Word. Teach us from Your Word. Help us to apply Your Word to our lives this night. Father, help us to not just be hearers of Your Word, but doers. And I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's start reading. The Bible says in verse 14, And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. I've heard some things about you. He says, I've heard that you're full of goodness, that you're filled with knowledge, that you understand the scriptures, that you're able also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, he says, brother, and I've written the more boldly unto you, even though I know that's true about you, I've written more boldly unto you in some sort by as putting you in mind because of the grace that's given to me. I'm doing this, I'm writing to you because Basically, it's my job to do this. That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God. He said, basically, I'm writing unto you Even though I know you understand the Scriptures, I know that you're saved, I know that you have a knowledge of the Scriptures, I know that you can teach one another, but I'm writing to you because it's my job. Because that's what God's called me to do, to serve Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. I am a servant, and I'm supposed to take Jesus Christ and give him to you so that you might understand how to walk in the faith, how that you might know how to get saved. That's what I'm called to do. And that's why I'm writing to you now, and that's why I wrote so boldly to you about our common faith." Then he says, he says, Verse 18 for I will not dare to speak of any of the things which Christ hath not wrought by me To make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed through mighty Signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God so that from Jerusalem And around unto Israel I've worked on this word all day long. I just want you to know that. illicerum. But I have fully persuaded, fully preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, yea, so that I have strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation. But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see, and they that have not heard shall understand. For which cause also I have been much hindered, from coming to you, but now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you, whensoever I take my journey to Spain, I will come to you, for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company. But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. for it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily, and their debtors they are, for if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain. Now, let me just, let's just stop there and look at your notes for just a minute. Paul wrote to the Romans because, he says in verses 14 through 16, it was my job. He says, he says, I know that you're full of goodness. That is, he's recognizing the fact that they're saved. We're not good in and of ourselves. We're good because the Lord Jesus Christ fills us with his spirit. The Bible says the fruit of the Spirit is love and joy and peace and long-suffering and gentleness and goodness. The reason we have any goodness in us is because the Holy Spirit fills us. And so, hey, they were full of goodness. They were full of goodness. They were saved. He recognizes that. He didn't write to them because everybody in the church needed to get saved. You get saved, you get baptized, and you become a member of the church. So he wasn't writing to them because they all needed to get saved. He knew that they were saved. He says, number two, that they were filled with knowledge. That is, they understood the scriptures. They knew what the Bible taught. They knew that the Bible taught salvation by grace through faith. They knew that the Jews and the Gentiles were all the same, but there are times that you start questioning what you believe, and it's good to have a source of authority come and confirm what you believe. And so he says, I'm writing because of that. And then he says that you're able to admonish one another. I know that you're able to teach one another. There were people within the Roman church who could teach and who could admonish and could instruct one another. He said, I know that. But he said again, it was God, I have a God given job. And that his job was to be an apostle, a sent one to the Gentiles. He is the one that God specifically ordained not to go and preach the gospel to the Jews, but to take it to the Gentiles. D says, I wrote anyway because it was my job. I wrote to you anyway because it's my job. Now understand this, that Paul was just like you and me. Paul had his insecurities as well. I mean, when you do something and you think, maybe if I do this, I'm going to step on somebody's toes. You have to decide, am I going to do what God wants me to do or am I not going to do what God wants me to do? Listen, as a parent, There were times, the Bible says, if you spare the rod, you hate your children. That is, if you don't spank your children properly, if you don't discipline your children properly, it's because you think more about yourself than you do about your children. Now there's, I don't know any time that I spanked my children and then I thought, this is a lot of fun. Oh boy. I used to tell my kids, when I used to tell my kids when they were acting up, I said, listen, would you settle down because I want to have a good day today. And I want you to understand that this morning I did not wake up and say, oh boy, today I get to spend the day with my children. And today I'll be able to beat them. I didn't wake up doing that. I don't like spanking you. But you know what? And there were times that I knew they needed a spanking, and I didn't want to do it. but the Word of God rang true in my mind and I thought even though I don't want to do this I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do because it's the right thing to do whether it's politically correct and it certainly was never politically correct with my five children to spank them and to discipline them the right way it was not it's not politically correct in our culture to do what the Bible says to do but But the fact is there are times that you do what you know you're supposed to do because it's the right thing to do. Paul said, listen, I'm writing to you because it's what God has told me to do. I'm doing this not because I feel like I want to do this to impress you with my great Bible knowledge or to put some authority over you. But this is what God has called me to do. And therefore, I'm going to do what God wants me to do no matter what. You need to allow God to use who He chooses in your life, and you need to be willing to be used as God chooses to use you, no matter how you feel about the situation. So, he says, I wrote to you anyway, because it's my job. I knew you were saved. I knew that you have the knowledge of scriptures. I know that you were able to teach one another, but I wrote to you because that's what God called me to do. He said, I am a servant of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. I am a servant. The word minister, we have the word minister, it sounds like something, some high exalted position. The word minister in the word of God, the word minister throughout the New Testament, very simply means to serve. I am a servant. And he says, so I'm a servant to the Gentiles, and he says my job as a servant was to serve the gospel of Christ. That is, look, you may not know it, but you're hungry for the gospel. When you go into a restaurant and you're being served something, you're getting something you need. You might be getting something you like, but you're getting something you need. You're getting physical nourishment. Sometimes we go into restaurants and get stuff we don't need. You know, there's a place in town that has these sundaes that are in great big goblets. They're big, huge goblets. And they put inside there all the ice cream, and really nice, like Haagen-Dazs ice cream. And then they put inside there, the inside in the middle of the goblet, caramel on top of that, and then some hot fudge on top of that. And then they put another thing, huge thing of ice cream on top of that. And then they put whipped cream, and then they put the caramel, and it just floods over onto a plate. And it's just ooey and gooey, and oh! It's great. So sometimes we go in and we get served what we don't need in a restaurant, but that's not true with the Word of God. You go to the Word of God and you get served what you need. What Paul is saying is this, I'm here, I've been given to serve you, the Lord Jesus Christ. See, the Gentile world, until Paul started going out, did not know. that there was one God in heaven, that He became a man, that He suffered and died to pay the penalty of their sin. They knew nothing about that. And so He says to you, Demetrius, He says to me as a Gentile, He said, Here, here's something that I've come. I'm a servant, a minister of Jesus Christ to come and serve you the good news that you don't have to go to hell. Here's the good news. You get to go to heaven. And He gives us the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what it means when He says, I'm called to be a servant to the Gentiles. I'm here to teach the Gentiles. And then He says, I'm here to teach the Gentiles to sacrifice. He compares it to the Old Testament. The Jews already knew about sacrifices. They knew about sacrificing lambs on the altars and bullocks on the altars and they knew what that meant. They understood the blood sacrifice. They understood what it meant to come and give a sacrifice to God. So he says, I'm teaching, I've come to teach the Gentiles how to sacrifice. But he didn't teach us to bring a bull or a lamb or anything to him. He said, now that Christ has already died to pay the penalty of our sin, we are to give ourselves a living sacrifice to Christ. Romans 12, 1 and 2 says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. He taught Gentiles to be filled with the Holy Ghost, to give themselves totally and completely to God. Now, this is really important, because sometimes as we're serving the Lord Jesus Christ, people reject what we're serving. A waitress can come and bring something to the table, and they say, I don't want that junk. A waitress can come and offer you something, and you say, hey, I don't want that. I don't like this. And they can reject it. You need to understand that as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, as you're serving the Lord Jesus Christ, people can say, I don't want that. I don't want that, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't keep serving. You're supposed to keep serving. You're supposed to keep offering. You're supposed to keep bringing the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether He's accepted or He's rejected, you're supposed to keep on going. You're supposed to keep offering. He says, I want you to take your bodies and lay it out. Paul said, I've been called. And the reason I'm writing to you, Romans, is because I've been called to teach you. I've been called to teach you how to give yourself totally to Him. How to give your body to Him and say, God, use me any way you want. Several years ago, my wife, when our church was first started, my wife and I were dealing with a lady who is now in heaven, but her name is Claudia. Claudia was an alcoholic, and we loved her husband who came to our church, and we loved her kids, and we were trying our best to help her kids, and her husband was just a faithful in our church, just loved him. But Claudia was an alcoholic. And Claudia would call up my wife, and she would talk to my wife on the phone for hours at a time. And my wife would try to help her. We were just really young. We were 24, 25 years old. We were very young in the ministry. But my wife would try to help her, and try to help her, and try to help her. And she just, she loved my wife. She'd call her Annie. Oh, Annie, you're my Annie, and I love you. But there was just never a response. There was never a response. Several years went by and Claudia died. Before Claudia died, however, she asked Jesus Christ to be her Lord and Savior and God. When she did that, it didn't change a whole lot outwardly. I mean, she still had her problem with alcohol. But the fact is, she asked Christ to save her. And the way you get to heaven isn't by becoming good, going to church, being baptized, or anything else. It's by coming to Jesus and saying, I know I'm a sinner, and I know I deserve to go to hell. Claudia did that. She trusted Christ. It was after that, she died. And my wife and I were talking one time, and she said, honey, do you think that that was a waste of time? I said, oh no honey, it wasn't a waste of time. First of all, Claudia got saved. I said, secondly, all we're to do is what God told us to do. If I'm faithful to do what God wants me to do, if I'm faithful to share the truth, and it's totally and completely rejected by everyone, I've not wasted my time as long as I've done what God told me to do. Stan, if you as a parent do exactly what God wants you to do and you raise your kids, Kathy, you raise your kids exactly the way you know God wants you to do it, you do what God wants you to do, and one of your kids choose to do the wrong thing, have I wasted my time? No. I have done what God wants me to do. I've been what God wants me to be. As long as I am doing what God wants me to do, I can leave the results to God. It may not work out the way I wanted to work out. I may not be ministering to all the people I thought I was going to be ministering to. I may not be doing everything that I thought I was going to be doing. But if I've done what I know the Bible tells me to do. I have given my body a living sacrifice to God. I've asked God daily to fill me with His Spirit. I've walked according to His Word the best way I know how. And listen, when I stand in front of God, I'm not going to think I wasted my time. He's going to look at me and say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant. You think that He looked at Noah when Noah stood in front of Him and said, Hey, Noah, you really did a bad job. mean you got on that ark and the whole world died. The whole world was flooded. The whole world was gone. The whole world was wiped out because you did a bad job. No. Noah, the Bible says, was a preacher of righteousness for 120 years, maybe less or maybe more, but he was out there preaching the Word. The Bible says he was a preacher of righteousness. Okay? We know that. We know that God said that my spirit's not going to always strive with man but for 120 years. We know that. We know this. We know this. Look, that when he got in the ark, there were only eight people that got in the ark. Everybody else got wiped out. Everybody else got destroyed. The whole world, the whole population of this earth was totally destroyed. You know what? Noah was a success. Why? Because he obeyed God. It's not the results. It's not the results that make us successful. It's our obedience to God. Can you say amen to that? So the Apostle Paul said this. Paul said, listen, I want you to know I'm just doing what God told me to do. God has told me to preach the gospel. God has told me to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Now, then he goes into why Paul had not visited the Rome, why he hadn't come to Rome. And we've read these verses, so let me just explain them. He says, again, look at your notes, Romans 2, Paul had not visited the Romans because he was doing his job. He was writing to them because He was doing His job, but He had also not come to visit them because He was doing His job. What do you mean? He said, I glory in one thing. He says that I have obeyed Christ in giving the gospel. And he says, that's A. B, I'm not willing to take credit for anything that God has not done through me. There are people who would take credit and would do anything they could to get glory from man for doing things that other people have done. But this is what he said, I rejoice in the fact that he has used me to preach the gospel from Jerusalem to Illyricum. I think that's the way to say it. He said, I've preached the gospel. I want you to see this so that you have an understanding of this. Paul starts off right here in Jerusalem. And Paul traveled back and forth all over here, all up into Asia. Illyricum is right there. And so he's traveled all through here, and he started churches all through here. That is probably between 1,000 and 1,500 miles of traveling. Not in your car. not in your four by four, not in your motorcycle or bicycle. That would either be by donkey or walking and sometimes by ship. And the Bible says over and over he suffered shipwreck. He's saying to, he's writing to those in Rome. Rome's right here. He says, I've never been there. He said, but I want you to know I'm planning on going to Spain right here. So he says, I've already preached the gospel in all these places. I've preached the gospel in all these places. I am planning to go here. And the reason I haven't come to you is because you already heard the gospel. you've already been saved. I heard all about what was going on there so you didn't need me." But he said, I've wanted to come and see you and so I'm going to go to Spain because they haven't heard the gospel in Spain yet. So what I'm going to do is on my next trip as I'm going past you, I'm going to stop there and see you before I go to Spain. But then he says, I'm not gonna come to Spain first. He said, I'm not going to Spain first. First, I'm gonna head down to Jerusalem. Because I've heard, because I have a gift from people. While he was traveling, right here above Corinth, there's a place called Macedonia. Corinth is right down in here. Right above this is a place called Macedonia, right there where the red dot is, if you can see it. he said, the saints that were there gave me a gift to take back to the saints that are in Jerusalem. So I'm going back to Jerusalem first. When I get to Jerusalem, I'm going to deliver a gift for the suffering people that are in Jerusalem. Look at verse 27. It says, It hath pleased them, and verily their debtor they are, for if the Gentiles had been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty also was to minister unto them in carnal things. The church in Jerusalem had been persecuted and was being persecuted because they were standing for truth and they were saying, giving this gospel that Christ died for you, that the Jews need to put their faith and trust in Christ. They were being rejected, they were driven out of Jerusalem, but there were still some Christians in Jerusalem and they were persecuted and they were hunted And so Paul said, I'm going to take a gift back. And he said, it's right that I should take this gift back to those that are suffering in Jerusalem, because if it wasn't for the saints that are in Jerusalem, the people in Macedonia had never heard the gospel. You see, the gospel started in Jerusalem. And and Christians were sent out from Jerusalem all over the world to tell people how to get saved. So he said it's right if they've taken care of, if they've given you their spiritual things, if you've prospered from them, if you're saved now, it's right for you to take care of them materially and take care of them, meet their carnal needs, take care of them financially when they're in need because they took care of your spiritual needs. He teaches us the principle of repaying those who minister to us spiritually. When therefore, he says, I've performed this, in verse 28, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain. So he said, I'm going to stop by you. I'm going to visit you on the way to Spain. Let me finish Roman numeral number two. Look at D. I strive to preach the gospel where Christ was not named." He said, I didn't want to come and preach the gospel to you. I wanted to go to places where nobody has heard the name of the gospel. He said, I wanted to go where they have not heard. He says, this hindered me from coming to you. I was going to come to you, and I wanted to come to you, but lost people were more important. I had to get the gospel. People are going to hell, and I had to get the gospel. So doing that hindered me from coming to you. But look at Roman numeral number three. Paul planned to visit now that his work was done in other places. He planned, since his work was done elsewhere, he could now come and visit them. And he said, I'm coming to Spain and I'll stop by. He says, on the way to Spain, I'm going to stop by and I'm going to visit you. First, I'm going to go to Jerusalem. Why? to do what he always did, to serve. He said, I'm going to serve the saints, and then I'm gonna drop off a gift from the people that were in Macedonia. And that's what he's talking about at the end of chapter 15. He says, and then I'm going to go to Spain, to Spain, and then I'll drop by and see you on the way. So all of that is said in verses 14 through 28. Now let's read on in verse 29. The Bible says this, and I am sure that when I come unto you, I shall come in the fullness and the blessing of the gospel of Christ. Now I beseech you, brethren, for the love of the spirit that you strive together with me in your prayers." Now, Paul is this great servant of God who's been used to write this entire letter. And I want you to grab a hold of who's speaking here and what he's saying here. He has written this entire letter to the book of Romans, or to the Romans. He has written numerous other books. He's got the anointing and the power of God on him. He's been used in miracles. He's testified thus far, that God's done miraculous works through him. But I want you to note what he says. He says in verse 30, Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers. He said, Would you please pray for me? Would you please pray for me? Paul realized that what he was doing was a dangerous deal. where he was was dangerous. And though he walked with God, he coveted the prayers of God's people. I think it's interesting in the New Testament, in the book of Acts, and we'll read this in a few weeks as we get that far in the book of Acts, that the power of God was falling in a tremendous way. And Peter and James and John get thrown in jail, they get let out of jail, get thrown in jail, they get beaten, and they get let out of jail. But afterwards, James and Peter and John get thrown into jail. This time, James gets killed. James is killed. And then the Bible says, the people began to pray to God for His protection. Now listen, this is very interesting. Why is it that we have to wait for a tragedy to take place before we start begging God for His protection? I really believe that James could have been spared if they had been praying ahead of time. Peter gets thrown into jail after James is killed, and you know what happens? They have all-night prayer meetings. in a home and they start praying. And you know what happened? God delivered them because God delivers Peter. Peter comes out of his cell and he knocks on the front door of the house where they're praying. And a little lady named Rhoda comes down and opens the door and says, and she shuts the door on Peter's face, and she runs up and says, Peter's at the door. They said, don't bother us, we're praying that Peter will be delivered. And they pray, and they keep praying, and they said, no, you don't understand, Peter's out there. And they said, that must be a ghost. And they all go down there, and there's Peter. And they can't believe that God answered their prayer. Now, what was the difference between James and Peter? The difference between James and Peter, I believe, is that they were praying for Peter. They were taking for granted that God was gonna take care of the apostles before then. But, and so it's important. I know when we came out here from Las Vegas, I went to start a church here in Las Vegas 31 years ago, I went to everybody I knew and said, please pray for me, please pray for me, please pray for me. If I had a picture of me, I would give it to them and tell them, put it on your refrigerator and pray for me. Pray for me, pray for me, pray for me, pray for me. We came out here 31 years ago, we had absolutely nothing, and God supplied our needs. and God took care of us. I never had to work a secular job, and just week by week, God provided our needs. And I really believe it's because there were some people back east that were praying for me on a regular basis as we started this church. At the beginning of this year, I've asked you, take this prayer card and pray through this prayer card. Now, no doubt some people have taken this prayer card, stuck it in their Bible, and forgotten about it. Others have taken it and prayed through it a couple of times a week. Others are praying every single day through this prayer card. I want you to know that to the degree that we pray, we will see the power of God. Can you say amen to that? These people, Paul says, look, I want you to understand, I need your prayers. I am pleading for Jesus' sake that you pray for me. I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, that His name might be glorified through my life, that He might be honored. I'm begging you to pray for me, that you strive together with me in your prayers for me." And this is what he prays, that I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judea. and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted by the saints." He says two things. I want deliverance from unbelieving Jews who have threatened to kill me. I'm going into a very dangerous spot and I want you to pray for me because they're threatening to kill me. And for acceptance of the believers. I want the believers to accept what I'm going to deliver to them. now the God of peace be with you all. Amen." He said, I'm praying that your joy may be that that I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed." He said, I want you to pray that I might have joy as I come back to you. So pray for these things. He says, specifically, I want you to pray that God will protect me, that God will work through me so that the people that I'm speaking to that are genuinely His people will receive what God has for me, and that I might have joy as I'm serving the Lord, and that I might be able to come back to you. you. That's what he's asking for prayer for. I want you to know it's so important that we pray one for another. It is so important that we pray one for another. And Paul is making that clear. Now we come into chapter 16, and Paul gives several things in concluding. And chapter 16 is basically just a conclusion of everything that he's saying. He says, I commend unto you Phoebe, our sister, which is a servant of the church, which is in Caesarea. that ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh the saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you. For she hath been a succorer, or a helper, of many, and of myself also." Pursilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus, who have who have for my life laid down their own necks, unto whom not only I give thanks, but also the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise, greet the church which is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Apinas, who is the firstfruits of Achaia, unto Christ." Now, he goes then in a list. I want you to note this. First of all, he says, this is what I want you to do. He says, I want you to help my fellow servants. He talks about Phoebe, who was a faithful servant in another church. And he says, listen, she's coming there. Let her serve. Let her be faithful. Let her serve there. And Aquila and Priscilla, obviously, were all using their house. They were fellow helpers. They're the ones that helped Paul along. They were tent makers with Paul. And he says, I want you to help them that have helped me. help them. They're letting people meet in their home. They've opened their home up for church services. They didn't have buildings like we have. They had to find a place to meet. And Aquila and Priscilla had acquired enough funds to where they had bought a house in Rome. And they said, okay, the church has no other place to meet. You can meet in our house. And so they were allowing their home to be used as a church. And they said, you need to be a helper to those that are helping me. Those that are servants of Christ, help them. And then in verses 5 through 16, and we're not going to take time to read them, it's just a list of names. But it's a very important list of names. He just, he goes on and he says, salute Adronicus, salute Junia, salute my fellow prisoners, salute and he goes on and on and on and on and on and on. Salute my brethren. That is to give love to the brethren. We need to understand this, that this deal of Liberty Baptist Church and he was saying this thing about the church in Rome, Alan, is not just about the Apostle Paul. And it's not just about Aquila and Priscilla. And it's not just about Phoebe, his servant, this fellow servant. It's not just about those people that are on the platform or those people that are teaching the classes. This is all about all of these people. And he lists just a dozen or more names. and he says, hey, make sure you tell them hi. Let them know that I love them. The word salute that is used over and over and over again was a term of endearment. It was saying, what they did was they would grab them and kiss them from neck to neck. Now, I don't want you to salute me that way. I mean, I'm an American, all right? Shake my hand, hit my arm, but not too hard. But that different culture, I don't need the hugs. I mean, I really don't. From time to time, we see people, we hug them, and we love them. But I'm telling you this. In fact, I always tell the teenagers, this thing about greeting one another with a holy kiss has nothing to do with you and what you want to do. This is talking about holy kissing, and you don't know anything about that, and you won't for several years. But what he's saying is this. He's saying, I want you to make sure that those within the church know that I have a deep affection for them, that I love them, that I care about them. And I'm telling you, and he's also saying, you need to understand how important every Stan Mitchell is, every Rick Burkett is. You need to understand how important every Mike Bowman is and how important every Dave Wilkins is. You need to understand that this isn't about Mr. Big Shot here, Mr. Big Shot there, and somebody doing this or somebody doing that. This is all about the people. And it's about us loving one another. And it's all about us caring about one another. And it's all about us ministering to one another. And it's all about us all being important within the body. And He says, I want you to understand, it will be this is important. And this is what it's all about. So don't miss out. Make sure, he says, that you greet and he lists name after name. It's important that we understand that. And they're names that are hard to say and hard for us to pronounce, but the truth of the matter is, he lists them so that we understand, Lorraine, that every single person is important. that you're as important to God as the guy that stands in the pulpit, and you're as important to God as the deacon who's serving, and you're as important to God as the usher, and you're as important to God as the singer, and you're as important to God that we're all important to God. and he says, I want you to make sure that you salute them all and love them. So he says, first of all, help my fellow servants. There are people that are serving within the church. Help them. Don't criticize them. Don't run them down. Help them. He says, give love to all the brethren. And then in verse 17 through 19 he says this, very important, Now, you're supposed to love the true brethren, but he says, now I beseech you, brethren. Now he says, I want to beg you to do something. The word beseech means I'm imploring you, I'm pleading with you to grab a hold of this. Mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them. He says, two things I want you to do with people who teach false doctrine, who believe false doctrine, and who propagate false doctrine, and who cause division within the church. He says, this is what I want you to do. I want you to mark them. It's like going up there, and you don't really want to go up there. Here, hold still for just a minute. I've got something to put on you. But He says to mark them. And then He says, to avoid them." There are people that are Christians that we should avoid, yes. Those who teach and believe things contrary to the doctrine which you've learned. That's what he says. If their teaching causes division and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, avoid them. For they that are such, and this is God's Word, serve not their Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly. and by good words and fair speeches deceive the heart of the simple." You see, there can be somebody who teaches false doctrine, but they sound so good. Oh, God loves you, and God cares about you, and everything's going to be okay. Listen, with their good words and their fair speech, they deceive you. He says, for your obedience has come abroad unto all men. I am glad, therefore, on your behalf, but I would have you wise unto that which is good and simple concerning evil. He says, everybody knows about you believers there in Rome. Everybody knows that you've got an open spirit. Let me tell you about Liberty Baptist Church. Let me tell you what preachers say when they come to Liberty Baptist Church. When they're up here and they're preaching, they say, afterwards they say, your people are so receptive. They just drink in the Word of God. When you're teaching the Word of God, they're just so receptive to the Word of God. I can have a preacher who's here just one time, James Rushing, who came here and preached and then three months later went to heaven. After he preached here, he said, ìMan, Iíve been in churches all across this country.î He said, ìYour people are some of the most receptive people Iíve ever heard.î Thatís what Paul is saying. Paul is saying, you've got open spirits to this church. You're willing to receive truth, and for that reason, he said, I'm afraid for you. Because somebody comes in with false teaching, you could be easily led astray. Why? Not because you're dumb, but because you have an open spirit to the Word of God, and the Word of God can be twisted, and you can be taught the wrong thing. and he said, I don't want that. And he said, I'm concerned for you. So he gives them this solution. He says, you need to mark those who teach false doctrine. And by the way, you don't have to be Mr. Theologian to hear false doctrine and say, hey, wait a minute, that's wrong. I don't want anything to do with that. You hear something and you say, wait, the Spirit of God will say, that is wrong. A few weeks ago, A lady in our church came up to me and said, Preacher, I turned on this guy on TV, it's called the Shepherd's Chapel. And he said, I want her to know something about it. She said, I listened to him for a little while, and some of the things he said was good, but some of the stuff just, I just was uneasy about it. Can you check him out? Well, I didn't know anything about him, so I checked him out. He doesn't believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, doesn't believe in the Trinity, doesn't believe in the local church. And so I just got a little thing off of his website and gave it to her. I said, here's what he believes. And I said, I'd be very careful. I wouldn't be listening to him. And she came back and said, wow, you know there was something just in my spirit that said I shouldn't, this is wrong. Well, that's exactly right. You have the Holy Spirit living inside of you. And the Holy Spirit will confirm in your heart, hey, that you shouldn't be listening to this guy. Well, He's saying, look, mark those people. Mark them and avoid them. And if it's within the local church, avoid them. That is, get them out of the church. Then He says this, He says, I want you to know this. First of all, help fellow servants, give my love to the brethren, mark and avoid false teachers, and then remember this, and the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. He somewhat concludes there by saying this, remember this, God's on your side. I like that. He just very simply says, look, don't worry about the fact that somebody's going to get mad at you, that people with false teaching are coming your way. Don't worry about the fact that what we preach is unpopular. Don't worry about that. Just remember this. God's on your side. and he's going to bruise Satan under your feet. And that's going to happen. It's not going to be too long. God's going to take care of all those things. So just do what God wants you to do. Remember, God's on your side. And then verses 21 through 27 says this, Timotheus, my work fellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sophitar, my kinsmen, salute you. I, Terturus, who wrote this epistle salutes you in the Lord. By the way, very important that you note this just in case somebody ever asks you, does that mean that a guy named Terturis wrote it instead of Paul? No. Paul had a scribe that wrote what he told him. So it was his secretary. He very simply told Terturis what to write and write and Paul and Terturis is writing at the end, hey, I'm the one that wrote this for Paul and I want you to know that I'm saying hi too. I'm saluting you. Gaius, my host, and of the whole church saluteth you. This is Gaius, the guy whose house we're meeting in where we are, salutes you. Erastus, the chamberlain of the city, saluteth you. That is, this chamberlain had gotten saved, and he salutes you. And Cordus, a brother, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Now, he stops there. Now, why is all that important? Because He's saying, listen, I want you to know, number one, God's on your side. And He said, number two, there are brethren here that love you. You're not by yourself. It's a good thing to know that. It's a good thing to know. I was in, when I was in Mexico a few weeks ago, or was it last week, I don't know, a week and a half ago, I was speaking on a Thursday evening and I said, you know, it's amazing. I've met people here I've never met before and I may never ever see again until I get to heaven. It's an amazing thing to travel somewhere and see that there are brethren in Africa that are serving God. That there are brethren up in the hills of Mexico that are serving God. There are people out in Germany that are serving God. There are people in the big cities in Mexico. There's a little church in Acapulco I never have seen before and I'll probably, I hope, never see it again. there's a church that's there that I'll never see again. The fact is, and some of you will never ever see it, the truth of the matter is, they're serving God. It's a wonderful thing to know that our God is being served by other people around the world who love us. And by the way, there are people around this world who love Liberty Baptist Church. And when I see them, when they grab my hand and they say, Tell your people we love them. Tell them we're thankful for them. And they say it in broken English, tell them we're thankful. Tell them we love them and we pray for them. Man, you don't know what that does to your heart. That'll rip your heart out. And you think, man, these people are praying for us. And it's a wonderful thing to know that there are people around the world that love you. And he's writing here and he's saying, he's writing here and he's saying, He's saying, I want you to understand, I've wanted you to greet everybody there, but there are people with me, they love you and they love me, and we're together on this thing. We're doing what God wants us to do. So remember that there are people that love you. And then he says this, lastly, look in verses 25 and on, it says, now to him that is of power to establish you, that is, he's the one that's able to hold you up. to, according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret from the world began." That means that the people were saved, both Jews and Gentiles, and were all part of His body. Now, but now is made manifest by the scriptures of the prophets according to the commandments of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. I could preach three messages on those two verses, but I'm not going to, because we're just roaming through Romans. So he says to the only wise God, be glory through Jesus Christ forever and ever. He says, lastly, you need to remember, Remember this, that to help those who are fellow servants, remember to give my love to the brethren. Remember to mark and avoid false teachers. Remember God's on your side. Remember there are brethren that love you. And then remember to honor God above all else. Honor God above all else because He alone is worthy. Can you say amen to that? Amen. Let's pray. Father, we thank You, Lord Jesus, for the truth that's in the book of Romans. We thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming to this earth and suffering and dying to pay the penalty of our sin. We thank You that we have the privilege of carrying Your truth here and around the world. We thank You for the privilege of being part of missions and helping people preach the gospel. Thank You, Father, that that didn't stop with the apostle Paul. Thank you, Father, that it's going on today and that we get to be part of that. Help us to just be faithful to do what you've called us to do as Paul was faithful in his life to do what he was called to do. Help us to be your servants in all that we say and all that we do. Father, we pray that you would work tonight now in this service. If there's someone here that does not know you as Lord and Savior, I pray before they leave, they will. And I ask this in Jesus' name.