Today's scripture reading is from Romans 16, 1-2, and 25-27. This is the word of God. Moving to verse 25. Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but now has been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the Eternal God to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ, Amen. All right, let's pray. Our Father, you have exalted above all things your name and your word, and we thank you that this is a church where the gospel is proclaimed and Jesus Christ is preached. I pray you give us ears to hear and you open my mouth to make known the wonders of you and the wonders of your word. And Lord, may you be glorified in all things. for you are worthy to be worshiped and adored and honored. We love you, Lord. Amen. You may be seated. Well, back in July, my family and me visited family back east, and while we were there, we went to church on Sunday. And during the sermon, there was a guy to my right, a little bit behind me in a section over, saying a lot of exuberant and joyful amens. could tell by his exuberance that he was rejoicing and that he was a forgiven sinner and taking great joy in the goodness of God to him. And when I heard his first amen I said, I know that voice. For I had listened to a sermon on their website months ago and he was a Scripture reader that morning. And in their tradition there they have the Scripture readers say this, I would remind you that The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of God endures forever." And he said, I'd remind you that this Word is eternal and awesome forever. I don't know the exact words, but it isn't going anywhere. It's awesome. Well, after the sermon, I went and introduced myself to him. told him I was enjoying his exuberance and after speaking briefly I gave him a hug. By the way his name is Teddy. Well two days later I told my brother Troy that I'd said hi to Teddy but that I didn't know much about him and my brother told me that Teddy has quite the conversion story and if I were to spend any time with Teddy he would speak a lot about Jesus and increase my joy in our Savior. I thought to myself, sign me up. I want to spend time with Teddy. And I get to spend time with a lot of Teddies. You, the loved and loving people of Orchard Bible Church. So I am glad to be here. I'm glad you are here. And if you're not already there, turn with me to Romans 16. We are going to see the love and joy Paul has for Christians and what makes us to be excitedly in love with each other. I'll start by introducing you to somebody who is new on the scene, someone who is to be welcomed into the church with a welcome that is fitting for the saints to give to another believer. Her name is Phoebe. Let's get to know Phoebe, verses one and two, and point number one in your bulletin outline. Meet Phoebe. I commend to you our sister, Phoebe, a servant of the church at Sancria, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many, and of myself as well. It is widely held that Phoebe carried Paul's letter from Corinth to Rome. So obviously she is a woman that is trusted by Paul with great important matters, and she gave herself to the church at Sancreia. A patron of many and of myself, that is to say that she cared for people by meeting their needs. She was a caring, and giving lady in the service of others in the church. And we have many women in this church who are trustworthy and giving of themselves in the service of others. And we have benefited greatly by those who are now with the Lord in glory. We are cared for here by you women of Orchard. I mean, in numerous ways, I could probably go on for a very long time in how you serve this church, but you serve this church in profound biblical ways, caring for our souls. And we just recently heard the testimony of Chadrack and Erica, how they came from a foreign land and were cared for, just like Phoebe came from a foreign land and was cared for when she got to Rome. And I'll tell you, when I think about what is ahead of us, I have joy. I know that there will be struggles and difficulties and disappointments, but we have a joyful and hope-filled future because the women of this church are training and nurturing and teaching and loving the young ladies of this church who will soon also be servants of Christ's church here at Orchard. And not even soon, we saw it this morning, Evelyn was up front and Jeff and JJ talked about Awanas and all those kids that will be serving in Awanas. So we have some young leaders in this church that are being nurtured by the women of this church. And I want to say this to you women, Orchard is a Christ-exalting, God-honoring church and a loving church because of your service and love here. You are godly, faithful women. I sometimes say to newcomers or visitors when I meet them with kids, I tell them that I love that there are older people here in this church. Now I'm not so much commenting on your age when I say that, although you may still be mourning the passing of Bob Newhart. I'm not commenting so much on your age, I'm speaking about your faithfulness and that you know the Word of God. And I'm also not just speaking about you older people, I'm also speaking about Sam who seems to like vintage music and people younger than me and Sam as well. Many of you serve this church with faithfulness. I tell these people I'm thankful for you because you teach the Bible to my children, and I tell them very directly the souls of their children will be cared for here at Orchard. We have many Phoebes in this church, Titus 2 women, and I tell you that we are loved by you and we thank you for your labors in Christ. Thank you, you are appreciated, and you are loved. Well, Paul commends Phoebe to the church, and how is she to be received, point number two in your bulletin outline. How are we to receive and rejoice in one another? Seems very likely that Phoebe probably carried this letter from church to church in Rome, many of them meeting in the homes of believers. And Paul tells the church to welcome her as he commends her to them, with a welcome that is worthy for a saint to give another saint. and commending Phoebe to the Church in Rome was entrusting her and giving her to the care of the Church. And she is to be treated with favor, highly esteemed as a sister who is to be loved. And who is commending people to orchard? It's not the Apostle Paul, although he's instructing us in how to welcome people. And there are people who do commend this church to others. And this made me think of Philly Sam, who I mentioned a couple months ago. His brother Benjamin, who is a Christian, came out from Philadelphia to visit his brother Sam. And he took him to Calvary Church. And I mean, in his Philadelphia way, he literally put Sam before the pastors and he said, take care of my brother. And that is what Paul is telling us to do and commending people to us. Take care of them. Pay attention to them. Draw them in and work hard to care for their souls. And I really want to take this to an even higher level of importance. It is God himself who is commending people to us. Maybe you know well the words of Paul in Acts 17 says this about God, that he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and boundaries of their dwelling place that they should seek God. It's not by random chance or by an internet search that people come to us here at Orchard. It is God's spirit bringing precious people to us. And why is God entrusting people to us? We can go back to the start of the church in Acts chapter one and see that we have received the power of the Holy Spirit and we are witnesses of God's Son's resurrection by the witness given to us in His word and by His Holy Spirit. And I want to be careful here. Not careful to overstate, but I want to be careful not to understate the importance of believers. The importance of you and what happens here at Orchard. There is a specialness and power of believers. God does affect his will in us to glorify his son to others. Peter wrote that you, yes you, are a chosen race, you are a royal priesthood, you are a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. There is a unique, influential, divine, and glorious duty given to God's people. and God entrusts people to us. And we are to welcome people. As Phoebe was welcomed into the church, that means to receive her, draw her immediately into the fellowship of believers. And here, particularly in Romans 16, is the welcoming of believers in a way that is fitting for saints to welcome others. Well, this welcome is to be with great joy. believe the Apostle Paul has a particular focus of his joy in other believers, and it's one that we are to have in one another. But before I get to that particular focus of joy I do want to read and put these people before you from verses 3 to 16, and 21 to 23. Paul is exhorting the churches at Rome to greet believers he has been in partnership with in ministry, people that he loves, and And the Greek word for this greeting has, again, the idea of drawing to oneself, and even maybe a little bit more, it means to embrace and even express affection for. And then we'll get to the distinct affection and happiness we are to have for each other in just a moment. So first, let me set these beloved saints before you, and we'll see if I can get at least most of these names correctly. 16. Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who rest their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Apiataneus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. I just love that, how it says for you. I mean, there's a distinct and intense love you have for one another here. It's not just a general love, there is a dedication, there is resolve, there is an intense love you have for other believers. And so I love what it says about Mary there. We have a lot of people that are like Mary in this church, working hard for us. Back to verse 7. Greet and accround you. I'm sorry. I've said that wrong, sorry. I might have to come back to it. And Juna, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, they are well known to the apostles and they were in Christ before me. Greet Aunt Peleaetus, my beloved and Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ and my beloved Stachys. Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. Greet my kinsmen Herodian, Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. Greet those in the Lord, Tryphena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, also his mother, who has been a mother to me. Greet Asyncretus, Phlegon, Hermes, Petrobus, Hermes, and the brothers who are with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus, and Isis, and Olympus. And all the saints who are with them, greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. And verse 21, Timothy, my fellow worker, greet you. So do Lucius, and Jason, and Sositer, my kinsmen. I, Tertus, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord. Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greet you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother, Quartus, graced you. Well, I made it through, but I hope you felt the love of Paul for his fellow brothers and sisters. And you see how the body of Christ, composed of both faithful women and men, work in harmony and love for the building up of the body in Jesus Christ. Notice how Paul identifies the saints. They are in Christ Jesus, beloved in the Lord, worker in Christ, approved in Christ, those in the Lord, worked hard in the Lord, and chosen in the Lord. These people who belong to Jesus Christ, and they are to be greeted as people joyfully loved by our Savior. And notice it is what they do. They are fellow workers, both women and men. They have risked their lives, they have worked hard, and they have worked hard for you. I generally have affections for you because of what you do, or your loving demeanor, or that you uphold biblical teachings and instructions. And I love this, I absolutely love this about you. But I thought, I need to see how the apostle Paul loved people. What was the focus of his joy and affections in other believers? So I thought, I need to read all of his letters. But I didn't have to go very far to see the love of Paul. If you will turn with me a page over to 1 Corinthians 1. Verse four of 1 Corinthians 1. Here is Paul. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God given you in Jesus Christ. Here is the heart of the Apostle Paul. Here is the particular affection and joy he has in believers. This is what he's feeling when he tells us to welcome and greet one another in a way that is fitting for a saint to greet another believer. We are to take joy and thanks in God that our brothers and sisters are richly blessed with the grace of God upon them. Listen to what Paul wrote about the churches at Macedonia in 2 Corinthians. While they, that's the people of the churches in Macedonia, long for you and pray for you. Why? Because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. And Paul again in Philippians, I hold you in my heart for you are all partakers with me of grace. This is the particular affection we're to have for one another. I mean, Paul, this man is in wonderment of the grace of God upon him, absolute wonderment. This man was formerly a bigoted man, a malicious, vile, and ugly haters of Christians, and he became the greatest lover of Christians outside of Jesus Christ. What happened to him? We know of his conversion, on the road to Damascus, but what happened to him? What came into him that was given to him that burst into his heart and filled him up? You know where I'm going with this. It's 1 Timothy, he tells us. He says, but I received mercy because, I'm sorry, I'm gonna back up. Though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent, but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief. and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The grace of God given Paul, it ruled his life and it filled his heart with joy. I mean, it was just bursting forth upon him. Even when he was in prison, he was singing hymns, praying out loud, writing letters to the church. I mean, it almost feels like God had to put him in prison to slow him down so he would meditate and think about the grace of God put upon him. There is just a tidal wave of grace put upon Paul. It filled his soul. It stirred his heart to zealously and passionately love his fellow Christians. And we could use some slowing down, couldn't we, in this world? There's so many pressures and demands of life, so many distractions, to just sit and be still, to meditate upon the grace of God given to us in Jesus Christ and given to our fellow brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. So here is the big application. After reading all of Paul's letter and seeing that come up again and again, pray in this way. Pray like the churches in Macedonia did. Think upon the grace given to individuals in this church. Let us stir up all the more affections for our brothers and sisters by rejoicing in what God has done for them and being thankful for the family we belong to. And as for this Paul, this man never stops. I mean, imprisonment did not stop him He is a driven man, consumed with passion and deep concern for us. His love drove him to protect us with correct doctrine, and he adds a warning in the middle of all these final greetings. Point number three in your bulletin outline, protected by divine doctrine. Romans 16, verse 17. I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught. Avoid them. That means simply stay clear of them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. And by smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive or the unsuspecting. We love doctrine here because true and correct biblical doctrine draws us to Jesus Christ, and wrong doctrine pulls us away from Christ. Paul also warned in Ephesians 5, let no one deceive you with empty words. Doctrine has to do with knowing Christ rightly, and anything that departs from glorifying Jesus Christ is harmful and empty. John MacArthur says simply, doctrine gives rise to dedication to Christ. And that's what we want here. We want more and more dedication to Christ. And I have to say it is downright encouraging for me to witness and experience seeing many of you uphold biblical doctrine, especially as it pertains to understanding what true faith and repentance in Jesus Christ entails, especially when it's spoken to the youth here. And we have a duty to uphold this doctrine. Just as Paul did in chapter one, I am under obligation to preach the gospel. But why this warning in the middle of all of these heartfelt greetings? Paul is expecting those who do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ. They oppose the desire and the love of our life. They want to rob us of our joy in God. And Paul knows they are coming. Because they have been chasing him wherever he goes. They are opposing the doctrine of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. They're opposing the gospel that Paul had been entrusted with. And so they are coming to oppose Paul and anyone who will hear him. And they will soon arrive in Rome. So Paul, he courageously counsels us how to stand strong against those who will oppose us. I think he does this in three ways. First he does it by encouragement. Encouragement, verse 19. For your obedience is known to all so that I rejoice over you. You see, your obedience that is known to all brings encouragement to the body of believers. It builds us up. I know it strengthens me when I see your obedience. It's a motivation. And it's good to see, we know people go through trials and to see people's faithfulness as they go through those trials. And here's another awesome benefit of having older people in the church. We see a life lived in faithfulness to the church and to God's word through the ups and downs and through the great hardships you've had. And it is an encouragement to us. So I love, I love the older people of this church. I love your example, I love your that you love the Word of God. I love that you teach the Word of God. I just love it. Also, Paul courageously instructs us and counsels us with instruction. So you have encouragement, for your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you. And then also in verse 19, I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. Maybe the simplest way to state this is, Do not chase after or entertain yourselves with other doctrines. Or to put it more forcefully, do not leave the fear of God. What did Ab and Eve do? They left the fear of God and it put them in the most vulnerable position to be deceived. Deception happens when you leave the fear of God, which can be equated with leaving the doctrines, which simply means the teachings of His Word. Paul also courageously counsels us with a promise, or I could also say with confidence in God. Verse 20, the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Jesus said in John 16 that the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and believed that I came from God. And I tell you this so that you will know that in me you may have peace. There's the promise, the promise from our Savior that we will have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart. I have overcome the world." Encouragement, instruction, and confidence. We all need these to be firm in the faith and to grow. And this is the work of the body in growing one another up. Let me just give you an illustration of encouragement for one illustration for you. Jeff took us rock climbing yesterday, and that was new for us. It was difficult in a lot of ways, but he did a lot of encouraging, instructing, and building confidence in my daughter. You could see that he was encouraging her before she went up. He was encouraging her while she was up there, maybe stuck in a difficult spot where she couldn't continue up. So he kept bringing encouragement to her. And then he gave her instruction. instruction how to maneuver, instruction how to go this way or that way. And then, of course, there was confidence, right, from somebody who was an expert in rock climbing, and, of course, confidence in that the other end of that rope was tethered to him. And she kept climbing the mountain, and that is true with our faith. We need encouragement from one another. We're all going to face opposition to our faith in this world. We face it a lot, some of us. And it builds upon all these oppositions. And we need to be encouraged, and we need to be encouraging one another. And of course, we want the instruction of God's word, and we have the confidence in God and His promises. And we will be strong as a church in this fight of faith by our able God, who strengthens us by His word and by the preaching of Jesus Christ. This is Paul's final benedictions as he closes Romans with doxology. And Paul, as is the way about him, he's not gonna change. He packs so much theology into one long, run-on sentence. And I have chosen to label this final point, one God, one faith, one savior for all the world. Point number four in your bulletin outline. 25. Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages, but has now been disclosed, and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations. Praise the Lord. We are the all nations right here in Centennial. According to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith. To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ, amen. These final words of Paul are packed full of the purpose of God to bring the revelation of salvation in Jesus Christ to all peoples of all the earth. revelation of the mystery in verse 25 could be this, it could be that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Jesus Christ through the Gospel. That is what Paul wrote in Ephesians 3 about this mystery. And it is a major teaching in Romans by Paul. But this verse is carrying a lot of weight here at the end of Romans. And I think it is a broader mystery than simply the inclusion of the Gentiles. Verse 25 through 26 is a summary almost of Romans by Paul, and he is doing it by doxology. The mystery that is now revealed that was spoken of by the prophets is that everything is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The purpose of everything for the glory of Jesus Christ." That would be prophecy. That would be world history. That would be the history of the nation of Israel. And it would be the inclusion of the Gentiles. Everything is for the glory of Jesus Christ. God's plan all along. An eternal purpose before the world was formed, which is now revealed, is that God is uniting all things in Jesus Christ. All things certainly includes all peoples of all the world. And there is only one faith that binds us to Jesus Christ. the faith that puts Jesus Christ as Lord over all the earth. And what are the peoples of all the earth, of all the nations of all the earth to do with this revelation of Jesus Christ? The revelation was disclosed, verse 26, to bring about thee, that's the definitive article obedience of faith. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. And Paul in Acts 20 testified to both Jews and Greeks of repentance towards God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We know the words of Jesus Christ as well in the Gospel of Mark. When he began his public ministry, he came out and he said, Brad, it's on the back of your shirt. The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel. How did we come to believe this gospel? Here is doxology. Here is praise to God. You accepted the gospel, not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God. by the command of the eternal God to put His power in the gospel of His Son. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God to salvation. Praise the Lord, for He has spoken. The grass withers. And the flower fades, but the word of God endures forever. In the words of Teddy, it's not going anywhere. It is awesome. All of it is awesome. God's letter to the Romans is awesome. And Orchard is coming up on its 10th anniversary and we are going to celebrate that this church is founded upon the gospel of Jesus Christ and that the preaching of Jesus Christ is done here. The church indeed is the glory of Jesus Christ. And we proclaim to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ. Amen. Now, I have two final things I must express to you. You're not gonna get out of here without me telling you that I love you. And I don't want this to just be an emotional affection for you. I don't think it is. You are dear, faithful people to Christ and to his people. And I'm working on rejoicing in the grace of God given to you in Jesus Christ. This is what Paul did. Surely Phoebe did, too. Phoebe did. The churches in Macedonia did. And the churches in Rome, I bet they did, too, having received the gospel of the grace of God. And I've spoken mostly to Christians today. And if you are not a Christian, our desire in love for you is that you receive the abundant grace of God by calling upon him to be gracious to you in the forgiveness of your sins. Saul of Tarsus, who is now known to us as the Apostle Paul, who wrote the letter of Romans, he was on his way to persecute Christians. And Jesus stopped him in his tracks and blinded him. And you may think to yourself, well, that was an otherworldly experience. Well, yes, it was. All converts to Christ are by the divine goodness of God. But when Jesus called Paul to believe in Him, Paul had to respond to that calling and faith that God saves by His one and only Son. So when Paul was blinded, he was led by his companions back to a house in Damascus. It was days later, if you recall, in Acts 22, that God sent a devout man, a devout Christian by the name of Ananias. And Ananias came and pleaded with Paul. Paul, and now why do you wait? Repent of your sins and call upon the Lord to be saved. And Paul did just that. And so now why do you wait? Repent of your sins and call upon the Lord, for he abundantly pardons, just as he pardoned Paul. And receive the gift of God's outpouring of grace upon you. Amen. May it be so with your soul. Our Heavenly Father, Lord, we are so richly blessed to have your word. have it preached to us, have it taught to us by so many people here, taught to our children. What a lovely place this is. The truth of your word is proclaimed here. So Lord, exalt your word. Exalt your name. Draw people into this body of believers to hear the truth about Jesus Christ. the fulfillment of prophecy, and you're uniting all things in our Savior, Jesus Christ, God the Father. We praise you and give you all the glory forever and ever. We rejoice in your goodness to us, forgiven sinners, amen.