“All’s Well that Ends Well” is one of William Shakespeare’s lesser known plays. It tells the story of Helena, the low-born servant of a French countess, who is in love with the countess’s son Bertram, but he has no absolutely no interest in her. When Bertram goes to Paris to replace his late father as attendant to the ailing King of France, Helena follows Bertram, presumably to offer the King her healing services. The King is skeptical, but she guarantees the cure with her life: if he dies, she will be put to death, but if he lives, she may choose any husband from the King’s court.

            Well, you guessed it! The King is cured, and Helena chooses Bertram. But he rejects her because of her poverty and low status. The King forces him to marry her, but after the ceremony Bertram immediately runs off to war in Italy without so much as a goodbye kiss.  

            In Italy, Bertram is a successful soldier and even more successful seducer of local virgins. Helena follows him to Italy, befriends Diana, a virgin with whom Bertram is infatuated, and they arrange for Helena to take Diana’s place in bed. In this way, Helena, without Bertram’s knowledge, consummates their marriage.

            After another set of outrageous plot twists, including Helena faking her own death, and Bertram trying to marry a local lord’s daughter, Helena finally appears and explains the whole mishap; Bertram, impressed by all she has done to win him, swears his undying love to her. Thus, the title: All’s Well That Ends Well.

But among the play’s many plot problems, the biggest one is that it actually didn’t end well! Bertram’s convoluted conversion in the final scene is utterly unconvincing. Although Shakespeare is undoubtedly the greatest poet and playwright in the English language, most literary critics agree that this play is rubbish.

            I’m certainly no Shakespearian savant, but I agree with the critics on this one. For me, I just can’t buy into a story where a man consummates his marriage by mistake!

Whereas Shakespeare failed to end his play well, the Apostle Paul succeeded in ending his epistle well. Romans 16:17-27 is a masterful ending to Paul’s greatest masterpiece.

As Paul sat in Gaius’ home in Corinth thinking about how to conclude his letter, he settled on three final instructions to ensure that our lives end well. He urges us to avoid doctrinal deceivers, embrace faithful friends, and enter the doxological dance.

Avoid Doctrinal Deceivers (17-20)
            In verse 17, Paul urges the church in Rome to avoid doctrinal deceivers. Look at his words closely: “watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught.” This was a passionate plea for the Christians to steer clear of any false teachers who would try to pervert or pollute the gospel that had been handed down from the Apostles. We don’t know if Paul was responding to a particular heresy (false teaching) that was already circulating around Rome or if he was posing a general caution to protect the doctrinal purity of the church. Although there were many heresies floating around the ancient Mediterranean world, Paul doesn’t mention any specifically.

Paul knew that manipulative false teachers, who use smooth talk and flattery to deceive the minds of naïve people, posed an immense threat to this church and churches everywhere. These wolves dress up in sheep’s clothing teachers and pretend that they are serving the Lord Jesus Christ, but they are actually serving their own egotistical appetites. So, Paul emphasizes two words in response to doctrinal deceivers: avoid them!

In verse 19 he commends the church at Rome for their faithfulness to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Their obedience to God was well known in the Christian world and this caused Paul to rejoice. But he wanted them to maintain this doctrinal obedience by being “wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” As they continued their ministry, he wanted them to be theologically savvy!

Paul goes on to offer a word of hope in verse 20. He reminds the church that the God of peace would soon crush Satan under their feet. This is an image that goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. After Satan deceived Adam and Eve into disobeying God’s Word and eating the forbidden fruit, God made a promise to Satan that he would: “put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. (Gen. 3:15) God partially fulfilled this promise at the death and resurrection of his Son Jesus; he will completely fulfill this promise when Jesus returns, and that old deceiver is thrown into the lake of burning sulfur. (Rev. 20) But until that day comes, the church must avoid doctrinal deceivers.

            Some of you may be sitting here wondering if doctrinal deceivers are still a threat to the Christian church today. The answer is a resounding “YES!” There is a myriad of heretical hazards that we should avoid! Let me highlight a few of them.

            Beware of the false teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses! They deny the doctrine of the Trinity. They don’t believe that Jesus is God, which is country to the Bible and historic orthodox Christianity.

            Beware of the false teachings of the Mormons! Yes, they use the Bible and appear to be Christians, but they also believe the Book of Mormon. This book contradicts the clear teachings of the Bible on many issues! Among other things, they believe that we can all become gods.

            Beware of the heretical prosperity gospel! This is the false belief that financial blessing and physical well-being are always God’s will, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to religious causes will increase one’s material wealth. Millions of people all over the world have been duped by this false doctrine!

            Beware of the heresy of universalism! This heresy denies the biblical doctrines of final judgment and hell. It teaches that everyone will go to heaven regardless of belief or behavior!

            Beware of the false teaching called pluralism! This belief affirms that there are many paths to heaven and you just have to find the right one for you. This is a direct contradiction of Jesus’ words.

            And finally, beware of the dangerous doctrine of legalism. This is the belief that you will go to heaven if “you obey God’s law, are a good person, live a moral life, or do good works for others.” In my opinion, this is the heresy that is most common in our world today. Millions upon millions of people believe this, but it is completely unbiblical!

            All of these heresies are gross perversions of the gospel, which Paul has painstakingly clarified for us throughout the Book of Romans. It is no surprise to see Paul ending his epistle with a plea to avoid doctrinal deceivers and hold firm to the true gospel of Jesus Christ! If we want all to end well, let us avoid doctrinal deceivers!

Embrace Faithful Friendships (21-24)
            After Paul warns the church to avoid doctrinal deceivers, he moves on in verses 21-24 to send greetings to the Romans from his companions who were with him in Corinth. Timothy, Paul’s spiritual son and closest ministry colleague, sends his greetings. Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater were all fellow Jews whom Paul met on his missionary journeys; they send greeting to the church at Rome. Tertius, who identifies himself as Paul’s amanuensis, that is, the trained scribe who wrote down the words of this letter that Paul dictated to him, sends his greetings. Gaius, who provided hospitality to Paul and other visiting Christians in his home, hosted the Corinthian Church in his home. He greets the Romans. And finally, Erastus, the city treasurer and brother Quartus, whom we know nothing about, send their greetings as well.

In the ancient world, it was common to place greetings at the end of a letter. These greetings highlight the fact that Paul embraced faithful friendships throughout his life. He is with a group of faithful friends in Corinth writing to another group of faithful friends in Rome. He embraced friends who were young and old, male and female, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile; he had friends in low places and in high places. Paul knew that one of the secrets to ending life and ministry well was embracing faithful friendships along the way.

            Do you have some faithful friendships? Have you embraced some friends who help you walk with the Lord—who love you, talk with you, spend time with you, support you, challenge you, and help you to grow in your faith? I hope so! Unfortunately, I have met many people, even Christians, who seem to burn every bridge they have ever built. Some Christians have embraced a “Me and God” mentality, but this is completely unbiblical. Biblical Christianity is always about “God and Us!”

            If you want all to be well and end well, avoid doctrinal deceivers and embrace faithful friendships!

Enter the Doxological Dance (25-27)
            Paul appropriately concludes his letter with a doxology. A doxology is a short hymn or song of praise to God. Every week when we gather for worship, we sing “The Doxology” as our ushers come forward and we present our offerings to God. This is just one of many doxologies that have been written and are used in worship.

As Paul came to the end of his epistle and reflected back through its content, he decided to compose a doxology to glorify God and summarize the key themes we’ve seen throughout the letter. Each line highlights a movement of God’s character or his work in the world. Look at it! God’s power is most clearly seen in the giving of the gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ that was preached! This revelation of the mystery was kept a secret throughout the Old Testament era, but it has now been disclosed through the prophetic writings that point to Jesus Christ. The prophecies of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection all came to pass according to the command of the eternal God so that the gospel would be know to all nations. This all came about because of the command of God, who is eternal, all-powerful, and all-wise! For all of this, God deserves all the glory forever and ever!

            As we come to the end of our study of the Book of Romans and reflect on this doxology, Paul wants us to remember everything that we have learned about the gospel! 

           Do you remember back to chapters 1-3? Paul taught us about our sin that separates us from God, thus establishing the need for the gospel!

• Do you remember chapters 4-5? He taught us about salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, thus showing the provision of the gospel!
• Do you remember chapters 6-8? He taught us about sanctification—that process whereby the Holy Spirit conforms our character and conduct to Christ, thus illustrating the goal of the gospel!
• Do you remember chapters 9-11? He taught us about how both Jews and Gentiles can gain salvation for their souls, thus revealing the scope of gospel!
• Do you remember chapters 12-15? He taught us about Christian sacrifice, service, and civility—thus emphasizing our proper responses to the gospel!
• Do you remember chapter 16? You better—it was just last week! Paul has taught us about those wonderful relationships that exist in the church, thus celebrating the community of the gospel!

             Along with the church in Rome, Paul is now inviting us to enter the great doxological dance whereby we rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ! If you are not a Christian yet, I urge you to enter the doxological dance by putting your faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ!

            If you are a Christian, keep on dancing! Dance because the God of the universe revealed himself to you! Dance because Jesus hung on the cross for you! Dance because he rose on the third day! Dance because your sins are forgiven! Dance because your shame had been washed away! Dance because you’re going to heaven whenever you die! Dance, dance, do the doxological dance!

            If you want your life to end well, avoid doctrinal deceivers, embrace faithful friendships, and enter the doxological dance! Yes, all’s well that ends well!

            Have you ever thought about the fact that every name contains a story?  

Last summer when my family and I were on sabbatical, we took a tour through the Jewish Quarter in Prague, Czech Republic. Among the many wonders we witnessed there, the 500-year-old Pinkas Synagogue was the one that moved me the most. The interior walls of the synagogue are covered with names of 78,000 Bohemian and Moravian Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The names, written in black and red ink, are arranged by communities where the victims came from and complemented with their birth and death date.

Can you imagine a list of 78,000 names written on a wall? It’s the most haunting list of names I have ever encountered! Each one of those names represents a human life! And each one has a story to tell! But tragically, because of the mass murders in the Nazi concentration camps, most of those stories have never been told.

            But there was one story I learned while we were there—the story of Friedl Dickers-Brandeis, who was born in Vienna in 1898. As a young woman, she honed her artistic talents at Johannes Itten’s prestigious art school. After she completed her studies, she was involved in textile design, printmaking, bookbinding, and typography. She eventually became an art teacher in Berlin and then Prague.  About her teaching career, Friedl wrote to a friend in 1940:

I remember thinking in school how I would grow up and would protect my students from unpleasant impressions, from uncertainty, from scrappy learning… Today only one thing seems important — to rouse the desire towards creative work, to make it a habit, and to teach how to overcome difficulties that are insignificant in comparison with the goal to which you are striving.

            Little did Friedl know that just two years later, she and her husband would be deported to the concentration camp in Terezin. During her time at Terezín, she organized secret art classes for the children. She saw drawing and art as a way for the children to understand their environment and emotions. In this capacity, she was giving art therapy. Even at Terezin, she persisted in pursuing her goal — “to rouse the desire towards creative work.”

            In September 1944, Friedl was transported to Auschwitz. But before she was taken away, she gave to Raja Engländerova, the chief tutor of Girls’ Home L 410, two suitcases with 4,500 drawings. Friedl was exterminated on October 9, 1944.

            After the war, the director of the Girls’ Home brought the suitcases with the children’s drawings to the Jewish Community in Prague. From the nearly 660 authors of the drawings, 550 were killed in the Holocaust. The drawings are now in the Jewish Museum in Prague’s collection; some are on display in the Pinkas Synagogue.

There’s a story in every name! Friedl Dickers-Brandies is only one of 78,000 names written on the wall of the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague.

Have you ever seen a long list of names before? If you’ve ever visited the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C., you have gazed upon the wall of names etched into black granite commemorating the lives of the 58,320 members of the United States Armed Forces who died in the Vietnam War. Every one of those names contains a story too!

A long list of names can seem like a boring exhibit if we forget that there is a story in a name. This is one of the reasons why so many people skip the lists of names in the Bible. Whether it’s the primordial cemetery register in Genesis 5, one of the lineage lists in the Book of Chronicles, or one of the genealogies of Jesus that we find in the Gospels, we are tempted to by-pass them for more “applicable” sections of Scripture. But let me warn you—don’t overlook the lists! God put them there for a reason!

This list of names that appears in Romans 16 seems peculiar, doesn’t it? In the midst of this grand theological treatise where the Apostle Paul has delved into the depths of human depravity, expounded the doctrine of justification by faith alone, and clarified the process of Christian sanctification, he concludes his epistle with a seemingly pointless series of sentimental Hallmark greetings addressed to a list of people with unpronounceable names. Surely there must have been a more interesting way to end this letter? But remember what I just said: Don’t overlook the lists! There is a story in every one of these names!

As Paul was sitting in Gaius’ home in Corinth putting the finishing touches on this letter, he was hoping to visit the church at Rome in the near future. He had never been to Rome, but he had many friends and ministry colleagues in that church. But before he could press on toward Rome, he had to deliver the Gentile offering to the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. He knew this mission was dangerous; there were no guarantees that he would ever make it to Rome. Just in case he didn’t, he wanted his brothers and sisters to know how he felt about them. He wanted to encourage them in their ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, he greets each one of them by name!

I don’t have enough time to tell you the story behind each of the thirty-three names in Paul’s list, but let me highlight a few.

Paul’s Companions and Colleagues

Look at verses 1-2! Before Paul greets his companions and colleagues in Rome, he commends to the church, Phoebe, the woman who was designated to deliver the letter to the church in Rome. Since that church did not know her personally, Paul goes to great lengths to introduce her. He uses four endearing titles to describe her: “sister,” servant,” “saint,” and “patron.”

We don’t know the full story of Phoebe’s life, but we do know that she was one of Paul’s most trustworthy companions and colleagues in ministry. The term “servant” (diakonos) can be translated as “deacon” or “deaconess.” She probably held the position of deaconess, serving the church by ministering to the financial and material needs of the church. And since Paul describes her as a patron, she was probably a wealthy businesswoman who used her resources to support the church in Cenchreae and to help fund Paul’s missionary endeavors.

            I am so thankful for people like Phoebe—people who exhibit the love of a sister, the character of a saint, the service of a deacon, and the generosity of a patron! I’m grateful for people who use the physical and financial resources that God has given them to support the ministry of the church. Do you have any Phoebes in your life? I bet you do! Do you have any Phoebes on your list?

After Paul commends the carrier of his letter, he begins his list of greetings in verse 3 with Priscilla and Aquilla, the well-known New Testament couple who served as Bible teachers in the city of Ephesus. In addition to being “fellow workers in Christ Jesus,” Paul says that they “risked their necks for my life.” We can’t be sure of the incident he is referring to, but he is likely alluding to the riot in Ephesus. (Acts 19) The likely story is that Priscilla and Aquilla used their influence to rescue Paul from an unsavory situation.

            I don’t know about you, but I think I would always remember and be thankful for someone who risked their neck for me. Has anyone ever sacrificed themselves to get you out of a jam? Are their names on your list?

Look at who Paul greets in verse 5! It is his beloved friend Epaenetus, who was his first convert to Christ in Asia. After all the persecution Paul endured for preaching the gospel, I’m sure he held his first convert close to his heart. He never forgot that incredible moment.

If you have ever led anyone to faith in Jesus Christ, you’ll never forget either! The first person I ever led to Christ was a 13-year-old boy named D.J. He grew up in a rough home; both of his parents were alcoholics and they were abusive. I used to pick him up for youth group on Friday nights and church on Sunday mornings. I’ll never forget the tears running down his cheeks the night he repented form his sins and became a follower of Jesus. Have you ever led anyone to faith in Christ? Is that name on your list?

Look at who Paul greets in verse 7! Andronicus and Junia (or Andy and June) were probably a married couple and had some familial relation to Paul. Again, we don’t know their full story, but they were well known to the apostles and were converted before Paul. They were once imprisoned together with Paul.

            Now I’ve never been in prison before, but I can imagine that you form a pretty close bond with your fellow jailbirds. Do you have any family members that stood with you when you were in a tight spot? Has anyone ever suffered with you when you were going through a tough time? Are those names on your list?  

Look at who Paul greets in verse 12! Tryphena and Tryphosa were probably twins who were given names that go together. I’m sure they dressed alike when they went to church every Sunday. Their names mean “dainty” and “delicate.” Paul employs some playful irony here because he calls them “workers in the Lord,” using a term that means labor to the point of exhaustion. Dainty and delicate, yes—but dynamite comes in small packages! (Hughes 287)   

            Have you ever met any little old church ladies who bust their behinds to serve others? Cooking meals for shut-ins, baking cakes for church socials, crafting quilts for charity events, and knitting hats and mittens for Christmas bazaars! Have you ever been the beneficiary of their benevolence? Are their names on your list?

Look at who Paul greets in verse 13! Rufus was probably the same one mentioned in Mark 15:21 as the son of Simon of Cyrene, who carried Jesus’ cross when he couldn’t bear it any longer. Rufus may very well have been an eye witness to Jesus’ crucifixion. Rufus’ mother was an eyewitness to Paul’s ministry. As a matter of fact, she acted as a mother to Paul; she cared for him like one of her own sons.

We all need multiple mothers to get us through life. You all know that my biological mother died when I was a little boy, but God has given me many mothers over the years. Even now, I have two churches filled with women who act as my mothers. At least they boss me around like my mother! Do you have any extra mothers on your list?

            Do you see Paul’s list? For him, this was not just some boring list of names. This was a list of companions and colleagues who supported him and partnered with him in the ministry of the gospel. This was a list of men and women who loved him and made a difference to his life. This wasn’t just any list of names—this was a list of names that comprised a part the Christian church in Rome.

Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to belong to a few wonderful church communities. In each one, God has given me many faithful companions and colleagues to help me along my journey. I have multiple lists of names that I constantly remember in my prayers.

            From my church in Pennsylvania, I remember Gerry and Bertha, that old pastoral couple who hosted me for Sunday dinner after church every week. I would push Gerry across the street in his wheelchair, and over a table covered with roast beef, potatoes, and vegetables, they would tell me stories of God’s faithfulness to them.

            From my church in Chicago, I remember Ed and Martha, that wealthy business couple. I’m still not certain, but I’m pretty sure it was them who sent me an anonymous bank check to cover my college tuition bill. I remember Daniel and Emily, my dear friends who co-taught Sunday School classes with me. They got married two after Jennifer and I did; we were in each other’s weddings.

            From my church in Massachusetts, I remember Bill and Marsha, the farming couple who told me that they would be happy to provide anything we needed for the youth ministry. Bill never learned how to read, but he was a whiz with numbers and he knew how to give money away! I also remember Kate, the dear widow who taught me so much about life and ministry. She prayed for me every day! All of these people are on my list!

            For the past fifteen years, I have been a part of this church. And I am thankful for every one of you. You may not know it, but you’re all on my list!

Do you have a list? Don’t overlook the lists! There is a story in every one of those names!  

George Scott was a one-legged school teacher from Scotland. He once approached the legendary missionary J. Hudson Taylor and offered himself for service in China. “With only one leg, why do you think of going as a missionary?” asked Taylor.

            Scott simply said, “I don’t see those with two legs going,” He was immediately accepted to serve with the China Inland Mission.

            Arriving in Shanghai on February 6, 1866, Stott quickly relocated to the port city of Wenzhou province, where Christian teaching had been previously unknown. As a result of the ongoing influence of the message of Christ first brought there by Stott, Wenzhou is known today as the “Jerusalem of China” because of the six million inhabitants, there are more than 600,000 Christians—10% of the population.

With the physical limitations that came from having only one leg, maybe George Scott wasn’t the perfect candidate, but no one could doubt that he had the same heart for Christian missions as the Apostle Paul, the greatest missionary in the history of the church. We can read the stories of Paul’s missionary journeys in the Book of Acts, but we also gain a glimpse of his heart for Christian missions right here in Romans 15:22-33. This text reveals three aspects of Paul’s heart for missions that should inform and inspire our hearts for Christian missions today!

1.) A Heart for Unreached Peoples (22-24)

In verse 22 Paul picks up right where he left off in the previous section where he affirmed that he fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ all the way from Jerusalem to Illyricum and now it was his ambition to preach the gospel where people have not heard Christ’s name. (19-20) Paul was not called to build upon someone else’s ministry foundation; he was called to be a pioneer to unreached peoples.

Paul identifies this as the reason why he had been hindered from coming to Rome thus far. But now that his work in the east was complete, he hoped that he would be able to visit the church in Rome. This would fulfill his longing to visit the Christians there, many of which were personal friends, and encourage them in their faith.

But Paul prefaces his desire to fellowship with his fellow believers in Rome by asserting his ultimate priority of taking the gospel all the way to Spain, which was considered the ends of the earth at the time of his writing. His priority was to share the gospel with the people there who never heard of Jesus before.

Furthermore, Paul planned to use Rome as a launchpad for this Spanish mission. For this mission to be possible, he would need financial support. He was already dropping hints in this letter, hoping that the church would be ready to help him when he arrived. Paul knew that Christian missions are impossible apart from the generous financial support of local churches. If the church at Rome would partner with him in this mission, he would be able to achieve his priority of taking the gospel to unreached peoples.

David Livingstone (1813-1873), a physician turned missionary had a similar heart for sharing the gospel with unreached peoples. At age 25, Livingstone was captivated by an appeal for medical missionaries to China. As he trained, however, the door to China was slammed shut by the Opium War. Within six months, he met Robert Moffat, a veteran missionary of southern Africa, who enchanted him with tales of his remote station, glowing in the morning sun with “the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary had been before.”

            For ten years, Livingstone served as a conventional missionary in southern Africa. He opened a string of mission stations, where he preached the gospel, taught school, and superintended the community garden. But his desire was to press further into the jungles. His goal was to open a “Missionary Road”—”God’s Highway,” he also called it—1,500 miles north into the interior to bring “Christianity and civilization” to unreached peoples.

Livingstone become one of the most famous and fascinating figures in British society and was known for his witty quotes:

• “I will go anywhere, provided it be forward.”
• “If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.”
• “God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours.”

            Like the Apostle Paul and David Livingstone, we must have a heart for Christian missions to unreached peoples. This is why our church must continue to support foreign missions. Its why we support missionaries like Rebecca Ashton in Prague, Czech Republic, Titus and Shannon Gilbert in Thailand, and Dave and Feruza Krason, who assisted in translating the Bible into the Uzbek language for the first time. We must never forget the millions of people around the world who have never heard Jesus’ name. God doesn’t call all of us to be foreign missionaries, but he calls all of us to support foreign missions with our prayers and our pocketbooks.

            But we should also remember that some unreached peoples live right here in our own back yards. There are thousands of people in our communities, schools, and workplaces who know nothing about Jesus Christ. Who is going to share the gospel with them? Are you willing to share the good news with someone who doesn’t know? Will you help reach the unreached?

            Unfortunately, I know many Christians who exhibit the attitude: “I just want to go to my church, sit in my pew, talk to the people in my section, and hang out with my Christian friends and family.” I know many believers who prefer the comfort of fellowshipping with the Christians in Rome rather than taking the gospel to the unreached peoples of Spain. Just remember that there are millions of people outside the church who are perishing without any hope of heaven. What is your Spain?

2.) A Heart for Poor Christians (25-29)

After Paul exposes his heart for unreached peoples, he goes on to highlight his heart for poor Christians. In verse 25, Paul tells the Romans that before he can visit them, he must first go to Jerusalem to deliver the offering he collected from the Gentile churches in Macedonia and Achaia. The Christians in Jerusalem were suffering from a lack of resources due to a famine in AD 48.

In verse 27 we learn why this offering was so important to Paul. It is not just a charitable project; it is also designed to bring into closer fellowship Gentile and Jewish believers. The Gentiles, after all, have benefitted spiritually from the Jews. The Gentile Christians can now partially repay this debt by sharing with the Jews from their own material blessings. Of all people, the Romans could empathize with Paul’s desire to facilitate unity between these two groups. And after Paul accomplished this important mission of helping the poor Christians in Jerusalem, he would be on his way to Rome. (Moo 490)

            Like Paul, we should all feel a sense of responsibility to help our brothers and sisters who are in need. Whether the need is caused by a natural disaster, an economic collapse, or some other unfortunate circumstance, the Christian church should be ready to respond by providing necessary resources.

            There are multiple ways our church already does this. First, every year our church budgets money to help community members with unforeseen financial challenges. Over the years, we have helped people pay everything from their rent and utility bills to medical expenses and necessary home improvements. We have also taken up significant love offerings to support tsunami and hurricane relief.

            We also partner with organizations like Samaritans Purse (an international Christian mission that intervenes when areas are struck by natural disasters) and Martha’s Kitchen (the mission in St. Albans that cares for the hungry and homeless in Franklin County).

            Christian missions like these exist because of the compassion and generosity of local churches like ours. May we never lose our compassion for the impoverished in our communities. May we never lose our spirit of generosity toward those who have fallen on hard times. May we always have a heart for the poor!

3.) A Heart for Missions Despite Danger or Opposition (30-33)

As Paul proposes the Christian mission priorities of reaching unreached peoples and providing for the poor, he knows that both of these endeavors could be dangerous. Any time you are a stranger in a strange land, it poses certain threats and the fear of the unknown. Any time you try to help people, you never know how they will respond. Some people are awfully quick to bite the hand that feeds them. This is why Paul offers his heart for Christian service despite danger and opposition.

In verse 30, Paul appeals to his fellow believers in Rome to pray for his mission. But notice that is not a just a casual prayer; he strengthens his request by adding the words “by our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers…” Why did Pose his prayer request like this? He gives two answers to this question in verse 31: that he “might be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea and that his service to Jerusalem might be acceptable among the saints.” Unbelieving Jews were especially hostile to Paul because of his ministry to the Gentiles. He is also concerned that the Jewish Christians might refuse the offering because it was tainted by the “unclean” hands of the Gentiles. (Moo 491)

If you read Acts 21, you will see that the Apostle’s fears were real. Even though it appears that the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem accepted the offering from the Gentile churches, Paul became a victim of mob violence. After he was beaten to a bloody pulp, soldiers bound him in double chains and falsely imprisoned him. But Paul was willing to suffer danger and opposition for the service of the gospel.

Even today, Christian missions sometimes entails danger and opposition. Some of you may be familiar with the story of Andrew Brunson, the American pastor who was just released from prison in Turkey last week.

            Brunson was a missionary in Turkey for more than 20 years before he was arrested in October 2016 and falsely accused by the Turkish government of espionage and ties to terrorist groups. He was initially held in solitary confinement and later with 19 other prisoners in a cell meant for only eight. Isolated by language, culture, and religion, he said he grew increasingly concerned about his physical safety, given the accusations against him.

            Upon his release and return to the United States, listen to what he told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News:

Our purpose in going to Turkey was to tell people about Jesus Christ. We did that very openly, and we were never involved in anything political…Even though this caused us a lot of hurt, I think that God is using this, was planning to use this to bring blessing to Turkey. Now, there are millions of people who pray for Turkey.

            Like the Apostle Paul, pastor Andrew Brunson has a heart for Christian service despite danger or opposition. If missionaries are willing to risk their lives for the gospel, I wonder if we would be willing to risk a little bit of rejection?

            The great missionary C.T. Studd once said, “Some wish to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” How about you?

As we read Paul’s words here at the end of the Book of Romans, I hope we will all develop a bigger heart for Christian missions! I hope we will have a bigger heart for unreached peoples and for poor Christians. And I hope that our heart for missions will be big enough to risk some opposition!

            The term civility means “formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech.” It is a word rarely uttered in American society today; and unfortunately, it is even more rarely practiced. On one hand, we seem to be living in an era where people either err on the side of oversensitive political correctness where the fear of offending makes language so ambiguous that it becomes unintelligible. On the other hand, we certainly see many arrogant attitudes that assert, “My freedom of speech gives me the right to say whatever I want to whomever I want whenever I want…and if you don’t like it, too bad!”

            Likewise, we are living in a time when the divided “us against them” mentality is pervasive in so many national discussions, ranging from religion and politics to sports and entertainment. Lamentably, it has become fashionable to denigrate and even demonize everyone with whom we disagree. This type of belligerent rhetoric has become normalized on news shows, newspaper headlines, and even Facebook posts. When adults on all levels actively engage in name calling, undermining, intimidation, and character assassination, is it any wonder that our schools are beleaguered by bullying? Have you ever wondered where children learn to torment other children?

            Just yesterday morning, while I was attending my son’s football game in St. Albans, I saw a little African-American boy with tears running down his cheeks. As he approached his mother, I heard him say that some other boys called him the “N” word. Thankfully, that mom snapped into action and tried to track down the offenders. I don’t know if she was successful or not, but my heart broke as I thought about the verbal assault that ten-year-old boy endured—and I knew this wouldn’t be the last time he would face this.

            As we continue to witness racial injustice, religious insults, and political slights in our uncivil society, let us look to God’s Word for some guidance this morning. The Christians in Rome were dealing with these same issues. In Romans 12:9-21, the Apostle Paul challenges believers to live for Christ by uttering a serious call for Christian civility!   

As Paul continues his “practical” section of the Book of Romans where he focuses on how to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ in every day life, he now turns his attention toward the topic of civility. If you remember last week when we looked at Romans 12:1-8, Paul called the Christians in Rome to respond to God’s mercies by making a commitment to Christian living and Christian community. Now in verses 9-21, he goes one step further by calling the Romans and all believers to a commitment to Christian civility toward fellow Christians and non-Christians. Let’s take a closer look at Paul’s call to Christian civility!

A Serious Call to Christian Civility Toward Fellow Christians (9-13)

Throughout this whole passage, Paul employs short pithy rapid-fire commands. Although they are loosely connected to each other, they all relate back to the main theme of acting in a Christ-like manner by practicing Christian civility. Verses 9-16 addresses Christian civility toward other Christians. He begins with the main idea in verse 9, “Love must be genuine.” Paul must have known that Christians possible to be outwardly nice and yet lack genuine love and affection for others. True love is uncontaminated by hypocrisy!

This reminds me of a certain phrase that I’ve encountered in the American South. Have you ever heard the words “Bless your heart?” It is an outward expression of spiritual congeniality that masks internal contempt. When some people say, “bless your heart,” what they really mean is “I disagree with you”, “I want you to leave now”, or “I can’t stand you.”

            Paul follows this appeal for genuine love with a command to abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good, love one another with brotherly love and outdo each other in showing honor. This is the way Christians ought to relate to other Christians—with a love that is worthy of our familial relationship with Jesus! Paul knew that it was more difficult for Christians to love other Christians and practice civility when they are experiencing their own trials, so he goes on, in verses 11-12, to tie a Christian’s love for another Christian to their love for God—“Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

            Our pain should never be an excuse to treat other people poorly! May we draw even closer to God when we experience trials, so he can help us love people through our pain!

Paul concludes his section on Christian civility toward other Christians with a challenge to “contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” (13) In this verse, Paul is saying that civility is more than polite speech and courteous actions; it includes a willingness to “put our money where our mouth is!”

True Christian civility requires a disposition of self-sacrifice where we are eager to share our resources, our possessions, our food, and our homes when our brothers and sisters in Christ who need them.

Before I ask you to renew your commitment to Christian civility today, let me ask you this: Do you know any fellow Christians who are hard to love? Do you have any fellow church members who just get under your skin? Do you ever try to avoid certain people when you come to church? This is not genuine love; and it’s not true Christian civility!

Will you renew your commitment to Christian civility by pledging your genuine love and sacrificial giving to your fellow Christians? If we can’t be civil toward each other, how can we ever be civil toward the world?

A Serious Call to Christian Civility Toward Non-Christians (14-21)

After Paul admonishes the believers in Rome to practice Christian civility to their fellow Christians, he turns his focus outside the church and issues a serious call to Christian civility to non-believers. In the Roman context, this primarily referred to opponents of Christianity who actively oppressed the church. This is why Paul begins in verse 14 with the powerful plea: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” Here, Paul picks up on Jesus’ own teaching from his Sermon on the Mount. When persecuted, the Christian is to respond with love rather than retaliation.

Likewise, Christians are called to reach out to non-believers by “rejoicing with those who rejoice, weeping with those who weep.” This is accompanied by a command to live in harmony with one another and a willingness to associate with the lowly.

Christian civility requires sympathy, empathy, and humility toward people who may not share our beliefs, values, or lifestyles. We should never think we are better than anyone just because we are Christians!

In verses 17-21, Paul zeros in on how Christians ought to respond to people who persecute them. He begins by cautioning Christians not to repay evil for evil. Not exacting revenge is an honorable response even in the eyes of the world. Verse 18 adds a realistic note encouraging Christians to be at peace with others whenever they can (if it is possible and so far as it depends upon them.) (Pate 251)

Verse 19 compels Christians to resist the urge to avenge themselves, but to leave all injustice and persecution to the wrath of God. For the Scriptures teach that vengeance is the Lord’s and he will repay all injustice on Judgement Day. Rather, Christians should love their enemies in tangible ways like feeding them and giving them drink, for by doing so “you will heap burning coals on his head.” The meaning of this phrase it debated, but the most common interpretation is that the loving actions will produce a sense of burning shame in the offender. Hence, Paul’s clincher statement in verse 21: “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”

            I can remember the exact occasion when I first heard the term “heap burning coals on his head.” I was still in high school and was a brand-new Christian. I was walking down the street with my good friend who had led me to faith in Jesus Christ when I noticed his step-mother’s car coming up the hill toward us. He looked at me and said, “Watch this!” I didn’t know what to expect, so I kept my eye on the car. When she realized who was walking toward her, a dirty scowl appeared upon her face and she flipped us the bird. I lifted my hand to return the unsanctified gesture, when my friend ripped my hand down, conjured up the biggest smile you have ever seen, waved his hand happily in the air, and shouted, “Hi Judy!”

            I knew that she was the wicked woman who kicked him out of his own house a week after he graduated high school. You can imagine my confusion when I asked, “What did you do that for?” He grinned and said, “I was heaping burning coals on her head!” He went on to teach me my very first Bible lesson on Romans 12:20!

            It is our natural instinct to retaliate when someone persecutes us. It is often our first impulse to fight back when someone attacks us with their words, gestures, or fists! But Paul compels us to resist these reactions; he calls us to practice Christian civility!

            Are you ever around non-believers who make fun of your Christian faith? Has anyone ever gone out of their way to offend your Christian sensibilities? Has anyone ever flat out persecuted you because of your commitment to Jesus Christ? If so, love your enemies and leave the injustice to God!

In 1991, Rabbi Michael Weisser was living in Lincoln, Nebraska, with his wife, Julie and three of their five children. He was the new cantor and spiritual leader of the South Street Temple, the oldest Jewish synagogue in Lincoln. One Sunday morning, a few days after they had moved into their new house, the phone rang.

            The man on the other end of the line called Rabbi Weisser “Jew boy” and told him he would be sorry he had moved in. Two days later, a thick package of anti-Semitic pamphlets arrived in the mail, including an unsigned card that read, “The KKK is watching you, scum.”

            The messages, it turned out, were from Larry Trapp, the Grand Dragon of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Nebraska, who kept loaded weapons, pro-Hitler material and his Klan robe in his cramped apartment. Then 42, Mr. Trapp was nearly blind and used a wheelchair to get around; a bout with diabetes left both of his legs had been amputated.

            In a 1992 interview with Time magazine, Mr. Trapp said he had wanted to scare Rabbi Weisser into moving out of Lincoln. “As the state leader, the Grand Dragon, I did more than my share of work because I wanted to build up the state of Nebraska into a state as hateful as North Carolina and Florida,” he said. “I spent a lot of money and went out of my way to instill fear.”

            Rabbi Weisser, who suspected the person threatening him was Mr. Trapp, got his telephone number and started leaving messages on the answering machine. “I would say things like: ‘Larry, there’s a lot of love out there. You’re not getting any of it. Don’t you want some?’ “And, ‘Larry, why do you love the Nazis so much? They’d have killed you first because you’re disabled.’ I did it once a week.”

            One day, Mr. Trapp answered. Mrs. Weisser, the rabbi’s wife, had told him to say something nice if he ever got Mr. Trapp on the line, and he followed her advice. “I said: ‘I heard you’re disabled. I thought you might need a ride to the grocery,’ ” Rabbi Weisser said.

            Then, one night, Rabbi Weisser’s phone rang again. It was Mr. Trapp. “He said, quote-unquote — I’ll never forget it, it was like a chilling moment, in a good way — he said, ‘I want to get out of what I’m doing and I don’t know how,’ ” Rabbi Weisser said.

            He and Mrs. Weisser drove to Mr. Trapp’s apartment that night. The three talked for hours, and a close friendship formed. The couple’s home became a kind of hospice for Mr. Trapp, who moved into one of their bedrooms as his health worsened, and Mrs. Weisser became Mr. Trapp’s caretaker and confidante.

            Mr. Trapp eventually renounced the Klan, apologized to many of those he had threatened, and converted to Judaism in Rabbi Weisser’s synagogue. Mr. Trapp, the former Klan leader, died in Rabbi Weisser’s home in September 1992, less than a year after they met. The rabbi spoke at his funeral.

            “People were taken by the idea that an act of kindness can make a change,” Rabbi Weisser said. “ ‘Need a ride to the grocery?’,” you know?”

Rabbi Weisser isn’t even a Christian, but he practiced Christian civility! Can we do the same!

Earlier this week, as I was studying Romans 10 for this morning’s message, the sermon title “Stairway to Heaven” popped into my mind. At the same moment, it also occurred to me that this would be a brilliant title for a rock song. So, I grabbed a guitar and began fiddling around with a few chord progressions and riffs. But my arpeggios kept eerily resembling a song called “Taurus” from back in 1968. Consequently, to avoid a copyright infringement lawsuit, I decided to ditch the song and stick to the sermon.

            I am obviously joking about this, but you might be interested to know that there is still an unresolved court appeal against the rock band Led Zeppelin, who is accused of stealing the music for their legendary song “Stairway to Heaven” from the band Spirit. It will be interesting to see what happens in this case!

            Over the years, there has been many conspiracy theories about this song. Many of you are familiar with the rumor that if you play “Stairway to Heaven” backwards that you will hear satanic messages. Well, don’t believe a word of it! This rumor is 100% false!

            On the other hand, I wonder if you’ve heard the recent rumor that if you listen to the sermon “Stairway to Heaven” forward, you will hear the sound of angels singing! This rumor is probably false also, but I do hope that we will all hear the voice of God speaking through the preaching of Romans 10:14-21today—for in this passage, the Apostle Paul really does show us a stairway to heaven!

Let me explain! In the preceding passage, Paul just expounded the heart of the gospel and ended the section with the climactic quote from the prophet Joel: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This is, indeed, wonderful news for all! But Paul anticipates the next logical question that his readers would ask. Look in verse 14: “How will they call on him in whom they have not believed?” Another way to phrase this question might be: If the gospel is the only way to get to heaven, how does one get the gospel?

Paul goes on to answer his own question in verses 14-15 by laying out the steps of salvation or the “stairway to heaven.” There are four steps in this stairway to heaven. The gospel must be sent, preached, heard, and then believed. Paul lists these steps in reverse chronological order, but for the sake of clarity, allow me to deal with them in their natural order.

The Stairway to Heaven (14-15)

1.) The gospel must be sent.

The stairway to heaven begins with the gospel being sent. If the gospel is going to be heard and ultimately believed, it must begin with someone being sent to preach the gospel. Paul himself was an apostle, called and sent by God to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. Before Paul, God had already sent the other Apostles, John the Baptist, and the Old Testament prophets to preach the good news of the coming kingdom of God. The gospel must be sent before it can be believed! Truly, as Isaiah prophesied long ago, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”

As we think about the gospel being sent, we must recognize that some people receive a special calling from God to be an evangelist or missionary. As in biblical times, some folks are specifically called by God to spread the gospel, establish mission posts, and plant churches in a vocational manner today. But Jesus’ great commission in Matthew 28 and Acts 1 compels every Christian to take the gospel to someone! God doesn’t send everyone across the world, but he does send all of us to share the good news of Jesus Christ in our communities! Will you help someone take the first step on the stairway to heaven? Who is God sending you to?

2.) The gospel must be preached.

After the gospel is sent, the second step on the stairway to heaven is that the gospel must be preached. To preach means to proclaim or make known. If the gospel is to be heard and understood, someone has to preach it.

            Likewise, God gives some people the spiritual gift of preaching and calls them to the specific vocational role of preaching, but he calls every Christian to preach the gospel to someone. When we think about the history of preaching, big names like John Chrysostom, Martin Luther, and Charles Spurgeon come to mind. In our modern day, many of us have benefitted from the preaching of Billy Graham, Charles Stanley, and Alister Begg on the radio. But let me tell you that some of the world’s greatest preachers never see the limelight. They are moms and dads who teach their kids about Jesus and model the Christian life, grandparents who read Bible stories to their grandchildren, and volunteer Sunday school teachers who proclaim the good news every week! The gospel must be preached—will you help someone take the second step on the stairway to heaven? 

3.) The gospel must be heard.

The third step on the stairway to heaven is that the gospel must be heard. Whereas the first two steps on the stairway to heaven are dependent upon someone sharing the gospel, the last two steps are dependent upon someone responding to the gospel. The gospel may be sent and preached effectively, but it must be heard before it can lead to saving faith. Paul says explicitly in verse 17: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

I have been in Christian ministry for 20 years now, and it still never ceases to amaze me how some people can hear the gospel and without hearing the gospel. Do you know what I mean by this? I mean that there are people who sit in churches all across the world every Sunday who hear the message that Jesus died on the cross to atone for our sins and rose on the third day to offer us eternal life, and it doesn’t seem to make any difference in their lives. It doesn’t penetrate their soul.

            I recall an occasion some years ago when I preached the gospel of Jesus Christ as clearly as I possibly could. I passionately proclaimed that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and that he is the only way to the Father; and that we cannot get to heaven by being good people or doing good deeds.

            As soon as church let out, a nice old lady came up to me and said, “Thank you for the sermon pastor! I guess I need to just try harder!” I wanted to rip my hair out of my head and scream “Nooo!!!” She heard the sermon but completely missed the message!

            Have you really heard the gospel? Do you really understand what Jesus Christ has done for you? Have you taken the third step on the stairway to heaven?

4.) The gospel must be believed.

The forth and final step on the stairway to heaven is that the gospel must be believed. This is the pinnacle of faith where a person actually inherits eternal life in heaven by responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the point Paul has been making throughout the book of Romans! This is the great evangelistic goal of every church—as the gospel is sent, preached, and heard—that it would be believed, and eternal life would be received!

           So, let me pause to ask again: Have you truly believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ?

            This stairway to heaven is why the church engages in the practice of evangelism and sends missionaries around the world! I think about the great missionary statesman, David Brainerd (1718-47) who was sent by New England churches to preach the gospel to the American Indians. As a young man, he was powerfully motivated toward evangelism. He suffered from all sorts of physical and emotional anguishes including tuberculosis, loneliness, depression, and a lack of food. He spent many nights alone in the wilderness, but he continued his work because of his calling.

            And having waited long for revival among the Native Americans, Brainerd finally saw it. In his journal, he wrote, “It was very affecting to see the poor Indians, who the other day were halooing and yelling in their idolatrous feasts and drunken frolics, now crying to God with such an interest in His dear son.” Brainerd died at the age of 29 and is buried in the Bridge Street Cemetery in North Hampton, MA. His gravestone reads:

Sacred to the memory of the Rev. David Brainerd. A faithful and laborious missionary to the Stockbridge, Delaware and Susquehanna TRIBES OF INDIANS WHO died in this town. October 10, 1747

Just as David Brainerd was sent to preach the gospel almost 300 years ago, so the church is still called to send people to preach the good news of the death and resurrection of Christ for the salvation of souls. This is why our church partners with Becca Ashton in the Czech Republic, the Waguepsecks in Mexico, the Gilberts in Thailand, and the Gavins right here at the University of Vermont! Perhaps the Lord is speaking to someone here this morning about being sent to preach the gospel? May we always be a church that sends and preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ!

            I would also like for us to spend a few moments contemplating the fact that we have heard and believed the gospel because someone was sent and preached it to us! Who shared the gospel with you? Was it a parent or grandparent? Was it a Sunday school teacher or pastor? Was it a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger? Whoever it was, let us praise God for the beautiful feet of the person who cared about our eternal soul enough preach the good news. Let us thank God that he has given us ears to hear and faith to believe the gospel!

Walking the Steps of Faith (16-21)

After Paul presents the stairway to heaven in verses 14-15, he now returns to Israel in verses 16-21. He again breaks the bad news that not all the Israelites accepted the good news. While God had offered the Israelites a stairway to heaven, they refused to walk the steps that would culminate in faith. They heard the good news, but they mostly refused to believe.

Paul asks the sarcastic rhetorical question in verse 18, “But I ask: Did they not hear?” He answers his own question, “Of course they did!” and then goes on to quote four Old Testament passages to explain the fact that the even though the Israelites heard the gospel, they refused to believe it. With these quotes, Paul returns to his ironic point in Romans 9 that the Gentiles received the gospel while the Israelites rejected it. He ends the whole section with a scathing indictment from Isaiah 65 that pictures God continuing to extend grace (“I have held out my hand) to Israel, but Israel continuing to reject the gospel (a disobedient and obstinate people.”)

            Unfortunately, many people have fallen into the same trap as Israel. Although God has extended his grace to us by providing a stairway to heaven—although God has sent many missionaries and preachers to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ—although he has given so many opportunities to hear and believe the good news—so few have responded in faith. Like the ancient Israelites, most people in the world today just persist in their disobedience and obstinance. God continues to offer his grace with outstretched hands, but so few recognize their need for Jesus Christ!

            How about you? Do you recognize your need for Jesus Christ? Will you climb the stairway to heaven and put your faith in Jesus Christ or will you persist in obstinance? I hope we will learn from Israel’s mistake before it is too late!

            Let me conclude with this simple summary statement: God has provided a stairway to heaven, but we must walk the steps of faith!

According to the dictionary, the word “heart” has about 19 different definitions in the English language.

• Heart is most commonly used in the anatomic sense. It is a hollow four-chamber organ that pumps blood through the human body. This is what the band Bon Jovi meant when they sang: “Shot through the heart and you’re to blame; you give love a bad name.”
• A heart is also one of the four suits in a deck of playing cards. This is how Juice Newton used the word when she sang: “Playing with the queen of hearts, knowing it ain’t very smart; the joker ain’t the only foooool, who’ll do anything for you.”
• Heart can refer the emotional or moral nature as distinguished from the intellectual nature. This is what Billy Ray Cyrus had in mind when he sang: “But don’t tell my heart, my achy breaky heart, I just don’t think he’ll understand…”
• And heart can refer to the center, core, or essence something. This is what Don Henley meant when he sang: “I’ve been trying to get down to the heart of the matter…even if you don’t love me anymore.”

This fourth definition of heart is the one I want to apply to Paul’s description of the gospel in today’s sermon text from Romans 9:30-10:13. In this passage, Paul gets down to the heart of the gospel. At its core, the gospel is the good news that Jesus died and rose again to offer salvation to the human race. He has already established this truth throughout the book of Romans, but in this section, he refines what he means by the heart of the gospel; he explains why the Israelites rejected the heart of the gospel; and he tells his readers how they can receive the heart of the gospel. Therefore, today’s sermon will highlight the heart of the gospel with three R’s: refining, rejecting, and receiving the heart of the gospel.

Refining the Heat of the Gospel (9:30-33)

As we look at the end of Romans 9, we must remember that Paul was explaining to the Christians at Rome why the Gentiles were receiving the gospel while the Israelites were rejecting it. In these verses, Paul continues to defend himself against the false accusations that he had abandoned his own Jewish people and preferred to minister to the Gentiles. He dispels this misconception by pausing to reflect on the ironic twist in salvation history that he just described in Romans 9:6-29: Only a remnant of the Jews were being saved, while Gentiles, who were once not considered the people of God, are now being called “sons of the living God.” He uses the critical heart of the gospel—righteousness by faith—to explain this dramatic turn of events. (Moo 326)

In this section, Paul refines the heart of the gospel by insisting that righteousness comes through faith and not by works. The Gentiles did not pursue righteousness through their works; they received it as a gift from God through faith in Jesus Christ. The Israelites, on the other hand, tried to earn their own salvation by obeying God’s law, but they failed miserably. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. Paul draws the picture of a walker so intent on pursuing a certain goal that he or she stumbles over a rock lying right in their path. The Israelites had spiritual tunnel-vision. They were so determined to earn their own righteousness through obeying the law that they missed Christ, “the stone” that God placed in their path. The prophet Isaiah predicted that this unfortunate event hundreds of years before it happened. The Israelites missed Christ, but the Gentiles received God’s righteousness through faith in Christ.

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever been so focused on reaching your destination that you stumbled over something right in front of you? I suspect we have all done this before. If we carefully watch where we are going, we won’t stumble!

            The same is true spiritually speaking. If we watch where we are going spiritually, we will notice that God has placed his Son Jesus right in front of us. God sent his Son to earth to die for our sins on the cross and conquer death through the resurrection. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to obtain God’s righteousness! We can’t earn it through our own efforts; we can only receive it as a gift from God. This is the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

            Unfortunately, there are so many people in our world today who are still stumbling over the stumbling stone. The majority of people in our world really do believe that they can get to heaven by “being good people” or by “doing enough good deeds” or “having good intentions.” But this belief is diametrically opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whatever you do, don’t make the same mistake the Israelites made! Don’t stumble over the stumbling stone! Jesus is right there in front of you! Obtain God’s righteousness by putting your faith in Jesus Christ today!

Rejecting the Heart of the Gospel (10:1-4)

Unfortunately, the Israelites did not put their faith in Jesus Christ. Instead, they rejected the heart of the gospel. In Romans 10:1, Paul expresses his heart’s desire for his kinsmen, the Israelites, to be saved. He openly acknowledges that the Israelites were religiously zealous, but their zeal was misplaced; it was not based on knowledge. As Paul makes clear in verses 3-4, what the Jews did not understand was that God is offering a right relationship with himself through faith in Jesus Christ, the culmination of the law and salvation history. (Moo 329)

But instead of submitting to God’s righteousness, the Israelites sought to establish a righteousness of their own through their striving to obey the law. The result of this was not only a rejection of the heart of the gospel, but also feelings of animosity toward the Gentiles who were not seeking their own righteousness. At the end of verse 4, Paul explains that Christ’s righteousness is available to everyone who believes. Once again, we see that salvation is not based on anything a person does or doesn’t do; it is based on faith in Jesus Christ. But the Israelites rejected the heart of the gospel.

            Michael Rydelnik, one of my past professors at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, was the son of Holocaust survivors. He once told us the story about how his Jewish father disowned him after he became a Christian. Even so, when Michael’s father died in 1996 in Israel, it caused him to question the theology he had learned that “apart from conscious in Jesus, all people, including my father, would be lost for eternity.

            Rydelnik knew that if admission to heaven could be earned by suffering, his father should be there. He had lost his fist wife, five sons, and an adopted daughter to the ovens at Auschwitz. He had also suffered terribly in several concentration camps. He later would lose a second wife in childbirth, and a two-year-old daughter by his third marriage drowned in Berlin. Rydelnik’s father and his third wife moved to America; twenty years later, that wife and his son Michael and two daughters came to faith in Jesus Christ. The elder Rydelnik then disowned them and moved back to Israel.

            Among the conclusions Dr. Rydelnik draws are these: “Jewish people, if fact all people, are lost without faith in Jesus as their Redeemer,” and “Jewish people and Gentiles must have conscious faith in Jesus to experience God’s forgiveness and receive the promise of life in the world to come.” (Pate 200)

            Rydelnik’s father was zealous about his Jewish faith and heritage, but he wouldn’t accept Jesus as his Messiah. There are many people who zealously practice Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Mormonism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. These people often live more moral lives than Christians; but religious zeal, morality, or suffering cannot atone for our sins or offer us eternal life. Only Jesus Christ, who is God in human flesh, can do that!

            Likewise, there are many people in our world who show their religious zeal by wearing a crucifix around their neck, getting a cross tattooed on their arm, living a moral life, or donating money to charity, but they have not truly put their faith in Jesus Christ. They might be willing to wear the cross of Christ; but they’re not willing to bear the cross of Christ! Religious zeal, no matter how fervent, does not lead to righteousness. The only way we can gain righteousness is to receive it as a gift from Christ!

Receiving the Heart of the Gospel (10:5-13)

In response to the Israelites rejecting the heart of the gospel, Paul concludes this passage by turning his attention toward receiving the heart of the gospel: the message of salvation to all. In verses 5-7, he contrasts the righteousness that is based on the law with the righteousness that comes by faith. He does this by citing a passage from Moses for obedience and performance of the will of God as contained in the law. Moses taught that the person who obeys the law perfectly will live—thus be righteous in God’s sight. The problem with this is that, as Paul taught back in Romans 3, all human beings are sinful and fall short of the glory of God. Because of our sinful human nature, no one is actually able to obey the law perfectly.

The only solution to this problem is a righteousness that comes by faith instead of the law. Jesus, who is God in human flesh, fulfilled the law perfectly and then gave up his life on the cross. He offers his righteousness to people who put their faith in him. Through Christ’s being brought down (his incarnation) and brought up from the dead (his resurrection), God has made righteousness available through faith. One does not have ascend into heaven or plumb the depths of the sea to discover it. All one needs to do to attain righteousness is to respond in faith to the heart of the gospel as it is preached. (Moo 332)

I have said it before but let me say it again here: There are only two ways to get to heaven. You can either earn righteousness by living a perfect sinless life on your own, or you can receive the righteousness of Christ by putting your faith in him!

Since none of us can live a sinless life, Paul goes on in verses 8-13 to describe how exactly how people can receive the heart of the gospel. Here he gives perhaps the clearest teaching in the whole Bible about what a person must do to be saved. “The word of faith” refers to the gospel message. When a person hears and understands the heart of the gospel, and they confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead, they will be saved. This salvation is not offered exclusively to Jews or Greeks (gentiles), but it is offered to all people. The Lord promises to bestow riches, that is eternal life and blessing, on everyone who calls on his name! What an incredible gospel!

Don’t miss what Paul is saying here! Our inward response to the gospel must be heart belief. This is not a simple intellectual assent—head knowledge. It is heart knowledge—a belief that demands commitment. There are many people in the world today who say they believe that Jesus lived, died, and rose again. There are far fewer people who believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus enough to commit their lives to him. This is the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge! Do you have head knowledge or heart knowledge? Do you believe in Jesus with your whole heart?

            Likewise, to receive the gospel, we must exhibit an outward response. If we are to be saved, a heart belief must be accompanied by a public confession with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. Jesus himself said in Matthew 10:32-33, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”

            This outward confession conveys a surrendering of our lives to the lordship of Jesus Christ. We cannot receive Jesus as our savior without also submitting to him as our Lord. But submitting ourselves to anyone or anything goes against our American values of independence and self-determination. But if we are willing to humble ourselves before him by calling on his name, we will be saved!

            Friends, this is the heart of the gospel! And it leaves us with some choices to make: Will you submit yourself to the lordship of Jesus Christ? Will you believe in the death and resurrection of Christ in your heart? Will you reject or receive the heart of the gospel? I hope you will make the right choice!

In the United States, Election Day is the day set by law for the general elections of federal public officials. It is statutorily set as “the Tuesday after the first Monday in the month of November” or “the first Tuesday after November 1.” Have you ever wondered why Election Day is on a Tuesday in November? It seems like an odd time, doesn’t it?

            Well, here are a few interesting historical facts about Election Day:

1. In 1758, a young candidate in Virginia for the House of Burgesses footed a huge liquor bill to woo voters on Election Day. George Washington spent his entire campaign budget, 50 pounds, on 160 gallons of liquor served to 391 voters. How many of you would vote for George Washington for a half-gallon of booze?
2. A uniform date for choosing presidential candidates wasn’t instituted by Congress until 1845. The agrarian economy was an important factor. Farmers weren’t able to travel easily until the harvest was over, so elections were designated for November.
3. The first Tuesday after the first Monday was chosen to allow people to observe the Sabbath, travel to vote, and return home for Wednesday, which was observed as Market Day. This was just for presidential elections every four years, but it started a trend.

Election Day has changed a lot throughout American history, but it is still the day set aside for American citizens to exercise our democratic right to choose our government officials. I think most of us would agree that our election system isn’t perfect, but when we set it against the backdrop of world history, it is amazing that we actually get to choose who will serve us! May we never take that freedom for granted!

            But today I would like to talk to you about an even more important Election Day. I want to talk to you about Divine Election Day.  In the broad sense, the doctrine of divine election refers to the fact that God chooses (or elects) to do everything that he does in whatever way he best sees fit. When he acts, he does so only because he willfully and independently chooses to act. According to his own nature, predetermined plan, and good pleasure, he decides to do whatever he desires, without pressure or constraint from any outside influence. In the narrow sense, the doctrine of election refers to God choosing who receives redemption for their souls. On our Election Day, we choose who we want to serve us. On Divine Election Day, God chooses who he wants to serve him.

            Other than Ephesians 1 (this morning’s call to worship), Romans 9 is the clearest articulation of the doctrine of election in the Bible. By this time in Paul’s ministry it was clear that most of the Jews had rejected the good news about Christ. Again and again Paul preached to Jews, only to see minimal response. When he turned to the Gentiles, however, the response was much greater. This created some tension between Jews and Gentiles in the early church, which was clearly the case in the Roman church. Therefore, Paul uses the doctrine of election to clarify Israel’s place in God’s redemptive plan.

What could explain this phenomenon of Jews rejecting Jesus and Gentiles embracing him? What about today? Have you ever wondered why some people respond positively to the gospel and others reject it? The answer is found in the doctrine of election—Divine Election Day!

Unceasing Anguish for Lost Souls (1-5)

Paul begins this section with a solemn oath to express the severity of his concern for the souls of his kindred. Paul himself was a Jew and he was proud of his Jewish heritage, which heightened his broken heart when he thought about how his people had rejected Jesus as the Messiah. He says that the “great sorrow and unceasing anguish in his heart” was so great that he wishes he could be cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of the lost souls of Israel. In this incredible statement, he underscores the ironic tragedy that the Jews would reject the very Messiah that God promised to deliver them. After all, as Paul mentions here, they belong to the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs and the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all!

            Before we dive into the doctrine of divine election, we must pause and ponder Paul’s staggering statement in verse 3. Although it was not up to him, he asserts that he was actually willing to sacrifice his own salvation for the lost souls of his Jewish kinsmen. He wished that he could trade places with them—that he would take the eternal torments of hell so that they could enjoy the eternal splendor of heaven.

            This declaration compels us to contemplate our willingness to sacrifice our salvation for someone else’s soul—“Would you be willing to spend eternity in hell so an unbeliever could spend eternity in heaven?” Would you do it for an unbelieving spouse? An unbelieving child? How about an unbeliever you haven’t even met before? These are heavy questions for us to consider. I’m not saying that we have to come to the same conclusion that Paul did, but it should, at the very least, make us stop and think about our love for the lost.           

            Paul mourned over Israel’s unbelief; do we have unceasing anguish in our hearts over American unbelief? Are we willing to share the good news of Jesus Christ with our family, friends, coworkers, classmates, and community members who are spiritually lost? 

God’s Faithfulness and Election Day (6-13)

As Paul alluded to the fact that the nation of Israel was cut off from the promises of God because they rejected Jesus, he knew that some of his readers would be wondering about God’s faithfulness to his promises. Paul answers this question in verses 6-13 by affirming God’s faithfulness through Election Day. He begins in verse 6 by declaring that God’s word (or promises) has not failed. The problem was a misunderstanding of Israel’s true identity. Paul affirms here that God’s promises were make to spiritual Jews, not ethnic Jews. In other words, natural decent (the Jewish bloodline) was not sufficient for salvation. Just because they descended from Abraham did not guarantee that they were children of God.

In verses 8-9 Paul uses the famous example of Isaac and Ishmael to illustrate the doctrine of election. Though Ishmael descended from Abraham, God chose Isaac to be the child of promise. In fact, God arranged for Isaac’s birth by working a miracle in Sarah’s old womb.

In verses 10-11, Paul reinforces his point through the example of Jacob and Esau. Both of these boys were born to the same father and mother, Isaac and Rebekah, but Jacob became the heir through God’s election. It was not based on moral virtues or good works, because the twins were not even born when the choice was made.

Not only that, but God’s election went beyond individuals to nations. We know this from the quotation from Malachi 1:2—“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated”, which refers to the descendants of Jacob (the Jews) and the descendants of Esau (the Edomites). The selection of Jacob and the Israelites was God’s sovereign choice. God did not hate Esau and the Edomites, but in comparison with his choice of Jacob and the Israelites, he loved them less. If you know anything about these two scoundrels, the marvel is not God’s rejection of Esau, but his choice of Jacob. The point Paul is making is, God has not failed to keep his promises to Israel; he has been faithful to the true Israelites—that is, those whom he elected to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Hughes 170)

God’s Fairness and Election Day (14-29)

In response to his teaching about Divine Election Day, Paul anticipates that some of his readers would question God’s fairness. In verse 14, he raises the question for them; and he answers it. The doctrine of election does not diminish God’s fairness or justice in any way. In verse 15, he reminds them that God told Moses that it was his divine prerogative to decide who will receive his mercy and compassion. Even though Israel deserved death after they made and worshipped the golden calf, God chose to be merciful to them. Likewise, Pharaoh deserved death, but God did not strike him down. Rather, he allowed him to continue to live and reign in order that God could demonstrate his power in the repeated defeats of Pharaoh. God chose to harden Pharaoh’s heart so that God’s name would be proclaimed throughout the earth. Verse 18 clarifies God’s fairness through the doctrine of election: “So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.”

In verses 19-29, Paul continues to argue for God’s fairness in election by introducing the humorous illustration of a potter and clay. He likens man’s questioning God to a lump of clay complaining about how the potter molded it. This absurdity is hilarious! The potter has the right to do anything he wants with the clay. He can create a beautiful bowl to serve or he can create a vessel for the mere purpose of destruction. Likewise, it is God’s divine prerogative to create some human beings and elect them to receive his grace and serve his kingdom. It is also his divine prerogative to create some human beings for the purpose of destruction in order to make known the riches of his glory for his vessels of mercy.

            Many people today struggle with the doctrine of divine election. It seems to betray their experience of becoming a Christian. Many of us can point to a specific moment in time when we “decided to follow Jesus” or “asked Jesus into our hearts.” Those experiences are very real, but I would ask you to consider God’s sovereign hand that directed you to that decision of faith. Who do you think orchestrated the events in your life whereby you to learned about the cross of Jesus Christ? Who do you think gave us the faith to believe that Jesus rose from the dead? Look at verse 16 again! Paul says that “it does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” You would not have chosen God if God had not already chosen you. If you are a Christian, long ago on Divine Election Day, God chose you to be a recipient of his grace and a servant of his kingdom!

            Likewise, there are many people today who question God’s faithfulness and fairness. Every time a natural disaster strikes—every time a terrorist attacks—every time there is a school shooting—every time there is a local tragedy—every time a child dies—there are people who ask, “How could God let this happen? How could God do this to me?” But questions like this assume that we know better than God, and they are selfish at the core.

            Who are we to talk back to God? Who are we to question him? Do we have more knowledge and wisdom than him? Do we have more life experience than he does? Are we more powerful than God? Absolutely not! God is all-knowing and all-powerful, and he is completely sovereign over his creation! He is the potter and we are the clay, and he has a predetermined plan for every person he created. On Divine Election Day, he chose some people to receive salvation, but not everyone!

            I know that a single sermon can’t answer all of our questions about the doctrine of election, but this passage should cause every one of us to ask at least one question: Did God choose me? Did God elect me to receive salvation?

            Well, the only way to know for sure is to decide to follow Jesus! If you are a true Christian—that is, if you have honestly repented from your sins and have committed your life to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior—then you can take comfort in the fact that God chose you before the world was even created! You can rejoice in the knowledge that, for whatever reason, on Divine Election Day chose you to be a recipient of his saving grace! 

            The story is told of a monastery in Portugal, perched high on a 3,000-foot cliff and accessible only by a terrifying ride in a swaying basket. The basket is pulled with a single rope by several strong men, perspiring under the strain of the fully loaded basket. One American tourist who visited the site got nervous when he noticed that the rope was old and frayed. Hoping to relive his fear, he asked, “How often do you change the rope?” The monk in charge replied, “Whenever it breaks!”

            The monk’s message didn’t convey a deep sense of security, did it?

Another story is told about a group of scientists who went on an expedition into a hard-to-reach location in the Alps, searching for new varieties of flowers. One day as a botanist looked through his binoculars, he saw a beautiful, rare species growing at the bottom of a deep ravine. To reach it, someone would have to be lowered into that gorge. Noticing a local youngster standing nearby, the man asked him if he would help them get the flower. The boy was told that a rope would be tied around his waist and the men would then lower him to the floor of the canyon. Excited yet apprehensive about the adventure, the youngster peered thoughtfully into the chasm. “Wait,” he said, “I’ll be back,” and off he dashed.

            When he returned, he was accompanied by an older man. Approaching the head botanist, the boy said, “I’ll go over the cliff now and get the flower for you, but this man must hold onto the rope. He’s my dad!”

            For this boy, the person holding his rope made all the difference! The fact that his dad was the one who gripped the other end gave him the security he needed to accomplish the task before him.

This is the type of security our society is desperately searching for today! For we are living in times of increasing insecurity! Strained diplomatic relations in Asia and the Middle East and the on-going “war on terror” have highjacked our confidence in national security. (Just this past Monday I overheard a group of school children discussing the fear they felt when the Vermont Air Guard flew two F-16 fighter jets over our Franklin Memorial Day parade—they thought we were about to be bombed by North Korea.)  

            The constant conflict between Republicans and Democrats and partisan in-fighting have caused an enormous breach in our political security. The recent rise of school shootings coupled with the escalating opioid crisis has eroded our sense of personal security. Turbulence in the global economy, drastic swings in the national stock market, and extreme fluctuations in local commodities markets have caused many to fear for their financial security. Broken marriages at home, bullying at school, and pervasive popularity contests on social media have given our children a serious lack relational security. The ever-present threat of cancer and the rise of health care costs have left many of us worried about our physical security.  

            With so many uncertainties in life, where can we find security? Perhaps some of us sitting here this morning feel like we are swaying in a basket over a 3,000-foot cliff or dangling from a rope over a deep ravine. It is times like this when we must remember who is holding the other end of our rope!

If what the Apostle Paul has said in Romans 8 is true (that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us when Jesus returns and that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose), then it is possible to have security in this life. As Paul brings Romans 8 to a climactic conclusion in verses 31-39, he pinpoints where we can find security for our fearful souls. He reminds us that security is not found in the things of this world; our ultimate security can only be found in God’s redeeming work and love through his Son Jesus Christ!

1.) Our security is found in God’s redeeming work through Christ. (31-34)

As he has done so often in Romans, Paul begins a new section with a question: “What shall we say in response to these things?” This refers back to everything he has written in Romans 5-8 but especially what he just highlighted in 8:18-30. All of those statements can be summarized in a single line: God is for us! Who, then, Paul rightly asks can be “against us?” Of course, Paul recognizes that many people and things still oppose us: people hate Christians, the trials of life, and Satan himself. But Paul’s point is that with God on our side, none of that really matters!

The fact that God is for us is seen in his redeeming work through his Son Jesus Christ. Paul begins with the work that was accomplished in the past—that God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. Jesus’ death on the cross gives us everything we need for security in this life and the life to come because his redeeming work nullifies any charge that can be brought against us on Judgment Day. This takes us back to verse 1—there is no fear of condemnation for those whom God has chosen to receive justification. The only one who has authority to condemn us is the one who died in our place. But more than that, he was also raised to knew life and is presently seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven and is interceding for us. With such an adequate defense attorney at our side, Satan, that old prosecutor of our souls has no chance to win the case! (Moo 282)

What security Christians should feel to know that none of our sins, mistakes, or failures will be counted against us! What security we should feel to know that, even though Satan may meddle with us, he cannot defeat us! What security we should feel to know that the God who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us has delivered us from an eternity in hell. You see, for those of us who have committed our lives to Christ, our souls are secure! And if our eternal souls are secure, we really have nothing to worry about in this life!     

            The Chinese church leader, Watchman Nee, tells about a new convert who came in deep distress to see him. “No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I’m losing my salvation.”

            Nee said, “Do you see this dog here? He is my dog. He is house-trained; he never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have a son, a baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food, he fouls his clothes, he is a total mess. But who is going to inherit my kingdom? Not my dog; my son is my heir. You are Jesus Christ’s heir because it is for you that He died.” We are Christ’s heirs, not through our perfection but by means of His grace.

2.) Our security is found in God’s redeeming love through Christ. (35-39)

Paul makes it perfectly clear that our security is found in God’s redeeming work through Christ, but in verses 35-39 he reveals a second and interrelated reason for the Christian’s security: God’s redeeming love through Christ. He not only defends us as a good attorney; he loves us and enters into a personal relationship with us, and nothing can ever separate us from that love. This is the purpose of the rhetorical question: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” The expected answer is: No one!

To make sure we get the point, Paul specifies some fears at the end of verse 35—“Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or sword?” These threats were all very real for Paul’s recipients in Ancient Rome and he experience with most of them. He quotes Psalm 44:22 to remind us that suffering has always been a natural and expected part of the Christian life. None of these threats or circumstances can separate us from Christ’s love! (Moo 283)

In verse 37, Paul launches into one of the greatest passages in the whole New Testament. He declares that in all the varied difficulties of life, we are “more than conquerors through him who loved us.” He is suggesting that we more than triumph over adversity, because when God is holding the other end of our rope, it even leads to our good in this life.

Then Paul personally testifies to the fact that he was convinced that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. With ingenious rhetorical flare, he references five realms that fail to separate us from God’s love. “Neither life nor death” represents the physical realm, “neither angels nor demons” highlights the spiritual realm, “neither the present nor the future” represents the realm of time, “nor any powers” points to the realm of government, “neither height nor depth” signifies the spatial realm. No, none of these things can separate us from God’s redeeming love through his Son Jesus Christ. As the chapter began with “no condemnation” (Rom. 8:1), so it ends with the bookends of “no separation.”

We find our only true security in God’s redeeming work and love through Christ. As we understand what these verses mean, I hope you will realize that if you are in Christ, you have absolutely nothing to fear!

Therefore, let me ask: Should we be nervous about a nuclear North Korea? Should we be terrified by the threat of terrorism? Should we be anxious about our political situation? Should we be fearful about our financial circumstances? Should we be worried about a medical diagnosis? Should we be afraid for our or our children’s future? Should you be apprehensive about anything at all?   

            No, no, no! None of these things can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus! No matter what happens to you in this life, know that you are deeply loved and forever forgiven! Embrace your refuge! Celebrate your security in Christ!  

            If you turn to the hymn “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go,” you will notice that it was written by George Matheson. That name may not mean a lot to you, but there is an incredible story behind his hymn. He wrote it on the evening of his sister’s marriage, when he was 40 years-old. Twenty years before, he had been engaged, until his fiancée learned that he was going blind. She told him that she could not go through life with a blind man and she broke off the engagement.

            Although he was completely blind by the age of twenty, his blindness did not deter him from studying for the ministry. He graduated from the University of Glasgow and Edinburgh with degrees in the classics, logic, and philosophy. He went on to become one of Scotland’s most powerful preachers.

            Now at the age of 40, still blind and unmarried, his sister’s marriage brought a fresh reminder of his own heartbreak. It was in the midst of this sad situation that the Lord gave Matheson this great hymn text, which he said was written in five minutes. Particularly poignant is the following stanza:

 O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not in vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

            Not even the loss of human love could separate Matheson from God’s love in Christ. And nothing can separate us from God’s love either. We have nothing to fear! Let us celebrate our security in Christ! 

When Oliver Cromwell served as Lord Protector of England, a young soldier by the name of Basil Underwood was sentenced to die when the curfew bell rang. Basil’s fiancé, Bessie, begged Cromwell to save his life by giving him a pardon, but he refused. As the church sexton over and over pulled the rope at curfew, the bell remained silent. This story is better told through Rose Hartwick Thorpe’s poem “Curfew Will Not Ring Tonight.”

 SLOWLY England’s sun was setting o’er the hilltops far away,
Filling all the land with beauty at the close of one sad day,
And the last rays kissed the forehead of a man and maiden fair,—
He with footsteps slow and weary, she with sunny floating hair;
He with bowed head, sad and thoughtful, she with lips all cold and white,
Struggling to keep back the murmur,—
    “Curfew must not ring to-night.” 

 “Sexton,” Bessie’s white lips faltered, pointing to the prison old,
With its turrets tall and gloomy, with its walls dark, damp, and cold,
“I ’ve a lover in that prison, doomed this very night to die,
At the ringing of the Curfew, and no earthly help is nigh;
Cromwell will not come till sunset,” and her lips grew strangely white
As she breathed the husky whisper:—
    “Curfew must not ring to-night.” 

 With quick step she bounded forward, sprung within the old church door,
Left the old man threading slowly paths so oft he ’d trod before;
Not one moment paused the maiden, but with eye and cheek aglow
Mounted up the gloomy tower, where the bell swung to and fro
As she climbed the dusty ladder on which fell no ray of light,
Up and up,—her white lips saying:—
    “Curfew must not ring to-night.”

 She has reached the topmost ladder; o’er her hangs the great dark bell;
Awful is the gloom beneath her, like the pathway down to hell.
Lo, the ponderous tongue is swinging,—’t is the hour of Curfew now,
And the sight has chilled her bosom, stopped her breath, and paled her brow.
Shall she let it ring? No, never! flash her eyes with sudden light,
As she springs, and grasps it firmly,—
    “Curfew shall not ring to-night!” 

 Out she swung—far out; the city seemed a speck of light below,
There ’twixt heaven and earth suspended as the bell swung to and fro,
And the sexton at the bell-rope, old and deaf, heard not the bell,
Sadly thought, “That twilight Curfew rang young Basil’s funeral knell.”
Still the maiden clung more firmly, and with trembling lips so white,
Said to hush her heart’s wild throbbing:—
“Curfew shall not ring to-night!”             

 O’er the distant hills came Cromwell; Bessie sees him, and her brow,
Lately white with fear and anguish, has no anxious traces now.
At his feet she tells her story, shows her hands all bruised and torn;
And her face so sweet and pleading, yet with sorrow pale and worn,
Touched his heart with sudden pity, lit his eyes with misty light:
“Go! your lover lives,” said Cromwell,
     “Curfew shall not ring to-night.” 

            Young Bessie climbed into the bell tower and wrapped herself around the clapper to keep it from striking the bell. She refused to let go despite the injuries she was incurring. When she finally climbed down to the place of execution, Cromwell, deeply impressed by such heroic and sacrificial love, pardoned her betrothed from condemnation. Basil Underwood received a new life!

This story and poem perfectly illustrates the Apostle Paul’s point in Romans 8. As Bessie sacrificed her own body to secure a pardon for her beloved Basil, Paul reminds us that Jesus Christ endured the agony of the cross to deliver us from our death sentence. He willingly sacrificed his body to free us from condemnation and give us a new life. In my humble opinion, Romans 8:1 is one of the greatest verses in the whole New Testament. Hear these words again—”There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

For those who have put our faith in the redeeming act of Jesus’ death and resurrection, condemnation has been canceled! We have been completely pardoned—our sins (past, present, and future) are no longer held against us. We have been delivered from an eternal death sentence in hell and have been given the gift of new life here and now and in heaven forever.

Verses 2-3 explain the reason that condemnation no longer exists for those in Christ. The Holy Spirit, who brings new life, has set us free from the power and penalty of sin, which is spiritual death. God the Father did this by sending his Son Jesus in the likeness of sinful flesh to fulfill the law by living a perfect life and then sacrificing his life on the cross, thereby transferring his righteousness to us so that we meet the laws demands. You see, Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves! He lived a fully human life in the flesh, but he was completely free from sin. Therefore, Jesus’ sacrifice can pay our ransom.

Notice how the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) all play key roles in our redemption. God the Father sends his son Jesus to condemn sin, and the Holy Spirit applies the benefits of that action to release us from sin and death. All three persons are active in rescuing us from sin and bringing us into the new life. (Moo 256)

            O what a comfort it is to know that our souls are no longer condemned to hell! What a relief it is to know that God the Father sent Jesus the Son to purchase our redemption by dying for us on the cross! What a solace it is to know that Jesus paid the ransom for all our sins! What a joy it is to know that, no matter what happens to us in this life or how many times we fail, our eternity in heaven is secure! What a pleasure it is to know that the Holy Spirit has given us a new life and empowers us to walk with God!  Friends, because of the Trinity’s great redeeming work, curfew shall not ring tonight!

            I know that I say this a lot, but if there is anyone here this morning who has not put your faith in Jesus Christ, do it before you leave church this morning, so that you may experience the peace and joy that comes from knowing that you are no longer condemned!

Blessings of New Life in the Spirit (5-17)

Paul recognized that after bearing the bad news that the old sinful nature will continue to plague us until Jesus delivers us from our earthly bodies (the subject of Romans 7), that we would feel discouraged. That is why he immediately injects the good news that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ in 8:1-4! After this, he goes on, in Romans 8:5-17, to encourage us by highlighting four blessings that the Holy Spirit brings to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. These blessings of life in the Spirit include: a new mindset, a new indwelling, a new allegiance, and a new identity.

1.) A New Mindset (5-8)

The first blessing of life in the Spirit is a new mindset. Verses 5-8 describes two mindsets—one without Christ and one with Christ. The mindset of those without Christ has distinct characteristics: death, hostility toward God, and the inability to subject themselves to God. Those who are controlled by the flesh cannot please God. But to those who are in Christ, the Holy Spirit blesses them with a new mind-set that desires to please God, which leads to life and peace. (Hughes 144-145)

This new mind-set that focuses on pleasing God really does lead to a life of peace. Think about it! When we tell the truth, obey the laws of our land, treat others with kindness and compassion, honor God with our bodies, are faithful to our spouse and family, are generous with our money, and forgive others when they hurt us, we can rest peacefully at night. Those who live according to the flesh—the relentless cycle of lies, deception, adultery, addiction, greed, selfishness, and bitterness—are absolutely miserable!  

Now that the Holy Spirit has given us a new mind-set, let us take advantage of this blessing every day! May we continue to set our minds on the Spirit!

2.) A New Indwelling (9-11)

The second blessing of life in the Spirit is a new indwelling. When a person becomes a genuine believer, the Holy Spirit actually takes us residence in their mortal bodies. This becomes a distinguishing mark of a Christian. By this, believers experience something of Jesus’ disposition—his kindness, his gentle care, his sacrificial love, etc. (Hughes 145)

As we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us, our character is conformed to the character of Christ. We actually take on the ethos of Jesus. The Holy Spirit imparts the fruits of the spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. Over time, the Spirit transforms us into more virtuous people. What an incredible blessing it is to have the Holy Spirit living within us!

3.) A New Obligation (12-13)

The third blessing of life in the Spirit in a new obligation. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like any type of obligation is a blessing, but it is in this case. Paul realizes that though all believers have the privilege of victorious Christian living through the Holy Spirit, they will not automatically follow God’s will. Therefore, he exhorts Christians to “live in the Spirit.” This obligation compels Christians to continually put to death the deeds of the body. (Hughes 146)

            Friends, let us fulfill our new obligation by seeking God’s will and yielding to it every day! May we conform our will to God’s will by resisting temptation to return to the sinful lifestyles that once enslaved us!

4.) A New Identity (14-17)

The fourth blessing of life in the Spirit is a new identity. Those who are in Christ are called “sons of God”, have received “the Spirit of adoption as sons”, and “the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Paul introduces this familial language to show how the Holy Spirit people move from being God’s enemies to actually being adopted into his family. In the legal act of adoption, a man could formally confer on a child all the legal rights of a birth child. This, Paul suggests, is what God’s Spirit confers on every believer—the rights and privileges of God’s own children. (Moo 261)

Therefore, since we have been adopted into God’s family, we are given the right to call God “Abba.” This was the Aramaic word by which Jesus addressed his heavenly father; it denotes a relationship of deep intimacy. This new identity assures us that God loves us as much as he loved his own Son Jesus.

            This new identity provides us with an incredible sense of security! We are all too familiar with feelings of rejection. Husbands reject wives and wives reject husbands. Parents reject children and children reject parents. School students reject each other because they are not one of the “cool kids.” The sad fact is that it is increasingly difficult to find a secure and permanent relationship. As a result, people feel uneasy and uncertain. It is no wonder we have so many problems with anxiety and depression in or society.

            But for those who are in Christ, we will never be rejected by our Heavenly Father. We have nothing to fear! He will always love us and be there for us because we are his own sons and daughters!

Friends, the bad news is that we will continue to struggle with sin for the rest of our lives. But the good news is that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit continues to bless us with a new mindset, a new indwelling, a new obligation, and a new identity! As we move forward through this life, may we always remember that “Curfew Shall Not Come Tonight!”

Without a doubt, Saint Augustine is one of the most influential figures in the history of Western civilization. In late August of A.D. 386, at the age of 31, his mother’s prayers were answered and he converted to Christianity. His conversion was prompted by a childlike voice he heard telling him to “take up and read”, which he understood as a divine command to open the Bible and read the first thing he saw. As he read from Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, he was convicted of his sin and committed his life to Jesus Christ.

            As Augustine grew in his faith, he sensed God calling him to the ministry. He was ordained as a priest and eventually appointed as bishop of the African city of Hippo. He became one of the greatest preachers, theologians, and philosophers the world has ever seen. His spiritual autobiography Confessions and his major theological work The City of God have been studied by millions of people since his death in A.D. 430, and they are still widely read today. Countless churches, a monastic order, and even a city in Florida have been named after him. With all his contributions to the church and the world, it is certainly no surprise that the Roman Catholic Church canonized him as a saint.

            Today, Augustine is commonly remembered for his status as a saint, but many people forget that he was also a vehement sinner. When he was a teenager, he ran with a sketchy crowd—they’re name was something like “The Destructors.” One night, after the gang had finished playing sports in the streets, their attention turned to a pear tree that was heavy with ripe fruit. The tree did not belong to any of their families, but it grew on a plot adjacent to that of Augustine’s family. The boys did not find the pears tempting in their color or flavor.

            Nevertheless, they wanted to steal them. They went to the base of the tree and shook down the ripe pears. Augustine relates:

We carried off a huge load of pears, not to eat ourselves, but to dump out to the hogs, after barely tasting some of them ourselves. Doing this pleased us all the more because it was forbidden. Such was my heart, O God, such was my heart–which you pitied even in that bottomless pit. Behold, now let my heart confess to thee what it was seeking there, when I was being gratuitously wanton, having no inducement to evil but the evil itself.

            Years later, Augustine looked back on this theft and was stuck by the fact that he didn’t even want the pears. Yet, he knew the pears were not his. The natural law that he should not steal the property of others—this is what pushed him to steal the pears. He took a pear merely to throw it to the pigs, not even for the pigs’ sake, but for the sake of his own dastardly desire to disobey. In his Confessions, he explains the act this way:

It was foul, and I loved it. I loved my own undoing. I loved my error—not that for which I erred but the error itself. A depraved soul, falling away from security in thee to destruction in itself, seeking nothing from the shameful deed but shame itself.

            Have you ever done something like this? Have you ever done something you knew was wrong just to feel the thrill of disobedience? Have you ever stolen something you didn’t even want, made out with a person you didn’t even like, or lied when there wasn’t even a good reason to do it? Have you ever wondered why we sin merely for the sake of sinning?

            Likewise, we have all struggled and continue to struggle with specific sins. Even though Jesus died on the cross to liberate us from the penalty and power of sin, we still face the ongoing presence of sin in our lives. Some of us are particularly vulnerable to sins of violence, selfishness, lying, lust, jealousy, gossip, or some other debauchery. Many of us have struggled with the same besetting sin for years. Maybe we gain victory for a while, but then temptation creeps up on us and we fall down again. Like St. Augustine, we all know that it is hard to be a saint when you’re a sinner! 

The Apostle Paul understood the human struggle with sin as well as anyone. When he was a Pharisee, he lived an outward life of holiness—he even set up extra rules and regulations to ensure that he would not break any of God’s laws. But even though his outward conduct was spotless, his heart was rotten to core—his soul was plagued by pride and arrogance.

And even after Paul was blinded by the light and encountered the resurrected Christ along the road to Damascus—even after he became perhaps the greatest of Jesus’ apostles and preached the gospel to the ends of the earth—even after he wrote almost half of the New Testament—he still struggled with sin in his life. In I Timothy 1:15, he calls himself “the chief of sinners.” And here, in Romans 7:7-25, he gives us his famous autobiographical account of his struggle with sin. This passage is a confession of a sinful saint.

Sin and the Law (7-13)

Paul begins his confession by revisiting the relationship between sin and the law. In Romans 7:1-6, he affirmed that Jesus’ death has liberated Christians from the Mosaic Law—now they serve the way of the Spirit rather than the written code. But Paul did not want the Roman church to get a negative impression of the law, so he clarifies the function of the law here in verses 7-13.

In verse 7, Paul states that the law is not sin itself, but it reals what sin is. Apart from the law, Paul would not have known what sin was. For instance, he would not have known that coveting was wrong unless the tenth commandment told him so. But once the law told him that coveting was wrong, it stirred up the covetous desires in him. Apart from God’s law, sin is “dead” because it is unknown. But when sin is revealed by the law, it “springs into life.” But the law is good because it reveals the sin that leads to spiritual death.

            These verses remind me of when I was a kid. If my friends and I ever saw a sign that said, “No Trespassing: Violators Will be Prosecuted”, guess what we wanted to do? We didn’t have some special desire to trespass, but when we saw those signs, it stirred up inside of us a passion to go where we were not permitted.

            The local Pennsylvania strip mine, with its treacherous rock piles and toxic sludge pits, was littered with “No Trespassing” signs. Although we had plenty of parks and playgrounds, baseball fields and basketball courts, and bicycle tracks and swimming pools to amuse us all summer long, we wanted to tempt our fate in the place that posed the greatest threat to our lives!

Thus, as Paul affirms here, the same thing happens in our spiritual lives. God’s law tells us: Don’t lie! Don’t cheat! Don’t commit adultery! But we often find ourselves wondering, “I wonder if I could get away with it.” The law is not bad; we are bad! It’s hard to be a saint when you’re a sinner!

Sin and Human Nature (14-24)

Romans 7:14-24 has known centuries of controversy: in what sense is Paul describing his situation? There are basically three opinions: Paul before he became a Christian, Paul as a normal Christian, or Paul as a carnal backslidden Christian. Personally, I believe the second view is correct, mainly because he continues to write in the first-person singular and in the present tense. It seems most natural to understand this section as Paul’s confession of his ongoing struggle with sin.

In this self-portrait Paul describes himself not as a carnal Christian, but as one who loves the Law of God and longs to please God but is trying to do so in his own strength. He does not put on any prissy piety. He describes the experience of every Christian. He states the problem explicitly in verses 14-16. Look at the words again!

Someone said after reading this that Paul must have been a golfer, because all golfers know what they want to do but do not do it, and they do not want to do, that is the very thing they do! (Hughes 135)

            The problem here, though, is far more important than a bad golf swing. How many of us have uttered words like these about our Christian life? Why can’t we seem to follow through with what we want to do? Paul gives us the answer in verse 17—it is our sinful nature.

When Paul says, “it is no longer I who do it,” he is not actually saying he does not do it, but he is referring to the sinful nature that lives inside him even after he became a Christian. Before a person is liberated by Christ, they only have one nature: a sinful nature. But when a person puts their faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in their soul, and helps them live a holy life. But the old sinful nature is not eradicated; it is still there. This creates a spiritual battle inside the heart/mind/soul of every Christian. This is the war that Paul and all Christians experience throughout their lives. Although Christians now have the potential to live saintly lives, the reality is that sin and evil are right there with us.

            Do you identify with Paul’s dilemma? Christians live in this tension every day! We know that God has called us to live like a saint, but that old sinful nature is right there with us, constantly trying to drag us down. This produces a perpetual state of spiritual frustration. Do you feel this in your life?

Sin and Deliverance (24-25)

Paul brings his confession of a saintly sinner to a dramatic conclusion in verses 24-25. You can hear the echoes of exasperation in his exclamation, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Indeed, who will deliver him from his sin-dominated body, spiritually dead because of sin?

There is only one who can manage such a rescue—“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Even though Paul acknowledges that he will continue to struggle with sin throughout his life, his soul can rest in the victory that Jesus Christ has already secured for him through the cross. He knows that his body of death will be delivered once and for all. Although the spiritual battle continues to rage on, the war has already been won!

In these verses, Paul helps us recognize our own helplessness. If Paul could not live a saintly life in his own power, neither can we. But thanks be to God! Jesus has already delivered us from the penalty and power of sin; and one day he will also deliver us from the presence of sin. What a day that will be! Can you imagine it? Can you imagine a life completely free from the struggle of sin? Can you imagine a life without temptation or guilt? Can you imagine a life without conflict and tension? Thanks be to God!

Like St. Paul and St. Augustine, all Christians are saints and sinners at the same time. Be encouraged, you are in good company! But until Jesus finally delivers us from our sinful nature, what can we do?

Sitting Bull, the legendary leader of the Lakota Indians, is attributed with saying, “Inside of me there are two wolves. One is mean and evil and the other is good and they fight each other all the time. When asked which wolf wins, I answer, the one I feed the most.”

And so it is with the Christian life—our saintly nature and our sinful nature are battling each other all the time! Which one will we feed the most?