Friday, October 29, 2021
Romans 16:21-24
Romans 16:21-24
The “A” Team
Rom 16:21 Timotheus my
workfellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you.
Rom 16:22 I Tertius, who
wrote this epistle, salute you in the
Lord.
Rom 16:23 Gaius mine host,
and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city
saluteth you, and Quartus a brother.
Rom 16:24 The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.
- Greetings from Paul’s Ministry
Team – vs. 21-23
- This
is Paul’s “A” team. They were truly the special forces of missions at the
time. This is not the weak-kneed, fragile, wash outs who have already disappeared.
They are the ones that endured endless traveling, much persecution and
ridicule and so much more.
i.
2
Timothy 2:3-4
- Paul’s
“A” team had incredible diversity and talent at its core, reflecting the
advice he had given the Roman church earlier in his epistle
i.
Romans
12:4-8
ii.
Timothy, Paul’s son in Christ. – Ministry
1.
Paul refers to Timothy as a fellow
worker. Timothy was already well on his way to becoming a faithful leader in
the church.
a.
Paul prayed for Timothy - 2 Timothy 1:3
b.
Paul ordained Timothy - 2 Timothy 1:6
c.
Paul taught Timothy sound doctrine -
2 Timothy 1:13
d.
Paul equipped Timothy to be able to
deal with controversy - 2 Timothy
2:25
e.
Paul had charged him to preach the
gospel - 2 Timothy 4:1-2
iii.
Lucious, possibly Luke the good
doctor. – Mercy
1.
Lucious could be Lucious of Cyrene who
would have been an elder of the church in Antioch.
2.
I think it much more likely this is
the faithful assistant of Paul known to us as Luke.
a.
It is easy to track the movements of
Luke through the book of Acts when he uses the word “we.”
i.
Acts
21:1
b.
It is hard to imagine Paul not mentioning
Luke if he was not there
i.
Luke was well loved - Colossians 4:14
ii.
Luke was faithful - 2 Timothy 4:11
iii.
Luke was tireless - Philemon 1:24
iv.
Jason a fellow Jew and an early
convert of Paul’s ministry. – Prophecy
1. Acts 17:5-9
v.
Socipater was also a fellow Jew and an
early convert from the city of Berea - Teaching
1. Acts 20:4
2.
The Bereans were more noble because
of their passion to study the word
a. Acts 17:11
vi.
Tertius, probably Paul’s transcriber
adding in a greeting of his own.
1.
Galatians is the only letter Paul
says he wrote in his own hand - Galatians 6:11
vii.
Gaius, an important member of the
early church. – Giving
1.
Gaius was with Paul at the riot in
Ephesus - Acts 19:29
2.
Gaius is also mentioned with Socipater
- Acts 20:4
3.
Gaius was likely, one of the few, that
were baptized by Paul - 1 Corinthians
1:14
viii.
Erastus, a government official. – Ruling
1.
Paul mentions that Erastus was a
Chamberlain of the City of Corinth, which would be a kind of secretary.
2.
There is an Erastus mentioned in the
archeology of the city, but he is described as an Aedile.
a.
While this may seem a contradiction,
it is not hard to imagine that Erastus was likely later promoted to a higher
political position. This could also be the reason that Paul describes him continuing
to live in Corinth at a much later date.
i.
2
Timothy 4:20
ix.
Quartus, a friend to Paul and fellow
servant of the Lord. – Exhortation
1.
Little is known about Quartus other
than he is a brother in the Lord. Sometimes the great ones in the church are
not those that hold an office but those that are faithful in caring for others.
a. Hebrews 3:13
- Paul’s Ministry Team’s Desire
for the Roman Church – vs. 24
- The
Grace of Christ be with you
i.
Ephesians 1:6-7
Friday, October 22, 2021
Romans 16:17-20
Romans
16:17-20
A
Prophesy Fulfilled
Rom 16:17 Now I beseech you,
brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine
which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Rom 16:18 For they that are such serve not our
Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches
deceive the hearts of the simple.
Rom 16:19 For your obedience is come abroad unto
all men. I am glad therefore on your
behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple
concerning evil.
Rom 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise
Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
- A Warning – vs. 17-18
- Paul pleads with the Roman church to mark those
that are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Wolves can be recognized by the
following:
i.
They cause division
1. Matthew 7:15
2. Matthew 13:24-25
ii.
They cause scandal
1. Jude 1:4
iii.
They teach contrary to sound doctrine
1. 1 Timothy 6:3-5
iv.
They do not serve the Lord Jesus
1. Micah 3:5-8
v.
They serve their own fleshly lusts
1. 2 Timothy 3:5-9
vi.
They use beautiful words to deceive the innocent
1. 2 Peter 2:18-19
vii.
What are we to do when we encounter such people in the
church?
1.
Avoid them
a. 2 Timothy2:16-18
2.
Don’t be simple minded
a. 2 Timothy 2:15
3.
Learn sound doctrine
a. 2 Timothy 1:13
- A Commendation – vs. 19
- Paul’s Praise
i.
Their obedience is widely known
1. 1 John 3:17-19
ii.
They bring joy to Paul’s heart
1. 3 John 1:4
- Pauls’ Provocation
i.
They need to have an intimate knowledge of what is
righteous
1. Philippians 2:15-16
ii.
They need to be ignorant regarding evil
1. Ephesians 5:11-12
- A Promise – vs. 20
- God intends to use them to crush the head of the
serpent
i.
Genesis 3:15
- The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with them
i. 1 John 4:4
Thursday, October 21, 2021
Saturday, October 16, 2021
Romans 16:13-16
Romans 16:13-16
Church of Christ
Rom 16:13 Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his
mother and mine.
Rom 16:14 Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas,
Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them.
Rom 16:15 Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and
his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.
Rom 16:16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The
churches of Christ salute you.
- More often than not, we give men like the Apostle Paul
too much credit for the building of the first century church. The reality
is that we should give much more credit to the literal army of believers
that labored tirelessly to advance the Kingdom of Christ.
- The Church Needs Individuals Called Out for Christ’s
Work – vs. 13a
- Rufus was probably a son of Simon the Cyrene
i.
Mark 15:21
- Rufus was chosen of the Lord
i.
Christ
calls many but few are chosen
1.
Matthew 20:16
ii.
You
were chosen before the beginning of time
1.
Ephesians 1:4
iii.
You
have been chosen in order that you may be sanctified
1.
2 Thessalonians 2:13
iv.
Christ
has chosen you because He wants to produce fruit through you
1.
John 15:16
- The Church Needs Motherly Women – vs. 13b
- She is the mother of Rufus and probably the wife of
Simon of Cyrene
- She is a motherly figure in Paul’s life
i.
Proverbs 1:8-9
ii.
Which
means she probably gave him the some of the following
1.
Wise
counsel
a.
Proverbs 31:1-4
2.
Devoted
prayers on his behalf
a.
Hebrews 4:16
3.
Encouragement
4.
Help
a.
She
probably cooked him meals
b.
Mended
his cloths
c.
Nursed
him when he as sick
d.
Bandaged
his wounds
- The Church Needs Dedicated Small Groups – vs. 14
- Discipleship is the heartbeat of a church. You should
always be looking for someone that can disciple you and some you can
disciple.
i.
Discipleship
needs to be Christ centered
1.
John 15:1-4
ii.
Discipleship
needs to be marked by love
1.
John 13:34-35
iii.
Discipleship
needs to have maturity in Christ as the goal
1.
Colossians 1:28-29
iv.
Discipleship
requires people to be prepared to receive tough warnings
1.
Hebrews 3:13-14
- The Church Needs Committed Families – vs. 15
- Families need to be dedicated to family devotional
times
i.
Ephesians 5:19-20
- Wives need to be submitting to their husbands
i.
Ephesians 5:22
- Husbands need to be leading their homes
i.
Ephesians 5:25
- Children need to be obeying their God given
authorities
i.
Ephesians 6:1-2
- The Church Needs Genuine Fellowship – vs. 16
- Fellowship needs to be edifying
i.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
- Fellowship needs to be consistent
i.
Hebrews 10:25
- Fellowship needs to be Christ centered
i.
1 John 1:3
- Fellowship needs to build unity
i.
Acts 2:46