| Paul moves into a warning to begin this last portion of his letter. He warns the church “to “watch out” for those who cause divisions and create obstacles.” He is speaking about the primary issues of doctrine that can confuse and give Satan a win (different than his focus in chapter 14). In verse 19, Paul states, “I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” Without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, a person, a pastor, or a church is powerless. In verse 20, Paul echoes Genesis 3:15, where Satan is crushed under Jesus’ feet. He refers to Jesus as the “God of peace”. This theme that begins in Genesis runs through the rest of the OT as we see the Prince of Peace…the “serpent crusher” is coming. This crushing begins on the cross, where we can have freedom from sin and reconciliation with God, but it concludes when “the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire…” (Rev 20:3,10) Christ and the gospel bring peace. False teachers bring division and discord. In verses 25-27, Paul moves into his conclusion, which we call a doxology. A doxology is a word that gives glory to God. Paul’s aim in these last words is to move his readers to give glory to God. He does this by reminding us of the gospel – what it does, and what it is. “Now to Him who is able to strengthen you” shows us that the gospel has power not only to save us as unbelievers, but also to strengthen us as believers. The rest of verse 25 says, “according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages.” The word mystery does not refer to something puzzling or difficult to grasp, but to something that was previously hidden and is now revealed. Pastor Alex used the illustrations of a building site (the supplies are all there, but you don’t know how they will all be used), the movie plot twist (you couldn’t see it revealed the first time you watched it, but watching it again allows you to see the clues), or the connect the dots example (the dots are all there…Abraham, Noah, David, etc., but you can’t make out the picture until the dots are connected). Jesus is the answer! The mystery of the gospel was not God changing His mind. It was God revealing what He had planned from the very beginning. Part of this mystery revealed is that the Gentiles-the nations-are full fellow citizens with Jewish believers by faith in Jesus. (Rom 16:26; Eph 3:6) He concludes, “to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. Paul has taken us to the edge of the gospel through it’s depth, beauty, justice, mercy, and power. The proper response is worship! The Glory Trail in Romans 1:5 – “the sake of His name” 1:21-23 – “exchanged the glory” 3:23 – “fall short of the glory of God” 5:1-2 – “rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” 5:8 – “Christ died for us” 8:1 – “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” 8:28-30 – “He also glorified” 11:36 – “to Him be the glory” 16:27 – “to the only wise God be glory forevermore” Questions to Consider: - What kinds of people does Paul warn the church about? What are some of the ways you can be influenced by false teachers, sometimes without realizing it? How can you guard against that?
- Why is the message of Jesus meant for all nations?
- What are some key take-aways for you from this 41 week study of Romans? How has this sermon series encouraged or challenged you?
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