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Final chapter of the Book of Romans in Romans 15. So again, if you're wondering what I'm talking about, final chapters here, just basically we've been on a Sunday evening going through one chapter at a time of the epistle to the Romans by the Apostle Paul. One chapter trying to go through verse by verse. I think it was only Romans chapter 12 that we split into two, if I'm right, which is one of the shorter chapters anyway, but just so much in there wasn't there. So we've been going through chapter by chapter, verse by verse as a Bible study. And we're up to Romans 16 and Romans 15. We saw that the gospel going to the Gentiles was always the plan, didn't we? How Paul went far and wide preaching what seems to be untouched places. He talks about does he not build upon another man's labour, but was then going back to Jerusalem with an offering for the poor saints there that everyone had spiritually benefited from. Yeah, so that's where we kind of left off. He beseeched them to strive in prayer for himself, didn't he? And then he ends the chapter by starting basically the closing of this epistle, which is what we then go into in this chapter. Romans 15, 33 says, Now the God of peace be with you all our men. And then we kind of get into the closing now of this epistle. Let's let's go to the Lord in the word of prayer before we get started with this final chapter then. So, Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for this great book of the Bible. Please help me now just to end it as you would want me to accurately, boldly, clearly help us to learn from this chapter as we have from the others. Help me to just preach what's going to edify people, help them to be edified, help them to listen, to stay alert, stay awake. And in Jesus' name, pray all of this. Amen. So, like I said, the closing of the letter, he starts in verse one, saying, I commend unto you, Phoebe, our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenkria, that you receive her and the Lord has become of saints and that you assist her in whatsoever business she have need of you. For she have been a succor of many and of myself also. So, Paul didn't put a stamp on this letter and send it off with some rip-off privatized monopoly of the postal system. Okay, he didn't, which calls itself royal, but is in fact just privately owned. He didn't do that. It was sent with this lady, Phoebe, who is obviously held in high regard, isn't she, to have been entrusted with taking this letter from Greece to Rome. Now, Cenkria is a city of the Corinth region of southern Greece, which is a fair old voyage to Rome. That's a big voyage. That's, well, it's not exactly just going around the corner or going up the road. We were talking about getting on a ship, sailing. That's a big deal, isn't it? And, look, I'm not trying to say I'm the apostle Paul, but if I asked someone here, do you mind going on a sort of six-month round trip to go and take something to some church somewhere, which is a long way away and it's hard to get there? I don't think there'd be many takers on that, would there? Now, she was a taker on this. She was willing to do that. And she is described here as a servant of the church which is at Cenkria. So, look, what does that mean, she's a servant? What made her do this? Well, she serves the church, yeah? She's a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why did he not send it with a man? Why did he not send it with one of the men? Because, you know, we see all these spiritual men in the Bible. Why didn't a man take this? You know, maybe it would have been safer. Maybe it would have been more because this woman was clearly a cut above them, wasn't she? Yeah, this lady is a great example here. She's, but what's the first description of her? She's a servant of the church, which is at Cenkria. It's not that, well, she was just, you know, the best dressed, the most knowledgeable. She was a servant, yeah? A servant. What does that mean? That means that she wasn't saying, well, how does this church serve me? She didn't come to church and start going, well, you know, what am I getting from this bit? And how's this church going to provide for me? And what can I get for free? And what can I do here? She comes, I bet, first and foremost to serve the church, which is how we should all be, shouldn't we? Aren't we here to serve the Lord? And it's great that we should benefit from church, yeah? We should get something out of church. We should come away and be edified. And the word of God should edify you, yeah, however good or bad the preaching is. But this woman is a servant of the church and we should all be servants of the church, shouldn't we? That's first and foremost why we're here, to serve the Lord. So, do you think that this woman here was, you know, kind of coming to church, hanging out a bit, maybe she just offered to do something, maybe she, I don't know, maybe she made a few teas and coffees or whatever the version was, you know, at the end of the day. Maybe she pushed about a hoover. I reckon this woman was a real example to everyone, wasn't she? And this woman, I think, did what she was told to do. I bet this woman, I bet when she said she was going to do something, when she offered to do something, I bet she did it, yeah? Because it's one thing, well, yeah, but I want to serve, yeah? Oh, brother Ian, I want to do this, I want to do that. Okay, well, how about you do this? And then sort of a month later, there's nothing said, nothing done. People offer a lot of the time, don't they? They offer, and not just at church, in many areas of life, but I bet this woman followed through with what she was offered to do, yeah? With what, sorry, she offered to do. I bet this woman, when she was asked to do something, when she offered to do something, I bet she did it. I bet she was a faithful messenger, and that's why he knew he could send this letter with her. And, well, let me just read Proverbs 25, 13. It says, as a cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters. And if you've ever had a faithful messenger, if you've ever had someone that you just know you can rely on, or just do as they ask, do as they say they'll do, isn't it refreshing? Any of you guys ever employed anyone and had good workers, good messengers, people that you just know will do it, know you'll do it? Like, it's great, isn't it? But it's so few and far between. How many people just are so just flimsy with these things? How many people promise you 100% I'm going to be there at this time, and they're not there? And it's interesting because there are certain people that will be there every time they say they'll be there, every day, everything they say they'll pretty much do, barring that blue moon. And then there are people when that blue moon seems to happen every other week. And that emergency and that problem and that issue and that, you know, what they just couldn't get out of seems to be pretty much regular, at least every other week, every few weeks. You know, it starts to form a pattern. You just want reliable people, don't you? Reliable people that will fulfil your word. I'm sure that Phoebe was that. I bet she wasn't also doing things, because there's another type of person that you might have seen in life, and they will do lots of stuff, yeah? They will do things, they will offer. They want to do a lot of things, but it's to be seen. It's to be seen doing it, yeah? So they'll do the things, but it's to make a big show of it while they're hoovering, you know? You know, while they're lifting things or cattle, you know, it's just, by the way, brother Ian, I'll be there then when I said I'd come and help, you know? Or whoever it is, and I'm just giving myself an example. But they're those people, aren't they? But I bet Phoebe wasn't one of those people, was she? And they're also those people that do it, but then they win jamone about it. You've found those sorts of people before? They want to do it. They want to do everything, but then they win jamone and complain about everything that they're doing. Oh, don't worry, I'll do it all. I'll do this, I'll do that. And then sort of a few weeks later, it's like, I'm the only one doing it. Oh, well, you keep asking to do it, yeah? So again, I'm sure Phoebe wasn't one of those sorts of people. Now, Paul is commending her. And with that, he's telling them to be good to her, yeah? To be good to her and help her in any way she needs it. She's obviously, well, he's sure. She's not going to ask him for anything that's weird. She's not going to ask him for anything that's dodgy. This is a faithful church member, isn't it? This sort of church member that everyone should be aspiring to be like. Okay, why does he say to help her? Because he says because she has been a sakura or helper of many, including Paul, yeah? Now, again, notice here with Phoebe, there's no mention of a husband here. There's no mention of any other guy here. So she's either, she could be single. She could be a divorcee. She could be maybe a lady with an unsaved husband. I don't know, but there's no mention of that. But she's just a help, isn't she? She's just a great help. She's been a sakura, that's a helper, of many, including Paul. And ultimately that's a church and really that's Jesus Christ, isn't it? Okay, and she for me is a great example for a single lady. She's a short example, but she's a great example. Yeah, if you're single, if you're a single lady, if you're someone that doesn't have to look after, take care of a man as well, then what a great example. Someone who's a sakura of many, a helper of many. He's just there to help, he just wants to do stuff. And it's not just talking about soul winning, is it? It's not just talking about soul winning. But look at 1 Corinthians 7. Go to 1 Corinthians 7. Because this is kind of a given. This is meant to be a given in the Word of God. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 7 and verse 34, 1 Corinthians 7, 34 says, there is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord. Now notice the unmarried woman is just used synonymous with virgin because that's how it should be, shouldn't it? Careth for the things of the Lord that she may be holy both in body and in spirit, but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. So that's how it should be, shouldn't it? So a single woman, a woman who's unmarried, should be caring for the things of the Lord, that she may be both holy in body and in spirit. They have that opportunity. They have more time in their hands to do that. They have more ability to do that. But sadly, you look at most churches the world over and you'll find it's amongst a lot of the time with multiple kids who do the most. Now part of that is because they kind of get used to and trained with life to just be busy and do stuff. But that's not how we want to raise our daughters, is it? We want to be raising our daughters here to just be busy, to want to work, to want to help, to want to do stuff, and ultimately to want to serve the church, want to serve the Lord. Yeah, and look, the bigger we get in this church, the more we're going to need people who just want to help, who just want to be a succor, a helper of many, just like Phoebe is here. But it's not just the single ladies, is it? Because then you have this married couple too. He says in verse three, greet Priscilla and Aquia, my helpers in Christ Jesus, who have for my life laid down their own necks, under whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. So who are Priscilla and Aquia? Well, turn to Acts chapter 18. Now here it's either they're going with Phoebe there or they're already now over in Rome, probably the second one there, which is by the way where they originally came from. Although Paul first met them in Corinth. So Acts chapter 18 and verse one says, Acts 18 one, after these things, Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth and found a certain Jew named Aquia born in Pontus, lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them and wrought, that's worked for by their occupation, they were tent makers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. So Paul is living and working with them where they were tent makers as he was, right? Okay, so Paul's working here. He's working as a tent maker. He's living and working with Aquia and Priscilla. Okay, then they join him on his journey to Syria. We see after that, but he leaves them at Ephesus where he basically helps out the great Apollos, they help him out. So by basically instructing him in the way of the law more perfectly, because he knew at this point only the baptism of John. So they kind of bring him up to speed with everything that's been going on for the last few years. He said, greet Priscilla and Aquia, my helpers in Christ Jesus. So again, helpers, yeah, helpers, people that help, that do stuff, that want to help the man of God there that's Paul the apostle. And look, what a man of God. And you can sit there going, well, you ain't the apostle Paul, brother Ian, or pastor, whoever isn't the apostle Paul. Yeah, but we're all trying to do God's work, aren't we? Yeah, we're all trying to do God's work. And look, we all need people to step up and help and want to help and want to do stuff. You don't want to be sort of, you know, just thinking, I don't know if someone's going to offer to do, do I have to go up to someone else? Look, we're all here to serve God, aren't we? Okay, and the bigger we get, the bigger church we get, the more we grow, the more stuff we do, the more events we do, and we're going to start doing more events. We're going to start, we want to start adding more fellowship time. We want to start doing more and more stuff, but the more we need help with that. Yeah, the more we're going to need help. Now, Priscilla and Aquia are a married couple, but they're still helping, aren't they? Yeah, they're still helping. They're still getting stuck in. So don't just look at Phoebe and go, well, single ladies down to you now. Yeah, hang up everything else. No, married couples as well. He says, who have for my life laid down their own necks under whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. So they've made some sacrifices for Paul, which has had a knock-on effect then to all the churches. Why is that? Because when you're doing God's work, you're basically, you're helping out the church ultimately, aren't you? You're helping out all the churches of the Gentiles. You're doing stuff which is going to have a knock-on effect. And look, you know what? There are people that, you know, for example, that our pastor will know of around our church, that we might, some of us might know of around in their church out in the US and others around those churches, that they just start getting a reputation for being a helper, for being someone that just has laid their, you know, to a point of almost laid down their own necks. Yeah, laid down their own necks for men of God's lives to some degree. People that have just done stuff that have just gone out, that are just a helper to the church. And what a great reputation to have. How great can you imagine being talked about like this? For eternity in the Bible. And look, yeah, we ain't, look, there's no more words added to the Bible, okay? In case you're wondering if you can get a little extra on the end there, but it's still going to be up in heaven, isn't it? Yeah, and look, and God knows what you have and haven't done and wouldn't it be great to just, for God to look down and go, look, they felt, wouldn't it be great anyway, just for other Christians to, look, not just to get the recommendations from them, but just to know that God is looking down and you're the sort of person that other Christians would look at and just go, what a great helper, what a great person, he's just done their all for that church, done their all for the things of God. And look, our movement, look, I don't see any other churches doing as much for God. I don't see anywhere near the amount of soul winning going on in any other churches. I don't see anywhere near the amount of soul winning marathons going on in any other churches. Around like, this is a big deal, yeah? Like everyone needs to get that in their head. This is a big deal. This church is a massive deal. If we continue how we want to, we're going to have other churches in this country coming from this church. This is a massive deal. Churches which go out and preach the gospel, churches which preach the truth, churches which plant churches, churches which just want to do everything that the word of God tells them to do, it's a massive deal. But with that, we need to get on board with that, don't we? We need to get on board. It's like, oh, well, I ticked the church box. Yeah, well, okay, great, but what a shame. What a waste of a life. What a waste of a life. Look, it's a waste of life not going to a church. It's a waste of a life just ticking the church box, isn't it? Because there's so much we can be doing, so much we can be doing for the Lord. And there's going to be more and more coming from this church as well. But notice how he says, under whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Notice how it's church is plural. Not a universal church, not the church of the Gentiles, the churches, yeah? Because there isn't this universal church, no. They're individual churches, okay? All the churches of the Gentiles. These are the various churches that have been planted around, well, you know, it's getting throughout the world, but at least at this beginning point, it's in those nations which are Chloe. He's going up to Greece. He's going into Rome. He's going into all these places, planting churches, and all these churches give thanks to Priscilla and Aquia for all the help they've given. Now, one of these churches is in their house. Verse five says, likewise, greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well beloved Epaenetus, or Epaenetus, who is the first roots of a cry unto Christ. So what does that mean, the church in the house? Did Priscilla and Aquia invite some Christian types around and call it church? Did they just go, oh yeah, you believe in God? Come on over, guys, we're doing a Bible study. Yeah, bring along whatever Bible you like. We'll all just take it in turns. And I know some people who have been to stuff like that. I won't ask for a show of hands when they first say, because it's hard at the beginning. You think you like it, even a church, you know? And look, there are some weird, weird people around, people that sit around in a circle and sing Kumbaya and claim that they're in church. Yeah, well, it's the organic church, the organic church movement, home church and the rest of it. Did Aquia, do you think, just call himself pastor? Did he say, I'm now a pastor because, well, I don't think there's any other good churches. I'm a pastor. Did he call himself a church, do you think? Did he just call himself a church? No, the church was meeting in the house. There's nothing wrong with that, yeah? Many good churches have started as house church. Faithful at Baptist Church started as a house church. Okay, was that any less of a church when it was in his house, was it? No, because he was ordained and he was sent out, okay? Two clear things, he was ordained and sent out to plant a church, which he planted, and it started in his house because when you start a church from nothing, you can't afford to just start renting some big building, buying big buildings and the rest of it. Now, we have had a blessing here, haven't we? And again, what an amazing blessing. This could be in my front room, yeah? This could be in someone else's front room. It doesn't have to be in the person that's running the church, but we have had a great blessing here, haven't we? We're like a free building for a year and a half. It's amazing, borrowing some bills and some other bits and pieces, borrowing some costs, moving, and even the costs we did doing this is basically what we would have paid in the last two and a half months' rent until we move anyway. So look, it's been an absolute blessing, but look, had we started in a house, we wouldn't have been any less of a church, would we? Because, as long as it's still a church, not if it's just some morons who don't like the idea of submitting to a church, don't like the idea of doing things God's way and just call themselves a church. That's not a church, okay? But if someone's sent out, or in our case, our pastor planted this satellite church, and if they have to meet in a house, it's still a church, yeah? And here, that was still a church, yeah? That was a house church. Nothing wrong with that. Okay, but like I said, it would have had a leader, it would have had most likely a pastor here, what the Bible also calls an elder. There wouldn't have just been some Bible study where people just do their own thing and it wouldn't have been a self-ordained either, however many idiots try and come out with that and try and just, oh, well, it's just past teachings, but in fact, no, because the Bible, every single time we see it, clearly that they're ordained, they're sent out to plant churches. Okay, so church meeting in the house. Then we have Epinatus. Okay, who is what? The first fruits of Achaia unto Christ. What does it mean to be the first fruits? Well, turn to 1 Corinthians 16. Achaia was a region of Greece in which Corinth was, yeah, in this region of Greece, this southern Greece region. The first fruits are the first salvations. So 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 15 talks about the same thing here. It says, I beseech you, brethren, ye know the house of Stephanus, that it is the first fruits of Achaia and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. So perhaps Epinatus was part of Stephanus' house maybe or was alongside them as first fruits. Yeah, I don't think it necessarily means that you're the first one is the only one, it's first fruits plural. So these are some of the first people that got saved in that whole region. Notice how these guys in 1 Corinthians 16, 15 are addicted to the ministry of the saints. Okay, ministry basically being the help, the work of the saints, of the saved, these are people that are addicted to that. And that's what we keep seeing in this chapter and obviously we're going over to 1 Corinthians 16 here. We're just talking about people that are just hard workers, people that just want to work for the Lord, do stuff for the Lord, they just want to get stuck in for the Lord. They've addicted themselves to ministry of the saints. And that's a good thing to be addicted to, isn't it? There are many things that you can be addicted to, but I think addicted to the ministry of the saints is a good thing to be addicted to, isn't it? He says in verse 16 that you submit yourselves unto such and to everyone that helpeth with us and laboureth. So Paul's saying to submit to these types of people that help in labor. Okay, fancy that. Like submitting to people that are just grafting at the church. You see people around this church that are just putting in some graft, yeah? Like maybe go up to them and say, what can I do to help you? What can you? Because they're a great example, aren't they? People are just getting on and getting stuck in and are just doing, just in the ministry, just doing stuff, doing stuff, just wanting to help, wanting to work. And they're able to do that as well. And like I said, not people it's not to be seen of men, people that actually just want to work in hell. They're people to submit to. They're people to just ask to help. They're people that could guide you, by the way, because they're a great example, a great testimony of Christianity. People that just work for the church and do stuff for the church. Okay, let's go back to Romans 16 and verse five. He calls Epienetus his well-beloved. Okay, why is he his well-beloved? Well, I would imagine that he's a hard worker as well. He's doing great things as well. And he's one of the first salvations in Corinth. I think he probably is of the household of Stephanus. He's just one of these hard workers and he's one of the first salvations there. And look, just to remind you again with that, again, we're talking about people who work hard. Look at verse six, greet Mary who bestowed much labor on us. See the example, it's not like, notice he's talking about these ladies here and he's not saying, greet whoever who is just like so amazingly godly. Greet whoever who is just such a good soul winner. No, it's like, is there a hard worker? And that will include someone, but it includes other stuff as well. Yeah, greet whoever who is just a hard worker, who's a good member, he's just someone. And it's like this kind of hall of fame of just great early church believers. And we should all look at that and go, I want to be like that. I just want to be someone that just looked down upon and said, who bestowed much labor on us. Much labor, not just some labor, much labor. He's saying, greet another hard worker. Greet this hard worker. Salute Andronicus and Junior, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners who are of note among the apostles who also were in Christ before me. And these are some long time brethren it seems, considering that Paul has been safe for around 20 years, by the way, at this point. And look, the Christian life is measured in decades, isn't it? Many people say it's an old cliche saying, and look, most people here still to get to the decade, aren't they? And that's a good reminder there, isn't there? These are people 20 years later, but they haven't drifted over that time either. Because just because, oh, well, if things start to go a bit stale, no, he's saying that they're his kinsmen, his fellow prisoners who are of note among the apostles. So they're of note. Again, people know who these people are who also were in Christ before me. They were saved from early on. Now, they're probably also of Tarsus. He's saying his kinsmen here, and by the looks of it, they've been through some tribulation too. I'll tell you what, if you've been saved for 20 years, you can look back and go, I've been through some tribulation. Yeah, you might've been saved for a little bit of time in thinking, okay, I don't seem to have gone through much. In 20 years time, you're gonna look back and go, yeah, I've been through some tribulation, especially if you live in godly in Christ Jesus, because all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, yeah? Okay, so verse eight says, "'Greet Amplius, my beloved, in the Lord. "'Salute Arban, our helper in Christ, "'as that is my beloved.'" So another helper in Christ, yeah? Again, it's a bit of a theme here, isn't it, yeah? "'Greet these people, helpers, workers, grafters. "'Salute Apelles, approved in Christ. "'Salute them which are of our established household. "'Salute Herodian, my kinsmen. "'Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, "'which are in the Lord.'" Do you wonder if he's a bit narcissistic? I don't know. I don't know. "'Salute Trifina and Trivosa, who labor in the Lord. "'Salute the beloved Perseus, "'which labored much in the Lord.'" So you got Trifina and Trifosa, who labor in the Lord, they work hard in the Lord, and then you've got Perseus, which labored much in the Lord. There's different levels as well. Oh, well, you know, I do the hoovering down the church. Oh, well, you know, I usher, or I do the money collection, or whatever else. Yeah, well, there's a difference between laboring and laboring much, isn't there? Yeah, well, I want to be like Perseus, who labored much in the Lord, yeah? He went further. He went above and beyond. He did a lot of hard work for the Lord. Remember, everything you do, whether it's for the church, whether it's just for the cause of Christ, when you're outsold, when you preach the gospel, when you're reading your Bible, you're still laboring in the Lord. You do know that, yeah? When you're reading your Bible, you are laboring for the Lord. Because sometimes, oh, what do you mean, brother Ian? Aren't you just sitting there going, wow, amazing. Oh, I'm just so on a high. Look, let's be honest, you don't always feel like that reading the Bible. Sometimes you have to be disciplined. Sometimes you have to sit down and go, no, I'm going to read this. I don't really fancy Isaiah right now. It's pretty hard going, yeah? I don't maybe fancy this book right now. But I'm going to labor through it, because the more knowledge I get, the more I grow in the Lord, the more I'm able to help other people. Whether that's soul-winning preaching, whether that's giving godly counsel to your brothers and sisters, whether that's raising your children in the Lord. And it's all labor, it's all work. Praying, we saw last week and the week before. Fervent prayers, yeah, labor. Striving in prayer, that's fighting. Working hard in prayer, it's work. Not just looking at a prayer request and going, yep, oh yeah, Father, pray for them, et cetera. Look, sometimes you've got to pray hard, don't you? Sometimes you've got to sit down and you've got to take that time out. You've got to put that time in a prayer. It's all labor, it's all work. But we get rewarded for it, and it's all for the Lord. Ultimately, isn't it? For his kingdom. Salute Rufus, chosen in the Lord and his mother and mine. So this is probably the same Rufus mentioned in Mark 15. Let's turn there quickly, Mark chapter 15. Mark chapter 15. And verse 21. Well, in fact, let's have a look from verse 20. This is talking about Jesus Christ. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him and put his own clothes in and led him out to crucify him. And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. Now, Simon the Cyrenian carried Jesus' cross, and he had a son called Rufus. And I'm pretty sure this is probably the same Rufus here. I can't be 100% on that, who now seems to be in Rome being saluted, along with his mother here. And it seems that Paul seems to be calling his mother as well. But notice how Simon the Cyrenian, he bears Jesus Christ's cross. And then his son Rufus is mentioned however many years later, decades later. Okay, and look, when you live for the Lord, when you go out and do things for the Lord, when you bear his cross, yeah? For me, that's a picture that, look, you're gonna have a lot more hope and chance of not only your children being saved, but your children then wanting to do things for God as well. Yeah, if you're just kind of a bit of a lazy Christian, bit of a useless church member, bit of a just kind of tick the box, turn up, whatever, do you think your children are gonna then serve the Lord? Are they gonna serve the Lord with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their mind, with all their strength? Are they gonna love the Lord like that? Are they gonna love the Lord like God wants him to? And here you bear his cross. You go out and do things for the Lord and you've got that better chance of your children I think following in the same way. So he talks about Rufus here and his mother and mine. And I don't think he's talking about his own mother. I think he's saying that his mother, he also considers like his own mother here. Okay, salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobus, Hermes and the brethren which are with them. Sorry, we're back in Romans 16 here. Salute Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister and Olympus and all the saints which are with them. Salute one another with and holy kiss, the churches of Christ salute you. Now, we see this command about the holy kiss quite a bit. And before you all start puckering up, turn to first Peter chapter five. So turn to first Peter five. Because is there a difference between a holy kiss and a kiss of charity? Yeah, what do you think? Is like the holy kiss more on the forehead, the kiss of charity is maybe a little bit more loving? Well, first Peter five says, first Peter five and verse 13. This is obviously Peter speaking. He says, the church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you. And so doth Marcus, my son. Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity, peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus, amen. Okay, so like I said, what do you think the difference is there? He talks about now a kiss of charity, greeting with a kiss of charity. So I don't believe it's about the kiss. It's about either saluting or greeting one another with holiness or charity. I think that's what it is a picture of. It's basically greeting with holiness, greeting with charity. And they're used obviously in different contexts here. He's saying, greet them with charity. There before we saw the kiss, the holy kiss, here in first Peter five, 14, I believe Paul's saying, greet one another with love, yeah? Greet one another with love, peace be with you all. Yeah, because we should be greeting one another with love, shouldn't we? Yeah, when we see each other, when we see other saved Christians, brothers and sisters in Christ, we should just be greeting one another with love. Okay, back in Romans 16, he's saying salute one another with holiness, yeah? Salute one another with holiness. Then he says, then he says again there, he says, the churches of Christ salute you. Now saluting is greeting with respect, isn't it basically? It's a respectful greeting that obviously you see in the military as well. It's a greeting of respect. I think he's saying salute one another with holiness. So, you know, that basically when you're greeting with respect, you're also in a kind of in a holy way, and it's not like holier than thou way, it's just basically being upstanding, yeah? Yeah, being respectful to each other, because that's in contrast then to the next group of people which Paul then talks about straight away. So he says, salute one another with a holy kiss, the churches of Christ salute you. Then he says, now I beseech you brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them, 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. So Paul is warning them of people that cause division and offenses, yeah? Okay, clearly he's warning them of these types of people. Does he mean someone that offends you? He's saying, be careful of those people that say something that might offend you. They say something that's a little bit close to the mark or anything else. He's talking about causing stumbling blocks, those sort of offenses, causes of temptation, yeah? People that cause division, which is a dividing of people and temptations to sin, yeah? But notice how it's contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, yeah? Contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, because there are those out there that use this verse to criticize our sorts of preaching, our pastor and his friends, as somehow causing division by calling out false doctrine. But the Bible commands us to call out false doctrine. They'll be like, oh, you know, they're division causes in the church of Christ, they use like the universal church, or they're division causes amongst independent fundamental Baptists. No, they're calling out false doctrine. You don't have to tell them, but John 7 43 says of Jesus Christ, so there was a division among the people because of him. Jesus Christ caused division, yeah? He came with a sword, he caused division. And I'm sure that these same people nowadays would have claimed that Jesus Christ was a division cause, wouldn't they? Okay, but this is contrary to the doctrine, okay? We're preaching the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ, we're preaching the doctrines of the Bible, that's not division causing, is it? So what's it talking about here? Well, where Romans 16 17 says, now beseech you, begging them, yeah? Brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to doctrine which you have learned and avoid them. He's talking about the false prophet types. He's talking about infiltrators specifically here, okay? To this church, because they're not all on YouTube, okay? They're not kind of sitting there kind of having to sift through who's a good preacher and who's a false prophet and everything else. This is talking specifically to the church at Rome, okay? He's saying, he says here, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine. So infiltrator, wolves in sheep's clothing, which can be both inside and outside a church, okay? Right, it's not just people openly preaching heresy. So in case you're sitting there going, okay, you got to watch out for that guy who comes in and starts going, you got to repent of your sins, got to watch out for that oneness doctrine. Yeah, you should watch out for them as well. Yeah, people do do that. Yeah, people do want to come in and preach false doctrine. And yes, obviously we want to be aware of those, but there are people that are experts at subtly causing division, okay? There are people that go into church that are experts at causing division. And all the churches that we, that our pastors friends with and all those churches doing a real work for God have all experienced and continue to experience people like this who come in to try and divide and they could be very subtle about it. And I've heard lots of stories and seen lots of things with this. They don't necessarily have to be on one side of the division, by the way. So it's not just, and there are these people, there are the people that literally just want to pull people out after them, okay? But there are those that want to play sides off, that just want to whisper just a little subtle comment here or there to the right person at the right time will start making them feel a bit hostile towards someone else. And a lot of the time it will be the leadership, but it can be other people in the church, it can be someone else. A lot of the time of a strong position in church and sometimes it's to then for the people on the outside. So the people who are just kind of a new Christian and a lot of time they're targeted, yeah? The lone sheep are targeted, the people that are new to it. Then they start getting targeted like wolves, yeah? They target the weak, they target the young, they target the new. And a lot of people are babes in Christ. You don't have to be a young child for that. And then they try and target them and ultimately it's to devour them, it's to pull them out of church or like we're going to see here as well, the other thing they do there as well. Now, like I said, they don't have to be on one side, sometimes they are. People, there are also people that are experts at causing offenses. So like I said, temptations to sin, stumbling blocks, they probe for weaknesses. So they're probing for what your weakness is and then they're trying to draw you into that. And of course they do that with leadership as well if they want to try and tear down the leadership, but they do it to others as well in the church because they want you out of the church. So they're probing, they're looking, they're trying to fill out what sort of, you know, what sort of thing might be an issue for you? What sort of sin, what sort of problem? Maybe it can pull you into gossip. Maybe they can pull you into pride. Maybe they're just kind of encouraged pride and boasting and other things in you, yeah? There's many ways they try and do this. Now, you're sitting there maybe saying, wait a minute, brother Ian, yeah? Why would some church going suit or dress wearing, Bible reading, soul winning Christian do such things? Surely they're not. Surely they'll come in, yeah, dressed all grubby, yeah, with, you know, whatever else, they'll just come, you'll just see them a mile off. Maybe they'll come in with a Catholic priest wearing dress on, yeah? Why would they, why would, am I saying that people like that do such things? Well, turn to Acts chapter 20 and I'll tell you why. Because real churches doing real things for God are under attack by the devil's people, okay? That's just a fact of Christian life, okay? This is a fact, it's not paranoid. No, that's just a fact of Christian love. The Bible warns us time and time again, every church, every good church, every proper church that is trying to actually do things for God experiences it, yet people then get almost angry, annoyed when it's preached, don't they? Or people don't, oh, you know, at it again. Oh, you know, trying to scare people. Well, look at Acts 20. Now, Paul has talked to the Ephesian church leadership before he leaves, okay? So he's about to leave, he's saying, I'm not going to see you again. And he gives them this warning. He says, he starts off Acts 20 verse 27, says, "'For I have not shunned to declare "'unto you all the counsel of God.'" Okay, so did Paul just preach the gospel week in or week out, do you think? Did Paul just preach the gospel? Did he just preach the fluffy bits of the Bible? That you're, you know, you're so special, you're so great, you're now spiritually higher than everyone else because you got saved, no. He declared the whole counsel of God, yeah? And we're called to declare the whole counsel of God, aren't we? Okay, Paul preached the whole counsel of God. There's no wonder why they hated him so much, yeah? All over the place, because he declared the whole counsel of God. He then says in verse 28, "'Take heed therefore unto yourselves "'and to all the flock over the which "'the Holy Ghost has made you overseers "'to feed the church of God, "'which he hath purchased with his own blood.'" So he says basically, I've declared unto you all the counsel of God, therefore take heed, yeah? And to all the flock, he's saying you're preaching the whole counsel of God, you better be careful. I've declared it unto you, you better make sure you're preaching it. And he's saying, all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers. Okay, so people in my position leading this church, people in Pastor Thompson, leading not only his church but other churches, our job is to be an overseer, to watch out for this sort of thing. He's saying, he's saying the Holy Ghost has made you overseers to feed the church of God. So first you need to be fed the whole counsel of God. And that includes this sort of thing, yeah? Which he hath purchased with his own blood. Okay, remember you're purchased by the Lord Jesus Christ, so that's something we have leaders have to remember. Look, it's like, oh, just some people, it doesn't matter if they come or go, it doesn't matter if they get pulled out of church. No, they've been purchased by the Lord Jesus Christ, and we have a responsibility to feed them, we have a responsibility to protect them. Okay, he then says, now you need to feed the church as well. He then goes on, verse 21, for I know this, that after my departure, he said, I know this. He didn't start thinking this, he said it might happen. He said, I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Did he say they might come in? Or did he say they shall come in? He said, shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. To draw away disciples after them. He said that they will enter in, and they will also arise from within. That's a sad truth here. Okay, they will enter in from the outside, they will arise from what was already there on the inside. What's the goal? The flock. To either destroy the sheep, or to draw away their own disciples. Yeah, and ultimately they're destroying the sheep either way. Okay? And look, some want to just destroy like Cain. You see in the book of Jude, gives like that sort of three general false prophet types. Yeah, you've got Cain, just destroy. You've got some that want their own following like Korah, and then you've got some where it's all about filthy Luca, like Balaam. Sorry, not Balaam, Balak, isn't it? Okay, so you've got the three types in the book of Jude. Okay, now, people then say, you preach about this stuff too often, yeah? Yeah, you heard people say about our pastor and other pastors, ah, I just always preach about false prophets. Ah, always preach about this sort of, where's all the love? Oh, you're so unloving. Yeah, if you were just that little bit more loving, then you know everyone would just be so much happier and everything else. Well, have a look at verse 31. He says, therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years, I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears. Night and day with tears. What's he crying about? Is he crying because he's worried about his own position? Is he crying because he just worried about that he's not gonna be able to be recognized as the apostle Paul anymore because they're just gonna discredit him? No, it's for the sheep. It's for the sheep because his job is to protect the sheep which the Lord Jesus Christ purchased with his own blood. And he warned them night and day with tears for three years. So look, even if I was preaching this, Wednesday, Sunday morning, Sunday evening, I still ain't got nothing on the apostle Paul. I would have to be calling you up, each and every one of you, every day, to warn you night and day while sobbing down the phone and going to you, you're gonna get pulled out. They're gonna come for you. The wolves are coming in. That's why I'd have to be. But we're mocking, but that's what the apostle Paul, he might not have been on the phone. I don't know if they had cups and strings. I don't know. I don't know. But he was warning them night and day, wasn't he? I reckon he was preaching it night and day. I reckon he knew it was gonna happen. He had listened to the warnings of the Lord Jesus Christ, where throughout the gospels, we see that as well. Yeah, and he's warning them night and day with tears. Now, you might be sitting there now thinking, oh, I don't like the sound of this Christianity too much. Yeah, I think I would have done better down at C of E Church. Maybe take me back to the, let's go back to the Bible study at home, you know, kumbaya, play on the guitar. And isn't that a lot easier? Well, did anyone ever say that it's a place of tea, biscuits, and back slaps? Did the Bible say, right, you know, did he say strive for tea, biscuits, and back slaps? Did he say, you know, fight the fight of faith, turn up at church, and, you know, drink a tea, and, you know, and tell each other how wonderful they are and everything? He didn't say that, did he? And you might think, well, okay, well, maybe I just, it's not for me. I'm saved, I'm going to heaven. Well, yeah, but look, you don't really have a choice. Basically, you got saved, you're now in a war. Okay, now you can, like I've said before, you can be a pawn. Yeah, you could just get picked off by the devil on the outside. You can forgo the protection of a proper church. You could just go down the route of the world. You could just ruin your physical life. Yeah, you still go to heaven. But you ain't going to get the rewards in heaven. Yeah, this is this vapour of a life you're going to look back in for eternity. You look back to and think, I could have done more. Why did I forgo the fight? Because you weren't tough enough, really. Because look, the Christian life, you have to be tough. And I'm not talking about tough, it's, oh, I can throw a punch, I'm tough. I can, you know, I can get in a row, I can row with someone in the, no, that's not, it is a spiritual and mental toughness. You need to be in the fight, yeah? We all need that toughness. But it might get hottest in church. But if you're not there, if you leave church, okay, and I'm not saying, look, you want to leave this church, if you want to leave this church, please leave this church, okay? Just find another church, though, please, yeah? If you're saved, go to another church because you need to be in church. Because if you're not in church, you're sinning willfully by forsaking, dissembling of each other as a man of summies, yeah? Okay, then what does that mean? That means there remaineth no more sacrifice, yeah, for your wilful sin and it's whooping time from God. So you can be out of church and get whooped by God if you're saved, yeah? Or you can be in church and fight the fight. I would prefer to fight the fight. I prefer to fight the fight against the devil because great is he that is in us and he that is in the world, yeah? So I prefer not to get whooped by God for willfully just being out of church. Now, we then receive the protection of the church and look, it is really like, it's not a hard concept either, this, yeah? It's because we look at, there you go, but it just sounds hard and all, you know, are people gonna be sitting there just constantly thinking, are you a division cause, are you a division cause, are you a false prophet? Just be a good church member. Yeah, it's really simple, isn't it? Just come to church, serve the church, be a good church member and it's not a problem. No one's sitting there going, I don't know about brother whatsoever because when you're not, that's when people are wondering. Yeah, and look, we don't wanna hunt, you know, it's no one's job here to hunt people down and to start, you know, I'm sure I'm gonna catch them out, I'm gonna find out, you know, but don't be surprised when it happens, okay? That's the point in this sort of preaching. Don't be surprised when it happens because whatever you do, don't get pulled out of church cause that is the goal, okay? That is the goal of the wolves. That's why Paul was warning them night and day with tears because when you're in a real church, you're in a real church doing the things of God, the devil wants you out. The devil wants you out of church and he'll use his people to get you out, okay? He'll do it whether it's to pull a following after, whether it's to just try and discredit and whether it's to slander, whatever it is, to try and make people, make weak Christians leave, make weak Christians go, wait a second, that doesn't make sense and wait a second, why on earth would that be the case? What, because someone says so, but a lot of people just go here saying, go out, cause that, you know, that's what will come next, won't it? And that's what will come and has happened already. Slander, slander lies, we had a little taste of it with, you know, that Plonker Vijay, we had a little taste of it. In fact, with that guy Costa, and it will get worse and that should warm us up, yeah. Don't get conned into going to some idiot's house church, okay, don't get conned into that. Don't fall for the temptations out there to sin, the people that put them in your paths and try and just draw you into some sort of sin. And like I said, it's not just all the open, blatant stuff, it's subtle stuff. It's subtle stuff to make you then become a problem, you then to be a problem at church. And all the other tactics I preached about. Look, that sermon, weapons of the enemy, okay. Look, I did a series on that, fear. Yeah, weapons of the enemy, fear. You don't sit there listening to preaching like this and go, this just sounds so scary. People are gonna, you know, there's wolves coming in and everything else. Look, you don't have to be scared though. You don't have to be scared, you should be circumspect. You should be vigilant, yeah. You should be good church members, yeah. Yeah, you know what, you should, you should be scared enough to be a good church member. Yeah, you should. Yeah, the Bible, once you're doing that, the Bible's clear about that. I think Hebrews 13, he says that clearly, doesn't he? To submit unto them with fear, yeah. Or, or you can not, or you can just be like, I don't really care, I don't care what brother Ian says, you know, I'm so cool and rebellious and whatever else. Then people are just gonna look at you and think, you're a problem. And a lot of the time, look, sometimes we just have to call a spade a spade as well. And I made that clear before as well, because look, we're 18 months down the line here. I'm not talking about new people here, but if you're here 18 months down the line and you're still, you're still just causing problems, causing trouble, then it gets to the point where people are just looking around going, okay, this is a problem. And then you're sitting there going, why haven't you kicked so-and-so out if that was the case? Yeah, why in Pastor Thompson's church, haven't they kicked so-and-so out? Why at Pastor Jimenez's church have they not kicked? Because we play by the rules, yeah. We wait for God to make it manifest, we have two or three witnesses, and then we kick out. Okay, and until then, it's sometimes, it's just a waiting game. But in that time, we get strengthened from that as well. Demoralization, don't fall for the demoralization. Okay, don't fall for the little whispers, the little subtle things about the church, about, you know, and all the little, it's a cult, it's a cult. Oh, he's just always preaching about this stuff. You know, whatever else, it's just to demoralize you. Okay, because you don't, look, you don't need to be demoralized. You're in a great church. You're in a great church doing things for God, yeah. The flattery, watch out for the flattery. I preached on that as well. And if you're wondering about any of this stuff, you think, I can't really remember that song, go back and watch it, because this is stuff that we're told to be aware of, yeah. That's why the Apostle Paul warned them, night and day for three years with tears, yeah. He's warned them of the tactics. He's not just saying, night and day for three years with tears, be careful of wolves, be careful of wolves, be careful of wolves, be careful of wolves. You know, oh, by the way, it's the Apostle Paul again, be careful of wolves. No, he was preaching the tactics, he was showing them how it would happen, what they would do. He said, I know this, after my departure show, grievous wolves entering among you, not sparing the flock. He said, also of your own self shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away the subs of them. He's not talking about like weird perverted sexual things. He's talking about just basically lies, wicked things, things against leadership, things against people in the church, perverse things, things against the true doctrines. Okay, so slander as well. Flattery, flattery, sorry, flattery, watch out for that. Okay, because people will lure you in, will draw you in to being, you know, part of the, you know, you get flat enough and then you just want them to be all right. Then you want to believe what they're saying because they're just so flattering. They're so nice and slander. Okay, and slander, obviously that's, that will come, has come, it will continue to come. And sometimes they'll make it sound, sound, they'll make it sound believable. Yeah, when this happens, the slander will sound believable. It will be based on a half truth and then skewed off in another direction. Okay, and again, who's it really attacking? It's the church. It's the flock. They don't want to spare the flock. They want the flock out. They want to have their own followings or pull you out. Okay, so on that, we do want to be kind to each other. We do want to be loving to each other. Okay, we're not here just kind of chasing down wolves, like I said, we're not on a wolf hunt every Wednesday and Sunday. However, Paul then said in Romans 16 and verse 17, no, I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them. I beseech you. He's pleading with them to mark and avoid. Okay, he's not pleading for them. There's two commands there. Mark is to make known, avoid is to stop fellowship. Yeah, he didn't go just mark them, just make it known, mention to your best mate. Yeah, I think that one was a bit weird. That woman's a bit weird, that one's a bit off. No, mark is to make known. You're putting a mark that's clearly visible and ultimately we do that as a church when we have that, when we have that, you know, the clear just, and sometimes it could just be a long list of things. Eventually it's just like, okay, yes, but when we have that clear, then they're marked, that means then they're avoided, that means they're kicked out and that means fellowship cuts. Okay, you have to understand that. Fellowship cuts off, otherwise they're not being avoided, then you're not, look, you're not following the command of the Bible, okay? Because it, oh, okay, well now they just don't come on a Sunday, they probably won't live stream, but at least, you know, we'll all still meet up and still have our own kind of church gang and everything else. Look, it's mark and avoid, it's both. And it's not just avoid. Oh, well, I'll just avoid brother so-and-so or sister so-and-so, but, you know, I won't tell anyone about it. Yeah, if you've got clear, and you do that by coming to me or coming to my wife and saying, look, this is what I've witnessed, this is what's happened, this is what this person's done. Because if you're not, again, you're just, you're not following the command of God there. Okay? He said, mark and avoid. Okay? And there's not one without the other. Okay, that, and like I said, once someone's marked, it's time to break fellowship. Verse 18 says, 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. Are these just misunderstood Christians? Is that what he's saying? No, they're just a bit, you know, just a bit carnal, just a little bit rebellious, just, you know, just a little bit, you know, just like to do their own thing, just don't want to do anything they're told. No, they're just, you know, a bit just like to form their own group, you know, and, you know, try and do their own teachings. No, you know, they're all right. They're, you know, they're not too bad. Yeah, hopefully, with time, they'll come round. No, he said, 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. Okay, the Bible's clear, yet we as Christians and every single one of us here want to justify or excuse the behaviour in our own worldly terms. We all do it. We all go, we'll see it, we'll see it clearly, we'll see it time and time again, and then we'll go, I think, you know, hopefully they're going to get there in the end. Hopefully that person is going to improve, hopefully, and this happens at churches across the globe, where, and we want to give people the benefit of the doubt, don't we? Look, the Bible says that these people that are causing division, how do you, like, what you've got to understand, how do you go to a church like us? How do you go to Shaw Foundation Baptist Church? How do you go to Faith One? How do you go to Shaw Foundation Baptist Church UK, the only church of its kind in the UK, and cause division and, how do you do that? Like, how, like, it's unfathomable, isn't it? How would you do that without it being because you're one of these, I'm sorry, but look, yeah, there are people that could be a bit miss, there could be people that could be a little bit narky, or some people could maybe come in and need a little bit of training and everything else, but look, the Bible's clear what these people like. How do you do, like, we're doing such a work here. 1500 plus salvations. Yeah, look, with the start of something, we could go on to multiple churches, and either you could destroy it, you could be a problem, or you could just get on board, like, and if you're trying to destroy it, let's call a spade a spade, for they that such serve not a Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words of fair speeches, deceive the hearts of the simple. Okay, we want to excuse it, we as Christians want to excuse it, and look, that's a good thing in a way, at least, like, if everyone here was just like, ah, someone, you know, looked at me funny, or whatever else, get them, they're a wolf, yeah, that'd be a problem, but they don't serve the Lord but themselves, that's what it's talking about, the flesh, not saying they're just greedy, okay? They serve their flesh. Oh, but they sound so holy, so spiritual, so kind, so loving, but it's to deceive the simple, and simple isn't a good thing in this context, okay? The next verse shows us how it's a good thing to be, you know, how it's a good way to be simple, but it's not good to be simple here when you're being described as simple because you just will not listen to the word of God, and you just will not have it, you just want to constantly excuse wicked behavior. Verse 19 says, for your obedience has 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. Okay, so be wise about the good things, we should be wise, yeah? That's why preaching like this, that's why we have to preach stuff like this, to be wise, because I want everyone here to be able to just be wise to it when it comes, when it happens, and just go, not having it, yeah, yeah, I'm wise, I'm not getting pulled out, I'm not falling for that nonsense, I'm not falling for that slander, I'm not falling for that tactic, I'm not putting up with that flattery, that just flatter me at all costs to try and make me part of, you know, some sort of weird, you know, group, gang, team, whatever ends up forming, no, I'm not having it, yeah, I'm not putting up with this. That's the whole point, I want to be wise, yeah? I'm not going to get demoralized, I'm not going to be in fear though, I'm not going to sit here and go, well, I don't want to come to church now. No, come to church and just enjoy, and be a great church member, and just be vigilant, be wise. He says, he said here, he said, for your obedience has come abroad unto all men, I'm glad therefore on your behalf, but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. Okay, so simple here is innocent when it comes to evil, just don't get involved with it, yeah? Don't get involved with it, don't get pulled in, don't end up getting involved with any of the wickedness. Okay, like I said, if you do, then you're at the least, you've become a target, because you're going to end up getting pulled out, because you're going to feel that allegiance or something else, or whatever it is. You've got to either mark, yeah? You've got to either mark and avoid, or look, at the end of the day, you're going to basically be a casualty with it. Okay, so when we do things properly, verse 20 says, and the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. Okay, so it's not all doom and gloom, it's, oh man, it's going to all be ruined, it's all going to be destroyed. No, the apostle Paul would lend with tears, yeah? But we have the whole counsel of God here. Yeah, we have the whole counsel, and he says, and the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly, it will come, yeah? And when these attacks come, when it comes, when people are manifest, they will get bruised under our feet. When these people come in, when they sneak in, when people arise, they will get bruised under our feet. You just have to wait, yeah? There's a great verse in, I haven't got it in my notes, but it's 2 Timothy chapter two, which I always find really interesting. It says here in 2 Timothy chapter two, and verse, where are we? Verse, go from verse 16. 2 Timothy 2 16 says, but shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness. Okay, then it goes on to say, and their word will eat as doth a canker, of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus. These are the bad guys, who concerning the truth of earth, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of the sun. Okay, obviously we have to watch out for the fool's doctrine. Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his, and let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Now it's this verse that I always think about, the next two verses. But in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honour and some to dishonour. Okay, this is talking about the saved as opposed to the infiltrators. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the master's youth, and prepared unto every good work. So basically there's a process that happens. And what happens is when you purge yourself, when it comes to that point, when the Lord Jesus Christ eventually exposes, makes manifest, when we go through this stuff, and it will be a process and it will keep happening, that we will basically be made vessels, and this is talking to the preacher ultimately, but you could say to everyone here, a vessel unto honour, sanctified, that's cleaned, washed and meet for the master's youth, and prepared unto every good work. Ultimately what these people do is they strengthen you, they train you, they help you to see them when worse and worse comes to the world. So like when we had with that guy, however long it's a while back now, with that guy, Vijay, again, it just helped prepare us a bit more. It helped strengthen it, helped sacrifice, helped purge. And that's what these people do. So as much as we can sit there and go, oh, what's gonna happen? Look, ultimately good will come from it. Satan will be bruised under our feet shortly. Then he says, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, amen. So like I said, there's nothing to fear. Being part of a proper church is a great blessing and a great honour, but it also brings a bit certain responsibilities too. Okay, so don't forget that. There are great responsibilities that come for being part of a good church because you're in a war, you're in a battle. Verse 21 says, Timotheus, my work fellow and Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen salute you. Okay, by the way, that's Timothy who wrote, who Paul wrote first in 2 Timothy 2 that we just read 2 Timothy. Lucius is also mentioned in Acts 13 and Jason whose house was assaulted by the lewd fellows of the base assault. He obviously got through that. That was in Acts 17, but we're not gonna go there for sake of time now. I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle salute you in the law. Wait a second. Wasn't it the apostle Paul? Well, don't get confused there. Tertius penned it, but Paul wrote it as we see clearly in chapter one. He then says in verse 23, Gaius, my host and of the whole church salute you. Erastus, the chamberlain of the city salute you and Quartus, a brother. Now, Gaius was baptized by Paul as mentioned in 1 Corinthians one. Erastus is also mentioned in 2 Timothy as being a Corinth. Now, all of that, just if you're wondering why I'm kind of just giving those bits of information, it's all just further evidence if you need it, yeah? Not that you need it, but of the validity of the Bible. Okay, so you basically got historical writings by Luke in the book of Acts, lining up perfectly with the epistles of Paul, written years apart from all over the world. And these same people he's talking about and it all matches up and marries up, and then let alone the rest of it, okay? I know this isn't Bible apologetics time with this just little tip. It's just an interesting point, isn't it? It all lines up, all these people, when he talks about and everything else, it all just works out. Yeah, actually, yeah, I remember this guy from the book of Acts and this one from here. For it to marry up over 1,500 years of 40 different authors throughout the world is impossible. It is impossible, barring it being written by God. And I don't think when you read this, you go, oh, I wonder who, I wonder if man wrote this. It's so ridiculous, isn't it, by the people that want to try and criticize. Okay, so, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all I'm in. Now, to him that is of power to establish you, according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began. So God establishes or strengthens us by the truth of the gospel and the preaching of Jesus, yeah? Now, the mystery being exactly how the Christ would come and fulfill the prophecies, okay? So, oh, no one knew how to get saved before because, in fact, we were just talking about Timothy where he says, from a child I have known the holy scriptures which are able to make the wise unto salvation by faith which is in Christ Jesus, yeah? So it's not, oh, he's talking about, because it was still a mystery how that would be fulfilled, how it all worked out, yeah? And obviously Jesus Christ then, that's revealed, it's manifest to the world. And it says, but now is made manifest and by the scriptures of the prophets, okay, that's still talking about the Old Testament prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God He made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. The obedience is to follow the command to believe. Acts 17, 30 says, and the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent, okay? Repent being change your mind, put your faith in Christ Jesus. It's a command, it's a command to get saved, okay? We are commanded to get saved. And sadly, a lot of people refuse that command, but we are commanded to get saved. The whole world is commanded to get saved. Verse 27 says, to God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. Written to the Romans from Corinthians and sent by Phoebe, servant of the church at Cenchrea. So that was a book of Romans. And I don't know about you, but I really enjoyed the book of Romans. I thought that was great. I think that's a great chapter to end on there as well. A great warning there as well. But what have we seen? We've seen great doctrine. We've seen a great clear explanation of the reprobate doctrine, Romans chapter one. What a great chapter, probably my favourite chapter to preach through, I must admit. We've got Israel. Yeah, we've got Israel. We've got Jews. We've got grace through faith. Battles between the flesh and spirit. Calling on the name of the Lord. More Jews. More Jews. And a bit more Jews. And then we've got spiritual gifts. We've got practical life instruction that we've seen for the last few chapters. And then we've got wolf watch at the end. And that to me is, that's kind of a quick summary I just thought of, but there's obviously so much more in it. We've had 16 chapters of that. I hope that you guys have kind of learned a lot from that going through. I've learned a lot going through that book. I think that's been amazing. I love going through things verse by verse. Wow, like so much that you just dwell on and sit on and when you're studying it that you wouldn't otherwise reading it. I hope that's been a blessing to you all. I'm still gonna pray and think about what we're gonna do next. Well, I think, I don't know, I might do some smaller, alternate between Bible studies and series and things like that. I've got a Sunday evening. So I'm yet to decide what we're gonna do next week, but hopefully it will be something good and edifying something that God wants us to do. I hope you all enjoyed that. And on that, let's finish with a word of prayer. Father, I thank you for a great chapter to finish a great book there. Thank you for the book of Romans. Thank you for all that we've all learned over the last 16 weeks of studying it or 17 weeks. And that last chapter, chapter 16, I thank you for things that we learned from that, how we learned about just what high esteem you put on people that work hard for the Lord, that just serve the Lord, that are just great workers and help us to be more like that. And also, help us to also, as workers, work in being vigilant as well, work in just being not only vigilant, but also just great church members, work in just being as far removed from the sorts of people that you're constantly warning us about throughout the Bible. And especially there in chapter 16, help us to just be wise to that, you know, wise to that which is good and simple concerning evil and help us to, you know, then also go forward this week now and just apply what we've learned in terms of just wanting to be a help, wanting to work hard on our Bible reading, on our prayer time, on getting sin out of our lives, to try and find a way to get here Wednesday evening and to also return back on Sunday for another day in your house. In Jesus' name we pray all of this, amen.