Well, good morning. Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in Romans chapter 16.
! Our text for today is Romans chapter 16, verses 25-27.
! And today, by God's great grace, we finish our study of Paul's letter to the Romans, provided I don't fall over.
Before I read these final three verses and work to turn our attention to its content, I want to first make two initial comments.
First, a couple of weeks ago, I preached verses 1-16 and verses 21-24. These are kind of the greeting verses of chapter 16.
And you likely noted that your Bible probably doesn't have a verse 24.
In fact, at one point in my sermon, I faltered on my verse count because I had a momentary lapse in memory.
I went three verses, and I want to correct that and also bring your attention to it because it's important.
Now, your translation likely has a footnote that reads something like, so we typically preach here from the English Standard Version.
I think many of you have this version. So you can see the footnote there that says,
Some manuscripts, insert verse 24,
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Amen.
Instances such as this give us opportunity to pause and consider the reliability of the Bible.
Before we move on to verse 25, let's think about verse 24 or the lack thereof.
Now, our Bibles, collected together, translated, bound,
are the result of compiling lots and lots and lots of early copies of these writings.
We have reason for confidence that these manuscripts are accurate because of how many there are and because of their great congruity.
They agree there are so many copies and they are the same.
However, from time to time, they do not.
So in this case, verse 24 of chapter 16 is one such example.
Now, you may think that this is a reason for concern, but I want you to know that the contrary should be true for you.
The number of times these early manuscripts disagree are minor.
On these minor little things, there's just a handful of them.
And when they do, careful translators labor to make the discrepancies clear to us.
So no one is trying to trick you.
Here they're saying, look, there are some early manuscripts that also have this inserted verse 24.
They could have just omitted verse 24 and renumbered the text.
Would you have noticed?
I wouldn't have.
I wouldn't have even known that was the case.
But rather, they are honest.
And they are not honest with the goal of eroding your confidence, but with the goal of bolstering your confidence.
Right?
We can know that these are the very words.
In addition, in none of the instances where the early manuscripts disagree,
do they do so in any way that changes the meaning of the text at all.
In this case, we just see an insertion of verse 24 compounding the well wishes of Paul's closing remarks.
And so there you see an example of that.
Okay.
Secondly, I want you to know how very much I have enjoyed studying Romans with you.
And in some ways, as we've spent quite a bit of time in this book together,
and I start to put the commentaries back on the shelf,
it feels like the closing of a chapter.
I consider myself blessed beyond measure to have the opportunity to lead you week in and week out,
to partner with other men in that work these past almost 16 years in the study of God's Word.
So thank you for being a people of the book who desire to have it faithfully expounded each Sunday.
Thank you for the healthy pressure to avoid innovation and to simply preach the text.
I'm so glad that that's what you desire for me.
I'm not pushing against your desires and opening up God's Word,
but it's what you want me to do.
And I am hopeful that the Lord will give us lots of future time together
to behold Him from the Bible in future texts.
Okay.
That out of the way.
Let's turn our attention to our final text in our study of Romans.
Chapter 16, verses 25-27.
Beloved, this is God's Word to us, written for His glory and our good.
We would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
Paul writes,
Amen.
Paul ends this glorious letter with a doxology, with praise to God, which is befitting.
He has spent the first 11 chapters of this letter doing theology proper.
The first 11 chapters of Romans is Paul's magnum opus of Christian theology.
It is the most extensive and clearest defense of justification by grace alone,
through faith alone, in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.
And I have labored to tell you that's why we have studied this book.
It speaks to the Christ followers' adoption in Jesus and identification with Christ as our federal head.
Paul tells us that we are no longer captives of grace.
He speaks of the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit who intercedes for us,
leads us in holiness, and helps us in all our affliction.
He gives us reason for patient hope as we stand in God's election,
the certainty of coming glory,
the confidence that nothing can separate us from the love of God,
and total assurance in God's continued faithfulness.
He then works out what all this means for unbelieving people and for missions.
Condemnation, justification, adoption, soteriology, pneumatology, missiology.
The final five chapters are applied theology.
He answers the question,
how should we live in response to these truths?
These three final verses are doxology.
And what is the aim of Paul's praise?
It is God's glory.
These three verses in English are only two sentences.
That's a translation choice,
but they are only two sentences in the ESV.
The first sentence begins with now in verse 25
and ends with Christ in verse 27.
You'll notice there the second sentence is amen.
So most of these three verses is just this one sentence.
And if we take it and simplify it,
that sentence could read,
now to God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ.
Now the idea of glory is not a simple idea to understand.
Some words are simple and easily defined,
like the word apple.
If you had never heard this word and asked me to define it,
I could explain to you what it looks like,
its size and color and texture,
give you some idea of what it tastes like.
In fact, I could probably define the word well enough for you
that if you then saw an apple for the first time,
you could say,
this is an apple.
It was well explained to me.
Think about the definition of apple
in juxtaposition with the word awe.
Apple and awe.
It is much more difficult for me to define this word.
After all, it's a bit of a feeling, isn't it?
What moves me to awe
may be different than what moves you to awe.
We recently took a vacation to the beach,
and I am not moved in awe at the beach.
But I watch a lot of people do that,
stare out at the horizon.
It's amazing.
But put me in the mountains,
and I may experience some awe.
Further, I have only ever felt my awe.
I can only explain to you what it feels like to me.
I have never felt yours.
This word is much, much more difficult to define.
Glory is more like the word awe
than apple in this way.
So, what is it?
We can't just not define it.
Here we have it in our scripture,
and we have it in our scripture aplenty.
So, what is it?
Allow me to take you just to one other text
to try to understand its meaning.
Put some bearing on the word glory for us this morning.
So, turn with me, if you will,
to Isaiah chapter 6,
in verse 3,
where Isaiah has a vision of heaven
and sees one seraphim,
a heavenly being,
calling out to another seraphim.
And this is what he says.
Isaiah 6, verse 3.
You may even be familiar with this verse.
The one seraphim calls out to the other seraphim,
Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord of hosts.
Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord of hosts.
God's holiness
is his eternal and infinite perfection
and worth.
We have been taught, rightly,
that holiness
can be understood as separation,
as being set apart.
God is unique
in his perfection
and worth.
It is intrinsic to him.
It belongs to his very nature
and it is not granted to him.
It is who he is.
God is holy.
The seraphim says
that the Lord of hosts is holy,
but not in Hebrew of saying
that holy, holy, holy,
which is a grammatical way
in Hebrew of saying
that he is completely holy,
without any failure
in his holiness
and he is without compare.
So what does this seraphim
go on to say
in the rest of the verse?
You may note,
I hope you have it in front of you,
I only read the first half.
Then what does he say?
The whole earth
is full of his glory.
So, I take this to mean
that God's glory
is God's holiness
put on display.
That's the way it's tangible to us.
It is holiness beheld,
understood,
experienced.
God's glory
is the radiance
of God's infinite perfection
and worth,
like the sun's light and warmth
is the radiance
of its combustive power.
power.
When we behold
God's holiness,
the proper response
is that God
has glory.
Like we understand
that he is glorious
because he is
holy.
So, glory,
holiness on display,
received,
understood,
experienced,
appreciated,
loved.
So, with that definition
in mind,
let's go back
to our text
and my compounded sentence.
Now,
to God
be glory
forevermore
through Jesus
Christ.
And the implication
here seems to be
that Paul
wants glory
to be
granted
or given
to God.
God.
But if glory
is the radiance,
the display
of God's holiness,
then how could
he be
given it?
I think that
what Paul
is saying here,
it's not that we
add to the glory
of God,
but that we merely
recognize
the glory
of God.
We behold
the glory
of God.
In the original text,
the verb
be
is not
in this
verse
at all.
It certainly
helps us
understand it
in English,
but just
says,
now to
God
glory.
Now to God
be glory
forevermore
through Jesus
Christ.
And we
began our
study about
this time
of year
two years
ago.
If I'm not
mistaken,
it was on
October 9th
of 2022
that we
picked up
this text
for the first
time.
We had some
interruptions in
there.
We didn't
stay with
Romans the
entire time,
but it was
about them.
We believe
that slow,
careful study
of God's
word is
of great
benefit to
us,
but sometimes
in the
process,
we can
lose the
forest for
the trees.
You may
not realize
that glory
is a major
through line
of Paul's
letter.
I'm sure
we talked
about it.
Some,
we may
not have
dealt
with it
well enough,
but almost
every chapter
of Paul's
Roman letter
contains the
word.
And I venture
to say,
with slight
trepidation,
that every
chapter contains
the idea.
Don't test me
on that.
But at least
the word is
in almost
most every
chapter.
In the most
wonderful of
ways,
it would seem
that Paul
was riding
his way
to this
doxological
conclusion.
Perhaps he
was.
I argue
at verses
25 and
26 that
these are
Paul's
summation
that leads
to such
praise.
He's pulling
the ideas
together for
this glory
that he
wants God
to be
recognized
as God's.
So,
join me.
I know
before I
read large
sections of
Romans to
you.
We're not
going to
do that
today,
but join
me in
taking a
brief tour
back through
the book
with particular
intention
toward the
thought of
God's glory.
I just want
to show you
this through
line through
the text
and think
about what
Paul has
taught us
throughout
this book
together.
So,
I have a
number of
passages
here.
You're
going to
need to
turn all
the way
back to
Romans
chapter 1.
We're
going to
start with
a verse
that doesn't
have the
word glory
in it,
but the
idea is
there,
and you'll
understand
why in
just a
moment.
And my
intention is
just to make
some comments
about these
verses as
I remember
preaching them.
I decided it
would serve you
for me not to
go back through
each of these
sermons and
copy and
paste a bunch
of text,
because we
don't have
time for that
this morning.
But I
thought I'd
think,
what did
we learn
as we
looked at
these verses
and walk
through a
set of
them together?
We're
thinking about
God's glory
throughout the
book of
Romans.
So,
chapter 1
and verse
5,
Paul's
talking about
his
apostleship
being received
through whom
Christ,
we have
received
grace
and
apostleship
to bring
about the
obedience
of faith.
The bell
should be
going off.
The obedience
of faith,
for the
sake of
his name
among
all
the
nations.
So,
there's the
idea,
for the
sake of
his name
among
all
the
nations,
that all
peoples,
this is the
goal of
his
apostleship,
that all
peoples
would know
the glory
of God.
Now,
I said that
your bell
should be
going off.
Why?
Because at
the end
of verse
26,
there he
talks about
bringing
about
the
obedience
of
faith.
That very
same phrase
found there
in Romans
chapter 1
and verse
5.
So,
notice what
Paul is
saying in
our text,
verses 25
and 26.
This God
we're going to
ascribe glory
to,
recognize the
glory of,
is able to
strengthen you
according to
my gospel,
Paul's gospel,
the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
According to
the revelation
of the
mystery that
was kept
secret,
Old Testament,
but now
has been
disclosed,
and through
the prophetic
writings has
been made
known to
all nations,
according to
the command
of the
eternal God
to bring
about the
obedience of
faith.
He's just
saying there,
right?
God begins
us and he
keeps us by
the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
And it was
the thing
that we
did not
fully understand
Old Testament,
but we
now do
New Testament.
God's glory
would be
known through
Jesus Christ.
It's not
too many
verses later
that Paul
says in
Romans chapter
1,
verse 16
and 17,
two verses
that we
spent three
weeks on.
There he
says,
for I am
not ashamed
of the
gospel,
or you
could read
it in the
positive,
I am
proud of
the gospel.
Why?
Because it
is the
power of
God for
salvation to
everyone who
believes, to
the Jew first
and also to
the Greek.
For in it
the righteousness
of God is
revealed from
faith for
faith, as it
is written,
the righteous
shall live by
faith.
We are justified
by grace alone
through faith
alone in the
person and
worth of
Jesus Christ
alone.
And this is
the summary of
what Paul is
trying to
teach us
theologically
throughout the
entirety of
this letter.
And so,
he launches
shortly after
those two
verses into
helping us
understand why
this matters.
Why is it
important that
we hear this
good news of
the gospel,
that we care
that it's the
power of God
for salvation?
Why does it
matter?
Why do we need
the righteousness
of God?
And he tells
us it's because
we are not
righteous.
in and of
ourselves.
We are not
righteous.
And he treats
two groups of
people, the
Gentiles and
the Jews.
First, he
addresses the
Gentiles, which
certainly includes
the Jewish
people through
23.
Supplicitly, the
Gentiles.
Notice Romans
1, verse 21
through 23.
He says,
therefore, although
they knew
God, they
did not honor,
and this is
the very same
Greek word,
it could be
translated, they
did not glorify
him as God
or give thanks
to him, but
they became
futile in their
thinking and
their foolish
hearts were
darkened.
Claiming to be
wise, they
became fools
and exchanged
the glory of
the immortal
God for
images resembling
mortal man and
birds and
animals and
creeping things.
rather than
recognizing the
greatness of
God, they
instead said,
we have
instead said,
we want to
minimize God,
we want to
maximize other
things.
I don't know
that any of
you have ever
carved an
image and
bowed down to
it, but we
certainly worship
other things
than God.
Exchange the
glory of the
immortal God
for stuff
that's not
glorious and
not
immortal.
He goes on
to indict the
Jews in
Romans chapter
2 and
verse 24,
for as it
is written,
the name of
God is
blasphemed
among the
Gentiles
because of
you.
They, just
like the
Gentiles,
just like
us,
were idolaters,
believers.
And because
of that,
God's glory
was not
made known
amongst the
Gentiles the
way it was
meant to be
made known.
And then we
come to Romans
3 and
verse 23.
Paul's
bringing
together Jew
and Gentile.
Let's make
no qualms
about it.
Two categories
of people.
Those not
saved by Christ
and those
saved by
Christ.
There he
says,
for all
have sinned
and fall
short of
the glory
of God.
Do not
have,
cannot
possess.
We think
this verse
is speaking
of the
future glory
that will
be ours
in Christ,
but because
of our
sin,
we need
God's
intervention
to bring
this about
in our
lives.
So there's
a problem,
a great
problem,
and it's
a problem
that desperately
needs a
solution.
What is
that solution?
We saw it
back in
Romans 1
verse 16
and 17.
By grace,
through faith,
in the
person and
work of
Jesus Christ.
We can
have the
salvation of
our soul.
So in
Romans chapter
4, Paul's
making this
case and
he's using
Abraham as
the archetype
of believing
God by
faith.
And he
says there
in verse
20,
no unbelief
made him
waver
concerning
the promises
of God,
but he
grew strong
in his
faith as
he gave
glory to
God.
As he
recognized,
a scribe
understood the
greatness of
God and the
promises he
had made to
him, his
faith was
increased.
Now,
we go on,
chapter 5.
Many of
us walk in
this in-between
time.
We walk in
this time
where we
have been
set free
from the
bondage of
our sin.
We've been
justified by
grace through
faith in
Christ, and
yet we find
ourselves still
with the
indwelling
sin, always
at our heels.
We struggle
in this life.
We are
pressured from
without.
Not an easy
thing to live
in this life.
life.
Paul does
some beautiful
things in
chapter 5 and
through the
end of
chapter 8.
Talk about
the way we're
freed from
sin, the way
we're empowered
by the
Spirit.
Look what he
does in
chapter 5,
verse 1 and
2.
He says,
Therefore,
since we
have been
justified by
faith, we
have peace
with God
through our
Lord Jesus
Christ.
Not only a
status peace
with God,
we're no
longer his
enemy, but
we also
experience peace
with God.
Through him,
verse 2,
says,
we have
also obtained
access by
faith into
this grace
in which we
stand, and
we rejoice
in hope of
the glory of
God.
One day,
on the other
side, forever.
The life, we're
going to behold
him forever.
The hope of
the glory of
God.
And he
elaborates on
this quite a
bit, and we'll
skip ahead to
Romans chapter
8 and
verse 18.
He says,
Therefore, I
consider that
the sufferings
of this
present time
are not
worth comparing
with the
glory that
is to be
revealed to
us.
Not even
worth setting
on the
scale the
glory so
outweighs
all of the
momentary
affliction we'll
experience in
this life.
And Paul
had a place
to speak
to this.
Things in
the Bible are
true.
Whether or not
you think
they're true,
they're there,
and so we
should believe
them.
But I know
often we
think, well,
you couldn't
possibly understand
what I've
experienced.
I think Paul
has suffered
more than
you or I.
2 Corinthians
chapter 11.
He says,
five times I
received at
the hands of
the Jews
forty lashes
less one.
Three times I
was beaten
with rods.
Once I was
stoned.
Three times I
was shipwrecked
a night and
a day.
I was adrift
at sea on
frequent journeys
in danger from
rivers, danger
from robbers,
danger from
my own people,
danger from
Gentiles, danger
in the city,
danger in the
wilderness, danger
at sea, danger
from false
brothers, in
toil and
hardship, through
many a sleepless
night, in hunger
and thirst, often
without food, in
cold and
exposure.
And apart from
these things,
there's the daily
pressure on me
of my anxiety
for all the
churches.
That's where Paul
speaks from when
he says, I
consider the
sufferings of
this present
time not even
worth with the
glory that's
going to be
revealed to us.
And he goes
on, right, he
speaks about our
groaning and
longing for the
glory of God to
be revealed to
us.
In verse 21 of
chapter 11,
8, he says
that the
creation itself
will be set
free from its
bondage to
corruption and
obtain the
freedom of the
glory of the
children of
God.
That's an
amazing phrase
at the end of
verse 21.
One day we
will be set
free from
this flesh.
We no
longer have to
sin, but we
carry around this
baggage, sinful
flesh.
And one day it
will be gone.
And we will
only be able to
honor God with
everything that we
do.
I hope you
long for that
day the way I
long for that
day.
And Paul here
says, calls this
the glory of the
children of God.
We will become
more perfect
image bearers of
our God.
God.
We will be
clear reflections
of who he
is, having
redeemed us
from our sin.
Completely,
totally,
delivered
forever.
The creation
itself is
longing for
this day
to come.
And this
status is not a
thing that we
achieve on our
own.
It is a thing
that God
begins and it
is a thing that
he accomplishes.
Paul tells us
further in Romans
chapter 8
verse 30.
Those whom he
predestined he
also called.
And those whom
he called he
also justified.
And those whom
he justified he
also glorified.
Guaranteed,
future tense,
thing that
will happen.
Chapter 8 is
the very center
of this letter.
It is a
wonderful,
wonderful chapter.
Mull it over.
Read it through.
Memorize it.
I promise.
It will serve
your soul.
Long for the
glory that will
be revealed to
us.
To behold God
fully and to
reflect perfectly
that glory is
going to be the
great joy of
eternity.
And Paul begins
to wrestle after
that with the
state of lostness.
He's particularly
concerned about
Israelites,
his brethren in
the flesh.
He launches into
that in Romans
chapter 9 and
completes those
thoughts through
chapter 11.
In verse 22
and 23,
he says this of
chapter 9.
verse 23,
what if God,
desiring to
show his wrath
and to make
known his
power,
has endured
with much
patience
vessels of
wrath prepared
for destruction
in order to
make known
the riches
of his glory
for vessels
of mercy
which he
has prepared
beforehand
for glory.
So the sad
state of the
lostness of
this world,
we rightly
understand,
is also
for the
glory of
God.
God to
show himself
as just
but also
to show
himself as
merciful.
Then at the
end of Romans
11,
Paul works
through all
of those
implications for
the Gentiles
and the Jews
and we gave
much time
to all of
that.
He launches
there into
a doxology
and in
verse 36
he says,
for from
him,
God the
source of
all things
and through
him the
sustaining
power of
all things
and to
him the
goal of
all things.
To him
be glory
forever.
Amen.
Or to
him glory
forever.
Amen.
Sounds much
like the
end of
our text
today.
Then he
goes on in
chapter 12
to talk about
the Christian
life and
the way that
life is
supposed to
bear out in
light of
all of
this truth.
And there's
a particular
emphasis
which kind
of comes to
a head in
chapter 14
and then into
chapter 15
about Christian
unity.
Bearing with
one another
in love.
Expressing love
to one another.
Building the
church.
Why?
For the
glory of
God.
Paul writes
in Romans
15
and verse
7,
Therefore,
welcome one
another as
Christ has
welcomed you
for the
glory of
God.
God would
be made
known as
glorious.
glory of
Jesus Christ.
Through this
great work
that he's
doing,
showing himself
to be
merciful in
the person
and work
of Jesus
Christ.
How is it
that God's
holiness is
most readily
displayed?
in that,
his most
lovingly
expressed act,
the person
and work
of Jesus
Christ.
Theology,
beloved,
rightly done,
always leads
to doxology.
We are not
doing theology
well if it's
just facts
and figures,
things to
debate with
one another.
It should
bring us
to praise
every single
time.
It should
bring us
to humiliate
ourselves
and a
magnification
of our
God.
All that
he's done,
all that
he's promised
to do,
his very
person,
right,
to God
glory.
It should
be our
earnest
desire to
praise God
and to
see him
praised
amongst
all
peoples.
And Paul
says,
Amen.
May it
be.
Let's pray
together.