Final Romans Sermon
“To Him Be Glory”
(Romans 16:25-27, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, February 26, 2006)
TODAY’S PASSAGE:
Romans 16:25-27 25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now 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- 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
God is able to strengthen you.
Can you accept what this text says – that God is able to strengthen you? An admission of weakness is central to the Christian faith. We are not those who are able to say that we hope that we will be strong enough in order to get to heaven. We know that a man’s good works can never justify him before God. We know that we are sinners from birth, sinners after birth, and still sinning even after we come to faith. We are very weak.
Yet we also know that God is able. Of course that does not mean that we are not to be at work in accord with the commands of God. We are to be alert and at work – working hard to resist the devil and to put off sin. But do you believe that God is able to strengthen you? Is he able to take your weaknesses and failures and work improvement toward holiness in your life, so that you would be more firmly established in a life of goodness? These closing verses assure our weak hearts that He is able to strengthen you.
Peter writes this in 1 Peter 5:8-11: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
God is able to restore you, to confirm you in the faith, to strengthen you in your Christian life, and finally to establish you in a solid pattern of godly behavior. Not only is He able to do these things, but Peter says that after you have suffered a little while, the One who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ will do these things. You need to accept this as true.
How will He strengthen you?
But how will He strengthen weak sinners? We know that the grand finale of strengthening us comes with the return of Christ. But is there some hope that He has a way to strengthen us more even now? The Apostle Paul says here that we will be strengthened “according to” Paul’s gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ.”
Think about what Paul is saying here. There are two possible ways of thinking about the words “according to.” The first is that Paul is saying that his gospel teaches that God is able to strengthen you – “thus says” my gospel and the preaching of Christ. I am sure that is true. Paul’s gospel and the preaching of Christ are very clear about the power of God to change sinners. This is a fact that is clearly taught.
But there is a second meaning to the words “according to” that you need to appreciate. Paul is closing His letter by telling his readers HOW God is going to strengthen them. He will strengthen them “through” his gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ. That is why he goes on to specify the content of Christian gospel preaching. You are strengthened “according to” or “through” the revealing of the true meaning of the Scriptures that are opened up to you through gospel preaching. For ages, the true meaning of Old Testament prophetic writings were cloaked in the shadows of Old Covenant life as the people of Israel waited for a Messiah who would bring light. But now the Light has come. Christ has been revealed and the Spirit of God has been given to the church. This same Christ is now preached to all the nations, so that the Jewish Scriptures are expounded to Jew and Gentile – to all weak sinners who will believe.
Then a marvelous miracle happens. As the gospel of Christ is preached from the Scriptures, you are strengthened. This is HOW you are strengthened. It is according to Paul’s gospel. It is according to the preaching of Christ. It is according to the expounding of these ancient texts for your ears today according to the command of the eternal God who insists that His church do this thing, and promises that weak people will be strengthened by His power if preachers will preach and if you will hear.
I must preach. You must hear. If I do not preach or if you refuse to hear, then you will not be strengthened – at least not today. God commands that this method be followed.
What will it look like when you are strengthened?
But if I do preach, and if you will truly hear, the result will be strengthening. This strengthening is called here the obedience of faith. This is what strength looks like. Strong Christians obey the Lord based on what they hear Him saying from the Scriptures that are preached to them.
This obedience of faith is the very thing that has always alluded man. It is the thing that man walked away from in the garden when he ate the fruit in direct violation of God’s command. It is the thing that the Law of Moses could not bring about. Though we heard about the right way to go, we had no strength to have victory in attaining that goal of true obedience.
We could not strengthen ourselves toward the obedience that God calls us to simply by self-esteem talks, or by the encouragement and approval of men, or by involvement in civic activities. It was necessary that Son of God come for us. It was necessary that Spirit of God be sent to us.
The Son of God has come. The Spirit of God has been poured out upon those who would receive Jesus Christ. Therefore, the church is now being strengthened as the gospel is preached. People all over the world are growing in the obedience of faith.
To God be the glory!
What a wise plan to bring about the obedience of the nations! It is a plan designed to take away from us all foolish boasting. God is the one who is able to strengthen us. He does this through the simple but powerful tool of the proclaiming of Jesus through the Word preached. It is not about the eloquence or intelligence of man. It is all about the power and mercy of God working through weak vessels. What a generous gift to give His only Son that we might believe! What a secure and eternal blessing God has given to us! To Him be the glory!
Amen!
Amen? Amen! Do you know what that word means? It means, “So be it!” So be it here! So be it now!
Next week if the Lord is willing, we shall move on to the Old Testament book of Amos. It is my expectation that as I show you Christ through the preaching of the words of this Old Testament prophet, that you will be strengthened in Christ, and that you will obey Him more and more in every area of your life. This is my confidence. I will preach. You must be willing to hear. And so to God be the glory through Jesus Christ forever and ever! Amen.
(Romans 16:25-27, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, February 26, 2006)
TODAY’S PASSAGE:
Romans 16:25-27 25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now 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- 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
God is able to strengthen you.
Can you accept what this text says – that God is able to strengthen you? An admission of weakness is central to the Christian faith. We are not those who are able to say that we hope that we will be strong enough in order to get to heaven. We know that a man’s good works can never justify him before God. We know that we are sinners from birth, sinners after birth, and still sinning even after we come to faith. We are very weak.
Yet we also know that God is able. Of course that does not mean that we are not to be at work in accord with the commands of God. We are to be alert and at work – working hard to resist the devil and to put off sin. But do you believe that God is able to strengthen you? Is he able to take your weaknesses and failures and work improvement toward holiness in your life, so that you would be more firmly established in a life of goodness? These closing verses assure our weak hearts that He is able to strengthen you.
Peter writes this in 1 Peter 5:8-11: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
God is able to restore you, to confirm you in the faith, to strengthen you in your Christian life, and finally to establish you in a solid pattern of godly behavior. Not only is He able to do these things, but Peter says that after you have suffered a little while, the One who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ will do these things. You need to accept this as true.
How will He strengthen you?
But how will He strengthen weak sinners? We know that the grand finale of strengthening us comes with the return of Christ. But is there some hope that He has a way to strengthen us more even now? The Apostle Paul says here that we will be strengthened “according to” Paul’s gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ.”
Think about what Paul is saying here. There are two possible ways of thinking about the words “according to.” The first is that Paul is saying that his gospel teaches that God is able to strengthen you – “thus says” my gospel and the preaching of Christ. I am sure that is true. Paul’s gospel and the preaching of Christ are very clear about the power of God to change sinners. This is a fact that is clearly taught.
But there is a second meaning to the words “according to” that you need to appreciate. Paul is closing His letter by telling his readers HOW God is going to strengthen them. He will strengthen them “through” his gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ. That is why he goes on to specify the content of Christian gospel preaching. You are strengthened “according to” or “through” the revealing of the true meaning of the Scriptures that are opened up to you through gospel preaching. For ages, the true meaning of Old Testament prophetic writings were cloaked in the shadows of Old Covenant life as the people of Israel waited for a Messiah who would bring light. But now the Light has come. Christ has been revealed and the Spirit of God has been given to the church. This same Christ is now preached to all the nations, so that the Jewish Scriptures are expounded to Jew and Gentile – to all weak sinners who will believe.
Then a marvelous miracle happens. As the gospel of Christ is preached from the Scriptures, you are strengthened. This is HOW you are strengthened. It is according to Paul’s gospel. It is according to the preaching of Christ. It is according to the expounding of these ancient texts for your ears today according to the command of the eternal God who insists that His church do this thing, and promises that weak people will be strengthened by His power if preachers will preach and if you will hear.
I must preach. You must hear. If I do not preach or if you refuse to hear, then you will not be strengthened – at least not today. God commands that this method be followed.
What will it look like when you are strengthened?
But if I do preach, and if you will truly hear, the result will be strengthening. This strengthening is called here the obedience of faith. This is what strength looks like. Strong Christians obey the Lord based on what they hear Him saying from the Scriptures that are preached to them.
This obedience of faith is the very thing that has always alluded man. It is the thing that man walked away from in the garden when he ate the fruit in direct violation of God’s command. It is the thing that the Law of Moses could not bring about. Though we heard about the right way to go, we had no strength to have victory in attaining that goal of true obedience.
We could not strengthen ourselves toward the obedience that God calls us to simply by self-esteem talks, or by the encouragement and approval of men, or by involvement in civic activities. It was necessary that Son of God come for us. It was necessary that Spirit of God be sent to us.
The Son of God has come. The Spirit of God has been poured out upon those who would receive Jesus Christ. Therefore, the church is now being strengthened as the gospel is preached. People all over the world are growing in the obedience of faith.
To God be the glory!
What a wise plan to bring about the obedience of the nations! It is a plan designed to take away from us all foolish boasting. God is the one who is able to strengthen us. He does this through the simple but powerful tool of the proclaiming of Jesus through the Word preached. It is not about the eloquence or intelligence of man. It is all about the power and mercy of God working through weak vessels. What a generous gift to give His only Son that we might believe! What a secure and eternal blessing God has given to us! To Him be the glory!
Amen!
Amen? Amen! Do you know what that word means? It means, “So be it!” So be it here! So be it now!
Next week if the Lord is willing, we shall move on to the Old Testament book of Amos. It is my expectation that as I show you Christ through the preaching of the words of this Old Testament prophet, that you will be strengthened in Christ, and that you will obey Him more and more in every area of your life. This is my confidence. I will preach. You must be willing to hear. And so to God be the glory through Jesus Christ forever and ever! Amen.
posted by Pastor Magee at 7:05 PM
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