Watch Out and Look Ahead - Romans 16:17-20 (Sermon)

 

WELCOME 

Good morning! How are you? The other day, I got a text from an unknown number with a Columbus, Ohio, area code. Here is a picture of that message. It said, “Is this a good time to talk, now?” Friends, I don’t know anyone in Columbus. How should I respond to this text? What do you think? What would you do? There was a part of me that was curious. I thought, “What would happen if I responded? Who was this person behind the message? Was it a person? Could it be someone I know? Maybe they need something?” The better part of my brain said this is likely some international scammer who is blowing up people’s phones, seeking a ransom, or trying to cheat unlikely souls out of their hard-earned money. I marked it as spam and haven’t heard anything since January 14 of this year. I think if it were a real emergency, they would call back or text more. There are so many scams out there. 

IRS SCAM

I was in a prayer meeting a month or so ago, and someone shared a very convincing con job. It was a letter from the IRS saying they needed bank account information to deposit an unredeemed tax refund. That sounds wonderful. Who doesn’t want money? The problem was that this couple never got a tax refund. They always pay in. They showed me the letter. It looked legit. I went to the website, and it was really the IRS. Should they call the number on the letter and give their bank account information? How do we know what is real and what isn’t? How do we navigate a world with so many swindlers? 

STRESS 

When I think about how convincing the shams are these days, my anxiety bubbles up like a carbonated drink. What will I do when old age makes me less cautious and competent? Life can be scary. This danger has been with us since the early days of human history. I have good news for us: God knows our situations and has given people help and hope from the early days on. 

TEXT 

This morning, we are studying the book of Romans in the Bible. The author Paul was wrapping up his letter. He wanted to put security locks on the church’s theology and practice. As much as we aim to be a welcoming and loving faith community, there are bad actors out there who will use our goodwill for evil purposes. They will pervert orthodox teaching and holy living for their own personal gain. We don’t want to be victims, and if we are, we have help and hope in God. So let’s listen to his holy Word. I am going to have M. V. read for us. Would you please stand with me in honor of God? 

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (Romans 16:17–20, ESV)

PRAYER 

Thank you. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, we need you. I need you. Help us to understand and apply your Word for your praise and honor. Send your Spirit to work in our ears. Teach us your truth. Your Word is the truth. In Jesus’s name we pray, amen. You may be seated.

CONTEXT 

Paul was concluding his letter to the Roman church. It consisted of Jewish and non-Jewish followers of Jesus. These two groups had vastly different traditions. They didn’t always get along. They needed theological and practical reminders to keep them in sync. That was one of the reasons Paul wrote. He was headed to Spain on a mission trip, but planned a layover in Rome to encourage and be encouraged. He reminded the church about the good news of Jesus. In this sixteen-chapter letter, Paul spent eleven chapters discussing theology, four chapters on practical instructions, and one saying goodbye. In Chapter 12, Paul turned from theory to practice, unpacking the implications of God’s mercy found in Jesus. Paul called the church to “Live together in the power of the gospel because it saves everyone who believes.”

POINT / STRUCTURE 

Our passage is a few sentences and concerns a warning and blessing. Here is the flow: 

17 DIRECTION: WATCH OUT AND AVOID DIVISIVE AND DOCTRINALLY DEVIANT PEOPLE 

18 EXPLANATION: THEY ARE SELFISH AND DECEPTIVE 

19 ADMONITION: I AM PLEASED THAT YOU ARE DOING WELL, MAY THAT CONTINUE 

20A DECLARATION: IN THE END GOD WILL CRUSH EVIL 

20B BENEDICTION: MAY JESUS BE WITH YOU

DIRECTION 

Let’s look at Paul’s direction: 

17 DIRECTION: WATCH OUT AND AVOID DIVISIVE AND DOCTRINALLY DEVIANT PEOPLE 

18 EXPLANATION: THEY ARE SELFISH AND DECEPTIVE 

19 ADMONITION: I AM PLEASED THAT YOU ARE DOING WELL, MAY THAT CONTINUE 

20A DECLARATION: IN THE END GOD WILL CRUSH EVIL 

20B BENEDICTION: MAY JESUS BE WITH YOU

APPEAL

Turn in your Bibles, if you have them, to verse 17. What does it say? 

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them” (Romans 16:17, ESV). 

This appeal is the third in this letter: 

• The first was in Chapter 12, verse 1. Paul appealed to them to invest their lives in the worship of God. 

• Then, in Chapter 14, verse 30, Paul appealed to them to pray for his travels. 

• Finally, in our verse 17, Paul appealed to them to, 

“Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them” (Romans 16:17, ESV). 

Why? Why should they “watch out” and “avoid”? Why would Paul want them to be so inhospitable and cautious? 

• He had just made a huge point about his desire to share God’s love with those who don’t know it. 

• He had just asked them to love their enemies. 

• He had just called them to welcome others as Christ had welcomed them. 

• He had just repeatedly asked them to greet one another. 

Why now tell them to do what feels like the opposite? I think the key difference was the object of Paul’s concern. What were these bad actors doing? They were dividing the church and taking people away from the truth. 

OVER THE YEARS 

Over the years, I have met people who like to cause controversy, gossip, and slander. They whisper about things they don’t know much about. They cast suspicion and throw shade. They don’t seek to fix or repair. They would love to attract people to their following rather than work with God’s local church. Have you ever experienced any of that? Paul says beware and get away from such people. 

18 EXPLANATION: THEY ARE SELFISH AND DECEPTIVE 

But doesn’t that seem a bit rude or harsh or judgmental? That brings us to the next point, Paul’s explanation. He will distinguish these people from the average person. 

17 DIRECTION: WATCH OUT AND AVOID DIVISIVE AND DOCTRINALLY DEVIANT PEOPLE 

18 EXPLANATION: THEY ARE SELFISH AND DECEPTIVE 

19 ADMONITION: I AM PLEASED THAT YOU ARE DOING WELL, MAY THAT CONTINUE 

20A DECLARATION: IN THE END GOD WILL CRUSH EVIL 

20B BENEDICTION: MAY JESUS BE WITH YOU

Look at verse 18. It tells us,

“For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive” (Romans 16:18, ESV). 

These were not just anyone who happened to be critical or who shared a post on Facebook. They were: lead charlatans, cult personalities, wolves. 

JEREMIAH 

600 years before the prophet Jeremiah mentioned people like this writing to Israel,

“And the LORD said to me: ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds’” (Jeremiah 14:14, ESV).

In the Old Testament, people made a living speaking for God. Some truly received God’s word. Others made it up. Their prophecies were figments of their imagination. 

JESUS 

In the New Testament, Jesus encountered people like that. In fact, they would attack him, lie about him, and kill him. They would do the same to his followers. He told his disciples before he died, 

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15, ESV). 

EPHESUS 

Paul told the leaders from the Ephesian church, 

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert. (Acts 20:28–31a, ESV)

CORINTHIANS 

Paul told the Corinthian church, 

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. (2 Corinthians 11:13–15, ESV)

ALEXANDER STRAUCH

This week, I finished a book on leadership by Alexander Strauch. He wrote, “When church teachers and leaders refuse to warn the flock of false teachers, it is an outright dereliction of duty that will result in the flock being devoured” (p. 139). Paul and Jesus didn’t mince words. There will be false teachers out there; beware, church. Beware. 

WHO? 

I was talking with Pastor Joe this week about whether these wolves know what they are doing. In Paul’s day, were they honestly thinking they were being deceptive? Possibly. I think in many cases, they convince themselves they are right. They might say their ends justify their means. They could certainly be self-deceived. 

LITTLE RED 

How do we tell the difference between truth and lies? We want to assume the best and be charitable. We want to love even our enemies. But how do we know? I am reminded of the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Did the wolf pretend to be her grandmother? How did she escape? Things were not adding up. The woodcutter came to the rescue. In the same way, Jesus comes to the rescue and helps us distinguish good from evil.

BAD FRUIT

He said, 

 

You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15–20 ESV)

FRUIT TREES 

Every spring, we have four beautiful trees right out my kitchen window. Two peach trees and two apple trees. However, by the time harvest comes, the fruit is diseased and inedible. The tree is sick, and it is obvious because of the fruit. In the same way, over time, the fruit of a fraud is evident to all. These wolves are like their Father, the Devil, who is the great deceiver. He came to steal, kill, and destroy, and so do the wolves. That is why we don’t have just anyone lead, teach, and preach at church. So we wait and watch: 

17 DIRECTION: WATCH OUT AND AVOID DIVISIVE AND DOCTRINALLY DEVIANT PEOPLE 

18 EXPLANATION: THEY ARE SELFISH AND DECEPTIVE 

19 ADMONITION: I AM PLEASED THAT YOU ARE DOING WELL, MAY THAT CONTINUE 

20A DECLARATION: IN THE END GOD WILL CRUSH EVIL 

20B BENEDICTION: MAY JESUS BE WITH YOU

ADMONITION 

That brings us to Paul’s admonition. Jump to verse 19: 

“For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil” (Romans 16:19, ESV). 

How does verse 19 work with verse 18? What does this “For” mean? I think the New Living Translation makes sense. It reads, 

“But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong” (Romans 16:19, NLT).

Those in the global church had heard of the church’s reputation. They were godly in Rome. They obeyed the Lord. Paul wanted these obedient followers to keep it up. And when it comes to evil, they want to keep their hands clean. They didn’t need to be evil experts. And we don’t need to be either. Jesus said it this way,

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16, ESV). 

Instead of trying to get a degree in disobedience, let’s be innocent as cute babies. Let’s pursue a life of wisdom, not foolishness. Let’s not try to get as close as we can to the edge of a cliff; let’s enjoy where God puts us. 

DIFFERENCE

So the reality is that the longer you live, the more you will eventually see swindlers come in and take advantage of gullible people. Let’s not be hoodwinked. 

• If everyone at work is pressuring you to make a moral compromise, don’t. 

• If your classmates or friends want to cut legal corners, don’t. 

• If your family tradition is dysfunctional, you don’t have to join in and keep the tradition going. 

Be different. Be holy. Be godly. The Romans were doing well, and the world noticed. But past performance does not promise future success. Nor does our holiness stop the devil from trying to take us out. Let’s look at the next point.

20A DECLARATION: IN THE END GOD WILL CRUSH EVIL 

17 DIRECTION: WATCH OUT AND AVOID DIVISIVE AND DOCTRINALLY DEVIANT PEOPLE 

18 EXPLANATION: THEY ARE SELFISH AND DECEPTIVE 

19 ADMONITION: I AM PLEASED THAT YOU ARE DOING WELL, MAY THAT CONTINUE 

20A DECLARATION: IN THE END GOD WILL CRUSH EVIL 

20B BENEDICTION: MAY JESUS BE WITH YOU

I get anxious, my heart races, my stomach knots, thinking about some of the challenges in life. How do we persevere in a world of deception? How do we know if someone is honestly complimenting us or buttering us up? Remember what Jesus said? He said look at the fruit. What did Paul teach? In our passage, he pointed his readers back to Scripture. He quoted Genesis and Jesus. 

VERSE 20: LOOK FORWARD

Go to verse 20, for example:

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20a, ESV). 

When we are exhausted from all our watching and avoiding, when we are tired of sorting out what is good fruit and what is bad, we can trust God. We can look forward to what God will do. In the end, he wins the battle. No cheat code is needed for us to win the day. The architect of history has a master plan to win in the end. And the fix is in. In verse 20, Paul alluded to it loosely, quoting Genesis 3:15. God cursed the serpent, our enemy, the devil, saying, 

“I will put enmity between you and the woman [Eve], and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, ESV). 

At the crucifixion, the crushing of satan was set into motion. Jesus, the offspring of Eve, and also the Son of God, bruised his head. At Jesus’s resurrection, God defeated the punishment of death he gave to humanity for Adam’s sin. Satan’s end is near. His time is running out. Death will be no more. Soon and very soon God will win the day, for good. 

REVELATION

The last book of the Bible reads, 

“And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10, ESV).

Friends, Satan will get his comeuppance. Although the last book of the Bible is highly symbolic, we know it is true and that it reveals many of the symbols’ meanings. And here is one: Evil loses and good wins in the end. Our wrestling and striving are only temporary. We don’t have to fight much longer. Satan will be cast into a lake of fire with his demonic host and suffer forever. Justice will be served:

17 DIRECTION: WATCH OUT AND AVOID DIVISIVE AND DOCTRINALLY DEVIANT PEOPLE 

18 EXPLANATION: THEY ARE SELFISH AND DECEPTIVE 

19 ADMONITION: I AM PLEASED THAT YOU ARE DOING WELL, MAY THAT CONTINUE 

20A DECLARATION: IN THE END GOD WILL CRUSH EVIL 

20B BENEDICTION: MAY JESUS BE WITH YOU

20B BENEDICTION: MAY THE GOD OF PEACE BE WITH YOU

That brings us to our last point, Benediction. Go back to verse 20. Let’s look at the second part of the verse. What does it say? 

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (Romans 16:20b, ESV).

Paul ended with a blessing much like how he began the letter:

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:7b, ESV).

May Jesus be gracious to you. Jesus is gracious. He treats us better than we deserve. Grace treats us better than we deserve. It is like an unearned run in baseball; the team didn’t earn it. It was a gift. But instead of an error, it was intentional. God didn’t drop the ball of justice. He made another way. He sent his one and only Son to die in our place. And Jesus is so gracious, he did it willingly. And not only that, he told his followers before he left for heaven, that he would send his spirit, the Holy Spirit, to be with his followers forever. Friends, we are not alone, abandoned, or without hope. 

APPLICATION

Let me challenge three groups of people. As I conclude, let’s watch out and look forward. First, who are the false voices in your world trying to lead you away from the truth and what is good? How might you avoid these influences? How do you know they are there? 

TO AVOID WE NEED TO ID

Let me illustrate. I began sharing how some friends faced a tax scammer. I didn’t share what they did or how they knew it was a lie. Being suspicious, they took the letter to their accountant. He smelled something fishy. He had seen this several times. He told them their gut reaction was right. It was not from the IRS. So, just as they went to the authority on taxes to find the truth, we need to go to our authority. Who or what is our authority? It is not me, another pastor, or the pope. It is the Word of God. Let us go to the Bible, just as Paul did. 

SCRIPTURE 

In Acts 17, Paul went to a town, and those who heard his words, the Words of the Bible, were suspicious. What did they do? They went back to the Bible. Let us do that. Test truth claims. Let us be discerning. Friends, are you spending enough time in the truth to sort out the right from wrong? How can you grow in your understanding of the truth? An easy way to grow is to join us on Sunday mornings for the sermon and, even better, the Scripture Discovery a few minutes before. We all have a blast, and kids are welcome. 

PEACE

Secondly, you might feel afraid, overwhelmed, or exhausted by all the evil in the world. If that is you, find encouragement and hope in these last sentences. God will soon crush our enemy, the devil, under his feet. Cast your fears and cares on God. He will sustain you, help you, and be with you. He will protect you, guide you, and lead you. Our trials are temporary. God’s victory is certain.

UNBELIEVER 

Finally, if you are like me, you don’t get this. What is going on? Jesus, God’s one and only Son, came to earth to live a perfect life, die a sinner’s death, and rise from the dead for three days, and ascended into heaven 2000 years ago. He invites us to turn from our rebellion against God and his ways. He wants us to seek to follow him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. And if we do that, then we can enjoy God’s promise of deliverance from evil inside of ourselves and out. That’s the truth, and I am sticking to it. 

PRAYER

Let’s pray.

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