Wow. That's that.
That's worship right there. That's praising God right there.
I don't know about all the rest of you campuses, but it was
getting it. Was getting good in here.
Up in here. Yeah, well, I am.
How you doing? Crossing church.
You doing OK? You sound like it.
You look like it. I'm thankful for each and
everyone of you. And God is good.
God is good. How often is he good?
That's right, he's good. All the time.
Oh, welcome all of our campuses from all over.
This region that are joining with us.
Monmouth Shout out to Monmouth. Celebrating five years today.
Praise God for. Them God do an incredible work.
Up in Monmouth and they still have the stock.
Tank, you know, and they're still dunking people in that.
Stock tank and that's. That it's just awesome to watch
that and to experience that with all of.
You, everyone that's inside and online, we're thankful for you.
Shout out to everyone at Western Illinois Correctional and the
Vandalia Women's Prison. Shout out to you guys pretty.
Awesome to see 15 baptisms last month.
You know, coming out because you know even though.
They're inside those bars and doors and fences.
They don't keep the Holy Spirit out, He gets.
Right in there. And he does the work, doesn't.
He's pretty awesome. And here we are today and we're
at the end of this series Romans.
I have the privilege of preaching this last sermon in
the series from Romans 16 and. Thursday, Thursday evening, I
got done with the sermon bill twiddell or leads our.
Our prison ministry right over there and he comes up to me,
he's got his hand out, shakes my hand, he goes.
That is the best. Sermon on Roman 16 I have ever.
Heard my head goes like that. He goes it's the only sermon
from Roman 16 I've ever heard. It goes right back down because
it's not necessarily a a passage of Scripture.
That might command your attention.
I mean, there's all of these. Really meaty, substantive things
that we're reading as we study through Romans.
And you get to Romans 16 and it's the apostle Paul.
Just. Greeting a bunch of people,
right? You know, just want you to greet
this person, thankful for this person, glad this person's part
of the team. He just kind of goes through all
of these. Names and so it's really easy
for me. I don't know about you, but it's
it's. Easy for me to just kind of just
read over that. I mean, I don't like neglect it.
At least I don't think I do I. I just.
I just kind of read over it like that's just.
Kind of what you do at the end of a letter.
But I was, I was preparing for this sermon.
I I thought, you know. I want to go down a little.
Bit deeper and you know God never disappoints and all he
does is reminds you that there isn't anything in that book that
he didn't really want to be in there, that there was something
in there that he wanted us. To know and incorporate.
Into our lives. That's going to make us better
believers, better followers of Jesus.
Christ and boy, if he didn't do it again, I am really excited to
preach this sermon to you. But what I want to do is.
Begin by review, because Romans is such an incredible letter,
such an incredible book in the New Testament, and we learn
such. Incredible things, and I just
want to just review those with you.
We've learned so much about the nature of this world around us,
particularly from God's point of view.
We've learned that we're all sinners.
In need of a Savior, and that Savior has been provided for us
in Jesus. We've learned that the grace
that Jesus provides. Cannot be earned, and it is the
only thing that has the power to reverse the curse.
That comes to us as a result of our.
We've learned that we received that grace by faith in Jesus and
when we come into a relationship with.
Him That grace is revealed to us.
We've learned that in Jesus we are no longer condemned, that
we've been adopted into the family of.
God that we can actually call God ABBA father, which means
daddy. We know that he.
He. He.
Knows about our hurts and he comforts us.
And that everything's going to work out.
Just trust him. Everything's going to work out.
We know that we are more than conquerors through.
Jesus, that nothing has the. Power to separate us from him.
That we've been chosen. That we've been justified.
And someday we'll be glorified. We've learned that this grace is
there for everyone and we are called to share that.
Good news with everybody. That God is transforming us.
As we submit to his will. And we live by his standards,
not the world's standards. And we learn that we need to see
ourselves as a family. We need to help.
The weak instead of pushing. Them down because God loves.
Us all the same. So when we get to this last
chapter and the apostle Paul gets very.
Personal and he gets personal with specific people who.
Serve and who lead in the Roman church.
And I know that at first this passage.
Doesn't seem that interesting, but if you take a closer look
you're going to find a lot more. There are 29 people mentioned in
Roman 16 by name. 29 of them. What's really interesting is the
Apostle Paul only personally knows or has met three.
Now that was. The first thing that really
occurred to me like, wow, that's interesting.
Paul doesn't really even know. These people.
And yet he's greeting them and he's and he's encouraging them
and he's lifting them up and he only knows 3.
We know that because of what it. Says in Romans 15 that Paul
wanted to visit Rome, but he hadn't done it yet.
And so it's. Interesting to me.
How personal he is with specific people.
And I think it's also important to note that because individual
people are very important to God.
You know, we're not just talking about the Roman Church when we
read. The Book of Romans we're.
Talking about real people who are leading real.
Lives and had real challenges and we're doing real work for
the Kingdom. And I think that's an
encouragement because as we look at ourselves today, here we are
at the. And God doesn't just see the
crossing, He sees all these individual people who have.
All of these challenges, and they're overcoming those
challenges through the Holy Spirit and God is releasing.
Them into the world to use their.
Gifts and talents. To build the Kingdom, to bring
his lost children. That is a big encouragement to
me. The second thing that I that
that. I kind of take in personally is
that since there's only. Three that are personally known
to Paul. In this group of 29, they didn't
have to be a friend to Paul to be important.
I think a lot of. Us might feel a little
disconnected and we might like, you know, kind of fill in some
of the blanks like maybe these people are doing this or that in
Ministry because, you know, they're connected like they're
they're. Well known by other people, and
what this tells me is that. You can do incredible stuff in
the Kingdom of God, and you don't have to be a friend of so
and so. You don't have to be connected
to so and so that God sees you. And he knows what your gifts and
your talents are, and he wants to implement them into the
Kingdom. And what you do for the Lord
that's important teaches me that too.
So here's what I want to do. I want to.
Go through some of this list all right because.
These names are mentioned, but maybe we don't really know who
these people are. And let's spend some time
understanding who these people. Are that Paul mentions.
And then maybe place their example over our lives and let
it challenge us and how we might want to reach out.
How we might want to incorporate ministry into our lives to
change the world on God's terms. And the first one that we're
going to learn about is a girl. Named Phoebe.
A woman named Phoebe. Let's look at.
Verse one and two of chapter 16, it says I commend to you, our
sister. Phoebe A Deacon of.
The Church of Centuria, I ask you to receive her in the Lord
in a way worthy of his. People, and to give her any help
she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many
people, including me. Now you learn some stuff right
away. All right.
About Phoebe. She's a woman of some means
because she has been supporting the ministry where the Apostle
Paul is. He's in.
Corinth at the time, and Phoebe is in Centuria, which is the
port. City of Corinth, and she's been
supporting them financially. So she's a businesswoman, she's
probably reasonably wealthy and she's been helping the ministry,
but you learn more than that. You see, Paul is writing.
This letter to the Romans from Corinth in Greece and the Roman,
Roman churches in Rome in Italy, and if you can think a little
bit on your world map, kind of like your invisible world map up
here. If you if you look at Southern
Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, below that you the, you
have the. Boot that comes down right,
which is Italy. And Rome is kind of South
Central Italy. But then you have to go over to
the next peninsula, which is a long way away to the east, and
that's Greece and and the the the Greek peninsula comes down
and there's kind of a separation.
You kind of see the main body of the of the.
Going down into the Med. And then it kind of has a
disconnected feel of this lower part.
And Corinth is right there. So in order to get from corn to
Greece, you had to board? That's the Isthmus of Corinth,
and that's where Corinth. And you had to.
Sail this long journey in the Aegean Sea and in the
Mediterranean Sea, and it was actually a very dangerous
journey. So that is what the Apostle
Paul. Is having Phoebe do.
He's having her take. The letter to the Romans and
deliver it to Rome from Greece, which means she has to board
ship. She has to make this not exactly
safe journey and she has to deliver this letter.
Wow, that that's. A pretty big responsibility,
right? And if, if she makes it,
hopefully she will make it to Rome.
She's going to be a stranger there, right?
And so the Apostle Paul as they read this letter.
They want. He wants them to use it.
And understand it that they would take care of Phoebe while
that she was there. They they would house her.
They would provide for whatever. Provisions that she needed help
her to get back. To Greece when that letter is
delivered, so he's. Looking to them to be hospitable
to her. And commends them to her as A
and. She's actually holds an office
in the church. She's a Deacon in the church, a
servant leader. So she has.
To be a woman of some great commitment.
Because it would. Take great commitment to do that
and that's where she challenges. Me, I can tell already that.
Phoebe is an influential person and probably runs a business.
So would I. Listen to somebody tell me to do
something. Say I need for you to do this
for the Lord. Would you do this?
Would I drop it all I mean? Think about how long she's going
to be gone. She's going to have to get on
the ship. She's going to have to go all
this way. She's going.
To deliver this letter, she's going to have to kind of
reprovide. And she's going to have to come
back. That's going to take a long
time, which means she's going to be leaving her.
Business, right? And all the other things.
Maybe she's got a family and she's got a deal do this other
thing. Is that going?
To be, you know, uncomfortable for her, Wouldn't it be just
easier? For her to stay in Corinth.
Couldn't somebody else deliver this letter?
But she doesn't do that. She takes this letter.
She does this challenging. Thing for the Lord and.
Some of us may not. Think that delivering a letter
is such a great thing. You know, the Book of Romans as
a letter might be the greatest letter ever written by human
hands. Like the most important letter
ever. And she didn't go to.
Kinko's and make copies. There's one letter that letter's
written on a scroll by. Hand, right?
And she's. Delivering this one, what would?
Happen if the ship that she was. Sailing on with shipwreck like
the one that happened with Paul that we read about in the book
of Acts. When he was shipwrecked, what
if? What would have happened?
What would have happened to the? Letter would have been gone.
There was only one. Right.
Think about what we would. Have all missed out on you.
See, I owe her. I owe Phoebe.
The Roman Church owed her because the Roman Church needed
to read what the apostle. Paul had delivered to them, but
so do I. I mean, I'm a recipient.
That letter. And if it hadn't been for
Phoebe, would I have ever received that letter?
Would I have ever? Been able to to read that?
Letter for myself and incorporate its teachings into
my spiritual life. I want you to think about this
just because some of us struggle with.
Some of us. Struggle with responsibility.
Some of us struggle. With anything that might make us
a little less comfortable, some of us might go to church.
And go, you know, I really didn't like that song, that.
Got that? Got a little too.
Lively for me, that last. One I don't.
Know if I'm going to go for a few weeks.
I mean, just a tiny little bit of uncomfortability.
And we were we're like piercing out.
Look at her. You see, That's her story.
My question is, what's your story?
Next people we meet is Priscilla and Aquila, married couple.
We read about them in verses 3 to the five, A says.
Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus.
They risk their lives for me. Not only I, but all the churches
of the. Gentiles are grateful to them.
Greet also the church that. Meets in their house, Priscilla
and Aquila. Now this is who they were.
Because they're. Written about more than once in
the New Testament, they were Jews who originally lived in
Rome until the Roman Emperor Claudius passed a decree that
expelled all the Jews. From Rome.
So imagine having to deal with that.
They had a business. Like you have your whole
livelihood. There you have.
You had their. Their business there they had.
Belongings, maybe a home, and then all of a sudden you have to
uproot yourself. And leave because of an
emperor's edict. For some people that would make
them pretty bitter, but you really don't see that in
Priscilla and Aquila because because the the.
Situation that happened in Rome. They immigrate to Greece,
particularly Corinth. And they're tent makers by
trade. And that's interesting because
the Apostle Paul is also. A tent maker.
And he's in Corinth. And so they have this.
Commonality and they begin to talk together and they form a
relationship. And very probably the Apostle
Paul lived in the. Home of Priscilla and Aquila in
Greece and so as Paul. Was planting that church and
developing that church. Priscilla and Aquila were also
doing that with him. So they were church planters
along with the Apostle Paul also says that they risked their
lives for Paul. So it wasn't long before they
were, only. Doing the missionary work in
Corinth, but as Paul decided to sail to go to Syria, they said
they would go with. And so they became missionary
leaders with Paul to go to. And on the way they stopped in a
mega city of the ancient world. Ephesus And there was a church
that got established an Ephesus. The Apostle Paul moved on, but
Priscilla and Aquila stayed in Ephesus and helped plant that
church and develop that church, probably the greatest church.
Of the New Testament, when we read the book of Ephesians, they
were probably the the the most spiritual best.
Church in the ancient world, and I think a lot of that is due to
the leadership of these two people, Priscilla.
And Aquila, there was a person in Ephesus.
That became an evangelist. But only he only knew the
baptism of John, a baptism of repentance.
He didn't know. About being baptized into
Christ. And it says in the book of Acts
that Priscilla. And Aquila took him into their
home. And explained to him more
perfectly the way of. So they were doing all sorts of
really important work. Apollis ended up.
Being one of the greatest leaders of the 1st century.
Church and he was taught. By Priscilla and Aquila.
When we catch up with them again, they're back in Rome
because Claudius, the emperor, died, and then the Jews were let
back in. So they went back to where they
were before and they were continuing to build the church
again that they helped established in the 1st place,
Priscilla. And Aquila are the ultimate
power couple of the New Testament.
They are truly a power couple. And I love that about them.
And I think that's how they apply to us is that a lot of us
have. Our ministries.
We have our gifts and talents that we want to use for the
Lord. But you know that God can use us
as couples. It's one thing I love about my
relationship to Allison is that. Yeah, we're a married couple,
but we're also a ministry couple.
We've always been a ministry couple when I falter a little
bit and. Kind of lose some of my zeal for
Ministry. She's the one pushing me on.
She's always been doing ministry.
She was doing ministry before I was doing ministry.
She decided to go to Bible college before I decided to go
to Bible college. I'd like to.
I'd like. To think we're kind of a
ministry power couple. Not on the.
Not in the league of Priscilla and Aquila, but it's really cool
to. Think that you can do ministry.
Together, not just apart. And I don't know how many of you
might be considering that you see.
Married couples can be ministry partners.
That's Priscilla. Annaquila's story What's your
story? Then we meet this man named.
Epinitas the Apostle Paul introduces us to him in the
second-half of the 5th. Verse, he says.
Greet my dear friend. Epinitas who was the first
convert? To Christ in the province of.
That's really all it says. About him, But it's enough.
Because what he says is he's the first comfort in some
translations of the New Testament, he said he was the.
First fruits of a in, in. Well, Akeya or the Asia that
Paul's talking about. Is the lower part of Greece when
you get below the Isthmus of Corns.
He was the first Christian down there.
Now you may have heard the statement before the first one
through the. Wall always gets bloody.
It's not always. Easy to be first right?
Cuz other people kinda look at you and you go like what is what
are you doing? Especially in a culture like the
Corinthian culture, which is such an idolatris.
Such a godless culture. Here comes this guy and he's
heard about. Jesus.
And he's accepted Jesus, and he starts telling people about this
man named. Jesus, who happens to also be
the Son of God and who died and rose from the dead.
And some of that's pretty, you know, unbelievable to people.
And yet, that's what he's saying.
And I'm sure that he endured a lot.
Because he was the first one telling the story, but we find
out later. That that that region of
southern Greece became a powerhouse of believers and it
all. Started with this guy.
Now, how does that relate to you?
How does that relate to me? I'll tell you how it.
Does a lot of you in this room and at?
All of our locations, You were first.
You were first. You know what I mean by that?
You were the first person in your family to say I want Jesus
Christ to be my Lord and Savior. You are the first person who
took it seriously enough to step out on faith and some of your
family were like, going, what are you doing?
Some of your family thought, I mean it's is he in a?
Cult. Is this psycho?
You know, like, what's going on here?
Some of your friends were saying.
Hey. Dude, come out, Let's go out.
Let's do something tonight. And it's like, you know, I
really don't do that anymore. And then your friends are trying
to look. And they're like, what you think
you're better than? For some place, some some
crevice, some crack in your faith that they can point out
your. It's hard to be first when
you're first. You're a pioneer and a lot of.
You at the crossing, your pioneers.
You were the first not easy to be. 1st But God recognizes it
when you're first. God recognize it when you're the
first one to influence your family, because God sees what
you don't. See, he sees not only how you
influence your family, your friends, your community, but how
you influence people from generation to generation.
Because you were willing to be. 1st That's Epinitus's story.
What's yours? Maybe you're like Mary of Rome.
In the sixth verse it says Greek Mary who worked very hard for
you. That's all it, says Greek Mary,
who worked very hard for you. Maybe you read that script.
Sure. And they say, let's just go over
the. OK, great, good.
No, that speaks to me. Because I've talked to a lot of
people that go to church and they see.
Some people that they consider very talented, maybe on stage or
preaching or in the, you know, doing ministries, all these
various ministries and they're. They do it so well and then
other people, you know that. This that might make a person
feel a little selfconscious. Like, I don't know that I really
have any really profound gift. I don't know that I have
anything that really makes me stand out.
I remember. The guy that I that.
That he was the senior minister. Of the church I grew up in.
And I remember talking to him about Ministry and he goes, you
know, I'm not really that good at anything.
I just work harder than everybody else.
Because he had grown a great church, God used him in a
profound way, but he. Recognized his limitations.
Even though he had those limitations, he could work hard.
And I'm telling you, you're standing.
In a space that didn't come from a whole lot of talent.
But a lot of people who really put in the hard work.
And maybe that's what God's called you do to be like a Mary
of. Who?
Just who? Just.
Really works hard. Who works passionately?
Who shows? Up I'm at a I was talking to a
guy that's been a friend of mine a long time that it was in the.
Lobby here at 48th St. And it was.
Before first service and he's getting ready to.
Do ministry and. And he asked me questions.
He goes, How long have you been here now?
I said 20. Five years, he goes.
We've been doing this ministry for 1818 years, been showing up
every week to do ministry in a kids area.
He and his wife, you know, people aren't.
Going to probably write articles.
About that. But that's exactly what the
crossing is about. That's exactly what the Kingdom
of. God needs.
That's it. That's Mary's story.
What's yours? Then there's this other power
couple he mentions, Andronicus and Junia.
It's in verse seven. It says Greek, Andronicus and
junia my. Fellow Jews who have been in
prison with me, they are outstanding.
Among the apostles, and they were in Christ.
Before I was. I mean, it's that last.
It's that last phrase that catches me.
They were in Christ before I was.
Wow means that they were older in their faith than the Apostle
Paul. But to understand a little bit
deeper and to kind of connect it to other scripture, they had
been in Rome for a. They were obviously
missionaries. Paul mentions that they had been
imprisoned for their. Long time they've been done
ministry there for a long time and it helps us to understand A.
Little bit about how the Church in Rome was established.
Because Paul didn't do it. He never even been there, right?
Well, a clue comes from Acts chapter 2, because when Peter
preached this first sermon on the day of Pentecost and the
church was. Established that day.
It tells you where the people were from that were there, and
one of the places they were from on the day of Pentecost was
Rome. So it was.
Very, very possible that these two people that these two
people, Andronicus and Junia. Were there at the day of
Pentecost. It is very possible that they
heard Peter Sermon and responded to it.
It's also possible, since it was 50 days after the death, burial
and resurrection of Jesus, that they may have known.
Jesus personally they may have been.
One of the followers of. Jesus himself, and then heard
that sermon. They may have been two of the
3000. People that were baptized.
That day and then took the message of Jesus.
Christ back to. Rome and established a church in
Rome. That the Apostle Paul now is
writing to. The thing that hits me about
them is that they were seasoned. Believers, so we know that the
book of the the letter of Romans was written about. 60AD So that
means these people have probably been believers for like 27
years. They've been there a long time,
so they had longevity and there may be people.
Here at this location, other locations, you've been believers
a lot longer than the people that are sitting around you.
And you're still here. You know, I know people that
have come to the Crossing, maybe they kind of have some pedigree
and they come to the crossing and they're here for a while and
then they. But there are people that have
been at the crossing since the very first.
Day of This, established in 1974.
And they're still here today. Do you know how many changes
this church has gone through in all those years?
And they hung with all. Those changes, they stuck
around. I mean, there's been a lot.
And they didn't give up. And they could.
They didn't. Peace out they had.
Probably tell you war stories and sacrifices from the past.
That got us here today, and here's what I want.
To say to those of you. I can see two right back there,
the Flinches right back there. They were.
Two of the people do this. Those two people right there.
They were two of them that started this church in 1974.
They're still here today. That's what I'm talking about.
And here's the deal. We owe you.
We owe them for their vision, for their willingness to embrace
new things, to sacrifice substantially.
For the cause of the Kingdom of God, That's their story.
What's yours? It continues.
This list continues. More names mentions groups that
are meeting in. Households like Aristobulus and
Narcissus along with Priscilla and.
That they had church. That churches that met.
In their homes, Roman, 16. Identifies at least five house
churches, because what that's how churches met in the 1st
century, They met in people's. Homes.
But there were a lot more than five.
Tacitus was a Roman historian, and he wrote.
In 60 AD, about the number of Christians in Rome, and this is
how he described them, he said it was an immense multitude.
Wasn't a Christian, so God's done an incredible work.
There are more people that are mentioned.
There are married couples. There are sisters.
There's a mother and a son. There's a mother and a son, and
the mother and the son that's mentioned in this list is really
interesting because they're very probably the widow and the son
of Simon of Sirene. And you can look.
At that because it's recorded mark 1521 Remember who Simon of
Sirene. Was he was a guy that was there
when Jesus was being crucified and when he was carrying his?
Cross to his execution. He was no longer able to carry
it. He was too exhausted.
To carry it, and they pulled a man.
Out of the crowd. A man named Simon of Sirene,
from North Africa. And he picked up that cross, and
he carried it the rest of. The way to Calvary.
If in. Fact this is the widow and the
son of Simon and Sirene. Not only did Simon and Sirene
become a believer, he became a church planner in Rome.
Took his wife and son. And here, after he dies, they're
still working in that church, making a difference for Jesus
Christ. What an awesome story.
Craig Keener says that Roman, 16, greets twice as many men as
women but commends. Twice as many women as men.
Why do I say that? Because women do.
Incredible ministry. And Paul knew it and appreciated
it. And that's why you read it.
You read about so many women in this.
List and the and Romans also. Teaches us that Paul wasn't the
only missionary out there. The church at Rome was.
Established by regular Jewish people like I said, who were
there at Pentecost and came back.
And then it was reinforced by new arrivals from various
persecutions. Of Jews and Christians who left
Israel or that region. For safer places to live.
Some incredible stories. The point is the Roman.
Church was thriving. But it still had plenty of.
Challenges and I can tell. You that the crossing church is
thriving. But guess what?
We still have plenty of challenges and one of the main.
Reasons he wrote the letter is because people in Rome we're
having trouble getting along, and sometimes so do.
We but he says. Something at the end in Romans
1619 and I remember when I was in.
We had high school group. While back we used to sing a
song called Roman, 1619 says. And we would just.
It was basically a song that that these the scripture was put
into song and what the scripture says.
Is be excellent in what is good. Be innocent of all evil.
That's how it begins. So that's the advice Paul's
giving us. Be excellent in what is good be
innocent of. All evil.
How are you doing at being excellent at what is good?
What are you excellent at? Could Could some people say
you're excellent at things that aren't really that?
Good Like criticism. Like pointing out things that
you don't. Like about this or that?
What are you excellent at? Are you excellent at good
things? Things that.
Produce peace. Things that produce
encouragement. Things that pull people together
rather than tear them. Apart, some people will say,
well, I'm excellent at politics. Does that really pull people
together or is it tear them? Apart, what I'm saying is be
excellent at what is good. That's that's that's good
advice. And then he says be innocent of
all evil. That one's harder.
How in the world can you be
innocent of all evil, I mean? Do you have to like put your?
Hands over your ears or over your eyes or over your mouth to
be innocent of all evil because we live in a culture.
That is completely soaked and saturated in evil.
And if you're like me sometimes, you.
Feel like evil's winning? Not just around me, but in me.
Like, evil's winning, but evil's not winning.
Here's some good. News it won't.
It won't win. God wins.
God will. How do I know that?
Because of the second part of that verse, Roman 1620 A.
What does? It say it.
Says and the God of peace will soon crush Satan when you are
excellent about what is good and you are innocent.
Of all evil. Do you know what God does with
that? He crushes Satan.
Now it says the God of peace. God doesn't want to.
A lot of people think. About, you know, our heavenly.
Father like God is this judging, condemning.
God, He doesn't want to judge. Anyone doesn't want to condemn
anyone. He wouldn't have sent his son.
If he did, he put all the condemnation and judgment of the
world. On his own son.
True. He doesn't want to condemn the.
World he loves this. World he loves you.
And so he's giving us a way out. But I find out the last three
words of that really important. And the God of peace.
Which is a God of peace will soon crush Satan underneath your
feet. Not underneath his feet, not
underneath his feet. Underneath your.
Feet So when you're excellent about what is.
Like you're seeing in this list and you're trying to be innocent
of all evil because you're trusting that God will take care
of everything. In the end, God's gonna use the
ministry that you do and the life that you live for him to
crush Satan underneath your feet.
You see, you have more power than you can know or understand
because we are children of the living God.
We are join airs with Jesus Christ.
We are filled with the Holy Spirit to accomplish the mission
of bringing. God's lost children, home and
every. Time that happens every time you
see that up on the video screen. You know what the soles of your
shoes are? Getting closer to Satan's head
because he's losing this battle, and you're going to win this
battle. Now, like many of Paul's
letters, he ends glorifying God. It's a glorification of God.
There's a word for that that we use and it's.
Called Doxology and it starts in verse 25 and I'm just going to
read it over you. Okay, as we close now to him.
Who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel?
The message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with
the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages.
But now revealed and may known through the.
Prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so
that all the Gentiles. Might come to the obedience.
That comes from faith. To the only wise God.
Be glory forever through Jesus Christ and all God's people,
said Amen. Let it be so we're moving to a
time of decision. There are some of you here who
have never made a decision in your heart in life to have an
intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and I'm going
to ask. You a rhetorical question.
What in the world are you waiting for?
If you read the book of Romans, and this is who your God is,
this is how personally is, this is how much not that he loves
you. But how much he loves you?
And what the evidence of that love is?
His own son on the cross, Dying. Bleeding.
To pay a debt. That we couldn't pay not to just
save you from hell, but adopt you into his family.
To call you by his. Name to make you a joint.
Heir with Jesus Christ. Think of it.
What in the world are you waiting for?
You know the Bible. Says that where two or three are
gathered, that that Jesus Christ is in our midst, He's right
here, right now. He's walking these aisles.
He knows and he knows everything about you.
He knows all the secrets you don't tell anybody else, all the
things that make you very spiritually dirty and ugly.
He knows all that, and he loves you and doesn't even slow him
down. It doesn't even slow his.
Love down because he wants you in relationship with him.
And the question is, how long are you going to be watching
this parade go by? Until you just step up and say
I'm going to be. Part of it, there's going to be
somebody right over there by the baptistry would love nothing
more than to talk. To you about next steps in your
relationship with Christ. And you can be.
Part of this parade. Shout in the name of Jesus, who
makes all the difference. If you'll come into an intimate,
personal relationship with him, quit.
Listening to. The devil, He's a liar.
Quit listening to yourself. You're a liar thinking, well, if
I get my life better and get my priorities straight, well, then
maybe I'll no you need to come. With the all the trash bags.
You need to come with the mess because when you come that.
Way to the Lord you're coming, honestly.
He'll take care of it. That's what Romans teaches us.
He already knows that about you, but he loves you anyway if
you're online. You've never made a decision.
You can press that button. You can talk to somebody.
Right now I. Think my wife's on there right
now. There's a lot of us here today.
We've made that decision. For Christ we we accepted him,
right? But are you engaging?
Are you being part of the solution?
Are you following the calling of Jesus?
Christ have the cares of this world, the lower story, all the
challenges. Have they gotten you so
internally focused that you can't get out and focus on on
what God's agenda is? You all have a gift.
You all have a talent. Everyone in this room, you have
a talent. God's given you at least one.
Some of us are three talent people, some of us are five
talent people. Some of us are one talent
people. There is no such thing as a no.
Talent person. You all have some.
Ability that God has given you. Maybe it's like Mary of Rome.
Maybe you can just. Work hard or it may be something
else. I don't know what it is, but let
me clue you in on something. There's a difference between a
talent and a gift. A talent becomes a gift when you
give it. Back to God.
A talent becomes a gift. When you give it back to God.
And you allow him to utilize it to accomplish the mission of
bringing the lost kids home. I mean your.
Talent might be amazing. But you put the holy.
Spirit in there. And you turn that talent to a.
Gift You watch what God can do because he can do.
More abundantly beyond what you can ask or imagine with the
thing that he planted inside of you.
If you'll just let him do it. And that's why these steps are
up here today. Because just because you've made
a decision for Christ doesn't mean.
That you don't need to. Do business with God.
Today that you don't need to come to him today that you don't
need to ask him to do something fresh and new today to.
Stir up that. Fire inside of you today, and
maybe it's in that. Talent, that.
Needs to be a gift, so I call you.
As a fellow believer in Christ to get.
Serious about your faith would. You stand with me in Jesus name
we come. Before you, Heavenly Father,
realizing. That there's nothing inside of
our hearts that you don't see and know more intimately than we
know ourselves. You see all of the mess, all the
inconsistency. All the hypocrisy, you see, all
that, but you still love. Us it doesn't change.
In Jesus name, Amen. Your love never changes.
And there's more love in you than there is sinning us.
And I pray, Father, in this moment we would humble ourselves
and receive from you what only you can give or.