Watchful Waiting
Watchful Waiting
Romans 16:17-23
If you grew up in the 1990s, the decade of free email, you probably received the following email to your hotmail account.
“Dear Blessed, I’m a Nigerian prince and I need your help getting my money out of the country, for which I will share it with you. Please send me your account number and I will deposit $30 million into your account. I need you to hold the money for me for 30 days and then I will give you $1 million for your troubles.”
The email usually arrived in your spam folder and, for most people, it was quickly discarded. I don’t personally know of anyone who ever fell for the “Nigerian Prince” scam but, according to a recent study, people still get swindled for an average of $700,000 every year. In fact, I received the following email just this morning:
I hope my mail meets you in good health today. I am very delighted and privileged to contact you again, after all this time, it takes destiny and courage to remember good friends like you and at the same time, show gratitude to you despite circumstances that made us separate and disrupted our transaction, which ultimately did not work out as we had expected then.
I am happy to inform you that I have successfully transferred the fund with the cooperation of a new partner from the Netherlands. I use this opportunity to inform you that the transaction has finally worked out and I am contacting you to let you know that I left an ATM Visa Card worth one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1.500.000) for your compensation. I left the ATM Visa Card with Rev John Mark in Uganda before travelling to the Netherlands.
Kindly contact Rev John Mark with his email address as below so that he will mail the ATM Card to you through Postal service ok. Here is the email to contact Rev John Mark
Kindly reconfirm your details as below when contacting Rev John Mark.
Full name
Residential Address
Country
Mobile Phone
Copy of your ID
I think the biblical John Mark may want to have some words with this guy!
The ‘Nigerian Prince’ email may be easy to spot, but scammers have become more subtle and continue to prey on naive, trusting people. These days you may receive a phone call from your “grandson” who needs money, or a direct message from an Instagram friend asking for $60, or you may get a call saying there is a warrant out for your arrest, and you need to send cash right away in order to settle a debt. Although I never have met anyone who succumbed to the “Nigerian Prince” scam, I have known several people who have been fooled by other scams. Clever schemes and smooth talking lure good, trusting people to open their bank accounts. According to the Federal Trade Commission, in 2023, people lost about $10 billion dollars to fraudulent schemes.
Sadly, though, the scams do not only happen secretly. Some happen right out in the open. The Church of the End Times with the Prophet Andres de la Barra Sanchez is selling plots of land in heaven for $100 a square meter. The prophet claims to have received a private revelation from God, giving him sole permission to sell plots of land in heaven, and the church has already collected millions of dollars for this heavenly real estate.
We must watch out for scammers because they are not going away. Many companies, in an effort to protect the integrity of their websites, require consumers to watch a brief video on how to spot a scammer. It may be wise for all of us to explain popular scams to our children, or even to our parents, in an effort to protect them from falling prey to these untrustworthy people. As the Apostle Paul closes out his letter to the Romans, he gives his own tutorial to instruct the church about how to spot a religious scammer and protect themselves from losing far more than their bank accounts. Paul wants to protect them from losing their souls and, to that end, he concludes Romans with one final appeal.
Watch Out (Romans 16:17-19)
Paul has never been to Rome and, as far as we can tell, he is not concerned with any particular heresy in the Roman church. Yet, Paul is aware that false teaching is a constant threat. He concludes his letter in Romans 16,
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. Romans 16:17–18
As Paul finishes his letter, he reminds the church to watch out for people who espouse a doctrine that differs from the truths they have been taught.
Paul has spent most of Romans 12-16 encouraging unity in the church. He wants the church to be united.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Romans 12:18f
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. Romans 14:1
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Romans 15:7
It’s a good impulse to welcome and love people. God wants our church to be unified, but He wants our church to be unified according to the doctrine we have been taught.
I enjoy apocalyptic movies in which the world is ending either by a deadly virus, aliens, or zombies. Almost every one of these movies or shows has a scene in which strangers come to the gate of the community, and the people have to decide whether to let them in or to refuse entry. The community members always fall into one of two factions: the “let’s be nice and see how they will help the community” faction and the “we don’t know them and they are dangerous” faction. Then, in almost every movie, some of the strangers become assets to the community and others work to destroy it. Place yourself in that apocalyptic world. Which side would you be on? The “bring them in” side or the “we better be careful” side? And, I’m guessing that whatever side you would choose in the apocalypse is the same side you would choose now.
In the evangelical world, we generally have two camps: those who prize doctrinal purity and those who prize relational unity. Some are concerned with a new heresy or a teacher who doesn’t fit perfectly into a certain systematic framework, and others want to simply be kind and loving and welcoming to those who may take a different stand theologically. I am certain that those same instincts were present in first century Rome when Paul penned this letter.
Paul wants the Roman church to be unified, but he wants the church to be unified around the truth. Paul states that in order to be unified, there must be division. Do you see it?
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
We must watch for those who create division and obstacles to sound doctrine. Then, when people drift from sound doctrine, we must create division for the sake of the truth. Paul says, “Avoid them.” Avoid any acceptance of their false teaching. Avoid any recognition that they may be speaking truth. Do not allow any teaching that is contrary to the truth to falsely believe that they belong to the truth.
Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons both claim Christianity. Yet, their version of Christianity is contrary to sound doctrine. Therefore, we must avoid their teaching. Catholicism teaches false doctrine. It claims we can be saved by what we do and not by faith alone. It goes completely against everything Paul wrote about in the book of Romans. We are justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Romans 3:28
Now, some of you will rejoice in what I just said, and some of you will wince. Some will rejoice because I am drawing clear lines and contending for doctrinal purity, while others will lament because of the potential of relational disunity that may arise from such a statement. I am talking about the Gospel. I am talking about what we must believe in order to be saved and united with Jesus Christ. I am not talking about secondary or tertiary issues like the timing of the rapture or whether or not women should serve as deacons or what is the proper age for baptism. I am talking about the doctrine of salvation.
That is why Paul uses such strong language and says “Avoid them.” He is worried about people’s souls and those who may be more susceptible to false teaching. Now, we do not know what false teaching Paul may have had in mind. It may have been licentiousness or legalism or gnosticism. He addresses all of them in his other letters but, here in Romans 16, Paul addresses it very generally, and I am glad he did because it forces us to be watchful. We are not watchful for one or two streams of false teaching but for anything that is contrary to sound doctrine. Paul goes on to give more reasons why we should avoid false teachers,
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
False teachers who gain hearers are rarely mean or unkind. They are smooth talkers. Their flattery deceives people’s hearts. They may even be sincere in their beliefs but, ultimately, they are not serving Christ. They serve their own appetites because their beliefs do not not align with sound doctrine.
Recently, our elders had to make a difficult decision regarding some who were part of our own congregation. They were kind people. They were welcoming and friendly. They knew a lot about the Bible. But, because their beliefs affected first-tier doctrines, we were concerned they may lead people away from the truth. So, we decided it was best, for the sake of unity in the truth, to separate from them. We also cared about them, and we wanted them to know that if they continued in their beliefs that were not in accordance with sound doctrine, then their souls would be in mortal danger. This was no small issue.
Paul knows that the Roman church will be under attack. Because God is moving in the church, and their obedience is known throughout the world, they have a special obligation to continue modeling obedience.
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
Paul wants to continue rejoicing over God’s work in Rome, so the church must continue to be wise in discerning between what is good and innocent and what is evil. Paul’s words are similar to the words of the Lord Jesus when he sent out the apostles in Matthew 10
Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Romans 16:19
They cannot merely accept everything at face value. They have to abhor what is evil and hold fast to what is good.
Who helps you do this in your life? Do you have anyone you process ideas with? Does anyone hold you accountable to different ideas? Have you given anyone permission to challenge your entertainment choices or the books you read? Because what happens in our minds will influence our actions, we must be careful about what we think about. Paul said it this way in Philippians 4,
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8–9
One of the ways we watch out for those creating divisions is by welcoming those who create unity around the truth.
Welcome (Romans 16:21-23)
Paul spent the first half of the chapter greeting those he knew or had heard about in Rome. Now, he offers greetings from those who are with him,
Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you. Romans 16:21–23
As we watch out for false teachers, we must welcome those who teach and live for the truth. Timothy needs no introduction as his name would have been well known among the church. Lucious, Jason, and Sosipater were Paul’s kinsmen, either fellow Jews or his blood family. Paul used Tertius, a scribe, to write the letter, and he added his own greetings to the church as well. Paul also highlights Gaius for his hospitality and then Erastus and Quartus.
The point is not knowing details about each of these men but understanding that they were faithful to God and His Word. Paul called out false teachers many times throughout his letters. He was not afraid to name those who were dangerous to the truth, but he was also careful to commend sound teachers so the church could learn from them. As pastors, we must do the same. We have to warn about those who may be dangerous to the truth, but we must also commend those who are teaching the truth.
One of the ways we do this is by having trusted resources in our Book Nook. We recommend those books and authors to you as good resources. We partner with like-minded organizations like the Pillar Network and 9marks so you can read and then recommend their resources to others. We partner with other local churches in events like our upcoming Thanksgiving service or Vacation Bible School. We serve other partner churches on mission trips to develop relationships with their congregations. We give financially to support people worldwide who we want to commend and encourage in their work of faithfulfulness. Even tonight, we have been invited to a night of thanksgiving with Grace Chapel as a way for them to thank us for our partnership with them over the last few years.
We want to promote doctrinal purity as well as relational unity. I do not think we have to choose. We can be robustly theological AND heartily united with other Christian brothers and sisters. Paul models both for us in this chapter, which is also a helpful reminder that the church is made up of normal, everyday people, who have been redeemed by faith in Jesus Christ to serve the church for His glory. Some are influential like Erastus, who served as a city treasurer. Others open their homes like Gaius. Some are administrative servants like Tertius. Others, like Quartus, we know nothing about, but all are in the Lord and should be welcomed in Christ.
Wait (Romans 16:20)
This side of heaven, we must be watchful for those who are against sound doctrine but, one day, that battle will cease when Jesus Christ gives us final victory.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Romans 16:20
God has made peace through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God reconciled His enemies to be His friends. He has given us reconciliation and internal peace but, one day, we will experience His full peace, or shalom, on the earth. As the great Christmas hymn about Christ’s return aptly says,
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.
Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we have lived under a curse. God said to the serpent in Genesis 3,
The LORD God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel. Genesis 3:14–15
Even at the dawn of sin and death, God promised a solution. God promised One would come and crush the serpent’s head. God’s people waited for a long time for the serpent crusher, but God made sure, with allusions throughout Scripture, that His people would not forget His promise. It is referenced throughout the Bible so that God’s people would know that, one day, God would send His serpent crusher to destroy the works of the devil.
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, Jesus himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Hebrews 2:14–15
Jesus came to destroy the devil and his works. He defeated Satan through His death and resurrection. Satan’s final destruction is imminent. He's running a losing race. He is doing all he can to thwart God’s people, but his end is near.
Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea. Hebrews 2:14–15
Those who belong to the Promised Seed are all those who are in Christ and keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Satan has made war with the saints. We feel this every day. Satan wants to destroy us. He is a roaring lion seeking to devour, but his end is near. One day, with the breath of His mouth, Jesus will finally and fully vanquish the evil one. He will crush his head and place him under our feet, and we will have the victory. One day, the battle will end, and the God of peace will crush Satan under our feet.
Let me make some quick observations here. First, the God of Peace is only the God of Peace if you repent of your sins and trust in Christ. We are at enmity with God because we have followed Satan into sin. Every single person has sinned against a holy God and rejected His way. We sin when we do not accept God’s Word and, instead, live for ourselves, trying to earn salvation by our works. If we believe that our actions can save us, then we believe we have no need for God. Listen to the words of Jesus as He confronted the self-righteous Pharisees,
They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” John 8:39–47
These sound like harsh words, but the One who spoke them is also the One who was willing to die for those followers of Satan. For the joy set before Him, He went to the cross to make peace with self-righteous hypocrites, lawbreakers, liars, scammers, and frauds. He went to the cross to make peace through His blood. Peace that is now possible because of His resurrection from the dead. Jesus died to make peace with everyone who would repent of their sins and trust in Him. Do you have peace with God? Have you repented of your sins and trusted in Christ alone for salvation? If not, you can do that today. You can repent and believe and have peace with God.
If you don’t accept God’s peace, you will be at war with Him, and anyone who battles against Almighty God will eventually be crushed along with the serpent.
Secondly, the text says, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan.” God does not work under the constraints of time like you and I. To the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. When we are young, ‘soon’ may be 24 hours but, as we age, ‘soon’ seems to get longer and longer. But, for Christians, our age never ends. Right now, one thousand years may seem like forever, but when you live millions of years, one thousand years is but a few seconds.
Thirdly, the words “will soon” imply that Satan’s reign will end one day. This side of heaven, all trials are temporary. As a believer, whatever trial you may be feeling today will not last. One day, God will wipe away every tear, sorrow and death will be no more, and all the chaos of our lives will be as calm as the crystal sea. Press on, weary saints.
Fourthly, the God of Peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. God will crush Satan.
And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 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.
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:7–15
Do not choose to side with Satan and serve your own desires. If you do, you will side with Satan on the last day. You will war against God Almighty and His armies, and you will be defeated and thrown into the Lake of Fire.
Do you understand why Paul cared so much about false teachers? Do you understand why he didn’t want to close the letter before he made one last appeal for the church to remain steadfast in the doctrine they had been taught? The consequences of false doctrine are beyond deadly. They are eternally deadly.
Finally, Satan and all those who oppose Jesus Christ will be under the feet of the saints. Jesus Christ invites us to reign with Him. Jesus is the Firstborn among many brethren and, one day, we will join Him as co-heirs. God will place Satan and all His enemies throughout history under our feet. We know that we, too, deserve to be crushed but, because of His great mercy, will will reign together with Him. Paul closes with a helpful reminder, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” We need His grace each and every day.
Grace is offered to all who are able to say, “our Lord Jesus Christ.” It cannot be “their Jesus”. It can’t be “our parent's Jesus” or “our friend’s Jesus”. It must be our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray He is your Lord today.
This world is filled with frauds, scammers, and liars. One day, they will all be exposed as shams. One day, the serpent-crushing King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain and was raised on the third day and now reigns in heaven at God’s right hand, will bring final victory to His people who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
So watch out for those emails and YouTube clips of false prophets, welcome all who hold to the doctrine you have been taught, and wait for that day when the God of Peace will crush Satan under your feet.