The Beautiful End

The Beautiful End

Romans 16:25-27

My final high school football game was one of the greatest games I ever played. Our team was built on speed and execution, and we were favored to win by a large margin. But that particular Saturday night was rainy and wet, which makes speed and execution very difficult. With just under a minute left, we trailed by two points. Our opponent was driving near our end zone, and our coach called a time out and told us to let them score. They ran the ball but, instead of running out the clock, the running back crossed the goal line. We were now down by eight points with 52 seconds left in the game. They went for the extra point, and I blocked it! We still had hope. We lined up for the kick off, and they kicked it deep. Our star receiver, Yacoov Yisrael, caught the ball on the two yard line. Then magic happened. They kicked off, and Yacoov caught it and ran 98 yards for a touchdown. We were now trailing by just two points. We went for two, and Scottie Nelson, in his clean white jersey caught the ball in the back of the end zone. The game was going into overtime. We got the ball first, scored and made the extra point. Then they got the ball and scored but, instead of kicking the extra point, they decided to go for two. They ran an outside zone to the left side. Our safety wrapped the running back up but then slipped off him. They scored, and we lost 28-27. It was a great game, but the ending was hard.

Romans has felt like a great game. I don’t want it to end. But, unlike my last football game, Romans has a beautiful end. It ends the way a beautiful letter full of rich doctrine and wisdom for sound living should end. In fact, it ends the same way it began. It ends in the same way the whole book was written. It ends beautifully lifting high the name of Jesus Christ and the Gospel of salvation. Paul doesn’t miss the final tackle; he finishes his letter in victory by giving glory to God for who He is and what He has done. In these last three verses, Paul lists seven reasons to give glory to God. I pray these reasons will help strengthen you for the race of grace and help you finish well.

Give Glory to God for the Strengthening in the Gospel

Over the last four chapters, Paul has given many commands. He challenged the church to present their bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord. He encouraged the church to walk in humility, putting others before themselves and, at the end, he reminded them that they were not alone: God will be with you.

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, Romans 16:25

It is God who will strengthen you by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many people learn about the Gospel by walking the Romans Road as we have done for the past nine months.

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:22–23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9–10, 13

God has used the Romans Road to bring millions of people into the Kingdom. If you are not a Christian, let me encourage you to walk the Romans Road. You need to understand the Gospel. You are a sinner who deserves death because of your sin. But even though you are a sinner, God sent Jesus Christ to die for you. He died and was buried but, on the third day, He rose from the dead.

and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, Romans 1:4

The resurrection proves that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. If you have never confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and believed God raised Him from the dead, call on Him today for salvation. If you call on Him today, He will save you because He has promised that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Church, the Gospel that saves us is the Gospel that keeps us. God will strengthen us in the Gospel. Our calling is never to get over the Gospel. We must never lose our wonder, our joy, our amazement about the Gospel of Christ. We want to be like Paul, who states the thesis for this book and his life in Romans 1.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16–17

We should all desire to live unashamed for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I was talking to a sister recently who told me when she first got saved, all she wanted to talk about was Jesus. Then she paused and said, “And that’s still all I want to talk about.” Beloved, this should be true of all of us!

And can it be? Yes, it can- because God is able to strengthen you in this Gospel. But we can’t neglect it.

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. Hebrews 2:1

It is my prayer that, over the last nine months, you have paid much closer attention to the Gospel and been strengthened in your faith. God is able. If you are weak today, if you feel burdened with sin, consumed with anxiety, overwhelmed with pending decisions, God is able to strengthen you. Do not run away from Him and toward lesser things. Give God the glory because He is able to strengthen you in the Gospel.

II, Give Glory to God for the Preaching of Jesus Christ

One of the ways God strengthens you is through the preaching of Jesus Christ.

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, Romans 16:25

God has always built His people through His Word. God spoke the world into existence and now he speaks the church into existence. The church is built and strengthened through the preaching of the Word. Even in Jesus’ own ministry, He highlighted the importance of preaching.

And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” Luke 4:42–43

Jesus came to preach the good news of salvation. Paul’s life was consumed with the same calling.

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. Romans 1:14–15

He was obligated to preach to Greeks and barbarians, to the wise and the foolish, to both slave and free. Paul passed his passion on to the church,

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 2 Timothy 4:1–2

Jesus Christ’s preaching was given to strengthen you in your walk of faith.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, Ephesians 4:11–12

Each week, one of our elders stands to preach Jesus Christ from His Word. The preaching is the longest part of our service each week because God has designed for the preaching of Jesus Christ to strengthen the saints. Because we want our church to be strong, we preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We do this for you! The preaching of Jesus is given to the church for the church.

Regular preaching of God’s Word is otherworldly. It is supernatural. God takes human instruments and uses them to preach about Jesus Christ. Right now, in this place, the Spirit of God is using the preaching of the Word to strengthen your faith and build you up to keep believing in the Lord. Preaching is like mom’s cooking: you need it or you will starve. If I were to ask you what you ate two thursdays ago, you probably would not remember. But you needed it to survive. Preaching is the same way. You may not remember what was preached a month ago, but you need it to keep going. This is how God set up our lives. Each week, every Lord’s Day, we gathered to hear the preaching of Jesus Christ.

It is important to not merely listen to preaching. It is important to hear the preaching of Jesus Christ with one another. When you are at home or watching a service online, you can get the content, but you can’t get the community. We assemble under the authority of Jesus Christ and in obedience to Him. Each of you is in this room together with others being held accountable to what is taught together. This is God’s design. If you want to be strengthened in your faith, God is able to do it and he chooses to do it through the preaching of Jesus Christ.

III. Give Glory to God for the Revealed Mystery

We live in a privileged time on this side of the cross. We do not have to wonder who the Messiah is because God has made it plain to us.

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 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— Romans 16:25–26

This is a big deal, but I don’t think we give it much thought. The prophets searched and inquired who would be the Christ. Everyone was waiting to find out who was going to redeem and save the people of God. Until Jesus Christ comes, give glory to Him for revealing the mystery of the Gospel. Praise His name that God has unmasked the Savior, and we can freely come to Him.

IV. Give Glory to God for the Word of God

We should give glory to God for the prophetic writings. As we read Romans we get a glimpse of Paul’s own meditation on the Word.

Through the prophetic writings, we can know and understand the Gospel. The Bible has been under attack since it was written. The Evil One wants to marginalize God’s Word because of its power. He wants us to avoid reading it and occupy ourselves with lesser things. How do you view the Word of God? Do you cherish it? Do you grab your Bible each day and rejoice that you get to commune with a holy God? Do you savor each word like a seven course meal at the best restaurant in town?

The Word of God has been under attack for thousands of years, but it is still standing strong. The Word of God can handle your doubts and fears. It can handle your anger and despair. It can handle your questions. The prophetic writings have been confirmed in history. Throughout Romans we see Paul quoting from the Psalms, Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Malachi, and Proverbs. Paul knew his Bible, but Paul didn’t know God until the Damascus Road. He needed the key that unlocked the whole story. He needed Jesus. He needed to know who the Bible was pointing to.

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. Luke 24:44–48

The Gospel was not dreamed up by a group of fishermen. The Bible was in the mind of God before the foundation of the world. He knows the end from the beginning.

Friends, you can know a lot about the Bible and still not know Jesus Christ. The Bible is able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus because everything in the Bible points to Jesus and the Gospel. Everything! Jesus is the key that unlocks it all. Once you see that, you will see how every book shines a spotlight on Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God.

IV. Give Glory to God for the Salvation of the Nations

The prophetic writings were not given so that one ethnic group would know salvation. They were given for all nations.

No one is left out. Every single nation will be represented around the throne of the Lamb who was slain. People from every tribe, language, and nation can know and experience salvation through the Gospel that has been unmasked in Christ.

Beloved, this is what God has asked us to do with our lives. He wants us to direct people to take the Romans Road. He wants us to unmask the mystery for those who are blind. He wants us to tell people about Jesus Christ and share the good news.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:14–15

We must go to the nations because people still do not believe. We go because God’s glory has yet to be recognized by every heart as they suppress the truth in their unrighteousness. We must be those with beautiful feet who preach the good news to those who are lost and in darkness.

Do we believe God can still save? Do we believe God still wants to be known by all nations? If we do, then our lives should match that profession. If we believe God can still save, then we have no choice but to share the good news of th Gospel. We must share. We must be compelled by the Spirit of God within us to take the Gospel to our neighbors and the nations. If we aren't, then we have a problem. Sharing the Gospel gives God the glory for His all-consuming, world dominating salvation. If we do not share, God does not receive the glory He deserves.

V. Give Glory to God for the Providence of God

The Gospel is the power of God for salvation for all who believe, Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, rich or poor. This has been God’s plan from the beginning.

Paul uses the word “command” here to mean “providence” or “God’s will or declaration”. The eternal God has no beginning and no end. This God ordained His will to be done in the world, and His will is that all nations would be saved. This is what the book of Romans is all about. It is about the Gospel of salvation for all nations according to God’s perfect plan.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:28–39

Because God ordained salvation for His elect from all nations, no one can bring charges against God’s people. Anyone who believes that Jesus died and was raised can be one of His people. If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, you will be saved, and when God saves you, He keeps you.

VI. Give Glory to God for the Obedience of Faith

The eternal plan of God does not merely bring salvation decisions. It also requires full obedience.

Faith without works is dead. We are not saved by works, but our works testify to our salvation. Paul ends his letter just as he began it in Romans 1,

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
Romans 1:1–6

Because we show our love for Christ by obeying His commands, we should desire that people choose obedience for the sake of His name.

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. John 15:10

Jesus obeyed the Father and kept His commandments. We, as followers of Jesus, should desire to do the same. We can’t obey our passions; we must obey God. We cannot have two masters. We cannot bow to our flesh and to our Lord.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:12–14

We are debtors to grace.

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:12–13

Our obedience matters for the salvation of the world. When we live as a peculiar people, righteous and holy, the world will notice. Our lives are meant to be guideposts for the lost because if our lives look just like their lives, why would they want to know about Jesus?

Many Christians think they need to be more like the world in order to reach the world. But nothing could be further from the truth. We are in the world but not of it. We must look like Jesus. We must be like Jesus, who spent time with sinners but was never like them. Our obedience of faith screams at the world, “There is a better way!” We must strive to live holy lives for the sake of the lost.

VII. Give Glory to God for the Only Wise God

There is only one God, and he is a wise God. During this sermon, I have read Paul’s doxology over and over because I want you to remember it. I want you to hear these words and give God all the glory.

God's ways are above our ways. His thoughts are above our thoughts. God’s plans are sometimes confusing and don’t make sense in our human minds. His plans seem illogical at times, but God always knows best.

Pau was shipwrecked and stoned, beaten and betrayed. He suffered much for Christ, but he was still able to write,

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:2–5

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

God is wise. Listen to the words of the great old hymn of the faith, Whate’er My God Ordains is Right,

Whate'er my God ordains is right:

his holy will abideth;

I will be still, whate'er he doth,

and follow where he guideth.

He is my God; though dark my road,

he holds me that I shall not fall:

wherefore to him I leave it all.

Whate'er my God ordains is right:

he never will deceive me;

he leads me by the proper path;

I know he will not leave me.

I take, content, what he hath sent;

his hand can turn my griefs away,

and patiently I wait his day.

Whate'er my God ordains is right:

though now this cup, in drinking,

may bitter seem to my faint heart,

I take it, all unshrinking.

My God is true; each morn anew

sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart,

and pain and sorrow shall depart.

Whate'er my God ordains is right:

here shall my stand be taken;

though sorrow, need, or death be mine,

yet am I not forsaken.

My Father's care is round me there;

he holds me that I shall not fall:

and so to him I leave it all.

Paul wants us to give glory to God because He is the only wise God.

As I said earlier, I don’t want to end the book of Romans. I joked this week that I was going to preach the doxology one word at a time just to make our time in Romans last a little longer. But this is no hard ending. It is a beautiful end because it points us to our beautiful end. One day, when our game is done, and the clock turns to zero, it won’t be a bitter end; it will be a glorious one. Romans was written so that everyone could know how to be on the winning team. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation for all who believe. Let’s take that message far and wide and invite all people to live for the only wise God.

Romans 16:25–27

Pastor Dave KiehnNovember 25, 2024Comment