Title: The Power to Establish
Text: Romans 16: 25-27
Date: September 19, 2010
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Romans 16: 25: Now to him
that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of
Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret
since the world began, 26: But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of
the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known
to all nations for the obedience of faith: 27: To God only wise, be glory
through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
Proposal: God only wise is of power to establish sinners
so he gets all the glory.
Subject: The
Power to Establish
OUR NEED
Sinners need God to establish us.
Only God is of power to do so. The
corrupt seed we were conceived in from Adam left us like Reuben--unstable as
water. We need to have our hearts
established: we are vain in our imagination, we need to be established on
Christ. Paul’s pray for God’s people is,
1 Thessalonians 3: 13: To the end he may
stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
We need God’s word to be stablished unto us. We believe lies of men. We need God to establish us in his word, his better
promises. The Psalmist prayed,
Psalm 119: 38: Stablish thy word unto thy
servant, who is devoted to thy fear. 39: Turn away my reproach which I fear: for
thy judgments are good.
When it comes to good works we can do nothing except those works
God establishes us to perform.
2 Thessalonians 2: 16: Now our Lord Jesus
Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given
us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and
stablish you in every good word and work.
When it comes to evil we have no power to keep ourselves. But the Lord is of power to keep us.
2 Thessalonians 3:3: But the Lord is
faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
In every trial, God only wise is of
power to establish us and preserve us.
1 Peter 5:10: But
the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ
Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish,
strengthen, settle you.
Notice, God may permit us to suffer
awhile. Like Joseph we may be thrown in
the pit—but the LORD was with him. We
may be carried into Egypt—but the LORD was with him. God may allow us to be falsely accused with
no way to defend ourselves and thrown into prison—but the LORD was with
Joseph. Through all the trials, after we
suffer awhile God is of power to establish us.
He will bring us to say as did Joseph concerning his persecutors and
concerning God, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it
unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Gen
50:20). God only wise is of power to
establish his children—"Now to him that is of power to stablish you.”
THIS IS OUR GOSPEL
Romans 16: 25: Now to him that is of power to stablish you according
to my gospel,
The subject matter of Paul's gospel was that God only wise is of
Power to establish sinners. Paul said
concerning himself and all of Christ’s ministers and people,
2 Corinthians 4:7: But we have this
treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God,
and not of us.
2 Corinthians 2: 1: And I, brethren, when I
came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto
you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you,
save Jesus Christ, and him crucified….4 And my speech and my preaching [was]
not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and
of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the
power of God.
God works this work through the gospel. The gospel is not the message of the sinner’s ability but Christ’s
ability.
God’s gospel is concerning the works the triune God in Christ who
alone is of power to establish you: God chose who he would by his power before
the world was made by free grace, God’s
Son redeemed us in power by the power of his blood, and Christ has ascended as
our Prophet, Priest and King WITH ALL POWER TO ESTABLISH YOU! The gospel turns us away from earthly
things, makes us put no confidence in our flesh, and makes us seek those things
which are above.
Philippians 3: 15: Let us therefore, as
many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded,
God shall reveal even this unto you. 16: Nevertheless, whereto we have already
attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
Galatians 6: 12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the
flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer
persecution for the cross of Christ. 13
For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire
to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.14 But God forbid
that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace [be] on them, and mercy,
and upon the Israel of God.
THE GOSPEL IS CHRIST
Romans 16: 25: Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my
gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ
God chose to establish his people through the preaching of Jesus
Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:18: For the preaching of
the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is
the power of God….22: For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after
wisdom: 23: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and
unto the Greeks foolishness; 24: But unto them which are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25: Because the
foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than
men.
Christ Jesus is the Son of God is the Power
and Wisdom of God. Christ is the Power
to establish the law and the prophets in perfection. Christ is the Power to establish his people
in perfection. Christ is the Power to
establish the glory of God in our hearts so that we glory only in the LORD. Christ is the Power to keep us and preserve
us unto the day of glory. Christ is the Power
to change our vile bodies like unto his glorious body. Christ is the Power to present us without
fault to God. CHRIST IS THE POWER OF GOD
WHO MAKES THIS GOSPEL EFFECTUAL IN OUR HEARTS, “That, according as it is
written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Cor 1: 31).
THE POWER OF DIVINE
REVELATION
Romans 16: 25: Now to him
that is of power to stablish you
according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation
of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began 26: But now is made
manifest…
The gospel is a mystery that must be revealed and only God can
reveal this mystery.
Romans 1: 16: For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17: For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just
shall live by faith.
The Faithful One alone can reveal the gospel of his righteousness in
the heart of that one to whom he gives faith.
The righteousness of God is the mystery.
You do not hear the righteousness of God preached by lost religion. It is a mystery until he reveals it in our
hearts by divine revelation. But God
hides it from some.
1 Corinthians 2:7: But we speak the wisdom
of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the
world unto our glory:…9: But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him 10 But God hath
revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea,
the deep things of God.
Ephesians 1:9: Having made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in
himself: 10 That in the dispensation of
the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both
which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance,
being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things
after the counsel of his own will: 12 That
we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Colossians 1:26: Even the mystery which
hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his
saints: 27 To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this
mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 Whom we
preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may
present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29 Whereunto I also labour, striving
according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
Brethren, what a blessing of grace that God would make us know the
mystery of his will. Christ Jesus
thanked God for this,
Matthew 11: 25:
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and
hast revealed them unto babes. 26 Even
so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
THE POWER IN
ALL NATIONS
Romans 16: 26: But now is made manifest, and
by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the
everlasting God made known to all nations for the obedience
of faith:
God by his
power will make every elect, redeemed child know this revelation no matter
where they are in the world. It made to known to his elect alone in
all nations. It was by the commandment of God spoken
in power that his prophets bore witness of Christ and it is by the commandment
of God speaks in power through his messengers to make this mystery known
1 Peter 1: 11: Searching what, or what
manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it
testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should
follow. 12…which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the
gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the
angels desire to look into. 13: Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be
sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ;
Acts 26:22: [Paul said] Having therefore obtained
help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great,
saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should
come: 23 That Christ should suffer, and
that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew
light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
Wherever God has a chosen child—in all
nations—he shall bring the gospel of Christ to them and reveal to them the
mystery of the gospel.
POWER TO BRING US TO THE
OBEDIENCE OF FAITH
God in power, through the preaching of the gospel, successfully he
brings the sinner into “the obedience
of faith.” What is that?
John 6: 28: Then said they unto him, What
shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29: Jesus answered and said
unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
The obedience of faith is obedience to Christ—to rest in him, to love
him, to preach him and to walk to honor him.
2 Corinthians 10: 3: For though we walk in
the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4: (For the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5:
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against
the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ; 6: And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience,
when your obedience is fulfilled.
When brought to the obedience of faith we believe Christ is the
Wisdom of God and we cease leaning to our own understanding. We believe Christ is our Holiness at God’s
right hand and the holiness of our new nature and we cease looking to the law and
the works of our hands. We believe Christ
is our Righteousness and we trust his obedience to be our own and no one
else. We believe Christ has fully redeemed
us from the curse of the law—set us free to worship and serve him—for the first
time we find it is true that, “If ye be led of the Spirit then you are no
longer under the law.” From then on whatever
good thing a child of God does we say the same thing we will say at his feet in
glory,
Romans 16: 27: To God only
wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
Amen!