Gospel Strong, Romans 16:25-27
Under the category of “Things I’ve Learned about Human Nature,” I’ve added this observation: I see things differently as my focus changes. I can see the same thing today that I saw yesterday and it will look differently to me if my focus has changed. Let me give you a simple example of what I’m talking about.
After years of home ownership I found myself, a few years ago, facing for the very first time the challenge of having a new roof put on our house. As I did so, I quickly discovered that even though I had lived my entire life surrounded by houses covered by roofs, I’d never really noticed them. I’d never considered the fact that roofing materials come in a dazzling array of compositions and color combinations. Up until then, a roof was just a roof.
But now that mine had to be replaced and our contractor left us with brochures of a seemingly endless choice of color combinations, I started noticing roofs. I’m driving through the very same neighborhoods I’ve driven through a hundred times before but now I’m looking at roofs. I’m actually slowing down to focus my attention on roofs.
–“Oh, I like that color combination.”
–“Ah, that doesn’t really work for me.”
–“Nice roof color but it clashes with the color of the house.”
Suddenly, I had gone from being “roof-oblivious” to “roof-centric.” The houses were just as they had always been but because my focus had changed I saw them differently.
I’ve noticed a similar change in me as a result of our extended focus on God’s glory these last few months. I’ve become a more “glory-focused” person. I’ve become “glory-centric.” And I love the change. And I’m hoping that you’re beginning to notice a similar change in yourself. I’m hoping that you’re becoming a more “glory-focused” person, as well. Because, as we’ve seen over these past months, as God’s children, that’s why we’re here. We’re here to protect and declare the glory of God. We’re here to live the kinds of lives that help the people around us see the greatness of our God.
And that’s really the essence of what we’re talking about when we talk about God’s glory. Everything that accurately reveals any aspect of God’s heart and character is an expression of God’s glory. If it helps people to see that God is good, loving, kind, pure, holy, powerful and creative…it if helps people get a glimpse of who God really is then it’s an expression of His glory.
And that’s why I’m hoping that we’re all becoming glory-focused people and that we are all beginning to see some tangible and positive ways, that this focus on God’s glory is impacting our lives.
Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. I had breakfast this week with a guy who is clearly becoming a more glory-focused person. And he said to me, “Every few days my wife looks at me with a big smile on her face and says, ‘You are a changed man!’ And, Pastor Tom, she’s right. And it just keeps getting better every day.”
Folks, that’s what happens as we become glory-focused people. God gets the glory that He deserves through the changes that He’s accomplishing in us. And those same changes that He’s accomplishing in us that give Him glory ALSO make our lives better every day. We end up being blessed through the very changes that are giving Him glory.
And that brings us to the text we’re going to examine this morning. It gives us a beautiful example of the process that I just described: God accomplishing a change in our lives that leads to Him receiving glory and us being greatly blessed. Our text is Romans 16:25-27; the closing verses of Paul’s amazing letter to the Romans. Paul has taken 16 chapters to explain the amazing offer of salvation that God extends to everyone through Jesus and now he closes his monumental letter like this:
“Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him—to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.”
These 3 verses comprise a single unit made up of several smaller parts. This morning, I’m going to focus on the opening and closing statements because that’s where we see the heart of Paul’s message. Everything between his opening and closing statements are supporting statements.
So, let’s look again at the text but this time let’s zero in on those opening and closing statements where we discover the heart of Paul’s message. Here’s what he says, “Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel…be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.” The statements in between help explain the meaning of “the gospel”—
(1) It used to be hidden…but now God has commanded that it be made known…God is offering salvation through Jesus…and He’s offering it to everyone…all the people in all the nations of the world can be saved through Jesus. Folks, that’s the gospel.
(2) It is the Good News that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world. And because the penalty for the sins of the world have now been paid, everyone in the world can be forgiven and saved…saved from an eternity in Hell and saved into an eternity with God in heaven…by believing in Jesus.
(3) You have to trust that Jesus secured the forgiveness of your sins through His death on the cross in order to receive the gift of salvation. Folks that’s the gospel. Paul just summed up in a couple of verses what he’s been writing about for 16 chapters. And he wraps his summary in this statement:
“Now, to him who is able to establish you…” That word, “establish,” means “strengthen.” To make you strong.
“Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel… So, the strength that God gives us comes through the gospel. God makes us strong through what Jesus accomplished, secured and now offers us through His saving work on the cross.
“Now, to him who is able to establish you by my gospel…be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.”
So, Paul is making a connection here between God’s glory and God’s ability to make His people strong through the gospel. And here’s the connection:
First, God displays His glory by making His people strong.
Second, God deserves the praises of His people forever because He makes them strong.
Those are 2 sides of the same coin. God reveals His glory to us in a thousand different ways and now we’ve discovered that one of those ways is this: God makes His people strong. When you see a strong Christian you are seeing a Christian in whom God has been working. And that means that when you see a strong Christian you are glimpsing God’s glory. That’s one side of the coin. The other side of the coin is this: because God does make His people strong, He deserves all the praise and all the glory that we can give Him forever.
Now, folks, with the time that we have left I want to try to answer this question: What does this strength that God gives His people through the gospel look like?
How do we recognize gospel strength when we see it?
What are the signs that we can look for in ourselves and in others to confirm that God is making us strong by the Gospel?
Let me begin by telling you what being gospel strength is not? Gospel strength is not something that you can get by pumping iron or running on the treadmill. Gospel strength is not something that you can get by accumulating money, climbing the career ladder or gaining position, popularity or status. Those are paths that can lead to worldly strength, but gospel strength is very different from worldly strength.
OK. That’s what gospel strength is not. Now, let me take you back to the text to help you see what it is. In verse 25 Paul tells us that God is able to make us strong by the gospel and then at the end of verse 26 he tells us the reason that God makes us strong through the gospel is to empower His people to, “believe and obey him.” That’s what gospel strength does for us. Gospel strength is fueled through the connection that we have with the crucified, risen Jesus through our faith in Him and it empowers us to believe God’s promises and obey God’s word.
–So, when your actions are rooted in your confident belief in God’s promises despite outward circumstances, you are demonstrating gospel strength.
–And, when your actions are rooted in your fervent conviction to obey God’s word no matter what anyone else thinks and no matter what the consequences may be you are demonstrating gospel strength. –And, when your actions are empowered by gospel strength, your actions will bring glory to God.
Now, let me close by giving you some real life examples of gospel strength.
(1) When your friends begin to tell crude jokes or gossip about someone who’s not present and you tell them that if that continues you’ll have to excuse yourself because you don’t want any part of that kind of talk…and you know that in saying that they’ll probably be gossiping next about you…but you do it anyway…that’s gospel strength and it gives glory to God.
(2) When you’re in a conversation with a group of coworkers at your office or a group of parents watching your kids soccer/football game and the conversation turns to some moral issue and everyone there supports what the scriptures clearly condemn as sin and you speak a word of truth in love even though you know that doing so will instantly invite their scorn, anger and ridicule…but you do it anyway…that’s gospel strength and it gives glory to God.
(3) When you choose to do the right thing even though you could have profited personally from doing the wrong thing and the people around were encouraging you to do the wrong thing…but you still choose to do the right thing…that’s gospel strength and it gives glory to God.
(4) When you choose to date only those people who share your faith in Jesus because you do not want to put yourself in a place where, one day, you might fall in love with and be tempted to choose for your most intimate life partner a person who cannot understand or help you in the fulfillment of your life’s purpose…namely declaring and protecing God’s glory…that’s gospel strength and it gives glory to God.
(5) When you stay in a difficult marriage and choose to do the hard work of working through those difficulties…no matter how long it takes…no matter how hard it gets…because you know that every time a Christian marriage fails, God is robbed of His glory…so you just keep working at it trusting the promise of God’s word, that I can do all things by the power of Christ who lives in me…that is gospel strength and it gives glory to God.
(6) And if you can’t stop the divorce because you can’t stop your Christian spouse from leaving you and you choose to stay faithful to God and keep obeying His word and keep believing His promise to bring good to His children from even the worst of life’s experiences…that is gospel strength and it gives glory to God.
(7) When you get up out of your chair at the end of a long work day to come to men’s group or women’s group or college group or worship practice or prayer meeting when what you really want to do at the moment is stay home and veg, but you get up and go anyway out of obedience to God’s word which tells us to faithfully gather with other believers not simply for our own sake but to because our presence and example encourages other beleivers…your going is gospel strength and it gives glory to God.
And if you’re not sure that you’ve ever had a real encounter with Jesus…and you’ve never experienced the life changing power of the gospel because you’ve never asked Him to forgive your sins…but you’re inclined right now to do so…that desire…that prompting…that…is God’s invitation to be saved…and He’s hoping you’ll accept it…right now…for your blessing and His glory.
And I’m hoping you will, too.
