Romans 16
Authority
Imagine God’s authority has preserved His Word throughout the ages
So you and I can know His will
How did He do it?
How is it that the Scriptures could not be removed
No matter how many writers were killed and Bibles have been burned?
How did He do it?
I don’t know!
But He did!!!
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20
What God revealed through the prophets is not going away
If you and I submit to God’s authority
If we practice and teach these commands
We will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven
Authority
Paul’s seven Impact Statements in the last three verses
of the letter to the Romans, all build and connect to each other…
1. Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel
2. and the proclamation of Jesus Christ
3. according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past
4. but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings
The fifth Impact Statement ties together the first four…
5. by the command of the eternal God
The command or authority of the eternal God.
God has the authority to make commands.
We could say because He is God….
He has authority, but lets face it we all fear authority.
Rebellion is apart of us at birth
And the reason is…
We all want life the way we see it.
We want to control
instead of being controlled.
Being in control is not all bad
nor is it all good.
In life, we need to learn
and choose what we will submit to.
We all make mistakes in this process
and that is why we fear authority.
But what about the authority of the eternal God?
What is His authority and what does He command?
We should probably start at the beginning.
For 6 days God spoke commands…
Let there be…light,
the expanse between the waters,
dry ground, stars, living creatures.
Every command He gave was good.
You and I enjoy this earth He designed
and spoke into existence.
From that time till now…
There has been many mysteries
concerning the eternal God.
Paul says the prophetic writings were by
the eternal God’s command or authority.
From the beginning of time
there has been mysteries,
things we could not understand.
But now God chooses to reveal,
to give revelation of those mysteries.
In the Book of Daniel…
We find God saying something strange to the prophet Daniel
concerning the revelation he had just come to understand….
"The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true,
but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future."
Daniel 8:26
Jesus said to His disciples…
"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
John 16:12-14 NKJV
God in His authority reveals…
what we need to know.
I love knowledge…
But information overload is a problem.
There are some things that are too wonderful to know.
Job recognized this Job 42:3.
The Psalmist recognized it in Psalms 131.
Psalms 139:5-6…
You hem me in — behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
God, in His authority…
Spoke things into existence.
God in His authority has revealed…
His love and plans through His prophets.
God in His authority has given us…
The Holy Spirit to reveal His love and plans.
There is so much God has revealed to us…
Mysteries made known.
The mystery of redemption through Jesus Christ
is now able to be seen and received.
God has also in His authority
chosen to not overwhelm us
with the mysteries of God.
Whether it is the mysteries
of the universe and eternity
or, your personal life…
God has chosen to not overwhelm you and I.
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
When we trust God’s authority…
His power, we can rest in Him.
We can rely on God to take care
of the things we cannot know.
What great hope we have
when we do not have the answers.
I have found a special peace
in my life when I have questions…
I look to God’s Word
and in prayer…
Search for the things I can know.
I have never found a shortage
of the things God has revealed.
I have never not had my needs meet
in what God has revealed.
God has commanded that the revelation of His love
and plans be made known through the prophets.
You and I can open our Bibles every day…
And our eyes can be opened to…
The revelation of Christ
and the eternal plans of God.
Imagine God’s authority has preserved
His Word throughout the ages…
So you and I can know His will.
How did He do it?
How is it that the Scriptures could not be removed…
No matter how many writers were killed
and Bibles have been burned.
How did He do it?
I don’t know!
But He did!!!
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-20
What God revealed through the prophets
is not going away.
If you and I submit to God’s authority…
If we practice and teach these commands…
We will be called great
in the Kingdom of Heaven.
1. Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel
2. and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
3. according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past,
4. but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings
5. by the command of the eternal God,
6. so that all nations might believe and obey him—
7. to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Scripture Reading
Romans 16:25-27 NIV
25 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, 26 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— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
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