This week, finally, since the flood we've been doing it, finally, we're ending with our study in the Book of Romans, and our text for this week is Romans 16, 25 through 27, and before we turn to that, let's go before the throne. Father, another week that you've given us a week wherein we can serve you. Father, this week, make us more faithful than we were last week, help us to love more than we did last week, help us to be kinder and more gentle than we were last week. Father, we know your word, and we know what you tell us to do, but sometimes when the Spirit is willing the flesh is weak, and so we come, not because we're good, but because we're yours. And Father, we come to confess our sins, and the things that we have thought, the things that we have said, the things that we have done, that we're displeasing to you. Father, we want to please you, and we ask for the grace whereby our sanctification process will continue, and we will be better until we get home, and then we'll be like your son. Father, you know everybody who's listening right now. You know the people who are so afraid, those who have gone through difficult financial waters, those who are having family problems, you know the man who's gone through a divorce, and it's about to kill him. Father, you know it all, and so we're not here because we're together either, but because we're yours. Meet us at the point of our needs, and Father, you define those needs as you see them. We have a tendency to see things that aren't needs as needs, and so we would not presume to tell you how to act on our behalf. But Father, come yourself. May we cinch your presence, may we walk in your light and your truth. Father, as we study your word this week on key life, we pray for the one who teaches. Father, forgive him his sins, for they are many, they call him reverend, and he's not. We would see Jesus and him only, and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, this week we're continuing with our study in the Book of Romans. And our text for this week is Romans 16, 25 through 27, and while you're finding that, let's take a moment, review what we saw last week in our study of Romans. The text then was Romans 16, 17, through 20. Now, if you were listening last week, you know we went down two side roads. We saw the importance of authority and obedience, and we saw the contrast between the God of peace and what He does, 16, 20. And then last week we saw some important information about divisive people in the church. We saw the fact, the specifying, the measure, the treatment, the motivation, the methodology, the requirement, the source, and the work, and the end of the divisive people in the church. Now, we're ready to turn to the final text and Paul's letter to the Romans. Romans 16, 25 through 27. Now to him, Paul writes, who is able to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began, but now made manifest, and by the prophetic scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith to God, alongwise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Now, most of this week we're going to do what Paul does to wit, review, the major teaching. This is great theological statement, the book of Romans. But before we do that, I'm going to go down one side road, and I want you to know, if you will, that these last verses are benediction. That means a pronouncement of good, and if there's a benediction, then there's also a maldiction. You ever think of what your pastor does at the end of the worship service? He raises his hands, and he pronounces a benediction. Not altogether different from the benediction that Paul gives us here at the end of his letter to the Romans. Someone gave me a wonderful benediction given by Brennan Manning. Let me give it to you. It is the end of the service your pastor raises his hands, and pronounces the following benediction. May all your expectations be frustrated. May all your plans be forted. May all your desires be withered into nothingness. That you may experience the powerlessness, and the poverty of a child, and sing and dance in the compassion of God, who is father, son, and spirit, amen. Until the Donald Ray Barnhouse would often use a benediction like this one, and now may the blessing of God rest on all those who have trusted in Christ, and may God grant those who don't great turmoil in your heart, until your heart finds its rest in him, amen. Most medidictions are more traditional than those. The ancient Jewish benediction from Numbers 6, 24, through 26. Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make his face to shine upon you, may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. There are all kinds of benedictions in the Bible. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. That second Corinthians 13, 14. Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equipped you with everything good that you may do his will, working in you, that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever, amen. That's Hebrews 13, 20, through 21. Second psalaries to 16, through 17, now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, our Father, who loved us, and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and establish them in every good work and word. Or some others unto God's gracious mercy and protection we commit you, and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be upon you and remain with you always. The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds and the knowledge and love of God, and of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be among you and remain with you always. Now what's the point of a benediction? It's a blessing, pronounced on people, with the understanding that words aren't just words, they really do have not only meaning, but they have power. Words not only have power to bless, but words, backed by God's Spirit, listen to me, also have the power to curse as well as bless. So dear friend, there have been addictions, and then there are maldictions, and be careful that you don't offend your pastor next week. His final words could be a maldiction as well as a benediction. There are a number of maldictions, by the way, in the Bible, and particularly in the book of Psalms where the psalmist is angry, it is enemies, and the enemies of God. The Bible says that words aren't just words, they have power behind them. In the case of God, Isaiah 55-11, His word will not come back void, but will accomplish that which He proposes. The idea that there is something separate about God's word, and that it, when spoken, accomplishes what is spoken. Matthew 8, you remember, that the centurion came to Jesus and said, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. Be careful what you say. You can, in a supernatural way, have a good or a bad effect on the people around you, because words have power. But words have power aside from the supernatural element about which we have just been speaking. The child's statement that sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me, may up for the moment with the child, but let me tell you something, it's a lie, and Christians shouldn't believe lies. We've all felt the sting of somebody's sharp words. Are you dumb? You're a nobody. You can't do anything right. The parent who says you'll never amount to anything, you're stupid, is causing the words to become a reality, and very often the child will never amount to anything. Bill Glas, one time asked at a prison meeting, how many of you guys here today had a father or mother who said to you, someday, son, you're going to be in jail. Someday you're going to end up in jail, and Bill said that over 90% of those in prison had someone tell them that they would be there. Words have power to bless or to curse. Let me ask you something. If you told your son or your daughter, your wife or your husband that you were proud of them recently, do it. For God's sake, do it. Pronounce a benediction on them. You'll be glad, and be very careful of the maldictions they can cause great harm. Now, let me introduce the rest of this week. The interesting thing about these last doxological and benedictory verses that Paul closes, the Book of Romans, are reminding readers of the major themes in the Book of Romans. Now, if you've been with us this whole study, first you get three free sins, and you can probably get to heaven without grace. Just tell Jesus that you studied with Steve Brown for all these months, and the Book of Romans, and he will say anybody who put up with that, that long can come into heaven free. Not only that, as I said, I had an ungood authority that you'll get three free sins if you've done this study with me, but if you've been along during most of the study, I'm not going to say anything new. Simply going to examine the themes we've already studied as Paul does, and remind us of those realities. First note, the doctrine of God's sovereignty, Roman 1625A, now to him who is able to establish you. Throughout our study in the Book of Romans, we've seen over and over again that God is God, and we're not. That he's absolutely sovereign over everything that happens in the world. Remember the wonderful doxological statement in Romans 11. One of my favorite passages of scripture, Romans 1133 through 36, oh the depth, and Paul has just been talking about Jews. He's just been talking about the mystery, he's just been talking about the wonder of it all, and then he says, oh the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out for who is known the mind of the Lord, or who has become his counselor. Or who is first given to him, and it shall be repaid to him for opium, and through him, and to him are all things to whom be glory forever and ever I'm in. Now, that's a pretty broad statement. It's pretty universal. It compasses everything there is in the world, for opium, and through him, and to him are all things to whom be glory forever and in. If you've been listening to this study in Romans, you know that we talked about the doctrine of election. Romans 9, Jacob, I love, desolated. And we saw that most of us have a problem with that doctrine because we have a problem with autonomy. That's our desire to be autonomous apart from God. I gave you a principle, then, that after one is accepted the doctrine of election, in all of its harshness, then one can discuss how it doesn't violate God's love. But not until one deals with the fact that God is God, and He does, as He pleases, and He does it right well. Let me say something I think is true. Almost every problem of believer faces is the problem of a disbelief in the absolute sovereignty of God. Are you mad because somebody's betrayed you? Seek justice, but if you have to be angry at someone, be angry at God because ultimately He's a responsible He's God. I think that I told you the story before, but when I was a young pastor, the wife of a young man who had been in our church, died in some horrible circumstances. She was pregnant and was diabetic and nobody knew it. She went into shock and then she died. At the funeral in which I participated, her pastor was a very famous and much acclaimed preacher. If I do, you would recognize the name if I told you, but I'm not going to tell you because I'm not going to appear old to your purity and interest. The pastor said this, I will not say that God had anything to do with Debbie's death. God is loving, and this is not His responsibility. Now in those days I was a liberal. I didn't believe much, and I certainly didn't know God, but I wasn't stupid. I remember sitting behind the big column of that big church and thinking to myself, well, well, if God doesn't have anything to do with this tragedy, we've got bigger problems than this tragedy. If God doesn't have anything to do with this, then who does, and where's God? It's been important that Christians remember that no matter what happens, God is a sovereign God and that everything that happens to us must first pass through His new scarred hands, and that includes Satan. If you were listening last week, we talked about Satan. And some of the bad things that are caused by Satan, and I quoted from Luke 22, 31, and Jesus, Ed Simon, Simon, indeed Satan has asked to have you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I prayed for you, that your faith should not fail, and you've returned to me strengthening your brethren. Let me show you something interesting that you haven't noticed about that verse. In fact, I haven't either. Note that Jesus says to Simon, Satan has asked for you. Wait, wait, wait. Who did he ask? Who's permission did he have to have? Who is over Satan? Bingo. God is sovereign. Are you saying somebody saying that God goes up and kills babies and whole? That God causes his accidents, no, but at the moment of creation, a sovereign God knew that his creative act included the pain and the suffering of the world. And I believe when we get home and we ask him about it, we will say, what about all that stuff? And I think tears will well up in the eyes of the Father, and he will say, if I could have done it another way, I would have done it another way. I noticed that those who believe quite different than those who didn't after Hurricane Andrew, those who believe that God was in trouble were able to emotionally control their lives, laugh a little, go on about their business. Those who believe that God wasn't in charge or that God was away on vacation, or that he didn't exist when the hurricane struck, were absolutely devastated. I say, explain all that, I don't understand God. I have no answers for the pain and the suffering in the world, but I understand the fact that it's this God is God, and in everything I can know that ultimately there's a reason for it, and it's working its way for good, Romans 8.28. And so as we come to the end of the study and we come to the realization that we stand before a sovereign holy and righteous God, and that all things work together for them that love God for good. With those who love God and are called according to his purpose, now let me look at another major thing. Note, not only the doctrine of God's sovereignty, note the excitement of God's benevolence. Romans 16.25, now to Him who is able to what? To establish you and year it comes according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ. Now, I'm just going to make reference to it as we go along, got to make it personal. I love the way Paul says, according to my gospel and other words, it's mine, I made it real to me. I can't teach you to laugh unless I first learned how to laugh. I can't take you to the throne unless I first bend to the throne. And so this was highly personal, and throughout the gospel are not the gospel, the letter of Romans, you find Paul being quite personal. Especially in those chapters, you remember where he was talking about Jews, and you could just see the tears welling up in his eyes when he said, I'd be willing to lose my own salvation for their salvation. I mean, this was a man who really believed it, who was it that left the pastor and was asked what he thought, and he said, man, it's nice to hear somebody who knows God by something other than hearsay. According to my gospel, but we've seen the gospel means good news. If you've been listening to key life very long, you know that one of my favorite singers is Michael Kelly Blanchard. Buddy Green, my favorite singer of all time introduced me and buddy travels with us to the music of Michael Blanchard. And let me show you one of the reasons I like Blanchard so much. Listen to the lyrics of a song he wrote, it's called the Bonnie Breath of God. And don't listen to your head. I mean, you've got to listen with your heart. Hang out your faded dreams. The Bonnie Breath of God is breathing through the land, and it lasted scenes, along forgotten sun is peaking in the heart that's been broken down. Weary with the weight of winter is lifting from the souls dark and barren ground. Love is seeping through the toes. Deep in the woods of will the Bonnie Breath of God is singing like the song of a daffodil, and it trumpets in the springtime as broken loose the air is full of tunes and moments that dry out like a northern goose as on a southern breeze she goes. Time and treasures fade away like fleeting empty useless pleasures in the light of Ryu forgiveness falling like a rain from heaven sent to free us from the dreads we feel. God's been dancing two thousand years ever since Jesus showed up around the year, born in a barn with a fiddle replaced, happing out his tune at the break of day. He says, follow me, boys, I'm a dancer like you. I can hardly keep my feet inside my shoes, and I know everything you've ever been through, and I've gotten me some very, very, very, very good news. I love you so much. Tell you what I'm going to do. I love you so much. I want to dance with you there on the pond of pride, the Bonnie Breath of God is melting all the ice of a life of lies. Waters running once again like it used to do long before the pain had pushed its way, so deep down inside of you long before the chills set in. Out on the street of scars, the Bonnie Breath of God is whispering, I love you right where you are. The corners of your night cannot close my eyes for I see the sorrow that has made your heart almost paralyzed, frozen from the frost of fear. Dark and desperate, we can hardly understand the light that lets us see the simple truth, that we are shackled to our shame, regrets deep down soul scars bleeding from our youth. God's been dancing two thousand years ever since Jesus showed up around here, born in a barn with a fiddleer's blade, happing out his song at the break of day. He says, follow me, girls, I'm a dancer like you. I can hardly keep my feet inside my shoes, and I know everything you've ever been through. And I got such very, very, very, very good news. I love you so much, tell you what I'm going to do, I love you so much. I want to dance with you. Not good, I mean that, that so catches the joy and the laughter and the freedom and the healing and the wonder of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Does it offend you? Why? Because we're so far more serious than that. Someone has said that looking serious isn't the point. The question is, what are you serious about? The monkey looks serious. But he's serious because he's got pleas. The Christian faith about all faiths with the possible exception of Judaism is a fake of laughter and of joy and that excitement. Don't forget it. If you heard nothing from our study of Romans, accept this. Remember that the Christian faith is not bad news. It's good news. Incredibly good news. If someone makes something else on it, they don't have it. They don't understand it. The doctrine is called salvation by faith and Christ alone, and it's wonderful. God will save you, not because you're good, but because you aren't. God will require nothing from you, except that you turned him and faith, except him his gift of salvation offered on the cross. It's the good news. If the Christian faith is for sinners and it's for you. You know we get letters every once in a while from people who aren't Christians. I don't know why, except maybe since there's some warmth here. Maybe you want to get warmed by that fire. Maybe you heard this fog born voice and went, whoa, what is that? And then you said he sounds reasonably intelligent. How could a reasonably intelligent person believe the stuff he believed? Let me tell you why. Because it's true. Let me say a word to you guys. If you don't know him, God could not have done more. Do business with him. When Lincoln was asked about the South after the Civil War, what he was going to do, he said it will be as if they never left. God says you come to me. I'll forgive you and I'll love you. All you have to do is come because of what my son did on the cross. You can live forever. You never have to feel guilty again. Don't show it, shall we? Just do it. I mean if you've been listening to Romans and you haven't heard the good news about the good news and you haven't come into a relationship with him, then do it. Don't mess around with it. What do you, a fruitcake or something? You can't beat this. Well, enough said that. I'm not your mother, but don't fool around with it. Thirdly, note not only the doctrine of God's sovereignty and the excitement of God's benevolence, note the revelation of God's mystery. Romans 1625, now to him, who was able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revolutionary outcomes of the mystery kept secret since the world began. Now two things must be said about the mystery. First, that there is a mystery in God. The word mystery is used with great care by the Apostle Paul. I'm brought by church on my way home each day and there's a sign in front where they change the message every week. I look forward to Mondays because I want to see what the sign is going to say for the week. Now used to be they just got a new pastor and I like him. I'm never meeting, but I like the messages. I mean the ones they used to were really banal and kind of insipid messages. They changed simple messages and make you think, one said, no, we don't know. Just that, that was all. I thought about stopping by the church and telling the pastor, this is a Christian church you're supposed to know. What do you mean you don't know? You know a lot and you're supposed to be sharing it, but the more I thought about it and I suspect that's the reason for the message that people who saw it would think about it. The more I thought about it, the more I like the message, no, we really don't know. Because this thing really is a mystery. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. You know the physics professor, after teaching his last class and retiring, said to his class, ladies and gentlemen, what I have taught you over the last 50 years is not all true. In fact, I'm reasonably sure that 50% of it is wrong. The trouble is I don't know which 50%. Yes. Would it be nice for a Bible teacher to say something like that? Listen, I'm not sure about some of this stuff. I really don't know about all of it, because I'm not God. Would it be refreshing for a pastor, a preacher, a me, a radio Bible teacher, an answer to a question to say, I got a simple answer for that. I just don't know. God is God. And he knows stuff that we don't know. We're a small boat in the middle of the ocean trying to understand the water. There's so much stuff that I don't know. So many questions that I have, so many mysteries. The essence of maturity is to allow God to be God. For the mystery to remain a mystery. Sometimes you simply have to say, when we get home, we're going to have to ask God. Now, the things that he has revealed to us in his word, clearly reveal, are absolute proofs. That's established. As an aside, did you hear about the atheist who was making fun of a young girl's faith? Do you think that Jonah was real? Yes, he replied. Do you think that Jonah will be in heaven, I think so? Well, do you think that he was swallowed by big fish? Yes, I think so. I'll ask him when I get to heaven. Well, said the atheist. What if Jonah isn't in heaven? And she smiled sweetly and said, well, then you ask him. Paul refers to a mystery. Don't we sometimes really get to the point where we don't know and we fake it? We shouldn't do that. But in the case of this text, Paul says that the mystery of God's plan for the ages has been revealed to believers in the preaching of Jesus Christ. Do you know what God was doing with Moses? He was preparing for Jesus. He was preparing to love you. Do you know what God was doing when he told Abraham to leave everything and go to a strange country? God was preparing for Jesus. Who was preparing to love you? Do you know what God was doing through Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel? He was preparing for Jesus who was preparing to love for you? I love Jeal Briscoe's statement in prime ribbon apple where she describes E as taking the first bite of the apple with the poisonous juices running throughout her veins. And then Jill says at that moment Jesus Christ prepared to go to Bethlehem. Paul puts it this way in first Corinthians. It's the 3rd chapter verses 21 through 23. Therefore let no one boast of men for all things are yours. Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come all are yours and your Christ and Christ is God. Everyone do I God created the world. My God caused Israel to go through so much difficulty. My God caused so much confusion and growing pains. Listen for you. For the people of God, for the terrible meat, for those for whom Christ died and that's the mystery review. Firstly, no not only the doctrine of God's sovereignty, the excitement of God's benevolence, the revelation of God's truth, note the codiency of God's plan, Romans 16-26. But now has been made manifest here comes by the prophetic scriptures made known to all nations. You know what's fun? It's fun to look back and see God's hand and everything to see how everything hangs together. So in Kerkigard said, you always live life forward and you always understand life backwards. That's good. You always live life forward but you understand life backward. That's a good statement. In fact, it's so good I'm going to repeat it again. You always live life forward. You always understand life backward. That of course is true of scripture. First Peter, Peter, talks about the prophets who were in the Older Testament and he says, first Peter 1-12, to them it was revealed that not to themselves but to us, they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirits and from heaven, things which angels desire to look into. In other words, when you look back you can see what God was doing. You can understand the prophecies. You can see the hand of God in all of history and it's wonderful to look back and to understand. But the whole concept applies to you personally too. Whenever you think God is doing your life right now, you probably isn't. In fact, I suspect that God laughs when you tell him what you're learning from him. The truth is that you don't know what God is doing in your life until it's been done. God's ways are so cute and just in Christians learn to be careful not to move too fast around a God like that. I may have given you the cloak before but it's a good one. One of the problems with one talking as much as not two is that one doesn't always remember all that one has said. That's why I'm honest. At any rate, FW Faber said this, we must wait for God long and meet thee in the wind and the wet and the thunder and the lightning and the cold and the dark. Wait and you'll come. He never comes to those who don't wait. When he comes, go to him but go slowly. Fall a little behind. When he quickens his space, be sure of it before you quicken yours. But when he slackens, slackens at once and do not be slow only but silent. Very silent for he is God. Let me take something. I'm not where I thought I would be doing what I thought I would be doing saying what I thought I would say 20 years ago. God's plan is not only absolute, it's quite wise, it's cogent, it's together. When Ruth Graham was asked if God ever said no to any of her prayers, she said, of course, if God answered yes to all my prayers, I would have married the wrong man a number of times. Then fifthly, no not only the doctrine of God's sovereignty, the excitement of God's benevolence, the revelation of God's truth, the codiency of God's plan, note also the universality of God's family. Romans 16.26. But now has been made manifest and by the prophetic scriptures has been made known here it comes to all nations. Much of Romans, as you know if you've been listening, has been devoted to Jews and to the relationships between Jews and Gentiles. The theme is this God had a plan for Israel. And out of Israel God has a plan for every nation, every tongue, and every race. There's a wonderful story about Alexander Duff, the famous Scottish missionary. He was preaching about his vision for missions and he collapsed in the pulpit. And they took him to a room in the back of the pulpit at this church in Scotland and we finally regained consciousness he was confused. Where am I? Oh, yes, I remember. He said, I was giving you speech about God's reaching out to the world. I must go back and finish my speech. In the position attending the great missionary said, Dr. Duff, if you go back in there, you're going to die. Duff smiled and said, if I don't, I'm going to die. Phyllis Brooks was once asked what he would do if he would be the priest at a dying church and he replied, I would pass the plate and take up the largest offering for missions in the history of that church. Paul says this about God's plan. God is busy blowing to smithereens all the walls that separate that demean, that qualify the gospel of Jesus Christ. Go, Jesus said, and do all the world and make disciples. That means everybody, every place, no exception. I love to meet weird Christians who are different. Why isn't it? Because that's what God does. He calls weird people to follow him. God breaks out of all kinds of modes. I'm often asked what I think about Christian rock and I'll always say, you know, get a bunch of letters on this. I don't like it. I don't like it one bit, but that isn't the point God does. He created it because that is the form in which some people communicate. I can bask into differences, but I have no right to tell God that he can only speak my language, with my music, in my nice church, with my culture of proclivities. The message of Romans is that God is busy breaking out of every mold that man creates. Sixthly, note not only the doctrine of God's sovereignty, the excitement of God's benevolence, the revelation of God's truth, the codiency of God's plan, the universality of God's family, note also the experience of God's sanctification in us. Romans 1626, but now has been made manifest by the prophetic scriptures had been made known to all nations according to the commandments of the everlasting for obedience to the faith. We get thousands of letters here at key life. I get accused a lot of not caring about obedience or sanctification or holiness. The truth is just the opposite. I care. I care desperately. I just want to make sure that people do it the right way. Paul has that same concern. Paul says incredible things about God's love. They're absolute. God's grace, God's salvation in the book of Romans. And then he says, since there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, love him in response to that love. Please him in response to his grace. Be obedient to him in response to the cross. I have a friend who's one of the straightest Christians that I know. I'm always getting her as she needs to learn how to play poker. Don't write me a letter. I don't play poker either. I used to. But I've decided that it isn't a good witness, so I haven't played for more than 20 years. Not mind you because I think it's necessarily wrong. But because so many do think it's wrong and I need this job. I don't play poker anymore, but I told her that I was going to teach her to play poker. To my surprise, she said, I know how to play poker. She told me about the one time she played Penny Andy with her cousins and it was the first time and she won big time and she cleaned their clock. She won all of her cousins' pennies and then on the best home she had all those pennies. How in the world am I going to explain these pennies to my mother? So she stopped at one of those machines where you buy chewing gum for a penny and she bought a pile of chewing gum. Then she said to herself, myself, how am I going to explain all this chewing gum to my mother? So she told me laughing, I chewed and chewed and chewed gum until I fought my jaws would fall off. Are you chewing gum until you think your jaws are going to fall off? Paul says in Romans that you don't have to do that anymore. He says, to take the metaphor to the wall, your mother will love you no matter how many pennies you won the wrong way. But after a while, once you know that, you lose your taste for chewing gum. Will God stop loving me if I'm disobedient, of course not? But I do feel funny when I'm disobedient and I feel awful. Not because of his lack of love but because of my lack of response. Paul gives a biblical methodology of sanctification in Romans and it's wonderful. A lot of you guys think I'm a big sinner and you're right but you ought to have seen me before. I'm a lot better than I was and I'm better not because of God's judgment but because of his love. Arthur John Gossip tells it out of town where he was the minister and there was a big man who was insensitive and had a bent towards sin. He loved the little man in the town by the name of him of Cummings and he said to Gossip his pastor, do you know what keeps me straight? If I threw away my soul and were cast into hell, I think I could make shift to face my punishment but I simply couldn't bear the pain that there would be in Mr. Cummings eyes. I couldn't bear the pain in the eyes of Christ when I'm disobedient and so I'm better. And I'm moving on to perfection as Wesley put it and that's God's process of sanctification then finally. I want you to note not only the doctrine of God's sovereignty, excitement of God's benevolence, the revelation of God's truth, the codiency of God's plan, the universality of God's family, the experience of God's sanctification note the absolute glory of God's person. Romans 1627 to God alone wise be glory through Jesus Christ forever I'm in. That's what it's all about. John said it this way, he must increase and I must decrease. From the first chapter to the last chapter of Romans, from the first verse to the last verse, the book of Romans is a book where God is glorified and praised and worshiped not you and not me. That really is what living is all about. To glorify God and to joy him forever. You say now that doesn't sound like very much fun or very fulfilling, I can't explain it. But listen to me, after you walk with him, he becomes more important than anything else in the world. And his glory is more important than your glory and you find that there is peace, joy and meaning in no other place. Well guys that's it. After all these months we're finally finished with our study in the book of Romans. I was thinking a good way to end this study and I thought of a prayer prayed by Oliver Cromwell. A prayer that he prayed shortly before his death in 1658. I'd written the prayer in the front of one of my Bibles as a young pastor. I think Paul could have prayed the same prayer. For throughout the book of Romans, Paul shows great love for God's people. To the Jews he says that he would lose his salvation for their sake and he says and he sees himself as an apostle to Gentiles. He was a man with a big heart. This prayer would fit him nicely. Let me give it to you. Lord, though I am a miserable and wretched creature, I am in covenant with thee through grace. And I may, I will, come to thee for thy people. Thou hast made me, though very unworthy, a mean instrument to do some good and dim service. And many of them have set too high a value upon me, though others wish and would be glad of my death. Lord, however thou do dispose of me, continue to do good for them. Give them consistency of judgment, one heart and mutual love, and go on to deliver them and with the work of the Reformation, and make the name of Christ glorious in the world. Peace those who look too much on thy instruments to depend only upon thyself. Pardon such who desire to trample upon the dust of this poor worm, for they are thy people to, and pardon the folly of this short prayer, even for Jesus' sake, and give us a good night if it be thy pleasure. You think about that. Amen.