to look at the passage we've read specifically in verse 17 of Romans chapter 16 but by way of introduction sort of looking at Romans we can divide it into doctrinal teaching and application

like up to the end of chapter 11 in Romans we have what I call the nuts and bolts of the faith the doctrine the doctrine that should unite us in Jesus Christ

we have several conclusions as we go through Romans like Romans chapter 8 verse 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. And that is a conclusion, therefore a conclusion of the things that have gone on before.

We start in chapter 1 with the state of man, that men are all sinners, the state of the world, that we're born in trespasses and sin. We move through then what the Lord has done in salvation, how it speaks of us being justified by faith, not by works of the law, but by faith in Christ, by Christ alone.

deals with the believers attitude to sin shall we continue in sin grace may more about God forbid deals with baptism what baptism represents all these things are laid out for us and we are to seek to learn these things for ourselves that we might be built up in the most holy faith built up in Christ not just in doctrine as we read it on the page but in who has given us this doctrine in the first place

the doctrine is of God it's a teaching about God and it is a teaching about ourselves is teaching us of the mystery a mystery that was kept from the majority of the world until Christ came as it speaks of in verse 26 of chapter 16 15 and 16 concerning Christ Jesus according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began but now is made manifest

we have it in Christ himself, we have it by the apostles in the word of God but there was somewhat darkened in the prophets they spoke of Christ but it was looking to the future then it was a bit foggy, a bit misty but now we have a clear revelation of Christ and the truth concerning salvation in him and all these things have a purpose and that is the spiritual health of us as individuals but also of us as a church as the body of Christ

that's why i read roman 12 those first few verses there's four specifically four as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office we speaks of members he speaks of a leg hands arms they all come together to make the body so we being many are one body in Christ and everyone members one of another

We need to look into that. I'm not going to speak on it as such today. But it's something we need to remember that we are members one of another. We are members of Christ. It's in Christ that we have salvation. It's in Christ that we are blessed. Blessed from the foundation of the world as it says in Ephesians.

But from chapter 12 we read and are taught how we should live live together i would call it the the practical application of the doctrine in how we live together and it starts i beseech you brethren then by the mercies of christ that you present yourselves a living sacrifice sacrifice giving up giving up self it's like a sacrifice of praise it mentions at the end of hebrews

It's counting yourself as nothing and seeing God as everything. Seeing the church as the reality. Holy and acceptable unto God. Which of us can manage that? Of ourselves we can't. It's impossible. But that's our reasonable service. We can't even attain to a reasonable service of ourselves. It's impossibility. Some of us may achieve... Well, we might look back in history and see men we look upon as being great heroes in the faith. And yet they were men. They had their troubles. We may not see them. We may not hear about them. But they were men, women, young ones, children, like you and I.

but we are to bear in mind one another our daily living in the world chapter 14 verse 1 him that is weak in the faith receive ye but not to doubtful disputations chapter 15 verse 1 we then that are strong ought to bear the affirmative of the weak and not to please ourselves these are how we should live putting others before ourselves in the faith

so excuse me but as we come to verse 17 i'm struck by its position in chapter 16 we look at all these greetings to and salutes to the different people of the church And then, the only way I can liken it to, is a speed ramp, a speed bump in the road, you're driving along, sort of reasonable speed, you don't see it, all of a sudden you go over a bump, you think, what's that doing there? And you think, is this not a bit incongruous?

Now I beseech you brethren, mark them which cause divisions. He's going about, to start with, about saluting one another. looking to one another those who are far off praying for them greeting them but now we have this now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and I was struck by this I spoke on this many years ago I can't remember where, but how we have an emphasis, how does it fit in with the emphasis to believers in our relationship with others, how do we understand passages like this when we have 1 corinthians 10 just over 1 corinthians 1 verse 10 now he beseeched you brethren by the name of our lord jesus christ that you speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you but you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment

we can go to one the first epistle of john chapter four where we read similar verses 1 John 4 verse 7. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. This was manifested, the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

here in his love not that we love god but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins beloved if god so loved us we ought also to love one another love love for one another is delineated by our love for God and God's love for us and surely we are to love one another and yet there is a a verse in Jude it always strikes me in Jude verse 3 that when this is Jude speaking beloved when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation That was his desire. He wanted to speak of those wonderful things of Christ which we share in common. In Christ, salvation. It was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Why? For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation he goes on. Men crept in unawares specifically Jude is warning us of those who are insiders and outsiders who appear as sheep and yet they're in wolf's clothing they have not the best interest of the faith I call them Satan's emissaries they come in and they cause divisions within the church and it specifically says Jude does earnestly contend for the faith earnestly stand for the truth for the truth not our truth not my truth It's the truth of God. It's the word of God. It's the message of salvation. That is what he's speaking about.

And Paul here. Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them. Mark. Take note of them. Put a tick against them. those which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine those things which have gone on before as i say not just in romans but we can read through romans have a very good idea of what the doctrine of christ is the doctrine of god mark them which cause offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them avoid them what does avoid mean you know what it means but if I'm driving my car and I'm not paying attention I'm heading towards an obstruction that's going to damage the car and possibly me as well what do I do? I avoid it I keep away from danger

now that sounds very negative doesn't it to a lot of people but we keep away from but sometimes a negative is very positive you can go to areas of Great Britain where they have warning on the beaches quicksand that's a very negative thing to say isn't it warning don't go here but it's very positive for your life very positive for your life and we must take the Lord's Word positively even when the issues are negative even when it seems like there's lack of love it's not lack of love well maybe it's lack of love for error but it's love for god and it's love for one another and it's love for christ i say it because again i'm saying that a big emphasis on unity as there was back in the 80s when I was a young believer. And it was a big thing. Unity, fellowship, one with another. Fellowship is wonderful. It's great for Gwen and myself to come down here to have fellowship with you and in Hedgen too. I know there's other places, but historically we've been coming here for some time now, over 30 years. And it's a blessing to us.

Because we cannot find commonality in doctrine in the area where we live. We've tried to. But unity has to be based on something. It has to be in common belief, common understanding of the things of God. Otherwise there is no unity.

I'm very mindful of the church that we left. We went to a place in Abigovedi for many years. And in the end, there was a man in the pulpit. He wasn't from that congregation. And he took the children, got, I think it was 10 children, five on one side, five on the other, gave them a rope, so it was a bit of a tug of war and he put a I think it was a tube of Smarties sort of six foot to one side of the rope where the kids were and same on the other side and he said right you've got to tug each other and they were quite well matched with a bit of going backward and forward but what the what he was trying to teach was we can't get a common goal in unity unless we all pull together

is wrong we came away from that fellowship because not because he went in the pulpit but nobody none of the elders were willing to say you cannot go in the pulpit in the evening because he was wrong what he was teaching was unity at the expense of truth he was one who should have been marked I didn't know the Bible as well as I know it now and I don't know it very well at the moment but there is a typical case of a mark should have been made against that man and it wasn't and the church went downhill

so when we look at these things we must be mindful of the truth now the verses that are often quoted to us at that time was Ephesians chapter 4 verses 1 to 3 I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation where we are called with all loneliness and meekness with long-suffering forbearing one another in love endeavoring to keep the unity of your spirit in the bond of peace

but there was no unity in the spirit there was no unity in the truth it's very evident even though this and the other verses too which were put to you to say look you know we must be in the spirit but there was no understanding of what being in the spirit was

one Lord, one faith, one baptism well there wasn't one baptism there were two in that congregation there was a lack of understanding

Now when we look at this verse here, I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them. It's the Holy Spirit who's speaking by Paul. I've heard people say, oh Paul's a bit of a misogynist, he's this, he's that, he's the other. No, no, when Paul writes, when we have the words of Paul here, there's the words of the Holy Spirit through Paul's mouth or through his pen, or in this case to the Tertius who was writing, but it's still the Holy Spirit of God speaking and warning us warning us to walk to listen and to do

because the faith is the whole word of God it's not bits of it which satisfy us or that we like to listen to it's the truth of God beginning in Genesis the state of man at God's creation the state of man now in this present time but also it concerns eternity and that should be our concern not just for the well-being of people on earth but looking to eternity that's where we should be looking

the reality that the world is going to pass away heaven will not and eternity means justification to life in Christ but it also means condemnation to eternal condemnation, destruction these things are revealed in the scriptures we must remember that what we stand for is the truth the truth of Christ

John Chapter 1, verses 14 and 17. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. verse 17 the law was given by moses but grace and truth came by jesus christ jesus christ god the son emmanuel all these things and all these things have been withstood by men men even in congregations and the congregations have been led astray

I mean that is a historical fact but those things still happen today the truth of Christ is concerning salvation Christ says I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh to the father but my butt by me John chapter 14 verse 6

we also have see the Lord dealing with truth before the woman at the well in John chapter 4 with Sychar John chapter 4 verse 20 to 24 our fathers worshipped in this matter this is the woman speaking to Christ and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship Jesus saith unto her woman, Believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what. We know what we worship for salvation of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

for the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth the operative word there in that verse 24 is must God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth that is the only acceptable worship before God thankfully we have in Romans 8 verse 26 and 27 the mention of the Holy Spirit who intercedes for us Romans 8 verse 26 and 27 likewise the Spirit also helpeth in our infirmities For we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

We also have a great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who also intercedes for us. Hebrews 7, 23 to 26. and they truly were many priests talking of the priesthood before Christ came and they truly were many priests because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death but this man because he is continueth ever is in eternity has an unchangeable priesthood wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. That is the hope that we have when it says that we must worship him in spirit and in truth.

We can move on to other verses which speak of when the spirit of truth comes and we have the Lord's Prayer itself in John 17 which also speaks of that truth. These truths are laid down in the Word of God for us, as I said at the beginning, to understand, to put these things together that we are built up in the most holy faith.

John 17 verse 17 to 20. they are not of the world even as i am not of the world speaking of the apostles but also those who would come after who heard them sanctify them through thy truth thy word is truth as thou hast sent me into the world even so have i also sent them into the world and for their sakes i sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified through the truth it goes on say neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word the word of truth the gospel of truth the gospel of our salvation the faith once delivered unto the saints

So to stand against and to avoid is to stand against and to avoid men, people. Does it seem loving? Well, it's the word of God and we must be humbled when we seek to stand against such people. Is it because we hate them? No. But we hate what they bring into the congregations.

And we must be mindful that this teaching to avoid that which cause divisions is not a doctrine which is derived from the Word of God. It is stated clearly in the Word of God. some things when we come to in the scriptures in our church order are things which we put things together and we get a conclusion like one and one makes two but this is specifically written down for us that contrary to the doctrine of you've learned you avoid them and it's not just stated here in Romans there are two other places that it's mentioned i'll just i'll mention of 2 John verses 9 and 10 but it's also in the second letter of Paul to the Thessalonians where specifically speaking of people who are idle not earning their bread 2 Thessalonians 3, 13 onwards.

I'll read from verse 11. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. but ye brethren be not weary in well doing and if any man obey not our word by this epistle note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed yet count him not as an enemy but admonish him as a brother

thinking about it I think I ought to read from the second epistle of John because it's also I mean John is called the apostle of love isn't he and yet we have these words by him to John verse 9 and 10 whosoever transgresses and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God's speed. For he that biddeth him God's speed is a partaker of his evil deeds. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. What is the doctrine of Christ? Is it certain aspects of Christ? Him as the eternal Son of God? Is it that Christ is the only way to heaven? Or is it the whole of the scripture? I've given a lot of try to give a lot of thought and prayer on the matter because I don't want to over regulate things I don't want to over regulate our understanding of God's word but to me the doctrine of Christ is everything in here I remember, and I mention him by name, he's very dear to me. I've not seen him for many a year. Jack Seton, used to be a pastor up in Inverness. I don't know where he is now, whether he's in glory or not. But we, on one occasion, talked about separation. And he said, and it grieved him, separation did grieve him because he realized that as it says here remember they're brethren they could well be brethren he said i feel i'm going to disappear into my own bible and it struck me it struck me and that's the position we almost came to in wales we we felt that because of what was being taught in the congregations and the churches there we couldn't we couldn't live with it because it was detrimental to our souls some people said well where are you going to go? well the Lord has led us down in this direction it's strange but we see the necessity of it but the point was what is good for our souls? what is good for your soul? what is good for our souls is the truth of Christ to bear in mind i won't read the passages but first of all let him that thinketh he stand 1 corinthians 10 verse 12 let him that thinketh he stand take heed lest he fall and ephesians chapter 6 put on the whole armor of god put on the whole arm of god and then having done all stand stand stand upon Christ, stand for the truth of God. What are we dealing with? In the end, it was what I was speaking on last time I was down here preaching, beginning of December, the glory of God. I spoke briefly on the glory of God as God, how the shepherds appeared, the glory of God shone around. the glory of God in creation the glory of God in his works and ways but above all was the glory of God in salvation now you are probably in this place you're probably aware of all of the things that go on maybe not item by item as one might say but the things that that are preached which are not right in other congregations people who worshipped here as in Hegen and have left because they didn't like certain things or they wanted to pursue a different line of doctrine but that doctrine did not glorify God we must remember the natural man the things of God are foolishness to him he cannot understand them they're spiritually discerned and even when these things are spiritually discerned we still get things wrong man in his natural state is in an active state of hatred towards God Romans chapter 8 verses 6 to 8 he's in enmity towards God the natural man is enmity towards God and it's a word that you don't hear very often but it's active hatred not just a mere dislike it's active hatred that's how God sees it we may not see it that way let's be fair let's be honest but the Lord does now do we look at the scriptures do we look it through our eyes or try to see what God is saying and the glory of God is in sovereign grace alone through faith alone by Christ alone if you can't remember and I can't remember much but if we just hold fast to those three points is it Luther sort of underline them salvation by grace alone through faith alone by Christ alone and that that word alone is very fundamental apparently from what I read the institution, the church of Rome would say through faith alone through faith but it wouldn't say through faith alone you had to do this, you had to do that I'm not conversant with it, I don't give much time to that I'm busy trying to learn what is truth not what is error it is helpful sometimes but the point must be that when we stand for the truth this congregation here this church churches elsewhere we must be very mindful of the glory of God in salvation in Jesus Christ and if we substitute anything in the place of Christ or in the place of his truth that it's not to the glory of God people will say many things in the end I listen to what they say I don't say I don't give them any time I might say that but I'd be wrong I listen but in the end I have to bring it to this measuring stick to the word of God does this say he's right what do you say or do you say he's wrong people in the congregation who become members we begin as children and we grow if somebody says something in a church in a bible study or whatever and they've got something wrong then you who are spiritual restore them bring them back to instruct them help them and that's something we should be doing for each other but be mindful it says in Matthew 18 that if you've got something against a brother go and sort it out with that brother in private but if he won't hear you take somebody along with you somebody who's wiser than you you may be, I may be but he won't hear you take it to the church and then if he won't listen to the church it's got to be put out of the church you've got under church discipline why for the purity of the church the church is never going to be pure but it certainly doesn't help keeping the church pure or seeking to keep the church pure for god's glory not mine not yours nobody else's either but for the glory of god that's what we stand for then if you don't then the congregations will go downhill as they are doing it's so sad to see it they do pray for We say revival, using the word revival in Wales, they're usually looking for a big outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We need a revival in ourselves at times. The other thing to be wary of is people from outside. We want them to come in. We want to speak to them. We want to say, oh, you're welcome to come to our church on the Lordsdale and hear the word of God preached and to meet other people but i also heard people say welcome people into the church what do they mean they mean welcome them in to come in here or welcome to become part of the church well they need to be examined are they pure in every aspect of doctrine i'm not looking at that But why do they want to come in? Is it to join together in praise of God? To join together and to be an active member of a congregation? Or are they coming in as Jude says? Certain men crept in unawares. who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. according to the parameters laid down in the scripture, spirit and in truth, in humility before God, with our praise, a sacrifice of praise, with our lives as a living sacrifice, acknowledging that we ourselves are nothing, that God God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are everything. May the Lord help us to see the necessity of pure worship, faithful worship, and that we seek earnestly to build one another up in the most holy faith, but to mark that which cause divisions one thing I would mention which I haven't mentioned Paul says now I beseech you I see it as an ordinance really but no he beseeches you he's beseeching us He's asking, he's imploring. It's not a commandment, as we say, right, you must do this. I beseech you. It's speaking in humility before the Lord, but it's by the Holy Spirit to mark them, cause divisions and avoid them. Why? Because in the end, it's your faith, your life, before the Lord that matters as individual but also as the church not so that we can look down on others that is not the point at all but it is so that we encourage one another in a difficult world in difficult jobs in difficult situations in households, in factories, when I was in the army, all these places where we go to, but that we be in the world and seek not to be of it. Why? Because we stand as, we're not ambassadors for Christ, that's the apostles, but in a way where we are representatives, in a way it's a very loose language, but The world does look at us. It sees what we do, how we work together or how we don't. It sees how we join together in the church, in faith, as husbands and wives. And they take note. I'll be very quick to poke the finger as well. But let us bear in mind who we name. I call myself a Christian. means I bear the name of Christ outwardly before the world the Lord give us grace each one of us to live marking these things but remembering that we are to be faithful and walk before the world faithfully and uprightly in the sight of men as well as more importantly in the sight of God may God receive then all the glory and may be for his glory and his glory alone amen