Our pastor just read from that
blessed epistle that was written to the church at Rome, that first
verse, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,
separated under the gospel of God. Verse 3 says, concerning
his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, which was made of the seed of
David according to the flesh. The gospel is concerning the
glory of God in Christ. That's what the gospel is concerned.
Anything that is preached that is not concerning the glory of
the Lord Jesus Christ and the redemption of His people is not
the gospel. It may be good advice. It may be moral. It may be, but it's not the gospel. The gospel is concerning Christ. And when you hear that which
is not concerning Christ, no matter how religious it sounds,
if it's not concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, It's not the gospel, and therefore not the power of
God unto salvation. The Spirit of God blesses the
gospel. That's why Paul said, I'm not
ashamed of it. It's the gospel of Christ. Turn with me to Romans
16.1. I'd like to look at two verses,
the first two verses. And it's the beginning of this
last chapter to the church at Rome, and it's about a woman
named Phoebe. That's what the first two verses
are pinned here, is talking about. Now, I know this. The Gospel is here. Therefore,
I pray that we see the Gospel in these first two verses. I've
said before now, if it's just a history lesson, well, I mean, we can talk about
a lot of history lessons. But if it's not concerning the
glory of God in Christ, then it's not the gospel, and I'm
wasting your time, my time, and God's not being honored. And I don't have time for that. The gospel. This woman was recognized by
Paul, obviously, One worth noting. Five things that I see about
this woman, Phoebe, that Paul said about her. First of all,
he said in verse 1, I commend unto you, Phoebe. I commend. It means I stand with her. I
stand with her. Secondly, he said, our sister. Obviously, Paul had every reason
to believe that God had imparted through the power of His Holy
Spirit life to this woman. He said, I stand with this woman. She's a sister. Thirdly, she had been called
to a holy calling. He said concerning her in verse
1, which is a servant of the church, which is at Sincreia. She was a servant. That is, the
word is actually deaconess. It's a woman that is set apart
to attend the needs of other women especially. Whether or
not she had been officially put into that office, I don't know
about all that. But I know this, she did it. She was, Paul said, she's a servant
of the church. You know, whenever God calls
anyone out, men, women, in the capacity within the bounds of
Scripture, Holy Scripture. God doesn't raise up women to
stand in pulpits and preach. Anytime a woman stands up, she's
a pastor. I see these church signs. Pastor,
you know, this man's name and his wife's name, co-pastors. God didn't call them. God does
not call women to pastor churches. Now, how do you know that? Scripture
says that. She was a servant of the church. I know Paul says to Titus in
chapter 2, verse 3, 5, the aged women likewise that they be in
behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given
much wine, teachers of good things, that they may teach the young
women to be sober. That is wise. To love their husbands,
to love their children. This is a way that you love your
children. By instruction, by example, and
by discipline. I said before, somebody that
tells me I love my children too much to discipline them, to spank
them. The Scripture says you don't love them. You don't love
them. You love your children. They're out of hand. There's the door. Take them out. Take them out. Teach them. Teach them. Teach them. These
women are to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient
to their own husbands, that the Word of God be not blasphemed. She was a servant. Fourthly, in verse 2, this woman
could be trusted. It says that you receive her
in the Lord as becometh saints. Some may slip in unawares, but
this woman had proven herself to be devoted, a devoted woman
to Christ. Receive her in the Lord as becometh
saints. Fifthly, she was a faithful steward.
That you assist her, Paul said, in whatsoever business she hath
need of you, for she hath been a succorer, a help, a comfort
of many, and he said, myself also. This woman, obviously, she wasn't
just a knot on a log, just somebody sitting around. Paul had some
encouraging things to say about this woman. May have been a woman
of means. I don't know. I don't know. But
I know this. Paul said, whatever she needs,
you do whatever you can to help her. Because this woman has been
proven to be an object of God's mercy. I'm commending her to
you. Now, knowing, as I said a little
while ago, that every word of Scripture is by the breath of
God. The Scripture says the prophecy
came not in old time by the will of men, but holy men of God spake
as they were moved, as they were borne up by the Holy Ghost."
Knowing that every word from the Spirit of God is going to
speak of Christ. I know that. When the Comforter is come, whom
I'll send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which
proceeded from the Father, He shall testify of me. This is
how you know. You know, Scripture says, Believe
not every spirit, but try the spirits. He's talking about preachers.
Find out. Listen to what a man says. Listen to what he says. If you
don't hear the glory of God in Christ, I'll say that over and
over and over, If you don't hear, you know, it's a lot of times
it's not what somebody says that gives them away being is what
they don't say. When you don't hear something,
I mean, I'm telling you, as I guarantee you that most things will be
said in pulpits this morning, probably Gary would be morally
so. I don't I don't doubt that a bit, but it's what they don't
say. When you don't hear the glory
of God in Christ, you're missing something. You're missing Him
is what you're doing. He shall testify of me, knowing
that it's the gospel that we preach, not history lessons. This woman's name was Phoebe.
She was an honorable woman, a servant. She assisted others and help
her, but I'll tell you this, if this is no more than a history
lesson about a good woman, a commendable woman, if that's all that is, then we don't have anything,
if that's all it is. But knowing that all Scripture
is given by inspiration of God and it's profitable, that is
profitable for doctrine, that is to teach the will of God and
to point out Christ, All Scripture is profitable for doctrine to
point to Christ. For reproof, that means it's
the evidence. It proves it. For correction,
that is for correcting all these false notions and mistaken views. Well, I think this. What does God say? It just ends
it right here. Well, I feel as though, well,
what the Lord said, for instruction in righteousness, that is, to
chasten with words. So here's my question this morning.
Here's two verses about a woman named Phoebe. How do I see Christ in this passage? That's what I'm looking for.
I want to hear of Christ. Well, knowing, and this is the
difference between, someone asked Spurgeon one time, can you find
Christ in every passage of Scripture? Spurgeon said, I'll tell you
this, He's there. I'm looking for Him. He said,
I may have to appear to the world that I'm jumping a ditch to get
to Him. But he said, I'm telling you, He's there. The glory of
God in Christ is right here. Here's a woman that God's done
something for. Now, I can say that two ways. Here's a woman that God's done something for.
Or I can say this. Here's a woman that God did something
for. And the emphasis is on two different
things. I want to talk about the woman
that is the most well-spoken of woman by Almighty God, the
church. But I don't want to preach about
the church and exalt the church. I want to exalt Him who has everlastingly loved and
showed you what God Almighty has done for His people through
the example. Just like when we looked at months
ago in the book of Acts, a woman named Tabitha, and in that we
saw the gospel. Show me the gospel. Tell me of
Him who loved this woman, a picture of all that are found in Him.
Tell me about Him. Tell me about He who loves His
bride. Because if I am found within
His bride, tell me about Him that loves me. I don't want to
talk about me. I want to talk about Him who
loves me. Song of Solomon 2.4. It says, He brought me to the
banqueting house, and His banner over me is love. I want to talk about Him who
is the banner. I know that I am the recipient
of His grace and mercy, but I want to tell you something.
Without Him, there is no mercy and grace. The church, the bride, she is
truly a virtuous woman, a woman of strength. Made so by wisdom,
grace, the fear of God. But it's His righteousness that's
made her what she is. Well, I'm telling you, people
start trying to focus on the church. And I'm going to tell
you something. This church is the bride of Christ,
and He's loved her. He's always loved her. He's always
been married to her. How long has Christ been married
to His bride? The Scripture says, He who is
thy maker is your husband. Brothers, God told us one time,
is He the husband now? You say, yeah. Well, when was He not the husband?
And then at that point, then you insinuate that God changed.
You insinuate that there was a change in His position or a
change in His character. And as our pastor said wisely,
at the point that you make God to change, therein you err. Not
God, you err. How long has he loved her, the
bride? He's always loved her. But here's the issue. How long
has he loved her? The focus. Just as the Apostle
Paul spoke of Phoebe, And as I said, this woman is a picture. You want to have a good example? This woman is a good example
of everyone in this congregation this morning that knows anything
about the grace of God. Beautiful. Beautiful. Commend unto you, Phoebe. I stand
with her." That's what Paul said. I commend. I stand with her. Listen to the words of our Lord
through the writer of Hebrews. Let your conversation be without
covetousness and be content with such things as you have. For
He said, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. I quoted
that Scripture a week or so ago Paul was in that Roman jail. And he said, and the Lord stood
with me. The Lord stood by me. You that believe this morning, I commend unto you Phoebe. You
that believe, put your name there. I commend unto you Mitch. I stand
with you. I commend unto you. I commend
unto you. I commend, Paul said, I stand
with her. But what a beautiful picture
of the Lord who stands with his people. And you that were sometimes
alienated and enemies, in your mind, I love this. God's never been an enemy to
those at his everlasting love. God's never been those that he's
loved in Christ. He's never been their enemy.
But you that were enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet
now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death
to present you holy." I looked up present. To present. Do you know what it means? To
stand beside. to present you holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in His sight in that great day when we shall
all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. That's what Paul
said. We'll all stand before. And the books will be opened. The books of all of man's rebellion
and all of his self-righteousness and everyone outside of Christ
will be judged The Scripture says, out of the books. But there is a book. And in that
book, that book of the blessed Lamb of God, written from before
the foundation of the world, whose names were recorded in
the mercy and grace of God Almighty, that book will be opened. and
every one found written in that book. You know what the Lord
says? I stand with you. Oh, to think in that day when
I began to think just a moment of standing before God Almighty,
and whenever my mind begins to... Oh, I began to think. The moment I get my sight on
me, Charlie, I begin to get a little,
you know. But then to stop and to realize
and to think, Lord, I know You love me. I know You
do. How do I know? because I love
Him. We love Him because He first
loved us. How do I know that God has done
something for me? I love His appearing. I believe that Almighty God has
given me a heart to realize that I can of myself do nothing. Boy,
I tell you, I see through that glassed darkly, but I see enough
to know this, that He will stand with me who has everlastingly
loved me." Now there's some peace right there, some comfort that
will settle my heart. He'll stand with me. Secondly,
Paul said of this woman, he said, she's a sister. She's a sister. One that we love for Christ's
sake. Oh, but you consider the relationship to Christ as His
bride and hear the words of love to her. Song of Solomon 4.9. Thou hast ravished. I love this scripture. I brought
this up before. Thou hast ravished my heart,
my sister, my spouse. Thou hast ravished my heart with
one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. You've stolen my
heart. I think. Lord, if You didn't say that,
I would think to myself, there's no way in the world that could
be so. There's no way that it could be that I actually would
unheart. That's what it means. You have
unhearted me. You've stolen my heart. He said,
I look upon you. How does he look upon me? He
looks upon me as he's made me. Holy, without blame, spotless. The apostle said of this woman, she said,
she's our sister. Boy, what an epitaph. Boy, you think about it. I mean,
he could preach a message on this. Being called a sister. Being called a brother. Think
what it took. Gary, what did it take for me
to call you my brother? God had to do for you what He
did for me. It would just never end. Thinking
of the mercy and grace of God. What did it take for someone
to have the relationship with another believer as being a brother
or sister? God Almighty had to do something
for her. I commend unto you Phoebe, our
sister, thirdly, a servant of the church which is at Sincreia,
a servant, made so in time. Almighty God appointed, ordained,
predestinated the bride of Christ unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself. before the foundation of the
world. Brother Scott read that a while ago. I looked at those
words. Paul, a servant, a bond slave, a servant in mercy, a
servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, loved with
an everlasting love because He has always viewed us in Him. taught us of Himself. This woman
is a server. And then Paul said the fourth
thing he said about this woman is a picture of the Lord's Beloved. She can be trusted. Receiver
in the Lord as becometh saints. This woman, I want you to notice
something. After the 27th verse, of this
chapter. Just look at the end. In my Bible,
I'm sure it's written to you, it says concerning this letter,
it was written to the Romans from Corinthus and sent by Phoebe,
a servant of the church, at Sincreia. That's just a little note that
was put in there. This was a letter. This is an
epistle. A letter that was dictated by,
was penned, most of this was penned by another man in verse
22, I Tirtias, who wrote this epistle. But Paul dictated this
under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. They took this
letter, Freddie, and he gave it to that woman, Phoebe. Gave
it to a woman. And he gave her the responsibility. to take this epistle. Now you
think, I mean, you look back now and realize as time, time
and time, look at the responsibility that this woman had to take this
epistle to the church at Rome. And here we are now today in
2009 reading this letter. This woman held in her hand,
it had been given to her. It wasn't her words. She didn't have anything. She
wasn't a source of it. She was the means by which God
Himself delivered this epistle to the church at Rome. She was
the means by which. That's all she was. Now you think
about the bride of Christ. Concerning the bride, is she
spoken of? Proverbs 31.11, the heart of
her husband doth safely trust in her that he shall have no
need of spoil. Think of the glory and the power,
the grace of Almighty God that has entrusted to the bride the
delivery of this Word to His people. This was an epistle written
to the people of God. And I'm telling you, Almighty
God has entrusted the Gospel. Paul said, this is my Gospel,
but it's his being given to him by the Spirit of God and taught
him in his personal relation. But he wasn't the source of it.
She wasn't the source of this. We're not the source of the Gospel.
This is ours by grace, by mercy. This woman was trusted. I gave
her this letter. You think of the faithfulness
of the Bride of Christ, but let me ask you this. Why has she
been faithful? You see, here's all the difference.
We can talk about how faithful we are and how faithful they
are and how faithful. But I'm telling you, the Bride
of Christ has been faithful because she's been kept by the power
of God through faith. There's nothing in her that would
absolutely do anything. She is actually, and no more
than in herself, the means by which here is the bride, the
church, established in this little place right here on the side
of the road, Katy, West Virginia. Over 50 years that God has been
faithful. to continue the preaching of
the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through His Bride. And you know what the Bride right
here will say of Herself? We are but unprofitable servants. That's all we are. What does
that mean? That means we hadn't added anything
to the glory of God by being here 50-something years. We've been here by the grace
of God. This woman was a woman that could be trusted. The scripture
says concerning the bride, her husband does safely trust in
her. Why? Because he kept her. He
made her what she is. The Lord keeps his bride. Trusts her with the gospel because
it's himself working in her. It is God which worketh in you
both to will and do of his good pleasure. Paul said, 2 Timothy
1, 12, I know whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. I
can't keep it. How can I keep it? If he keeps
me not, I'm not kept. If he turns me, I'm turned. Paul had committed to keeping
his soul to God Almighty, and he knew
that the only hope he possessed for eternal life was God's power
to do what God said He would do. I thought about what Brother
Scott said the other day. He said, If I come to a point
where I cannot even remember my own name, I find myself right
Thinking, you know, I want to call upon the Lord and talk like
last week when we talked about praying. Say back those things
that God has said concerning Himself. For me to say, Lord,
You said You'd have mercy and compassion. Would You have mercy
and compassion? Well, what if I come to a point
to where I can't even remember my own name? In that day, Paul says, I know
whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded that He's able to keep.
Because I may come to a point in my life, and you may be too,
when you don't even remember a thing. But He who has everlastingly
looked upon you in mercy never forgets. Fifthly, Paul said concerning
this woman to be a faithful steward, the bride is seen in Christ to
be the same before God. He has entrusted her. Matthew
25, verses 14-30, if you want to read it, there's a few verses.
It talks about stewards that the Lord gave. It was a parable. And He gave some talents. Some of them, one of them got
five, and one of them got two, and one of them got one, and
one of them hit five. He was industrious. Five more. The other one, more. One of them
said, well, I know you're a hard man, and I just went and buried
it. He took that one. He said, I'm going to take what
I gave you and give it to the others that have. He took that
one and cast him out. Concerning faithfulness and stewards, The only faithfulness that Almighty
God's people have is that faithfulness in which they have no merit to
boast in. Faithfulness. They have no merit. What have I done? Isaiah 26,
12 says, Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us. For thou also hast
wrought all our works in us, but the word in is actually interpreted
for. Thou hast wrought all of our
works for us. I was talking to Gabe the other
day and we were talking about good works. Good works. I told him, I said, Gabe, whenever
you want to talk about good works, I said, let me let me recommend
to you. Turn to 1 Thessalonians 1, verses
3 and 4, and I'm telling you, if you want to talk about good
works, here they are. 1 Thessalonians 1, 3 and 4, remembering,
but let's read verse 2, 1 Thessalonians 1, 2, 3, 4. We give thanks to
God always for you all, making mention of you all in our prayers,
remembering without ceasing." And here it is. Here it is. We're
going to talk about some works. Good works. Remember, there's
none good but God. So when we talk about good works
and there's none good but God, then it's God's works. It's God
that worketh in you. Here it is. Your work of faith,
labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
in the sight of God and our Father, knowing, brethren, beloved, your
election of God." Whenever you want to start talking about good
works, here it is. Work of faith. Labor of love. Patience of hope. Waiting on
God. I read an illustration the other
day And it was talking about a cat
and a sow. I know a little bit about both
of them. I've had them around the house back when I was in
Louisiana. My dad loved hogs, so we had them. Whatever dad
liked, I guess that's what he was going to get. You know, a
cat would sit around and he'd just clean himself. cleaned himself. He could sit
around in the house. But buddy, I'm going to tell
you something. We had some hogs. And I'll tell you what they liked.
They liked one thing. They liked mud. And they wallered in it. They loved it. And I'm telling
you, you know this. You could have hosed them off
and scrubbed them down and put all kinds of bows and ribbons
and turned it loose. And you know where it's going?
It's going right back to the slop. Do you know that the only way
that you could ever make a hog act like a cat? You're going
to have to make him a cat, because he's not going to act like a
cat. God's people, because of the new nature, by a work of faith, believe in
God, and a labor of love, that which they do They do. They do. They're not looking. They're
not looking for recognition. They're not looking. They just
act like a believer. They just act like. They're not
trying to maintain a righteousness. They act like a believer because
they've got a nature that acts in obedience toward Him. They
don't want to lie to you. They don't want to cheat you.
They don't want to backbite you. They want to help you. They see
those in need. They act like a believer. They
just labor of love and work of faith, patience of hope. This woman, Paul said, I commend
her to you. I stand with her. She's a sister. She's a servant, receiver in
the Lord. My sister in whatever business
she has, she's been a sucker. She's been a help, many, in myself
also. Obviously, this was a good woman. But I'll tell you
this concerning the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the bride of the Lord Jesus
Christ. It is Him. He made her. Proverbs 31.10 says, Who can
find a virtuous woman? Her price is far above rubies. Who can find a virtuous woman?
Who can find one strong in the Lord? Who can find her? God did. He chose her before the foundation
of the world. Chose her in Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ ever stood
for her. Who can find a virtuous woman?
Her price is far above rubies. What's she worth? I'll tell you
what she's worth. According to Him, He loved her
and He gave Himself for her. In closing, I want you to turn
to Ephesians 5. Ephesians 5. I read a couple
of these verses a while ago, but I'm going to read them. God Almighty found in eternal
electing grace. Not in herself, because I'm going
to tell you something. She was dug out of the same pit.
So if any glory is going to be given, Let all the glory be given
to God because He made her what she is. He had the right to take
one vessel and make it under honor. He had the right to make
another under dishonor. He had the right to do so. He made her what she is. Virtuous
by her association only with Him. See, I'm going to tell you
something. It's a precious thing to find
a sinner. And that's what God's people
realize they are by nature. They're sinners. Because the
Lord Jesus Christ came to this world to save sinners. Every
one, every member of the Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, this
is what she's brought to see. I'm a sinner. Paul said, of whom
I'm chief. And he wasn't trying to be anything
other than honest. The Bride of Christ, if any glory
is going to be given her, let all glory be given her by the
Master who looked at her and loved her and gave Himself for her. Ephesians 5 verse 25, Husbands, you know the Lord Jesus Christ
is the Husband of the Bride. Husbands, love your wives. even as Christ also loved the
church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present
it to Himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives
as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself. of Christ and His love to His
bride. For no man ever yet hated his
own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord
the Church. For we are members of His body,
of His flesh, His bones. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and
they too shall be one flesh." He'll stand with her. This is
a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his
wife, even as himself, and the wife see that she reverence her
husband." This woman was a woman named Phoebe. Poor Paul had a lot of good things
to say about her. And I'll tell you this, when
you look at her as a picture, of the object of God's mercy
in redeeming grace. And you see that all of these
things that this woman was commended on, there was nothing about it
that she had to boast in. She was what she was by the grace
of God. And you that believe, you are
too. Oh, in that day, to hear the
Lord Jesus Christ speak with honor concerning me as this woman
was but a picture, a type, an example of God's mercy and grace. In that, knowing that He would
speak well of me, I can say this, I've got some hope.