you invites your attention back to
Romans chapter 16. This is the conclusion of this great epistle
that is so gospel full and wondrous to read. Paul in this last part of this
book, in this last chapter, declares salutations and congratulations
and accolades to many saints. They are mentioned by name in
these first 16 verses and in the last three or four verses. And in verse 20, he declares
a promise and a prayer to all believers. He says, and the God
of peace, the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet
shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you. Amen. Now this promise and prayer
begins with the word and, which tells us that the context in
which these words are spoken follow or conclude a certain
subject that he's addressing. The subject that is addressed
is a warning to the church at Rome to be aware, to be aware
that troubles always attend the life of the believer. will not
go to glory on flowery beds of ease, the old hymn said. Mark 10, our Lord said to his
disciples, after Peter said, we've given up everything for
you. The Lord said, well, you have everything. You have mothers
and fathers all over this world. You have houses and homes all
over this world. You have a hundredfold more than
you've ever given up. And with it, Great tribulation. Great troubles that come your
way. That's the promise. Philippians 1.29 says, it's not
only given you to believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
but to suffer for his name's sake. And our Lord said, temptations
and trials are common to all men, but are handled differently
by the children of God. the trial that Paul speaks of
here specific concerns those minions of Satan who would cause
division in the body of believers. In verse 17 he says, Now I beseech
you, brethren, mark them which cause division and offenses contrary
to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them. Now
Paul is here speaking, we know, by the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit and he names the area of division and it is truly and
is always the only area where schisms occur in the visible
Church of God. Now we know that churches are
split all the time in the day in which we live. There's the
old story I told my mother, last time I was in Winston-Salem I
told her this joke that I'd heard about a Baptist preacher, and
she about fell out of her chair laughing. But it's true, and
if you know anything about Baptists, you know it's true. There was
a preacher who was stranded, a Baptist preacher was stranded
on an island, and had been there about 30 years, and finally a
boat came by and saw him out there, and the captain of the
boat took his skiff in and was talking to the man, The captain
noticed that there were three buildings on the island. And
he said to the fellow, well, who, what are you? He said, I'm
a Baptist preacher. He said, well, what are these
three buildings? He said, well, that one in the middle is the house
I live in. And he said, well, what about that one over there?
He said, well, that's the church I go to. He said, what about
that one over there? He says, that's the church I
used to go to. So if you know anything about being a Baptist,
you know that's pretty much the way it was. Divisions are all
in churches today, but in the true church, the church of the
living God, schisms are always found in the doctrine of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Somehow, in Paul, we've been
studying in Corinthians, everything has to do with the gospel of
Jesus Christ. That's why he said, I determined
to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. The true church, those who are
saved by grace and called to assemble together for the worship
of Christ, is always the target of assault, and the heirs of
Satan are always loosed against the gospel. The purity and singularity
and clarity of the doctrine of God is where Satan and his malicious
ministers engage their offense. They are called in 2 Corinthians
angels of light. Christ is the light of the world.
And ministers of righteousness, Christ is our righteousness.
So their attack will always be on that basis. Christ's church
is not about to enter into silly phrase about useless things that
have nothing to do with the gospel. The church doesn't get involved
in things like politics or great issues of the day. The church
has one issue and that's to tell men the truth about God. who
God is and how he saves sinners by the perfect sacrifice of the
Lord Jesus Christ. The church is set for defense
of the gospel and is centered and it's dogmatic and it's intractable
and unshakable in the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ. Men,
if they're inclined to attack the believer, will attack here
eventually. It is singularly the truth that
disturbs those who serve not the Lord. That's what disturbs,
folks, is the truth. Because it's dogmatic, it's singular,
and it can't be really challenged. Can't be really challenged. Verse
18, it says, For they that are such serve not the Lord, but
their own belly. their own belly, and by good
words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. Generally, they do not openly
speak out against doctrine, but with fair speeches and good words,
they try to diminish it by making it differ from what they esteem
to be. This is the phrase that's used
today, Christian living. They talk about Christian living. I don't see that term in the
scriptures. I see Christ is our life in the
scriptures, but I don't see anything about Christian living. But they
have a set of rules and regulations and all these regional sanctification
measures where if you live in a certain place, you act a certain
way. You comb your hair a certain way, you dress a certain way,
and that means you're a Christian. You don't smoke or chew or mess
around with folks who do. That means you're a Christian.
These are rules that they come up with and they call this Christian
living. That's always where they attack
the gospel. They say, oh yeah, we believe
the gospel. We believe Christ died for our sin. We believe
our salvation is in Him. But you've got to have some evidence
of that. You've got to show me something
that I can see. They would add what their definition
of responsibility is to the gospel as if the knowledge of Christ
born of the gospel did not make a person in his heart of hearts
responsible. A responsible being, a steward
of the manifold grace of God. Paul never shrinks from the concept
of living right and neither does any believer. I know they make
these strange comparisons, these legalists do. They say, you mean
to tell me that this fella who goes to church and reads his
Bible and prays and gives and he's there every Sunday, you
mean that fella, there's no difference in him than this old fella over
here don't do anything except believe on Jesus Christ? Yeah,
that's what we're saying. There's no difference between
those two men. Well, actually, this man's probably safe and
that man's probably lost in all probability. But that's what
they have. They add these things to it.
They say, well, you're circling responsibility. No, we're not.
The only thing to make you responsible to God is trusting Him, believing
His gospel. Everything else makes you responsible
to you or to the people who are watching you. The gospel makes you responsible.
to alter your behavior, if need be, in order to be right in your
own mind, in your heart. You're right with God already,
if you're a child of God. But we can't get out of fellowship
with Him. He don't get out of fellowship with us. He never
leaves us, but we can leave Him. Elsewise, there would not be
so many admonitions in Scripture that tell us we ought to come
back. Paul never shirks from the concept of living right.
In this very Episcopal, he dedicates three chapters, 12, 13, 14, four
chapters, 15, 12 through 15, to living with the people of
God in this world. Those four chapters are dedicated
to telling us how to live. He does not, however, separate
it from the doctrine, but includes it in the teaching that our righteousness
is Christ alone, received by grace through faith. Sound doctrine
is the only encouragement to serve the Lord. Any other encouragement is to
be noticed and recognized, doing what you do to be seen of God.
Imputed righteousness is the only righteousness we have in
a person either acts from that place or goes about to establish
his own righteousness. There's only two way to go about
that. The infidel does what he does to be righteous. He'll tell
you that. I have my evidence of myself
and that shows I'm seeking to be righteous. The infidel does
what he does to be righteous. The believer does what he does
because he is righteous in Jesus Christ. There's a world of difference
between those two statements. The doctrine of God is Christ
and Him crucified. The doctrine of God is salvation
by the righteous death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The doctrine
of God is that Christ is our life, period. We have no life
outside of Him. We're dead in trespasses and
sin. He is our life. Our life is hid with God in Him. He's our life. Those who attack
and cause division do so against those here referred to as the
simple. Well, our Lord said the Word
of God, the entrance of the Word of God gives understanding to
the simple. T.T. Shields, a theologian in
Canada at their great Theological Seminary of Canada said, we are
all simpletons. And it's only by the grace of
God that he closes the asylum doors before we are admitted.
We are all simpletons. We know nothing of God and can
know nothing of God. save he reveal himself to us
through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word simple
here means, however, harmless, without guile, and free from
guilt. There's only certain people in
the world that this can be said of. That's the child of God,
the elect of God, the sheep of God, the church of the living
God. Elect from every nation, as we just sang. Nothing but
the doctrine of Christ and its attendant results would cause
a person to be described as without guilt and harmless, without guile. Only Christ's righteousness could
make such a description apply. Stands to reason then that those
who would cause division would with fair speeches and good words,
words like practical holiness and practical righteousness and
evidence of salvation and responsibility, endeavor to make the one who
is free of guilt to start to feel guilty. That's what their
design is to do, to start to feel guilty. The only way to
do that is by the law. For what the law saith, in Romans
3, 19, for what the law saith, it saith to them that are under
the law, that every mouth might be stopped, and the whole world
become what? Guilty before God. They clearly serve their own
interests, their belly and their fleshly desires. This word belly
here literally means a hollow and I think it best defines those
who would cause division concerning doctrine. They are hollow and
they are empty. They're a vacuous black hole,
a shell of humanity who try to fill the void of their own soul
by setting forth their own agenda. They do what they do according
to Galatians 6, to make a fair show in the flesh. But they do
that by constraining you to keep the law when they themselves
do not keep it. Paul says quietly and quite clearly,
they don't serve the Lord. Now they'll tell you that they're
serving the Lord and you're not. Paul said they don't serve the
Lord. They don't serve the Lord. Now the course of action to be
taken concerning this spiritual chasm is to mock them. Paul says mock them. What does
that mean? Watch and be aware of them. That's all it means. It doesn't
mean anything else than that. You don't go around putting a
magic marker on them for you, a scarlet letter on their chest. You don't do that. You watch
them and you pay attention. You become aware of them. And
then he said, avoid them. Avoid them. Now the word avoid
means to always and actively have no part and take no part
with them in their evidentiary doings of false doctrine. Don't be a part of that. Don't
agree with them and so forth. This does not say, though this
verse is often used this way, this does not say to toss them
out of church. or to bring them before some
council of legal eagles, but just simply leave them to themselves
to erect their own gallows by which they will hang themselves.
They are said to be pawns of Satan and can do you nothing
but harm. But how does the believer avoid
them? The believer desires to be kind. The believer desires
to be generous. The believer desires to love
his enemies and as much as possible live peaceably with all men in
this world. So this avoiding doesn't mean
a shunning someone, turning your back on them. That doesn't really
fit that scenario. Our Lord gives the answer in
verse 19. He says this, for your obedience
has come abroad to all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf,
but yet I would have you wise to do that which is good. and
simple concerning evil, and simple concerning evil. That which is
good and evil has already been defined within the context, false
and true doctrine. The good is the doctrine that
we have learned from Paul and from those who preach the gospel.
The evil is the false doctrine of those who would make the guiltless
guilty. The word simple here differs
from the word used in verse 18, simple. That word, as I said,
meant harmless and without guilt. The word here means to avoid
any mixture. Any mixture. Of what? Of grace and works. That's what this word means,
to be simple. How simple are you? The word
simple often is translated in scripture as singular. To be
singular, to be single-minded, to have a tunnel vision concerning
the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ. The way to avoid such
as would cause divisions is to keep from any mixture, any pollution
of the doctrine of Christ. It means to be single-minded,
clear, and pure concerning the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul said, God forbid. that I should glory, save in
the cross of Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me,
and I am crucified unto the world." It means to hold tenaciously
to the doctrine of Christ alone as our salvation. Abide, John
said, in the doctrine of Christ in 2 John. Abide in the doctrine
of Christ. It means to hold tenaciously
to the doctrine of Christ alone for our salvation, for our justification,
for our righteousness, and our sanctification, and do not give
the time of day to those who would endeavor to bring a redeemed
child of God back under the bondage of the law. Don't give, Paul
said, I wouldn't give my space without it. No matter how fair their speeches
may sound, and they sound fair, They had degrees, they had letters
behind their name selling their LLDs and DDs and all those sorts
of things. They're doctors of theology,
but no matter how they use good words, our Lord, by inspiring
Paul to write these words, said they are empty. They are hollow. They are bottomless pits trying
to fill up their vacuous, vacant void with your grief and your
guilt and your shame. That's how they do it. They constrain
you to do something so they can feel better about themselves.
Mark them. Avoid them is what the Lord said. They are clouds without rain.
Wells without water. There are forgers of lies and
physicians of no value. Paul then gives a promise from
God. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your
feet shortly. The first thing I want you to
notice is the word shortly. Shortly. This teaches us that
such assaults on the doctrine that you have learned, received,
and believed, such wiles of Satan, are not in the past for the believer.
They're in the present. They will be done away with,
and that right soon, according to these words, but for now,
they will be part and parcel, yin and yang, with your existence
as a believer in this world. These assaults are gonna come. They must be watched for. so
that they may be avoided. But they will surely come. They will surely come. False
doctrine is everywhere. Peter, James, John, Paul all
wrote of the presence of false teachers. First John chapter
four, verse one says, try the spirits. See whether they be
of God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is part and parcel of our
life. These are the trials and tribulations we face. This promise
does not give the least bit of encouragement that the believer
will subdue Satan. The Lord said to you, he'll be under
your feet. I'll subdue him and put him under your feet. Only
the empty, cavernous, gaping holes of religion speak of running
the devil out of town. The believer knows, as old Hawker
said, Alas, the strongest of God's people are but feathers
if they left to themselves to the winds of Satan's temptations. Feathers in the wind. That's
what we are. But our Lord said, Be of good
courage. though we will not bruise Satan,
we will have part in the blessedness of the victory. God will bruise
him. God will bruise him under our
feet. Shortly, God will bruise Satan
under our feet. God, having bruised him, will
allow us the privilege of putting our feet on his broken neck. Often our Lord did this, we saw
in the study of Deuteronomy. He said, get ready for battle.
I'm going to go in and I'm going to wipe them out. I'm going to
win the battle. I'm going to give you the victory.
I'm going to win the battle. I'm going to fight for you. Don't
worry. And when you win, and when you
win, wait a minute, didn't you say he was going to fight for
us? Yes, but he gives his people part in the victory. He will subdue Satan. Shortly our Lord will do this
because We human beings would actually suffer worse if we lived
in this world without tribulation. We would suffer worse. The enemies
were destroyed at once. Our life was without sorrow.
Our life was without temptations. The beasts of the field, the
beasts that are in our hearts, pride, self-righteousness, and
our natural pharisaical bent would increase upon us. We got
to have these things. Satan's here for a reason. He's
gonna be bruised by God under our feet, no doubt about it,
surely, but he's here for a reason. In Hebrews chapter one, it says,
he's one of the ministering angels sent forth to minister to them
that shall be heirs of salvation. You mean Satan ministers to us?
Yes, he don't want to. And he don't know he's doing
it, but he's doing it. The Lord said to Peter, Satan
has desired you that he might sift you like wheat. Anybody
still have a sifter? I used to love to work the sifter
for my mama. Sift you like wheat. Satan has
desired you, but I prayed for you that your faith fail you
not. Did Satan sift Peter? You betcha. Just a few hours
later, he stood in the courtyard and three people came up to him,
three different times, and said, we know you is with Jesus. And
he finally cursed and said, I don't know the man. Denied Christ three
times. Three times. He got sifted. Did he ever get sifted again?
Yeah, he got sifted in Antioch. when he fell prey to the Judaizers
that would bring the believers back under the law. Got sifted
again. You gonna get sifted too and
Satan's gonna be the instrument. But he's gonna be the instrument
of God. And it'll be for your good and for his glory. Shortly, not now. Shortly because
Satan is an angel ministering to us now. Satan means it for
evil. He does. God means it for good,
so it'll be good. It'll be good. It will serve
to keep his people harmless, humble, simple, and unmixed. And finally, note the description
that God inspires Paul to give of himself. God describes himself
this way, the God of peace. shall bruise Satan under your
feet shortly. The God of peace gonna bruise
Satan? Those sound like warring words,
don't they? Shall bruise Satan under your
feet? That's the language. Check out
the times in scripture where somebody said to have their foot
on the neck of their enemy. You know, we've seen that. We've
seen it in old boxing movies. We've seen it where a defeated
foe, the victor would put his foot on his chest and raise his
hand. I've got him. I beat him. Watch some dogs if
you don't think dogs are always doing this with each other. The
lead dog will often sit down on the head of the other dogs
and do it just to show his dominance. That sounds like a battle, doesn't
it? It is, but it's not ours. God
will bruise Satan under your feet, and the one who will do
it describes himself as the God of peace, the God of peace. No doubt this is an allusion
to Genesis 3.15, when he said to the serpent, The seat of honor
is gonna bruise your head and you're gonna bruise his heel.
But God does not describe himself here in terms of war. It's not
the God of justice, the God of wrath, the God of triumph that
will bruise Satan. It's not the God of wrath. It's
not the God of vengeance. It's the God of peace. The God
of peace. How sweetly this aligns with
the words that Paul has already spoken. The God of peace refers
to the manner in which Christ resides in his people, as well
as the manner in which those who oppose the gospel are to
be marked and avoided. Nothing is more of a splinter
in the eye of Satan than for the children of God to rest in
peace, resting in the doctrine of Jesus Christ, to be assured
that their souls are safe and secure because of what Christ
has done for them. Here is where the dividers practice
their salacious schemes. Interrupt peace. Make you troubled
in turmoil. They would have you in a state
of turmoil over your life. And I'll tell you this about
your life. You children of God, you righteous and perfected ones,
I'll tell you this about your life. If you look at it, you're
going to have turmoil. Stop looking at your life. There's
nothing there worth looking at. There's just nothing there. Look away. Set your affection
on things above and not on things of the earth. Where Christ sits,
and Christ is our life, where Christ sits, set your affections
there. The minute we turn our eyes from
Christ, everything goes to pot. I can guarantee it. I can guarantee
it. Reason the world's in such trouble.
It's not looking to Christ. It's that simple Because I know
many in this world in this troubled world who are looking to Christ
and everything's okay with them. It's just okay Because we know
God's in control We know our sins have been forgiven but those
who would disturb your rest and confidence in Christ do so by
asserting that you need to do something and to evidence that
you are holy and righteous and sanctified. Don't listen to that,
that's lies. But soon, shortly, the God of
peace, the God that has made peace through the blood of the
cross of Jesus Christ, the God who has reconciled us to himself,
the God that assures your hearts, will use your feet to stand on
the neck of the enemy that he bruises. And when the assaults
come, and they will come, know this. Know that it is the peace
that passeth knowledge that is the place of the attack. And
from that place of peace, that experience of peace, watch, be
aware, mark, and avoid those who would take that peace from
you until that day. When God bruises
Satan under our feet, Paul says, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you. Amen. Father, bless us to our
understanding. We pray in Christ's name.