Romans 16:24-27
THE VOCABULARY OF PRAISE
Intro: As Paul concludes his letter to Rome, he becomes so
filled up with praise to the Lord for His blessings that he bursts
forth in a "doxology." Now some churches sing what is known
as "The Doxology." It goes like this:
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Churches will sing The Doxology and that is about all the
praise they ever give to the Lord. They sing it as part of the
ritual of their worship. Now, there is nothing wrong with singing
that song. Sing it every Sunday if you want to! But, true praise
comes from the heart. It wells up inside the worshiper and
bursts forth to the glory of God.
The Bible is full of this kind of praise and worship. For
example, each book of the Psalms ends with a doxology: Psa.
41:13; Psa. 72:18-19; Psa. 89:52; Psa. 106:48; Psa. 150:1-6.
The New Testament also contains many such spontaneous
anthems of praise: Luke 2:13-14; Luke 19:37-38; Matt. 6:13;
Rom. 11:33-36; Eph. 3:20-21; Heb. 13:20-21; Rev. 5:8-11;
Rev. 19:1-2. Do you get the point? Many times in the Word
of God, the biblical authors were so overcome with love for
their lord that they simply had to praise him. By the way, there
is nothing wrong with that at all!
This seems to be what is happening here. According to
verse 22, Romans was actually written by Paul dictating the
content of the letter through a man named Tertius. Before he
closes, Paul may have taken the pen in his own hand and
written these last few verses of praise.
I would like for us to look at this doxology tonight. As we
do, there are three words used by Paul that I want to point out
this evening. These words form The Vocabulary Of Praise
for Paul. These three words also give us ample reason to
praise the Lord for ourselves. So, with Paul's help, let's learn
The Vocabulary Of Praise tonight, and then let's determine
to use it for His glory as we pass through this world.
I. V. 24 THERE IS THE WORD GRACE
(Ill. Paul uses the word "grace". There may be no sweeter
word known to mankind. This word speaks, "of the
merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy
influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps,
strengthens, increases them in Christian faith,
knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise
of the Christian virtues." That is the long version. The
short is, "Grace is the unmerited love and favor of God
for sinners." However, you define it, grace is what makes
the difference in every life it touches. Notice what this one
verse tells us about grace.)
A. It Is Sovereign Grace - Notice that Paul says that it is,
"The grace of our Lord". Saving grace is something
that begins and ends with God. Man does not seek
God, God seeks men, Rom. 3:11. Man does not
initiate salvation, God does! Man does not provide the
means of salvation, God did, Romans 5:8. God saw
the need of man and He took the initiative. He provided
a Savior to cleanse us, a Spirit to draw us and plan to
save us. Grace is totally sovereign. It is something that
God does for man!
B. It Is Saving Grace - He also tells us that it is "The
grace of our Lord Jesus." May we never forget that
the sole reason Jesus came to this world was to be the
Savior of man. He did not come to teach, though none
taught better. He did not come to set an example,
though none lived better. He did not come to do
miracles, though none exceeding the manifestation of
His power. The sole reason Jesus came into this world
was to become the Savior of humanity, Luke 19:10;
John 18:37. He came to this world to go to the cross
and shed His blood to save fallen men, Phil. 2:5-8. He
came to die so that we might live. The innocent came
to die for the guilty so that the guilty might be made
righteous! That is grace! And faith in Jesus Christ is
the only way to be saved, Acts 4:12; Acts 16:31.
Salvation comes only through His grace and faith in
Him, Eph. 2:8-9!
C. It Is Satisfying Grace - Paul concludes this verse by
saying "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." He calls
Jesus "the Christ". This word means "Anointed One."
It identifies Jesus as our Prophet, our Priest and our
King. It labels Him as One Who is able to meet us at
the point of every need of life. He is able to help us
through this world and will when we call on Him and
trust Him by faith. It is His grace that enables us to face
life's trials, 2 Cor. 12:9. It is His grace that teaches us
how to live life for Him, Titus 2:11-12. It is His grace
that shapes us to the will of God, 1 Cor. 15:10. It is His
grace, unlimited and infinite, that empowers us to
successfully face whatever life throws at us, Heb. 4:16.
Thank God for grace! No wonder Paul praised the
name of the Lord!
II. V. 25 THERE IS THE WORD GOSPEL
(Ill. This verse introduces us to another great word that
ought to cause us to praise the Lord. It is the word
Gospel. This word means: "Good news; specifically, the
glad tidings of salvation through Christ." The Gospel
is clearly defined in 1 Cor. 15:3-4.)
A. The Message Of The Gospel - Paul says that the
Gospel message is the "preaching of Jesus Christ."
Regardless of what men may say, the Gospel message
is a message about Jesus, Who He is, and what He did
for sinners. The message of the Gospel is one of
Christ's death on the cross for sinners and of His
victorious resurrection from the dead. The Gospel is a
message of God's love for all sinners. It is a message
of hope, of peace and of power.
Jesus Christ was the theme of the early church,
Acts 5:42; 8:12; 8:35; 11:20; 17:3, and it must be the
theme of the modern church as well! Why is it so
necessary to preach Jesus? Because His is the only
name that can save the sin sick soul, Acts 4:12.
B. The Ministry Of The Gospel - Paul goes on to tell us
that the Gospel performs the ministry of "stablishing"
us. This word means, "to make stable, place firmly,
set fast, fix 2) to strengthen, make firm." When the
Gospel is believed and the soul is saved, the believer is
given stability and firm footing upon which to stand. No
longer is he in danger of going to Hell. No longer is
there a fear of falling. But, he is brought out of the
place of uncertainty and made to stand upon a rock
solid foundation. The Gospel gives us hope and
security as we face life and eternity. This is what David
discovered, Psa. 40:1-4. This is also what every
redeemed sinner learns as well! No wonder Paul got
excited!
C. The Mystery Of The Gospel - Paul brings to light the
mysterious side of the Gospel. Ever since man sinned
in the Garden of Eden, people had been fighting and
losing the battle with sin. How it would ever be taken
care of was a mystery hidden from the minds of men.
However, all along, God gave man glimpses into what
He was planning. The first such glimpse was in Gen.
3:15. The seed of the woman would bruise the head of
the serpent. There was the picture of Abraham offering
Isaac on Mount Moriah and God providing a substitute,
Gen. 22. There was the children of Israel leaving Egypt
because they had been spared by the blood of the
lamb, Exodus 12. There was the ancient Jewish
sacrificial system that required an innocent offering for
the sin of the guilty. Finally, the mystery was revealed
when the Lord Jesus went to the cross and tasted death
for all men, Heb. 2:9. Now, the entire plan of God has
been revealed. Now, whosoever shall call upon the
name fo the Lord shall be saved, Rom. 10:13. Now,
whosoever will may come and take freely of the water
of life, Rev. 22:17.
Sadly, the Gospel is still a mystery to many people.
Satan has blinded their minds to the truth, 2 Cor. 4:4.
Men have been led to believe that the Gospel involves
Jesus plus the church, plus good living, plus this or that.
The Gospel is Jesus Christ, alone! To add anything to
the Gospel message is to strip it of all saving power and
it renders the Gospel message no better than any other
false religious system. Of course, one of the modern
mysteries of the Gospel is that men would take a
message that is so simple and so powerful and that
they would pervert it so that it can save no one!
(Note: Friend, what have you done with the Gospel?
Have you received it? Have you believed it? Is Jesus
Christ your Lord and Savior tonight?)
III. V. 26-27 THERE IS THE WORD GLORY
(Ill. The third word in Paul's vocabulary of praise is the word
"glory". This is a word that means, "splendor, brightness
3a) of the moon, sun, stars 3b) magnificence,
excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace 3c) majesty
3c1) a thing belonging to God 3c1) the kingly majesty
which belongs to Him as supreme ruler, majesty in the
sense of the absolute perfection of the deity ." Paul
reveals, in these closing verses, a couple of reasons why
God is worthy of glory.)
A. The Glory Of God's Will - Verse 26 tells us that this
Gospel that was hidden and mysterious since the
foundation of the world is made known by the
commandant or the will of God. This refers to the fact
that God sent His Son into the world to die for sinners
because of His great love for humanity, John 3:16.
Since it isn't God's will that any should perish, 2 Pet.
3:9, He did all that was necessary to make the Gospel
known and available to men!
We think we are really something when we are
saved and headed to heaven. What we fail to
remember is that we had nothing to do with it! God
sought us, God bought us and He opened our eyes to
our condition and the remedy for it. Salvation was all
His doing and all according the "the good pleasure of
His will.", Eph. 1:5. Just the thought of that truth ought
to make the born again child of God rejoice! He refused
to allow you and me to go to Hell, but His will intervened
and saved us by grace. I say, "Hallelujah!"
B. The Glory Of God's Wisdom - Paul says that He is the
"only wise God." This is a reference to the fact that
only an infinitely wise mind like that of our Lord could
have designed such a flawless plan of redemption. Had
salvation been left up to man, we would have created a
system that would have had us bogged down in a
morass of rules and regulations for all of eternity. After
all, look at what a mess man has made of things with
his religions! God, on the other hand, devised a plan of
salvation that is absolutely perfect! Only He would have
sent His Son to die. Only He would have conceived of
giving the innocent for the guilty. Only He would have
designed a plan that would work for anyone, anywhere,
who would simply call on Him by faith. Only God, in His
perfect wisdom, could have dreamed up a plan as
simple as this, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved." For that, He is worthy of glory
and praise!
C. The Glory Of God's Work - That last phrase "through
Jesus Christ forever", places things in their proper
perspective. We are reminded that all God has done
for us, He did through the agency of His Son. Jesus is
the only Avenue of salvation for all men, John 14:6.
Jesus is the only Access the saints have to God, 1
Tim. 2:5. Jesus is our only Advocate before the throne
of God, 1 John 2:1; Heb. 7:25.
We are simply reminded that for us to glorify God,
we must do so through our relationship with the Lord
Jesus Christ. There is no other Way to approach Him.
There is no other Way to serve Him. There is no other
Way to know Him. Jesus, alone, is the Way, the Truth
and the Life. The very fact that God would provide all
this for us through the Lord Jesus Christ proves beyond
all doubt that He is worthy of all the praise and glory we
can render to Him. If you are saved, you have ample
reason to praise the Lord this evening!
Conc: As I close this message, a few questions come to my
mind. First, are you really saved? Can you look back at a
moment in time when you trusted Jesus and Him alone for
your soul's salvation? Second, have you learned and placed
into use the vocabulary of praise? Are you actively thanking
God for His Grace, His Gospel and His Glory? Third, is
there any area of your life that you know does not please God
this evening?
If the Lord has dealt with your heart tonight in any area
whatsoever, please allow Him to do His wonderful work in your
life. Bow before Him and get what you need from Him!
