GRACE AND GLORY - PART SEVEN

THE CHURCH HURT HYPOCRISY

Romans 2:1–11 (ESV)

1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

I. Introduction and Recap

The Church at Rome was a mix between Jewish and Gentile Christians.

Each group believed their brand of Christianity was better. The Jews had more traditions and entitlement to Jesus, while the Gentiles had fewer rules and more freedom.

Chapter two begins to address the division between these two groups and put them on a level playing field.

II. Excuses are like...

Verses one and two clearly outline the foolishness in passing judgment. No one is blameless. No one. By judging someone else, you open yourself up to judgment…not from others, but from God.

You might feel entitled to judge because you aren’t falling short in exactly the same way that someone else is, but your pride surely is setting you up for destruction.

Proverbs 16:18 (ESV)

18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Verses three and four says that judgment for our actions is withheld from us because of no reason other than God’s kindness and patience.

The point of that kindness is to lead us to repentance. It’s to give us time to make the right choice. He is rich in kindness and gives it freely. The point is not to let you do whatever you want without consequence. It’s to show you His goodness and draw you to repentance and relationship with Him.

Verse five says that our refusal to yield to Him is writing the story of judgment and wrath that’s appropriately coming for those who don’t respond to His goodness with repentance. Remorse is not repentance. God desires our hearts and we can only give them to Him when we turn from our ways and run to His.

III. What Goes Around Comes Around

Verse six says that he will repay all of us according to our works. We’re not talking about earning salvation. We’re talking about being the Church of Jesus Christ and presenting Him to the world. You can’t earn God’s love or your salvation. What you can do is live like an idiot and suffer the consequences. Just because Jesus is your Savior doesn’t mean He’s your Lord. The way you act in this life is the smoking gun that proves who He is in your life.

Verses seven and eight outline two opposite scenarios. It’s important that we realize that he isn’t saying that good works lead to salvation and bad ones lead to hell.

Let’s remember the context of this letter. It was written to a church. People who know Him as Savior. Do their lives reflect that He’s Lord? The issue between the Jews and Gentiles here has led to many leaving the faith…not because of Jesus, but because of those who claim to represent Him and hurt people in His name.

Paul says that these hypocrites have wrath and judgment waiting for them. Tribulation. Distress. Fury. God does not smile upon those who choose to live unrighteously while positioning themselves as ambassadors of Christ.

Verses nine, ten, and eleven tell us that there is a level playing field in this judgment. The Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians both face the wrath and judgment of God for living in defiance of His righteousness.

There is peace for everyone who continually does good, but it’s not dependent upon your heritage. It’s not about how long you’ve been in this church. Your Sunday school attendance is not working for you. If anything, it’s working against you if you’re still living like hell.

God is not showing partiality in His judgment or reward. Good things happen when you do the right thing. Bad things happen when you do the wrong thing. Whether you’re new here or have been here since Day One.

IV. Pointing Fingers at Myself

There are those who are here who have been hurt by someone who claimed to represent Jesus and His Church. Tonight is the night to walk in forgiveness. If you don’t, you’re no better than the person who hurt you.

Were you hurt by the Church or hurt by a person? Either way, refusing to walk in forgiveness makes you as hypocrite.

Mark 11:25 (ESV)

25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

There is healing for you tonight from whatever hurt you’ve experienced. If you are willing to let go of the hurt, Jesus is ready to take it and exchange it for His peace and His freedom.

If you’ve ever been the hypocrite described in Romans 2, there’s hope for you. There’s hope for me. Not perfection. Just forgiveness. And a commitment that we make to being people who demonstrate God’s love to people and leave the judgment to Him.

It doesn’t mean that we don’t identify sin. It doesn’t mean we don’t lovingly correct people by pointing them to the Scriptures. It means that our hearts are free of judgment and our words and actions reflect it. There is one Judge and He will judge every one of us for what we’ve done with His gospel and how we have represented Him.

You know one percent of one percent of what someone is experiencing or has experienced. Not judging them just means we’re not in a position to know what He knows, so we’re not going to do what is His to do.

“It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge, and my job to love.” - Billy Graham

V. Conclusion

The altar is available for you to lay down that hurt and pain and to repent of any hypocrisy or judgment you’ve issued that wasn’t yours to give.

We want to pray with you and impart the love of the Father for the hurting and repentant.