Inexcusable: The Mirror of Judgment

Good morning....last week we were in the middle of winter and this week we are back to spring.....have to love the bipolar weather here in Missouri!!!!!!!

Our blessing box is in place and has been filled and is being used by those in need in Nevada....Praise the Lord!!!!!

We are working on getting something set up where you can leave donations if the box is full when you bring things to put in it.

If there is room in the box when you bring your items please put them in the box as just leaving them somewhere in the church makes work for others

God is good Amen

Reminder starting December 7th we will start our first Foundations class during the Sunday School hour at 9:30 am in the prayer room. I have talked with everyone I would like to see in the class and am waiting to hear back from 3 but other than that it is full and ready to go

Again once we have taught this class we will have an idea of how long it takes and how often we will then be able to offer it in the future.....the plan is to offer it at least twice a year for new member and new believers

Pastor Ian has shared with me he got the money we sent him for the sound system and they in fact got the equipment and used it this morning

I have posted the pictures in groupme, on the announcement slides before service and on our website as well

Becky O is also heading up a team to raise $3000.00 to purchase the church building in Kenya this May. There is a Kenya Building fund on our website under give that can be used to donate.....please be prayerful in how God wants you to help financially as well as share out the need and the giving page on our website for others to help as well.

Let’s Pray

This morning we move into Romans 2. I pray that as we have been moving through Romans you have been convicted and responded to that conviction

I pray you have been edified and encouraged and have grown bolder and your faith has been strengthened because of it

I pray if you don’t know Jesus that Holy Spirit is leading you to repentance that leads to salvation

Romans is very hard for fleshly people because God through Paul is laying out what a Christian is and isn’t

You truly have to be dead to the world to be blessed in Christ

As I did with the last part of Romans 1 I am going to read 1-16 as it goes together we will walk down through it but each week until we are done with this section of scripture I will read it in its entirety so you always keep the whole picture in mind

Romans 2:1-16

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Romans 2:1–16 “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”

There is so much going on here and again we will walk down through this verse by verse to make sure we understand what God is teaching us

This morning we will look at verse 1-4

Romans 2:1-4

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Romans 2:1–4 “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

This is an important Truth to understand

A Truth that the world and even many Christians do not understand

A Truth that so many misapply and misuse

That Truth is Judging

The question is not to judge or not to judge but how to judge Biblically

Before God through Paul explains that He begins with a reminder

Therefore Thou Art Inexcusable

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Remember

Romans 1:20

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Romans 1:20 “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

The invisible things of God are clearly seen in creation

that means they are understood by the things that are made.....the things that are created

You and me and all humans are created by God therefore understand the invisible things

the question isn’t do we know or understand

the question is do we accept or reject

you have no valid excuse for rejecting

you probably have hundreds of excuses but all are justification for rejecting God and His Word!!!!

THOU ARE INEXCUSABLE O MAN

God goes beyond right and wrong

sin and not sin

Those who judge are inexcusable

we will come back to that but first we must understand judge here in context...Biblical....God context

Matthew 7:1

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Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

Last week we looked at Matthew 7:3 where Jesus explains

you drill your brother or sister for the speck in their eye while the whole time you have a tree sticking out of your eye

Today we are looking at Judge and judging

Judge in Romans and here in Matthew both come from a greek word Kree-no which means to decide mentally or judicially, condemn.......this is a legal term as in a judge finding one guilty and then condemning one to punishment

That Judge belongs to God and God alone

That is what Jesus is talking about

you have no authority or power or wisdom to judge as God judges

there is no way you and I could even think we could judge fairly or even at all

Here in Romans 2 we see God through Paul taking it further

Beyond just the legal term

God says how can you dare judge when you do the same things as those you are judging?????

We inspect and judge fruit...what we can see and compare to scripture but we have no authority or right to judge people....condemn them....because we also sin

that is only for God and God alone

As I was thinking about this and how to illustrate this truth for you to help you fully understand

I do use illustrations from the world from time to time but the best way to illustrate scripture is scripture so I prayed God would lead me to scripture to use this morning

God laid David on my heart

On monday nights we are in II Samuel and looking at the life of David and gleaning many lessons about being godly men and we got to the story of David and Bathsheba and God brought that to me as a way to illustrate this as scripture always teaches scripture

I encourage you to read the whole story but for a quick back story David was to be off at war but he stayed home....sees his beautiful neighbor who is married to one of his mighty men and calls for her and sleeps with her

she gets pregnant and David brought his mighty man back from war in hopes he would sleep with his wife and all would be well

however Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband and David’s mighty man was a man of character

he refused to go home and be with his wife when his men and brothers were in battle

When David could not get Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba he wrote a note for Uriah to be put on the front lines and then draw troops away from him ensuring that Uriah would be killed which happened

so David, who had many wives and in fact could have any woman he wanted as a wife since he was king.....stole one of his mighty men’s wives and then killed him

abuse of God given power

adultery

murder

just to name a few of the sins David commited here

God sent the prophet Nathan to convict David and that is where we pick up

II Samuel 12:1-9

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2 Samuel 12:1–9 “And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.”

David judged that man

David condemned that man

David was ready to have this man killed

Why because this rich man took a poor mans lamb that meant so much to the poor man

he treated that lamb as if it was a member of the family

the rich man had many lambs and wouldn’t even miss one if he would have killed and cooked it for the wayfaring man but he was greedy and took all that the poor man had and killed it and cooked it for the wayfaring man

the rich man hurt the poor many deeply but not as deeply as David hurt God and Bathsheba

David took a mans wife and slept with her then killed the man

David was angered over a lamb when he spilled human blood

it is so easy as humans to become judgmental

People will fail you

people will hurt you

people will give you reason to be justifiably angry

people will both unintentionally and intentionally wrong you

people will unintentionally and intentionally hurt you

people will intentionally persecute you

When that happens you must be so very careful

As Christians you are to speak out against sin

part of the reason society has fallen so far is the church and Christians quit speaking out against sin

however we must be humble

remembering our own weaknesses and sins

when you get really fired up about a sin or something done to you or said to or about you or posted on social media

examine your own life and heart

why

because more than likely you are so fired up because that sin has taken up root in you

have you ever noticed that......the sin that you get angry at in others lives that is also the sin that is in your life however you usually justify it by saying that you sin in a more sophisticated way than they do

i do that because i have to

i do that because of my past

i do that because of my family and upbringing

i have a illness or sickness or disease

you do it is called sin and you are justifying it away and rejecting God instead of confessing and repentance and drawing close to God

I challenge you to journal when you get angry and see if the true source of that anger is the fact you also engage in the sin that you are judging someone else for

Husbands and wives look at this in your marriage......

kids and parents look at this in your relationships

at work and with friends.......isolate your emotions and make them obey the Word of God

Really think about this.....the character flaws that drive you crazy in other people are usually your own character flaws

When you get angry about someone’s sin

check yourself to make sure you are acting on and for God not out of your own emotions and guilt

Gossip is a great example

Gossip is a sin

Leviticus 19:16

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Leviticus 19:16 “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the Lord.”

talebearer comes from a Hebrew word raw-keel means a scandal, monger, a slander, carry tales

Gossip

Most of us get upset about Gossip except when we are the ones gossiping

you tend to justify it

I am only telling them what this person did so they will not be surprised or some other excuse like that

gossip is sin.....not matter who does it

that includes your social media

if you post or repost gossip you are sinning

if you like or love or whatever emoji you pick gossip you are sinning

church I love you......God loves you.....that is why He shows us His character and what will happen when we reject Him by loving sin more than we love Him

that is exactly what we do when we sin......we love that sin more than God because we reject God to accept that sin!!!!!!!!!!!

Romans 2:2

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Romans 2:2 “But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.”

God is faithful

God is just

God is loving

God is kind

God is merciful

God never changes

What does that all mean in terms of judgement

God’s judgments are always true and just

Malachi 3:6

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Malachi 3:6 “For I am the Lord, I change not; Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

Hebrews 13:8

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Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

God never changes

God’s Word never changes

God’s law and expectations never changes

God’s judgement never changes

God is always just and faithful

If you commit sin you are guilty and the only just thing is punishment and consequences

so many today get mad at God when He judges rightly and justly

how dare He do that to me.....most of us don’t come right out and say that but instead of seeking God in the discipline and chastisement and drawing close to Him and learning from Him and growing in Christian maturity we throw a fit and demand the storm be stopped and run as far away from the discipline and chastisement and God as we can

That is telling God He is unjust and unfair

Romans 2:3

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Romans 2:3 “And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?”

Again God wants you to know

you are not the judge

He is the judge

you and i are so arrogant

we think we can judge others for the same things we are doing yet believe we will escape God’s judgement

that is just not true

God is not mocked

You will reap what you sow

So many of us go through life thinking we can make it right at the end of our lives

so many of us go through life thinking well I am saved so i am good how I live my life doesn’t matter

so many of us go through life thinking I am saved so therefore I am qualified to judge

most would deny that but in looking at fruit it is undeniable that you believe that because your fruit condemns you

brothers and sisters in Christ I beg you to take this seriously and to truly have God examine your fruit to show you where you stand here

Romans 2:4

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Romans 2:4 “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

What does that mean?

God in His loving kindness and mercy holds back His judgement

Why

To give you time to turn away from your sin

God’s patience and forbearance and longsuffering doesn't mean or equal approval of sin

God never accepts sin

God never approves sin

God never blesses sin

GOD HATES SIN

However God loves you

II Peter 3:9

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2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

John 3:16-17

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John 3:16–17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

That is God’s heart and character

That is God’s love because of that He chooses to suffer long

not overlooking sin but forbearing.....giving all a change to repent and be saved in Jesus name and blood.

I want you to think about the person who hurt you the most in your life....i know that is hard but it is important.......picture that person in your mind right now

if they got saved would you rejoice?

If not you despise the riches of God’s goodness and forbearance and longsuffering

you must forgive as you have been forgiven and must have the heart and character of God Himself who will rejoice when that person comes to repentance leading to salvation

that means you must do that also

What does all this mean for you and me?

As we saw last week

you and I will sin

you and I will judge others

When God convicts you

what is your response

is your response confession and repentance

or is your response living in your reprobate mind and hardening your heart and rejecting God

Do you despise the fact that God does this in other peoples lives?

this is why forgiveness is such a big deal

God forgives freely and completely through Jesus and His work on the cross

If you are forgiven you must forgive freely and completely just as you have been forgiven

If you refuse to forgive freely and completely you despise God’s forbearance and longsuffering

People are going to hurt you

people are going to willingly sin against you

you have a choice

forgive and love God

or

refuse to forgive and despise God

You are saved because of God’s character therefore you must live in His character

through faith and love and obey Him

or you despise Him

No other choices

Truth is Truth

What are you willing to do today in response to God’s Truth this morning?

Invitation