Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself - Week 2

Embracing God’s Kindness: A Call to Repentance

Bible Passage: Romans 2:4–5

Summary: Romans 2:4–5 presents a profound truth about God’s character, illustrating that His kindness serves as a divine catalyst that nudges us toward repentance, contrasting our human tendency to resist His guidance. Paul warns that failure to acknowledge this kindness can lead to a hardened heart and eventual divine judgment, highlighting the urgency of our response to His grace.

Application: By reflecting on God’s kindness, Christians are encouraged to actively seek repentance and transformation in their lives. This sermon can assist believers in understanding the true nature of God's grace, urging them to live in a way that acknowledges that kindness, while also challenging non-believers to consider the grace offered to them as an invitation to change.

Teaching: The primary teaching focuses on the relationship between acknowledging God’s kindness and the necessity of personal repentance. It stresses that recognizing God’s merciful nature should compel us to soften our hearts, embrace humility, and turn away from sin.

How this passage could point to Christ: Throughout Scripture, Christ exemplifies God’s kindness, culminating in His sacrificial death and resurrection, which offers redemption to all. Christ’s life serves as the embodiment of this kindness and illustrates the depth of God’s desire for reconciliation rather than condemnation.

Big Idea: Embracing God's kindness is essential for genuine repentance, reminding us that our response to His grace is what transforms our hearts, leading us toward a life of righteousness and away from judgment.

Recommended Study: As you prepare your sermon, I suggest looking into the nuances of the Greek terms for 'kindness' and 'repentance' within Romans 2:4–5. Utilize Logos to explore deeper exegetical studies that examine the implications of these concepts in the early church context. Comparing Romans 2 with other verses regarding God's kindness can also help illustrate the overarching Biblical theme of grace leading to repentance.

Intro

Roman’s Resources

Last week we talked about our desire for people who do bad things to be punished by God’s wrath.

That whatever wrath we call upon someone else, we bring that same condemnation upon ourselves

Romans 2:1–3 NASB 2020

Therefore you have no excuse, you foolish person, everyone of you who passes judgment; for in that matter in which you judge someone else, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, you foolish person who passes judgment on those who practice such things, and yet does them as well, that you will escape the judgment of God?

1. Kindness as a Catalyst

Romans 2:4 MSG

Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.

God Himself does not have a desire to punish us. He’s not up there just waiting to unleash His wrath.

If I do something I’m ashamed of - we might have something daily that we’re ashamed of. If we believe in God, there’s going to be a fear of His wrath.

Even though I didn’t necessarily live in my purpose or calling, I always had a fear of God’s wrath - going to hell, being punished.

But though we should have a healthy fear of the Lord, we shouldn’t repent because we’re afraid to get in trouble.

Its not God’s wrath that leads us to repentance. Its His kindness.

When you’re reminded of how powerful God is, its tempting to think about his wrath and think of that as the way He exudes His power.

But Paul is reminding us not to think so little of His kindness because there is great power in His kindness.

Because as big and powerful as God’s wrath His, His kindness restrains the wrath of God.

Right? Think about typical parents - Mom was really gentle and dad had wrath. You might have been afraid of dad’s wrath so you went to mom for her kindness that would hold back dad’s wrath.

Remember last week’s illustration of standing either in His grace meaning we’ve accepted Him and repented or standing in judgement?

God’s kindness isn’t just for those standing in grace.

Its not just for Christians.

He shows kindness to those in sin - standing in judgement - by restraining His wrath.

Holding back the punishment and receiving His kindness.

Pause for effect

God’s goal is not punishment, its kindness.

God’s kindness is not like the kindness we find from our mothers or anywhere in the world.

There is a transformation that happens in our lives with God’s kindness reaches us.

When we meet kind people in the world its because of how its makes us feel. Its because of what we get out of it. Its surface level.

God’s kindness is different. It restrains something from us and demands something of us.

It restrains God’s wrath and demands our repentance.

It brings hope and it comes to us without us doing anything for it.

When we’re standing in Judgement, we’re standing against God.

We receive God’s kindness when we’re still against Him. Because it leads us to salvation meaning before it, we were against God.

Ask someone to tape His kindness where it goes

God’s kindness meets us in our sin and leads us away from it, back to God. Its not His wrath that leads to repentance, but His kindness.

God’s kindness is shown to us when we don’t deserve it.

Its not passive, but active in our salvation.

The kindness of God leads us to repentance which means we step out of judgement.

His kindness is displayed on the cross.

We have to follow the lead. If we don’t, then we’re staying in judgement. And His kindness will only hold back His wrath until the day of judgement.

2. Consequences of Stubbornness

Romans 2:5 MSG

You’re not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it’s going to blaze hot and high, God’s fiery and righteous judgment.

There is a change that happens in our lives when we accept His kindness. That comes with an urgency to repent and the more we accept His kindness, the further away we get from judgement.

Its not unconditional kindness. It moves us but we make that choice.

A repentant heart will embrace God’s kindness because we’ll recognize that we deserve His wrath. We’ll move closer to the cross, recognizing more and more the sacrifice He made.

Ask someone to tape stubbornness where it goes

A stubborn heart will stop our growth, leaving us stagnant and lost. Leaving ourselves to God’s wrath.

Image

You have to be stubborn to do that.

It doesn’t matter how good or kind you are, it matters that you’re drawn into repentance by accepting Jesus.

Our good deeds don’t move us… how we respond to His kindness.

Theres a righteous judgment coming. Thankfully, God’s kindness is for the sinner and His restraint holds back God’s wrath.

As children, in our stubbornness, when we would do something bad, there would be an avoidance of our parents.

We would sneak past them, or avoid the subject. But God knows everything so we can’t avoid His knowledge, so we avoid our repentance.

We store wrath up in our stubbornness when His kindness can erase it.

I want everyone to know that the shame and guilt we carry that make us avoid God is not meant to be carried by us.

God doesn’t punish people because they have sinned. He wants to change people because they have sinned.

The eternal punishment comes from disbelief - staying in sin. That means we’re living apart from Christ.

There are people living apart from Christ who are storing up God’s wrath for the day of judgement. Where an answer will have to be given for every single thing… including and most importantly, our rejection of Christ, our unrepentance, stubborn, foolish heart.

But with Jesus, that is wiped away. In one decision, God forgets. His wrath is restrained by His kindness and our sin is covered by the Blood of Jesus.

It doesn’t matter how good or bad you are… when you come to Jesus, your past is wiped away and what this part of Romans is trying to tell us is that God is not a respecter of persons. He’s going to judge fairly. Everyone living apart from Him will have to answer for all of their sins.

Everyone living in Christ Jesus will be given grace and mercy - past forgiven and forgotten.

God’s kindness gave us the cross. His wrath was released on Jesus instead of us. Jesus took our punishment. In God’s kindness, He took on His own wrath.

No matter what, the wrath of God is coming. The question is, are we covered by His grace or are we standing in judgement to receive it?

God’s wrath should be something we’re aware of, but His wrath isn’t meant to lead us away from sin. His kindness is meant to lead us away from our sin.

His point is not to punish people but to eradicate sin. He created us and He wants to restore us without sin.

Only through Jesus, in grace does God see us without sin.

Closing

Worship Team / Prayer Team

Now knowing that we must recognize our own sin because theres nothing that makes us less deserving of punishment, we have to understand that just because we have accepted Jesus, doesn’t mean that we get to keep going on, business as usual.

There is a call for radical life change. That life change comes with God taking us firmly by the hand and leading us. He’s not going to let our sin go.

We can’t avoid Him or refuse Him without stepping outside of grace into judgement.