Living Faithfully

Introduction:

I. Living faithfully for the Lord is greater than only going to church.

Romans 2:12–16 CSB

12 All who sin without the law will also perish without the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For the hearers of the law are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified. 14 So, when Gentiles, who do not by nature have the law, do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them 16 on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.

Romans 2:12-16

Do not misunderstand going to church is very important. In fact, tells us to not neglect going to church. Listen to it,

Hebrews 10:25 CSB

25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

Thus, we know Paul is not telling them that church and listing to the word of the Lord is unimportant. No, instead he is getting to the heart of the issue. He says that “All who sin without the law will also perish without the law” and then states the same goes for those who have the law.

In fact, he tells them that only those who live perfectly by the law are righteous before God.

I must say, if this was the end of the news, then we all would be in trouble. Especially, since tells us

James 2:10 CSB

10 For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.

Meaning that if I have failed to tell the truth completely every time I’ve spoken, if I have hit, kicked, bit a brother or sister, disobeyed my parents, used the Lord’s name in vain, looked at a girl or guy with lust, taken anything without permission, cheated on a test or homework, broken a law of the land like speeding, drinking underage, trespassed, the list goes on and on, then I am totally guilty before God.

You know that still small voice that makes you feel terrible after you have done something you know you shouldn’t? That voice is tell me, I am guilty of breaking the law of God. Paul tells us here, that people have been given a sense of what is right and wrong. Yet, we continue to break it. Why? Because we are a broken people in need of Redemption.

Not only do we see that “Living for the Lord is greater than only going to church” we see that

II. Living faithfully for the Lord removes criticism of being a hypocrite.

Romans 2:17–24 CSB

17 Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rely on the law, and boast in God, 18 and know his will, and approve the things that are superior, being instructed from the law, 19 and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, 20 an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the embodiment of knowledge and truth in the law— 21 you then, who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal”—do you steal? 22 You who say, “You must not commit adultery”—do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob their temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.

I can’t help but hear these words, especially in verse 24, and cringe. Today, we have more followers of Christ who unfortunately make the same mistakes as the Jews of Paul’s day. They say all the right things, they think all the right things, they look the part at church; yet, they do not do not live for the Lord with all their hearts.

It is a troubling truth, that more professing believers say they are Christian yet their actions do not speak to this truth. Paul appears to say that those that are guilty of Hypocrisy are not even truly children of God. They are more concerned with either legalism—Let me explain legalism, see it is when you look at only doing things as good in order to find favor with God. For instance, you are polite and have good manners to impress the parents of that new crush or to try and get a favor. Some do the same with their relationship with God, they try and keep the laws and judge others for not doing the same because they think only those who do certain things earn salvation through the works— or they live like the world while carrying the name tag of I’m a Christian. Those that find themselves in the hypocrisy of claiming Christ but not living for him, they are just as lost as the legalist who has no relationship with Christ.

Those that find themselves in the hypocrisy of claiming Christ but not living for him, they are just as lost as the legalist who has no relationship with Christ.

Let me explain legalism, see it is when you look at only doing things as good in order to find favor with God. For instance, you are polite and have good manners to impress the parents of that new crush or to try and get a favor. Some do the same with their relationship with God, they try and keep the laws and judge others for not doing the same because they think only those who do certain things earn salvation through the works.

Are there believers who fall into sin? Absolutely, the difference is they do not remain in that state long, conviction overcomes them and they repent and return to the things of God. Usually, they are the first to apologize to those that they offended or might have participated with. The reality is that apart from the grace we have experienced we can do nothing of this sort. When we mess up, I say when because we all do all the time. We need to keep a humble spirit and ask God for his grace and mercy to poor over us and give us the strength to ask for forgiveness from those around us.

We have seen that “Living for the Lord is greater than only going to church” and that “Living for the Lord removes criticism of being a hypocrite” last we see that

III. Living faithfully for the Lord is different than only outward obedience.

Romans 2:25-

Romans 2:25–29 CSB

25 Circumcision benefits you if you observe the law, but if you are a lawbreaker, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 So if an uncircumcised man keeps the law’s requirements, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 A man who is physically uncircumcised, but who keeps the law, will judge you who are a lawbreaker in spite of having the letter of the law and circumcision. 28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. 29 On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That person’s praise is not from people but from God.

Paul is addressing a serious offense in that the Jews in the church of Rome had fallen to the burden of the law. They were so concerned with the outside appearance that they forgot the heart of the Gospel.

The Gospel is summarized by Paul as

1 Corinthians 15:1–4 CSB

1 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

If we believe and trust this truth the grace of God covers all sins of the believer. What hope this is that no matter how many times we stubble and fall God graciously, lovingly forgives us. This reality should not cause us to want to sin more though. Instead, it should drive us to love God more and more.

Paul tells it this way,

1 Peter 4:8 ESV

8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Romans 6:1–2 CSB

1 What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Yet, these individuals stopped celebrating the Gospel. They forgot the heart of the truth. They allowed their past to creep back in and alter the hope of salvation. They added baggage to the gospel.

We all too often do the same, it looks different for sure, but it is the same trap only repurposed. It looks different for every person but it could be that satan says, you know you can’t really serve God that way because look at who you were? Or look at what you did? Would God really want to use someone like you?

Yet, see God used a murderer in Moses, David, and Paul, He used Matthew a tax collector, he used Peter a fisherman who cursed and denied knowing, he used Mary Magdelyn a lady demon possessed to bring the good news of Christ’s resurrection to the disciples. If he can use those guys, he can absolutely use you for his work.

Closing:

Transition:

Invitation: