True Love 5 (Romans 2:1-16)

Introduction

The last few weeks have been a grave reminder or for some maybe an introduction to the wrath of God. Some of you may be waiting and excited to take a step away from the somber teaching on God’s wrath and all I can tell you is that you need to keep waiting. As I have said. It is so important that Paul was able to establish our need for the cover up of the righteousness of God. We cannot truly see the righteousness of god if we dont see our unrighteousness.

2 weeks ago we talked about the why of God’s wrath. Man began to trade in what was created for the creator. and then last week we talked about how God handed man over to their desires and lusts of the flesh and ultimately his wrath will be poured out on sinful man.

There was a list. And maybe youre thinking, thats not me or I am not that bad or maybe you htink but I am different I have done this and that and I am a deacon elder pastor good kid always gone to church sunday school attendance, In those days many were saying “well” I am no excuse. Tonight we will discuss that we are without excuse, all of us.

Story of Jimmy Cates windshield //the window still had to be fixed and someone had to pay.

Romans 2:1–2 NIV

1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.

The wording here is similar to what is seen in the story of David and Nathan in 2 Samuel. David has an affair with Bathsheba and Nathan the prophet come s to confront him. He tells him of a story of someone that stole something that was not his and David says that man should be killed, Nathan says You are that man.

The church is not to ignore sin and when you see a brother or sister entrapped in sin you ought to pursue them, not in judgement, but with love and compassion as James would say in order to save them from the judgement that matters.

Truth is inescapable

See we cannot pass judgement because we 1. are not the authors of truth 2. We are actually enemies of truth ourself. No one is going to sit in a courtroom and except a judgement from a judge that is a fellon. This is why when a judge is convicted a lot of his trials are released or retried.

So Paul says this

Romans 2:3–4 NIV

3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

When you pass judgement on another image bearer you are judging yourself. You are guilty of all the law and to look at someone and say “there goes that sinner” or “I cant believe they do that” or “ Im happy Im not sinning like they are”. Then you do the same to yourself.

No one escapes judgement. Mary the mother of Jesus even would stand in judgement. Paul the author of this letter stood and was judged and all by the smae measure of God’s righteousness and truth.

Now judging others is wrong and it should not be a charqacteristic of any believer, but whats even worse is that we often judge God himself. Could you imagine a criminal walking into a courtroom and looking at a judge and saying youre guilty. He would be held in contemot and immediately sent to jail.

Our great Judge, God shows us his riches which are his kindness and patience and grace and we throw it back in his face when we judge Him and one another. Paul knew that many would hear this message and the message he had preached many times before and think that they could use God’s riches to carry on in sin all while judging others for the same sin. But what does Paul say. His kindness was not to give us an excuse to sin but it was to show us our need for him and to REPENT.

Churches and Pastors are preaching repent less and less. Everyone wants to live guilt free and not worry about their own sin and we will talk more about that later, but WE NEED TO REPENT. DAILY (LUTHER)

These next verses and imparticular verse 5 if is very hard truth to read. Sobering.

Romans 2:5–11 NIV

5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.

RC Sproul says this and while difficult it is true, “The sinner in hell would give all the money in the world to make his sins one less”

We have all heard those and even our self say “well I have already done this or thought this so I might as well carry on in sin”

“we already have had sex once so might as well since their is no sense in stopping”

“I already cheated on this test or my taxes or my wife, might as well carry on in secret because sin is sin right?”

Oh how wrong this is. SToring up wrath....

Even here you can have multiple counts of the same action

Romans 2:7–11 NIV

7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.

It doesnt matter who you are where you come form or how Holy you are the judgement will be the same acroos the board. For the one who seeks evil he will be repaid and reep back each and every act of evil. But for those who persistently seeking glory honor and imortality you will reap that in eteranl life.

Paul is not preaching that your works save you. He goes to great works to disprove that heresy in this letter. But if you are a repentant believer and have been redeemed by the riches of God, you will be persistenly seeking those things.

I am glad he says the word seek. The Greek word ζητεω means to aim for strive or desire. We arent always on top of it but your life should be marked for and there ought to be a desire for whats right. That is a great way to test and know if you truly know god. it is hard for me to believe that someone who desires nothing of God is truly a saint of God. Even when we are wrong there should be a desire to seek what is Good and right.

Romans 2:12–16 NIV

12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

There were some Jews who thought we have recieved the law and even obeyed the law to an extent so only we Jews can be saved. And there were gentiles that may say how can we be accountable for a law we never were given. Paul says whether you ar “in the Law” or “out of the law” you will recieve the same judgement. The laws of God are written on the hearts of all men.

There is no one cheating on a test or bullying a friend that says, “ hey this is the right thing to do”

No husband that is unfqaithful to his wife syas, “This is the right thing to do”

We try to fool ourselves in telling oursleves a lie or we may do it so much we calous ourselves to our conscience that screams no this is wrong.

All the things we think that no one knows about and the secrets in whuch we thought we could never be judged for will be brought to light. you may fool man and you may fool yourslef but you will not fool God.

No one has an excuse. So you better have an answer