Joy Beyond Religion

Romans 2:17–24 ESV

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

Here we are, on the third Sunday of Advent 2020 and it’s hard to believe that Christmas is less than 2 weeks away. I don’t know about you, but this year as we’ve been on this Advent journey to Christmas, I’ve been struck by a couple of thigs - First - that it really doesn’t feel very ‘Christmassy’ - not being able to gather together as churches or even extended families … the Christmas season dynamic is certainly not normal this year.

The SECOND thing I’m struck with is that the meaning of Advent and Christmas has never been more needful than it is this year. We traditionally celebrate 4 themes that point to 4 specific blessings that Christ came to bring. We’ve been through ‘HOPE’ - is there any year in recent history when we’ve been more keenly aware of our need for ‘hope’ than this year?

We’ver been through ‘PEACE’ - is there any year in recent history when we’ve been more aware of the lack of peace than this year … not just in the big world ‘out there’, but also in our society - in our relationships - even on social media?

This week, we focus on ‘JOY’ - and I am quite certain that for most of you listening in right now, Christmas 2020 seems like anything but a time of ‘JOY’. I don’t see it on the streets, because I’m not spending much time on the streets this year. I do see it in the stores, when I’ve ventured out … I see it in the news reports … I absolutely see it on social media.

So many of us do it: You get into bed, turn off the lights, and look at your phone to check Twitter one more time. You see that coronavirus infections are up. Maybe your kids can't go back to school. The economy is cratering. Still, you incessantly scroll though bottomless doom-and-gloom news for hours as you sink into a pool of despair.

This habit has become known as doomscrolling--the act of consuming an endless procession of negative online news. As protests over racial injustice and police brutality join the COVID-19 crisis in the news cycle, it’s only gotten more intense. The constant stream of news and social media never ends. According to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center, 66% of Americans feel worn out by the amount of news available.

Recently, Dictionary.com named doomscrolling one of its “New Words We Created Because of Coronavirus.” There’s something else in the etymology, though. Particularly in the word doom. The act of doomscrolling, then, is to roll toward annihilation. Taken biblically, it has a Revelation tone. Simultaneously, each person watches the demise of so much, while also slowly destroying themselves.

Doomscrolling will never actually stop the doom itself. Amidst all of the pain, isolation, and destruction of the past six months, it’s not worth it to add on to the strain with two hours of excess Twitter every night. Try these things instead: Put down your phone, turn off your news notifications, and focus on good news to lift your spirits.

“How are we supposed to be joyful in a world like this?!” Oh the ravenous discontent that has devoured the delight of so many people in our day. Friend - there has never been a time in my life where the world around us is MORE in need of the Good News of Jesus Christ - than Christmas 2020.

May our time in God’s Word this morning - lead us to joy.

And as you maybe noticed, reading through this text - this particular passage of Scripture seems like anything BUT a word on JOY. Well, let me ask a little patience. We’ll get there, but we can’t just skip to the end of the race .... we have to run the course first. So let’s do that.

First - let’s get the context. The reason we so often start our messages with a refresher on context is because this is a letter - and Paul is arguing points. Remember, the Bible isn’t a collection of random, unrelated saying or fanciful stories. The Bible stands apart from every other religious ‘holy book’ in so many, many ways - not least in the very character of its writing. If you aren’t sure about that - let me encourage you - go ahead and read the Muslim Koran or the Hindu Baghavad Gita or whatever other religious document you want … and then come and read the Bible - read Romans. You’ll see the difference. The God-Inspired Scripture writers are recording history and developing arguments of truth. Romans is an extended argument developed - so to get the meaning of any part of this letter, we need to be clear on where it fits into the argument.

In this particular section of the letter Paul is making the point that every human being needs more than a hand up - - we all need a rescue. Remember, he spelled out the theme of this letter in Romans 1:16-17

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the POWER of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (17) For in it the righteousenss of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’”

And from 1:18-3:20, Paul is hammering home why that Good News of God’s POWER to save is the most important Good News any human being could ever hear. The message of Jesus Christ is the only Good News sufficient to give you true and eternally lasting joy.

Paul started this section by driving home the truth that the Gentiles … the OUTSIDERS … the people who follow strange, foreign religious ways and end up in all sorts of depraved and despicable -

Unmasking sin - Paul is relentless … like the H.S. himself when he begins to work on our consciences. He is a ruthless interrogator. He is, in chapter 2, focusing on the faithful religious Jew who has been listening to Paul take on the pagan Gentile of the day .... and demolishing any sense they may have that they are ‘okay’ in their religious pathway. All the way through the second half of chapter 1, the religiously faithful Jews are sitting on the sidelines - like the kid who sees his brother or sister getting reamed out by mom and dad. This is the sibling that drives you crazy anyway - they seem to always get away with stuff that you don’t … so when you see them getting what’s coming to them .... FINALLY … well, you grab a bag of popcorn and settle in for the show .... cheering all the while (on the inside).

All of the false pathways to God that those Gentiles are following - - the religious buffet that surrounds them in Rome or Athens … is every bit as full of variety as 21st century Canada. “Those foolish religions - why they don’t get you anywhere. You tell them, Paul!”

But when chapter 2 begins, Paul trains his sights on those very Jews. He knows what they’re thinking. He knows the pride there. He sees the heart ...

He knows the faulty thinking going on there … so he puts them

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1 THE PRIVILEGE

The whole point is that as the Jew has listened to the demolition of Gentile arrogance … the Jew is thinking - “We are the ones who have the truth ...”. We have the law - v. 17. We have been given the law by none other than God himself (v. 17 ends with).

Every day - the Jews … “Thank God I am not a dog a Gentile or a woman ...”. “Thank God - WE HAVE the Law … the TRUTH.

Not just the decalogue, but the whole Torah … Instruction. We are in a special category because of what God has given to us. He has chosen us.

But does Paul seem impressed?

Does Paul seem a little harsh here? “The name of God is blasphemes among the Gentiles because of you.” Remember - who’s speaking? This Paul is critical of the religious Jews - he’s not pointing his finger at people ‘out there’, people who just make him angry because he can’t identify with them. No, this is Paul the Jew - the Pharisee - the religious zealot … so fixated on God and His law that Paul is determined to stomp out the growing movement of people who swear allegiance to Jesus, the crucified carpenter who they claim is raised to life and is, not only the long-awaited Rescuer, but is actually the Son of God in human flesh. Paul is standing, watching and approving as the first Christian, is martyred. He sees Stephen die in grace and faith, rocks pelting him … thrown from hands of a bloodthirsty mob.

Paul isn’t moved by that - he’s like a shark that’s just tasted blood … he’s thirsty for more. So he gets permission from the appropriate authorities and sets out for Damascus to grab more of these Christians, arrest them and drag them to prison as his conquered prey.

Paul knows religion. Oh, he knows religious devotion. He knows the privileges and the pitfalls of having been given the very word of God. And he knows his audience. He knows that there are non-Christian Jews hearing this letter read. He knows what they’re thinking - and he knows their thinking is faulty - so in chapter 2, he puts the ‘religiously faithful’ in his crosshairs and starts firing.

Verse 17, “But if YOU call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God.” This is like the kid, we can all identify with ....

You see your sibling getting in trouble for breaking mom’s precious lamp in the living room and you’re eating your popcorn and enjoying the show - cheering dad on as he drops the boom. The only problem is that you ‘re the older child and you were there, playing football in the living room too .... and suddenly dad realizes that and turns his face to you … “And as for YOU young man ....”. And you know the show’s over. It’s your turn now.

Paul needs the Jews in his audience to know that they need Jesus Christ every bit as much as the PAGAN Gentiles do. The Jews have the highest moral standards of anyone in the Roman world. Their religious life is upstanding - no sexual orgies, no child sacrifice, no human trafficking (the world really doesn’t change, does it - except we become more sophisticated in our evil). The Jews weren’t like THAT. But Paul wants them to realize it’s not enough. He’s building towards Romans 3:9, “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin ...”.

Just like everyone else - EVEN the religiously upstanding - - are sinners who need a Savior.

Do they have privilege? Of course they do … Paul spells out some of the privileges that belong to the Jews, in vv. 17-20.

You know God’s will and because you have God’s will revealed to you - you know how to tell the difference between good and evil and good and the best.

SUPERIOR POSITION

You have in the law - the embodiment of knowledge and truth.

Do you ever stop for a few minutes and just reflect on what a blessing is yours that you have a Bible - every one of you has at least one (and if you don’t - contact the office and we’ll make sure you get one. There is no one withing the sound of my voice that has any reason to NOT have access to a Bible). And oh, the blessing from God that it is to have a Bible is so great and yet so common - that we take it for granted far too often.

More and more - people in our society seem to have the idea that if only we could rid our culture - our schools and our governents - and the public square - if only we could get the Bible and Biblical Christianity out of the places where decisions are made and opinion is shaped … If we could just be strictly secular and let Christians do their ‘God-thing’ off in a corner .... then we would be really free and human dignity would flourish and life would really take off then.

Every time I hear that, I want to shout: “You don’t get it!” Our Western Culture today is living off the fumes of the Bible’s impact. Learn history, friend.

Because what was there in the Western world, before the Good News of Jesus Christ as proclaimed from this Word came along and took root … what existed BEFORE CHristianity was NOT freedom and human dignity .... it was paganism. And superstition. And fear.

Biblical Christianity (not Progressive Christianity - that version that dismisses much of the Bible - it sows the seeds of its own destruction) … Biblical Christianity takes root and everywhere it does - you see human life lifted.

Martin Luther King Jr. - - - Imperfect man - but a pastor who was driven by the vision of the Scriptures to see humans of every color treated as equal - created in the image of God. Where did that vision come from? Not from atheism that can only observe the survival of the fittest - not legitimately lecture on a greater design ....

Think about it for a minute:

Hinduism doesn’t see all humans created equal - humans are divided by caste - some are treated as almost deity, while others are are considered ‘untouchable’.

Do away with God altogether - and people will worship government. “Government will save us”. But how encouraging is that? When’s the last time you saw a government with increased power actually increase the joy of the people it rules over?

So to have the knowledge of the Gospel - it is hard for us to calculate the value of the Bible in the building up of our Western World .... there’s a reason that

Oh, to have in this book - the ‘embodiement of knowledge and truth’ … we are so incredibly blessed in our society.

What an amazing privilege.

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2 THE PROBLEM

So Paul says, “Yes - there are great privileges that go along with being a Jew and having God’s law.” And he would say the same for being a faithful, religious church goer in our day - someone who works diligently to serve others and memorize Bible verses.

But there’s a problem. There’s an insurmountable problem for those who depend on their religious privilege or hard work alone. Paul describes the problem in Romans 2:21-24

Verse 21, “You then who teach others, do you not teach yourself?” And the verdict in verses 23-24 is devastating: “You who boast in the law DISHONOR God by breaking the law. (24) For, as it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

The problem with relying on your religious credentials is that you can never be ‘religious enough’. “All have sinned and fall short of the GLORY of God” (Romans 3:23)

The problem with me and with you and with every last human being to ever be born, outside of our Lord himself, is that we were born, by nature, rebels against God. And even when I keep myself from breaking into the Dodge dealership and driving off with a new Charger that I didn’t pay for … How many times do I look at one and become discontent with the blessings God has poured out on me beyond measure. How often do I covet? Any thieves here today?

And even if Iyou keep yourself from physically committing adultery and pat yourself on the back because you’re not like that ‘Hollywood celebrity or politician or fallen pastor …Jesus says, if you even LOOK at a woman with lust in your heart - you’ve committed adultery. How many times do entertain yourself with sexually charged movies or websites? Any adulterers here today?

So Paul says, “You have all these privileges - so much head knowledge of God’s Word .... but you’re hypocrites - because you treasure your position more than you treasure God.”

And there’s an eternity of difference between having PRIVILEGES and POSSESSING God’s Saving Grace.

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3 JOY BREAKS IN

As usual, in this part of Romans - if we stopped right here, with no explanation - there would be no good news. The Advent theme of ‘JOY’?! … there’s no joy here.

“The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” And so many of us, hang our heads in response and say, “Yep - that’s me.”

Because, if we stopped here - we would be ending the story with human beings trying to grow the assurance of joy in eternal security and delight, in the soil of their own religious efforts.

“I’ve got the Bible” “I’ve memorized verses” “I go to church every week.” “I DON’T go to church every week during Covid” .... If my joy depneds on my privilege or religious persistence … I. Am. Doomed. OH how many people are living right now, trying so despereately to show their worthiness by being ‘good enough’

I’ve entitle our mini-series through the second chapter of Romans: “Religion Fails” - and I did that because that’s what Paul is getting at here: “Religion WILL fail you.” And by religion I mean any human system of practices and rituals designed to lead you to fulfillment and life by what YOU do - whether Eastern meditation, Hinduism, Islam or Atheism that worships the government. None of it works. It CAN’T work because the only power religion has to save you is the power that you have, as a religous person, to save yourself.

In Islam - you can’t rely on anyone but yourself to reach Paradise. If you fail to uphold the mandatory Pillars of Islam, nobody can save you. The Qur’an itself says, “We have bound each human being’s destiny to his neck” (17:13) and “man will have only what he has worked toward” (55:38-39). “No soul will bear another’s burden” (17:15).

Buddhism and Hinduism both agree that it’s only through your own personal effort of pursuing the 4 Noble Truths, or following the Noble 8-fold Path - or earning good karma … in other words - only on the basis of what you DO that you can ever hope to attain enlightenment. Can you ever know you’ve done enough?

And if you’re following the path of ‘religion’ right now … you do not have the joy of rest. I may know that stealing and adultery are wrong, because I have a Bible and I go to church … and I may be able to avoid engaging in the physical acts … but I can’t change my own heart - there is no ‘trick’ or technique that makes me treasure God more. So how can I ever hope to stand before Him on Judgement Day? I’m hopeless.

The Message of Christianity - that is front and center during Advent and Christmas is that God already knows that. You can’t do it. Your moral and religious efforts won’t get you there. That’s WHY Christmas. Christianity doesn’t claim to give a pathway to find God - it claims the exact opposite - That God came to find us: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

In fact, Christmas makes ZERO sense if you can reach heaven on your own. Think about it - the God of heaven, Who has lived forever in unhindered glory and joy, within the perfect communion … why would He choose to leave that bliss … unless there was no other way to rescue a broken human race? If some guidance was enough … don’t you think He would have given us the Bible and left it at that? If a messenger was enough, don’t you think He would have been content to send an angel or a prophet?

But God doesn’t stop there … During this Christmas season - we are celebrating the unimaginably wonderful event in history, when GOD CAME DOWN.

While waiting in a Nazi prison cell in 1943 a few weeks before Advent, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a friend, "A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes, does various unessential things, and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent."

Shortly after penning those words, the Nazis executed Bonhoeffer. But he was right: the door of freedom for him and for us today is still opened from the outside by the coming and second coming of Jesus Christ.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 

Perfecttly put: “The door of freedom from our prison cell of sin-caused despair … is OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE” - by god Himself.

Philippians 2:6-8 - “(Christ Jesus) who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross.”

Any Thieves here this morning? Any adulterers? Anyone who knows what it is to live inside the Prison cell of your own foolish choices? You’ve tried to gain your freedom by being good enough, by being religious enough. After all you’ve done, the lock on your cell door hasn’t budged … and you’re miserable. Is that you?

Then the message of Christmas is for you - God the Son has come - He has humbled Himself to take on your human nature to gain the righteousness you couldn’t earn for yourself … He’s died to pay the penalty you deserved … And if you have laid down your futile attempts to earn heaven on your own, in order to put your trust in Jesus Christ - then you can be as sure as sure can be … that the Son has set you free. So be free indeed.

And rejoice!

the ‘Voyage of the Dawn Treader’, in the Narnia Chronicles that CS Lewis wrote? Eustace was that irritating obnoxious kid that you just wanted to punch in the face. He had been turned into a dragon because of his greed. But as a dragon, he showed his repentance and helped save the ship. He was trying to get rid of the dragon skin that he was trapped in - he would scrape away his scales, only to find that there was another set of scales underneath. He was helpless. In despair. This is what happened next:

“Then the lion (Aslan) said - ‘You will have to let me undress you.’ I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty near desperate now … The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt … Then he caught hold of me - I didn’t like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I had noskin on - - and (he) threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I gound that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I had turned into a boy again.”

Revelation 19:6-9 - Turn to the end of your Bibles - see the joy that marks the end of history for those who belong to Jesus Christ. Babylon the Great has been judged - that great city that set itself up against God - it’s gone. God has judged it. And then John’s focus is turned to the the Marriage Supper of the Lamb - Jesus’ banquet for His people.

“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. (7) Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; (8) it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. (9) And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’”

See the exhuberant joy that is the end for all of Christ’s people - and don’t miss the power of v. 8 - ‘it WAS GRANTED her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”. This is your story Christian - Your religious exercises will never be enough to impress the Holy God of heaven … so take your focus off of them and fix your gaze on Jesus: God WITH US - born in history. Because He stooped … Because of His finished work - because He did what you never could - “IT WAS GRANTED YOU - to clothe yourself with the bright and pure robes of His glorious righteousness. That’s what makes you righteous.

That’s what makes your future glorious and that, dear friend, is why, in Jesus Christ - this Christmas for you should be JOY.