2021-01-20 Romans 2
Notes
Transcript
1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.
2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.
3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
I. God is not turning a blind eye to wickedness.
I. God is not turning a blind eye to wickedness.
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?
Faith is trusting that our God does not turn a blind eye to the wickedness of the world.
Faith is trusting that our God does not turn a blind eye to the wickedness of the world.
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?
One of the phrases I use over and over in church is that we should expect for a sinful world to act like a sinful world.
This statement is not trying to minimize the brokenness of the world, but instead is meant to help root us in the reality of the broken world we live in.
Unredeemed hearts will not make Christlike decisions.
As Christians we live with two distinct realities. 1. Our God is sovereign and in control of this world. 2. This world is filled with broken sinful people who do broken and sinful things.
Our way of relating to the world should should reflect both of those truths. We do not panic because we trust in God, but we also don’t expect the world to act any way other than its nature.
When we see the full wickedness of the world faith within us reminds us that God is in control and that God will judge the wickedness of man.
When we see the full wickedness of our world faith instructs us to respond as scripture calls us to respond. .
Scripture rightfully shows the wickedness of sin, and the brokenness of man. It also guides the church to respond in gospel living.
We can embrace the love and grace scripture commands us to live out because we know God is not turning a blind eye to sin.
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
We must look inwardly at our own sin.
We must look inwardly at our own sin.
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?
One of the major themes I have tried to pick up over the last few weeks is that we regularly maximize the sins of others while minimizing our own.
In this way we have created this us vs. them dynamic where there are those people with those horrible sins while we are people that struggle with lesser sins.
Think back to Romans 1, When God hands people over to passive wrath he doesn’t just give them over to homosexuality, but also to strife, gossip, slander and boastfulness.
We tend to look at homosexuality as a far greater sin than the others. Why? The answer is because we minimize our own sin.
A gracious humility looks at its own sin first and foremost. Before ever looking at others it asks what have I done that is sinful and what do I need to repent of.
I am not asking you to take sin less seriously. I am asking you to take sin more seriously.
I want you to live with the confidence that God does not turn a blind eye to sin, while understand the seriousness that he doesn’t turn a blind eye to your sin either.
When the Bible says judge not, it is not telling you to ignore sin. It is telling you to deal with your sin first.
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.
2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
II. God is withholding judgment for a season.
II. God is withholding judgment for a season.
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
Do you find more joy at the thought of others being judged or of them finding grace?
Do you find more joy at the thought of others being judged or of them finding grace?
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
Let’s take this “those sinners and us good people” to the next step.
In our us vs. them world we have almost built this rivalry. I hope they get what they deserve. I hope they get theirs.
The problem with us vs. them is that we have an overinflated sense of who we are.
Them is us. What they, whoever they is, deserve is what we deserve.
There is a sadistic strain among us as believers which takes a sinful joy in seeing people go to hell.
There are people we have built so much anger towards in our hearts that we want them to feel the wrath of God for eternity.
If God desires for the world to come to him, we should to.
Our greatest desire should not be judgment, but instead grace and reconciliation.
That is who God is, and that should be who we are.
As we live in a world of brokenness, do you desire for your fellow man to get his, or do you desire for him to be drawn into the love and grace of Jesus?
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
God’s heart for all men is repentance and reconciliation.
God’s heart for all men is repentance and reconciliation.
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
Illus: We are living in a day where God has purposely handed us over to the wicked idols we have worshiped.
He has done this so that we as a people might feel the complete emptiness of what we thought mattered.
God has sovereignly allowed our lives and our nation to spiral out of control so that we can hit rock bottom and see the foolishness of our ways.
Purposely.
Even in handing us over to our sin, it is with the heart to draw us back to him in repentance.
Our world is quaking with the brokenness and emptiness that they may not even understand.
We are the people who do understand it. We are the people who know that our God is quick to forgive and who loves us.
We are the people who know our God so loved us that he has taken the full punishment of our sin upon himself.
If our God’s desire is for men to turn from their sin and find grace, we must also embrace that identity.
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
III. Judgment is coming.
III. Judgment is coming.
5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
There will come a day of reckoning. Either you will stand in repentance or face the right judgment you deserve.
There will come a day of reckoning. Either you will stand in repentance or face the right judgment you deserve.
The Bible says in first Corinthians that if you think you have your life together, watch out, you are about to fall.
As I have thought and prayed over how to preach the first few chapters of the book of Romans the constant theme that has been laid on my heart is that repentance needs to begin in the house of God.
How can we lead the world to repent and trust in God if we do not live it first.
I want us to be the people who take sin very seriously... but also to handle it biblically.
Taking sin seriously has to begin in looking in your heart first.
In that humility, that we are broken sinful people, can we look and say, as I have found forgiveness in Christ join me.
17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?