2021-02-03 Romans 2

Romans 2:12–24 ESV

12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, 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, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. 17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 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.”

I. Whether Jew or Gentile, all will be judged.

12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, 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, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

A. The Creator of the universe has hard wired his Word in our hearts.

Illus: Scripture is making the case that deep within every person is a conscience that testifies to the truth of God.

Let me give you an example.

Imagine tonight you came home from church to see that your next door neighbor got a brand new top of the line truck. In fact it is the very truck you have had your eye on for months.

He calls you over, shows you all the bells and whistles from the 4 wheel drive to the heated seats. I mean this truck it top of the line.

In an instant you look at him, punch him in the gut, kick him until he could not move and then grab the keys from his hand. You jump into the truck pull it out of his driveway and pull it into your own.

A few hours later you answer a knock on your door. The police are there and arrest you for grand theft auto and manslaughter.

After being booked and spend a night in jail, you stand before the judge. The judge asks you to make your plea. You say, not guilty. Why? Because in your mind you had not specifically read the law that says you can’t beat up your neighbor and take his truck.

Would that defense hold up? Absolutely not.

During your trial the jury’s job is not to judge you on whether or not you knew the law. Their job is to judge whether or not you broke the law.

Right is right and wrong is wrong. They don’t change based on whether or not you have taken the time to read every statute.

God is a just God. He cannot turn a blind eye to when we sin, i.e. break the law.

Not only that, our God is a fair God. Think back to last Wednesday’s sermon. Romans 2:6-11. He is not going to look at some and say, oh I like you more so you can get away with more.

When you break the law, you will face the consequences for your sin.

God did not leave gentiles ignorant of the law. It would be cruel to create a system where you were punished for crimes that you did not even know existed.

Instead scripture shows that God placed in the hearts of gentiles the very law that he gave in words to the Jews. The words of the law simply define what God has placed deep within us.

In other words, no matter whether you were born to a Jewish family and know the law of God inside and out, or born to a gentile family knowing within your heart right and wrong, you are both held accountable to the almighty God.

Romans 1:19–20 ESV

19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

B. It is through conviction that you are drawn to God or harden yourself to His voice.

The great majority of us are gentiles. I do not know of any members of our church that were raised in a traditionally orthodox Jewish way.

For us we are the people to whom God has written the law on our hearts. Whether it is your conscience or the Holy Spirit bringing conviction to your heart every single one of us knows the feeling in our heart when something is wrong.

That said, you can harden, silence, and ignore that conviction.

Every day you are faced with temptation. Every one of us faces different temptations. As you face that temptation you can feel the twinge in your heart saying, this is not right.

All of a sudden you have to make a decision. Do I listen to the Holy Spirit bringing conviction to my heart, or do I choose the temptation.

This is a far bigger decision than simply choosing to sin or not sin. It is the choice on whether you will give God’s spirit the freedom to continue to speak and bring conviction or whether you will harden your heart so that God’s voice is distant.

When you continually ignore the voice of God within you, it will grow more and more distant.

Every day strive to have a soft heart that welcomes God’s confrontation. It is through embracing the conviction of God and growing towards him that he speaks most loudly into your life.

Hebrews 3:12–15 ESV

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

II. If you carry the name of God, what does the world see in you?

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 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.”

A. If you claim the name of God, then you have the responsibility of representing him.

Paul is both stating a fact and making an accusation in verses 17-24. When God began to work in the people of Israel they had a distinct responsibility to magnify who God was to the world. The accusation is that even though they carried the name of God, they actually did harm to his name. By the way they lived they tarnished the name of God.

I want you to carry this over to us. We call ourselves Christians. We carry the name of Christ. There is no separating the name of Jesus from who we are.

Every decision you make, every word you say, every relationship you build reflects on our savior.

What does the world see of our God who freed us from sin when we continue to live in it?

What does the world see of God’s love when we embrace an anger towards them.

What does the world see of hope when we live fearful and despondent lives?

Can our world see the sacrifice of Christ when we live for ourselves?

You have heard the old phrase that actions speak louder than words. If we claim the name of Jesus, yet live in such a way that is contrary to him, we not only discredit ourselves, but we tarnish His name.

2 Corinthians 5:20–21 ESV

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

B. Hypocrisy is when you claim the name of God yet live in a manner that pushes people away from God.

I want to put a challenge in front of you. I want you to live out the mission of God, seeing the world trust him, every day.

When you go out to eat, ask the question, how might I display the love of Jesus to my waiter or waitress. Do my actions at this table draw them to God or away from God?

When you interact online, do your actions draw people to God, or push them away from God?

In the way that you live at home, do your actions draw your family further into a relationship with God, or away from God?

At work, does the way you work draw your coworkers to know God or does the way you work tarnish his name.

Every person here is a representative of FBC Vidalia, and more importantly a representative of God. Your life will either draw people to know and follow God or it will push people away.

Matthew 23:13–15 ESV

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

III. Two separate roads lead to destruction. There is hope.

A. Paul is showing the mutual condemnation of both Jews and Gentiles so that he can point to the singular hope found in Christ.

I want to take a moment of brutal honesty. I think it is a fair moment as the book of Romans builds off of this idea.

No matter how hard we try, no matter what we do, we will fail following God whether from the law or from our consciences.

No matter how hard we try we will always be hypocrites who claim the name of God yet fail in living for him.

I am not saying that we abandon the pursuit of holiness. I am saying we will never be holy on our own.

This is Paul’s big point. Both Jew and gentile are equally condemned before God because neither could live up the the sandals God set.

Romans 2 is the passage that shows the equal condemnation for both Jews and gentiles.

As I did last week, I’m going to do again. God’s work did not end with our condemnation.

Our acceptance of our sinfulness is the first step of hope. It is the moment we look and say there is nothing good within me. I need to be made new.

God did not turn a blind eye to our guilt. Instead the horror and wonder of the cross is that the fullness of God’s punishment for our guilt was placed on Christ.

God punished our guilt on the cross, and because of that offers us hope.

Romans 3:9 ESV

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,

Romans 3:19–24 ESV

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,