2021-03-03 Romans 3
Notes
Transcript
1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?
2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?
4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)
6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world?
7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?
8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
4 Questions.
I. If Jews and Gentiles are judged by their hearts, what’s the point of being a Jew?
I. If Jews and Gentiles are judged by their hearts, what’s the point of being a Jew?
Romans 3:1-2(ESV): Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
A. Paul reminded the Jews of their place in God’s big story.
A. Paul reminded the Jews of their place in God’s big story.
Romans 3:1-2(ESV): Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
The questions Paul is responding to is a question of fairness. The Jews who had seen God defeat them, enslave them, and send them to exile looked and said how is it fair that we have walked the very difficult road of being God’s chosen nation and then these gentiles come along and get all the benefits without any of the cost we have dealt with.
Let me see if I can illustrate it. I am a rule follower. In large part I do the right thing and obey the law because I am asked to. I am the slow poke driving 55mph on the way to Alexandria.
When it comes to driving there is one situation that makes my blood boil. Every once in a while a work crew has to close one or more lanes on a high way. When this happens the merge sign gets put up. And people SHOULD merge as soon as they see the sign.
I am a rule follower. The moment I see the sign, I pull into the correct lane. It it is a wreck or something like that, traffic my be backed up for multiple miles. Wait your turn you will get through it.
But there is always THAT driver. After waiting for what seems like an eternity, you get close to the front than that YAyhoo who skips the line driving down the road past all the traffic wants to pull directly in front of you. It makes me want to ride the bumper in front of me and glare at them as they try to push their way in.
This is how the Jews felt. They had endured the struggle and the laws of being God’s covenant people, and there was this feeling that the gentiles scooted the line and gotten the benefits.
God’s response is to show them their importance in salvation history. To show that he worked through them in giving His word through them.
Without Israel there would be no fulfillment. Without Israel there would be no Old Testament. Our Israel’s value was in how God worked through them both in good and difficult days.
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
B. Every one of us has a place in God’s big story. Let us be thankful for how God will use us in our time for his kingdom.
B. Every one of us has a place in God’s big story. Let us be thankful for how God will use us in our time for his kingdom.
Romans 3:1-2(ESV): Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
I want to bring application to that place and time that we live in. We are not living in the glory days of the church in the United States. Most of the laws that are passed in our country do not honor God.
Believers no longer value or prioritize faith like we once did.
I’ve heard a longing “Oh that it might be like it once was” or “I can’t imaging raising kids in times like these”
Hear me out. Faith in God is understanding that God will not waste our time nor our place in history. Faith is understanding that God is working all things for good. It is holding faithfully to God living out the job he has given us.
We may not see God return our nation to him in our days, and that is ok, because we know he is using our days for his purpose.
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
II. Does the actions of hypocrites show that God is not faithful?
II. Does the actions of hypocrites show that God is not faithful?
3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,
“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”
A. Should the actions of God’s people define who God is?
A. Should the actions of God’s people define who God is?
3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,
“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”
Illus: If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a thousand times, I’m not going to that church because they are all a bunch of hypocrites.
Deep in that statement is saying that the faithlessness of God’s people has made lose faith in who God is. Or give up commitment to God.
I get it. Early this year I talked with a friend whom I graduated college with. We attended the same ministry classes, talked about serving in the church, and both pursued careers in serving God’s people.
Over the course of the last few years my friend has been beat one side to the next by the church he pastored. A few months ago he gave up. He didn’t just drop out of ministry, but dropped out of faith. His reasoning was that if this is what God’s people looked like, he didn’t want anything to do with their God.
I wish I could say that this is an isolated incident, but he is not the first, nor will he be my last pastor friend who falls away because the people of God tarnish the name of God.
Now I am not saying his conclusions are right. The faithlessness of Christians should never lead you to doubts the faithfulness of God. The faithlessness of Christians should never lead you to stop worshiping at church and following God.
Paul is forceful in stating that men’s faithlessness should not tarnish the name of God. Instead we boldly should hold to God and not try to justify wickedness in our midst.
Let me challenge you. God has called you to be ambassadors for him. Our faithlessness does not make God unfaithful, but the world understands who God is through the lives that we live.
We are called to magnify the character of God in the way we live.
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
B. God may expose and judge the sin of his people to show that do not represent Him.
B. God may expose and judge the sin of his people to show that do not represent Him.
Illus: Natural to the human heart is the desire to maximize the faults of others while minimizing your own.
That is self righteousness. We work to minimize our sin and build our reputation by making the sins of others more egregious.
What happens when you minimize your own sin is that you lose authenticity in the eyes of others. They see that are quick to point out your opponents fault while slow to show your own.
For the world to trust the gospel and God they need to see that you are willing to own up to your own mess when you make it. More than that we need to be bold in separating our sin from the name of God so that our lives do not tarnish His name.
When we refuse to own up to our own mess, that is when the jealousy of God will be seen. God will not allow our sin to tarnish his name. He is a jealous God. He will expose our sin to show the fakeness of our self righteousness and self denial for the sake of His own name.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
III. If God still gets glory when I sin, then why am I still judged?
III. If God still gets glory when I sin, then why am I still judged?
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?
A. There is a difference in the fairness we think we deserve, and the righteousness God upholds.
A. There is a difference in the fairness we think we deserve, and the righteousness God upholds.
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?
Illus: Over and over the argument comes back to men arguing that God is not fair.
Paul’s answer is that God is fair to his great name.
Here the argument is if God get glory through both our grace and wrath, what’s the point. Deeply rooted in the question is a false sense that we deserve better treatment from God.
We need to remember our place and remember our role.
In the book of Job, Job time and again pleads with God to show him his faults or help him understand the brokenness that had come of his life. God’s response to Job was not to answer his questions, but instead to call him out. God says, “Who are you to question me like this.”
We have an over elevated sense of who we are.
You are not God. God is God. When it comes to the judgment of God, and our question of fairness, we forget, we are not God. The God who created the universe, wrote its rules, and created you gets to decide what is fair.
Our place is to see what God says and submit to it.
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!
15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
IV. Is there any point in pursuing rightness if God gets glory either way?
IV. Is there any point in pursuing rightness if God gets glory either way?
8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
A. God’s grace and glory is never a license for your sin.
A. God’s grace and glory is never a license for your sin.
Illus:Imagine with me if there was a pill that you could take and you could eat anything you ever wanted, not have to work out, and be completely healthy?
Would you take it? Not some fake direct sales pill, but a genuine get out of jail eat whatever you want solution.
I would. The question is, how would you eat afterwords? Would you still watch your portion sizes, would you try to eat reasonably healthy? Or would you sit and put down all those foods your really enjoy but know clog up your body?
This is the fake argument folks make towards God. They see the salvation of God as a get out of jail free card.
If my sins are forgiven, then I don’t need to feel guilty for what I do. I can live how I want. Jesus loves me just the way I am.
Sin should not be seen as a guilty pleasure that an overbearing God turns a blind eye to. It is active rebellion against God and a wickedness that enslaves you.
If God has forgiven you from your sin, and freed you from its power, why would you go back to that life of death.
More than that sin is far more than a mistake or an oops. When you sin you sin against God. You are spitting in the face of the savior who died for you.
If that is who you are, you don’t belong to God, and the Bible says your condemnation is just.
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
\