Romans 2: Judgement

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What you got your Bible? Today, we're going to be in the Book of Romans in chapter 2.

So the first verse in our text, we're going to look at today is one of the most commonly misapplied verses in our culture. Romans 2 verse 1, says Therefore you have no excuse. Oh man, every one of you who judges or in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself because you the judge, practice the very same things. Now, when this versus used alone in our culture, what's what's actually meant by this? As somebody will use this against us and say, well how dare you? Try to say, what I'm doing is wrong. None of us are perfect. You screw things up, too. So just go ahead and shut up and sit down. That's that's the way that's men in our in our culture that is we see that's becoming and it's going to continue to become more prevalent in our culture. But it's not just going to be that. We see a lot of the moral Decay that. You know, there's nothing new Under the Sun that goes on, we know, but as our culture denies objective moral and Transcendent truths, it's not just going to be the bad Center that we that we looked at Romans. While ago, it's are going to be our employer. Just going to be our lawmakers

All of this, all of these cultural topics whether they be abortion, they'll be gtq. The new critical race theory that you guys probably heard about all those things that they can be kind of like cultural wackamole, right? You can go hit you can hit a topic but it's marriage but the the true Way to address, this is a Biblical understanding of, what is the nature of mankind? Which is what we're going to look at the first three chapters are. Romans tells us. This is what the nature of man is, what is the nature of God and what is the nature of the problem Humanity faces? When we have that, that is the gospel. The gospel is what Christ has done for us. Completely on Merida, didn't pack, In Spite of Ourselves. That is the answer to all of the ills of this world. So let's pray. And then we'll get into God's word, Lord. We just thank you for. The beauty of your creation that surrounds us Lord the Sun that comes up every morning. Lord the seasons as they go through that. You promise, we'll be there. That we would just find strength and we'd find peace in those Lord. As we go through your word, God, that we asked. It would take us as we go through the rest of our week. And all the encounters we have. Lord, we would have courage. We have compassion, we would have patience for the lost to be able to speak the truth and speak the truth in love workout. We just ask that you would take your word, get me out of the way. God and my

My thoughts and that your word would penetrate the heart of your children through your Holy Spirit. God we just love you. We praise you and ask you to bless this time in Jesus name, amen. so what what really is meant by this verse Romans 2 chapter 1, It says you therefore have no excuse so we got to look at the anytime. You see a therefore you have to wonder what is that? They're for, they're for and it's almost always what it's talking about is a previous statement and say okay we've discussed this big truth. Now here's why it matters and the big truth that Paul just finished in Romans chapter 1 was it all humanity? Is it says in verse 32 it says that although they knew God's righteous to create those who do do such things and that's his long list of evils that they have in their deserve death. They normally continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. and then, right after that, verse 2 verse 1, says you there for Have no excuse you who pass judgment on someone else. In order to understand this properly, we have to look at the whole context especially the first three chapters of Romans as he's trying to point out the bad news of humanity. That is actually summed up. In Romans 3:23, the all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

So you trying to show us here that are true condition. The appalling humanity is should cause us to fall down on our faces and worship of a holy loving God, that saved us told you, read those verses in Romans chapter one right before they were, we'll just we'll look at it real quick here, Romans 29. It says they have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil greed and depravity. They are full of Envy murder, Strife, deceit, and Malice they are gossips, Landers. God haters insolent, arrogant boastful, they invent ways of doing evil. They disobey their parents. They have no understanding, no Fidelity. No Love, No Mercy.

So that long list when we hit when we read that, most of us were probably kind of going to wipe my brows and those are pretty bad people. I'm glad that's not me. What pole goes on to show us in the first three verses or three, first three chapters Romans though is that?

There was out the finished work of Christ on the cross on our behalf. This is exactly who we are. This is, this is the nature of falling, man.

So this is what Paul means when he says that in passing judgment on another. We condemn ourselves Paul is not telling us not to call Sin, what it is. That's that's what those using that verse out of context mean is you don't tell me what's right? And what's wrong? My right, is my right, my wrongs, my wrong denying Trans in the Transcendent truths. What? He's trying to show us is that in our condition, we need to see our condition so that we don't become the self-appointed righteousness beliefs on the rest of humanity. Romans 2 verses 1 through fight is his you therefore we looked at more than one here as you. Therefore have no excuse you who pass judgment on another you are condemning yourself because you passed judgement do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you a mere human being passed, judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgement, 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, 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 judgement will be revealed.

so, Paul remind us here in the NIV uses the words mere human. Some of them says old man. He's trying to remind us that we Are not God, Only God and God Alone will judge the heart of man. We we, we see actions and we know their country to God's truth but God and God Alone judge's, the heart. And I think we all have a propensity and it's been as kind of natural for us to kind of see the sin that we have, in kind of excuse it, sometimes? Or I know for me, I'll things that we struggle with. They really shine out and other people start our little vices that we have. We see him and we know they're they're going to push him down, but we see him in other people. We can be very critical point trying to help Point them out and others.

I think there's this condition. It is very easily seen in the in King David. So, you remember the story of King, David second second, king of of, of Israel and was called a man after God's Own Heart. But this is, this is what David did. So, he was a mighty king and he sent as soon as people all his men off to war, while he stayed at the palace one night, and he walked out on the balcony and he looks down. And he sees the Sheba bathing down there and he's filled with Lust For. So, he tells these guys who says, hey go get that woman, bring her up to me. So they do they bring her up and he has relations with her. She becomes pregnant. Do you know? He's committed adultery. So he's got to cover this up somehow, right? Cuz he doesn't want to listen to be found out. So he says, I know what I'll do her husband, Uriah I'm going to bring him back from the battle and I'm going to say okay you go you know, it's going to go spend some time with your wife and then you know he'll he'll think the kids, his will your idea comes back, but he won't do that. He says my fellow countrymen were out fighting. I will, I will not do that. So David then resorts to murder and he tells his his, his is what I want you to do. I want you to get into the relief, fierce battle, put your eye on the front and everybody back off. So make sure he's killed and then that's exactly what happened to your eye has killed a man after God's Own Heart. So, he does all this and he hasn't recognized his piss in yet and in 2nd Samuel chapter 12, the the prophet Nathan confronts him. And this is what it. This is what it says. It says, end the Lord sent Nathan today that he came to him and said to him, there were two men in a certain city, the one rich in the other, poor the rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing, but one little ulam which he had bought and he brought it up and threw it up with him. And with his children, he used to eat at his morsel and drink from his cup and laying his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now, there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock, or herd to prepare for the guests, who would come to him, but he took the poor man's land and prepared it for the man who would come to him. Ben David's anger was greatly kindled against the man and he said, the Nathan as the Lord lives. This man who has done this deserve to die and he shall restore the land for full because he did this thing because he had no pity Nathan said to David. You are the man that says the Lord, the god of Israel, I appointed you King over Israel and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul and I gave you your Master's house and your Masters wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And as if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despise the word of the Lord to do? What is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah, the hittite with the sword and have taken his wife, to be your wife and have killed him with the sort of the ammonites. Now, there for the sword, shall never depart from your house because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah, the hittite, to be your wife. That says, the Lord behold I will raise up against. I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor and he shall live with your wives in the sight of this son were, you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all, Israel in before, the sun. David then said to, Nathan is what he said. He said, I have sinned against the Lord, and they said today, but the Lord has put away your sin. You shall not die. David response. Should be our response when we see why our natural condition in Romans that I have sinned against the Lord. Know what people would see this and they say well, yeah, he sure did adultery murder. I mean, this was bad stuff. He deserves punishment but, you know, I got my little by so sure. But they're, they're not that bad. But let's look at him in Matthew Chapter 5 Jesus discusses this

In the sermon of the mount. Jesus puts a standard where it is needs to be standard of perfection. Is his Jesus says in Romans or Matthew 5:21, he says, you have heard that. It was said that those of old, you shall not murder and whoever murdered will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council and whoever says you fool will be liable to the fire of hell with that standard, I would say everybody's everybody's a murderer. And then in 27 and 28, he discusses adultery. He says you have heard it said you would said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent, has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So when we see the standards at the proper place, That's when we see the that. We cannot ever on our own Merit, God's favor. That's why we need the imputed righteousness of Christ.

so, no matter whether we're the Bad Center which probably nobody in, here's the bad Center of Romans chapter 1, but there we probably all been good centers or religious centers, but we're all Sinners on the last

verse for that we just read. It says or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness forbearance and patience? Not realizing that got kindness is intended to lead you to repentance. So God's kindness. And his forbearance is not meant to be used as a license to live outside of his will. It's meant to lead us to repentance, but I think that a lot of people have this perception. It's like, wow, I did something bad lightning didn't come and strike me down, so God must not care, right? That's kind of the serious like while. I'm away with some of these things and looks around as well. I'm still standing. I'm still up, right? And I'm still breathing. God didn't God, didn't strike me down, he must not really care. And I think I like what the j, i packer in his book, knowing god, talks about this. We as a culture have had a Long View. Of sin and of God's view of Sam. This is what he says. He says, they miss is referring to Modern men and women tend to dismiss a bad conscience in themselves. As in others, as an unhealthy psychological freak, a sign of disease and mental aberration rather than an index of moral reality for modern men. And women are convinced that despite all their little Sands, drinking, gambling, reckless, driving, sexual activity, Black and White Lies, short, practice, and trading dirty reading. And what have you? They are at heart thoroughly, good. Folks. We've heard that before having to be there, all good people. Then is pagans do and modern man's heart, is Pagan, make no mistake about that. They imagine God as a magnified image of themselves and assume that God shares his own complacency about himself. The thought of themselves as creatures falling from God's image Rebels against God's rule guilty and unclean in God's sight fit. Only for God's condemnation, never enters their heads. But God is Not complacent or soft when it comes to the judge from the send, he is patient and long-suffering and I praise him that he is and we all praise him that he has that we don't actually, you know what we deserve, but God will judge sin someday and he takes it very seriously. All we have to do to see the seriousness of sin is look at the agony. The Christ went through, on the cross, to pay that's in debt that we owed. Continuing on and inverse 6, Romans chapter 2. It says God will repay each person. According to what they have done to those who by persistent and doing good. She glory honor immortality, he will give you eternal life. but for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger there will be trouble and distress for every human being

Who does evil first for the Jew? Then for the Gentile, but glory honor and peace for everyone who does good first for the Jew. Then for the Gentile for God does not show favoritism. so, This is not talking about us trying to earn God's favor or our salvation by our Good Deeds. That would be contrary to so much of the rest of scripture. Now if we just take small little, you know, couple 3 verses and we try to use those alone to make her the entire doctor, non were probably going to go south somewhere. So we have to take this if this alone was used, you could see that. It might say. It says that those who do good, just hope we do good works. We're going to get all this but that's so contrary to the rest of scripture, the best. Interpretation of scripture is other scripture.

Now that the final judgment. Works will be brought up. They will be brought up for the believer in for the non-believer but they'll be brought up in different ways. So as Believers, those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior. We will give an account of our works. But non-believers will be judged according to their works. So we will give an account for our works, the non-believers will be judged according to their works. So why is that it is? It is works that require that are required to satisfy the wrath of God. It is, it is works. If it has to satisfy his Perfection, his judicial judgment. But his Believers, those works that he looks at when he looks at us are the works of Christ on the cross finished. The non-believer who is rejected Christ. He doesn't have those Works imputed to him, so he's relying on his own. As we've seen no human will ever ever meet The Mark of that.

Now works these works. Are they do come as a natural consequence of one of the ways I like to understand this is It's kind of looking at a tree, right? So do we try to take our works and make a route? That that would be if you look at the root is the is our relationship with Christ or connection to him and then the fruit is the Apple. Can you ever make an apple and then make a tree, take an apple to make a tree out of it. No, you have to have the tree with the route and order for the Apple to be made that route and priced has to be there in order for the fruit to be born. So good fruit is a result of salvation but it is not it's not our good works that make that established that route that route has established through faith by grace through faith. It says, in God's word, Romans Chapter 2 continuing on in verses 12 through 16. It says, all who send a part from the law will also perish apart, from the law and all who sin under the law will be judged by. The law 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 and deed when Gentiles who do not have the law, do by Nature things required by the law, they are a lot of themselves. Even though they do not have the law, they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts. Their consciences also bearing. Witness and their thoughts, sometimes accusing them at other times, even defending them. This will take place on the day when God's judgement. God judges people, see people's Secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. So the word law that use throughout these versus is not necessarily referring. Sometimes it is to the Mosaic law, The Ten Commandments right now shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal those but it was the wall that was given the rules, but there is because we are all image Bears, regardless of race, regardless of background, we are all image Bears. There is a law. That is that is written into our heart that General Revelation that God gives that we inherently know, that there are some things that are wrong and there are some things that are right. It says, the first 15 is the wall that is written on their hearts. So regardless of if someone has actually heard the Ten Commandments, now, being raised in America, we've all, we've all seen the Ten Commandments written there. We we've been around them whether we grew up in a church or not normally End. People that haven't seen that they're still a lot of strain on the heart people and intuitively know they may not follow up but they intuitively know that they shouldn't steal that they should tell the truth. They know that they should love other people that they should show compassion. What we should not take away from these verses though is it those who haven't heard the gospel don't need to worry because as long as they don't violate their conscience, they're going to be fine. Once again this doesn't align with the scripture. John 14:6 Jesus says I am the way, the truth and the life. No one. No one comes to the father, except through me. So Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation And that's one of the hardest. One of those hard things to wrestle with when we come in to Christianity of. What about the, what about the tribal person in the middle of the South American jungle, right? That's never heard Christ. But never heard the gospel. Preached, how could God judge him? Will God is fair, and God will judge.

God and God Alone knows who who he will save, and who will reject him. And he works in strange ways of doing this, but it's always through the Cross of Christ. That people come to only way that people will come to God. Now, I hadn't heard a story one time about.

A missionary that went down to some foreign country where nobody spoke English in and he was getting ready to preach a sermon evangelico sermons, given the gospel, and you have a translator with him, but that translator got so. So, so sick that I couldn't even speak. They were just, I mean, completely laid up and he spoke English. All of these tribal people didn't speak English, he had no interpretation for them, but he went ahead. And he proclaimed. The gospel message in English to people that didn't understand the language, you were speaking in and the back one of the the medicine man, or somebody in one of those tribes. Actually carved a wooden cross while he was listening to this. So God's God is our creator God's ways or much higher than our ways. God, without a language. Barrier got through to that person's heart. so, The kind of wrap up here today.

I want to there's there's nothing more destructive as we've seen in verse 1 applied improperly, right? And that's that's people view generally of us and Christianity. Today is those self-righteous people. You know what self-righteous judgmental people. They think they're better than I am and there's nothing more destructive to the spread of the Gospel. Then a self-righteous judgmental, spirit and people, people know when that's present, people can sense that pretty immediately. We had another story, my wife and I were in church one time of every legalistic church and you know where women don't wear jeans and that kind of stuff and they were people get nothing and talking and and tell him what God's done for him and stuff and my wife, we are just come, come through already. She was pulling a horse trailer down by Blackfoot and there was a bird's nest in that truck and this bird's nest caught on fire. Burn the truck out. Go to the whole thing at the time. My my children were pretty little. She pulled over. All the horses out. There was a barn right there, a Staples right there to put the horses in. Took the kids out my youngest was probably six or eight months old at the time. Pretty young, not walking yet, but she was able to get him out of the truck and everything and then is that truck burned. The fire department was late, getting there and it burned, the truck. And my wife took a picture of the car seat. And the car seat that he was in, was a little tiny ball of molten plastic and metal at to haul that fire was and that really touched her heart and then she glorified God for all the things that were lining to say they're so anyway, I mean, for a long time she was very, very touched by this and she wanted to share how good God is. And so she got up and And she and she gave that kind of testimony of God's goodness. And she she ended with Romans 8:28, you know, God will work all things together for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose and she didn't know she's standing there. Didn't know what else to say. If she's in town visiting her sister in Texas the week before and the preacher was at that church is always everything. After you would say if they can, I get an amen. And so she didn't know what she standing up there and she says, can I get an amen kind of Silence back there and I'm in the back of a man. And so afterwards though, the As people would come up, there was there was really kind of two responses one, you could see the liberation of this of this love of of of God in these people feeling so connected with her. But then there was also this very, very judgmental. How dare you? Come in here in a pair of jeans at the end of the very legalistic. That that self-righteous judgmentalism, that, that the world sees, all of Christianity is having Now, if you would have gone up and talk to these people that you, you could have to ask my wife. I'm not exactly mr. Sensitive, when it comes to like people's emotions and I could even feel it, so it had to be pretty thick and

If I would have gone up and talk to him, I'm sure I would have got a smile and a how are you doing? But that, that sense of self-righteousness was so thick that there was no way. It was being hit, people can see when we think we are better than them.

Now, this doesn't mean that we don't stand for God's truth. What, what God's word calls Sin is Sin, that, that is, that is active truth. But we have to we have to show the truth of God's word. We have to have truth but we have to have that truth and love and These are really hard conversations, we have a thief when we have to have those the only way to have that in love and do not have that self-righteous. Cuz I bet they'll creep in on all of us that, you know, cuz we look at ourselves and we're comparing ourselves to two other people that standard week. That's when you get that self-righteousness. When you compare yourself to the standard of perfection that self-righteousness is gone because you fall on your face in awe of our God,

The one God's word point out. This the first chapter, first three chapters Romans is the is the sinfulness, the Fallen is of humanity. Of our natural condition. The goal of this. This is, this is so contrary to our pop culture where we get the little think, positive thoughts, you are a, you're in charge of your destiny. You, you know, I mean, there are modern culture essentially, put self in the place of God.

So, when we hear these things and then we preach through these hard passages that all our fallen short of the glory of God, the Envy, the murder, the deceit that that's, that's our natural condition. The goal of that is not to cause us to become depressed or self-medicate somehow the goal of that,

Is 2. Force us to realize our need of a savior so that we can run to him and let him become the new creation.

So, in order to have to really have the love, that we have to have your conversations, we have to understand our condition are human condition prior to the Holy Spirit and realize that. But by the grace of God, we too would still be lost in our sin and no better than the, the vilest of Sinners out there. And it's only only when we see his true condition, a few of our humanity and the overwhelming Grace that God extends to us, that we can speak the truth in love. That's, that's the point of these verses that they can be culturally. So,

Not popular. And people people need to know this because only when you see the bad news, does the good news become so so good. So let's pray. Lord God, we just we thank you for your word Lord. We thank you for The. The loving kindness that although we are.