Romans 2
Notes
Transcript
Jesus is a Righteous Judge
Jesus is a Righteous Judge
Good morning my friends, it’s wonderful to see you all today.
I pray you had a good week, this was the first full week of school and I know it was a little tougher, getting into routines and setting in to classes and those in the classes.
What advice can I give you; keep praying! No matter if you are teacher, parent or student in school, keep praying and asking God to go before you each day.
I believe with all my heart, God will go before you. I believe He is our present help at every moment. yet the challenge is ours, will we call out to Him and will we walk in His ways.
I also want to thank you for giving to the flood relief to our brothers and sisters around us. I know they certainly appreciate it and are thankful for love and the help given them.
Now this morning we come back to the book of Romans. And we begin chapter 2 this morning.
Last week, Paul’s focus was sin, those things that people were doing, participating in knowing it was wrong.
They claimed to know the truth, but truth was far from them and God was passing judgement on such sins, in fact by the end of chapter 1, Paul mentions 22 specific sins that God said was wrong.
God is a righteous judge, and like wise so is the Son.... But we are not righteous and certainly not the judge of any person, so we must be careful.
Paul is going to share why as we walk through the verses we examine today.
So this morning, I hope you brought your Bible. Let’s look at the first 5 verses
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.
So lets look at the first of three thoughts this morning as we walk through this passage.
1. Exercise Careful Judgement…
As we opened these verses here in our passage this morning, please understand Paul is calling people out, Paul is a straight shooter if you will;
And he is calling for people to be careful in how they judge others and how they think of them...
Now scholars really think that Paul is addressing some of the Jews who were there in Rome, Why? It may be they were there condemning those early Christian believers, and others as well who perhaps are converting from Judaism and coming into Christianity.
So go back to the text…in verse 1 there is that word again, “Therefore” because of what Paul has just pointed out, remember those 21 sins he mentioned alongside of homosexuality?
Let me take your back verses 28-32
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Why is it important for Paul to remind the people to exercise careful judgment?
Because he says, since you already know what God desires, God will hold you (referring to the Jews) to a higher standard.
You cannot point out the sins of others, condemning that sin while you secretly practice those things yourself....
For instance, take the adulterer… When we think of a person who committed a physical offensive with another person, we say they are guilty. But Jesus said what ever you do in your heart, it is just like you’ve done it physically.
28 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 thoughts, left unchecked leads to sin just as if they did it physically. And so with that idea in mind, Paul says Rom 2:1
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.
We are already condemned.... Jesus says in Matthew 7:1
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.
You see what is happening isn’t just an assessment of a person character or behavior, NO. It is a hypocritical and a self righteous condemnation of a person, People are hypocrites, when they do the same things.
So Paul is warning people, do not live like that..... when you make judgments like this, you condemn yourself. Do you remember the old saying when you point at someone, 3 more are pointing back at you?
To make sure we get the point, verse 3 Paul reinforces His teaching saying, do not think you will escape judgment because you are God’s people when you do the same things.
Listen my friends, God holds every person accountable for their sin they commit. But more especially when you make yourself out to be a hypocrite judging others for the same sins you commit and try to hide.
Be careful exercising judgement on others, ....
But considering that thought, what is your pet sin, the one sin you struggle with the most, that you often condemn while struggling with it yourself?
Let me tell you this.... you can have victory over that sin, it might be an action you do whether physically or mentally or just a wrongful way of thinking. God can give you victory today… Give it to him, feel the burden lifted and daily, by his power and might, refuse to pick it back up.
So this brings us to our second thought....
2. God will Judge our Actions.....
You see my friends, while we are called to never judge others in this life. Please know there is a righteous Judge, The Lord our God who will examine every life and will repay man for their actions good or bad....
Look at verses Romans 2:5-11
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.
6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.
Remember Paul has the authority to speak against the Jews, he was a Jew himself, he knew their ways, theology and thinking. But more so he was God’s man and knew what God had said against those who proclaim their statue based on heritage.
The Jews thought that because they were God’s covenant people, they were in a good standing with God, regardless. The considered themselves righteous.
But is that the case? No, Not by any means.... God asked man (Jew and Greek alike) to produce works in line with repentance.. John the Baptist rebuked the Jews for they lived for self and not God… Listen to Matthew chapter 3, verses 7-8
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
Failing to do this, Paul says they are storing up wrath for themselves because of their hard and un-repentant hearts., verse 5
Their hearts are hard… unwilling to stop and listen, change their actions.. They are like Pharoah who kept them in captivity a few thousand years before...
Their hearts were impenitent…they were un-willing to repent. They had no shame or regret for the way they lived in front of God and man.
So by their actions, they store up wrath against them...
What does it mean to store up wrath? Wrath relates to punishment. Think of the natural law of the land, if you are guilty of a crime, you have earned by definition of the law, a particular punishment to fit that crime.
ie… If you speed, and are caught, you punishment is based on the law. Travel 10 miles over, and you get a ticket, you pay a fine. Get caught a 100 miles over the limit you will most likely go to jail, loose your license and will pay a much great fine...
Because of their hard hearts, they refuse to obey God and their crimes, their sins, we find that wrath, punishment is stored up for them.
Look again at Romans 2:8-9
8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,
God says that punishment is certain, no matter who you are, no matter if you are Jew or Greek. God keep a record of man actions, he will hold it against them if they remain un-repentant.
But those who do well, who live righteously? Look at Romans 2:6-7,10
6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;
and verse 10
10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.
God is impartial my friends, no matter who you are, Jew or Greek, do good and receive eternal life. But do evil and you will receive just payment, condemnation and hell.
Which do you want??
Now my friends, we come to our last thought for the morning.
3. We have a Fair and Righteous Judge....
I say that to remind you that God is impartial in respect to man, He calls for all to follow, for all to be obedient and for all to do right in front of him and mankind.
We just read that in verse 11.... For God shows no partiality...
But now we come to the last 4 verses...
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.
So what does Paul mean by these words....
Paul is showing us two groups of people. Gentiles and Jews...
The first is the Gentiles.
A. The Gentiles who were not under the law , the had no responsibility to obey the commands and ordinances given to Moses by God for his Children, Israel.
But, But while not under the law given to Moses, they are still responsibility to God. We will talk more about this...
The second group is Israel.
B. Then there was Israel (Jews), they were under the law God gave to Moses for them. The commands, and the ordinances. So we are talking about the 10 commandments and the Levitical law given by God.
So you have two groups of people, they are all God’s children in the sense they are the product of His creation, they come from 2 original parents, Adam and Eve.
Both groups have sinned in this life, Jew and Gentile alike, both are held accountable before God… but the basis for judgment is different
God would judge the Gentiles not based on the law, but according to the light given them.
Yet the Jews felt the Gentiles would perish namely because they were not God’s people, they had no God and no law. This is one of the reasons they referred to those outside of the household of Abraham, Issac and Jacob as dogs....
The children of Israel, even considered themselves free from God’s judgment, in the sense of hell, eternal separation. They said they were His people, called by Him they wouldn’t loose God’s favor even if they walked in sin.
Yet if there is anything we know, God is not handing out blessings based on relationship. NO, he requires obedience
Listen, I am a born again believer, that is the first step of obedience, coming to Him as Savior and God…Yet, it doesn’t stop there, each day thereafter requires obedience. Then when I am obedient, God can bless if He so chooses too. But he is not obligated too...
But please know this, in the midst of all this Paul is not saying or preaching a works based salvation. He is saying that no one can keep the law perfectly… If they could, they wouldn’t need judgment. But all men do.....
But with these two groups of people, How are they held reponsible?
A. The Jews, while having the law, they have received the light of God’s word that points to the Messiah.
God will hold them accountable to the law and the light they have received… Which is His Word. Choosing to not believe the Word that Jesus is the Messiah, doesn’t excuse them. They are held to a high standard. They cannot say we didn’t know. The OT points to him perfectly.
B. The Gentiles, They didn’t have the law, so how are they accountable before God?
Paul says the law in a broad sense was not hidden from them. While not given the revelation that Israel had, their own conscience revealed there was a law.
Their conscience tells them to treat others right, to love, to forgive, to help… to not kill, steal and so forth.... You get what I am saying.
They are judged by the light they have when the day of judgment comes to them
And Verse 16 sums it up carefully...
16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
God will judge each person according to what is held in their hearts. One’s conscience will bear witness on the day when God judges.
For those who have heard, they are accountable, for the Jews, they are accountable. For others by what is held in their hearts as well.
Yet regardless, my friends He is a fair and right Judge because he knows the secrets of men, more literally He knows their hearts.
What was Paul’s gospel? it was the message and truth Jesus revealed to Paul. Gal 1:12
12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
It was that God has given all salvation and judgment to the Son. John 5:22
22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
The gospel is at the center of reconciliation, everything in life points to the Son, the Son calls, the Son saves, The Son redeems and the Son judges....
Jesus is a righteous Judge my friends....
Is He your savior, have you asked him personally into your heart?
If you died today, do you know for certain that heaven in your home?
I hope you do...
Then there is the other side of the coin
If you are His child, saved and forgiven; are you doing your best to walk with Jesus
Are you obeying God, obeying and honoring those God has placed over you, like your parents.
Are you walking with Jesus each day… and if you are not doing these, then ask Him to forgive you and change your mind and direction right now.
let me pray with you...
Let’s pray
But God will judge each person fairly…
I. Jews Will Not Escape God’s Judgment (2:1-11)
A. God Judges according to the Truth (2:1-4)
B. God Judges according to Works (2:5-11)
II. Jew and Gentile Alike Will Be Judged Equally and Fairly (2:12-16)
A. The Basic Principle of Impartiality (2:12-13)
B. The Application to the Gentiles and All Men (2:14-16)
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