I'm going to go to the book of Romans. If you recall, the first eight chapters of Romans focus on God's direct message to those who violate His law.
No one is exempt from the penalty of breaking God's law. No one.
At closer examination, when we went through Romans 1, we were reminded of several things. We see Paul identify himself as a slave, a doulos, a bondservant of Jesus Christ. Not language we routinely think about someone who's been commissioned to bring the truth into different areas, but that's exactly how Paul sees himself. That's how he recognizes God has called him, and he extends warm greetings to those and shows appreciation for the faithfulness of those individuals who happen to be at Rome. Following his greeting, then, Paul addresses specifically the gentiles in the church, and he addresses their failure to recognize God through the marvel of his creation. Now, we have to draw a distinction here, because sometimes this gets a bit blurry. Paul is clear in addressing the Romans that we are certainly to acknowledge God and God's powerful ability to create by looking at what he's created. One of the problems is, as he addressed the church at Rome, is that those who happen to be gentiles had a tendency that they long had even before church, before coming into the church, coming to a knowledge of the truth of idolatry. And he gets on them for this. He says, you have an issue with idolatry, you have an issue with pride, and both must be addressed. He transitions from there, if you remember, into a discussion at the latter end of Romans 1. And that discussion is quite pointed, but it's also telling in terms of what it tells us and indicates to us about those who violate God's laws. What he offers is that God will bring wrath on those who violate his law. There will be suffering. The suffering may be now, the suffering may be later. Well, we know inevitably it'll be later, but we would trust that it will be now. And he talks here about the sufferings that we oftentimes don't associate with someone who violates God's law. For example, he talks about those in the church who happen to be consumed with lust, those who happen to be given to vile passions, those who happen to have a corrupt mind. And he points those all out. What he really is saying here, which is what I've already briefly noted, is that God's wrath comes directly from the hand of those who by choice do not keep God's law. You know, I was reminded here, for whatever reason, as I was reading a paper yesterday, of an individual who, and I won't necessarily go into detail here, who was talking about a television show that he had watched recently. In this television show, there happened to be an illicit relationship. And the interesting thing about this article is he, for my class, you have to choose something in the media. You have to choose a topic in class, and we have to match this. And he got involved with what's termed the reinforcement model. And the reinforcement model works this way. Basically, it's the idea that whenever we perform a behavior, that we will reach some conclusion in our mind, and then we'll work to backtrack, in terms of explanation, previous behaviors that have brought themselves to a culmination with this behavior, and we'll tend to cast the future in the same light. So let me give you an example here. If you're a lawyer, because I read communication journals for a while, lawyers are really big, not about truth. Lawyers are really big about narrative.
They're about building a story. And if I want to take you back a little while, we can play the O.J. Simpson game here, because one of the things that the dream team that he brought together was all about a story, building an argument that could hold water. Because then it recasts all that's happened previously in a different light, and it casts everything that comes in the future in a different light. So lawyers will oftentimes do this. Now, this paper then went into the fact of this episode about this illicit affair occurring, and then obviously the participants were kind of destined for this. Now here's, this is the part that kind of bothered me about the paper, is there's really a subtle, insidious argument that is brought upon our society, as though some event that happens is destined and inevitable. We see here, though, on the tail end of Romans 1, that God says that if you violate my law, just like was noted in the sermonette, you set yourself morally adrift.
Now the reminder is that, here's our reality, that by violating God's law, we actually stain or taint our conscience. And Paul's going to spend some time in Romans 2, because what he really offers here is we transition into Romans 2 from the Gentiles to the Jews, is that there is such a danger in violating God's law, and he's going to address it head-on. It tends to be abrasive, but at least it gives you an indication of where we're going. So let's go to Romans 2, and we'll deal with it today.
He's really going to talk in brief as we preview this about the laziness, the stubbornness, and the pride of those who don't keep God's law with vigilance. Now I'm going to offer something here, because this is quite helpful, at least for me, and it was a reminder as I went through the commentaries about who we're really speaking of here. As we deal with the church at Rome, he characterizes our two primary groups as Jews and Gentiles. One of the things that's helpful for us to know, or to think about, is that the Jews can easily be likened to, in a case like this, second and third generation Christians.
Let me tell you how. The Jews had long grown up with the law. They knew it. They were taught it from their youngest years, and so as they grew older, they grew comfortable with the law. In a case like mine, I've only known one thing. Growing up as a young person, at five, six, seven, as so many of you, this is all I've ever known. Paul's going to address this here. Similarly, the Gentiles represent first generation Christians. Those who have come to an understanding of the truth, they've been called chosen, they've been baptized, but have a tendency to kind of go back and still feel comfortable with old ways.
Paul addresses that, too, here. So if it helps to personalize this content as we go through it, it's helpful at least to be reminded that these Jews and Gentile groups are represented today among us. It's helpful for you and me to at least think through that. So I've entitled this message, Romans 2, that's not a surprise, Judgment and Justification.
Judgment and Justification. And we're going to make our way through all 29 verses for this message. And I'm going to ask us to break it into two main sections, and then we'll tackle each section, and then we'll go verse by verse for a little while, addressing very specific items that show up that give us greater revelation, understanding about what Paul has been inspired to write. So the first section that we go through generally is verses 1 through 16, and this is God's judgment of the Jews, God's judgment of the Jews, and then of the Jews, excuse me, I changed that, didn't I?
And then section 2, the Jews' lack of obedience. That happens in 17 through 29. So those are our two main sections. This first section then is Judgment of the Jews. And let's do this. Let's not read all first 16 verses. Let's break this even to the smaller pieces. Let's go verses 1 through 4 first, and I'll backtrack after I read this, and we'll make sense of some of this.
Therefore, you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are, who judge, for whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge, practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
So Paul, as I've already noted here, is really being specific. He's dealing with categorically those who happen to be Jews in the church. If we deal with just verse 1, I'll just highlight one term here. As noted in one, it says, therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are, who judge, for in whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself.
For you who judge, practice the same things. This whole notion of judgment is one of condemnation, if you go to the Greek here. What Paul is addressing, and it shows up a number of different places, is there is a select group in the church who's turning up his, her, their noses at others as being inferior. And that's what we see here. I'm going to ask you to go to two places if you want to leave a marker here.
First, we're going to run forward to Matthew 7 verse 1. And we'll read a passage from the Sermon on the Mount, because Christ makes this exact statement. John 7 verse 1. John 7 verse 1. And we'll read this very first section here. Okay, I took you to John. How about if you go to Matthew with me? Thank you.
Matthew 7 verse 1. That looks a whole lot better. So Paul is, excuse me, Christ is at the tail end, the latter third of the Sermon on the Mount. And he moves into chapter 7. Again, those are human numbers where we've placed separations here in order to make sense of this. It's come after the fact. But it says the following Christ's words, judge not that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged. And with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own. Or how can you say to your brother, let me remove the speck out of your eye and look, a plank is in your own eye. You know what's funny is the language here is just absurd, isn't it?
You know, if, and I'll use Mr. Gravy, if he came over and he was having a problem and he had something in his eye, and I was walking around with a plank on my forehead, it would be literally absurd to do this. And yet Paul draws a really nice visual picture for us. I used this morning, it was last week or sometime last week, Sarah had said that we needed to change a light bulb.
And somehow, for whatever reason, and my local electrician probably knows what I blew here, but I went to take the light bulb out and it shattered in my hand. So I had glass everywhere.
So I went down and took the broom and swept up everything and thought it was all cleaned up. No surprise. Sometime this week, I went down to the garage with my shoes off, picked up a chunk of glass in my foot, and I thought to myself, I can't even see that. I can't get to it. How in the world does this work? Now, if I had gone and found my wife, and it's not fair for me to say she has glass in her eyes, if she had a chunk or whatever in her eyes, if she had a plank in her eyes, I'd say, don't you dare touch this! But thankfully she didn't. So what we see here, thankfully she removed it. It took some digging. I did some squirming. No surprise there. But in a case like this, she was able to get that out. It is absurd for us to be judgmental, and that he provides by illustration is like having a plank. Verse 5, hypocrites, first remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye. Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before a swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you in pieces. Man, I'm having a hard time reading. These contexts are not working out here. I've got this dark light thing going. But what we see here in Matthew 7, 1, is this fact that we are not to be condemning. You know, the same point is made in Romans 14, and I'll ask you to go over to Romans 14, verse 4. We're reading one scripture here. Again, Paul writing, Who are you to judge another, Romans 14, to judge another servant? To his own master, he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. So the point being made here is we don't have a right to judge another person's master.
As we start this section of scripture then in verse 1, Paul's making clear that the Jews at this point were indeed judging the Gentiles. They were holding them in condemnation. They would look to them, they would watch what they did, and they would be critical of them. And in doing so, they were hypocrites. Now, we can go back a little bit for whatever reason. Certain messages stick with me. And the one that Mr. Brent Reynolds gave a while back was about the hypocrites of the time of Christ. And if you remember the point he made in terms of being hypocrites, that's fine. If we can plug in anywhere here. That's perfect. Thank you, sir. Perfect. Thank you. That little light helps.
The hypocrites were actors of the time. And so what Paul is saying is stop acting.
Stop coming and acting like you're converted. Stop acting like your life is a certain way, when in actuality it's not. So Paul is making this very clear, and he's pointedly dealing with the Jews in this. If we will, then let's pick up in verse 5 and let's go 5 to 10, because he's saying all of these things. And 4, if you're reminded here, the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance.
Verse 5, but in accordance with your hardness and your impotent heart, you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Who will render to each one according to his deeds? Eternal life to those by patient continuance in doing so, seek for glory, honor, and immortality, but to those who are self-seeking, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness.
Here's the consequence. Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek. But glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works, what is good, and to the Jew first and also to the Greek. So what we find here in this second section is indeed there's a hardness of heart that's being evident. And that heart of God and that hardness of heart is what Paul is going after here. He is not happy with what's going on.
Note here this term hardness is actually in the Greek the same word that we use for scoliosis today, a hardening of the arteries. So what he's saying is that the Jews have become spiritually jaded. Paul is really making clear here that God judges those who are Jew and who are holding others in condemnation. And he does the exact same thing for the Gentiles. As we'll find further down, God is impartial. He's not like a judge of this world. We oftentimes put our judges on you know pedestals. We think highly of them. They tend to have high reputations. Well, in some, at one time we did. But the reality is that judges are still human. They're shrouded with bias. God is not that way. God is the only one who can see pure motives. He can see what you think. He can see what I think. He can see what you feel. He knows all of this. So God is not clouded by the air we put on. And that's in part what Paul is noting here. If we drop to verse 7, it reads this way, Eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good, seek for glory and honor and immortality. You know, we're reminded from verse 7 that salvation is a gift. God gives eternal life to those who've been called and those who keep His law once called.
We are rewarded separately after being called and faithful for our works. Now, there are a number of different places in Scripture that are a reminder of the measuring stick, the standard by which we are measured. And Psalm 119.172 is a memory verse that's helpful to note. I'll go there and read this. Again, you can leave a marker here. Psalm 119.172. Now, 119 is that really long section of Psalms. And on the latter end of this, Psalm 119.172, it says the following. Here's our standard by which God judges. It doesn't vary it. My lips utter praise, that's 171, for you teach me your statutes, 172. My tongue shall speak of your word, for all your commandments are righteousness.
So what we see back here in verse 7 is God says eternal life comes by those who seek. There's action here. Seek these things. Seek glory, seek honor, and seek immortality.
The term immortality means in the Greek incorruption. God does not desire corruption in any of us. He wants us pure, and that's his desire. In verse 8 he says, but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey, but obey unrighteousness. Here's the consequence, indignation and wrath. In contrast, what we find are those God wants are those who seek honor, those who seek purity, those who strive to avoid corruption. We get this incredible contrast on the opposite side of the spectrum about those who are self-seeking. Seek what they desire. These are those who seek their own way. They don't seek God's truth. And Paul is making clear here, God's wrath will be paid on those individuals. Verse 9, tribulation and anguish on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek. You know, God is making clear here that indeed the Jews, by benefit of having the law, of having the oracles of truth, they've had a leg up. They've had an advantage that from their youth they've always grown familiar with God's teaching and God's truth. And God says here, God's word is first sent to the Jews. You'll be held first accountable, but as Greeks, you're not going to slide either. No one slides from disobeying God. If you will, then let's jump to verse 11. For there is no partiality with God. For as many as have sinned without the law will also perish without the law. And as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law. For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the law by nature do the things contained in the law, these although not having the law are a law to themselves. Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience, also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them. And the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. So let's go back. Here's where we're at in verse 11. This notion of partiality. The term partiality here, again as offered by Paul, is inspired by God, is to give consideration to someone due to position, wealth, or appearance. What Paul is inspired to write here is God really doesn't care what level, what rank you are in this life. Doesn't make a difference to him.
God doesn't care how much money we have. God doesn't care what we look like. And that comes in very, you know, that's the opposite of this world, isn't it? You drive the big car, you got the nice house. That's what this world says is important. But Paul says, no, that's not applicable in this case at all. And he, if you remember, this idea is supported way back in the account we get in 1st Samuel 16. Remember by background, what's there? In 1st Samuel 16, we know Saul has gone astray as the king of Israel. We know that Samuel is out to the house of Jesse in order to find the individual who will next be crowned king. And in doing so, what does he do? He comes through the door and he says, okay, give me the oldest. You can almost sense Jesse in the room like this. Give me the oldest one you have. He's got to be the one. The biggest! Got to be the one. Okay, that's not the one. Okay, what do you have? What's next? No, that's not the one. Remember what happens? He goes through all of these boys and he comes to the end. And what does he turn back and say? What does Samuel say to Jesse? You got anyone else? Who else you got? And what does dad Jesse say? Well, I got this ruddy kid out in the field. That's who I have. And Jesse says, go bring that guy to me.
Now, the Scripture that's pointed here in 1 Samuel 16 verse 7 is that God doesn't look like we look.
God looks where? God looks on the heart. God looks on the mind. So when we deal with partiality, God is impartial. Paul here, excuse me, yeah, Paul here is making the point that God is impartial in everything he does, particularly in judgment. If you go to Acts 10, if you want to flip over, we'll go back a book, Acts 10 verses 34 and 35, the same point is made here by Luke, Acts 10 verses 34 and 35. Acts 10 verse 34 reads this way, then Peter opened his mouth and said, in truth I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, verse 35, whoever fears him, that's what God's looking for, and works righteousness, does what is right, follows the law, is accepted by him.
So as we see Paul talk about this, what we're reminded of is that God doesn't really care what we look like. He doesn't care what color we are. We can be blue, it doesn't matter. He doesn't care if you're male or female. God doesn't look at it that way. God cares about our responsibility in terms of keeping that law. That's what he cares about. John 17, 17 reminds us that God judges righteously based on not some arbitrary standard, not a standard that's motivated by the masses, but based upon truth. That's the same yesterday, today, and forever. It never changes. There's no fluid line here. God's laws never change, and that's how God judges us. Verse 12 then, For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law. You know, as we move to this point, Paul here makes the points that ignorance of the law doesn't keep you from its penalty. Just like there is a penalty for violating the law of gravity, even if you don't know physics, there's a penalty for sin. Jasmine and I, I'm the driver for Jasmine in the morning, and as I've said before, this is one of my highlights every day. So we're flipping the dial, and we were listening to whatever reason, people who had done stupid things on Halloween, and a dad calls in. No, it's the daughter who calls in, and she said, well, my dad did something really dumb on Halloween several years ago, and so the broadcaster then announced, I think this is the Burt Show in the morning, said, what did your dad do? And she said, well, for whatever reason, my dad decided it would be funny that for the trick-or-treaters that he was on the roof, and he would jump off and scare them. Jump number one, what happens? He breaks his ankle.
Hey, just the fact that he doesn't know this law doesn't violate the consequence of that sin, does it? The consequence of adultery? You don't have to know what adultery is to suffer the consequences of sin when you violate it. You don't have to know the consequences, or you don't have to fully understand the law regarding killing another person to suffer the consequences of violating that law. Romans 3, 23 says, all of us have violated that law. All of us have violated that law. Paul makes the exact same point over one chapter in Romans, well, two chapters, Romans 4, verse 15.
Romans 4, verse 15 says the following. Romans 4, verse 15, I'll read first in the New King James, and then read in the New Living, because I like what that says better here. Because the law brings about wrath, for where there is no law, there is no transgression. You know, we might assume or think that we don't necessarily violate the law, but the consequence is and will come to pass. The New Living Translation says this, for the law always brings punishment on those who strive to obey it. The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break. Well, there are laws already in place, and God makes them and established them and have been there for eternity, because they're Him. They're a part of His character. They emanate from Him. Paul really is making a point that law brings a standard, and without law, seemingly we think we have no consequence. But God's laws don't work that way. They don't bend. They don't break. They're always the same. And those who happen to break those laws suffer penalties. Those who keep them reflect the character of God.
You know, I'll just make mention of what's in 1 John 4 verse 8. We're reminded there that love, God is love. And we're reminded in 1 John 5.3 that that love is dependent upon, based upon, stems from commandments, the laws that He gives. So how does this fit with what Paul is addressing here? Well, the Jews had long known the law. They'd known it their whole life, just as any of the young people here. We've grown up with it. Too much is given, much is required, though.
They, for whatever reason, weren't necessarily as true to that law. They had become a little slack in keeping that law. And Paul is addressing that head on. Verse 13, For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified. The term justified actually appears in the book of Romans 30 times. 30 times. Justification is actually the act of pronouncing someone as right or just. Justification is used twice in the New Testament, two ways. First of all, we're pointed out, and it's noted in the book of Romans, that there is initial justification, that after baptism and laying on of hands has happened, has occurred, Christ forgives us. That's an act of grace. That's a gift He gives us. That is the initial form of justification. But there is a second kind of justification that Paul is talking about here, and that is justification in a behavioral sense. What Paul advances here is that, once given that grace of justification, we have to live that, or we fall out of that grace, out of that justification. Our responsibility after given that initial justification is that we have to have a daily relationship with God. We have to be of people that are truly repentant, and only those who are truly repentant, God allows to remain in a state of justification. Now, the only way that happens initially and over time is by Christ's sacrifice. There's nothing we can do to bring that on. Christ's sacrifice is able to wipe away all those sins. And it's then after baptism that we begin that journey to the family of God. The change necessary to be part of that special family happens once God places His Spirit in us, and it starts to work with us. But the realization is, and sometimes this happens, someone will become baptized in a year in, two years in, three years in. Hey, this is really uncomfortable. You know, this is kind of getting tiring, keeping all these laws. I don't know what this is all about. And in doing so, we turn our backs on God.
Recognize that repentance means change. It means going away, the opposite way of the violation of law. It means we have to stop practicing wrong. God does not forgive someone who continually goes back to, on a superficial basis, the exact same sins and thinks, ah, I did it. God is after the heart and mind. God is really about us in terms of purity, having a clear mind and a clear heart, and being one that comes and pours ourselves out to Him and says, hey, I'm blown it.
Now, I don't know about you. This one comes out of my mouth a lot. Sometimes by commission, violating God's commands, and sometimes by omissions, where, for whatever reason, God has placed in someone or in me the realization that I've been missing something. But God expects you and me every day, just like we would a diet or an exercise plan, to get up no matter what happens the very next day and to go at it hard again. That's the expectation.
Because when we don't, we're headed the wrong direction. We're not changing.
14. We'll deal with it in a little while, because I actually make it one of our points. So you have, we'll address the elements there. Let's go to 15. Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts, accusing or excusing them. This term, conscience, that appears here, involves self-awareness, with knowledge, is what the Greek actually terms. Our conscience tells us whether we're doing something right or wrong. Now, as I kind of noted here, and I'm going to go back to that paper of the young guy that I read, one of the things that is really a shame in society today and its address at the latter end of Romans 1 is kind of a let's do it all mentality. Let's try it all. There are no limits. One of the reminders that we get at the tail end of Romans 1, just as I've already noted, is that it changes the way we think. It changes our thinking. It changes how we look at the world, sometimes in very difficult ways to go back to what's already pure or virgin.
And in a case like this, as we see here, Paul is pointing out that our conscience does that.
At times, I know, and you and I, because I know you do this and I do this, that you'll deal with something and you'll go, oh, that's not right. I probably shouldn't go there. That's our conscience there for a reason. It's saying, don't go there. That's not worth it. Our conscience is what gives indication, particularly when we have God's Spirit, of where we should go. What should be our path?
Where is our direction? And so in a case like this, he's pointing out that the Jews were of this mindset. They were superior. They felt of themselves highly, and Paul wasn't having any part with that. Verse 16 says, in the day when God will judge the secrets of man by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. You know, there comes a time, if not now, later when God will lay out everything. He will judge everything. And we might think we might get away with something now, but the reality, if something's not forgiven of, something secret, God will bring that thing up.
It's coming right back up. And so Paul here says that we can't be of this mindset of condemnation. That then takes us to the second section here, which are the last 12 verses of Romans 2. Let's deal with verses 17 through 24 first. Indeed, you are called a Jew, and the rest of the law, and make your boast in God, and know his will and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind. He's going to set them up here as we go forward. A light to those who are in darkness. An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. You almost get the sense by about verse 20, he has them all welled up, you know, kind of like all puffed up like a big bullfrog. Yeah, that's right. I know all this. Now watch what he does in 21. You therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?
You who say, do not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?
For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, as it is written. Now he makes a really striking point here. Here's his point.
In the church at Rome, Jews, you're being a stumbling block for everyone else.
You're preventing the growth of everyone else, and you're not acknowledging that.
So he's marked and cutting in the way he deals with this, but what he's desirous of is at least they see themselves. Now let's backtrack to 17. The term Jew, indeed you were called Jew, is one of ethnicity at the time. They were, by background, Jewish by race. And that's what he's specifying. Not some who had adapted the Jewish way. These were by race, those who happened to grow up and be a Jew from birth, generally from the mother. Well, not generally from the mother. Verse 18, and you know his will and approve the things that are excellent being instructed out of the law. He says, what he's really saying here, and I'll put in modern day vernacular, is you believe yourselves to be on the inside track to God. You're convinced that you're better than everyone else. And you're convinced that you're better than everyone else. And that doesn't carry water. As you drop to verse 21, it reads this way, you therefore who teach another, do you not teach yourself? And then he goes forward from there.
The Jews in Rome, as Paul is talking about, were boasters. Now, there are a number of different commentaries that talk about this. They really had a sense of superiority about them. And this really was manifest, as a number of commentaries point out, on the Sabbath. Because they had long known the way the Sabbath was routinely kept. And so what they oftentimes did, unlike today, where our lives oftentimes are so layered with so many different things, media and work and everything else, the Sabbath was a big deal at that time. And the Jews in Rome at the time would oftentimes use it as an opportunity to show their prowess, their greatness. And Paul says, that's not working here. It doesn't work at all. Their superiority was, for them, difficult to discern, because they'd been doing this for so long. Yet none had any reason to think highly of themselves, especially on the Sabbath. You know, one of the things that's helpful to remember, and I'm sure that many of us pray this even before Sabbath services, is we go and we pray that the speakers will be inspired. We pray that the messages will be blessed. I happen to have known that Mr. Graby was going to be here speaking for Mr. Zohora today with a smashed finger, not Mr. Graby, Mr. Zohora. And so one of the things I do is I'm praying, just like you do. Please bless the sermonette and the sermon. Okay? It then becomes my responsibility, your responsibility, all of our responsibility, to not come necessarily with a puffed up sense of superiority. Oh man, I'm good, I'm great in all of this. My job is to come humbly.
To come humbly. Whoever's speaking here, Mr. Brown, Mr. Burns, whoever's here, my job is to come and listen with you to come humbly so that I can take in, just like everyone else, the message that's being inspired by God. The Jews were not of that mindset. They didn't think that way. You know, it's a reminder of a couple of incidents in Scripture. Luke 18, I won't turn there. Luke 18 verses 9 through 14 is a reminder of those two who went up to the temple to pray. Remember this storyline? There was a Pharisee and a tax collector. Remember what the tax collector? He came up humble, didn't he?
I mean, of all things, he was looked at in such a negative sense at that time.
But the Pharisee comes, and what does the Pharisee do? Pharisee says, looks up to God, oh, I am so glad I'm not like this loser tax collector.
And then as we see that account kind of unfold, what do we wind up seeing further? The tax collector in humility going to God. And we recognize clearly the lesson from that is that we are to come humbly before God. God desires that from us. Second Corinthians 10, 17, I will go there for one verse. Second Corinthians 10 verse 17, again, leave a marker where we're at.
Second Corinthians 10 verse 17 is Paul writing a second letter to the church at Corinth, and he makes the following statement. It's one and the same he makes here, but to a different church.
Second Corinthians 10 verse 17, let him glory not in himself, in the Lord.
Let him glory in the Lord. And so we see here in verse 23 that Paul is calling them on that. Don't you dare do this. You may have known the truth since being an infant, but don't you dare let this be at the best of you. In verse 24 it reads, for the name of God is blaspheme among the Gentiles because of you as it is written. Really what he's saying here is Jews, your attitude has become a stumbling block for the Jews in the congregation. Your hypocrisy is actually hindering the growth of others. They see what you're saying and they don't hear what you're saying. I was reminded of a poem, and this poem is going to sound familiar, by Edgar Guest. And the poem, the first four lines work this way. I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day. I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way. Now those four lines are a reminder about our calling. Our responsibility is to be tried and true and faithful. And Paul is making that point. We're not to be ones who prevent the walk of someone else to the kingdom of God. They have to be ones of light. Matthew 5, 14, and 16, ones of salt. Whether it be here or whether it be at our place of work and our daily lives. So we've got one short section to go. Verse 25, for the circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law. But if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?
And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills a law, judge you, who, ever with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart and the spirit and not in the letter, whose praise is not from man but from God. You know, when we think about the Jews, the Jews were mindful of how the old covenant worked. They were well acquainted with the necessity of circumcision to be a part of Israel at that time. Circumcision, if you go back even to the Old Testament, was a requirement even for taking the Passover. To the Jews, circumcision was linked with keeping the law. Yet Paul is here making clear that physical circumcision is no longer relevant. 1 Corinthians 7 verse 19.
1 Corinthians 7 verse 19. I'm going to read one verse here. 1 Corinthians 7 verse 19. Ask if you'd read it with me. Here again, Paul, in the first letter to the church at Corinth, writes the following. God inspires him to say, write, circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Here's what counts.
Later end of 19. But keeping the commandments of God is what matters. You've got to keep them.
That's how this works. And so as we see here in 25, he's addressing the Jews from that vantage point. In verse 27 he says this, and will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills a law, judge you who even with your written code and circumcision are a transgressor of the law.
He's really saying here, it's Jews you miss the purpose of the new covenant.
It's not about physical circumcision. It's about a change, a removal of the foreskin that's on the heart. There are requirements of the law that go well beyond the Old Testament and what the Jews believed. You can go back again to the Sermon on the Mount. Remember what Christ talked about? He says, not if you don't, you know, you're well acquainted with do not kill. I say, if you look on a brother and hate that brother, you violated the law. The law says you should not commit adultery. I say, if you look on a woman with a wrong attitude or wrong mind, you've committed adultery. His point here is clear. It goes well beyond anything physical we do. And that's what Christ brought. He brought the next level, and He brought it by way of His Holy Spirit so that we have a much fuller understanding of what that is. Verse 29 is the last verse, but He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart in the Spirit and not in the letter, whose praise is not from man but from God. That superiority that was felt by the Jews was vanity.
We can go back to Ecclesiastes, and we know that vanity is what?
Worthless. It doesn't mean anything. This was the difficulty that the Jews had.
They wouldn't accept the fact that they were of this state of mind. By background, whether you know this or not, Jew actually means praise. And if you go back to the Old Testament, Judah was actually given its name because his mother at the time was praising God. The shame of it all is, is they had become so jaded in their thinking that they were no longer ones who praise God. They praise themselves.
They were self-absorbed with who they were. So it's then beneficial for anyone, for all of us, second and third generation Christians in particular, to heed the warning that's here.
What can we then learn from this short section of Scripture, verse 29? Well, I have two things.
First off, let's go back to Romans 2, verse 4. Now, I didn't hit on this to any great degree, but I'm going to ask that we give some attention here. Romans 2, verse 4 says, Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
What an amazing point that's made there. And if it helps, I'll put it in other terms.
Repentance is a gift from God. Repentance is a gift from God. God gives us repentance to remove the bonds, the shackles of sin. The beauty is that God leads us to repentance. He gives us standards for right and wrong. He makes clear what's right, and then he makes clear his expectation toward right. Now, I have no idea in terms of what you deal with, but at those times, particularly when we come to God in terms of repentance, I'm reminded of what Christ talks about, how my way is easier, my yoke is lighter. Because as soon as we go through a period where we're repentant, that burden that we've carried gets removed.
We can spend our lives going around with burdens, or we can receive the gift that God's given us and be a repentant people. Acts 11 verse 18. Acts 11 verse 18. Acts 11 verse 18 says this. The tail end here is this is where Peter is actually, my margin offers, defending his ministry to the Gentiles. And he's talking about, by background, the Holy Spirit, baptism, and the importance of it. And he comes to verse 18, and he offers the following. Acts 18, excuse me, 11 verse 18. And when they heard these things, they became silent.
You almost get a sense here that just as we see in Acts 2, that they're struck to the heart. That Peter's talking, and they hear this, and reality pops up, and they can't say anything. And the tail end of the verse says, and they glorify God, saying, then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance, not to death, to life.
Repentance to life. Now, I can't speak to you, and I've offered this before, and I didn't mention this this morning, but there are times in life where we will hold someone in disdain, and we will carry this burden for a while. And then we'll come to a realization of what we've actually done, and in going on our knees and accessing God, we'll say, I am sorry. I have blown it. And the only way I know to make this right is to come to you and apologize for this, certainly to go to the individual as well and to apologize. But the reality is that that's a gift. Now, I don't know about you in terms of what you experience when you do that. There's there is such relief getting up from my knees, having done that, and being right with God. And knowing that just as with baptism, and all sins have been removed, that God has washed everything away right there by the blood of Jesus Christ. So when we look at repentance, despite the fact, probably from a human vantage point, it seems this awkward, difficult, uncomfortable thing. It really is a gift that God provides us so that we can be freed up.
The second point that I have here comes from Romans 2 verse 14. And I mentioned that I'd come back here. It reads this way, for when Gentiles who do not have the law by nature do the things contained in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves. What does this mean? Well, you can go to a number of different versions, translations. And in essence, it means this. God's law benefits those who keep them, whether the keeper knows he or she is keeping that law or not. Adam Clark's commentary offers this, for when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do the law and all contained in it, they experience, listen to these four things, justice, mercy, temperance, and truth. They don't even know the law. But in a case when they abide by it, when they follow it, they get the benefit of these four things. You know, we have a hard time at making sense of those in the world who seem to be succeeding despite the fact that we get the sense they have no knowledge of God. Now, we could probably run a list of people quickly that come to mind that you think to yourself, there is no way that person is following God's law. And if I go to extreme measures, those who oftentimes are associated with whatever business, either online or separately, who is in direct violation of God's law. You know, I think of so many of these companies either porn industry or companies who are selling things that are in direct violation of God's law. And we see people that just seem like they're relishing and profiting from this.
Make no mistake, Galatians 6-7 makes clear that there is always a consequence for sin.
They may be on the surface making money and having the good life and the big life. We don't know what prison they live in their own heads and their own lives.
We think we do, we don't. The reality, though, is that for those who sin, there is an effect for every cause.
Just as sure as the sun rises and sets, there will be a day of reckoning.
So if you go, and I'll ask you to go one more place, over to Hebrews 11.
In Hebrews 11, and I read this this morning, but stopped shy of where I was after, Hebrews 11, we see that the account regarding Moses in verse 24 is kept well with kind of an exclamation point about the consequences of sin. By faith, Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. You know, one of the things that again we fight with is, well, it seems like he's not getting his comeuppance. That guy should just God should just drill him. That's what should happen now. Just wait, and we don't see it happen.
Realize that even if the consequence is not there, life is short. You know, I mentioned a little bit earlier Mr. Jackson who died. 52 years is not long, and I stand here 50 years old.
52 years is like, that's not even fair. I can't press my fingers together when you put it against the spance of eternity. There's no comparison. So we might think in this life that someone's getting away with something. No way. When you're given the opportunity for eternity, I don't care what sin it is, the perpetuation, the committal of that sin, there's no way this compares to that.
And that's what we're reminded of as we see here in verse 14. Our job is to grow in God's character by increasingly living those laws with each passing year till the day we die, because you don't know the day you'll die.
This is going to sound harsh. This could be it this week.
So that's our realization. 1 John 5, 3, which I noted earlier, says this, For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. That's our responsibility. So those are the two lessons that I have. We're looking forward then to Romans 3, and we're reminded in Romans 3, if we kind of do a preview of things to come, of the benefit of growing up with God's truth. That's addressed there at the beginning of Romans 3. We're reminded that all people, Jews and Gentiles, have fallen short of the glory of God. We're reminded that Christ's sacrifice is essential for salvation. It's his blood and no one else's that removes our sins. Romans 3 ends by stressing the importance of faith to our calling. So I offer this in closing. Let us study, let us know, and let us internalize the tremendous truths that are provided in the book of Romans.
I look forward to going through Romans 3 with you in the near future.
