Exposing False Assurance
Romans 2:1-29
September 23, 2007

(Read Verses 28-29)
We have concluded chapter 2 in our study of Romans,
As Paul really took a shot a organized religion.

WHEN READING THE BIBLE
Verse by Verse – gives you depth
Large Portion – gives you themes

TONIGHT I WANT TO SKIM ALL OF CHAPTER 2, TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE THEME BEFORE WE MOVE ON.

The purpose for Paul writing chapter two was to expose false assurance.

Chapter 1 (at least the end) was to reveal the wrath of God.
Chapter 2 is to expose those who think they are safe from that wrath simply because they have convinced themselves that they are.

Chapter 2 deals with people who are in great danger before God, But who have convinced themselves that they are fine.

AS BELIEVERS, WE MUST LEARN TO EXPOSE FALSE ASSURANCE,
IN ORDER THAT WE MAY LEAD MEN TO SALVATION.

You have often heard the phrase in regard to evangelism:
“You’ve got to get them lost, before you can get them saved.”

THIS IS TRUE.
It takes a certain attitude to be saved.
It takes an attitude of brokenness and humility.
Self-assurance, self-righteousness, self-confidence do not lead to salvation.

Jesus outlined the attitude required for salvation.
Matthew 5:3-10 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
In that list there is no place for False Assurance.

Those attitudes are of a person who has correctly diagnosed their spiritual condition, and as a result is crying out for mercy.

That being the case,
We must first lead men to lostness, before leading them to salvation.
This is why Paul starts Romans with wrath instead of grace.
THIS IS WHY IT IS NECESSARY TO LEARN TO EXPOSE FALSE ASSURANCE.

And if you read the Bible,
You will see this is a necessary part of evangelism.

Jesus did it: (Scribes and Pharisees)
Matthew 23:23-27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

Stephen did it. (Sanhedrin)
Acts 7:51-53 “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

Peter did it. (Simon the Magician)
Acts 8:20-23 “But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”

And that is also what Paul is doing here in chapter 2.
Now certainly it won’t be fun, but it is necessary.

In Romans 2, Paul outlined 5 major sources
Of false assurance that people have.

As we study, let us learn to expose this deadly problem.
LET US ALSO EXAMINE OURSELVES.

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”

The five things Paul exposed.
#1 THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS
Romans 2:1-6

As Paul pointed out the danger of the immoral pagan in chapter 1,
These Jews were sitting in their synagogue seats giving a hearty “Amen”.

They eagerly condemned the immoral pagan, because they truly believed that they were better people than the immoral pagan.

They worship idols – we don’t
They abandon the natural function – we don’t
They disregard the Word of God – we don’t
We are better people than them.

But in those first 6 verses we were reminded,
That although their sin wasn’t visible, it was still present.

Vs. 3 “But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?”

Idolatry is to misapply God’s glory.
(They may not bow to idols, but they love themselves)
Homosexuality is to reject God’s natural design.
(They may not be gay, but they abandon God’s role in other places)
Apathy is to disregard God’s word.
(They may not outwardly, but if you disobey at all, it is the same)

The point is they were sinful, they had no fruit of salvation,
Yet they were certain that they were acceptable to God.

Their false assurance was based upon their personal righteousness.
And we have heard this haven’t we?

“I’m a good person.”
Holiday, TX – “Home of good people and the fighting Holiday Eagles”

I’ve certainly never attended a funeral of a “bad person”.

That is a false assurance.
WHY?

Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

Ezekiel 36:17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.”

And of course we are all familiar with the famous:
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

The Rich Young Ruler certainly had this false assurance.
Matthew 19:16-17 “And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

And we could go on and on.
Even today, the world seems to be
Consumed with the “goodness” of people.

Psychologist’s claim that we are all “good” only victims of our circumstances.

A Preacher told me: “Rory, I remember back several years ago, while I was preaching, that it hit me. I could look at a congregation like they are all a bunch of [condemned] sinners, or I could look at them like they are all pretty good people, just doing the best they can.”

That preacher is a “Wide Gate” preacher,
Pushing people down the easy road of false assurance.

There is no such thing as “good” people.
There is only lost people, and redeemed people.

WE MUST EXPOSE THE FALSE ASSURANCE OF GOODNESS
In our own lives
In the lives of those we witness to.

And so Paul exposes their righteousness.
#2 THEIR ANCESTRY
Romans 2:7-11

The Jews had a real hang up with the fact that they believed themselves to be untouchable simply because they were descendants of Abraham.

Remember John the Baptist?
Matthew 3:7-9 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘ We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”

Even later in the book of Romans, Paul will blow a hole in this false assurance.
Romans 9:6-13 “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise: “AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.” And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”

Ishmael was a lost child of Abraham (and his descendants)
Esau was a lost child of Isaac (and his descendants)

The whole Abraham argument was foolish.
Yet Jew upon Jew trusted in the fact that because
They were Abraham’s descendant, they could not be judged.

This is a false hope alive today.
Certainly among Jews, but also among Gentiles.

I specifically remember asking one man if he was a Christian.
He answered, “My grandpa was a deacon in that church.” (I could tell you more of what he said, but it would give away who he is.)

F-A-L-S-E H-O-P-E

You do not become a Christian genetically.
John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

But do you want more information?
Deuteronomy 24:16 “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.”

Jeremiah 31:29-30 “In those days they will not say again, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ “But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.”

Ezekiel 18:2-4 “What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers eat the sour grapes, But the children’s teeth are set on edge’? “As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.”

Each of those verses remind us that judgment is personal.
And the fact that the faith of the father
Does not automatically apply to the son is also obvious.

Did not Eli have two wicked sons whom God destroyed?
Did not Aaron have sons who made “strange fire” before the Lord?
Was not David’s son Absalom one who rebelled?
Solomon’s son was a fool.

The point is it doesn’t matter who your parents are,
Or if they were the greatest Christians on the planet,
It does not make you one.

And that is what Paul was revealing here in these verses in Romans.

Vs. 9 “There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek,”

It didn’t matter if you are Jewish or not,
You still must personally obey God’s Law.

WE MUST EXPOSE THE FALSE ASSURANCE OF ANCESTRY.
In our own lives
In the lives of those we witness to.

Exposes their Righteousness…their Ancestry
#3 THEIR KNOWLEDGE
Romans 2:12-16

Paul really knocked over a big false assurance here.
The Jews, assumed that because they had the Law,
That made them more pleasing to God.

ALL IT REALLY DID WAS MAKE THEM MORE ACCOUNTABLE.

Even in the gospels, as Jesus exposed this one.
John 5:39-40 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”

Paul exposes it here as well.
Vs. 13, “for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”

Yet today, do we not hear this as a false hope of man?
“Sure, I know about Jesus…Jesus died on the cross….”

You’d think God is going to hand out #2 pencils on judgment day
And ask men if they can answer a series of questions.

Knowledge is not what God is looking for.

1 Corinthians 1:20-21 “Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”

The Corinthians are a wonderful example.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.”

YOU DO NOT ENTER THE KINGDOM THROUGH KNOWLEDGE
YOU ENTER THROUGH SUBMISSION.

Luke 18:16-19 “But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”

WHAT DOES A CHILD HAVE THAT THE RICH YOUNG RULER DIDN’T?
It certainly wasn’t knowledge.
It was submission / trust / faith

Knowledge doesn’t save anyone, it only increases the torment of hell.
Luke 12:47 “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes,”

I used to have people tell me all the time,
When I would ask them about Jesus.

They would say, “I know He’s always been there with me. He’s pulled me out of a lot of tight jams.”

DUH! “You’re lungs are working aren’t they?
Of course God has always been with you.”

THE QUESTION IS NOT WHAT HAS GOD DONE FOR YOU,
IT IS WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR GOD?

There is no doubt He is God.
We aren’t debating that.
We are trying to find out if you are His follower.

Just because you know He is God, does not make you saved.
James 2:19 “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

Knowledge is a false assurance. God is looking for faith.

Paul exposes their Righteousness…their Ancestry…their Knowledge
#4 THEIR MINISTRY
Romans 2:17-24

This may be one of the most deceptive and dangerous false assurances on the market today.

People assure themselves that they are saved
Because they are busy in the Lord’s work.

They preach…they teach…they are deacons…they go on mission trips…
they give money…they pray…they read their Bibles…they volunteer…
SO WHAT!

That is useless if your heart is not right before God.
Vs. 21-24, “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written.”

Jesus said it like this.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

YOU CANNOT TELL IF A PERSON IS SAVED
JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE MINISTRY.
(That includes preaching, casting out demons, and working miracles)
NONE OF THOSE ARE PROOFS OF SALVATION.

But today people use their involvement as their source of security.
“I don’t know why I’m under conviction, I know I’m saved,
I teach Sunday School, or I ________________”

That is false assurance.
The Pharisees were the most religiously active people you could find, and Jesus told them on numerous occasions that they were going to hell.

Religious involvement is NOT a proof of salvation.

Don’t allow men to go to hell just because they go to church.
Ministry, when used as a means of security, is a false assurance.
Their Righteousness…their Ancestry…their Knowledge…their Ministry
#5 THEIR WORKS
Romans 2:25-29

Jews thought they were saved because they were circumcised.
LIKE SALATION IS THAT EASY.

Vs. 25, “Indeed circumcision is of value, if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.”
Circumcision can’t save you.

And today, how many times, when I ask someone if they are a Christian, do they answer to me, “I was baptized when…”
I must really be saved, I’ve been baptized twice!!
IT’S JUST WATER!!!!

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

I HEAR PEOPLE TELL ME ALL THE TIME
WHY THEY THINK THEY ARE SAVED.
MOST OF WHAT I HEAR IS INSIGNIFICANT.

Your Righteousness (visible morality) is insignificant (Rich Young Ruler)
Your Ancestry is insignificant (Lost Jews)
Your Knowledge is insignificant (Scribes)
Your Ministry is insignificant (Even preachers will be kicked out)
Your Works are insignificant (God is looking for faith)

EVEN YOUR ASSURANCE IS USELESS
People seem to think if they are sure they are saved,
Then they are saved.

WE MUST EXPOSE FALSE ASSURANCE.

SO WHAT ARE EVIDENCES OF SALVATION?

Let’s start with the biggest
1) LOVE FOR GOD
Matthew 22:37-38 “And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment.

And of course the barometer:
John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
2) OBEDIENCE REVEALS LOVE FOR BRETHREN.
1 John 3:14-19 “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him”

And of course this is a barometer of our love for God.
1 John 4:20 “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

Romans 13:8-10 “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

1 John 5:2 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.”

3) REPENTANCE FROM SIN
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

1 John 3:7-10 “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

4) SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD.
James 4:4-6 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Love for God
Love for your brethren
Repentance from sin
Separation from the world
ALL ARE REVEALED BY OBEDIENCE

1 John 2:3-5 “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:”
OBEDIENCE IS PROVED BY PERSEVERANCE

Perseverance reveals that our obedience
Is the characteristic of our lives, and not just a momentary sham.

Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

There are many who can fake obedience at certain times,
But it is perseverance in obedience that truly reveals our faith.

If your obedience is not continuous, then it is not real,

If it is not real, then neither is your
Love for God, Love for your brother, Repentance from sin,
Separation from the world.

And if those are not real, you have never been saved.

THE POINT TONIGHT IS TO EXPOSE FALSE ASSURANCE.
There are ways to tell if a person is saved,
But do not allow a person who is not saved
To live in assurance that they are.

That was Paul’s point in Romans chapter 2.

Romans 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”

The False Hope of Circumcision
Romans 2:25-29
September 23, 2007

Throughout chapter 2, Paul has been systematically
Exposing all the false hopes of the Jews.

He revealed that their righteousness was deficient…
He revealed that their lineage was powerless…
He revealed that their knowledge was insignificant…
He revealed that their ministry was in vain…

This morning, Paul shoots down yet another false hope of the Jews.
CIRCUMCISION

Today Circumcision doesn’t mean a whole lot, but it did in Paul’s day.

Listen to these Rabbinic oral traditions.
• “No circumcised Jewish man will see hell.”
• “Circumcision saves us from hell.”
• “God swore to Abraham that no one who was circumcised would be sent to hell. Abraham sits before the gate of hell and never allows any circumcised Israelite to enter.”

Obviously it was a big deal to the Jews.
And it had become a false assurance of their faith.

Of course you know where circumcision originated.
Genesis 17:9-11 “God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.”

Man recognizes the sinfulness of the flesh, and circumcision was symbolic of the need to remove the flesh from man.
(By removing the foreskin of the procreative male organ)

The problem was when people took upon themselves the “sign”
Without ever entering into the covenant.

And that misses the point.

Romans 4:9-12 “Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.”

Even Paul said that circumcision was “a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised.”

God did not justify Abraham because he was circumcised,
God justified Abraham because he had faith.

But the Jews had completely missed the point.

God would send leaders to correct the misconception of the Jews.

Moses tried.
Deuteronomy 10:15-17 “Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. “So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer. “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.”

Jeremiah tried
Jeremiah 4:3-4 “For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns. “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.”

Jeremiah 9:25-26 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised — Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.”

But the people had still obviously missed the point.
The false hope of circumcision was alive and well.

Even during New Testament times,
Jews were hindering the church by requiring circumcision
In order to be a Christian.

This of course was why Paul wrote the letter to the church in Galatia.
Galatians 6:12-13 “Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh.”

The Jews were missing the point.
Instead of seeing circumcision as a symbol of salvation,
They saw it as a means of salvation
And began to trust in their circumcision as their savior.

This morning Paul will seek to set the record straight
In regard to “religious works” such as circumcision.
4 things Paul shows us in our text this morning.
#1 THE REWARD OF CIRCUMCISION
Romans 2:25

Paul here begins this point in a very positive way,
And that is by first revealing that circumcision does have value.

“For indeed circumcision is of value”

WHY?
Because it was commanded by God,
And there is value in obeying God’s commands.

Perhaps you will remember this story.

God had selected Moses to go to Pharaoh, and he was on his way there.
Exodus 4:24-26 “Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Moses’ feet, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.” So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood” — because of the circumcision.”

God was actually going to kill Moses for his lack of obedience.
Obviously circumcision is of value

Consider the New Testament.
Acts 16:1-3 “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.”

Now obviously, if circumcision had no value whatsoever,
I think Timothy would have most certainly objected.

THE POINT IS, THERE IS VALUE IN CIRCUMCISION.

“For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law”

The value of circumcision is conditional,
Based upon the condition of the heart.

If a person walks in obedience to the word of God,
Then circumcision is valuable, for it is a sign of faith.

THAT IS WHAT WORKS ARE = A SIGN OF FAITH
James 2:17 “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

SO THERE IS DEFINITELY VALUE
BUT THERE IS A FLIP SIDE TO THE CONDITION
“but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.”

Now that is a very insightful statement.
Paul could have said,
“If you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision is worthless.”

But that is not what he said.
Who cares if you are circumcised, if you willfully reject God?

But Paul went further.
“your circumcision has become uncircumcision”

Paul said, your outward act has actually become the very thing
That keeps you from getting your heart right before God.

Your physical circumcision prevents your heart circumcision.

WHY?
As long as they thought God accepted them
Based upon their physical circumcision,
What was the need in circumcising their hearts before Him?

WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS MAKING THEM PLEASING,
WAS ACTUALLY KEEPING THEM FROM BEING PLEASING.

THIS IS THE DANGER OF WORKS BASED RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Not only does it not please God, but when people trust in that for salvation, it keeps them from seeking the righteousness of God.

Is this not why the Pharisees refused to seek the salvation of Jesus?
They thought they were acceptable to God based upon their works.
That was their stumbling block.

Romans 9:30-33 “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

Romans 10:3 “For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”

Their righteousness actually became unrighteousness.
Their circumcision became uncircumcision.
AND THIS IS PAUL’S POINT
Circumcision is valuable, it if it is an indicator of a righteous heart, but if it is a cover up for unrighteousness, it holds no value at all.

So first, the reward of circumcision
#2 THE REQUIREMENT OF CIRCUMCISION
Romans 2:26

After revealing the flaw of circumcision,
Paul now reveals what God is really looking for.

“So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?”

Now certainly that statement was a shocker to the Jews.

DID PAUL JUST SAY THAT AN UNCIRCUMCISED MAN COULD BE PLEASING TO GOD?

NO.
That is not what he said at all.
In fact, and uncircumcised man cannot be pleasing to God.

BUT IT HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH THE FLESH.

WHAT DOES GOD LOOK AT?
The heart.

What did Moses ask of them?
“So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer”

What did Jeremiah ask of them?
“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and remove the foreskins of your heart.”

You cannot be pleasing to God if your heart is not circumcised. God wants the vile, sinful nature, removed from the heart.

And what Paul just said,
If a man will walk in righteousness before God,
Then even though he is physically uncircumcised,
“his uncircumcision will be regarded as circumcision”

THE POINT IS SIMPLE
God wants righteousness of heart,
Not some outward display of religion.
This is why Paul was so adamant to the Galatians.
Galatians 5:2-6 “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”

I don’t care how religious you are,
I don’t care if you have fulfilled every ritual,
If your heart is not right before God, it is not acceptable to Him.

So first, the Reward of circumcision; the Requirement of circumcision
#3 THE RISK OF CIRCUMCISION
Romans 2:27

This rings eerily true
To what we learned last Sunday morning about knowledge.

Just when you thought something was beneficial for salvation,
It turns out to be the thing that condemns you the hardest.

Here Paul says that circumcision works in a similar way.
“And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who through having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?”

Now of course, God is the judge,
So we are not speaking as though these “physically uncircumcised”
Will actually deal out God’s judgment.

But what we are speaking of is
In the day of judgment, those who keep the Law
Will be a witness against those who did not.
Especially if those who did not keep the Law
Owned a copy of the Law and received circumcision.

They obeyed with little instruction…
You disobeyed with much instruction…
They will testify against you.

The point is that when the unreligious perform righteousness,
It makes the religious look extremely bad.

Remember the uncircumcised Centurion?
Matthew 8:8-10 “But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. “For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.”

Remember the immoral woman wiping Jesus feet?
Luke 7:44-47 “Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Remember the tax Collector showing up the Pharisee?
Luke 18:10-14 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

And we could go on and on.
Zaccheus
Tyre, Sidon, Sodom, Gomorrah
The Assyrians, The Queen of the South

Time and time again, Paul’s point rang true.
God looks at the heart, and those who are righteous in heart,
Will testify against those who are only righteous in appearance.

The Reward of…The Requirement of…The Risk of…
#4 THE REALITY OF CIRCUMCISION
Romans 2:28-29

Here Paul pulls the whole chapter together.

TO ALL WHO TRUST IN THEIR RELIGION
Paul deals them the ultimate blow

He shows them the reality of circumcision.

1) THE PLACE IT OCCURS (28a)
“For he is not a Jew is one outwardly; nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart,”

What God is looking for has nothing to do with the outside.
What God is looking for concerns the inside.

In churches today, we continually teach people
How to clean up the outside.
How to dress…how to talk…what not to drink… etc.

It is as though righteousness naturally moves from the outside inwardly.

Matthew 12:43-45 “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. “Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

Righteousness starts in the heart, and then works itself outward.

Don’t convince yourself of your eternal security
Simply because the outside appears to be in order.
By the time you stand before God,
The outside will have long since been done away with.
GOD IS LOOKING AT THE HEART.

This is where circumcision must occur.
You must let God remove the vile, sinful, evil tendencies of your heart.

And you see this in Jesus.
“You have heard…but I say…”

GOD IS AT WORK ON THE INSIDE,
THAT IS THE REALITY OF CIRCUMCISION.

2) THE PERSON WHO CAUSES IT (28b)
“circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter;”

The Jews thought the Law made them safe, but
Righteousness doesn’t come through the Law.

Romans 3:20 “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

The Law doesn’t lead to righteousness, the Law leads to judgment.
Romans 7:9-11 “I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.”

You do not get righteous by reading the Law.
You do not get righteous by reading the Bible.
They don’t remove sin, they expose sin.
CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART OCCURS AT THE HANDS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

It is God who must work that transforming work in your heart.
Listen to what Moses told the Jews.

Deuteronomy 30:6 “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”

This is what Jeremiah spoke of:
Jeremiah 31:33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Jeremiah 32:38-40 “They shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. “I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.”

It is what Ezekiel spoke of:
Ezekiel 36:26-27 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

It is also what Ezekiel saw: (Old Dry Bones)
Ezekiel 37:11-14 “Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ “Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. “Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.'”

Heart Circumcision only occurs at the hands of God.

The place it occurs The Person who causes it
3) THE PRAISE IT BRINGS (28c)
“and his praise is not from men, but from God.”

When your heart is circumcised, it is not about pleasing men,
It is about pleasing God.

In fact, the Bible teaches that
Men don’t praise you for getting your heart right with God.

BUT WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT REMOVES YOUR WICKEDNESS,
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT PEOPLE THINK, GOD IS PLEASED.

That is how to be pleasing to Him.

TO SUM UP.
The Jews thought they were pleasing to God
Because they were circumcised.
In reality they were only pleasing to themselves, and to each other.

God is only pleased when the heart is circumcised,
And it is this heart circumcision that merits His praise.

I know this morning that you are not Jewish,
And you probably aren’t struggling with circumcision.

BUT DON’T MISS THE POINT.
It is not about some religious work you did.

Baptism today is much like circumcision of their day.

WITHOUT THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,
THE BAPTISM WITH WATER IS ABSOLUTELY USELESS.

“For God does not see as man sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

He is concerned with the righteousness of your heart,
Not the appearance of your flesh.

And this morning, regardless of your outside,
Your heart can be made righteous before God.
Your heart can be made clean.

It happens when we stop trusting in ourselves, and start trusting in Christ.
Romans 8:3-4 “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Give your life to Jesus, trust Him only for salvation
(Forgiveness, New nature, Eternal Life, the Favor of God)

Jesus can save us from the wrath of God.
Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

Taking God’s Name in Vain
Romans 2:17-24
September 16, 2007

Tonight we hit the passage
That Paul has been working towards in chapter 2.

He started by revealing
That even the religious person can be under judgment.

Tonight he blows a hole in all their religious activity.

So many today assume that they are so pleasing to God
Simply because they relentlessly engage in religious activity.

Certainly the Pharisee felt this way.
Luke 18:12 “’I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’”

Of course according to Jesus, their fasting was a sham.
Matthew 6:16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”

And their tithing was not nearly enough.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.”

But none the less, people still rest assured in their religious work.

But imagine the tragedy that WILL occur some day,
When scores of religious people stand before God,
Only to find that their religious involvement was not enough.

“Lord, Lord, did we not…”

Despite all their religious involvement,
They will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”

Luke 11:44 “Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”

Matthew 23:29-36 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ “So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. “Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. “Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”

Someone so religious, someone so involved,
And yet they are judged and go to hell.

HOW CAN THIS BE?
They took the name of the Lord in vain.

YOU SAY, WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THEY SAID THE CURSE WORD?
No.

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”

Zechariah 5:1-4 “Then I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll. And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I answered, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.” Then he said to me, “This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land; surely everyone who steals will be purged away according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears will be purged away according to the writing on the other side. “I will make it go forth,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones.”

Leviticus 19:11-12 “’You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. ‘You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.”

Numbers 15:30 “’But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.”
Taking God’s name in vain,
Is not limited to saying the curse word.

It is any time we take God’s name upon ourselves,
But when we do it in a vain way.

It is to go to church, but not live for Jesus.
It is to wear a Christian T-shirt, but not live like a Christian.
It is to use religious speech, but use worldly action.
It is to claim to be a Christian, but live in disobedience to Christ.

That is taking God’s name upon yourself in a vain way.

AND COINCIDENTALLY,
WHEN A PERSON TAKES GOD’S NAME IN VAIN,
THEY DO NOT ACHIEVE THE RELIGIOUS GOALS
OF WHY THEY TOOK GOD’S NAME TO BEGIN WITH.

Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

They did all the right things on the surface,
But they did not achieve the goal.

This is why what Jesus said in Matthew 7 rings so true.

Matthew 7:15-20 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “So then, you will know them by their fruits.”

A person who does the right things for the wrong reason,
Will not achieve the desired effect.

Paul is revealing here,
Not only is the religion of the hypocrite useless for their salvation, But the religion of a hypocrite is also useless in helping others.

Paul started chapter 2 with a bang,
And here he delivers the strongest punch of the chapter.

You have actually accomplished the exact opposite of what you thought.

Tonight we see an explanation
Of those who take God’s name in vain.
3 things
#1 THEIR FALLACY
Romans 2:17-20

Paul here gives a list of at least 8 attributes or beliefs
Of the person who takes God’s name in vain.

These attributes or beliefs could also be applied
To those who do not take God’s name in vain.
In fact, all of these attributes are commanded of believers in the Bible.

So it is not the action in and of itself,
But the fact that when a self-righteous non-believer does them,
It is ineffective.

When a believer does these things, it works to the glory of God.
When a self-righteous person does these things,
It has the exact opposite effect.

Hopefully you will see what I mean.
Let’s briefly look at these 8 attributes or beliefs.

1) TITLE
“But if you bear the name “Jew”

“bear” translates EPONOMAZO
(ep-on-om-ad-zo)

“to name further, to denominate”

It is what we do, when we not only call ourselves a Christian, but a Baptist. We name ourselves further. We denominate.

This is what a Jew was doing, but purposely calling themselves a Jew.
They were boldly putting it out there for the world to see.
They wanted everyone to know what they claimed to believe.

And this is not a bad thing, in and of itself.
1 Peter 4:16 “but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.”

The problem is that the title doesn’t change the substance.
You can put a Coca-Cola wrapper on a can of Dr. Pepper,
But it won’t change the taste.

Taking the title is useless by itself.
Matthew 23:6-10 “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. “Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.”

But these people boldly put a title on themselves for everyone to see.

2) TRUST
“and rely upon the Law”

It is not wrong to rely upon the word of God.

Romans 7:12 “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”
We as true believers rely upon God’s word,
But not for salvation, and that is the problem here.

They relied on God’s word as their means of attaining righteousness,
And that is foolish.

Romans 3:20 “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

Galatians 2:21 “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Galatians 3:10-14 “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.” Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us — for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE” — in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

3) ASSURANCE
“and boast in God”

There is no problem with this.
1 Corinthians 1:31 “so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

But when your boasting is only self-assurance
Based upon your self-righteousness, then boasting is wrong.

Romans 3:27-28 “Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”

Luke 18:9-12 “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’”

4) UNDERSTANDING
“and know His will”

I hope you realize that it is good to know the will of God.
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

But if your confidence is misguided
And your assurance is unwarranted,
Then your understanding is dangerous.

Combining ignorance and confidence is a dangerous thing for those who listen to you.

The Jews were certain that they knew God’s will for their lives,
But Jesus corrected them.

John 8:39-42 “They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.”

5) AGREEMENT
“and approve the things that are essential”

“approve” translates DOKIMAZO
(dok-im-ad-zo)

“to test, to approve, to prove, to examine”

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

But when you examine with a faulty standard, or with an eye towards judgment, it is wrong.

John 5:16 “For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.”

They judged with a wrong standard.

6) KNOWLEDGE
“being instructed out of the Law”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

But as we studied this morning,
Knowledge in itself is not the final aim of God.

7) PURPOSE
“and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature,”
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

But when your standard is wrong,
And you still think you are the example for mankind,
Then we have a problem.

Matthew 23:1-3 “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.”

8) AUTHORITY
“having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth,”

This was the authority they stood on as being worth listening to, and so do we.

Titus 2:15 “These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”

But when you misinterpret that Law,
You become dangerous to those around you.

John 9:28-29 “They reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. “We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”

“blind guides of the blind”

HERE IS THE POINT
All of these things are good things.
We are commanded to do them all as believers.

And when a true believer follows that pattern,
They will bear the fruit of converts, and bring glory to God.

BUT – doing those things, with a wrong heart,
Will not produce the desired response.

And this is what Paul wants them to know.
They assumed the magic was in the action.
WRONG
The power is in the transformed life.

This was their fallacy.
Doing religious things, does not bring spiritual results.

And so Paul rightly moves from their fallacy to
#2 THEIR HYPOCRISY
Romans 2:21-23

This is why all their religious actions don’t work.
They don’t do them with the proper heart,
And they don’t have a righteous standard.

In fact, it is not the Law that ruins it, it is their lifestyle that ruins it.

Look at what Paul says,
“you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself?”

NOW WHY WOULD A PERSON TEACH OTHERS AND NOT OBEY THEIR OWN TEACHING?

Obviously because they feel they are above the need for such teaching.
They are self-justified, and so this doesn’t apply to them.

This is what Jesus was implying to Nicodemus.
John 3:7-10 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?”

Paul goes on,
“You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?”

Malachi 3:8-9 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you!”

“You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?”

Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Matthew 5:31-32 “It was said, ‘WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

“You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?”

It is a little difficult to know for sure what Paul speaks of.

It is obvious that the Jews were preaching against idolatry.

Maybe they were robbing God’s temple, which would be idolatry of money.
Maybe they were robbing pagan temples, and selling the statues.

The idea is vehemently condemning idolatry,
But then practicing it in some other form.

And then Paul lowers the boom.
“You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?”

Paul here says, that boldly preaching
And then living in disobedience is dishonoring to God.

Remember this story?
Numbers 20:9-12 “So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

Everyone says, “Why was God so hard on Moses?”
Well how many times did Moses stand and harp on the people about obeying every single command?

Moses disobedience dishonored God

And that is Paul’s real point.

YOU THINK THAT BY DOING ALL THIS RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY,
YOU ARE HONORING GOD,
BUT YOU ARE ACTUALLY ACHIEVING THE OPPOSITE.

And look at the result of that.
#3 THEIR BLASPHEMY
Romans 2:24

“blasphemed” translates BLASPHEMEO
(blas-fay-meh-o)
“to speak impiously, evil speaking, railing”

Now of course these religious people weren’t doing it.
But the Gentiles who witnessed their hypocrisy were.
“Why would I want to be a Christian, look at how they live.”
“If that’s a Christian, then I don’t want to be one.”
“If their God is like them, then I don’t want to follow Him”

DO YOU SEE THE POINT?
You may think that by pretending to be religious.
You may think that by playing the church game.
You may think that by doing everything right on the outside.
That you are drawing men to God,
(even if it is for the wrong reasons)
WRONG

Men don’t just listen to your words, they watch your lifestyle,
And if it isn’t consistent, it isn’t effective.

These people were taking God’s name in vain.
It was not leading men to God.
It was causing men to blaspheme God.

Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

Revelation 2:9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”

These Jews in chapter 2 were so sure of themselves
Because they were outwardly religious.

They used their religion to justify themselves.
Paul said that doesn’t work. (1) “for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself, for you who judge practice the same things.”

Again (13) “for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”

They thought they were drawing men to God.
Paul said that doesn’t work either.
“for the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

THEY DON’T BLASPHEME YOU, THEY BLASPHEME GOD

QUIT AFFIRMING YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU ARE RELIGIOUS

What Jesus wants is a heart that will trust Him, and love Him.

Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

It is Not the Hearers
Romans 2:12-16
September 16, 2007

Last Sunday morning, Paul pulled a fast one on the self-righteous.

After feeding their ego for a chapter, Paul turned in chapter 2, to knock the self-righteous off of their pillow of false assurance.

Romans 2:1 “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”

Sin is sin and judgment is absolutely impartial.
Only a deceived person would assume they won’t be judged.

Romans 2:3 “But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?”

And the reason is because God faithfully distributes judgment.
Romans 2:6 “who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:”

Then last Sunday night we began looking at Qualifications for Judgment.
(The truths taught here is not how to be saved, but rather how to be judged.)

If you want to be judged, then fail to keep God’s commands.
Judgment faithfully follows sin.

Yet as we noted, the self-righteous hypocrites deny this fact.
They hold on to faulty notions that they won’t be judged.

In Isaiah’s day they thought they could hide from judgment.
Isaiah 28:15 “Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.”

To that God responded.
Isaiah 28:17-18 “I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place. “Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place.”

Jeremiah’s day they thought God’s temple kept them safe from judgment.
And so Jeremiah said:
Jeremiah 7:4-7 “Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘ This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’ “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.”
In Zephaniah’s day, the people just thought God wouldn’t judge at all.
Zephaniah 1:12 “It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And I will punish the men Who are stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good or evil!’”

In John the Baptist’s day, they thought their ancestry would save them.
Matthew 3:7-9 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘ We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”

Paul was still battling that notion a little in chapter 2 when he said:
Romans 2:9-11 “There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”

But the point has been clearly made throughout the ages.
If you sin, you get judged.

It doesn’t benefit to think you can hide from judgment.
It doesn’t benefit to think going to church will help you.
It doesn’t benefit to assume God won’t do it.
It doesn’t benefit to have Christian parents.

Assigning false comfort to yourself through deceptive lies
Will not eliminate the reality of judgment.

And throughout the generations, men have learned the hard way.

In Isaiah’s day they thought they could hide.
They were found and the Northern Kingdom was destroyed by Assyria
In Jeremiah’s day they thought the temple would save them.
They watched Nebuchadnezzar burn the temple.
In Zephaniah’s day they thought God wouldn’t do it.
They found they were wrong as they were deported to Babylon
In John the Baptist’s day they thought their ancestry would save them.
And Jesus pronounced their condemnation before they ever died.

THEIR ASSUMPTIONS ALL PROVED TO BE FALSE

And yet men still provide themselves with faulty assumptions.
Following the sermons of the false prophets:

Jeremiah 6:14 “They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace.”

Men still look for ways to justify themselves, and their sinful lifestyles.

This morning we see yet another dangerous deception
That leads men to a supposed self-justification.

KNOWLEDGE

Men who assume that because they know the truth,
That they will not be judged even though they live in sin.

IT IS A DANGEROUS AND DESTRUCTIVE FALSE ASSUMPTION.

Yet we still see it today, and we are partly to blame.

We have trained people to think you attain salvation through education.

We determine the readiness of a child,
but their understanding of the truth.
BUT IT SHOULD BE DETERMINED
BY THEIR WILLINGNESS TO SUBMIT.

If a child knows the answers we let them in.

THAT CAUSES PEOPLE TO BELIEVE THAT SALVATION
IS ACHIEVED THROUGH UNDERSTANDING.

THEN THOSE KIDS GROW UP AND TEACH THEIR KIDS THE SAME
We end up with churches full of educated people
Who aren’t following Jesus.

BUT GOD NEVER REQUIRED SMART PEOPLE,
NOR DID HE TELL US TO TRAIN OUR KIDS IN THAT MANNER.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

TRAIN YOUR CHILDREN TO LOVE GOD
(We got so consumed with the training that we forgot what we were training them.)

HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
1) BY EXAMPLE – “shall be on your heart”
2) BY DILIGENCE – “teach them diligently…when sit…walk…lie down…rise up”
3) BY PRIORITY – “bind them as frontals on your forehead…”

God doesn’t want us to train people to know the facts.
God wants people trained to know and love Him.
But somewhere we got off target.
We started treating salvation like a multiple choice test.

Completely overlooking:
The Insufficiency of the knowledge of the Pharisees.
The Insufficiency of the knowledge of the Rich Young Ruler
The Insufficiency of the knowledge of Judas

THE IDEA HAS NEVER BEEN KNOWLEDGE
JESUS WANTS YOU TO LOVE HIM
(obedience, perseverance, submission, faithfulness)

Luke 14:26-27 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

But none the less, we began to train people
That salvation was through knowledge.
And the result is people who live in disobedience to Christ,
But because they know the facts about Christ,
They assume they won’t be judged.

The purpose of this text this morning is to prove that theory wrong.

And there are 4 things Paul shows us about knowledge in our text this morning.
#1 IN REGARD TO JUDGMENT: KNOWLEDGE IS INSIGNIFICANT
Romans 2:12

There is a growing population today (even in the church)
That seems to think the answer to judgment is knowledge.

But as Paul points out here.
When it comes to judgment, knowledge is insignificant.

“all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law”
That statement seems to play right into the hands of those
Who are trusting in their Bible knowledge as proof of their salvation.

But if you will accurately read that verse,
You will see that the reason they are judged
Is not because they were uneducated, but because they were sinners.

The point there is that sin is punished.

A PERSON COULD PLEAD IGNORANCE – “I never read the Bible”
According to the statement here, that is INSIGNIFICANT.
Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

You may not have the Law, but you do have creation.
You sinned, and so you will be judged.

And perhaps that one seems obvious, but look at what Paul says next.

“and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;”

KNOWLEDGE WILL NOT HELP IN JUDGMENT

If you are guilty before God as an adulterer,
It will not help you in judgment to appeal to God
That you have memorized the 7th Commandment.

KNOWLEDGE DOES NOT NULLIFY SIN.

Yet it is amazing how many people in this world think
That it is their knowledge that makes them a Christian.
KNOWLEDGE IS NOT A FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
KNOWLEDGE IS NOT A FRUIT OF SALVATION

Knowledge is Insignificant in the Judgment
Remember these guys?
Luke 13:24-27 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘ Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘ I do not know where you are from.’ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’”

They are appealing to their intellectual knowledge of Him.

MAY I REMIND YOU.
It doesn’t matter if you know all about Jesus,
If Jesus doesn’t know you.

Knowledge is absolutely insignificant in judgment.
#2 DURING JUDGMENT: KNOWLEDGE IS IMPOTENT
Romans 2:13

And this statement is really the crux of the passage.
“for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God,”

People think their knowledge makes them safer in judgment.

I quit asking the question when witnessing:
“Do you know Jesus?”

Because I found out just about everybody does.
“Yeah, I know Jesus. He died on the cross. I was baptized when I was a kid.”

PEOPLE IN HELL KNOW JESUS
But knowledge of Him is not what He wants.

JESUS IS NOT LOOKING FOR HISTORIANS OR BIOGRAPHERS. JESUS IS LOOKING FOR FOLLOWERS.

He is looking for those who will trust Him.
(i.e. obedience and perseverance)

“for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”

CAN A VERSE SCREAM IT ANY LOUDER?
I don’t care that you know the answers…
I don’t care that you memorized the verse…
I don’t care that you know the facts about Jesus…

I WANT TO KNOW IF YOU ARE OBEYING HIM!!!
If you are not obeying Him, your knowledge
Is absolutely powerless to save you on the day of judgment.

James 1:19-25 “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

HEARNIG IS IMPORTANT – “be quick to hear”
Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

BUT DO NOT STOP WITH SIMPLY HEARING

HEARING IS POWERLESS WITHOUT DOING.

That is why throughout the Scripture, obedience (not knowledge)
Is the verifiable trademark of Christianity.

Luke 6:46-49 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. “But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

1 John 2:3-6 “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ” I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”
AND THIS IS PAUL’S POINT.
You may have knowledge, but on the day of judgment,
Your knowledge will be absolutely powerless to help you.

Because in judgment, knowledge is INSIGNIFICANT, and:
In the judgment, knowledge is IMPOTENT.
#3 DURING JUDGMENT: KNOWLEDGE IS INCONVENIENT
Romans 2:14-15

And this may be the harshest truth to swallow at all.

Paul is going to make the point of the inconvenience of knowledge,
And he will do so by showing how inconvenient it is
For those who have limited knowledge.
If it is inconvenient for them, how much more so for the highly educated?

“when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law…they show the work of the Law written in their hearts,

Now this does not mean they are saved.

But what Paul is referring to is, when a man
Who has absolutely no Bible knowledge at all,
Instinctively refrains from immoral behavior,
Then he reveals that although he does not have Bible knowledge, He does know right from wrong.

All across our world, there are lost moral people.
Lost people who do not cheat on their spouses.
Lost people who do not murder.
Lost people who do not steal.
Lost people who won’t have abortions.

They may not have the Law, but they know right from wrong.
It is the inner “instinctive” knowledge of the conscience.
And Paul says, this knowledge will be inconvenient for them
At the day of judgment.

“their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,”

WHAT WILL JUDGE THESE PEOPLE?
Their conscience and their thoughts.

They will stand before God and say, “I’m not guilty, I didn’t know adultery was wrong.”
And then God will say, “Then why did you refrain from it for 20 years?” Your obedience proves you knew it was wrong.

Even to the man with seemingly no knowledge at all,
Even his limited knowledge is inconvenient.

NOW
If a man with limited knowledge is judged by his knowledge, what does that say for those of us with great knowledge?
Certainly our knowledge will not help us,
But will be considered most inconvenient.

AND I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING
Not only is knowledge not helpful in judgment,
Knowledge is harmful.

THE MORE YOU KNOW, THE STIFFER THE PUNISHMENT
Luke 12:43-48 “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. “But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”

Matthew 11:20-24 “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon inthe day of judgment than for you. “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”
THERE ARE DEGREES OF TORMENT IN HELL
AND IT IS DETERMINED BY YOUR AMOUNT OF KNOWLEDGE

And we do that with our kids.
The 2nd offense brings a far stiffer penalty.

SO IT IS WITH KNOWLEDGE.
People will find it most inconvenient on the day of judgment.

It will only prove their guilt, and prove they deserve punishment.

Better to enter hell an ignorant uneducated fool,
Than with a worn out Bible.
The Bible is not just to be read, but obeyed.

#4 DURING JUDGMENT: KNOWLEDGE IS INEXTRICABLE
Romans 2:16

Inextricable = cannot set himself free from, cannot deny

And this is the point.
Because knowledge will be so inconvenient during judgment,
No doubt many will do their best
To assure God they did not know all they know.

DO NOT OUR KIDS DO THIS?
“You knew better than that!”
“No I didn’t, I didn’t know better.”

Carrie will ask Zek “What are you doing?”
He will immediately say, “I don’t know.”
Soon – “What do you think I was doing?”

EVEN KIDS KNOW KNOWLEDGE HURTS YOU IN JUDGMENT

And once people figure this out,
The next step will be to hide what they know.
They will try to convince God
They really weren’t as educated as they pretended.

But that won’t work because:
“God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”

AND HERE IS THE POINT

On the day when men are judged.
Every sin will be revealed, every ounce of knowledge will be uncovered.
God will take your sin in one hand, your knowledge in the other.
Your sin will determine your guilt
Your knowledge will determine the severity of your punishment

And the point is that knowledge does not help in judgment.

TO EVERYONE WHO THINKS THEY ARE OK
BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS:
DO NOT BE DECEIVED.

God is not looking for theologians, God is looking for disciples.

When Jesus calls a person
He does not put a strain on the intellect,
He puts a strain on the heart.

Matthew 8:19-22 “Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”

Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

Matthew 19:21-22 “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”

Jesus didn’t ask any of those people to learn facts.
Jesus didn’t give any of them a multiple choice test.
JESUS ASKED EVERYONE OF THEM TO FULLY TRUST AND OBEY HIM.

In Isaiah’s day they thought they could hide from judgment…
In Jeremiah’s day they thought going to church would save them…
In Zephaniah’s day they thought God wouldn’t really do it…
In John the Baptist’s day they thought their ancestry could save them…
Today men think their knowledge will deliver them.

DON’T BE DECEIVED.
Only fully trusting Jesus can save man from the wrath of God.

Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

Qualifications for Judgmnet
Romans 2:7-11
September 9, 2007

This morning we heard one of those “upbeat” “feel good” type of sermons
That really warms the heart and soothes the ego.

Paul laid it on the line in regard to hypocrisy.

Hypocrites have a:
Denial of Punishment
Disdain for Pity
Debt to Pay

They are those who assume they will not be judged,
And would just as soon pity not be offered
To those who really deserve to be judged.

AND OF COURSE THAT TYPE OF PERSON IS GRAVE DANGER

But Paul is by no means finished proving that point to us.

In verse 6 Paul made a very pivotal statement.
“who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:”

He is quoting from the Old Testament
Psalms 62:12 “And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord, For You recompense a man according to his work.”

Although you are saved by grace, you are judged by works,
And every work is recorded.

And some day, the judgment of God will be revealed.
Revelation 22:12-13 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Some day reward will be given for the works of man.

EVEN TO CHRISTIANS – (who will not stand before the final judgment)
1 Corinthians 3:12-15 “Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

That is the “Judgment seat of Christ”
BUT THAT IS NOT THE JUDGMENT PAUL IS REFERENCING HERE

The judgment Paul is speaking of is the eternal judgment of God.
A judgment which hypocrites are headed for.

(5) “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”

And that is really the point that Paul begins to elaborate on here.
And it is a theme that he will carry through verse 16.

AND WE ARE CALLING THIS SECTION
“Qualifications for Judgment”

In our world of “How to’s” one might call this, “How to be judged”

We do need to do a little theological work here.

It is quite possible for a person to interpret this passage
Independently from the rest of Scripture and devise a theology
That is not what God intended.

NO PASSAGE STANDS ALONE
(Scripture must interpret Scripture)

JUSTIFICATION IS BY FAITH ALONE THROUGH GRACE ALONE

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Galatians 2:20-21 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Galatians 3:11 “Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

THIS IS EVEN WHAT ROMANS TEACHES

Romans 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”

Romans 3:19-20 “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

Romans 4:1-3 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Romans 4:16 “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,”

Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

It is clear what the message of Romans is.
Therefore, we know what this passage DOES NOT mean.

THIS PASSAGE DOES NOT TEACH
THAT SALVATION COMES THROUGH BEING GOOD.

THIS PASSAGE ISN’T TALKING ABOUT SALVATION AT ALL.

This passage is not the qualifications for salvation;
This passage is about the qualifications for judgment.

UNLIKE SALVATION,
JUDGMENT IS DEALT ON THE BASIS OF WORKS
(This is what we study here)

So as we study this text, remember the point, and it will help you understand what Paul is saying.

There are two main points we glean from this text tonight.
#1 THE STANDARD FOR JUDGMENT
Romans 2:7-8

We learned this morning that judgment must have a standard.

When man judges, his judgment is flawed,
Because his standard is flawed.

God’s judgment is perfect because His standard is perfect.

Amos 7:7-9 “Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. The LORD said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold I am about to put a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel. I will spare them no longer. “The high places of Isaac will be desolated And the sanctuaries of Israel laid waste. Then I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

Isaiah 28:15-18 “Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.” Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. “I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place. “Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place.”
God’s standard is very easy to define:
PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS

Read the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

God plainly paints that righteousness is what He wants,
And perfect righteousness is all He accepts.

And He is been saying this from the beginning.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. “All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God:”

Deuteronomy 28:15-19 “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: “Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. “Cursed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. “Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.”

DID YOU CATCH THE WORD “all”?

Is that not what Jesus reiterated?
Matthew 5:20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

And so this is the point.
ANYTHING LESS THAN PERFECT OBEDIENCE
TO THE WORD OF GOD BRINGS JUDGMENT.

And that is also Paul’s point here.
And what Paul does is contrast two people.

One is not deserving of punishment, the other is deserving of punishment.

So first, let’s look at the person who does not deserve punishment.
(7) “to those who by perseverance in doing good, seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;”

Now please don’t sugar coat what Paul has just said. Because when Paul says, “perseverance in doing good”

He does not mean, “good most of the time” or “basically good”
EVERYONE OF US THINKS WE ARE BASICALLY GOOD

Paul is actually talking about perfect goodness.
Perfect obedience to the Word of God.

This is something mankind falls far short of.
Matthew 19:16-17 “And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

But the first thing Paul mentions is:
THEIR DESCRIPTION
“perseverance in doing good”

The person who does not deserve judgment does what is good, all the time. They persevere in it.

THEIR MOTIVATION
“glory and honor and immortality”

Now it is not a bad thing to seek those things, and in light of the next man it appears that this person is seeking these things eternally, not temporally.

In fact, Jesus tells us to seek these things.
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The point is that these people are doing everything right,
For the sake of pleasing God and earning an eternal reward.

Not only are their actions right, but their heart is right as well.

THEIR REWARD
“eternal life”

To those who do good deeds, and do it for the right reasons, they don’t deserve judgment.

But let’s look at the flip side.
(8) “but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.”

Now let’s look at the same three attributes.
THEIR DESCRIPTION
“do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,”

I have told you before, but in regard to pleasing God,
There is only one truly verifiable proof of salvation: obedience.

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”

Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”

John 8:31 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;”

John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

1 John 2:3-6 “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

But these people have no obedience.
“do not obey the truth”

We know that makes them worthy of judgment.

And as if that wasn’t enough.
THEIR MOTIVATION
“who are selfishly ambitious”

It’s bad enough that they do bad things, but even when they do good things, they do them for the wrong reasons.

This was the Pharisees we read about this morning.
Matthew 23:5-6 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues,”

It smells an awful lot like the false prophets we have spoken of.
2 Peter 2:12-16 “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression,for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.”

Jude 11-13 “Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”

Philippians 1:15-17 “Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.”

It is how Paul described himself when he was lost.
Galatians 1:13-14 “For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.”

And Paul’s point here is that those types of people are worthy of judgment.

THEIR REWARD
“wrath and indignation”

“wrath” translates THUMOS
“indignation” translates ORGE

It is the worst of both worlds.
Violent passion for a long time.

And the standard is whether or not you are good by God’s perfect righteous standard.

IF NOT, YOU DESERVE JUDGMENT

That is the standard for judgment.
#2 THE SURETY OF JUDGMENT
Romans 2:9-11

We have said that God has a standard,
But for some reason, people quickly overlook the standard.

Mankind still has an ability to assume that God won’t do it.

Zephaniah 1:12 “It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And I will punish the men Who are stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good or evil!’”

Tell that to Jeremiah.
He penned the book of Lamentations while sitting amidst the rubble of what used to be the temple of God.

Listen to what he said.
Lamentations 2:8 “The LORD determined to destroy The wall of the daughter of Zion. He has stretched out a line, He has not restrained His hand from destroying, And He has caused rampart and wall to lament; They have languished together.”

According to Jeremiah, God’s judgment is also sure.

And that is what Paul reminds us of here.
(9-10) “There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

And it doesn’t matter who you are…
Where you grew up…
Who your daddy is…
Or the color of your skin…

Judgment is sure, I don’t care who you are.

And that is concreted in verse 11
“For there is no partiality with God”

Deuteronomy 10:17 “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.”

Acts 10:34-35 “Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”

Even Peter assumed that God favored the Jews.
He was wrong.

There has never been a partial bone in God’s body.

Ask Moses about not getting to go into the promised land.
Ask Israel about how God let Assyria wipe them out.
Ask Judah about how God let Babylon wipe them out.

As my wife pointed out to me over lunch.
This lack of partiality included the day when His Son became deserving of punishment.

Isaiah 53:10 “But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.”

God is not motivated by flattery…
God is not motivated by promises…
God is not motivated by emotional pleas…
God is not motivated by tears and pleading…

GOD IS MOTIVATED BY RIGHTEOUSNESS,
IT IS THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS AT THE JUDGMENT.

And that is the point Paul is making here.

DON’T REST ON SOME SUPERFICIAL CHURCH ACTIVITY…
DON’T REST ON YOUR NATIONALITY…
DON’T REST ON WHO YOUR PARENTS ARE…

I’ve always found it interesting the number of people
Who assume they are saved
Because they grew up in a Christian home.

Listen to what John said.
John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

The only way to be saved is to give your heart to Jesus Christ.
To trust His righteousness alone to save yourself.

And John there gives us three ways you don’t get saved.
1) Genetically – “not of blood”
2) Works – “nor of the flesh”
3) Desire – “nor of the will of man”

You have to scrap everything and start over.
“You must be born again”

ADMIT YOUR PUNISHMENT
HUMBLE YOURSELF AND SEEK PITY
GIVE YOUR HEART TO JESUS

When you do, His righteousness gets credited to your account, And you instantly become pleasing to God.

Romans 8:1-4 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

And there it is.

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO BE JUDGED
Either do evil, or do good for the wrong reason.

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO BE SAVED
Give your heart to Jesus Christ.

He will save you from the wrath of God.
Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”