1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,520 Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,480 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,720 My name is Pastor Josh, and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:10,480 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,680 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:16,080 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,160 Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has 8 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:21,440 for us here today. 9 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:27,600 The people there in Rome, the Christians there in Rome, thought, 10 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:33,520 and last week we saw him teaching about the effects of a godless 11 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:34,240 society. 12 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,760 If an individual turns their back against God completely, what 13 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:38,640 will that look like? 14 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,560 And he went on to list some of these egregious public sins that 15 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:46,440 he listed as the reprobate mind and what that looks like. 16 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,920 But then we get to chapter two, and Paul is going to explain 17 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:53,160 something a little bit further, because the temptation for 18 00:00:53,160 --> 00:00:57,320 an individual who read chapter one, who heard chapter one, would 19 00:00:57,320 --> 00:00:58,840 say, well, I'm not any of those. 20 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:02,760 I'm not any of those sins that were listed in chapter one. 21 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:04,040 I'm a good person. 22 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:05,640 I'm a moralist. 23 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:09,960 I actually hate those things that were listed in chapter one, 24 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:11,480 so I'm good. 25 00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:15,320 And so the temptation would be that I'm not part of that lifestyle. 26 00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:17,240 I'm not part of that sin publicly. 27 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:18,800 So I don't need Jesus. 28 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:20,040 I've got my own morals. 29 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:24,840 And so the title of the sermon this morning is the Danger of Moralism. 30 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:26,720 The Danger of Moralism. 31 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:28,920 And some of you might say, well, I thought we were supposed 32 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:30,200 to have good morals as Christians. 33 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,080 Well, we are, but it's understanding the motive behind the 34 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:34,520 morals. 35 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,600 It's understanding why we obey God. 36 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,720 It's understanding why we are to live with morals in our life. 37 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,120 Because I'm going to tell you here this morning, Paul is going 38 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:46,120 to explain in chapter two that it doesn't matter if you're moral, 39 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:48,600 it doesn't matter if you're religious. 40 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,680 It doesn't matter if you hate those other things that were listed 41 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:52,440 in chapter one. 42 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:54,840 That's not what gets you to heaven. 43 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:56,520 That's not what gives you salvation. 44 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:00,280 He's going to explain here that all of us are still in need 45 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:01,240 of a savior. 46 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:05,640 Essentially what Paul is doing here in chapter one, chapter two, 47 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:06,720 and chapter three. 48 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:12,360 He's trying to explain why we all need Jesus, why we all need forgiveness. 49 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,240 And so he addresses in chapter one the ones that are publicly in 50 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:19,540 sin, the ones who have rejected God, the ones who have turned 51 00:02:19,540 --> 00:02:22,540 their backs against God and fully given over to the things of 52 00:02:22,540 --> 00:02:23,060 society. 53 00:02:23,860 --> 00:02:27,300 But then now he is going to turn in chapter two and talk to those 54 00:02:27,460 --> 00:02:32,540 who seem to be moral, who seem to be religious, who seem to be good 55 00:02:32,540 --> 00:02:32,860 people. 56 00:02:32,860 --> 00:02:34,500 And he's going to say, guess what? 57 00:02:34,820 --> 00:02:39,700 Even if you are quote unquote, a good person, you still need Jesus 58 00:02:39,700 --> 00:02:42,180 because eventually he's going to get to chapter three and he's 59 00:02:42,180 --> 00:02:44,180 going to say, there is none good. 60 00:02:44,180 --> 00:02:45,060 No, not one. 61 00:02:45,930 --> 00:02:47,090 Well, how can there be none good? 62 00:02:47,090 --> 00:02:47,450 Right? 63 00:02:47,450 --> 00:02:48,290 I'm a good person. 64 00:02:48,290 --> 00:02:49,530 I'm a good citizen. 65 00:02:50,010 --> 00:02:51,450 I follow all the rules. 66 00:02:51,850 --> 00:02:55,890 You could even be like the young lawyer, the young man that 67 00:02:55,890 --> 00:02:58,490 comes to Jesus and Jesus says, hey, you know what? 68 00:02:58,730 --> 00:02:59,730 This is what you have to do. 69 00:02:59,730 --> 00:03:00,690 You have to keep all the laws. 70 00:03:00,690 --> 00:03:03,210 And he says, I've kept all the laws since I was a child. 71 00:03:03,690 --> 00:03:04,010 Right? 72 00:03:04,010 --> 00:03:05,730 There's pride wrapped up in that saying. 73 00:03:05,730 --> 00:03:07,290 I've kept everything perfectly. 74 00:03:07,690 --> 00:03:10,610 If we're all honest with ourselves, none of us have kept the 75 00:03:10,610 --> 00:03:11,380 law perfectly. 76 00:03:11,930 --> 00:03:14,090 And, and so what we're going to do here in chapter two is we're 77 00:03:14,090 --> 00:03:18,330 going to look at the danger of moralism, the mistake of moralism, 78 00:03:18,570 --> 00:03:22,250 if the fact is, is that I'm trusting in my morals to get me some 79 00:03:22,250 --> 00:03:26,050 sort of forgiveness, some sort of satisfaction, some sort of eternal 80 00:03:26,050 --> 00:03:26,570 blessing. 81 00:03:26,570 --> 00:03:27,250 Hey, you know what? 82 00:03:27,250 --> 00:03:28,490 That is incomplete. 83 00:03:28,570 --> 00:03:30,890 So verse number one of chapter two, he says this. 84 00:03:31,050 --> 00:03:33,770 Therefore thou art inexcusable. 85 00:03:33,770 --> 00:03:37,050 That word, inexcusable basically means with, without excuse. 86 00:03:37,050 --> 00:03:37,210 I. 87 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,680 I don't have justification in myself. 88 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:42,400 Therefore thou art inexcusable. 89 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:48,240 O man, whosoever thou art that judges for wherein thou judges another, 90 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:54,160 thou condemn thyself, for thou that judges doest the same things. 91 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,560 Now, if you read verse one, and you don't really dig deep into 92 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:01,600 what he's saying here, you might be tempted to think that, hey, 93 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:03,600 they're guilty because they're judging. 94 00:04:04,150 --> 00:04:05,910 That's not exactly what he's saying here. 95 00:04:06,310 --> 00:04:08,390 What he's actually saying here is this. 96 00:04:08,630 --> 00:04:12,110 You that are judging these people that were listed in Romans 97 00:04:12,110 --> 00:04:14,670 chapter one, you look at those people that are publicly in sin, 98 00:04:14,670 --> 00:04:16,910 and if you look at them and go, hey, you know what? 99 00:04:16,910 --> 00:04:18,710 They're bad because they do these sins. 100 00:04:19,990 --> 00:04:20,790 You're guilty. 101 00:04:20,790 --> 00:04:21,110 Why? 102 00:04:21,110 --> 00:04:25,110 Because the end of verse one, he says you do the same things. 103 00:04:26,550 --> 00:04:27,110 Say what? 104 00:04:27,110 --> 00:04:29,430 No, no, I don't do those things that were listed in chapter 105 00:04:29,430 --> 00:04:29,750 one. 106 00:04:30,740 --> 00:04:32,180 Well, he says, you know what? 107 00:04:32,340 --> 00:04:37,020 If you condemn somebody else for what the law says, you know, 108 00:04:37,020 --> 00:04:41,580 the law, if you understand what's wrong before the eyes of God, 109 00:04:41,580 --> 00:04:44,020 then therefore, basically you're condemning yourself. 110 00:04:44,260 --> 00:04:48,980 Now, when they use that word, their judge, what we could say is 111 00:04:48,980 --> 00:04:54,860 this condemnation, punishment, if I bring condemnation to somebody 112 00:04:54,860 --> 00:04:55,220 else. 113 00:04:55,220 --> 00:04:55,480 I. 114 00:04:55,630 --> 00:04:58,790 I'm guilty because I am guilty of the same things that that person 115 00:04:58,790 --> 00:04:59,550 is committing. 116 00:04:59,630 --> 00:05:03,950 If you doubt that, we could go to Matthew, chapter five, Jesus on 117 00:05:03,950 --> 00:05:06,470 the Sermon on the Mountain basically explains that sin is not 118 00:05:06,470 --> 00:05:09,390 just things that we do, but also things that we think. 119 00:05:09,630 --> 00:05:11,390 It's our intention, it's our heart. 120 00:05:12,110 --> 00:05:13,430 So Jesus says, hey, you know what? 121 00:05:13,430 --> 00:05:16,590 If you hate your brother, you've committed murder in your heart. 122 00:05:16,670 --> 00:05:19,550 You look upon a woman to lust after her, you've committed adultery 123 00:05:19,550 --> 00:05:20,110 in your heart. 124 00:05:20,110 --> 00:05:22,630 And so what we're seeing here in this case is that it's not wrong 125 00:05:22,630 --> 00:05:23,870 to make a judgment call. 126 00:05:24,260 --> 00:05:25,460 It's not wrong to make a. 127 00:05:25,460 --> 00:05:27,820 A decision in discernment, right? 128 00:05:27,820 --> 00:05:28,500 So if. 129 00:05:28,500 --> 00:05:31,540 If we had people in our neighborhood that were known for 130 00:05:31,540 --> 00:05:35,500 harming children and we say, well, you know what? 131 00:05:35,500 --> 00:05:37,500 We're going to go ahead and just leave our children over at their 132 00:05:37,500 --> 00:05:39,580 house, that would not be good discernment, right? 133 00:05:39,580 --> 00:05:42,580 It's okay for me to judge that situation and say, you know what? 134 00:05:42,580 --> 00:05:45,260 I am going to protect my children with wisdom. 135 00:05:45,260 --> 00:05:46,660 Wisdom that comes from God. 136 00:05:46,900 --> 00:05:49,540 That's not the type of judgment that God is condemning here. 137 00:05:49,870 --> 00:05:52,310 What he's saying is, is that when we condemn other people, when 138 00:05:52,310 --> 00:05:55,470 I look at someone else and go, well, I'm not committing that sin. 139 00:05:55,790 --> 00:05:57,550 I'm not as bad as that person. 140 00:05:58,510 --> 00:06:01,590 The question would be, is, hey, what happens if someone else 141 00:06:01,590 --> 00:06:04,310 turns around and starts looking at my life, inspecting my 142 00:06:04,310 --> 00:06:04,550 life? 143 00:06:04,550 --> 00:06:05,390 Am I perfect? 144 00:06:05,550 --> 00:06:08,310 And that's really what Paul is talking about here in Romans, chapter 145 00:06:08,310 --> 00:06:08,590 two. 146 00:06:08,670 --> 00:06:12,310 He's basically saying, if you want to go by that standard, if you 147 00:06:12,310 --> 00:06:14,230 want to go by the standard of, hey, you know what? 148 00:06:14,230 --> 00:06:16,350 I'm going to condemn other people because of their sin. 149 00:06:16,740 --> 00:06:17,620 I have to be perfect. 150 00:06:18,420 --> 00:06:20,700 I can have no mistakes in my life. 151 00:06:20,700 --> 00:06:21,940 No sin in my life. 152 00:06:21,940 --> 00:06:25,780 And so here in verse number one, he says, hey, you are inexcusable 153 00:06:27,860 --> 00:06:29,540 because you judge other people. 154 00:06:29,700 --> 00:06:32,739 Wherein thou judges another, thou condemn thyself. 155 00:06:32,820 --> 00:06:37,180 Meaning if I look at someone and say, that person is lying, so 156 00:06:37,180 --> 00:06:39,340 therefore they're condemned, I. 157 00:06:39,340 --> 00:06:41,540 If I ever lie, I am guilty too. 158 00:06:42,830 --> 00:06:45,710 If I look at someone else and say, well, their sin is a horrible 159 00:06:45,710 --> 00:06:48,310 sin, and then I look at my own life and say, well, you know what? 160 00:06:48,310 --> 00:06:49,510 Yeah, I do have some flaws. 161 00:06:49,510 --> 00:06:52,070 The truth is, is that I'm guilty just as they are guilty. 162 00:06:52,070 --> 00:06:54,270 Now, I do need to be very clear here this morning. 163 00:06:54,350 --> 00:06:58,750 Not every sin has the same earthly repercussions. 164 00:06:59,070 --> 00:06:59,470 Right? 165 00:06:59,550 --> 00:07:00,590 We understand that. 166 00:07:00,830 --> 00:07:03,110 We understand that certain decisions that we make here on this 167 00:07:03,110 --> 00:07:05,750 Earth can have different repercussions, and some greater than 168 00:07:05,750 --> 00:07:06,030 others. 169 00:07:06,350 --> 00:07:09,510 But ultimately, in the eyes of God, when we stand before eternal 170 00:07:09,510 --> 00:07:11,910 life, one sin makes us guilty of them all. 171 00:07:11,910 --> 00:07:14,230 We know that the Bible says that if I've sinned in one area, 172 00:07:14,310 --> 00:07:16,790 I am now guilty in the eyes of God. 173 00:07:17,190 --> 00:07:20,390 And so it says here at the end of verse number one, for thou that 174 00:07:20,390 --> 00:07:22,150 judges doeth the same things. 175 00:07:22,150 --> 00:07:24,790 And so it would be easy to read verse one and say, the reason 176 00:07:24,790 --> 00:07:27,350 why these people are guilty is because they're judging other people. 177 00:07:27,670 --> 00:07:30,310 No, the reason why they're guilty is because they do the same 178 00:07:30,310 --> 00:07:30,590 things. 179 00:07:30,590 --> 00:07:32,070 They are in sin as well. 180 00:07:32,870 --> 00:07:36,430 And so if you know the story in the book of Luke, Luke 18, where 181 00:07:36,430 --> 00:07:40,360 Jesus speaks to the Pharisee and the publican, the publican was 182 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:41,240 the public sinner. 183 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:44,520 The publican was someone that everyone in society recognized as 184 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:45,200 a sinner. 185 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:49,840 And so chapter one of Romans is essentially Paul speaking to the 186 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:53,400 publican, the public sinner, the one that culture understands 187 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:54,240 is a sinner. 188 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:58,160 But then, if we keep that same analogy and we go to chapter two, 189 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:02,000 this is Paul talking to the Pharisee, someone who, from the outside 190 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:05,560 looks religious, someone from the outside who looks moral. 191 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:05,770 Someone who. 192 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:08,440 Someone from the outside who looks like everything is in line. 193 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:12,280 He says, at the heart of all of this, you are still in need of 194 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:12,840 a Savior. 195 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:13,200 Why? 196 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:15,280 Because you do the same things. 197 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:16,680 Look at verse number two with me. 198 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:23,280 He says, but we are sure or confident that the judgment of God 199 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:25,120 is according to truth. 200 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:30,040 Now, why do we cringe sometimes when we hear about the 201 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:30,960 judgment of God? 202 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:34,480 Because we liken the judgment of God to the judgment of man. 203 00:08:35,130 --> 00:08:36,890 Now, where does my condemnation come from? 204 00:08:36,970 --> 00:08:39,930 My condemnation to other people comes from my pride. 205 00:08:39,930 --> 00:08:42,170 I'm better than you, so I'm going to condemn you. 206 00:08:42,890 --> 00:08:44,290 But really, it's hypocritical. 207 00:08:44,290 --> 00:08:44,610 Why? 208 00:08:44,610 --> 00:08:45,770 Because I'm still in sin. 209 00:08:46,170 --> 00:08:49,370 And so when I exercise judgment in my life, when I exercise 210 00:08:49,370 --> 00:08:52,650 condemnation in my life, it's a hypocritical condemnation because 211 00:08:52,650 --> 00:08:53,930 I deserve condemnation. 212 00:08:54,330 --> 00:08:57,410 And so that's why we get upset when we look at the judgment of God, 213 00:08:57,410 --> 00:09:00,250 because we liken God's judgment to man's judgment. 214 00:09:00,330 --> 00:09:03,220 And we also hypocrite, in many cases, think that, hey, maybe it's 215 00:09:03,220 --> 00:09:04,580 not fair that God judges people. 216 00:09:04,740 --> 00:09:07,060 Why would it be fair that God judges a good person? 217 00:09:07,140 --> 00:09:08,420 You ever heard that question? 218 00:09:08,980 --> 00:09:11,780 Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? 219 00:09:12,500 --> 00:09:14,660 Theologically speaking, there is none good. 220 00:09:14,660 --> 00:09:15,380 No, not one. 221 00:09:15,620 --> 00:09:19,940 And so what we can see here in verse 2 is he says this we are sure 222 00:09:20,020 --> 00:09:23,060 that the judgment of God is according to truth. 223 00:09:23,540 --> 00:09:25,940 So the difference between the judgment of man and the judgment 224 00:09:25,940 --> 00:09:29,500 of God is that the judgment of God is coming from a place of absolute 225 00:09:29,500 --> 00:09:29,940 truth. 226 00:09:30,100 --> 00:09:32,220 We know that the truth is the word of God. 227 00:09:32,220 --> 00:09:33,990 We know the truth is the thing things of God. 228 00:09:33,990 --> 00:09:37,030 And so what does it say here that God is acting in holiness? 229 00:09:37,990 --> 00:09:40,630 God is right for judging sin. 230 00:09:40,710 --> 00:09:44,150 God is right for extending judgment to those who are in rebellion. 231 00:09:44,550 --> 00:09:47,270 I don't have the right to extend judgment upon someone because 232 00:09:47,270 --> 00:09:49,589 I am still in my flesh in rebellion. 233 00:09:49,589 --> 00:09:52,430 I need a Savior, but the one who knew no sin. 234 00:09:52,430 --> 00:09:55,590 The Bible says in Second Corinthians, Jesus is able to enact 235 00:09:55,590 --> 00:09:56,150 justice. 236 00:09:56,150 --> 00:09:56,430 Why? 237 00:09:56,430 --> 00:09:58,110 Because he is completely just. 238 00:09:58,110 --> 00:09:59,350 He is completely holy. 239 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,480 And so if we get uncomfortable with the judgment of God, we have 240 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:05,000 to understand that that discomfort is a discomfort in our 241 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:06,160 sin and in our guilt. 242 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:08,080 God is allowed to judge. 243 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,040 God is allowed to condemn. 244 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:13,760 God is allowed to enact that punishment upon those that are in 245 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:14,400 rebellion. 246 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:17,600 So what we can see here in this case, in chapter two, is this, 247 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:22,080 that he is coming to this place of our need for a Savior. 248 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:24,280 God is judging in accordance to truth. 249 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:26,080 Now think about these two words. 250 00:10:26,500 --> 00:10:27,860 They both start with the letter J. 251 00:10:28,420 --> 00:10:30,580 Judgment and justification. 252 00:10:31,460 --> 00:10:35,020 The Bible says in, in the case of salvation. 253 00:10:35,020 --> 00:10:38,620 In the context of salvation, there's either one of two camps. 254 00:10:38,620 --> 00:10:42,420 You're either in the camp of judgment from God because of our 255 00:10:42,420 --> 00:10:46,060 sin or justification because of our faith in Jesus Christ. 256 00:10:46,060 --> 00:10:48,660 We are justified by faith. 257 00:10:49,060 --> 00:10:50,300 Now what is justification? 258 00:10:50,300 --> 00:10:51,380 We need to go through that. 259 00:10:51,460 --> 00:10:56,110 Justification literally means a declaration of righteousness, meaning 260 00:10:56,110 --> 00:11:01,670 God is allowed in his holiness to come and offer a sacrifice in 261 00:11:01,670 --> 00:11:02,350 Jesus Christ. 262 00:11:02,430 --> 00:11:07,430 And therefore it really allow for this understanding of salvation 263 00:11:07,430 --> 00:11:08,470 and faith and repentance. 264 00:11:08,470 --> 00:11:09,789 He's allowed to justify us. 265 00:11:09,790 --> 00:11:11,590 We are not allowed to justify ourselves. 266 00:11:11,590 --> 00:11:11,870 Why? 267 00:11:11,870 --> 00:11:16,190 Because we are moral, morally incapable of justifying ourselves. 268 00:11:16,590 --> 00:11:21,130 But Jesus in His perfection is allowed to enact justice and, and 269 00:11:21,130 --> 00:11:22,010 justification. 270 00:11:22,650 --> 00:11:25,970 And so if I come to Christ in faith, I am now justified. 271 00:11:25,970 --> 00:11:27,290 I have not earned my way. 272 00:11:27,370 --> 00:11:28,570 I have not become a more. 273 00:11:28,730 --> 00:11:33,290 More moral person and reach a peak of morality that can reach heaven. 274 00:11:33,370 --> 00:11:37,730 No, it's God is giving me his righteousness and he's allowing me 275 00:11:37,730 --> 00:11:40,170 to walk in that righteousness of Jesus Christ. 276 00:11:40,170 --> 00:11:43,490 And so therefore we are either in the camp of judgment because of 277 00:11:43,490 --> 00:11:46,770 our sin, righteous judgment from God according to the truth, 278 00:11:46,770 --> 00:11:50,810 or we, we are in the justification of God in the act of 279 00:11:50,810 --> 00:11:54,890 faith and trusting in him and acting as if we are a child of God 280 00:11:54,890 --> 00:11:57,170 and we are a Child of God, if we come to him in faith. 281 00:11:57,170 --> 00:12:00,890 And so chapter two, again you're going to hear a common theme 282 00:12:00,890 --> 00:12:04,090 is Paul explaining our need for a savior. 283 00:12:04,730 --> 00:12:10,370 And so he says, but we are sure that the judgment of God is 284 00:12:10,370 --> 00:12:14,520 according to truth against them which commit such things. 285 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:17,160 And when he says such things here, what is he referencing? 286 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:19,960 He's referencing the sins that are listed in Romans chapter 1. 287 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:23,520 Sins that all of us to some degree have been guilty of in our 288 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:23,800 lives. 289 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:29,560 He says God is righteous in his judgment in truth against those 290 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:31,320 who commit such things. 291 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:35,320 Those sins missing the mark of the perfection of God. 292 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:36,120 Verse 3. 293 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:41,040 And thinkest thou this, O man that judges them which do such things? 294 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:44,900 He says, so think about this, you who are condemning other people, 295 00:12:44,980 --> 00:12:49,420 who think you're better than other people morally and does the 296 00:12:49,420 --> 00:12:52,700 same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God. 297 00:12:52,700 --> 00:12:53,660 He's asking a question. 298 00:12:53,660 --> 00:12:57,100 And by the way, some of you that are teachers here know that 299 00:12:57,100 --> 00:13:00,260 some of the best ways of teaching would be asking questions, 300 00:13:00,740 --> 00:13:01,140 right? 301 00:13:01,460 --> 00:13:04,220 So it's not just about telling people things, but it's making them 302 00:13:04,220 --> 00:13:07,620 think for themselves and come to a place of an answer to a question. 303 00:13:07,700 --> 00:13:12,760 So Paul asks a question to the moral man, the one who is religious, 304 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:13,960 the one who is condemning. 305 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:21,800 And he says, hey, you who are judging and do the same thing, do 306 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:24,280 you think that you can escape the judgment of God? 307 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:26,680 Do you think that you can wiggle your way out? 308 00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:28,720 Do you think that you can manipulate your way out? 309 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:31,160 And folks, I'm going to tell you, there's been times in my life, 310 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:34,400 and I will speak of way of testimony that I feel like I can 311 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:37,670 scheme up a plan, that I can wiggle my way out of my problems, 312 00:13:37,670 --> 00:13:40,670 that I can out think the circumstances that I'm in. 313 00:13:40,750 --> 00:13:44,790 But what Jesus tells us in Scripture is that our ways, our wisdom 314 00:13:44,790 --> 00:13:45,630 is foolishness. 315 00:13:46,190 --> 00:13:48,470 And so what we can see here in this case is that Paul is trying 316 00:13:48,470 --> 00:13:52,430 to explain there's no plan, there's no system of morals, there's 317 00:13:52,430 --> 00:13:55,310 no rule book, there's no religion that can get you out of 318 00:13:55,310 --> 00:13:56,430 the judgment of God. 319 00:13:56,830 --> 00:13:59,910 It's ultimately, at the end of the day, your faith in Jesus Christ 320 00:13:59,910 --> 00:14:01,790 that brings you that justification. 321 00:14:02,540 --> 00:14:04,460 And what we can see this morning is that there's a lot of 322 00:14:04,460 --> 00:14:07,860 people in this world that are going to church, that are in some 323 00:14:07,860 --> 00:14:11,820 sort of religious movement that are following some list of rules, 324 00:14:11,900 --> 00:14:14,940 that think that they can find satisfaction, that they can find 325 00:14:14,940 --> 00:14:16,460 salvation in their goodness. 326 00:14:16,780 --> 00:14:19,540 And what Paul says is no, there's no way to escape God's Judgment 327 00:14:19,540 --> 00:14:20,620 outside of Jesus Christ. 328 00:14:21,820 --> 00:14:23,300 Do you think that you can get out of it? 329 00:14:23,300 --> 00:14:25,260 Do you think you're the exception to the rule? 330 00:14:25,500 --> 00:14:28,140 Do you think that you can come up with a better plan? 331 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:31,000 He's asking a question and he's making them think. 332 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:34,120 He's saying, okay, do you think that you have a better way? 333 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:37,560 And many people believe they have a better way than faith in Jesus 334 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:37,880 Christ. 335 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:39,240 The Pharisees did. 336 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:42,360 The Pharisees believed that they had a better way, and that was 337 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:44,120 following God's law to the T. 338 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:48,440 But even at the end of the day, even though the Pharisees to 339 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:52,720 the public were very religious, very moral, we know that 340 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:54,120 their hearts were not pure. 341 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:55,280 Jesus said that. 342 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:56,880 He said, you're like whited sepulchers. 343 00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:59,600 You look great on the outside, but on the inside you're rotting. 344 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:03,760 And so it doesn't necessarily matter who we convince on the outside. 345 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:05,280 Hey, look, that's a good person. 346 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:08,560 That person is really moral. 347 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:09,680 It really doesn't matter. 348 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:11,240 What matters is what's on our heart. 349 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:13,640 Now, the Bible does say that what's written on our heart will 350 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:15,520 eventually come out publicly. 351 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:20,080 But we're really good as humans to kind of trick people and 352 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:22,400 present our best self in front of people in public. 353 00:15:23,270 --> 00:15:25,990 But at the end of the day, God knows our hearts. 354 00:15:26,870 --> 00:15:29,870 And so it's not about, hey, just throwing out morals. 355 00:15:29,870 --> 00:15:32,910 By the way, I think I need to be very clear about this this morning. 356 00:15:32,910 --> 00:15:35,150 I'm not saying that we should throw out our morals and say, just 357 00:15:35,150 --> 00:15:35,950 live the way you want to live. 358 00:15:35,950 --> 00:15:37,590 If your heart's right, everything's going to be okay. 359 00:15:37,590 --> 00:15:41,110 Because if your heart's right, you will follow with a life of righteousness, 360 00:15:41,110 --> 00:15:43,430 a life of morality, not a life of perfection. 361 00:15:43,670 --> 00:15:46,070 But we should be striving to live differently. 362 00:15:46,710 --> 00:15:48,070 I don't want to sin anymore. 363 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,680 By the way, we're going to jump ahead a few times in this study. 364 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:52,760 Look at Romans chapter six with me. 365 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:54,600 Look at Romans chapter six with me. 366 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:57,880 Because to understand Paul's teaching, we have to have context. 367 00:15:58,360 --> 00:15:59,720 Context is key. 368 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:05,120 And so I think that one of the elements of the teaching in Romans 369 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:06,360 chapter two is this. 370 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:11,880 We must teach that there are calls to righteousness later on. 371 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:15,650 Because a lot of times if we teach against the morality, people 372 00:16:15,650 --> 00:16:18,050 will say, then, well, then I can live my life the way that I want 373 00:16:18,050 --> 00:16:20,410 to live it, because God's grace is just abundant and I can 374 00:16:20,410 --> 00:16:23,170 keep doing what I want to do, and he'll just keep forgiving me. 375 00:16:23,170 --> 00:16:27,970 Well, Paul says later on in our spiritual maturity, Chapter six, 376 00:16:27,970 --> 00:16:31,970 verse one, what shall we say then, shall we continue in sin? 377 00:16:31,970 --> 00:16:33,810 He's speaking to believers here. 378 00:16:33,810 --> 00:16:37,010 He's speaking to people who have trusted in faith and received 379 00:16:37,090 --> 00:16:37,970 justification. 380 00:16:38,210 --> 00:16:41,970 It says this, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 381 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:44,840 God forbid. 382 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:50,440 How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? 383 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:55,120 So what Paul says is this, basically, as believers, we no longer 384 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:55,880 want to sin. 385 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:57,640 And when we do, we have forgiveness. 386 00:16:57,640 --> 00:16:59,360 But the heart should not be, well, you know what? 387 00:16:59,360 --> 00:16:59,800 I'm just. 388 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:01,320 I'm a failure all the time. 389 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:02,680 I'm just but a human. 390 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:05,000 Therefore I'm just going to embrace the sin that I want. 391 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:07,480 No, the Bible says that we die to that sin. 392 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:09,080 We strive for perfection. 393 00:17:09,180 --> 00:17:10,489 We Are we going to reach perfection? 394 00:17:10,489 --> 00:17:10,769 No. 395 00:17:10,769 --> 00:17:13,849 But we continue to strive and we become more and more like Christ. 396 00:17:13,849 --> 00:17:16,689 And so chapter two is not just saying, hey, you know what? 397 00:17:16,689 --> 00:17:19,169 All morals are bad, throw them out the window. 398 00:17:19,169 --> 00:17:21,969 But we don't trust in the morals for our salvation. 399 00:17:22,049 --> 00:17:24,689 The morals come because of the salvation. 400 00:17:24,769 --> 00:17:25,889 It's a changed heart. 401 00:17:25,889 --> 00:17:29,169 It's a new heart that brings us to a place where we want the truth. 402 00:17:29,249 --> 00:17:30,609 We want to be like Christ. 403 00:17:30,689 --> 00:17:31,929 We want to obey him. 404 00:17:31,929 --> 00:17:33,809 It's not about having to obey him. 405 00:17:34,209 --> 00:17:36,129 You understand that there are people in this world that teach, 406 00:17:36,129 --> 00:17:39,400 you have to do this and, and do this and do this, and then God 407 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:40,760 will give you grace eventually. 408 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:43,680 No, the beauty is, is that when we trust in Jesus Christ as 409 00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:45,360 our Savior, we have abundant grace. 410 00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:48,440 We are as much saved as we are the first day that we are saved. 411 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:51,960 Till 50 years later, that is salvation and that is beautiful. 412 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:54,360 But at the same time we have to be growing. 413 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:55,720 We can't stand still. 414 00:17:56,040 --> 00:17:58,440 We can't be loving the things that we were saved from. 415 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:01,920 And so in chapter two, Paul says, do you think that you can escape 416 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:04,590 the judgment of God by just being a good person? 417 00:18:06,030 --> 00:18:09,390 Verse number four, or despises. 418 00:18:10,030 --> 00:18:13,910 And he's saying, the person who rests in the morals and not in 419 00:18:13,910 --> 00:18:18,710 the relationship with Christ, they are despising the riches of 420 00:18:18,710 --> 00:18:18,990 God. 421 00:18:18,990 --> 00:18:24,190 He says, or despises thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance 422 00:18:25,070 --> 00:18:26,190 and long suffering. 423 00:18:27,710 --> 00:18:29,550 He's continuing to ask this question. 424 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:37,600 He says, are you going to despise, reject, disregard the riches 425 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:44,320 of God, and by the way, forgiveness in Christ, grace, love, 426 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:50,600 patience, all these things that are given to us from God are 427 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:51,680 riches in him. 428 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:53,320 Read the whole book of Ephesians. 429 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:55,040 It's all about having spiritual riches. 430 00:18:55,690 --> 00:18:58,650 And so some of you might have heard the phrase prosperity gospel. 431 00:18:59,290 --> 00:19:03,050 I don't believe in the prosperity gospel as the Material 432 00:19:03,050 --> 00:19:06,010 prosperity, that if you love God, you're just going to get a bunch 433 00:19:06,010 --> 00:19:06,330 of money. 434 00:19:06,810 --> 00:19:08,490 He might give you money or he might not. 435 00:19:08,890 --> 00:19:11,409 But I do believe in a prosperity gospel when it comes to 436 00:19:11,409 --> 00:19:12,410 the spiritual elements. 437 00:19:13,130 --> 00:19:14,650 We have prosperity in Christ. 438 00:19:14,650 --> 00:19:15,770 And so what is he saying? 439 00:19:15,770 --> 00:19:22,490 He says those who reject God, those that live in their own morals, 440 00:19:22,490 --> 00:19:24,290 are despising the riches of God. 441 00:19:24,370 --> 00:19:27,490 So on the flip side of that, those that come to God in faith are 442 00:19:27,490 --> 00:19:30,890 receiving the riches of God, that are dwelling in the riches of 443 00:19:30,890 --> 00:19:31,250 God. 444 00:19:31,490 --> 00:19:38,290 And so verse four, are you despising the riches of his goodness 445 00:19:39,490 --> 00:19:42,290 and forbearance and long suffering? 446 00:19:43,330 --> 00:19:46,570 I like how he puts it here because he almost addressed the three 447 00:19:46,570 --> 00:19:48,450 areas of our life and forgiveness. 448 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:52,040 He talks about God's goodness to forgive the things of our past. 449 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:56,200 Thank God that when we come to Christ in salvation, he forgives 450 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:57,080 us of our past. 451 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:00,680 I don't know about you, but I have a past. 452 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:02,120 I'm sure you have a past. 453 00:20:02,360 --> 00:20:04,879 And it doesn't really matter when you got saved, whether you're 454 00:20:04,879 --> 00:20:06,920 5 years old or 55 years old. 455 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:10,040 All of us have things that we did before we came to Christ. 456 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,720 In the beauty of God's goodness, He forgives us of those 457 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:14,040 things. 458 00:20:14,630 --> 00:20:18,310 But then the Bible does teach that he continues to have that forbearance. 459 00:20:18,310 --> 00:20:21,710 Forbearance is that constant forgiveness, that constant spirit 460 00:20:21,710 --> 00:20:22,390 of forgiving. 461 00:20:22,470 --> 00:20:25,510 You know what I believe that's talking about the sins of our presence, 462 00:20:26,070 --> 00:20:27,550 the sins that we're committing right now. 463 00:20:27,550 --> 00:20:32,790 If I'm a Christian and I sin, God still forgives me in his grace. 464 00:20:33,110 --> 00:20:34,710 He's forbearing in love. 465 00:20:35,030 --> 00:20:38,110 Some of us that are married understand if we're walking in the 466 00:20:38,110 --> 00:20:42,390 truth, we are constantly needing to forbear our spouse in 467 00:20:42,390 --> 00:20:42,710 love. 468 00:20:43,610 --> 00:20:45,930 Because we don't just forgive our spouse one time and say, that's 469 00:20:45,930 --> 00:20:47,290 the last time I'm forgiven you. 470 00:20:47,450 --> 00:20:50,690 Everything else is going to be this, this long list of things you 471 00:20:50,690 --> 00:20:51,930 got to do to earn back my love. 472 00:20:51,930 --> 00:20:53,770 No, that's not a healthy marriage. 473 00:20:54,170 --> 00:20:56,890 Healthy marriage is forbearance over time. 474 00:20:57,530 --> 00:21:00,730 That's our relationship with Christ, even though we are saved. 475 00:21:00,730 --> 00:21:04,090 And he's overlooked the sins of our past, not overlooked them, 476 00:21:04,410 --> 00:21:07,850 because we, we aren't guilty of them. 477 00:21:07,850 --> 00:21:08,690 We're guilty of them. 478 00:21:08,690 --> 00:21:12,120 But the reason why God can can forgive us of that is because of 479 00:21:12,120 --> 00:21:13,280 what Jesus Christ did. 480 00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:16,280 But even now, when you sin today, if you're a believer, the 481 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:18,280 Bible says that you can find forgiveness in Him. 482 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:19,280 That's his forbearance. 483 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:21,520 And then we see that word there in The King James. 484 00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:22,640 It's long suffering. 485 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:26,160 The way that we would use that phrase today in our culture would 486 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:26,800 be patience. 487 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:29,840 This is the patience that God has for us in the future. 488 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:35,080 Some of us, some of you that are teachers, I was there at one 489 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:35,360 point. 490 00:21:35,690 --> 00:21:37,370 We have to have patience with our students. 491 00:21:38,010 --> 00:21:39,370 Same thing goes for our Savior. 492 00:21:39,370 --> 00:21:40,650 He has patience with us. 493 00:21:41,050 --> 00:21:42,730 He understands our failures. 494 00:21:42,730 --> 00:21:45,850 He understands our suffering, even though he doesn't condone them. 495 00:21:45,850 --> 00:21:49,050 By the way, God doesn't sit up in heaven going, well, you know what? 496 00:21:49,370 --> 00:21:50,810 It's okay that you're sinning. 497 00:21:50,810 --> 00:21:51,729 I know that you know. 498 00:21:51,729 --> 00:21:52,250 No, he. 499 00:21:52,250 --> 00:21:55,890 He never condones our sin, but he understands that we are humans. 500 00:21:55,890 --> 00:21:57,450 And he comes to the place of. 501 00:21:57,530 --> 00:22:00,130 He doesn't see our good works or our bad works. 502 00:22:00,130 --> 00:22:02,570 He comes to see the blood of Christ upon our account. 503 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:03,720 And he says, you know what? 504 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:04,960 There is still that forgiveness. 505 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:08,720 And he says, what's the purpose of this type of goodness? 506 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:10,480 What's the purpose of this type of grace? 507 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:14,640 It says here that someone who is living in that rebellion in moralism. 508 00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:17,720 It says here at the end of chapter, chapter two. 509 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:19,760 Well, beginning of chapter two, end of verse four. 510 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:24,720 Not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth the to repentance. 511 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:29,640 The whole point of God extending his grace to us in our 512 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:33,170 salvation and is that we come to a place of repentance in our life. 513 00:22:34,370 --> 00:22:36,330 It's not so that we can keep on sinning. 514 00:22:36,330 --> 00:22:38,090 It's to come to a place of repentance. 515 00:22:38,090 --> 00:22:39,010 What is repentance? 516 00:22:39,170 --> 00:22:40,610 We have to define these terms. 517 00:22:40,850 --> 00:22:44,770 Repentance is a term about turning away from something. 518 00:22:46,050 --> 00:22:49,170 So I turn away from my works, I turn away from my good. 519 00:22:49,250 --> 00:22:52,850 I turn away from my effort, I turn away from my way of thinking, 520 00:22:52,850 --> 00:22:54,450 and I turn to something else. 521 00:22:54,450 --> 00:22:58,180 So it's not just turning away from something, but it's a turning 522 00:22:58,180 --> 00:22:59,820 away from and a turning to. 523 00:23:00,140 --> 00:23:01,180 That's repentance. 524 00:23:01,500 --> 00:23:03,500 So why does God extend goodness to us? 525 00:23:03,500 --> 00:23:04,740 So that we just keep sinning? 526 00:23:04,740 --> 00:23:08,020 No, he doesn't extend goodness to us so that we can just say, well, 527 00:23:08,020 --> 00:23:09,180 we're really good people. 528 00:23:09,500 --> 00:23:11,900 Look how moral Middletown Baptist Church is. 529 00:23:11,980 --> 00:23:14,660 You know, we might get to a place where, you know what, all the 530 00:23:14,660 --> 00:23:17,220 churches around the country might come to us and ask us how we're 531 00:23:17,220 --> 00:23:17,900 so moral. 532 00:23:18,140 --> 00:23:20,060 It's not what he's saying here. 533 00:23:20,700 --> 00:23:25,390 The goodness of God that brings us to this place of understanding. 534 00:23:25,390 --> 00:23:30,070 Our need for him is there to teach us repentance, humility, that 535 00:23:30,070 --> 00:23:33,430 we need him, that we're in desperate need of his presence in 536 00:23:33,430 --> 00:23:35,310 our life, of his grace in Our life. 537 00:23:35,310 --> 00:23:38,550 And so God's goodness is extended, extended to us in many 538 00:23:38,550 --> 00:23:39,230 different ways. 539 00:23:39,390 --> 00:23:42,350 But the greatest way that I believe that God extends goodness 540 00:23:42,350 --> 00:23:43,470 to us is through his grace. 541 00:23:44,110 --> 00:23:46,910 Grace is giving something to someone that they don't deserve. 542 00:23:47,710 --> 00:23:49,630 God has given you grace. 543 00:23:50,820 --> 00:23:51,620 That is his goodness. 544 00:23:51,620 --> 00:23:54,420 His goodness is, I'm giving you something that you don't deserve. 545 00:23:54,420 --> 00:23:56,140 Are you going to receive this gift today? 546 00:23:56,140 --> 00:23:59,060 At the end of the service, we have our teachers going back there, 547 00:23:59,940 --> 00:24:02,980 and if you want, you can take a picture with your student and we're 548 00:24:02,980 --> 00:24:03,780 going to give you a gift. 549 00:24:03,860 --> 00:24:05,820 Some of you are like, yeah, I knew I came for a reason. 550 00:24:05,820 --> 00:24:06,660 I got a gift. 551 00:24:07,700 --> 00:24:09,300 But you can reject that gift. 552 00:24:10,420 --> 00:24:11,180 I don't want that gift. 553 00:24:11,180 --> 00:24:11,940 I don't need that gift. 554 00:24:11,940 --> 00:24:12,740 That's not for me. 555 00:24:13,300 --> 00:24:15,940 You understand that just because a gift is offered to you, 556 00:24:15,940 --> 00:24:18,100 it doesn't mean that you are in possession of that gift. 557 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:20,520 It's offered. 558 00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:24,440 And so the gift of grace is offered to all in this world. 559 00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:28,800 And the true question is, Ephesians chapter two tells us, are 560 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:31,160 you going to receive the gift in faith? 561 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:35,720 For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. 562 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:40,440 It is a gift of God, not of works, not of morals, lest any man 563 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:41,080 should boast. 564 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:48,010 So God's grace is found in God's goodness. 565 00:24:48,010 --> 00:24:51,450 But we also know that through this process of understanding God's 566 00:24:51,450 --> 00:24:52,930 goodness, He gives us guidance. 567 00:24:53,730 --> 00:24:55,810 God doesn't just save us and leave us alone. 568 00:24:55,810 --> 00:24:57,370 He doesn't just say, hey, you know what? 569 00:24:57,370 --> 00:24:58,690 Figure it out for yourself. 570 00:24:59,810 --> 00:25:03,730 He as a teacher, a good teacher should guide a student along 571 00:25:03,730 --> 00:25:05,010 the path to truth. 572 00:25:05,890 --> 00:25:06,610 You don't just. 573 00:25:06,610 --> 00:25:08,450 Well, I mean, some teachers might do this. 574 00:25:09,550 --> 00:25:10,150 Maybe at some point. 575 00:25:10,150 --> 00:25:11,070 I've had a teacher like this. 576 00:25:11,070 --> 00:25:13,390 They just throw the textbook at you and go read the textbook, 577 00:25:13,390 --> 00:25:13,670 okay? 578 00:25:13,670 --> 00:25:14,910 That's where you're gonna find all the information. 579 00:25:16,110 --> 00:25:18,990 Well, one would argue that that might not be the greatest teacher, 580 00:25:19,070 --> 00:25:23,110 but a good teacher would say, here, here's the truth, here's the 581 00:25:23,110 --> 00:25:23,390 text. 582 00:25:23,390 --> 00:25:25,230 How can I guide you to that truth? 583 00:25:25,230 --> 00:25:27,710 How can I guide you to understand this? 584 00:25:28,270 --> 00:25:28,590 So. 585 00:25:28,590 --> 00:25:32,350 So God saves us in his grace, but he guides us in his goodness 586 00:25:32,350 --> 00:25:32,910 as well. 587 00:25:33,550 --> 00:25:37,630 And so we have this grace, we have this guidance in God's goodness, 588 00:25:37,630 --> 00:25:39,070 and we also have new goals. 589 00:25:39,870 --> 00:25:40,030 Right? 590 00:25:40,030 --> 00:25:41,710 The goals now have changed. 591 00:25:41,710 --> 00:25:44,990 Before we came to Christ, we had our own goals. 592 00:25:45,470 --> 00:25:48,550 But biblically speaking, now that you are a believer and you've 593 00:25:48,550 --> 00:25:51,670 experienced the goodness of God and the grace of God and the 594 00:25:51,670 --> 00:25:54,910 guidance of God, now we have the new goals that he has called 595 00:25:54,910 --> 00:25:59,030 us to accomplish in our life, and that is to love him with all 596 00:25:59,030 --> 00:26:02,790 of our hearts, with all of our souls, with all of our strength, 597 00:26:02,790 --> 00:26:05,310 with everything that's in us, and to love our neighbor as ourself, 598 00:26:05,510 --> 00:26:08,790 and then to go on to make disciples, to go on to proclaim the 599 00:26:08,790 --> 00:26:11,350 salt and light to the lost and dying world. 600 00:26:11,350 --> 00:26:14,670 And so now we have new goals, which those goals have a purpose 601 00:26:14,670 --> 00:26:15,190 as well. 602 00:26:15,590 --> 00:26:17,430 We're not doing it for the here and now. 603 00:26:18,390 --> 00:26:22,550 We're not serving God to have people give us a claim here on this 604 00:26:22,550 --> 00:26:25,910 earth, even though it is right to give honor to whom honors do in 605 00:26:25,910 --> 00:26:27,030 the time that we have here. 606 00:26:27,190 --> 00:26:29,470 The whole point of the Christian life is not to have the 607 00:26:29,470 --> 00:26:30,470 goal of this earth. 608 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:34,320 It's the goal of the kingdom, it's the goal of eternity. 609 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:36,200 It's the goal of everlasting life. 610 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:40,240 You know, and the truth is, as believers, so many times we are living 611 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:43,240 in that here and now thinking, well, what is this going to benefit 612 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:44,320 me today? 613 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:45,920 How is this going to benefit me today? 614 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,120 What's going to be the immediate kickback from this good 615 00:26:49,120 --> 00:26:49,440 decision? 616 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:51,640 Folks, I'm going to tell you, there's going to be decisions that 617 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:54,360 you make in your life that you're not going to understand the 618 00:26:54,360 --> 00:26:55,360 good in it right now. 619 00:26:55,360 --> 00:26:57,600 But it's because Jesus has told me to do so. 620 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:00,800 You might be in a workplace situation, you might be in a family 621 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:04,000 situation, and you might say, well, it really doesn't benefit me 622 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:05,240 to stand up for the truth here. 623 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:13,560 I might lose my job, I might harm my plans, I might offend somebody. 624 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,440 The truth is, is that there are going to be times in our life 625 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,160 where we might not see the immediate impact of following Christ. 626 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:22,240 But I'm going to tell you that there's an eternal blessing in staying 627 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:23,920 faithful to the things of God. 628 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:25,240 And so what he says here is this. 629 00:27:25,510 --> 00:27:27,030 You have God's goodness. 630 00:27:27,030 --> 00:27:30,630 Are you not understanding the riches of his goodness, of his patience, 631 00:27:30,710 --> 00:27:35,590 of his grace, of his guidance, as these new goals are coming in? 632 00:27:36,310 --> 00:27:39,030 But then he goes on to verse number five, and he says this, but 633 00:27:39,030 --> 00:27:40,190 after thy hardness. 634 00:27:40,190 --> 00:27:45,270 So he talks about the heart of the moralist, the one who thinks 635 00:27:45,270 --> 00:27:46,870 that he can do it himself. 636 00:27:47,270 --> 00:27:52,640 He says this, verse 5, but after thy hardness and impenitent 637 00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:55,120 or unrepentant heart. 638 00:27:56,480 --> 00:28:00,040 He says, the reason why you're trusting in yourself is not because 639 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:01,040 you're a good person. 640 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:04,160 The reason this is not me saying this. 641 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:04,880 This is Paul. 642 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:08,360 And ultimately the Word of God says the reason why you follow these 643 00:28:08,360 --> 00:28:10,640 morals and think that you can reach it is because of your pride, 644 00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:13,880 because of your hard heartedness, because of your unrepentant 645 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:16,560 spirit, because you think you can do it yourself. 646 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:19,290 And, and ultimately what it is, is it's not humility, it's the 647 00:28:19,290 --> 00:28:20,610 actual opposite of humility. 648 00:28:20,610 --> 00:28:21,330 It's pride. 649 00:28:21,490 --> 00:28:24,130 Look at what I can do, look what I can accomplish. 650 00:28:24,210 --> 00:28:27,490 And so he says, the reason why you're here is because the hardness 651 00:28:27,730 --> 00:28:30,770 and unrepentant heart that you have and what are you doing? 652 00:28:30,770 --> 00:28:35,570 He says, you are treasuring, you treasure it up unto thyself, 653 00:28:35,810 --> 00:28:41,290 wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment 654 00:28:41,290 --> 00:28:41,890 of God. 655 00:28:42,620 --> 00:28:45,300 So we contrast two different ways that you can invest in your 656 00:28:45,300 --> 00:28:50,300 life, you can invest in, as verse 4 said, the riches of his goodness, 657 00:28:51,260 --> 00:28:56,060 or you can invest into that prideful heart that you have. 658 00:28:56,220 --> 00:29:00,580 And it says, but after thy hardness and unrepentant heart, you 659 00:29:00,580 --> 00:29:01,460 are treasuring up. 660 00:29:01,460 --> 00:29:03,940 What though, what is the treasure? 661 00:29:03,940 --> 00:29:07,020 What is the outcome of this pride, of this moralism? 662 00:29:08,150 --> 00:29:08,470 Wrath. 663 00:29:09,110 --> 00:29:10,710 You're treasuring up wrath. 664 00:29:10,790 --> 00:29:11,990 That's what you're investing. 665 00:29:11,990 --> 00:29:14,390 You're treasuring up the wrath of God against you. 666 00:29:14,710 --> 00:29:16,990 Now on the flip side of things, what are you treasuring up 667 00:29:16,990 --> 00:29:20,590 when you rely on the riches of God, you're treasuring up the riches 668 00:29:20,590 --> 00:29:23,350 of his goodness, of his grace, of his guidance. 669 00:29:23,749 --> 00:29:25,550 And so essentially what he's saying here is this. 670 00:29:25,550 --> 00:29:27,430 You can invest into two categories. 671 00:29:27,430 --> 00:29:30,670 You can invest in the goodness of God, which is going to reap eternal 672 00:29:30,670 --> 00:29:34,150 benefits, or you're going to invest in the things of your hardness 673 00:29:34,430 --> 00:29:38,110 and your unrepentant spirit that is going to eventually be manifested 674 00:29:38,190 --> 00:29:38,990 in wrath. 675 00:29:39,630 --> 00:29:41,310 So which side are you going to invest into? 676 00:29:42,270 --> 00:29:45,830 He says, so this is what you are storing up in contrast to the 677 00:29:45,830 --> 00:29:47,870 wisdom and the riches of God. 678 00:29:49,390 --> 00:29:52,230 And he says that will be stored up in the day of wrath and 679 00:29:52,230 --> 00:29:53,990 revelation of the righteous judgment of God. 680 00:29:53,990 --> 00:29:56,270 He repeats the righteous judgment of God. 681 00:29:57,550 --> 00:30:00,110 Now a lot of times we don't think about the judgment of God. 682 00:30:00,110 --> 00:30:02,590 We're, we're taught the love of God, which we should be taught 683 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:04,320 by the way, God is love. 684 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:08,000 One of the defining elements of God is his love. 685 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:10,720 But also the other side of God's defining element would be his 686 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:12,800 holiness and his justice. 687 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:17,400 And for me to preach to you, only one side of that would be incomplete. 688 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:20,960 If I got up and only preached God's judgment today, all of us would 689 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:24,160 leave this building thinking that we were, you know, second class 690 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:24,680 citizens. 691 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:26,560 We're dirt, we don't really deserve anything. 692 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:28,800 God doesn't love us because it's all about judgment. 693 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:31,760 But then at the other side of things, I could preach to you only, 694 00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:34,520 Only God's love, just individually, that's it. 695 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:36,960 Nothing else in context, just God is love. 696 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:38,200 He loves you for everything that you do. 697 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:39,400 Just keep doing what you want to do. 698 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:39,800 Okay? 699 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:42,400 At that side, we would all leave very excited about ourselves, 700 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,319 but we would leave incomplete in our understanding of who God is 701 00:30:45,319 --> 00:30:46,640 and how he interacts with us. 702 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:50,320 So it's teaching the love of God and the extension of love that 703 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:51,560 does not condone sin. 704 00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:54,960 But he loves us enough to give us an opportunity to have victory 705 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:55,600 over sin. 706 00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:57,560 But then on this side of things, I've got to teach you that 707 00:30:57,560 --> 00:30:59,880 there is judgment in rebellion to God. 708 00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:01,960 And none of us want to be here. 709 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:03,400 None of us want to be here. 710 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:07,240 But again, he has the righteousness on his side. 711 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:10,920 And so righteousness leads to the truth. 712 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:15,080 And the truth is, is that God is going to judge those that are 713 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:16,360 walking in rebellion. 714 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:22,280 Verse 6, who will render to every man according to his deeds. 715 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:26,010 Now that if you guys there, there are scary verses in the Bible, 716 00:31:26,490 --> 00:31:28,810 I don't know about you, but sometimes I'll read Bible verses 717 00:31:28,810 --> 00:31:30,410 and I'll go, whew, that's a scary one. 718 00:31:30,410 --> 00:31:32,570 If I'm walking in sin, that's a scary one. 719 00:31:32,810 --> 00:31:33,930 Matthew, chapter seven. 720 00:31:34,330 --> 00:31:36,850 You want to be really scared, read Matthew, chapter seven, where 721 00:31:36,850 --> 00:31:38,889 it says that there's going to be people one day that are standing 722 00:31:38,889 --> 00:31:42,490 before Jesus and said, I taught, I cast out demons. 723 00:31:42,490 --> 00:31:43,850 I prophesied in your name. 724 00:31:43,850 --> 00:31:45,930 And Jesus says, depart from me, you worker of iniquity. 725 00:31:45,930 --> 00:31:47,210 I just, I never knew you. 726 00:31:47,450 --> 00:31:48,570 It's a scary verse. 727 00:31:48,910 --> 00:31:51,710 But here's another scary verse that if you think about it in context 728 00:31:51,710 --> 00:31:53,470 and in its truth, this is scary. 729 00:31:53,470 --> 00:31:58,830 It says this, who will render or give to every man according to 730 00:31:58,830 --> 00:31:59,630 his deeds. 731 00:32:01,550 --> 00:32:05,390 If I'm judged by my deeds outside of the grace of God, outside 732 00:32:05,390 --> 00:32:05,790 of. 733 00:32:05,950 --> 00:32:09,550 Outside of his forgiveness, I'm going to be judged in guilt. 734 00:32:09,790 --> 00:32:10,750 I am guilty. 735 00:32:12,110 --> 00:32:15,270 And so the Bible says here is that God will judge every man according 736 00:32:15,270 --> 00:32:16,110 to his deeds. 737 00:32:16,110 --> 00:32:21,330 And in the concept of our works on this earth, none of us, 738 00:32:21,570 --> 00:32:24,130 none of us want to be judged by our works. 739 00:32:24,210 --> 00:32:27,010 We want to be judged by the work of Jesus Christ. 740 00:32:27,410 --> 00:32:30,290 And so here in this case, what we're seeing is, is that he's painting 741 00:32:30,290 --> 00:32:33,010 this picture of God's riches versus man's treasure. 742 00:32:33,010 --> 00:32:36,930 He's painting this picture of our life with him and our life without 743 00:32:36,930 --> 00:32:37,330 him. 744 00:32:37,970 --> 00:32:38,610 Verse 7. 745 00:32:38,610 --> 00:32:42,850 To them who by patient continuance, in well doing seek for 746 00:32:42,850 --> 00:32:47,630 glory and honor and immorality, eternal life. 747 00:32:48,910 --> 00:32:52,430 But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, 748 00:32:52,430 --> 00:32:56,270 but obey unrighteousness, indignation, wrath, tribulation and 749 00:32:56,270 --> 00:32:59,710 anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil of the Jew first, 750 00:32:59,710 --> 00:33:02,350 and also the Gentile, you might say, what is he talking here? 751 00:33:03,790 --> 00:33:04,870 Verse 7 is this. 752 00:33:04,870 --> 00:33:08,110 If you can do what verse 7 says, you can be saved on your own. 753 00:33:08,750 --> 00:33:12,360 So to them who by patient continuance, which means always, 754 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:18,040 never stopping in well doing, seek for glory and honor and immorality 755 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:18,760 and eternal life. 756 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:20,200 And so what is he saying here? 757 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:23,720 He's saying if we could be perfect, we could be saved. 758 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:25,560 But none of us could be perfect. 759 00:33:27,320 --> 00:33:31,000 So most of us, if we're honest with ourselves, all of us, if we're 760 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:33,640 honest with ourselves, would say that verse 8. 761 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:36,290 But unto them that are contentious, that self self seeking 762 00:33:37,170 --> 00:33:41,210 and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation 763 00:33:41,210 --> 00:33:45,130 and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that 764 00:33:45,130 --> 00:33:48,450 doeth evil of the Jew first, and also the Gentile, he says, if 765 00:33:48,450 --> 00:33:51,490 we could be perfect, we could save ourselves, but we can't. 766 00:33:51,650 --> 00:33:53,970 And so therefore we need a Savior. 767 00:33:54,850 --> 00:33:57,410 Because all of us, if we're honest with ourselves, have fallen 768 00:33:57,410 --> 00:34:00,570 into that trap of, of contention and self seeking and don't 769 00:34:00,570 --> 00:34:03,310 obey the truth and, and do obey unrighteousness. 770 00:34:03,390 --> 00:34:06,710 And that means that what we deserve is God's wrath and fury. 771 00:34:06,710 --> 00:34:11,470 But the goodness of God is told to us later in Romans chapter 772 00:34:11,470 --> 00:34:11,790 6. 773 00:34:12,510 --> 00:34:14,350 Romans chapter 6, verse 23. 774 00:34:14,350 --> 00:34:16,510 We're going to get there eventually and dig deeper into it. 775 00:34:16,590 --> 00:34:18,430 And so the first part of the verse is this. 776 00:34:18,670 --> 00:34:21,870 For the wages or the payment of sin is death. 777 00:34:22,190 --> 00:34:24,750 That's what's being described here in Romans chapter two. 778 00:34:25,470 --> 00:34:27,310 Judgment, death, separation. 779 00:34:28,089 --> 00:34:32,489 This is what we deserve in our humanity, in our sin, in our failure. 780 00:34:32,809 --> 00:34:34,969 None of us can earn righteousness. 781 00:34:36,409 --> 00:34:40,769 So if I was to leave you with Romans chapter 6, verse 23, part 782 00:34:40,769 --> 00:34:43,609 A, you would say, for the wages of sin is death. 783 00:34:43,689 --> 00:34:44,409 Oh man. 784 00:34:45,769 --> 00:34:49,529 So I guess I'm resigned to that because all of us have sinned 785 00:34:49,529 --> 00:34:52,009 and all of us deserve that payment of death. 786 00:34:52,249 --> 00:34:56,209 But there's a second part to it, but the gift of God. 787 00:34:56,209 --> 00:34:58,809 We've already mentioned that word, gift, so you understand the 788 00:34:58,809 --> 00:34:59,569 context of that. 789 00:34:59,569 --> 00:35:04,449 But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 790 00:35:05,009 --> 00:35:08,729 It's through Jesus that we can find salvation. 791 00:35:08,729 --> 00:35:11,169 It's through Jesus that we can find everlasting life. 792 00:35:11,169 --> 00:35:14,529 It's through Jesus that We can find that hope, that love, that grace. 793 00:35:15,329 --> 00:35:18,369 And so we come to the end of our passage this morning. 794 00:35:18,369 --> 00:35:22,900 We're gonna just go down to verse number 11, Romans, chapter 795 00:35:22,900 --> 00:35:23,180 2. 796 00:35:23,740 --> 00:35:30,300 He says, all of that's gonna come down to the Jew first, but also 797 00:35:30,300 --> 00:35:31,340 to the Gentile. 798 00:35:32,620 --> 00:35:34,740 That's the way that the Gospel was presented. 799 00:35:34,740 --> 00:35:36,860 Go back to Romans, chapter 1, verse 16. 800 00:35:37,020 --> 00:35:40,620 To the Jew first, but also to the Greek also to the Gentile. 801 00:35:40,860 --> 00:35:41,820 So what is he saying here? 802 00:35:41,820 --> 00:35:43,500 It says, nobody is without excuse. 803 00:35:43,500 --> 00:35:46,790 This isn't just for the Jewish, this isn't just for the Gentile. 804 00:35:46,790 --> 00:35:48,390 This isn't just for the religious. 805 00:35:48,390 --> 00:35:49,910 This isn't just for the rebel. 806 00:35:49,990 --> 00:35:51,590 This is for everybody. 807 00:35:51,590 --> 00:35:53,110 This principle is for everyone. 808 00:35:53,670 --> 00:35:57,390 But glory, honor and peace to every man that worketh good to the 809 00:35:57,390 --> 00:35:59,910 Jew first and also to the Gentile, verse 11. 810 00:35:59,910 --> 00:36:03,990 For there is no respect of persons with God. 811 00:36:04,390 --> 00:36:05,030 What does that mean? 812 00:36:05,030 --> 00:36:06,950 That means there is no partiality with God. 813 00:36:07,110 --> 00:36:09,910 He doesn't look at the Jew and say, the Jew gets saved this way, 814 00:36:10,070 --> 00:36:11,910 but the Gentile get saved this way. 815 00:36:12,190 --> 00:36:14,470 He doesn't say that the Gentile does this and doesn't have 816 00:36:14,470 --> 00:36:16,350 to do this and these people have to do this. 817 00:36:16,430 --> 00:36:17,310 No, he says this. 818 00:36:17,310 --> 00:36:19,710 And this is essentially summed up in what Paul is teaching. 819 00:36:19,710 --> 00:36:24,110 There is only but one way to salvation, and that is through Christ. 820 00:36:24,350 --> 00:36:26,310 God is not a respecter of persons. 821 00:36:26,310 --> 00:36:28,590 He doesn't sit here and go, well, how much are you giving to 822 00:36:28,590 --> 00:36:29,070 the church? 823 00:36:29,710 --> 00:36:30,990 Oh, you're giving that much? 824 00:36:31,470 --> 00:36:33,150 Well, you have an easier way to get into heaven. 825 00:36:33,150 --> 00:36:35,230 All you got to do is this, this and this, these three things. 826 00:36:36,270 --> 00:36:37,790 Oh, you're not really given to the church? 827 00:36:37,790 --> 00:36:40,680 Well, we're going to put about seven or eight different requirements 828 00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:41,280 in for you. 829 00:36:41,680 --> 00:36:43,680 That would be a respecter of persons. 830 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:45,440 James talks all about this. 831 00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:47,920 People can come into the church building and we can look at 832 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:49,840 them and we can judge them from their looks and go. 833 00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:52,640 They must have money, therefore we give them the good seats. 834 00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:55,640 And then we see people that have needs and struggles and things 835 00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:56,120 of that nature. 836 00:36:56,120 --> 00:36:58,560 And we go, well, you go and you become the. 837 00:36:58,560 --> 00:36:59,720 The outsiders of the church. 838 00:36:59,720 --> 00:37:00,960 You sit on the outskirts. 839 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:01,800 No. 840 00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:02,880 What does the Bible say? 841 00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:05,490 That God is not a respecter person, so we should not be. 842 00:37:05,570 --> 00:37:07,730 So we don't preach a different gospel to different people. 843 00:37:07,810 --> 00:37:09,570 It's the same gospel message. 844 00:37:09,650 --> 00:37:13,130 Now, do we preach it sometimes with different contexts and different 845 00:37:13,130 --> 00:37:13,530 styles? 846 00:37:13,530 --> 00:37:13,890 Sure. 847 00:37:14,290 --> 00:37:16,490 If someone walked into this building and today's the first day 848 00:37:16,490 --> 00:37:18,970 they've ever been to church, I don't sit down with them and talk 849 00:37:18,970 --> 00:37:21,570 to them the same way that I talk to someone who grew up in a 850 00:37:21,570 --> 00:37:23,490 church but might be trusting in the wrong things. 851 00:37:24,290 --> 00:37:28,450 So we have people that have grown up in church for decades, but 852 00:37:28,450 --> 00:37:30,610 they've been taught that you got to be a good person to be saved. 853 00:37:31,730 --> 00:37:34,410 You gotta dress this way, you gotta talk this way, you gotta do 854 00:37:34,410 --> 00:37:36,530 this, you gotta do that, then you can find salvation. 855 00:37:36,690 --> 00:37:39,570 No, you find salvation and then the morals come. 856 00:37:40,130 --> 00:37:42,650 But the truth of the matter is, is that I'm gonna talk to that 857 00:37:42,650 --> 00:37:45,330 person differently than I would talk to someone who's never 858 00:37:45,330 --> 00:37:46,010 been to church. 859 00:37:46,010 --> 00:37:47,810 But it's the same message. 860 00:37:47,810 --> 00:37:49,090 There's no partiality. 861 00:37:49,250 --> 00:37:50,290 You need Jesus. 862 00:37:50,290 --> 00:37:51,810 And that's what Paul is saying here. 863 00:37:51,890 --> 00:37:54,530 There is no respecter of persons in God. 864 00:37:54,930 --> 00:37:58,670 And so what we can see here is this, what Paul is teaching is that 865 00:37:58,670 --> 00:38:03,950 the gospel is for the immoral and for what we would consider, societally 866 00:38:03,950 --> 00:38:05,190 speaking, as the moral. 867 00:38:05,830 --> 00:38:08,510 Just because you're against the things that God is against, that 868 00:38:08,510 --> 00:38:09,430 doesn't mean you're saved. 869 00:38:09,910 --> 00:38:12,790 Well, Pastor, I'm conservative in every way. 870 00:38:13,510 --> 00:38:14,870 I believe that this is wrong. 871 00:38:14,870 --> 00:38:16,870 I believe that what these people are doing is wrong. 872 00:38:16,950 --> 00:38:17,670 Fantastic. 873 00:38:17,670 --> 00:38:18,230 That's great. 874 00:38:18,310 --> 00:38:19,830 But that doesn't save you. 875 00:38:19,910 --> 00:38:21,510 The morality doesn't save you. 876 00:38:21,510 --> 00:38:22,750 It's the relationship with Christ. 877 00:38:22,820 --> 00:38:23,540 Christ that saved you. 878 00:38:23,540 --> 00:38:26,180 So it's the motive behind the morals. 879 00:38:27,140 --> 00:38:28,580 Why do I have this stance? 880 00:38:28,580 --> 00:38:30,420 Because that just repulses me. 881 00:38:31,300 --> 00:38:32,700 Because I don't like thieves. 882 00:38:32,700 --> 00:38:33,540 Because they stay. 883 00:38:33,860 --> 00:38:36,260 They broke into my house one time and stole things from me, and 884 00:38:36,260 --> 00:38:37,300 I just didn't like that. 885 00:38:38,260 --> 00:38:40,900 The truth is, is that sometimes our morals are set in our 886 00:38:40,900 --> 00:38:41,860 own standard. 887 00:38:42,420 --> 00:38:43,860 Like what I'm comfortable with. 888 00:38:43,860 --> 00:38:45,100 That's what the Pharisees would do. 889 00:38:45,100 --> 00:38:49,030 Because the Pharisees were fine with being moral until it contradicted 890 00:38:49,030 --> 00:38:51,470 with what they wanted and then they made loopholes around it. 891 00:38:52,990 --> 00:38:54,350 So what do we do as Christians? 892 00:38:54,670 --> 00:38:56,070 What do we do as cultural? 893 00:38:56,070 --> 00:38:59,430 Now, I'm not saying Christians as biblical Christians, but what 894 00:38:59,430 --> 00:39:00,910 we would call cultural Christians. 895 00:39:01,150 --> 00:39:04,150 Cultural Christians are okay with morals until it goes against 896 00:39:04,150 --> 00:39:04,630 what they want. 897 00:39:04,630 --> 00:39:06,590 And they find loopholes around those morals. 898 00:39:06,830 --> 00:39:09,670 You can find go on the Internet, you can find a Christian 899 00:39:09,670 --> 00:39:12,790 that is for every sin that's listed in scripture, you can find 900 00:39:12,790 --> 00:39:15,110 a person who's going to preach what you want it preached to. 901 00:39:15,110 --> 00:39:15,710 To preach. 902 00:39:16,270 --> 00:39:17,670 But at the end of the day, what do we do? 903 00:39:17,670 --> 00:39:18,670 We go back to Christ. 904 00:39:18,910 --> 00:39:19,270 There's. 905 00:39:19,270 --> 00:39:20,230 There's morality there. 906 00:39:20,230 --> 00:39:25,550 So it's not about the morals that save us. 907 00:39:26,910 --> 00:39:31,110 What he's saying here is that the true understanding of God's righteous 908 00:39:31,110 --> 00:39:33,150 judgment is that we all deserve judgment. 909 00:39:33,470 --> 00:39:35,870 Therefore we all need a Savior. 910 00:39:36,110 --> 00:39:37,470 We all need Jesus Christ. 911 00:39:37,470 --> 00:39:38,750 We all need his forgiveness. 912 00:39:39,230 --> 00:39:42,250 You might say, well, that person over here has sinned, let's 913 00:39:42,250 --> 00:39:44,850 say 5,000 times. 914 00:39:45,330 --> 00:39:50,210 I've only sinned 2,500 times, so I'm half again as good as that 915 00:39:50,210 --> 00:39:50,530 person. 916 00:39:50,610 --> 00:39:55,530 No, no, we don't go by the standard of other people and say, 917 00:39:55,530 --> 00:39:56,770 well, I'm better than that person. 918 00:39:57,330 --> 00:39:58,530 The standard is Christ. 919 00:39:59,250 --> 00:40:00,370 None of us match that. 920 00:40:00,850 --> 00:40:01,970 None of us match that. 921 00:40:02,050 --> 00:40:03,250 We need Jesus. 922 00:40:03,730 --> 00:40:07,400 And so this passage continues on to talk about all of these things 923 00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:09,960 that are wrapped up in that morality. 924 00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:13,560 So we're going to talk later on in Romans chapter two about cautioning 925 00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:17,480 against hypocrisy, because it's very easy for us to fall into 926 00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:20,720 that trap of hypocrisy in our life to say one thing and do another 927 00:40:20,720 --> 00:40:21,080 thing. 928 00:40:21,240 --> 00:40:23,440 Jesus talked about that on the Sermon on the Mount. 929 00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:25,440 Jesus dealt with the Pharisees in that regard. 930 00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:26,640 Jesus dealt with the publicans. 931 00:40:26,640 --> 00:40:29,080 Though, by the way, it's not just the moralists that needs Jesus. 932 00:40:29,080 --> 00:40:31,320 It's those people that are an open rebellion to God. 933 00:40:32,370 --> 00:40:36,170 But regardless of it being open rebellion or internal rebellion, 934 00:40:36,170 --> 00:40:37,250 it's still rebellion. 935 00:40:37,650 --> 00:40:40,170 And so we can have people that look the part, but they're still 936 00:40:40,170 --> 00:40:43,330 internally in rebellion against God because they're trusting 937 00:40:43,330 --> 00:40:44,290 in something else. 938 00:40:44,850 --> 00:40:46,450 And so here this morning, if I could. 939 00:40:46,850 --> 00:40:51,250 If I could point you to anything, it's not be a moralist 940 00:40:51,410 --> 00:40:51,770 person. 941 00:40:51,770 --> 00:40:53,090 Just do whatever you want to do. 942 00:40:53,650 --> 00:40:54,890 Don't follow the law of God. 943 00:40:54,890 --> 00:40:57,170 The law of God is there to teach us where the heart of God is. 944 00:40:58,140 --> 00:41:00,140 We are supposed to live righteous lives. 945 00:41:00,700 --> 00:41:02,500 I'm not supposed to continue in sin. 946 00:41:02,500 --> 00:41:03,580 That grace abounds. 947 00:41:03,900 --> 00:41:05,500 But I need to go back to the motivation. 948 00:41:05,500 --> 00:41:06,580 Why do I want to do this? 949 00:41:06,580 --> 00:41:09,460 Why do I want to raise my children in the nurture and admonition 950 00:41:09,460 --> 00:41:10,060 of the Lord? 951 00:41:11,020 --> 00:41:12,780 Well, because I want them to be good citizens. 952 00:41:12,780 --> 00:41:14,140 I do want them to be good citizens. 953 00:41:14,140 --> 00:41:14,580 I really do. 954 00:41:14,580 --> 00:41:15,180 I want them to. 955 00:41:15,180 --> 00:41:16,300 I don't want them to get in trouble. 956 00:41:17,100 --> 00:41:20,580 But at the same time, there's a bigger reason why I'm raising my 957 00:41:20,580 --> 00:41:23,020 children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord because God 958 00:41:23,020 --> 00:41:23,620 has told me to. 959 00:41:23,620 --> 00:41:26,670 And he's told me that that's the only path to salvation, is leading 960 00:41:26,670 --> 00:41:28,510 my children to Christ and nothing else. 961 00:41:29,150 --> 00:41:32,070 And so I hope that here this morning that we can understand the 962 00:41:32,070 --> 00:41:34,910 complete context of what Paul is trying to say. 963 00:41:35,790 --> 00:41:40,150 Regardless of what walk of life that you are in we are all guilty 964 00:41:40,150 --> 00:41:41,150 before the eyes of God. 965 00:41:41,150 --> 00:41:42,030 We need a savior. 966 00:41:42,030 --> 00:41:43,150 Now, some of you are out there today. 967 00:41:43,390 --> 00:41:46,350 You might not understand that I'm preaching in the context of salvation. 968 00:41:46,830 --> 00:41:47,750 What is salvation? 969 00:41:47,750 --> 00:41:49,550 The Bible says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory 970 00:41:49,550 --> 00:41:51,070 of God, for the wages of sin is death. 971 00:41:51,070 --> 00:41:53,630 But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 972 00:41:54,470 --> 00:41:57,110 There are many people in this room, I would venture to say most 973 00:41:57,110 --> 00:42:00,830 people in this room that have claimed and professed the name of 974 00:42:00,830 --> 00:42:02,230 Jesus Christ in faith. 975 00:42:02,230 --> 00:42:04,630 And you are walking in the grace of God. 976 00:42:04,630 --> 00:42:05,790 It doesn't mean you're going to be perfect. 977 00:42:05,790 --> 00:42:08,710 So this morning, I'm not saying that you need to be re saved. 978 00:42:08,870 --> 00:42:11,910 What I'm saying is, is that we need to be reminded of what we've 979 00:42:11,910 --> 00:42:15,510 been saved from and what we have been saved to in our lives. 980 00:42:16,550 --> 00:42:19,630 But there might be a person in this room or multiple people in this 981 00:42:19,630 --> 00:42:22,470 room that have not come to that place of saving faith. 982 00:42:23,030 --> 00:42:25,590 I encourage you this morning to say I need a savior. 983 00:42:25,830 --> 00:42:27,350 It's not about joining a church. 984 00:42:27,350 --> 00:42:32,070 It's not about becoming a person that's, you know, a monk, 985 00:42:32,070 --> 00:42:34,030 a monastery away from society. 986 00:42:34,030 --> 00:42:36,070 The Bible's not called us to leave society. 987 00:42:36,630 --> 00:42:39,630 The Bible has said that we are in the world, but we are not of the 988 00:42:39,630 --> 00:42:39,830 world. 989 00:42:39,830 --> 00:42:42,870 Jesus didn't leave and like leave the people there in Jerusalem 990 00:42:43,110 --> 00:42:44,030 and Nazareth. 991 00:42:44,030 --> 00:42:45,110 Jesus was there with them. 992 00:42:45,110 --> 00:42:47,910 He ate with the sinners to bring them to Christ. 993 00:42:47,910 --> 00:42:49,990 He didn't eat with the sinners to become a sinner. 994 00:42:50,070 --> 00:42:52,150 He was with them, but he was not of them. 995 00:42:52,470 --> 00:42:54,630 And that's how we are supposed to be as believers. 996 00:42:54,790 --> 00:42:56,750 And so this morning, I want you to think about that. 997 00:42:56,750 --> 00:42:59,910 I want you to think about that idea that God has no partiality, 998 00:42:59,910 --> 00:43:01,910 that there is one way to salvation. 999 00:43:02,870 --> 00:43:05,030 Folks, I'll be the first to tell you that I'm not perfect. 1000 00:43:05,430 --> 00:43:07,910 But that's not a resignation over to my sin. 1001 00:43:08,230 --> 00:43:12,190 It's that every day I wake up and I want to die to that sin died 1002 00:43:12,190 --> 00:43:12,430 with. 1003 00:43:12,430 --> 00:43:14,190 The Bible says crucify the flesh. 1004 00:43:15,150 --> 00:43:16,030 I want you to understand. 1005 00:43:16,110 --> 00:43:19,150 I don't want to go too far on this this morning, but I got to. 1006 00:43:19,870 --> 00:43:21,990 Do you understand what crucifixion is? 1007 00:43:21,990 --> 00:43:24,910 Crucifixion isn't just a cross that we hang around our neck. 1008 00:43:24,990 --> 00:43:28,750 Crucifixion was the most brutal death that anyone could face 1009 00:43:28,750 --> 00:43:30,030 in that ancient world. 1010 00:43:30,750 --> 00:43:34,190 It was an executioner's method of killing people. 1011 00:43:35,230 --> 00:43:36,590 It was a gruesome process. 1012 00:43:37,290 --> 00:43:41,130 We must wake up every morning killing the flesh, dying in the flesh 1013 00:43:41,610 --> 00:43:43,930 and yielding and living in the Spirit. 1014 00:43:44,570 --> 00:43:48,610 Folks, if we are not actively pleading with God when we wake up 1015 00:43:48,610 --> 00:43:53,210 in the morning, to give us his grace and to understand his guidance, 1016 00:43:53,530 --> 00:43:57,210 we are so easily slipping right into the flesh the moment we 1017 00:43:57,210 --> 00:43:57,690 wake up. 1018 00:43:58,330 --> 00:43:59,650 I encourage you to think about that. 1019 00:43:59,650 --> 00:44:01,450 His mercies are new every morning. 1020 00:44:01,610 --> 00:44:03,930 Plead with him, say, lord, I want to be more like you. 1021 00:44:04,240 --> 00:44:06,760 I want to live in the spirit, Lord, give me the strength. 1022 00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:09,880 And then when we do fail, inevitably we will fail. 1023 00:44:09,880 --> 00:44:12,160 The Bible says in First John, chapter one, verse nine. 1024 00:44:12,800 --> 00:44:16,520 For if we confess our sins, confess just means to say the same 1025 00:44:16,520 --> 00:44:20,000 thing, to acknowledge where I'm at and agree that this is wrong. 1026 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:23,440 God, if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive 1027 00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:25,920 us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1028 00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:28,400 That's a restoration of the fellowship with God. 1029 00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:30,640 And so there's beauty here. 1030 00:44:30,830 --> 00:44:33,590 The beauty is, is that God has forgiven us of our sins, past, present 1031 00:44:33,590 --> 00:44:36,670 and future, but yet he has given us an opportunity to understand 1032 00:44:36,750 --> 00:44:39,790 him and to grow closer to him and to walk in that truth. 1033 00:44:39,790 --> 00:44:41,910 So next week we're going to come back and we're going to look 1034 00:44:41,910 --> 00:44:43,870 at more of the dangers of moralism. 1035 00:44:44,030 --> 00:44:48,070 But I hope that here this week you can understand the need, the 1036 00:44:48,070 --> 00:44:50,110 universal need for a Savior. 1037 00:44:50,110 --> 00:44:51,470 And that Savior is Jesus Christ. 1038 00:44:51,790 --> 00:44:53,830 I'm going to ask everyone if you're able to. 1039 00:44:53,830 --> 00:44:54,390 To stand with me. 1040 00:44:54,390 --> 00:44:55,950 Every head bound, every head closed. 1041 00:44:56,600 --> 00:44:59,360 The music's gonna play here in a few moments and what I wanna do 1042 00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:01,480 is give you an opportunity to respond here this morning. 1043 00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:04,440 There's nothing magical about the steps that are up here. 1044 00:45:04,760 --> 00:45:06,200 But what I will say is this. 1045 00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:09,920 There's an opportunity for you now to recognize your need for a 1046 00:45:09,920 --> 00:45:10,440 savior. 1047 00:45:10,920 --> 00:45:15,160 Number one, for salvation, but number two, for what we call sanctification, 1048 00:45:15,400 --> 00:45:16,360 spiritual growth. 1049 00:45:17,160 --> 00:45:19,320 I need my Savior the day I'm saved. 1050 00:45:19,320 --> 00:45:22,000 I need my savior 20 years after I'm saved. 1051 00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:25,960 I need, I need my Savior every aspect of my life because why I need 1052 00:45:25,960 --> 00:45:26,880 his grace today. 1053 00:45:26,880 --> 00:45:28,120 I need his goodness today. 1054 00:45:28,120 --> 00:45:29,560 I need his forgiveness today. 1055 00:45:29,720 --> 00:45:32,800 There might be things that you're that are burdening you right 1056 00:45:32,800 --> 00:45:36,280 now that are doing everything they possibly can to pull you away 1057 00:45:36,280 --> 00:45:37,640 from the truth of God. 1058 00:45:37,720 --> 00:45:39,120 Folks fight against that. 1059 00:45:39,120 --> 00:45:41,400 That's the enemy trying to pull you away from the truth. 1060 00:45:41,560 --> 00:45:47,440 The Bible says that we must, we must recognize the need for Jesus 1061 00:45:47,440 --> 00:45:48,040 in our life. 1062 00:45:48,530 --> 00:45:53,650 Not just for Sundays, not just for Wednesdays, but for every hour, 1063 00:45:53,730 --> 00:45:55,090 every second of our lives. 1064 00:45:55,090 --> 00:45:56,930 24, 7, 365. 1065 00:45:57,250 --> 00:46:00,290 We need Jesus so here this morning. 1066 00:46:00,290 --> 00:46:02,930 If you need Jesus as your Savior, we've got some folks up here. 1067 00:46:03,090 --> 00:46:06,090 We can show you in the word of God in the Bible what it means to 1068 00:46:06,090 --> 00:46:09,170 know him, to believe in him and find forgiveness in his goodness. 1069 00:46:09,330 --> 00:46:11,930 Lord, I thank you for this time of of the service. 1070 00:46:11,930 --> 00:46:14,210 Lord, I pray that you be in this time of invitation working hearts 1071 00:46:14,210 --> 00:46:14,530 and lives. 1072 00:46:14,530 --> 00:46:15,490 Lead us to the truth. 1073 00:46:15,920 --> 00:46:17,240 Help us to rely on you in every way. 1074 00:46:17,240 --> 00:46:18,240 In Jesus name, amen. 1075 00:46:18,240 --> 00:46:20,400 As the music plays this morning, follow as the Lord leads 1076 00:46:41,290 --> 00:46:41,530 it. 1077 00:47:27,940 --> 00:47:30,340 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 1078 00:47:30,340 --> 00:47:30,980 podcast. 1079 00:47:31,220 --> 00:47:33,630 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing blessing for you. 1080 00:47:34,350 --> 00:47:36,550 You would like to find out more information about our church 1081 00:47:36,550 --> 00:47:40,030 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 1082 00:47:40,270 --> 00:47:42,830 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 1083 00:47:43,550 --> 00:47:48,070 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaroiddletownbaptistchurch 1084 00:47:48,070 --> 00:47:50,670 dot com if you've enjoyed this podcast. 1085 00:47:50,910 --> 00:47:55,310 Please subscribe and follow along for future podcasts and updates. 1086 00:47:55,950 --> 00:47:56,910 Thank you so much. 1087 00:47:57,150 --> 00:47:57,870 God bless. 1088 00:47:58,110 --> 00:47:59,390 Have a wonderful day.