Bible Guys Classics: Romans 2 Part 1

Well, today God's going to be the judge. Yeah, this is a big one. There's good news in the middle of the bad news. But judgment's coming. And so he's Chris and I'm Jeff, and we're the Bible guys. So we know that you're not only a movie buff, you're a big music person. Yeah. I like music. And who's your favorite singer? A favorite singer good gravy. I don't know. I can't even the one that everybody'd be most surprised as one of your favorite singers. Oh, well, that's an entirely different question. Well, for the fall kickoff at our church, huh, we were creating trivia, uh huh, And it was it was a race between me and you, and we said, who listens to Taylor Swift in the car? That's right? And nobody knew how to vote. Yeah, and it's like, Chris, yeah, that's right. I'm not sure that I know the lyrics to a Taylor Swift song. So I recognize her voice when she sings stuff like that, right, my daughter for little while listen to Taylor, But I don't know like any lyrics from Taylor Swift. You know some, right, Well, there's only fifty million. Yeah, but you know all of them, don't you. No, I know the popular ones. Well, we're going to find out. So, and then you've memorized the Book of Lamentations in the Bible. Right I have not? You have not, Yes, I confess. So here's what I decided to do is we're going to why I didn't. I think Desiree did, but I'm going to take credit for it. Thanks Desiree. We decided we're going to read lyrics either from a Taylor Swift song or from the Book of Lamentation. So you have to tell me Taylor Swift or Lamentations. Okay, So, just to server knows, we saw this like two seconds ago, and he decided to read it to me because I know some Taylor Swifts. I don't know any Taylor Swift songs. All right, go ahead, Okay, are you ready? Yep? Okay. So it says I remember it all the feeling of hitting bottom. I remember it all the feeling of hitting bottom. Gosh, that could be it, that could be It doesn't sound sophisticated enough to be Taylor Swift. I'm gonna say lamentations. Oh wow, yeah, yeah, you're the Bible guy. Hey, you are the Bible guy. Your instincts are good. Lamentations three twenty Okay, how about this one? Walls of insincerity, shifting eyes, and vacancy vanished when I saw your face. Yeah, that's uh, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on. Enchanted to meet you? Okay, it's enchanted. Yes, yes, that's what the song is called. Enchanted. Okay, Yeah, it's like right, it's like the it's like the second line of the song. Yep, we've been to Helen back, we have nowhere to turn, nowhere to go. That definitely sounds like lamentations. That is Lamentations three forty seven. Yes, Uh, did you have to do this? I was thinking you could be trusted. I can't even imagine that being in lamentations because that's a direct conversation. So I'm gonna go with Taylor. Swift and want to guess a song. I don't know. I don't have no idea. Bad Blood, Oh, bad blood? You know that song? Right now? We got bad Blood? Yeah kind of kind of yes, yeah, you know that song. And we'll sing Hallelujah. We'll sing Hallelujah. Lamentations change by Taylor Swift. Oh wow, Okay, that was that was tricky. I've forgotten what the good life is like. I've forgotten what the good life is like. I'll say Taylor. Swift Lamentations three seventeen. So I went three for three, three for five. Yeah, yeah, I went. Three for three, and then I went over to Yeah. Yeah, that's great. That's a fun one. That's fun, very clever. Thank you Desiree for coming up with that one. That's a fun one to do. Uh yeah. And I could see the wheels working too. It's just a little smoky in the in the studio now, I mean. All all you quoted was I sing hallelujah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I skipped most of the rest of it. She gave me a whole sentence. I didn't read it. I just read that part. Oh that's because you thought you was gonna give away now that the truth comes out. Okay, So Desiree was kind, and she was she was more accommodating than I am. But hey, don't mess with the guy at the microphone. That's true. That's true. Okay. So hey, now he's going to really put it out there for us. So sure, we got a laundry list of sinful things that are are horrible that have eternal consequences and are the result of us rejecting our creator. Right, So sure he already gave that. But then you got to remember there are no chapters and verses in Paul's letters. He doesn't start and then stop, and start and stop. This is all just one big long thought. So where he ends that big long list yesterday, he continues with you may think that you can condemn such people, but you're just as bad. So this is Romans chapter two, Verse one. You may think that you condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse when you say they are wicked and should be punished. You're only condemning yourself, For you, who judge others, do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God's judgment when you do the same things. Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that His kindness is intended to turn you away from your sin? But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you're storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they've done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor immortality that God offers. But He will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil, for the Jew first and also for the gentile. But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good, for the Jew first and also for the gentile. For God does not show favoritism. When the Gentiles sin, they'll be destroyed, even though they never had God's written law. And the Jews who do have God's law will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. For merely listening to the law doesn't make us right with God. It's obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. Even gentiles who do not have God's written law, so that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God's laws written in their hearts for their own conscience and thoughts are either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And this is the message. I proclaim that the day is coming when God through Christ Jesus will judge everyone's secret life. I like that last line, when God through Jesus, Christ will judge everyone's secret life. And so at the very beginning, we sort of opened up and I said, God's the judge, right. And so here's how I view this passage is that what he's trying to say is is really building up to the idea that like, did you ever play Monopoly? Yes? So Monopoly is my favorite game. And so there's a get out of jail free card, and the get out of jail free card is very similar to Jesus. He gives us a way to escape sin, to escape a punishment of sin, and it doesn't cost us anything. It's free. It's a free gift. The Book of Romans, Paul goes on to talk about that being a free gift, and what he's really trying to say is he's trying to say, let me talk about what you're escaping from through Jesus, because without Jesus there is no escape. Because sin has a judge, and there's a righteous God who is a righteous judge, and he judges harshly, and he's angry at sin. Right, And by the way, God makes no apology for that. In the Old Testament, you know, God says, God's a jealous God. Now God's an angry God because he's angry for our sin. God hates sin, he hates wickedness, he hates all those things. Sin demands a penalty, Sin demand's death. Like there is an absolute judge with a horrific sentence that every single one of us are guilty of. And God justly hates sin. Yeah, just right. So we look at it and go, oh, it was just a little lie. Oh I stretch the truth. Oh I just disobeyed my parents or whatever. But for God, God knows the destructiveness of sin. It ruins societies. A little bit winds up turning into a lot, and that's what we always do, and it destroys so much as a cancer. It's like, you know, if somebody broke into your house and wanted to attack your daughters. You would hate every part of that behavior, everything about it, right, And it's not that you're full of hatred, it's you're full of sin, so much love for your daughters. You hate what the destruction that that behavior coming towards your daughters is going to do. And it's the same way that God views sin. It's not that he's full of hate. He loves us so much and he sees the destruction coming our way. It's going to destroy everything good in our life if we let sin get a foothold. And so that's why he hates sin. And for godly people, we need to get a similar view. Not that we hate sinners, but we hate the consequence and the fallout from sin, and so we need to hate it as much as God hates it. Yeah. And by the way, that's not even brush past chapter two, verse number one, because you know, there are probably a lot of people in our past that we've seen that get hung up on a lot of issues of chapter of chapter one, and yet in chapter two, to your point, it's the same thought, right, right, right, He says, you may think you can contemn such people, but you're just as bad. And you know, what's so interesting is that, like you know, so, I've always I heard this. So if you tell one lie, it makes you a liar liar, And so whether you're a compulsive liar or whether you've told one small fib you're just as guilty, because the Bible says breaking some of the law is like breaking the entire live. I had a guy asked me one time. He said, well, he said, have I sinned? Yes? Am I a sinner? No? And I said, well, let me ask you this. If you rob a bank, what are you? You're a bank robber? Right? How many people do you have to kill to be a murderer? Just one? Just one? Right, it's the same one. I've only robbed one bank, I said, So it's the same there. So it's not we all want to justify ourselves. We want to make ourselves better. There's other people we know that are worse, but for sure, but we we hate this idea you're worse than me. Well probably probably, I'll admit that, because you know, Verse one tells me, I can't think that I can condemn you because I'm just as bad as you are. But so when he says this, we read, when we read through that all that list of all those sins yesterday, I'm telling you our listeners heard certain ones and went or they heard certain ones and went, yeah that's right, that's a terrible thing, right right, and then kind of you know, well, yeah, disobedient to parents, are insolent orreling, quarreling, Yeah that's about you know, Well, I'm Scottish. I just have a bad attitude. Why because I have Scottish blood in me. Oh yeah, okay, so I just have a bad attitude because funny whatever, and so so we find ways to scot right now, why why all five of our listeners just quit listening. Remember we said we had like eighty something people in Ireland that listen. So all the Irish people are like, go ahead from Scotts. But so we find reasons to dismiss why our sin is an issue? Right, Oh, it's just who I am or whatever. And what he's saying is he's not saying that you yourself do the exact sin that other people do. We all have our own proclivity for our own you know, sin preferences. What he's saying is the level of your sin is equal to the level of other people's sins, right, and so you know, you might be the one that is, you know, particularly deceptive and malicious, and somebody else is you know, and you just understand deception is just part of your job and career. You can't get ahead and in my industry without being deceptive, and so you excuse that, going, well, it's just a nature of what I have to do. But you're horrified by the backstabbers and the haters of God and the insolent, right, and you're like, oh my goodness, that's horrible. And what he's saying is, listen, if you're on the list at all, you're on the list, right, And that's what he's saying in these first verses there is if you're a sinner, you're a sinner. Quit judging other sinners at that point, right, right, So we have to get to the point where we realize we are sinners. And he's telling us here, listen, don't you see how wonderfully kind and tolerant and patient God is with you? Yeah, so he says God, which which by the. Way, brings up like some subjects of like why would God continue to bless sinful people? Right? Right? Like why do rich why do thieves continue to get rich and they're allowed to enjoy the riches. You know why, And it's because God blesses us in spite of our sins on sort of all sorts of levels. Right, It doesn't always require the favor of God. Sometimes it's just that you've chosen to do something and it benefited you, and doesn't it to be God's favor, But it is God's tolerance. Yeah, and in some cases God's mercy. Yeah, that's right. But so then he says, can't you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? So you read a passage like this and you go, oh, yeah, this is horrible. Quit reading this stuff, and Paul saying, no, no, listen, I'm not telling you this to make you feel horrible. Can't you see how good God is that even though you are a sinner, God loves you. That God's whole reason for telling you that you're a sinner is kindness that's intended to turn you from your sin. God knows, like I was saying, that person breaking into your house trying to hurt yours, you hate that behavior because you love your daughter so much. God is telling you about the consequences of sin because He loves you so much that when you finally realize how bad sin is and you begin to get a hint of it, like God understands it, then you get to understand how good he is because he's turning us away from it to a better life. And so Paul's trying to establish, yes, you're a sinner, but man, God only tells you that so you can have the good life. That's what he's saying. It's it's good news. It's just kind of wrapped in the like ugly wrapping paper here for us in this first you know few chapters. Yeah, I remember specifically one time where I was written into a situation. I'm not sure if it's gonna be a really good story. So i'll really sum it up because I don't want to mention names or situations, but I won't. But but the bottom line is is I remember one time somebody was coming up to me and they were being super super critical of something about me. Then tell us names. I'll tak the first. But this particular girl I was actually I just finished speaking and actually it was actually something that I was wearing. She didn't like what I was wearing. I loved what I was wearing right, but like she just thought it looked too country or whatever it was. So she she just went like backstage and you know, sort of like because you know, we always give each other feedback and to be positive, right, and she just sort of looked me up and down and she went like she's like and by the way, and I said what and she goes she like look up and down, and she was trying to make a statement like this really condemning statement about my clothes. And I remember in my mind going like, okay, I have a choice how to react here, like, you know, and I could just say what is your deal or you know, or be like what I like what I'm wearing, you know, whatever it is. And I remember in that moment, I just decided to just play like the most godly person but not godly to scorn her or not trying to he. Pulls a fire on her. But I was just legitimately like, well, you know what, I'm just going to give her total grace. And I gave her the most authentic grace reaction. I just looked at her, you know, and pretended like she didn't even offend me, and just kept not going on and sort of ignored it, and she really wanted to continue the conversation. She wanted to bring it up, but because of my reaction, she was like, oh, and so she moved on. But you could just tell us eating at her to say like, you need to change your shirt. Right. So here's what happens. The second service. She comes back and she goes, I felt horrible at you know, she's I'm so sorry. She goes, I just want to tell you, I just don't like your shirt. She goes, And the way I went about it was horrible, and I thought you were going to come back at me, but you were so loving and so kind. And she goes, and I just walked away, and she goes to that entire second service. I thought, I feel so bad, and you reacted so kindly to me, and so and I just and so that's what reminded me of reminds me of the fact then in spite of our you know, bad reactions and bad behaviors, like God's kindness and this mercy, you know, it's supposed to compel us to go I can't believe you're so kind. I can't believe. So maybe it was a decent story, but I wanted to say more, but I couldn't anyway. Well, I can see the parallels of you forgiving her, you know, disliking your shirt, and God forgiving you know, murderers and malicious behavior. It's very very similar. Yeah, well guess what, Jeff, if you're on the list, draw on the list, right. That's exactly right, that's exactly right. This is what I was doing, was minimizing her saying that. The reality is it's the same God says. Listen, you've broken this law, and so now you can't judge other people. Now God does, and God is clear on this. So then it's not a judgmental thing for you and me as pastors to warn people that the bridge is out down the road. We're not being judgmental or hateful when we say this is what God says. This behavior has to stop. You have to stop that behavior and go God's way. Don't indulge in the flesh, don't go down this road. It's going to ruin your life. Instead, choose to do the right thing that's not judgmental, that is being loving. As long as we don't do it in a mean spirited way. We do it in a loving way, and we say be cautious, be careful, don't go in that direction. We love people enough to tell them what is true, what is right, what is good, and what is bad. And that is a part of the good news of the Gospel is being able to identify what is the bad side as well as the good side. You know, it's easy actually when you look at it from a thirty thousand foot view, if you sort of back up, you know, and you sort of look at the concept of sharing faith. You know, whether it's a preacher who gets paid to share the good news, or whether it's somebody typing in all caps, right, just trying to trying to, you know, share their opinion about what God says. There's two extremes, right, and then you have people who don't type in all caps and they actually share in the right way. And then you have preachers who actually share in the wrong way. That's right, you know what I mean. Yeah, So you think about the complicated, you know, a demeanor in which we have in trying to communicate the truth because we're trying to communicate the truth from the posture of a perfect God in an imperfect way. And it's so funny, how I mean, really truly if we were to somehow identify our brokenness by let's just say like a color, you know, let's just say black and white, like all of our bad intentions, all of our mixed emotions, all of our brokenness, unhealthy tendencies, you know what I mean, the shadow missions. I mean, we have so much just sort of wound up and the complexity and the brokenness of who we are. We try so hard to communicate, you know, what a perfect God thinks, feels, how he acts, how he responds his intentions. We're trying to communicate absolute perfection through completely imperfect you know, imperfect ways. And so a lot of times you'll hear a preacher preach fire and brimstone in a way that feels judging, condemning. Uh. And what he's really doing is he's actually preaching the truth in a bad. Way, right. And so what he's not doing is he's not embracing the entire character of God. He's preaching it in a in a emphatic way that you're receiving in a bad way. Yeah. So sometimes it can be our own hearts that cause us to reject the delivery. Yeah, and perfection on the giver and the receiver. And the receiver both, right, yes, And so I just think. That it's it's easy to see how we can have bad impressions of people, you know, because you know, the Bible does tell us he as it's our job as Christians to point out the sin and other people's lives who we love and we're supposed to be in a loving way. So, for instance, if my brother is, you know, cheating on his wife, which you know he did not do, but if he was, and I'm like, hey, man, I think it's sort of my responsibility to step up and just say, you know, Jim, you're a Christian, you love Jesus, this isn't the right thing to do, and I'm calling you out on it. I'm not just gonna sit by and let this happen. That's what God calls us to do. And so whether it's something extreme or something small, we have that job. And yet we just have to be humble enough to admit that we're also sinners. Yes, right, So we have to recognize if I'm admitting I'm a sinner and I'm also trying to help my brother overcome his sin, then it's not judgmental for me to help point out yours while I'm acknowledging mine. Where it's judgmental is when I act like I'm all high and mighty and perfect, and you should be more like me. None of us should be more like each other. We should all be more like Christ. And that's really the goal. And so then this grace, this law. My favorite verse, the best news in this entire passage today is verse eleven that says, because God does not show favoritism, so God doesn't have his favorite people that he's gonna bless in his least favorite people. He's saying, listen, everybody that will turn from their sin and come to me, good news is available to you. The Gospel is available to you. So that's really what the rest of this book is going to be about, is you know, God shows no favoritism. So all right, well, that sounds like a great place to end our thoughts, and we will see you next time on the Bible, guys,