May it please Almighty God to
bless us together this morning as we meditate in his holy word.
Let us turn to the Epistle of Paul to the Romans and the second
chapter and we'll read verse four. The second chapter in the
Epistle of Paul to the Romans and reading verse four. Or despises
thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance. and long-suffering, not knowing
that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. We should be very thankful that
the Lord in his great love and mercy constrained the Apostle
Paul when he wrote the Epistle to the Romans to spell out for
us very important and wonderful truths. And this verse has a
wonderful truth. And it's a great blessing if
you and I can understand the glory and the wonder of this
statement, knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. Very often people think in the
opposite way and think, well, God will bring people into terrible
judgment so that they repent of their sins and turn away from
them. Well sometimes, of course, that
does occur. But here we have the wonderful
favour of God and we see how kind and gracious God is. And we have to say, do we not surely,
in dealing with us in love, And so here is his statement,
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. How few people really understand
that. But it would be a wonderful blessing
if you and I know what it means and therefore can rejoice in
it. And the Apostle leads up to this
wonderful truth by saying, or despises thou he's previously
he's brought certain statements against the people but now he
says or another statement or despises thou the riches of his
goodness and forbearance you know to despise is to reject
or to scorn something And, you know, we're blessed, we really
are blessed. As a company here today, we are
really blessed as a nation that the Lord has granted us such
wonderful favour and wonderful liberty. It's good sometimes
just to sit and consider what our position would have been
if we'd been born in another place, perhaps a desert, perhaps
a jungle, whatever, perhaps a place where the Word of God had never
been, perhaps nobody knew about God, a place where people just
carried on their life as though there was no God, and there was
no time of true worship, and sometimes people live all their
life just like that, without any knowledge at all about the
truth of God. Just ponder that and think then
that we today, all of us here, have been born into a great favoured
condition and situation. First of all, we have a very
comfortable existence in our country. Even the poorest person
relatively has a comfortable existence in our country. And all of us here have a very
comfortable existence. You think we have daily food
to eat, we have our clothes to wear, we have, even when it's
been cold weather, a warm home to be in, and friends to meet
with, and especially in our favour, like-minded friends who we can
talk to and discuss the things of God and to praise Him for
all the things that He's done, and to believe that we have a
God who hears and answers prayer, a God who goes before us in all
our unknown future, with regard to our schools, with regard to
work, with regard to marriage, with regard to all the details
in our life, to realise that we have a God who we can come
to, and we can pray to, and we can commit our way unto, And
therefore, surely, we have so much, do we not, to be thankful
for? And what do we classify as? Well, it's the goodness of God. It's the goodness of God. And
it's a wonderful blessing if God enables us to be thankful
for his goodness, and leave us to complain. It's quite easy
to come into a complaining spirit, isn't it? To wish we did this,
or wish we had that, or wish we could change this, or run
that way, or that way. But to just think the Lord has
provided us with so many blessings, naturally. And then of course,
to think of the great favour, the great blessing of his spiritual
goodness toward us. What a wonderful blessing that
is. What a wonderful blessing that
is. And so, Paul here in this verse, he starts by saying, or
despises thou, and he leads us in this way, and he says, the
riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering. I wonder
if we, perhaps, are amongst those who despise the riches of His
goodness. It's good just to think about
that, isn't it? Because the Apostle just doesn't have a meagre statement
about the goodness. He states it in this way, the
riches of His goodness. The riches of His goodness. You
may say, well, what do you mean by that, the riches of His goodness?
Well, we really have it in two ways. We can term it in what
we might think of as providential things, that means our natural
life, and then also spiritual things. And of course, by comparison,
spiritual things are so much more important. Very simply,
because spiritual things refer to our eternal state. well as
our natural life whereas natural things refer only to our natural
life so we can surely understand then how wonderful it is to be
blessed to consider and not to despise remember that as we run
through these points that we are not to despise the riches
of his goodness the riches of his goodness and when the Apostle
wrote to the Ephesians He really spelt this out in a very glorious
way Ephesians is a very precious book. I'm sure you are aware
of many of the things it contains but in the first chapter we read
this and in the seventh verse in whom we have redemption through
his blood the forgiveness of sins according to to the riches
of his grace. Well, the riches of his goodness,
because his grace is his goodness. His grace is the unmerited favour
towards unworthy sinners. Well, the question is, do we
despise these blessings? Or do we thank God for them? And thank God for His great and
glorious redemption. Redemption means how He redeemed
us and saved us from our sins. Delivered us from the condemnation
that was spelt out. He that sinneth shall die. Die
in our sins. In whom we have redemption. And
again the apostle just goes on to say, through His blood. This surely spells out, does
it not, the riches of His goodness. How wonderful the Scriptures
are in giving us such a full statement like this. Wonderful,
isn't it, that we have such a record before us. And so God states
very clearly here, in whom we have redemption through his blood. If Christ had not died, there
would be no redemption. There would be no saving of our
souls. We would have just been left as we were, ignorant of
the great truth of God, no hope in salvation, left to perish
in our sins. the riches of his goodness. Do
we despise this wonderful blessing? Or do we praise God for it? Do
we thank him for it? And is it therefore true, as
we've already said, therefore the goodness of God leads us
to repentance. And repentance really means to
turn around, to change the direction that we were going in. a wrong
direction a sinful direction only concerned to please ourselves
but by the favour and blessing of God to turn around it's the
goodness of God the goodness of God and therefore the riches
of His goodness so not only is He wonderful in granting this
redemption and this of course proves to us If we receive this
redemption, we also receive the forgiveness of our sins. All
of us need that. All of us need to know that the
Lord has died upon that cross at Calvary to take away our sins
so that we are clean, just God, we're clean. In whom we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according
to the riches of his grace. The riches of his grace. Despiseth
thou the riches of his goodness? Do we despise his goodness in
these great things of salvation or do we rejoice in them? Rejoice in them. Again in this
same first chapter to the Ephesians, the apostle goes on and tells
us, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened. That means
our spiritual eyes. Whereas we were dead, spiritually
dead, with no sight, to have the understanding that God has
given us sight, therefore we have this wonderful reading in
the Word of God, according to the riches of His grace. The
eyes of your understanding being enlightened, the light has shone. I wonder whether this morning
we can praise God for his goodness to us in opening our eyes to
show to us where we were by nature, perhaps where we are by nature,
lost and ruined in the fall, without hope naturally, Lord,
I think we have a God who has come and given us an understanding,
a spiritual understanding. And the Apostle goes on, the
eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know
what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory
of his inheritance in the saints that you and I might know The
wonder is that God displays his glorious grace in revealing to
us this wonderful knowledge that we are a sinner, we're a lost
sinner, but there is a glorious Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who has died, that you and I might have the forgiveness of sins
and be redeemed through the precious blood of Christ and therefore
receive this calling. his call, call by grace wonderful
blessing, wonderful favour and what the riches of the glory
of his inheritance in the saints because this leads us to look
forward not to a miserable existence but to a glorious future and
the glorious future is to be found in heaven with the Saviour
and all the Church of God throughout eternity. And what is this? It's
the goodness of God. Not something that you and I
can merit ourselves. Not something that you and I
can think, well I deserve to have God's goodness. no, the
work of the Holy Spirit shows to us that we are undeserving
of any goodness makes us realise the wonderful
mercy and favour of Almighty God you know the apostle goes
on in the second chapter to the Ephesians and tells us but God
who is rich in mercy rich in mercy For His great love wherewith
He loves us. One of the greatest prayers recorded
in the Word of God is that of the Republican. God be merciful
to me a sinner. Well, God is rich in mercy. The goodness of God in displaying
his mercy toward us. And it may be very simply like
this, that the Lord makes us conscious that he hasn't dealt
with us as our sins deserve. Because if he had, you and I
wouldn't be here today. No, we'd be cut off. So do we not see the goodness
of God? But God who is rich in mercy or despiseth thou the riches
of his goodness this is his goodness his mercy sometimes it's very
good just to have a conscious realisation a spiritual understanding
that God has not dealt with us as our sins deserve and it's
because of His goodness. Well, the Apostle goes on to
say, for God is rich in mercy for His great love, wherewith
He loves us. Again, he doesn't just say His
love, he uses this wonderful description, His great love. And if the Holy Spirit shows
us that we're a great sinner. We'll need great mercy and we'll
need great love. To think that almighty God should
love such an unworthy sinner. Well, the goodness of God, the
goodness of God. What a mercy that is if you and
I have a spiritual understanding of God's goodness toward us and
as the Apostle goes on to say very clearly a recognition of
this wonderful favor to our souls has a wonderful effect it doesn't
just leave us in a cold condition no, it leads us to repentance
before God. His mercy to come to Him, confessing
our sins. And remember that glorious word,
if we confess our sins. If, that's the question, isn't
it? If we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. What is that? The goodness of
God. You and I will never understand
it, we'll never really fully appreciate the wonderful blessing
and favour that this is. And yet how true it is, it's
God who is rich in mercy for it's great love wherewith he
loved us. and if we have been shown our
need and if we have fled to the saving for refuge that refuge
for sinners the gospel makes known is found in the merits
of Jesus alone it's because of his goodness because of his goodness
what a mercy if we understand that nothing good in ourselves
but it's God's goodness toward us You see, well, do we despise
the riches of His goodness? Do we despise it? Or do we thank
God for it? He's been so kind and so gracious. Yes, the riches of His great
love toward us. And then as he goes on, again
in a similar vein to that which we just spoke about in the first
chapter, he says, that in the ages to come, he might show the
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through
Jesus Christ. It's good sometimes to ponder
the way of salvation, to think of what God has done, and to
not despise His great and glorious plan. Today so many despise the
Word of God, despise the Bible, and despise believing in the
Lord Jesus Christ. They just want to believe that
these things are all mythical and of no value at all. But what
a mercy that God has touched our hearts and shown to us then
the exceeding riches exceeding riches. You see the the apostle
wants us to understand it and of course it's directed by the
Holy Spirit the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
toward us through Jesus Christ. There's no greater blessing than
you and I can receive than to have these things revealed to
us. This God who is rich in mercy
And this will indeed lead us to repentance. And it's a clear
evidence that it is God's work and it's God's goodness if it
leads us truly to repent before God of all our sins and all our
backslidings and all our wickedness. It's the Spirit of God, it's
the work of God and it's an evidence a wonderful evidence that God
is leading us. Well, says the apostle, despises
thou the riches of his goodness? Not knowing that the goodness
of God leads thee to repentance. We come to realise How kind, how gracious, and how
good our God is in this way. So that he would grant you, according
to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by
his Spirit in the inner man. As I journey on, we have a battle. It's a constant battle. It won't
end. this side of glory and the battle
is between our old nature sometimes referred to our flesh and our
new nature which is the work of the Holy Spirit within yes
and so here we have this statement that he would grant you according
to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by
Spirit in the inner man. What a mercy when we see there
the conflict within us, our old nature and the new. And we see
therefore the blessed effect of the Holy Spirit which turns
us away from our old nature and turns us to the new nature. and brings us therefore into
this position the goodness of God leads us to repentance it's
a very clear evidence of God's mercy and of God's love and of
God's favour toward us to realise that this is the work of God
in our new nature referred to here as the inner man not something
which is seen physically but it's that which dwells within
our new nature. What a blessing my friends if
therefore we have the evidence of this glorious change in our
life that now we see and we desire to see the goodness of God and
not to let it lie forgotten in unthankfulness and without praises
die the devil wants you and me to not notice the goodness of
God to not think upon the goodness of God but on the other hand
to look and to complain about all the difficulties and the
hardship and the problems that we have no well The mercy is
if we understand spiritually God's gracious dealings with
us. And so the apostle says, or despises
thou the riches of his goodness. And then he goes on. And it's
interesting how he lists it like this, his goodness. And then
he goes on to forbearance and then long suffering. Forbearance God forbears with
us, doesn't he? If God didn't forbear with us
we wouldn't be here, would we? We'd be cut off as somebody of
no value but the Lord is forbearing and you know this glorious example
is set before us And it should really influence us, shouldn't
it? In our little lives. To forbear with one another. It's easy, isn't it? To read
these things, but what a blessing it is when we understand His
wonderful goodness and His forbearance toward us. So the Apostle goes
on in the third chapter to the Romans, speaking about this forbearance. In the third chapter, in verse
25, he tells us this, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation,
that means to provide the atonement for us, through faith in his
blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that
are past through the forbearance of God. That means, very simply,
God hasn't dealt with us as our sins deserve. We've enjoyed his forbearance. We still enjoy his forbearance,
don't we? What a kind and gracious God
we have. And it's good to have an appreciation
of this great God. Not to despise His goodness,
not to despise His forbearance. Well, has God forbeared with
you and me? Well, He has. He has. It's good perhaps to just think
about it. How many times has God been forbearing
with us? When we rushed off and done our
own thing and gone our own way, perhaps in contrary to the way
that God has directed us. We've said we will not have this
man to reign over us. We're going to enjoy life. We're
going to do this. We're not going to stop doing this. we enjoy
doing it and it's alright anyway, nothing wrong in it and God is
forbearing and he's forbearing because as we already said his
love to our soul he's forbearing because of his great love wherewith
he loved us his great love you can't get above that can you?
It's just so great, isn't it? His great love to unworthy sinners. So here we have this, through
the forbearance of God. Again, how wonderful to think
that here we have the Almighty God, the Almighty God, created
all things, rules and reigns over everything, and He forbears
you and me as individuals, takes notice of us, mindful of
us, deals with us in love and mercy, the forbearance of God. Now you see, what's the effect? The effect is clear. It leads
to repentance. It needs repentance. We come
in guilty before God and we fall down and worship. What a mercy then. If we understand
what the apostle is speaking of, when he came and he spoke
to his son in the faith Timothy gave him some wonderful instruction
in that especially the first epistle that he wrote to Timothy
great and glorious statements and he tells us the apostle tells
us as he wrote to Timothy how be it for this cause I obtained
mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering
for a pattern to them which should henceforth believe on him to
life everlasting. Well he gives us a picture of
himself you may remember there was the Apostle brought up at
the feet of Germania in the Jewish traditions the Lord Jesus Christ
was of course born into the Jewish traditions and here was the Apostle
Paul born into the Jewish traditions and lived what we know is described
as a Pharisee, a Pharisaical religion. Yes, and he was satisfied
with his religion. Put it in a terminology that
we might explain today, we might be satisfied with our chapel
going. we might be satisfied with doing
this religious work and this religious work and that might
be satisfying to us. Well says the Apostle here in
this statement, howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy that in
me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering for
a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life
everlasting there was the pattern the Apostle pleasing himself
until that very wonderful occasion
but of course in the Apostle's life he was on the Damascus Road
doing what he thought was God's will doing what he thought was
God's will In actual fact, he was walking in the opposite direction. But you see, God dealt with him. God called him. My friends, that's
just the same today. God graciously and wonderfully
calls his saints, calls his people. what a mercy it is then that
we can stand alongside the Apostle Paul knowing that we worship
the same God who has looked upon us he looked upon Saul what a
mercy if he had looked upon us and we realise his forbearing
with us and we realise his long-suffering with us we may have walked contrary
to God we may have walked against him we may have said I'm not
going to do that I'm going to please myself that's just too
difficult that involves too much I'm not going to do that well the Apostle thankfully is
able to tell us that he obtained mercy what a blessing it is if
you and I can also recall that we've obtained mercy not because
of any good in ourselves but for that which God has revealed
to us yes, his love his love toward us and as the Apostle
Paul was therefore a pattern if you like as it's described
here he was against God he walked his own way until that time when
God called him and then there was a change now we know that
in Paul's case it was very dramatic But again, just sometimes it's
worthwhile remembering. We have that wonderful, lovely
example of Lydia, in the Word of God, who we're just simply
told, whose heart the Lord opened. He had to receive the preaching
of the Apostle Paul. Nothing outwardly dramatic, but
it was dramatic. Because there was a change. Because
there was a favour. Because there was the blessing
of Almighty God. Yes, so this word is true, isn't
it? For a passion to them which would hereafter believe on him
to life everlasting. Let us not underestimate the
wonderful blessing of this work of grace which gives us everlasting
life. A value cannot be put on everlasting
life. It's beyond anything. This world
has to offer and come back then to this statement or despises
now the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering,
not knowing that the goodness of God leads thee to repentance. Oh, the Apostle Paul repented,
didn't he? He turned right around so quick
in his life, such a change. He started almost immediately
and preached Christ who he had despised. Well, we have therefore the pattern
before us in the Word of God and what a blessing it is to
have these patterns and not to despise, therefore, the good
hand of God, the good hand of God. No, may it be true in all
our lives, the goodness of God, his mercy, his love, his grace,
his favor, leads us, leads us to repentance. Yes, when we're
led, we follow, don't we? We follow what God tells us. As I often refer to, he led them
forth by the right way. They might go to a city of habitation. God doesn't make any mistakes.
He led them forth by the right way. And what a mercy it is for
us today to be led indeed by the right way. Yes, we have a
great, wonderful God who is so gloriously long-suffering, long-suffering. The Apostle Peter makes mention
of that, and if you trace out Peter's life, you will see how
sometimes he was very hot-headed and did things which he regretted,
but nonetheless, he was a godly man, and he's able therefore,
by the grace of God, to write Those letters, the first and
the second of Peter. And in the second of Peter, the
third chapter, ninth verse, we read this. The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise. It may seem that he's not doing
anything. Your time is always, my time
is not yet. God does things. So here we have
the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men can
slacken his, but he is long suffering. long-suffering to our sword,
not willing that any should perish, but all should come to repentance. So the vital thing is that all
of us come to this place of repentance. None of us can think that we
can get to heaven without repentance. and it's the gift of God the
gift of God and we are not therefore to despise this leading of the
Holy Spirit but that all should come to repentance in the same
chapter in verse 15 he tells us an account of the long-suffering
of our Lord is salvation something we should work out the account,
an account The long-suffering of our Lord Jesus is salvation,
even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom
given unto him, hath written unto you. Well, here we have,
we've gone through a few points that the Apostle highlighted,
excuse me, to demonstrate the truth of this verse. or despises
thou the riches of his goodness the riches of his goodness and
forbearance the riches of his forbearance and long-suffering
the riches of his long-suffering I wonder today if by the grace
of God we understand what he's speaking about and then realize
how humbling it is and if so to understand this wonderful
truth, the goodness of God leads us to repentance, the work of
the Holy Spirit, and to be able, therefore, to truly come before
our God and to thank him and to praise him for his grace,
for his mercy, for his love, and for the gift of faith He's
given to us to believe the great truths of the Gospel. Oh, how
humbling it is, and it all comes down, doesn't it, to His goodness,
and to think the goodness of God, the Ruler of the Universe,
looks upon such unworthy sinners, His goodness. Well, what a mercy
for us today, if His great goodness of God has and does and will
lead us to repentance. Amen.