Go with me, if you would, back
to Romans chapter 2. Romans chapter 2, we are going
to be looking at verses 5 to 11 this morning. But I want to
begin by reading verse 11 and then giving you the title of
the message. Verse 11 says, For there is no
respect of persons with God. The title of this message is,
There is no favoritism with God. God does not show favoritism. And I want to go ahead and let
us in on the fact that that is the good news of the gospel. That is the glorious news of
the gospel. It's amazing. I mean it's amazing. It's wonderful, wonderful news.
There is no favoritism with God. Now I want this message to be
simple. Our brother just prayed that
on our behalf. I do. I sincerely want this message
to be simple. I'm going to strive to make this
message as simple and as clear as I can possibly make it. Because
what we have to look at here is the glory of all of eternity. If we can get a hold of this,
we will glory in this for all eternity. This will be the glory
of heaven. What I want us to do is read
some very true statements that are repeated throughout this
Word. Statements that may confuse us
just a little bit at first. If we are familiar with what
the Word of God says, these are some statements that may be a
little bit confusing at first. But we're going to read some
and then we're going to turn to a few places and we're going
to let the word explain and make some sense out of the statements.
We want to let the word prove the word. And then we're going
to glory in the wonderful news of it. And then we're going to
be done. All right. Now, again, here's
the title of the message. There is no favoritism with God. There is no respect of persons
with God. Let's turn to a few places. Go
with me to Genesis chapter 4. Genesis four, verse one. And
Adam knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived and bear Cain and
said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bear
Abel, his brother, bear his brother Abel and Abel was a keeper of
sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process
of time, it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of
the ground and offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought
of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the
Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering. But unto Cain
and to his offering he had not respect, and Cain was very wroth,
and his countenance fell. He didn't to Cain, but the Lord
had respect unto Abel and to his offering. I thought we just
read there was no respect of persons with God. There's not. There's not. Look with me at
Exodus chapter 2. Exodus 2 verse 23. And it came to pass in the process
of time that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel
sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry
came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their
groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with
Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children
of Israel, and God had respect unto them. Hmm. Okay. Turn to Exodus 11. Exodus 11, verse six. And there shall be a great cry
throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it,
nor shall be like it anymore. But against the children of Israel
shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast, that you
may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the
Egyptians and Israel. The Lord has put a difference. There's a difference. The Lord
has made a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. Turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter
7. Deuteronomy 7 verse 6, it says, For thou art an holy
people unto the Lord thy God, The LORD thy God hath chosen
thee to be a special people unto Himself above all people that
are upon the face of the earth. The LORD thy God has chosen you
to be a special people unto Himself above everybody else that's on
the face of the earth. Now what's the title of this
message again? There is no favoritism with God. None. Don't turn. But Psalm 5
verse 12 says, For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous. With
favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield. You will wrap
him up in your favor. Psalm 106 verse 4 says, Remember
me, O Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people,
your particular, special, chosen people. That same favor that
you give to all your people, would you give it to me? Would
you give that same favor to me? Psalm 138 verse 6 says, Though
the Lord be high, Yet hath he respect unto the lowly. Romans 9 says that the purpose
of God according to election might stand. So that His purpose
according to choosing, election, might stand. He said, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. How can it be said there is no
respect of persons with God? How can that be said? How can
we read all of this and say God does not show favoritism? It's because our text says, if
you'd like to turn with me back over to Romans chapter 2, The Apostle Paul is speaking
of sin and God's judgment against sin. And in verse 5, he said,
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart, Treasurest up unto thyself
wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous
judgment of God. He said all of this sin that
man commits, he's just treasuring up wrath upon himself. Just wrath
upon wrath upon wrath. Verse 6. The judgment of God,
God who will render to every man according to his deeds. That's what he's going to do.
That's what he is going to do. He is going to render to every
man according to his deeds. Verse 7, to them who by patient
continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality,
He's going to render to them eternal life. But unto them that
are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,
He's going to render to them indignation and wrath. Tribulation
and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil of the Jew
first and also of the Gentile. But glory, honor, and peace to
every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the
Gentile. For there is no respect of persons
with God. There is no respect of persons
with God. Acts chapter 10 says, God is
no respecter of persons. He that feareth him and worketh
righteousness, that means good, is accepted with him. Whoever
fears him and works good is accepted with him. I told you this would
be a little confusing, didn't I? Turn with me to Colossians
chapter 3. Colossians 3 verse 23, And whatsoever you do, do it
heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men, knowing that of
the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance. For
you serve the Lord Christ, But he that doeth wrong shall receive
for the wrong which he hath done, and there is no respect of persons. Peter said, The Father who without
respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work. Revelation 20 says, In that day
The books are going to be opened and every soul on earth is going
to be judged by the things that are written in the books according
to their works. All of man's works, all of man's
deeds, and this is everybody here, everybody here from the
oldest to the youngest, everything that we do is being written down. Not just everything we do, everything
we think, everything we say, everything
we say is being written down. Every way we feel is being written
down. Every man and every woman has
a book. In that day, the books are going
to be opened and every man and woman is going to be judged according
to what is written in their book, according to their works. They
are going to be opened. Your book is going to be opened. If you're a child of God, if
you're one of his elect, you have a book and it's going to
be opened. God is no respecter of persons. Whoever does good and right will
receive eternal life. And whoever does evil and wrong
will receive death and damnation. It does not matter who it is.
It is that plain and simple. It's that cut and dry. There
is no favoritism with God now. Okay, that's been established.
Now, what have we done? What will we receive? What's
in our book? Turn with me to Mark chapter
10. Mark chapter 10, verse 17, And
when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running and
kneeling to him, and asking him, Good Master, what shall I do
that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why
callest thou me good? There is none good but one. That is God. What have we done? Not good. Not good. He said, there is none
good. If someone says, now that's not
true. No, that's not true. I've done
good. If someone says that, that person is calling God a liar
and that's not good. He said there is none good. I put myself on top, top of the
list. Paul said, I'm the chief where everybody's fighting for
that top spot. There is none good. There's none good. Shocking revelation. It's a shocking
thing that there's none good. John said, if we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Christ is not in us. Paul said in Romans 3, we have
lied, We have cursed, we have hated, we are all guilty before
God because every soul on this earth has sinned and come short
of the glory of God. So what do we deserve? Just cut
and dry, plain and simple. What must God give to us? Don't turn back, but he said
in our text, indignation and wrath. Tribulation and anguish. Indignation means fierce anger. That's what must come to us.
Because that's what the God who cannot lie said would come to
every soul who's guilty of it. And there's none good, right
now here's the gospel, but one. The good news is coming. But
one. This is the gospel. But one. This is the message that sets
sinners free. But one. One was good. Men are standing
up lying to people. Bless their hearts. Bless people's
hearts. They're standing up telling,
you better be good. You've got to be good. There's
none good but one. One was good. Turn with me to
Acts chapter 10. Acts chapter 10. Verse 34, Then Peter opened his mouth,
and said of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. But in every nation he that feareth
him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. The word
which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by
Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. That word,
I say, you know, which was published throughout all Judea and began
from Galilee after the baptism which John preached, how God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power
who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed
of the devil, for God was with him. Only Christ did good. So what does he deserve? What
must God give to him? According to our text, glory,
honor, immortality, and peace. That's what must come to him
because that's what the God who cannot lie said would come to
every soul who's worthy of it. He gets life and we get death. Can we see that? Can we see that
that's the way it is because that's the way it has to be. That's what we deserve. Can we
clearly see that He earned what is rightfully owed to Him? And
we have earned what is rightfully owed to us. God is no respecter
of persons. Every man has a record of his
deeds. Every man is going to get whatever
his record demands. Every man. Alright, now this
is the glory of the gospel. This is the glory of Jesus Christ
crucified. Turn with me to 1 Peter 2. 1
Peter 2. Verse 21. For even hereunto were you called,
because Christ also suffered for us. Leaving us an example
that you should follow His steps, who did no sin, neither was guile
found in His mouth, who when He was reviled, reviled not again,
When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to
him that judgeth righteously, who his own self bear our sins
in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should
live unto righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed. For you were as sheep going astray,
but are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls."
What that means is Christ traded places with us. That's what it
means. Christ traded places with us.
We didn't earn any good thing. We didn't fix anything. We didn't
start anything or stop anything. Here's what happened. Christ
traded places with us. He made Himself to have our sin,
that sin that plagues us. It plagues us. He made Himself
to have our sin so that we could have His sinlessness. His righteousness, as the scripture
calls it. He put His name on our record. Everybody has a book. On my book,
on your book, if we belong to Him, on that book, He wrote,
Jesus of Nazareth. And He put our name on His book. And then every man got what his
record demanded. Every man got what his works
that were recorded in his book demanded. God was no respecter
of persons. Think about this. Even though
it was his own son crying, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? Even though it was His own Son,
there was no favoritism with God. None. He punished every
sin that His Son bore in His body. He punished every sin. And with that sin being punished,
it's gone. When He died, it died. It's gone. See if we can enter
into this. It's gone. But I'm still living
them out. It's gone. But it's hard for
me to understand that. It doesn't matter. God says it's
gone. In Christ, it's gone. And if
God says it's gone, it's gone. All that's left is the perfect
record of deeds that Christ gave to us. That's all we have left.
That's all that's on our account. That's all that's on our record.
With that perfect record of good, everything that He earned comes
to us. Everything we earned went to
Him. Everything He earned comes to us. He had to give an account of
our deeds. I don't even want to give an
account of my own deeds, much less anybody else's. He had to
stand there and give an account. What do you have to say about
this? You know what He said? He had to give an account of
our deeds and we get to give an account of His deeds. When
we stand before the throne and that book is open, we're standing in Him. That's salvation. I'm telling
you, that's salvation, not what we sinful, wicked creatures are
going to run around trying to fix. This is salvation. That
is the glory of the cross. He did not die to make anything
possible or show us a way or open a door or this is what he
accomplished. That is the good news of substitution,
salvation. The gospel is all about Christ
trading places with us. That's the gospel. That's salvation. The message of the gospel tells
sinners. That's what this book says cover
to cover. The message of the gospel tells
sinners to stop looking to their own deeds and start looking to
Christ's. Start looking to His deeds. Just look to Him. What did He
do? What did He say? What did He
think? In Him, His deeds are our deeds. Stop looking to your own deeds,
the Gospel says. They're not yours. They're not
yours. They became His. look to His
deeds because they became yours. That's amazing, isn't it? That
is amazing. That's just glorious. Hebrews
7 says, Our High Priest is able to save to the uttermost because
He became us. He became us. As us, He had to
answer for all our sinful deeds. And as Him, We get to answer
for His. And God is no respecter of persons. He is going to render to every
man according to His deeds, according to the deeds He has to answer
for. So let's close this message with this verse of Scripture,
alright? Turn with me to Isaiah 26. Isaiah 26, this is a glorious
verse. Isaiah 26, verse 12. It says,
Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us. For thou also hast wrought
all our works in us. And the margin says, for us. You will ordain peace for us
because you have wrought all our works for us. In us. That's substitution. Everything
he did. is applied to His people. That's
glorious. That is glorious. Good news. Alright, let's all
stand together.