That was beautiful. Well, this is certainly different. But we're going to be live streaming
again tonight at 6 o'clock. I'm going to be speaking on the
components of conversion. But before I read the text, I'd
like to make a statement with regard to coronavirus. God who
is the first cause of all things sent the Corona virus. Isaiah 45 verse seven says, I
form the light. This is God speaking. I form
the light. I create darkness. I make peace. I create evil. I the Lord do
all these things. I know there are secondary causes
and tertiary causes, but with regard to causes, God is the
cause. He is the reason for the coronavirus,
and I love the way he can just shut down all the world by his
will, and he's the one who has done this. Secondly, I know some
preachers will present this as God's judgment against the sins
of the world. God's judgment against sin is
hell, not the things that take place in this world. And if a
preacher sounds as if he were exempt from this judgment, it's
because he's utterly blind to his own personal sinfulness. This was sent by God for wise
and holy purposes, which I don't know what they are, but I don't
need to know. He does. They were sent from
him who is too wise to err and too kind to be cruel. May the Lord enable every believer
at this time to be just like the Lord, the good Samaritan,
and be a help in any way we can to those who are affected in
any way by this virus. This is among those things that
we're to give thanks for. In everything, give thanks for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I'm so
happy that that is the case. Now our text is found in Romans
chapter two, verse one. I've entitled the message for
this morning, A Message to Man. Romans chapter 2, verse 1, therefore
thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. For thou, for wherein thou judgest
another, thou condemnest thyself. For thou that judgest, doest
the same things. A message to man. Now sometimes the scriptures
address believers. Sometime the scripture addresses
unbelievers. But all the time the scripture
addresses man. Now by man, the scripture means
every human being, man and woman, boy and girl. So this is a message to men in
general in particular to all men individually. The Lord Jesus
said in Proverbs chapter 8 verse 4 unto you oh men I call and
my voice is to the sons of men that's me And that's you, a message
to man. Now, I have three very simple
points to this message. The first point is man. The second
point is the man. And the third point is two men. Man, the man, and two men. Man, God said, Let us make man
in our own image. This is said of no other part
of the creation. The crowning part of his creation
is man made in his very image, the image of God. And that is
why human life is so precious. All human life. is precious because
men were made in the image of God. The wise man said in Ecclesiastes
chapter 7 verse 29, God made man upright. That's how Adam
and Eve were in the garden upright. Now I don't believe God created
them holy Because if they were holy, they would still be holy.
Holiness cannot fall. Holiness cannot sin. But he made
man upright, and that is his condition in the garden. But,
the writer said, they sought out many inventions. Now, how long was man walking
in fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden? I like to think
about it. Who knows how long? We don't know, but man fell from
this position of uprightness and he ate of the forbidden fruit. You'll remember God said, in
the day you eat thereof, you shall surely die. Now this fall did not take God
by surprise. nor did it alter his purpose. He didn't have to have a plan
B. He didn't have contingency plans. This was all a part of God's
eternal purpose to glorify himself. That's why God does what he does.
He does what he does to glorify himself and to place man in a
better state than he was before this fall. You see in Revelation
chapter 13 verse 8, what a wonderful passage of scripture this is.
Christ Jesus is called the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. This has always been God's purpose. Christ, the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world and he made the universe and he purposed
the fall so that the lamb slain from the foundation of the world
could come in time and glorify God and make it to where a vast
multitude of men are in a more glorious position than they were
before the fall. That is what he accomplished.
Now, God's command to man was don't eat of the fruit and you
know that Adam did eat of the fruit. God said in the day you
eat thereof, you shall surely die. Now we know Adam didn't
die physically. We know Adam didn't die eternally
in the sense of eternal punishment. But he did die spiritually at
that time. and man was driven out of the
garden, and we are all driven out with him. When he was driven
out, we were too, because the scripture says, by one man, by
one man, sin entered the world, and death by sin, so that death
passed upon all men, and that all sinned. Understand, when
Adam sinned, I did too. You did too. Because we were
in him. It's not merely that his sin
is charged to our account, but we personally sinned when Adam
sinned in our head. We were in his loins when he
sinned. What he did, he did as the representative man. And this
one who was created in God's image became completely sinful,
dead, in trespasses and sins. And here's what this looks like.
I'm going to quote the passage of scripture from Genesis chapter
6, verse 5. And God saw. And God saw. What God sees is the way it really
is. You and I don't see things as
they really are. God always does. Now here's what happened as a
result of Adam's fall, and God saw that the wickedness of man
was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts
of his heart was only evil continually. When God looks in my heart, and
when God looks in your heart, He sees that the wickedness of
me and you is great in the earth and that every imagination, this
is just talking about what goes through our mind, every imagination
of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually. This is what he sees and I repeat
what he sees is the way things are. And because of this, the
psalmist said in Psalm 39 verse 5, man at his best state is altogether
vanity. The psalmist said in Psalm 62
verse 9, surely men of low degree are vanity and men of high degree
are a lie, to be laid in the balances they are altogether
lighter than vanity. We read in Job chapter 15 verses
14 through 16, what is man that he should be clean, or he that's born of woman that
he should be righteous? Behold, he putteth no trust in
his saints, Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. How
much more abominable and filthy is man who drinketh iniquity
like water. Now, Paul said in Romans 3, there's
no difference. You take the best man and the
worst man. This describes them. There's
no difference. All have sinned. and come short
of the glory of God. Now here is how bad things are. This is how far man has fallen
as seen in this text that I read at the beginning of this message.
Romans chapter 2 verse 1, therefore thou art inexcusable, O man,
whosoever thou art that judgest. For wherein thou judgest another,
thou condemnest thyself. For thou that judgest, doest
the same things. Now let's examine what Paul brings
against man, and he's including himself in that group in the
context of what's being said. In the end of Romans chapter
one, beginning in verse 28, even as they did not like to retain
God in their knowledge. And he's talking about the Greek
philosophers. God gave them over to a reprobate
mind to do those things which are not convenient. Now listen
to this description. Being filled. Plum full. Being filled. When Peter said,
depart from me, I'm a sinful man, he was saying, I am full
of sin. There's nothing left. There's
no goodness. There's no merit. There's nothing
to commend me to you. I'm full of sin. Now listen to
how these people were filled, being filled with all unrighteousness,
fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy,
murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers, slanderers, backbiters,
haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things,
disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers,
without natural affliction, implacable, unmerciful, who knowing the judgment
of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death.
Do you know that? People who sin in this fashion
and are full of sin are worthy of death. They're worthy of the
judgment of God, knowing that such people are worthy of death,
not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Find pleasure in people committing such sins. Therefore, thou art
inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest." Are you
somebody that looked at these people and said, they ought to
be condemned? What horrible actions on their
part. Therefore thou art inexcusable,
O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. For wherein thou judgest
another, you condemn yourself, for you the judge doest. That's not talking about you
did. It's right now. You do. Whatever you're condemning
those people for and judging those people for, you are right
now, present tense, active, doing the very same things. It's that bad. Somebody says,
well, I disagree with that. I don't do those things. God
says you do. Am I to believe God or you? Let God be true and every man
a liar. He is utterly clear in whatever
judgment he levels against you or I because there is none righteous. No, not one. Now, this is the description
of man. There's none that understands.
There's none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of
the way. They have together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good.
No, not one. Whatever you judge anybody else
for, whatever I judge anybody else for, I'm playing the hypocrite
because I do what I'm judging other people to do. It's this bad. The Lord said
in John chapter 6 verse 44, no man, here's the message to men,
no man can come to me except the Father which has sent me. Draw him. This wickedness is
such that no man will come to Christ. They'll refuse to come. They will not come. They'll willfully
stay away. They have no desire for him.
No man can come to me except the Father which has sent me.
Draw him. Somebody says, well, if you can't
come, are you held responsible to come? Absolutely. If you can't
come, should you be charged for your sin? Absolutely. You see, there are people who
will make this objection. Why? Who has resisted His will? Why does He yet find fault if
I can't come, if I can't do these things, if He's in complete control?
Who has resisted His will? Why does He yet find fault? Paul
said, Nay, but O man, who are you to reply against God? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the
potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one into
honor and the other to dishonor? Now, understand this. You and
I are in no position to set in judgment upon God and declare
whether we agree with what he's done. Whatever he does is right. It's right because he does it
and we are far too sinful and far too stupid to make a judgment
against the living God. It's far more wise for us to
justify him in all he does. You see, God giveth no account
of his matters, not to me and not to you, and none can stay
his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? Give an account for
yourself. God is God. And whatever he does
is right, just, holy, and true. And we would be far more wise
to take our place with those who've been condemned by him
for their own personal sin. Now we know that what things
soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law
that every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty
before God. Has your mouth been stopped?
Have you left all self-indication and self-justification and you're
quick trying to be a victim and you stand before God guilty as
charged. Now that's the first point, man. Now here's the second part, the
man. The man. Let me speak of another
man The man who was brought before Pilate, before that jeering and
bloodthirsty mob, beaten beyond recognition, wearing a crown
of thorns and that robe. And Pilate brought him out before
the crowd and said, behold, the man. The man, Christ Jesus. This is the same man of whom
his disciples had said, what manner of man is this who commandeth
the winds and the waves? And they obey his voice. They witnessed him commanding
the weather and it obeyed his will. Let me answer what manner of
man this is. The God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ,
the eternal uncreated Son, one with the Father for eternity,
in time became flesh for this reason. There is one God and
one mediator. between God and men, the man,
Christ Jesus. Now what title do you think the
Lord used to refer to himself more than any other title? This
is so precious. He called himself the son of
man. That's the name he went by more
than any other name, the son of man. man. He said before time began my
delights were with the sons of men in Proverbs chapter 8 and
he said the son of man came not to be ministered to but to minister
and to give his life a ransom for many. That was his purpose
in coming and we read in Hebrews Chapter 10, verse 12, but this
man, the God-man, the word was made flesh and dwelt among us
and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. This man, after he
had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down. at the right hand of the majesty
on high, for by one offering, his death on Calvary's tree,
by one offering, he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. everybody he died for this man
perfected them forever so that everybody he died for stands
perfect before God without sin without fault without any such
thing now you see the cross was a ransom a ransom For the son
of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give
his life a ransom for many. And who was that ransom paid
to? God. You see, before God could do
something for me or you, he first had to do something for himself.
His law had to be satisfied. The claims of justice had to
be satisfied. All sin must be punished before
he can look in mercy and in grace and embrace somebody like me
or you. and that's precisely what the man Christ Jesus did. Hebrews 1.3 says, when he had
by himself purged our sins, and I love the way it says by himself.
That means me and you didn't have anything to do with this.
This is something he did by himself, and only he could do this. When
he had by himself purged our sins, he sat down at the right
hand of the majesty on high, from henceforth expecting till
his enemies be made his footstool." Now, we see the utter failure
of man and we see the utter success of the man, Christ Jesus. Now, the Pharisees in John chapter
7 sent some men to arrest the man, Christ Jesus. And they came
back to the Pharisees without him and they said, why didn't
you bring him? And they said, never man spake like this man. He said, if any man thirst, this
is what they heard. If any man, now don't miss that. If any man, are you in that group? If any man thirsts, You're thirsty
because of a need, because of a lack, something you don't have
and you can't produce. You cannot possibly satisfy your
own thirst. It must come from without you.
If any man thirst, are you thirsty? If any man thirst, let him come
to me and drink. Out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living water. water he that believeth on me
as the scripture says out of his belly shall flow forth rivers
of living water listen to these words I am the door I am the
way of acceptance I am the way of entrance into the very presence
of God listen to the words of this man I am the door by me
if any man enter in He should be saved. Listen to the words
of the man. I am the way. I am the way to
God, not I'll show you the way or I'll lead you along the way.
I am the way. I am the truth. Not I'll show
you the truth. I am the truth. Truth is embodied
in my person. I'm the truth concerning all
God is. I'm the way. I'm the life. Don't try to bring
me your changed life. The only way you can come into
God's presence is by my life. I am the life. I am the only
way of acceptance. I am the life. No man cometh
to the Father, but by me. Oh, the man. Man, God created
him upright. He sought out many inventions.
But oh, the man, the man Christ Jesus, who after he'd offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, he sat down because the work
was finished, the work was accomplished. He perfected everybody that he
represented. The man, Christ Jesus. And finally, I want us to consider
two men. Now, these two men are the two
representative men. If you would turn to Luke chapter
18, I'd like you to read along with me. You and I will be described
by one of these two men. It's the story of the Pharisee
and the publican, and these two men are the two representative
men. They represent all men. They're the righteous and the
wicked. and all the righteous believe themselves to be wicked,
and all the wicked believe themselves to be righteous. And we'll see
that as we consider this parable. Now, beginning in verse 9, and
he spake this parable, the Lord Jesus spake this parable unto
certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, their
self-righteousness. If you have any righteousness
in yourself, you are called a self-righteous person. And let me give you a
hint. If that would be you, the scripture
would say your righteousness is filthy rags in God's sight,
nothing more. But here we have who our Lord
is addressing, certain who trusted in themselves that they were
righteous and despised looked down their nose set in judgment
of others. Now he says in verse 10 two men
went up into the temple to pray they were both men they both
to some degree saw their need of God their need of prayer and
they came up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee,
a religious man, a moral man, and the other a publican. He was considered the scum of
society. He was employed by the Roman
government to collect taxes. He'd skin off the top to enrich
himself and he was hated by all men. So people heard the Lord
give this parable, they knew what he was saying. A moral man
and a man who by everybody's opinion would be a sinful man. Now let's listen to the Pharisee. Verse 11, the Pharisee stood
and prayed thus with himself. Now he thought he was praying
to God, But his prayer wasn't getting any further than the
ceiling. He prayed thus with himself. God, I thank thee that
I'm not as other men are. I'm giving you the credit for
this glorious life I have. Maybe I was not formerly like
this, but I am now. You know, one of the emphases
that I hear in preaching and religion is change lives. Change lives. Oh, my life is
so changed. Well, this Pharisee thought that.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank
thee that I'm not as other men are. And he talks about the sins
that he does not commit. I'm not an extortioner. I'm not
unjust. I'm not an adulterer, even as
this pathetic publican that everyone can see. I do not commit these
sins. And then he talks about what
he does do. I fast twice in the week. I give
tithes of all that I possess. This man had a pretty impressive
resume. So he thought. Now, I wouldn't have to do much
poking around to show you that everything this man said was
a lie. He was an extortioner. He was unjust. He was an adult. and the things that he said he
did, perhaps he did them, but they're not things God said he
had to do, but he made this recommendation of himself. He looked at his
life and said, I thank you that I'm not as other men are. Verse 13, here's the other man. Now remember, these are the two
representative men. They represent all of mankind.
You're in one of these groups or the other right now. And the publican, standing afar
off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but
smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me The sinner. That's all I am. The sinner. I have nothing to recommend me,
nothing that I've done, nothing that I've refrained from doing.
I am the sinner. I am the most sinful man alive
right now and I have nothing to recommend myself to you. All
I can say about myself is that I am a sinner. And you know everyone
that makes this prayer sees themselves in both of these people. You
see your own self-righteousness and how contradictory that is
and how hypocritical it is, yet you know you've done it, you've
been You've been just as pharisaical. You've been just as judgmental
as that Pharisee. And that's one of the things
that makes you know that you're such a sinful person, an evil person. That's all he could say. He didn't
say, I've got to change life. He didn't talk about what I've
done and what I've stopped doing that reckons means me. And, you
know, the Pharisee, thank God for that. He gave God the praise.
He didn't, he said, I'm not giving myself the credit for this. I'm
giving you the credit that I'm such a good person. Republicans
said nothing like that. It wasn't in his heart. He was
like that woman who was nothing better but rather grew worse
in her own estimation of himself. God be propitious, it's the word,
merciful, propitious. Do something about my sin. I
can't do anything about my sin. Do something about my sin. Make
it to go away through the blood of the propitiatory sacrifice.
That's what a propitiation means, a sin-removing sacrifice. He
was looking to Christ alone as the removal of his sin. Now,
look what the Lord says. Verse 14, I tell you. Now, this is the one who spake
as one having authority, not as the scribes. When he says,
I tell you, I love the way the Lord speaks. You know, the Lord
never said, thus saith the Lord. He'd always say, I tell you.
You see, when he speaks, The Lord speaks, and listen to his
words. I tell you, this man went down
to his house justified. Not merely forgiven, although
he was, not shown mercy, although he was, not pardoned, although
he was, but justified. Do you know what that word means?
That means he never sinned. He stood before God as one who
has never sinned, perfect in God's sight, altogether righteous
in God's sight. This man went down to his house
justified rather than the other. For everyone that exalts himself
shall be abased. You exalt yourself before the
thrice holy God, you'll be abased. And he knows how to do it. And
he that humbles himself takes the lowest seat and sees and
confesses that he's nothing more than sin before God right now,
not the way he used to be. but the way he is right now in
his own conscience before God, he that humbles himself shall
be exalted. You see, this is the very heart
and soul of the gospel. God takes a man who's self-condemned,
sinful in his own sight. He can make no greater claim
than I'm a sinful man, I'm the most sinful man to ever live.
God takes that man and he justifies it. You see, on Calvary's tree,
that man's sins became Christ's sins. And Christ became guilty
of the commission of those sins. Oh, he never sinned, you know
that. I love the fact that on the cross, the manifestations
of sin is never seen. You never see Christ sinning
because he never sinned, but he was made sin. And all that sin is, he was made
to be. and he put it away. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus because he put it away. And that man went down to his
house having the very righteousness of Christ as his personal righteousness
before God. He went down to his house justified. That's the Lord's testimony regarding
this man, the one who really knows. He went down to his house
justified rather than the other. What a gospel. What a gospel. Man couldn't come up with anything
like this. This is the gospel of God. How God can be just and justify
somebody like this publican than somebody like me or you. To him
that worketh not, he knows he can't work to earn God's acceptance. To him that worketh not, but
believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness. One more word to man. God commandeth all men everywhere
to repent, to change your mind about all your ways that you
think you can approach God, and to look to the man only as everything
in your salvation. Let's pray together. Lord, how we thank you for the
man, Christ Jesus, that makes a sinful man just before you. Create faith in each heart here
according to your will. In Christ's name we pray, amen.