Oh, I love that song. Thank you,
Matt. 1 Timothy chapter 1. Now the end, the aim, The purpose,
the reason, the fulfillment of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart
and of a good conscience and a faith unpretended, unfeigned. Now before we go on, what is
the commandment he's speaking of when he says, now the end
of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart. Look at
verse three of the same chapter, as I besought thee to abide still
at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest
charge some, charge some. That word is the same word commandment
in our text, the end of the charge. This charge was to teach no other
doctrine. And the end of that charge is
that there would be charity out of a pure heart and of a good
conscience and faith unfeigned. Now, turn with me for a moment
to 2 John and think of that charge to preach no other doctrine. Now, the doctrine of Christ actually
is very simple. It's very mysterious, it's very
profound, but it's also very simple. Look in verse 7 of 2
John. For many deceivers are entered
into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh. Now, everything we believe is
found in that statement, that short, concise statement. All of the gospel is found right
there. We'll come back to that in just a moment. But that person
who fails to confess publicly declare that Jesus Christ has
come in the flesh, this is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves
that we lose not those things which we've wrought, but that
we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth
not in the doctrine of Christ. This is what Paul was talking
about when he said that we're to preach no other doctrine. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth
not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine
of Christ. He doesn't leave it. This is
his glory. This is his joy. This is his
faith. He hath both the Father and the
Son. If there come any unto you, and
bring not this doctrine, This confession that Jesus Christ
is come in the flesh. If there come any unto you and
bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither
bid him Godspeed for he that biddeth him Godspeed is a partaker
of his evil deeds. He's just as guilty as the one
who brings that message. Now, I want you to think about
this statement. I've said this before, but maybe somebody will
hear this for the first time. This represents everything we
believe. Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. Now, the first
thing that means is He was before He came. He's the eternal Son
of God. This is speaking of the deity
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Before He came in the flesh,
He's the eternal Son. Unto us a child is born, but
that son's not born, that son's given. He's the eternal Son of
God, and upon His shoulders rest all things. He was before He
came. Second, He came in the flesh. God became a man. Now, how did He do that? I don't
know, but He did. God became a man. He came in the flesh. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. And He did what He came to do. Matthew 121 says, Thou shalt
call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. And everything we say has something
to do with that. Thou shalt call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins. Oh, that means
so much. It's talking about justification,
sanctification, glorification, adoption. He came to save his
people from their sins. And that's what he did. And everything
we believe, everything we hear is to be brought to this statement.
and see if it's true according to this simple statement. Jesus Christ is coming to the
flesh. All doctrine, every aspect of
salvation is seen in that confession. Now, the goal of that doctrine
or that confession or that belief is the message of the
scripture. Here's the goal of it. I love
this word goal. It's a threefold goal or end.
It's charity out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and
faith unfeigned. That's one goal realized in these
three different ways. Now let's go on reading before
we come back to verse five. From which this goal, this end,
this purpose, from which some having swerved. have turned aside
unto vain jangling." Now Paul was talking about people that
he preached to, people that professed to believe what he said from
this end, from this goal. Some have swerved, they've erred,
they've gone off and turned aside unto vain jangling. Now what
in the world is vain jangling? It just simply means empty words.
Empty words, words that have no power, words that really have
no meaning. Religious words, because look what it says about
them in verse 7. They desire to be teachers of the law in
bringing out this vain jangling. They've swerved from the end
and it's made them turn aside into vain jangling, desiring
to be teachers of the law, but understanding neither what they
say nor whereof they affirm. They turned aside unto vain jangling. They don't understand what they're
talking about. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter 12. Here's an
example of turning aside. I've always found this to be
one of the scariest passages of scripture and the word of
God. Verse 12. Wherefore, lift up the hands
which hang down the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your
feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way." That's
the same word that Paul used when he said turned aside. Lest
that which is lame be turned out of the way, but rather let
it be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness. without which no man shall see
the Lord, looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace
of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and
there be many defiled, lest there be any fornicator or profane
person, as Esau." You know what profane means? Accessible. It
means you can be bought. That's exactly what that word
means. You can be bought. You cross the threshold. Lest
there be any profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat
sold his birthright. For you know how that afterward,
when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected.
For he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully
with tears." Now, that's what happens when people turn aside,
desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what
they say nor the implications of what they so confidently affirm. Now, back to this glorious truth
regarding the end, the goal, of the gospel. The gospel is
a commandment, isn't it? It's the charge to preach no
other doctrine, but the doctrine of Christ. And here's the goal. Here's God's purpose. Here's
God's aim in the gospel. First, it's to produce charity
out of a pure heart. I let those words sink in. May
I let those words sink in. Charity. out of a pure heart."
Now, this is the pure heart of which the Savior said, blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Paul said in 2
Timothy 2.22, follow righteousness, faith, charity, and peace with
them also that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. A pure heart. Peter said in 1
Peter 1.22, see that you love one another with a pure heart. Fervently being born again, not
of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth
and abideth forever. Now, what is this pure heart?
It's the heart given in the new birth. It's that which is born
of the Spirit, and it is pure. Blessed are the pure in heart. Now, this is one of those scriptures
that for many years I just had a hard time with because I would
hear, blessed are the pure in heart, and I'd look at my heart
and it sure doesn't seem very pure. I mean, looking at the way I
feel and the things that go through my heart, can I take this verse
of scripture to myself? Am I somebody who could be described
as blessed of the pure in heart? Well, when I understand what
the pure heart is, it doesn't scare me anymore. The pure heart
is that new heart that God gives. The old heart's still there,
just as bad. But you also have a new heart.
Now, this new heart and this old heart is funneled into one
single man. And that creates difficulty, obviously. But still,
every believer has a pure heart. A new heart given by the grace
of God. Now, do I have a pure heart?
Well, here's the way you can test. Turn to Matthew chapter
5. Do I have a pure heart? I'm going to be preaching on
this soon, verse 8. Matthew 5, verse 8, Blessed are
the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Well, your heart's pure
if first of all, you're poor in spirit. And if you're somebody
that mourns over your sin. And if you're somebody that's
meek, and if you're somebody that hungers and thirsts after
righteousness, verse 6. If you're somebody who's merciful,
verse 7. If you're pure in heart, if you're
a peacemaker, verse 9. If you're persecuted for righteousness
sake, verse 10. Now, those people are pure in
heart. All of those things go together.
The Beatitudes. the Beatitudes, the highest states
of blessedness, this is the one who is pure in heart, the new
heart that Christ gives. Now, Paul says in 1 Timothy 1,
the goal of this commandment is charity out of a pure heart. How many times have you been
to a wedding and they read 1 Corinthians chapter 13, that glorious chapter
on charity? I've probably read it at weddings,
and I guess it's a good passage of scripture to read at a wedding,
but let me say this. Charity doesn't really have anything
to do with the love that a man has for a woman. Now, a man can
truly love a woman, and he can have charity toward her if they're
believers, but charity is not something that's found in the
natural man's heart. Let me read you this scripture from 1 John
chapter 4, verse 7. Everyone that loveth is born
of God. And does that mean everybody
that loves his wife is born of God? No. There's a lot of fellas
who love their wives and they end up despising them and divorcing. There are many women who love
their husbands and they end up despising them. Somebody says
they never loved him in the first place. Yes, they did. It was
a natural love. It was a natural love, but not this love of charity
because charity never faileth. It's not the love of a mother
to her child as thankful as we are to that precious kind of
love. Thank God for the love of parents to their children.
What would this life be without that? But that's not the charity
he's speaking of. He that loveth, let me read the
scripture. 1 John chapter 4 verse 7. Everyone that loveth is born
of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not
God, for God is love. Charity. This is something that
only the believer has. Charity out of a pure heart. I turn to 1 Corinthians chapter
13. This is such a wonderful chapter, and I would do well,
and you would do well, we'd all do well to read this very frequently. In verse 29 of chapter 12, he
says, are all apostles? No. Are all prophets? No. Are all teachers? No. Are all workers of miracles?
No. Have all the gifts of healing?
The answer to that's no also. Do all speak with tongues? No.
Do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best
gifts. Covet these gifts. And yet show
I unto you a more excellent way. This way is better than any gift
you might have. And look what he says in verse
one. Though I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as a
sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the
gift of prophecy, and I understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
And though I have all faith so that I can remove mountains,
I have miracle-working faith. And have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods
to feed the poor, I empty out the savings account, I empty
out my retirement, and I use every bit of it to feed the poor.
And though I give my body to be burned as a martyr for the
cause of God and truth, I have not charity. It profits me nothing. I can speak as an angel. I can
understand all the mysteries of scripture. I can have miracle
working faith. I can Give all that I have to
feed the poor. I can give my body to be burned
at the stake for the cause of God and truth. I can do all these
things. And if I don't have this charity that he's speaking of
in my heart, it profits me nothing. It's meaningless. It's useless. It's not even real. Now look how he goes on to describe
this charity. Verse 4. Charity suffers long. It's very forbearing. That's
what that means. It's very forbearing. Unfortunately,
anybody that's going to have to have a relationship with me
is going to have to forbear me and vice versa. And isn't that
what love does? It forbears. It suffers long. It puts up with so much. If you love somebody, you do
that. Now, if you don't love somebody, get rid of them. But
if you love somebody, oh, how you suffer long with that person. Next, it says charity is kind. I love that. Gracious and easy. You know where the Lord said,
take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my burden, my yoke
is easy and my burden is light. That's charity. It's gracious. Gracious, not holding people's
feet to the fire. It's gracious. Love is kind. And the next thing he says in
verse 4 is charity envieth not. You know, you don't envy people
you love. When they're promoted, you rejoice because you feel
like you're promoted right along with them because you're one
with them. If you're honored, I'm honored. If you're dishonored,
I'm dishonored. Love doesn't envy. It really has the greatest desire
for the object of its affection. Love envieth not. And next, he
says in verse four, charity vaunteth not itself. Charity is not a
braggart. Charity is not a boaster trying
to sell itself to you. That one who's quick to let you
know how great they are, that's contrary to charity. Verse 4,
charity is not, the last thing in verse 4, is not puffed up.
It's not proud and conceited, swollen with pride and self-righteousness. Charity is always lowly. You
know, the Lord described himself as meek and lowly in heart. And truly, he's the one who embodies
charity. If you want to read chapter 13
and put Christ in the place of charity, you wouldn't be doing
the text violence, would you? I mean, he is the one who is
like this. Not puffed up with pride and
self-righteous. It's lowly, it's humble, it's
meek. Verse five. Charity does not behave itself
unseemly. It's not rude. It's not base. It's not dishonest. It doesn't
conduct itself that way. It doesn't behave itself unseemly. And next, it seeketh not her
own. Love is not selfish. It's giving. It's not self-centered. It's not self-promoting. It's
not self-righteousness. It does not operate on those
principles of self-interest. Love seeketh not her own. And next it says charity in verse
5 is not easily provoked. It's not easily offended. It's not touchy. It is not easily
provoked. You don't have to walk on eggshells
around charity. You know what it is to walk around
eggshells with people? That's contrary to charity. Charity
is not easily provoked. And next it says, charity thinketh
no evil. It's not suspicious. It puts
the best construction. Oh, would to God that I would
never be suspicious. I am. But when I am, it's contrary
to charity. Charity thinketh no evil. Somebody said that means keeps
no records of wrongs. I like that too. Verse 6. Charity rejoices not in iniquity. It doesn't rejoice in the fall
of somebody. You know, there isn't anything
that makes me feel more evil when I see someone who I think
deserves something bad happened to them, happened to them, and
I feel some kind of, well, they had it coming. How evil. How
evil. That is completely contrary to
charity. Charity doesn't do that. It rejoices
not in iniquity, but it rejoices in the truth. Verse 7, charity
bears all things. Now what that means is charity
covers with silence all things. That's what the word means, to
protect or preserve by covering. Charity covers with silence all
things. Charity believes. Believes all
things. Bears all things. Believes all
things. What it can't see, it believes. It hopes all things. What it can't see, it hopes for.
It endures all things. It puts up with all things. And
I like this statement, verse 8. Charity never faileth. Never does. You know what that
means? It's never reduced to inactivity. It's always in operation. It
never quits. It never stops. Now that's the
charity Paul says that this is the end. This is the goal of
the commandment. Charity out of a pure heart,
the gift of God's grace. This is truly that more excellent
way. Look what he says down in verse
13 of this chapter. And now abideth faith, hope,
charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity. Why is it the greatest? Why? Well, hope's great. Isn't it great to have hope?
It's a wonderful thing to have hope. But one of these days,
my hope will be turned into experience. Faith is a great thing. Thank
God for the gift of faith to believe the gospel. But you know,
faith in heaven won't be necessary. Faith will be turned aside. See,
faith is believing what you do not see. In glory, I'll see him,
I'll behold him myself. And that Charity is the greatest. Look what he says in chapter
14 verse 1. Follow after charity. That word follow means pursue. Make this your aim. Make this
your goal. Make this your desire. You know,
I got all kinds. I'd like to be more effective
preacher. I would. I would like to be able
to preach the gospel more simply, more passionately, more clearly.
I desire gifts to preach. I desire gifts for the ministry.
I do. I desire those things. I ask the Lord to give them to
me. But here's something I want more. Charity. Follow after charity. this is the goal of the commandment
may we make sure we don't swerve from this goal you know he said
from this goal some having swerved and that's that's actually what
i entitled the message swerving from the goal i don't want to
be someone who swerves from the goal now look what he says next
in our text turn back to first timothy chapter one now the end the goal of the commandment
is charity out of a pure heart isn't that a good goal I mean,
I desire this. I desire this for me. I desire
it to you. Now here's the second thing that
he mentions. A good conscience. A good conscience. That's the goal. That's the end.
That's the purpose of the gospel, of the commandment, of the doctrine.
They charge no other doctrine. Here's the purpose. That one
has a good conscience. Now, what is a conscience? You
know, everybody's born with a conscience. I guess you could call it a moral
compass. It tells us the difference between right and wrong. It's
God's law written on the heart. Preachers always, I noticed back
in the back, Brandon said, don't, don't, please don't preach just
on how to live, but preach the gospel. I don't know if you knew
what you were saying when you said that, but what I was thinking
was, everybody already knows how to live. They really do. Everybody knows you ought not
lie. Everybody knows you ought not commit adultery. I remember
one time somebody got caught in that at 13th Street, and they
said, well, if Henry would preach more against adultery, that wouldn't
have happened. That's the biggest bunch of... Everybody knows. Everybody knows
you ought to not kill. Everybody knows you ought to
pay your bills. Everybody knows you ought to be fair. Everybody
knows you ought to not cheat. People know how to live. Everybody
does. Teach me how to live. You already
know how to live. That's a smokescreen, what that
is. Teach me how to live. Everybody's got a conscience.
Turn with me to Romans chapter 1. Now here's what the conscience
does, the natural conscience. You see, while everybody's born
with a conscience, everybody's also born with a fallen nature.
And because of that, we'll see what the conscience does. Romans
chapter 2, I'm sorry, Romans chapter 2. For when the Gentiles, which
have not the law, they didn't have a copy of the Bible, they
didn't have a copy of the Ten Commandments, they'd never heard
anything about the God of Israel, they didn't have a Bible, but
they do by nature the things contained in the law. They know
it's wrong to kill and to steal. These having not the law are
a law unto themselves which show the work of the law written in
their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness. And here's what the conscience
of the natural man does, and their thoughts that meanwhile
accusing or else excusing. Now this is what the conscience
of the natural man does. It does one of these two things.
It accuses you. You feel guilty. You know what
you did was wrong. You don't have any question about
your conscience tells you that what you did was wrong. It either
accuses or it excuses. I never stopped being amazed
by our ability, and notice I said our, I'm including myself, to
justify our wrong actions. We can be working wickedness
and justifying ourselves every step of the way. accusing or excusing, finding
an excuse and not really bearing the responsibility of what we've
done. That's all that the natural conscience
does. It either accuses you and makes
you feel guilty or you look for some kind of excuse and try to
justify yourself in what you're doing, I guess, to make you feel
better about yourself. I know all about it because I've done
it so many times. I know this stuff. I really do. I'm speaking
as an authority right now. I'm ashamed of that, but I am.
Now, what is a good conscience? What is a good conscience? Is it one that feels no guilt? No, that's a seared conscience.
That's what that is. That's a conscience that doesn't
work anymore. You know, according to 1 John 1 verses 8 and 10,
if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. And the truth
is not in us. That's a sinful nature. And then
in verse 10, it says, if we say we've not sinned, that's a verb,
that's what we do regarding anything I do. While I'm preaching, while
I'm praying, while I'm witnessing, while I'm trying to serve the
Lord, whatever it is people think they do. I sinned because I did
it. Now, am I not supposed to feel
guilty about that? There is not a time when I don't
have some kind of black cloud over my head about something.
Somebody says, what's wrong with you? I don't know, but that's
just the way it is. I mean, I always feel guilty about something.
And I've always got something to feel guilty about. I guarantee
you do. You do too. You do too. You know it. So a
good conscience is not one that never feels guilty. Well, what
about one that feels real guilty? and just feels beat down and
real guilty. Is that a good conscience? No,
that's a condemning conscience. That's an accusing conscience.
What about one that's always doubting and just has all these
scruples and everything and just never can feel confident about
anything? What about that kind of conscience? Is that a good
conscience? No. That's what Paul calls a weak conscience. A weak
conscience. Well, what is a good conscience?
A good conscience is a conscience that has nothing to feel guilty
about. The good conscience can stand
before God's law and the law says justified. Now, this is what a good conscience
is. It's a conscience that believes the gospel. It's a conscience
that knows that what Christ did makes them stand perfect before
God's holy law, and I have nothing to feel guilty about. Even when
I'm feeling guilty, I have nothing to feel guilty about. Turn to
1 Peter 3. Verse 21. The like figure, 1 Peter 3.21,
the like figure wherein to even baptism doth also now save us. You mean the act of baptism saves
us? Not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, not the act
of going under the water and coming back up, but the answer
of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Now here's a good conscience.
When Christ was raised from the dead, All God can possibly require
of me, He has. And that satisfies my conscience. That's the only thing that satisfies
my conscience. Not because of something that
I've done, or intend to do, or quit doing. The only thing that
satisfies my conscience is the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead. He was delivered for our offenses,
and He was raised again for our justification. That is a good
conscience. And you know, in that sense,
I'm not afraid of judgment. Bring it on! Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? God justified it. Who is he that
can condemn? It's Christ that died. Is that
enough to satisfy your conscience? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather
that's risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. Good conscience. Turn to Hebrews
chapter 9. You want to know how to have
a good conscience? Now, this is the goal of the
gospel. This is the goal of the command,
the charge to preach no other doctrine. Hebrews chapter 9,
verse 12. Neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by his own blood. He entered in once into the holy
place, into the very presence of the God of glory with His
own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. You know everything
He does is eternal. Everything He does. That redemption
that He redeemed some 2,000 years ago on the cross, well, it's
also the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He obtained
eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls, and
of goats, and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the unclean,
sanctifies through the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
without spot to God. And what's our response? Purge
your conscience from dead works. Any works that have anything
to do with your flesh. and serve the living God. And back to our text. Second Timothy one, here's the,
the first goal of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart. And the second goal of the commandment
is a good conscience. And the third goal of the commandment
is faith unfeigned. I love this way of speaking of
faith. Faith un-famed. Now the word famed means hypocritical. What was a hypocrite? Now back
then, the hypocrites were the movie stars. They were the actors. If you were an actor, you were
a hypocrite. That's what they called you. I mean, think of your favorite
actor. He was a hypocrite. He was an
actor. He would sound out. He was an actor. Faith unfeigned,
unpretended, unacted out. Now, a good hypocrite seems real. You know, it's hard to see bad
acting in it. When you know it's acting, it's not, you know, it's
irritating, you know, but good acting seems real. They're a
good hypocrite. Seems like the real deal, not
pretended. Now we read in the scriptures
of unfeigned love, unfeigned wisdom, And what that tells me
is that there is feigned love. Pretended love. It's not real. There is feigned wisdom. Pretended wisdom. It's not real. And there is feigned faith. Fake faith. Phony faith. It's not real. Now, let me show
you and myself a dead giveaway to a hypocrite. And before I say anything more
about hypocrites, I've got to say this. Somebody says, I just can't go
to church there. There's just way too many hypocrites. Man,
you ought to feel Perfect there. You fit in. You find me a believer
that doesn't believe themselves to be a hypocrite. You won't
find me one. Somebody says, I'm not a hypocrite.
I'm all, you're just, you've deceived yourself. Just write
it down. You've deceived yourself. But
let me show you the dead giveaway to a hypocrite. Matthew chapter
seven. And these are the words of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And He says, Judge not that you
be not judged. Now before I go on, there are
other scriptures that say judge righteous judgment. Judge not
according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment. This
doesn't mean we don't have an opinion. This doesn't mean we
don't have moral convictions. Doesn't mean that at all. We
have convictions regarding what the scripture says. But if I
look at you and whatever you're doing, I look down my nose in
moral superiority and think, I wouldn't do that. That's judging. That's judging. under any circumstance. Now let's go on reading. Judge
not that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge,
you shall be judged. Man, I want to quit judging,
don't you? He says, with what judgment you
judge, you'll be judged. And with what measure you meet,
it shall be measured to you again. And why, behold, is thou the
mote that's in thy brother's eye? But consider not the beam,
the log, that's in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to
thy brother, let me pull out the mote out of thine eye, and
behold, a beam is thine own eye? Thou hypocrite." Now, this is
what hypocrites do. This is what hypocrites do. Does
that make me a hypocrite? Yeah. Anytime I do it, I'm playing
the part of a hypocrite. Thou hypocrite, first cast out
the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly
to cast out the boat out of thy brother's eye. Now here's what
all this means. Turn to Romans chapter one. Verse 28, and even as they did
not like to retain God in their knowledge, God said, okay, have it your
way. God gave them over to a reprobate
mind. All the Lord has to do for me
to have a reprobate mind is remove his hand and leave me alone.
Now let's go on reading. in this reprobate mind to do
those things which are not convenient, being filled..." Now look at
this list of sins he gives. "...being filled with all unrighteousness,
fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy,
murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters
of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient
to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural
affection, Implacable, unmerciful, who knowing the judgment of God,
that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only
do the same, but they have pleasure in them that do them. Now, these
people that I just read about, are these bad people? Absolutely. They're evil people. But let's
go on reading. Did you make that judgment? Therefore,
thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest.
For wherein thou judgest another, you condemn yourself. For you
that judge do the same things." Isn't that so? Whatever you're
judging somebody of, whatever I'm judging somebody of, were
guilty of the same thing. Now, somebody may be thinking,
well, I'm not. Well, that's just because you've
got a seared conscience then. Your conscience didn't work any good.
It's no good. Because if you were honest before God, you would
know this is the truth concerning you. Now, verse 2. But we are
sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against
them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man,
that judges them which do such things, those things in Romans
chapter 1 that I just read, and you do the same, that thou shalt
escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches
of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing
that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Now, here's
a hypocrite. Somebody that is feigned, somebody
that judges, somebody else. That's a dead giveaway for a
hypocrite. Now, this thing of being feigned,
unfeigned faith. Let me say this in closing. I'm no feigned sinner. I'm not role-playing. Well, it's
time to take the place of a sinner. I know that's the, no, I'm the
real thing. I say that to my shame. I'm a
sinner. Right now. I'm a sinner. No fake. No pretend. This is
real. I'm a sinner. Needing mercy. Needing grace. I'm not feigning
that. I really do believe that I have
no personal righteousness in myself. Like Paul said, I know
that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. I wish it wasn't like that, and
one of these days it won't be like that. One of these days
it won't be like that. But it's also true that being
like that shows me my continual need of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So I'm thankful in that sense. I'm thankful. I'm a real sinner. Not feigned, real. And I know
that what was going on on Calvary was not pretend. It was not role-playing. It was not acting. The Lord Jesus
Christ didn't have the Father say to Him, Son, I know these
are not your sins, but I'm going to treat you as if they were.
No, they became His sin. They became His sin. And when
the Father accepts me for Christ's sake, He doesn't simply say,
well, I know you're no good. I know you're a scoundrel, but
I'm going to accept you for the righteousness of my son's sake.
No, I really am the righteousness of God in him. Every believer. That's not pretend. That's real. And I really believe that Christ
is all in my salvation. I'm not pretending about that.
I know that His righteousness is the only righteousness I have.
I really am utterly and completely dependent upon His grace. That's
not pretend. That's not acting. That is unfeigned faith. Now, may the Lord deliver us
from swerving swerving, erring, going off, and turning aside
from this goal, this commandment. This is the end. This is the
purpose of the gospel. Charity out of a pure heart,
and a good conscience, and a faith unfanged. Let's pray.