Now, I'm posting these messages
in this Bible study on sermon audio. So if you don't get all
the references just exactly right, you can go back over to Sermon
Audio and listen to the message again and look at the references. Now in Romans 2 verse 16, we'll
read this verse again and I don't know how far we'll get in our
study today, but if we don't get to where I'd planned to,
we'll take another hitch at it next week. In the day when God
shall judge, the secrets of men. Now all judgment is according
to God's strict standard and He is the judge of all the earth
who will do right. He justifies and He condemns
according to His own will and purpose. In the day when God
shall judge the secrets of men, The Lord our God knows the deep
recesses of our heart, every imagination, every thought, every
motive, and we are as his creation and his creature, we are accountable,
accountable unto the sovereign God. And God is going to judge
all men by the standard of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now if you
hold your place there and turn back just a few pages to Acts
17. Acts 17 verse 30 and 31. The time of
this ignorance God winked at but now commanded all men everywhere
to repent. Because he hath appointed a day,
Acts 17, 31, in which he will judge the world in righteousness
by that man whom he hath ordained. God appointed all judgment unto
the Son, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that
he had raised him from the dead. Now, God shall judge the secrets
of men by the gospel of Christ. Now, my question for us to consider
in that Day of Judgment is to point it unto men who wants to
die and after that, judgment. Where do you want to be found
in the Day of Judgment? Where do you want to be found
in the Day of Judgment? One true, simple, plain answer
is I want to be found in Christ. I don't want to be found in my
self-righteousness. I don't want to be found in my
filthy rags of sin. I want to be found in Christ. I want to be accepted in the
Beloved. The only and acceptable answer
is to be found in Christ. And I love that scripture in
Ephesians 1, 6, where it says that we are accepted in the Beloved. That's the only place where God
can deal with me in mercy is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now,
Paul the Apostle is writing this by inspiration of God, the book
of Romans. But Saul of Tarsus, before The
Lord saved him and taught him the gospel. You remember, he
was a very proud, self-righteous Pharisee. He was known as Saul
of Tarsus. Saul of Tarsus was a persecutor
of those who were believers. He even gained letters and permission
to go out of state, out of city, to persecute other believers. And he did so with zeal. in his
heart. And at one time, Saul of Tarsus,
the self-righteous Pharisee, boasted of his obedience to the
law. We read in Philippians chapter
3 when he talks about everything that he was in religion. And
he says, concerning the law or touching the law, he said, I
was blameless. I was blameless. Now that's what
Saul the Pharisee thought that he was blameless before God,
and he thought that he kept the law. He boasted of his obedience
to the law, and thought that his obedience recommended him
to God, or at least removed God's wrath. Now sadly, most people
are in the same state as Saul of Tarsus. Religious and lost. Religious and without the Lord
Jesus Christ. But when the Lord revealed the
gospel to Saul of Tarsus and put him in the dust and made
him to submit to the Lordship of Christ. You remember what
he said later? His testimony was, now, he said,
I count all things but loss, dumb and ruined, that I may win
Christ. and be found in him." And he
goes on to say, "...not having my own righteousness, which is
of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ,
or the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ." Now, that's the
righteousness I want to have in that day of judgment. I don't
want to stand there in my puny, puny self-righteousness and say,
Lord, well, I was a preacher. Lord, I was a member of the church.
Lord, I did this, and Lord, I did that. Those who say that at the
judgment that's recorded in Matthew chapter 7, He said, Away with
you, all you are are workers of iniquity. So I don't want
to stand, and I don't want you to stand on the ground of your
work for merit. I want you by faith to look to
the Lord Jesus Christ and see in Him that He is the Lord our
righteousness. Now with that rather lengthy
introduction, This is what the Apostle Paul, in these next verses,
he reveals unto us. He unmasked and exposed the self-righteous
Jews who thought they were entitled to salvation because of their
natural connection to Abraham. They said, we be Abraham's children. You remember what the Lord said
of them? You are of your father the devil. Having a physical
connection to Abraham is not salvation. It does not entitle
one to salvation. And this would apply to any religious
person today who were seeking salvation by their religious
ceremonies, by their tradition, or by their deeds. They say,
well, you know, I'm a church member. I've been in church all
my life. The question is, are you in Christ?
That is the issue. Now Paul levels six charges against
these religious Jews, and you can really substitute when he
talks about in verse 17, Thou art called a Jew. Thou art called
a Jew. You can actually substitute in
there and make it and make an application to the person who
is religious in his day. Thou art called a Jew and you
rest in the law, and you make thy boast of God. Now, here are
six charges that Paul levels against them. Now, it is true
the Jews were the physical descendants and the seed of Abraham, weren't
they? God chose and elected Abraham. Where did God find Abraham? He
found him out in the land of idolatry, didn't he? God found
him in idolatry and called him to himself. God chose and elected
Abraham. God promised him a physical seed. like the stars of heaven and
the sand of the seashore," that's recorded in Genesis chapter 12
and Genesis chapter 15. The Jews were in a sense the
natural elect or the natural nation. Abraham being the federal
head or father of that race. He was the father of the Jews.
And the type And I never really considered this before until
I got thinking about this the other day. Abraham, in a very
real sense, is a type and picture of Christ. In that God blessed
a multitude of people through Abraham and that special son,
Isaac. Isaac. Now, turn to Romans chapter
9. But being a physical, a physical Son of Abraham does not mean
that you're entitled to salvation in Romans chapter 9. He says
in verse 4, "...who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth the adoption,
the glory, the covenants, and the giving of the law," Romans
9 verse 4, "...and the service of God, and the promises, whose
are the fathers, of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is
over all." He's God-blessed forever. "...not as though the word of
God had taken none effect, for they are not all Israel, the
elect of God, the spiritual elect of God, which are Israel, neither
because they are the seed of Abraham are they all the children,
that is, the children, the spiritual sons of Abraham, but in Isaac
shall thy seed be called, that is, they which are the children
of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children
of the promise are counted for the seed. Now, I want you to
find another reference, hold your place there in Romans 2,
and find Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3. Paul again
says, being a physical descendant of Abraham is no guarantee to
salvation. In Galatians chapter 3 verse
6, But being a spiritual son and
blessed in Christ, that is sonship. Galatians chapter 3, look at
verse 6. Even as Abraham believed God,
and it was accounted to him for righteousness, know ye therefore
that they which are of faith, the same are the children of
Abraham. And the scripture foreseeing
that God would justify the heathen through faith preached before
the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be
blessed, that is, through Isaac, that special son, which is a
type and picture of Christ. So then they which are of faith
are blessed with faithful Abraham. Now look back to Romans 2. Thou art called a Jew, and you
rest in the law, and you make your boast of God." Now here's
the second charge that he brings against them found in verse 17.
The Jews rested in the fact that they had the written law of God. Look down at Romans 2 verse 23.
Romans 2.23, "...thou that makest boast of the law, through breaking
the law you dishonor thou God." Now they had the law in their
possession. They had the written Word of
God, but they missed the message. I'm going to show you that. Turn
over to John chapter 5. John chapter 5. The Lord said
to those Jews and those Pharisees in John chapter 5 verse 39, He
said, You do search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have
eternal life, but they are they which testify of Me. The Scripture
is all about Christ. And you will not come to Me that
you might have life. I receive not honor from men,
but I know you. Now see, the Lord knows the secrets
of all men. I know you, that you have not
the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name,
and you receive me not. If another shall come in his
own name, him you will receive. How can you believe which receive
honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from
God only? Do not think I will accuse you
to the Father. There is one that accuseth you,
even Moses, whom you trust." Now watch this. Moses whom you
trust, for had you believed Moses, you would have believed me, for
Moses wrote about me. If you believe not his writings,
how shall you believe my words?" All the Word of God tells us
about the Lord Jesus Christ. They had His written Word in
their hand, but they did not believe the record of God. The whole message of the Bible
is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. They had the Word, but they didn't
know the author of the Word. They didn't know the message
of the Word. Now here's the third charge that
he brings against the self-righteous, self-serving Jew. They made their boast of God. You see that? They made their
boast of God. Now the Jews had the visible
presence of God among them, especially in the wilderness. You remember
that cloudy pillar during the day and that pillar of fire at
night? And especially in the tabernacle and later in the temple,
they had what is known as the visible presence of God, and
we call that the Shekinah glory of God. While the Gentiles had
none of those things, did they? But the Jews had the visible
presence of God, and they boasted of those things. But that still
did not guarantee their salvation, or did it make them sons of God? It is only by faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ that we do show that we are true children of
God. Even our Lord said, Abraham rejoiced
to see my day. He saw it and was glad. Abraham's hope was the Lord Jesus
Christ. Moses' hope was the Lord Jesus
Christ. Moses, both. and Abraham both
rejoiced in Christ. And that's how believers today
manifest that they are sons of God by believing the gospel. We read in 1 John 5 verse 1,
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, he is born of
God. We as believers today, we glory
and rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. We are the true
Israel, true sons of God, true sons of Abraham, spiritual sons,
who rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ, worship God in spirit,
and we have no confidence in the flesh. God forbid that we
should glory, save, in the Lord Jesus Christ. We glory, in that
word there boast, could be also rendered rejoice or glory. Now where does the believer rejoice
in glory? Only in Christ. Only in the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is God, our Savior. He is God. Now, here's the fourth
thing that he mentions found in verse 18. The self-serving,
self-righteous Pharisees and Jews also bragged about knowing
His will. Now, I would never say that I
know the will of God apart from what is revealed in the word
of God. I know the redemptive will of
God is all about the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. But I
would never boast, well, I know it's the Lord's will for this
or that. I know as he's written and revealed himself in the word
what his revealed will is. But these Jews, they thought
they had a corner on God. Paul levels a charge against
them. He said, you think you know His
will and that you approve the things that are more excellent
being instructed out of the law. Now, the Jews boasted of knowing
His will, but I know this for sure, they did not do His will. You look at their history, their
history is one of just rebellion against God. They were familiar
with the letter of the law. They were familiar with do's
and don'ts. They had a religion of touch
not, taste not, handle not. We call that the religion of
not. They were familiar with the do's and don'ts, but not
with the message of the law, nor what the law of God required. What does the law of God require?
Absolute perfection. Cursed is everyone that continueth
not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. That's what the law of God requires. Thank God the Lord
Jesus Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law being made
a curse for us. They were totally ignorant of
the redemptive will of God And the redemptive will of God is
seen in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in His blood and
His righteousness alone. They were totally ignorant of
the redemptive will of God revealed in Christ Jesus. And that is
also true of most religious folks in our day. Is it not? Look at verse 19. Here's the
fifth thing that he brings against them. Verse 19. And these, again,
he's addressing the self-righteous person. The one who is going
about to establish the righteousness by what he does or does not do. Now, he says in verse 19, you're
confident. Now, who was their confidence
in? It wasn't in Christ. Their confidence was in themselves.
Woe is to the man that trusted himself. And you are confident
that thou thyself are a guide of the blind and a light of them
which sit in darkness." The Jews were self-confident of their
ability to enlighten the blind Gentiles. were confident that
they could help those who sat in spiritual darkness, while
in reality, they were blind to the truth of the gospel and in
the dark themselves. Our Lord said this in Matthew
15, 14. You remember, the disciples came to the Lord and said, you
know, those Pharisees, they were offended by what you said. Remember? Remember what he said to them?
He said, leave them alone. They'd be blind leaders of the
blind, and if the blind lead the blind, where do they end
up? They end up in the ditch, don't
they? You see, the Lord Jesus Christ
is the light of life. I'm always amazed how the false
prophets think they are so enlightened. by some new revelation or some
new thing. They are false prophets. They
are ministers of their own self-seeking righteousness. They seek not
the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. These folks, like many folks
today, are confident They're confident that they've got a
lock on the truth, that they know all things while they are
ignorant of God and ignorant of the gospel. Verse 20, here's
the sixth thing that he levels against them. He says, you think
you are an instructor of the foolish and a teacher of the
babes, which has the form of knowledge and of the truth of
the law. The Jews had a form of knowledge,
but were ignorant of the power of God to save sinners. Now, don't turn. Let me just
read this Scripture to you, and I'll give you the reference if
you want to jot it down. In 2 Timothy 3, 5. 2 Timothy
3, 5. Paul, writing of those same people,
he said, they have a form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof, he said, from such, turn away, turn away from them. They had a form of knowledge,
but they had no true saving knowledge of the gospel, because they taught
salvation was by the deeds of the law. They boasted of their
deeds of the law. Turn to Romans 10, Romans chapter
10. Look at verse 1 of Romans 10,
verse 1. And Paul said, I prayed for these religious lost Jews. They had much religion, but they
had no salvation. They had no gospel. They had
no Christ. Romans 10 verse 1, brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel, that is that
natural seed of Abraham, that they might be saved. Well, I
thought all those Jews were saved. No, they're all lost. For I bear
them record, they have a zeal, they have a religious zeal of
God, but not according to knowledge, not according to true knowledge.
Verse 3, for they being ignorant of God's righteous character. They're ignorant of the holiness
of God. Therefore they are going about
to establish their own righteousness, and have not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness..." Now watch this. This is the righteousness
of God. Now, how is the difference here?
What is the two difference? One is the holy character of
God, God's righteousness, and the other is the righteousness
that's established in the gospel that's of God's doing, that's
freely imputed and given unto His people. Now look at verse
4 in Romans 10. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness, to everyone that believes the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ. They taught salvation by the
deeds of the law and they boasted that they kept the law. Now,
let me read this one more scripture to you. In Luke 16, 15, I quote
this often times, the Lord had the sharpest rebuke for those
Pharisees who went about to justify themselves before God. In Luke
16, 15, He said unto them, And this is the same group that Paul
addresses there in Romans 2, the lost religious Jew. You are they which justify yourselves
before men. Now how did they justify themselves
before men? They thought they kept the law
of God, but they were ignorant of what the law of God demands,
which is perfection. But he said, God knows your heart.
So we get right back to God judging the secrets of men's heart. God
knows your heart. Now I can't look on your heart. I can't look on your heart. But
God does. He knows. But God knows your
heart, for that which is highly esteemed among men all the religious
traditions and ceremonies of men, that which is highly esteemed
among men, he says, is an abomination in the sight of God. So, get
back to my original question. Where do you want to stand on
that great day of reckoning? You want to stand on the ground
of your puny righteousness? On the ground of your works?
On the ground of the deeds of the law? and hear Him say, Depart
from Me, I never knew you, or stand by His grace in the merit
righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, His blood having put
away all our sin, all the sin of God's people. Okay, we'll
stop right there and we'll pick up next time in verse 20 down
through verse