Romans 2. I'm going to try to
look at Romans 2. I prepared the lesson down through
verse 11, but I don't think we'll get that
far. Now, the book of Romans, in all
the Word of God, plainly and boldly declares that all men
everywhere are sinners. That includes me. That includes
you. All men are born in sin. In Adam all died. In Adam all
have sinned. That doesn't matter what nation.
or what race of people, Jew or Gentile, doesn't matter what
age, young or old, male or female, all are sinners and all being
sinners are guilty, guilty before God. Over in Romans chapter 3,
remember verse 9, what then, are we better than they, the
Jew, better or More righteous than the Gentile? No, and no
wise. We have before proved, both Jew
and Gentile, that they're all under sin. As it is written,
there is none righteous. No, not one. There is none that
understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. This is us by nature. They're
all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable.
There is none that doeth good. None that doeth good. No, not
one. There's none. Now. The all-important
question of which no one is asking and of which no one is concerned
is how can a guilty sinner be justified before a holy God? Now isn't that the issue? I'm a sinner and I'm guilty.
God is holy. Now how can I be justified before
a holy God? Well, the book of Romans answers
that question. Religion has many answers to
that one question, how can I be justified before God? They talk
about their works, they talk about their ceremonies, they
talk about their rules, they talk about their duties. Religion
has many answers to that question, how can a sinner be justified
before God? But you know the Bible has just
one answer, just one answer. And that answer is the Lord Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. Our Lord said, I am the way,
the truth, and the life. And then He adds this, no man
come to the Father but by and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the mystery and beauty of
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is how God can be just
and justify the ungodly, and at the same time, honor his own
holy character." Now that's the beauty of the gospel. That's
the mystery of the gospel. And that, my friend, is the glory
of the gospel, how God can be just and justify the ungodly. We're going to see that in Romans
chapter 3, verse 25 and verse 26. But with that introduction, let's
take a look at verse 1 in Romans chapter 2. Now notice, he begins
with the word, therefore. Now, we understand when we're
reading Scripture about chapter division and verse division,
but in the original, when this was given, there was no chapter
divisions. So that word, therefore, as I've
often said, looks back to what has been said, and drawing a
conclusion, therefore. Verse 32, knowing the judgment
of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death,
for the wages of sin is death. And not only do the same, but
have pleasure in them that do them. Therefore, therefore, thou
art inexcusable. We have no excuse. We have no
excuse. Don't ever justify yourself and
excuse your sin. We have no excuse. We are sinful. Therefore, thou art inexcusable,
O man. That doesn't exclude the women,
does it? O sinner, sinner, whoever you are, stop your mouth, you're
guilty. Therefore thou art inexcusable,
whosoever thou art that judgest. For wherein thou judgest another,
you just condemn yourself. That's all you do. For thou that
judgest, you're guilty of the same thing. You're guilty. You do the same thing. Therefore
looks back to the preceding verses and declares that all men without
excuse were sinning against God. Now that's the issue. That's
why sin is so terrible. Because sin is against God. David said, "...against Thee,
Thee only have I sinned in Thy sight." It doesn't matter the
religious Jew or the pagan Gentile. All men are without excuse before
God. They are answerable unto God. Look back at Romans chapter 1
verse 18. The wrath of God. The wrath of
God. Now we don't hear much in religious
circles today about the judgment and wrath of God, do we? But
the Bible is full of it. The wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness. The wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all unrighteousness of men who hold the truth. who regard the truth of the gospel
in unrighteousness and in unbelief, without excuse. Therefore, there
is no need for us as sinners to set ourselves up as the standard
of judgment. There is no need for us to set
ourselves up to judge men. That's not my business. And that's
not your business. That's the Lord's business. That's
His business. You remember Matthew chapter
7. Judge not that you be not judged. Now we don't set ourselves
up as a standard of judgment. The standard of judgment is the
Word of God. And by that we are to judge a
righteous judgment by the Word of God. You remember the Lord
in Luke 18 gave the parable of the Pharisee You remember the
very self-righteous Jew, the Pharisees, and he said two men
went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other
a notorious, notable publican. He was a notable sinner. You
remember the Pharisee prayed thus with himself, and he said,
Lord, I don't do this, I don't do that, I don't do the other.
And then he pointed to the lowlife and said, thank God I'm not like
him. I'm a little bit better. See,
Pharisee is the one who justified himself and condemned the other.
And the old publican, the sinner, smote upon his breast and condemned
himself. Lord, be merciful to me, thee
sinner. He condemned himself and God
said he went down to his house justified. You see, it's just
the opposite as the way that natural man thinks. The Pharisee
justified himself and therefore he was condemned. The sinner,
the publican, condemned himself, and God said he was justified.
That's what I want to do. And I pray God would give you
grace in your heart to do that, to condemn yourself. I'm the
guilty one. I have sinned against God. I'm
the one that needs mercy. It's not him, it's not her, it's
not this one or that one. Right here is the problem. Right
here is the problem. You don't have to look any further
than your own wicked heart. We are guilty before God. Now look at verse 2, Romans 2,
2. But this is what we're certain and sure of, Romans 2, 2. We
are sure. Now this is what God says now.
This is not just Paul speaking. This is Paul writing according
as God gives him the words, but we are sure that the judgment
of God, the judgment of God, is according to truth." Now,
the judgment of God is inflexible. The judgment of God is absolute
holiness, absolute purity. The judgment of God, we are sure
that the judgment of God is according to truth. "...against them which
commit such things." Those who sin against God, what are they
worthy of? Judgment. Judgment according
to truth. And we mark it down. We know
this. We've all sinned and we've come short. We've come short
of the glory of God. We're short. We've come short
of honoring God in a way that He needs to be honored and glorified. We are sure, that is we understand
This point about the judgment of God, the standard of judgment,
is the absolute truth of God's holy law. God's holy law. That's the standard
of judgment. Not man's law. Not a standard
that we set. Now, if we would set the standard,
we'd put it down here where we could jump over it. Like a friend
of mine who said, said to a friend of his, he said, you know, I
can jump over any barn. He said, you can jump over a
barn? How is that? If you let me build it, I can
jump over it. See, he'd build a barn a foot high and he'd jump
over it. You see, if you judge according
to men's standard, well, you can meet that standard. But see,
the standard is so high. We cannot reach into it. We've
all sinned and come short of the glory of God. No amount of
works, human deeds, no amount of morality. Now, as I've said
to you many times, I'm not against being a moral person. I'm not against morality at all. We ought to do the best we can. But here's the problem with that.
Sadly, many people look to their morality, to their own goodness,
and think that will justify them before God. They think, well,
I'm not as bad as that fellow over there. You see, that's the
problem. You're comparing yourself. Those
who compare themselves and commend themselves among themselves,
the Scriptures say, they are not wise. They're not wise. So, no amount of works or morality. Our morality is not our righteousness. Now get a hold of this. Our morality
is not our righteousness. How righteous do you have to
be to stand before God justified? Now listen. How good do you have
to be to stand before God justified? You know how good? As good as
God. As good as God. That's right. He's not going
to lower His standard. He demands absolute perfection,
absolute holiness. And you say, well, wait a minute.
That just shut the door on me. Because I cannot produce righteousness.
I can't produce a holiness satisfying to God. That's exactly right.
With men, this is impossible, but not with God. With God, all
things are possible. The law says the guilty sinner
must die. The law says stop your mouth,
you're guilty before God. The law will by no means clear
the guilty. So, here's the problem. God's
law is holy. God is holy. We are sinners. Now, how can this sinner stand
before God justified? Only in Christ, who is the Lord,
our righteousness. That's why we don't go about
to establish the righteousness of our own. Christ is our righteousness.
He is our justification before God. Now, look at verse 3. Thinkest thou this, O man?" Now,
here's the problem. Our thinking is totally contrary
to the Word of God. What we think naturally is wrong. Our Lord said, you thought I
was like you. No, He's not like us. You think this. Well, I think this is right.
You remember when Nahum and the leper came to Elisha? And he thought that he would
come out with a big pomp and ceremony and strike his hand
over the sword. And Elisha just stayed in the
house and sent out his servant to go wash down the muddy Jordan.
You remember what Naaman said? I thought, I thought. You see, that's the problem.
Our thinking is wrong. God needs to change our thoughts,
change our thinking. Thinkest thou this, O man? that
judges them which do such thing, and you do the same, you're guilty. You're guilty. We say, well,
I've never murdered anyone. Well, to offend in one point
of God's law is to be guilty of all the law. And the law reaches
to the intent, the motive, the heart. Have you ever been angry
with someone so much so that you thought about, well, I wish
he was dead? You just murdered him in your heart. You see, we're
all guilty before God. That's the point that this is
making. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which
do such things? And ye do the same? That thou shalt escape, can you
escape the judgment of God? Shall we escape the righteous
judgment of God against our sin? Certainly not by what we do,
or what we will ever do or have done. You see, the problem is
this. We look on the outward countenance.
And you look pretty good to me. You look fine to me. And folks
in this community look fine to me. But that's As far as I can
look, God looks deeper. He looks on the heart. God looks
on the intent, the motive, the desire, the thoughts, and the
intent of the heart. That's where God looks. Not on
the outward countenance. God looks on the heart. Now,
if you want to turn with me, you can, to Matthew chapter 15.
You remember the Pharisees complained about the Lord's disciples. They
didn't wash their hands before they ate corn. and they were
so concerned about being defiled. Do you remember what the Lord
said? It's not washing your hands that's
not your problem. It's not what you put in your
mouth that's the problem. It's what comes out of your mouth.
Look what he says here, Matthew 15, verse 16. Are you also without
understanding? Do not you yet understand that
whatsoever entereth into the mouth, It goes into your belly,
into your digestive tract, and then is cast out into the commode,
into the sewer, the drought. But those things which proceed
out of the mouth, where do they come from? They come out of your
heart. Your heart involves your mind,
your thinking, your affections, your will. That's the heart of
man. They defile the man. Well, out
of the heart proceeds evil thoughts. Out of the heart proceeds evil
murders, adulteries, fornications, thievery, false witness, lying,
blasphemies. These things come out of the
real you. What's in the well of the heart
comes out through the bucket of the mouth. These are the things
which defile a man, but to eat with unwashing hands, that's
not a problem. Now, you ought to wash your hands
before you eat. That just makes good common sense.
But does washing your hands make you righteous before God? You
can wash your whole body, and that's not going to help. The
heart's the problem. The heart's the problem. You
see, Jeremiah said, the heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked. God must give us a new heart,
a new nature. He must make us a new creation
in Christ. Now here's a question for us
to consider. Is there a way to escape the righteous judgment
of God? You think you're going to escape
the righteous judgment of God by what you do? And that's what
everybody thinks, is it not? They compare themselves to their
neighbor or the fellow down the street, and they think, well,
I'm just a little bit better. I'm going to escape the judgment
of God. It's going to be okay with me. The Scriptures teach
that it's appointed unto men once to die, and we're going
to die. This body is going to die back
to the dust. And after that, everything will
be okay. No, there's a judgment to face.
You've got to face God in judgment. In judgment. How will it be in
that day of judgment? You think you're going to escape
the judgment of God? Now here's a question. Is there
a way to escape the judgment of God? Judgment's coming. Judgment's
coming. And the standard of judgment
is God's absolute truth, the truth of His law. Is there a
way to escape? Only by having our sin laid upon
the Lord Jesus Christ and the judgment due us put on Him. And that's what happened at Calvary.
Only by having our sin laid on Christ by God Almighty and having
our sin judged in Christ. And this is exactly what happened
at Calvary. Now, is there a way to escape
the judgment of God? Only in Christ. Because He suffered
the wrath of God for us, for the sin of God's people, and
put that sin away. Now, turn to Romans chapter 8. Look at verse 32. Romans 8, 32. He that spared not his own son,
Now, why was the Lord Jesus Christ not spared when God made Him
sin for us? Why wasn't He spared? Because He was guilty as charged
with the sin of God's people laid on Him. And God spared not
His own Son when He found sin upon His Son. But He delivered
Him up to the wrath of God, the judgment of God. He suffered
the wrath of God. The judgment of God for us all,
that is, those who He predestinated unto eternal life, read the preceding
verses. How shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things? Now, if the Lord Jesus Christ
put away my sin, can judgment be on me and on Him as well? If He took my judgment, my guilt,
my sin, my wrath, and God dealt with Him as my substitute for
my sin, can He turn around and condemn me again? If you read
Romans chapter 8 verse 1, there is therefore now no condemnation
to those who were in the Lord Jesus Christ. He that spared
not his own son, look back at verse 32, but delivered him up
for us all, how shall he not with him also freely? I love that word right there,
don't you? Freely. Give us all things. Now who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Now, how is this sinner justified?
It's God who justified us, justified freely by His grace to the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. Who is He that condemneth? Well,
it's Christ that died. He was condemned in my room and
in my stead. Yea, rather that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also right now, He
makes intercession for us, for His people. God made Him to be
sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him." That's the good news of the Gospel, is it not?
Now, look at verse... How shall we escape the judgment
of God? In Christ. By looking to Him, believing
the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at verse 4,
"...or despiseth thou the riches of His goodness, Now the Lord
is good, but let us not forget He is holy and just. You despise
the riches of His goodness. He's rich in mercy, isn't He?
You despise the riches of His goodness. Now His people don't,
but unbelievers do. They have no gratitude in their
heart for His goodness. You despise the riches of His
goodness and forbearance. God is long-suffering, it says
there, and long-suffering? You're not in hell yet? You ought
to be. God hasn't killed you yet? You ought to be. That's
what he's saying here. People despise the riches of
His goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing,
being ignorant of, not knowing that the goodness of God, the
goodness of God His long-suffering and His forbearance should have
led you to repentance. It should have. But apart from
divine intervention and God doing a work of grace in our heart,
it will not. The unbeliever, whether Jew or
Gentile, all are sinners. and the unbelieving sinner, they
despise the riches of His grace, the riches of His goodness, His
graciousness, and His long-suffering that should have led us to repentance,
should have given The unbeliever of broken heart and a contrite
spirit should have led us to seek mercy where mercy is revealed,
but because the unbeliever is so depraved, and we are all totally
depraved, but because we're so totally depraved, apart from
the mighty work of God in our heart, we'll never seek to be
justified before God in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. It's always
Christ and maybe something I must bring. Now that's what they say
in religious circles. The Lord did a part and you did
a part and you put the two parts together and we have a whole.
That's a lie. Salvation is all of grace. Grace
alone and it's all in the Lord Jesus Christ. We'll never seek
Christ to justify us and make us righteous before Him unless
God Almighty does a work of grace in our heart, and thank God He
does. God, who has begun a good work
in you, He will perform it. He will perfect it. He will do
it. Apart from that work of grace
in our heart, we just go right on our merry road to eternal
condemnation, thinking all the while, I'm just as good. I've
had people tell me this. I've had people tell me this,
oh, I'm just as good as you folks down there at the church. Well,
the problem is, We're not the standard. I'm sure you are as
far as comparing one worm to another. I mean, worm can compare
one maggot to another. I mean, we look pretty good to
each other. But again, I'm not the standard.
I'm sure you're just as good as those folks down at church.
In other words, what they're saying is, I don't need the gospel. I don't need to come and worship
God and sit and listen to the gospel. I'll just sit at home
because I'm just as good as you folks down there. On a standard
of human depravity, yeah, you're just as depraved as I am. But
that's not the problem. You see, the problem is God is
holy. He's the standard. He's the standard. Our Lord said to those very plainly,
those Pharisees who justified themselves before God, you remember
what He said, you are they which justify yourselves before God,
but He knows your heart, I don't know your heart. God does. You
are they would justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your
heart. You remember the rest of it? God looks on the heart, and those
who justify themselves before God, He said it's an abomination
in the sight of God. Sinners left to themselves always
seek to justify themselves before men, But sadly, before God. And that's the problem. We always
seek to justify ourselves and make excuse for our sorriness. No, you're inexcusable. You are guilty. That shuts us
up to seeking mercy where mercy is found. Where is mercy found? Only in the mercy seat. In the
Lord Jesus Christ. the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Let's read verse 5. But after
the hardness and impendent heart treasures up to thyself wrath
against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment
of God. All you're doing is storing up
wrath upon wrath. The hardness and impenitent,
unbroken, unrepentant heart. The hardness. The hardness of
heart. Hardness of heart. That's our
wicked, unbelieving heart. Unrepentant heart. And all that
does, it stores up wrath for the day of wrath. and the revelation
of the righteous judgment of God. The real issue is the heart. Genesis 6, 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. God saw. The fool has said in
his heart, there is no God. Rebellion and sin of the unbeliever
only gathers up, garners up wrath upon wrath, which will be manifest
in the righteous judgment of God, because God is holy. His wrath and condemnation is
just and righteous. Thanks be unto God, in the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ, He has delivered us from the wrath
to come. Turn one page to Romans chapter
5. Look at verse 8, God commended
His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us, Much more than being now justified by His blood, we
shall be saved from wrath through Him." Being justified by what? Not my works. Justified by His
blood. His blood. We shall be saved from wrath
through Him. He has delivered us from the
wrath to come. Let me give you one more reference.
You don't turn to this. You don't need to turn. I'll
just read it to you. Over in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse
9, it says, For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to
obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Is there an escape from the wrath
to come? Only in Christ. Only in the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's the message.