Spoken at SGBC
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Globe, Arizona
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Romans #9
Romans 2:2-3
The Day of The Lord
(Romans 2:1-3 NASB) Therefore you are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. {2} And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. {3} And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?
Chapter two of Romans declares the collective guilt and coming judgement of all men. All, says Paul, are without excuse before God. In verse one we are told that self righteous humans who wag their heads and point their fingers at others declare their own guilt. You may have heard someone make this remark about pointing fingers, “As one finger points outward there are three pointing back at you.” Meaning of course you have sins of your own to deal with, why point at others? This is the point Paul is making. All humans are in the same boat, all are sinners.
Perhaps we do not practice sin in the open like those described in the latter part of chapter one. Perhaps we do not sin to the same degree. Maybe we never actually perform the same sins with our hands, feet or mouth but we have committed these crimes in our minds. What person here this morning can say they have not committed adultery or fornication in their minds? Who among us has not and does not practice covetousness which is idolatry? Then what of hatred which is murder? We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Therefore, we have no right to point fingers at anyone.
The gavel has dropped, the verdict is in, we are guilty of sin in the first degree. Pointing our finger at other sinners does not separate us from them. It just proves we think more highly of ourselves than we should. For more on this I refer you to the sermon titled “Self Accusing Judgement” form two weeks ago.
Out text today takes us beyond the self accusing judgement of others to a consideration of the final judgement of all men or “The Day of the Lord.”
(Romans 2:2-3 NASB) And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. (The things describes in chapter one.) {3} And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?
“The judgement of God rightly falls upon all sinners.” This just can’t be the most popular statement in the Bible. It is true nonetheless. It is right and good that God judges sinners. Notice that Paul says “WE KNOW” that these things are true. Do sinners really believe they will be judged and that this judgement will be the right thing for God to do? Most will tell you they don’t but the Bible says they do. Consider the following statements. (Proverbs 11:23 NASB) The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
(Romans 1:32 NASB) and, although THEY KNOW THE ORDINANCE OF GOD, THAT THOSE WHO PRACTICE SUCH THINGS ARE WORTHY OF DEATH, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
Men know what they deserve for their sin and expect to receive it. Yet, guided by a desperately evil and wicked heart most suppress this truth to live as if judgement day will never come. Today we face the question Paul asks, . “. . . do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape THE JUDGMENT OF GOD?”
You are the “O Man” being addressed. These words are personal. They are addressed to all who believe they are somehow exempt from the Judgement of God. Of course no one is exempt. Somewhere in your mind you know this to be true. The rich, the poor, the educated, the ignorant, blacks, whites, Atheists, Agnostics, all men must stand before God. All will be summoned to the bar with a summons that cannot be refused. There will be no escape. Hear the words of God on this.
(Proverbs 11:21 NASB) Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.
(1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 NASB) Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. {2} For you yourselves know full well that THE DAY OF THE LORD WILL COME JUST LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT. {3} While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and THEY SHALL NOT ESCAPE.
Just as certainly as birth pains follow pregnancy so does judgement and condemnation follow sin. There is no escape. Birth pains are the inevitable consequence of pregnancy. Judgement and punishment are the inevitable consequences of sin. This will be true of every man unless he is declared righteous by God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If this is the case with you the judgement will result in a finding of innocence. You will be cleared of all charges. You will be judged righteous and sentenced to an eternity in Heaven.
This is the Gospel. This Good News will become the focus of Paul’s teaching later in the book. At the moment however he wants these Romans to have right thoughts about themselves as guilty sinners. He wants them to have right thoughts about God as being one who will not and cannot look favorably upon unforgiven humans. Rather He will judge and condemn them.
Consider some further truths concerning the coming “Day of the Lord.” 1. The final judgement is when the eternal destiny of men will be revealed and made public. That this is the teaching of scriptures is clear from the following passages.
(Matthew 13:24-50 NASB) He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. {25} "But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, (That is, he placed unbelievers among true Christians in the Church.) and went away. {26} "But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, (The fruit of holiness.) then the tares became evident also. {27} "And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' {28} "And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' And the slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' {29} "But he said, 'No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them. (At times, depending on maturity and what day it is, it may be difficult to distinguish between a true believer and an unbeliever.) {30} 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; (That is the second coming of Christ which includes the Judgment. The instruction to allow both to grow together is not a statement that opposes the exercise of Biblical Discipline in the Church. Open and persistent sin in the Church must be addressed. But that’s another lesson.) and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.". . . . {36} Then He left the multitudes, and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." {37} And He answered and said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, {38} and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; (Christians) and the tares are the sons of the evil one; (Unbelievers) {39} and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. {40} "Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. {41} "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, {42} and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Unlike actual tares or weeds that cease to exist after being cast into the fire the unbelieving sinner is not consumed. He will continue to exist in the furnace forever with “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”). . . . {47} "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; {48} and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the GOOD fish into containers, but the BAD they threw away. {49} "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and TAKE OUT THE WICKED FROM AMONG THE RIGHTEOUS, {50} and WILL CAST THEM INTO THE FURNACE OF FIRE; THERE SHALL BE WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH.
Judgement day is on its way. It is unavoidable, it is inescapable, it is waiting for you! On that day the eternal destinies of each person will be revealed. The sheep and the goat will be divided. The gates of both Heaven and Hell will be swung open to receive their respective residents.
2. We see that Christ Himself is to be the Judge of all men. (Acts 17:30-31 NASB) "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, {31} because He has FIXED a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."
(John 5:22-27 NASB) "For not even the Father judges anyone, but HE HAS GIVEN ALL JUDGMENT TO THE SON, {23} in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. {24} "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, (This must mean that the believer will not be condemned by the judgement. For none are exempt from being judged.) but has passed out of death into life. {25} "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live. (That is, they shall be raised from the dead for judgement and sentencing.) {26} "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; {27} and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.
Speaking of Christ Luke writes in Acts 10:40-43 "God raised Him up on the third day, and granted that He should become visible, {41} not to all the people, but to witnesses who were CHOSEN BEFOREHAND BY GOD, that is, to us, who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. {42} "And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that THIS IS THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN APPOINTED BY GOD AS JUDGE OF THE LIVING AND THE DEAD. {43} "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."
(2 Corinthians 5:9-10 NASB) Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. {10} FOR WE MUST ALL APPEAR BEFORE THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST, THAT EACH ONE MAY BE RECOMPENSED FOR HIS DEEDS IN THE BODY, ACCORDING TO WHAT HE HAS DONE, WHETHER GOOD OR BAD.
It is Jesus who will, by the Word of God, judge the living and the dead of all ages. It is Jesus that will expose the secrets of men’s hearts and it is His thundering voice that will say to so many, many people, “Depart from Me I never knew you!” He has the right and the power to judge for He is the God Man, Savior, Creator and upholder of all things. He is the Prince of Peace, the author of Salvation for the Elect and a consuming fire for the unbeliever. Jesus is the final judge.
3. The Day of The Lord will also be the occasion of the GENERAL RESURRECTION. (Matthew 25:31-46 NASB) "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. {32} "And all the nations will be gathered before Him; (This implies and requires the resurrection of all humans that have ever been.) and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; {33} and He will put the sheep on His right, (Christians) and the goats on the left. (All other men.) {34} "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.. . . . {41} "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the ETERNAL FIRE which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;. . . . {46} "And these will go away into ETERNAL PUNISHMENT, BUT THE RIGHTEOUS INTO ETERNAL LIFE." If you believe the Bible to be the inspired word of the living God you must conclude from this passage the following. One, every person has a never dying soul that will spend eternity somewhere. Two, every person will experience a resurrection from the dead. Three, every person will stand before Judge Jesus to be sentenced to Eternal Life in Heaven with The Trinity. Or to Eternal Punishment in Hell with the Devil and his angles. To deny these truths is to deny Christianity.
Let us also read 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 NASB. For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, {7} and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, {8} DEALING OUT RETRIBUTION TO THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW GOD AND TO THOSE WHO DO NOT OBEY THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS. {9} And these will pay the penalty of ETERNAL DESTRUCTION, AWAY FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD AND FROM THE GLORY OF HIS POWER, {10} when HE COMES TO BE GLORIFIED IN HIS SAINTS on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed-- for our testimony to you was believed. When Christ returns it will be for two reasons. He is coming to take vengeance on unbelievers and to gather the Saints to Himself for His own glory.
4. The judgement will be based upon our deeds. (Revelation 20:12-13 NASB) And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, (Here again is the General Resurrection of all humans that have died.) and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, ACCORDING TO THEIR DEEDS. {13} And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them ACCORDING TO THEIR DEEDS. Unlike earthly judges this one can not be bought and He can’t be deceived. He has all the evidence He needs to convict or acquit. It is all recorded in His book. His verdict will be swift and righteous. The sentence will be carried out immediately.
The critical and bottom line issue in the judgment will be what men have done with Christ. This issue is foundational to the judgment of men according to their deeds. Any person who stands before God to be judged on the basis of his own deeds must be sent immediately to Hell. The Bible declares that the best of mens deeds are but filthy rags in His sight. Come to God with human works in your hands and you will be rejected. The Believer, on the other hand, has the righteousness or the perfect deeds of Christ imputed to him by faith. Therefore, when he is judged he will be accepted because Christ’s goodness is his goodness. So, the ultimate question as you approach the judgment is what have you done with Christ?
Have you heard the Good News, the Gospel? Do you know that Christ has promised to save sinners who come to Him by faith for forgiveness and salvation? Are you aware that the Word of God invites every man, indeed commands every person to repent immediately and believe in Jesus for salvation? What have you done about it? Have you rejected the Gospel’s demands of faith and repentance toward Jesus?. Or have you received this Good News with joy? Have you repented of your sins and come to rest in Christ for salvation?
Friend, Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Every sinner who receives Him as their Lord and Savior is, and will be saved. All who refuse to recognize and trust God the Son for forgiveness and salvation are damned. The Bible says, “He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: he that believes not shall not see life: but the wrath of God abides (And will continue to abide.) on him.” Then there is this to consider, “Whosoever shall confess me (Jesus) before men him will I also confess (As trusting in Me by faith for salvation.) before my Father who is in heaven.” Do you confess Jesus as your Savior and Lord before the world you live in?
At one point in our Lord’s earthly ministry the Jews asked, “What shall we do that we might work the works of God?” Or, “What law must we keep to inherit eternal life?” Christ’s answer was this, “This is the work of God, (Or, this is what one must do to inherit eternal life.) that you believe on Him whom He has sent.” That is, trust in Jesus the Savior of all who come to Him by faith. This is what one must do to be saved!
The Jews did not like the answer Christ gave. Men today do not like it either. For since the fall humans want to be saved by doing something that will earn the favor of God. They want to be recognized for some effort or goodness in them. But it just doesn’t work that way. For the best of men’s deeds are pure sin in the eyes of God. There is only one thing that a man can do to be saved. That one thing is to turn from all personal effort to rest in what Christ has done. Jesus Christ has done all that must or can be done for the salvation of sinners. The saved are those who have stopped working and begun resting in the finished work of Christ.
These are the Sheep that will stand on the right hand of God and enter into eternal life. These own the names that are written in the Lambs Book of life. These and these alone will pass through the Judgement with rejoicing.
(Revelation 20:12-15 NASB) And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. {13} And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; (Here again is the General Resurrection of all humans ever born.) and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. {14} And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH, THE LAKE OF FIRE. {15} And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Let him who has ears hear what the Spirit is saying.