You guys be seated.
We are continuing our study through the book of Romans.
! We are in Romans chapter 2.
! If you want to grab a copy of God's Word.
Romans chapter 2.
We're going to start.
Our text this morning is verses 6 through verse 10.
And it reads,
He will render to each one according to his works.
To those who by patience and well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality,
he will give eternal life.
But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth,
but obey unrighteousness,
there will be wrath and fury.
There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil.
The Jew first and also the Greek.
For God shows no partiality.
Pray with me.
Fathers,
as we have read your Word,
I pray, God, that you would speak now through it.
That you would teach us that your Spirit,
who is already here,
who is already moving,
would continue to move and work in such a way
that our ears would hear a word from you,
that our hearts would be changed.
And because of our hearts being changed,
our lives and our actions and our works will be changed.
God, we need you this morning.
We plead with you to speak to us.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
There's some great weight to these verses this morning.
The truth that all of us,
all of us are going to be judged
and some will be in tribulation and distress forever,
while others will be given honor and glory and peace.
And I hate to tell you,
but this is just the tip of the iceberg of theological questions
that Paul is really going to start answering as we go through Romans.
We're just scratching an itch
that will not stop itching for quite a long time.
This morning, we start dividing people into two groups or two teams.
Now, do you remember a couple of weeks ago,
we talked about the superiority issue of the Jews
when we talked about verses 1 through 3 or 1 through 2.
They thought that they were better
and they put themselves in one group
and everybody else in another.
They thought better of themselves or more of themselves.
This morning, we're going to break into two groups.
We're going to talk about two groups
and the only two groups that matter.
The only two groups that matter,
and that is righteous and unrighteous,
Christian and non-Christian,
believer and unbeliever.
One team you can and will never leave
and the other, by God's grace,
you can leave and join the other team.
This, for us, is kind of like the playoffs.
This is like game one.
Each team, each win,
each team builds momentum with the win.
So as we get further and further down,
we end up winning the championship.
And for us, that championship is Romans 8,
Romans 9, Romans 10, 11, 12, onward.
Right now, Paul is building a case
and we're just now starting to really get into the teeth of this case.
An ancient Roman ruler named Brutus the Elder
had two sons
and learned that these two sons
were conspiring to overthrow the government.
An offense carried the death penalty.
At the trial, the young men tearfully appealed to their father,
calling him by endearing names
and appealing to his parental love.
Most of the crowd there also started pleading for mercy for them.
But because of the severity of the crime
and possibly because they were the son of a high-ranking official
and he held them hot to a higher standard,
he not only ordered,
but witnessed their execution.
Parents, feel free to use that as an illustration for your kids.
I know I will be using that with my four.
Someone commented about the incident
and said,
The father was lost in the judge.
The love of justice overcame the fondness of the parent.
This morning we're talking about judgment.
As cruel and as terrible as that story,
our judge judges rightly.
Our judge judges based on his righteousness.
He'll never get lost in the judge.
For he cares about his creation.
We are created in his image.
And he cares so much that he does not want any to perish,
but all to come to repentance.
As 2 Peter 3, 9 tells us.
He is fatherly.
He is caring.
He is righteous.
But he is also just.
Which means,
as we've been studying through Romans,
Romans 1,
and beginning of Romans chapter 2,
we are all guilty
for sins that we've committed,
the sins we will commit.
And this,
this is what makes the gospel so great.
This is what makes it so awe-inspiring
and so much more mind-blowing,
is the fact
that we're all guilty.
And the judge who judges justly,
who judges righteously,
is also merciful
and cares for what he has created.
You see,
I know everybody in here knows
that Osama bin Laden has been killed.
You see in the coverage
how a lot of the news
used Google Earth
and we were able to zoom in
onto the compound
and zoom in kind of to the area.
Google Earth,
you couldn't do that five years ago.
Maybe six.
I don't know.
I'm kind of lost
when it comes to time.
But I think
that concept of zooming in,
we kind of need to do
for this text this morning.
We kind of need to start
with a big picture,
make a couple observations,
and then close in
on the text.
So, big picture.
Judgment is inevitable.
It's going to happen.
Verse 2 tells us
that the judgment of God
rightly falls on those
who practice such things.
Verse 3,
if you practice such things,
do you think you will escape
the judgment of God?
Verse 6,
He will render to each one.
Verse 9,
there will be
tribulation and distress.
There's a future tense
to those last two.
He will render
and there will be.
It's going to happen.
Turn to Revelation chapter 20.
Last book of the Bible.
Revelation chapter 20.
We'll read a few verses.
The book of Revelation
is a vision given
to the Apostle John
concerning things that come
and things that have already happened
or are happening.
Revelation chapter 20,
verse 11.
Then I saw a great white throne
and Him who was seated on it.
From His presence,
earth and sky fled away
and no place was found for them.
And I saw the dead,
great and small,
standing before the throne.
The books were opened.
Then another book was opened,
which was the book of life.
And the dead were judged
by what was written in the books
according to what they had done.
And the sea gave up
the dead who were in it.
Death and Hades gave up
the dead who were in them.
And they were judged,
each one of them,
according to what they had done.
Then death and Hades
were thrown into the lake of fire.
This is the second death,
the lake of fire.
And if anyone's name
was not found written
in the book of life,
he was thrown
into the lake of fire.
This is what's going to happen.
It is inevitable.
This is what is to come.
So all of history
is moving towards this day.
Everyone dead and alive
will be judged.
So judgment is inevitable.
Big picture.
Judgment is going to happen.
Another observation,
big picture,
is judgment will be made
on all people.
Verse 6 of Romans chapter 2
says he will render.
So judgment will be rendered
or paid on all people.
In Romans chapter 2, verse 1,
it says every one of you who judges.
Every one of you who judges.
Verse 2,
falls on those
who practice such things.
Verse 3,
those who practice such things
escape the judgment of God.
Verse 6,
to each one or everyone.
Verse 9,
every human being
who does these things.
Verse 10,
everyone who does good.
And then we have the two groups
that the Jewish people
divided into.
Jew first,
verse 9,
and also the Greek.
And repeats it again
in verse 10.
Jew first,
and also the Greek.
Christian and non-Christian,
those who know Jesus
and those who do not
are going to be judged.
Paul is building the case
that all people,
no matter who they are,
from whatever walk of life,
are guilty
and will be judged.
The man who lives in the city
who used to go to church.
The woman who works in a church.
The homeless guy in Gainesville.
The teacher who is an atheist.
The tribe in Indonesia
who has never heard Jesus
or the gospel.
The cello player in Italy.
Mother Teresa.
Adolf Hitler.
John Calvin.
All will be judged.
You and me.
And without Christ,
we will be found guilty.
And must be punished
like the sons of Brutus the Elder.
Father.
This is where we are.
So two big observations.
Judgment is inevitable.
It's going to happen.
Second,
judgment will be made
on all people.
But thirdly,
where I kind of want to stay,
where we're going to kind of
camp out this morning,
judgment will be based
on works.
Judgment will be based
on works.
Verse 6 of chapter 2 says,
He will render to each one
according to his works.
Now, if you were just
to say this verse,
if you were just to say it
just the same way
that I read it to you,
just that verse,
you could build
a works-based theology
out of these ten words.
No doubt.
He will render each one
according to his works.
You could build
a teaching out of it
and it would be heresy.
And it would deem
the death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ pointless.
If salvation
was totally based
on how good we could be,
of how many good things
we could do,
have the good things
outweigh the bad,
then there would be no need
for a substitutionary atonement.
There would be no need
for Jesus to die
for our sins
because we could just
live good and earn it.
Live good and earn God's favor.
Remember,
in holding the atonement precious,
we are holding
to our depravity.
We're realizing
the reality of who we are
and our need of God's grace.
And that is biblical.
So, if that's not
what Paul is trying to say,
what is he trying to say?
Because, let's be honest,
that sounds like
what he's saying is
if we just do good works,
then we'll be judged
accordingly
and we'll make it.
In the context of Romans,
though,
Paul is making a case
that all mankind
have been cursed
from the Garden of Eden
and each one of us
carry the guilt of sin.
As we've gotten
into chapter 2,
he's left no one out.
Not a single person
is without sin.
And all of us
are in need
of something miraculous
that we cannot do.
Chapter 1,
chapter 2,
and chapter 3
are all on a collision course
for verse 21
of chapter 3.
They're all headed
to this one verse.
And then Paul
unfolds that one verse.
Look at chapter 3,
verses 11 and 12.
None is righteous.
No, not one.
No one understands.
No one seeks God.
All have turned aside.
Together,
they have become worthless.
No one does good.
Not even one.
Verse 20.
For by works of the law,
no human being
will be justified
in his sight.
So by works of the law,
by being good,
no human being
will be justified
in his sight
since through the laws
come knowledge of sin.
And then we come
to verse 21 and 22.
But now,
the righteousness of God
has been manifested
apart from the law.
the righteousness of God
has been unfolded,
has been made aware of,
has been laid out for us
apart from the law,
separated from the law.
Although the law
and prophets
bear witness to it,
the righteousness of God
through faith
in Jesus Christ
for all who believe.
This is where we're headed
in Romans chapter 2,
verses 6 through 10.
This is the context.
This is kind of where we sit.
So now we have
what he's not saying.
In order to see
what he's saying,
we need to bring it in
a little bit.
Verse 6.
He will render to each one
according to his works.
Judgment is based on works,
but salvation is not.
Okay?
Judgment is based on works,
but salvation is not.
Salvation is secure in Christ,
is through Christ,
is for Christ.
What he's saying,
what Paul is saying here,
is that our works
will prove
which group we're in.
They'll prove
what team we're on,
so to speak.
Our works
will show the world
who we belong to.
What Paul has done
is he's basically
put a giant poster board
or a giant white board up,
drawn a line down the middle
and said,
here's team one,
believer,
here's team two,
non-believer,
and your works
are going to prove
which side you're on.
That's what Paul has done here
and laid it out for us.
As definite
as God's judgment is,
our works
are just as definite
in determining
who we are in Christ
or with Christ.
It doesn't matter.
It's that definite.
Now,
this shouldn't shock
any of us.
In Matthew 7,
Jesus teaches on false prophets
and says in verse 16
and repeats it again
in verse 20,
you will recognize them
by their fruit.
Now,
this is regarding
false prophets,
but the same is true
for those who do good,
who seek,
as verse 6 says,
for glory
and honor
and immortality.
You will know them.
You will recognize them
by their fruit.
And the idea
of doing good works
is an idea
that's been preached
since the beginning
of the church
because it's been
in the word of God.
Ephesians 2.10 says,
for we are his workmanship.
Listen to this.
Created in Christ Jesus
for good works,
which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them.
So we were created
in Christ Jesus
for good works.
Philippians 2.12 and 13 says,
therefore,
my beloved,
as you have always obeyed,
so now,
not only as in my presence,
but much more
in my absence,
work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling.
For it is God
who works in you
both to will
and to work
for his good pleasure.
The twist,
the mistake,
is when people
take verse 6
of Romans 2
out of context
or take Ephesians 2.10
without reading
Ephesians 2.8 and 9.
For by grace
you have been saved,
not by works.
We as believers
have a responsibility
to do good.
To live as if our lives
have been changed.
Because guys,
our lives have been changed.
The gospel doesn't just
change your heart.
This doesn't give you
a new heart.
The gospel changes
a life.
It changes the life
to the point that
things you used to do,
you don't do.
Decisions you made,
you make no more.
Your want-tos change.
See, when the Bible
talks about the heart,
for example,
Matthew 22.37
where Jesus says,
You shall love
the Lord your God
with all of your heart,
with all of your soul,
and with all of your mind.
He's not talking about
an organ the size
of your fist.
He's talking about
your gut,
your inner person.
What makes you
who you are?
What causes you
to make the decisions
that you make?
And the gospel
transforms that heart.
So as verse 6
reads in Romans chapter 2,
He will render to each one
according to his works.
The gospel transforms
a life so that our works
then are different
than what they used to be.
And we'll be okay
with being judged
by our works.
Another observation
that we need to be clear on
is that there is
a distinction
or a division
between teams.
And I've kind of
highlighted that
with the whiteboard example.
You're on one team
or another.
That's it.
Christian or non-Christian.
Righteous or unrighteous.
You cannot live both lives.
If you have a new heart,
you are a new creation,
as 2 Corinthians 5 tells us.
Matthew 6, 24
in the Sermon on the Mount.
I love the Sermon on the Mount.
I don't know if you've noticed
how many references
we've had going through Romans
in the Sermon on the Mount,
but it's incredible.
624 says,
you cannot serve two masters.
You can't do it.
It cannot be done.
And it's your works
that tells us
which master you serve.
Now,
this does not mean
that we'll live perfect lives.
It does not mean
that we'll be perfect.
But it means that we try.
It means that we
were convicted of our sin
and we repent of that sin
and we continue down that road.
Turn to 1 Timothy 4.
This is a small observation,
but it communicates
what I'm trying to say here.
In chapter 4,
Paul is giving Timothy
some instructions
of being to a young pastor.
He gives these instructions
starting in verse 12.
In 1 Timothy 4,
let no one despise you
for your youth,
but set the believer
an example in speech
and conduct
and love
and faith and purity.
Until I come,
devote yourself
to the public reading
of Scripture,
to exhortation,
to teaching.
Do not neglect
the gift you have
which has been given you
by the prophecy
when the council of elders
laid their hands on you.
Practice these things.
Immerse yourself in them
so that all
may see your progress.
Praise God
that doesn't say
all may see your perfection.
all may see your
perfect life.
No, it's your progress.
It's a small observation,
but even Timothy,
who was a pastor,
who Paul discipled and led,
was not going to be perfect.
And you and I
are not going to be perfect.
But we can progress
down this road
of the Spirit
and having a new life
and a new heart.
So if there's division,
if there's a distinction
between the two teams,
let's look at
what makes that division up.
Back to Romans chapter 2.
So the first group,
we're going to say
the first group is
the righteous,
the Christians.
And these distinctions
are found in verse 7
and verse 10.
To those who by patience
and well-doing
seek for glory
and honor
and immortality
you will give
eternal life.
Verse 10,
but glory and honor
and peace
for everyone who does good.
The Jew first,
also the Greek.
So verse 7,
by patience
in doing good.
Patience,
one of the fruit
of the Spirit.
So God's Spirit
is on our lives.
Patience
in well-doing
and doing good.
Seek glory.
Sounds selfish,
but it's God's glory
that we seek.
His glory will be
our desire.
And it should be
our highest desire.
Verse 7,
again,
seek honor.
Not the honor
we'll receive here
on earth
because that
feeds my flesh.
That feeds my
desire to please people.
Even as I'm standing up here.
But to not the honor
that we'll receive
here on earth
from men,
but the honor
from God,
like in Matthew 25,
21,
where he says,
well done,
good and faithful servant.
That will be our desire.
That will be our goal.
That will be what we seek for.
Again,
in verse 7,
we'll seek immortality.
First Corinthians 15,
53 says,
when it's perishable body
must put on the imperishable
and this mortal body
must put on immortality.
The end result
of our final perfection.
Verse 7 says,
God will give eternal life.
Now guys,
that's a simple term,
but born again or not,
Christian or not,
we're all going to have
eternal life.
It's where that eternal life
is going to be.
Are we going to be with Christ?
Are we going to be honoring
and worshiping Him alone?
Are we going to be in torment?
As we'll see here
in a few minutes.
Verse 10,
glory and honor and peace.
And we will seek these things
with our lives.
And through our works,
God will give them
to those who do them.
So that's the first group.
The second group,
the characteristics
of the unrighteous,
the non-Christian.
These are found in verse 8
and verse 9.
But for those who are self-seeking
and do not obey the truth,
but obey unrighteousness,
there will be wrath and fury.
There will be tribulation
and distress
for every human being
who does evil.
The Jew first
and also the Greek.
Self-seeking.
Where yourself,
your desires,
your
yourself,
I'll say that again,
yourself is your God.
If that is your God,
then there's no room for God
in your life.
That person does
what pleases them.
No matter what,
they worship
whatever they feel like.
Verse 8 says,
does not obey the truth.
If a person only does
what feels good
and what they want,
then the obvious outcome
is not to obey anything
except themselves.
And of course,
they're not going to obey God
and they're not going to
obey His truth.
Rebellion and disobedience
is at the root
of the fall
in Genesis chapter 3.
You know,
Galatians chapter 5
tells us the fruit
of the Spirit,
but it also tells us
the fruit of the flesh.
It also gives us
a more exhaustive list
of the fruit
of the flesh.
The outward
working
of the flesh.
Verse 8 says,
they obey
unrighteousness.
As I've already said,
no one can serve
two masters,
so
you obey
the other.
A person is either
righteous
or unrighteous.
He's either godly
or ungodly.
Verse 8 says,
wrath
and fury
will come
to the unrighteous.
Wrath
signifies
the strongest
kind of anger.
The strongest
kind of anger
when God's mercy
and grace
are fully removed
or fully exhausted.
Wrath.
Fury.
Another translation
says indignation.
The root
was used
to describe
of a man's
breathing violently
while pursuing
an enemy
in great rage.
Breathing violently
while pursuing
an enemy
in great rage.
In Hebrews,
in the book of Hebrews,
it's used
to describe
Pharaoh's
murderous
fury
at Moses.
In Luke 4,
it's used
to describe
the Jews
in the synagogue
in Nazareth
who wanted
to throw
Jesus off
a cliff.
In Acts 19,
it describes
the pagan
Ephesians'
reaction
when he described
their idols
as being worthless
and no gods
at all.
This fury
will be released
from God
into or towards
those who remain
unrighteous.
Verse 9
tells us
tribulation
and distress.
Tribulation
and distress
for every human
being who does
evil.
The Jew first
and also
the Greek.
Now guys,
after last
spring,
we went through
the book
of 1 Peter.
We know
that there's
going to be
tribulation.
We know
that believers
and unbelievers
are going to
suffer.
Believers
especially
are going to
suffer in
this world.
We know
this.
But our
hope is
in the
temporary
nature
of our
suffering
that it
ends.
It comes
to a
point
of
ending.
But for
the unrighteous,
it will
never end.
For the
unrighteous,
it will be
eternal
tribulation
and distress.
The word
of distress
literally means
a narrow
place
and used
to describe
solitary
confinement.
Solitary
confinement is
described as
one of the
worst punishments
for people
in prison.
One of the
worst.
Imagine,
guys,
imagine an
eternal
punishment
that involves
that same
type of
torture or
distress
without ever
being lessened.
that's
what happens.
That's what
the people
who do evil
are headed
to.
For every
human being
who does
evil.
So their
works
will prove
or their
judgment
will be
based on
works.
So why
is this
important for
us?
Why do we
need to know
any of this?
If we're a
Christian,
we can just
kind of glance
over this
and say,
it doesn't
concern me.
I hope I've
proved to you
that it's
important,
but here's
four things.
The first
thing is we
need to know
what group
we're in.
We need to
know what
team we're
on.
And our
works will
tell us.
We need to
know,
secondly,
we need to
know what
others look
like on the
other team.
We need to
know their
works so
that we can
decide how to
minister to
them.
And we
can help
them.
Third thing,
works are
important,
but not so
that they lead
to salvation.
They're
important because
they prove
salvation.
They prove
salvation.
And
fourthly,
why this is
important is
the gospel
doesn't just
change a
heart.
It changes
the life.
So if you're
truly born
again and
you don't
have a
changed
life,
I'd
question the
first part.
James
chapter 2
verse 14
through 26,
James is
laying out
and basically
saying that
faith without
works is
no faith
at all.
Faith without
works, in
fact, is
dead.
It does
not exist.
It does
not live.
So my
question for
all of us,
for everyone
in here,
does your
works prove
your salvation
or does
your works
prove that
you are
truly not
born again?
Does your
works prove
your salvation
or does
your works
prove that
you are
truly not
born again?
That's where
the rubber
meets the
road.
It's good
to do good
things.
It is
good to
be loving.
It is
good to
be caring,
to have
mercy on
people,
to be
part of
social
injustice
groups,
and all
that is
great.
But without
Christ, it
is worthless.
Without
Christ, you're
still doing
evil.
Tribulation
and distress
is what's
in your
future.
we're
going to
be judged.
Like
the Roman
Brutus
the elder,
justice
will be
given.
His two
sons
deserved
it.
They were
conspiring
to overthrow
the government.
They
committed a
crime and
he followed
through with
justice.
But
unlike
Brutus
the elder,
mercy
will be
shown
mercy
will be
shown.
And so
we can
rejoice in
reading through
Romans chapter
two and
all of the
word of
God,
because God
is merciful.
God is
just and
he is
right.
Let's
pray.
Heavenly
Father God,
great are
you,
worthy of
all praise.
Your grace
and your
mercy that
you have
shown me
and that
you have
shown others
in this
room,
sometimes
leave me
speechless.
why?
I don't
know.
Why do
you love
me so
much?
I don't
know,
but I'm
thankful that
you do.
I'm thankful
that you've
given me
your word
and that I
can rejoice
in knowing
that my
works
prove
that I
know you
and that
I'm your
son.
God,
I pray
that you
would move
in this
room,
that you
would penetrate
the hardest
of hearts,
that we
would leave
here changed
because you
had spoken
to us,
you had
touched us
and you
had taught
us.
God,
be honored
and pleased
this morning.
In Jesus'
name,
Amen.
It's a time
of our
service where
we worship
by celebrating
what Christ
has done on
the cross.
We partake
of the
Lord's
Supper.
And guys,
if you're not
a believer,
if you are
unrighteous,
if you are
part of
team two,
there's no
reason for
you to take
this.
You're not
celebrating
anything.
You're just
taking a
drink of
juice.
But if
you are
a Christian
and are
part of
team one,
celebrate,
rejoice,
because Christ
has done
what no
man can
do.
a Christian
Amen.
Hiding rock and treacherous shoal, John and compass come from thee, Savior, pilot me.
Though the sea be smooth and bright, sparkling with the stars of night,
and my ship's path be ablaze with the light of house and days,
still I know my need of thee, Savior, pilot me.
And as a mother stills her child, thou canst hush the ocean while,
voice just waves obey thy will.
When thou says to me, then be still, sovereign, sovereign of the sea, Savior, pilot me.
And when at last I hear the shore and the fearful breaker's roar,
which breaks me in the peaceful rest, then while leaning on thy breast,
may I hear you say to me, I will pilot me.
I will pilot me.
He was wounded for our transgressions.
He was crushed for our iniquities.
Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace.
And with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray.
We have turned everyone to his own way.
And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and whose spirit there is no deceit.
This is the word of God.
Blessed is the one who died of sin.