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Religion does not help… vs. 1-4
- 1st – Practice what you preach… vs. 1-4
- 1st – Hearing the horrible things Paul described – perversion … vs. 1-2
- The perversion of those who reject God…
- Those who are religious (Jews) – and because of religion think they are ‘ok’ with God…
- Tend to look at a ‘God rejecting’ world and judge it – there are 4 reasons why…
- First people judge others – because they think they are helping…
- They know God will punish sin – so if they point out others sin – they might repent…
- And if they repent – then they will be spared the judgment of God!
- We are called to confront sin in others – encourage them to repent…
- Not because we want to see people condemned – but so they can be broken…
- So they can see how sinful they are – and run to Jesus!
- The problem is when we judge others – but ignore our own sin!
- Luke 6:42 – “How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you cannot see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”
- If someone has a spec of dust (little sin) in their eye – it is good to want to help…
- The problem is we have a beam (Big sin) in our own eye!
- How can you take the spec out of their eye when we have a beam in our own!
- Let us first deal with our own hearts before we reach out to help others…
- Get rid of your sin before we ‘try’ and help someone else with their struggle!
- The perversion of those who reject God…
- 2nd – People judge others – because they are themselves convicted…
- A ‘religious’ man will condemn others for drinking / gambling / parties / women…
- But then go out to a party to drink / gamble and look at other women!
- Because there is no power in religion to keep you from the temptations of sin!
- They know that they should not do these things – but they cannot stop themselves…
- So they are sensitive to a particular sin because we are convicted about it ourselves…
- If we are greedy – we see greed in others / if prideful – we see pride in others…
- But when we condemn others for their sin – we are actually condemning ourselves!
- 3rd – People judge others – hoping they will not be judged for their sin… vs. 3
- Religious people who like to look down on the mistakes of others…
- The reason – if they focus on others mistakes – it makes them look better…
- Want to look tall – stand next to the short guy / white – next to the dark guy…
- If you want to look ‘good’ point out all the sin of the ‘bad’ guy…
- There are many today who enjoy tearing others down – so they do not look so bad…
- Did you even notice how people love to gossip about those who are sinning…
- As if somehow they are more righteous – because at least they are ‘not as bad’!
- But they are deceiving themselves – and need to examine their own lives…
- Whenever we try to ‘justify’ ourselves – we end up having to lower God’s standards…
- Looking for people who are worse sinners than we are – so we look better!
- Assuming because we are more ‘Godly’ than they are – we are a good person…
- But God does not grade on a curve – He has only one standard – perfection…
- And compared to God’s standard – all of us are in desperate need of Jesus!
- Therefore do not rejoice in other persons failure…
- The truth is we will all stand before Jesus – and be accountable for our lives…
- So rather than focusing on what others are doing right or wrong…
- We need to make sure we are walking pure and holy before the Lord!
- Religious people who like to look down on the mistakes of others…
- 4th – People judge others – because God does not appear to be judging them… vs. 4
- When we look at the evil world around us – it can be very upsetting…
- We see people living immoral lives – rejecting the knowledge of God…
- And the worst part is they seem to be getting away with it…
- The are not suffering – they may even prosper – and it seems unfair…
- So WE want to lash out with the ‘wrath of God’ – judge them for their evil deeds!
- Just because God has not judged yet – does not mean God will not judge…
- Many assume they are ‘ok’ because God does not immediately punish them…
- They make mistake of interpreting God’s ‘patience’ for God’s ‘acceptance’…
- Just because God has not judged yet – does not mean God will not judge…
- Psalm 73:16-17 – “I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! Then one day I went into your sanctuary… and I thought about the destiny of the wicked.”
- God is patient – longsuffering – giving time to repent and turn back to Him…
- God waits to punish sin only because He loves the sinner – II Peter 3:9
- God is patient – longsuffering – to give time to repent and turn back to Him…
- But if we harden our hearts – choose not to repent – our sin will not remain hidden…
- Numbers 32:22 – “Be sure your sin will find you out…”
- When we look at the evil world around us – it can be very upsetting…
- 1st – Hearing the horrible things Paul described – perversion … vs. 1-2
And He freely gives to us all the same hope of salvation through Jesus Christ!
2nd – Religion can not save us from the Judgment… vs. 5-10
1st – There is no fooling God… vs. 5-6
People think their religion keeps them safe from the judgment of God…
Religion is a great way to justify sin – it gives me an excuse to disobey God…
I can do what I want from Monday – Saturday / so long as I go to church on Sunday…
I am all right with God so long as I give my 10% to the church…
As long as I was baptized – and am a member of the church – God is ok with me…
As though man made rules can somehow wipe away the sin in a heart far from God!
People believe their religion makes them strong in the Lord…
When in reality their religion makes them weak – taking their eyes off of Jesus…
Cause they trust in their religion – rather than looking to and depending on the Lord!
God knows the hearts of all men – knows their actions and their motives…
Proverbs 24:12 – “Do not try to avoid responsibility by saying you did not know…. God knows all hearts, and he sees you. He keeps watch over your soul, and he knows you knew! And he will judge all people according to what they have done.”
Those who trust in religion – are actually storing up the Wrath of God…
Because they live a life of hypocrisy – knowing the truth but living in sin…
Because they refuse to humble themselves / repent / and turn to God!
2nd – God will reward those who do what is good… vs. 7/10
It is not our membership in a religion that will save us…
Only those who are CONSTANTLY doing what is good will be saved…
Those who continually seek – the Glory of God / honor from God / and eternal life!
People who focus their lives on the only thing that matters – Jesus!
Reward for being good…
In this life we receive – Glory from God / honor of God / and peace with God!
In eternal life – most importantly – we will be forever with Jesus in heaven!
We are not saved by being good– Paul will spend the next 3 chapters clarifying this…
But like a palm tree that can only produce coconuts – fruit shows the kind of tree…
In the same way a bad man – has bad fruit / a good man – good fruit!
Luke 6:43 – “A good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.”
The only way to be a good tree – is by being saved – by faith in Jesus Christ…
And the man who is a good tree – has good fruit – which has GREAT rewards!
3rd – God will pour out His wrath on those who do evil… vs. 8-9
Our membership in a religion cannot protect us from judgment…
Those who have a hard and unrepentant heart – are unwilling to turn to the Lord…
Those who live life for themselves – only seeking after their own pleasure…
Those who do not obey the truth – Jesus Christ is THE Truth – John 14:6
Those who continue to live in sin will have many troubles – and calamities…
And in they will store up the wrath of God – and one day be judged by God!
What you sow – you also reap – Galatians 6:7
If you plant a kalamansi seed in the ground – you are going to reap kalamansi…
You do not expect to plant a kalamansi seed – and hope to harvest papaya!
In the same way we will reap what we sow in our life…
The person who sows to sin – choses to live a life apart from Jesus…
Should not be surprised when their life begins to fall apart!
And in the end it will keep them out of heaven – they will miss out on eternal life!
If you are wondering where your walk with the Lord is – examine yourself…
II Corinthians 13:5 – “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine…”
Stand in the light of Christ and be honest about the sin in your life…
I John 1:7 – “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
3rd – God has no favorites… vs. 11-16
1st – God will punish the religious (Jews) when they sin… vs. 11-13
Because knowing the Bible – following a religion – is not enough…
It is not those who hear the Bible who are saved – it is those who obey…
I once took a boat ride in India – about 600 people in a boat built to hold 200!
Before it left they gave safety instructions – what to do if the boat sank…
But all that information meant nothing – if I did not follow the instructions…
I know a lot of people who know the Bible – but do not live for Jesus…
James 1:23 -“For if you just listen and do not obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance.”
Unfortunately for them – it does them no good – knowledge does not save you…
You cannot stand before God one day and say – I knew Jesus was the only way…
If you do not repent of your sin – and turn to God – you are not saved!
2nd – God will punish those who do not have a religion (Gentiles) when they sin… vs. 14-15
Because they still have a rules of God written on their hearts…
When people do the things commanded in Bible – not knowing the Bible…
When people help those in need – Leviticus 19:18
When people respect our parents – Exodus 20:12
When people do not steal / lie / or kill – Exodus 20:13-16
Whether they know it or not – they have been following the commands of God…
It shows the Word of God is written on their hearts by God…
Their conscience as their witness – telling them they are doing right of wrong!
So when they sin – they know it!
You know the feeling – when you have done something wrong…
Even if no one is around – you look to see who is watching…
And when you make that choice to sin – there is a twist in the pit of your stomach…
Because we know it is wrong – our conscience convicts us – we have no excuse!
3rd – God will judge the secrets of ALL men… vs. 16
Bottom line – those who are religious are no better off than those who are not!
The religious man (Jew) will be judged by the Bible if he does evil…
The un-religious man (gentile) will also be judged by God…
Even though he never knew the Bible – God wrote His rules on our conscience!
So it is not about our religion – or lack of religion…
You do not get to heaven because you are a Catholic or a Baptist…
You will not be able to show your attendance card and expect to get into heaven!
Religions – all of them – do not / cannot / will not save us…
Because there is no cutting in line with God – there are no special perks…
God does not ignore anyone – and He has no favorites – we are all sinners!
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