UnBlaming God… vs. 1-8

• Is there any benefit to being Jewish/circumcised (religion)…  vs. 1-2
  • After Paul’s rebuke of the Jews (religion) in chapter 2 – a valid question…
    • There was a great advantage to being a Jew – they were given God’s Word!
    • While Religion cannot get you to heaven – God’s Word can show you how…
    • Most people have the wrong idea about church/religion
    • Going to church – having religion – has no power to save you – Romans 2
    • But if the church teaches you God’s word – you can learn how to get to heaven!
    • We do not go to church to get to heaven – we go to learn about Jesus Christ!
      
• 3 excuses for sin…  vs. 3-8
  • Looking for someone to blame…
    • So you can’t say you sin because you did not know there was a God – Romans 1…
    • You also cannot say you are religious (Jew)/know the Bible and still sin – Romans 2…
    • Paul here anticipates the next excuse for sin – blaming it on God…
  • 1^st – Since (1^st class) some of the Jews did not have faith – does that make God unfaithful… 
    • The thought is – God promised to redeem the Jews – Exodus 6:7
      • Yet there were some Jews who were unsaved – does that make God liar
      • II Timothy 2:13 – “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
    • Of course not – let every man be a liar – but God is still true!
      • It was not that God did not desire to save the Jews – some did not want to be saved
      • If I promised to give you P10 – handed it to you – but you refused to take it
      • Does that mean that I was unfaithful – did not keep my promise (you didn’t get P10)
      • John 3:16 – tells us ‘God so loved the world’ – yet not all the world will be saved
      • It is not that God is not faithful – it is men who choose to reject God’s gift…
      • God does not send anyone to hell – they choose not to go to heaven!
  • 2^nd – Since (1^st class) God is shown to be right because of our sin – it is doing Him a favor
    • Therefore how can God judge us – it seems unfair God punishes us for helping Him out
      • Not a godly argument – ‘speaking as a man’ – in human wisdom… 
      • That is like saying – I am a criminal so that the police can have a job
      • Therefore the police shouldn’t prosecute me – without me they’d be unemployed
    • Of course not – God is fair and just – that is why He will judge sin…
      • Make no mistake – God is not mocked – sin will be judged – Galatians 6:7
  • 3^rd – Some might further argue – God’s truth is made more obvious through my lie…
    • In other words – my sin/‘darkness’ makes God’s goodness/‘light’ even brighter
      • The ultimate end to that logic being – the more we sin the better…
      • The darker I am – the brighter God shines – so sin A LOT
    • Those who say such things – deserve to be condemned…
      • Romans 6:1-2 – “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”
      • If I told you that I gave up drinking – then picked up a bottle of tanduay…
      • It is the same if I tell you I am a Christian – then keep right on sinning
      • How can we continue to live in sin as a child of God
    • There are those who said Paul preached that very message – it was untrue…
  • All three arguments look to justify sin…
    • They seek to pass the blame for sin onto God – as if somehow sin is His fault
    • God promises us in His Word He loves us – so if we sin – He made a mistake – Genesis 3
    • God looks righteous – only when I am unrighteous – so I should not be judged
    • God is shown to be true – only when I lie – so I should sin all the time
    • We want to blame someone else for our lives – because then we are not responsible
    • If we take the blame – then it means that we have to change
    • It means we did something wrong and need to make it right
    • It’s far easier to just pass the blame onto someone else
    • Then we don’t have to do anything – it was not our fault (or all our fault)
    • But the problem with sin is not with God – we are the problem…
      

None good… vs. 9-20

• Everyone is a sinner…  vs. 9-18
  • So are the Jews (religious) better than the Gentiles (un-religious)…
    • Paul sums up the chapters 1 & 2 of Romans in the statement…
    • Everyone is a sinner – Jews (religious) and Gentiles (un-religious)
    • We all stand on even ground – all in one pot – dirty rotten no good sinners – all of us!
    • To prove the point – 8 OT quotes regarding the hearts of all men…
  • 1^st – The overall statement about all men – None are good – not even one – Psalm 14:3
    • We all think we are “Good” people – few if any of us would say we are bad
    • Yet what or who is it that we compare ourselves to – “Good” compared to…
    • If the definition of “Good” was being better than – a murderer – OK
    • If the definition of “Good” was being better than – my neighbor – maybe OK
    • But since the definition of “Good” is God – that means I am not “Good”
    • To be “Good” by God’s definition I would need to be…
    • Matthew 5:48 – “Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
    • So it turns out none of us are “Good” after all…
    • From the best person to the worst – none are “Good” compared to God
  • 2^nd – No one understands – no one seeks after God – Psalm 14:2
    • If we made a list of our priorities in life – food / clothes / house / family / work…
    • The very last thing on the list – if it made it on at all – would likely be God
    • The reason – we do not understand – life is not about food of clothing – it’s about God
    • We focus on everything that is temporary – and miss the one thing that is eternal
    • The very real penalty of eternity in hell / and the wonderful hope of eternity in heaven
  • 3^rd – The result – all are useless (spoiled milk) – not one does good – Psalm 14:1
    • When we do not understand the penalty for sin – we don’t try to do what is good
    • We think it is more important to please ourselves – than the please God
  • 4^th – Spoiled in conversation – words…
    • All are liars (Imperfect) – throat a tomb (stinks) / lips of poison – Psalm 140:3
    • A mouth full of cursing and bitterness…
    • The tongue is a very dangerous weapon – one that can do a lot of damage…
    • James 3:5,8-9 – “The tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do… no one can tame the tongue. It’s an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God.”
    • The same mouth that worships on Sunday – curses on Monday…
    • If God is not in control of our tongue – it become filled with lies / and poison…
  • 5^th – Spoiled in heart & actions…
    • Feet that are swift to shed blood – murder – actions – Isaiah 59:7
    • Kill physically – but also to be full of hatred – heart Matthew 5:22
    • Apart from Jesus our lives (actions and heart) are desperately wicked
    • I know may people who say they ‘follow their heart’ – apart from Jesus not a good idea
    • Jeremiah 17:9  – “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked…”
  • 6^th – The result of the Godless life – destruction and misery follow…
    • We were created to know God – to worship God – to obey God
    • The result of a life that is absent of God – it goes to pieces – we are miserable
  • 7^th – They do not know peace – Isaiah 59:8
    • Both peace here and now – and peace with God eternally…
  • 8^th – They have no fear of God – Psalm 36:1
    • That is why we sin – we think there is no penalty for sin – we do not fear God
    • The problem is not with religion / or with God / the problem is we are sinners…
    • Not sinners because we sin – we sin because we are sinners!
    • And the solution – is not the Law…
      
• No one made right by the Law… vs. 19-20 
  • The Law was given to remove any excuse – bring the whole world into judgment…
    • The commandments of God were never meant to make us “Good”
    • They were given so that we would know we were NOT “Good”
    • Galatians 3:24 – “Therefore the law was our teacher to bring us to Christ…”
    • The Law teaches us the standard of what “Good” is…
    • Like a measuring tape – that tells how tall you are – but not help you grow
    • The Law shows us how bad we are – but cannot help make us “Good”
• The Law can make no one right…
• In fact – the more of the Bible we know – the more we realize how big a sinner we are!

Now we are ready to hear about Jesus!

Like looking into a mirror – the more light in the room the better we see our image

God’s Law is a mirror – and the more of Jesus/light we have – the better we see…

We are the problem – no good dirty rotten sinners – every one of us…

Realizing that is the Key to Heaven – because now we know we need help!