Keep sharing good news without ads.
Bro. Otis Fisher
Take your Bibles and open to Romans the second chapter. Romans 2 1. I want to open this session with a question of all things. What is the greatest fault of man in this world? Whether it be at work marriage church sports flying walking digging a ditch Reading the Bible anything.
What is the greatest fault? Dennis all right. David. Greg rush, that's the left-handed way of saying the word joy. Well, the greatest fault of man is ignorance. Just pure simple ignorance. I'm ignorant about a lot of things now.
If we know that Then let's look at this second chapter. Therefore Thou art inexcusable old man. Whosoever thou art that judgest for wherein thou judgest another. Thou condemnest thyself for thou that doest the same thing.
Rush. That is right in it. Thou that judgest another condemnest yourself. What does that mean? Alright now Paul started the book of looking inside and now he's going to Look on the we call it the pale of revealed religion the self-righteous Jew.
This man looked down upon the unconverted heathen Within which they deemed themselves secure however Inconsistent their life may be. What multitudes wrap themselves up in the like thing today? I'm alright.
You need to improve yourself too, but we are sure that the judgment of God is According to truth against them which commit such things. We're in chapter 2 of Romans as if the Apostle had said We that are Jews know by the light of Scripture What the Gentiles knew imperfectly by the light of nature that the just God judges up rightly According to truth and not according to appearance.
It is equitable that the that he should do certain Things and he will deal with men according to the word. Dennis we don't have to be Ignorant of the Word of God. He has given it to us. It is a guidebook for the next step it's a guidebook for the next day the next month.
And it is a check on your past life. Now these Jews were condemning other people and they found fault with the heathen because They didn't do certain things. Well Certain things under the law and the Gentile did not have the law.
Each of us is not to judge each other. Because God will hold each responsible for what he has given him. Isn't it wonderful That God can look on the heart and he knows exactly what he has given you and He has caused you to understand.
He does not hold you responsible for someone else such as God's hatred against sin that such is the In partiality of his justice toward his centers that no offenders can expect escaping the judgment of God for presumptuous sinning.
The world as a whole does not know this. Paul says thank us thou old man that thou hast escaped the judgment of God. No affliction or nearness of relation can blind God. Or put out the eye of justice.
If Gentiles Or Jews sin together they shall suffer together for therein. For there is no escape of persons with God. God will judge men in truth and righteousness and condemn every sinner whatever his knowledge or profession be.
Russell how is it that Certain people Have more than other people. Well, there is. No, just certain people. Yes. All right. How much of that David how much of? Of a man's accumulated wealth whether it be large or small.
How much of it is dependent upon him. Yes, that's so right and it all depends upon God. The Lord saw to it that you were here this morning. Now you're not someplace else you're here. And it is according to the will of God that you're here.
Third verse. And thank us thou this this old man That judges them of which do such things and do us the same that thou shalt escape the judgment of God. Rush. Why is it that. Unless I really work at it.
I think all of the laws In the Bible pertain to somebody else. Why is that Fred? We all to a certain extent Do believe? That I'm right and you're wrong. I'm trying hard to overcome that seems. All right.
Let's take the position. Let's look at the position of the average man today. He believes in God, doesn't he? Doesn't he? All right. He believes that there is a God. He believes if he works hard He'll be rewarded.
He believes that God's going to judge me according to what I have done. And if I do enough good things, I will pass Much like a test here. He believes that in the final outcome We'll all end up in heaven.
It's not like that if you work hard. What does that mean Dennis if you are working hard? All right. Will that work? All right. Paul says this. Yes. That's right. They pick that out of the Bible and say see it says right there that will all be saved.
But it doesn't say that All will be saved meaning all of his people. If you read the entire context, you're right Clarence, but there's many a Christian that persuades himself That his own sins the various sins he condemns and Others will go unpunished in him.
I'm sure we've all been there. No man's zeal is His condemning sin in others. That it will justify and satisfy you. If he continually lives in sin himself or thinks not old man that thou shalt escape the judgment of God.
You're not going to escape. I'm not going to escape. Third verse. And thank us thou this old man that judges them which do such things and Do us the same that thou shalt escape the judgment of God. Now Russell, there's four ways in which These ways are open to man as far as the human law is concerned.
First He has a way of escaping that his Act won't be discovered. He'll never be arrested. To he may escape beyond the jurisdiction of the court. He can go to another country. Three. After arrest There may be some legal Technicality which will arise and cause a breakdown in the legal procedure.
Way of escape. For after conviction He may escape from prison and stay under cover. Four ways in Which you can evade. Paying for your crime. David are any of those four ways. Open to the man in regard to his divine judgment.
You will be discovered. You cannot go beyond God's jurisdiction. There would be no legal Technicality. You will never be able to escape from prison. Those four ways apply to man only. Yes, no. Unfortunately suicide doesn't wipe it out.
We will never escape judgment for or despises thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering. Not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. We ought to recognize today that the goodness of God Is something that ought to bring us to our knees before him.
But instead of that it drives men from God. David was disturbed by the way of the wicked how they could prosper. So God didn't seem to do anything to them. In Psalm 73 David says for I was envious at the foolish When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For there are no bands in their death but their Strength is first. They're not in trouble as other men are neither are they plagued like other men. They set their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walketh through the earth.
Until I went into the sanctuary of God. Then I understood. And I understood therein. Where they will eventually end up they'll face God's judgment. Now there's none here this morning that are lost. But if you are a lost man Don't think that I'm a teacher that's after everything that belongs to you.
If you haven't trusted Christ and your only hope is in this life brother you'd better Handle this life very delicately like an orange and Get all of the juice out of it. You can Sin all you can Drink all you can.
Because you won't have anything in the next life. You'd better get it while you're here. If that's the way you want to live then live it eat drink and be merry for tomorrow you die. I would say to that lost person you need a Savior and the goodness of God ought to lead you to him.
Verse 5 but after thy hardness and the impenit heart treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God now. He's talking a lot about. Of course to the Jew, but he's talking to all of us.
And Dennis he says in this verse that you're treasuring up Unto thyself. What does treasure mean but all right? And He says here David that you are treasuring up wrath now. What does it mean? Did you ever think about that?
Our sins are accumulating now not ours because We're under the blood of Christ. But the sins of the world they're accumulating even they're done by people each one in a sinful state. If you're not saved Let me say this to you.
You know God has been good to you Greg man doesn't like to admit that God's been good to me if you're a sinner but he has. Rush, how has God been good to the sinner? Everything. I'm glad you said that everything.
The very breath of life that he draws is of God. Think of the multitudes of folk on this earth Who have nothing? Or literally starving to death and Here you are a wicked man. Living on top of the world.
Do you think God's not going to judge you? Do you think that you are going to escape? The very goodness of God ought to lead you to repentance. Now as we come to verse 6 We See the second great principle here who will render to every man according to his deeds.
First of all, he says his deeds joy. His deeds they will not be judged according to your deeds, but his deeds. He shall reward every man according to his own works. Absolute justice is the criteria of the judgment or rewards.
Man's deeds stand before God and his holy light. No man in his right mind wants to be judged on this basis. Remember Cornelius. He was a good man, but he was lost seven to them who by patient. Continuance in well-doing.
Seek for glory and honor and immortality eternal life. Now we need to keep in mind that under this section the second principle a way of life is not the subject rather a Way of life is the basis of the judgment.
The do-gooder Will be judged according to his works. Greg can two men set in the same Service and receive not the same idea from the pulpit, but Two different ideas. Why is that? That's right. Over in John we read and I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books were opened.
And another book was opened. Which is the book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books. According to their works in Revelation 20 and 12. The man who wants to work for eternal life may do so.
He will be judged according to his deeds, but he is warned that they will avail him nothing. If you want to work for your religion, I can't change you. You want to work for eternal life? I can't change you.
The Holy Spirit can. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire trusting Christ as Savior. Put your name in the book of life. Eternal life is not a reward for effort.
Please understand. Eternal life is not a reward for effort. It's a gift to those who trust Christ. Now the third principle but unto them that are Contentious do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath.
Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man. That doeth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile but glory and honor and peace. To every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also the Gentile.
For there is no respecter of persons with God. Now how can God respect no person. When we're all different. Greg, all right. Someone else. Clarence. How is it that God can not? Respect anybody. That's right.
And that God is simply the other He is simply not of the fact that we are and He has absolutely no obligation to us. That's right Diane. You want to say something?
That's right. David can you give me the literal meaning of respect of persons? What does it literally mean? All right. It literally means That you see no man's face. That's right. God sees no man's face.
The face is the is what I look at. God doesn't see that he sees no man's face. That's what makes us different is our face. He sees no man's face. Simon Peter Discovered this when he went to the home of Cornelius.
Then Peter opened his mouth and said of a truth. I Perceived that God is no respecter of persons. This come as a great shock to him. It was on the top of a house rooftop Which was flat. That he had a vision you remember.
God doesn't play favorites. He has no pets among us. All men are alike before him. Justice is blindfold not because she's blind. But that she may not see men in either silk or rags, you know. When we we get a little information when Paul was Before the Roman court and They would hold court at night.
Now they didn't have electric lights like we have but In the court, they could not see how the accused was dressed. Think about it. They had to make their judgment on what he said and what others said not on what they were doing not upon the anguish not upon the Dress of them.
Anything. I think it was a pretty good law. Well. Silk or rags? Yes. Yes. God the Father Sees only the righteousness of Christ in this world. It doesn't depend upon your church membership. A good family.
Bring being an outstanding citizen or having a fundamental creed. They don't give you any advantage with God at all. Do you have a Savior? That's the all-important issue. One more verse. Verse 12, that's right.
It's hard for me to imagine that the man Saddam is the work of God. But I'll have to accept it. I Don't understand it. Not that God is doing all of the evil that he's doing. He gave him the power to do that.
For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish Without law and as the many as have sinned In the law shall be judged by the law now. For as many as have sinned without the law without law shall also perish without law.
What's he talking about Russell to sin without law? Clarence the law here is referring to the Old Testament the Jew and the Gentile. But it applies to us today. Another great principle by which God's going to judge.
You don't have to have the law if you were not given the law. You know that God exists. Why is it Dennis that in the middle of Africa small village a Little boy running around he's never heard of God never heard of the elect.
He's never heard of being justified. How is it that God can rightly judge him but his right might be foreign to my right. How is it that? The that same small boy. How is it that if he is a child of God?
He's going to hear the Word of God. Dennis David. And that's the way it should be. Yes. Someone over here had their hand up. Isn't it good that it does not depend upon some Organization someplace. To get enough missionaries in that country so that the boy will hear.
That's going at it backwards. Yes. That's right. Uh. There I'll say rush if you'll excuse me for just a minute he grew up in India and he joined some other organization. And it was a Catholic priest. That he got the word from now.
Isn't it strange? That God would use Being born in India. And a Catholic priest. To bring him here today. We think it's so strange and we marvel at the connections. But it's no marvel to God. He was his child.
Dennis was his child. It's a great we say mystery. Simply because we do not understand this time to quit every way everything. I'll say this as I close. Every decision that you make everyone now that everybody makes.
Affects everybody else. Every decision that well, there was a decision made by the grandmother of Columbus. That affected me. Every decision somebody made everybody makes decisions. Every decision has affected me to some degree.
So every decision you make affects everybody else. We've got to quit time's up. Dennis dismisses, please.