The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to the word made plain with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently Pastor Tony is teaching through the book of Romans. Please open your Bible to Romans chapter 2 verses 6 through 13.

Tony Clark: All right, let's dive into the word of God together. Turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 2. We're going to be looking at verses 6 through 13 as we continue to go chapter by chapter, verse by verse, and book by book through the book of Romans on Sunday mornings for those who don't know, and maybe you were here last week for the first time. This this is how that was a special Father's Day message. This is how we do it. We go verse by verse, chapter by chapter through books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in the Sunday mornings we're in the New Testament.

We're in the book of Romans on Wednesdays. We're in the book of 1st Samuel going through the Old Testament, and I'm just so thankful for the privilege and honor to take you through God's word, but we just pray that God's word will go through us. So, Father, we just pray that your spirit would teach us. Teach us, Lord, your word. We we need to hear from you. Lord, drown out the voices of news networks and things online and videos and stuff. And Lord, give us ears to hear your word. Hear what the spirit of God is going to say to us today in Jesus name.

Amen. Romans 2 looking at verses 6 through 13. The title of this message is no favorites. No favorites. Now favoritism is defined as the practice of giving unfair preferential treatment to one person or group at the expense of another. And this has been going on since the beginning of time. We saw it with Isaac and Rebecca and their children in Genesis 25 and verses 27 and 28 when Isaac loved Esau and Rebecca loved Jacob. We saw it again in Genesis chapters 29 and 30 with Jacob loving Rachel over Leah. Then we saw it with Jacob favoring his son Joseph over his other children in Genesis 37.

And we saw it in 1st Samuel chapter 1 when a man named Elkanah loved his wife Hannah over Peninnah. Ungodly favoritism is throughout the Bible and the devastating consequences when it is done. So, the Jews who were the chosen people of God noticed that I didn't say favorite people, but chosen by God through whom Jesus would come into the world. Thought because they were chosen that they were exempt from God's judgment, and Paul told them in verse 1 you are inexcusable, whoever you are, who judge, for in whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things.

Then Paul told them in verse 3 do you think that you you doing the same thing will escape the judgment of God? Of course not. Then he pointed out in verse 5 how they had hardened their hearts to the fact that they wouldn't see God's judgment upon themselves, and Paul continues in verse 6. He says, who will render to each one according to his deeds? Now Paul is telling them that God's judgment is based upon our works or deeds. Now salvation is by grace through faith alone according to Ephesians 2 and verses 8 9. But we will be judged by God based upon our works or our deeds.

Even in the verses I just quoted in Ephesians 2 and verses 8 9 shows that we're saved by grace through faith alone. It concludes in Ephesians 2 10 which says, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Paul speaking to his young protege in the faith Titus. Now in Titus 3 and verse 14 listen to what it says, and let our people also learn to maintain good works to meet urgent needs that they may not be unfruitful. So, once again we are not saved by our works or our deeds, but by grace through faith alone.

However, we will be judged by them. Oh, James 2 and verse 26 says, for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Oh, so I must ask you, is your faith alive or is it dead? If your faith is alive, don't miss this, then you would be serving God and his people in some area of the local church. Your works or deeds would show that your faith is alive and real through serving in some capacity. Faith without works is dead. See, we can we can't see your faith which is internal, but we can see your works or your deeds which are external.

And this is why faith and works go together. So, the result of faith and works working together is in verse 7. Look what it says there. Eternal life to those who by patience continuance and doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality. God rewards true believers with eternal life who by patience notice notice continuance in doing good. Watch this. Not doing good and get weary and stop. Or doing good and get hurt by people at church and stop doing or serving in some capacity. Or get distracted by some hobby or relationship and stop doing good.

No, who by patience continuance in doing good. Oh, for you not takers is not on the screen Acts 11 23 said that the believers were encouraged that which purpose of heart to continue with the Lord. Uh, in Acts 14 in verse 22 it says that the believers were exhorted to continue in the faith. Many people start, but they don't continue. They were encouraged to continue with the Lord, to continue in the faith. Here's Paul said with continuance doing good. Not do good for a little bit and something comes up and you stop. No, it it's it's encouraging us to continue with the Lord.

However, we must be patient with each other. Romans 15 1 says, you that are strong bear with the scruples of the weak and not to please yourself. We must bear with the weaknesses, which is what scruples mean, the weaknesses of each other and not to please ourselves, meaning it's easy to please ourselves and give up. It's easy to please ourselves and give in. It's easy to please ourselves and get out. But Romans 15 1 said that we must bear with the weaknesses of the weak. So, Paul says eternal life who by patience continuance in doing good.

Notice the second part of verse 7 seek glory, honor, and immortality. Now this speaks of the desire or it should be it should speak to the desire of all of us who are believers. Our desire is to do all of our works or deeds that we will be judged for to bring glory to God and not to ourselves. Who gets the glory when you do things for God's kingdom? Is it you or is it God? Now I just want to say that there's nothing wrong with someone thanking you for doing something or you getting a attaboy on the back and all that sort of It's that's not what we're talking about.

We're talking motive here. The motive of why you're doing what you're doing. Is it to bring glory to you? See, only you and God knows the motive of your heart. See, all we see is the external, the outside. All we see is the work or the deed. But God knows why you're doing it. If you would study the life of Jesus in the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you would notice a common theme. Whenever Jesus did anything anything for anyone, it says that they glorified God. Jesus told us in Matthew 5 in verse 16 he says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.

I went over that quickly. Watch this. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works. And glorify you know, glorify the father which is in heaven. Matter of fact the word glorify the Greek word is is where we get our English word doxology. Is at the end when we speak well of the God we just finished serving, you know, if you come from a more traditional church at the end they would give the doxology. Well, you know, they was it it was designed to speak well of the God we just finished worshiping and praising and hearing about in his word.

It's to glorify the father in heaven. So, not only do we seek to bring God glory, but we also want the honor, watch this, that comes from God because we want to hear God say one day to us like what Matthew 25 verse 21 says, well done, my good and faithful servant. And lastly we want immortality. I don't know about you, but I want immortality. Let me define for you what immortality is, and when you hear this you're going to say I want immortality too. In when we get immortality it is that day we no longer have to battle and fight with our sinful, fleshly, lustful desires.

When God transforms these lowly bodies that it may be conformed to his glorious body according to Philippians 3 and verse 21. No more dealing, fighting, wrestling with these fleshly desires and appetites and things. Oh, I'm seeking for immortality as well. Look what it says there in verse 8. But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness dash indignation and wrath. You know in English dash acts as a period. So, the author is wanting us to stop right there and then to ponder not only what was said, but what is about to be said afterwards.

So, he says, but obey unrighteousness dash Paul Paul Paul didn't understand that. And then he says indignation and wrath. Paul used the conjunction but to contrast the person who is truly saved. They are the ones seeking to bring glory and honor to God like verse 7 said. But the person who is not a believer, watch this, you note takers, Paul is going to show us three characteristics of an unbeliever. See, the unbeliever is number one self-seeking. You see that also in verse 8. He's self-seeking. Uh, the the Greek word for self-seeking is And and it means a hireling or one who does it for the money without regard to any harm he may be doing to others.

It's all about the money for them. They're self-seeking. The second characteristic of an unbeliever is number two, they do not obey the truth. They seek their own way to do their own thing. This person resists any other way, even God's way. They hear God's word and they say, I'm not doing that. No, I'm not going to do that. So, rebellion is a synonym, it's synonymous with this person. It's another word that describes this individual. The third characteristic of an unbeliever is number three, they obey unrighteousness or what is right in regards to his fellow man.

They they they just disregard what is right for their fellow man. They're going to do the opposite. They're only concerned about themselves. So, a person who is an unbeliever is self-absorbed, self-absorbed. The results are obvious. Paul is telling them at the end of this verse indignation and wrath. These are two powerful words in the Greek language. Uh, the Greek word for indignation is is And it means to move rapidly towards something, puffing and blowing in anger. It's also to be agitated. The Greek word for wrath is and it refers to the strongest form of anger, that which reaches a fever pitch.

So, to put it all together, God's judgment will move rapidly and explode like a consuming fire upon those who do not obey the truth. And this is why I want to beg and plead with you to get right with God because God's judgment will move rapidly towards unbelievers in this condition. This is why I want to beg you online, I want to beg you here to get right with God. Oh, God is so patient, he's so long-suffering, he's so kind, he's so good, he's all of those things. He's so loving. Oh, can't leave that out.

He is so loving, but God will judge sin. He will judge unbelievers. He will judge people who are in this condition. His his judgment will be in the form of his wrath moving rapidly towards that unrighteousness which is is an affront to his holiness. And he'll move rapidly towards it and just consume it in a moment's time. Oh, we don't hear much about that guy. All we want to hear about is God is love. He just love. And he forgives and he loves and forgives. That's all his own that's all those are the only two characteristics of our God.

Let me tell you something. That's just two of many. He also has other attributes. And this is what Paul is telling and this is why I'm pleading with you to get right with God. Oh, he is not done. Look at what else God will pour out on those who Watch this, do not obey the truth. Verse 9 tribulation and anguish on every soul of man who does evil of the Jew first and also the Greek. Tribulation, the Greek word is thilipsis, thilipsis, and it means to exert extreme pressure. And the Greek word for anguish is and it means a narrow place or distress.

Metaphorically it means to be confined or constricted or God's judgment will be sent to those who do not obey the truth in the form of extreme pressure that seem to confine and constrict you like a python snake to feel confined or that there is no way out to apply extreme pressure to get us to change. And many of us when we're in sin God will constrict us, confine us into a corner, apply extreme pressure to us that we feel constricted and confined. The purpose of that so we will change. So, we will see that there is no way out of our condition and our predicament other than repenting to God.

This is the purpose of that. And we and you talk to people, you know, it's just been tough lately. I just feel all this pressure is upon me. Oh. That's what we are talking about here. Extreme pressure. And this is what he is dealing with in these verses. He goes on to tell us that this will come upon notice every soul of man who does evil of the Jew first and also the Greek or the Gentiles. Just like the Gospel in Romans 1 verse 16 it says, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. It's the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also the Greek.

Here just like the Gospel came to the Jew first, so will God's judgment come first upon the self-righteous Jews who thought that they were exempt from God's judgment or his wrath. And Paul is saying, no, you aren't exempt. As a matter of fact because of what you know about God and because he chose you, his judgment will come upon you first. Oh, just like us here in America, don't think we're exempt. We will not be exempt from God's judgment or his wrath. As a matter of fact God will judge us harsher because of the light or the revelation of God and his word that we have been given in this country.

God judges nations. You heard me say this for years. God judges nations with natural disasters in this life. This is why I've always taught you pay attention to the weather pattern in America. God judges nations through natural disasters, natural calamities. Back in the day they have changed it, some have. Back in the day when some natural disaster came about they the insurance company will call it acts of God. That's what they used to call it. They don't call it that anymore. Some don't, some may. But they used to be called acts of God because back in the day we understood this principle that I'm talking about here.

God judges individuals in the next life. Oh, sure we get our tribulation and trials and and consequences to our sins in this life, but ultimate judgment of the individual comes in the next life. I just got to ask, are you ready to meet with God? Are you ready to meet God? I pray that you are and that I am trying to get you ready by teaching you God's word from Genesis to Revelation so that you will be without excuse or so that you can never say you know, if you attend church here at least, you can never say that you didn't know the ways of God because I have been committed to a little less than 30 years of teaching this church the word of God from Genesis to Revelation, all 1,189 chapters, all 31,102 verses of this book.

And I'm committed as long as breath is in these lungs and blood is in these veins, I'm going to continue to get you ready to meet with God. I'm not going to be up here playing around, fooling around, and giving you sermonettes. I'm not going to be doing that. I'm going to give you the word what thus saith the Lord. Look at verses 10 and 11. It says, but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good. Tell that person that you're in church here in the word and for good to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

He says, for there is no partiality with God. Now God in his infinite goodness will make sure that those who are truly his children are given three things glory, honor, and peace. And once again Paul points out the order of God's goodness notice to the Jew first and also the Greek, the end of verse 10 says. In other words, when we give when we seek glory, honor, and immortality from God in verse 7 or like verse 7 said, he will give us glory, honor, and peace like verse 10 says. Oh, I love that. In verse 11 Paul points out that God doesn't have favorites.

He doesn't show favoritism or partiality to anyone. And the Greek word for partiality is and it means to receive a face or to give consideration to a person because of who he is. God doesn't do this. He doesn't show favoritism over Jew and Gentile, over American and Russian, or over a race. God doesn't show personal favoritism to anyone. We got to understand that. This must have been a a shock to the Jews and the church of Rome to hear him say this because God chose them. And they were favorite they thought. We are the favorites of God, you know.

God chose us. Well, how dare you say that about us or to us? Nor does God grade on a curve. God judges based upon those who continuance in doing good and seeking for glory, honor, and immortality from God like verse 7 said.

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