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 14 through 16.

Tony Clark: Now, even though the English word conscious comes from two Latin words, the Greek word for conscious used in verse 15 and it it literally means knowledge with or co-knowledge. Several synonyms are found throughout many ancient languages. They all have the basic meaning that there is a built-in sense of right and wrong that we all have that will activate a sense of guilt for our wrong actions. So, our conscious will inform our minds or thoughts by either accusing us or excusing us. All of this will come to life. Look what it says in verse 16. It says in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

Now, notice it says in the day when God will judge. Can we just stop and let that sink in? God will judge one day. We we got to let that sink in. We so often we let that go in one ear and out the other. God who made the eye is not blind to what is going on. Nor is he deaf to the cries of those being mistreated, abused, and taking advantage of. The perverts out there doing heinous things to children. God won't let continue to just let that go. God is not going to wink wink or turn his head away from those things.

God will judge. He will. I love what God told Moses. He said to go and tell my people something in Exodus 3 and verse 7. He said you go tell my people I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their task masters. For I know their sorrows or their pain. Oh, can I pause and encourage some of you here today? The same is true for you. The Lord would say I've surely seen what you're dealing with in your marriage or on your job. He has heard your cry singles singles listen to me.

He's heard your cries. You crying out of your loneliness and out of your hurt. He he hears you at night. He sees how you cry yourself to sleep. And God says he knows your sorrow, your pain that you're trying to endure. So, not only will God judge the world in the next life, he will judge in this life as well. I I love it how thorough God's judgment will be. He will judge notice this, the secrets of men. David understood this. And this is why in that great Psalm 19 right around verse 12 David said cleanse me from secret faults.

He said even though I can hide these things from other people, oh, I can hide them from you. The Bible says darkness and light are both alike to God. And here it is. He says cleanse me from those things that no one else knows but you. Cleanse me from secret faults. This is why he is he says he's going to judge the secrets of men. This is referring to the motives of men. This is so important because someone can do the right thing with the wrong motive. See, we all we see is the outward of people, the outward actions of people.

That's all we see. We don't know why they're doing it. God does. So, this is talking about the motives. Or someone can do the right thing and it is done in secret and God sees it and rewards you openly for it like Matthew 6:6 says concerning prayer. This is why God says don't try to be some showboat when it comes to prayer. Just like the religious leaders used to go on the corners. Lord, I thank you. And they on the corners everybody walking by said whoa, look look how spiritual he is. He just stopping right on the corner and praying and God said I see that phony mess.

And the reason why he wants to be looked at as being someone super spiritual. And God sees that kind of stuff. And God said when you pray go into your prayer closet. Close the door. And your father who sees in secret will reward you openly. So, don't try to be a showboat when it comes to praying. See, God not only sees what we're doing but he sees why we're doing it. Are we doing something to be seen, to get patted on the back? For everyone to think well of us. These are the things God will judge because we can fool everyone with our outward actions but we can't fool God because he is seeing the secrets of our hearts and why we're doing not only what we're doing but why we're doing it.

See, a form of this judgment should take place every time we get together as a church. In 1 Corinthians chapter 14 and verse 25 it says and thus the secrets of his hearts are revealed. And so falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you. All the context of these verses are concerning unbelievers whenever they come around believers at church. Once the preaching and teaching of God's word starts, the secrets of their hearts are revealed and they fall down in repentance and report that God is among you.

Because there's no other way you could have known the thing these things unless God told you. They are the secrets of my heart. I can't tell you how many angry or very concerned husbands either after church or call the church during the week saying did my wife tell you I was coming to church today? And I normally answered no, sir. It was just God revealing the secrets of your heart. Or who told you to say those things? I remember I did a I did a funeral. And and I just began to just stand up there and just speak into this family.

I had no clue. I had a brother just you know said I did just got some drama going on and every family has drama and it seems to always come out around funerals. So, I began to speaking I'm in their life. That family was so upset. They were so upset at me that during the week they called the church. And and they were like and they had the the family members on speaker. They said who told you to say those things you said? I said what are you talking about? You know about us fighting and what we're fighting about and this that and here.

I said that was God reading y'all's mail. That was during the time you've got mail. Yes, God was reading your mail. And and they were blown away. No, somebody had to tell you did my brother put you up there? No. I don't know your brother. And they just blown away. That's what happens. Who told you to say those things? God. The secrets of your heart was being revealed. How many times do you heard me say either now this is not in my notes or someone needs to hear this today? God is revealing the secrets of someone's heart through the teaching and preaching of God's word.

So, every time every time the word of God is going forth, I know when God has me go off script because I'm on the inside smiling saying the secrets of someone's heart is being revealed. And sure enough after church man there you go you all up in my house again. No, I was I was at home with my grandkids. Are you in my house? But this is what happens. However, according to verse 16 there is coming an ultimate day when the secrets of everyone's heart will be revealed not by a man or church service but by Jesus Christ himself.

The Jews will be judged by the written law, the Ten Commandments given to them as a nation. And the Gentiles will be judged by the Ten Commandments written on their conscious. God will be just and fair in his judgment. We already saw how man will be without excuse when he stands before God in in Romans 1 and verse 20. No one will be able to give God an excuse and say well see God see well what happened was no one would be able to say this. No one would be able to say well God see I had a unfortunate upbringing.

Or I was born in a foreign country where I I never heard or had the opportunity to hear the gospel. Or I was born in the hood and I didn't have a dad around and so I didn't have someone to guide me and I got into gang activity and drugs and all kind of stuff. See, you offering excuses. No man will be without excuse. No one will be able to say what it happened was. No one. No one. Well see God see I I grew up in affluent area and you know our parents they were just you know they didn't really believe in God.

They just believe in hard work and stuff and the gospel. We didn't go to church and no one will be without excuse. No one. When they stand before God God's judgment will be just and fair. Notice how Paul makes a bold statement at the end of verse 16. He said that God's judgment I want you to watch this is going to be according to my gospel. Paul wasn't saying that he came up with the gospel. He was saying that the gospel of Jesus Christ is something that he has personally embraced. He told them in in in in Romans 1:16 for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

It's Christ's gospel. It's not Paul's gospel. For it's the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek. It reminds me of what David said in Psalm 23 in verse 1 the Lord is my shepherd. The possessive pronoun is used to show how David embraced the Lord as his shepherd for himself. So, Paul picks up on this concept and said the gospel I am preaching to you and what Jesus will judge you by is my gospel. I accepted it. I embraced it. I preach it to you and you will be ultimately judged by it.

This is what Paul is saying. I just wonder can you say as David did the Lord is my shepherd? What or who is guiding your life today? David said God is shepherding. He is shepherding my life. Can you say as Paul did this gospel that you will be judged by one day is my gospel? Can you say I heard about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and I repented of my sin and I accepted Jesus as Lord and savior. This gospel is mine. I've embraced it. And I'm preaching it to you. The the possessive pronoun says a lot.

Can you say that he's mine? He's my shepherd. He's my Lord. It is my gospel. Oh, I pray that you can say it before you leave here today. Because all of us will be judged. But but when we don't know. We don't know around what corner death is. Folks are freaked out. You know there's there's COVID. There's Delta variant. I I don't know. It's just there's cancer. It's just we all going unless the rapture we all going to die something. So to it. Can walk around it freaked out in fear and scared of the boogeyman.

Scared of our own shadow. What was that? That was my shadow. Oh. I was a little afraid. Stop. We got one day we got to we got to stop. One day we got to leave fear for faith. One day. One day. We have to. You heard me mention many times Elisha. Elisha was the prophet in the Old Testament who followed after Elijah. Elisha asked for a double portion of the spirit of God that was upon Elijah. And God did just that. If you would look at the miracles that Elijah performed, Elisha did twice the amount, double portion of the spirit.

He did more miracles in the Bible than anyone else outside of Jesus. And then the Bible says and Elisha got sick with the sickness by which he was going to die. We going to die of something. So, do we go just scared of the boogeyman? We scare One day one day we got to embrace faith. One day. One day dear people. One day we have to. I don't know who it is just just freaked out. You afraid of your shadow. I don't know who it is God is speaking to. One day we going to have to believe and take God at his word and we going to trust him.

One day. And we call ourselves the people of God and we in we in fear. The Bible says the righteous are as bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1. The Bible says the spirit of God came upon them. They spoke the word with boldness. There should be a boldness and a courageousness about us that's not seen today in the church and among God's people. We freaked out in fear. We just freaked out. And I'm not trying to be insensitive or not trying to say something that's not real. Yeah, it's real. But one day we going to walk in faith as the people of God and stand up and show the world how to believe God.

One day. I'm just I'm just praying one day. Like I said all of us are going to be judged but we we don't know when. We don't know around what corner death is. We don't. We must stay ready to meet the Lord. Are you ready if today is your day? Are you ready? Are are are you ready? I remember giving a message when I first started the church ready or not here he comes. It's still relevant today. He's still coming. Are we going to be scared little children hiding behind the bushes, hiding in our homes?

I I just I just want God's people to just be the people of God one day. For one day at least. Can we do it one day? Are we freaked out like everybody else is? And and and there's no difference between the people of God and the people of the world. There's no difference. C. H. Spurgeon talked about a day who's a preacher in the 17th century. He talked about a day where there'd be no difference between the people of God and the people of the world. And he he spoke that in the 1700s. And we living in that day.

Living in that day. And and that doesn't mean what I'm talking about doesn't mean we we become reckless and we become just foolhardy. Doesn't mean that at all. Yeah, I mean you you got take care of your own self, you know. But one day we going to have to be people of God, one day if we call ourselves that. Let me conclude with this. In this message the judgment of God we saw how the secrets of our hearts will be revealed one day by Jesus Christ. We saw how the Ten Commandments are written on every man's conscious accusing or else excusing us of the things we have said or done.

And this is how everyone knows right from wrong or have some level of moral consciousness even the agnostic. I remember talking to my I used to call my atheist friend but lately I've heard he's now my agnostic friend. Um I just talk to him and just said you know I said well what if I just want to do this go around and just shoot and kill people? He said well that's not right. I said well who determines what's right and wrong? I said so you're you're saying that there is a moral standard of right and wrong.

I said you're acknowledging that by saying I just can't go and do that. Where's the law? Oh, so there's a law of right and wrong. Oh, okay. We getting closer to what what's happening. There is and everyone knows that. Why did he say I can't go around killing people? Because his conscious where the Ten Commandments is written on says thou shalt not kill. That's that's why he said that. It's even though he's a he was an atheist at the time. He said you you just can't do that. Why? Because the Ten Commandments in him said that's not right.

Accusing him or else excusing him. Or that was good what you did. Or that was not good. Or you know what? That's good teach you didn't tell that lie. Or you know you just lied. Accusing us or else excusing us. That's what happens. That's what happens. So, this is how everyone knows right from wrong or have some sense of moral consciousness. They can explain it but we know why God has placed the Ten Commandments there unless they have shut the voice of the conscious off in the area of lying, in the area of stealing, in the area of dishonoring father or mother, coveting or being materialistic or greedy for gain.

That's what it means to covet or to want something that belongs to someone else. That's what it means to covet. And you have to ask yourself are you violating the Ten Commandments? And I will I will caution you in this. I I I know a young person right now who is such a professional liar already. And they're not even a teenager. They they they've crafted that thing, that deception to a certain and and know how to look you dead in the face. Yeah. And see that's a that's a professional already a professional liar not even a teenager.

Can you imagine when they become a teenager where they can hone in that thing real good. So, if you've been violating so that means this this little person has been lying so much that they have seared their conscious in the area of lying where they can lie and it's no big deal. She probably going to sales. Just look you right in the face. Yes, okay. Yeah, this car only costs about $8,000. You get the paperwork it's 20,000. Well, see just the fine print in there you know. Now, you car salesmen don't come up to me afterwards.

Don't come up to me after just save it. Save it because I I've been in enough offices and sat down and saw enough Tom foolery to last till I get to heaven. So, if you're violating the law of God in some area I I let me encourage you to please repent. Because you don't want to sear your conscious in that area and you be found guilty when you stand before God. Let me encourage you. If you've been practicing stealing, you've been practicing lying, you've been dishonoring your parents, you've been using the Lord's name in vain, you've placed everything in front of God except God itself, you've been committing adultery, you've the the list goes on.

There's 10 of them. And if you've been violating that get it right with God. Get it right with God. Father, thank you so much for this time you've given us to hear your word. Lord, have mercy upon us. We need you. Lord, we need you as the people of God. Lord, we Lord, we violated your word. We violated your commandments. Dear God, we have Lord, we have sinned against you. So, Lord, convict us of our sin. Forgive us. Move us to repentance. Remove us or move us to get things right with you by your Holy Spirit.

And if there's anyone here who is not repented of their sin and accepted Christ as their Lord and savior, you cannot say Jesus is my Lord and my savior. You have not said that he's my shepherd. Just repeat this prayer after me. Just say Lord Jesus, forgive me. I believe you died on the cross and was buried and rose again just for me. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. Help me to live for you by the power of your Holy Spirit from this moment forward in Jesus name. Amen.

Guest (Male): If the word made plain has been a source of inspiration and encouragement to you, why not consider becoming a word made plain giving partner to keep this listener supported program on the air? As a giving partner you joined forces with Calvary Chapel Newport News's kingdom vision of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can make your tax deductible gift online at calvarynn.org or send your gift of any amount to 15553 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, Virginia 23608 and receive a gift from Calvary Chapel Newport News as our thank you. In addition to your financial support, we ask that you pray for the word made plain broadcast that it touches hearts and generates change in the lives of people around the world.

We pray you've been blessed by God's word today and hope you'll tune in next time to hear the word made plain.