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 25 through 29.

Tony Clark: Turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Romans. Romans chapter 2 as we continue our verse by verse study of the book of Romans, we find ourselves in chapter 2 looking at verses 25 to 29. And Father, we are so grateful for the time of worship. We are so grateful for the time you've given us to study your word, to sit at your feet, to sit in your presence. And so Lord, we pray now that you would teach us. Teach us how to walk with you. Teach us how to walk in your ways.

Give us ears to hear what the spirit of God is going to say to us today in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, Romans 2 looking at verses 25 to 29. The title of this message is you are guilty too. And this is part 3 and the final part to this particular set of verses. You are guilty too part 3. Now in part 2 of this study, we saw how Paul called the believers in Rome out for being guilty of stealing in verse 21. Now this stealing is in the area of stealing from God in the form of tithing.

Then he told them that they were guilty of adultery in verse 22. Then he told them that they were guilty of outwardly hating idol worship, but secretly doing something else behind closed doors. He said that they boasted in the law of God outwardly in verse 23, but they broke the law inwardly or privately. And then he said when we live this kind of hypocritical way, we give unbelievers a chance to blaspheme our God and Christianity. Well, he continues in verse 25. Look what he says there. Says for circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law.

But if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. Now circumcision was foundational for the nation of Israel. It was given by God to Abraham and it symbolized the covenant God was making with them in Genesis 17 in verses 9 through 14. It was required for all Jewish males to cut away the foreskin of a man's private parts. And many of the Jews believed that this sealed their position with God. So about the time Paul was was writing this particular letter to the church in Rome, the Jews believed that circumcision sealed their position with God.

No matter what they were doing and how they were living outwardly. Today, Christianity has done the same thing because what circumcision was to the Jewish people, baptism is to the Christians. Yes, baptism is very important because you are outwardly showing the world that you are identifying with Jesus Christ. But the problem is that many people are pointing to a baby baptism or a time that they were baptized back in the day to save them or seal their position with God. But their lives do not reflect that Christ is in it. I just wonder does this describe you?

It described me back in the day. When someone used to approach me about being saved, I used to say I was baptized. See, I was counting on a time when I was 13 years old in the church I grew up in. When I went in the water at church, a dry devil and came up a wet devil. I was the same devil. My life never changed. I just got wet. And I was counting on the ceremony of baptism to save me like the Jews were counting on circumcision to save them or seal their position with God.

God told his people how circumcision was supposed to be lived out in their lives. Watch this. Moses in Exodus 6 in verse 12 talks about having uncircumcised lips. Jeremiah 6 in verse 10 speaks of a circumcision of the ears. Ezekiel 44 in verse 9 speaks of a circumcision of the heart. In other words, God's people were supposed to live a circumcised life. You know, speak with the tenderness with our lips. Hear with a sensitivity and feel with the compassion towards God and and the people around us. Not just go through the outward ceremony of circumcision, but cut away those fleshly ways in the way that we talk, in the way that that we hear, in the way that we live.

We should are supposed to live circumcised lives. Circumcision was meant to be a picture externally of the transformation taking place internally. The Jews Paul was addressing in these verses were circumcised externally, but they were far from where they should have been internally. They needed to cut away some fleshly things before they could have victory in the spirit. And so Paul very clear. So Paul is saying that they could not count on their outward circumcision to save them because it will be looked at as being watch this uncircumcised in the eyes of God the end of verse 25 says.

In other words, circumcision doesn't mean a thing if you're still living after your fleshly appetites and desires. So circumcision, baptism, confirmation, raising a hand or walking the aisle doesn't mean a thing outwardly if you haven't been changed on the inside. This is what he is saying. See, these outward expressions are supposed to come after there's been a change on the inside of our hearts. However, there are a lot of people around the world basing their salvation and relationship with God strictly on these outward religious rituals and ceremonies, but doesn't show that anything is changed in their lives.

Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of his day because this was what they were doing. Jesus in Matthew 15 and verses 8 and 9 said these people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And watch this, and in vain they worship me teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Look at your life right now. Does this describe you? Are you basing your salvation on some religious rituals like wearing a cross around your neck like it's some good luck charm? Coming to church to appease your spouse or your conscience, having a Bible in your house or your car, but but don't read it.

Treating it like a good luck charm, you have your Bible in the car to keep you from getting into an accident or you have a Bible, big old giant Bible on the coffee table to keep those bad spirits out of the house. This is drawing near to Jesus with your mouth or you are only giving lip service to God like I did when I used to say I've been baptized. Now please don't get it twisted. I got to mention this again. Baptism is very important in our Christian experience. But if you're still living and if I can make up a word and unbaptized life like living like your old life, it's like you have never been baptized.

Just like in these verses, Paul told them the way that you're living, it is like you have never been watch this circumcised. Look what it says there in verse 26. He said therefore if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? Now Paul just told them that circumcision must be connected to obedience. So too if someone who was never circumcised, but they lived in obedience to God's word, their uncircumcision will be counted as circumcision or they will be looked at as a child of God. Why?

Because of their obedience to God's word. Paul confirms this in verse 27. Look what he says there. And will not the physically uncircumcised if he fulfills the law judge you who even with your rich and cold and circumcision are a transgressor of the law. Paul really made it clear to the Jews in Rome. He told them if a Gentile who is is referring to a non-Jew, if a Gentile were to be obedient to God's word has every right to judge you who had the law of God for years, but are not living according to it nor keeping it.

See, the Jews felt that they were superior to the non-Jew because they and their ancestors were chosen by God and considered the special people of God. Well, Paul said that any non-Jew keeping God's law has every right to judge you who is not keeping it. Now we always got to bring this up because of the misunderstanding of it. Please understand that we can judge people. Please understand that. This misunderstanding of judging is so unbiblical. The world has taken one verse one verse. Matthew 7 verse 1 and then they gave that one verse a definition and the church and the people of God have embraced it incorrectly.

Now we have the world telling us what verses mean. Now how sad is that? 1 Corinthians 2 15 says he who is spiritual judges all things. Paul is saying if someone is calling themselves a believer and not living in obedience to God's word, we can as Paul says here judge them or call them out about it. Now there's a way to do that. Ephesians 4 verse 15 says speak the truth in love. And then here it is Galatians 6 verse 1 says brethren if a man is overtaken in a trespass, you that are spiritual restore such a one.

How? He tells us in a spirit of gentleness considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Oh, let's take a deeper peek into this verse. In other words, you want to restore people. The Greek word for restored is katartizo. It's a great word. It means to bring to its original condition. It means to prepare. For example, doctors use katartizo to mean to set a broken bone, to bring that broken bone back to its original condition. How do you do that? How do you set a bone for those of you who have broken bones? How do you set a broken bone?

You set a broken bone as gently as you can. This is how we're told to restore or judge people. Why? Because you will want someone to gently set that which is broken back in your life again gently as gently as they can. See, you have to remember, keep in mind when you get prideful about judging people, just understand that sort of energy that you giving off as the world says it's coming back to you. So as you come off hard and pointing and you and then I can't believe it and you just know because you're going to have something broken in your life one day.

And you going to want everybody to be all gentle with you and just kind of just sad it. But you just came up and yanked somebody arm and twists it in back you just did it, but so now you want it done to you gently. Oh, no no no no just no when you how you do it, it's coming back to you. What so over man souls that sell he also reap. So you better do if you going to judge, if you going to restore people, the Bible tells us how to do it gently. You do it gently.

You gently set up a a broken bone back. You gently do it because you know that one day you going to have the broken bone. And you going to want people to set it back in your life gently as you know how as well. So this is what Paul is telling them. Now because of a misunderstanding of the next two verses, some theologians have come up with a false teaching saying that the church is now spiritual Israel. Which means now all of the promises in the Bible to the Jewish nation, especially in the Old Testament, is now for the church.

They go on to say God is done with the nation of Israel. When they rejected Jesus Christ and with as we call in our New Testament, when they rejected Jesus Christ, God said I'm done with y'all and he's finished. God is finished with the Jewish nation. Read my lips. Not true. False teaching. Not true at all. Paul knew that someone would think this way. So he writes in Romans chapter 11 verses 1 and 2. Listen to what he says. Says I say then has God cast away his people referring to the Jews? And then he said certainly not.

For I am a a Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away his people whom he before knew. Paul is saying that God would never cast away his people Israel, the Jews. He says I'm proof of it. God saved me. So I'm proof that God is not done working in the nation of Israel. I'm proof of it. Now with this background, let's dive into verses 28 and 29. Look what it says there. For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.

But he is a Jew who is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit, not in the letter whose praise is not from men, but is from God. Now Paul said in verse 28 a true Jew now Jew is used in these verses to describe the people of God or anyone who is living obediently to God's word, whether they are a natural Jewish person or a non-Jew. So the real Jew is not banking on the outward rituals of circumcision. The true Jew or the true person of God is making sure that he is circumcised in his or her heart internally in the spirit.

Now I I love this statement internally in the spirit. Why? Because only the spirit of God can circumcise the things in our hearts. When we repent of our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior, the spirit of God comes and lives in us to empower us to overcome our fleshly desires and appetites. So as we yield our lives more and more to God, his spirit continues to circumcise or cut away those fleshly ungodly things in our hearts that makes us more, that keeps us from being more like Jesus Christ, like bitterness hatred unforgiveness.

See, some of you some of you still got a lot of that stuff in your hearts. And and and and this is why we need to allow the spirit of God to circumcise those things in our hearts. Because see, those are things that no one else sees but but God. We can hide those, camouflage those real We can camouflage unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred. But see, it's the spirit of God. This is why the Bible says it's not on the screen. 2 Corinthians 7 1 says let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit.

Little S meaning our spirit on the inside. Cleanse ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. There are some things of the flesh that's outwardly that people can see us do. But then there's we're told to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, those internal things that God wants to work, that God wants to do a work and cleanse those things, circumcise those things out of our lives. Many you are holding all kind of mess and bitterness, hatred towards folks, unforgiveness towards exes and it's just and it and you wonder why you're struggling to become more like Jesus Christ.

You you you wonder why. Because those are things that God wants to get to as well. Maybe he has taken out those big things, those the filthiness of the flesh, those big things that you're outwardly doing. But you still holding on to the filthiness of the spirit. Those internal things that God wants to circumcise and only his spirit can do that. Only his spirit can do that. I'm just here to tell you let it let it go, precious people. Give it to God. Allow the Lord to do that work in your heart. Allow the Lord to do that work in your It's it's it's just You know, I was doing good for for a long time.

I was doing good, you know. I was I was just I was doing good. Yeah, I was. You know, I I I you know, any kind of stuff I wouldn't I wouldn't allow to get in my heart because I didn't want any um unforgiveness, any hatred, any malice. I didn't want any of that in my heart. So I always dealt with things and dealt with relationships. You know, I write people privately. Are we good? Everything good? Man, if I did something to you, bro, to offend you in any way, I'm sorry. And I did that for years and I was just good.

My heart was cleaned and well, I was good. And I was doing good for years. And then the then the relative a close relative. You know, family, they're the ones. A close relative just kind of shared some things to me. And so I was so I was struggling. And I said boy. So for a long time I just you know, so I went through my thing, you know, hey, you know, forgive me for upsetting you, forget, you know, hey. We we we we we good? We you know, we good? Then they double down on me.

And I said okay. So I was struggling. And I said oh, I let a little bit of that in my heart. And I said this feels weird. I don't like that in my heart. So I had to I had to I had to deal with deal with that. I had to deal with that. I was struggling though. I was struggling. Because it was hard to deal with. But those are the type of things that only the spirit of God can circumcise out of our hearts. Because we we we go on like life is good. And then when that person's name is brought up or that person's how we respond, how we react that shows that we're not over it.

That shows that we still holding on to it. We think out of sight, out of mind. That's not true. You know, it's out of sight, out of mind until their name is brought up or until you see them. And then all of a sudden those are the things God wants to circumcise. He wants to circumcise those things out of our hearts. We can't do this. We can do it in our own strength. Only God can watch this internally in the spirit. This is why Paul said in verse 29 in the spirit, not in the letter.

This verse goes on to say meaning that not just verbally, outwardly claiming to be keeping the letter of God's word, but internally this is not true. That this this is not what the Lord wants. The last part of verse 29, this last phrase whose praise is not from men, but from God. This was a play on words Paul was using because the Jews got their name from their ancestor Judah, whose name in Hebrew means praise according to Genesis 29 verse 35 and Genesis 49 verse 8. So the person who is right with God will do things to get watch this the praise from God and not from man.

Who are you doing things for? Are you doing it for God? Looking for those of you who are serving, those of you who are doing something either in the church, outside the church, who are you doing it for? Are you doing it for God or for man? See, some of the religious leaders in Jesus' day believed in him. Not all the religious leaders hated Jesus. There were some who believed in him.

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