Romans 2 – God’s Kindness, Our Rebellion

Hello Project Ezra!  This week the suggested reading is Romans chapter 2.  I came across it during my daily Bible reading, and I can’t imagine why I didn’t chose to use the chapter sooner.  It is a wonderful chapter.  It has many great springboards into the gospel, but this week we will be focusing on verses 4 and 5, on God’s goodness and patience that is meant to lead us to repentance, but that we are instead storing up wrath for ourselves.  I also changed the focus of the use of the law, looking at our sins against God for the perspective of several of the 10 commandments. Though we sin against others, I was reminded again that our sins are ultimately against God, and when we consider that truth our sins take on a greater weight, a weight that I hope will be felt by those who hear the reading this week.  Thanks for being part of the project, and may God bless your time of outreach this weekend.

All for His glory,
Dan

INTRO

READ ROMANS 2

Do you presume on the riches of God's kindness and patience, not knowing that His kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

Have you ever considered God's kindness toward you?

Have you ever considered how patient God has been with you?

Whether you would consider yourself a Christian or not, you know in your heart that there is a God.

And if you listen to your conscience for more than a minute, you will realize that God has every reason to be unspeakably angry with you.  And yet, He has held back His judgment.

We were created with a purpose, but each of us has acted in rebellion against that purpose

We are here for a reason, but in our hands that reason has been twisted and distorted, or simply ignored.

We were created for the glory of God, and for relationship with Him

But instead we try to avoid Him, and attempt to steal His glory for ourselves

When we talk about sin, we usually think about bad things we have done to other people

I often talk to people about God's law, and how every one of us has broken that law in regards to other people.

But in Psalm 51, David says “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. (Psalm 51:4, ESV)

That tells us that all our sins are primarily against God, and against other people only secondarily

If that is true, our sins are much more serious than most of us think

Take a moment to compare your behavior with God's law, and how that behavior relates to Him

We put ourselves uppermost in our own thoughts, when He should be, and so break the first commandments

We create gods in our own image, idols which we can control

In doing so we lie about who God is, to ourselves and others

We covet God’s sovereignty, claiming God’s power as our own. 

And rather than giving glory to God for who He is, we steal that glory for ourselves

Finally, we are unfaithful to the one who gave us life, and called us to relationship with Him

Even the smallest sin is infinitely sinful against an infinitely holy and perfect God.  But our sins have been anything but small.

Our rebellion has been against the Lord of the universe.  We are guilty of treason against the one who holds creation in a palm of His hand.

Indeed, as Hebrews 10 says, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Romans 2 tells us, those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will receive wrath and fury from God.  And that is exactly what each of us deserves

God’s wrath and fury will be carried out in hell.

Those who find themselves there will spend all eternity paying the price for their sin and rebellion.

But though God is just in punishing those who break His law, He takes no pleasure in it

He takes pleasure when they turn to Him, and live

Some would argue that the fact that evil still exists means God is imaginary, or impotent

Instead, it shows that He is patient, and kind.

His patience and kindness is meant to lead us to repentance, and to faith in Jesus Christ.

2000 years ago a man was born in an out-of-the-way corner of the Roman Empire

That man, Jesus of Nazareth, was more than a Jewish teacher.

He was more than a healer, or a worker of miracles.

He was God in the flesh, perfect in every way.

And after living a perfect life for 33 years, he went to a Roman cross and willingly laid down His life.

He became the perfect sacrifice for sin, satisfying God’s perfect justice.

Then He rose again, proving His power over death, and ascended to God’s right hand.

Now those who turn away from their sin and rebellion, and turn to Him, trusting in His perfect sacrifice alone to save them, are made right with God.

Those who follow Christ will stand in heaven not based on their own goodness, but on the goodness of Jesus Christ, the God-man, the savior of the world!

He is the king of kings, and the lord of lord

Have you made your peace with the king?  Or will His wrath be revealed to you on the final day?

Don’t be foolish.  Don’t cling to your pride and lose soul.

Humble yourself.  Turn from your sin and to the savior

Repent and trust in Him today.  Turn to Christ and live!!