Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Romans

Romans 2:17-29 Part 2

INTRO: As we return to the courtroom  God's case against the Moralist is over. The Moralist was  found guilty and sentenced to the wrath and judgment of God.  Paul, the prosecuting attorney, has argued God's case well in Rom. 1:18-2:16 where his primary defendants were Gentiles.  Remember though, the church in Rome was made up of Gentiles and who?....Jews.

         The Jews were eager to hear Paul condemn the Gentiles. And they said so as they were leaving the courtroom.  'Shalom, Paul, your people would be proud of the way you put those sinful Gentiles in their place. Our father Abraham, bless his soul, was well represented this day. We Jews are so blessed to have Elohim  as our Judge, the one true God of Israel. The legal system set up by the Torah is faithful and true.  Well, Paul, see you in the kingdom ...'

EXP: The Jews were confident that their nationality, heritage and religious rituals would exempt them from God's wrath and judgment. You see they either forgot or  ignored Paul's closing argument in Rom. 2:11 'For there is no partiality with God'. So Paul called them all back into the courtroom. The trial will resume with the religious Jew as the defendant. Now,  just because we are talking about religious Jews don't think that you can zone out and begin to think about those cool waves rushing over your hot sun scorched bodies at the beach. Paul's argument extends beyond the barriers of time, beyond all ethnic  and religious barriers  to all 'church goes'  today....To perhaps even  some of you this morning.

TRANS: Let's step back into God's courtroom and hear the trial already in progress. Turn in your Bibles to Rom. 2. Paul's first piece of evidence against the Religious is found in verses 17-24

I. The Jews had Profession w/o Performance. (Rom. 2:17-24)
    A. They Professed (Rom. 2:17-20)

    1. To 'Bear' the name Jew
        -To be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To be a Jew is a matter of privilege and pride.
        -They professed to be God's chosen people.

    2. To 'Rely' upon the Law
       -The Jews were given the 10 Commandments and the Torah.
       -They professed to rely on His Law for their very being.

    3. To 'Boast' in God
       -God was on their side.
       -They professed to boast in God and in His work on their behalf.

    4. To 'Know' His will
       -Because of the revelation of the Law and of God speaking thru the leaders of Israel.
       -They professed to know His will.

    5. To 'Approve' essential things
       -The Law revealed great details of God's  nature, His expectations for behavior and for a healthy society.
       -They professed then to know what was essential for a successful life.

    6. To 'Guide' the blind and be a light to those  in darkness.
       -The Jews knew what God expected of them, the Gentiles were left in the dark. It was up to the Jews to show the rest of
        the world the way.
       -They professed to confidently guide the blind and be a light to those lost  in darkness.

    7. To 'Correct' the foolish
       -The Jews knew that wisdom comes for God and from a relationship with Him. The Gentiles had no such  relationship thus
         they were fools.
       -They professed to be able to correct the fool in the way of godly wisdom.

    8. To 'Teach' the immature
       -The Jews were given the instruction manual for life The Jews and only the Jews had the truth.
       -They professed to be a teacher to the Gentiles who they saw as immature babes.

NOTE: The Jews believed they were second to no one and they let everyone know it. That is pride. And Pride is sin. Even if they did do what they professed, their attitude was sinful. The problem was however, their performance didn't match their profession as Paul will argue in vs. 21-22.

    B. Their Performance (Rom. 2:21-22)
READ: Rom. 2:21-22

         There is not much to explain here. It is self-evident and that was Paul's idea. Their own actions incriminate them. Paul is telling the Jews that what they did and how they lived did not match what they said. This is hypocrisy and sin.  But even for the religious  Jew hypocrisy was not the greatest problem.

    C. Their Problem (Rom. 2:23-24)

 1. By breaking  the Law they brought dishonor to the name of God. All of the OT resounds of one refrain.
    And it is summed up in Psalm 8:1 'O Lord, how majestic is your Name in all the earth.'

  -Psalm 19:1 may say 'The heavens are telling of the glory of God' but the lives of the 'religious' Jews are bringing  dishonor to
   the God they profess to follow.'

APP: I could spend the next couple of hours making application but I will save a more brief version for the conclusion

TRANS: Paul now presents his second piece of evidence against the religious when he charges them with...

II. Ritual w/o Reality (Rom. 2:25-29)
    A. The Value of Circumcision (Rom. 2:25-27)

         Here Paul states that the religious rite of circumcision had become devoid of any reality as it was no longer a sign of faithfulness to the covenant with God.

         1. To the one who keeps the Law
             -Circumcision is of value. It was the sign of the Jews    promise to keep their covenant with God. Others would  know
              of the sign and see the accompanying righteous behavior. They would     praise God and be drawn to Him. That was
              how it was supposed to work.

         2. To the one who breaks the Law.
            -However, to the one who transgresses or breaks the Law, even once, the sign of circumcision means nothing because
              it doesn't faithfully  represent the promise to keep the covenant.

         3. The uncircumcised who keep the Law.
             -Paul is not suggesting that one can keep the Law but that if one could and he was not a Jew, he would be greater than
              the lawbreaking, unfaithful covenant claiming Jew.

NOTE: What Paul said here would have been blasphemy to the Jews! A slap in the face of every Jew who would have heard or read this letter. Why would Paul speak so harshly? Because Paul was about to radically redefine what  it means to be a Jew.

    B. A Higher Value (Rom. 2:28-29)
READ: Rom. 2:28-29

         1. Who is the True Jew?
            -Understanding these two verses will help give you a much clearer picture of what Paul is saying in this letter to the
             Romans. Paul is redefining a term he will use later in his letter.
            -The true Jew, Israel, the chosen people of God. Have always been  those whose circumcision is not of the flesh, but
              of  the heart.
            -The Jews prided themselves in their circumcision but God praises man for their faithfulness.

         2. Who is honored by God?
             -The one whose heart is broken/ bent toward Him. The one who has put  aside the deadness of ritual  for the reality
              of relationship.This person is the true Jew. This person is part of God's new humanity. This person is Israel. And this
              person is the one who will receive praise from God.

Conclusion

         Sure this must have been radical stuff for the Jews of Paul's time, Pastor, but what does this have to do with  me? Well I am glad you asked.Paul was speaking to the religious person of his day. Who might he be speaking to if he wrote this letter today? The person who would most likely fit into this 'religious' category would be the staunch, stuffed shirt fundamentalist, any 'churchgoing' Protestant, the devout Catholic or any other variety of religious individual.

         We in the church today are up against the same dangers as the religious people of Paul's day.

 1. The danger of failing to live according to the Gospel we profess and the faith we possess.

 2. The danger of being responsible for unbelievers being misled and confused by our inconsistent behavior.

 3. The danger of God's name being despised and dishonored because of our hypocrisy.

         When your performance doesn't match your profession you are giving God a bad rep. The question you need to ask yourself is "how is my life improving the reputation and name of God to those around me?"

         When your rituals are not based on reality your religion is dead. You may come to church faithfully each week. You may have been baptized. You may take communion each month and give cheerfully to the church for it's support. But they are meaningless w/o a heart broken for God. Remember Micah 6:6-8

        Are you a Believer? Certainly, I have been a member of 1st Baptist for 25 years
        Are you a Believer? I'm Catholic! Does that answer your question?
        Are you a Believer? Why yes, I was baptized right here in this church.
        Are you a Believer?  or are you  just 'religious' doing your church thing?

         Remember , you can make all the distinctions or excuses you want, you may get over on us but you will never convince God. The bailiff stands and says 'All Rise, God's case against the Religious taking place in The court of Elohim, Creator God of all mankind will recess until 9:45 am next Sunday.