Romans 2:6-11

You guys be seated.

We are continuing our study through the book of Romans.

! We are in Romans chapter 2.

Romans 2 · chapter mention

! If you want to grab a copy of God's Word.

Romans chapter 2.

Romans 2 · chapter mention

We're going to start.

Our text this morning is verses 6 through verse 10.

And it reads,

He will render to each one according to his works.

To those who by patience and well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality,

he will give eternal life.

But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth,

but obey unrighteousness,

there will be wrath and fury.

There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil.

The Jew first and also the Greek.

For God shows no partiality.

Pray with me.

Fathers,

Fathers,

as we have read your Word,

I pray, God, that you would speak now through it.

That you would teach us that your Spirit,

who is already here,

who is already moving,

would continue to move and work in such a way

that our ears would hear a word from you,

that our hearts would be changed.

And because of our hearts being changed,

our lives and our actions and our works will be changed.

God, we need you this morning.

We plead with you to speak to us.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

There's some great weight to these verses this morning.

The truth that all of us,

all of us are going to be judged

and some will be in tribulation and distress forever,

while others will be given honor and glory and peace.

And I hate to tell you,

but this is just the tip of the iceberg of theological questions

that Paul is really going to start answering as we go through Romans.

We're just scratching an itch

that will not stop itching for quite a long time.

This morning, we start dividing people into two groups or two teams.

Now, do you remember a couple of weeks ago,

we talked about the superiority issue of the Jews

when we talked about verses 1 through 3 or 1 through 2.

They thought that they were better

and they put themselves in one group

and everybody else in another.

They thought better of themselves or more of themselves.

This morning, we're going to break into two groups.

We're going to talk about two groups

and the only two groups that matter.

The only two groups that matter,

and that is righteous and unrighteous,

Christian and non-Christian,

believer and unbeliever.

One team you can and will never leave

and the other, by God's grace,

you can leave and join the other team.

This, for us, is kind of like the playoffs.

This is like game one.

Each team, each win,

each team builds momentum with the win.

So as we get further and further down,

we end up winning the championship.

And for us, that championship is Romans 8,

Romans 9, Romans 10, 11, 12, onward.

Right now, Paul is building a case

and we're just now starting to really get into the teeth of this case.

An ancient Roman ruler named Brutus the Elder

had two sons

and learned that these two sons

were conspiring to overthrow the government.

An offense carried the death penalty.

At the trial, the young men tearfully appealed to their father,

calling him by endearing names

and appealing to his parental love.

Most of the crowd there also started pleading for mercy for them.

But because of the severity of the crime

and possibly because they were the son of a high-ranking official

and he held them hot to a higher standard,

he not only ordered,

but witnessed their execution.

Parents, feel free to use that as an illustration for your kids.

I know I will be using that with my four.

Someone commented about the incident

and said,

The father was lost in the judge.

The love of justice overcame the fondness of the parent.

The love of justice overcame the fondness of the parent.

This morning we're talking about judgment.

As cruel and as terrible as that story,

our judge judges rightly.

Our judge judges based on his righteousness.

He'll never get lost in the judge.

For he cares about his creation.

We are created in his image.

And he cares so much that he does not want any to perish,

but all to come to repentance.

As 2 Peter 3, 9 tells us.

He is fatherly.

He is caring.

He is righteous.

But he is also just.

Which means,

as we've been studying through Romans,

Romans 1,

and beginning of Romans chapter 2,

Romans 2 · chapter mention

we are all guilty

for sins that we've committed,

the sins we will commit.

And this,

this is what makes the gospel so great.

This is what makes it so awe-inspiring

and so much more mind-blowing,

is the fact

that we're all guilty.

And the judge who judges justly,

who judges righteously,

is also merciful

and cares for what he has created.

You see,

I know everybody in here knows

that Osama bin Laden has been killed.

You see in the coverage

how a lot of the news

used Google Earth

and we were able to zoom in

onto the compound

and zoom in kind of to the area.

Google Earth,

you couldn't do that five years ago.

Maybe six.

I don't know.

I'm kind of lost

when it comes to time.

But I think

that concept of zooming in,

we kind of need to do

for this text this morning.

We kind of need to start

with a big picture,

make a couple observations,

and then close in

on the text.

So, big picture.

Judgment is inevitable.

It's going to happen.

Verse 2 tells us

that the judgment of God

rightly falls on those

who practice such things.

Verse 3,

if you practice such things,

do you think you will escape

the judgment of God?

Verse 6,

He will render to each one.

Verse 9,

there will be

tribulation and distress.

There's a future tense

to those last two.

He will render

and there will be.

It's going to happen.

Turn to Revelation chapter 20.

Revelation 20 · chapter mention

Last book of the Bible.

Revelation chapter 20.

Revelation 20 · chapter mention

We'll read a few verses.

The book of Revelation

is a vision given

to the Apostle John

concerning things that come

and things that have already happened

or are happening.

Revelation chapter 20,

Revelation 20:11

verse 11.

Then I saw a great white throne

and Him who was seated on it.

From His presence,

earth and sky fled away

and no place was found for them.

And I saw the dead,

great and small,

standing before the throne.

The books were opened.

Then another book was opened,

which was the book of life.

And the dead were judged

by what was written in the books

according to what they had done.

And the sea gave up

the dead who were in it.

Death and Hades gave up

the dead who were in them.

And they were judged,

each one of them,

according to what they had done.

Then death and Hades

were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death,

the lake of fire.

And if anyone's name

was not found written

in the book of life,

he was thrown

into the lake of fire.

This is what's going to happen.

It is inevitable.

This is what is to come.

So all of history

is moving towards this day.

Everyone dead and alive

will be judged.

So judgment is inevitable.

Big picture.

Judgment is going to happen.

Another observation,

big picture,

is judgment will be made

on all people.

Verse 6 of Romans chapter 2

Romans 2 · chapter mention

says he will render.

So judgment will be rendered

or paid on all people.

In Romans chapter 2, verse 1,

Romans 2:1

it says every one of you who judges.

Every one of you who judges.

Verse 2,

falls on those

who practice such things.

Verse 3,

those who practice such things

escape the judgment of God.

Verse 6,

to each one or everyone.

Verse 9,

every human being

who does these things.

Verse 10,

everyone who does good.

And then we have the two groups

that the Jewish people

divided into.

Jew first,

verse 9,

and also the Greek.

And repeats it again

in verse 10.

Jew first,

and also the Greek.

Christian and non-Christian,

those who know Jesus

and those who do not

are going to be judged.

Paul is building the case

that all people,

no matter who they are,

from whatever walk of life,

are guilty

and will be judged.

The man who lives in the city

who used to go to church.

The woman who works in a church.

The homeless guy in Gainesville.

The teacher who is an atheist.

The tribe in Indonesia

who has never heard Jesus

or the gospel.

The cello player in Italy.

Mother Teresa.

Adolf Hitler.

John Calvin.

All will be judged.

You and me.

And without Christ,

we will be found guilty.

And must be punished

like the sons of Brutus the Elder.

Father.

This is where we are.

So two big observations.

Judgment is inevitable.

It's going to happen.

Second,

judgment will be made

on all people.

But thirdly,

where I kind of want to stay,

where we're going to kind of

camp out this morning,

judgment will be based

on works.

Judgment will be based

on works.

Verse 6 of chapter 2 says,

He will render to each one

according to his works.

Now, if you were just

to say this verse,

if you were just to say it

just the same way

that I read it to you,

just that verse,

you could build

a works-based theology

out of these ten words.

No doubt.

He will render each one

according to his works.

You could build

a teaching out of it

and it would be heresy.

And it would deem

the death and resurrection

of Jesus Christ pointless.

If salvation

was totally based

on how good we could be,

of how many good things

we could do,

have the good things

outweigh the bad,

then there would be no need

for a substitutionary atonement.

There would be no need

for Jesus to die

for our sins

because we could just

live good and earn it.

Live good and earn God's favor.

Remember,

in holding the atonement precious,

we are holding

to our depravity.

We're realizing

the reality of who we are

and our need of God's grace.

And that is biblical.

So, if that's not

what Paul is trying to say,

what is he trying to say?

Because, let's be honest,

that sounds like

what he's saying is

if we just do good works,

then we'll be judged

accordingly

and we'll make it.

In the context of Romans,

though,

Paul is making a case

that all mankind

have been cursed

from the Garden of Eden

and each one of us

carry the guilt of sin.

As we've gotten

into chapter 2,

he's left no one out.

Not a single person

is without sin.

And all of us

are in need

of something miraculous

that we cannot do.

Chapter 1,

chapter 2,

and chapter 3

are all on a collision course

for verse 21

of chapter 3.

They're all headed

to this one verse.

And then Paul

unfolds that one verse.

Look at chapter 3,

verses 11 and 12.

None is righteous.

No, not one.

No one understands.

No one seeks God.

All have turned aside.

Together,

they have become worthless.

No one does good.

Not even one.

Verse 20.

For by works of the law,

no human being

will be justified

in his sight.

So by works of the law,

by being good,

no human being

will be justified

in his sight

since through the laws

come knowledge of sin.

And then we come

to verse 21 and 22.

But now,

the righteousness of God

has been manifested

apart from the law.

the righteousness of God

has been unfolded,

has been made aware of,

has been laid out for us

apart from the law,

separated from the law.

Although the law

and prophets

bear witness to it,

the righteousness of God

through faith

in Jesus Christ

for all who believe.

This is where we're headed

in Romans chapter 2,

Romans 2:6–10

verses 6 through 10.

This is the context.

This is kind of where we sit.

So now we have

what he's not saying.

In order to see

what he's saying,

we need to bring it in

a little bit.

Verse 6.

He will render to each one

according to his works.

Judgment is based on works,

but salvation is not.

Okay?

Judgment is based on works,

but salvation is not.

Salvation is secure in Christ,

is through Christ,

is for Christ.

What he's saying,

what Paul is saying here,

is that our works

will prove

which group we're in.

They'll prove

what team we're on,

so to speak.

Our works

will show the world

who we belong to.

What Paul has done

is he's basically

put a giant poster board

or a giant white board up,

drawn a line down the middle

and said,

here's team one,

believer,

here's team two,

non-believer,

and your works

are going to prove

which side you're on.

That's what Paul has done here

and laid it out for us.

As definite

as God's judgment is,

our works

are just as definite

in determining

who we are in Christ

or with Christ.

It doesn't matter.

It's that definite.

Now,

this shouldn't shock

any of us.

In Matthew 7,

Jesus teaches on false prophets

and says in verse 16

and repeats it again

in verse 20,

you will recognize them

by their fruit.

Now,

this is regarding

false prophets,

but the same is true

for those who do good,

who seek,

as verse 6 says,

for glory

and honor

and immortality.

You will know them.

You will recognize them

by their fruit.

And the idea

of doing good works

is an idea

that's been preached

since the beginning

of the church

because it's been

in the word of God.

Ephesians 2.10 says,

for we are his workmanship.

Listen to this.

Created in Christ Jesus

for good works,

which God prepared beforehand

that we should walk in them.

So we were created

in Christ Jesus

for good works.

Philippians 2.12 and 13 says,

therefore,

my beloved,

as you have always obeyed,

so now,

not only as in my presence,

but much more

in my absence,

work out your own salvation

with fear and trembling.

For it is God

who works in you

both to will

and to work

for his good pleasure.

The twist,

the mistake,

is when people

take verse 6

of Romans 2

out of context

or take Ephesians 2.10

without reading

Ephesians 2.8 and 9.

For by grace

you have been saved,

not by works.

We as believers

have a responsibility

to do good.

To live as if our lives

have been changed.

Because guys,

our lives have been changed.

The gospel doesn't just

change your heart.

This doesn't give you

a new heart.

The gospel changes

a life.

It changes the life

to the point that

things you used to do,

you don't do.

Decisions you made,

you make no more.

Your want-tos change.

See, when the Bible

talks about the heart,

for example,

Matthew 22.37

where Jesus says,

You shall love

the Lord your God

with all of your heart,

with all of your soul,

and with all of your mind.

He's not talking about

an organ the size

of your fist.

He's talking about

your gut,

your inner person.

What makes you

who you are?

What causes you

to make the decisions

that you make?

And the gospel

transforms that heart.

So as verse 6

reads in Romans chapter 2,

Romans 2 · chapter mention

He will render to each one

according to his works.

The gospel transforms

a life so that our works

then are different

than what they used to be.

And we'll be okay

with being judged

by our works.

Another observation

that we need to be clear on

is that there is

a distinction

or a division

between teams.

And I've kind of

highlighted that

with the whiteboard example.

You're on one team

or another.

That's it.

Christian or non-Christian.

Righteous or unrighteous.

You cannot live both lives.

If you have a new heart,

you are a new creation,

as 2 Corinthians 5 tells us.

Matthew 6, 24

in the Sermon on the Mount.

I love the Sermon on the Mount.

I don't know if you've noticed

how many references

we've had going through Romans

in the Sermon on the Mount,

but it's incredible.

624 says,

you cannot serve two masters.

You can't do it.

It cannot be done.

And it's your works

that tells us

which master you serve.

Now,

this does not mean

that we'll live perfect lives.

It does not mean

that we'll be perfect.

But it means that we try.

It means that we

were convicted of our sin

and we repent of that sin

and we continue down that road.

Turn to 1 Timothy 4.

This is a small observation,

but it communicates

what I'm trying to say here.

In chapter 4,

Paul is giving Timothy

some instructions

of being to a young pastor.

He gives these instructions

starting in verse 12.

In 1 Timothy 4,

let no one despise you

for your youth,

but set the believer

an example in speech

and conduct

and love

and faith and purity.

Until I come,

devote yourself

to the public reading

of Scripture,

to exhortation,

to teaching.

Do not neglect

the gift you have

which has been given you

by the prophecy

when the council of elders

laid their hands on you.

Practice these things.

Immerse yourself in them

so that all

may see your progress.

Praise God

that doesn't say

all may see your perfection.

all may see your

perfect life.

No, it's your progress.

It's a small observation,

but even Timothy,

who was a pastor,

who Paul discipled and led,

was not going to be perfect.

And you and I

are not going to be perfect.

But we can progress

down this road

of the Spirit

and having a new life

and a new heart.

So if there's division,

if there's a distinction

between the two teams,

let's look at

what makes that division up.

Back to Romans chapter 2.

Romans 2 · chapter mention

So the first group,

we're going to say

the first group is

the righteous,

the Christians.

And these distinctions

are found in verse 7

and verse 10.

To those who by patience

and well-doing

seek for glory

and honor

and immortality

you will give

eternal life.

Verse 10,

but glory and honor

and peace

for everyone who does good.

The Jew first,

also the Greek.

So verse 7,

by patience

in doing good.

Patience,

one of the fruit

of the Spirit.

So God's Spirit

is on our lives.

Patience

in well-doing

and doing good.

Seek glory.

Sounds selfish,

but it's God's glory

that we seek.

His glory will be

our desire.

And it should be

our highest desire.

Verse 7,

again,

seek honor.

Not the honor

we'll receive here

on earth

because that

feeds my flesh.

That feeds my

desire to please people.

Even as I'm standing up here.

But to not the honor

that we'll receive

here on earth

from men,

but the honor

from God,

like in Matthew 25,

21,

where he says,

well done,

good and faithful servant.

That will be our desire.

That will be our goal.

That will be what we seek for.

Again,

in verse 7,

we'll seek immortality.

First Corinthians 15,

53 says,

when it's perishable body

must put on the imperishable

and this mortal body

must put on immortality.

The end result

of our final perfection.

Verse 7 says,

God will give eternal life.

Now guys,

that's a simple term,

but born again or not,

Christian or not,

we're all going to have

eternal life.

It's where that eternal life

is going to be.

Are we going to be with Christ?

Are we going to be honoring

and worshiping Him alone?

Are we going to be in torment?

As we'll see here

in a few minutes.

Verse 10,

glory and honor and peace.

And we will seek these things

with our lives.

And through our works,

God will give them

to those who do them.

So that's the first group.

The second group,

the characteristics

of the unrighteous,

the non-Christian.

These are found in verse 8

and verse 9.

But for those who are self-seeking

and do not obey the truth,

but obey unrighteousness,

there will be wrath and fury.

There will be tribulation

and distress

for every human being

who does evil.

The Jew first

and also the Greek.

Self-seeking.

Where yourself,

your desires,

your

yourself,

I'll say that again,

yourself is your God.

If that is your God,

then there's no room for God

in your life.

That person does

what pleases them.

No matter what,

they worship

whatever they feel like.

Verse 8 says,

does not obey the truth.

If a person only does

what feels good

and what they want,

then the obvious outcome

is not to obey anything

except themselves.

And of course,

they're not going to obey God

and they're not going to

obey His truth.

Rebellion and disobedience

is at the root

of the fall

in Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

You know,

Galatians chapter 5

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

tells us the fruit

of the Spirit,

but it also tells us

the fruit of the flesh.

It also gives us

a more exhaustive list

of the fruit

of the flesh.

The outward

working

of the flesh.

Verse 8 says,

they obey

unrighteousness.

As I've already said,

no one can serve

two masters,

so

you obey

the other.

A person is either

righteous

or unrighteous.

He's either godly

or ungodly.

Verse 8 says,

wrath

and fury

will come

to the unrighteous.

Wrath

signifies

the strongest

kind of anger.

The strongest

kind of anger

when God's mercy

and grace

are fully removed

or fully exhausted.

Wrath.

Fury.

Another translation

says indignation.

The root

was used

to describe

of a man's

breathing violently

while pursuing

an enemy

in great rage.

Breathing violently

while pursuing

an enemy

in great rage.

In Hebrews,

in the book of Hebrews,

it's used

to describe

Pharaoh's

murderous

fury

at Moses.

In Luke 4,

it's used

to describe

the Jews

in the synagogue

in Nazareth

who wanted

to throw

Jesus off

a cliff.

In Acts 19,

it describes

the pagan

Ephesians'

reaction

when he described

their idols

as being worthless

and no gods

at all.

This fury

will be released

from God

into or towards

those who remain

unrighteous.

Verse 9

tells us

tribulation

and distress.

Tribulation

and distress

for every human

being who does

evil.

The Jew first

and also

the Greek.

Now guys,

after last

spring,

we went through

the book

of 1 Peter.

We know

that there's

going to be

tribulation.

We know

that believers

and unbelievers

are going to

suffer.

Believers

especially

are going to

suffer in

this world.

We know

this.

But our

hope is

in the

temporary

nature

of our

suffering

that it

ends.

It comes

to a

point

of

ending.

But for

the unrighteous,

it will

never end.

For the

unrighteous,

it will be

eternal

tribulation

and distress.

The word

of distress

literally means

a narrow

place

and used

to describe

solitary

confinement.

Solitary

confinement is

described as

one of the

worst punishments

for people

in prison.

One of the

worst.

Imagine,

guys,

imagine an

eternal

punishment

that involves

that same

type of

torture or

distress

without ever

being lessened.

that's

what happens.

That's what

the people

who do evil

are headed

to.

For every

human being

who does

evil.

So their

works

will prove

or their

judgment

will be

based on

works.

So why

is this

important for

us?

Why do we

need to know

any of this?

If we're a

Christian,

we can just

kind of glance

over this

and say,

it doesn't

concern me.

I hope I've

proved to you

that it's

important,

but here's

four things.

The first

thing is we

need to know

what group

we're in.

We need to

know what

team we're

on.

And our

works will

tell us.

We need to

know,

secondly,

we need to

know what

others look

like on the

other team.

We need to

know their

works so

that we can

decide how to

minister to

them.

And we

can help

them.

Third thing,

works are

important,

but not so

that they lead

to salvation.

They're

important because

they prove

salvation.

They prove

salvation.

And

fourthly,

why this is

important is

the gospel

doesn't just

change a

heart.

It changes

the life.

So if you're

truly born

again and

you don't

have a

changed

life,

I'd

question the

first part.

James

James 2:14–26

chapter 2

verse 14

through 26,

James is

laying out

and basically

saying that

faith without

works is

no faith

at all.

Faith without

works, in

fact, is

dead.

It does

not exist.

It does

not live.

So my

question for

all of us,

for everyone

in here,

does your

works prove

your salvation

or does

your works

prove that

you are

truly not

born again?

Does your

works prove

your salvation

or does

your works

prove that

you are

truly not

born again?

That's where

the rubber

meets the

road.

It's good

to do good

things.

It is

good to

be loving.

It is

good to

be caring,

to have

mercy on

people,

to be

part of

social

injustice

groups,

and all

that is

great.

But without

Christ, it

is worthless.

Without

Christ, you're

still doing

evil.

Tribulation

and distress

is what's

in your

future.

we're

going to

be judged.

Like

the Roman

Brutus

the elder,

justice

will be

given.

His two

sons

deserved

it.

They were

conspiring

to overthrow

the government.

They

committed a

crime and

he followed

through with

justice.

But

unlike

Brutus

the elder,

mercy

will be

shown

mercy

will be

shown.

And so

we can

rejoice in

reading through

Romans chapter

two and

all of the

word of

God,

because God

is merciful.

God is

just and

he is

right.

Let's

pray.

pray.

Heavenly

Father God,

great are

you,

worthy of

all praise.

Your grace

and your

mercy that

you have

shown me

and that

you have

shown others

in this

room,

sometimes

leave me

speechless.

why?

I don't

know.

Why do

you love

me so

much?

I don't

know,

but I'm

thankful that

you do.

I'm thankful

that you've

given me

your word

and that I

can rejoice

in knowing

that my

works

prove

that I

know you

and that

I'm your

son.

God,

I pray

that you

would move

in this

room,

that you

would penetrate

the hardest

of hearts,

that we

would leave

here changed

because you

had spoken

to us,

you had

touched us

and you

had taught

us.

God,

be honored

and pleased

this morning.

In Jesus'

name,

Amen.

It's a time

of our

service where

we worship

by celebrating

what Christ

has done on

the cross.

We partake

of the

Lord's

Supper.

And guys,

if you're not

a believer,

if you are

unrighteous,

if you are

part of

team two,

there's no

reason for

you to take

this.

You're not

celebrating

anything.

You're just

taking a

drink of

juice.

But if

you are

a Christian

and are

part of

team one,

celebrate,

rejoice,

because Christ

has done

what no

man can

do.

a Christian

Amen.

Hiding rock and treacherous shoal, John and compass come from thee, Savior, pilot me.

Though the sea be smooth and bright, sparkling with the stars of night,

and my ship's path be ablaze with the light of house and days,

still I know my need of thee, Savior, pilot me.

And as a mother stills her child, thou canst hush the ocean while,

voice just waves obey thy will.

When thou says to me, then be still, sovereign, sovereign of the sea, Savior, pilot me.

And when at last I hear the shore and the fearful breaker's roar,

which breaks me in the peaceful rest, then while leaning on thy breast,

may I hear you say to me, I will pilot me.

I will pilot me.

I will pilot me.

I will pilot me.

He was wounded for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities.

Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace.

And with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray.

We have turned everyone to his own way.

And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,

and whose spirit there is no deceit.

This is the word of God.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.

Blessed is the one who died of sin.