Bible Study Romans Part 44-Escape Plan

Welcome to the program Study in the Chapel.

God's Word is supreme at Chapel Ministries.

We consider it absolutely essential to a proper relationship with God.

We study it, we love it, we rely on it every minute of every day.

The following program is an edited recording of the regular Bible studies we hold, and we decided to share these with you in the hope that you too will be able to find inspiration, encouragement, and ultimately salvation through discovering Christ in Scripture.

Our intention is to travel all the way through the Bible.

It will be a challenging journey, but one that will undoubtedly bring you to a decision.

Through this study, you will be faced with either believing or rejecting what God has said to us.

It is our intention to provide you with enough knowledge to make an informed decision about God and his word.

We strongly encourage you to listen intently and diligently, because though at the moment you may not realize it, these things are truly a matter of life and death.

In fact, these are matters of eternal life and eternal death.

Never treat what God has said lightly.

There is truly nothing more important to you.

Now join us as we seek God's will through his inspired word.

That's why we're going through this so slowly.

We are going through it with a fine-toothed comb, as they say.

We have to hear from Paul because he was inspired of the Holy Spirit.

He is one of the most important apostles.

The Holy Spirit purposely chose him to teach us all the way through the generations what it is that God wants from us once we've been saved.

We are currently in the second chapter of Romans.

We are teaching it in this way because Paul has some things to say to that early church.

He was having problems.

He was having challenges trying to get the gospel into the hearts and minds of those who had given their lives to Christ.

Yes, they had given their lives to Christ, but this was still a problem for many of them because it was such a big change, particularly the Jewish Christians.

We are going to read a verse or two and then we'll get into it.

Romans 2.2, out of the King James, if you did not bring a Bible with you, we have the verses up on the screen for you to follow.

Romans 2.2, but we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

This is so important that it is very tough to move on from.

We have spent a couple of weeks on it already.

We will continue to teach it tonight and probably next week at least.

This is truth that we need to hear.

Yes, it's painful.

Yes, it's tough to hear, but God is insistent that we pay attention to it.

The message of the entire Bible is that other than what God's Son has done for us, we have no hope.

It's not an insult, it's the truth.

And God says if we approach him in any way that is outside the parameters of what his word says, you're going to receive the full force of his wrath.

But I know you trust what God says, that's why you're here.

And he says time and again that without our full cooperation, his wrath is coming for us.

Listen, in scripture, no one ever merited an exception from this fact.

Not Noah, not Abraham, not even David.

If God ever came close to picking a favorite, it would have been David.

But every sin the beloved king of Israel committed, the Bible tells us that God judged him for it.

What hope then do the rest of us have?

The man after God's own heart had to receive judgment, and so must you, and so must I.

Now, the final proof that should convince you more than anything else is this.

If judgment could have been avoided, if it were possible for God to turn his back on our sin, his son would have never come into our world.

Sin was so heinous, so ubiquitous, and so damaging, God had to strike his own son dead.

He was the only one who had the price that the law demanded.

He was the only one that could mitigate the judgment of God.

And he didn't mitigate it, he took it for you.

If God had any other choice, he would have never put his own son through what he went through, nor himself for that matter.

And if you believe that Jesus came to this earth, then you cannot avoid that one stark truth.

Unless you change the entire story, unless you deny the truth of the crucifixion, you must realize that it, the crucifixion, the death of the Son of God on that cross is all the evidence you need to be convinced that sin must be judged.

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

God's not like us.

He doesn't play favorites, he doesn't judge on a sliding scale.

And though you may think you're extra special, if you've not accepted the righteousness of God revealed from heaven from faith to faith, he sees you as rotten through and through.

And therefore you're a locked-in target for his wrath.

That's what this chapter is saying.

You may feel safe and secure now, but that's just a figment of your imagination.

Your time is coming.

That is what this chapter says.

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

And thinkest thou this, O man, that judges them which do such things and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

In verse three, Paul is applying, he's bringing home, he's making personal what he alleges in verse two.

If God judges in truth, then you who don't judge in truth are in big trouble.

Do you think your hypocrisy is going unnoticed by the one who judges all things according to truth?

You only think you can escape, as Paul puts it, because that's what you're used to in human justice.

People escape human justice all the time.

Technicalities, extenuating circumstances, skirting the law, loopholes.

These things are so common in our justice system and in the way we treat each other that we think that's the more proper way to treat someone who's offended you or society.

In fact, not only do we think it's the right way to administer justice, we think it's the humane way.

If you don't have escape clauses in your laws, then you're thought to be cold and heartless and unsympathetic to the plight of those poor, ignorant, low-born lawbreakers.

That's what the world thinks is justice.

Long ago we felt that we needed a more enlightened society, so we determined that one of the ways we could achieve that is have a more compassionate approach to those who commit crimes or otherwise create societal problems.

That if we treated offenders as special, nothing more than obsessed or nothing more than oppressed, of course, understandably ill-mannered, we could reduce the incidence of crime.

So, as a means toward that goal, we added so many exemptions and mitigations in our law code that it makes it difficult to fully prosecute wrongdoers.

For at least 200 years, we've been more interested in it, more interested in the so-called rehabilitation of the individuals than anything approaching a system that reimburses society for law infractions.

And I gotta tell you, I think we're doing great.

I mean, sure, crime feels a little out of control, but you know, these things take time.

But we can be thankful we have a confident, well-adjusted, well-taken care of criminal element in our society.

They're, you know, they're happy in their work, and I think it shows.

And if this world isn't afraid of its own weakling earthly government that it can see, why should it fear the wrath of a God it can't see?

Let me read God's response to such foolishness.

Psalm 50, starting at verse 21.

These things hast thou done, and I kept silence.

Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself, but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes.

Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me, and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God.

But the problem is, no one sees God this anymore.

What way?

The way he portrays himself in Scripture.

No one sees God that way anymore.

And the reason is because we don't preach him as someone who's going to tear us to pieces just because we're not listening to him.

Imagine the reaction you'd receive from the coffee club ladies if you decided to discuss just those three verses of Psalm 50.

Heck, how about suggesting Psalm 50 as a subject for your Bible study?

I mean, seriously, can you imagine talking about God's wrath and his anger and his hatred of sin in the typical church gathering?

Even a gathering around God's word?

John, can't we just move on?

I don't think so.

For centuries, the church has been pumping us with the nonsense that God is too lovely to punish sin.

So I think you can give me a few more minutes in rebuttal.

I mean, it's only fair.

I guess you can leave any time you want, but I cannot let this go because I can't get this word escape from Hebrews 2.3 out of my head.

Hebrews 2.3.

How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?

Which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.

Clearly, the writer to the Hebrews is convinced that there is no way out other than so great salvation.

As a student of history, I love history.

As someone who reads a lot about European history, I am struck by how involved the church was in the everyday lives of the citizenry.

But this isn't limited to Europe, and it's certainly not limited to Christians.

Look at the history of just about any civilization, any society the world over, and quickly you'll come to the conclusion that keeping the gods happy was job one for each and every citizen.

The most important person in any community was the guy or gal who was in charge of offering the sacrifices whose only aim was the appeasement of the gods.

The one who had an ear to the possibility of the coming wrath was always revered and constantly regarded.

There was a time when the wrath of God was something people feared, no matter who your God was.

Ah, well, that's the point, your hip cool friends will tell you.

They were afraid of offending their gods back then because they weren't as smart as we are today.

Now we know better.

God, if he or she does exist, isn't someone to be afraid of.

Even that silly book of yours says God is love.

They may even be your best friend, but they're going to laugh you to scorn if you insist on trying to convince them of the coming wrath revealed from heaven.

This has even become a problem within fundamentalist circles.

Evangelical churches are doing the same things.

They feel like, well, we got to keep the doors open.

And if we want to do that, we had better tone down the wrath rhetoric.

And that's what they're doing.

They preach the happy, sappy sermons about God's limitless love and mercy.

But most of the congregation have almost no idea how incredible that limitless love and mercy actually is because they think they're so lovable.

They think they have no reason to exhaust anyone's mercy.

Long ago, even our evangelical ministries gave up on teaching why we need the good news.

That's what evangelicals are supposed to be doing.

They're supposed to be spreading the good news.

But when you leave out the wrath, it's just news.

Why is the good news called the good news?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold down the truth in unrighteousness.

And Mr.

Preacher, do not hold down the truth of that wrath, because that's part of the truth Paul is talking about.

In fact, it's that truth that made all of this necessary.

There would be no such thing as evangelicalism if there were no wrath to warn about.

Don't hold down the truth just so you can keep the lights on in your 200,000 square foot sanctuary.

Listen, I know better than most that once you start sprinkling in biblical conversations regarding God's wrath revealed from heaven, your space requirements begin to shrink precipitously.

Come on, John, don't be so gloomy, man.

Talk about grace, mercy, forgiveness once in a while.

What do you think I'm doing?

Words like grace and mercy and forgiveness are hollow slogans if you don't know why we need those things.

You can never fully appreciate God's grace and mercy and forgiveness if you don't realize what the alternatives are.

The alternatives are judgment and condemnation and wrath.

Without judgment, condemnation and wrath, grace and mercy and forgiveness are as dull as the color gray.

If I were to uh if I were to to if I were to do a poll right now and ask how many times you've heard the word atonement in your Sunday services lately, I think I could easily predict the results.

I'm sure the average number of times the poll responders reported hearing the word atonement lately, let alone a sermon on the atonement, it would number no more than a few.

Now, wait a second, John.

I'm pastor at first congregation of the northeast corner of Maple Street, and I mention the word atonement regularly.

Well, the fact that your congregation doesn't remember it tells me that you're not doing a very good job of making the impact that word should have because most of the time preachers are pointing at someone else who needs the atonement, not you guys.

We're not talking about you guys.

You don't need atonement.

They need it out there, not you.

That's the problem.

We are molecodling our congregations.

We are not letting them know that God's wrath is coming against them if they don't see what God is saying is true about judgment.

I mean, that's the whole point of me going on and on about God's wrath.

I'm not doing this to make anyone feel bad, but I am doing this to make everyone feel guilty because we are guilty and we need to know.

If you aren't convinced that you're guilty, you will miss out on something you really need, and that's atonement.

The fact that you're a guilty sinner is not the end of your story.

Well, it doesn't have to be the end of your story, but there's no avoiding it.

Getting you to see that you're a guilty sinner is the only way I can get you to realize that there's a remedy, that there's an atonement, that there's hope, that your guilty sinner status doesn't have to stay with you.

I feel like reading the letter to the Hebrews again.

I thought we were studying the letter to the Romans.

Hang on, we'll get there.

I promise.

Hebrews 2, 3.

How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him?

We can escape by not neglecting so great salvation.

What do we need to escape from?

Judgment.

Therefore, thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judges, for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself, for thou judgest doest the same thing.

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commits such things.

Judgment will come, unless you have an escape plan, and being in a Christian home isn't it, and being a good guy isn't it, and being born a Jew isn't it.

And thinkest thou this, O man that judges them which do such things and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

And it's that at this point I think Paul's blood pressure is starting to crump climb.

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering, not knowing the goodness of God?

Now the King James Version is not so easy to grasp.

The fault, I think, is with this word despise.

In the early 17th century, it may have been a good choice, but I think now we've changed the meaning of it so drastically that it doesn't seem to fit here, in my opinion.

The original Greek word is kataphroneo, and we One of the reasons I'm mentioning that is because it's fun to say.

But the other reason is so we can contrast the meaning of the original word with the current meaning of the English word.

Catafroneo is defined by Strong's dictionary as meaning, yes, despise, but more appropriate for this discussion, esteem, disesteem.

No one says that word either.

The word study dictionary adds the word contempt.

What Paul is saying is, do you have so little respect for God's goodness as to think you can manipulate him, bat your eyes, remind him of how much he loves you, and think you can get away with it?

Do you treat God so rudely by having such a casual attitude toward your own wickedness?

Do you dare take for granted God's deep love and mercy and goodness toward you as to assume that no matter what you do, he'll forgive you?

Listen, friends, most of us agree that there could be no greater offense than to treat someone who adores you as if they're only there to take advantage of, right?

Now let me read the Amplified Bible's version of these two verses.

It will help us to overcome the difficult King James language.

By the way, always remember that the Amplified Bible is a summary and not a translation.

It's a very good summary, but a summary nonetheless.

Now, quickly, why is that so important for me to know?

Well, I'm just saying we have to be careful when we read it.

By nature, summaries will substitute words and sentences and phrases when necessary.

Whenever you are presented a summary, you have to realize that such things can include personal interpretation.

We want to know what God thinks.

It's okay to hear what someone else thinks God thinks, but we should always make sure we don't strictly rely on someone's opinion of what God said.

Be sure to check the sources.

Now, with that little advisory in mind, here is the amplified Bible's version of Romans chapter two.

Let's read both verses three and four together.

And do you think or imagine, O man, when you judge and condemn those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God's judgment and elude his sentence and adverse verdict?

Or are you so blind as to trifle with and presume upon and despise and underestimate the wealth of his kindness and forbearance and long-suffering patience?

Are you unmindful or actually ignorant of the fact that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repent, to change your mind and inner man to accept God's will?

Listen, the last thing any of us should do is trifle with and presume on the wealth of God's kindness, forbearance, and long-suffering patience.

Yes, it's true.

God does know our weaknesses.

He does take into account our frail natures, but come on, he's given us enough intelligence, enough common sense and ability to know how and when to rise above it all.

He's provided plenty of resources with which we can do that.

But it all comes down to our willingness to show him our love and appreciation for his plan of redemption, for the things he's given us, for the personal causes, the personal costs he's endured to bring us back into his family.

While we're still not finished with this section, we have to make sure that Paul's message sinks in.

I want to make sure we grasp the importance of this message.

So we'll stay with this for just a little longer, but I think that might be enough for now.

We'll pick it up right there next time.

See you then.

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It is our prayer that this will be so for all of our listeners.

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