Romans 3:9-24 “How Can I Follow a Jesus Whose Followers Do So Much Evil?”

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This summer's series that we're starting this morning, I want to share one thing from our time in Ireland the past few days.

So many beautiful places and people there, like our mission partners, the Lewis family.

So wonderful to be with them.

But this one particular piece of papyrus, which doesn't look all that impressive perhaps,

in a museum that we went to there, is dated to the year 200.

It's an 1800-year-old copy discovered in Egypt of the book of Hebrews.

This particular piece that happened to be on display when we visited of the very end of Hebrews,

the last passage that I had preached before getting on a plane to fly over to Ireland.

And there it is, 1800 years old.

And we had just finished this series through Hebrews.

And I was just reminded, and I wanted to encourage you, just the gift of God's Word, right?

To have that, to be able to look back to how long God has preserved it for us.

To our commitment to God's Word, our need for it.

The hundreds and thousands of years now that the Bible has been showing us how to have relationship with the God who made us.

He's revealed Himself to us, especially in His Word.

What a great gift.

It just reminded me of that this past week.

And that is why we almost always preach through books of the Bible here at Southwood.

This summer will be a little bit different.

Still the Bible, not changing that.

But instead of going through one book, we're going to be bouncing around the Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, a little bit.

As we seek to explore eight questions that people often ask about God, about faith in our lives.

And so I want to say up front that whether it is you or a neighbor, perhaps, who is presently wrestling with any of these questions,

please know this, I am not hoping to give exhaustive answers to each one of these questions,

as though in 30 minutes I could dispense with what people have wrestled with for centuries.

That's not the goal.

My heart, rather, is that we would look to the Bible together to see some of the ways that God speaks,

that His Word addresses these matters.

And then also for us after this time, each week, to have time to address your perspective,

to hear your comments and discuss with you how these impact you,

how it impacts your life and your faith and relationships.

So please invite your friends, your neighbors with whom you have conversations like this,

to join us as we are discussing issues of eternal importance.

Or consider these sermons as ways to further those important conversations that you're having on your own when you leave here.

That's my heart in looking at these things together.

But remember, we go back to the Bible.

One week we'll actually talk about why and about trusting the Bible specifically.

But each week we'll go back to the Bible as the authoritative Word of God,

where we find what we need to know.

He tells us what we need to know.

Even if it's not the full answer, exactly what we thought we were seeking,

He gives us what we need.

But if you're here this morning and that's not how you see the Bible,

you don't know for sure if God is speaking when the Bible is open,

don't let that stop you from listening and from engaging with us.

Even if you're not sure that it's God's Word,

it is at least, isn't it, the essence of Christianity.

It is what this historical figure of great importance named Jesus

and the people associated with Him,

it's what they would have to say about these questions that we're pondering.

So join us in that, even if you're not sure what it is that we're reading.

These questions can be difficult, okay?

They are for me.

This is outside of my comfort zone.

Appreciate your prayers.

They also can be emotional for different ones of us for various different reasons.

So I want to pray for our hearts before we start this conversation today

about how can I follow a Jesus whose followers do so much evil?

Will you pray with me?

Father, for any of the questions that are on our hearts,

you are the one that we need to hear from.

We want to hear your voice speaking to us.

We want to know your heart more than anything else.

We want to be shaped more by you, not just by ourselves.

So would you speak to us?

Would you teach us?

Would you even reform us?

Even this morning.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

The famous words of Mahatma Gandhi. Novelist Walker Percy has one of his characters in a book, Quip,

or one might even become a Christian if there were few, if any, Christians around.

I'm not sure, honestly, that there is a complaint that I've heard more often, more consistently from

friends and neighbors not following Jesus than this idea we're talking about this morning of

how can I follow a Jesus whose followers do so much evil? And we're not going to be able to cover

all the reasons people feel that, but people feel this way for a wide range of different reasons.

For some, that perspective or concern is historical, like violent atrocities committed by Christians

during the Crusades centuries ago, or the support of so many American Christians and theologians and

churches for the institution of slavery in the early days of our country.

For others, it's not so much in the past, it's more a present issue, like the moral failures of

pastors and religious leaders they've watched, or the things done and said by political leaders

appearing to represent or be supported by Christians. Current issues. And then I've heard from many others

for whom this is profoundly personal. Like in their own lives, they've had friends or parents who are

one way at church and another way with them. Or they've experienced what they'll call church hurt

from an interaction with a Christian leader or leaders where they felt unloved, specifically unwelcome

due to their sexual orientation, their lifestyle choices, or their struggles with faith. They ask

questions and these questions or views, they're just not welcome, they've been told.

If you're here this morning and I'm not articulating your particular concern along these lines,

please come share it with us if you'd be so willing in the discussion afterwards. We would love

to hear from you, even if it's hard to hear. But the concern that so many have is,

Jesus seems like such a good guy. I like so much of what Jesus seems to be about. But you people who

represent him claim to be so loving, so moral, so good, but you're not better than anybody else.

You just so often do things that don't match up with this. I want us to start by looking at Romans 3 today.

This is one of the letters from the Apostle Paul, this one to the church in Rome,

where he's telling them about God's judgment against the wickedness of mankind. That's where he started.

And then he turns to discuss God's very people, the Jews, and their standing in light of this.

Romans 3 at verse 9, listen now to God's word.

Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law,

so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

For by works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight,

since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law.

Although the law and the prophets bear witness to it,

the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

For there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

Some of you still remind me of this local news spot.

It was here about 15 years ago when local ordinances were being passed to outlaw texting while driving.

Just down here at the corner of the airport in Whitesburg,

there were signs reminding us of the new ban,

and the news cameras panned to cars at the intersection right down here with distracted drivers,

and then one of them was this pastor

that some of you recognized way more quickly than one would have wished.

Now, certainly not my greatest failure.

Okay?

Don't hear me wrong.

But most of them are not broadcast on live TV.

And even then, even in that moment, I remember thinking,

Ah, great.

I've blown it.

I need to own this.

There's so many excuses or clarifications that could be made,

but the pastor caught breaking the law on camera.

I'm sorry.

That's where I want to start in answering this question this morning.

I'm sorry.

I may not know your personal story yet.

Some of you have shared some of them with me.

But I'm sorry.

I don't deny the ugly truth.

And neither does the Bible.

God actually agrees with your premise.

The people of God are, like others, guilty of evil.

That's actually what's being explained here in Romans 3 with this lengthy quotation from the Psalms,

from the prophet Isaiah.

Many of these hard words originally describing the wicked.

Only some of them kind of including the people of God on the side.

But now they're applied directly to God's people to make clear that all are guilty.

No one is entirely good.

Their words are used to deceive.

Their feet have run toward violence.

And they have caused much harm in God's world by not living in His ways.

And when you've been impacted by that, when you've been hurt or discouraged by Christians acting unlike Christ,

I don't want to defend us.

I want to repent for us.

I'm sorry.

It's not okay.

Please hear me.

We have blown it.

Historically.

Blown it.

No matter what may be said about the context on the other side,

many in the Crusades lost sight of the words of Jesus.

And in the name of Jesus did ungodly harm to Muslims, to Jews, to women, to children, among others.

Our African-American neighbors, our homosexual neighbors, and our children

are among those churches have sinned against.

Some of you have grown up being dragged to church by fathers

and told to listen and learn how to love

only to return home and find them not loving your mother when they got there.

Many of you have listened to pastors talking about sexual ethics

or how to live for Christ at work

only to watch them be unfaithful to their wives

or abuse their power in ways that have hurt you

in spite of what they said.

Most of you have seen powerful people claim the name of Jesus

when it benefited them politically

and mock everything that Jesus is about

when out of the spotlight.

I'm sorry.

Sadly, we have proven quite well the Bible's assertion

that all are under sin.

None is righteous.

There's no fear of God before their eyes.

We don't live as those in relationship with God ought to live.

The Bible doesn't hide from that.

Now, it's also important to say,

lest I be confusing,

I don't want to dismiss any of that,

but it's also true Christians are often wonderful people.

Many are so loving,

so gracious,

so generous.

Christians have led the way in building hospitals

and developing health care for centuries,

especially with the care of children

in ways no one else was doing.

They've transformed science and math

and blessed many with their art and music.

They have fought to outlaw slavery,

human trafficking,

defend the rights of all people made in God's image.

So grateful.

In fact, New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof,

who himself is not claiming at all to follow Jesus,

wrote in defense of Jesus' followers in our day.

Some self-appointed evangelical leaders

seem homophobic,

and many who claim to be pro-life

seem little concerned with human life post-uterus.

Those are the preachers who won headlines and disdain.

But, in reporting on poverty, disease, and depression,

I've seen so many others.

Evangelicals are disproportionately likely

to donate 10% of their incomes to charities.

More important, go to the front lines at home or abroad

in the battles against hunger, malaria,

prison rape, obstetric fistula,

human trafficking, or genocide,

and some of the bravest people you meet

are evangelical Christians

who truly live their faith.

He writes,

I'm not particularly religious myself,

but I stand in awe of those I've seen

risking their lives in this way,

and it sickens me to see that faith

mocked at New York cocktail parties.

That's true too, okay?

And I'm thankful for it.

There are many good examples

of Christians living like Christ.

But the Bible says that the point,

it's not a contest of the moral performance

of Jesus' followers versus that of others.

That's not the game.

The truth of Jesus does not rise and fall

on the rise and fall of your pastor's life

and his moral performance.

Thank goodness for that.

Because the biblical message

is that we are all guilty

to all of us.

Importantly, though,

Jesus addresses

the evil of his followers.

Listen to verse 19.

Now we know that whatever the law says,

it speaks to those who are under the law

so that every mouth may be stopped

and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

Accountability for every person,

for every word,

every action,

every thought.

That's why Jesus says from the earliest days

of his ministry,

I have not come to call the righteous,

but sinners to repentance.

Repent, he said.

Turn from your wicked ways.

It's the call of the prophets over the centuries

now echoed by the greatest prophet,

Christ himself.

Repent.

That's why even the apostle Paul

can write later in Romans

that he, as a follower of Jesus,

as a leader in the church,

writing a book of the Bible,

battles to do the right things

that he wants to do.

He often loses and he doesn't do them.

As a result of this struggle

that Christians have,

every single New Testament letter,

including seven specific ones

in the book of Revelation,

addresses sin among God's people

and calls us back to Jesus.

This is really important, y'all.

Our struggles, our failures,

are not unexpected to God.

They don't catch him by surprise.

And when I say that,

I'm not glorifying or excusing our failures.

No, far from it.

Jesus doesn't do that.

But I am reminding us

that our sin is a part of the Bible's story.

It's not something that God doesn't see coming,

that God can't account for.

He calls us to account for it.

In fact,

I'm gonna get tough here,

where Jesus specifically addresses our hypocrisy.

Not denying it, notice,

but calling it to account.

Verse 20 here says,

for by works of the law,

no human being will be justified in his sight,

since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

In other words,

no one gets an award from God

for coloring in the lines.

He's not impressed.

Christians sometimes come across as saying,

we are holier than thou.

Jesus says,

no one gets holier through performing better than the next guy.

Remember,

no one is righteous.

religious leaders in Jesus' day,

they seem to think they could perform well enough in light of God's law

to be acceptable to God

while others were not.

To be closer to him while others were further away.

They thought they could pretend to be holy outwardly,

even when they weren't any different at their core.

I should have listened to just some of Jesus'

just excoriating words to the Pharisees.

For they preach,

but do not practice.

They tie up heavy burdens hard to bear

and lay them on people's shoulders,

but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

They do all their deeds to be seen by others.

Now he addresses them directly,

woe to you,

scribes and Pharisees,

hypocrites.

These are the religious leaders.

For you tithe mint and dill and cumin

and have neglected the weightier matters of the law.

Justice,

mercy,

and faithfulness.

These you ought to have done without neglecting the others.

You blind guides,

straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel.

Woe to you,

scribes and Pharisees,

hypocrites.

For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate,

but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

You blind Pharisee,

first clean the inside of the cup and the plate,

that the outside also may be clean.

Woe to you,

scribes and Pharisees,

hypocrites.

For you are like whitewashed tombs,

which outwardly appear beautiful,

but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.

So you also outwardly appear righteous to others,

but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

How does Jesus feel about hypocrisy?

He hates it as much as you do if you've been hurt by it.

He cuts right to the heart,

and He calls us to consistent living,

to wholehearted loving.

See,

maybe I could follow this Jesus.

Maybe you could follow this Jesus who hates hypocrisy as much as you do.

Who doesn't come to tell you that He's drafting the best performers onto His team,

and so you're probably going to be left out and unwelcome.

Who holds the leaders of His people along with the rest of them to higher standards,

just like you want.

Who calls them to account.

Maybe, maybe He's someone you could follow,

but I'd like to tell you there's something even better than that.

As important as it is that Jesus calls out the evil in His people,

there's something even more hopeful that I don't want us to miss,

because Romans 3 doesn't leave us unrighteous before a holy, righteous God.

It doesn't leave us accountable to God, unjustified, out of relationship with Him.

That's not where it stops.

Listen to the hope that He gives.

Something entirely different enters the story.

But now, verse 21,

the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,

although the law and the prophets bear witness to it.

The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe,

for there is no distinction,

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

and are justified by His grace as a gift

through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Jesus actually offers unique hope for all those guilty of evil.

That's what we've got to see.

What's that hope?

It's not that one day they're going to get it together

and finally perform well enough for God to accept them.

That's not the hope here, is it?

No, it's that there's a righteousness,

a moral perfection before a perfect God

that comes not through your performance,

but through a replacement.

It's what Martin Luther called alien righteousness

because it comes from outside of you.

Alien righteousness.

It's actually, Romans says,

God's righteousness.

Ah, perfect righteousness.

That's what we need.

Through faith in Jesus' performance.

Not your own, because, verse 23,

all religious and irreligious

have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.

None of us can work our way all the way to God,

but we can be made right with Him.

How does it say?

By grace, as a gift,

receiving something we don't deserve

through the redemption of Christ Jesus.

What happens is Jesus lives the perfect life

with no hypocrisy at all, right?

And then He dies the death that we deserve

so that we who were not righteous

could be made righteous forever.

See, the Bible is honest about our sin,

about evil.

Not to glorify sin,

but to glorify Jesus,

the one who knows what to do with it,

the one who knows how to handle it.

That's Jesus.

Jesus.

Would you imagine with me for just a minute

every single thought,

everything you've ever done or said or texted

being put on the local news

for everyone to watch.

Not just one thing.

All of them.

That's scary, isn't it?

Just for other people to see.

Think about God seeing all of it.

Then I want you to imagine

the next segment of this local news episode.

It's the story of Jesus' life

being played out.

When He's tempted to live for Himself,

He quotes Scripture and obeys His Father.

When appealed to exercise His power over the people,

He slips away and finds the lonely

and left out woman that everyone else has overlooked.

When told He's too important,

He welcomes the little children.

When tortured and falsely accused,

He refuses to speak ill of others

and instead humbly suffers for others.

The good news of Jesus

is not first that you can be more like Him.

Although we can, we will one day.

The good news is that precisely

because we couldn't be like Him,

He takes our news clip

of all of the things that we've thought

and done and said

and He puts His name beneath it

rather than ours.

And He goes to the cross

to pay the penalty

for our cosmic crimes.

even when we knock off our microphones

in excitement.

Jesus does two things

and that's just the first.

He takes our clip

and puts His name on the bottom of it.

He goes to the cross

to pay for those things

and then He takes His clip,

that perfect life,

and He throws our names

at the bottom of it

so that we go to heaven,

the home of the righteous

where He alone deserved to be.

And friends,

that gives you unique hope

because it's not like other religions

where you have to keep

performing well enough

to be accepted by God.

No, it's the other way around.

You're accepted by God.

You're with God

because of Jesus

which eventually, by the way,

will be the thing

that makes you like Him.

Being with Him

is what's going to make you like Him.

But it's eternally secure

because it's not hanging

on how you do this afternoon.

Jesus is eternally perfect

in your place

and that won't change

even if you blow it again tomorrow.

Amen?

So listen,

if you're here today

and you're wondering

about following Jesus

and you're asking,

how can I follow a Jesus

whose followers do so much evil?

One answer is

you can follow Him

if you admit

that you're as desperately

in need of saving

as His failing,

struggling,

hypocritical followers.

Friend, you may even think

that you're better

than most of the Christians

that you know

in many areas of life.

You may be right.

But are you good enough?

Do you want to stand

before God on your own

with your own newsreel,

with your own record?

Or do you, like me,

need the perfect righteousness

of Jesus in your place?

That's what He offers to you.

If you're a follower of Jesus

like me,

let me remind us

that we often think

that we need to win debates

about our goodness

and rightness

when the good news

is not our goodness,

goodness.

But Jesus' goodness.

We ought to become

more like Him

over time, yes.

And we ought to rejoice

when we see Christians

reflecting more of His image

in this world,

for sure.

But that's not our hope.

So don't be like me

and sometimes think

that Jesus' kingdom,

the only way forward

for the kingdom of Jesus

is when the Christian athlete

wins the Olympics

and thanks God on TV,

now we're winning.

When the Christian politician

wins the election

and fixes everything,

that's how it always works.

Even when the Christian kid

is nicer to his classmates

than the bully,

listen,

those may be good things.

They may even be evidences

of God's kingdom coming,

but the hope of the kingdom

is that Jesus is the Christ,

the Son of the living God.

Not you or me.

We're not the ones

that need the good record.

Matthew 16 is very clear on that.

Our mission,

as we know Him,

is to declare His excellencies,

not our own,

1 Peter 2.

One last thought

as we close.

As I was wrestling with this,

I thought,

man,

I would really understand

people hearing this message

and thinking,

that's a really nice thought.

But honestly,

Pastor,

it doesn't fix my hurt.

My relationship,

my offense,

what I've lived through.

Jesus' followers

have broken so much

in my life,

my family,

my world over the years.

If that's true,

and it often is,

I think it's really important

to ask if Jesus can fix

what His followers have broken.

Can Jesus fix

what His followers have broken?

And I've pondered that

and I've wrestled with that

because I don't want to minimize

the things people are feeling.

But I keep coming back to Jesus

in the Garden of Gethsemane.

He's been betrayed.

He's being arrested

by a group coming

with swords and clubs.

And one of His very best followers,

one of the key leaders

in His church,

one of His 12 closest disciples

named Peter,

lashes out in violence

against the will of Jesus.

The story is in Luke 22.

And when those who were around Him,

Jesus,

saw what would follow,

they said,

Lord,

shall we strike with the sword?

Without waiting for an answer

to that question,

Peter acts.

One of them,

we find out elsewhere,

it's Peter,

struck the servant

of the high priest

and cut off his right ear.

He might have been swinging

for his head.

But he cuts off his ear.

That's a big deal personally.

It could have become

a big deal publicly

if these two groups

had turned arms on one another

into great bloodshed.

But Jesus said,

no more of this.

And He touched His ear

and healed him.

Jesus touched His ear

and healed him.

Listen,

Jesus heals

what His followers break.

Jesus fixes

what His followers fracture.

Jesus redeems

His followers' mistakes

and promises to right

all of the wrongs

that we perpetrate,

not just this one.

Misguided Peter fights

to save the kingdom.

But Jesus understands

the better way.

Jesus goes to the cross

for all of us

where Jesus will purchase

forgiveness for Peter.

Where Jesus will plead forgiveness

even for the soldiers

nailing Him to the cross.

So you can come to Jesus

and find out

that there is no evil

too great

committed by His followers

or you

or anyone else

that He can't

and won't make whole

today in His world

or in your life

and forever with Him.

there is your hope.

Let's pray.

Jesus,

would you forgive us?

Especially those of us,

your people,

who should know better

for making life

about ourselves

rather than you,

for living in our own ways

rather than yours,

for preferring our own wisdom

to yours.

Forgive us.

forgive us for the hurt

we've caused

and the havoc

we've wreaked at times.

And turn our hearts,

all of ours,

to you again

that we might

that we might see

the glory of God

in the face of Jesus Christ.

That we might have

our hope

firmly fixed

on the one

who will never let us down.

Help that to be our hope

that you are coming

indeed, Jesus,

to make all things new.

And we long for that.

We look forward to it.

We place our hope

in your great name.

Amen.

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visit us online

at southwood.org.