Four Mistakes Religious People Make - Part A

So he begins to take us on this trajectory downward to paint the dark picture of the human condition so that when he gets to the part enrollments of the grace of God. It's going to sound really good. As you now understand the wrath of God. Jesus was not a religious leader righteously.

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Helping others closer to God to please call now to get 892 1888 again at 892 1888 or visit connectwithskip.com/donate connectwithskip.com/donate. Thank you were in Romans chapter 2 guided tour study with Skip Heitzig of the hardest people to reach with the gospel are religious people because they don't see their need their religious they don't see their need for Christ. Those who are morally bankrupt those who have hit rock bottom. They know they need help with people who have a religion or a ritual or a set of ceremonies. They often do not, and religion can cover a multitude of sins.

That is, it can become a mask worn by the hypocrite. Let me introduce you to two of my friends from high school. One was named Richard. Another was named Raymond now Richard. He was the guy that your parents warned you about this guy had trouble this guy had send written all over him. He was a troublemaker. He was a school troublemaker. He was a liar.

He was a manipulator really is smooth character and eventually he got murdered in a bad drug deal was Richard Starr, Richard common, here comes trouble my parents told me that, but then I was Raymond. Raymond was very different. Raymond was the All-American kid next door.

He's the kind you would want your daughter to go out with yet this winsome smile.

He was very athletic play lots of different sports very polite very seemingly sincere.

Went to church every Sunday with his family, but Raymond was an actor and I mean that literally. He was in the drama club in high school and he was very gifted but he took that skill into real life and so Raymond acted the part of the polite, religious guy so very few people knew of his drug addictions and alcoholism. On Sunday he was in church Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday was party. Raymond and Richard, two very different people but both both needed the gospel chapter 2 after dealing with one group, Paul deals with another group in chapter 2 Paul begins to address the religious person, the moralist who lives by some kind of code. The apostle has already introduced the gospel in chapter 1.

The good news about Christ and him it's the good news of salvation. How a person who is not right with God can be made right with God. But first, Paul says that each person needs to know how not right with God they are, they have to understand the bad news before they could ever grasp and appreciate the good news.

So if you went to a doctor and the doctor said I look picture tests and I need to do surgery on you.

You hear that, and that's bad news. You might even think of a doctor are you just must be nice to me I supposed to walk out of here feeling you just told me some news that I think is bad news but listen to the rest of what the doctor will say if I don't do the surgery. You're probably going to die, but if I do this surgery.

Chances are you going to live a long life will now all of a sudden the news that sounded like bad news.

Sounds pretty good especially gives that bleak, black backdrop of you could die otherwise. So now you're looking at. I need to do surgery on you as good news because you understand now how bad the bad news really is.

So what is the bad news that Paul has been telling us about while he introduces the bad news in chapter 1 verse 18. Here it is for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness is pretty bad news. So he begins to take us on this trajectory downward to paint the dark picture of the human condition so that when he gets to the part enrollments of the grace of God. It's going to sound really good because you now understand the wrath of God. But there are those who they don't know that they don't know the bad news they don't think they need a doctor.

They have diagnosed himself. They walk away every day looking in the mirror saying I feel good about myself.

I'm good just the way I am, in fact, I think I'm better than other people around me because they hide behind a veil of that little code of morality or that religious background that in mind, let's begin in verse one of chapter 2 therefore you are inexcusable, old man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself for you who judge practice the same things we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things and do you think this all man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same that you will escape the judgment of God, or do you despise the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance. But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each one according to his deeds eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality. But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man that does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory, honor and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For there is no partiality with God.

For as many as have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God but the doers of the law will be justified for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law are written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

Not exactly light reading right. This isn't something you read before you go to sleep to feel really really really good. You probably don't underline a lot of these verses and Seder my life versus some pretty tough stuff. The question is who is Paul speaking to Paul is speaking to religious folks speaking to people who are either Jewish like himself and have that religious background or very moral Greeks or Romans, who would hear or read what Paul said so far in chapter 1 and go. I agree with you Paul.

Those people really are bad that you mentioned in chapter 1 effect can we just go back a few verses of chapter 1 just to remind you of what Paul said so you understand what he saying here. Go back to verse 28 of chapter 1 it says and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil mindedness, they are, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, posters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them out.

The next word. Therefore the reason he's referring to that. Therefore he pivots now in chapter 2. Therefore you are inexcusable, old man who judge these people he he is imagining someone listening to him are reading this epistle after after pointing at the crowd. In chapter 1 there going to say yeah I agree with you. Those people are deserving of death, the really bad they are to be judged now. He says to the religious person, the moralist you are inexcusable. All man question who would fit this category today.

Answer any unsaved person who is hiding behind either religion or morality.

It is the self-righteous person. Those who trust in their baptism. Those who trust in confirmation. Those who trust in a ritual observance. Those who trust in family heritage or church membership or high ethical standard or doctrinal purity. If you trust anything else other than Christ alone for your eternal safety. That's who is writing to know this person that he is referring to chapter 2 is moral friendly charitable but self-satisfied and unsaved that when I use the term today religion or religious person. I understand that James in the New Testament used in a positive way. He said that pure and undefiled religion is this, and he described it. I'm not using it in that sense I'm using it in the sort of classical dictionary sense of religion. Religion according to the dictionary is quote a set of beliefs and practices, usually involving devotional and ritual observances.

That's what I'm referring to. I used to be a religious person, I am not anymore. I'm a recovering religious person. People say all you a religious figure know I am not I am not religious at all. In this sense of the word all I believe in God and I follow Christ personally, but that's very different. Paul is referring to the religion test the moral list and the truth is no one can be saved.

This is what Paul is underlining in these chapters, no one can be saved until they realize we are all guilty and we all need God's solution in Christ, so let me give you four mistakes religious people make. According to Romans chapter 2 we give them all to you and then I'll explain blame number one brashness number two bitterness number three and blindness. Number four. Let's go through them and I'll explain.

The first of all blame that is pointing the finger but not perceiving the heart.

The converse wanted to again therefore you are inexcusable, old man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself for you who judge practice the same things we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. You've heard the old saying you be able to finish it when you point your finger three fingers are pointing back at you you for that. That's true, but there is another truth here and that is you can point your finger but you can't pinpoint the heart. You don't know the full scoop all human judgment is distorted all human judgment is skewed.

It is not according to truth because we don't know all the details.

We don't know the motives we don't know the particulars. We don't know the causes we don't know the state of mind.

There's a lot of things we don't know and yet how often do we miss judge people.

I can't believe she's driving that nice car, or maybe her bad old beater finally stopped and somebody was generous, had another vehicle sit here drive a nice car. Enjoy use it for a while till you get your specs. You don't know that. And yet you make a judgment or can you believe that Geico stood up and walked out right in the middle of the sermon KI don't like that but maybe there's an emergency. We don't know about. Maybe he's feeling ill.

Aren't you glad he's not gonna throw up all over you, but he's can actually do the courtesy of getting up or maybe he heard something preaching.

He so convicted of sin that he hasn't dealt with that of year. Here's an immortal, just explode. We don't know Jesus told him a story you're familiar with, and I'm sure about two men going up to the temple to pray about stories. The two men went up to the temple to pray, one was a religious man. One was a wretched man. Jesus said one was a Pharisee. The other was a tax collector, a notorious kind of a sinner or if you don't mind. One was like the guy in chapter 2 of Romans one was like the guy in chapter 1 of Rome the blatantly bad guy. Chapter 1 the religious guy also guilty. Chapter 2 so two guys went up to the temple to pray, Pharisee and tax collector. Jesus said the religious guy prayed like this is what he put Lord I thank you that I'm not like other men that sound any self-righteous you I think you that I'm not like other men. Extortion is unjust, adulterers. But he continued, or even like this tax collector note is doing now pointing the finger. He's pointing the finger. I'm gonna not like that guy is pointing the finger but he doesn't know the heart.

God did know the heart. Jesus said the other guy prayed afar off, stood afar off, would even come close would even look up to heaven, but he beat his blessing God be merciful to me. I'm a sinner. Jesus said that wretched guy that bad guy that the first one misjudged. He went back to his house justified before God. Jesus knew his heart. God knew his heart the Pharisee who pointed the finger did not know his heart, so we can only point the finger but only God can pinpoint heart.

But in verse two, he says, but we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such seek only God's judgment is according to truth because that's part of God's very nature truth. You know why because God has an attribute that you and I don't have precious several attributes we don't have one of those attributes is that God is omniscient, you know that means he knows everything. He knows every and if you know everything, then there's nothing you don't know. I know that sounds obvious, but that's how it would be stated in a logic class. If you know everything and there's nothing you don't know which means you know people's motives. You know the particulars. You know the causes you know what humans don't know David understood this from 139 is the Lord you know when I sit down you know when I get up and then he said you understand my thought afar off or you know what I think before I think the thought. Whatever enters my mind and the chemicals get together and the synapses made you know it, and then he said such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high I cannot attain it God or to different categories you know everything. I do not know. So what that means is in real life, is that God always has a spoiler alert about everything you can never play with God. The game I spy with my little lives. Something that is guy goes before you even had a little thought in your head and saw I knew what you were going to say in acts chapter 15 was the first Council of the church. The first disagreement over doctrine in the church. There were two groups and the biggest group was the religious group. These were Jewish people who were Christian people. They were say they believe in Jesus as Messiah, but they had a very Jewish background very legalistic and they were pointing the finger at Gentile saying they can't be saved unless they go through the rituals of circumcision. Fortunately, Peter was there and he stood up and he said this God who knows the heart has showed that he has accepted them by giving them the Holy Spirit. Even as he did to us at the beginning. You know I got accepted them because he knows what's in their heart. You don't you're looking at the outward you're pointing the finger at the ritual or lack thereof, but God knows the heart of these except when Solomon dedicated the temple. He said the God you alone know the hearts of the sons of men. Scott's job when Jesus wrote the little postcard in Revelation 2 to the church of fire tire. He introduced himself as I am the one who searches the minds and the hearts so Paul is imagining someone pointing the finger at the crowd. In chapter 1 that he spoke about, but they really don't know the condition of those people's hearts, and sadly they don't know the condition of their own heart. So rather than being finger pointers, rather than being fault finders, rather than being seen in sniffers. Let's realize that the only one qualified to point the finger is the one who had spikes put in his hand just below his fingers. He's the only one qualified as the first mistake blame pointing the finger but not perceiving the heart. There is a second mistake and that his brashness what I mean by this is, will see his sitting as a judge, while forgetting you're actually standing before the judge. Verse three and do you think this old man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same that you will escape the judgment of God.

You know some pious people are experts at evaluating everybody else and they forget their being evaluated by God, not just escape understanding before the judge then Skip a message from the series right now want to share about an exciting resource that shifts critical light on the origins of marriage and family.

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Your gifts help connect more people to God's truths so please give now I connectwithskip.com/donate to keep drying others closer to him connectwithskip.com/donate or call 800 9218 8892 1888. Tomorrow is Skip Heitzig explains how God's grace how you to better love the people around the worse is a hardened heart against God because hardening of the arteries may send you here grave hardening your spiritual heart and that's the mass religious people can hide behind. That's why Paul is exposing all people to know if I can write good news to anyone who calls so Skip presentation of connection communications changing truth ever-changing time