Romans Chapter 2:5-18

As concerned as we should be, and we should be concerned with not doing certain behaviors and certain things. Absolutely. The Bible is very clear on that.

I hope I'm clear on that. But we should also be as concerned that we're doing the right things, that we're doing good things, that we're loving God and loving people. A life lesson here? Christianity is not only about keeping from doing bad deeds, but it is also about doing good deeds. Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David Magee. David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. As we dive deeper into God's Word, our Bible study should lead into Bible doing. Find out why this is important today as Pastor David continues in the book of Romans chapter 2. But before we get into today's teaching, from beginning to end, the Bible shows the special nature of God's relationship with the nation of Israel.

But what does that have to do with you today? Romans chapter 11 tells us that God's covenant relationship with Israel has huge implications for you. To help you understand more, Pastor David wants to send you his teaching video recorded in the Holy Land called Israel, the Bible and You. This powerful resource will encourage and strengthen you as you learn how connected you are with God's chosen people. Israel, the Bible and You is our gift to thank you for your donation to help more people on this station and beyond cross the bridge from death to life. So visit crossthebridge.com to request your copy.

Again, that's crossthebridge.com. Now here's David McGee with part two of his teaching, Bible Doing. We're looking at the book of Romans and Paul is writing to the church at Rome.

He's not yet been to Rome. He's writing to encourage the believers there. And it's just an incredible book that not only has changed lives, but it's really changed human history. Martin Luther, for one, was incredibly impacted by the verses that are in this book.

John Wycliffe as well and in many others. And so these are people who really started the Reformation hundreds of years ago. Now the awesome thing is it's the same Word of God, the same Spirit of God that changed their lives is available this morning to change your life.

So as we look at this, that's our open prayer. Romans chapter 2 verse 5 says, But in accordance with your hardness and with your impendent 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 who does evil of the Jew first and also of the Greek. Verse 10, 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. I'm reading in the New King James.

I read in the King James and the New King James, actually go through several different versions and then go back to the original languages, the Greek and the New Testament, Hebrew and the Old Testament. But the New Living Translation, this is the way it reads here, says, For God does not show favoritism. For God does not show favoritism.

I like this verse. No partiality, no favoritism. Do we show favoritism? Oh, yeah, sometimes we do. I think the worst example is when it happens in the church in a sense. I've seen some weird things. It was in one church and they set a bucket and said, you know, if anybody wants to give a dollar, come up and put it in the bucket.

And then if anybody's got a five, if anybody's got a 10, I thought, man, what is that? We're going to try it next week. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding.

Here's another form I don't know if you've thought about. I am really flattered when somebody wants me to pray for them. It touches me. And I have a heart to pray for people. But I tell you something I kind of don't understand sometimes because every now and again somebody will call and I won't be available. I'll be doing something and one of the assisting pastors will say, you know, somebody calls, hey, I want Pastor David to pray for me.

He's not available right now. I'd like to pray for you. No, I want Pastor David to pray for me.

No, no, you just won't do. Like, I don't know, like I got a direct line to God or something. I mean, I do have a direct line to God. It's a phone on my desk. No, I'm kidding.

I'm kidding. But I do have a direct line to God. But the awesome thing is each and every one of you do. You've got a direct line to God. And God's not going to show me favoritism.

See, we kind of think, and of course I think people in ministry kind of reinforce this sometimes, you know. If you need me to pray for you, I'll pray for you. You know, I saw a guy on television. He said, you know, if you send in like $25, he'll pray for you.

And then he, no, he gets better. He said, sometimes when people send in $25, he prays them a $50 prayer. That is so weird. Why? Because it's really, hey, you need me to pray for you. Guys, I do pray for you.

I pray for you a lot. And sometimes I pray by faith, sometimes by name, by situation. But God doesn't show favoritism. God doesn't show favorites.

Isn't that awesome? You ever been in that situation, maybe, I don't know, maybe they were choosing a sports team. Maybe you weren't chosen.

Or maybe you were chosen last. I had two large brothers. I still have two large brothers.

They both played a lot of football, college ball, whatnot. You know, and I used to tag along with them and play football with them. And I was always, you know, like the smallest one. And a lot of times I got chose last.

You know, and I always thought, what's the favorite? God doesn't show favoritism. How encouraging that is. It all comes down to if you know Jesus as your Savior. Verse 12, for as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law. And as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law. Romans chapter 1 and 2 kind of deal with, and I'm sure you hear it sometimes, people go, what about the people who haven't heard? What about the people who've never heard the gospel? And here's the thing, this verse is saying that's kind of a smokescreen. If you've ever sat with somebody and been trying to share the Lord with them or the fact that they need to ask Jesus to forgive them, and then they go, what about, whatever, pygmies in Africa or what about this other people group that haven't heard?

A lot of times that's a smokescreen, and that's not really the question. The question is the person that's hearing you talk about Jesus, hearing you talk about the Lord, hearing you make God's offer of grace and forgiveness, what will they do with that? Now what about somebody who hasn't heard, but what about the people who have heard, including perhaps the person you're sharing with? So this verse speaks of that. I think a lot of times what people are saying is there's a flaw in the plan. Why is there anybody on earth who hasn't heard? There's a flaw in God's plan that he hasn't told everybody and holds everybody accountable for this knowledge. You know what? There's not a flaw in God's plan.

This is the perfect plan. If there's any flaw, it's that we haven't done all we can while we can to reach all we can. So if somebody asks that question, that's more of an indictment of the church, not of God himself. God's told us to go tell everybody. When people say that, it's almost like, well, God's really guilty in this whole thing because not everybody's heard.

No, no, no. Think about it. Two thousand years ago, Jesus died. Why really should there be anybody on earth who hasn't heard? There really shouldn't be if you think about it.

With the internet, with the television, with all these things, there shouldn't be. So maybe there's something that as a church we're not doing or as individuals we're not doing. But again, the question isn't will God find those people guilty who haven't heard? Because that's an academic discussion that people who have heard try to make. And is that really the question?

That's not really the question. The question is, you've heard, what will you do? Will you just turn and walk away from the grace of God and the love of God? Because according to this verse, anybody that hears the law, hears about salvation will be held accountable.

You're listening to Pastor David McGee on Cross the Bridge. He'll be back with more powerful insight from God's word in just a moment. But first, God's grace and mercy is greater than any of us could ever fathom. That's why he's been so faithful to the nation of Israel throughout the ages.

And he's not finished. He's promised to remain true to them to the end. We want to show you what God's faithfulness toward Israel says about his relationship with you by sending you Pastor David's teaching video, Israel, the Bible and You. In this exciting teaching recorded in the heart of the Holy Land, Pastor David unpacks important truths from God's relationships with Israel that impact your life today. Israel, the Bible and You is our gift to thank you for your donation to help more people on this station and beyond cross the bridge from death to life. So visit crossthebridge.com to request yours.

Again, that website is crossthebridge.com. Now, back to today's teaching. Verse 13, For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified. You know, in this passage, Paul is really, in the whole book of Romans, he does just a masterful spirit-led job of balancing the grace and the law. And right now, you know, and grace and works.

And right now he's talking about the works and what we should be doing. And again, James points out chapter 1, verse 22, says, And remember, it is a message to obey and not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you're only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in the mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself walk away and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law, that is the Bible, the law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you've heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

Let me put that in kind of a present-day application. You're here this morning. I'm glad you're here. I'm grateful you're here. I'm grateful for each and every person that's here.

I'm still surprised, to be honest. I walk out on Sunday morning and there's anybody here, especially after some Sundays when, you know, the Lord tells me to really share something that's difficult and, you know, that I can almost sense people wincing. You know, maybe like this morning.

I don't know. And there's part of you that being here, you should feel and understand God is at work in your life. But again, friend, if this is your only spiritual exercise during the week, if this is the only thing you do, then you should be concerned.

If your Bible sits on a shelf until next Sunday, that should disturb you. And so Paul is pointing out that you need to keep doing these things and doing good works because, again, you know, there's a question here. And a lot of times we reduce the question, are you saved? And so I go, oh, yeah, absolutely. Saved.

Yep. Okay. How do you know you're saved? Well, I prayed this prayer and did this. Okay, well, what are you doing now? Nothing.

What do you mean nothing? Well, I don't go to church. I don't serve God. I don't serve people. I don't give. I don't pray much. You should be disturbed.

If that describes a friend of yours, that should be disturbing because according to this book, there should be good fruit. So the first question, absolutely, are you saved? Do you know Jesus? If you're wondering this morning, we give everybody an opportunity every Sunday morning and a lot of Thursday nights to respond to this. But the next question is, if you are saved, what are you doing with it?

What are you doing with it? Are these good works that are happening? Ephesians 2, 8, and 9 says this, For by grace you have been saved through faith, grace, unearned, unmerited favor, and that not of yourselves is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

You're not saved by works, but your faith, according to the Bible, should lead you to works, verse 10, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. So we're saved by grace, and that saving grace should lead to us doing good things and ceasing to do some of the bad things. The life lesson here is Bible study should lead to Bible doing. Bible study should lead to Bible doing. It's not just the people who know about God.

As a matter of fact, James points that out. A lot of people get confused on this, and I encourage you, do the two-question test. People say, are you going to heaven? Most people think they're going to heaven.

They'll say, yeah. The majority of people say, yeah. But the second question is, why do you think that?

And you'll get interesting responses. Well, I believe that because I'm basically a good person. I believe that because I go to church is another common one. I believe that because I believe in God is another common one. Those are good answers, and again, you should go to church. Obviously, I think you should go to church. But when we come to that point where we say, well, I, you know, that we're counting on the fact that we are trusting that we're going to be allowed into heaven because we know about God.

And let's take a stronger word. I believe in God. I believe in Jesus. James has strong words for us, didn't he? He said, even the demons believe and tremble.

So if in your mind you think, well, it's enough to believe in God, it's enough to believe in Jesus' time for the sins of the world, by that definition, demons are Christians. Well, now you've got a big theological problem there, don't you? No, you have to come to the Lord.

You have to come to the Lord personally and trust in Him, believe in Him for your forgiveness and begin to see this working out in you. Again, if you don't see this fruit in your life, it should be of concern. In Luke 13, they walk past this fig tree, and it's not bearing any fruit, and they get ready to cut it down, and Jesus says, no, give it more time. I want to fertilize it, I want to take care of it, and we'll see what happens.

It's kind of a scary little story, isn't it? That we should be concerned about our fruit. Now, you see the mercy of Jesus in wading and fertilizing, but He is looking for fruit on that tree. I encourage you, and keep in mind, when you talk about good works and you talk about fruit and stuff, this should be a supernatural thing that goes on in your life, okay? It's not something that you necessarily produce, but you're responsible, if you will, for tending the tree.

We had fruit trees when we lived in Summerfield, and I used to take a prayer walk around the property. As I walked around the property, and we had apple trees, pear trees, beet trees, I walked around the property, and we would prune, and we would do different things to the tree to care for the trees, but the trees were responsible for the fruit. God's responsible for the fruit in your life. You're responsible, if you will, for tending the tree. I never walked past one of those fruit trees and overheard it going, mmm, it's fruit, straining to make fruit. No, it made apples because it was an apple tree.

That's what it did. Friend, as you believe in Jesus, as you follow Jesus, guess what? You're going to produce fruit.

Why? Because that's what Jesus' trees do. Verse 14, 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, doing the things the Bible talks about. I guess some of this stuff is philosophically kind of deep, and you have to really stop and consider some of the things it says. You know, if I'm sitting up here, and I've got a medical degree, and I've got a degree in brain surgery, but I never do brain surgery, am I a brain surgeon? I can brag that my pedigree is a brain surgeon, but I'm not a brain surgeon. See, we can say, well, I know the Lord, or I know the Bible, but again, are you living it out?

Are you walking these things? Now, we're a very grace-oriented church, and certainly when we get into this stuff, we have to look at the fact that us who understand that it's by grace we're saved should be seeing fruit in our lives, for we are his workmanship created in him for good works. What's interesting, the Greek word there for workmanship is poema. It's where we get our word for poem. In essence, God is saying, you've probably been called a lot of things in your life. I certainly have, but in that verse, we're called God's poem. God's poem that he wants other people to read and see and glorify him because of what they read and see. Your life is a poem, a living epistle, if you will, and as people see what you do and see what you don't do, they can glorify God and be drawn to the Lord. But if you sit there and say, well, I don't serve, I don't give, I don't go to church, I don't do this, then the world is going to look on and say, you know what, I don't see a difference. I don't see a difference between your life and my life. Verse 15, who show the work of the law 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.

Man, this is incredible. We have a conscience. God gave us that conscience. It's kind of interesting to hear psychiatrists and psychologists who don't believe in God try to explain the issue of conscience, how it evolved or whatever. There's no good reason we have a conscience outside of that God created us. And I've studied it all well. It's a guilt complex we invented to feel good about the bad things we do.

None of them really hold water for me. But God has given us a conscience. Look at verse 16, guys.

In the day when God will judge the secrets of men, all these things that we've ever done, God knows. He knows. When I was studying classical music at UNCG, it was called symphonic chorus. There was about 80 people in the symphonic chorus, and it was kind of unnerving because the guy that taught the class, the professor, had perfect pitch, and he would walk through 80 people singing, same note. He would walk through the room and go, Somebody's flat right over here. I mean, he just knew. That's kind of unnerving, to be honest.

I sat beside a guy who played for the Greensboro Symphony and played cello, and if ever I was concerned about the movement or the pitch, I would kind of lean into him and feel the vibration. It's not really cheating. It wasn't really cheating.

But that was kind of unnerving because the guy knew when anybody varied from the pitch. God knows, friend. He knows. He knows all your secrets.

He knows everything about you. He knows everything that you've ever done and still loves you and still offers you forgiveness and still offers you mercy and still offers you his hand of fellowship. Again, if people reject that hand of fellowship, that hand of mercy, at some point in time, the hand of judgment is extended and you refuse God's grace, you receive God's wrath.

But the fact that he still loves us and wants a relationship with us is incredible. Verse 17, Indeed you are called a Jew and rest on the law and make your boast in God and know his will and approve the things that are excellent being instructed out of the law. Again, I love the Bible. I love Bible study.

I love Bible teaching. But those things have to lead us to doing the things we're talking about. You don't want to just sit in here and receive and receive and receive and never pour back out. Because we talk about that birdbath. A birdbath, as it gets poured into, but it doesn't have an outlet, what happens without water? It gets green and stinky and slimy. It smells. It looks bad. How many of you want to be like that?

Nobody wants to be like that. But then you think of a stream where water is flowing into it, water is flowing out of it. It's crystal clear. It's a blessing. People want to drink from it.

Why? Because it's pouring out. This is the way our lives are supposed to be. And as we look at the law, I understand we all, there's part of us that goes, oh, you know, when I was younger, I used to read the Ten Commandments and go, hey, I'm good.

Everything's good. Boy, the older I get, read the Ten Commandments, I'm like, oh, ah, mercy, please. Because God said if you've ever hated somebody, you're basically guilty of murder.

If you've ever lusted in your heart towards somebody, you've committed adultery. So we all stand condemned under the law. Galatians chapter 3 verse 24 says this, therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. What does that mean? That we all stand condemned under the law. And once you get to that point and you understand that you are condemned under the law, it leaves you in a place where you want to be forgiven, but you know you can't earn it.

So what do you do? There's only one way, friend, and you and I aren't in charge of making that way or creating that way. It's already been created in Jesus Christ.

There's a beautiful picture of this. Moses, the lawgiver, went around the desert for 40 years with the children of Israel. He brought them to the promised land but didn't take them in. See, the law can take you to the promised land.

It can't take you in. No, it was somebody else, somebody that we call Joshua in English. In Hebrew, his name was Joshua.

We're more familiar with the Greek version of his name, Jesus. Moses, the law, can take you to that point where you realize you're guilty and you need some way to get in to the promises of God. But Moses can't take you in, friend. Jesus needs to take you in.

Those are the choices. And basically, Paul is putting forth in chapter 2 a very legal argument to say, you know what, you're condemned too. Don't just look around and say, well, everybody else has problems and everybody else is struggling.

No. Consider yourself, compare yourself to the law, and all of us stand guilty. And as we have this saving grace and this knowledge of saving grace, each and every one of us should begin to bear good fruit and good works in our lives. That's consistent in the Bible. Friend, do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven?

You can know right now. I want to lead you in a short, simple prayer, simply telling God you're sorry and asking Him to help you to live for Him. Now, God wants you to pray this prayer so much that He died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask Him to forgive you.

Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven. And I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life. And I've done wrong things. I have sinned.

And I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you all of my days. In Jesus' name.

Amen. Friend, if you prayed that prayer, according to the Bible, you've been forgiven. You've been born again. So congratulations, friend.

You just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you. If you prayed that prayer with David for the first time, we'd love to hear from you. You can call us toll free at 877-458-5508 to receive our First Steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. Before we go, we want to encourage you in your faith so that you can experience more of the grace and love of God for you. That's why we'd like to send you Pastor David's teaching video recorded in the heart of the Holy Land called Israel, the Bible, and You. This encouraging look into the history of Israel and God's covenant faithfulness to His chosen people will help you take bold new steps in your relationship with God. Israel, the Bible, and You is our gift to thank you for your donation to help more people on this station and beyond cross the bridge from death to life. So visit crossthebridge.com now to request your copy. And be sure to join us next time on Cross the Bridge with David McGee to hear more from the Book of Romans. We'll see you then.