Drum roll please. Going into Romans chapter two. Say, already? Already. Romans chapter two. And the first thing I want to alert you to is that chapter two verse one continues a thought that's presented at the end of chapter one. You can tell why that's so is because it starts with therefore. So again, chapter two is filled with a lot of the words therefore and but. Again, Paul making a judicial statement, a statement as a good lawyer before a judge, before the people, before the prosecuting attorney, so to speak. So Paul continues. Now what he started in chapter number one, And then we're gonna read just verses one through 11 this morning. Therefore, thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. A lot of people would like to stop there, but we need to continue. For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself, for thou that judgest doeth the same things. But we assure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, and not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? but after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. who will render to every man according to his deeds, to them who by patient continuance and well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life. But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation, and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile. But glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. For there is no respect of persons with God. And Lord, we just pray that you would add your blessing to your word this morning. The key theme in these verses is there is no respect of persons without God. I always like the expression, when you think you is, you isn't. And it's so true, because God doesn't regard the things you do according to your flesh for salvation, but he regards this one thing, and that's the gospel of his dear son, the gospel of Christ, which is purchased salvation for those who believe. Now there is a judgment, and we'll look at that, there is a judgment both of the unrighteous and there is a righteous judgment, even for Christians, two different things. One is a trip to the lake of fire. The other is just a loss of rewards and glory. Amen? But still, the body will be saved. What a great thing that is. And now we know, and we'll look at this too, that we all come short. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Even believers, believe it or not, But the answer is not for you to continue with your upward projection, the answer is that Jesus Christ came and he died on the cross for your sin. That's the beginning point, that's the ending point, and that's the staying point of the Christian life, is the death of Christ. So I title this message No Hypocrites. or hypocrites not allowed. And what is a hypocrite? A hypocrite is outlined in verses number one and two. The word isn't used, but we see that it's used throughout the books of the Bible, most of the time in the book of Matthew. Nine times in Matthew chapter 23, 27 times in the book of Matthew itself. Jesus was dealing with the religious hypocrites of His day. The scribes and Pharisees, He calls on them. He calls them by name, calls them hypocrites to their faiths. So it's not used in our text, but God has no respect to persons. Those that judge wrongful judgment, those that do the things that they're against, Sounds like much of the religious world and sounds like a lot of the political world. Do something because I said it, but in the meantime, doing things that are wrong and evil that you're against. I've seen that so often. I've seen so many times where people rail against certain things. And of course, what do you find that happens? They're doing the same things they're railing against. I remember it was a congresswoman a while back ago, she was all for righteous things, but she was caught in a movie theater with a guy doing things which are unseemly. But publicly, she was against those very same things. She was found to be a hypocrite. the righteous judgment of the scribes and Pharisees. Outwardly, they looked apart. They had their robes, they had their collars, they had all the different workings, and people actually bowed down to them as teachers and regarded them rather than God himself. Those are just my observations, by the way, regarding the religious hypocrisy and the political hypocrisy. The religious form takes the form of having lordship over people. You ever see the do as I say mentality? Why do you do these things? Because I said so. I have a special vision and call by the Lord on this church, and you're to follow my commandments. And for those that are watching on YouTube, I'm not quoting myself, I'm quoting others. The typical view of churchianity places the pastor or the leaders on top of a pyramid. with everybody in the pews taking second place to him. We see that with the ranking of bishops and cardinals and popes and all these different things. And even the evangelical world, it has the same connotations. A better view. that we have, we find in Ephesians chapter four and Colossians chapter two is the view, I could say 1 Corinthians chapter 12, is the view of a functioning body. Who's the head of the functioning body? Jesus Christ is the head, not a ranking cleric or scholar. Let's go to Ephesians chapter four for a second. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse number 15. Let's start with verse 11. And He gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. That's the reason we get together is because of the edifying of the whole body, not just one person or whatnot. Till we come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie and wait to deceive. That's always a sobering thought. that there are those out there waiting to deceive. They're waiting to trap you. They're waiting to get you, as I always like to say, believing anything but Christ. Believing in what you're told, and whatever new comes around every so often. Lately, I've been seeing this thing called the Matthew 25 Challenge. And it's sponsored by World Vision, which I won't get into World Vision right now. It seems like a good organization and all. But this challenge is about how much you can act like those in Matthew 25, and give to the poor, give to the needy, which are all good things. One of the realizations when we understand the Bible is Matthew 25 deals with the kingdom. being on earth and how those in the kingdom, the millennial kingdom, will treat one another. Or in tribulation, rather. I say kingdom, but in the tribulation of those days. To love and support people during that time. He says, so we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men. I love magicians. I love their sleight of hand. But there's something behind every trick. And people use the same tricks every day to deceive people. They just put a little different spin on it to make it attractive. And cunning craftiness whereby they lie and wait to deceive. Verse number 15, of course I have the first word highlighted. But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head, even Christ. Our marching orders come from the head. Us men, we think we're smarter than the head. We think we're smarter than Jesus Christ. from whom the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working and the measure of every part, maketh an increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. There's a whole message that could be taught about Ephesians 4.16, the edifying of itself in love. You know what's great? It's when people get together, they grow together, they learn together, they speak together, and they understand more about who they are. It's good to have somebody to talk to and bring your complaints and frustrations to them and grow in that way. Let's go over to Colossians chapter two. Colossians chapter two. Trying to figure out how much not to do here. Now let's go up to verse one. For I would that you knew not what great conflict I have for you and for them at Laodicea, and for as many have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ. in whom are hid all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge." Where is wisdom and knowledge found? In Christ, right? In the Father and of Christ. And you think, going back to chapter one of the book of Romans, there are those that have created God in their own image. And they think they're wise enough to create their own God. But wisdom and knowledge can only come from God the Father and God the Son. And guess what, God the Spirit's involved too because you're put into the body of Christ, baptized into Christ by the Spirit. And you have the Spirit that's with you as a believer. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. Surely God didn't say that you couldn't touch or eat out of the tree of knowledge. Oh, that's a lie. That was the enticing words right from the beginning. But enticing words still come today. You need to do something else besides believing the gospel to be right with God. I heard somebody that used to be a member of a cult saying that the toughest thing that he had to get over was the fact that everything is by grace. 100% the work of God and no work on his own. Because he'd been programmed for life, that he had to do all these great things, he had to perform to a certain level, and perhaps, maybe, God would find him faithful. but the reality is that our faithfulness is our belief in the gospel, and that illustrates God's faithfulness to do what he said he would do. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit, joining and beholding your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. One receives the Lord Jesus Christ by faith. One receives salvation by faith. How want you also to walk? By faith. We walk by faith, not by sight. Even though our sight will show us in the Bible the reality of who Jesus is. Rooted and built up, where? in him, not into Presbyterianism, or Lutheranism, or Calvinism, or Baptism, or anything else. I mean, how come all of them has M but the Baptist? You know, Pope-ism, Pap-ism, Bap-ism, I don't know, all those things. rooted and built up in him and established in the faith. So as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. I mentioned that before. Your faith, your salvation should generate thanksgiving unto God. And guess what? Conversely, thanksgiving should generate your renewed love for the gospel. your renewed love for Jesus Christ. Verse number 8 says, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Those traditions, those rudiments, or elementary teachings of the world, those are the things that will put God at second rate, rather than him being the all in all. The rudiments of the world and not after Christ, for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. Complete in him. Our salvation is the only salvation that's complete the moment we receive it. Amen? Let that sink in. Man's way is you work your way to salvation. You work your way to satisfaction. God's way is you are because you believed. I don't know if I want to go further here. I think I'm going to stop right there. Complete in Him. Now, let's go over to 2 Corinthians, chapter number one. 2 Corinthians, chapter number one. So we've seen the elementary work or the work of Jesus being the head of the body. We see that he is the one and only head. He's the brains of the organization. And look at verse 24. Verse 24 of chapter number one, actually let's go to Let's go back to v. 19 of 2 Corinthians 1. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me in Salvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in Him was yea. I like that. In Him, He's the only way. He cannot be rejected and still be saved. Or we can't reject Him, and still have salvation. Because salvation comes only through Him. That's why He's the yea and not the yea and nay. It's not a multiple choice in how you're saved. It's all through Jesus Christ. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me in Salvanus... Oh, I already read that. Now He would establish us with you in Christ and hath anointed us is God, right? Remember, the conflict that Paul had with the Corinthians is because the leadership in Corinth thought they were high and mighty. They were the super apostles that had all the knowledge. This Paul, he's a backwards lowlife, don't listen to him. That was their message that's in Bobbanese speaking. They thought they were it. Who hath also sealed us and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." In other words, Paul is saying, just like in you, he's done the same thing in us. In Timothy, Silas, and me. He's also, just as you people, he's sealed us. Moreover, I call God for record upon my soul, to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth. Verse 24, well, verse 23, it's like if he could be there, he needs to correct them. That's what the letters to the Corinthians, the Corinthians, the Corinthians, they were corrective letters for bad practices and bad teaching that was taken there. Look at verse 24. If anyone could say that he could have a statue made of him and be considered a leader of the church, it would be Paul, right? Matter of fact, there are statues, statues of Saint Paul that are out there. He would be totally aghast about that. Matter of fact, he was received, him and Barnabas were received as gods. They said, don't bow. We're not gods. Not for that we have dominion over your faith. See, that's what a lot of religion, a lot of churchy entity has, is they've been put in order where those in leadership have dominion over you. They are the overlords. I can only think of, I'm not familiar with Star Wars too much, but all I can think of is Darth Vader. I am your lord. You follow what I say. I don't know if he ever said that, but I'm just thinking that. Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy, for by faith ye stand. I love that, we're helpers of your joy. That's my goal. That should be the goal of church, is not to lord over you, but to be helpers of your joy. And the greatest joy we can have is the joy of knowing that we are complete in Christ. All this said, which leads me to our text now in Romans chapter two. Romans chapter two, verse number one. I knew we'd get there. Therefore, I told you I was gonna stop there. Therefore, because of the idolatry that takes place and the worshiping of the creator and making images of four-footed beasts and all these different things, therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. Uh-oh. We've all heard from Matthew chapter seven We will go for right now, Matthew chapter seven, part of the Beatitudes, Matthew chapter seven, let's go there for a second. I still hear this all the time. You ought not judge. You ought not judge. But look, there's a caveat both here in Romans chapter two and Matthew chapter seven. Matthew chapter seven, verse one. Judge not. that ye be not judged." Stop there for a second. You better stop judging. Better stop talking about that Bible. Because I don't believe that Bible, so you can't judge me for my belief. I believe we can find God in the trees. I can go worship and speak to the trees. So you can't judge me. People actually believe that. It's called pantheism and panentheism. They believe that God is everywhere. Well, you know where everywhere is? He is everywhere. He has everywhere before him, right? I would say, you know, God is omnipresent. He's omnipresent through us. He's omnipresent in that this is his kingdom. The entire world, God's kingdom, the entire earth, the entire universe is God's kingdom. It's not the millennial kingdom, it's not the kingdom of heaven, but God is overall. And God, yes, Jesus Christ, the creator, he has put everything together. But the argument that people have is that I can go anywhere and find God. I can go into a trance. And there's God. But no, he's revealed himself specifically, number one, through his creation, and number two, through his word. But let's look on here. Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged. That's a game changer right there. The same bony finger you have pointed at somebody else, you have four other ones pointing back at you. You shall be judged, and with what measure you meet, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considereth not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the mote of thine eye, and behold, a beam is thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Now let's go back to Romans. Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whoever so thou art that judgest. For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself. For thou, thou that judgest, doest the same things. I always look, I look up in the news, and I shouldn't do this because I get so mad about it, I look up the word pastor. And man, you wouldn't believe all the incredible things that pastors do. Why? Because they take upon themselves their power rather than attributing the power to Christ himself as the head. Atrocious. I wouldn't recommend looking it up because what you'll find will make you sick. One popular, well, he was a popular pastor, I'll name him by names, I think he's in jail now, is Pastor Steven Anderson, an independent fundamental Baptist out in Arizona who, he's anti-Semitic, he believes he'll go through the tribulation, And he holds up a standard of holiness that is unsurpassed by many. It came out his children, his six children were all physically abused by him in the name of righteousness. That is crazy. But yet, he'd make videos about why the rapture is not true, about the Jews are the demon seed of the world, all different things like that. Yet, he portrayed himself as being holier than everybody else. And boy, have the mighty fallen. Verse number two. Verse number one, the unrighteous judgment is hypocritical. The case here in verse number one. And as we look in Matthew seven, We look at that, and then verse number two here, but, there's that word again, we are sure, we are sure that the judgment of God is according to what? To truth. Against them which commit such things. We already saw in Matthew chapter seven, verse number two. Let's go to John, the gospel of John chapter seven. John chapter seven. Verse number 24. Now, of course, Romans chapter two, that righteous judgment is according to God, according to the gospel. Verse 24 in Matthew chapter seven says, judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. Not according to the things that appear on the outside, but righteous judgment is by the truth of God. Let's go back to the book of Romans for a second. Romans chapter 3. Today, we can make this blanket statement. All of us can make the same blanket statement that everyone in the world is a sinner. How dare you call me a sinner? Well, you were! Everyone. Look at verse number 23. It says, for all have sinned. Again, I always look up and make sure all means all and all means all. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There's none of us that can perform in such a way that we'd get to the glory of God. No matter what, I don't care how holy you think you are, there's no way you're gonna get to the glory of God. I always think of that hamster wheel, that's what we do. The hamster wheel of religion. We keep on trying to climb that thing, might go that far and then you drop back down. Look at the next verse. Verse 24, it says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified, made right, declared righteous by God, freely, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. So yes, we all can have righteous judgment when we point out that everybody in the world is a sinner. Religion says there's one, there's some people that are greater. They have the halls of, there's statues put up to the great heroes of the faith, and I'm not talking the Hebrews 11 heroes. Statues of, I don't know, dare I say his name, John Calvin, in their institutes. placed above the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 25. I can't wait to get to Romans 3, 4, and 5. 1 and 2 are kind of a downer, like a Debbie Downer. whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith. Propitiation is a complete satisfaction of God's wrath. Through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. I love that, forbearance of God. There's a roof is constructed to bear a certain weight. Here in the Northeast, roofs are constructed a little stronger, but they have to have a little bit of give, a little bit of sway. You may have driven over a bridge, and you come across the seams. When it's cold, the seams are spread open a little more, but the steel expands in the summer. It's designed so the bridge can have forbearance. God has had forbearance. In fact, Acts chapter 17, Paul on Mars Hill, he says that, let's go there for a second. Let's go to Acts chapter 17. Verse number 16 in Acts chapter 17. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. The whole city, all those Greek gods, we still have them with us today. They're still depicted everywhere we go. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics encountered him, and some said, what will this babbler say? Others some, he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods, says the guys that have thousands and thousands of idols. Paul setting forth one that, setting forth strange gods, because he preached unto them Jesus. and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him into Europagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine thereof thou speakest is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears. We would know therefore what these things mean. For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either tell or to hear, Some new thing. Sounds like a council of modern-day prophets. Let's hear what new things the Lord is going to do. Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by and beheld your devotions, I found in an altar with this inscription, to the unknown God whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. So they were worshiping in the unknown God. He says even that, you ignorantly worship. I'm gonna tell you who this unknown God is. I'm gonna make him known unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. Neither is worshiped with men's hands as though he needed anything, seeing giveth to all life and breath and all things. Do you ever wonder why people put like capes on statues? They don't need a cape, they're statues. and have made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and have determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation." It's God who's in control of what happened in the earth, and the seasons changing, and the times and everything, and He's made of one blood all nations of men. You know, the one reality that every single person has in common, number one is all have sinners, all are sinners, all have sinned, and number two, all are of one blood. Amen, I don't care what nationality you are, you bleed the same as the next guy. There might be different types, O positive, O negative, A positive, A negative, whatever, but all one blood. He's determined their habitations that they should seek the Lord. If happily, they might feel after him and find him, though he be not far from every one of us. God is easy to find. Amen. Problem is they weren't looking for God. I like the image that he has here, that they might feel after him. The image is of somebody being blind. They could even recognize the creation of God. Ooh, a rock. I must have made that. But they would recognize the creator. No matter what, even not having the, even having physical limitations on them, they might feel after him and find him, though he be not far from every one of us. I always think of the, again, I'm dating myself, anybody about my age or so would remember the show F Troop on television. Their watchman was a guy that couldn't see. But he was able to hear the hoofbeats. He was able to know when somebody was coming. And they made light of it in that. I'm getting to a point here. that they should seek the Lord if happily they might feel after him and find him, though he be not far from every one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. The reason you have life, even though you worship the idols, is that God gave you that life. God is the one that created you. For in him we live and move and have our being, as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring. I like the fact that Paul read some of their poets. He knew what he was getting into. For as much then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold or silver or stone, graven by art and man's device. In the times of this ignorance, God winked at. I like that. Jenny, you just did a thing about a woman talking about God's wink. Did this thing, well, when we do things, God winks at us. Kinda like, gotcha, gotcha baby. You're doing the right thing. Gives a wink. But God winked at. In other words, he, He let it go. He gave people their free will. I think back when we were doing the book of Acts, I think I referred to this as the Sergeant Schultz moment for God. I know nothing. God sees, God knows what mankind is doing, but he gave free will. He gives people the choice. to follow Him, to trust Him. They could do their own thing. In the times of this ignorance, God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Now again, we always have to define repentance. Does God say you need to turn from every one of your sins and keep on going? He says, no, repent. Change your mind about who God is. because he hath pointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, and that he hath raised him from the dead." In this part of the gospel, Christ died, was buried, he rose again, so that no men have any excuse not to believe. But nonetheless, mankind, through the hardness of their heart and through the God of this world, continues to worship idols, worship the work of their own hands. Yes, could God twist their arms? Believer, say uncle. No, God wouldn't do that. As we see in one of the verses coming up, it's the goodness of God that leadeth to repentance. Here's what he's done. I remember there was one church I was somewhat affiliated, part of the way they presented the gospel, he's actually done this. He's taken a lighter and lit it under somebody's palm. And the person's like, oh, that hurts. Well, that's what hell's gonna be like. Better repent. That's not the way God acts. It's God's kindness, his goodness. Let's go over to Romans chapter five, another dangerous place to go, because Romans chapter five is another just incredible treatise, and I wanna try to keep it down to one. Romans chapter five. Verse number 12. Again, why the book of Romans is so incredibly tough, it's, verse 12 says wherefore. Wherefore, verse number 12 is a great standalone principle, but it's based on what comes before. But we're gonna wait till we get to Romans chapter five for that. Verse number 12, wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men. Why did it pass for all men? The answer is right here. For that all have sinned. This death has been passed to all. right from Adam right down. Death, being a separation from God, as well as physical death, shortened lives, have been passed to all. And we wonder, somebody I know has it right, somebody that I know is very ill, not in good health, but he says this, he says, I'm doing well in spite of being in a sin-cursed body and a sin-cursed world. doing well, because we have an expectation of Jesus Christ. So this righteous judgment of God in Romans 2.2 is based on all being sinners. All are sinners. Let's go back to Romans 2. Verse number three, and thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shall escape the judgment of God? Those that would judge them are those that have those external outward appearance of righteousness. They would condemn those, I already mentioned before, religious leaders, political leaders. And I think the best example is in Ezekiel chapter eight. Ezekiel chapter eight. This is a long chapter of 11 verses, but it packs a punch in this prophetic chapter here. Ezekiel chapter eight. Oh, it's 22 verses, I'm sorry. I don't know where I got 11 from. I think I wanted to start on verse 11. Yeah, I want to start on verse 11. For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand. Now don't read this like God is speaking to you in this piece. God is speaking to Ezekiel. For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people. What people is he talking? He's talking about the corrupt priests. He's talking about the nation of Israel. Though he was a prophet to them, he wasn't to walk like them. And God, of course, like God does, God tells him, shows him why. Verse number 12. Say ye not. Amen. Let me find it. Where are you? Because you're not in Ezekiel 8. Oh, I was in Isaiah 8, so... There we go. Yeah. All right. Verse number 1. I'm here in Ezekiel 8, so... Like even with movable type, still the menus are small. I don't get it. They should make the menus big, too. Verse number one, and it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord fell there upon me. Sounds like Kenneth Copeland, but. that I beheld and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire from the appearance of his loins even downward fire and from the loins even upward as the appearance of brightness as the color of amber. And he put forth the form of a hand and took me by a lock of mine head. I love that, what a transportation. We try to invest more money on subways and stuff like that and public transportation. Here was the spirit of God showing up in all the appearance of God himself, put down his hand and took him by the lock of the head. It just dragged him out of there. and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem. To the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy which provoketh the jealousy? So right inside the gate of the temple, there was this image of jealousy. What that image of jealousy is, more than likely Baal or one of the other gods. Which would, who would it provoke to jealousy? God. God himself would be jealous. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there according to the vision that I saw in the plain. Then he said unto me, son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up thine eyes the way toward the north, and behold, northward at the gate of the altar, this image of jealousy in the entry. He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? Even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary, but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations. And he brought me to the door of the court, and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. Then said he unto me, son of man, dig now in the wall. And when I had digged in the wall, behold, a door." Have to do a lot of digging, a lot of secret knowledge going on here. And he said unto me, go in and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. So he went in and saw and behold every form of creeping things and abominable beasts. Doesn't that sound like Romans chapter one? And here we are in the temple in Jerusalem that Ezekiel was taken to. They have the appearance of godliness, but yet denying the power thereof. And all the idols of the house of Israel portrayed upon the wall round about, And there stood before them 70 men of the ancients of the house of Israel. In the midst of them stood Jezaniah, the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up. The 70 men of the ancients of the house of Israel is good symbolism, because that was the first allotment of priests and those that helped Moses in the wilderness. There were 70 men. With every man his censer in his hand and a thick cloud of incense went up. Then said he unto me, son of men, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark? Every man in the chambers of his imagery? For they say the Lord seeth us not. The Lord hath forsaken the earth. Granted, while they are doing this, to the physical eye they appear as righteous and holy. doing the work of God, the will of God. Then he brought, verse number 13, he said also unto me, turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house, which was toward the north, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. Tammuz is a Babylonian deity, part of the Trinity in Babylonia. Semiramis, Tammuz, and I forget the other one. But they were the holy family of Babylon. Then said he unto me, hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations of these. And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house. And behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch of the altar were about five and 20 men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, and they worshiped the sun toward the east. So they had their backs against the temple, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east. They were worshiping the Babylonian gods. that they were supposedly delivered from. Then he said unto me, hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence and have returned to provoke me to anger, and lo, they put the branch to their nose. In other words, that's a good point. Hi, God. You don't see us. He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice. Oh, wait a minute. Do I want to go into chapter nine? Yeah, let's stop right there. Let's stop at the end of verse number eight. But the idea here were these were the leaders of the house of Israel, then the house of Judah would commit the same exact things. Their leaders looked all righteous. They served, on the outside appearance, they served God. But on the inside, they served idols. They served vain religion. Let's go over to Malachi chapter one. Malachi chapter number one. Verse number one, the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. Now if it says something's to Israel, it's to Israel. Replacement theologians have changed, they've said Israel is no longer because Israel crucified Christ, so let's change this to the church. But that doesn't fit whatsoever. I have loved you, saith the Lord, "'Yet ye say, wherein hast thou loved us? "'Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith the Lord? "'Yet I loved Jacob, and I heeded Esau, "'and laid his mountain and his heritage waste "'for the dragons of the wilderness.'" Now the word loved, loved and hate are relative words. They're not like they are in English. Like we think of love and hate being diametrically opposed, but they deal more with preference. Put Jacob above Esau. Not that he hated him with a hate that God didn't have for them, and not that he loved Jacob more, but he chose Jacob Before anything else happened, while they were still in the womb, Jacob was chosen besides Esau. And of course, we know the story, Esau bought his way and Esau found his way to get his father's inheritance. And then Jacob, the deceiver and his mother tricked them back. They were actually doing the will of God without knowing. They were deceivers, but it was a will of God that the younger or the older would serve the younger. Jacob was prophesied to have the lands and the kingdom after him. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs. They were to be the leaders of the nation of Israel in the past. Verse number four, whereas Edom saith, we are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places. In other words, Edom, the followers of Esau, they took it on their own, they were gonna build up what God had destroyed with Esau following the wrong counsel, following his own counsel. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, they shall build, but I will throw down, and they shall call them the border of wickedness, and the people against whom the Lord hath indignation forever. And your eyes shall see, and you shall say, the Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel. A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master. If then I be a father, where is mine honor? This is to Israel again. If God is the Father, where's the honor? They did not, the book of Malachi is all about the priests not honoring God and honoring themselves rather. And if I be a master, where is my fear, saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priest that despise my name? And ye say, wherein have we despised thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar, and ye say, wherein have we polluted thee? And that ye say, the table of the Lord is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor. Will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person, saith the Lord of hosts? And now I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us. This hath been by your means. Will he regard your person, saith the Lord of hosts? I don't know if I want to finish this here. Neither will I accept an offering at your hand. So he had no pleasure in the priest, because the priest took shortcuts. Instead of offering the perfect sacrifice that was commanded for the priest to offer, they took shortcuts. They kept the good food and stuff for themselves, and they offered up the lame. So God says, if you offer this to one of your governors, would the governor accept it? But now you offer it up to me. In other words, they were hypocritical. They, on the surface, they looked all righteous. I'm gonna end there, even though starting with verse 11, it gets good. But the hypocrisy that will be judged is there. So the first, in chapter one, the hypocritical, unrighteous judgment, that is the unrighteous judgment that people have is hypocritical. Verse number two, God is righteous, and that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, he is the righteous judge. And the external righteousness, Though things look good, they're on the outside. They will have the judgment of God upon them. Amen? I think that's a good place to start. Verse three, I had planned through verse 11, but we'll start with verse four next week. But the reality that we face is that yes, indeed, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and that yes, indeed, Jesus Christ was the offering for all. And if you believe in what Jesus did by going to the cross, dying, and being resurrected, that is the way of God's righteousness. He did that. His work was that. All we have to do is believe that. And then, where Ephesians 1 says, we're sealed unto the day of redemption. And Paul, with the rest of chapter 2, will highlight the sin and the corruption that takes place in his people and in the world. And then start with chapter 3, 4, and 5, we'll deal with the remedy for that sin. Amen. God is good. God seeks justice. And He doled out that justice through His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for all of our sin. Amen. How much of our sin was paid for at Calvary? All of our sin. Amen.