I want to draw your attention back to Romans 2 this morning. Let's read once again verses 6 through 16. Romans 2 beginning with verse 6. He will render to each one according to his works To those who by patience and well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek. But glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek, for God shows no partiality. For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the law by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them. On that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Our most gracious Heavenly Father, Lord, we are thankful that once again we can come together, Lord, as this small body of believers, those united in Christ, united one to another, Lord, and that the Holy Spirit will work here this morning as we gather together, Lord, to help us in our worship, to help us as we Look to the word and as we seek to honor and glorify your name through our worship and through the preaching of the gospel here this morning. Lord, we do pray that you would convict our hearts where they need to be convicted, Lord. Strengthen our hearts where they need strengthening. Give us boldness, Lord, to proclaim truth and to proclaim the truth of your word. Lord, that the. The ridicule of the world. Lord, the scoffing of the world. Would be drowned out by the power, the excellency of your truth. Lord, undertake for us here this morning. Lord, we pray that our worship would be acceptable to you, that the Spirit would aid us in it. And Lord, we ask these things in the name of our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ, amen. I don't really have a proper introduction today. We'll kind of just get right into the text. But as I prepared for this message, let me say that my original intent was to take verses 12 through 16 and preach that in one message, and it wasn't very long as I was preparing that I began to see that this was an impossibility for me. I was convicted several weeks ago, as I've been reading over and over through Romans, I was convicted several weeks ago about this passage that we're looking at here this morning, about the lack of my prayer life involving the work of missions. We talk about it, we support missionary endeavors, we do pray for them, but I was convicted of my failure to be constantly in prayer, dedicated to this area of the gospel work that is going on in the world. I pray that as we look at this text this morning, that you'll discover what it is that convicted me. You'll also bear with me as I take a little bit of time to depart maybe from what is explicit in the text and deal with something that I believe is implicit in the text that we're looking at that I haven't been able to get off of my mind. Grace and I even started as we have been able to every night. One of the missionary endeavors you know that we support here at the church is heart cry. Missionary Society, and they have a calendar, and every day on that calendar, there's at least one missionary from one region that is a cause for prayer for us. And so we have been trying every night to look up on HeartCry's website what we can find out about that missionary and where they are laboring for the gospel, and we pray for that missionary. And if you guys would like to have one of those calendars, let me know and I will do my best to acquire one and get it to you. We'll take up this morning where we left off last week, which we didn't actually get to verse 11. You'll recall that the Apostle Paul is contrasting these two groups. And we really didn't have time to address last... What we didn't really have time to address last week is that both of these groups, although they're contrasting, they have something in common. Both of these groups do. The contrast, you'll recall, that Paul looked at is between those who, by patience in well-doing, seek for glory and honor and immortality, and those will be given eternal life. then they are contrasted with those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness. And for them, there'll be wrath and fury. And that is the contrast that we looked at last week. Well, we didn't have time to really address directly from the text. We dealt with it just in passing, but not from verse 11, which shows us that the contrast is not regarding ethnicity or religious background. The contrast was about the heart of the individual, about God judging what the heart of the individual is. Look back at verse 9 as it relates to verse 8. These that receive wrath and fury, for them will be tribulation and distress for every," and I think that's important, every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek. And then look at verse 10 as it relates to verse 7. These that receive eternal life, For them will be glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek." So it is here after these verses that Paul makes the statement we find in verse 11. And it's a monumental statement as far as I'm concerned. What he reveals to us in this section of this passage that we have divided off as verse 11. For God shows no partiality. Now this is an incredibly significant fact that Paul records for us by inspiration of God the Holy Spirit. God shows no partiality. Now we must clarify something here. God is a respecter of persons regarding that which is spiritual. He's already proved this by judging according to the heart, those who do evil and those who do good. To put it generally, according to the verses from what Paul is already, what we've already looked at from Paul, as these individuals, these groups of people doing good or evil and grouped not by, in terms of him judging them by group, but in terms of the individuals that make up those groups. So what does Paul mean here then, if he is a respecter of persons as far as what is spiritual, what does Paul mean here that God shows no partiality? Well, it means that there is nothing which men naturally divide over that even factors into what God uses as a basis for his judgment of mankind. Think about this and see if this is not true and not what you find to be true historically, as well as what we see in the world today. Men are always dividing themselves up, aren't they? Aren't they doing this? Regarding those things which are physical, those things which are external, those things which are outward. Here's what man values and what man judges by. He judges by ethnicity, culture, nation, wealth, status, learning, all of these things that are external. But with God, it's not so. We find this being brought out from both the Old Testament and the New Testament that this is the case. Deuteronomy 10, 17 says, For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God. Wow. What a statement. Who is not partial and takes no bribe. there is no partiality with God. And for time's sake, we'll look at only one other passage, very interesting display of this in the New Testament, where Peter goes to meet a Roman centurion in Caesarea. Acts 10, beginning with verse 24. Acts 10, beginning with verse 24. And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, Stand up, I too am a man. And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered, and he said to them, You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation." Men dividing themselves up according to their ethnicity, according to their nation. You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I asked then why you sent for me. And Cornelius said, Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour. And behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner by the sea. So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now, therefore, we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord." Then listen to what Peter says. Beginning in verse 34, So Peter opened his mouth and said, Truly I understand that God shows no partiality. But in every nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. Isn't that interesting? We shouldn't be shocked, should we, that Peter and Paul agree? That God shows no partiality? Peter going to the house of a Roman centurion because he understands that God shows no partiality and that in every nation, in every nation, it's about the heart, not about the exterior. And what Paul is stressing here is that none of these external things enter into the judgment of God. He says, no partiality, it's the Jew first and also the Greek. No partiality, no respecter of persons regarding these things. Those who are given eternal life as God judges, Jew and Greek. And those who are condemned to hell, where there is tribulation and distress, Jew and Greek. In fact, we've already been presented with this once already in Romans. Earlier in Romans, in Romans 1, 16, where Paul says, for I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek. God shows no partiality. John Gill says regarding this division that mankind is so apt to mark themselves off from one another. He says, it won't come into consideration at the day of judgment of what nation men are, or from what parents they are descended, nor of what age and sex persons be, nor in what state and condition they have lived in this world, nor will it be asked to what sect they belonged, and by what denomination they have been called. or whether they have conformed to such and such externals in rituals and religion, but only whether they are righteous men or sinners. And accordingly, as they appear under these characters, judgment will proceed." That's it. So do you see the commonality, even though Paul is making the contrast in those verses that we looked at last week, there's a commonality even within those. It's all a matter of men. It's Jew and Greek, both. It's about the heart. Well, why is it necessary for Paul to bring this out? Why is it necessary? We must understand the thought process of the Greek and the mind of the Jew. The Greek believed he would not be held accountable because the written law wasn't given to him. How can we be held accountable for that which was not given to us is the mindset of the Greek. The Jew, on the other hand, believed that because he belonged to the chosen nation, the chosen people of God, which had been given the prophets and the written law, that they were going to be acceptable to God because of everything outward, by their connection to God's people, by the rights and customs of their cultures, by their status above all other nations, that God would just automatically ignore the sin in their lives. And I hope to touch on this more in the second message. But you see, these are the reasons that Paul is making this effort to deal with this issue, both Jew and Greek, trying to skate by on what we might call technicalities of their particular cases, forgetting the fact or denying the truth that God, I told you we would come over this again and again and again, forgetting the truth or denying the truth that God is a righteous judge, that He judges rightly. He judges according to truth. That's it. Nothing but the truth comes into play. So then Paul goes on to tell us in verse 12, For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law. And all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. Here, Paul is addressing both sides of the issue that we just specified. Both of these attempts or beliefs that would give rise to an excuse before God from the Greek and the Jew, and Paul dismantles both of those in this one verse. God is a just judge, judging rightly, judging according to truth. Therefore, as Paul has already stated, they are without excuse. They have no words before God. So first, In verse 12, first Paul addresses the Greeks. All those outside the Jewish nation in the first part of this verse, for all who sinned without the law will also perish without the law. Now this is a hard truth. This is a difficult thing to ponder, the outworking of this, and really we could spend several weeks worth of messages dealing with this truth and the consequences of this truth. What Paul is getting at here is that those who have not been recipients of the written law Or in a broader sense, we might say they have not received special revelation. They didn't have the prophets. They didn't have the tablets containing the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law that was given to the nation of Israel. But though they are without the law, they will perish without the law. And look at how Paul states this. He says, for all who have sinned without the law. For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law. Well, how can they sin if they have no law telling them what sin is? How can this be fair? Isn't this what we hear from the world time and time again? That can't be right. That's not fair. Well, how is this addressed by Paul? Well, we have to skip over verse 13, and we have to look at verse 14 and 15. For Paul's parenthetical explanation, And it is here we read, for when Gentiles who do not have the law by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves. Even though they do not have the law, they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them. Here is how they will have no excuse before a righteous and holy God. Fairness doesn't even come into play here. What we are dealing with is justice, and God is a just and righteous judge. And truthfully, Paul has already hinted at this previously in Romans 1. If you look back at Romans 1 verse 32, you will see him hint at this, though they know God's righteous decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die. They not only do them, but give approval to those who practice them. The law is proven to be known to them by the fact that every group of people has an innate understanding of what is right and what is wrong. Do you see this throughout history? Every group of people has an innate understanding of right and wrong. Theft is wrong, murder is wrong, and those things are to be punished. while honesty and trustworthiness is right and is to be rewarded. Where do these concepts come from? If they've never heard of the law of God, where do these concepts come from? They come from the fact that God has instilled them in man regarding a natural concept of what is right and wrong. It's been instilled by God into his creature man. They have some concept, they have some idea of what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. And as further proof of this, you'll also find that it's common among all people everywhere that they seek to hide those things which ought not to be done. That's a common thing. All men everywhere who know what ought not to be done, they will seek to hide when they do those things that they ought not to have done. Is this itself not a fact that speaks volumes? Think of Cain when God asked him about his brother. What was his reply? Genesis 4-9, Then the Lord said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother? He said, I do not know him. Am I my brother's keeper? He knew it was not right to murder, so he tries to deflect, to hide the fact that he had slain his brother Abel. Now had the Ten Commandments been given yet? Do we have this long list of laws that were given to the nation of Israel yet? How do you know? Why do those who commit thefts sneak around and do what they do in stealth and by misdirecting attention elsewhere? Why do they do it that way? Because they know that these are things that ought not to be done. It's not just that it's against some societal code, but in their hearts they know this. Why do we have a societal code that is all over existing cultures Throughout history, even now, why do we have an existing societal code that says theft is wrong? Because we know in our hearts that to take something that doesn't belong to us is not right. The fact that these types of societal codes exist in all cultures are proof to the point that Paul is making here. Paul goes on to say that there in the last part of verse 15, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them. He is saying that the conscience even has been given to us by our creator and it bears witness or proves this fact out. their conscience always absolving or laying guilt upon man for his actions, excusing them for those things that are in accordance with the work of the law written on their hearts, and accusing them of those things that they have done that are not in accordance with the works of the law that are written on their hearts. See, there's no excuse, Paul says. They sinned without the law. Without having the written law, their actions against the work of the law, which has been shown to be written on their hearts, are sinful actions. They're transgressions against the God who will judge them. And though they sinned without the written law, he says that they will also perish. despite the fact that they did not have that written law. Now, the difficult thing to ponder in light of this is that those who never hear the law, never hear the gospel, still perish in their sin. That is not what the world wants to hear. That's not what we, by nature, want to hear. And so the world is twisted and contorted all manner of scripture to try and deny what Paul so clearly states here in this text. And many have bought into this, including those who are in professing Christian churches have bought into this. We have a group of individuals who are universalists. who believe that in the end God will not punish anyone, that He's so loving that He will save everyone without exception and we're all going to live in the bliss of the eternal heavens. This is not the case according to Paul. This is not the biblical case. According to the revelation of God contained in the whole of Scripture, this is not the case. And we also have a group of people that we would refer to as annihilationists. Annihilationists. Some who say that there is nothing after death at all. Nothing. We die, cease to exist. And some of these even who claim to have some sort of professing Christian ideology, they deny the eternal punishment of the wicked, of the evil. They will say, yeah, God will judge them, and they won't go to heaven, but they'll just cease to exist. Well, both of these concepts go directly against what Paul is saying here in our text. He is setting the perishing, which includes the outpouring of his wrath and fury, of God's wrath and fury, mentioned in verse 8, and the tribulation and distress mentioned in verse 9, against the glory and honor and peace of eternal life found in verses 7 and 10. The perishing is set in opposition to the eternal life. He is saying that they will perish, though they were not the recipients of the written law, still yet they will perish. And this is a powerful word, perish. We find this elsewhere, several places in scripture. Let me draw your attention just to a few of them. Luke 13, 1 through 5. There were some present at the very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. or those 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them. Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." We referenced this passage recently from Matthew 10, verse 28, "...and do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." This word destroy being the same root word for perish. And Christ here in this text from Matthew 28 says, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell, who can cause that soul and body to perish in hell. Is this not what Paul is getting at in our text? That these who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law? They will perish, they will be destroyed, body and soul in hell. Does that mean that there is a place such as hell? Does that mean a real place of torment, as Paul would put it back in verse 8 and 9, a place where God's wrath and fury will be poured out upon the sinner? who will spend eternity in tribulation and distress? Is this what Paul means? Well, let's look to scripture and see if we can see an idea where this is, what this is getting at. And I want you to notice as we look at this passage, that once again we're seeing a contrast which fits right in perfectly with what Paul was saying in what we looked at last week in verses 6 through 11. Matthew 25, beginning with verse 31, When the Son of Man comes in His glory, in all the angels with him." Now, I want to pause for just a second. When the Son of Man comes in all his glory and all his angels with him, we could really quickly connect that to verse 16 of our text here in Romans 2. On that day, when according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. You see how closely these two things connect? When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, all the nations. And He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. and he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the king will say to those on his right, Come you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you, or thirsty, and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and welcome you, or naked, and clothe you? And when did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you? And the king will answer them, Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. Now see the contrast. Now see the contrast. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me no food. I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me. Naked, and you did not clothe me. Sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. And then they also will answer, saying, Lord, When did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you? Then he will answer them, saying, Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did it, you did not do it to me. And these, and these will go into eternal punishment. but the righteous into eternal life. So let me ask in light of that, is this perishing that Paul is speaking of here of those who have sinned without the law yet also perish without the law, can that be universalism? If that was the case, Christ Jesus would be telling us a lie. Can't be universalism. What about annihilationism? What about annihilationism? Can that be the case that they will just seek to exist? Let God be true and every man a liar. This is the state of all men who have sinned, that if they have not repented of their sin and trusted in the Savior, if they are not in Christ, they will die in their sin and perish for eternity and experience eternal punishment for their sin. Okay, preacher, you might ask, what does that have to do with me? I'm sitting here, I'm hearing the gospel, I'm saying amen, I'm in agreement with you, I hear you. But do you see the implications of this? Has it caught your eye, the implications of this? There are people perishing without the law. The world, and sadly there are even those within the professing church that will tell you that those who have never heard the gospel will not be held accountable for their sin because they don't know what sin is. Have you been paying attention to what Paul is telling us? The wrath of God Think back to Romans 1, the wrath of God is revealed against all, not some, not most, all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. What truth? What truth? The truth that can be known about God that is plain to them because God has shown it to them. He's shown it to them where? According to Romans 1, in creation. Those who ignored it and chose to serve idols, created things they serve, they worship. Those who by nature show the works of the law written on their hearts, whose very own consciences bear witness to the fact of this. There are people still in this world who are perishing in their sin. People to whom special revelation has not yet been given to them. Revealed to them. Taken to them. And they're dying. And they're perishing in their sin. This very fact of what I believe Paul is dealing with here leads to ringing the death knell. Do you guys know what that is? What a death knell is? It's the ringing of a bell when a person dies. And this is undoubtedly to me the death knell of both universalism and annihilationism. But it should also be ringing in our ears and echoing in our ears the need for there to be missionaries sent to all the ends of the world and to reach those who are unreached with the gospel. with the gospel of God concerning His Son, that they might not be without the knowledge of the truth which can save them from their sins that they're perishing in. There are those who still have never heard the name of Jesus. And I can tell you from my own experience that there are some in our own communities who may have heard the name but have no understanding of who he is. He's just a name to them. Someone that they've heard of. They've never had the truth about who Jesus is shared with them. And they're perishing. missionary endeavors, evangelistic endeavors, to those who have never heard are the outworking of the truth of this verse burning in the hearts of God's people. There are those who have never heard the name above which there is no other name. His is the name above every name. There are those who are perishing in their sin without hope of salvation. Because all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law. These that have never heard of Christ, they're not being judged in one sense for never believing in Jesus. They're being judged for their sin. They're being judged for their unrighteousness. They're being judged for their ungodliness. Isn't that what Paul tells us? This isn't about fairness as man sees it. This is about justice. God owes no man anything but justice. He doesn't owe a single man grace. Not a single man or woman ever lived was owed grace. It's a gift. It's owed to no one. But justice on the other hand. Justice is owed to everyone. As we've already seen, God is going to judge all. All those who have been judged and are outside of Christ, even though they never knew of the law or the gospel, will perish in their sin. Yet God has made a way that some may not perish. That word we spoke of has another place we find it in Scripture, and it's probably the most well-known verse in all of Scripture, and comes to an end in this passage found in John 3, beginning in verse 14 and going through verse 16. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, So must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish. That whoever believes in Him should not perish. but have eternal life. This is the only way. This is the only way. Christ said in John 14, 16, what? I am the way, the truth, and the life. John 14, 6. No one comes to the Father except through me. That's pretty exclusive, isn't it? It's pretty exclusive. That's a pretty narrow way, right? In fact, it's a very narrow way. It's the only way, the only way that leads to life. To be found in Christ is the only way to stand before God and be justified in his sight. And we'll soon see This is something in and of itself to me is just amazing. We'll soon see that God will judge by Christ Jesus. And to the one who believes in Him, who has repented of their sins and cast themselves upon the infinite worth of the Savior, the very judge, God the Son, Jesus Christ is the one who has accomplished what is necessary for you to be justified by His righteousness, and it is before Him that man will stand and give account. And if He died for you and has been made your righteousness and your justification, then He will also justify you by His own work. Is that not a most amazing, miraculous thing that God has done for His people in the Son? He does the work and He judges all men through Christ Jesus who has done the work of salvation for His people. This should drive us Drive us to be a people who long to see this truth taken to every dark corner of this planet. This is our command even, is it not? Matthew 28. And Jesus came and said to them, all authority, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. What is outside that authority? Go therefore, because all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth, go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. on that day that Paul is gonna talk about down in verse 16. With them even to then. This is the only hope for those who have never heard. Someone must take the message of Christ Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life. He must be lifted up for all men to see. There is no hope for anyone outside of this. I really, really get tired of people saying, well, God may do it some other way. or God could have chosen to do it some other way. The problem with this, first and foremost, is they don't have any idea or understanding about the nature of sin. None. They don't understand the nature of sin. They don't understand the nature of natural revelation, as Paul has described it for us in Romans 1, to leave them without excuse. And they certainly don't understand the penalty for sin before a holy, righteous, just God. Secondly, it isn't about what God could have done. It's about what God has chosen to do. And what He's revealed to us that He has done. In fact, the very way of salvation is the only way that God can be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus, who is the only way. He has chosen the way, He has commanded the way in which it is to be shared and the method of its sharing. We're even given a glimpse in the future of the effectiveness of what God has chosen. We find in Revelation 5, 9, and they sang a new song. Now, let me back up. We're told to go everywhere with the message in the Great Commission, right? All nations. Revelation 5, 9, And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals. For you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people from God. for God, excuse me, from every tribe and language and people and nation. Revelation 7, 9, After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and people and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. Revelation 15, 1 through 4, Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last. For with them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire, and also those who had conquered the beast and its number and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God, in their hands, and they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God, the Almighty, just and true are you, O King of the nations. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. These are glimpses of the outworking of what God has given us to do in spreading the gospel so that those who are perishing in their sin without the knowledge of what God has given us in his word might be reached and have it revealed to them. This is the outworking that we are seeing a glimpse of, of the Great Commission. This is the driving force behind every major missionary endeavor. From William Carey, to John Eliot, to David Brainerd, and all the rest. They were so burdened for those perishing in their sin, who were strangers to the promise. who were without hope and without God in the world, just as Ephesians 2 describes the state of lost sinners. I don't remember where I heard this, and I don't remember exactly the way that it went. But it's a verse like this. that should drive us to want to spread the gospel message to every single human being on the face of the earth. That if they hear not the gospel, they will perish in their sins. They will. And there was a missionary who was a missionary to some sort of tribe. And I don't remember all the details. But the chief or the leader of the tribe was sitting quietly. And finally he spoke. And he said, why did it take you so long? Why did it take you so long to bring the gospel to me? There's people that are perishing, and we don't even have to look to the deepest, darkest jungles. There's plenty around us, but it ought to spur us on to read a passage like this, where we know that those who live without the law, who sin without the law, will also perish without the law. That the only hope of salvation, the only hope that exists in the whole world is to hear the gospel of God concerning his son. That's the only hope, that's the only way. May it drive us to be missionary people, praying and supporting those who go to all ends of the earth, yes, but even those who go into places here that are unreached. There are so many people, so many people who have never heard the truth of the gospel of Christ. And they're perishing in their sin. And there will be no excuse that they can offer before God for their sin. I didn't know is not an excuse. I knew, at least by nature of natural revelation, enough to leave them, as Paul says in Romans 1, without excuse. Let's pray.