Father, thank you again for your goodness to us, Lord. Father, even in our trials and in our temptations and in the hardness of life, Father, you are still good. And those things are for our good and for your glory Lord, thank you for the songs. We sing that we can lift our hearts to you Lord, and I pray that our hearts are truly Bound to you Father I ask now that you would be with those that are sick that are not well Lord that you would be with those father that are Have medical issues, Lord, that are struggling within those medical issues. Father, give them much grace. Show them your love. Keep them wrapped in your arms. Father, help them be a light to those that they will be around. Lord, we just ask for those that are traveling that you would keep them safe also. Father now I ask is we come into your word father that we would hear your word and not my word that you would guard my lips and that you would help me father that your word would be a conduit of grace to us and that we would grow in much knowledge of your son and what he has done for us so father please Come now have your Holy Spirit come father and teach us your word shine the light upon Jesus Christ That we would be drawn to him father and we ask this in your name. Amen. I Please open your Bibles to Romans chapter 2 as we continue to go through Romans. We're booking. So only a year to go and a half. So please turn there. So to start with, the writer of Hebrews tells us this in Hebrews 9-7. Which is not the one that I wanted. So the writer of Hebrews tells us that it is appointed once for man to die. And then judgment. So we will all experience God's judgment. Jesus says this in Matthew 12 36. I tell you on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every careless word they speak. This is the detailed of the judgment that will come among everybody is down to the very words that we say. This is God's judgment. There is coming a day where all mankind will be judged. This is what Paul talks about in this next section. Look with me. We're gonna start in verse one just to keep flow in context so that we can follow it. This is what he says, therefore you are without excuse. Oh man, everyone who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same thing, and we know that the judgment of God is rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you presume this, O man, who passes judgment on those who practice such things and does the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, in revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will repay to each according to his works. To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor in immortality, eternal life. But to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath, and anger. There will be affliction and turmoil for every soul of man who works out evil of the jew first and also of the greek But glory and honor and peace to everyone who works good to the jew first and to the greek For there is no partiality with god This is the next section that paul takes us. He talks about two groups of people In this section, he talks about the believer And he talks about the unbeliever. And essentially, that's what we have in our world today. We have two groups of people. We have those who believe in Jesus Christ, and we have those who don't believe in Jesus Christ. And this is who Paul is dealing with. He mentions to the Jew first, and then to the Gentiles. So he encompasses all of it, because in that time, that's how they viewed the world. There was the Jewish people, and then there was everybody else. The Gentiles was everybody else. So first of all, Paul writes, and he says within this judgment that God will render to every man according to his deeds. This deeds is their works, their labor, the things that you do, the thing that your heart pursues after, the things that you seek, and those things that you're doing, and it's every man, it's every person. This is how God's judgment will be. according to your works, according to your deeds. Now, one thing we have to understand here is this passage is not teaching works righteousness. It's not teaching that. The Bible is clear that it's not teaching that. But it's also teaching what our heart seeks after. So what I want to do first is I kind of want to take this a little bit backwards. I want to look at the unbeliever first. is what Paul will do. But before we do that, we want to see that this is not something new that God does. Listen to Psalm 62, 12. And that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love, for you will render to a man according to his work. Isaiah 3, 10 and 11. Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked, it shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him. Jeremiah 17 10 says I the Lord search the heart and test the mind to give every man according to his ways according to the fruit of his deeds so we see in the Old Testament this is how God looks at stuff your deeds your works and he will render to a man according to his works But Jesus says in the New Testament, in Matthew 16, 27, There are works that must take place. The Christian also will be judged. You and I sitting here today, we will go before a judgment seat. That's what the Bible tells us, 2 Corinthians 5.10. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done. There's our works in the body, whether good or evil. It will be tried by fire, right? Those things that are good, they won't be burned up. We'll receive rewards. But the Christian, don't sit here and deceive yourselves, brothers and sisters. We will stand before Jesus. And He will judge us on what we have done in the body. Galatians 6, 7. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever one sows, that also he will reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. And then Romans 14, 12, he says it this way. So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Boy, that really puts a good turn on judgment, doesn't it? I'm not gonna stand and give an account for what Angela's done. I'm not gonna keep a list of what everybody else has done. Because I won't be judged on what everybody else has done. I'm gonna judge you on what you've done. But my judgment, we already saw last week, is it's a human judgment. But we will give an account to God for what we have done. That's what it says. For what you have done, you will give an account. 1 Peter 4, 17 says it this way. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? This is what will take place. John MacArthur writes it this way. He says, every believer falls short of God's perfect righteousness and sometimes will fall into disobedience. But a life that is completely barren of righteous deeds can make no claim to being redeemed. And that leads us into this first point of the works of the unbeliever. The unbeliever is the one that John MacArthur writes is barren of righteous deeds. They got no claim to be believer. Listen to Romans 2, 8, 9. 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 to the Greek. This self-seeking person is the one who is selfishly ambitious. is the person that is driven by financial gain. They have a greediness to them. They want more and more and more, and they're selfishly ambitious. This is the person that is self-centered. They're consumed with more and more. They're consumed with themselves getting ahead. This is what they want to do. It's all about them. And I'm sure we've all ran into people that are like this or maybe we are like this and we need to repent of that of this selfishly and burst ambitious person Paul says it this way to Timothy in first Timothy six if anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness. He is this is our selfishly ambitious person puffed up with conceit, understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy, for quarrels about words which produce envy, dissension, slander, and suspicious. This is the selfishly ambitious person. And what do they do? They don't obey the truth. That's what Paul writes. He says, they do not obey the truth. Now, we saw this in Romans 118, right? Romans 118 said, the wrath of God is being revealed against ungodliness and unrighteousness of man, who by their unrighteousness, they suppress the truth, right? They hold the truth down. This is what they do. So he's not saying that they don't know the truth and that's why they don't obey the truth. No, he's saying they just don't obey the truth. They know the truth. God has made it evident in every one of us what's right and what's wrong. So we know the truth. We know what's good and we know what's bad. Job puts it this way. He says, there are those who rebel against the light. who are not acquainted with the ways and do not stay in the paths. So this unbeliever does not only obey the truth, but he obeys unrighteousness. When we get to Romans chapter 6, we will find that Paul talks about using our instruments for righteousness. And what he means by that is we use our eyes and our ears and our minds and our fingers and our hands and our body. This is the instrument. We use it for righteousness. And the unbeliever, yeah, the unbeliever, they obey unrighteousness. They use their instruments for unrighteous deeds is what they do. Now, we might know some people in our lives that are unbelievers that we might look at and say, but they're a good person. Right? We have this. They do good things. You know, how can God judge them in such a harsh way when they're really a good person? Now, there's plenty of unbelievers that give money to the church. Plenty of them. I knew a friend of my dad's who every week, I don't know if he was a believer or not, but he took money up to the church. Never went to the church, but he took money up to the church and he gave it to the church. You got plenty of unbelievers that give money to charities. They're nice people, they volunteer, they care, they are generous. Sometimes you might run into an unbeliever that acts more like a believer than a believer does. They got more characteristics of a godly person or a Christian than a Christian does. but simply said they are still disobedient to the truth. They rebel against the light. Now why would they rebel against the light? Jesus tells us they rebel against the light because they don't want the darkness to be revealed. They don't really want to be seen for who they really are. So they rebel against the light, right? If we're in a dark room, We can't see anything. But all of a sudden, when we flip the switch and the light comes on, we see everything. Everything's brought to light. That's what happened to you and I, brothers and sisters, right? The darkness of our heart was invaded by the light. And Jesus flipped the switch and he showed us that we needed a new heart. because the one we had was full of darkness. And this is what he says in John 3, 18 through 21. He says, whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he is not believed in the name of the only son of God. And this is the judgment. The light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. Everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light lest his work should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that the works have been carried out in God. The unbeliever simply doesn't come to Christ because he doesn't want his unrighteous deeds exposed. So what happens when the light comes and exposes those deeds? Well, they hang them on a cross. They kill them because they didn't like the light. This is what happened to Jesus. But the unbeliever, also, they're not pleasing to God. Romans 9 and 8, 7 says this, for the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law. Indeed, it cannot. They are enemies of God, Romans 5, 10. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God. So what's the result? Paul gives us a result of this. The result for their disobedience to the truth, their result for obeying unrighteousness, the results for their selfishly ambitious mind and what they seek after, the result is wrath. The wrath of God. Not many churches preach on the wrath of God. But we're in week four of the wrath of God. That's where we are because the wrath of God is a real thing. This is what will come upon those who reject the Son of God. This wrath, it's absence from God's grace and mercy. There's no more of it. It's a fever pitch. It's a high fever pitch of God's fury. That they will. Have on them Psalms 911 says who considers the power of your anger and your wrath according to the fear of you. Nahum 1 6 who can stand before his Ignatian? Who can endure the heat of his anger? These are rhetorical questions His wrath is poured out like fire and the rocks are broken into pieces by him. I And then Revelation 14, 10 says, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger. And he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb. This is God's wrath. Think of that. He will be tormented. This is just not tormented for a moment. This is torment for eternity! Everyone will experience eternity every human on this planet will experience Eternity, it's just where you will experience eternity at Will you experience eternity in the grace and the mercy of who God is? Taking in his grace like waves after waves or will you experience eternity in? torment with fire and sulfur You will be eternity in one of those two places. Not only will they face the wrath, but they'll have tribulation, afflictions, persecutions. Proverbs 1, 27 and 28, when terror strikes you like a storm, your calamity comes like a whirlwind. When distress and anguish come upon you, then they will call upon me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but will not find me. This is the unrighteous unbeliever. Distress will come upon him. This anguish will take place. That is the result of their disobedience. That is the result of suppressing the truth. That is the result of seeking selfish ambition. Now what about the believer? Where does that put us? Listen to Romans 2 7 and 10 to those who by patience and well-doing Seek for glory and honor and immortality He will give eternal life or immortality but Glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good the Jew first and also the Greek so the proof of our salvation The proof that we've been regenerated, the proof that we've been converted is works. That's what it is. Ephesians 2.10 tells us that, that we are created, we are God's workmanship created for good works that he prepared beforehand. This is what our proof of our salvation is. That's what you have to look at. You want to know if you're truly a believer, where's your works? That's what James says. James says that faith is proven out by works. I'll show you my faith by my works. So this is what the believer has. It's proof of our salvation. The believer seeks for glory. That's what he says, right? To those who by patience and while doing seek for glory. So the Westminster Confession says this. Question number one, what is the chief end of man? Does anybody have the answer? He's asking, what's your end? What's your purpose? Who's got the answer? Exactly Exactly Harriet what Harriet said it's to Let me find my notes It's to glorify God and enjoy him forever as a believer This is your chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever We read it in first Corinthians 1031. So whatever you eat or drink, whatever you do you do to the glory of God and If you're raking leaves, you do it to the glory of God. If you're eating a hot dog at the ballpark, you do it to the glory of God. This is what our chief end is, is to glorify God in everything we do, everything we watch, everything we say, and enjoy Him forever. It's to seek after him. It's to seek that glory. 1 Peter 4 13 puts it this way, but rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. that we may be glad when his glory is revealed. Is this what you are seeking for? Is this what you are looking for? Is this what your heart is captivated with? Is the glorious return of Jesus Christ? This is what Paul is telling us those who patiently seek for glory his glory This is a glory that we get to That God gives to us right listen to John 544. How can you believe when you receive glory from one another? Right. We always want glory from one another right? That's the pat on the back the attaboy. I Good job, right we get glory from one another but here's Lee says how can you believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from God and only God That's what we should be seeking is the glory that comes from only God It's his praise it's his glory, but we share in this glory. This is the crazy thing that is that we will share in God's glory. Romans 8, boy, I can't wait till we get to chapter 8. Chapter 8 is just so marvelous. 818, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. That glory of Jesus Christ that will be revealed to us. We will see him in all of his glory. That should dominate us, that should be in the forefront of our mind. That when we close our eyes and we open and we're in heaven, we will see the glory of the one who died for you. That's what you will see. And not only that, in Romans 8.30 it says, those whom he predestined, he also called. And those whom he called, he also justified. And those whom he justified, he also glorified. This is us in heaven. We'll be glorified somehow, someway. I don't know how it works. I just read what it says. But somehow, someway, that's how we'll be because we will see Jesus as he is. And we'll be like him. We won't be God in the flesh. Don't think that. But we will have new, resurrected, glorified bodies with no blemish, with no sin. That's what we will have. 2 Corinthians 4, 17 says, for light momentary affliction is preparing for us eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. The believer also seeks for honor, and this is not honor that comes from man, but it's honor that comes from God, It's honor that is from Him. It's the honor of being a faithful servant. Right? It's hearing those words, well done, good and faithful servant. This is what we should be seeking is those words, to hear those words. I don't want to hear, oh, you faithless servant. You should be grateful that I am faithful. Come in. Because my son has saved you. That should not be what we want to hear. Matthew 25, 21, Jesus says this. His master said to him, well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the glory of your master with the ones who had the talents. Right? The talents, the gifts, to use the gifts that God has given you. Well done, good and faithful servant. The gift of hospitality, maybe. The gift of giving, maybe. Whatever God has gifted you, Peter tells us that we are to use it to build up the body. And John 12, 26 says, if anyone serves me, he must follow me. And where I am there, my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. This is what we're looking forward to, our service to Jesus here. And now God will honor when we get to heaven. Do we ever look at it that way? That we are heavenly-minded people First Peter 1 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith more precious than gold That perishes though. It is tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ How about immortality eternal life Are you looking at it this way? Are you working in such a way that these good works that God has given us to do that we have eternity in view? 1st Corinthians 15 53 for this perishable body That's what we got. Now. We got perishable bodies, right? The outer man is wasting away Right. This is an older congregation except for about four of you And our our outer body is wasting away, isn't it? I mean we wake up every morning and we roll out of bed and we're like, why does that hurt this morning? Right? We got more creaks and cracks than we used to have. We don't jump out of bed like we used to. I sit on the bed to make sure I don't get dizzy when I stand up. I never used to have to do that, but now I have to do that. So this outer body is perishing, for this perishable body must put on the imperishable. This immortality is eternal life, and the mortal body must put on immortality. 2 Corinthians 4.16 says, so we do not lose heart, though the outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 1 Timothy 1.10, the sexually immoral, the men who practice homosexuality, whoa, we didn't want that one in there. No, it was 2 Corinthians 4.16, so we do not lose heart, that's what it is. We do not lose heart, but we seek after eternal life. This is what it is. Now, what is eternal life? This can be a sermon on congregation response, right? What is eternal life? Everybody is going to experience it. It's where you experience it, right? Eternal life is knowing Jesus This is eternal life for the believer It's with him. It's first John 520 and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us Understanding so that we may know him who is true and we are in him who is true in his son Jesus Christ He is the true God and eternal life. I God is the one who gives eternal life in 1 John 2 25. And this is the promise that he made to us eternal life for those who believe in Jesus for those who have repented of their sin for those who have come to him. John 17 3 says this and this is eternal life that they know you the only true God in Jesus Christ whom you have sent. So when we seek after glory and we seek after honor and we seek after immortality and God gives us eternal life, the result of this is glory, honor, and peace. It's not wrath and fury and tribulation and distress. The unbeliever and the believer will both be judged by God according to the deeds they have done. God's judgment on both will be perfect with no one to have an excuse. The reason this is is because God judges without partiality. He does not look at the face and say, I'm going to judge you different than somebody else. There is no partiality with God. Romans 2 11 that's what the end of that says God shows no partiality Deuteronomy 10 17 for the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords the great the mighty and the awesome God Who is not partial and takes no bribes. You can't pull the wallet out You can't put the cash down Right? You can't be a mobster with God. You can't pay him off. You can't give him a bribe. That's what he's saying. He takes no bribes. And how often do we try to bargain with God in our prayers? Right? It's kind of a bribe, right? God, if you do this, then I promise I'll do this. None of us have prayed that way. Well, I'll be the first to admit I pray that way a lot You know God if you just do this. Well, then I'll be sure to read my Bible tomorrow Right we can bargain with God, but there's no bribes acts 1034 So Peter opened his mouth and said truly I understand that God shows no partiality this was in response to Salvation is not only for the Jew, but it's for the Greek also Galatians 2 6 and from those who seem to be Influential what they were makes no difference to me God shows no partiality This is why His judgment is perfect Because he is perfect now