God's Judgement and Ours (Romans 2:1-11)
Have you ever sat through a sermon and heard a really good point that made you think about a certain friend who could use that advice?
I remember growing up in the church and every once and a while the pastor would preach on a message that my parents REALLY wanted me to hear. Any time the messages spoke about: honoring your father and mother OR doing everything without complaining or arguing…
I could count on my mom or my dad nudging me in the pews… or my favorite reaction was my mom leaning in my periphery to lock eye contact with me to make sure I was listening!
It seems silly to think about it these days, but how awkward would it be if the message transitioned to a topic like the sinfulness of humanity and I nudged my parents back?
Well, I know my parents would not appreciate that… but this is what we’re going to be getting into this weekend. Romans 1 focuses on the Gentiles and their blatant ungodly and unrighteousness. It was easy for the Jews in the community, those who had been familiar with moral and religious traditions to look down on those whose sins were perhaps more glaring or obvious than their own.
And get this… whether blatantly flagrant or not… God’s wrath still falls on our sinfulness. This is heavy and difficult topic to process and I hope that you’re present this Sunday as we dive more into the text of Romans chapter 2:1-11!
Hope to see you there!
Jason Ricafranca
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.
He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in 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.
- Romans 2:1-11