False Security Series

Text- Romans 2:17-29

Title- False Security

Romans 2:17-29 17 But if you bear the name "Jew " and rely upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, 21 you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? 24 For "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written. 25 For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

I. The False Security of Heritage

II. The False Security of Knowledge

III. The False Security of Religion

OK, Time for true confessions. How many of you had a security blanket growing up? Both my girls have their favorite blankies. Lilly’s has Dora on it, and Gracie’s is pink with a satin trim.

Security blankets are important because they are soft, familiar, and comfortable. They give you a feeling of peace and reassurance. Whenever I put Grace down for a nap she will say- blanky- and I know that she won’t go to sleep until I hunt it down and bring it to her.

When we get older we don’t really completely outgrow the concept of a security blanket. We just get more grown up security blankets, like insurance policies and savings accounts and German Shepherds. We all like to have a sense of security and well being.

That isn’t only true for the temporary things here in this life. We also like to have a sense of security when it comes to eternity. We all want to have some sort of reassurance that we will get to heaven when we die.

The problem is that sometimes people can create for themselves a false security. They might have five deadbolts on the front door, while the back porch is wide open. We can convince ourselves that everything is OK, that we are on the right track, that we are healthy and probably not going to die anytime soon. We can lull ourselves into a real sense of false security.

False security is especially dangerous because it gives us the impression that everything is OK, when in fact we are in real danger. It blinds us to the truth. It prevents us from seeing things the way they really are. It leaves us vulnerable and weak and in grave danger.

When it comes to our eternal security there are countless ways in which we can create a sense of false security. In the section of scripture that we will be looking at today we will see three specific areas of false security that people can get trapped by.

Follow along as I read Romans 2:17-29…

Before we dive in, let’s do a quick review. It’s been a few weeks since we left off in chapter 2. If you remember, Paul starts off this book by describing the sinful state of the human heart. In chapter 1 he talked about how God has tried to get our attention through general revelation, but we turned our backs on Him and created idols.

In chapter 2 he addresses the self-righteous, arrogant person who believes that they are not going to be judged by God because they are such good people. Paul says, sorry, your sinful and condemned too.

Part of the problem with this second group of people is that they really believed that they were secure because of who they were or what they did. Paul reminded them that God doesn’t judge using human standards, but His own standard of perfection.