The Replacements
Romans Series
CCCAG June 14th, 2020
Scripture- Romans 2 (Melanie Reading)
Good morning everybody.
Last week we had a really difficult sermon that looked at that deadly slide that will happen as people turn their backs on genuine faith. If you were not hear, I’d strongly recommend you listen to the podcast because it will help frame what we are collectively going through today as a nation.
This morning, I want to look at a few of the traps that people who want to follow Jesus can fall into.
Let me start off by asking a question-
Does anyone hear remember what was significant about the 1987 NFL Football season?
The replacement players.
The league and the players unions couldn’t agree on a contract, so the players went on strike thinking they would force the league to accept their version of the contract because the league and the owners would lose millions in revenue if the teams were not on the field playing games.
The league and owners responded by hiring replacement players.
Many of these men had decent college football careers, but frankly there was a reason they never made it to the big time. Multiple mistakes, interceptions, turnovers, series after series of the ball not moving at all made the fans a little grumpy and they demanded the that the real players come back. Eventually, the NFL caved to many of the players demands and they were back in time for the play-offs.
What we can learn from this is this lesson- there is nothing like the best.
God feels the same way. He set before us a plan of salvation, and God has no other options for us to choose if we want to come into relationship with HIM and eventually go to heaven.
This is the subject of today’s lesson- looking at some of these replacement plans, or players if you will, and seeing why they don’t measure up to God’s perfect plan for us.
I want to remind you of something we should remember throughout this series on the book of Roman’s.
Paul is presenting a legal argument.
How many people hear have watched a TV show about lawyers where they give closing arguments?
That’s what Paul is doing here. He starts in chapter one describing the basics of salvation- that man can become righteous only through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He then describes humanity apart from the presence of God, and how they will eventually slide into the worse evil imaginable.
Now Paul brings it home. He knocks on the door, plops himself in our spiritual living room, and starts pointing out a few things.
Like a good attorney, Paul is presenting his argument in a way that his audience will understand. In Rome, the church was mostly made up of converted Jewish people, so he starts toppling some of their deeply held beliefs that are holding them back from really knowing Jesus and coming into salvation.
Call Melanie up
That’s the background of what we will be reading and going over this morning.
Melanie will be doing our reading
Rom 2
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God "will give to each person according to what he has done." 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.
12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."
25 Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. 26 If those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? 27 The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.
28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.
Prayer
In this chapter, Paul identifies a few dangers that we can fall into regarding how we view others.
The first is
I. First Danger- Religious Pride (Verses 1-4)
In the second half of chapter 1, Paul has just went through quite a list of major sins that people who fall away from God start to approve of, participate in, and even promote to others.
Largely, those are the sins of the people outside of the church.
But the enemy of our souls isn’t really targeting them- they are already doomed. His target is on our backs. One of the sneakiest ways that the devil accesses the heart of the believer is through religious pride.
We inadvertently can teach religious pride to our youth, and to new Christians when they come into the church. How do we do that?
Make sure you don’t do this,
or avoid going to places were people are doing that.
A good Christian doesn’t allow themselves to be soiled by the world, or those in the world that don’t follow Jesus like we do.
As a matter of fact, I’m so glad I’m AG and not one of those Lutheran’s, or God forbid,
Catholics because they don’t even know what I means to have the Holy Spirit be part of their lives.
Better avoid them too! These are just a few of the things that well meaning people have told me over the years.
When we do that, we become the modern-day Pharisee. What did the pharisee say about Jesus?
He hangs around with sinners
Jesus dines with prostitutes and tax collectors (a traitor to his religion and his people)
He is a drunkard
He is a glutton
He is always seen at parties instead of at prayer
That’s how the enemies of God saw Jesus, but lets be honest-
How does the modern day world see the Christian?
No fun, judgmental, Holier than thou.
The world knows more about what we are against than the Savior we are for.
This is what Paul is addressing here.
Rom 2:3-4
3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
What does this mean-
You may have to choose to show love toward a homosexual, or transgender, or social justice warrior in order for them to see the riches of God’s love for them. Even if they mock you, make fun of you, or even spread rumors about you- choose to love them anyway.
A while ago, someone told me that a person at work was talking behind my back and spreading rumors and lies about me. I said, “I know, and I knew it pretty much the same day she started it because people messaged me and asked me about it.”
That person was astonished because I’m always very nice to her. In fact I go out of my way to praise her work and make her feel special and ask for updates about how her college journey is progressing and if there is anything I can do to help. When I do this, you can see something in her eyes- and it’s guilt for treating me badly.
I don’t do this to heap coals upon her head or make her feel bad. I chose to love a person who some find rather unlovable.
Because you know what- Jesus does the same for me. Most days, in His eyes, I’m probably pretty unlovable. If he held the bible up to me and compared me to the truth we see in HIS word, I fall dismally short.
But, Jesus still loves me. Still supports me, Still Encourages me, and still choses to call me HIS.
I saw a great bumper sticker that really drives this point home- “Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you do”
That’s a great thought for us to have when we are looking at people that might touch that last nerve. Maybe we need to take a deep breath and ask God for help to love them anyway.
The second danger we can fall into as believers is
II. Second Danger- Presuming on Grace Verses 5-16
There is a key thought I want to point out here-
Rom 2:5-6
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God "will give to each person according to what he has done."
Paul is primarily addressing spiritual pride here because that is where we just came from in verses 1-4. However, this applies throughout our lives.
We see this highlighted in the Apostle John’s final letter to the churches in the book of Revelation. John writes to the church of Laodicea. The church of Laodicea was the rich church. They were all about make sure their economy was great, their city was great, their nation was great, and their church was great. In fact, they were so great, they boasted that they were rich, and did not need a thing.
Sound familiar? They were the first to embrace a prosperity Gospel.
Kind of describes many in America today.
What did Jesus say about them-
Wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and most tragically of all- naked.
I want to focus on that last word- naked. We are not talking about physical nakedness. They were not Christian nudists. When the bible speaks about spirituality, naked means without the Holy Spirit.
In God’s plan for creation, humanity was created to house or be a temple to the Holy Spirit.
Genesis 3- Adam and Eve eat, and realize they are naked.
They have been physically naked since their creation, so that is not what is being referred to. They eat of the forbidden fruit, and the Holy Spirit which previously clothed them in power leaves.
Jesus death and resurrection makes that available to us again. John 20- Jesus breathes on the disciples and the Holy Spirit comes to indwell them. Luke 24, Jesus tells them to wait until they have been clothed with power from on high. Jesus is restoring those who believe in Him to the state of intimacy that Adam and Eve knew before the fall.
But the people of Laodicea were described as naked. They had no spiritual vitality, no connection with Jesus, and presumed that because they called themselves Christians, they were just fine in God’s eyes.
They mistakenly believed that their earthly prosperity meant that they were spiritually healthy.
That’s a trap many of us can fall into today in America.
There is a second way we can presume on grace-
That is to willfully sin without being sorry or repentant.
That is the most dangerous place for a Christian to be, because you think you are fine, but in reality you are actually just blind.
You are judged by God by what you do, not what you intend to do, or what you publicly say you should do.
That’s why verses 12-16 make it clear- it’s not just hearing the word of God, it’s doing the word of God.
Obedience. A dirty word in our time, but in God’s eyes, central to the Christian faith.
Let me give you a little encouragement here- it’s not my intention this morning to make you feel horrible about yourself. Obedience is learned over time. Just like we don’t expect a toddler to do well picking up their toys, there are many aspects of the Christian walk when it comes to obedience that are learned over time. That maturity you gain will look different for everyone, and that’s where grace and mercy come in both on God’s side and how we view eachother.
But in both instances, sooner or later we need to grow up and act like adults in our faith.
III. Third Danger- thinking that nepotism matter- Verses 17-27 deals with trusting in your heritage to save you.
Most of you know I came from Kenosha, and Kenosha is a huge union city, especially when American Motors/Chrysler had their giant car plants there. One of the ways you could get a great job is by knowing someone, usually a family member who could get you into the union and into a good paying job. This is called nepotism- using family connections for personal gain.
It was so bad in Kenosha that in my sophomore year of high school we had an appointment with our guidance counselors to talk about our future, college, and things like that. He asked if I knew anyone who worked at American Motors. I said, “I said, yes, uncle, aunt, cousins, all my neighbors”
He said, “Great- talk to them about getting you a job and forget college. I have a masters degree and make less than a union floor sweeper at the auto plant”
That was the power of nepotism
The plant closed 2 years later. Not the best advice to have someone I know help me get a job that I’d lose pretty quickly.
In verses 17-24 Paul destroys the thought that just because you are a Jew, you automatically have a place in heaven.
He addresses both the nepotism and the thought that you could get into heaven by being a good person. Today, we see the later in the idea of Karma- as long as your good outweighs your bad, you should be fine.
Paul destroys that thought in verses 17-24
Rom 2:17-24
17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God;
He then gives a large list of how the thought of being a Jew made them spiritual supermen, and then gets to the point
21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."
We learn two things from Paul here-
1. You will not ride anyone’s coattails into heaven except Jesus
It won’t be your family name. It won’t be because your grandfather laid the foundation brick of the church building or that your dad is on the church board or grandma is the organist.
You alone will stand before God and give an account. No legal tricks, just the facts, and if Jesus isn’t your only hope, you have no hope.
2. Never presume on grace.
God’s word is very very clear- you will be judged by what you have done.
When I say, “Presume on grace”, I mean take advantage of it.
It means you see God as a pushover that will forgive you just because.
I had a paramedic partner had a girlfriend who constantly cheated on him because he is a pushover and he loves her so he will always forgive her.
God is NOT that man. If you can excuse this example, but He is the ultimate alpha male- he doesn’t even like you looking at other people. He wants your complete attention.
Now, God is merciful,God is gracious, God is long suffering. I am very thankful that HE is all of these things or I’d be doomed.
But sooner or later- of you continue to try to take advantage of grace, He will say, “Enough!”
You can’t con God- He knows your every thought before you even think it.
Therefore, just be real with Him. He knows you struggle, He knows your every weakness, He knows your besetting sin.
Submit yourself to His power, His might, His grace, and His leading and then you will know true victory over these things that lead you away from HIM.
Now that we have covered a few of the replacements that people have for pure Christianity, now lets look at the real deal.
IV. The final answer Verses 28-29
A little explanation before I read these verses-
Circumcision was a rite performed among the Hebrews to their infant males as a sign that they were under the Abrahamic covenant and blessing.
This was very unusual among the people they lived amongst, and often Jewish people were called the “Circumcision” as a racial slur against them. Paul often uses this word in his writings because his audience was diverse- Jews, Greeks, Africans, Arabs, Persians, Europeans so he used phrases like, “Those of the circumcision” to delineate exactly those who were of the Jewish faith.
Put that in the back of your minds as Paul give the summary statement of chapter 2.
Rom 2:28-29
28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.
What Paul is saying here is the way to God’s heart is not because you check the right spiritual boxes on a form.
It’s because your surrender to Jesus Christ has removed that sinful flesh from your heart, and allowed it to live again through the infilling of the Holy Spirit and HIS power.
And only God can see inside you- even into the most intimate of spaces.
Just like circumcision deals with the most intimate part of a man, the Holy Spirit deals with the most intimate part of the Spirit- a heart that seeks and yearns for God’s presence in all aspects of their lives.
Don’t fall for any of these Replacement players- religious pride, spiritual laziness, depending on your family name, or thinking because you did something in the past you have earned your way into heave.
Embrace Jesus Christ as LORD, God, Savior and King.
Communion
