Disclaimer:
Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording, including sermon titles, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these sermons. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copied and/or quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART
(continuation of the Study of Romans 2)
Romans 2:11-29
God does not play favoritism in dealing with man. He loves all of us equally regardless of stature, color, creed or any other factor. God does not look upon the outward appearance but makes every judgment for works that we do according to the condition and motive of the heart. He is an impartial judge and He judges not on which story sounds the best, or which testimony is most believable, but according to most secret desires and the hidden agenda of our heart.
Psalms 19:9, "The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether."
In verses 12 – 14, Paul begins his case against relying upon circumcision of the flesh vs of circumcision of the heart. Gentiles, who never hear the law are not given special preference simply because they did not know God’s law or have never heard it preached. Jews, who have heard and learned the law and have failed to obey every part of the law will be just as guilty and will receive the same sentence of guilt.
There are many sinner people who naturally decide to live according a higher standard of the moral law. By virtue of the fact that they are able to discern evil and good, the Law that God has placed within every man condemns them for their failure to obey even one law of morality.
Paul’s point to the church is this – So what if you know the Law and have heard it many times over. Your guilt is even the greater for you have had the opportunity but chose to disobey. It isn’t the hearing and knowing that counts – It’s the doing that really matters.
Worldly people who do not know Christ or who are ignorant of the ways of holiness that God teaches in His Word are still condemned by virtue of the fact they have a sense of right and wrong and a sense of justice that is placed in them at the moment of their creation. Their own instincts and knowledge that there has to be a right and wrong, evil and good, brings them under the condemnation of the Law and the penalty is death without exception.
In verse 15 Paul’s point is that within every one of us there is a great spiritual battle raging. Inside each heart there is a constant argument of should I or should I not. The Code of Morality that God has placed in each of us is constantly being barraged and brought into question so that our true nature and the real desires of our heart can be made manifest. There is an ongoing and never-ending battle that rages in each heart of flesh that forces our true nature to be revealed.
As we look with guilt, anxiety, frustration, anger, fear and confusion at the coming of the Great White Throne Judgment, we cannot help but hope and pray that our sin is covered, by the Blood of the Lamb so that we shall not appear before the Judge of the Universe without a covering for our sin. The thought and intent of the heart will be revealed for what it really is. The motive behind every deed we do will be revealed. God will not keep a secret for anyone but the evil deeds, bad attitudes and sin of everyone who stands before Him will be revealed for all to see.
Illustration:
Luke 12:1-3, "In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops."
In verses 17-20 Paul begins to dismantle the self-righteous pride of the Jews and their total dependence upon the circumcision of the flesh in order to obtain the favor of God.
John Wesley said, sour godliness is the devil’s religion. I suspect that those who practice godliness with sour dispositions is really founded in the heart of unhappy and half-hearted Christians. These people have just enough religion to make them miserable but not enough to convert them into something really good for the Kingdom of God.
In chapter 1 of Romans we could easily condemn the worldly sinners because it was easy to see that the sinner condemned his or her self by their own attitude of rebellion. It’s a lot harder for us to think of condemning a man who lives very morally because their goodness is so outwardly visible. Paul says that just because a man is morally good does not insure his salvation.
Up to this time the moral Jews had been standing around agreeing with every word that Paul said. In their self-righteous minds they knew that they were better than sinners. They knew that they had the light that the rest of mankind needed. They were content to just possess the message of salvation but they didn’t really understand it or want to accept its terms.
You can be called a Jew, or a Christian, and rely upon your title but that really doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t have the reality of salvation through Christ to back up your claim.
The Jews had fallen in a false confidence that they were in a special place with God. They didn’t realize that their position was shaky.
1)They had a title and were proud of it.
2)They had the Law and its interpretations and were proud that their entire society was based upon those interpretations. Sadly, many of their interpretations were wrong.
3)They boasted in God. They loved to brag of their superiority in godly matters. They loved to brag of their great spirituality.
4)They bragged of their knowledge of God’s divine will for their nation. They may have known God’s will but they sure didn’t follow His will.
5)They had confidence in the superiority of their law. We can brag about our nation being founded upon freedom and justice for all but, in reality, there is very little real justice and our freedoms are being eroded. So much for being a Christian nation.
6)We may hear the Laws of God preached, just as the Jews learned the Law of Moses, but hearing is not doing and hearing only condemns us that much more.
Just like the Jews who stood by Paul that day wagging their heads yes and agreeing with how blessed a people they were, we can say that we hear the Word of God preached, that we study His Word, and that we know the Bible like the back of our hand, but, it we don’t do what that Word says, what good is it to us?
YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE KNOWLEDGE YOU WANT BUT NONE OF IT DOES ANY GOOD UNTIL IT IS PUT INTO PRACTICE IN YOUR LIFE!
Paul’s questions to the Jews are good questions for us to examine within ourselves.
a)Are we good guides to the Blind? Is there enough light in your own life to lead another to Christ or will both of us fall into the ditch? We are supposed to be light for the World to see Jesus!
b)Are we good teachers by our words and our actions? We cannot correct others or teach others what we have not experienced or do not know for ourselves. What we do speaks so loudly that others cannot hear what we say! It’s easy to change someone else but what about our own lives?
Is it possible to teach others and lead them to Christ and still be lost our selves? Yes it is!
God’s Word will be effective no matter who speaks it, but that doesn’t mean that the speaker is holy, righteous or even spiritual at all. In fact, God will honor His Word even if a sinner speaks His word.
In Numbers chapter 22 we read the story of Balaam who was riding his donkey while going against the Will of God. That donkey spoke to the prophet to warn him of the angel that stood before him with a flaming sword and to ask Balaam why he was beating him just for saving Balaam’s life. If God can use a donkey to speak and still honor His Word, what keeps Him from using anyone or anything to get His Word out?
As a Pastor, I learn far more than I can teach you by studying to teach you what I feel that God wants me to give to you. Any teachers that don’t learn more than the student by what they teach, simply are not applying what they learn to their own lives!
Paul is also speaking of the fact that there is secret sin in the heart of those who claim to have “the Light” and the answer for others. The Jews who stood before Paul that day were guilty of gross misuse of their knowledge of the Law.
Paul then attacks the reliance of the Jew upon the act of circumcision of the flesh as was directed by the Law of Moses. His point is that circumcision of the flesh means nothing unless we are in obedience to the Law.
Cutting away things of the flesh may be necessary and even beneficial to the flesh at times. Cutting away things of the flesh cannot save us though. That would negate the need for the coming of the Savior if we could just cut off things from our life that are displeasing to God.
Being a Christian, like being a Jew, is not determined by what is seen on the outward. It is a condition of the heart in obedience to the Word of God. The Spirit of the Law is vastly more important than the Letter of the Law. The Letter kills but the Spirit gives Life.
God is no respecter of persons. He is not concerned with our claims to fame, our claims to spirituality or our outward show of holiness and righteousness. God is only concerned with what is in our heart!
Does the condition of your heart match your claim to know God?
Does the condition of your heart match your claim to know His Word?
Does your relationship with Jesus equal your outward show of affection and worship?
God looks upon your heart – not upon your claims and your outward show! Make sure that your heart is equal to your words and actions!
