Reading

Introduction

  • Reminders…
    • We are talking about the Gospel of God that delivers the righteousness of God to all who believe in Christ.
    • Why is salvation/righteousness necessary?
      • FOR the wrath of God is being revealed against ALL godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth.
      • Truth is plain to see… So all are without excuse.
    • In the face of rejection of the gospel God ABANDONS us to our sinful ways…
      • And the consequences of a sinful lifestyle…
        • And ultimately his judgement.
    • Here in chapter 2 Paul states very clearly the outcome for rejection of God's truth…cvs 8,9
      • For those who reject the truth and follow evil there will be wrath and anger… there will the trouble and distress for every human being who does evil 
  • N.B. … The Gospel of God dictates your eternal destiny.

Is God’s wrath righteous

  • Richard Dawkins (Atheists) sees God's wrath as evil…
    • In his book “The God Delusion”… He says…
    • God is the most unpleasant character in all of fictional literature.
      • Jealous and proud of it, a petty, unjust, an unforgiving control freak
      • A capriciously malevolent bully… he acts erratically without reason. 
      • There is no justice in the world…
    • The world agrees and says how can love and wrath live together…
      • Therefore in the face of love there is no place for hell…
        • That is the truth suppressed.
  • Let's consider the rule of law…
    • Why do authorities make laws that control our actions…
      • Is that because they are capricious malevolent bullies
      • Or are they for the benefit of all people.
      • When people break the law… is it wrong to punish them…
    • What is justice… Justinian… 6th century… code of Roman law.
      • The constant and perpetual will to render to each his due… 
        • The state pursues justice by operating courts that enforce the laws… good & just.
      • The Judge declares the criminal guilty in terms of the law and meters out what he deserves… Sentence
        • E.g.: Life imprisonment without parole…
          • Nobody can change the judges sentence.
      • Is that law and sentence wrong or evil or just.
        • The family of the murdered part say: no it is just (What he deserves)
    • At the creation of man God imposed a law…
      • The soul that sins dies… Genesis 2:17
      • Adam broke the law and justice demanded that he be sentenced and was excluded from Eden with hard labour… Genesis 3:17
      • Was that unjust of God?
        • No... He is the judge who judges according to truth… vs 2
    • The rule of law must be maintained to protect mankind.
      • It is both righteous and just.

God's purposes in Christ

  • The world we live in is in a mess because the rule of law is being violated in every way…
    • Sin is destroying everything…
      • The family, the individuals, society, nations.
      • Even the environment…
    • God has abandoned mankind to live their way…
      • And thru the continuous suppression of truth their consciences have become seared…
      • Now even some of the laws that they are making are evil.
  • God's purpose in making mankind was to have fellowship with him…
    • But he is holy and does not even look upon sin. 
  • As our sin was placed upon Jesus on the cross what do we hear?
    • My God why have you forsaken me… Mark 15:34
      • Because our sin was on him therefore God turned away.
    • What makes us think that he won't turn away from us in our own sin. 
      • If he rejected Adam for one sin why not for our many.
  • For us to fellowship with him we must be righteous… 1 John 1:5-7
    • Heaven is a place where there is no sin at all… 
      • If one sin is allowed in it will become just like our earth. 
      • So he must act against all sin to protect heaven.
    • And so to protect heaven God acts in righteous wrath…
      • And he has promised us a place where he will dwell with us… 
      • Where there is no mourning, pain, suffering, tears… Revelations 21:3
    • He is just and therefore will fulfill his promises.
  • So in righteousness and love he deals with sin in order to protect his promises…
    • We in the same way discipline our children… because we love them…
      • Why expect our heavenly father to be different.
    • For God so loved the world that he gave his son… John 3:16
      • And the wrath of God is poured out on the Son… So that we might be declared righteous…
  • Love and wrath do work together for our benefit.

God’s righteous justice

  • Mother…
    • If you do that again you will be in trouble…
      • I was in fact storing up wrath against myself… vs 5
    • This statement is made with the knowledge that I knew what was required of me… 
      • So I make a choice… and lived with the consequences…
        • Did I resent my mothers righteous wrath… no…
          • I got what was due to me… it was just
  • In chapter 1 we have God's requirements clearly laid out…
    • His wrath is being revealed against all ungodliness and wickedness. vs 18
    • Suppression of the truth… vs 18
      • They knew God but did not worship him… vs 21
        • Worship of idols… vs 23
        • Outrageous daily conduct … Ch 1 vs 29-31
      • Verdict … Guilty and without excuse…. vs 20 & 2:1
      • Consequence … God turns away from them to await judgement.
  • You therefore have no excuse… 2 possibilities… Ch 2:1
    • Looking back to chapter 1:29-31…
      • You know enough to be able to  judge others… 
        • But you do the same things… vs 1
          • Thus you actually condemn yourself.
      • Today we still do this…
        • When questioned we don't testify as we should and effectively we suppress truth…
          • Is Jesus the only way… Does hell really exist.
        • We have many idols in our lives that we worship…
          • Cars, homes, money, celebrities, ourselves.
          • God is just a safety net.
    • By looking forward in chapter 2…
      • For the following reasons you are without excuse… vs 5
        • Stubbornness of heart…
          • The Lord speaks to us in his kindness, tolerance, patience… vs 4
            • But we refuse to repent… vs 4 
          • Israel were a stiff necked people… Acts 7;51-60
            • Who continuously refused to obey despite God's kindness, tolerance, patience
              • God abandoned them… for now
              • But just judgement is coming… Rev 
          • Nothing has changed, our generation is stiff necked
        • Unrepentant hearts…
          • Despite the evidence of many miracles performed by Jesus… including resurrection miracles…
          • The Jews crucified him… 
            • And to this day they suppress the truth.
          • And so does our generation.
      • Nothing has changed in 2000 years…
        • The Jews still say we will not have this man to rule over us
        • Dawkins and his like still suppress the truth with very weird philosophies.
        • And the vast majority of us still worship materialism. 
      • Consequences… vs 6
        • We are storing up wrath against ourselves for the day of God's righteous judgement… vs 6
          • But this truth is suppressed today… it won't happen.

The guilt of all men

  • What happens to those who are not able to read the bible…
    • Who don't have access to one…
      • It is surely unjust to judge them
  • All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law and all who sin under the law will be punished under the law… vs 12
    • So we have 2 different people. 
      • Jews under the law… Gentiles who have no law.
  • Jews have the law that points to Messiah…
    • And they will be judged according to the law… 
  • Gentiles… vs 14
    • Are regarded here as being apart from the law of Moses…
      • And are not judged according to the law. 
    • But notice what Paul says…
      • They do by nature the things of the law… vs 14
        • Since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts… vs 15
      • We all have a conscience which makes us God conscious..
        • It defends or accuses us… vs 15
        • Again it is a matter of choice as to whether we obey or suppress …
          • The problem is that thru continuous suppression it becomes seared… 1 Tim 4:2-5
            • Non operational. 
    • So God is just in judging because he has made a way possible for all men to know…
      • To the Jew first who has the written law of God and fails to obey…
        • And the Gentiles who have the law written on their hearts and suppress its function. 

Judgement according to truth

  • True justice is dependent on truth…
    • For our legal system this is a major challenge…
      • What is true and what is untrue. 
        • And there are right now a number of innocent people sitting in jail because the system has failed…
  • But look what Paul assures us…
    • God’s judgement… is based on truth… vs 2
  • God is…
    • All knowing… Omniscient
    • Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne… Psalms 89:14
    • Without iniquity, just and upright is he… Deuteronomy 32:4
    • And with him there are no partialities… all are equal.
      • And with him we get what we deserve.
        • To those who believe… eternal life… vs 7
        • To the rejectors who suppress… wrath… vs 8

Conclusion

  • Is God just in dealing with sin…
    • Judgements are based in truth 
    • According to law… the just shall live by faith. 
  • Because we know about God’s eternal power and divine nature… 1:20
  • And because we know the law of God… We are without excuse… 2:15
  • The love of God motivated the Gospel of God…
    • Which secures the righteousness of God for mankind…
  • Yet we ignore and suppress truth…