Religious Person and Witness of the Gospel (Life) (Rom. 2:17-29)
Let us bless and greet one another, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” May the unprecedented and never-repeated answers be bestowed upon you. God is the One Who can do that. May today be the worship that transcends our understanding and goes into the greatness of God’s faith. God is the One Who can do all things, so I hope that you will no longer place the standard on yourself, but drag your standard up to God’s faith. No matter what situation I’m in, God is with me, and God is not the One Who will cower in this situation. God is the One Who can break through that situation. May this be the worship where all of our faith is heightened within the great power and grace of that Lord.
The title of today’s message is, “Religious Person and Witness of the Gospel (Life).” Through the book of Romans, God is telling us the reason why God judges the Romans and the Jews. God is the One Who can do all things, but I hope you will also know that God is the One Who judges. Today, God is telling us the reason why God has to judge the Jews. As we listen to today’s Word, we need to ask ourselves, “Why am I suffering unnecessarily?” If I’m suffering or struggling because of God’s reason, then that’s rightful, but if I’m suffering or confused, not for God but for myself, then I have to reexamine myself.
1. Jews (Pure blood)
1) Believe by themselves (Rom. 2:20)
(1) Rely on the law (Rom. 2:17)
Through today’s scripture, God is telling us through Paul the reason why the Jews received God’s judgment. In Romans 2:17, the Apostle Paul writes, “Now you, if you call yourself a Jew,” originally, they didn’t call themselves “Jewish.” They called themselves “Israelites,” but when they called themselves, “Jewish,” there was a reason they made that distinction. After King Solomon, North and South Israel separated, and North Israel was taken as captives to Samaria, and their bloodline was mixed with the Samaritans. Two hundred years after that, South Israel was taken captive to Babylon and was returned back to Israel after 70 years of captivity. However, from the moment North Israel was mixed with the bloodline of the Samaritans, the Southern Israelites called themselves “Jews” to distinguish themselves from the Northern Israelites. The reason they used that word, “Jew,” is to set themselves apart as the bloodline descendants of Abraham.
(2) Boast in God (Rom. 2:17)
So, why is it that these Jews are judged? It says, “If you rely on the law and boast in God,” this means that only God has given us the law, and they are saying, “The gods of the Gentiles are not like that.” The Jews are only talking to brag or boast to the Gentiles, saying, “I was selected and you were not.” They didn’t really have a desire to share the law or the Word of God with others; they only emphasized the law to brag about the fact that they were better and were chosen above others. They are bragging that, “God has chosen us.” It’s like Christians today saying, “God has only saved us, and there is no salvation for others.” That’s not the reason God gave us the gospel; in fact, He saved us so that the gospel may be preached to the Gentiles, but instead, they took that gospel and bragged about it for themselves. They used that gospel to criticize and judge Gentiles.
If you believe that you are not guilty of the same things the Jews were judged for, you shouldn’t look at it that way. You have to examine yourself to wonder, “As I live my walk of faith, is my heart becoming hardened like the Jews?” You have to ask yourself, “Is it possible that I’m becoming like the Jewish people where I’m only praying for God to give me my ambition and to give me what I want?” You have to confirm whether you are perhaps imagining your own version of God or Jesus that is not in the Bible. God gave the Jewish people the law for them to realize they were sinners, but instead, they used it as an instrument to boast of their righteousness. In other words, they could not know God’s will. Today, for the Christians, God has given us the gospel, but by ourselves, we misinterpret it. So, instead of believing in the Jesus Christ the Bible has given us, they imagine their own Jesus and invent one, and in order for God to correct those misconceptions, He has to discipline us, and that is what He is saying today.
(3) Know His will because you are instructed by the law (Rom. 2:18)
In Rom. 2:18, it says, “If you know His will and approve of what is superior.” Because we were instructed by the law, God reveals His will through the law. Not only through the 10 Commandments, but through the many other laws, God has made it so we know Who God is.
(4) Approve of what is superior (Rom. 2:18)
So, God has made it so that we can discern what is superior. Yes, that is true, through the law, we can know what God wants, “You shall worship or serve no other gods before me.” But the Israelites did worship idols. While they were worshiping God, they also worshiped other idols simultaneously. This means the Israelites wanted to believe whatever they wanted to believe. So, without a doubt, God gave them the opportunity to understand God’s will, but they fell into a misconception themselves.
(5) Guide for the blind (Rom. 2:19)
(6) Light for those who are in the dark (Rom. 2:19)
God also gave them a mission, to be a guide for the blind and a light for those in the dark. The Gentiles are in the darkness and they don’t know the way to be with God, and you have been sent as a light to show them the way. But in reality, these people are not in a position to guide anybody else. The only thing they do is brag about themselves; they don’t have the content or the ability to save or to lead anybody else. They don’t even have the content to take on the mission with which they’ve been entrusted. But not only did they think they had it, but they used it to brag. The only logic they have is, “You’re Gentiles, so you’re sinners; we are chosen, so we are better,” they don’t really have the content. God did not call the Israelites because of their kind actions; God called them because they were the weakest people, so God called them entirely out of His will and grace. God called them to be the royal priesthood, meaning God called them to show the light of Christ to all nations. God called Abraham, made him into a source of blessings, and said, “All nations will be blessed through you,” and that never changes. However, the Israelites only had the mentality of “chosen people,” and they criticized the Gentiles of being sinners instead.
(7) Instructor of the foolish (Rom. 2:20)
(8) Teacher of little children (Rom. 2:20)
Rom. 2:20 says, “An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth,” they believe the Gentiles are foolish, they think that Gentiles are like little children. And the Jews thought, “I must teach those people,” so they’re flowing in a direction completely opposite of God’s will. God called them to save them as Israelites, but instead, they’re using it as a weapon to emphasize their own “chosen people” mentality, but that’s not the reason God called them. If God has given even somebody like me salvation, that is by His grace, and the reason is because others must receive God’s grace too. They’re completely opposite of God’s method, but they think they were chosen because they are special. “Oh, my family has been Christians for many generations, we were chosen by God because we’re special.” And as a result, this gospel does not get proclaimed to the Gentiles at all.
2) God’s question
(1) Do you not teach yourself? (Rom. 2:21)
He asks then in Romans 2:21, “You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?” You may be in a position to teach others, but you yourself must be taught by Christ’s words. These are the words that Paul is saying to the pastors and spiritual leaders in the present day, you’re not somebody who should be teaching, you are someone who should be learning. You need to learn from God, and reveal this as a witness by God’s grace. But the longer you live your walk of faith, the more you fall into the misconception that you know more and others know less, so you must teach them.
(2) Do you steal? (Rom. 2:21)
“You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?” These are the first people who started charging interest rates for loans, so actually, they’re stealing someone else’s money. Because these people have been wandering for so long, they did anything that would make money. So, the thing and the industries they ended up going into, are like fine jewelry and finance, because those are the occupations that can give you a nice living no matter where you go in the entire world. The Law tells you not to steal, and you teach others not to steal, but you yourself are stealing. Somebody would steal something from the Temple and then give it to you, and then you’d sell it back to the Temple to make money off of it, and that’s stealing. If there’s precious gold or artifacts around the world, you would stage a robbery so you could make profit off of it, that’s stealing.
(3) Do you commit adultery? (Rom. 2:22)
(4) Do you rob temples? (Rom. 2:22)
Then it says, “You who abhor idols, you rob temples. You who say that people should not commit adultery will commit adultery with your heart and your eyes.”
(5) Do you dishonor God by breaking the law? (Rom. 2:23)
“You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?” We have been chosen by God and they said, “No other god can give us Your Law, only our God can give us our Law.” No matter what religion you look into in the world, there is no god other than our God Who has given us such specific laws. For other religions or other practices, all they do is bow down and beg and pray and then ask for blessings, only our God has given us such specific content on how to live our lives.
2. Jews who were to relay the Gospel to the Gentiles
1) God’s name (Rom. 2:24)
(1) Because of the Jews (Rom. 2:24)
(2) God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles (Rom. 2:24)
He says, “By you who boast in the law, dishonor God by breaking the law so that God’s name is blasphemed.” This is what he’s saying to Christians today, you’ve received the gospel by God’s grace, you even boast of the gospel, but you are not living in a way that is appropriate for the gospel in the world. So, what does it mean to live in line with the gospel? It means you live your everyday life holding onto the Word that God gives you, following it, and giving it to nonbelievers. But instead, many people have the pride of being a child of God, but instead of giving it to nonbelievers, they look down and are prideful over nonbelievers. Then when they go out into the world, they are only living for their own desires and greed, so they’re getting criticized by nonbelievers. That kind of “god” is not God. The Jesus we believe in is not some idol that we’ve created for ourselves.
2) Law and circumcision
(1) Circumcision has value if you observe the law (Rom. 2:25)
But this is the reason the nonbelievers in the field cannot see the accurate Christ. Through the Word of God, you have to confirm, that just as the Jewish people were becoming corrupted and led astray back in the biblical times, the Christians are doing the same thing today, and you must be able to change yourself through God’s Word. It’s not that the gospel is not being proclaimed to the ends of the earth because God lacks the power, it’s that we, who have been given the gospel, are twisting the gospel. The worship you are giving here today is not only worship; the living worship, where you go out into the world and testify of God’s Word being true and fulfilled in your life, is being broken down. When that true living worship takes place at your job, that’s when nonbelievers will see and follow. By “that worship,” I’m not saying you have to sing praises, open the Bible, and have a whole worship at your job, I’m saying you need to testify, “God is alive, He is with me, and He is guiding me.”
(2) Break the law, become as though you had not been circumcised (Rom. 2:25)
They thought, “I’m a descendant of Abraham, I’ve received the Law, I’ve been chosen by God, and that’s why I will go to heaven. That circumcision started from a promise God made in Gen. 17 that it signifies you are God’s people. So, even though Jesus Christ hasn’t come, they say, “I’ve already been saved; I don’t need Jesus Christ.” And they say, “Even if you have accepted Jesus, you still must be circumcised,” and that battle was endlessly taking place while Paul was evangelizing. The modern version of circumcision might be baptism. “Because I’ve been baptized in water, I have salvation,” some people say. You must receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit must reside in you; the baptism of water is just a symbol. In other words, some people think they are satisfied and saved because they’ve done this or that in the church, but that’s not what it takes.
(3) One not circumcised physically and yet Obeys the law will condemn you (Rom. 2:27)
The Apostle Paul says, “If you do follow the law, then the circumcision is beneficial, but if you do not follow the law and you are circumcised, then you will be regarded as one who has not been circumcised.” On the other hand, if there’s a Gentile who is not circumcised, but they live by God’s Law, then they will be treated as if they have been circumcised. If the Gentiles are morally ethically better than you, they are going to criticize you. That’s not what the standard is about. Paul is saying, “You are living your walk of faith incorrectly. Our walk of faith is not based on our actions. That, you say you’re morally and ethically better than other people, but spiritually you are being corrupted. You can never satisfy God with your morals or ethics. Only by the blood of Christ can you satisfy God.
3) Jews
(1) Descendant of Abraham by blood, circumcision, law, temple, sacrifice – Assurance of salvation
There are five things the Jews believed. First, they were descendants of Abraham, that my bloodline is the physical lineage. Second, “I’m the chosen or selected person of the Law.” The third thing they believed is, “I’m a circumcised child of God. That, only I am the chosen people of God who can go in and of the temple of God,” so even though God told them to make a courtyard in the Temple for the Gentiles, they had no interest in that ,because they only used their walk of faith to emphasize or strengthen their own desires and stubbornness. They thought, “Because we give sacrifices, we are children of God,” and even though they gave countless offerings, God said, “I do not want your sacrifices because inside of your heart, you have no desire for God’s mercy.”
God gave the parable of the prayers of the Pharisee or teacher vs. a tax collector, the Pharisee prayed to God, bragging, “I’m so righteous because I do this or that,” but on the other hand, the tax collector prayed to God, “I’m a sinner, please have mercy on me.” What must we remember at all times? We must remember that we are sinners, born with Original Sin, and that sinful nature is coming out of us all the time. We were only able to maintain as we are by God’s grace, the moment you believe you’re the way you are because of your religious actions and how you’ve lived, then you become a Pharisee. For the Jews, they had assurance of their salvation because of those give facts I gave earlier, that’s why they rejected Christ. Even right now, the reason people deny this Christ is because they say, “I’m actually better than you are, ethically and morally.” People say, “You’re a Christian and go to church, but when I look at how you act at work, I’m even better than you morally and ethically. I’m better than you, I’m cleaner than you, I have more integrity than you,” so those things are not what it takes. Inside of the field, people must see that God is with us and God is guiding us. Otherwise, they will never change.
(2) Not a Jew or circumcised outwardly (Rom. 2:28)
Romans 2:28, Paul says, “A person is not Jewish just by being Jewish outwardly.” “Outwardly” meaning with visible signs or external actions, that’s not what it takes. Nor is circumcision nearly outward or physical.
(3) A person is a Jew who is one inwardly (Rom. 2:29, Gal. 3:29)
What is a real Jew? A person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart.
3. Inwardly Jew
1) Circumcision of the heart
So the physical circumcision is cutting off a part of the male genitalia, but the circumcision of the heart means you cut off a part of your heart and make it a soft heart by the work of the Holy Spirit.
(1) By the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Rom. 2:29)
There is no way for us to change internally based on our actions, so if you want to make your standards your actions, then other religious people might be better than you are. God gave the Jewish people two tablets with the Ten Commandments. The fact that He engraved it in stone means He wrote it so it would never disappear. Even though God gave them the Law like that, they still rejected God. This means that the law cannot cut it.
(2) Give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you (Eze. 36:26)
That’s why in Ezekiel 36, God says, “I will give you a new covenant. I will give you a new heart,” because even if I gave you tablets of rock that will never go away, no matter how much you go to Bible studies or listen to the Bible, you will never change, and that’s why Jesus Christ says, “I will go into you with the Holy Spirit.”
(3) Remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Eze. 36:26)
That’s why in Ezekiel 36:26, He says He will give us a new heart and put a new spirit in us. All of our hardened hearts that have all these walls built up and are centered on ourselves and so stubborn, we can never change on our own. Only Jesus Christ Who is God Himself, must enter us as the Holy Spirit and change our hearts for us. What do you think is a hardened heart? A heart that rejects God is a hardened heart. But when did we ever reject God? Everything you’ve lived through in the past has nothing to do with God, but that’s what’s hardened inside of you, that’s your nature. No matter how much you live your walk of faith, you cannot change that. It can only be changed when the Holy Spirit of God works upon your heart, that is how your heartened heart can be changed and salted.
2) Move you to follow my decrees (Eze. 36:27)
(1) By the Spirit (Eze. 36:27)
Why is it that we listen to the Word of God, but it’s not able to change deep in our hearts? If you believe that all you have to do is to just come back and forth to church to worship, your heart will never change. Even if you live many years, many generations like that, your heart will never change. If the Holy Spirit of God has given you this Word, you must walk with that Word throughout the week in order for you to see the evidence that He is alive. I’m not just saying, You should know and memorize the Word like the Pharisees were and just be satisfied with that. And I’m also saying to stop only holding onto the Word that you want to hear and hold onto, but you have to ask God, “Why did you give me this Word?” and walk with the Word God gives you. When we hold onto the Word God gives us, the hardened things in our life change. It’s not about what I like; it’s about what God wants. It’s not about whether I don’t want to hear it, we have to ask God why He gave us that Word, because the standard is not based on me, it’s based on God. Then you have to ask God, that process is called meditation. Psalm 1:1 says blessed are those who meditate on God’s law day and night. But if you just go back and forth to church without any process of meditation, then you’re just like the Pharisees. Then, you have nothing to change yourself. In that kind of state, no matter how much you try to discipline the next generation, it’s not going to be relayed.
(2) Keep my laws (Eze. 36:27)
God has come to us and says, “There is nothing in you that can fulfill the Law.” Then you try to fulfill the Law with your own strength, but it’s impossible. The Holy Spirit must enter us and fulfill the Law.
(3) Requirement of the law might be fully met in us according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:4)
He says, “In other words, the Word will be fulfilled.” Where is our life? Our life is in the Word. The Word of God is our future, and it is also the standard for our present reality. But instead of living with that Word of God as our standard, we believe in the wrong standard based on ourselves that, “God is only alive if my problems go away. The God you believe in does not exist in the Bible.” God is the One Who is working the exact same way, according to His Word, in the past, present and future. But we keep trying to change God on our own, I’m under the misconception, “God is only God when He solves my problems,” or, “I only receive God’s grace when my emotions feel good,” then everything about myself is becoming religious. If I give worship, I have to feel good afterwards to say that I have received grace? That standard is me. And we think by ourselves that, “If I have nothing else from worship, then worship did not take place.” That God doesn’t exist in the Bible, it means you don’t believe in God.
It’s the same thing in the world, God is working with His Word in the world as well, but if you don’t place the standard on God’s Word, you place it on yourself, you don’t see God anywhere; you only complain to Him, “Why are you giving me financial suffering?” You don’t look for God. Even in that situation, God is guiding you with His Word. “Why is it that even though I believe in God, I keep getting betrayed and hurt by people?” Instead of complaining, why don’t you restore God’s Word? This is the reason why Christians keep getting mental problems, and nonbelievers laugh at us. They say, “Why don’t you take care of yourself first? You’re stuck in your mental problems or addictions, so why are you telling me about Jesus? You’re practicing homosexuality yourself, so what are you talking about?” But why have we become like this? It’s because we don’t receive the Word of Truth of God as the Truth; we change it based on what we think, that’s what we call an “idol.” But you’re under a misconception that you believe in God, in reality, you’ve just invented a god based on what you want and you’re following it with your conviction. This means you’re worshiping idols on your own. But that person is under a misconception that they believe in the gospel well, and they’re doing fine. Do you know what the evidence of this is? They get scarred from their family and parents.
Do you know why people get scarred? People get scarred because they received a scar. But there are some people who go through the same situation and they will react by changing it into a blessing, versus changing it into a scar. For people who acknowledge God, they can turn their circumstance into an answer, but the people who don’t acknowledge God say, “Why did you give me this scar?” and then they get scarred. It’s because they are their own god by themselves. “How dare you hurt my pride? Why aren’t you giving me what I want?” Then of course, we have no choice but to be punished, and one day through an incident, that scar gets revealed externally. It results in explosive anger. This is the reason for the shootings in America. In this process, we go through mental problems, addictions, and then we ultimately face that end. It’s because the accurate gospel of God has not been relayed. Instead of you getting a scar, why don’t you ask God why He allowed it? Then, the God Who is almighty will answer you. If your walk of faith does not become centered on God like this, you will always get scars.
3) To the Gentiles
(1) Filling, guidance, working of the Holy Spirit (Ac. 1:8, Gal. 5:16)
(2) Fruits of the Spirit – Witness (Gal. 5:22-23)
In order for this gospel to be proclaimed to the Gentiles, it is impossible by your own strength. That’s why when the Holy Spirit of God completely seizes you and fills you, then you will receive that power. If you live a religious life based on the law, you’ll always ask, “How shall I pray?” That’s a religious person’s method. For us, we’ve already died on the cross with Christ, I’ve already died; what method could I look for? The only one who lives in me now is Jesus Christ, there is nothing else to pray for other than for the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ to fill and control my heart, soul, and mind, because only He is perfect. When you face a problem or a situation, there is nothing to pray for, other than for God’s will to be done. Why is God sending me to work? God is sending me as a missionary to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles there. Then you come to the conclusion that you cannot do this with your strength. As a result, you have no choice but to pray for the Holy Spirit to work in your field.
(3) All nations – To the ends of the earth (Mt. 28:19, Ac. 1:8)
From the moment you correctly understand and enjoy the gospel, you will restore the correct worship and prayer. I’m dead, and the only one who lives in me is the Triune God. Then, what do you think the content of your prayer will be? It’s for God’s will to be fulfilled, it’s to be led the way God wants, that’s the unique prayer topic we’ve been given. But if you live a religious life, then you base everything on yourself, so you look for a method on how to get faster answers to prayers. Instead, don’t be a religious person; God has given us the gospel, only God can move me and guide me, and only the work of God can change the people in the field, and if that takes place, then without a doubt, you will bear fruits. But because I’m interceding with my own life, I have the wrong fruits. Only the pure work of God can bring about the fruits of God and proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Conclusion
1. Jesus Christ – Descendant of Abraham
In conclusion, if you believe in Jesus Christ, then you are a true descendant of Abraham.
2. Circumcised of the heart through the Holy Spirit
Now, by the Holy Spirit, you must be circumcised in your heart.
3. Through the law, the necessity of Jesus Christ
Then you will know the true law, the reason why we need Jesus Christ.
4. I am God’s temple
This building is not the temple, but I am a temple of God.
5. Worship given from the heart
Worship is not just about the form or the traditions of what I have to do; it is of the heart. When that worship goes out into the world, God wants that worship to flow so that I am walking with the Word, being led by the Word. Throughout the week, may we not be religious people, but be the witnesses of the true gospel and life.
Message Prayer
Let us pray holding onto the Word we have received.
Offering Prayer and Newcomer Blessing
God, we thank You. We who were lost in darkness and death, we thank You for giving us Your grace and making us children of God. We thank you for allowing us to live a life that walks with Christ every day by Your grace. We thank You for guiding us all the way to heaven and for guiding our lives towards the Gentiles. God, we pray You will give us Your grace so we can take on the work You have given to us, not by our own strength, but by worship and prayer.
We have returned Your material blessings as offering. We pray everywhere the offering is used, the gospel of Christ may be spread to all nations and peoples. We believe You will work with the blessing of the economy upon the hands that have given this offering. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen.
Announcements
1. WRC day on 8/2(Sat.), 2-6PM at ICSC.
2. Offering can be given to the church venmo: @Antiochmissionchurch
Benediction
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, guidance, fellowship, and working of the Holy Spirit, be upon the heads of all the people of God, the people of all nations, and the future generations who desire to be a witness of Christ and the gospel of life, be with them from now until forevermore always, amen.