Intro: We have been contemplating God's wrath over the past few messages. As we saw last week, there are hoards that pick lives of insubordination and rebellion against God, and these individuals will be considered responsible and will experience the full fierceness of God's fury against their wrongdoing. On the other hand, there are equally as many people who lead moral lives. These are people who appear to be righteous and clean on the outside, but on the inside, they are just as evil as their evil counterparts.
In the verses I've read this evening, Paul puts those who we might call hypocrites in the center of God's Word. That is, they are individuals who might censure the activities recorded in the last option part of section 1, yet who have zero desire to get right with God themselves. These people appear to be righteous from the outside, but on the inside, they are guilty of many of the same sins as the wicked as described in chapter 1.
The apostle Paul gives us some insight into the impending judgment that God will have on sin in these verses. He helps to comprehend the nature of God's judgment, the people it will affect, and its outcomes by doing so. Thusly, we should investigate these refrains tonight and become familiar with the personality of God's judgment. This passage reveals three truths that will teach us a lot about how God will judge the hypocrite's life.
I. V. 1-5 THE REASON FOR GOD'S JUDGMENT A. V. 1: The Hypocrite's Sinfulness - We can be sure that the hypocrite will feel the Lord's wrath just as surely as all those who live openly sinful and wicked lives. We are all aware of the term hypocrite. A deceiver is somebody who simply has an impact. They act like they're someone or something they're not. God won't hold this sort of individual guiltless.
1. Because of His Condemnation: One of the reasons God punishes the hypocrite is that the hypocrite assumes God's role in evaluating other people's lives and actions. It is neither your place, or mine, to condemn someone else, Matt. 7:1-5. We are guilty before God when we judge!
2. Because of His Behavior - The fact that the hypocrite looks at another person and blames them for their actions, despite the fact that God says the hypocrite is just as guilty as the person he blames, is what really sets him apart. Ill. Although they may not appear to be doing the same things, sin begins in the heart, Matt. 15:16-20. In His sermons, Jesus made it abundantly clear that committing sin was just as bad as having it in your heart, Matt. 5:21-38.) We must ensure that we never exhibit hypocrisy!
B. V. 2-3 The Sentence Of The Fraud - Similarly as the mischievous will be decided by God, so too will the wolf in sheep's clothing! In fact, the punishment they will receive will be the same for both of them! Notice everything Paul says to us about this approaching judgment.
1. V. 2 The Virtue Of The Appointed authority - Paul is letting us know that God's judgment of the wolf in sheep's clothing will be situated in the reality of what they are, similarly as certainly as His judgment of the people who are transparently evil will be situated in the reality of what they are. According to 1 Samuel 16:7, God looks at the heart while man looks at the outside.
2. V. 3: The Power of the Evidence The power of the evidence is that it will certainy condemn those who are guilty of judging others of their own sins! The most important takeaway from all of this is that the problem is not the state of one's life but rather the state of one's heart. Although we may appear spotless from the outside, God knows our hearts! We are doomed to face God's judgment unless we are in a vital, living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Numerous who sit in the seats of he neighborhood church and disapprove of others as a result of the manner in which they live will some time or another face the undiluted rage of God, on the grounds that in their souls, they are similarly pretty much as evil as individuals they denounce!
(Sick. Many resemble the Senior Sibling in the story of the Extravagant Child, Luke 15:11-32. He was just as rebellious as the other son, even though he didn't run away like his younger brother and live a wicked life. He was guilty in God's eyes!)
C. V. 4-5: The Shame of the Hypocrite: These next two verses make it crystal clear that the hypocrite is a sinner! The reasons and logic behind his decision are made clear by three facts presented here.
1. The phrase "he delights in the blessings of God" in verse 4a suggests that the hypocrite takes pleasure in the good life. The hypocrite believes that God's goodness is a sign of His favor because He holds back His judgment. In point of fact, God is merely providing the hypocrite with numerous opportunities to repent. The poser feels that since he isn't blameworthy, to some extent apparently, of the transgressions of different men, that God should be satisfied with his life. The opposite is absolutely true!
2. V. 4b He Hates God's Blessings: The hypocrite refuses to repent because he misunderstands God's blessings. Men ought to love, serve, and seek a relationship with God because of His goodness itself., 1 John 4:19. But not the skeptic! He despises God's blessings because he views God's goodness as a stamp of approval for his behavior. Sick. Express gratitude toward God for His lenient and beauty, 2 Pet. 3:9; Rev. 3:20!)
3. V. 5 He Is Cursed By The Gifts Of God - This section lets us know that the deceiver, rather than acquiring favor with God, is really saving fury and judgment against himself. At the point when the Master, and His elegance are underestimated, the main consistent result will be that of judgment! The secret sinner will also be judged by God in the same manner as the wicked sinner will. God will reveal and punish all sin. Hypocrites and openly professed sinners alike will populate Hell!
I. The Cause of God's Judgment in Part II V. 6-11 THE Real factors OF GOD'S JUDGMENT
A. V. 6 It Is Own - As per this section, God's judgment in the existence of an individual is a singular matter. To put it another way, each person will be evaluated based on their own merits. You won't have to pay for someone else's sins or be punished for your own. God's judgment will be just and specific to each life.
(Ill.) The hypocrite has a propensity to want to lump everyone together and judge them according to his own, skewed standards. God, then again, passes judgment on men in view of what he is familiar with their souls. Additionally, Heb has a thorough understanding of the human heart. 4:13, Jer. 17:10.)
B. V. 7-10 It Is Proper - These verses inform us that a person who lives righteously and seeks the Lord will receive the Lord's blessings, whereas a person who denies God and lives for themselves will receive a just judgment! It is difficult to move away from reality that the state of the heart matters. Solomon reminded us that how someone falls determines where they end up, Ecc. 11:3. What a person does with Jesus Christ determines everything!
(Sick. Men are never saved by their works, Eph. 2:8-9. However, the Apostle's description of the person in question in these verses is evidence that they are born-again believers! Faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary has always been the only means of salvation, and it will always be!
C. V. 11: It Is Perfect: This verse simply states that the Lord does not treat anyone differently! No one has to believe they can do whatever they want and still be accepted by God. Each one will be decided by a similar measure: Jesus Christ and their relationship with Him personally! God does not respect individuals! He doesn't pick one group to go to Heaven and another to Hell. He gives every man a chance, and He always treats everyone fairly!
I. The Cause of God's Judgment in Part II The Real factors Of God's Judgment
III. V. 12-16 THE PERFORMANCE OF GOD'S JUDGMENT A. V. 12 It Will Focus On A Rebellion - Sin serves as the foundation for God's judgment! The cost of sin will be shared by all who commit it. They will be judged if they violated the law and were aware of it. Assuming they knew no regulation and trespassed, they will in any case be judged! Eze claims so. 18:4, 20: The sinner's soul will perish! The conclusion is pretty simple. When they leave this world, everyone who has fallen into sin will experience God's wrath. Ill. This encompasses everyone who has ever existed or will ever exist - Rom. 3:23; Gal. 3:2) There is only one solution for transgression and that is the shed blood of the Master Jesus Christ, Fire up. 1:5.
B. V. 13-15 It Will Focus On A Reaction - Someone may be tempted to inquire, "Is this fair? Shouldn't something be said about individuals who have never been presented to the Expression of God? Will they actually be considered responsible?" "Yes, they will!" is the response to this question. These refrains make it exceptionally plain that each man has a soul. The conscience is a goad that informs us of the distinction between right and wrong, but it is not a guide to follow in life. A person is headed for trouble if he lets his conscience guide his life, but if he listens to his conscience as it tells him what is right and wrong, he can make moral choices.
(Ill. In John 1:9, Paul is referring to the Light of God. Each individual who is naturally introduced to this world gets light from God. That light might be splendid, or it could be faint, yet assuming an individual will follow that light, he will be given all the more light and he will ultimately be carried up close and personal with the Ruler Jesus Christ. Men will, without a doubt, be judged based on the light they receive, but rejecting just a little light is just as bad as rejecting a lot of light! However, if we are not saved, those of us who have been exposed to a lot of light will face a greater judgment. In view of this, is God fair for passing judgment on the barbarian? Yes! The evidence of God's existence all around them, Psa. 19. Light has been given to them. Man's response to that light is the basis for God's judgment!)
(Ill.) Because of this, I have always maintained that I would rather go to Hell from Africa's darkest, deepest jungle than from a Baptist church pew. You are responsible for more light the more light you have been exposed to! Ill. James 3:1) C. V. 16 It Will Focus On A Reality: God will judge all men in the future. Luke 12:3, "a day when all the secrets of men will be declared publicly." A day when men will confront the truth of what their life was. What will this decision be based on? Jesus Christ's Gospel! What He did with the Gospel of grace will determine whether man's eternity rises or falls. On that day, one's achievements, standing in the community, or perception by others will not matter. All that will matter when that day comes is how did that individual manage Jesus Christ? Did he accept Him or turn away from Him? Did he fall before Him in apology, or did he grip to his transgressions and tenaciously decline to bow before the Ruler? 1 John 5:12 says that a person's eternity is entirely determined by their relationship with Jesus. Sick. Fire up. 20:11-15 - What a horrendous end anticipates every individual who won't come to confidence in Christ! What do you think?
Conc: Last Sunday night, our hearts were mixed to ponder the people who carried on with lives of open devilishness before the Master. We ought to be just as agitated by any life that disobeys God. The outcome is the same! The homosexual and the hypocrite can be accepted with greater ease, but at their core, they are identical. They have rejected Christ and are on their way to Hell! God, help us this evening to examine our own hearts. Could it be said that you are truly saved? Or, are you only acting hypocritically when you face God's imminent judgment? Make sure, and then do what needs to be done! Please help us realize how real and serious this issue is!
