Benefits and Drawbacks

Romans chapter 2. You know where we’ve been. We
have been studying these many weeks in Paul’s opening to this
great epistle and beginning to consider Paul’s motivation to
preach the gospel. We have seen Paul’s concern that
perhaps the Roman Christians felt like he was irresponsible
in attending to their needs there in Rome and preaching the gospel.
And Paul seeks to assure them that he was deeply concerned
for them, that he fully intended to come and to preach the gospel.
The gospel was God’s message to humanity. It was God’s gospel. It bore the power of God and
the righteousness of God. But Paul went on from there to
say that one of his motivating factors in preaching the gospel
was that humanity, the Gentile world, the heathen world was
so utterly sinful, as we saw and as Paul concluded there in
chapter one. Well, if chapter one was about
the Gentile world. Some would even say that that
was enough. But not for Paul and not certainly
for God. Paul was directed by the Spirit
not only to sew up the Gentile world under the heading of sinfulness,
but he was also directed to do so to the Jewish world. It is
the Jews that come into focus in chapter two. There can be
no doubt, as I hope to show. But what Paul does is nothing
short of God directed and. From a spiritual standpoint,
amazing. The transition, as one said, from Gentile to Jew is
concluded with much rhetorical skill under the cover of a general
statement, Paul sets before him a typical Jew and what he uses
here, the device that he uses is a dialogue. A diatribe, as
some termed it, where there is actually a conversation taking
place. Now, granted, Paul is writing
both parts, if you will. But there is a conversation taking
place that allows Paul. Through the means of this rhetorical
device to defer the accusation, so to speak. The writer goes on to say that
such a one would assent wholeheartedly to all that had been set up to
this point. And you can just imagine a room
full of Jews with heartfelt amens and attaboys to Paul who had
just blistered the Gentile world. It is now turned against the
Jew, even though Paul, for a moment,
holds back. Paul will go on to introduce
this topic that not only the Gentiles, but the Jews as well,
are under sin. They are all under the umbrella
of sin. They are all utterly sinful and desperately in need
of the Savior. First, Paul starts with very
general thoughts and general statements without expressly
pointing the finger at the Jewish nation. But the hook is baited. I’ll tell you what it reminds
me of, and I want you to take I want to take you there for
a moment. Turn, if you would, to Second Samuel, chapter 12.
Second Samuel, chapter 12, we have a very similar scene. A
very similar device used by God, the hook is baited and it will
be set shortly. Second Samuel, chapter 12, you
know the story. It’s the confrontation of David
by Nathan. Then the Lord sent Nathan to
David, and he came to him and said, There were two men in one
city, one rich and the other poor. And David saw the bait dangling. The rich man had many great flocks
and herds, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe
lamb. which he bought and nourished
and grew up together with him and his children. And by now,
David’s attention is fully seized. This heartwarming story. It would
eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom
was like a daughter to him. Now, the traveler came to the
rich man and he was unwilling to take from his own flock or
his own herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him.
Rather, he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for
the man who had come to him. Just a shocking story. Then David’s anger burned greatly
against this man, and he said to Nathan, as the Lord lives,
surely the man who has done this deserves to die. He must make
restitution for the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and
had no compassion. And we have the benefit of knowing
what Nathan’s design was, what the import of this story was.
The Ulam represented Bathsheba and David had done this thing.
And then and only then, after the hook had been gulped down
and set, did Nathan spring the trap. You are the man. Thus says the Lord God of Israel,
it is I who anointed you king over Israel, and it is I who
delivered you from the hand of Saul. And Nathan begins to point
out that David had sinned and sinned previously. You can imagine
a room full of Jews. If Paul were to deliver that
address, Romans 1, 18 through 32, you can imagine that. You
can imagine the amens You can imagine the cries of affirmation
as the Jews had lived side by side with so many of these heathen
nations for so long. You can imagine their heart in
affirming the truth that Paul articulated. You can imagine
that just like so many of the imprecatory Psalms, even like
the one we read today, that even then the Jews may have been praying
God’s judgments upon these nations. But in an instant. Paul, no sooner
has he drawn in the Jews, just like Nathan did to David, says
you are the man. It’s the Jews that are in focus
in chapter two. There’s no doubt, as I’ll show
you. If you would consider Romans chapter two. There are only three different
sections in this chapter. There is one section that addresses
the privileges and the arrogance of the nation of Israel. Chapter
two, verse one through three, which we’ll be considering this
morning. The second section is a very short one, it’s verse
four, only privileges and oversight. By the nation of Israel. And
then verse five. Carries all the way down to verse
twenty nine, it’s the most lengthy section of all. It is the privileges
and judgment of the nation of Israel. Chapter two, verse one. Therefore, you are without excuse,
every man of you who passes judgment. For in that you judge another,
you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the
same things. And we know that the judgment
of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. And
do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those
who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you
will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the
riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that
the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of
your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath
for yourself In the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous
judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his
deeds, to those who by perseverance and doing good seek for glory
and honor, immortality, eternal life. But to those who are selfishly
ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,
wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and
distress for every soul of man who does evil, to the Jew first
and also of the Greek. But glory and honor and peace
to every man who does good to the Jew first and also to the
Greek, for there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned
without the law will also perish without the law, and all who
have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For not
the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of
the law will be justified. For when the Gentiles who do
not have the law do instinctively the things of the law, these
not having the law or a law unto themselves in that they show
the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience
bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else
defending them. on the day when, according to
my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ
Jesus. But if you bear the name Jew
and rely upon the law and boast in God and know His will and
approve the things that are essential being instructed out of the law
and are confident that you are a guide to the blind, a light
to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, A
teacher of the immature, having in the law the embodiment of
knowledge and of the truth. You who therefore teach another,
do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one should
not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not
commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols,
do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, though
you through your breaking the law, do you dishonor God? For
the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of
you, just as it is written. For indeed, circumcision is a
value if you practice the law, but if you are a transgressor
of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. If,
therefore, the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of
the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And will not he who is physically
uncircumcised, if he keeps the law, will he not judge you, who,
though having the letter of the law and circumcision, are a transgressor
of the law? For he is not a Jew. who is one
outwardly. Neither is circumcision that
which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew who is one inwardly. And circumcision is that which
is of the heart by the Spirit, not of the letter. And his praise
is not from men, but from God. And it is with this that Paul
begins his address to the Jews. As I said, the Jews are in focus.
The statements at the beginning, verses one through three, very
general, all the way down through verse 11, very general. It could be taken to mean that
Paul was addressing just humanity in general. But Paul has the
Jews in focus. There is no little debate and
question as to when Paul exactly turns his attention to the nation
of Israel, to the Jews. Some say that those in Paul’s
day were those in Paul’s mind. They were those that were morally
superior among the Gentiles. They were the moralists of the
day. Others suggest that it’s left vague for a reason, that
it’s a general statement that encompasses all people, Jews
and Gentiles. Others suggest that it’s. That
Paul really only turns his attention to the Jews in verse 17, and
it’s then that he says, thou art the man. Now, I’m of a mind
that Paul, having dealt clearly and completely with the Gentiles
already, closes that volume, if you will, and turns his attention
specifically and exclusively to the Jews. Many reasons that
I want you to just follow along in your Bible as we go. Paul
uses this literary device. Oh, man, he actually uses it
in verse one and verse three, though, depending on your translation,
it may not show up in verses one and three. It’s very general,
undefined. But Paul gives this individual
a name in verse 17. And the name is plainly Jew.
In verse two, when Paul says, we know the judgment of God rightly
falls on those. Paul puts himself in with this
group, with we. Logically speaking, they’re the
Jews, the Jewish people. And he says, we know only the
Jews definitively knew of the judgment of God. That’s because
only they had God’s law. It’s the Jews that are in focus.
The Jews are in focus again, proven by verse four, which points
to the nation of Israel. What nation had enjoyed a greater
measure of God’s kindness, forbearance and patience? What nation? In the face of constant and continued
unfaithfulness, God had again and again showed mercy to them. In verses nine and 10, it’s the
first time that The word Jew is mentioned when he says Jew
in Greek to two different times. But it’s really clear throughout
the entire section that what Paul is addressing here from
the very beginning in verse one of chapter two is the Jews. This
judgmentalism that we’ll see even this morning. Was a mark
of the Jews, likewise, the Jews had for centuries cultivated
this idea This haughty attitude of superiority over the Gentiles. And along with that smug attitude
toward Gentiles, they arrogantly believe. That God would somehow
indulge them in their indiscretions, in their sinfulness, they really
thought. That they had arrived spiritually. And that they, even though they
graded on a serious curve, they believed God would do likewise.
In fact, they expected him to because they were after all,
the covenant people of God. This entire section, I would
probably title something like benefits and drawbacks, because
the Jews no doubt had benefits. That’s the question that’s posed
in chapter three, verse one. Aren’t there any benefits? Aren’t
there any advantages to being a Jew? There were a multitude
of advantages. But it also had its drawbacks.
And not the least of which was this arrogance. That being the
chosen people of God had bred. So what Paul gives. To the Jewish. Person in his
audience. Is an adjusted perspective on
judgment, see the Jews thought the judgment was the exclusive
right of the Gentile world. And that somehow being Jewish
exempted one. From the harsh idea of judgment
and the wrath of God, not so. Paul gives three correctives
in this opening section. First of all. Judgment is inappropriate
in the hands of men. Judgment is inappropriate in
the hands of men. Look at verse one. Therefore,
you are without excuse every man of you who passes judgment. For in that you judge another,
you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the
same things. That little word, therefore,
at the head just points back to everything that Paul has addressed
thus far, the entirety of the discussion that is just concluded
in verse 32. The Gentile world is utterly
sinful, but since God’s wrath is revealed against all ungodliness,
the simple conclusion is that all are guilty, including the
Jew. You are without excuse, Paul begins. The same exact word
that’s used in chapter 1, verse 20. Just as foolish and inexcusable
as those who claim that there is no God, when the abundance
of evidence has been lavished upon this world since the very
moment of creation. Those who would arrogantly place
themselves high on the throne of judgment over their fellow
men are inexcused, totally unjustified for that behavior. As one said,
since the gospel reveals the fact of universal sinfulness
of men, the man who sets himself up to judge other men is without
excuse. He has no ground at all on which
to stand. Paul says, you are without excuse,
every man of you who passes judgment. This word here has more to do
than just the act of judging, it is the condemnation that flows
out of the act of judging. It’s a condom condemnation that
is in view. It’s not just an act of judging
between right and wrong. One put it this way. Judging
by implication condemning is the thing done, which is the
ground of condemnation. Therefore, he who condemns the
act condemns the perpetrator, and so it’s this. Condemnatory
attitude, if you will, I think a good replacement is judgmentalism. That’s what’s in view. The word
is used throughout Paul’s epistles, condemnation, condemnation over
and over again. Now, this proclivity to a judgmental
attitude was itself built on a faulty foundation. I already
alluded to this. Charles Hodge summarized it well
when he said the nation of Israel expected to be regarded and treated
not so much as individuals. Each being dealt with according
to his own personal character that was far from the mind of
the Jew. But as a community. To whom salvation
was secured by the promise made to Abraham, and that’s how they
began to live. Look, Abraham already sealed this deal. Doesn’t
matter how I live. He goes on to say the whole hope
of the Jews was founded on the assumption that the judgment
of God regarded regarding them would be guided by some other
rule than truth. He was not to judge them according
to their real merits. But according to their national
and religious stations, just as men now hope to be saved simply
because they belong to a church. Fascinating thought. See, the
Jews really began to believe, just as we saw so many times
in our study of the Gospel of Luke, the attitude of the Pharisees,
they really had begun to believe that with them, God had a great
deal. The God having chosen the Jews
was so favored to have them in his family. And they began to
live that way and carry themselves that way, and as such, there
was this tendency, this attitude of heart. That held out their religious
privileges and kept them aloof and apart from any attempt to
have to live accordingly. As one said, Paul points to the
Jewish habit of separating themselves in thought from the Gentiles
as if they belonged to a different species. Now, this is fearful. It’s fearful because we have
Christians that live this way, Christians that live themselves
in such a way as if they’re aloof and above. the heathen world
in which we live. It shouldn’t be that way. It
shouldn’t have been that way for the Jews, and it certainly shouldn’t
be that way for the Christians. You remember the story of the
publican and the sinner. Remember, I thank God that I’m
not like that guy sitting at the back of the church. And meanwhile,
the sinner at the back of the church was beating his breast
and pleading for God to be merciful to him. You see, the Jew And
especially the Pharisees. They basically just held it as
a euphemism for Gentiles to call them a sinner, to call them a
sinner was just the same as calling them a Gentile. That’s what they
were. It was one in the same. It was
unthinkable to think of themselves as sinners. So many times when
they would throw accusations up to Jesus, They would accuse
him of being with, heaven forbid, sinners. Not realizing. Totally unequipped and unwilling
to acknowledge that they too were wicked and desperately needful
sinners. Matthew chapter 7. We have this
admonition about judging there. Like I say, it was built on a
faulty foundation. Jesus said it this way, there
do not judge so that you will not be judged. Don’t cultivate
this attitude of condemnation, judgmentalism in your heart.
Otherwise, you’re going to bring it down on your own head. For
in the way that you judge, you will be judged and by your standard
of measure, it will be measured out to you. Jesus affirmed what Paul is saying
here, this judgmental attitude, this harsh, condemnatory tone,
way of living, looking down one’s nose at everybody around you
as if you are incapable of the same, as if you have no sins
of your own to confess and to address. One said, this said only God
knows and understands every person in all of his circumstances and
conditions. And only he has the final instance
in the final instance has the right to judge the guilt or innocence
of a person. To condemn where he where his
salvation has been rejected, no human being has the power
or right to do this. And yet so many times Our hate of the sin bleeds over
to hate of the sinner. And we begin to look at a person
as unsavable or unworthy of our time or unworthy of us sharing
with them. They’re beyond hope. Not so. Jesus doesn’t take that
attitude. Jesus was willing to gather with
sinners. Jesus was willing to share the
gospel with sinners. This word judge is. Created no
little debate in our even in our own day, throughout the history
of the church, are we to judge or are we not to judge? We’re
to decide, we’re to form an opinion of things, sometimes that, you
know, we’re to judge. We have to judge between right
and wrong. So what does it mean that we’re
not to judge? Essentially, it means to set
oneself up as a judge over the moral worth of another person. That’s the sinful part of judging. It is, as one said, whatever
wherever this disposition prevails, judgment is usually exercised
in an unkindly spirit. It is done without mercy. It
is done without heart. It is done without love. It is
done without a goal of seeing the person come to salvation.
See, God doesn’t forbid all kinds of moral judgments. God doesn’t
forgive judging of any kind. If that were the case, so much
of the Scriptures would have to be thrown out, wouldn’t it?
Because there are times where we are supposed to confront our
brother and to admonish and even to judge. In fact, as I said
before, that’s one of the occupational hazards of the ministry that
we do have to go and to confront sin. Would you throw out all
judging? No, that would contradict scripture
itself. Consider First Corinthians 512. What do I have to do with judging
outsiders? Do you not judge those who are
within the church? Paul didn’t rebuke them for that.
Paul acknowledged that as leaders of the church, we are going to
have to judge those in the church. It is an occupational hazard.
And as such, it ought to be entered into with great trepidation and
fear and self-examination, as we’ll see in a moment. 1 Corinthians
6 5 says, does one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor,
dare to go to the law against the unrighteous and not before
the saints? What Paul does there is say,
look, if you’ve got some gripes, even in the greater Christian
community, bring it to the church and let them decide. Don’t go
to court. Do you not know that the saints
should judge the world? And you know what? Paul didn’t
rebuke them for that. Paul says, guess what you get
to do in eternity? You get to judge. But it’s not
the same as that judgmentalism that he’s. Pointing out of the
Jews. Galatians, chapter one in Galatians,
chapter one, Paul acknowledges that judging is a part of the
Christian life, even if we are an angel from heaven should preach
to you a gospel contrary to what we preach to you, he is to be
accursed. You were to exercise a judgment. If somebody comes
into your midst and preaches a gospel that doesn’t square
with Scripture, send him on his way. Philippians 3 to beware of the
dogs. Beware of the evil workers, beware
of the false circumcision. There are going to be times where
people come into your midst that bring this faulty, putrid imitation
gospel. And you have to judge. You have
to decide what’s truth and error and you have to make a judgment. First Thessalonians, chapter
two, verse 14. For you, brethren, became imitators
of the churches of God and of Christ, Christ Jesus that are
in Judea, for you also endure the same sufferings at the hands
of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews who
both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out.
They are not pleasing, but are hostile to all men. They made a judgment. And in
like manner, the church sometimes needs to be in judgment. 1 Timothy 6, Paul warned Timothy
of some men straying from these things have turned aside to fruitless
discussion. Paul makes a judgment on their
conversation. Wanting to be teachers of the
law, even though they do not understand what they are saying
or the matters about which they make such confident assertions. First, John, for one beloved,
do not believe every spirit. He calls us to be judges. He
calls us to test the spirits to see whether they are from
God and to ascertain the truth of them, because many false prophets
have gone into the world. And on and on it goes. As I said,
it is an occupational hazard of the ministry. That we are to judge, we are
called to judge many times. I think at first, first Corinthians
10. Where? When the church confronts
error, Paul says there, therefore, let him who thinks he stands
take heed. That he does not fall. We can
become judges of our own lives and motives we can. We can put
in focus sin and sinful behavior, but so many times. We don’t take
heed. We haven’t really considered
the course. And I believe what Paul’s talking about there is
exactly what he talks about in Galatians chapter six. Brethren,
even if anyone is caught in any trespass. You who are spiritual restore
such a one in a spirit of gentleness and there there is judgment.
You go to the brother and you tell him that what he’s engaged
in is sin and sinful behavior. That’s judgment. But it’s not
judgmental, you’re holding out hope, you’re appealing him to
him for repentance. But it’s done in this spirit.
You who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness,
get this each one looking to yourselves so that you, too,
will not be tempted. That’s the occupational hazard
of ministry, is going in without looking at yourself, going in
thinking that you could never do what this person has fallen
into, that you don’t have some sin of your own to confess. We’ll
come back to that thought in a moment. What he points to here
is, as one said, The fact that it’s wrong for anyone to concentrate
his attention on the speck of his brother’s eye, ignoring the
beam of his own. To use Jesus illustration, the
Lord here is condemning the spirit of sense short sensoriousness,
judging harshly, self righteously, without mercy, without love.
To be discriminating and critical is necessary to be hypocritical
is wrong. So the critical. Harsh fault
finding spirit is what is in view here. Charles Bridges, our
dear brother, the writer of Christian ministry, said it this way. Hatred,
however, varnished by smooth principle, smooth pretense rather,
is the selfish principle of man. You said our tendency really
is to slip into this. How careful should we be to ever
confront anybody in sin? It shouldn’t be fun. It shouldn’t
be a game. It should be the most difficult
thing that we ever have to do. And sometimes it must be done. Like a subterraneous fire bridges
goes on, it continually stirs up mischief, creates or keeps
alive a rankling coldness, disgusts, dislikes. It carves at the infirmities
of other. It aggravates the least slip
and resents the most trifling or even imaginary provocation. That is that judgmental spirit
that is always ready to pounce on another brother’s sin. James likewise admonished us
to beware of this spirit when James said, Do not speak against
one another. Brethren, he who speaks against
a brother or judges, a brother speaks against the law and judges
the law. In other words, you set yourself
up as being even greater and higher than the law courts of
God himself. But if you judge the law, you
are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. There is one lawgiver
and judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But who
are you to judge your neighbor? The bottom line, though, there
is no prohibition to coming to conclusions about right and wrong,
to coming to conclusions about the character of men when called
to do so. When given the authority to do
so, and the mandate by God to do so, there’s no prohibition
of doing that. In fact, Matthew 18 calls us,
admonishes us to do that, right? If your brother sins, go show
him his fault in private. If he listens to you, you’ve
won your brother. And it doesn’t stop there. And know the final
goal or the final phase of church discipline is not kicking them
out of the church. The final phase of church discipline
is bringing them back in and restoring them in repentance. We are often called in the ministry
to admonition, we are never called to judgmentalism, we are never
called to that condemnatory spirit. To judge the motives And the
character said one without tangible and most convincing evidence.
This is sin. And it’s just as much sin in
our own day. As it was in the situation that Paul was addressing,
it is sinful, even if the judgment is kept to ourselves. If we decide
where somebody is and we pigeonhole them and we hold them there,
even in our minds. That’s judgmentalism. It’s condemnatory. And Paul tells these Jews that
that’s exactly that’s exactly how they’re living. Robert Holden. Great commentary,
for those of you who would study Romans in the future, just an
excellent commentary, said the character of judging them can
belong only to the Jews. who, according to a principle
of their religion, condemned the other nations of the earth
and regarded them as strangers from the covenants of promise.
In this manner of the Jews, in this manner, the Jews were seated
on a tribunal from which they pronounced judgment on all other
men. Now, it isn’t exclusively the
Jews, but in focus here in this chapter, it’s the Jews. It’s
the Jews. But it isn’t even their judgmentalism. It’s not the decision on sin.
Because as Paul will go on to show in chapter in verse two,
rather, is that God knows what sin is. God will judge sin. He’s
not saying that it’s not a sin. What then? What then changed
the flavor of what the Jews were doing, Paul tells us as he goes
on in verse one. Therefore, you are without excuse
every man of you who passes judgment. Why? For in that you judge another,
you condemn yourself. How? For you who judge practice
the same things. It’s hypocrisy that’s in view.
It’s not putting your finger on what’s right and wrong. It’s
not deciding one doctrine over another. It’s that hypocrisy
of having a life that is flavored and seasoned with nothing but
sin and having the gall to turn your attention and to rebuke
others for the things that you embrace. What it points to is a spiritual
insincerity and pretense that unfortunately, the Jews had gotten
very good at. They were infamous for this. Their behavior, their life, their
lifestyle was totally inconsistent with what they claimed to believe
and what they put off. And for what they put down of
everyone else. I want to take you to one illustration
of this, but it’s a lengthy one, Matthew chapter 23. It’s hypocrisy that’s in view
here. Paul is not going to sit idly
by and wink at the sinfulness of even his earthly brethren
while they plied their hypocrisy throughout the world. Neither
did Jesus. Jesus didn’t blink. We’re shy
away from the hypocrisy of the Jews, as we see even beginning
in this chapter. Jesus spoke to the crowds and
to his disciples, saying the scribes and Pharisees have seated
themselves in the chair of Moses. And I don’t think that to mean
that Moses, you know, that they’re on Moses lap, they kicked him
out. We’ll take over, Moses. We’ll interpret what you meant.
We’ll make the law even stronger in places where you weakened
it. Therefore, all that they tell you do and observe, but
do not do according to their deeds, for they say things and
do not do them. That is the heart of hypocrisy,
isn’t it? They say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy
burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves
are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to
be noticed by men, for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen
the tassel of their garments. They love the place of honor
at banquets and the chief seats of the synagogues and respectful
greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by men.
But do not be called rabbi, for one is your teacher and you are
all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father, for one
is your father, he who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders,
for one is your leader, that is Christ. But the greatest among
you shall be your servant, whoever exalts himself shall be humbled,
whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. But woe to you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites. Because of because you shut off
the kingdom of heaven from people. For you do not enter in yourselves,
nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Do you get
the heart of what Jesus is saying? They had built up this system
that was so airtight that they thought only they could enter. Skip to verse 15. Woe to you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on
sea and land to make one proselyte. And when he becomes one, you
make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Woe to
you blind guides who say whoever swears by the temple that is
nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.
It was nothing but hypocrisy their entire religious life. Skip down, if you would, to verse
23. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites, for you tithe mint and dill and cumin. and have
neglected the weightier provision of the law, justice and mercy
and faithfulness. But these are the things you
should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides
who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. Woe to you, scribes,
Pharisees, hypocrites. You get the point. They hadn’t fooled Jesus. They
hadn’t fooled Paul. They haven’t fooled God. Their
lifestyle is hypocritical. And if there’s one thing. That
we should be most watchful of in the church is that same hypocrisy. That looking down our nose at
anyone else, thinking that they are beyond the pale of God’s
mercy, thinking that our lives are so much better. Because the man who condemns
others ultimately condemns himself. We elevate the level of judgment. As one commentator said, the
indictment brought against the Jew is not that he judged others
for the sins they committed, but that he judged others for
the very things that he practiced himself. It was hypocrisy. And the Jews by this self-righteousness
made a name for themselves. That even though sinfulness was
a universal condition, all have sinned, right? Because of that,
it was utterly inexcusable to enter into the judgmental frame
of mind. And it would be great error for
us to look at the Jews and develop the same attitude. The same judgmental
attitude to look at the Jews and say, how dare they be so
judgmental? When the same sin is just as
prevalent in our own day, just as much a pitfall to us as it
was to them, especially to us who have all of our doctrines
figured out. To look down our nose at other people and especially
of other churches, To look on our nose and to think that we
have arrived while others yet sit in darkness is an occupational
hazard. That’s the occupational hazard
of being a Christian. Do you know that Paul admonishes
us Christians numerous times to beware of this same hypocrisy? Romans 12, 9, let love be without
hypocrisy. And how many times have we had
this phony baloney, nicey, you know, sugarcoated kind of attitude
towards our fellow Christians when deep down, if we were to
split us open in the middle, we don’t really like this person. First, first Timothy four to
speaks of false teachers that come into our midst by means
of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own consciences with
a branding iron. They’re out there somewhere. They’re in the
church. James addressed it as well. The
wisdom from above is pure than peaceable, gentle, full of mercy,
good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. He’s talking there
about the fights that people have in the church. He says,
ultimately, that strife is due in part to hypocrisy. First,
Peter addressed it as well, putting aside all malice, all deceit
and hypocrisy. This is Christians to whom Peter
was writing. For Paul, this hypocritical attitude,
this self-righteousness was grievous. And it put the
Jews right in the same boat as the Gentile world. They were
utterly sinners. MacArthur said it this way in
closing. The self-righteousness of those who are judgmental make
two grave errors. They underestimate the height
of God’s standard of righteousness. Remember in the. In the Sermon
on the Mount, where Jesus kept saying, you’ve heard it said,
but I say to you, Jesus interpreted the law and the law was much
more rigid, much more strict than the Pharisees held it to
be. The Pharisees had come up with all kinds of their own manmade
devices. But they couldn’t even hold a
candle to God’s Word. They had two errors. They underestimate
the height of God’s standard and righteousness, which encompasses
the inner as well as the outer life. And they underestimate
the depth of their own sin. It is a universal temptation
to exaggerate the faults of others while minimizing one’s own. Let’s
examine our hearts. Gracious God, we thank you for
the opening to this great chapter in which you will deal with the
sinful parts of the Jewish nation. And Father, we thank you and
praise you that first and foremost, you start off with dealing with
the sin of hypocrisy and the judgmentalism that it’s built
upon. Father, we do pray that you would
examine our own hearts. We know that many times you call
us to go to our brother and to appeal to him, to admonish, even
to censure him. We know that such is a mark of
a pure church, one that practices church discipline. But Father,
let us do so if we are ever called to do so with a broken heart. with a recollection of your own
mercy in our life, with a recollection of how much you have forgiven
us, and with an appeal to our brother, with an appeal to the
one caught up in sin, that you would free them, that you would
grant them mercy. Father God, expose in our own
lives the hypocrisy That is so easily embraced by us. That we
would not become a byword like the Pharisees had in their own.
God grant us the grace to examine our own hearts and lives. Restore us to a place of mercy. It’s in Jesus name that we pray.
Amen. you.