Thou Art Inexcusable, Oh Man

In one paragraph

This message came from Romans 2:1, picking up where the series left off the previous week. Pastor Ray worked through Paul's warning to anyone who judges others while doing the same things themselves, and pressed toward the only place where relief from that reality is found. Paul's opening word in Romans 2:1 is "therefore," and Pastor Ray pointed out that the word reaches all the way back to Romans...

Read together

1. Psalm 51:12 opening verse read aloud, a prayer asking God to restore the joy of salvation and uphold with a willing spirit
2. Romans 1:16 cited as the starting point of the 'therefore' in Romans 2:1, the gospel as the power of God unto salvation
3. Romans 1:18 quoted to establish that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men
4. Romans 1:29-32 the list of 22 sins read aloud, ending with giving hearty approval to those who practice them
5. Romans 2:1 the main text, addressing the one who judges others while doing the same things
6. Romans 2:2-3 quoted to ask whether the one who judges others thinks he will escape the judgment of God
7. Romans 2:4 quoted on the riches of God's kindness, tolerance and patience leading to repentance
8. Romans 2:5 quoted on stubbornness and an unrepentant heart storing up wrath for the day of righteous judgment
9. Romans 2:6 quoted stating God will render to each person according to his deeds, referencing Psalm 62:12
10. Romans 2:7-8 quoted outlining two destinations, eternal life for those who persevere in doing good and wrath for those who obey unrighteousness
11. Romans 2:9-11 quoted on tribulation for every soul who does evil and glory for every soul who does good, to the Jew first and also the Greek, for there is no partiality with God
12. Psalm 62:12 cited as the source Paul references when he says God will render to each person according to his deeds
13. Romans 3:23 mentioned as a coming passage not yet reached, that all have sinned and the wages of sin is death
14. Romans 7:24-25 quoted, Paul crying out 'O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death' and thanking God through Jesus Christ
15. Romans 8:1-2 quoted, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who walk according to the Spirit, freed from the law of sin and death
16. Matthew 5:22 referenced in discussing how Jesus defined murder as including being angry with your brother without cause or calling someone a fool
17. Matthew 5:28 referenced in discussing how Jesus defined adultery as including lust in the heart
18. Matthew 7:9-11 referenced in the pastoral prayer, if a child asks for bread a parent does not give a stone, and how much greater God is as a father in giving good gifts

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray opened in Psalm 51 with the prayer 'restore to me the joy of your salvation.' Have you experienced a time when that joy faded, and what brought you back to it?
2. Pastor Ray said that after last week's sermon, Florine told him 'you put us all in the same bucket.' Do you find it easier to see certain sins as worse than others, and what does Romans 2:1 say to that tendency?
3. Romans 2:4 asks whether we think lightly of the riches of God's kindness, tolerance, and patience, and says it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance. How does truly believing that change the way you treat people who are still in their sin?
4. Pastor Ray asked directly: 'Do you want justice for others and mercy for yourself?' Where do you see that double standard showing up in your own thinking or behavior?
5. Paul writes in Romans 7 'O wretched man that I am' and turns the accusation back on himself before arriving at 'there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.' Why does the preacher Ray say the bad news has to be accepted before the good news can mean anything, and do you agree?