A Religious Highway to Hell (Romans 2)

Read Romans 2/Listen to sermon "A Religious Highway to Hell"


Just this past week new research revealed 71% of Americans believe some form of works must be added to faith for salvation (see research here: http://ericgeiger.com/2015/07/the-important-stats-about-our-cultural-context/#.VbeSVvlViko). 71% freely admit they honestly believe they must contribute to their own salvation. I imagine the number of those who secretly struggle with needing to work off their penance is much higher, say 100%, as the need for self-elevation is a universal human problem. We need Romans 2 penetrating our heart today! But how?

Just between me and the two people reading this, I am a cosmic failure. I like everyone else love to point to my accomplishments as evidence to the contrary. I have earned these degrees with this GPA, have a job, stayed in church my whole life, married a beautiful woman, have three perfect and amazing children, started saving for retirement at a young age, been around the world on mission work, do charity work at home, and yada, yada, yada. However, the truth is all of those things are a facade. I am a cosmic failure. I fail where it counts. I failed and still fail to give proper glory, honor, and praise to the one true infinite king. No amount of self-aggrandizement, no amount of good work, and no amount of knowledge will ever change the fact I am cosmic failure. Admitting I am a failure is tough, but that is the point of Romans 2--God seeks to root out any idea of self-righteousness in us. What is a cosmic failure to do?

1. I WILL ALWAYS NEED JESUS.

I love teaching my children and watching them learn new concepts. I usually demonstrate and assist them while teaching a new task until eventually the words "Dad, I can do this by myself" come along. If you are a believer, Jesus is transforming you into His image and training you to be like him. However, there will never come a day when you can say "Jesus, I can do this by myself." The temptation of religious people is to reach a point where they have forgotten their deep need for a Savior or where they believe they have reached a point of not needing Jesus to function anymore. As a pastor, I see this when long time "believers" hear the gospel with an overwhelming boredom. Jesus saves is a message for those dying and going to hell, but us good church folk have heard that for years and have moved beyond that message. WHAT! We never move beyond the gospel! The same Jesus who redeemed us from eternity in hell is the same Jesus who renews us to walk with God each day. I am a failure on my own, but Jesus gives me value, hope, and a future. Make a list of areas in your life where Jesus is not central, and I will show you where you have self-righteousness. I need Jesus to save me. I need Jesus to walk with me. I need Jesus in my marriage. I need Jesus in raising children. I need Jesus in my ethics. I need Jesus in my finances. I need Jesus in worries. I need Jesus when I am young and I need Jesus when I am old. I will always need Jesus because apart from him I am a cosmic failure, but with Him I can walk with God.

2. TRUTH AND GRACE MUST GO HAND AND HAND

We are all cosmic failures. None of us have divine immunity or stand on a pedestal because of who we are. Christians walk a fine line in today's culture. We are formerly blind men who have been given blurry vision encouraging other blind men to follow us. We live in a post-Christian society. A society which devalues life, suppresses truth, and invents ways of doing evil. We must be able to stand and say "This is what the Lord says!" We must be able to declare the truth boldly and clearly. We must call sin the evil sin really is. However, we do so as one beggar to another. We are not perfect people, but people being perfected. While declaring truth, it is easy to get frustrated and look down upon those who do not understand. On one particular mission trip to Africa, the team I served with tried to teach basic hygiene principles and give basic healthcare as a means to open the door for the gospel. Two of the lessons focused on purifying drinking water with charcoal and basic sanitation like washing one's hands before eating. This particular group of people did not understand nor appreciate the necessity of such a practice. It was easy to look down at them as primitive and disgusting for the lack of hygiene. They did not know, what I knew, but they were still people created in the image of God with infinite value...people who Jesus died for. It is far too easy as for believers to forget the status from which we came when dealing with the lost. We were not good people in need of just a little help--we were lost, dead in our sins. We needed a miracle to bring us back to life. Those have believed in Christ a long time must also remember the command against judging when dealing with relatively new believers. It took years and years of Christ working on your heart to get you to the point you are now which is still far from perfect. Remember that when dealing with the new believer who is still rough around the edges. It is easy to judge someone from a pedestal, but hard to remember you are the same blind sinner apart from the transforming work of the gospel. It is easy to get frustrated with a young believer, but hard to disciple them with patience.

WHERE IT REALLY MATTERS

This all may seem inconsequential, but just in the span of typing this blog today this material has had a huge impact upon everyday life. My kids have misbehaved and the inclination of my heart and their sinful hearts pushes them toward self-righteous legalism..."Be good, do good things kids, because you are supposed to." It takes time and effort to point them to Jesus instead of just good behavior. It takes honesty to see your children are not little miracle babies, or perfect, or precious in every way. They are sinners in need of Jesus.
I checked out social media as well during this process. Some posts I was jealous of, others I was outraged by, and some I flat out condemned for their behavior. We love to secretly judge from behind a computer screen and be filled with righteous indignation about others. Social media gives a distorted picture of everyone's lives. I try to post mostly bible versus, Christians articles, or things about my kids. If you only know me through those posts, you might assume I am some super spiritual guy who loves God and his children. The flaws are edited, left out, and mitigated. I am a cosmic failure as are all on social media.
I deal with individuals who have made horrible choices almost everyday with today being no exception. As a church, we help people in need as best we can with the resources available to us. More often than not, the individuals I deal with our of a rougher looking bunch. They are poor and often dirty. They have made choices which led them to my office. Many of those choices involved immoral lifestyles, addictions, and wasteful living. It is easy to look at them and think "If they were only like us" or "If only they were as wise as I am" or "That wretched soul, I am glad I am not like them." However, the truth is I am them. My clothes, education, and lifestyle my be different, but I am just as hopeless and lost as they are.
Self-righteous attitudes affect us in so many ways, but one of the most self-evident ways is in the choice to forgive. Dealing with people is not easy. We typically hurt someone or get hurt by someone in long-term relationships. It is easy to hold a grudge and anger against someone who has hurt you. It is harder to admit you have hurt other individuals in your past in similar ways. The same love and forgiveness you desire from those you have hurt should be extended to those who have hurt you. It is hard to forgive through when you make self-righteous excuses for your sin while holding others strictly to the law. You need Jesus to forgive you and you need to extend that forgiveness to others.

People of the Word

I can only think of one reason to start, but multitudes of reasons to steer clear. I am starting this blog back up purposefully as a tool to help people understand the Word. First let me give you the reasons why I am hesitant:

1. We live in a culture full of babblers. Somewhere along the way technology turned us all into poet laureates and philosophical giants. We live in a hipster society full of tweets, instagrams, instant messages, shares, and posts. If you have a voice, you can assure your narcissistic self it will be heard, liked, shared, and retweeted. The world does not need another voice. The world needs Jesus. I am hesitant to write anything because I hate to add to the noise. My only desire is for people to say "His Jesus is awesome."

2. I hate to write anything public because I am young. The multiplying grey hairs on my head, my sagging belly, popping joints, and 3 am heartburn beg to argue with the assertion of my youth. However, I realize (or hope) I am not near as wise or learned as I will be thirty years from now. I dread to look back at this in my sixties and contemplate on my foolishness. Yet, each week people from all walks of life listen to me preach and make life altering choices based on the preached word. I cannot afford to be silent, foolish, or inaccurate.

3. I dread this task because it will involve more work. I work too much. More weeks than not I hit the 70 hour mark working seven days a week. It is sinful and I neglect mandated rest. My over work ethic already has had a negative impact upon my health. However, I plan to discipline my work. This blog is part of a commitment to work smarter not harder.

4. I am hesitant to write because I do not wish to spoon feed able bodied individuals. Christians should reach a point of maturity where they are able to digest the meat of the Word of God. For far too long, we have settled eating regurgitated meals like baby birds receiving our spiritual diets from the latest guy with a flashy smile or newest book regardless of their theology. We often digest pure vomit out of laziness. My hope is for every Christian to live as a royal priest able to confidently approach God not to maintain a nursery of whiney babies refusing to grow up. 

So, why am I starting a blog back up? Simply put: People need the Word. I am starting this blog for the express purpose of sermon based discipleship. It disturbs me how many good church going "Christians" neglect the Word of God on a regular basis. Many people who have been in church for a decade or longer have no clue how to study the Bible. I have tried to ingrain an easy technique into those I preach to on a regular basis. As an expositor, I preach through books of the bible at a time. This allows every individual the ability to study the text before and after the sermon. If you struggle with spending time in the Word, try taking notes during the sermon and then mull over the material during the week. Pray and Act on the proclaimed word of God. I will write this blog to help in the process. Starting next week, I will make a post on Sunday morning to accompany the text I am preaching on. The blog posts will focus primarily on application and integration into life. I hope the process will help the two readers of this blog grow in their understanding of the Word while helping me communicate the text. Hopefully, God will use this as a tool to help disciple believers in their understanding of Scripture.

If you wish to use this tool, first listen to the sermon then read the blog.

Dr. C.R. Stark