Today I’d like to talk about preparing for the day of judgment.  In the second half of Romans 1 Paul told us that God is revealing his wrath from heaven upon those who don’t worship God as God and who aren’t thankful.  This was especially towards the Gentiles, but the judgment is not only on the Gentiles, but also upon God’s chosen people, the Jews.  In this passage it states about God’s judgment on the Jews for their  sins.  Today let’s look at three aspects of this.

I.             God judges righteously (vs. 1-5 )

First let’s look at the point that God judges righteously.  Here it states that God’s judgment is on the Jew’s sin.  This was the sin of judging others.  Let’s look at verses 1 to 5.  In the cases of the Gentiles, they sympathized not only towards their own sins, but also the sins that they saw in others.  However, the chosen Jews judged others because they were committing sins, but they themselves were committing the same sins.  In other words, they thought they were good people.  They thought they were right, and judged others.  Another way of saying it was they didn’t apply the Word of God to themselves, but applied it to others.

If you talk about sin to people who think they are right, their hearts never seem to be moved. They think they have nothing to do with what you are saying.  When they hear about God’s wrath and judgment, they don’t even wince once.  That is because they think the words have nothing to do with themselves.　They think that what is being said is for sinners and has nothing to do with themselves.  The problem is they think they are good people.  They think that talks about sin is all for other people.  Therefore, they can’t kneel before God who announces sin.  Therefore, this type of person’s Christian life has no repentance.  As a result, the fruit of faith is always the same, there is no growth, and they have no feelings that they are forgiven of their sins.  God’s spirit comes when there is a consciousness of sin, and repentance and we are able to take a step up spiritually and also in character.  However, when there is no repentance, there is no growth.  That is because the words that were spoken we apply to others instead of ourselves.   

When I preach well, there are some people who show a response to the words that I spoke.   As a Pastor to hear a response to the message makes me really happy.  However, there are times when someone applies the message to someone else and tells me how much the message must have been a help to another person.  The person is not applying the message to himself, but to another person.  This type of thing is quite common.

The Word of God is not for applying to other people, it is for applying to ourselves and it must change us.  Being blessed is listening to the Word of God, and as a result a repenting heart is born.  It feels like your heart is being pierced. At Pentecost when Peter gave his message, the people who gathered in Jerusalem had their hearts pierced and they asked what they needed to do to be saved. This was not applying the Word of God to other people. Their hearts were pierced and before the Word of God they confessed their sins.  Peter clearly said that they needed to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, they repented and believed in Jesus Christ and were saved.

However, those who think that they are good, apply this to other people and judge them.  That type of person can’t admit their own wrongs.  They can see other people’s mistakes and make a big deal over it, but they can’t see their own sins.  They are always looking at other people’s sin and making a deal about it. Jesus said towards such people Matt. 7:3-5.

In Luke 18 there is the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector who went to the temple to pray.  The Pharisee stood and prayed in his heart thanking God that he was not a sinner like other people.  On the other hand, the tax collector stood far away, looked to heaven, and beating his breasts, prayed for the Lord to forgive him. It was the tax collector, not the Pharisee who received God’s righteousness.  The Pharisee did not see his sin, but looked at other people’s sin.  Therefore, he was not able to receive God’s grace.  On the other hand, the tax collector brought his sins before God, was sorry for his sins, and was able to receive the grace of God.  Therefore, his sin was forgiven and he received grace.  The greatest grace is the blessing of hearing the word of God as being for yourself and then believing it.

The Jews thought that they were specially chosen by God and thought they had special rights so Paul said, “do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?” (4)  They thought that they were the specially chosen people of God. So by God’s kindness, tolerance and patience they would not be judged like the Gentiles.   However, this was an outrageous mistake.  God is righteous, and God’s judgment will come on upon people who have such thinking.  The Jews had misconstrued God’s patience to be a lack of intent to judge.  However, if God is abstaining from judging it is because of “his kindness, tolerance and patience” of God and the purpose of God’s kindness is to give opportunity for repentance.   It doesn’t mean that they will be free from judgment.  God judges correctly.

However, it is not just the Jews who think this way.  We Christians who believe in Jesus are the same.   Through Jesus Christ we are the same.  We through our Lord Jesus Christ have become the children of God and have received a special grace.  It is “kindness, tolerance and patience.” (4)  If we are like the Jews and judge others, but we ourselves are doing the same thing, it is no different and we will be under the wrath of God.  Since we are saved by faith, the thinking that it doesn’t matter what kind of life we live is not to be found in the Bible.  The Bible clearly shows that there is a judgment upon what we do. This is not only upon what we do, but upon what we say and think, upon us totally.  Therefore, we need to throw away the thinking that we are pretty good people, and realize that that we are so unclean that we should be judged, and like the tax collector, beat our breasts and ask God to forgive us.  We need to humble ourselves.

II.           God does not show favoritism (vs. 6-11)

“God does not show favoritism” (11) so no matter whether you are a Jew or a Greek there is no difference.  No matter if you are a Jew, or a Greek, no matter who you are, “God will give to each person according to what he has done.” (6) Paul is not contradicting his continual emphasis in all his writings, including Romans that people are saved not by what they do but by faith in what Christ has done for them. He is saying that there is a principle that each person will be rewarded for what he does.

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life.  But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.  There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil; first for the Jew, then the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” (7-10)

This principle can be found throughout the Bible.

Matt. 16:27

II Cor. 5:10

Gal. 6:7-9

Therefore, Paul is not teaching that we are saved by our works.   He is teaching that we sow what we reap.    In the end we will be rewarded for according to whether we have done good or evil. 

III.         Preparing for the day of judgment (vs. 12-16)

Therefore, the third point is to prepare for the judgment of God. The Jews have the law so by the law they knew what was good and what was evil, but for Gentiles “who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.” (14,15)

The Gentiles do not have the law, but they have moral natures enlightened by their consciences which functioned for them as the Mosaic law did for the Jews.  It shows them what is good and what is evil. However, sinful men’s consciences are warped so they sometimes fail at making proper judgments. A good conscience is like an echo of God’s voice. However, because of sin sometimes the echo can’t be heard.  Even so it is clear that our conscience is for the Gentiles the wisdom of the law and all people will be judged for their good works.  Therefore, the conclusion is verse 16.

This verse states clearly about the judgment. “This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ,” (16) This will be in the last day. Therefore, we need to prepare for the day of judgment so that through Jesus Christ the secrets of our hearts will be o.k. even if we are judged. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (1:18) whether they are Jews or Gentiles.  Therefore, we need to repent, believe in Jesus Christ and seek to live as God would want us to. 

              Matt. 11:28

              Are you prepared for God’s judgment?  Do you believe in Jesus Christ and are you saved?  Are you wearing Christ’s yoke and learning from Him?  If so then you will have peace.  No matter what kind of judgment, we have nothing to fear. There will be “glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” (10)