Mood:
accident proneTopic: MyWords::RE::God'sWords
RENOVATION 2 [ROMANS]
Motif
> Rachel and snake: Keeping rules isn’t enough.
Dilemma
> People get idea that Christian faith is about rules … if not, what is it about?
Text
Romans 2:1-7 > Immediate background: AD 49: Claudius’ decree/AD 54: Return
> Larger background: 1,600 years earlier, God rescued Israel/Gave gift through Moses: Torah [“Guidance,” “Instruction,” first five books]—613 mitzvoth, rules about what should be eaten, how to build house, worship/Called to KEEP RULES … Not burdensome, but gift of God’s guidance.
>> PROBLEM: We read OT and see lists of antiquated rules [LAWS STILL ON BOOKS]
à Purpose of Torah: For Israel, to show that—just as God is different from humanity—they were different from nations around them … show separation from nations so nations would be drawn to God of Israel.
à That’s why: Israel revered Torah KISSING OF SCROLL/(“Oh, how I love your Torah”): 5-to-10 years old, Beth-Safar … memorized Torah [hold portion of Bible].
> When Jews left in 49, church in Rome was mostly Jews and Gentiles who embraced both Messiah and Jewish customs (“God-fearers”).
à When they returned in 54, … many more Gentiles—many couldn’t care less about Jewish Torah, Word of God.
> Lord’s Supper: Potluck dinner … Gentiles: Bring ham, purchased at idol temple.
à Jews who accepted Jesus as Messiah: “I cannot believe you’re eating that—that’s forbidden in Torah! You mean, there are church members who haven’t been circumcised [sign of God’s covenant]? You are outside God’s grace”/ “Who cares what Torah says?” / “Torah is Word of God!”
à What’s worse: Some Jews: To be saved from wrath, not only must you accept Jesus—you must show that you’ve trusted Jesus by KEEPING THE RULES, even if … Gentile.
Chapter 1 > Jews: “Yes, that’s exactly what Gentiles are like! Go Paul!”—and probably correctly so!
Chapter 2 > “You who judge: You’re just as bad! You do same things as Gentiles” Suddenly, silence. “No, we don’t. We’ve kept rules!”
à PAUL NEVER TELLS THEM TO STOP KEEPING RULES—Jewish people were still called to show God’s holiness by keeping Torah, Gentile believers were still free to keep Torah as spiritual discipline … Paul’s point: Torah is not the standard that God uses to judge humanity.
2:1-3 à “Judge” means “to declare that someone is beyond God’s grace”—what Jewish believers were saying about Gentiles.
2:4-7 à When you do this [2:4], you “despise God’s grace—then, [2:5] “store up wrath for day of wrath.” >> Jews: Day of wrath was for Gentiles.
READ 2:8-16.
2:9-10 à The Word of God came first to Jews, then to Gentiles … Gospel … wrath.
2:11 à “No partiality” = “You are all in the same boat, and the boat is sinking.” Every person is equally outside God’s grace.
2:12-15 à Every person—with or without Torah—has broken what laws they do know.
2:16 à God will judge humanity and his standard is not Torah—“by Jesus the Messiah.”
READ 2:17-24.
>> Principle behind this: If you break any Torah [2:23], you are guilty of breaking it all. [“Just go ahead and break it all”? Rom6] … if you break part of God’s commands, you are infinitely guilty—even if we keep it outwardly, none of us keeps God’s will perfectly in our hearts.
2:24 à “God’s name is blasphemed among nations because of you.” >> Nm6:22-27: “Suym my name” >> cover, disguise >> “I will go into the world in the disguise of Israel.”
à God placed his name in Israel so all the world could see that he is holy and real. Every time they failed, God’s name [infinitely holy and beautiful] was tarnished and defiled.
>>> In Ten Commandments: “You shall not carry my name in vain.”
Resolution
> If keeping rules isn’t what it’s about, what is it about? You are God’s disguise.
à How does this apply? Addressed to religious people: “God’s name is blasphemed…”= in other words, “God is disguised in you … but people have the wrong idea about God because of you.”
Application
à We disguise God’s presence too well—when people look at us, they don’t know any more than before about what God is like. … we carry God’s name in vain.
à Not because God doesn’t want to be known, but because God longs to be known and loved not because of what he can do … because of who he is. With few exceptions, God reveals his presence through ordinary … yeast, seed, treasure buried … shepherds, tiny nation, tiny baby.
à After someone spends time with you, do they have a better idea of what Jesus is like? How well do you carry God’s name?
>> 2:4: Kindness … repentance.
*****
IN DEVON, CONNECTICUT - it's illegal to walk backwards after sunset
IN JONESBORO, GEORGIA - it's illegal to say, "Oh boy!"
IN ZION, ILLINOIS - it's illegal to give cigars to cats or dogs
IN FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY - it's illegal to shoot off a policeman's tie
IN LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - it's illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your pocket
IN BEXLEY, OHIO - it's illegal to put a slot machine in an outhouse
IN HARTHAHORNE, OKLAHOMA - it's illegal to allow a hypnotized person to be a model in a display window
IN UTAH - it's against the law to fish from horseback
