Therefore Pt 2

0:00 All right, you can turn to Romans chapter two. We have been working through the Book of Romans, looking at the therefores and therefore we come to today. Well, it came at a very interesting time because this last week has been crazy of the things that have happened in the world of politics and what has happened in the world of Christianity. A lot of times I tried to determine how much to bring that's going on outside of the church to the text. In this particular case, our passage in Romans today screams that we've got to talk about these issues. So here's what's happened. Now, when I put this together, this had all happened within a twenty four hour time span. All right, So this had all happened and basically a twenty four hour time span. You ready, Okay, all the kids are out, Okay, good, all right, here we go. All right. In the last twenty four hours, tie trans politician who talked about LGBTQ and all of that being disgusting and being vile and condemning it. This very politician, well was linked to a transgender porn website.

1:16 They found his information there. They found that he had been frequently, frequently attending or viewing the site and making comments on the site as some of those comments are absolutely insane. I won't even talk about the things he said on the site. They're crazy. This was all over the news. They're still doing more investigating. I'm not going to name the name because they're still investigating it. But his email was linked to the account, and he was also found on Ashley Madison where is you know, a site where you hook up with people and all kinds of just not good things, okay, And yeah, he's a very important Republican politician, very much connected to Trump. And well, now you know, what do you do well, because you know, he was all about mora and family values. Then an anti gay activist who typically on Fox News a lot was revealed too well being gay porn not good, right.

2:15 And then another congressman who was all about save the children and you know, we got to protect our children, We got to protect our children, was found to be doing drugs at a party where people are engaging in physical relations with a high school junior. That's all what's going on over in the Republican world about family values and morality. At the same time, that was all coming out and everybody was losing their minds, and I was getting things sent to me and I'm like, what in the world this is so bad? And to see some of these people, like the guy, the anti gay activist, I mean he's posted he posted something on social media about, you know, homosexuality, and then all of a sudden, immediately people like, isn't this you And there were screenshots from all the pornographic films he'd been in, and yeah, I mean, what do you I mean, that's insane. Right, So all of that's unfolding and it's ugly and it's a mess. Well, one of the most prominent lordship pastors all right, if you name the top three lordship pastor, you'd have MacArthur and RC Sprawl and then you would have the third one.

3:25 I'm not going to mention his name. He was removed from ministry because of sin and it's been everywhere. It's been chaotic and it's been crazy. All of this happened within like a twenty four hour time span, within twenty four hours, and all of this would have implication within the Christian world because the conservative politics are the ones supported by Christians. Christians Christians because we got a morality, morality, morality, and obviously the lordship pastor, he's very influential. I mean he's connected to Master Seminary, connected to lig in your ministries, I mean everywhere. I'm not gonna name his name because the issue is it's not about any of these individuals.

4:07 It's not about these individuals. Everyone here, I want everyone to hear it's not about them. It's about you and me. It's about theology. So let me I did this in the first hour. Let me state this again. The Christian life is a life of sin, and if any church tells you different, they're lying to you. Your entire Christian life is a life of sin. You sin continually, perpetually, and if you don't think you do, you're delusional, and now you're committing the sin of lying. It's a life of sin. If you need me to prove it to you.

4:49 The Bible commands you to be holy as God is holy. Have you ever done that once? No? Because to be holy as God is holy me with me, you are what perfect. Jesus on the Summer of the Mouth said, be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. Are you perfect? No? He says to love your enemy, love God with all your heart, mind, body, and so I can already just those I can go. Scripture after scripture after scripture. Guess what we should all say? We are sinners, we were sinners, we are sinners, we will be sinners until glorification. Yet the Church comes and says, no, no, no, no, no no. When you become a Christian, you're a new creature in Christ. The whole things are passed away. Behold, all things happy, become new. We preach that, but it's not true. It's true positionally, it's not true practically, because if it was true practically, if I'm a new creature and the oldest gone and everything is new, we wouldn't sin.

5:57 But every church and preaches that nonsense. It's not true. And Christianity at large does not know how to handle this reality that we all sin, and we all sin, and we all sin, and Christianity has a long history of trying to deal with it, and it all falls apart in the first hour. We looked at how Lordship Salvation would handle the fall of this very prominent lordship pastor, and lordship can't answer the question, doesn't know what to do. Lordship would just say he's not saved, which has already started. People are already saying he's not saved because he commit and just saying he's been committing sin constantly. But he committed one sin. And we always know what's the one sin that will end you. Sex. Any other sin is okay, but not sec if it's sexual, cut the throat, throw the body out, crucify, burn the body, what stone them whatever, because that every other sin you can commit, idolatry, you're good to go. You can have pride, you're good to go.

7:05 You can lie, deceive, come it, oh, oh good good, you are great. But if it's anything in the realm of sex, it's the end of the world. And that's hard to comprehend. Am I excusing sexual sin? Okay, someone's gonna think I'm ex I am not excusing it. It's sin, but it's sin. Like now, obviously the sin can have other CONTs. Every sin can have consequences though every sin right, sexual sin can hurt other people. But your pride can hurt other people, Your anger can hurt other people. You bearing false witness can hurt other people. When you dehumanize, I mean, I can go on and on and on and on. All sin typically hurts more than just yourself.

7:51 But it's all sin. Now, why am I bringing all of this up? We'll just look today at where we are going to. First go to Rome's chapter one. Go to Romans chapter one. Let's remind ourselves of the first therefore in the book of Romans. Does everybody remember where the first one was? Does everybody remember where the first one was? It hasn't been that many weeks, has it? One twenty four? Okay? Good? All right? Romans one twenty four? And we read these words. Therefore, God also gave them up.

8:32 And I put forth a hypothesis that no church in Abilene or anywhere else would agree with. And what was my hypothesis of this? Therefore and the giving up that made mine radically different than any other church? This describes all of us pre salvation, post salvation. We have all been given up. Church. You go to annapoling will say the giving up is not us, it's those bad people. And I will argue, we've all been given up. You know why we've all been given up? Because it's going to describe everything that we are even today. All right, So let's go back. Let's put because this is all key to where we're going. All right, So where does that therefore go back to? Do is everybody remember the therefore?

9:25 And twenty four goes back to where verse eighteen, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness. Everyone hear that all on goodliness? Let me ask you a question. Are you still on goodly? Yes? You are positionally you're not positionally you are what godly? But practically you're ungodly? Because what would it require for you to be ungodly? Any sin would would I mean, any sin would make you ungodly? Right? Right, all unrighteousness? What would be art for you to be unrighteous? Any sin? Right? Of men who suppressed the truth and unrighteousness, because what may be known of God has manifest in them, For God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seeing being understood by the things that are made. Even his eternal power in God had so that they are without excuse.

10:21 And that describes all of us. We all repress the truth to some level, right, we all push it down, we all deny it. But yet it's been clearly manifest to all of us. So we're all without excuse, saved and unsaved, right because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became fruit futile if I can read rite, and their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened. Well, I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen. That still describes many of us. Do we always glorify God? Are we always thankful? Do we not become futile in our thoughts? And do we still not have very foolish hearts? Yes? That still describes all of us. Professing to be wise, we became fools. That's it. Remember I said we should put that in the front of every church. This is a church where people who walk in profess to be fools. But we are professing to be wise. But we are all what fools? That is literally every church professing to be wise. We are foolish.

11:17 That is every church. Every Christians love to profess to be what? Why give me a break? Right, We're just as foolish as anybody else. We change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four footed animals and creeping things. Now we may not have create, We may not create an actual idol. But what do we do? We create an image of God and our own mind. Right, what do I I remember I've been saying the quote my entire ministry. God created man and his image, and man returned the favor we have. We create a God in our own and every church, every Christian has the image of God in their mind, and God, the image of God, happens to do what agree with them about everything? All right?

12:09 When people argue with me, their image of God is that God is on their side, and my image of God is that God is on my side. So everyone has their own image of God. And don't say that that's not true in the church. The church is full of people with their own God, all claiming to worship one God. But we don't worship one God because we've all met our own God, and we all just pretend. Nobody wants to admit this. Now, look, what's the inevitable conclusion of all of that verse twenty four therefore or wherefore right, depending on your translation, God gave them up to uncleanliness. Now immediately were like, wait, wait, God gave us up to uncleanliness. Well, let's look at everything that happens here and the lust of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves. Now, immediately when we read that some people want to immediately go to homosexuality, but that would include all sexual sin, Well, are you telling me sexual sin? It's not prominent in the church. Now, Again, what typically happens in the church, Even statistics prove this.

13:19 Kids raised in the church, right, when they get to that teen years, that's where they probably are going to start struggling with dishonoring their body, right because they're going to possibly be struggling with sexual sin. Right, it's just inevitable, right, They're biologically designed to do that. So in many cases, what happens they find themselves full of shame, guilt, don't know what to do. So in many cases they leave the church, right because it's condemnation, condemnation, condemnation, condemnation, condemnation, or they've been told a million times that proves that they're not saved. Then they may leave the church. Then guess what, At some point they come back to the church, typically after they are married and have kids, because guess what happens when you're married and have kids. There's a high probability your sexual sin now has dramatically decreased because now you're married. So now you can be like, oh, so now I'm godly, and then you can walk around and go, oh, those people and those people and those people, because now you're old and you go to bed at eight o'clock at night, so now you think you're all godly.

14:23 All you did was you now got married so you can satisfy a certain physical desire. You go to bed at eight o'clock night at night. You're not going to parties anymore, and now you think you're better than everyone else. You're just a self righteous hypocrite who thinks you're better when in reality you're no better than you were before you left the church. That's what happens because during that period of time, it's very difficult not to engage in sexual sin. I don't know if that's a shock to anyone, but it's very difficult. Even if you're not committing the physical act, you're committing it mentally. Now I don't know what happens when you get old, but may you may not care anymore. But the point is there's a time that that's very prevalent, and every pastor knows that the young people are struggling with that and what happens in many cases guilt, shame, condemnation, and it's just like who wants to live through that? In many cases, the kids who raised in it loathe it and hate it and despise it because all it was was guilt. Guilt, guilt, guilt, guilt.

15:33 Now I understand, I'm not saying we excuse it, But the point is what we have to do is the old people sitting in the pew need to be like, well, you know, I may not be committing that sin, but I'm still a But it doesn't go that way, does it? All right? So immediately this discrib but continue who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator? Now, come on, that describes churches all over the place. Do we not worship and serve the creation more than the creator? Yes, we're idolators. We love our jobs, our houses, our money, our retirement, we like our entertainment, we like. Come on to say that that's not the case. I don't see Christians like. All I do is read and study my Bible and listen to sermons. Okay, I even as much as I read and study. Guess what when I go home today, Guess what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna reunt home and I'm gonna start the Red Zone. I started watching the NFL games, and then at two o'clock, I'm gonna immediately switch to ABC so i can watch the Indiana Fever because I've watched every game Caitlyn Clark has ever played, and I'm gonna watch her play in the WNBA playoffs today because they finally made the playoffs, because the Indiana Fever never makes the playoffs, and I'm gonna watch that. And then after I watch all of that, I'll go back to the Red Zone. And then after that, I may watch some independent wrestling tonight, and then I may listen to some music. Now, people here and they're like, goodlin oh, because just all the only reason I'm on

17:05 Godly is because I'm not watching what you want to watch a right, heard the calp. Yeah, which is a good sign of ungodliness, right, Okay, all right? The point is we don't we all have our things may be different than my things. Now, yeah, I may go back and turn on the microphone and go live at some point in the evening. But that will be more. That's more to ease my own conscience than it is about me being godly, because I'm like, oh, I gotta measure my time. I gotta make sure I spend more time reading and studying than I do everything else. That's my lordship, just sticking in my brain that I've got. I've got to prove it. I gotta do it. I gotta do it. I gotta read more, I gotta study more. I gotta make sure I do it more than anybody else. That's just because of my own psychological need, because of the voice that says, oh, you're not being a good Christian.

17:50 You're not being a good Christian. You're not being a good Christian. But the reality is I serve the I can be sitting on in front of a microphone talk for two hours about God, by my brain wants to beware somewhere else. So am I really doing anything godly? Yes? No. For this reason, God gave them up to bile passions, for even their women exchange the natural use, for that is against nature. Like also the men leaving their natural use of the woman, burdening their lust for one another. Men with men committing that is shame, shameful and receiving themselves the penalty of the error which was due. Now, homosexuality is obviously mentioned there, right, But that would also involved all sexual sin, right, because God's natural order would be one man, one woman for life and there'd be no other sexual activity going on. Yes, so in a reality we all you leave the natural use in the sense of not doing it the way God designed. This also includes homosexuality. I'm not denying it. Homosexuality is a sin, just like what fornication, lust, adultery right in fact? Does just leave it with homosexuality? Oh no, that's where nobody wants to acknowledge this. But what is he going to say?

19:07 What comes next? And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which you're not fitting being filled with all unrighteous Oh no, wait, what's the next word? Oh wait to say, that's not just how mysexuality is it? What's next? Wickedness? Next? Consciousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, strive, deceit, evil mindedness, whispers, backbiters, haters of God, violent pride, boasters, and vendors of evil things, disobediate to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, onloving, unforgiving, unmerciful ladies and gentlemen.

19:51 That describes every church I've ever been in, and it describes me in some way. You say, well, that one doesn't You're he covers so many things it's hard not to find yourself there. Okay, yes, So then guess what. Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them. Guess what? And so guess what? Everyone wants to take that, and church after church does it? Oh that death. Homosexuals should be put to death. If you're gonna take that, everyone who commits any of those should be put to death. Nobody.

20:34 They just want the homosexuals put to death because they want homosexuals put to death because they don't like that' sin. Well, you would be putting everyone in your congregation death, and you would start with whom the pastor now that I get what is my theory? That God, because of the fall, and because a man's trajectory downward, God gave everyone over to their sinful nature and what is in control of Christian and non Christian sinful nature? Now, I know every church and appling will lose their mind. But saying that, but how can I prove that the sinful nature is in control? What is the way I prove my argument?

21:17 Can you be holy? Can you be perfect? And if you can't, if you can't stop sinning, If you can't be perfect, then that means what that something else is in control? And what would that be that would be in control sinful nature? Therefore, God has given us over to the sinful nature. That is true of everything I know right now, every Christian online will lose their mind at me. It's don't argue with me. Just prove what that you can stop sinning. If you can't stop sinning, then the thing stopping you, by definition, is in control now because of that reality, Remember that's my theory that that describes all of us, and that the sinful nature is in control and we are all perpetually given over to it. And that's going to be the Christian life until glorification, and what happens in glorification, the sinful nature is gone. Until then, what is the Christian life then going to be a life of sin. Now go to Romans two to one. Therefore, everybody there, there's the Therefore we've been waiting for it, right I spent the last thirty something minutes building up to this very important point.

22:32 Right here we go. Therefore, what are we gonna get? Therefore? You are inexcusable? Oh man? Now that oh man means everyone jew and gentile. Remember there a lot of people say that he switches from jude to gentile. Remember we talked about all of that. Oh man, whoever you are, who judge for you? For in whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things.

23:16 Everybody see that. What is the inevitable conclusion? Remember the Greek word here do a Remember okay, the word here has a different emphasis. It's often used to draw a more emphatic or summarizing conclusion, sometimes with a sense of inevitability. Remember we talked about this Greek word, it's inevitable. What is the inevitable conclusion we should get from Romans one eighteen to the end of chapter one, Because that says, therefore, what should be the conclusion we come to? What's inevitable that we can't judge anyone because we're guilty of the exact same things. Somehow Christian has completely lost its mind when it comes to this. We can't judge anyone. Now what a Christian say? Well, we can judge because we no longer do those things. You are a stinking liar.

24:15 We do those things. It's inevitable. Does everyone understand that? All right? It's this. It's emphatic. This Greek word dua is. It's emphatic. It summarizes conclusions. It emphasizes the reason or cause, often summarizing a point before moving to the conclusion or result. All right, So are you ready to break Romans two one down a little bit? All right, because we got to cover the text here. Okay, everybody ready? All right? Two to one? Romans two one is a pivotal verse in Paul's argument in the Letter to the Romans. It transitions from the discussion of God's judgment on the gentiles in chapter one to our broader application that includes the Jewish, say as well. Now, my only argument would be, I believe chapter one covers everybody, jew and gentile. But if you want to make it focus on the gentile's fine.

25:07 But it covers everybody like one eighteen to the end is the inevitable result of its describes all of us saved and unsaved, because we've all been given up to our sinful nature. And to say that I have not been given up to my sinful nature again is a lot I know. Let me just state it again. If you leave this church today, talk to anyone who goes to church, they will say this church is heretical and we're false teachers, because they would say we have not been given up to our sinful nature. And again, what would I ask you to say to them? Stop sinning? And if they say, well, I can't, and then you can say why not? And then you can say whatever stops you from sinning is in control. Right, That's just normal logic, right. I know. Logic seems to defy the minds of many Christians, but it it's perfect sense, does it not? And now that therefore, and that therefore really supports my theory, does it not? Because now what is he saying, Hey, hey, you can't judge anybody that would be speaking specifically to whom. Now in this case, it may be specificus speaking to the gentile or to the Jews, but it would be speaking to all Christians, because we're the ones who judge. Christians constantly judge everything, do we not?

26:26 Our pastime is to judge and condemn people. All right, So let's break this down. First, we have the text of Romans two one. I'm gonna read from a different translation. Therefore, you have no excuse, o man, every one of you who judges, for in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself because you, you the judge, practice the very same things. All right. So there's the text. We've got it. Now let's look at the meaning of Therefore, let's let's just do a little work. I've already kind of given you an idea. The word therefore connects Romans two to one to the eating discussion in Romans I, where Paul outlines the sins. Now, this argues, he's pointing out the sins of the gentiles. I'm gonna say, he points out the sins of humanity and the consequences of their idolatry and im morality. I'm gonna say, he points out the sin of everyone. You can say it may be gentile focused, but even if it's gentile focused, Jews commit those same sins, do they not? Everyone does? Everyone? Does, all right. But obviously, therefore, in chapter two, verse one right introduces a shift in focus.

27:36 While chapter one addresses the obvious sins of the gentiles, chapter two turns the lens on those who might feel morally superior. Now, I like the way it stated there. Chapter two verse one is like, okay, see all those people. Chapter two therefore, okay, look back, see all that sin. How do you feel about that sin? Now? Just listen to any preachers preach on chapter one one eighteen and following right, almost inevitably it becomes a sermon about why what is a sermons on Romans one eighteen? Homosexuality? Homosexuality? Homosexuality, homosexuality. Almost inevitably, that's all anyone preaches homosexuality. They may mention the other sins, But what gets the spotlight homosexuality? Why does it get the spotlight? Because the people sitting there most likely don't struggle with it, So then we can all feel morally superior. So then, therefore, in chapter two to one is to immediately shift the focus to you who feel morally superior? Right, And I think that that's a key element here. All right therefore introduces a shift in focus. Chapter one addresses the obvious sins I'm gonna say of humanity. Chapter two turns the lens on those who might feel morally superior, likely addressing Jewish readers or any moralist. Now moralist, to me, moralist is really what

29:06 Christianity has become. Christianity is moralism. It's a system of morality. It's no longer what it's supposed to be. Who think themselves exempt from God's judgment because they judge others? All right, so we have the text we have kind of a meaning of Therefore, now let's look at the idea. You have no excuse, oh man, every one of you who judges? See that phrase in Romans two. Want everyone see that phrase? You have no excuse, O man, everybody see that kind of concept. Paul's statement removes any perceived moral high ground from those who judge others for their sins. The no excuse phrase echoes Romans one twenty, where Paul states that humanity is without excuse for failing to recognize God through creation.

29:51 The phrase, oh man is a general address, emphasizing that this principle applies to everyone who judges is whether you are gentile. It confronts the reader directly making it personal and universal. So if you judge the therefore now turns the whole focus to what to you If you are judging Romans two to one, that therefore is like a slap in your face. Right. It's almost like Paul walks up and goes, hey, guys, look at this list of sins. What do you think about it? And then you're like, oh, horrible, disgusting, vile.

30:32 I can't believe what our world is turning into. We need to vote a Republican and to fix it. We've got to change it. We need family values. We gotta get rid of Netflix and Rock and Roll. We've got to fix it. We gotta bat MTV. Elvis Presley is the blame all the nonsense Christians have been saying forever, right, okay, And then what Paul's like, well, thank you for saying all of that, and then he slaps you right across the face. Stop judging. You do the same thing. And you're like, whoa, I do not not me. I'm perfect. No, you're not well. I don't commit homosexuality. That's a sexual sin.

31:13 I bet you you've got some sexual sin in your closet somewhere. Now, maybe you've never have, but you've got other sins, right, I mean, considering statistics show that well over sixty percent of men in churches struggle with pornography. I don't think we should be judging anybody, Okay, Yeah, And even if you don't look at pornography, you don't have to look at pornography to be guilty of adultery. All you gotta do is just look and then it's there and empum in your trouble. Even if you don't even you can be watching a show that's not even pornography and have wrong thoughts. I know it's a shock to people, but it can happen. See Romans two one is like, stop judging. Paul's statement removes any moral high ground, all right. Paul is stating that humanity is without excuse everyone.

32:12 The phrase O man is a general address, emphasizing that this principle applies to anyone who judges, whether Jew or gentile. It confronts the reader directly, making it personal and universal. It's supposed to be personal. When you read Romans two one, you got to kind of like, ouch, Paul, no need to get up in my business. Go focus on all those mean, bad people. In Romans one, leave me alone. I'm not like them. Well, you may not be like them in specific sense, but you're still like them. Because why whether you're the moral look, listen, you can be the moral center or the immral center, but you're still a sinner. And even saying moral and im moral that way is really ridiculous. But you get the point, right, because nobody is moral, because we're all sinners. But you get the eye there is there are acceptable sins and unacceptable sins within the realm of Christianity. That's just the way it is. We can look the man who got removed from ministry this week. He has been committing sins since the day he became a Christian. He committed sins, sins.

33:19 Did he get removed from ministry for any of those sins? No? He commits one sin, cut the throat, kick him out? What about all the other sins? And if you look at the famous passage, the famous passage, just just really quick, because I think this is important, go to we know the famous passage about the qualifications for ministry. Hey, let's go to it one Timothy, right, vere's it two? Timothy first, Timothy first Timothy. Chapter three. We know this right first Timothy, chapter three, verse one. This is a faithful saying. If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. Now, let's just start right there. When people talk about how do you know you're called to ministry?

34:05 You desire the position. It's not some mysterious oh is God calling me? No, you desire it, you give it. You have a desire for that work. Okay, it's a desire, all right, everybody see that? All right? Now, there's going to give us the requirements. What's requirement Number one? Must be blameless, and I'll stop right there. Okay. Now, as soon as we say blameless, there's usually a lot of argument about what does that mean? Right? What does that mean? What does the word blameless mean? Uh? Does anybody have access to the Blue Letter Bible? App I says, I currently don't. What's the Greek word there for blameless? And what does it mean? Let's just go through this quickly. This is a slight detour and where we're going. But you'll get the idea. Blameless is a very from the way we read it. There's a lot you could do with that. But okay, okay, if you don't if that's okay.

35:00 If you have the Bible Dictionary, maybe there may be an entry for blameless and the Bible Dictionary if you want to look at that instead. Okay, what does it give us a definition? You don't have to say the Greek word, I don't have it in front of me. Yeah, or outline of biblical usage, whatever you have. Irreproachable pastor has to be irreproachable. Now you know what that ultimately means. How does that typically play out in the church? Well, immediately you know what you're gonna hear. Well, I'm no pastor is going to be perfect, but irreproachable. So this will turn into irreproachable on what way external behavior? So in other words, a pastor can't have any external behavior in which someone could reproach him. Well, I do understand that desire, but the point is the logical he's still reproachable internally even if there's no external. In many cases, the external is still there. We're just like, well, it's not one of the big sins, so that already that becomes almost how do you even manage that? Right? And what can make someone if a pastor demonstrates pride, is that is he now reproachable, all right, I mean he could show anger. There's a lot of things he could do before we even get to sexual sin. Correct, But

36:31 typically blameless only applies to what sexual sin? And in amazing that this text never mentioned sexual sin. But continue, next, was it say the husband of one wife? Now, there's lots of disagreements on what this is referring to. Right, Some believe that this means the man has to be married. Some believe no, it just means that if he is married, he cannot commit polygamy. Some will argue that this just means he that he cannot be married, divorced, and remarried. So there's not even agreement on exactly what it means. So now if nobody can agree on that, that already is a problem. Corrects. What's next? What's next? I heard someone say it. Some translations have temperate, some have vigilant.

37:28 So how does a pastor prove it he's vigilant? What does it mean to be vigilant? What does he got to be vigilant of what it has to be doing? Immediately? You could probably find a way where a pastor is not being vigilant. Have you ever seen a pastor remove from ministry for not being vigilant. I'll give you an example. I when I moved to Texas, I visited the church that the Damselers attended at that time. When I visited their church, I was like, man, this stepinchiko. I was trying to tell everyone about the DaVinci Code because I'm like, man, people need to be vigilant about this, because this thing is going to go nuclear. When this book is released, the whole world's going to talk about it. I thought possibly they would make a movie. I'm like, we've got to talk about the da Vinci Code. Right. So I'm at some Christmas thing I have to go to with at the Dazzler's church. So I don't remember what happened.

38:20 People sing songs or something. Right. So, but afterwards I talked to the pastor and I was like, hey, man, you what you're playing this church for the da Vinci Code. He's like what. I'm like, the da Vinci Code, Like it's gonna be this huge deal. I don't care. Huh, all right, thanks? What happened? Does anybody remember the da Vinci Code? So it about a bazillion copies and they made a movie starring Tom Hanks. Was he vigilant? Is that what vigilant is? Or am I adding a definition to vigilant? Right? You see what I'm saying? Like, what was he gonna get excommunicated or thrown out of ministry for not being vigilant? Probably half the church didn't even care if he knew the Divinci Code or not. I cared because I thought this is going to have a major impact on what Christianity, because the very beginning of the Dvinci Code, remember, gives those historical facts. Bobby remembers because we were at the community center in Tuscola and I came and said, Okay, there's this new book called the da Vinci Code, and it begins when making these historical claims, and one of the claims it makes is about the Council of Nicea. So guess what we did.

39:33 We studied the Council of Nicia. And then what did I tell everyone in the church to do? Go buy the book? And I told everyone at that point, I think they will make it a movie. Now. I think that's being vigilant. I got the vigilant down. I think everyone could say I've always been vigilant, right, WHOA, Yeah, I'm the most vigilant pastor in the history of pastors. I'm trash the blameless part, but I got the vigilant part down right now. Y'all don't know about my ten wives.

40:17 But okay, but that's all good, right right now? Okay, all right, there's there's the blame, there's the temperate or vigil what's next? Sober? Now? Most translate that's sober minded, serious minded? Okay, I think I'm pretty serious minded sometimes maybe okay, maybe I don't know. How do you get that's kind of hard to measure? Is it? Not? Of good behavior? That's how mind translates it. What's the next one? How's the King James of good behavior? That's very who gets to determine the behavior is good or bad? Right now? If you say, well, God's God determines, well, if God's determining my behavior, what would be the standard perfection? Guess what?

41:00 I'm sorry, guys, I don't meet this requirement, so go ahead and get rid of me. I don't. I don't meet the blameless. I don't meet the good behavior now ever, But see all the literature will try to modify it and try to like, well, I mean, it just means and they always basically leave it for something big next hospitable. I'm probably not that at all, right, Okay, I may have led that one. That's probably I'm probably thrown out. What's next app to teach? I'm I'm I've got the apt to teach down. You just give me a microphone or people, and I don't even need people. I can just send an empty room and talk for two hours. Right, Not given to wine? Do I drink? Okay? Not violent?

41:55 Well okay, I'm not beating anyone up yet. Okay. Now, some would argue violent could be a lot of other things, right, It could be anger, it could be Okay, well, then you know, maybe you have a temper. I think I've always handled myself not greedy for money. I think I've done pretty good there, considering I went how many years without even taking any money, and then the only money I've ever gotten since then, it's just been the house payment. And I've never ever asked for a raise, No, never asked for anything, right, correct, So I think I could prove that I'm not greedy. I think maybe I mean, you could judge me. I mean, I mean, I definitely like my house payment. I'm not gonna lie right, gentle, I'm not very gentle. Am I not Quarrelsome well, I can definitely get into an argument of fight. So I don't know if I've always done well there. I think there's times I know I have it covetous. I don't think.

42:54 I don't think I'm too coveteous. There's times there's definitely things I want, But I think I do pretty good. I don't come to the church asking to pay for it. Right, one who rules his own house well having his children in submission, Okay, Well, I know that all eighteen years of both of my daughters, there was never any major issues, never any real rebellion. For the most part, everything was no There was never any drama, never any problems. Now, some would argue I disqualified for ministry because of how my kids turned out after they left home. Some would say I'm disqualified for ministry. I don't know what to do about that. But I know for eighteen years, I mean everybody in the church, there was never any real problems for any of my children. Right. The most thing that ever happened is Becca was hoping to teach Sunday school and I removed her because I didn't feel like she was doing enough preparing. You could say I was a jerk. That would be me being more of a jerk than on her. Right. Other than that, there's been very few little There was never any drama in the church anything like that, right, I think for the most part, am I saying they were perfect? No? Of course not. Okay, only their dad is perfect. I mean they take after their mother, Okay, all right? Not a novice. I don't think I've been an No, I don't think I've ever showed up here as a novice. I had more education than any pastor, and probably in fifty two hundred miles.

44:22 I don't think there's probably a pastor in Abilene who has more education than I have, So at least from an educational standpoint, I wouldn't be a novice, right. What is that? Less being puffed up with pride? Okay, I probably have been prideful, so I may be thrown out. So just going through this list, I already would probably be thrown out of ministry. But guess what, the only time any of those issues ever came up was when when people got ticked off at me. When people were mad, then they would go to first Timothy and guess what the they would always go to the hospitable one. That was the one they want to always go after me on they wanted to there's something needed to be done because I went. No matter how many things I showed up to, right, it doesn't matter. If there was a pot luck fellowship, I would show up. If the damselers had something on, I showed up. I think there was very few things I never The only thing I don't think I ever showed up for was the camping trip.

45:24 I think that was the only thing I think I showed up to every other thing. But yet, guess what I was still accused of not being hospitable, and so that I would be like, well, how many things do I have to show up with to meet the hospitable? Nobody could give me a number, but see so, but guess what. Everyone wanted to judge me on the basis of those But could I not take the same Bible and then say, oh, well, if we want to start judging people, well let's judge. Let's see. You're supposed to desire the Word of God more than gold and silver and food. You can't remember the last sermon I preached.

46:06 I hand out devotionals. You won't even read them. I give you books, you won't even study them, and you're gonna judge me. Well, let's start judging each other. That's what Christianity can turn into, because I could I not just start ripping everyone apart. See that's the thing, and in it weird and first Timothy, first Timothy thy three. It doesn't even mention the sins that typically get a pastor wide kicked out. The most bizarre thing is when Mars Hill collapsed in Seattle, Mark Driscoll. Remember, he was going under church discipline because he got busted for you know, polagarie polatory because he had written books that he'd taken from other books, and there was all lots of issues, and then his yelling and screaming and his cussing from the pulpit and a lot of things. Now there was a time his yelling and screaming and cussing from the pulpit was seen as and then when they got ticked off at him, then all of a sudden it was a yeah, it was such kind of messed up, but it all went down. It got ugly. I think collapsed plagiarism. Okay, yeah, I think I was seeing it correctly right, So he got busted for plagiarism and all the issues. You can listen to the podcast to Rise and Fall of Mars Hill tells you the whole thing it went down. But then he was about to get there. He was going under some disciplinary process with the church. I remember then he supposedly heard God tell him that it was a trap and he needed to leave. So then he did not submit to the disciplinary process. And then the elders put out a letter. Now what's crazy is the the

47:39 letter basically went through some of these things in One Timothy three has said he was guilty of them. But guess what they said, he's not disqualified from ministry. Now what would you think if he would have committed a sexual sin? How does that work? Do you see how the weird part Christianity does here? So when we go to First Timothy, what is it trying to say when you judge, you're probably judging things that you're guilty of. If you judge pastors. Based off One Timothy chapter three, the people judging the pastor are probably not only guilty of the things the First Timothy three, probably guilty of a million other things in the Bible, So how do we judge one another? Am I saying pastors shouldn't be judged?

48:27 I am not saying that. Am I not saying pastors should not be held to a standard. I'm not saying that. I am not saying that. I'm just saying, whatever standard you give a pastor, and whatever standard do you give the people in the congregation, there's a high probability that both are going to do wide fail. And what have I done as a pastor? Remember how a lot of people wanted me to make a church covenant that listed all the things you're supposed to be doing and then have every people sign it. Remember that, and what do I tell those people? Get out of my face? Because all that would do is set up a system where what I would have to start church disciplining people, or the covenant would not mean anything. What has been my view about marriage vows? What have been my view on marriage vowels from the beginning? Don't make them when you get married. It should be do you take this person to be your husband? Yes? Do you take this person to be your wife? The end? Why have I said there should not be vowels? Because if you bring in the church, the vowels are supposedly made to God and to the congregation, and then the congregation are supposed to hold those people to those vowels, which then you create a situation where you require church discipline. And I said, that's ridiculous. We're not going to do that. I've tried to do everything in my power to remove anything that would require church discipline, because I know what's the inevitable

49:58 result of it. Someone's going to have to be church disciplined, because because someone's going to fail, we can't keep anything right. Now, let's go back. We're going to run out of time here. Let's go back to Let's go back to a couple of these things, all right, So we have the phrase you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges, and what have we just demonstrated, whether it's a pastor, whether it's someone in the congregation, what are we all going to do? Sin? But what can we not do? It's very difficult for us to judge someone else's sin because we are sinners, all right. For in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself. You see that phrase In Romans two one, Paul argues that when someone judges others. They are in in fact, condemning themselves because they are guilty of similar sins. This creates a double standard when the judge is just as culpable as those they judge. The statement exposes the hypocrisy of judging others while ignoring one's own sin, and it emphasizes the universal nature of sin. No one is exempt from God's judgment based on their moral or religious status alone. Next phrase, because you judge, you practice the very same thing, Paul points out the inconsistency in judging others while committing the same or similar sins. This highlights the pervasive nature of sin and self deception involved in believing that one can judge others without being guilty themselves. It is self deception to think you can judge anyone because you're guilty of the very same thing. All the best we can do

51:29 is what scripture says, that's a sin. But let me make it very clear, I'm a sinner too, right, that's the best you can do. If someone is struggling with homosexuality, Hey man, I don't understand that sin, but I'm a sinner. I'm not condemning you. Scripture says it's wrong, but scripture says I'm wrong, so guess what. We're in the same boat. So let's figure this thing out together. That doesn't sound like Christianity, though, does it. Christianity like Stone the Heathen gets some rocks? Right, the very same things refer now, when it says that you do the very same things, that's probably referring back to Romans chapter one and all of those things that were listed. Does that make sense?

52:21 Including envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. This suggests that even those who consider themselves morally upright are guilty of those sins in some form. All right, so let's uh, let's offer some lessons. Let's go through some lessons quickly because we're going to run out of time and Stacy's got nine hundred kids back there, and I'll be dead before I get home. Okay, all right? Everybody ready? All right? Uh? This speaks of universal accountability before God, everyone without excuse. Everyone is without excuse before God. Whether you are gentile, religious or not really religious, Judging others does not exempt us from God's judgment. We are all accountable before God, and we're all guilty before God because we all do what sin. Right. Next, This shows the hypocrisy of judgment.

53:14 Those who judge others are often guilty of the same sins, leading to self condemnation. Moral superiority or religious status status does not shield anyone from God's judgment. There's no room for moral superiority within Christianity. Stop acting like we're better than other people, because we are not. We are guilty. The Christian life is a life of what sin. The Christian life is a life of sin. If you say otherwise, you're lying to yourself. All right, Next, self deception. So we have we're all accountable before God, and we're all guilty before God. Next we have the hypocrisy of judgment. Next we have self deception, the tendency to judge others while being guilty of similar sins reveal self deception. Sin is pervasive and everyone is subject to its influence and guilt.

54:03 You can't judge anyone else unless you deceive yourself into thinking you're better and somehow Christianity. Christianity is the drug of self deception. People talk about there against drugs, ladies and gentlemen. Christianity is a drug and you you shoot that thing in your vein and all of a sudden you think, Oh, I'm better than everyone else, I'm a new creature, I'm godly. Oh look at all these other centers. And then when you start feeling a little guilty, you give yourself another shot. We're just drug addicts promoting self deception. We're not better than anybody else. Does everybody agree? At least Bobby agrees? All right? Has everybody got that? All right?

54:57 Another thing the condemnation moralism. Basically, this verse critiques the attitudes of moralism and hypocrisy when people judge others harshly while failing to recognize their own sins. It is a powerful reminder that all are equal before God's judgment. And then what else does this first do? It lays the foundation for the doctrine of justification, does it not? What does it say whether that if you look at all those lists of sins, you can't judge them because you're guilty of the very same things, So everyone is guilty? Does that not lay the foundation for justification? Justification is the idea that I need to be justified by God because I cannot justify myself in what I do, and I need to be justified not in what I do or will do I need to be justified in someone doing it for me, and that is Jesus Christ. Now let's read Romans to one. Everybody read Romans to one.

56:07 I want you to write this verse down today and think about it all day. Everybody ready, I'm gonna read it from the new King James. Therefore, you are inexcusable, Oh man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself, for you who judge practice the same things. And that all goes back to Romans one eighteen. That's why my interpretation of Romans one eighteen to the end is that we've all been given up to our sinful nature. And since we've all been given up to our sinful nature, that means it's impossible for us to judge other people because we are all guilty.

56:49 Does that make sense? So what should we do when we see all these other people sitting falling into Whether it's Republican politicians, whether it's an anti gay activist who's in gay porn all those situations, or whether it's a famous lordship pastor who's now been removed from ministry for his sin and the whole world's talking about it. It's been in normal newspapers, forget Christian papers. Has been in the USA today, it has been all over the place. Everyone's talking about it. Guess what, you know what your attitude should be about his sin, as you should focus on your sin. Whenever I've talked about this a million times, we talk about as a Christian we are to be humble, we have humility, and what do I always say humility?

57:48 I always define it something along these lines. Remember it's on the internet. My famous quote about humility, that humility is the impossible task of being more aware and feel more guilty about her own sin than anyone else's. I've been preaching that forever. If you want to truly be humble, you know your sin. You don't talk about everyone else. Do we need to know all the details of this man's sin, No, we don't now if if it was remember the other I mean this pastor was in Dallas as well. This summer twenty twenty four is the summer that all the pastors in Dallas Fort Worth area fell. I mean, it was insane what Morris and Dallas remember it was some kind of an inappropriate relationship. Come to find out it was, you know, sexual relationship with what a fourteen year old girl? Twelve year old girl? Okay, that's kind of you know, that's illegal. Then Tony Evans stepped down. We don't know exactly what he did. Now, this pastor, it's been it's been a summer of just like like like I've seen quotes like what's going on in Dallas? Like you know what? You know what? Nothing's going on in Dallas other than these people have been exposed.

58:58 But guess what it's going on everywhere? Because in every church, guess who is leading the church sinners? And guess who's following sinners? And guess what Christianity is the story of sinners being saved, not by becoming not sinners, but being saved even while we're sinners, because we are, say, by an imputed righteousness that's accredited to my account. That doesn't change me. It just declares me to be that which I am not. So when it comes to anyone, you, me, whomever, it may be, what can we all just acknowledge we're sinners?

59:38 Am I excusing your sin? Are you excusing my sin? No? Are we both acknowledging my sin is wrong? Ya? Amen? Right? Am I acknowledging your sin is wrong? Amen? So what are is our only hope, the finished work of Jesus Christ. That's our only hope. That's what we have to point to. That's what we have to run to. Right should we fight and struggle against sin? Absolutely? And are we glad to know that how the story will ultimately end, will there will be no more sin nature? But until the sin nature is gone, the Christian life is a life of sin. I know if you tell anybody it goes to any other church that you heard that in church today, that will tell you to get out of that church.

1:00:26 That will say, come to our church and you'll get power. You can be perfect? Oh what, Oh you can't be perfect? But what kind of Yeah? I don't know whatever the nonsense is, but I'm done. I'm sick of all of it because I've been a Christian long enough to know what that we all sin. I've been I know myself long enough. Right even before any specific sin, they're sin. And even the pastor who fell before that sin, it's been sin, sin, sin, sin, sin, sin, sin, sin. And I just don't understand Christianity's mentality that you can commit three hundred sins and be okay. But you commit one and then we cut your throat. I don't understand that we're going to start cutting throats for sin. Then we just all should just bring a knife to church because we're all done. And I'm not talking about literally cutting anyone's throat. That's a metaphor. Okay, someone online will take it the wrong way. Okay, it's a metaphor. I'm not meaning for any actual physical violence. The point is is we would all cut our own throats because we'd all be like, well, we're all sinners, and who gets to determine which sin is the one. Now, I'm not saying that if you commit an illegal act, we just say, no big deal. Illegal acts have to be handled legally and you can't cover that up. I'm saying any other sin has to be dealt with and there's got to be a way to deal with it, and Christianity just doesn't have a way of dealing with it. It basically is like, well, you've committed too bad a sin. You

1:01:56 just need to go. You just got to go finished, You're done, We're finished with you. And this pastor, like I said, already being a MacArthur's school, that seminary, they just deleted him to go to Warries page. Ways, he just doesn't no longer exist, instead of just saying like, hey, this man's sin, we're all sinners. We're gonna do everything in our power to show mercy and grace without excusing and anyone who's been hurt by this sin, we apologize and we're going to do everything we can to make it right. And we're gonna and we're gonna work together because we're all sinners struggling along in the Christian life. That would have been a statement you could have put there right, but just deleted. It's luck he doesn't exist. Well, that's you know. Now, no matter how you write the statement, someone's going to criticize it, because that's what Christians do.

1:02:44 We got to judge people, but we should just be are we what we should be grateful for is what we're all sinners, and when Christ died for us, that's what we should all be grateful for. And when other people sin, Let's not worry. Don't worry about who this isn't home trying to look it up. Don't. It's not about the person. Everybody understand. Don't look it up, don't try to get information forget it. What do you need to leave here focusing on us Romans two one, we are. It's inexcusable, oh man, for you to judge others when you do the very same things. Don't judge. All right, let's pray, Lord God, we come before you this afternoon. Lord.

1:03:25 There's one thing everyone in this room can admit. We're all guilty. We're all sinners, and our only hope is what your son did for us. Apart from him, we have no hope. We leave here grateful for his mercy, his blood, and hopefully we will leave here more condemned by her own judging of other people's sins. And we asked this in Jesus name, and God's people said