Okay. I would like please to continue today in the study of the book of Romans. And so today we are turning to the book of Romans in your Bibles to chapter two, and we are going to continue to look into the pages of scriptures and see what the Lord have to tell us concerning the sin of men, all mankind around the world, the whole human race. You remember that we started, when we started the study of the book of Romans, we have been saying that Paul, first of all, introduced himself to the believers at Rome in the first seven verses of chapter one. Following those seven verses, in verses eight to verse 17, he showed his concern and his care towards the Romans believers, even though he didn't see them, he never actually been at Rome, he wrote to them and he showed them that he really, really cared for them.

He was ready to come to visit them. And he was willing to come to see them. And so he told them in Romans chapter one, that he's a debtor to them, that he's ready to come to see them, and that he's not ashamed of the gospel of Mashiach, of Messiah, of Christ, of Christos. Then in verses 18, all the way to the end of chapter one, if you remember, we said that now the Apostle Paul, showing the people at Rome, and to all people in the world, that God is now taking men to court. And as he takes men to court, he's sitting as a holy judge to judge the world.

And he's taking the whole human race to court, to show men that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And he's actually, in the verses in which we have been dealing and we are going to deal with today, he's taking number one, the pagan world to court. And you remember what we said in our last study together from verses 18 of chapter one to the last verse of chapter one, verse 32. He took the pagan world into court and he found them guilty. He found them guilty because there is a deterioration in the life and the behavior of your human race. In fact, we see them that they turned from God.

They did not glorify God. They changed the truth of God into a lie. That's what men have done. And eventually we read that they became vain in their imagination. And God gave them over. God gave them over. God gave them over. In fact, the wrath of God had been poured upon men where man was allowed to do what he will, to do as he pleased. In fact, God lifted up his hands from protection over men. And what happened? The deterioration that have happened. And we can see that as we have read from verse 18 to verse 32. We read especially at the last verses 29 and on, it says being filled with unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murderer, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents.

Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, and an implacable and unmerciful. Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death. Not only they do these things, but they have pleasure in them that do them. That was the climax. That was the climax. When the pagan world stood in the court, as the Apostle Paul presented before us, before the Holy Judge, what we find out, that God had found them guilty. And so now, beloved brothers and sisters, in the next verses, in chapter 2, verses 1 to 16, he takes another group to court. And this second group is the group that we might call them, the moralist individual.

He is pretty moral. He is pretty decent, you see. He is fine. He hasn't been committing such things that we have just read about. He hasn't been committed what we have read even earlier before. Homosexuality. Sexual immorality. Sexual immorality. Lesbianism. And all these things that we have read before, even the verses, verse 29 to 32. All the things that we have read in Romans chapter 1, verses 18, to the end of the chapter. They are pretty decent people. And look now. They are being brought into court. And now, the Apostle Paul is writing this. And please follow with me in Romans chapter 2, verses 1 to 16. Therefore, thou art without excuse, O man, whosoever art thou the judgest.

For wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself. For thou that judgest, dost the same thing. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth, against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and dost the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth to repentance? But after thy hardness and impatient heart, you treasuring up to yourself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds, to them who by patience continues in well-doing, seek for glory and honor, and immortality eternal life.

But unto them that are contentions, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation, and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every soul of men that doeth evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. But glory and honor and peace and shalom to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. For there is no respect of God. For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law. For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law, are a law unto themselves, which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing them witness in their thoughts, the meanwhile accusing or else excusing, one another, in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Yeshua the Messiah according to my gospel. I stop with the reading here in chapter 2. So just imagine, beloved brothers and sisters, that now the Apostle Paul, in those first three chapters of the Book of Romans, want to show us, want to show mankind, that everyone is under sin.

That nobody will have to claim or assume that he is above sin, that he is in a state in which he can please the Lord. In other words, that he is right with God. And here in those three chapters, the theme of those three chapters is sin. God presents before us that everyone has become a sinner. Everyone, he is declaring everyone in this world as a sinner. He now began, first of all, in the first chapter, and he is dealing with the pagan world. The pagan world is the world in which we can say the pagan world, the world that do not know God, far away from God, people who is living immoral life.

The pagan world, it could be in Canada, it could be in America, it could be in Africa, anywhere in this world. The pagan world came into court and was found guilty before God. But now he is moving on to the people who think that they are fine. Sometimes we also look at ourselves and we say, boy, you know, after all, I haven't committed all those bad, bad things that those others have committed. And so I'm fine, I'm okay. And God now is showing to us, it's that we want to show us that it's not only what we do externally, but it's also what is existing in the heart of men and women.

So now, in these next verses, in chapter 2, verse 1 to 16, he shows us the sin of the cultured Greek, or the moralist Gentile of the world. And what he does here, he's taking them and he's showing them three things. First of all, actually, we can say two things, but we will see some of the points that are existing here. First of all, in verse 1, he shows that the moralist individual should not look down upon the pagan world, but remember a few things in his mind. You know, we would look at the pagan world and we would say, boy, they are so bad. They are so unrighteous.

They are so evil. They are so wicked. And we are okay. We are fine. So, Paul is showing to them in verse 1, don't look down upon the pagan world. Don't look down upon this uncultured world. You, who is a cultured Gentile. Later on, by the way, he's going to talk about the religious Jewish person also. But he's talking about the cultured Gentile. Pretty fine. They dress well. They have a good job. Good home. Good house. Everything is fine in their life. They seem to be pretty decent. They are pretty good. Pretty clean cut. Everything seems to be fine. He's saying to them in verse 1, first of all, he says, listen, don't you look down upon the pagan world, but remember a few things because you also will have to stand one day before God.

So what are the things that he's saying in verse 1? He said, therefore thou art without excuse. And by the way, you notice he used the word all men. Thou art without excuse. All men. If you go back to verse 18, he says, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. He's talking to the world, all men. He's saying, you don't think that you are above these other people. And you must remember a few things because one day you are going to stand before God. The first thing that he wants him to remember is that he's capable of doing the very same sins that are mentioned in chapter 1.

Do you know, beloved brothers and sisters, you and I are capable of committing any sin that we read here in chapter 1. Any sin. Any sin. We have mentioned only some of them in verse 29 and 30 and 31. one like fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murderers, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbitings, haters of God, despite and proud, boasters, inventors of evil. And we can go on, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable and unmerciful. I can assure you that we all in this room can fit at least into one of these things, sins that we have here in chapter 1. We have to remember the moral individual who pretty live a decent life have to be careful not to think that he is above or without the ability of committing all these sins that are mentioned in chapter 1.

And we need to remember that. And that's what the apostle is telling them. He said, "Therefore thou art without excuse, O men, whosoever are you the judge, for wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you that judge another do the very same thing." Now I was thinking to myself, how, what does it mean we do the same thing? Maybe we haven't committed fornication. But you know what Jesus the Messiah said in the Gospel of Matthew? "If a man look upon a woman and lusts after a woman, he committed fornication already in his heart." You know that that's what the Bible does teach us. And then it says actually in the Gospel, in the Epistle of John, in 1 John chapter 3 and verse 15, it says that if you hate your brother, you have murdered him in your heart.

You see what he does? He's going to the internal condition of a person. You know, we might look at others who committed fornication and sexual immorality and we say, "No, we have never done such a thing." But we have done such a thing in our heart according to the teaching of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah in the Scripture. We might say, "I haven't committed a murder, I would never dare to do such a thing." But there is a harboring hatred in our hearts towards other believers and other people according to the Apostle John in 1 John 3 and verse 15. And this is the teaching of the Messiah Yeshua that if we hate somebody, we have murdered him.

We have committed a murder. And so he is showing to us, he says, "Listen, you are capable to do the very same thing. Don't think, don't think for a moment that you are above somebody else, because you are without excuse." And by the way, this expression here, the word "for you judge" does the same thing. The Greek word is krino in verse 1 of Romans chapter 2. And the same word krino is found in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 7, where Yeshua the Messiah said in chapter 7 and verse 1, He said, "judge not that you may not be judged." The same Greek word krino is to judge in view of condemnation.

In other words, judging is not that we are not to examine things and to evaluate things and to be discerning. No, but if we are condemning and judging somebody and say, "That's it, he's a judgment, eternal judgment." Judging him or her into condemnation. The Lord's saying, "Don't judge, lest you be judged." And that's what he's saying here. You, that looking down upon somebody else, you're judging him and you do the very same thing. Don't you realize that? And so he's telling them here in our chapter, the importance of the moral individual, the one who lived pretty decently, maybe doesn't have any lifestyle of this pagan world, but he's just the same in his heart.

And he's capable of doing all the sins that are mentioned in chapter 1. And by the way, you remember we read in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, that some of the people who got saved, like you and I, are people who have been in the past living this kind of lifestyle. And God saved us. Forgive our sins. Brought us into a relationship with himself. Made us sons and daughters of the Father. And so, he's telling them, listen, you are capable to do all the sins that are mentioned in chapter 1. Secondly, he said that by breaking, we have to realize that if you're going to break any law, you have to realize that you broke, as far as God's concerned, all the laws of God.

In fact, James teaching us, in chapter 2, James says, if a man will do all the law, but break it in one point, it's actually, as far as God's concerned, he had broken all of them. He did not fulfill the law of God. See, what he does, he's taking us to the court before the judge, and showing to us the importance of realizing that we are standing before God, and all have sinned, whether I'm a pagan world, or whether I'm a pretty moral and decent person, yet we have to realize that we're all coming short of the glory of God. Not to judge and do the same thing, because one day we're also going to have to stand before the judge.

And another thing that just comes in light of this verse 1, is that though he has committed sin in his thoughts, they are actually like action. You know, every sin that we have committed only in our mind, as far as God's concerned, we have already committed it in our action, even though we actually didn't do it in act. And so, verse 1 tells us, remember, you who are moral individuals, you should not look down on the pagan world, but remember that you are just the same. You are capable to commit those sins. Your thoughts are actually, as far as God's concerned, are exactly as if it is an action.

And also that if you did not completely, living a perfect life, you actually did not fulfill all the requirements that come from God. And so, this is verse 1. And now, from verse 2, all the way to verse 16, he is now speaking to this moral individual, to the cultured Greek. And he is telling to him that you need to learn a lesson about the judgments of God. You have to learn, we all need to learn a lesson about the judgments of God. You notice that, in those verses that we read, so many times the word "judgment" is mentioned. Do you know, brothers and sisters, that sin somehow will be judged?

Sin will be judged in the life of the unbeliever? And sin will be judged in the life of the believer? Because God is holy and righteous, he will have to judge sin. Even the sin in the life of his people, he will have to judge sin. Because otherwise, God is not holy. And so, you notice how many times in these verses we have this word, the righteous judgment of God. You know, the Bible is filled with statements concerning judgments. We have in the Bible many times the thought about judgment. In fact, we have the judgment of the tribulation. You know, God is going to judge the world in the tribulation period.

You read Ezekiel chapter 20, you will see the judgment that will come by God upon his own people in the tribulation period. We also have in the book of Revelation, the great white throne judgment. Where the unbelieving world will be judged by God. We also have the judgment seat of the Messiah. Where all believers are going to be judged one day. How did we live our lives? We are going to be judged. And God is going to bring us before the Messiah. And everything that we have done will be presented before him. Whatever we have done against the Lord in the flesh is going to be burned up.

But whatever we have done for the Messiah will be remaining. And God will bless and reward the people of God. And so we have many judgments. In fact, we have the judgment of the Gentiles. In Matthew chapter 25. In which everybody, the Gentile nation is going to have to stand before the Lord Jesus the Messiah. In a future day at the end of the tribulation. The judgment of the Gentiles. In fact, we even have in the Bible in 1 Corinthians chapter 6. The judgment of the angels. We are going to judge the angels. And so judgment is found in Scripture throughout the whole word of God. And so here in verses 2 to 16.

He is showing to us lessons about the judgment of God. So let's look at these verses and see some of the lessons that we can learn about the judgments of God. First of all, verse 2, 3, 4, and 5. We see that God's judgment is based on truth. On truth and not lie. God's judgment is based on truth. You know, when we do judgment, when we evaluate things, we sometimes evaluate things not on the basis of truth. We don't even know the whole truth. We don't even know the whole truth. And when we judge something or evaluate someone or somebody, we often lean towards that which is convenient for us.

But it's not going to be so with God. When God is going to judge, He's going to judge on a basis of truth. In Hebrew, the word is emet. Later on, you'll find this expression. Let God be true and every man a liar. God will judge in accordance with truth. And so look at these verses. In verses 2 to 5, we read that God's judgment will be according to truth. It says here, first of all, verse 2. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such a thing. He's saying, listen, the judgment of God is going to be in accordance to truth.

There will never be any lie in His presence. And that's why he's saying, listen, when God is going to deal with us, He's going to deal with mankind in accordance to truth. In verse 3, He says that the judgment of God is inescapable. God will judge sin. It says in verse 3, do you think this, O man, that judges them which do such a thing, and you do the same, you think that you will escape the judgment of God? Listen, He says, you're not going to escape the judgment of God. God is going to judge in accordance with the truth. And the moralist, the cultured Greek Gentile world, just like the pagan world, they will have to stand before the judge.

And they are going not to escape the judgment of God. Nobody is going to escape the judgment of God. You know, you and I, beloved brothers and sisters, are escaping the judgment of God with respect to our eternal destiny, because God judged somebody on our behalf. The reason that we can sing today to Him and praise Him today is because that we have been passed from death unto life because the judgment had been poured upon somebody else. But we deserve the judgment. But we deserve the same judgment. Yeshua, the Messiah, bore our sin, bore our judgment that we deserve to receive. And that's why He's saying to the moralist, cultured, Gentile world, He's saying to them, listen, do you think, O man?

O man. Notice again, use the word O man. You think, O man, that you judging them that do such a thing of chapter one, that you who does the same will escape the judgment of God? You see, that's why many people do not like to read the Bible, because when they read the Bible, it speaks to their conscience. It speaks to us. It shows us that I will never escape the judgment of God unless I have somebody that bore this on my behalf. Notice what he says in verse four, the judgment of God sometimes seem to delay. You know, people think, wow, I rejected the Messiah.

I rejected God. I don't identify. I don't confess my sins before God. And you know, God judgments do not come upon me. He doesn't judge me. Things are working well in my life. I don't have any problem in my life. Things are pretty decent. Paul is reminding them here in verse four that, listen, the judgment of God sometime delayed. It's going to come. But he's delaying. It seems to be God is long suffering with us. Look at that. It says in verse four, do you despise the riches of his goodness and his forbearance and his long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads thee to repentance?

Isn't that amazing, beloved? You know, he's saying, listen, you despise the riches of God. You despise the fact that God is still not laying on you his heavy hand in judgment. Don't you understand that the goodness of God should lead you to repent? You see, when someone thinks that things are not going pretty bad for him in his life and God seems to delay his judgment. I continue in living my life the way I want. I continue to do my own thing and carry on rejecting the Messiahship of Yeshua, carry on and living a life of sin. And even if I haven't been like the pagan world, I've been pretty decent, but I still have things not right with God in my life.

And he says, listen, the riches of the goodness and forbearance and long sufferings of God. I remember when I was a little boy in Jerusalem and I used to go to the synagogue with my grandfather. One of the songs that I always loved to hear these elderly men singing was the song that we find in the book of Exodus. And I'll never forget this looking up to my grandfather and looking up to all the elderly men there. They were singing to the Lord, singing to the God of our fathers. And you know what they were singing? Let me read to you the verses they were singing found in Exodus chapter 34.

They were singing this song. And the song is like this, it goes like this. In verse 6, it says: The Lord God is merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth. Keeping mercy for thousands. Forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. They were singing this song that Moses heard God presenting before him while he was on a mountain receiving the law. God said to Moses: Look, I am Jehovah, merciful and gracious. I am long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth. I am keeping mercy to the thousands and forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. He is forgiving God. He is long-suffering. How long is long-suffering? We cannot even measure.

But God one day will have to lay down the judgment upon sin. And Paul is saying to them, he says: Don't you know that the goodness of God should lead men to repent? Don't you know that? Sometime God delays his judgment but one time will come and he will have to judge sin. So he is appealing to men. And he is placing him in the court of this holy God and he says: Listen, you who are pretty moral, pretty decent, don't look down on those other fellows or other people who are pagan world. Don't look down upon them. And don't look down as if they are so bad and you are pretty good.

Because the goodness of God should lead you to repent before the Lord. And to say: Lord, God be merciful to me as sinner. And then he continues in verse 5 when he says: Listen, the judgment of God is according to accumulation of guilt. You know what? We are men who reject the Messiah and live a life of sin. Even though he is pretty moral in his life and pretty cultured and living a pretty decent life. He doesn't realize that the judgment of God is according to the accumulation. You see? In verse 5, look what it says here: But after thy hardness and impatient heart, you treasure up for yourself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.

You see, he's saying, listen, you are treasuring up. You know, sin will be judged one day or another. If it's not today, if God delay it, you are only treasuring up. You're only collecting and adding to the pile of sins that one day will be judged by God. That's what he's saying to the moral individual who, living pretty decent life externally, delaying confession and repentance before God, only treasuring for themselves, wrath, judgment against the day of wrath. If it's not today, it's going to be later on. God said, be sure your sins will find you out. If not today, it's going to be later. There is no one who is going to escape the fact that one day he or she will have to stand before this righteous judge.

And remember, brothers and sisters, when Apostle Paul is speaking here, he has already said to them in verse 16, I am not ashamed in the gospel of the Messiah, for therein God's righteousness revealed from faith unto faith. So listen, there is a gospel, the gospel of the Mashiach, of the Messiah, of Christ. And in this gospel, God revealed a righteousness that he can give to you. He can give to men. He can give it to the pagan world. He can give it to the external moral world. He can give it to the religious Jewish world. If they only accept it. If they only accept what the Messiah, Yeshua, have done for them.

And so here, in those verses, beloved brothers and sisters, we find out, first of all, verse 1, that we should not look down upon the pagan world, because we are capable of doing the very same thing. In verses 2 to 16, we find out that there are lessons to learn about the judgment of God. Number one lesson in this is that the judgment of God is according to the truth, nobody will escape this judgment of God. He is a holy and a righteous God, and He will judge in light of the truth. And so verses 2 to 5 told us about God's judgment based on truth. In the next verses, verses 6 to 10, we find a second basis upon which the judgment of God will be happening.

In verses 6 to 10, God's judgment will be based upon action. How do we live our life? Our actions will prove whether a person really is saved or not saved, whether a person really has recognized his sins before the Lord or not. So look what he does here. First of all, in verse 6, he says this, "Who will render to every man according to his deeds." Every man, every woman, every person, God will render to him or her according to their deeds. In other words, God is viewing their deeds, viewing their actions, and He will render to them according to their deeds. In verse 7, it says that there is a difference between a believer and an unbeliever.

"A believer will act in well-doing," verse 7, "an unbeliever will act and will not obey the truth of the word of God." See, look, it says in verse 7, "To them who by patient, continuous in well-doing, seek for glory and honor, and immortality or sincerity, eternal life." Verse 8, "But unto them," "And unto them," this is the unbelieving world, "unto them that are contentions, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, He will give them indignation and wrath." You see, He's showing to us that the evidence of a person, that he or she changed their life, accepted the Lord, and changed their life, there will be evident in their actions.

Now again, He doesn't talk about salvation by works or by how we live, but how we live is a consequence of one who turned to the Lord, who turned to God, who received eternal life. And so He's saying in verse 7, "To them who by patience, continuous in well-doing, seek for glory," "glory for God," "honor," "honor to God," "sincerity and eternal life." When a person has changed by accepting the Messiah, his life or her life has changed, there will be evident. There will be that which will be patience, continuous ongoing, even though stumbling and falling, confessing it, but getting up and continuing. There will be seeking well-doing, seeking to please the Lord.

And then He says here, they're seeking glory for the Lord, honor for the Lord, a sincerity in their lives, which also mentioned eternal life. In other words, those that have actually, their deeds had proven that there was a change in their lives. God is looking at our life also. He's looking at the life of mankind. And so, the believer, of course, God will have to discipline in our life because of our deeds. He will have sometimes to spank us when we sin and we disobey. He will have to discipline us, as a father does his children. But when it's come to the unbeliever, look at this.

It says in verse 8, "For them that are contentions, they do not obey the truth of the word of God, but they obey unrighteousness, indignations and wrath will be upon them." See, He shows us the two different results. the ones that have accepted God, accepted the Lord, confessed the Lord, and received eternal life. In verse 7, He patiently continues in well-doing, seeking God's glory, God's honor, and God's insincerity, walking with the Lord. He says to them, "There is eternal life." But to the unregenerated one, in verse 8, who are contentiously rejecting the things of God, "Do not obey the truth of the word of God." He says, "For them reserved indignation and wrath." And now He's making a very interesting illustration and a comparison in verses 9 and 10.

In verses 9 and 10, look at these two verses, and I think these verses are very important to understand, because verse 9 and 10, we see that there will be judgment for those who do evil, and there is glory and honor for those who seek peace and walking with the Lord. There is judgment and there is blessing. To those who do evil, there is judgment. To those who live and seek and please the Lord, live a good life seeking to honor the Lord, there will be glory, there will be peace, there will be honor from God. in verses 9 and 10. It says, "Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil, to the Jew first and also to the Greek or to the Gentile." Verse 10, "Glory and honor and shalom, peace to every man that works good, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile." Now, let me pause here also and make a statement here about those two expressions that are repeated here in verses 9 and 10.

You know, most of the time when we hear about the judgment that fall upon the face of this world, God is showing to us with these verses that there is an order in which he works here on earth. When God deals with the human race, the nation of Israel, the Jewish people, are a nation that are still, even in this present day dispensation, they are still, with regard to his dealing with men, he deals with men for good or bad, first of all with the Jew first, and then with the Gentiles. You see, he says here that trouble, tribulation, that anguish, that sorrow for everyone that does evil will come upon this man, but it's going to come upon the Jewish people first, and also to the Gentiles.

This is important to understand. Even in this present day dispensation, God is dealing with mankind, first of all in the order of event, in the order of his dealing with men, is first of all to the Jewish people, to the nation of Israel, and then to the nations of the world. Even though we are all on a common ground, the Jewish people are not better. The Jewish people are not superior. The people of Israel are on a common ground with the nations of the world, but when it's come to the order in which God deals with men, that's the order that we see it clearly in Scripture.

But notice, not only that the Jew first is tribulation and anguish, but it also glory and honor. In verse 10 it says, "But glory and honor and peace to every man that does good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." You know, it is amazing, because many times people think that, okay, God finished with the Jews, He's finished with the nation of Israel, and because they have rejected nationally the Messiahship of Yeshua, God, you know, God is no longer dealing with them in a unique way. What we learn here from this chapter, in fact, also even with chapter 1, that when it comes to God's dealing with men, He's dealing with men with respect to order, is always to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile world, to the nations of the world.

And so, if anguish and tribulation come on the Jew first, and then to the Gentile, to those who do evil, and if, to those who do good, glory and honor and peace, come on the Jew first, and then to the Gentile, also, Romans 1:16 should be also placed in here in the same way. "I am not ashamed of the gospel of the Messiah, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone, that believe, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile." That's the way in which God present His order here in this world. That's why, brothers and sisters, it is true when Israel, when the Jewish community, or the Jewish people do good today, do the right thing today, there will be honor and blessing and glory for them here in this world, now, first.

But if they do dishonor, if they do, as it says here, sin, they do evil, also upon them, tribulation, and wrath, and anguish, will come first as well. And we also can put here that verse in chapter 1:16, the gospel also are being presented to them or should be presented to them first and also to the Gentile. And so we need a lot of wisdom as we are reading those passages here because we must be consistent with the word of God. If God set this in order, we must follow up with this with respect to what He said in His word. And so here we have in verses 6 to 10 that the judgments of God are also going to be based upon the actions in which men act in his life.

Okay? Now quickly, let's move on to verses 11 to 16. This is the third division of those verses which we have read today. In verses 11 to 16, we see that the judgment of God will be based upon the light that people have, the measure of knowledge and information that they have. This is verses 11 to 16. Here He is speaking again to the moralist world. And He is telling them, "Listen, everyone will be judged before God on the basis of the light that they have." How much knowledge does one have? How much information do you have? How much information do we have, do I have? On the basis of the light that we have, God will judge mankind.

And so He is saying in verse 11, "There is no respect of persons with God." No respect of persons. Notice. "For there is no respect of persons with God." God knows how much light one person have in Africa. He knows how much light another person have in Canada, in Israel, in America, in Europe. He knows how much information we have and how much light we have. And He is not having respect of persons to anyone. God is going to deal with us in the truth on the basis of how we live and the measure of light that we have. Nobody can say, "Well, I'm superior, I'm better, I'm closer to God." God will judge us exactly in a measure of the light that we have.

No respect of persons with God. You know, we have respect of persons. When we look at somebody and somebody has done something wrong or somebody has done something right, we elevate or diminish people or put them down in light of how we feel about these people, how we like them or we don't like them. But God does not have any respect of persons. Every one of us has the same value in the sight of God. Every one of us, God looks at us and He says, "Listen, none is superior or more important than the other. You all are the same, all are equal before God." And there is no respect of persons with God.

In the book of Acts, in chapter 10 and verse 34, we read this statement. Acts chapter 10 and verse 34. It said, "Peter," remember he went to the house of Cornelius, and he said, he opened in his mouth and he said, "Of the truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons." All are equal before him. All are the same. Peter had to learn that himself as a Jewish man when he went to the home of a Gentile man by the name of Cornelius. You see, you remember in the beginning he said, "I'm a Jewish man. I cannot go to the house of one who is not Jewish." And of course, when God set the law to Israel, He set to Israel to be separated from the nations of the world.

And truly so, because the world had worshipped other gods and Israel worshipped the true and living God, but now God has opened the door and He is presenting the Gospel to the nations of the world. And Peter realized that God is not a respecter of persons. Everyone that seeks Him, everyone that desires to know His truth, God is open towards Him. Whether He is poor or rich, whether He is smart or foolish, whether He is Jewish or a Gentile, whatever the person is, female or male, God is no respecter of persons. He is going to judge everyone in the measure of the light that they have had.

So I'm continuing. In Romans chapter 2 and verse 12, "Everyone will be judged according to the light that they have." God is no respecter of persons, verse 11, verse 12, "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law. As many as have sinned in the law, they shall be judged by the law." You see what He is saying? Here He is comparing. He says, "Listen, if you have a law or a rule or the law, the law that God has given to the nation of Israel, you're going to be judged in the measure of the light that you have with the law that you have received.

And if you didn't have the law and you live somewhere far away, and you never had the law that God had given to Israel, you're not Jewish, you are not from among the people of Israel, and you do not have the law of God, you are going to be judged without the law." You know, oftentimes people say, "Well, I do not know the law. I never received the scriptures. I do not know what God has given to the people of Israel." Well, Paul is saying, "Listen, everyone will be judged. God is not respecter of persons. Everyone will be judged to the measure of the light that they have." If they had the law, and they were supposed to adhere to the law, they will be judged on a basis of the light that they have had.

If they didn't have the law, they will be judged without the law, to the light that they have had, as to respect to a living God. And so he said, "As many as have sinned without the law, or have sinned with the law," you're going to be judged in the measure of the light that you have had. Verse 13, he says, "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." You see, he's saying here, look, he says in these verses, "Because not only to hear what the law is saying is fine, but the doers of the law shall be justified." Well, if you heard, if you know the truth, if you know this measure of light that you have, how much did you obey the light that you have?

And thinking of ourselves, when you think of the amount of light that we have, how much obedience is in our life in comparison to the light that we have? God knows that. And so verses 13 we read, "The law demand complete obedience. For not the hearers of the law shall be just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." The law demanded complete obedience. And verses 14 and 15, he gives us an additional explanation on verse 12. He says, "For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law, are law unto themselves." Verse 15 he says, "Which show the works of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts, the meanwhile accusing or excusing one another." You know what he's saying here in verses 14 and 15?

He says, listen, the Gentile world did not have the law. But he says, if they do by nature the things that are containing in the law, these become a law to them. Even if they did not have the law that God had give the people of Israel, but if they obey what they have in their hearts, the light that they have in their hearts, they are actually, when they are doing it, they obey that law as if they receive the law. In verse 15 he says, which showed the works of the law written in their hearts. You know, brothers and sisters, the law is written in the hearts of men.

God's law, God's law, which had been given to the nation of Israel, have actually had been written in the hearts of men and women who, even if they did not receive the written law that God had given to the people of Israel. Why? Because they are written in their hearts. It says here, their conscience bearing them witness. In our last meeting together we talked about how conscience came in. When sin came in, conscience came in. And so everyone in the world today have this conscience. And this conscience, it is written in our hearts the laws of God. What's right and what's wrong. What's good and what's bad.

What is righteous and what is unrighteous. That is exactly what we all have written in our hearts. It's written in our hearts. We know it. We know it because we have the conscience that God had given to us. It's written in our hearts. It's showing to us the importance of submissiveness to God and accepting what he says to us in his word. And so God is going to judge the world. He's going to judge the world also on the basis of the light that man has. So he concludes here in this verse, verse 16. He concludes to speak to the moralist, to the cultured Gentile world.

He concludes and he says in verse 16. In the day when God shall judge the secret of men by Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus the Messiah according to my Gospel. You see, he's concluding, he says there is a day when God is going to judge the secrets of men. Would you like, would I like to stand before God, who knows all the secrets of our hearts, and to try to be justified before him on my own? I can't. No one will ever stand before God and accept it before God. Because God will judge the secrets of the hearts of men by Jesus the Messiah, by Yeshua HaMashiach.

And therefore God knows everything that's going on in man's heart. The Bible teaches us in chapter 4 of the book of Hebrews, the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of the soul and the spirit, and of the joint and mirrors. And God's word is a discerner of the thoughts and the intent of the heart. Discerner of the thoughts and the intent of the hearts. That's the lesson that we learn here, beloved brothers and sisters, in Romans chapter 2 verses 1 to 16. That God, not only that he is going to judge the Gentile world and he found them guilty, the pagan Gentile world, but also the moral individual who lived pretty decent life.

But his heart and his actions prove that he is also guilty before God. And that one day, if not today, if he is not confessing his sins before the Lord, or her sin before the Lord and repenting and turning to the Gospel, to the Messiah, as he said, according to my Gospel. The Gospel is the work that Yeshua the Messiah had done for us on the cross. He was dead, he died, he was buried, and he rose again on the third day to give us justification. And so God is going to one day judge the intent of the hearts, the secrets of the hearts. He will one day judge all men.

And if men did not have his sins forgiven through the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, that person, that man, that woman will be ending up to be cast into eternal damnation, separated from God. We all have been guilty. The pagan world, the moral world, and next time in our meeting we'll find out that the Jewish world, the religious Jewish world, is also guilty before God. Because the judge knows everything. And the only answer is our blessed Lord, Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah.