Adrian Rogers: How God Handles Hypocrites (2047)

i'm speaking to a number of people today you're not hypocrites but you're not saved do you know why you're not saved [Music] you're not saved because you've been looking at somebody else who claims to be a christian and you say well if that's christianity i don't want it friend it's not christianity put your eyes upon jesus the plain spoken biblical wisdom and timeless teaching of adrian rogers has gone around the world and has been described by thousands of people he has touched as profound truth simply stated today we'll be hearing some of that profound truth through his message series foundations for our faith we hope you will have your bibles ready and stay with us for this powerful message and if you are encouraged by today's message remember you can stream this message again and download pastor rogers outline notes a complete transcript and other resources to go along with this message all at lwf.org now let's join adrian rogers [Music] howard carter discovered the tomb of old king tut back in the early 20s and 1922 or four and when howard carter finally broke into the tomb of one of egypt's richest kings he went in there and he found the casket the sarcophagus and it was a huge thing i've seen it in the egyptian museum perhaps you have and he took opened that coffin and inside was a another coffin covered with gold leaf and he opened that and inside was a third coffin and he opened that and inside was one of solid gold i've seen that and when he opened the fourth inside was king tut and he was wrapped in gold cloth and he had that incredible gold mask on his face it is so beautiful but when they lifted that off and took off that gold cloth there was an old dried withered dead corpse inside all of that the outward thing did not change what was on the inside we're dealing today with hypocrites and many hypocrites have quite a few things on the exterior but god doesn't look on the exterior god looks on the heart god sees through all of those things that we adorn ourselves with and decorate ourselves with we're talking today about how god handles hypocrites now in chapter one we talked about how god handles the heathen in chapter 2 we're going to see how god handles the hypocrite in chapter 1 we saw the down and out in chapter 2. we're going to see the up and out because paul who's very smart and and anointed by the holy spirit knew that there were certain religious people who would listen with relish as paul described a god's judgment upon the heathen those who worship bugs and creeping things and they would say well we're not that way we're not that way we don't do that and so they listened with these things in mind they were indignant at the sins of others but indulgent about their own sins and so in this chapter chapter 2 we're going to see how god handles the hypocrites and if you're a hypocrite i pray god that today you will come to the real thing because you see the devil had rather send you to hell from the pew than from the gutter and so i'm i'm praying today that many will be saved i'm praying also that those of you who have let some hypocrite keep you from jesus will do it no longer and uh let's begin looking if we will here in chapter 2 verse 1. therefore thou art inexcusable underscore the word inexcusable o man whosoever thou art that judgest for wherein thou judgest another thou condemnest thyself for thou that judgest doeth the same things but we are sure that the judgment of god is according to truth against them which commit such things and thinketh thou this o man that judges them which do such things and just the same that thou shalt escape escape the judgment of god we're going to stop reading there we're going to come up and and pick it up again but you see go back if you will and look in chapter 1 and verse 32 knowing the judgment of god that they underscore the word they and now notice in chapter 2 verse 1 therefore thou art inexcusable it's easy to talk about they but god is going to talk to thou what what god is doing is saying hey don't talk about other people it's time right now to examine yourself i heard somewhere of a man went to the psychiatrist office he had a scrambled egg on his head and a strip of bacon over each ear he came he said i i came to see you about my brother it's time that we stop thinking about they and and begin to think about ourselves and examine ourselves because even those who are saved may be guilty of some hypocrisy including the man who's speaking faults in others i can see but praise the lord there's none in me now we tend to want to measure ourselves by other people but god measures himself by that perfect standard uh himself now look in chapter 2 and it's easy to see what the theme is it's judgment look in in verse 1 o man whosoever thou art that judges another for wherein thou judgest another the last part of that verse that judges does the same things verse 2 for we know that the judgment of god is according to truth verse 3 thinketh thou this o man that judges them uh the last part of verse 3 do you think you'll escape escape the judgment of god verse 5 the last part the righteous judgment of god verse 16 and the day when god shall judge the secrets of men by jesus christ this is talking about judgment this is talking about the hypocrites judgment it's talking about the judgment of those who judge others without ever having met the lord themselves now what is the hypocrites judgment going to be like what is the basis three things number one the hypocrites judgment is going to be according to truth three times he uses the word according look at it in verse two but we are sure that the judgment of god is according to truth all right just underscore that now go down to verse 6 who will render to every man according to his deeds first of all according to truth the hypocrite's judgment is according to truth number two it is according to deeds now go down to verse 16 in the day when god shall judge the secrets of men by jesus christ according to my gospel so the judgment is going to be according to truth is going to be according to deeds and it's going to be according to the gospel now that's that's what he says the hypocrites judgment is going to be so we're going to that makes our outline today we have we have a three-point outline and we're going to see today how god handles hypocrites what's the judgment going to be like first of all the judgment is going to be according to truth and therefore there will be no disguise you see the word hypocrite means actor it means play actor that's what the word literally means and in jesus time the actors would put on disguises if they were supposed to be happy rather than merely acting happy they would put on a happy face a disguise if they'd be sad they'd put on a sad face if they were to be fierce they were to put on a fierce face they were wearing masks they were wearing disguises and jesus said in the religious world there are some who are hypocrites they're actors they are wearing disguises but paul says that the judgment is going to be according to truth god is going to pull off the mask there will be no disguise not profession not pretention not performance but truth is the standard you can fool all of the people some of the time and you can fool some of the people all of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time but you can't fool god any of the time now god's judgment is according to truth now today we we've forgotten truth we have sacrificed truth for pragmatism we don't ask is it true we ask does it work we've sacrificed truth for style we don't say does he or she tell the truth do i like him do i like her we're not interested in truth we're interested in the stock market we are one nation under greed rather than one nation under god now we think we're smart and did you know somebody said that if you were to take all of the knowledge the accumulated knowledge of the world from creation to 1845 and let it measure an inch on the scale and using that standard from 1845 to 1945 it would have grown to three inches but from 1945 to 1975 it would be as tall as the washington monument but from 1975 on it would be out of sight now knowledge is doubling but truth never changes you know the bible daniel said in the last days knowledge shall increase what a prophecy but the bible says that they're men ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth god's standard is truth god has written a bible it is called the word of truth god has given his holy spirit he is called the spirit of truth god is building his church and the church is called the pillar and the ground of truth god has sent his son and his son is the truth the apostle john said i have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in the truth but truth has fallen in the streets today the hypocrites judgment however is going to be according to truth god knows the truth and god will judge every hypocrite by the truth no matter what office he holds truth is to your spirit what food is to your body what light is to your eyes what melody is to your ears now the hypocrite doesn't understand that god is going to judge according to truth so the hypocrite the play actor has three fatal flaws in his thinking flaw number one he has the idea that outward appearance is all that matters uh he he thinks that that somehow that if he can just simply uh appear righteous uh that he will be righteous put this verse in your bible matthew 23 verses 25-28 jesus is talking to the religious mafia of his day and he says woe unto you scribes and pharisees hypocrites for ye may clean the outside of the cupping of the platter but within they're full of extortion and excess the way men do dishes has not changed for two thousand years no pharisee doing the dishes and he's just wiping the outside and on the inside uh the oatmeal is crusted he just puts it back up there on the shelf his wife comes and talks to him about it thou blind pharisee cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter that the outside of them may be clean also woe unto you scribes and pharisees hypocrites for your liking the white sepulchers which indeed appear beautiful outward but within are full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness remember old king tut even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men but within are full of hypocrisy and iniquity the hypocrite thinks that all god sees is how he dresses on sunday morning and how he sings and how he greets people now he behaves and the religious people of paul's day were in that category you're in chapter 2 go down to verses 21 and 22 and look at it thou therefore which teacheth to another teach us not teach us thou not thyself thou that preachest that a man should not steal does thou steal thou that says to man should not commit adultery does thou commit adultery thou that abhorst idols dost thou commit sacrilege you say well pastor i'm not an adulterer romans 5 verse 28 excuse me matthew chapter 5 verse 28 jesus said if you look on a woman to lust after her you've committed adultery with her already in your heart you say well i'm not a murderer first john chapter 3 verse 15 says that whoso ever hateth his brother is a murderer you see so many times we we think that just it's the outward part that matters but the bible says there's no excuse and there's no escape you know you have to pity a hypocrite because the problem with the hypocrite is on the inside not on the outside and so he's he's a pretender you see he doesn't have the courage to out and out serve the devil and he doesn't have the true grace to really serve the lord and so he is a great big actor he is a he is a respectable sinner but he is still a sinner now the hypocrite is going to be judged according to truth his outward appearance is not going to make any difference here's the second mistake that the hypocrite makes not only a mistake concerning appearance but he he also makes a mistake concerning whether or not he's getting along in life he thinks the hypocrite thinks that if he is not being chastised if he's not having trouble he's right with god look in verse 4 and thinkers thou this o man that judges them which do such things and doeth the same that thou shall escape the judgment of god or despise us thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of god leadeth theater repentance are you listening to that you see some people have the idea that if if they're not having any problems they're right with god they have the idea that if they're healthy if their bank account is up if uh they have no problems that evidently god loves them and and everything is fine and they don't need to repent because look at all of these blessings friend the blessings of god don't mean that you're right with god god gives you blessings to bring you to him it doesn't mean you don't need repentance the bible says that the goodness of god leads to your repentance oh don't you know don't you know the bible says that the absence of problems does not mean that there you don't need repentance as a matter of fact the goodness of god only makes your judgment more severe if you deny or fall from the goodness of god if you're being blessed now let me beg you to come to the lord jesus christ and and don't get the idea that god's goodness is an invitation to sin more because the greater the blessings if those blessings are refused the greater the judgment when the judgment comes and i want to remind you that sodom and gomorrah were at an economic all-time high when the fire and brimstone fell you just read that the bible says that one of the marks of sodom was not only fullness of not only that they committed abominations but fullness of bread and idleness that is people didn't even have to work there was so much prosperity and that's when the fire fell because the goodness of god did not lead them to repentance luke chapter 13 verses 1 through 5. now there had been a calamity and here was the calamity there were some people they were walking down the street one day and a tower fell on them uh they were up but uh in galilee and a tower fell on them and jesus is talking about that and by the way jesus talked about contemporary affairs and the bible says there was some present at that season uh there was there were present that season some that told him that is jesus of the galileans whose blood pilate had mingled with their sacrifices they were they were worshiping and pilate came in then and had them killed and jesus answering said unto them suppose ye that these galileans were sinners above all the galileans because they suffered such things i tell you nay except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish are those eighteen upon whom the tower in siloam fell and slew him think he that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in jerusalem i tell you no nay except ye repent ye shall likewise perish now don't get the idea that if somebody has trouble it's because god has judged them and if you don't have trouble god is not going to judge you jesus said whether whether whether a tower falls on you or not if you don't repent you're going to perish and the hypocrite doesn't understand this he thinks that outward appearance is all that matters he thinks that the absence of problems is all that matters now here's the third thing that this hypocrite needs to learn the hypocrite needs to learn that delayed judgment does not mean no judgment look if you will in verse 5 but after thy hardness and impenitent heart rather than repenting you have an impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of god now what does that mean when god is good to you and when god blesses a nation and that nation hardens its heart against god or when god blesses an individual and that individual hardens his heart against god god says you're just putting wrath in the bank you're treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath it's one more deposit one day the hypocrites judgment is going to come and god is going to say what did you do with all of my blessings what did you do with the prosperity i gave you you hardened your heart you were impenitent you started to put deposits in the bank of wrath why doesn't god judge right away i'll tell you why god doesn't judge right away because god waits for all of that sin to ripen you see you put it in the bank and at the judgment you collect with compound interest when you sin against god your sin does not just end here it goes on and on and on and the ripples touch the shores of eternity and then finally god says there's coming a day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of god and so the judgment is going to be according to truth according to truth god is going to rip off the mass and god is going to say our word appearance doesn't matter god is going to say the blessings that i gave you that didn't mean you were right with god and god is going to say just because i didn't judge you now does not mean that i will not judge you and any hypocrite anybody listening to me on television you're living high wide and handsome you are not getting away with your sin you're not you are not after thy hardness and impenitent heart you're treasuring up unto yourself wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of god now you're not you're not going to escape he says in verse 3 that thinketh thou that you will escape the word think is a technical word it means have you figured out a way to escape do you think that somehow you that you're going to escape the judgment of god you can't do it houdini was an escape artist but he didn't escape death and he did not escape judgment now today uh you may escape you your sin may go undiscovered how many of you have ever broken the speed limit didn't get arrested your sin may go be undiscovered you may be unapprehended they may not be able to catch you you may go unpunished you may get a high-powered washitonian lawyer but you will not escape the judgment of god you will not you will not do you think have you connived are you so intelligent that you think that you shall escape no god will rip off the mask the judgment of the hypocrite is according to truth that's the first thing now i want you to see the second thing uh the hypocrites judgment is not only according to truth but it is according to deeds so not only is it going to be without disguise is going to be without distinction notice it now beginning in verse 6 who will render to every man according to his deeds according to his deeds you see you're not saved by works but you will be judged by works uh some how we get the idea that certain people maybe americans or maybe baptist or maybe bellevue baptists have a special distinction but we do not go down to verse 11 there's no respect of persons with god no respect of persons with god it didn't make any difference whether you were jew or greek paul is going to show in romans 3 that the entire world is guilty before god sometimes when i am interviewed on television the interviewer thinks he's going to put me in a hot box make me seem like i'm a racist or make me seem like i'm a bigot and so he will eventually ask this question if he's pretty shrewd he will say do you think a jew without jesus is lost now now you can just imagine if if you're in front of the modern urbane audience and being interviewed like that what a question like that says because if you say yes i believe that a jew without jesus is lost you number one are looked at as a racist and number two is a bigot isn't that right of course if you say no i believe he's saved what you have done is absolutely dishonored the lord jesus christ who died for the sins of all people do you know what i tell a man when you ask me that question i say friend i believe that one of my own children without jesus would be lost it doesn't matter whether he's a jew or a gentile it's not a matter of race it is not a matter of place it is not a matter of face whether you're male or female it is a matter of god's grace do you know it or do you not there is no respect of persons with god nobody is lost because he's a jew and nobody is saved because he's a gentile god judges according to truth and god judges according to deeds all have sinned and come short of the glory of god you see so many people have the idea that god's going to grade on the curve we're bad but we're not as bad as as somebody else and so these these religious people in chapter two had laid themselves out in the gutter alongside the pagan in chapter one and they measured themselves by the pagan and they said well i'm a little longer than the pagan and god is going to grade on the curve but god doesn't grade on the curve as a matter of fact james said in james chapter 2 verse 10 for whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point the same as guilty of all you see god demands absolute perfection and none of us in ourselves can provide it and that's why we need the gospel that's why we need the righteousness of god that comes by believing on the lord jesus christ suppose is there anybody here who would say that you've always kept all god's ten commandments of course not well you say i've only broken one i don't believe that but let's suppose you'd only broken one here's a man dangling over a fire by a chain of ten links nine of those links are made of forged steel and one of them is made of crate paper for whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point the same is guilty of all the hypocrite is going to be judged according to his deeds now let me show you how this goes first of all by his actions look in verse 6. whatever he does is going to judge him he's going to render to every man according to his deeds that that just means according to sins what kind of sins sins of commission sins of omission sins of the flesh sins of the spirit you see the most respectable man woman or boy girl in this building or listening to me by television is just as lost as the lost as the worst criminal on earth without a second birth now you may not believe that but jesus told nicodemus a better man than any man here in this building today morally outwardly unless you're born again you can't even see the kingdom of god not only verse 6 are they going to be judged according to their actions but also they're going to be judged according to their attitudes look in verses 7 and 8 to them who by patient continuance and well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality and eternal life but unto them who are contentious that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil to the jew first and also of the gentiles what is that talking about he's talking about your attitudes he's talking about some who come to church seeking god and there's some who come to church wanting to be contentious hey folks i've been preaching long enough to know that there are people out there who are mentally arguing with me right now you don't like me you don't like what i preach and your mind is saying i think i can find some fault in what that man is saying friend that'd be easy to do i can do that i mean if you if you come to church if you come to the house of god or anywhere and you're looking for something to criticize friend you can find it starting with a man standing in the pulpit i'm going to tell you something else if you come looking for god today you can find god because he's here you're going to find what you look for there are some who are seekers and there's some who scorn us and the lord says that when it comes to judge not only is he going to judge actions he's going to judge attitudes are you looking for god are you looking for some loophole are you looking for something to criticize something to find fault with well i'll guarantee you you'll find it but if you come looking for god he's here he's standing knocking at your heart's door the hypocrite's going to be judged by his actions he's going to be judged by his attitudes and i'll tell you what else he's going to be judged by his advantages now here's the one that ought to frighten some of us not only his actions and his attitudes but his advantages look in verses 9 and 10 of the same thing tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil to the jew first and also to the gentile but glory honor and peace to every man that worketh good to the jew first and also to the gentile for there's no respect of persons with god what does that mean why to the jew first because he had the greater advantage he he's going to say to the jew is given the oracles of god and and god has blessed the jew and we're going to think about that uh in in chapter three look in verse one what advantage then hath the jew or what prophet is there of circumcision much in every way chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of god they have the word of god they have the old testament and so therefore unto whomsoever much is given of the same shall much be required you see listen god holds you responsible for being in this service today god is going to judge you because of your advantage there are millions of people on earth who sit in darkness who have never even once heard the name of jesus you see god knows what you've heard and unto whomsoever much is given of the same shall much be required how sad it would be to go to hell from the jungle but how much sadder it would be to go to hell from an air-conditioned upholstered church how sad it would be to sing in the choir and go to hell how sad it would be to usher and go to hell how sad it would be to sit on the platform and go to hell jesus said many will say unto me in that day lord lord when i prophesied in thy name and thy name cast out devils and in my name done many wonderful works and then will i profess unto them depart from me ye that work iniquity i never knew you they didn't get saved and lose it they never had it they went through the form of religion but they were never saved and how is the hypocrites judgment going to be number one according to truth number two according to his deeds his actions his attitudes his advantages god takes all of that into response into uh account when it comes to the judgment now let's come to the third way very quickly uh how's god going to judge not only according uh to truth and not only according to deeds but here's something very strange he's going to judge the hypocrite according to the gospel look if you will here in verses 12 through 16 of this same thing or let's just for sake of time just going down to verse 16. in the day when god shall judge the secrets of men by jesus christ according to my gospel now what on earth does that mean in the day when god is going to judge the secrets of men according to my gospels he's my gospel he said it's according to truth it is according to deeds and now it is according to his gospel well what is his gospel well you don't have to guess about what the gospel is first corinthians chapter 15 verses one through three paul said this is the gospel that i preached on you how the christ died for our sins that he was buried that it was raised again the third day according to the scriptures that friend is gospel truth and if that gospel does not save you that gospel will judge you because that is the gospel of the resurrection of jesus christ now what does the resurrection of jesus christ have do with judgment well he is the judge the bible says the father judges no man but he has committed all judgment unto the son the same jesus who wants to be your savior will one day be your judge if you do not allow him to be your savior but listen to me and listen well everybody listen to me you're going to meet jesus christ if you do not meet jesus christ and salvation you meet him in judgment if the gospel does not save you the gospel will condem you how is that well christ is the judge now you can't hold court if the judge is dead but god raised up the judge and you can't hold court if the defendant is dead and god will raise you up you cannot crawl up in the grave and pull the dirt over your face and hide from god the bible says in acts chapter 17 god has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained wherever he hath given assurance unto all men and that he raised him from the dead what does that mean that means that the resurrection of jesus christ that is meant to save you is the very resurrection that will condemn you and the hypocrite picks death from the tree of life you see the the gospel is a savior of life unto life or death unto death it is a two-edged sword but my friend that blessed blade will cut to heal or to slay but it is a sword today and you're going to be judged according to the gospel listen listen it is not that you could not be saved it is that you would not be saved and there's the lord jesus in agony and blood dying upon that cross for you and you wrap yourself in your robes of self-righteousness and will not receive the lord jesus christ and he says one of these days god is going to reveal the secrets of the hypocrite notice if you will in verse 16 in the day when god shall judge the secrets of men by christ jesus what does that mean it means secrets that have been repressed sins that you've committed that you've forgotten about you've put them away secrets that have been repressed secrets will be revealed one day god is going to reveal your heart one day he's going to open the door and skeletons will come out of closets the bible says that god is keeping books and every word every idle word every thought every deed it's there and that judgment the judgment of the hypocrite is going to be for many worse than the judgment of the heathen for unto whomsoever much is given much shall be required i'm speaking to a number of people today you're not hypocrites but you're not saved do you know why you're not saved you're not saved because you've been looking at somebody else who claims to be a christian and you say well if that's christianity i don't want it friend it's not christianity put your eyes upon jesus you say they're hypocrites in the church that may be but i'm going to tell you something else the best people i know on the face of this earth love jesus and are part of his blood-bought church and they're going to heaven you let some hypocrite keep you from jesus you'll spend all eternity with every one of them in hell that's right give your heart to jesus give him all your life don't be whitewashed be washed white by the blood of jesus have reality if you're not saved come today and cast yourself on the mercy of god don't bring yourself righteousness bring your sin to jesus in my hand no price i bring simply to thy cross i cling pastor would jesus save me today friend he wants to save you he is knocking at your heart's door and he will save you there's nobody nobody here so good you don't need to be saved and nobody here so bad you can't be saved [Music] romans 1 says there's nobody so bad they can't be saved romans 2 says there's nobody so good they don't have to be saved okay don't let some hypocrite keep you out of heaven give your heart to jesus [Music] well amen this has been a glorious service and i thank god for the power that he has demonstrated in this place and for those in this place who have given their hearts to jesus christ and many of you who are watching these services want to do the same thing and the god who is here is the god who's there with you and i promise you on the authority of the word that i preached today that if you will receive him by faith he will come into your life and he will transform your life now you're not going to sprout wings and get a halo right away you have to grow in the grace and knowledge of our lord and savior jesus christ a baby is born and then it grows but when you receive christ you are born into his family the bible says you're born again pray and ask him to come into your heart to forgive your sin to cleanse you and to save you remember it's a gift you can't earn it you'll never deserve it but you can receive it by faith believe on the lord jesus christ and you will be saved that's what the bible says and if you do that would you write to us and let us know we'll rejoice with you and send you some literature to help you get started in your christian life we hope that today's message has been an encouragement to you as we look at the foundations for our faith for more resources from adrian rogers including copies or downloads of this message as well as pastor rogers outline notes or a complete transcript of this message please visit our website lwf.org at lwf.org you can also sign up to receive our daily heartbeat emails each heartbeat contains a daily scripture and devotional thought from adrian rogers an inspirational 90-second treasure from the word as well as a link to our daily radio program and other resources all in one place delivered directly to your computer or mobile device each morning and if you would like to learn more about who jesus is we hope you'll visit the discover jesus link on our homepage or if you're looking for some inspiration or encouragement to get you through the week check us out on social media at lwf ministries join us next time as adrian rogers continues his series on foundations for our faith here on love worth finding faith is not a response to what the eye sees or the ear hears faith is a response of the heart to the character of god at loveworth finding we want to help you on your faith journey and as a way to say thank you for your gift this month we'd love to send you our tapestry faith and forgiveness journal from adrian rogers using pastor rogers five-step process for examining god's word this journal provides devotionals thought-provoking questions and nuggets of wisdom to inspire you there's also a space to write your own thoughts and notes request your tapestry faith and forgiveness journal by calling with a gift 1-800-647-9400 or you can give online at lwf.org encourage and equip yourself in your faith call or go online today you

Channel: Love Worth Finding Ministries

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Length: 42min 19sec (2539 seconds)

Published: Sun May 30 2021