 The title of our sermon this morning is the Righteous Judgment of God, the Righteous Judgment of God. I was thinking about what we would cover today, and I thought we would cover more on sin, judgment, hell, and wrath. So that's okay with you all, I think we're going to continue that course of study. We're very grateful for the Word of God, and I'm grateful too for expository preaching in the sense that verse by verse exposition of the Scriptures, you cover the things that the Word of God gives you to cover, right? It's not, thank you Lord, it's not up to the vain imaginations or opinions of men to determine that for you. When we do verse by verse exposition, we're getting what God has determined for us, and God has graciously smiled upon us in giving us these good providence, in giving us opportunity to spend some time now considering the judgment of God. We need to hear this, don't we? We need to understand the condition that we're in, the danger that all people face because of their sin so that we can worship and magnify the Son for what He has done for us. So we come again to the Righteous Judgment of God, Romans chapter 2, verses 5-11. Our text, 1-11, we're going to cover in particular the last half of that, 5-11. I think we're going to get through verse 5 today. All right. God has said that He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained. And He has given assurance of this to all by raising that man, the Lord Jesus Christ, from the dead. God has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness. You can't read the Bible and avoid the near constant refrain in the Bible of a coming judgment. It is all over the text of Scripture. You cannot escape the testimony of your own conscience that a judgment is coming. Physical death is but a shadow that is cast by it. You can't possibly consider the cross without acknowledging the judgment of God, the resurrection of Jesus Christ being the proof that the day is set. And yet the approaching day of His wrath, the coming day of His judgment is an undeniable fact that ungodly and unrighteous men suppress in their unrighteousness. Ungodly and unrighteous men just don't want to hear about it. In these opening chapters of Romans, the Apostle Paul compels us to hear about it. He compels us to consider it and he compels us to consider this subject at length. And so we have and we will continue to do so as we work our way through chapter 2 into chapter 3. Now people most often simply refuse to adequately or to truthfully or to sufficiently deal with the subject of judgment. Men don't want to hear about it. They don't like it, right? And I don't remember God ever asking men's opinions about what they like or don't like when revealing His truth to them. People don't want to deal with it, but God deals with it on a regular basis in His revealed word. We should, if we're going to be wise, if we're going to know Him and know ourselves, we should deal adequately, sufficiently, faithfully with this subject of judgment. Fallen men tend to live their lives like a teenager with a permit on his first trip behind the wheel. He's got his hands on the wheel and he's looking over the end of the car, over the hood, over the bumper, down at the pavement trying to keep it between the lines, right? If you learned how to drive, that was the way I learned how to drive. He's thinking about where he's going or how he's getting there. He's just sort of enjoying the trip. More concerned about the in-flight entertainment than he is about the real presence of danger. He's a 16-year-old in control of a two-ton piece of machinery that could kill himself and others, and he's not aware of the danger that he's in. If he would lift his eyes but for a moment, he might see the semi-truck barreling toward him in the same lane, right? Or you could imagine it. You could conceive of it as walking across a field, so to speak, running your fingers through the heads of grain, singing America the beautiful, admiring the wild flowers, the wild flowers along the path, enjoying the weather, sun on your face. Trying to imagine all of life to be concerned with is found in that field and refusing to look up. To lift your eyes beyond the field to see the mountain that is just beyond it. Thunder clouds have gathered, the lightning is flashing, fire and smoke are billowing out of the top of the mountain, and we don't notice. Men keep their heads buried in the dirt, gazing at the ground, at the pavement directly in front of them, and most refuse to lift their eyes to the horizon where we see a dark shadow approaching, the shadow of God's judgment. We as fallen men are often stubbornly and stupidly nearsighted. On chapter two, Paul introduces a man who can see the truck coming. In chapter two, Paul introduces a man who can see the mountain. He realizes that he's drawing near the mountain. He simply doesn't believe it. It has anything to do with him. So you have two groups of people, don't you? People who refuse to lift their eyes, who can't see the mountain, who can't see the truck coming, who refuse to acknowledge the judgment of God that's coming upon them, refuse to see the evidence before them in everyday life. And then you have that one who sees the truck, who sees the mountain, who sees the evidence and believes that it applies to somebody else and not to him. And he's deceived. It's obvious that those idolaters, those sexually immoral people in chapter one, they deserve the judgment of God, but he sees no reason to be alarmed about the judgment of God himself. He's the inexcusable man of chapter two, verse one. Quick to condemn the sin of others while condoning sin in himself. He is a truly tragic figure. Now that man in chapter two, verse one, the inexcusable man is representative of the Jews in Paul's day. And Paul is going to directly associate this inexcusable man with the Jews down in verse 17, but in our day, this man applies to those we might find in the modern day, professing church. In our day, he'd be a professing Christian, very likely a regular church attender, someone who might work in the nursery, maybe even an elder or a deacon serving faithfully at fellowships. He knows some theology, right? Not unlike the Jews who condemned the Gentiles, who didn't walk according to the law, this person might condemn those who don't know the Bible as well as he does, and they don't teach sound doctrine at the church they go to. He would certainly condemn those idolaters and homosexuals in chapter one, all the while condemning himself, because as Paul says, in whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself for you who judge practice the same kinds of things. He's deceived being deceived. He's a tragic, a tragic figure. And churches today are full, full of the inexcusable man. He's carefully constructed this one. He's carefully constructed a complex defense mechanism, insulating himself from the truth. If you've ever witnessed to someone in this condition, he's very defensive, hostile. Are you saying I'm not a Christian? He's misinterpreted the goodness of God as God's approval of his life. He's misinterpreted the forbearance of God as the freedom to continue in his sin. And he's misinterpreted the patience, the long suffering of God as tolerance of his sin. And he deceives himself into thinking that he is accepted, that the barreling semi, or the shrouded mountain, pose no threat to his eternal destiny. He is a tragic figure. But we know, Paul says, that the judgment of God is according to truth, not according to what we might want it to be. The judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. God is no respecter of persons. God is impartial in his judgment. And this one will not escape the righteous judgment of God. Now, Paul is determined that you and I see that too, that you and I understand that. If there's anyone here, if you're here this morning, and you might think, I'm the inexcusable man of chapter two, verse one, maybe you know, I'm the idolater. I'm the immoral person from chapter one. Paul is determined that you and I, brothers and sisters, that we all see the truck, observe the mountain for what it really is in truth. We need to see, understand the biblical record of God's righteous judgment. Not as we would merely hope that it would be. We must consider the facts as they really are, rather than as we might want them to be or think that they are. We must judge ourselves rightly, Paul would say, lest we be judged with the world. No one will escape the righteous judgment of God. And we've learned a lot about the judgment of God, the end of chapter one now, into chapter two, our journey through Romans. First, the judgment of God is retributive in terms of recompense or reward. The judgment of God is retributive. Chapter two, verse six, God will render to each man according to his deeds, either reward or wrath. Verse seven, eternal life to those who by patient continuance, in doing patient continuance, in doing good, seek for glory, honor, and immortality. Verse eight, to those who are self-seeking, who do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek. God's judgment is retributive. Second, the judgment of God is reciprocal, or it's proportionate to our sin. We're going to see more of the same today in our text. Reciprocal, chapter one, verse 27, women and men receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. It's reciprocal. Verse 28, even as communicating reciprocity, even as they rejected God on their knowledge, God gave them over to a rejected mind. Chapter two, verse five, their judgment is in accordance. It's in harmony with and keeping with their hardness and impenitence. And then thirdly, as we learned last week, God's judgment is infallible. Verse two, it's according to truth against those who practice such things. God's judgment is inescapable. Verse three, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. And fallen man's response to God's proclamation of judgment is irrational. Verse four, despite all evidence to the contrary, he despises the goodness of God and chooses rather to perish in his sin. So now following Paul's lead and coming to our text this morning, in further consideration of the righteous judgment of God, I've planned for us to consider the text before us under three headings. Three headings. One, God's judgment is righteous, verse five. Two, God's judgment is impartial, verse six. And three, God's judgment is retributive, verses seven through 10. God's judgment is righteous, verse five. It's impartial, verse six. It is retributive, verses seven through 10. Consider with me point one on your outline, God's judgment is righteous. Look at verse five with me. But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart, you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. That is a loaded statement in verse five. Verse five is a wake up call to quote whoever you are who judge, as Paul said, right? It's a wake up call to the inexcusable man of chapter two, verse one. It's a wake up call to any of us here. It's meant to be a dose of reality to the inexcusable man. The false professing Christian, the self-righteous, morally superior, deceived professing Christian believes, verse three, that he will somehow escape the judgment of God. He believes that the goodness of God means that God accepts him just as he is. You've heard that statement before, haven't you? He believes that the goodness of God, the love of God, the forgiveness of God means that God will accept him just as he is. There have been hymns written on that statement, right? Repeated ad nauseum 50 times as people make their way down the altar to say some silly superstitious prayer, believing that that saves them, right? Just as I am. But Paul says, notice the contrast, but verse five, in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart, you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath. Now, if you're following along on your outline, notice first, God's judgment, God's wrath is proportionate. It's proportionate. It is in accordance with your hardness and impenitent heart. God's wrath is proportionate. In other words, thinking of that subject, we might ask the question, to what degree or in what proportion will this sinful person face the wrath of Almighty God? Think with me, okay? To what degree, in what proportion will this sinful person face the wrath, the judgment of Almighty God? What level of wrath, what degree of wrath awaits him in the day of wrath? The answer to that question is this. It is an outpouring of divine omnipotent wrath that is in proportion to the hardness and impenitence of his heart, okay? It's in proportion to his hardness and his impenitence. We have to ask the question then, how hard is that? How impenitent is he and what will that wrath then look like? That word, hardness, translates the Greek word scleratis. It means stubborn, unfeeling, unfeeling adherence to his own desires, unfeeling adherence to his own will, insensitive, unresponsive, hard, hard, right? The medical term relates to that word is sclerosis. You've heard of that word, haven't you? Arteriosclerosis is a hardening of the arteries. Starts happening when you get my age, right? One said, the hardening of the arteries will take you to the grave. The hardening of your heart will take you to hell, scleratis, hardening, unfeeling, insensitive. In the context of verse four, this person is so hard-hearted, so unfeeling, so insensitive that he despises the abundant riches of God's goodness. How hard, how unfeeling, how insensitive do you have to be to despise the abundant, extravagant, lavish riches of God's goodness to you in this life? God is his Creator. God has given to him life and breath in all things. Acts chapter 17, verse 25. God has given him rain from heaven, fruitful seasons, filling his heart with food and gladness. Acts chapter 14, verse 17. In him, he lives and moves and has his being, and yet man is unfeeling, insensitive, unresponsive, hard-hearted against in the face of God's abundant goodness. He's so hard-hearted, so unfeeling, insensitive that he despises God's generous forbearance. Doesn't even see it, refuses to acknowledge it. God endures his hard-hearted rebellion while being so good to him. God mercifully withholds the sword of his justice, which is what forbearance deals with, right? In the face of tremendous provocation, God withholds his wrath, and man shows utter contempt for it, a callous pursuit of his own desires, despite the raging of his conscience, despite the revelation God has given in his own word. Man is so hard-hearted, this one, that he despises God's enduring patience, right? His goodness, his forbearance, and his patience. The whole of creation is corrupted with our sin against God. The fact that God has not already brought judgment upon this world is a testimony, a great testimony to God's patience. Remember the story of the Israelites in the wilderness, right? As they're rebelling against God in their stubbornness, God calls them a hard-hearted, stiff-necked generation. They rebel, they grumble, they complain, and what does God tell Moses? Get away from them so that I may consume them in a moment and make of you a great nation, right? In other words, their hard-hearted disposition toward God warranted God destroying them in fire, right? Consuming them in a moment and making plans with Moses. What does that say about our stubbornness today? The hard-hearted, inexcusable man of chapter 2 verse 1, his stubbornness, his rebellion against God. In the face of tremendous propagation, God withholds, withholds that kind of judgment. Why? Because of the Lord Jesus Christ and God's people whom he is gathering in under the preaching of the gospel. And when God has gathered in his people under the preaching of the gospel, justice will pour down like rain. Do you see? This man despises that patience and will not turn. Second Peter chapter 3, Peter tells us that God is not slack about this promise of coming judgment as something about slackness. He is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any of us should perish, but that all of us should come to repentance. What Peter is saying is that the day of judgment will come. The day of judgment will come and it will come like a thief in the night, but it hasn't come yet. Why? God's staggering patience. What does man do in the face of God's great patience? What does he do? He mocks, walking in his own lusts, Peter says. Jesus Christ isn't coming back. Look at how everything's going. Things just continue as they have always. And he forgets the flood. Where's the promise of his coming? And he despises the patience of God by persisting in his own lusts. He lives as though the Lord was never coming back. And we need to warn ourselves with respect to that, don't we? We're to be watchful. We're to be vigilant. We're not to live as though Jesus Christ were never coming back. Let the Master find you so doing when he returns, right? God has determined to render to each one according to his deeds. But here Paul emphasizes once again, the deplorable condition of man's wicked heart. He gets back to the heart of the matter, so to speak, right? The condition of our own heart. This one is hard-hearted. The wicked condition then, that wicked heart condition, is further exacerbated by man's impenitence, hardness and impenitence. He refuses to repent even while enjoying the riches of God's goodness. Breathing in God's air, living upon God's kindness and the food that he has, the clothes on his back, the roof over his head. God's gracious revelation given to him everywhere in innumerable translations within a click on your computer. The sinner, and while he enjoys the riches of God's goodness to him, this one remains impenitent, refuses to repent, refuses to turn from his sin. God pours out the lavish riches of his goodness, forbearance and patience. And rather than turning the sinner from his sin, the sinner prostitutes the goodness, forbearance and patience of God as an excuse for further sin. What should lead him to repentance only emboldens him and hardens him? He becomes hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, as Hebrews tells us. His conscience becomes seared as with a hot iron. Ecclesiastes chapter 8 verse 11 from the wisdom of Solomon, because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. What a wicked testimony of the depravity of fallen men. Amen? I ask you, I ask you, what degree of divine wrath is appropriate to that hardness? What degree of divine wrath is proportionate to that impenitence? There's not a molecule of stray in this universe, have you noticed? Not a molecule of stray, all things sustained by the word of his power, and yet man created in the image of God, created to glorify God, always goes astray in his heart. Wickedness of man, brute beasts do what they're supposed to do, and man rebels. What outpouring of wrath would be proportionate? Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 9, the heart of man is deceitful above all things. All things would include Satan. The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked who can know it. I, the Lord, search the heart. I test the mind even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. God intends a proportionate outpouring of divine wrath that is in keeping with, in accordance with, man's hardness and impenitence. But wait, there's more. We're only scratching the surface of man's rebellion, right? Only scratching the surface of man's depravity. And we've not even begun, not even begun to consider the purity, holiness, majesty, worthiness, goodness, love of the one who is eternally offended by that hardness and impenitence and depravity, do you see? We can't just consider, on one side of the ledger, man's wickedness and man's depravity. We also must consider God's holiness and purity, his worthiness to be worshipped, the worth of God for our complete and utter devotion to him. The goodness of God doesn't mitigate or lessen man's guilt, as many might think. The goodness of God increases man's guilt, do you see? Man's culpability. Any rejection of that divine perfection in God only exacerbates man's guilt, do you see? The forbearance of God withholding what you deserve and enduring your offense against him doesn't reduce the temperature in hell one degree. But rather a rejection of, or a contempt of, despising that forbearance only serves to turn the heat up, do you see? It doesn't reduce man's guilt, it increases man's guilt. What proportion of divine wrath is appropriate considering that hardness and impenitence, considering the one who is eternally offended with our sin. The outpouring of God's wrath at the day of judgment will be in proportion with that, man's hardness, man's impenitent heart. And listen, you're here today and you say, I'm not a Christian, I've never turned for my sin, I'm still living in my sin, I'm still living in rebellion. Let's be honest before God's word, with a clear conscience before God, if that's you here this morning, if you've not turned from your sin, then that wrath hangs over your head. And the only thing that prevents God from taking your life right now is his good pleasure and his decreed will, and he hasn't determined that for you yet, and that is grace to you that you might turn from your sin and trust him and be forgiven, be saved, be justified, be reconciled to God, be a child of God, right? Brothers and sisters, we need to consider that, consider the day of judgment, consider who it is we're offending and live holy lives for him. He is worthy of our pursuit of holiness, is he not? God's righteous judgment, judgment is proportionate. God's righteous judgment is also punitive. It's proportionate, it's also punitive. Look at verse five. But in accordance with your hardness, and your impenitent heart, you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation of the righteous judgment of God. The inexcusable man, the self-righteous, professing Christian church attender, believes that the unrighteous of chapter one deserve the wrath of God that will be poured out on them. And it's a wrath that will be poured out on him. And it's a wrath that will be poured out on him. He believes they deserve it, and it's the same wrath that will be poured out upon him for his sin. Use how dangerous the deception is. It's a dangerous deception, it's a tragic deception. He believes himself to be free of the judgment of God, and yet he is heaping up a horrific punishment. The word for treasuring up literally refers to laying something aside, storing it up, storing something up for the future. Rather than storing up or laying up the riches of his goodness, right, the exceeding riches of his grace, rather than laying up for himself treasure in heaven, he is storing up, saving up what? Wrath, wrath in the day of wrath, day by day, year by year. Think with me, he's been making deposits into an account. His account is growing larger and larger the seams on his account are bursting. He's been making deposits day by day, building up a balance that will one day come due, that will one day be poured out full force against him. For those of you who are considering the Greek, the word translated there for himself is considered a dative of disadvantage. For himself a dative of disadvantage. He's treasuring up wrath literally against himself. He's building up, as you imagine, a great dam in front of you. The water behind the dam is rising. It is getting deeper and deeper. It is filling up and filling up and filling up. And one day the dam is going to break and the flood is going to come, do you see? He is treasuring up against himself wrath in the day of wrath. The day of wrath referring to the day singular when the righteous judgment of God will be revealed against him. On that day, God's forbearance will come to an end. God's patience will come to an end. And that great dam that's been holding back the torrential flood of his anger will break loose against him. On that day, his patience will come to an end and justice will flow. Notice here Paul now speaks of a future day. Up until this point, because of verse 18, we've been considering the wrath and judgment of God as something that's being present actively poured out, even now upon those who reject revelation of God in creation or revelation of God in his word. But now Paul speaks of a future day of judgment, a day of wrath in which God will render, verse 6, future tense, will render to each one according to his deeds. It is yet to be poured out and while God withholds it or while God restrains that day, men are treasuring up for themselves, storing up wrath. With this statement, Paul has in mind the ultimate culmination, the ultimate culmination, the final fulfillment of a promised judgment in which all men will appear before the judgment seat of Christ and all men will receive a judgment that is proportionate and punitive. Notice finally then God's righteous judgment is promised. Right in these words we see a promise of his coming judgment. This is a judgment that is yet to come. He began to describe that in verse 18 as the present ongoing revelation of his wrath poured out on mankind in this age. But the judgment of God revealed here in chapter 2, verse 5, the revelation of wrath that Paul speaks of is yet future. Paul is referring here to the eschatological end times revelation of the righteous judgment of God at the last day when, chapter 2, verse 16, God will judge the secrets of men by Christ Jesus according to the gospel. A future day when God will judge. The present revelation of his wrath, just a foretaste of that which is to come. That's the way that we are to see the outpouring of God's wrath in this age. It's just a foretaste. We've talked about that from a positive perspective. Haven't we in the past that our worship together, our fellowship together, our love for one another, our love for the Lord, just a foretaste of glory. A foretaste of what the worship will be like in heaven, what our fellowship will be like in heaven, what it will be like to be with the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven. We experience just a taste, a small taste of that in this life. A foretaste negatively, it's also true. The effects of sin, the consequences of sin, death, disease, despair. It's all just a foretaste, just a sampling of the judgment, the wrath that is coming. Just a foretaste of that which is to come. There's a common story of a pastor writing a letter to the editor of a small town newspaper, calling for local farmers in that town to stop sinning against God by working their fields on the Lord's Day. Right? So the pastor writes the editor, puts this letter in there. You're not going to prosper. The pastor would say, don't lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven. Well, one old cremation who owned the field right across from the church took offense at the pastor's letter. So he ripped out the article, he kept it with him and he ran his tractor every Sunday right across the street from the church while the church was trying to worship. He was working his field. So when they gathered the harvest in October, the old farmer's crop was the biggest in town. So he took the article, he put a note on it and sent it back to the editor. It's the end of October, all the crops are in and the accounts are settled. I did better than any of you Christians, you and your God are stupid and silly. So the editor, I don't know how true this is by the way, this story I think has become legend. The editor printed the farmer's reply, makes his way around. The editor printed the farmer's reply, but added a post script. God doesn't settle accounts in October. God doesn't settle accounts in October. The final judgment is not yet. For now, for now, God has determined in grace to magnify his goodness, to magnify his forbearance and patience. During this time under the preaching of the gospel, let men pursue repentance, let men learn righteousness, let men live holy lives. However, however, the date is already set. A promise has been made when this age will come to an end and give way to the great day of his wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. No man knows the hour for the day, but just as surely as God has been faithful to fulfill all of his promises every one to the letter, he will not be slack in fulfilling this promise as well. Matthew chapter 24, verse 36, But of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only, the Lord says. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days of Noah before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. In other words, they were living their lives until the day that Noah entered the ark and did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also, even so, will the coming of the Son of Man be. It's going to happen in much the same way. Do you see? In much the same way. Watch therefore, the Lord says. You do not know what hour your Lord is coming. Watch, be vigilant. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 13. Let's look at a few of these texts together. Matthew chapter 13, coming judgment, everywhere the Bible speaks of the day, the day of judgment, the last day, the great and awesome day of the Lord, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, the day of his visitation, right? Everywhere the Bible speaks of the day. When Matthew chapter 13, look down at verse 37, explaining to his disciples now the parable of the wheat and the tares, if you're familiar with that parable. He explains the parable beginning in verse 37. The Lord Jesus answered and said to them, He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world. The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom. But the tares, you might equate a tear. You could equate a tear with the inexcusable man of chapter two, verse one, the false professing Christian. Tears are those wicked in the world, right? The field is the world, not the church. The field is the world. So there are wheat, God's people, and there are tares, those who are going to be gathered up and burned in the fire. You could say in the church, there are wheat. And you could say that there are those who are tares. They look just like the wheat, but they're false, they're fake. They're not true wheat. They're a weed and they're going to be gathered up. The field is the world. The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore, as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. There is this separation at the judgment. There is this separation of the righteous from the wicked, the wicked from the righteous. Verse 41. The son of man will send out his angels. They will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness. It's like that flood coming, right? Taking away all those it's meant to take away. Verse 42. He will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the son and the kingdom of their father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Again, the day of judgment, the great day, the day when the son of man comes described as separating the wicked from the righteous. Verse 47. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, right? Some of every kind. We know that there are two kinds in mind here, the good and the bad. Verse 48. Which when it was full, they drew to shore and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but through the bad awayed. You see judgment, the judgment conceived of as a separation of the wicked from the righteous, a division between the wicked and the righteous. Verse 49. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just and cast them, the wicked, into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Flip over to Matthew chapter 25. Matthew chapter 25. As we work through Romans, we're going to consider the difference between the wicked and the righteous. Certainly those righteous are not righteous in and of themselves. That's for sure. We're going to consider who they are. We see them according to their deeds, right? We see them according to their deeds in Matthew chapter 25. This separation of the wicked from the righteous. Matthew chapter 25, look down at verse 31. When the Son of Man comes in His glory, all the holy angels with Him, when does this judgment take place? It takes place when the Son of Man comes in His glory. Do you see? When the Son of Man comes in His glory, all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, all this great multitude, all the nations of the peoples of the earth. They'll be gathered before Him and He will separate them, those in these nations. He'll separate them one from another as a shepherd divides His sheep from the goats. Do you see? And He will set the sheep on His right hand but the goats on the left, verse 34. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, you gave me food. I was thirsty, you gave me drink. I was a stranger, you took me in. I was naked, you clothed me. I was sick, you visited me. I was in prison, you came to me. He rendered to them according to their deeds. Do you see? Then the righteous will answer Him saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty to give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you? The King will answer and say to them, assuredly I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me according to their deeds. Verse 41, then He will also say the same judgment. He will also say to those on His left hand, depart from me, you cursed into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Now, these aren't kingdoms, these are people, people out of the nations that came before the Son of Man in judgment. Verse 42, why were they cast into the fire? I was hungry, you gave me no food. I was thirsty, you gave me no drink. I was a stranger, you did not take me in, naked you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. They began to panic. They also will answer Him saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you? Then He will answer to them saying, assuredly I say to you, in as much as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Do you see? Judgment, a separation of the wicked from the just. Incidentally, verse 46, the word for everlasting is the same Greek word as the word eternal at the end of the verse. The eternal punishment is the same length, so to speak, as the life that is given. The same word is used. So it doesn't mean annihilation or complete destruction. They go away into eternal punishment and the righteous go into eternal life as the life is as eternal as the punishment is, do you see? Now all this sounds like Romans chapter 2, verse 6, doesn't it? He renders to each one according to His deeds, right? Romans chapter 2, verse 6, back in Romans 2. Notice particularly in Romans chapter 2, verse 5, that Paul refers to this day, this day of judgment, is a day of revelation. It's a day of revelation. And what is it on this day of judgment that is being revealed? Now Paul says it, the righteous judgment of God. The righteous judgment of God is being revealed. Well, what characterizes that judgment? Verse 5, what characterizes it as righteous? We can infer from the context. Verse 6, it's righteous because God renders justly. He renders to each one according to His deeds, right? What characterizes the judgment as righteous? God judges impartially, impartially, objectively, not subjectively, objectively. Verse 7, eternal life to those who by patient continuance and doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality. Verse 8, to those who are self-seeking, do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, right? The impartiality of it, verse 11, the impartiality of it renders or reveals the judgment as righteous. What we find is that on the basis of an impartial and objective judgment of God, God's judgment will be revealed in the last day as righteous in the sight of all creation when the deeds and hearts of men will be exposed and the wrath that they have been treasuring up for themselves is finally poured out against them. And that wrath poured out in proportion to their hardness, in proportion to their impenitence, in proportion to their deeds. Do you see? God's judgment revealed as righteous. No one in that day, no one in that day will be able to question the righteousness of God's judgment. Everyone, the saints will applaud, we'll look at those texts soon. The saints will applaud the judgment of God against the wicked in that day. Turn with me to 2 Thessalonians. 2 Thessalonians communicates this, helps us to understand what Paul means there in Romans chapter 2, verse 5. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, and drop down to verse 5. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 5. Paul explains to the Thessalonians that the persecution and tribulation they endure is, verse 5, manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God. How is that? Manifest evidence that God's judgment is righteous. It's manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God so that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer since, okay? God's judgment is righteous, verse 6, since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you. Do you see? Verse 7, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels. It will be a righteous judgment, righteous judgment, because God is going to repay with tribulation. Sounds like an understatement, doesn't it? Repay with tribulation those who trouble, and to give the troubled God's people rest when we are revealed from heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 8, in flaming fire, there's a little more clarity, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, these shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power when He comes in that day. Do you see? This happens when He comes, and it happens on that particular day. We don't know if that day is going to be a literal 24-hour period, I tend to think that it will be. When He comes in that day, verse 10, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe. It's the same day in which He takes vengeance, and that same day He is glorified in His saints. Do you see? Because our testimony among you was believed. One day, one return to the Lord, one righteous judgment, two groups, two eternal destinations. One of the reasons that I mentioned that is because you and I, many of us, grew up listening to left behind eschatology, maybe grew up watching those movies or reading those books, or maybe you and I grew up dispensational. Dispensationalism teaches multiple judgments. It's not what the Bible teaches, and it's pretty clear from God's word. If you look at every text, we did that at one point in a study on eschatology. You looked at every text that deals with the judgment, every text that references that day. One day, one return to the Lord, one righteous judgment, two groups, two eternal destinations. For believers, disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, that's a day of great hope. A day of great anticipation. We're to fear the Lord. Make no mistakes about it, right? We're to fear the Lord, but it's the day that we anticipate. We long for, we don't fear the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We want, Lord Jesus, come quickly, right? At the end of Revelation, we're praying that with John. Jesus, come quickly, come quickly. We want the Lord Jesus Christ to return. We look forward to anticipate His return, the ushering end of the eternal state. What a glory, a glory that will be. We look forward to that day. But for those who do not know Him, anguish, wrath, indignation, trouble, tribulation. Look at 1 Thessalonians. Just back up one little book. 1 Thessalonians, look there at chapter five. Back up to chapter four. Look at chapter four. Bear with me. Verse 15, chapter four, verse 15. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord. This is all speaking of that day, the great day, right? The coming of the Lord. The coming of the Lord will by no means proceed those who are asleep. Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. At the Lord's coming, the dead in Christ will rise first. Therefore, verse 18, comfort one another with these words. But, chapter five, verse one. Concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord. See, it happened again. Reference that way again, right? The day of the Lord. That day, the great day, the day of His judgment, so comes as a thief in the night. He's referring to the same day. For when they say, who does it come upon as a thief? Those who aren't looking for Him. Those who aren't awaiting His revival, a return, right, His arrival. Those who don't know. We're not to walk as children of darkness, brothers and sisters. We're children of the light. These things are not going to come upon us as a thief in the night, right? We're going to see those things that accompany His coming and know. They're going to, it's going to come upon them like a thief in the night. Verse three, when they say peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman and they shall not escape. Romans chapter two, right? But you brethren are not in darkness so that this day, the same day, should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light, sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as others do. Let us watch and be sober. The day of the Lord, the day of His coming, the same day that shall take them is the same day that we're looking for. They were watching for that we're anticipating that we're hoping in and waiting for. Do you see? Philippians chapter one, verse six, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the day that we hope for, the day in which we will rejoice, the day in which we will see the Lord and become like Him. We shall see Him as He is. Second Timothy chapter one, verse 12, I'm not ashamed. I know whom I have believed in and I'm persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day, that day. Second Timothy chapter four, verse eight, Paul says, finally, finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day and not to me only, but also to all who have loved His appearing. It's nothing for believers, believers to be fearful of in the sense of a quivering, retreating, running, fleeing kind of fear, right? First John chapter four, verse 17, love has been perfected among us in this. Why has love been perfected among us? That we may have boldness in the day of judgment because as He is, so are we, brothers and sisters, in this world. We can have boldness in judgment because we'll approach the judgment as He would, right? In Him seen as He is seen as He is, so are we in this world. How's that possible? How is that possible? Considering all of your sin, considering all of my sin against Him, considering that wretched ledger full of the debt of my own sin against Him, how is that possible? It's possible because that ledger has been swiped clean. The sin that was once there has been taken away, right? The sin that was once there has been transferred to the account of another. And He bore that guilt for me, bore that guilt for you if you're in Christ. He bore that shame. He bore that wrath. He bore God's undiluted omnipotent wrath for you, for me in our place. And now our ledger is white. Our ledger has been erased. And we have Him to thank for it. Not only has that sin debt been taken off the ledger and erased, but there's been an immeasurable, incalculable righteousness that has been added to it. It's as if such a deposit has been made to that account that it is infinite in its merit, infinite in its worth. And what is it? What filled the ledger for us? What filled my account? The very righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. His perfect life, His perfect obedience, perfect in every word, every thought, every deed. His righteousness, His suffering, obedience to the point of death, even the death of the cross, all of that, all of that credited, given, deposited into my account. It's on my side of the ledger so that when I stand before God, as He is, so am I. If it weren't revealed, it'd be unimaginable, right? How can, how can God be both just and the justifier of such a wretch like you or I? How is that possible? Jesus Christ, and we've been given such a riches, right? The riches of His goodness. Can you see how that is a dramatic understatement? The riches of His forbearance, the riches of His long suffering. Let it not be said that we despise it at all in the way that we live, in the way that we worship, in the way that we act, in the way that we conduct ourselves, right? Let us not receive the grace of God in vain, not for a moment. He has been so in Calculary good to us. And we will praise Him in eternity for it. We long for that day. Look forward to that day coming. We, brothers and sisters, must, you and I, exhort one another daily as that day approaches, even more as the day approaches. We have business to do. And for the Lord, let's be faithful in it for His glory. Amen. Pray with me. Father in heaven, we're thank you for the blessed joy this morning, the sober joy, solemn joy of considering your righteous judgment. Be with us in the coming weeks as we do more of the same and help us, Lord, to put these things in perspective. We are so narrow-minded and nearsighted. In our ignorance, Lord, we are like babes. And need you to take us by the hand and feed us, Lord, help us grow us, mature us, give us understanding. Help us to see things more the way that you would have us see them, Lord, so that we might against the backdrop of our own sin and in the context of your great and awesome return, the day of judgment. And we might see ourselves rightly, that we might see you, know you more as you have revealed yourself, so we might worship and praise you as we should. We love you, Lord. We thank you for your grace, incalculable grace that you've poured out and revealing these things to us. Maybe we may be faithful to live in light of them for the sake of, for the glory of, the exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom we will rejoice to worship and praise in the heavens and all eternity, new heavens and the new earth. For your glory, God, we pray all these things in his name. Amen.