 Okay, let me begin reading in Chapter 2 here in Romans. I'll read verses 1 through 5 Share a few things give you a little bit of a reminder a couple of other things I I would have liked to have shared with you last time and I will at this point and then we'll go through our study So beginning at verse 1 reading to verse 5 Romans chapter 2 Paul writes therefore you are Unexcuseable, oh man, whoever you are who judge for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself For you who judge practice the same things But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things and Do you think this oh man you who judge those practicing such things and doing the same That you'll escape the judgment of God or do you despise the riches of his goodness? Forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God Leads you to repentance 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 I'll read verse 6 who will render to each one according to his deeds Now in chapter 1 Paul made it clear that God is dealing and will deal severely with those who practice sin We saw in chapter 1 verse 18 How that he had said the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness So he said that God is going to bring judgment He also has shared with us in the chapter that God had given us a witness a witness to his existence And he had done so by conscience as well as creation and even though man has these witnesses He still rejects them his conscience can be seared Creation he said can be worshiped Professing to be wise he says they became fools and as a result they worship creation He pointed out how they had worshiped idols of humans and birds of four-footed animals creeping things Not only this but they also began to engage in improper sexual relationships we looked at chapter 1 verses 26 and 27 and The list of sins that he begins to share Begins with same-sex relationships now. I mentioned that homosexuality is mentioned first women and men Began to engage in improper Relationships they they exchange the natural use for what is unnatural and he said this is condemned Now notice that he had said they receive in themselves the penalty of their error, which was due I Mentioned last time that there are quite a number of sexually transmitted diseases chlamydia syphilis and a variety of others including AIDS now When he said they receive in themselves the penalty of their error, which is due the solution That which will keep them from receiving final judgment is Going to be the gospel of Jesus Christ and as I was looking at this last time and I was looking at the various sins And all I began to remember some things after the study was over That I I should probably share with you and and do so as an introduction to our study in the 80s when When AIDS was unknown it was just a new disease And it was beginning to plague. It was a virus that was beginning to plague Nobody knew what it was Nobody knew how it It wasn't well known how it entered into Into our society and things like that were really unknown. It was relatively unknown We had a guy in our fellowship An older man he had he was a World War II veterans He used to he was he actually was in these big bombers and he had done military missions over Europe. He was a door gunner and He and I had gotten to know each other not very very well, but I had gotten to know him He was close to my father's age and all in and He got very ill and when he got ill I Found out about it again It was very early in our ministry and so it was easier for me to hear of things like that and I heard that he was he was ill and and I On occasion drove by the where he lived and and I noticed that his yard had become Overgrown how weeds were just growing and things I noticed that and and you know it concerned me He was an older fellow not that old really. I mean he was probably in his 60s maybe 50s late 50s, but I was only like 34 35 at the time So he was old to me But he needed help and so I got some of the guys and I said let's go to his house and and clean it up for him Which we did and while we were there He was very tearful and his is is I still remember his skin was blotched and He and I spoke and as we spoke he told me That he was very ill and they'd had a terrible disease and and then he began to confess that and this is what I didn't know about him at all that he had been a an active homosexual pedophile and And As he shared with me I was sharing with the grace and the love of God and he kept saying God can't forgive somebody like me God can't forgive somebody like me and I said there's no sin so great that Jesus's blood can't can't cleanse You need to get right with the Lord and I remember sharing with him and and he just kept fighting and and finally I had to leave and before I left I Said give me a hug and he says no no you don't want to touch me don't touch me but I grabbed him anyway, and and I gave him a hug and and and Then shortly thereafter word came to me that He was driving and he pulled over on the side of the road in a desert and he died He died of AIDS That was what he was saying don't touch me. What I have is so evil AIDS Receiving in themselves the penalty of their error Which was to on another occasion just shortly thereafter I Received a call from somebody in there our fellowship who told me that her husband was in Pomona Valley, and he was very ill and asked if I would Come and see him which I did and So my then assistant Randy walls, and I went to Pomona Valley and looked through the glass in this This unit that was That had em isolated and the nurse was wearing something like one of those space suits I mean she was covered from head to toe, and I was looking and I became pretty aware This man has AIDS But I saw his wife She wasn't wearing any Any protective covering and the nurse came up to me she opened the door came out She said if you want to go in and see him you need you should put on protective clothing But I was looking at his wife, and she didn't have any So I said no We'll just go in I'll just go in and I turned to Randy and I said to Randy you stay out We don't know how this is transmitted. I don't want you to go in and he said where you go. I'm gonna go So I said well you go in and I'll wait out here myself Tell me how it goes so he and I both went in and He saw me this man saw me as I walked in and he motioned to his wife he wanted a pen and a pad of paper and So he was he had all of these tubes and he he wrote something to me and she handed it to me and He said I am eternally grateful to you Because he had come to faith in Christ in our ministry before he died and he died He died, but the words eternally grateful. I'll never forget because the words those words mean something eternally grateful Right here in this room Years ago now when we had moved in I Had finished a Sunday morning service And when I finished the Sunday morning service there was a young man waiting and I walked down and I began to speak to him his name was Sam and He said to me I want to talk to you for a minute. I said, of course. I'm right here and he goes Well, I want to tell you something. He said a little over a year ago. He said I came To church when you were meeting at Ontario high school. I said, yeah, we were there for a while And he says yeah, I went there he goes and I walked in I sat down I listened to the worship team. He said the band was great I enjoyed the music and then you came out and and you spoke and I said to myself I never want to hear this guy again. He said I couldn't stand you. I said, well, thank you I'm blessed to hear that He goes and he says so I left He said and last Easter. I was driving looking for a church to go to He said and and I came driving down this street and he said there was a line of cars that were going into the parking lot And I got in the line. He said it was just too long It was too much of a hassle, but I made a mental note come back the next week and I did he said so I showed up He said once again a band that was playing. I really liked and then you came out And I said to myself, that's the guy. I don't like And I'm looking at him thinking how kind of you and then he says to me, but you know what happened I said, what is that? He said I gave my heart to Christ and I said Well, that's wonderful. He said I'm not through and I said, okay. He goes. I want I need prayer. I said well course He said I was with a woman That I'm known in a casual way, but we became intimate and I received received a phone call recently and She said that she had tested positive for AIDS And she told me that I should go and get tested and any contacts I'd had After her should also be tested. So he said I called him a woman I'd been with let her know to get tested. I went and got tested. He said and it Came out positive He said but I got a call from the first Girl and she said I was retested. It's negative and then I got I called the other one and she said I Came out negative. He said oh good. It must have been a mistake So I went and was retested and it came out positive. He said I've got AIDS He had contacted AIDS between the first time he had shown up at our fellowship And rejected the gospel and the second time he had come and received Christ. I Couldn't help but think I Wish he wouldn't have rejected Christ the first time Because we buried him I Buried him He died of AIDS and I watched him as his body slowly withered away Sexual sin has repercussions. It's not recreational. It's not casual It has repercussions Paul was speaking about that Paul was making it clear that these sins are judged by God But he also makes it clear and he does in other places That there isn't a sin that's so great that Christ can't forgive it and my sister Rebecca practiced lesbianism For well over 20 years Well over 20 years And I sat down with her and I still remember sharing with her when she first came out And I told her I love you. I Love you. I Love you enough to tell you the truth and the truth is Becky you need to get right with God Because this is a sin. God will judge you for it's not the only sin But it's a sin very explicit in scripture and She listened to me and we had a long conversation But she progressed and continued in that lifestyle in 19. I believe it was 98 We had an outdoor service for Easter And I gave an invitation and then I gave a second invitation and as I Looked out into the center aisle. I saw my father Becky and my mother and Becky had her arm through my father's as he walked her up to receive Christ and later on Becky told me this She said David. She said One of the things that I knew was going to be the repercussion of the lifestyle I chose that that my father would never walk me up the aisle She said but somebody took a picture of when I got saved and I saw myself standing there with my arm through my father's arm as my dad Walked me up to marry Jesus. She says I married the greatest man that I could have possibly ever been connected to Jesus Christ But the story doesn't stop there because and I've told this story before There was a guy I met who had his mother had died when he was 12 and It was Thanksgiving just shortly after his mama had died. He's 12 years old When his father came into the into his room. He was getting dressed. It was Thanksgiving The father said, where are you going? He says, so I'm going with you To my auntie's house for Thanksgiving. The father said who invited you and His father said here's a buck go out to McDonald's get yourself a burger and taking the kids and we're gonna go You're staying here So that little boy at 12 ran away from home He lived on the streets in East, Los Angeles. He was part of a gang called the harpies in East L.A And he basically was raised by the gang he used to Going to a bakery in the morning and he would sweep it up and clean it up and for breakfast He would eat a donut and he'd had a glass of milk That was his breakfast. He eventually met a young lady Got married. He moved out of California When he moved out he and his wife had a little girl So he began to work and he had to go to Texas in order to Provide for the family, but one day he got a phone call. You see his his wife was pregnant He's expecting a second, but he gets a phone call From a friend of his who says you ought to come home a little early your wife's going out on you So he came home a day early Came to the house. Nobody was there So he Went looking for his wife there She was with this motorcycle gangster at a restaurant standing in the parking lot So he walks up to them and The guy sees him coming and pulled out a gun and Shot his wife and shot his little girl and His little girl died in his arms. She was like six years old. So he The guy took off and he found out where he was He was in a safe house in Texas and he paid him a visit and he killed it shot and killed him And he came back to New Mexico. He obviously knew who he was. He was ordered to appear before the court He was a day late and the judge said to him if he to come on time if you had a major date I could have been lenient I can't now and he was put into prison for well over 20 plus years for the killing of this man This man got right with God when he was in prison And one day he was walking knocking on doors asking if People needed his services because he started his own little construction business when he got out of prison And you knocked on the door of this young woman He asked her where are you? What do you do? You know in this place because This is kind of a don't be placed. What do you do for excitement right now? She says I go to church So he says where do you go to church and she tells him and so he says I I'll go and check it out. So he goes well, obviously He had other intentions. He had seen this young woman before and got interested in her and so He went to the church. They began to date and eventually I performed their marriage I performed the marriage for my sister Becky who had been a lesbian and a man who was shot and killed Somebody else. That's why I preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. It changes lives It changes lives That's the only message and see when people go in a direction against that When people don't Receive that Then judgment is waiting them The solution to these sins that Paul is speaking about is the gospel. It's the power of God For salvation to anyone who believes and so we saw in verses 29 through 31 a list of various sins That typify a person who doesn't know God and at first reading Many non-christians would agree that this kind of behavior is wrong There are there are many people who disapprove of these things and some people do have high moral standards And they may be and often are very religious But how does God deal with those who are considered good people? And so here he's gonna make it clear Paul will make it clear that even those considered good Still do evil and that's why he begins in verse 1 here in chapter 2 by saying therefore you are Inexcusable. Oh man, whoever you are who judge for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself for you who judge practice the same thing So he speaks he's excuse me He's he's made it clear that in chapter 1 when he was speaking to the Gentiles He was speaking and saying that the Gentile nations are those who are without God That's what it says in Ephesians 2 12 when he speaks concerning Gentiles And he said that they were without hope and without God in the world But chapter 2 verse 17 in this chapter here makes it clear that he's not speaking to Gentiles He's speaking to the Jews because he says in verse 17 indeed You are called a Jew who rests on the law and make your boast in God So chapter 1 he was speaking to the Gentiles chapter 2. He's speaking to Jews And he's revealing that unbelieving Jews who consider Gentiles unworthy of God are still inexcusable Because they're guilty of the same sins and will not escape judgment He says in verse 2 We know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things So God judges according to the facts and not out of appearance the judgment of God He's saying is according to truth Jesus and John 7 24 said do not judge according to appearance judge with righteous judgment So he's saying God's judgment is impartial. It's in and it's untainted In Psalm 9 7 and 8 it says the Lord reigns forever. He has established his throne for judgment He will judge the world in righteousness So he says in verse 2 as a righteous judge God's judgment is against those who practice such things You see Christians do sin, but it is not our way of life Remember in 1st John 3 6 how it says no one who lives in him keeps on sinning No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. We do fail obviously, but it's not our lifestyle So he is going to judge those who practice such things and it goes on in verse 3 to say and do you think oh Man you who judge those practicing such things and doing the same that you'll escape the judgment of God Well the fact is they won't God hates hypocrisy and The Pharisees were guilty of it and That's why when you see Jesus in in his references to the Pharisees felt very free to To refer to them as hypocrites in Matthew for example 23 27 and 28 He said what do you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites? For you like whitewash tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness Now the thought is do you think you can get away with this because you're Jewish? You see in order to be saved from judgment you need to receive your Savior Jesus Christ because He's making the case is Jesus who paid our sins and it's Jesus who saves from judgment And that's why in verse 4 he says do you despise the riches of his goodness for barrens and long suffering? Not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance Do you despise the riches of his goodness that gives us insight into the heart of God? God is provided for us for those of us who have broken his law Notice he uses the word despise do you despise that word despise means to undervalue or underestimate To disregard Do you underestimate the riches of God that riches the word riches speaks of the super abundance of God the Abounding things of God do you do you despise the riches of his goodness of his forbearance that word forbearance? It talks about him putting up with us every one of us who's married understand that word Putting up with us. It's a restraint from revealing Displeasure and then he speaks of long suffering He has not acted immediately when we deserve judgment. Do you despise that? Do you undervalue that do you not understand that? So why why is God holding back his judgment? This is that the mystery of God he does so because he desires to save us who are rebels from his judgment in Second Peter chapter 3 verse 9 the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness He's patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance He's patient with you. How long did it take you to get saved? Some of you got saved in an early age. Some of you got saved at a later age God shows his patience in that Ezekiel 3311 says say to them as surely as I live declares the Lord. I Take no pleasure in the death of the wicked But rather that they turn from their ways and live then he says turn turn from your evil ways Why will you die? Oh house of Israel? He says not knowing in verse 4 that the goodness of God leads repentance God's goodness is revealed Especially in that he had sent Jesus Christ One of my favorite parables is found in Matthew 1345 and 46 The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls Who when he had found one pearl of great price went and sold all that he had and bought it there was a an Indian diver Who had made a friendship with an American missionary the American missionary was there in India and had spent many years in India Preaching the gospel and in on many occasions had spoken to this Indian pearl diver And said to him The grace of God is something free God has already paid the price What you need to do is receive it as a free gift just open your heart by faith and receive his gift of salvation and this Indian this old Indian pearl diver Said I'm sorry The riches of heaven are just much too great for me to think can be given to me for free. I Really believe I must do something to deserve it So no, I cannot accept this this gift you call in at this act of grace I need to do something to deserve it and This man this missionary administered many times to this This Indian man who was his friend and he loved him deeply now It's time for the missionary to go home and and here comes this this man And he has in his hand this Indian man has in his hand and a handkerchief And it's balled up in his hand and and he walks up and he he says I have a gift for you my friend before you leave And so the missionary opens his hand and this Indian man drops the Handkerchief and as the missionary opens it up. There's a beautifully formed black pearl beautiful and he looks at this and He looks at the Indian man and he says I Can't receive this from you This is this pearl is of incredible value. I I can't take it from you He says but let me pay for it. I'll give you something for it and the Indians man says no He says no, I I can't receive this. This is too expensive Let me give you some money for it and the man says no, you don't understand He says before you met me this Indian man said I Had a son my son was the best pearl diver in the village and One day he went down and When he went to the bottom to collect pearls He went too deep stayed too long And he drowned when when he was pulled out his hand was closed tightly and and we opened his hand and In his hand was this beautifully formed a black pearl You cannot buy for me that which cost my son his life And the missionary said that's exactly what God has done for you He sent his son to dying across for you something you cannot buy Because it's too valuable. That's why you receive it as a gift And so I love the story of the pearl of great price because the Lord Jesus is speaking now God gave his son so that he might buy us He goes on in verse 5 and he says 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 Who will render to each one according to his deeds? So he says in accordance with your hardness that word hardness speaks of something that is stubborn It is hardened because of a life of sin. It's become callous by the world When he speaks of impenitent, it simply means unwilling to change unrepentant So in accordance with your hardness and impenitence you are verse 5 treasuring up for yourselves Wrath in the day of wrath instead of laying up treasures in heaven. You are treasuring up wrath is what he's saying This day of wrath that he speaks about is when God executes his wrath against sinners It's it's fully revealed in the final day of judgment when unbelievers are judged He's saying your guilt is accumulating over time, but the punishment is meet it out fast You see they're refusing to trust in Christ and as a result he's saying you will be judged It's like what Jesus in John 8 24 said if you do not believe that I am he You will die in your sins So the result of rejecting Christ is wrath that comes in the day of wrath He's saying you are treasuring up for yourself wrath now the word treasuring up speaks of accumulating or gathering or storing up your bank account is filled and You're gonna receive just penalty for your life. It's what it says in Ecclesiastes 12 14 God will bring every work into judgment Including every secret thing whether good or evil you are treasuring it up It is collecting and growing in the day of wrath you will receive extreme judgment Notice he says in verse 6 Who will render to each one according to his deeds now that speaks of God's judgment on sinful humanity He says he's going to render up or render to each one according to his deeds Now, obviously We are saved by grace apart from works, but our works are in evidence of true saving faith Our salvation produces works that demonstrate We've been saved as it says in James 2 17 faith by itself. It's if it's not accompanied by action is dead With this in mind Paul begins to draw a contrast between believers and non-believers You see truly born again people evidence regeneration by the way they they live by certain works They seek up they seek glory honor and immortality. They work what is good. That's what he's saying Paul says genuine believers seek for glory Genuine believers seek to bring God glory it fuels and directs our lives It's like what Jesus said in Matthew 5 16 in the same way let your light shine before others So that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who's in heaven We also desire to go to heaven to be with the Lord and to from him receive glory In 2nd Timothy 2 10 for this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen So that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory We also desire honor from God and not from people We don't look for the worldly accolades I've learned a long time ago that the same people will say how great you are will later on say things about you When Jesus went into Jerusalem on that beautiful That beautiful Palm Sunday day We're in all those people lining up the streets people were coming from Jerusalem the city others were coming from the Mount of Olives the two crowds met and they were throwing palm branches and they were crying out Hosanna Hosanna Glory to the to the son of David and all he was great But I would believe that some of the same voices were the ones that when he was on the cross began to mock him so you never Never seek the glory of man because it's transient. It's You can be looked at as being a hero today and a chump tomorrow. That's just a fact You can be somebody's Favorite person today and then tomorrow they think that you're the worst thing that ever happens and so seek seek honor from God and not from people in Matthew 25 21 this is what we want to hear well done good and faithful servant You've been faithful with a few things. I'll put you in charge of many things come and share your master's happiness We also desire eternal life or immortality fellowship with God in length of days You see one day this dying body will put on life And if you're young, you don't realize your body's dying. I know mine is When you used to jump out of bed Now you kind of roll out Kind of land on the ground and crawl to the bathroom our Perishable bar perishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal must put on immortality In first Corinthians 1553 when he speaks of our perishable perishable body and speaks of us putting on imperishable The word imperishable speaks of unending existence When he speaks of the mortal putting on immortality the word immortality speaks of freedom from death It literally is what is called deathlessness We also receive what is called eternal life and sometimes people think that eternal life means just age abiding life days existing Again, it's not a length of time. It's a quality Eternal life is fellowship with God and Jesus Christ who may have sent Eternal life doesn't speak just about an unending duration where there's there's just Continuing continuing continuing, but it speaks of a of a quality of life It would be horrible for us to exist forever without God. That's what happens to people who go to hell They have a an unending existence But existence isn't the same as life life is a quality that you have from relationship with God Existence is different than life. That's why this is eternal life that they may know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent Because eternal life is not just length of days eternal life is a quality of life and that quality of life is what we have in Jesus Christ and we desire that He goes on in verse 8 and he says But those who are self-seeking and 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 But glory honor and peace to everyone who works what is good to the Jew first and also to the Greek for there is no partiality with God and So in contrast to this kind of life. He speaks of the lifestyle of Unbelievers he speaks of the one who was self-seeking now that is something we see today It's now I think that people are using this word a lot. All of us are familiar with it. It's called narcissism The whole world revolves around me everything Revolves around me what I like what I want What pleases me? We have gotten to the point and I have to be careful not to wax eloquent on this one But we have gotten to the point Well, we actually think that the world owes us a happy day It owes me that and if somebody says something I don't agree with I cancel them And I want to create a whole cadre of people who agree with me So we all agree on the same thing and if you do not agree with me Well, you owe me a good day. You've made my day bad. Therefore you are worthless. We're seeing that today It's called self-seeking. It's talking about being self-absorbed and when that particular sin is in the body of Christ It brings strife and divides it You see the one who is self-seeking only thinks of themselves and because of this they tend to ignore or even not see other people who have need and One of the sad things about being self-seeking is the sin is often unrecognized It's very often the trait of the person who wants to get ahead to the degree that he uses you To get to his place like you're a rung on a ladder He has this is his goal and I'm gonna meet you get to know you like you pretend I care about you Yes, and then all your contacts become mine and then I meet somebody else Then I'll use that person until I get to the goal of being above and having what I want I see a lot of that I see a lot of that Sadly, they don't see the sin in themselves These are people who are unable to have friendships if the friendship doesn't promote them They desire relationships with those who are influential But as I said, they use them as stepping stones He speaks of the disobedient in verse 8. That's the one who is rebellious towards God And again, that's the nature of the unsaved. They refuse to obey God He speaks of the unrighteous The unrighteous is unwilling to follow the Lord and righteousness speaks of wickedness injustice. It speaks of that which is wrong They've yielded themselves to sin. In other words, they're servants of sin So what is their future? Indignation wrath tribulation anguish They're gonna receive judgment for their works and they will perish for eternity. He says in Jeremiah 1710 the Lord I the Lord search the heart. I try the reigns Even to give every man according to his ways And according to the fruit of his doings Well, what is it going to be verse 9 tribulation and anguish on every soul? The word tribulation speaks of being pressed down or burdened It speaks of the pressing down of the reality of the result of sin He speaks of anguish The word anguish speaks of a narrowness of a place. It's a lack of room Anguish speaks of anxiety distress of mind That will be experienced It speaks of the anxiety of being closed in with no escape from punishment Some people are claustrophobic They just don't like it when someone Is too close to them. Some of you may understand this You get on in an elevator and it's crowded And here comes one more person who's a little bigger than everybody else And you know that you're going to all start scooting back a little bit And you're standing there in the corner already when these people's bodies start closing in on you I'm going to get in trouble, but my wife doesn't like that I found out By being on an elevator with her when you were dating And I was standing in front of her and I just kind of just stepped a little back and and I felt her hands on my back And she pushed me away and I said, what's up? She said, I don't like being closed in I said, really? So for 48 years I've been closing her in We'll get on elevators and I'll kind of slide very slowly. She doesn't even notice it till my back's on her face She doesn't like it And not very many people do but that's what anxiety is. It's a closing in with no escape Imagine that for eternity Imagine that for eternity He said this is going to fall upon every person It's not just a body But a spiritual punishment It is anguished in the deepest part of man and he says in verse nine to the jew first and also to the greek In other words, this applies to all humanity jew and greek alike Now the jewish people were and are a very privileged people in god's economy. They had the law the prophets the temple promises messiah Those are all great blessings great privileges But they also made them more guilty The Gentiles will also be held accountable for what they know and what they do Paul already had spoken of the conscience and creation So how they respond to these witnesses will be part of their judgment In verse 10 he says by glory honor and peace to everyone who works what is good Well, the one working what is good is the one who is trusted jesus is not just speaking of good works So when you're saved god is going to bless you with glory honor and peace And then he finally says For there's no partiality With god He he judges Equally but he blesses equally We have waiting for us and i'll close with a couple of thoughts. We have waiting for us the joy The joy of being in the presence of god Like i mentioned earlier This man in our fellowship so long ago now And wrote those words i'm eternally grateful for you He wasn't eternally grateful for me. He was eternally grateful for the gospel of the lord that saved him Because two days are so later He joined him He died and he went to heaven god receives Any person who comes to him broken and repentant Doesn't matter if you're jew it doesn't matter if you're gentle What matters is that you bow your knee before him You confess your need to him you confess your sins that have separated you from him And you ask him for forgiveness And god is quick. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. He is quick to forgive And as you open your heart The lord will bless you in eternity And this joy that you have in salvation You know one day we're gonna see him face to face I promise you We will not tell him of the troubles we had here on the face of the earth We're not going to tell him I don't understand why you didn't give me that girl when I prayed so hard for her You know, I wanted that puppy. You didn't give me that puppy We're not going to Our sorrow was swallowed up in joy Our sorrow was swallowed up in joy. Can you imagine? The reunion that's going to take place one day the reunion Somebody who loved very much who loved jesus who went on to be with the lord And you'll see him again You'll see him face to face You'll be able to worship the lord together Everyone in this room more than likely has somebody you've loved very much who've gone on to be with the lord Whether it's a grandmother grandfather mom dad brother sister friend Co-worker whatever you loved him much And the separation and the grief and the pain especially at the moment of loss is incredible Sometimes it leaves a painful scar in some ways within you You can even go so far as to say I don't think I'll ever smile again. I don't think I'll ever laugh again How can I And the grief is so terrible There are those who would say well christian listen, I thought you thought heaven was so good How come you cry? Well the more you love the deeper you grieve That's what happens I believe that christians can grieve much more than the world. Why because we love much deeper than the world We love more deeply We have a deeper sense of love. We know what love is see the world doesn't the world looks at love in different ways It's it's it's a feeling. It's an emotion It's a drive. It's everything, but what it really is and for us You know love is demonstrated it's demonstrated by god to me He gave his son so the heart of love is sacrificed and and then I learned how to do that I get married and I learned to love love my wife as christ loved the church And I wash her with the with the water of the word and and I serve her sacrifice for her lay my life down for her Why because I love her because love is sacrifice And then one day she's gone And your heart is torn But there'll be a glad reunion one day When you see what another face to face and together Your worship Jesus christ And see I live that way and I hope you do too with this knowledge that one day We shall see him as he is And we will worship him face to face And that is the day we prepare ourselves for To see him We'll stop here and pick up next time