It's going to be Romans chapter 2. We're going to look at verses 17 to 29 for a sermon I've entitled, Religion and Self-Deception. Here's what it says. But if you bear the name Jew, and rely upon the law, and boast in God, and know His will, and approve the things that are essential being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge of the truth. You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law through your breaking of the law, do you dishonor God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, just as it is written. For indeed, circumcision is of value if you practice the law, but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the law, Will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the law, will he not judge you, who, though having the letter of the law and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. And his praise is not from men, but from God. Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish poet and author best known for the fairy tales that he wrote. The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, The Little Match Girl, Thumbelina. But my favorite is The Emperor's New Clothes. The tale is told about an emperor who was obsessed with his clothes. He didn't care about his army or things like hunting or going to the theater except for as it gave him the opportunity to display his clothes. He would spend the fortunes on them and hours looking over his wardrobe in his castle. One day, two shady weavers came to the Capitol and began telling everyone that they had wonderful clothes that they make that were so beautiful in their colors and elaborate in their patterns. So wonderful were these clothes that no one could see them except for those who were fit for office and extraordinarily wise. Those who were unfit for office or extraordinarily simple could not see the clothes. These must be splendid colors indeed, thought the emperor. Had I such a suit, I might be able to find out at once all those in my realm who are unfit for office and also be able to distinguish the wise from the foolish. The stuff must be woven for me immediately. And he caused a large sum of money to be given to both the weavers in order that they might begin their work directly. So the two conmen asked the emperor to give them the purest gold threads and the finest silk from which to weave their cloth. The emperor, after a while, sent one of his officials to check on the weavers. There they were, at their looms, busy at work. But as he looked down, he didn't see anything. Am I not seeing this fabric because I'm foolish and unfit for office? Oh, yes, yes, I see the fabric. It is exquisite, and it makes beautiful clothes. And so the official reported back his progress to the emperor. Days passed and still the clothes were not finished. The time came that the emperor sent his most trusted minister to check upon the weavers. The weavers proudly set out their work and asked him whether he thought they were not exquisite. And though he strained his eyes, he could not see it. But not wanting to be thought a fool, he agreed that the clothes were great and beautiful and of regal quality. Finally, the emperor himself went to visit the weavers. He, like his officials before, saw nothing because there was nothing to see. And yet, not wanting to believe himself to be a simpleton unfit for office, he agreed that nothing like these clothes had ever been seen before. Well, the day came for the emperor to receive and display his new wonderful clothes. His Majesty took off all of his other clothes, and the weavers then handed him a non-existent pair of trousers to put on. They then gave him an invisible coat, placed it around him, standing before the mirror, with all his officials around the Emperor, asked their opinion. How splendid His Majesty looks in his new clothes, and how well they fit, everyone cried out. What a design, what colors, they are indeed royal robes. Well, not only his officials, but all of his subjects should see the Emperor's new clothes. And so he went, marching down the promenade. But the crowds gathered all around, and they all began to clap. Oh, how beautiful our Emperor's clothes are! What magnificent train there is in the mantle! How graceful the scarf hangs! In short, no one would allow that they could not see the much-admired clothes, because in doing so he would have declared himself a simpleton, or a fool. Certainly none of the emperor's various suits had ever made such an impression as these invisible ones. But partway through his grand stroll, little boy looked up in puzzlement and said, but the emperor has nothing on at all. His father tried to hush the child, but the boy's words soon began to be repeated by one, and then eventually by all. You know, that parable is one that's really designed for our times, when you think of the political correctness that's going on, and all the people who are afraid to say what they know is ultimately true. But it could also be applied even more readily in the area of religion. Folks, listen carefully. The Bible teaches us that we must have a righteousness in order to stand before God and be accepted. And because of our sins, we are actually naked before Him. But God has given us a way to have our nakedness covered and to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. But rather than going to Christ for righteousness, many people try to cover their spiritual nakedness with the false righteousness of religion. Well, here, the Apostle Paul aims his guns at the unbelieving Jews of his day who show that despite the rich religious heritage and spiritual benefits that they had received, they nevertheless stood naked before God, desperately in need of Christ's righteousness. Not only Jews of his day, but self-deceived religious people in our day, Paul is saying to them, when it comes to righteousness, you've got nothing on at all. Because self-deception in religion is such a great danger, I think it's worth our time to consider what Paul is saying in this portion of God's Word. So why don't we join in prayer and get into the text. Father, I pray for grace and mercy. I pray that you'd help us to see this, see where we are in relationship to it, so that we might be clothed in true righteousness. We ask now in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, Jerry Harmon, one of the pastors I listen to sometimes on Sermon Audio, I thought he did a really nice job outlining this passage. In taking aim at the Jews, Paul first points to their proud heritage. That'd be your first point, 17 to 20. Their proud heritage. Next, he speaks of their proven hypocrisy, and that's 21 to 24. And finally, of their profane hearts, and that's 25 to 29. A proud heritage. You know, when I did my sermon yesterday, I got to this point and I thought, proud heritage. I wonder what would come up on a news search if I Googled it, which I did. Some of the top headlines were, University of New Mexico baseball player Aaron Mackel, proud of his Native American heritage. Joel Alvaro, say it loud, black, Latinx, and proud. Or Mary Nugent, League of Women Voters, proud of her heritage. One headline really caught my eye, though. It said, culturally Jewish, proud of heritage, but not religious. It's an article about Jewish people in Pittsburgh who identify as being Jewish, but are nevertheless not religious. As a matter of fact, many of them consider themselves to be atheists. The people in Paul's day that he was addressing, they were proud of their heritage and they were quite religious, but the problem was they were counting on those things to commend them to God. And so Paul, in addressing this kind of people, says this, he says, but if you bear the name Jew, and rely upon the law, and boast in God, and know his will, and approve the things that are essential being instructed out of the law, and are confident in yourself that you're a guide to the blind, and a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and of truth." Now bear the name Jew. What were the people of God, Abraham and his family, what was the first term that was applied to them? They were called Hebrews. We're told that Abraham was a Hebrew. And remember, when they were down in Israel, the Hebrew midwives were the ones who protected the children. The name comes from their patriarch, Eber, who was one of the people who Abraham descended from. The term that was later applied to him was Israelite. And that would be the children who came out of the 12 sons of Jacob who was named Israel by God. The term Jew originally was applied to those who were from the tribe of Judah. That was the tribe that David was from and the tribe through whom the Messiah would come. You remember that when they came back to the land after the exile under Ezra and Nehemiah, the 50,000 who returned, the majority of them were just from the tribe of Judah. And so that's the name that stuck. So to bear the name Jew in Paul's day was a great honor for it marked one out as belonging to the people of God, the nation of Israel. The second thing he says about them is that they rely on the law, meaning the law of God given by Moses on Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments were engraved on two stone tablets, and then the case laws that explain and flesh out those commands were given to Moses. After charging the people to keep the commandments, they themselves, and then to teach them their children, Moses said this, When your sons ask you in times coming, saying, What do the testimonies and the statutes and judgments which the Lord has commanded you mean? Then you shall say to your son, We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us up from Egypt with a mighty hand. Moreover, the Lord showed great and distressing signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. He brought us up in order to bring us into the land which he has sworn to our fathers. So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statues, to fear the Lord our God for our good always, and for our survival, as it is today. It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as he commanded us. Now, God's purpose in giving the law was first and foremost so that the people would see that they were sinners who need a savior. Their repeated failure to keep these commands should have made them realize that they had no power in themselves to live the lives that God had called them to live. Like the tax collector in Jesus' parable, they should have cried out, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. So the promise is they saw the law as a ladder to reach up to heaven through their own efforts. Rabbi Jacob Nessner died a few years back. He wrote or edited 900 books. He said that God gave Israel 613 commands so that they had many ways by which to merit eternal life. That same understanding of the Jews in Paul's day is what caused them to rely upon the law. He also says that they boast in God. And I have to say, boasting about ourselves is always wrong and sinful, whether it comes from a politician in Washington or from a third baseman on a Little League team. But we are to boast in God. As a matter of fact, we're commanded to boast in God. Psalm 44.8 says, In God we have boasted all day long, and we give thanks to your name forever. Jeremiah 9, 23 to 24, Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things, declares the Lord. The Jews could rightly boast that his God is God. Rather than being the figment of futile imaginations and the works of man's hands, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was the God who created all things. And because they knew this true God, the Jew knows his will and approves the things that are essential being instructed by the law. Other than groping in the dark, trying to figure out what life is all about, like the Greek philosophers with their human speculation, the Jew had a revelation from his creator, telling him where he came from, why he was here, where the world is going, and what matters most. While the Gentiles were wandering aimlessly through life's path, the Jew had a spiritual GPS, as it were, to tell him which way to go. The Greek word that's translated, being instructed here, is the word that we get catechism or catechized from. Those raised in Presbyterian churches know what that is. A catechism is a question and answer for theological truths to teach children the faith. The pagan temples were places of worship, but the synagogues were places of education. Now verse 17 to 18 speaks of what the Jew had in relationship to God, but notice in verses 19 to 21 it speaks of what the Jew was in relationship to Gentiles. Paul said of this imaginary Jew, you're confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind. a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the law the embodiment and the knowledge of truth." By the way, some of the commentators argue here that Paul's being sarcastic about this. He's saying, oh, as Jews, you certainly are putting yourself on a pedestal. But really, God himself put the Jews on a pedestal. God told Abraham that in your descendants, all the nations of the earth will be blessed, Genesis 22, 18. As God's chosen people, Israel was to be a model nation. Moses, when he gave them the law in Deuteronomy 4 or 5 to 8, said this, See, I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. So keep them and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, meaning the nations around. who will hear of these statutes and say, surely this great nation is wise and an understanding people. For what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments that are as righteous as the whole law which I am setting before you today? You know, I attended St. Cloud State many years ago. I had a geography class, and two things I remember about the class. One was the teacher was an incredible teacher. I don't know about you, but I'll bet that one class that you really enjoyed or the subject you enjoyed, that teacher who taught you was enthusiastic about the subject. And this guy thought geography was everything. The other thing about him that was interesting was he asked us our name and where we were from in the first week, he asked it on the second week, and for the rest of the quarter, he knew everyone's name and where they were from. I saw him a year and a half later. I only had him for one class. I was walking by and he said, hi, Doug. I thought, wow, that's impressive, because I'm sure he'd had hundreds of students. But the other thing I remembered was this. There was a guy in the class who was blind. And I thought, that's interesting, because how do you do geography looking at maps when you can't look at maps? But he would sit there, and he would type on his Braille typewriter through the class. I remember at one time when we were done, he looked at me and said, Doug, where are you going next? And I said, well, I'm going over to such and such hall. He said, can I follow you there? I said, no problem, sure. So I get up to go, and he puts his arm on my shoulder. and follows me all the way to the building. That's what the Jews were supposed to be to the Gentiles. Israel was to be the guide to the blind Gentiles to lead them to God. They were to be a light to the Gentiles. Indeed, God promised that the nations shall come to your light and the kings to the brightness of your rising. Isaiah 60 verse 3. There would be a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the law the embodiment and knowledge of the truth. Zechariah speaks of a day in the future when, quote, Well, the problem It doesn't stop there, though, because Paul goes on to talk about their proven hypocrisy. Now, it's important that we understand Paul. He is not castigating the Jew for thinking of himself as a guide to the blind, as a light to those in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, and a teacher of the immature. God intended for them to be all these things. The problem was that Israel failed to be what God intended. Like Jesus before him, Paul was charging the Jews with hypocrisy, failing to practice what they preach. He asks a series of rhetorical questions. He says, you, therefore, who teach another, do you teach yourself? You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, through the breaking of the law, do you dishonor God? Now, hypocrisy is pretending to be something you don't intend to be. There's a lot of hypocrisy going on in our country today, especially in the area of politics, isn't there? Conservatives speak of family values, yet how many conservative politicians have cheated on their wives? Liberals who champion women's rights and yet are exposed as sexual harassers themselves. How many politicians are pushing for government control of business to save the planet from global warming, but yet they themselves have huge carbon footprints? We have a guy running for president right now who denounces billionaires. They shouldn't be around. No billionaires. Yet he himself is a millionaire who owns three homes. I'd like to see his tax statement, see how much he gave away. It's hypocrisy. It's all hypocrisy. But I have to say that hypocrisy, though it's found in many places, it's found most frequently when it comes to religion. Paul charges that his fellow countrymen know the commandments, but nevertheless they break them. The 8th commandment, thou shalt not steal. Paul asks, are there any Jewish thieves? The 7th commandment, forbids adultery. How many Jews had committed this sin? Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of their day, his day, for their easygoing attitude towards divorce. He said that remarriage after divorce was adultery. He said, you abhor idols. And that, in fact, was true. Deuteronomy 7.25, when Israel was ready to go into the land, God commanded the people what they were to do when they came across an idol. He says this, the graven images of their gods you are to burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is in them. nor take it for yourself, or you'll be snared by it, for it's an abomination to the Lord your God. You shall not bring an abomination into your house, and like it, come under the ban. You shall utterly detest, and you shall utterly abhor it, for it is something banned." Now, Israel was guilty of worshiping idols through most of its history, but you know, after the Babylonian captivity, when they came back from that point on, the issue of idols was not a big one for the Jews. But what happens if there's some money that could be made on the sale of idols? Do you know that in the Talmud, the rabbis go at great lengths to explain how you can get around this prohibition, and in what way sales of idols would be valid for a Jewish person. One prominent Republican leader from a few years back, he was one of the politicians who supported the war on drugs. But a few years ago, when some of the states started to legalize marijuana, he accepted a job from a very large company that was going to grow marijuana as their main spokesman. Hypocrisy. All hypocrisy. Now, is Paul saying that every Jew is guilty of these sins? No. But enough to show that the law is not sufficient to change the heart to make people God-fearing, God-obeying, righteous people. And so, rather than being a light to the Gentiles to cause them to glorify God, Paul points out that the Old Testament itself says that, for the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, just as it is written. And I have to say, the indictment that's made here against the Jews could just as easily be charged against many Christians today. We may not bear the name Jew, but we call ourselves by the name of the Jewish Messiah. We're Christians. We not only have the law, but we have the gospel. We are the people who claim to be born again, indwelt by the Spirit, empowered to live godly lives. But do we? Sadly, many don't. They may sing, oh, how I love Jesus, but when you look at their lives, it sure doesn't look like they love Jesus. What's the problem? Why do so many professed Christians, like the Jews of Paul's day, have such a rich spiritual heritage, and yet live lives in a spiritual desert, barren of the fruit of righteousness? Well, the problem is the same today as it was for many in Paul's day. They have profane hearts. That brings us to our third point. I have to say, a Jewish person listening to Paul up to this point and feeling the sting of his words might still hold on to his self-righteousness by saying something like this. Okay, Paul, I grant you that even though we Jews have been blessed with the law, we are often guilty of breaking the law. But we are still God's chosen people. God made a covenant with us and he gave us circumcision as a seal of that promise that we are his and he will never abandon us. Did you know that the rabbis taught in the Talmud that Abraham stands at the gate of hell, or Gehenna as they would call it, and turns back any circumcised Jew? But Paul responds to their retreat into circumcision by saying this. Listen to what it says. For indeed, circumcision is of value if you practice the law. Because it's part of the law. But if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So if an uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the law, will he not judge you, who although you have the letter of the law and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and the circumcision is that which is of the heart by the Spirit, not by the letter. And his praise will not be from men, but from God." That's a long passage. But I think I can put it in a little bit different terms, give you a historical analogy and see if you can follow Paul's logic. Benedict Arnold was an American military officer who fought in the Continental Army, serving under George Washington, who trusted him enough to put him in command of the fortifications at West Point, New York. Now, unknown to Washington, Arnold was a traitor and he planned on surrendering the fort to the British. And when the plot was discovered, he fled. And later, he led a British army against the very men that he once commanded. Now, on the other hand, Gilbert du Montier, Marquis de Lafayette, known better in history simply as Lafayette, was a Frenchman who came from a long line of military men. One of his ancestors fought alongside Joan of Arc in the Battle of Orleans. His father died on a battlefield after getting hit by a cannonball. He followed his family's military tradition and was commissioned as an officer in the French Army when he was only 13 years of age. Now, convinced that the American War of Independence was a glorious and noble cause, Lafayette came to America. And he served in the Continental Army, fighting in a number of battles. And then after going back to France to drum up support, he returned again to the colonies and served with distinction as a commander in the army. He was one of General Washington's most trusted commanders. I want you to follow logic. Benedict Arnold was an American by birth, and Lafayette was a Frenchman. Which one would you say was a real American and a true patriot? Do you see the parallel I'm drawing here? where Paul is speaking of what it really means to be circumcised? Let's use Paul's logic here and apply it to these two revolutionary figures as he applies it to Jews and Gentiles. So it would go something like this. For indeed, an army commission is of value if you faithfully do your duty. But if you're a traitor, your commission has been repudiated. So if Lafayette is faithful to the American cause, will not his Frenchness be regarded as Americanness? And he who is not even born American, if he stays true to the principles of the revolution, will he not judge Benedict Arnold, who though having a commission and born an American, forfeited all when he violated his trust? For he is not an American patriot who is one outwardly, nor is being a true American a matter of one's birth, but he is an American patriot who is one inwardly, and a true American is one whose heart has been made red, white, and blue. Paul is telling the Jews what they should have known from their own scripture. The circumcision that Israel needed was not that which was performed by a priest on a baby boy at eight days of age. What they needed and what most of them lacked was circumcision of the heart, done by God's Spirit, as He caused them to be born again. And just as the Jews trusted in the law and the right of circumcision, then so many professed Christians trust in their church membership in the fact that they're baptized. They go to church. They take communion. They listen to sermons. They put money into the offering plate. But their hearts have never been changed by God's Spirit, and so they're religious and yet quite lost. And if it's tragic that Jews are perishing because they reject Christ, it's even more tragic that Christians are perishing who profess Christ but have never been truly born again. Jesus said, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. What lesson should we take from this text? I'll give you two of them. Here's the first. Having a rich spiritual heritage is of great value, but it's not sufficient. Indeed, sometimes it's dangerous. Now, some of you grew up in homes with no Christian influence. The only time you ever heard the name of Jesus was as a swear word. Your parents spent more time in the bar than they ever did in church. Others, like me, may not have had Christian parents, but they at least got you to church. But some of you had godly parents who not only brought you to church, but read the scripture to you, the stories, and they prayed for you and with you. And if that's the case, you should praise God for your spiritual heritage. It's a real blessing to be raised in a Christian home. But while it's a blessing, it can also be a danger. You might agree with what you've been taught, but never truly embrace the message you've heard. There's a second truth that comes out of this. Knowledge of scripture is necessary, but it has to go beyond head knowledge to ultimately become heart knowledge. Many churches you can attend for years and actually never learn the scripture. Instead of teaching the Word of God, they focus on ritual, politics, provide entertainment or do pop psychology. Here we teach you the Word of God. Our Sunday school curriculum is God-centered rather than man-centered. In our Bible studies, we actually study the Bible rather than whatever the latest book is off of a Christian press. We preach through whole books of the Bible, verse by verse. You are all taught well. And many of you have a solid understanding of the Christian faith. But for some of you, it's still just a head knowledge. The heart has never been changed. Turn to God. Acknowledge your sins. Admit that when it comes to righteousness, you are naked. and ashamed. And then trust in Christ's death as the payment for your sins, and ask God to clothe you in Christ's righteousness, so that on judgment day, when you stand before him, and all the angels will say, how splendid he looks in his new clothes, and how well they fit, what a design, what colors, these are indeed royal robes of righteousness. You don't want to stand before God without the righteousness of Christ. Let's pray. Our Father in God, is this message new? Not to anyone here. Probably not even to many who are listening over the internet. They've heard the message, but has it penetrated the heart? Has it become their only hope? Has it become the very thing they trust in? Christ for righteousness? There is no other source of righteousness, because our own righteousness falls short, because we have to have a perfect righteousness to stand before you, and no one has ever achieved that other than your Son. So, Father and God, we pray for grace and mercy. We pray for this message, this truth, to penetrate the minds and the hearts and infuse the spirits of your people, so that we not only proclaim it, but we live it and we count it our own. So bless us to this end. Give us the grace that we need. For we ask now in Jesus' name and for His sake. Amen. Why don't you stand? We're going to close together by singing a song.