“How long will God contend with their evil?” we ask. Paul addresses many sins of evil-doers in his letter to the Romans. Yet Paul is more concerned with the state of the souls of those listening to God for answers to our own sin.

Romans 2:

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?

“NOT all of them!” replies my self-righteous clouded guilt-free thinking… O.K., i’ve done a few. I do everything I can to make it right with God. … How am I doing?

6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil…

Did he say, ‘self-seeking?’

I thought by watching out for myself as a Christian that I was seeking Christ. … Right? God wants the best for me in every instance… good over evil… right? … Self-seeking? Really?

Romans 3:10 “None is righteous, no, not one;

11 no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”

None? No one? Not even me, a Christian? (I’m starting to get a little guilt here.)

“None is righteous, no, not one…

Not even me.. guilt before church, guilt away from church, guilt for what is past, guilt for so many things, sin in my flesh, transgression of the Law and evil in my thoughts… None. Not even me.

If not for Jesus and for the love of God sending our Lord to the Cross for my sins, I too would be dead at the Judgment seat of Christ! Condemned, (Christian or not.)

And I know the truth of my guilt, as do you the guilt of your own sins.

Let us own up to our own guilt and sin, confessing our unrighteousness before the Lord, Jesus Christ.

How can we who died to sin still live in it? – Romans 6:2

Do we hide our own guilt by wagging a finger of sin at unnamed sinners just like us? We would bury guilt by leaving it unconfessed?

We look left and look right to find a sinner worse than ourselves, when we need only to look deeply into our own heart.

In our many moments of the weakness of flesh, what Christian does not suppress the chilling words of our Lord telling a follower, “I never knew you?”

Do you recall the story? It happens to be about judging ‘others.’

Matthew 7:

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Do you hear that, beloved brother or sister in Christ?

NOT everyone who calls Jesus, ‘Lord,’ will enter His Kingdom!

Christians will be turned away.. turned away to hell with the unbeliever. Can you imagine that it would be you?

I do this… We do that… Our ministry is important to this church!

Are you saying, dear friend, with your pointing finger, that your sin should be accepted by Jesus because you did a good thing or two for His church?

Is your guilt alleviated by your service? Is your reward not Heaven?

NO!

Heaven and your salvation and mine are the gift of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ, who took our sin upon himself and was crucified on a Cross as MY punishment (and yours, if you will humbly accept His love and grace).

Isn’t the unspoken question of our own sin the one we must ask of the Lord to save us from our own self?

Dear Heavenly Father, loving Lord and Creator of all mankind,

I am a sinner.

Thank you for taking your only Son, Jesus Christ, and giving Him to me and to many for the forgiveness of our sins. Not just their sins, Lord, but also mine.

For I am a sinner, often unrepentant; yet for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, please, Lord, forgive me.

Lord know my heart and form it into His righteousness… and not into anything right only in my own eyes.

Amen.

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This is the fourth Lenten message in preparation for Easter, 2016.