Faith Talk – May 18, 2025

Sunday: May 18, 2025
Series: Romans: The Righteousness of God
Sermon: The Judgment of a Righteous God

Romans 2:1 – Therefore, every one of you who judges is without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things.

This sermon from Romans 2 continues Paul's argument about humanity's universal need for salvation by addressing the dangerous tendency to judge others while excusing our own sin.

Paul specifically confronts those who believe their religious knowledge or moral behavior makes them exceptions to God's judgment. The passage reveals three crucial truths about God's judgment: it is according to truth (not relative to others' sins), it is according to our works (whether we truly seek God or self), and it is according to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The sermon emphasizes that God's kindness is not approval of our sin but patience leading to repentance, and that true righteousness cannot be achieved through religious observance or moral comparison but only through faith in Christ and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
 
Main Points

• Self-righteous judgment is hypocritical - we often practice the very sins we condemn in others
• God's standards are absolute - He judges by His truth, not our comparisons to others
• Patience doesn't equal approval - God's kindness is meant to lead to repentance, not complacency
• Knowledge without obedience is useless - simply knowing God's Law doesn't make us righteous
• Genuine conversion shows fruit - true believers live righteously through the Spirit's power, not human effort
• Secret sins matter to God - He judges our private thoughts and actions, not just public behavior

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your incredible patience with us and for sending Jesus to provide the righteousness we cannot achieve on our own. We are grateful that Your judgment is perfect and fair, even when it reveals our own shortcomings.
 
We ask You to humble our hearts and help us stop comparing ourselves to others or excusing our sins because of Your kindness. Convict us through Your Holy Spirit of the areas where we need to repent, especially those secret sins that only You know about. Help us to see that true righteousness comes not from religious activity or moral comparison, but from a transformed heart through faith in Christ.
 
We commit to examining our own hearts honestly, to confessing our sins without excuse, and to living by the power of Your Spirit rather than our own efforts. May our consciences be clear because we have truly been excused by the gospel, not because we have ignored our need for Your grace. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Create two boxes: one with a lid (the "Secret Box") and one open (the "Open Box"). Have family members write or draw on small papers things they do when others are watching (Open Box) and things they do when alone or things they think about privately (Secret Box).

Without sharing the specific contents, talk about how God sees everything in both boxes. Explain that God cares about our private thoughts and actions just as much as our public ones. Let family members privately pray about items in their "Secret Box," asking God to help them with things that need to change.

For younger children, simplify by having them put pictures of good choices in the Open Box and things they need God's help with in the Secret Box. Remind everyone that God's love doesn't change based on what's in either box, but He wants to help us grow in both our public and private lives.

End by praying together, thanking God that He sees everything and still loves us, and asking Him to help your family be honest with Him about both the good and challenging things in both "boxes" of your lives.