An Unknown Religion

real life presents the Jack Hibbs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth equip the saints and impact our culture those of us who live in this advanced world we have access we have a phone we have an iPad we have some sort of tablet device we have libraries we have hotels that we can check into and read a Bible if you don't have a Bible go to a hotel open up the door read the Bible right we've got the Bible God is going to say in effect did you read it you can get the outlines of this podcast by going to Jack Hibbs.com slash podcast today if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled life in Christ then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings to us that's like saying amen or yes then that rating will encourage others to listen now open your hearts to what God's word has to say to you here is Jack Hibbs. The fact of the matter is that unknown religion to God is one of silence can you write that down church as we look at this silence you say what do you mean by that pastor unknown to God is a religion of silence meaning this that God according to the Scriptures is a God who communicates the God of the Bible is alive he's real you can't hide from him you can't hide anything from him and you need to take comfort in this fact that because normally that would cause you to just shiver with fear right you're just like oh no but the fact is this that this God who knows everything is a God that is not silent that you can be in a place today that you're in the most darkest deepest pit of sin and or despair and you should be happy to hear today that the God of the Bible he knows nothing about a silent religion it doesn't exist and I love that in my mind I see a contrast between between the true living God of the Bible and all of the dumb idols that have been crafted throughout all the millennia men bow down and worship idols with ears and anoses and eyes and a mouth and they can't hear they can't speak they can't smell they can't relate John chapter 4 verse 24 the Bible says God is spirit and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth I tell you what we will not of course but that verse and John's gospel right there that verse unpacked will just draw the line right down the middle it had just cut you wide open and it will determine if you're a true believer in God or not because true believers worship God in spirit and in truth I love how he he covers both to know the truth about God is to cause you to know him by spirit and to relate to God by spirit is to understand his nature and who he is that he's worthy because our God is a God who communicates and so the first thing we see in verses 12 to 13 is that he's speaking to all people the God of the Bible speaks if today you have a God that is not speaking I suggest you get a new God verse 12 for as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law notice watch a point something out here in a moment next statement and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law you just see how I stress the definite article the first statement is regarding those who sin regarding law verses those who sin regarding the law what is he saying Paul is setting up in his genius argumentation there are Gentiles and there are Jews you say I don't know which one I am are you a Jew nope vineyard Gentile if you're not Jew you're a Gentile the whole world outside of being a Jew is Gentile and what he's talking about is we'll see in a moment is that God has spoken we learned this in Romans chapter 1 that his Godhead has been displayed to all that he has created but this statement here in chapter 2 is announcing that there are those who have never heard the Bible they've never heard a sermon they've never heard or read anything about the Bible and verse 12 is announcing up front that there are those who sin without law but they will perish without law see what this makes no sense to me yes it does I won't be laborate but yes it does according to the Bible and again tell your kids this they need to hear this because everybody gets concerned about the poor man running around naked in South American jungles about his soul what about the guy running around in South America naked with a bone in his nose hook what if he doesn't hear the gospel well Romans chapter 1 and chapter 2 says don't worry about him God is speaking to him and he's speaking to him in a way where there is an internal law that God has revealed inside of that man or a woman living in the Amazon so you can take a big deep breath and relax and not worry about that man's soul you need to think about your own the Bible sister who much is given much will be required where little is given little is required but no this all of mankind will stand before God and judgment if you've been given much it means that you'll be judged more harshly that's why the book of James says you pastors you teachers you better watch yourself because you study my word and you preach and teach it and that's how I'm gonna judge you in the day of judgment the teacher gets the stronger judgment in the day of God's examination but the God that you and I worship knows nothing about silence we often think that he's the silent God because we think he's not speaking oh he's speaking you know our problem is we are so busy we're so cluttered we have so much noise going on I'm convinced always I've told you before I'm convinced now he's always speaking I rarely listen I'm in fact I'll prove it to you and you you can prove this to yourself when I relax and calm down which for me take a picture when that happens but honestly I'll be very honest with you if I'm gardening or mowing the lawn to me that it's God speaks to me more in times like that or in times of isolation for me now I don't get isolation much but what I'm saying is if I'm walking or if I'm whatever I'm doing and there's aloneness I hear God speaking I don't hear the trees rumbling in some powerful voice that's amplified no it's deep internal and it's it's revelation of words or knowledge or or instruction that's not jack and you know I'm talking about it and it's not you you know it's him and he speaks to the person that doesn't have the Bible like you and I have but they're not guiltless because he's speaking to them and they know inside this is right and this is wrong and by the way anthropologists will tell us every culture all around the world no matter what they believe have a right and a wrong law in that culture and the Bible says it came from God all of you evolutionist you got a tough you got a tough argument there you have trying to trying to convince yourself that God doesn't exist and yet on the inside you have a moral code that you live by and you argue trying to say that that was developed by input and by your surroundings that's your argument I just got news for you this a ruin your day you'll have a horrible day after I say what I'm about to say God says I place that in you and you may have never opened up a Bible in your life but you know the question in your mind is does God exist and God is expecting you to nurture that question he's asking you to stoke the flames of that little spark to see is God real every human being is being touched with that challenge from God and this is a fact secondly in verses 14 to 15 we see that unknown religion to God is one of silence is the fact that he is speaking to each of us every single one of us verse 14 says for when Gentiles unbelievers who do not have the law by nature do the things in the law these although not having the law are law unto themselves now you got to remember Paul is a born again Jew speaking to born again Jews living in Rome he's writing from Corinth Greece he's writing to those in Rome there was a tremendous amount of born again Jews we call them believers completed Jews and he's challenging them and he's saying listen for those of you guys who were cruising and saying that I'm a man I got the I'm settled I was in Judaism before I got saved I understand Jesus is Messiah and yet when I'm with all these other Gentiles I've got a little notch above the rest of them I'm a little bit better off I'm kind of a higher standard or a higher cut and he warrants because the Bible here says that there are those who by nature notice this the Gentiles by nature God speaking to them and he's speaking to you he speaks to me he speaks verse 15 it says that these who show the work of the law written in their hearts here it comes their conscience also bearing witness and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them listen in your heart listen you're not a Christian today you're not a follower of Jesus but you will agree with me you have to agree with me that is inside of you you have a standard of living that to you is acceptable so whoever you may be non-believer you don't believe in God you have a moral code and you believe it so much that you've lived your life by that standard and church let's be honest there are non-Christians who live some non-Christians live better lives morally than Christians they've got a high standard of morality what does it prove watch this what does it prove the Apostle is saying it means this it means that they've got a high bar that they've established based upon their own judgment but they're failing to recognize that their ability to place that high bar as a standard of judgment has come from God and his witness that is inside of them it doesn't mean they're going to heaven it means that God has shown them a standard and Jesus says and the Bible says over and over again whatever standard you have God says by that standard you will be judged so when we look at people and we criticize or we talk about or we gossip about or we hold this standard to them it's it's actually true that that standard is looking right back at us but you say well Jack if I meet my standard what if what if I just have low standards Jack and I meet up to all my low standards am I off the hook nope nope what Paul is trying to get the believer and the unbeliever to see is that God alone is perfect and that we need the cross of Jesus we need the resurrected Christ that it's not being a good citizen that gets you into heaven nor is it being a Jew and you're a scholar of the Bible that gets you into heaven he says both will perish no matter what morality no matter what understanding Psalm 44 verse 21 Psalm 44 21 says for he knows the secrets of the heart God does why does he announce that look at verse 15 he's the God that is speaking to you he speaks to the people the nations he speaks to us all of us as a culture but he speaks to you and I personally verse 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel when Paul says my gospel don't get excited he's not making it up when he says my gospel the word means I am saying exactly what Jesus told me to say gospel I'm being faithful to delivering the goods that I was told to do okay I appreciate that God will judge the secrets of our hearts I don't know how this message will eventually come across but I can tell you this for days now I've been concerned with this thought I'll just be so honest with you I've been so concerned for this thought and that is for someone to think for a moment fresh for the first time almost like a spark of light when the scripture says that God will judge the secrets of men's hearts that that that makes perfect sense to you are there not listen church are there not secrets in the world of course do not people have them yes do you know a secret then why can't God know a secret he knows oh pastor all my life I've been hoping and praying that nobody finds out about that thing I've it has burdened me for 50 years it has been weighed upon me it's crushing me I'm terrified someday I might wake up and it's on the headlines let me tell you something right now God knows all secrets he knows them all Psalm 139 verse 1 and 2 says oh Lord you have searched me and known me notice the words past tense he's not getting to know you hey hi Jack I'd like to get to know you no no God shows up on the scene right now today it says I know you I've always known you you mean from the beginning from the beginning in eternity I've searched you I've known you verse 2 says in Psalm 139 verse 2 you know my sitting down and my rising up you understand my thought a far off isn't that bizarre before you think it God knows what you're going to think in the next 15 seconds or 15 minutes he knows he knows it's coming and my argument to him has always been then why didn't you stop it of course that's a stupid question because God is saying I want to see what you're going to do with it I know what you're going to do with it but you don't know what you're going to do with it and you're going to decide to be a follower of minor night this is the danger of rejection Paul in chapter 2 of Romans is talking about those who without the law or with an internal law or God's code the Bible if you reject God's truth there's a grave danger and he's speaking to you personally and Matthew chapter 11 verse 20 this is this is tough because you don't want to reject friends when God speaks to you I know you're in a big crowd here right now you think well you I'm just going to hide the crowd people tell me that by the way I came to this church three years ago I needed it I just wanted to hide no I'm you hear that don't you I just well I just I want to find a big church I just hide out well we we may not have detected you but the Holy Spirit he knows but are you here for religious purposes because to that is that's unknown to God but the truth is you should be here for personal reasons crowd or not you should come to this place saying where's God I want God is there a God and I'm happy to report it that yes he's a God who speaks speaks to nations speaks to cultures and he speaks to you personally he's a good God he's a forgiving God this Jack Hibbs podcast as well as all the broadcast out reach opportunities are listeners supported will you consider partnering with us through a special gift go to jackhibbs.com to learn more and stay connected