Transcript
Praise the Lord!
You can open your Bibles to Romans chapter 1. I don’t think this is going to be a really long message this morning, but I am going to pick up reading from where I left off in the last message I preached. I am going to start at verse 16, and read down to the end of the chapter. These will be the verses we look at this morning. If you notice what I read is a little different from your Bible, it’s because I have chosen to read this passage from the English Standard Version. So beginning at Romans 1 and 16:
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, we worship your great name, and thank you for your goodness. We thank you for the grace and love you have showed us by Jesus Christ. We thank you for the strength and resolve you have put in our hearts. We thank you for the community of believers you have blessed us to be part of. And we thank you for the opportunity to hear from the Bible and learn of you. Help me now to say things that will be helpful to your people. Lord, I pray that you help us to think clearly about these topics. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.
Introduction
Well, it is some pretty strong opening verses we read this morning. I read from the ESV because it makes these things a little more clear than when we read it from the King James. If you’ve been in message churches like the one I come from, these are verses that are very familiar and fairly often used. There are many different things we could say or expound from these verses, but I have just a few points I would like to convey.
Oftentimes, when we have heard these verses preached, the preacher never starts at verse 16 and 17 like I did. These are verses that are often used completely out of context of Paul’s central thought. I don’t think I have ever heard anyone preach these verses and explain how they fit into the overall part of Paul’s message to the Romans. So, the first thing I would like to do is try to help us understand how these verses fit into Paul’s overall exposition of the gospel.
Remember, Paul is writing this book of Romans; the first half of the book is about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of salvation. Paul begins by saying he is not ashamed of it. As soon as he says that, he launches into a comprehensive and thorough explanation of the gospel message. The gospel message is something that is rational, it is logical, it is based on facts and realities. Everything Paul says through these first chapters of Romans is one building block upon another. Paul is slowly and methodically making the case for the gospel. He is slowly painting the picture, brushstroke by brushstroke, piece by piece. And like any explanation, you have to start somewhere.
I’ve watched Bob Ross paint a lot of pictures. One thing I have learned is you always paint the background first. Before you draw the mountains and the happy little trees, first you paint the background. That’s where you start. As Paul begins his explanation of diving into the gospel, he chooses to start here with these verses because these verses are the background of the picture. By the time Paul gets done, he’s going to have painted the cross and Jesus Christ and redemption from sin in the foreground. But before he can paint those things into the foreground, he’s got to start by painting the picture of what is behind the cross.
He chooses to start with these verses that we just read. As we look over these verses, there are two things here that very clearly let us see why Paul chose to start his explanation of the gospel with these words we have read. There are two very important things in the background of this picture.
He starts his explanation in verse 18. I am going to read those verses again, but what I want you to notice is the first thing Paul is doing here is telling his readers that there is a God. His starting point is to say, there is a God, and this is how I know it, and this is how you can know it too. Paul is offering his readers the proof that God exists. That is a very good place to start if you are going to explain the gospel to anyone because they need the background to understand where you’re coming from. First, they need to know there is a God. So let me read these verses again, and let’s see the explanation Paul offers to his readers about the existence of God:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
So we notice in these verses that Paul is saying that creation itself is evidence that God exists. Now Paul is writing to Romans. No doubt most of them are from a pagan gentile background. In that day, just like this day, the majority of people already believe there is a God. The Hindus believe in God. The Muslims believe in God. The pagans believed in God. The tribal peoples of the world believe there is a God. On and on. Even today, over 90% of the people in the world know there is a God. There is something baked right into creation itself. There is something baked right into mankind. We know there is a God.
Anyone with common sense should be able to just look at this universe, in its complexity, at the life in the world around us, and its vastness, and realize there is a God who set all this into motion. Now there is a small percentage of people in the world who say there is no God. They may be loud, but they are a very small percentage. But to this day, science has yet to discover how this universe could have come into existence without a God. Science has yet to discover how life could be born from nothing. There is very strong evidence that this world, this universe, and the life in it was created by intelligent design. So like Paul says in verse 20:
His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.
In the eyes of God, that is proof enough. In the eyes of Paul, creation itself is proof enough there is a God. Creation is proof there is a creator. When I look at a beautiful and elaborate painting hanging on the wall, and I admire all of its features, its nice brush strokes, the beautiful scene, I don’t look at it and marvel how this beautiful picture spontaneously popped into existence. Instead, I look into the corner of the picture and try to find the name of the artist.
Beautiful works of art are like that; if you look down in the bottom corner somewhere you’ll find the name of the artist. When we look at creation, we see this beautiful work that the Lord has created. If we look, it’s not very hard to see, God’s signature is right there upon His work. When we all get to heaven one day, and someone tells God, “I didn’t believe you existed. I didn’t believe you were real. And it’s your fault for not proving to me you were real,” no one is
going to be able to say that. Because God will say, creation itself was proof enough that He exists. If you would just look to creation, you would have seen My signature. And they are without excuse.
When we talk with people, and they want to know how we know there is a God, I am perfectly comfortable giving them the exact same explanation Paul gave. This universe didn’t appear randomly. This magnificent creation around us did not appear randomly. There was a God that created all this. There was a God who set this all in motion. When I look at the masterpiece that is creation, I see the signature of the master. If that alone is not enough to convince someone there is a God, my Bible says they are without excuse when they deny Him. And I can live with that. I believe that.
So I hope we can all see that Paul opens his explanation of the gospel by explaining there is a God, and how we can know that.
Now, the next thing Paul is going to do is explain that mankind has rejected God. This is the next detail to be added to the picture. Mankind has sinned and fallen away from their God, their Creator. As they fell away, they started worshipping false gods. Let’s continue reading, starting at verse 21.
Verse 21:
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
This is what mankind did—they created their own gods to worship. Instead of worshipping the Creator, they worshipped things of creation. This pattern is evident throughout history and continues to repeat itself. Mankind becomes obsessed with creation and loses connection with the Creator.
We see this today in people who, in a very literal sense, worship the environment. While it’s important to care for the environment, as God made us stewards over it, some take it to the point of worshiping Mother Earth instead of the God who created it. This is a clear example of worshipping creation rather than the Creator.
Secularists, on the other hand, often worship mankind itself. They believe humanity is capable of finding all the answers and solving its own problems. This mindset is especially prevalent in Communist countries, where they effectively become their own gods.
Other religions of the world have also created idols and deities modeled after things God created, just as Paul explains here. They worship the sun, the moon, or things they have made with their own hands. Even within Christianity, subtle forms of idolatry can creep in. Christians can begin to rely more on man, programs, or buildings rather than on God Himself, losing sight of their Creator.
Verses 22-23:
Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Whether in the realms of religion or science, men often do this exact thing. They create their own programs and ideas, thinking they will save them. In religion, people may look to a particular man or his teachings to save them, wrapping those ideas in a religious package and calling it God. In science, people may believe that knowledge alone can save them, but science has no solution for the greatest problem facing mankind: sinful hearts.
There is only one solution to that problem, and that is Jesus. Laws, jails, education, and self-help programs cannot deal with sin. While they may offer some help, they do not address the root issue. Some may turn to gurus, prophets, or other figures, claiming to have the answers, but it’s no different than the golden calf Aaron made. Only Jesus can save. If you don’t believe that Jesus Christ alone is enough to save you, you are a fool.
Verses 22-23:
Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
It’s a terrible trade, yet it’s one that many make. Instead of embracing the true glory from the immortal God, they turn to man-made ideas of salvation. Instead of proclaiming that God sent a Savior, they declare that God sent a prophet or a special revelation. Instead of setting people free with the gospel, they bind them with human ideas. They neglect the true God and the true knowledge of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Verses 24-25:
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
When people turn away from God and place their faith in creation or human ideas, devious things begin to infiltrate their society and lives. When you refuse God and His simple plan of salvation and instead turn to the ideas of man, you gradually drift away from purity and toward impurity. Over time, this brings great havoc and a terrible cost to people’s lives.
This has happened throughout history, on both large and small scales. Whole nations have turned away from God, and gradually, sin takes hold, bearing its sad fruit. We see it in individual churches and lives, where focus shifts away from Jesus Christ and the true knowledge of God, leading to all sorts of corruption—broken homes, destroyed relationships, envy, hate, selfishness, and pride.
Why does this happen? Because men exchange the truth of God for a lie. Jesus died to set you free. Believe in Him, and you will be saved. But some men reject the truth of God and the gospel for something else, and as a result, their culture, society, or group slips into the immorality that Paul describes.
Often, these verses are used to condemn individuals, but Paul’s main point is to explain how mankind as a whole has fallen away from God. I hope this is what my listeners take away from this message. I’m not condemning anyone today, but I am explaining how these things creep into lives, cultures, societies, and groups—it’s because they exchanged the truth for a lie and drifted gradually away from God.
Now, as we come to verse 26, Paul shifts to his next building block. Remember, he is building towards a full and comprehensive explanation of the gospel message. He started by explaining that there is a God, then moved on to explain how man fell away from God and how false religious ideas arose—ideas we still combat today. Now, he is going to begin discussing sin and its impact on the world, doing so in a way that is undeniable and honestly explains why the world can be such a bad place at times.
Let me read the next verses, and then we’ll discuss them.
Verses 26-32:
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
These are some very strong verses. Paul is speaking honestly and openly about sin and its consequences. Discussing sin and its effects is crucial for understanding the backdrop of the gospel message. Think of it like a painting: when Bob Ross paints, he often starts with the sky—he paints the heavens first, then the ground below, creating a stark contrast between the divine and the corrupt, the heaven and the earth. Similarly, Paul is painting a picture where sin is the dark backdrop against which the gospel’s light shines.
By the time Paul is done, there will be something standing on top of this sin, triumphing over it. The focal point of this picture will be the victory over the sin that Paul is describing as the background of the gospel. The gospel is the power of salvation, specifically the power to save us from sin. But before Paul talks about salvation, he first ensures people understand what they need saving from.
Often, these verses have been used to condemn, to attack, and to tear down. But Paul isn’t speaking these words to destroy people. In fact, in the next chapter, he makes it clear that condemnation isn’t his goal. What Paul is doing here is observing the world with honesty.
I’ve read books by many great Christian men, and the most powerful explanations of the gospel follow the same pattern Paul is using in Romans. Paul is addressing the subject of sin in a way that is sound and solid. Separation from God has brought all these evils into the world—things that are the result of the sinful heart of man.
Let’s take note of some of the things Paul mentions: sexual immorality, malice, jealousy, hate, murder, strife, slander, heartlessness, and ruthlessness. Each of these brings pain and suffering. Every single one of these sins is a source of hurt. I believe that every negative thing in the world can be traced back to this list, all of which stem from sin in the human heart.
All we have to do is look around us, and we see these things in our everyday lives. We may not live in the most evil time or place in history, despite what some might say, but we can certainly see the same evils Paul describes all around us.
Every sin Paul mentions here has victims. Sin is the source of all pain and suffering in the world. Whether it’s our own sin or the sin of others, sin hurts people. Drunk drivers kill because of sin. Slander wounds because of sin. Wars, divorces, and murders all stem from sin. You don’t have to harbor these sins in your own heart to be their victim. But if we examine ourselves honestly, we’ll likely find traces of these sins in our own hearts or past.
I can look at this list and find things that speak to me, and I know the world is a little worse off because of some sin that was in my own heart. That’s the point Paul is driving at, which he will elaborate on in the next chapter. Sin has corrupted the paradise God intended to create. God made the Garden of Eden; He wanted to give mankind a paradise. But what keeps this world from being that paradise? It’s that three-letter word: sin.
Sin is what prevents this world from being the paradise God intended. And there isn’t a single person who has walked this earth who hasn’t contributed in some way to the sin in the world. Some have contributed a little; some have contributed a lot. But everyone is guilty. Everyone has participated. There are no exceptions.
In the church I came from, one preacher argued that children are born innocent and must be taught to sin, but when men forsake the Bible, all sorts of false ideas creep in. No, everyone is born in sin, shaped in iniquity. No one has to be taught to be a sinner; we are born that way. And every baby born into this world has contributed in some way or another to the sin that is in the world.
Everyone has participated. And if someone claims they haven’t, that itself is a sin. Only a proud heart could claim they’ve never sinned, and that pride is a sin. All have sinned—no exceptions. Well, no exceptions but one.
There is one. There is a Holy One. The One who was holy. The One who knew no sin. When He came into this world, He didn’t contribute to its darkness; He came with a remedy for it all. And I’m talking about Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He came to save us from these horrors. He came to deliver us. He came to pave the way for us to enter into a place where there is no more sin. He came to provide a way back to paradise.
There’s one main thing we have in this world today that we won’t have in paradise, and that’s sin. In paradise, there will be no sin and none of the effects of sin. There will be no more pain, no more suffering, no more hurt, no more tears, no more divorces, no more wars, no more loss, no more slander, no more hate, no more death.
That’s what it means to be delivered from sin. It means we have a ticket back to paradise. It means we have a promise that one day we will be free from all the toil and struggle that sin has brought into the world.
Look into your own life, and maybe you’ve suffered. The truth is, we are all victims of sin—whether it’s our own sin or the sin of others. You know the pain. But Jesus has promised that a better day is coming. Jesus is delivering us from sin.
Praise the Lord! As Christians, it’s important to know the right way to talk about sin. Sin is not a topic we need to be afraid of, but there’s a right way to approach it and a wrong way. Unfortunately, most of my life, I’ve heard it approached the wrong way. People didn’t read the whole book of Romans. They didn’t see how these verses fit into Paul’s exposition of the gospel.
Paul, in these verses, is not condemning the world. He is conveying to his readers the utter destruction and sheer magnitude of the horror of sin. And he’s doing that so he can next show people the way out.
In the last verses we read, Paul says that people who live in sin deserve to die—everyone who has been disobedient to parents, gossiped, been jealous, all the way up to murder. Paul is not talking about us giving people the death penalty; he’s talking about the final death. He’s talking about going to hell. He’s talking about what will happen to people who do not turn from their sin. Without salvation, mankind is bound for the end Paul is speaking of.
The whole world, without exception, has engaged in something on this list at some point in their life. Slander, for example, seems like a little thing—just saying something about someone that isn’t true, to hurt their reputation. But Paul says those who do such things deserve to die. And that’s what will happen unless there’s a remedy.
I won’t go into everything on this list, but consider that slander comes from people who have left the true knowledge of God. They will slander their neighbors all day long. And how do we respond? We respond to lies with truth. That’s what I’m doing. For every lie I hear, I’ll speak one more truth. And truth will always defeat the lie.
Some people lift themselves up very highly, using these very verses to rail against others, but they themselves are guilty of the same things we read here. In the next chapter, Paul will talk about how the gospel applies to hypocrites.
Paul finishes here by saying that all such people are worthy of death, or hell. And how many times have I heard preachers stop right there? But you know, Paul didn’t stop there. Paul didn’t just tell us that God exists and that sin came into the world because men rejected God, just to say we are all going to die. Of course not! He’s preaching the gospel—the good news.
And though this is as far as I’m reading today, I don’t want to end on a note saying, “Everyone is going to die,” like some preachers we know. I know some really sinful preachers who are bold enough to claim they’re not sinners, when in truth, they’re guilty of some of the vilest things on this list. But I’m not here today to be like them. I’m not here to make myself feel better by putting other people down. I’m here to tell you there is a way out.
No matter which side of the divide you’re on, there is a way out of sin. There’s a way out of being a victim of sin. There’s a way out of being a tool of sin. There’s a way we do not have to die. And His name is Jesus. He is the way.
I was listening to Brother Humes a couple of weeks ago, and he said something that stuck with me. The solution to all these things—the message that will truly help people escape sin, destruction, pain, and suffering—isn’t that God sent a prophet. The message is that God sent a Savior. God has sent a Savior.
That message will heal the sick. That message will set the captive free. That message will deliver from sin. That message will turn lives around. God sent a Savior.
As we look at scriptures like these, as we preach and speak about sin, we should always remember why the Bible talks about sin. The same reason Paul talks about sin here—it’s so we can tell people there is a way out. It’s so we can tell people that Jesus came to save them from it.
I enjoyed Brother Jordon’s last message—”Will you follow Jesus or not?” I enjoyed Brother Jesse’s last message—”It’s all about Jesus.” And that’s what we’re pointing to today. We are pointing to Jesus. If you want to make the Bride, there is only one thing you need to do: You need to abide in Christ. Give your life to Him. Follow Him. Repent and be baptized in His name. When you are baptized into Christ, that is what makes you part of the body of Christ. And when you abide in Christ, you are one with Him. “I in them, and thou in me, that we may all be made complete in one.” That is true unity—becoming one in Christ.
It’s not complicated. Jesus is here with His arms outstretched, ready for all the tired and heavy-laden. You can find rest and peace in the arms of Jesus.
Let me close in prayer.
Lord God, I thank You for being with us today. I pray these words spoken today will benefit the hearers, that they may come closer to You and better understand You. Lord, I especially pray for all my friends today. I pray for James Allen, Father, that You would restore to him clarity of mind, that he can look with honest eyes and see the truth. I pray for all my friends at Faith Assembly, and especially for those who have reached out and been so kind to us these past few weeks. I pray You will strengthen them in their endeavors, Lord, and protect them from all evil. Lord, I also pray for all the saints around the world who have made the decision to walk with You, forsaking houses, lands, and many things for the simplicity of the gospel. May You strengthen all those who have risen up to follow You. May You put a strong resolve in their hearts to stand for You. Continue to add to and grow Your people. I say a special prayer for the brothers and sisters in South Africa. Lord, I am so thankful for the good reports I hear from that country. I pray You deliver Your people by Your strong hand. Lord, in all the other countries this week where I know You are doing a work, I pray You strengthen and bless them.
God, I thank You especially for our little fellowship in this place. You have been so good to bless us here. May You give each of us peace. Help us, Lord, to grow closer to You day by day. Satisfy each soul. Lord, what we know not, teach us. What we have not, give us. What we are not, make us.
In Jesus’ name, and for His sake,
Amen.