Wrath or Worship?

Romans 1:24-32

(Part 2)

V. God’s Given Response (vv. 24-25) I want us to key in on the word “exchanged.” This is a conscious effort by sinful man to deny the truth. Satan wants us to deny the truth according to John 8:44 which states, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” When we deny Christ He gives us up to our sin. I want to remind you the about the difference between God’s Creation and God’s Children. God’s born again children will not enjoy sinning very long. There will be the Holy Spirit’s conviction that will cause the prodigal son to return.

VI. Man’s Grim Results (vv. 26-27) Sin will always take you further than you plan to go and cost you more than you can afford! I’m just simply reading the Bible, and what God calls sin we too must call sin. In fact its most unloving if we continue to turn a blind eye to sin. The gospel powerfully transforms all people, regardless of their sin. I love all people, I will not shame anyone, yet I have to share the truth in love. What our society has normalized, is in fact sin. So the way forward is to love, share the gospel, and disciple.

VII. Man’s Godless Reality (vv. 28-32) We are all bent toward sin. If you have placed faith in Jesus Christ, your old creation, will have times that it wants to go back to it’s flesh, it’s old self. The battle will be constant, that’s why the church is so vital to our growth and strength in Christ. This passage is clearly referring to those who choice not to acknowledge the truth of Christ. God is given them over to their sinful desires. I believe John does a good job showing this contrast in John 3:19-21 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

VIII. God’s Glorifying Remedy (1 Cor. 6:9-11) Is there hope? Yes indeed! As long as there is breath, there is hope! “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

The gospel is the answer for those who do not follow Jesus! We have to be loving enough to care that the gospel saves and transforms people. Let’s hate our own sin more than we hate the sin of everyone else. Lost people will act like lost people, until they receive the gospel. But for those who are saved, we are being worked on into the likeness of Christ.  

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

As long as there is still breath, there is still time for the gospel to transform. Are you broken for the lost? Are you broken for this community? Are you going to do something about it?