Gratitude That Adorns The Gospel-7

GRATITUDE That ADORNS The GOSPEL-VII—Romans 1:15-25

OR: Gratitude That Graces The Gospel

Attention:

Visiting Grandma:

A Grandmother was giving directions to her grown grandson who was coming with his wife, to visit her for the first time in her new place:

She told him, “You come to the front door of the apartment complex. I am in apartment 14T. There is a big panel to the right of the door.

With your elbow push button 14T. I will buzz you in.

Come inside, & take the 2nd elevator on your right.

With your elbow press the up button.

Get in, & with your elbow press 14.

When you get out I’m on the left.

Make your way to 14T & with your elbow, press my doorbell.”

The grandson asked, “Grandma, that sounds easy, but why am I pressing all these buttons with my elbow?”

“What! You're coming empty handed ... ?”

If the grandson was truly grateful for his Grandma, he would ‘adorn’ that truth with a gift for her!

Need:

God’s people continuously offer up sincere thanks to Him for offering them His wisdom & supplying their needs, which in turn, causes them to view the world very differently than those who are without Christ in the world.

Christian influence in all societies encourages an appreciation for the life with which God has blessed them(although it is not always accepted).

Christians openly recognize God’s love expressed towards them in His sustained salvation & moment-by-moment blessings.

Christians openly recognize & prioritize God’s ever available invitation to approach Him with their actual needs.

Christians openly recognize God’s provision for them.

These realize that they have been abundantly blessed by the ever-living & loving Lord their God...And their lives show it!

And we are a thankful people!

“ADORN”—To make more beautiful, or attractive; To enhance.

Titus 2:9-10—“Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.”

1Pet. 3:3-4—“Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle & quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”

For the Christians in Rome, Paul delineated the relationship that gratitude has with the Gospel.

Personal Gratitude must properly adorn the Gospel of Christ.

What manner of Gratitude properly adorns the Gospel of Christ?

OR...

How can your Gratitude adorn the Gospel of Christ?

We are examining 9 assurances that your Gratitude is one that Adorns God’s Good News.

So far we have found that

Our Gratitude adorns the Gospel thru...

1. Our SHAMELESS TRUST(:15-16)

2. SHARING(:17)

3. REINFORCING GOD’s WRATH(:18)

4. KNOWLEDGE(:19)

5. SIGHT(:20)

6. CHOICE(:21)

7. AFFIRMATION & PRACTICE(:22-23)

8—Gratitude adorns the Gospel thru...

HONOR(:24)

Explanation: (:24)

:24—“Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,”

Because of men’s choice to deny God & invent his own, God in turn “gave them up” to their own devices. This godless lifestyle is borne of the “lust of the heart.”

“Therefore God also gave them up...”

God allows/permits them to live as they choose(cf.-:18-23).

However in so doing, such a person is only postponing their appointment with God’s final judgment(2:5)...They are comfortable remaining on an undeterred path where they themselves are the determiners of a destiny which avoids God.

However, we must “guard against too readily assuming that” “God gave these men up for ever.” Rather, by His ‘giving them up’, God is allowing them to go their own way so “that they might at last learn from their consequent wretchedness to hate the futility of a life turned away from the truth of God.”—C. E. B. Cranfield in ICC

God’s giving people up/over to their sin, is a warning to us all, that we should never trust in our own ability to do anything, but only in ourselves as we are given to God. By our doing so we are actually trusting God.

“Gave..up/Gave...over”—paradidwmi—Verb—1) To give into the hands (of another); 2) To give over into (one's) power or use—2a) To deliver to one something to keep, use, take care of, manage, 2b) To deliver up one to custody, to be judged, condemned, punished, scourged, tormented, put to death, 2c) To deliver up treacherously—2c1) by betrayal--To cause one to be taken, 2c2) To deliver one to be taught, moulded; 3) To commit, to commend; 4) To deliver verbally—4a) Commands, rites, 4b) To deliver by narrating, to report; 5) To permit allow—5a) When the fruit will allow that is when its ripeness permits, 5b) Gives itself up, presents itself. Strong—To surrender, i.e. Yield up, intrust, transmit.?From—para—Preposition—1) From, of at, by, besides, near. Strong—properly--Near; From beside; At(or in) the vicinity of; To the proximity with; Beyond or opposed to; On account of.—&—didwmi—To give.