There is a quote that has been around for years that I would like to share with you. “If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they’re yours. If they do not come back, it was never meant to be.” How many of you have actually heard that? Better yet, how many of you have actually seen this work? This quote has been worded in various ways over the years but the two main truths remain. Truth number one: it is a great act of love to allow a person room to make a choice. Truth number two: you cannot make anyone love you. The entire first chapter of Romans illustrates these two truths. God proves His love in an unexpected way, by letting go. Obedience is not forced upon us or is it a requirement for being loved by Him. So when we demand our freedom, God respects that choice. Although it breaks His heart, God still respects our decision. Why would God give us the freedom to screw up? His hope is that through the bad decisions that we make, we would come to the realization of how much better we are living the way God has called us to. Another reason could be, that God knows that true love is a choice and He wants us to love Him more than anything. True obedience will always flows from the heart of true love. Today as we examine Paul’s second round of evidence against us, we will see the consequences of demanding our freedom.
I. Understanding that at the root of all immorality is idolatry.
A. God’s wrath against mankind is justified because sin is a choice.
1. We cannot use the excuse, “I just couldn’t help myself.” Because sin is not natural because it is in opposition to the will of God.
2. We have been made in the image of God, we struggle with sinful desires because our disobedience to God has tarnished that image.
3. The entire mess that our world is now in can be traced back to one single source. Man’s desire to stubbornly do his own thing rather than obeying his Creator.
4. So God pours out His wrath against sinful man because they have made the deliberate chose to rebel against Him.
5. Being Holy and righteous in nature God cannot not overlook sin.
a. Sin is deliberate rebellion
b. Rebellion must be punished.
c. Our choices have left God no alternative.
B. When we choose to live according to our sinful desires we act as if there is no God.
1. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. (Psalm 14:1—NIV 2011)
2. Sin is the result of us putting someone else on the throne of our lives which is idolatry.
a. Idolatry always results in sin.
b. Since idols do not live there is no revelation or moral standard.
c. The result is that every person does as they see fit.
3. Paul stated earlier that the truth about the reality of God has been made obvious in creation. However, when we live in sin, we act as if that truth has never been revealed.
4. The humbling truth is this, “We tell the world what we believe about God by the way that we choose to live.
C. God loves mankind too much to force them to love and obey Him.
1. Paul shows that one of the surest signs of God’s wrath is seen in the fact that when man chooses to rebel against Him, He honors that choice.
2. We need to realize that the more we rebel against God the easier it will get to allow our lives to become more and more immoral.
3. Although God loves us, He will allow our choice to sin to continue to degrade us until we turn back to Him.
4. The Greek word atimia is translated “degrading” here. It literally means to disgrace, shame or dishonor.”
II. Paul paints a vivid picture of mankind’s depravity.
A. Idolatry always leads man to exchange the good gifts of God for the temporary pleasures of sin.
1. Paul outlines two main things that man chooses to exchange as a result of their rebellion.
a. They trade the one true God for a worthless copy.
b. They trade natural relationships for unnatural ones.
2. Our text shows us precisely why unnatural sexual relations have always accompanied the worship of idols.
3. The depravity of mankind is shown in the fact they go to great lengths to try and show that they are not upsetting the natural course in regard to sexual relations.
4. These sexual perversions that Paul describes are unique to the human race. They cannot be found in the animal kingdom.
5. What we choose to do with God has a direct bearing on the way we live our lives.
B. Paul chooses to address the subject of homosexuality specifically.
1. Roman society tolerated homosexuality with relative ease. In fact, many philosophers viewed it as being superior to heterosexuality. In fact, fourteen of the first fifteen Roman emperors were homosexual.
2. Paul singles this out because it is the exact opposite of what God intended through the sanctioning of the husband/wife relationship.
3. An increased tolerance of homosexuality has always been one of the hallmarks of a society in decline.
4. Some truths that we need to highlight in regard to homosexuality.
a. Homosexuality is not a sickness or an inborn trait. If it was it could not be called a sin.
b. Homosexuality is a sin and is subject to the wrath of God.
c. Homosexuality can be forgiven and overcome.
5. 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. 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. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11—NIV 2011)
C. When God honors man’s choice to rebel we will become capable of just about any sin.
1. Paul states that the choice to rebel against God is one making the decision that living according to God’s Will is not a worthwhile pursuit.
2. When this choice is made God steps back and lets the depravity that results from idolatry take over our mind.
3. The Greek word adokimos is translated “depraved” and it literally means useless or worthless.
4. Paul moves from sexual immorality and spells out the rest of the marks of the depraved mind.
5. Bruce Shields in his work on Romans writes this, “Sexual immorality and murder are listed alongside greed, gossip, and disobedience of parents, with no distinction noted. All of these acts and attitudes are seen as unnatural—as going against the will of God.”
6. It is quite sobering to read Paul’s final analysis, despite knowing that all these things were wrong mankind chose to do them anyway.
III. The importance of responding to the reality of our sin problem correctly.
A. We can respond with the moral alternatives of the world.
1. Statistical morality: the right thing is what most people are doing.
2. Emotional morality: what feels good is right and what feels bad is wrong.
3. Situational morality: decide what is right according to the situation you are presently in.
4. Sensitive morality: there is no absolute standard of right and wrong, only personal standards.
B. We can resign ourselves to the fact that this is just the way the world is.
1. This is dangerous because it causes us to shut ourselves off from the rest of the world and prevents us from doing what God has called us to.
2. It is easy to feel powerless when there is so much evil going on in the world and that is exactly the way Satan wants us to feel.
3. God wants us to be actively engaging the world. If Christians would get serious about living out their faith the world could be changed.
4. God is not a passive God and we should not be or ever entertain the thought of becoming passive followers.
C. The correct response is to become available to answer God’s call.
1. We prepare ourselves to answer His call by spending time in prayer and God’s Word on a daily basis.
2. We need to get involved in our communities and work to meet the spiritual and physical needs of those around us.
3. Make holiness a personal pursuit in your life.
4. Do not be afraid to share your faith with those around you.
Closing:
A mid-westerner was vacationing on the New England coast. One morning, very early, she was walking along the beach -- the sun was still below the horizon, the rain had ended, and the sea was calm. While enjoying the beauty about her, she glanced down the beach and saw a young man. He skipped and frolicked as if performing a ritual dance to celebrate the dawn. Fascinated, she moved closer. As she approached, she realized the young man was not dancing -- he was picking up objects and tossing them into the sea. Soon she realized the objects were starfish.
She asked, "Why are you throwing starfish into the sea?" He said, "The tide is going out and if they are still here when the sun rises, they will die." And he continued tossing them.
She said, "That’s ridiculous! There are thousands of miles of beach and millions of starfish. You can’t really believe that what you are doing could possibly make a difference!" He smiled, bent over and picked up another starfish, paused thoughtfully, and remarked as he tossed it into the waves... "It makes a difference to this one."
