The Letter to the Romans Chapter 1:16-32
October 25, 2009
Faith versus Practical Atheism
PRAY
Disclaimer: If anyone in the room finds themselves thinking, the pastor wrote this sermon because he know my sin, realize this sermon was written 3 years ago and only applies to your sin if the Holy Spirit is convicting you of sin. Not because of pastoral foreknowledge.
INTRODUCTION
As I sat in a Sunday School class in Houston years ago my Teacher Charles Girling was anointed by the Lord. It always rained in Houston, so the fact that that Sunday morning it was raining was no big thing. As we sat there listening to the teaching the rain pounded on the room of the temporary building as it had many Sundays. We didn’t pay much attention though because Charles’s lesson was always good.
Then something unusual happened. Just above his head for only a second an anointing of water came down on Charles’s head. Then it stopped. Never had it before and never again! I took it that he was truly anointed of God.
One of the greatest truths Charles ever taught was that our lives was a compilation of all the decisions we make, both good and bad. But sometimes we make decisions that have cataclysmic impacts to our lives. So it is with the decisions the guys made:
5 January 2005, Nebraska) Derek "was a bright young boy, a 4.0" majoring in five subjects and planning to attend law school. In September of his senior year at the University of Nebraska, 21-year-old Derek wrote an impassioned declaration of independence from seatbelts for his college newspaper.
“Although "intrusive and ridiculous" seatbelt laws saved 6100 lives a year, according to statistics from the U.S. Congress. "If I want to be the jerk that flirts with death, I should be able to do that."
Returning from a holiday in San Antonio, Texas Derek was not buckled when the SUV hit a patch of ice, slid off US 80 and rolled several times, Derek, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. The other occupants of the SUV, slaves to the seatbelt, survived with minor injuries.
6 January 2005, Johannesburg, South Africa) Massive thunderstorms had turned the Braamfontein Spruit into a raging river. It was a little past midnight when police warned Barbara, age 33, that a flash flood was inundating the bridge ahead. They urged her not to cross. But Barbara was driving her BMW X3, an off-road vehicle with x-Drive all-wheel-drive which her
brochures assured her the luxury SUV with Sensatec upholstery and an 8-speaker stereo system had "virtually unlimited agility." So Barbara laughed off the police advice, and continued towards the bridge. She had just entered the water when her xDrive all-wheel drive lost its grip and the floodwaters swept her BMW X3 off the bridge. Her body was found later inside the vehicle over a mile down the river.
(16 January 2005, Florida) Two North Fort Myers residents, 23-year-old Molly and her husband, checked into their motel room. As Molly entered the second-floor room, she went straight for the lanai, which overlooked a concrete patio. Most guests would have seen the railing on the edge of the lanai as a safety feature, but for Molly it brought to mind fond memories of her youthful gymnastic abilities.
Molly called out to Todd, "Watch." These would be her last words. She did a flip onto the railing for a handstand, just the way she used to do, then toppled over the other side, slamming into the patio 15 feet below. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
31 May 2005, Seattle, Washington) Strength and endurance are two of the most important characteristics that can be passed on to improve the species, so physical challenges between males are frequent. In this case, two drinking buddies found themselves on an overpass 40 feet above a busy freeway in downtown Seattle at 2:45 a.m. It turned out to be the perfect place to determine who had more strength and endurance. Whoever could dangle from the overpass the longest would win!
Unfortunately, the winner was too tired from his victory to climb back up, despite help from his 31-year-old friend. The unidentified champion fell and bounced onto the pavement, where he was hit by a car. The car did not stop. Authorities did not identify the winner of the competition.
Everyday, we make decisions, not really stopping to consider the outcome of those decisions.
• Many decisions are made resting on the confident belief structure we have built up over the years; Never being challenged for there validity.
• Others are made based on pride or vanity. No one dare challenge us for the verbal whipping we may get. Proverbs 23:9 states “Speak not in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.”
• Due to stubbornness, some folks are doomed to repeat the same mistakes that keep them in their dilemmas the rest of their life. No matter what is said they are wiser than you.
• And all of us, to some extent, wear blinders, blacking out those areas of decision we most desperately need to change.
It’s with this in mind we come to the 16-32th verses of Roman chapter 1.
It’s here God reveals the end result of those whose lives are bent on choosing their own way, over the way of God’s Word. His Word is full of Directions and warnings:
• Stop Signs,
• Yield Signs,
• Do Not Enter Signs
Yet sometimes we are just to smart:
BODY
Roman 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For the righteousness of God, in this, is revealed, from faith to faith, just as it is written: "The righteous from faith shall live."
Faith in What? “Faith in the Word of God and its truth.”
No matter how insane it sounds, or how outdated it appears to have become, no matter what others may think of us, faith gives us greater faith and brings glory to God.
Faith in the direction of God’s Word leads to more faith, Just as
faith in one’s own decision making leads to depravity and bankruptcy.
John 3:18 states “those who believe(faith) on Him (God’s Word) are not condemned, but those who believe not, are condemned already.”
The Person who professes himself to be wise, is the person who denies God, the Glory, he deserves and thus placing himself above God and his Word, obtains only misery.
Just as, standing on the truths of God’s Word brings blessing and more faith, because it brings glory to God, so saying one believes, yet, in practice living one’s life out, in unbelief, denies God Glory and substantially hinders Christian growth and blessing.
It is called “practical Atheism.” It is the schizophrenia spoken of in book of James 1.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men generously, and withholding not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
A person who says they believe, yet lives life as one who does not has no wisdom.
What is the result of this schizophrenia?
RO 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
What is the result of their Foolishness?
IDOLOTRY - The results of their foolishness is a progression of events leading to destruction, beginning with the creation of idols in their lives that replace God.
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man, birds, animals, and reptiles.
• So they brought something into their life that replaced God’s truth.
• Instead of bring Glory to God through acceptance of his truth they chose lies.
So what was the result?
RELATIVISM – A change in their understanding of truth. What is truth, is what is truth for me. There is no standard by which all men should bow, only relative truth.
RO 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.
Sexual immorality is a result of moral relativism. The Bible is old and out of date. We need to understand it through the truths of today’s society. This is a lie from Hell.
You can set a message in modern terms, but changing the message, you become a heretic.
So once Moral Relativism set in what was the result in their lives?
Once a conscience is seared, there are no moral absolutes, anything goes. verse 26
RO 1:26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
Do you see their progression toward destruction?
• Once a person sets up his or her own personal belief set over and above the truth of the Word of God it begins an avalanche of events toward the precipice of total destruction.
• As Faith breeds faith, so does denial, disbelief, or practical atheism breed destruction.
Could it possibly get worse? Vs 28
RO 1:28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
• 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed & depravity.
• They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.
• They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful;
• they invent ways of doing evil;
• they disobey their parents;
• 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
• 32 Although they know God's righteous decree, that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things, but also approve of those who practice them.
Before, they would never approve of such behavior, but now they must approve of those that do such things, or else they would be a hypocrite.
You can always tell when one has traded God’s Word for their own form of truth:
• The church man, women, child will make excuses for their sin explaining it away.
• The sinning preachers, will refuse to preach on it or explain it away.
• Society denies God saying, “I came to this planet by way of evolution.”
So how do we check and protect ourselves against such heresy? AN IDOL CHECK
1. Not many of us build or purchase idols in the image of men, birds or animals.
2. But because we all have the propensity to believe that our system of beliefs are correct, we must daily go to scriptures and revalidate our beliefs.
3. Any personal belief that goes against scripture is an idol.
a. Does in truth of the Bible go against our life style or beliefs?
b. Are we taking those scriptures we have problems with to God in prayer?
c. Do we ask God to give us the power to believe and live them?
d. If we believe a scripture no longer applies today are we seeking direction from a Bible believing pastor? But no matter what your preacher says, he could be wrong, you alone will stand before God and give account for your stand on that scripture.
e. If your life style disagrees with the Bible, are you suffering? If not, you are probably not a Christian
f. If your life style disagrees with the Bible and you are suffering, there is a good chance you are in idolatry and either a Christian or God is trying to get your attention.
4. If you can see yourself in any of these questions:
a. Acknowledgement of your sin
b. Repentance from your sin.
c. Take a stand to put the truth of God’s Word first place in your life.
d. Acceptance Christ Jesus work as the payment for your sins.
