GRATITUDE That ADORNS The GOSPEL-V—Romans 1:15-25
OR: Gratitude That Graces The Gospel
Attention:
Irving was just coming out of anesthesia after a series of tests in the hospital, & his wife, Sarah, was sitting at his bedside. His eyes fluttered open, & he murmured, "You're beautiful."
Flattered, Sarah continued her vigil while he drifted back to sleep. Later he woke up & said, "You're cute."
Sarah asked, “What happened to ‘beautiful’?”
Irving said, “I guess the drugs must be wearing off.”
Irving’s gratitude was ‘somewhat lackluster’ so that as a result, the relationship with his wife suffered!
There are some in the church who for all appearances it seems that ‘the drugs worn off’ in their service to the Lord...whose gratitude is out of place considering their confession!
Need:
Our lives in Christ Jesus encourage celebration! God’s people continuously offer up sincere thanks for offering them God’s wisdom, which in turn, causes them to view the world very differently than those who are without Christ in the world.
“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 of gratitude to 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?
Some 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—Gratitude adorns the Gospel thru...
SIGHT(:20)
Explanation: (:20)
:20—“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse,”
Paul intensifies his explanation so that the condemnation(“without excuse”) is clearly understood.
God’s “invisibles”(“invisible attributes”)—are those things imperceptible to the physical eye. The spiritual realities which are behind the physical, are actually “clearly seen” by all men. All mankind get’s the big picture of God’s power & thus His worthiness to be worshiped. From nature...men & women, boys & girls...know enough to look to & be drawn to seek God but not enough to be saved apart from personal knowledge of Him.
This vantage point is obtained merely by observing the created things of ‘nature.’ These give all men such an understanding that they are rendered ‘excuseless’ & thus ‘defenseless’ in both their decision to personally turn from God & likewise tempt others from Him by their choices. No one is immune. All are thus guilty before God.
Rom. 3:1-4—“What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.””
The particular ‘invisibles’ of God that are pertinent & applicable to mankind’s attention & command his acceptance are:
1)God’s “eternal power” &...
2)His divinity(“Godhead”).
No one of any time or era, can deny these things & be guiltless!
“God’s eternal power refers to His never-failing omnipotence, which is reflected in the awesome creation which that power both brought into being & sustains.”—John MacArthur
“No one can charge God with hiding Himself from them...”—Lenski quoted in Guzik
Secular evolutionists attempt to disarm this truth with their flesh-derived theories.
We live in a world that regularly attempts to explain-away God’s hand thru ‘secular’ scientific means & then supposes they have arrived when they can describe the physical principles at work!
*But rather than dismissing God altogether, a ‘proper’ understanding of physical principles at work in our world recognizes that those are principles that God has created & uses! As a result, honest scientific exploration actually drives an unprejudiced thinking person to a greater awe of God, & to an personally ‘owned’ accountability before God!
His Divine nature(“Godhead”) refers to His Trinitarian nature(Father, Son, & Holy Spirit) that characterizes Him.
Many(but not all) things in nature speak of a trinitarian creator.
Example: The three components of petals, pistil(female), & stamen(male) form what we recognize as a flower.
His godly goodness as Provider for His creation, is & should be obvious to all!
[Again]Acts 14:17—“Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven & fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food & gladness.”
“Invisible attributes/Invisible things/Invisible qualities”—aoratov—Adj.—1)Unseen, That which cannot be seen, e.g. Invisible. Used 5X.
“Clearly seen”—kaqoraw—Verb—1)To look down upon, see from above, view from on high; 2)To see thoroughly, perceive clearly, understand. To behold fully, i.e. figuratively--Distinctly apprehend. Used 1X.
“Understood”—noiew—Verb—1) To perceive with the mind, to understand, to have understanding; 2) To think upon, heed, ponder, consider. Strong—To exercise the mind(observe), i.e. figuratively--To comprehend, heed. Used 14X.
“Made”—poihma—Noun Neuter—1) That which has been made; 2) A work—2a) Of the works of God as creator. Strong—A product, i.e. Fabric(literally or figuratively). Used 2X.
“Eternal”—aidiov—Adj.—1) Eternal, everlasting. Aidiov covers the complete philosophical idea -- without beginning & without end; also either without beginning or without end; as respects to the past it is applied to what has existed time out of mind. Strong—Everduring(forward & backward, or forward only). Used 2X.--Rom. 1:20 & Jude :6.?From—aei—from an obsolete primary noun(apparently meaning continued duration); “Ever,” by qualification--Regularly; by implication--Earnestly.
“Power”(See :16)—dunamiv—1) Strength power, ability. It is power, natural ability, general & inherent. Strong—Force(literally or figuratively); specially, Miraculous power(usually by implication--A miracle itself).
“Godhead/Divine nature”—yeiothv—Noun Fem.—1)Divinity, divine nature. Yeiothv "deity" differs from yeothv (Adj.)"divinity" as essence differs from quality or attribute. Strong—Divinity(abstractly).
“Excuse”—anapologhtov—Without defense or excuse; That which cannot be defended, inexcusable. Used 2X.?Negation of—apologeomai—1) To defend one's self, make one's defense; 2) To defend a person or a thing; 3) To give a full account of—3a) To calculate or consider well. Strong—To give an account(legal plea) of oneself, i.e. Exculpate(self).
Argumentation:
Ps. 36:5-9—“Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man & beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.”
Heb. 11:27—“By faith he[Moses] forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”
Heb. 11:3—“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
2Cor. 5:7—“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”—Faith informs sight. And though we walk by faith, sight still informs our faith to a degree.
1Pet. 1:3-9—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible & undefiled & that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, & glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible & full of glory, receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.”
Jn. 1:14-18—“And the Word became flesh & dwelt among us, & we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace & truth. John bore witness of Him & cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” And of His fullness we have all received, & grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace & truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son[invisible becoming visible], who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”
Mat. 6:21-23—“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Jn. 14:6-9—“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; & from now on you know Him & have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, & it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, & yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
Col. 1:9-20—“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, & to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work & increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience & longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness & conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven & that are on earth, visible & invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him & for Him. And He is before all things, & in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, & by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
Illustration:
The word “JESUS” formed from two sharply contrasting colors set in a borderless background/Appears to be jibberish if you are focus upon one of the colors/However, the name‘JESUS’ appears if you are looking at the exact same thing but are focusing instead on the contrasting color/Jesus ‘gives you the borders’ so that you are not fooled into missing God/SIGHT
Migratory birds—flight paths/Navigate flawlessly over thousands of miles to return to the same places year after year after generation after generation/UNCTV(PBS?) documented a place on the NC coast where ‘martins’ leave & return year by year/Those birds that frequent the area are not just local flocks, but include huge flocks from many other locations outside the coast of NC, where they meet in order to fly south together/?We observe, we witness with our eyes, that tremendous God-ordained drive within the birds/In that migration God’s majesty & perfection is obviously at work!SIGHT
Migration(general)—Butterflies, sea turtles, whales, sharks, water buffalo, etc. all migrate extensively/?What do we see regarding that ability?/It is a marvelous work of God!/SIGHT
Have you ever seen a huge flock of birds circling, & twisting, diving, & climbing, as one unit thru the air?—It’s fascinating/Scientists attempt to discern how the birds do what they do without crashing into one another/In it God’s majesty & perfection is obviously at work!/SIGHT
•The same amazing behaviors occur with huge, tight schools of fish!/SIGHT
What do you see in the ‘way’ of a flock of birds or school of fish?...Annoyance, filth, food...or the majesty of God?
What are you missing?...What are others missing?
Application:
?Do You Adorn the Gospel of Christ by means of your SIGHT?
?Does Your Gratitude Adorn the Gospel of Christ?
6—Gratitude also adorns the Gospel thru...
CHOICE(:21)
Explanation: (:21)
:21—“because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, & their foolish hearts were darkened.
This makes it plain that some men/people—those who are suppressors of truth—make a conscious choice of denying God the glory He deserves. These deny God’s wisdom in making them free to choose truth or lies.
These not only deny Him His rightful glory, but they understandably, were also not grateful(“thankful”) for His manifold lovingkindnesses by which He makes available His salvation & purposeful life, to absolutely everyone.
*As a result, they then “became”—by their poor & self-serving choice—empty, vain & “futile” in their very “thought” processes. W/O God life is pointless & of no benefit than personal happiness.
Their personal deliberations were entirely negatively effected by their refusal to choose Christ & the Good News that is attached to Him & flows from Him.
Thus also their “hearts” that were created & intended to honor God, were given over to “foolishness.” The heart is the source of your real ‘loves.’...The source of those things which are truly heart-stirring for you.
As a result, the “hearts” of “thankless” people having become “foolish”, also thus became “darkened.”
The fleshly, worldly, self-centered choice of a person’s “hearts” obscures God’s truth from their comprehension. These have actively ‘chosen’ self over God. And so daily they actively push out the available light from their own lives.
“Knew”—ginwskw—Verb—Second aorist active participle—1) To learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel; 2) To know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of; 3) Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man & a woman; 4) To become acquainted with, to know. A knowledge grounded on personal experience. Strong—To "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applications & with many implications.
“Glorify”—doxazw—Verb—1) To think, suppose, be of opinion; 2) To praise, extol, magnify, celebrate; 3) To honor, do honor to, hold in honor; 4) To make glorious, adorn with lustre, clothe with splendor. Strong—To render (or esteem) glorious (in a wide application).
“Thankful”—eucaristew—1)To be grateful, feel thankful; 2)Give thanks. Strong—To be grateful, i.e. (actively) To express gratitude (towards); specially, to say grace at a meal.
“Futile/Vain”—mataiow—Verb—To make empty, vain, foolish. Strong—To render (passively, become) Foolish, i.e. (morally) Wicked or (specifically) idolatrous. Used 1X.
From—mataiow—Empty, i.e. (literally) profitless, or (specifically) an idol.
“Thoughts”—dialogismov—1)The thinking of a man deliberating with himself; 2)A deliberating, questioning about what is true. Strong—Discussion, i.e. (internal) consideration (by implication, purpose), or (external) debate.
English= ‘Dialogue’
“Foolish”—asunetov—Adj.—Unintelligent, without understanding, stupid. Strong—Unintelligent; by implication, wicked Used 5X.
“Darkened”—skotizw—To cover with darkness; To darken; 2)To be covered with darkness, To be darkened—To deprive of light. Strong—To obscure(literally or figuratively).
Argumentation:
Mat. 6:22-23—““The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Lk. 11:34-35—““The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.”
Jn. 3:14-21—““And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, & men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light & does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.””
And being saved(choosing Jesus), our lives are intended & expected to be lived out thru His life-changing power!
Js. 4:1-10—“Where do wars & fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust & do not have. You murder & covet & cannot obtain. You fight & war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask & do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers & adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil & he will flee from you. Draw near to God & He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; & purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament & mourn & weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning & your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, & He will lift you up.
Php. 2:3-16—“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, & coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself & became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him & given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, & of those on earth, & of those under the earth, & that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear & trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will & to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining & disputing, that you may become blameless & harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked & perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
Rom. 1:9-12—“For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established-- that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you & me.”
Col. 2:1-3—“For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you & those in Laodicea, & for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, & attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father & of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge.”
1Thes. 3:1-3—“Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, & sent Timothy, our brother & minister of God, & our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you & encourage you concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.”
1Thes. 5:11—“Therefore comfort each other & edify one another, just as you also are doing.”
Heb. 10:23-27—“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love & good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, & so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, & fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”
Rom. 12:1-21—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, & individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love[agaph] be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless & do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, & weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
All of the above are personal ‘choices’ thru which & to which we manifest our chosen responsibility to God!
There is a time coming in our near future which will be the most hellacious horrific, demonically driven time in history. In that time of the finality of God’s judgment upon the ‘way-over-due-for-it’ people of earth, Satan’s wrath will be allowed to flourish in all of it’s intensity. Your choice TODAY can secure your escape from the horrors of that inescapable time(Rev. 3:10).
Illustration:
A large family gathers for Thanksgiving/They are normally scattered across many states & only infrequently see each other/It is your personal Choice to speak to or recognize their presence...To love on them...To exhibit Christ’s love/We can choose to ignore or accept them/CHOICE
I don’t know if it is still like this or not but there used to be a string of bright fluorescent colored, attention-getting, brightly lit billboard ads(as you entered NC from SC on I-95(?))—for a chain of porno shops!...‘Welcome to North Carolina...A wonderful place to raise your family!’/What an utter embarrassment to the citizens of that state!/What messed up political choices allow for such as that?!—It’s certainly not a choice for Jesus!/CHOICEs—
But praise God, juxaposed with the billboards some years ago were other billboards which stated among other truths....“Meet Me at My place this Sunday—God”
Its purely a wonder to me why more people aren’t thankful for God’s graciousness!
Children give us multiple examples about what is good, as well as what is NOT good!/CHOICEs
Application:
?Do You Grace the Gospel of Christ in your CHOICEs?
?Does Your Gratitude Grace the Gospel of Christ?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
What are you thankful for? Why are you thankful? How is your world effected by the attitude of your thankfulness?
Action:
Gratitude Adorns the Gospel thru...
5. SIGHT(:20)
6. CHOICE(:21)
1. SHAMELESS TRUST(:15-16)
2. SHARING(:17)
3. REINFORCING GOD’s WRATH(:18)
4. KNOWLEDGE(:19)
Pt#s 5-6 Presented 02/17/2019pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(Se Ave. A).
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 3-8 Presented 11/20/2011pm(Needmore Community Thanksgiving @ South River UMC) to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
