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.
“...Gave them up to uncleanness...”
The choice to reject God also holds present ramifications as well as eternal ones. And for Christians as well(1Cor. 3:12-15)...
1Cor. 3:12-15—“Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; & the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
Particular manifestations of this rejection & subsequent “being given over” to flesh, results in “uncleanness.” Anything given up to “uncleanness” is ‘dirty’ in God’s opinion & thus is a perversion of God’s design.
Isa. 64:6—“But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.”
Rom. 7:12-8:1—“Therefore the law is holy, & the commandment holy & just & good. Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, & bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Without the Spirit of God within you to guide your every moment, as a consequence/result, you will ‘naturally’ follow your own desire, which is not God’s desire!...
Everything you do will thus be “unclean” rather than pure & holy as it should & can be.
“Uncleanness/Impurity”—akayarsia—Noun Fem.—1)Uncleanness; Physical—1a)Physical, 1b)In a moral sense: The impurity of lustful, luxurious, profligate living, 1b1—Of impure motives. Strong—Impurity(the quality), physically or morally. Used 10X.?From—A(as a negative particle)—& a presumed derivative of—kayairw—To cleanse, i.e. To prune; To expiate.
“...In the lusts of their hearts,...”
Since your “lust” or personal desire resides in your “hearts”, it resides in the center of your being—the center from which all your thoughts & actions flow. Your lust, your desire is a lust/desire “of” your “heart”!
Mk. 12:30—“‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, & with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”
“Lusts”—epiyumia—Noun Fem.—1)Desire, craving, longing, desire for what is forbidden, lust. Epiyumia representsThe active side of vice. Epiyumia is more comprehensive in meaning than payov; epiyumia is (evil)desire, payov is ungovernable desire. Epiyumia is the broadest of these words(payov, ormh, orexiv). Its meaning may be good, but it is usually bad. It denotes any natural desire or appetite, usually with the implication that it is a depraved desire. Strong—A longing(especially for what is forbidden).?From—epi—properly, meaning superimposition(of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution, i.e. Over, upon, etc.; of rest--At, on, etc.; of direction--Towards, upon, etc.—&—yumov—Passion(as if breathing hard).
“Heart”—kardia—Noun Fem.—1) The heart—1a) That organ in the animal body which is the centre of the circulation of the blood, & hence was regarded as the seat of physical life, 1b) Denotes the center of all physical & spiritual life—1b1) The vigor & sense of physical life, 1b2) The centre & seat of spiritual life—1b2a) The soul or mind, as it is the fountain & seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors, 1b2b) Of the understanding, the faculty & seat of the intelligence, 1b2c) Of the will & character, 1b2d) Of the soul so far as it is affected & stirred in a bad way or good, or of the soul as the seat of the sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions, 1c) Of the middle or central or inmost part of anything, even though inanimate. Strong—prolonged from a primary kar(Latin, cor, "heart"); The heart, i.e. figuratively--The thoughts or feelings(mind); also by analogy--The middle.
“...To dishonor their bodies...”
Being given up to “uncleanness” ‘naturally’ results in one’s “dishonoring” the very “body” which God specifically created for you. Your “body” is that with which you were created to honor Him.
Ex. 4:10-12—“Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech & slow of tongue.” So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? “Now therefore, go, & I will be with your mouth[or fill-in-the blank with your supposed ‘malady’] & teach you what you shall say.””
“To dishonor their bodies” refers to a self-determination on the part of a person & people choosing to ‘go their own way’...To do what they want, ‘despite’ what ‘good’ God might desire for them.
Such “dishonor” is readily seen in the ills that our country & others are currently wrestling with—some of these being: Homosexuality, Abortion, Addictions, Greed, & Prejudice.
All these, & more, are symptoms of a heartfelt disdain & disregard for God’s desire. And as such, all of these are ‘examples’ of treating your body in “dishonorable” ways...Or your ‘willingly’ giving your “bodies” over to things, habits, ways, that are “dishonorable” in God’s eyes.
These are things ‘you’ may accept as good & right, BUT which things actually have no connection to God’s desire at all.
“Dishonor”—atimazw—Verb—1) To dishonor, insult, treat with contempt—1a) Whether in word, deed or thought. Strong—To render infamous, i.e. by implication--Contemn or maltreat. Used 6X.?From— A(as a negative particle).—&—timh—1) A valuing by which the price is fixed; 2) Honor which belongs or is shown to one. Strong—A value, i.e. Money paid, or concretely & collectively--Valuables; by analogy--Esteem(especially of the highest degree), or the dignity itself.
“Bodies”—swma—Noun Neuter—1) The body both of men or animals—1a) A dead body or corpse, 1b) The living body—1b1) Of animals; 2) The bodies of planets & of stars (heavenly bodies); 3) Is used of a (large or small)number of men closely united into one society, or family as it were; a social, ethical, mystical body—3a) so in the NT--Of the church; 4) That which casts a shadow as distinguished from the shadow itself. Strong—The body(as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively.
“...Among themselves...”
The “dishonor of their bodies” occurs “among themselves.” There are others besides the individual who “dishonor their bodies.”
That is, this occurs among others of like belief. These are in agreement with one another.
People gather together because they share commonalities of belief. These love to gather together because they draw ‘comfort’ from & receive ‘support’ for their shared belief & the lifestyles that flow from their beliefs.
‘Birds of a feather’ do indeed ‘flock together’!
Example: Supporters of wholesale abortion are reminded by any Christian push against it, that they have a personal responsibility to God for their bodies. Therefore these oppose the truth in unrighteousness(:18).
Christians ‘rightly’ gather together as well! They gather together because of shared belief. Because we agree with one another regarding the revelatory God, the entirety of His creation, including His known plan for the redemption of that creation, as it is inseparably linked with humanity!
“Among/Between/In”—en—Preposition—1) In, by, with etc.. Strong—a primary preposition denoting (fixed)position(in place, time or state), & by implication--Instrumentality(medially or constructively), i.e. A relation of rest(intermediate between eiv[into, unto, to, towards, for, among] & ek/ex[out of, from, by, away from]).
“Themselves/One Another”—eautou—Pronoun—1) Himself, herself, itself, themselves. Strong—from a reflexive pronoun otherwise obsolete & the genitive case(dative case or accusative case) of autov; Him-(her-, it-, them-, also [in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons] my-, thy-, our-, your-)self(selves), etc..
Argumentation:
Gen. 1:26—“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, & over the cattle, over all the earth & over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male & female He created them. Then God blessed them, & God said to them, “Be fruitful & multiply; fill the earth & subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, & over every living thing that moves on the earth.””
Rom. 2:4-11—“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, & longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness & your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath & revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, & immortality; but to those who are self-seeking & do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness--indignation & wrath, tribulation & anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first & also of the Greek; but glory, honor, & peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first & also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”
Rom. 6:12-14—“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, & your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Col. 3:4-15—“When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, & covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, & have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all & in all. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy & beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, & forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; & be thankful.”
2Tim. 2:21—“Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified & useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”
Illustration:
At a family get-together we may return to the serving table for one last taste of our favorite food/We realize that there is only one deviled egg left/We may call out, ‘There’s only one deviled egg left! I’m about to take it! If you want it, speak now or forever hold your peace!’/I am honoring another family member’s choice/HONOR family dignity
Kitchen knives/A knife can be used to kill someone OR vandalize someone’s property.....OR a knife can be used to consistently prepare meals for the family we love/HONOR the intended use
At Thanksgiving we are tempted to overindulge our tastebuds/There are so many different foods that are always our favorites/They bring fond memories to mind/‘I love Aunt Bertha’s broccoli casserole’!....’Granny Mimi’s stuffing is the best!”, etc.’/But our bodies cannot be given over to dishonor & we must refrain from too much/HONOR
Application:
?Do You Grace the Gospel of Christ by HONORing Him?
?Does Your Gratitude Grace the Gospel of Christ?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Use your elbow when visiting Grandma!
Action:
Gratitude adorns the Gospel thru...
8. HONOR(:24)
1. SHAMELESS TRUST(:15-16)
2. SHARING(:17)
3. REINFORCING GOD’s WRATH(:18)
4. MANIFESTATION(:19)
5. INSIGHT(:20)
6. CHOICE(:21)
7. PROFESSION(:22-23)
Pt# 8 only! Presented 05/19/2019pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(Se Ave. A).
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Points 1-8 were presented Nov. 24, 2011 at the Needmore Community Thanksgiving service held at South River UMC, Woodleaf, NC.
