“WHAT A MESS!” Romans 1:18-32
FBCF – 9/7/25
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Fair warning: This may be a hard sermon. Definitely a “bad news/good news” sermon. Might get tough in the middle but hang on! Triggered? Sorry. Deal w/ it. Offended? Sorry, but the Gospel is offensive b/c it confronts sin head on. Uncomfortable? Hope so if you’ve gotten comfy & cozy w/ sin.
Last week, a demonically inspired man opened fire at Annunciation Catholic Church & School in Minneapolis, killing 2 children, injuring 18 others, & scarring the lives of many, many more. Terrible tragedy!
I knew what was going to come after that & it did. Liberal politicians, government leaders, & news organizations immediately began to bash the notion that “thoughts & prayers” would help in any way. Mayor of Minneapolis – “Don’t just say this is about thoughts & prayers right now…” CNN anchor – “Forget about thoughts & prayers…”
MLB team observed a moment of silence at the game on Wed. & also released a statement: “Our deepest sympathies & prayers are w/ the victims, their families, & all who have been affected. Alongside our community, we mourn this tragedy & yearn for a future where such violence no longer shatters lives.”
2 things: First, I agree that empty platitudes about thoughts & prayers need to be forgotten. They don’t do anything. Wikipedia actually has a definition for the phrase: "'Thoughts and prayers' is a phrase commonly used by politicians, public figures, and celebrities, particularly in the United States, as a condolence after a deadly event such as a natural disaster or mass shooting." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoughts_and_prayers)
It's “a phrase” that is “used.” PRAYER IS NOT JUST A PHRASE! If it’s just a phrase that some politician or celebrity throws out to try to make themselves look better or seem more compassionate, then it’s a crock. It’s even more of a crock when that politician or celebrity’s lifestyle makes it abundantly clear that they know nothing about what true prayer is all about anyhow. If the politicians & celebrities & athletes are just throwing that phrase out there w/out truly crying out to the Lord & interceding for those who are hurting, then just don’t even say the words.
Second thing is this: Same can be said for you & me when we tell someone, “I’m thinking about you.” What good does that do? Just thinking about someone doesn’t change anything. What changes things is when we actually DO pray Scripturally, passionately, fervently, faithfully, & unceasingly. Paul didn’t just tell the Philippians believers, “Hey, I’m thinking about you.” He told them, “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God” (Philippians 1:3). Same here in Romans 1:9-10 – “I mention you always in my prayers.” He prayed for them & thanked God for them which is MUCH more effective & life-changing than just saying, “I’m thinking about you.” In fact, instead of just telling someone you’re thinking about them & praying for them, why don’t you stop right there w/ them & pray for them? MUCH more meaningful & much more genuine.
- Called my brother, Tim, when I got the word about my melanoma – “Jon, you know I don’t do the ‘church lady’ junk anymore & just say, ‘I’m praying for you.’ If I tell you I’m going to pray for you, I mean it & I’m going to do it.” My reply: “That’s why I called you.” And he does pray & he IS praying for me!
- So many of you are the same way. When you SAY you’re praying for me or for someone else, you truly are! And THAT makes a difference as you call out to God, knowing that He WILL answer you & show you great & mighty things you do not know (Jeremiah 33:3)
Only time I’ve actually agreed w/ Rep. Ilhan Omar on anything she’s ever said. In the aftermath of the shooting, she said, “There is something fundamentally broken.” Agree completely! It got broken all the way back in the Garden of Eden. And every school shooting, every abortion, every rape, every act of child abuse, every drag queen show, every corrupt backroom business deal, every road rage incident, every homosexual act, every adulterous relationship, every lie that is told, every time a student cheats on a test, every act of bullying, every word of gossip, every incident of human trafficking – every sin that’s ever been committed or will be committed shows the brokenness of our lives & our world due to sin.
EXPLANATION – Romans 1:18-32
WHAT A MESS!
Romans – Has been called the “Magna Carta of Christian faith.” Tony Evans – “The constitution of the Church.” Martin Luther – “This letter is truly the most important piece in the NT.” So much of our foundational theology & doctrine comes from this majestic book written by the Apostle Paul. Its focus is on the doctrine of our salvation by GRACE alone through FAITH alone in CHRIST alone. The Good News is that “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). We need to understand that all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God. And here in this passage, we see just how filthy we are as sinners. So, let’s go.
APPLICATION: When we see how bad our sin is, we see how much we need our Savior.
They exchanged the glory of God for idolatry – v. 18-23 – “THEY” – the human race – all of us. God has made it abundantly clear that His wrath will be poured out on all those who reject Him & continue in sin. And no one will be able to say, “I didn’t know” (v. 20).
God hates sin in any & every form. And He has a particular hatred for idolatry (“God hates idolatry” – 58 times so far in OT). When you decide to take the glory of God – the splendor, majesty, & praise for God - & give it to anything or anyone else, you’ve shown that you are a complete fool & your life is on a downward trajectory. Churches/denominations that have elevated man’s opinions & ideas & people’s feelings above the glory of God are led by fools whose minds are worthless & hearts are senseless. What a mess!
They exchanged the truth of God for lies – v. 24-25 – God’s truth never changes! His Word never changes! Jesus, who is the Truth, never changes! But when you change & pervert His truth & start preaching, teaching, & living a lie, God will give you up to your own lusts. He will let you go your own way & do your own thing & serve yourself rather than Him. But when you worship & serve “the creature rather than the Creator”, you’ll get only what the creature can give you. What a mess! And what is that mess? Keep going…
They exchanged the plan of God for sex & marriage for shameless debauchery – v. 26-27 – Here’s what you’ll get when you go your own way & do your own thing: “dishonorable passions” – Gk word – passions & lusts that are base, vile, degrading, appalling, immoral, repulsive.
No matter what the world lies to you about, God’s beautiful, wonderful, perfect plan for sexual expression & pleasure is only for a married man & woman to enjoy. It’s not for unmarried people…for someone other than your spouse…for people of the same sex…for you to share w/ multiple people…for online virtual expression.
We are believing & living a lie whenever we go against God’s beautiful, perfect plan. What a mess!
They exchanged the righteousness of God for unimaginable evil & sin – v. 28-32 – “I’m not going to even acknowledge God. I’m just going to keep living however I want to live, no matter what He says or what the Bible teaches.” You hear statements like this:
- “My body. My choice.”
- “God made me this way.”
- “The Lord’s very forgiving, & He put me on here. He put me on earth for a reason, & I’m just living every day. If it wasn’t meant for me, I wouldn’t be here right now.” (Online porn star – makes $43 mil a year)
And in case you think this doesn’t apply to you b/c you’ve not given in to these types of “really bad” sins, just look at v. 29-32. You’ll find yourself somewhere in there. Even worse: we’re so messed up that we will “invent new ways of sinning” (v. 30 NLT)! There’s no bottom to the depth of the depravity of the human mind & heart. Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things” – which is why we need a NEW heart that ONLY JESUS can give us! So no matter what you’ve done or where you are or what a mess you’ve made of your life…(here’s the good news!)
REMEMBER JESUS! Remember the blood that was shed for YOU. Remember the forgiveness – the COMPLETE forgiveness that you can have through Him. Remember that He is God’s perfect plan for your redemption, your regeneration, & your restoration. Remember that when you are weary & heavy-laden, He will give you rest. Remember that He came to seek & to save the lost person, no matter what that lost person has done or how that lost person has lived. Remember that He is the healer & restorer of every broken life, the forgiver of every sin, & the friend of every sinner. Remember that He alone is the Way, the Truth, & the Life, & no one comes to the Father except through Him. Remember that He is your ONLY hope! So run to Him RIGHT NOW!
REVEL IN GOD’S GRACE & MERCY! – Word “revel” means to celebrate, to party, to bask in & to cut loose! God’s GRACE is Him giving you what you don’t deserve. His MERCY is Him NOT giving you what you DO deserve. And once you get a taste of His GRACE & MERCY, there’s no pleasure that the world can give you that will even come close to that! So, party on, Christ-follower!
REPENT CONSTANTLY! – You & I are still going to mess up. That’s not an excuse. That doesn’t not give us license to sin. But the reality is that we will all still mess up. And when we do, we need to be quick to confess & repent & immediately get back in fellowship w/ Jesus. Bill Elliff – “To be a true Christian is to be a lifelong repenter.” When you realize you’ve sinned & grieved the heart of God - & that will happen quickly – then REPENT!
RELY ON JESUS DAILY! – Old hymn: “Every day w/ Jesus is sweeter than the day before.” It truly is! Keep building your relationship w/ Him. Keep walking w/ Him. Keep serving Him. Keep glorifying Him every day. He’s worth it!
CONCLUSION - Come to Jesus today - either for the first time for salvation or to return to Him in repentance & restore your intimacy & fellowship with Him.
