THE WRATH OF GOD Romans 1:18-32
INTRO:
1. Today we have commissioned Robert through our prayers and support.
But wouldn’t it have been a wasted trip if he doesn’t minister to people. People without Christ who are dying and going to Hell.
2. What about here? Do we realize that if people do not accept the saving message of the gospel, they are Lost?
NO PLURALISM: many ways to God. Not, it doesn’t matter because we are serving the same God.
That is true if we accept:
We are all in sin
Christ came to become sin / price for sin
We accept His sacrifice
Receive Him into our hearts as savior
3. Why would I preach on wrath?
Follow the leading of the Lord.
Instill that He is the God of wrath as much as He is the God of Love!
Tony Evans: “What would you say about a pastor who told you about God’s love and forgiveness and patience, but never warned you about His wrath? ... That pastor would be doing you a disservice!”
4. This is not an easy subject, yet it is as integral to His nature as His other perfections.
The Bible has more to say about God’s wrath than it does
about His love.
5. Wrath: His necessary, just and righteous retribution against sin! It is the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin.
I. WHAT IS REVEALED v. 18-20
A. God hates sin! He does not delight in punishing upright-
eousness (Eze. 33:11). He will not let the guilty go unpunished (Eze. 34:7). Peter reminds us that God is impartial and will judge all men according to their deeds. (1 Peter 1:17)
Habakkuk 1:13 (NKJV)
You are of purer eyes than to behold evil,
And cannot look on wickedness.
Why do You look on those who deal treacherously,
And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours
A person more righteous than he?
The Holy Bible, New King James Version
Luke 16:15 15And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
B. His Creation:
Adam and Eve: booted out of the garden
Noah- whole world resisted God - flood
Babel: God scattered and destroyed their program
Sodom and Gomorrah: destroyed - started with 50
Pharaoh: Ten times God told them through Moses and the
plagues.
Korah: rebelled against Moses - people choose sides - God
swallowed them up.
Anannias and Saphira: lied against God
Jesus: God turned His back on His own Son because He
could not look on sin.
C. Wrath has been Distorted.
Men “suppress” the truth.
Even in our lifetime: apathy, degeneration of morals, justification, blame.
All because we are darkened by sin and seek to continue in
what we want instead of submission to the Creator.
II. WHAT IS REJECTED v. 21-23
A. Isn’t it amazing how you can explain something so clearly and yet the person will ignore you and do exactly what they want - usually the opposite!
B. That’s what Paul is talking about when he says “their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
C. Look at this rejection:
1. THEIR ESTEEM: they did not glorify Him as God The word means “to consider, honor resulting from a good opinion”
Although they see creation with their eyes - they do not recognize it is by God’s hand.
To glorify him “as God” is to regard with proper reverence all his perfections and laws; to venerate his name, his power, his holiness, and presence, etc. As they were not inclined to do this, so they were given over to their own vain and wicked desires. Sinners are not willing to give honor to God, as God. Barnes Notes
There is not respect for God because they do not recognize that everything comes from God.
Tony Evans: “How in the world can you come here on Sunday morning and claim to worship God as God and then ignore Him all week long? That’s backwards.”
A willingness to honor God as God—to reverence, love, and obey him, would effectually restrain people from sin.
2. THEIR EXALTATION: “nor were thankful”
The problem with sin from the beginning is wanting to set ourselves higher than God.
We control our lives. We remove God from the center of our lives!
What does God do - He will let us go. Three times “God gave them up” or “God gave them over”
God gave them up—He abandoned them, or he ceased to restrain them, and suffered them to act out their sentiments, and to manifest them in their life.
God says: “You want independence from Me? You’ve got it. You want to live your own life? You’ve got it. You want to be your own god? You’ve got it - and everything that comes with it.”
Psalm 81:12 12So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart,
To walk in their own counsels.
What did He give them over to:
a) Stage One: General Passions “do your own thing approach”
We want God to be like us. Fit our desires and wishes.
b) Stage Two: Fulfilling Passions:
We invent was to satisfy lusts. We get wild and crazy
v. 26-27 he discusses homosexuality specificately.
c) Stage Three: Impulsive Passions
God will let people get so crazy in their sin that they can
no longer think right, perceive right, or act right.
They will begin to believe that the debasing act of man is
justifiable.
2 Thess. 2:10, 12
10and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
3. THEIR EXCHANGE: glory of God to an image.
Their thinking was futile: “serving no useful purpose - completely ineffective.” The word “foolish” means literally what is without “understanding;”
They were seeking spiritual answers in a non spiritual way.
Their minds were dark: incapable of perceiving light!
the word “incorruptible” is here applied to God in opposition to “man.” God is unchanging, indestructible, immortal. The word conveys also the idea that God is eternal. As he is incorruptible, he is the proper object of worship. In all the changes of life, man may come to him, assured that he is the same. When man decays by age or infirmities, he may come to God, assured that he undergoes no such change, but is the same yesterday, today, and forever; compare
It was the greatest honor God did to man that he made man in the image of God; but it is the greatest dishonor man has done to God that he has made God in the image of man.
So, their only avenue was “human religion”
*idols - we have those today
*human reasoning
*human advancement - today we are seeing the results of
modern humanism.
III. WHAT IS RECOGNIZED v. 32
A. They know what is right about God. who, knowing the righteous judgment of God
We have a tendency to claim ignorance at the expense of our conscience.
B. We even know what the consequence will be! “that those who practice such things are deserving of death”
Have you ever tried to warn someone, and their response would be, “That will never happen to me”
C. The worst part, we encourage others to join in our sinful behavior!
Some people justify their behavior when they can get someone else to go along with their decisions!
CONCLUSION:
PARDON REJECTED:
In 1829, a Philadelpia man named George Wilson robbed the U.S. Mail and killed someone in the process. Wilson was arrested, brought to trial, convicted, and sentenced to be hanged. Some friends intervened on his behalf and were finally able to obtain a pardon for Wilson from President Andrew Jackson.
But when informed of this, Wilson refused to accept the pardon. The sheriff was unwilling to carry out the sentence. How could he hang a pardoned man? An appeal was sent to President Jackson. Perplexed, Jackson turned to the U.S. Supreme Court to decide the case. Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that a pardon rejected is no pardon at all. George Wilson would have to face sentence. Wilson was hanged, although his pardon lay on the sheriff’s desk.
Pardon for sin is available for all!!
Rom. 5:8-9
8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Aren’t you glad for God’s grace and patience?
Holy Bible, New Living Translation
2 Pet. 3:9
9The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent.
