God lovingly confronts our sin, calling us to repentance and surrender, so we may experience true healing, gratitude, and restored relationship with Him.
Some Sundays feel like a soft chair and a warm blanket. Other Sundays feel like the Father’s steady hand on our shoulder, guiding us to look straight at the mirror and see what He sees. Today is one of those tender, truthful moments. Romans 1 is a sober passage, yet it is also a gracious gift, because God loves us too much to let what harms us hide in the shadows. He speaks, not to shame, but to save; not to crush, but to call us closer. If your heart feels heavy as you hear these words, take courage—heavy hearts often become holy ground. Honest hearts become healing hearts.
We live in a world with a thousand voices and a million distractions. Our calendars swell, our feeds scream, and our souls grow thin. Have you felt that? The quiet ache? The whisper that says there must be more than chasing the next thing and nursing the same old wounds? Romans 1 invites us to lift our eyes from the glitter of the created and look again at the goodness of the Creator. It invites us to trade our tight grip on excuses for the open hands of repentance, to meet the God whose firm words are faithful words, whose warnings are woven with mercy.
There’s a reason God speaks strongly about sin. Sin shrinks our world. It steals our song. It silences gratitude and sours trust. And when truth is pushed down, life gets pulled apart. Yet our Lord is a master at mending. He corrects because He cares. He confronts because He can cleanse. He calls us to confess because He stands ready to comfort. This is not a scolding. This is a saving invitation.
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The time is always right to do what is right.” That feels fitting right now. Today is a good day—your day, my day—to hear, to humble ourselves, and to hold fast to the God who made us. If your mind is foggy, ask for clarity. If your conscience is tender, let it stay tender. If your habits are hard, bring them into the light of His kindness. He does beautiful work with surrendered hearts.
Before we pray, let’s listen to the word of the Lord together.
Romans 1:18–32 (KJV) 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Opening Prayer: Father, we come to You with open Bibles and needy hearts. Speak with clarity that cuts through our confusion. Shine Your light where we have shaded the truth. Give us courage to confess and confidence to come near. Guard us from defensiveness, and grant us godly sorrow that leads to life. Teach us to honor You as Creator, to treasure Your truth, and to walk in righteousness with joy. Holy Spirit, convict us kindly, comfort us deeply, and change us wholly. Lord Jesus, thank You for Your cross, Your mercy, and Your mighty love. We are listening. We are willing. We are Yours. Amen.
Paul opens a window we would rather keep shut. He says God’s wrath is being revealed now. He says truth is being pushed down. This is weighty. It is also clear. The words come to us like a wake-up bell. Honest. Direct. Needed.
First, hear how Scripture frames this wrath. It is “from heaven.” It is holy and clean. It is not random. It is God’s settled stand against what unravels His world. Verse 18 says it targets “all ungodliness and unrighteousness.” So it reaches what we think, what we worship, and how we treat people. This wrath shows up in a present way. Three times in the passage we read, “God gave them up.” That phrase matters. It means God hands people over to what they keep chasing. He lets desire rule them. He lets lies steer them. He lets choices ripen. This is a hard mercy. It exposes the emptiness of our plans. It shows the cracks we refused to see. Yet this present exposure also points to a future day. A day when every work comes into view. A day when God’s verdict stands. So the text pulls us into the light right now. It says God is not passive about evil. He is not blind to pain. He is not silent when we twist good gifts. His wrath is His love for what is right in motion. His wrath is His promise to set things right.
Second, look at how Paul describes truth. He says the truth about God is plain. God has made it clear. You can see His power and His divinity in what He has made. You can hear a faint echo in your own heart. You sense that life is not an accident. You sense that gratitude is the proper posture. Yet verse 18 says people “hold the truth in unrighteousness.” The picture is like pushing a beach ball under water. It takes effort. It keeps wanting to rise. We push it down with excuses. We push it down with distractions. We push it down with pride. Verse 21 adds the next step. People knew there was a God, but they stopped giving thanks. They stopped honoring Him. The mind then chases empty ideas. The heart grows dim. A person can have many facts and miss the fear of the Lord. A person can be praised as wise and still lose sight of the Maker. This is how suppression works. It is quiet at first. It feels safe. It feels clever. Over time, it drains joy and clarity. It makes the obvious seem foggy. It makes sin feel normal. It turns worship inward.
Third, Paul names the “exchange.” People swap the glory of the immortal God for images. In ancient days, that looked like carved figures and animal forms. Today, the shapes have changed but the swap remains. We trade the living God for what we can see and hold. We trade Him for work, body, pleasure, power, reputation, control. We tell ourselves, This will keep me safe. This will make me whole. We start serving gifts as if they were gods. We let hobbies, screens, or praise call the shots. Verse 25 says people “changed the truth of God into a lie,” and served what was made rather than the Maker. This always reshapes the body and the soul. What we adore trains our appetites. What we serve sets our schedule. What we praise sets our standards. The exchange never stays in the mind. It reaches our habits. It reaches our relationships. It reaches our sense of right and wrong. Over time, worship of created things bends desires in ways that do harm. It loads shame on the heart. It breaks trust. It narrows love.
Fourth, Paul shows the outcome when God “gives them up.” Verse 24 speaks of dishonor with the body. Verse 26–27 names desires and acts that go against God’s design. Paul is clear. He is pastoral and firm. The point is bigger than any single practice. The point is that disordered worship produces disordered desires. When God gives people over, the compass spins. The body is used in ways that do not fit His good aim. This letting-go also reaches the mind. Verse 28 says God gives people over to a “reprobate mind,” a mind that stops making sound judgments. Then comes the long list in verses 29–31. Envy. Murder. Strife. Lies. Gossip. Arrogance. Disobedience to parents. Hard hearts. Broken promises. Lack of mercy. This list catches all of us. It is a mirror we would rather avoid. Verse 32 adds a final sting. People come to approve of what God condemns. They even cheer it on in others. That is a frightening place. It means conscience goes quiet. It means sin becomes a badge. It means culture disciples us more than Scripture. Facing this is hard. Yet facing this is how healing starts. This passage tells the truth about how sin works. It shows why we need rescue that goes deeper than new rules. It shows why we need a new heart, a clean mind, and a better master.
Romans 1 shows what happens when attention moves from the Maker to what is made ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO
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