July 4, 2010

 Romans 1 18-32 b

"Clean your own Stall"

Last Time we looked at the first 2 points dealing with the condemnation of the Gentiles because of defection from the truth.

We saw the revelation of God’s wrath and reasons for God’s wrath. Now we will focus on this portion of scripture again and see 1. the reasons man has no excuse and 2. the result of rebellion.

First the reason Man has no excuse.
We saw last time that a man had no excuse, that God could be seen and understood in Nature. But why can God expect that to be enough to justify his condemnation of mankind?

Look at verse 21-22 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. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
/Going back to the flood, Noah’s sons were taught of God, keeping in mind that Father told son and on and on. Mankind SHOULD have a pretty fair view of God, but instead of acting on the knowledge they had, they made idols and interwove fantasy with truth and turned their back on God. They turned their back on the knowledge of God.

See verse 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. / When they knew him, his power through creation perhaps or from their Fathers, they didn’t give him the honor that was due him.

Things have not changed. Today people profess themselves to be wise and yet are fools. The fool hath said in his heart ‘there is no God”
2
Vain imaginations, perverse reasoning without understanding. They say “we are wise” We are scientific, but in fact they are unwise. Denying the power of God in creation is denying the God of creation. If God can be seen as powerful and divine in his creation we take a great risk to doubt.

If he isn’t able to speak worlds into existence, he is not able to save to the uttermost. If Genesis is a lie then the rest of it s a lie too. For it all points to the power of an infinite God. (I live by his death)

So man, who has the resources to know God, has no excuse when he denies God because he did not act on the knowledge that he had. (that is Creation ..Power and Deity) And he rebelled against God, so he will stand before God with no excuse.

I have read many stories of bushmen who prayed to an unknown God and God heard and sent missionaries to explain more fully the way. They acted on the knowledge they had. Hebrews 11:6 says God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Man has no excuse.
In verses 24,-32 we see the result of man’s rebellion.

Divine retribution is seen ion the threefold repetition of “God gave them up” in verses 24,26 and 28.

God’s wrath is exercised on idolaters by permitting their departure and explicitly by giving them up, giving them over to their own base lusts.

The lesson here is that spiritual defection brings immorality, uncleanness here is the same as in Ephesians 5:3

But fornication and all uncleanness let it not be named among you.” And in Galatians 5:19 The works of the flesh are these: adultery, fornication uncleanness lasciviousness…
Sexual perversion and explained here in verses

26-27 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: 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.

So a clear statement regarding the fact that homosexuality is no more condoned by God than adultery or promiscuity, it, like them are a sign of being turned over, set loose to a wrong mind. It is called a vile affection.

And v 27 says they receive in themselves suitable repayment. Which is shown in verse 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;

God says “you don’t want to hold me in your knowledge? Fine I turn you loose to the dictates of your own evil mind, I will put no claim on you. Evil is your God, self is your God let it rescue if it can.

Some have used verse 27 to say that God is judging by aids, that may be natures judgment, but God is judging in a far more thorough way, he set them adrift, on their own sea sailing right to destruction. Your job is o rescue them, love them and realize it is God’s job to change them. (Abraham begged God to spare Sodom)

The result of a reprobate mind: Reprobate means (Webster) one whose destiny is damnation, or one who is morally unprincipled. And notice the fruit of this “reprobate in verses 29-32. It is easy to point at the fornicators or the immoral or the homosexual and say WICKED WICKED…but we better read on.

(Rom 1:29-32 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 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.

Covetous, desiring things you can’t have, someone’s wife or car or position.

Maliciousness, having the desire to harm someone and see others suffer. That includes the people in the previous category. We may have a belief in that regard, but we need to have the same belief in this regard a s well. No desire to harm others. It is ill will or spite and it is evidenced in whispering campaigns and in gossip.

Full of envy: Someone else has the things you don’t , prestige or position and it eats you up.

Murder: Jesus said if you hate your brother in your heart you are guilty of murder.

Debate: contention in view here, strife, wrangling being argumentative.

Deceit: Using your words to shade meanings and to twist others to your view. (please use snopes or truth or fiction.com)

Maligning: People who spread dirt.

Whisperers: Secret slander, telling tales running someone down. God hates that.
(.Pro 26:20 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. )

Verse 30 Backbiters: To speak evil against, to defame someone (he’s no good…) and on it goes. We can point at the ones we see as evil, but maybe it is time to clean our own pen. Shovel out our own stall.

Notice that GOD HATERS goes hand in hand with whisperers and backbiters? Look at 1 John 4:11-21 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

So, a brother hater is a God hater.

Next note: Despiteful. Insolent, insulting in manner nof speech, arrogant :I am spiritual, they are not.”

Proud: I have been saved since 1901 and it has to do with my greatness. (I am he who worships thee)Spiritual age does not always mean spiritual maturity. If you are a gossip, whisperer, any of the above, don’t lie to yourself about your spiritual maturity, you have little.

Boasters: self explanatory. Inventors of evil things, fantasies?

Disobedient to parents. Not complying or being persuaded by parents.

Verse 31 Without understanding. (between 17& 21 my dad learned a lot) No moral discernment.

Covenant breakers. Divorce as a free for all, not keeping our vows, You promised her you would be faithful and forsake all others keep yourself (your thoughts and desires?) only for her as long as you live. You say you are for the sanctity of marriage? How’s YOURS?

Without natural affection. No real dedication to family or relatives. Sad to see moms and dads abandoning their children to satisfy present desires.

Implacable: Ruthless, Callous, rigid, relentless. Lust unfulfilled, admitting no truce “I can’t get no, satisfaction”

Unmerciful. Not willing to forgive or not willing to take responsibility to help others in need. Unkind.

V 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.

A quality of moral abandonment here. Although they know that such acts bring judgment the still do them or encourage others to do them. Permit them and accept wrongdoing. And God is not pleased.

When these traits are listed, do you point at the “immoral ones” or have you looked at your life and asked “does any of this describe me?” Then bring any of these to God, ask him to forgive you and turn from them (repent) and he will willingly forgive.

Not long before she died in 1988, in a moment of surprising candor in television, Marghanita Laski, one of our best-known secular humanists and novelists, said, "What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness; I have nobody to forgive me."

Oh but she did have…if only she had asked.

Come every souls by sin oppressed, here’s mercy In the lord

Take hope in these verses:

1Co 6:9 -11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

In a dream, Martin Luther found himself being attacked by Satan. The devil unrolled a long scroll containing a list of Luther's sins, and held it before him. On reaching the end of the scroll Luther asked the devil, "Is that all?" "No," came the reply, and a second scroll was thrust in front of him. Then, after a second came a third. But now the devil had no more. "You've forgotten something," Luther exclaimed triumphantly. "Quickly write on each of them, 'The blood of Jesus Christ God's son cleanses us from all sins.'"

K. Koch, Occult Bondage and Deliverance, p. 10.