Let's open our Bibles again to
Romans chapter one passage we just read. The title of the message
this morning is The Wrath of God Revealed. Now, we've seen
in the previous verses how the gospel of Christ reveals the
righteousness of God. It's in the gospel we find out
how this is through the gospel. God reveals to his people how
he makes his people righteous. It's through the doing and the
dying. of the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior, and we receive that
righteousness by faith in Christ. And we've seen that the gospel
also reveals the wrath of God against sin, against the sin
of his elect. God's wrath for the sin of his
elect was poured out upon Christ our substitute at Calvary. That's
how the sin of God's elect was put away, in the full, unmitigated
wrath of God upon our substitute. If you ever want to see what
sin deserves, all you've got to do is look to Calvary. There
we see it. Now these next verses deal with
God's wrath against the sin of those who refuse to believe on
it. Look here at verse 18. For the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who
hold the truth in unrighteousness. Now God's wrath is against all
ungodliness, all unrighteousness, and it just means all sin. God
is holy. So of course his wrath is against
all sin. But Paul is talking about something
specific. He's talking about people in
false religion. That's those who hold the truth
in unrighteousness. That's people in false religion.
They hear the truth, but they hold it in unrighteousness. How
do you do that? Well, it's by hearing the gospel,
but saying, well, you know, I can earn some of my own righteousness
by myself. I'll take Christ as my helper,
but I don't need him to be all of my righteousness. So I don't
need him to be all of my sanctification. I can live well enough to keep
myself sanctified. That kind of self-attitude, self-righteousness,
self-reliance will always draw the wrath of God, always. How
ungodly is it to say we don't need Christ, the Son of God?
That's the very definition of ungodly, isn't it? And the Lord's
strongest rebukes during his earthly ministry were always
for those people, those who were self-righteous. But you saw how
he always treated sinners who had a need with such mercy, compassion,
and kindness. And these self-righteous, all
men really, ought to know better. They should know better. They
do know better. If they don't know better, it's their own fault.
And I'll give you two reasons why. Number one, their conscience
tells them better than that. Verse 19, because that which
may be known of God is manifest in them, and that's to them.
That which may be known of God is manifest to them. For God
has showed it unto them. God has showed them. They can't
do enough to please God. Their own conscience tells them
that. Look over a page of Romans 2, verse 14. For when the Gentiles, which have
not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law,
These having not the law, if they never did see the law, the
Ten Commandments, their law unto themselves, which show the work
of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing
witness, and their thoughts that meanwhile accusing or else excusing
one another. Their conscience tells them better
than that. And that's the reason that false preachers have to
constantly pump people up. It's because they know better.
Their conscience tells them they can't keep God's law. Their conscience
tells them they can't please God's law. So the preacher has
to constantly shout down their conscience, because their conscience
tells them better than that. Their conscience tells them they
haven't kept God's law. So the false prophet has to always
pump them up by telling them how good they are, constantly
trying to shout down their conscience, telling them, you know, you can't
keep the law. And then, oddly enough, they turn around and
use the same law to threaten people to act better. How convoluted
is that? You have to do that, if that's
going to be your doctrine, because your conscience tells you that.
And second, the self-righteous ought to know better, and all
men, all men everywhere ought to know better. We see God in
creation. Look at verse 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're without excuse. Now, what are
these invisible things of God? What's the character of God?
We see in creation, we see God's power. We see his wisdom. In creation, we see how God reigns
as king. He's the one that holds all this
together. If you look at creation, You
have to know God is. The only way all this could have
got here is if God created it. The only way this creation can
stay together. I mean, I've seen pictures of
spaceships going out into space and they see this galaxy. The
only way That could be held together by divine power and divine wisdom. Nothing else could do. If you
look at creation, you know God is. Now look at that creation. Do you really think you can do
something to impress the God that created all this from nothing? Now they can try to deny it.
But the Holy Spirit says here, they're without excuse. Now we
want to make excuses for them, but the Holy Spirit says they're
without excuse. They'll have plenty of excuses,
but none of them hold water. This is just too obvious is what
God's word says. Verse 21, here's why God's wrath
is revealed against them. 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. God's wrath
is revealed against the self-righteous religionist, the person who wants
to depend on self, because they know God is. And even though
they know God is, even though they've got some sense, I've
got an answer to this God, they don't glorify him as God. They
don't bow and ask him for mercy. They will not beg him for mercy. They're too proud, too full of
self to get down in the dust and beg God for mercy. Look at
Romans chapter 10. This is what Paul says is the
error of his countrymen. They will not submit themselves
to the righteousness of God. Romans 10. And they won't submit
because they're too full of self. Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear
them record that they have zeal of God, but it's not according
to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness, it's not according to a faulty knowledge that God
is, no, they know that. Here's what they're ignorant
of. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going
about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted
themselves unto the righteousness of God. They won't submit because
they're too full of self. They hear of God's free and sovereign
grace in Christ. They hear of God's electing grace
of God. through nothing good that a sinner
did, chose sinners to save in his son. What a wonderful thing
for a sinner to hear. They hear that and they're not
thankful. They hate it. They think they know a better
way of salvation. I know something better. Now
I ask you, what's more vain than the creature thinking I know
a better way than God does? that would irritate the living
daylight out of me. They didn't do it very often,
but if my children, when they were little, ever insinuated
they knew a better way to do something than I did, that would
draw my wrath. How much more God? How much more
God who cannot make a mistake, who never errs? What's more vain
in thinking we know a better way to be saved than God's way? And they want to show how smart
they are. We're so much more advanced,
you know, than we used to be. And all they're doing is just
revealing they're fools. And I'll tell you why they're fools.
It's because their natural heart is darkened. They're foolish.
They act foolish because their heart is deceived by sin. The
heart's desperately wicked. It's deceitful. Who can know
it? They think they're so smart. But if your only light is human
intelligence, how great is your darkness? What darkness? They
don't see God. But now listen, it's their own
fault. They don't see God because they
don't want to see him. They don't know God because they
don't want to know him. Anybody who wants to know God
will. That's exactly right. Anybody
who wants to be saved on God's terms They will be saved. That's
absolutely right. If you seek God, you'll be saved. God says that. If you seek God,
you'll find him. He's not hard to find. He's everywhere.
He's very near all of us. If you seek him, you'll find
him. But those who are self-righteous, those who are self-righteous
in their religion, they don't know God. Now you listen to me. They go through a religious ceremony,
but they're not worshiping God. God does not accept that as worship.
Look back in our text, Romans 1 verse 23. And change the glory
of uncorruptible God into an image made like to a corruptible
man. And this shows you what we think of God. First, they
make an image like corruptible man. And then they keep lowering
God, don't they? and then to birds and then to
four-footed beasts and then to creeping things. They just keep
lowering God lower and lower and lower. And they think they're
so smart. They think they're smart enough
to figure God out on their own. But God's got to be revealed.
We cannot know God by our human intelligence. Y'all are smart.
I mean, you're smart people. The things you do in your jobs
amazes me. Getting your PhDs and all that.
You're smart people. But we cannot know God unless
He reveals Himself to us. We just can't know Him. And when
we think we can figure God out on our own, four foot of beasts
and creeping things and birds and fish on the back of your
car to worship. You know, that's just, that's
the darkness of human intelligence. And since they don't know God,
the message they preach is in error. It's a perversion of the
gospel of Christ. They think they're smart enough
to make changes to God's word. Now you mark this down. God's
word means what it says. And they say, well, I don't understand.
I don't like that. So I'm going to say it means this. Well, they're
making changes to God's word. And when they do that, they've
created an idol. They've created an idol just as surely as if
they took a tree and carved out a bird or an animal and bowed
down to worship. It's an idol. It's something
that man made up. It's not something that you find
in God's word. It's not the revelation of God
you find in the word. The message. that said God loves
everybody. Christ wants to save everybody.
Everybody's saved no matter what they believe or, you know, how
they worship. Everybody's saved. Brethren,
that's idolatry. It's an idol. Just as much an
idol as if you bought figurines down at the dime store and bowed
down to worship them. I'm telling you the truth. And
that's the religion every one of us would be if God left us
to our own imagination of who God is and how God saves sinners
and how we're to worship God. Everyone, I'm not, understand
me, I'm not bashing these folks. I want to point out error to
you. I'm not bashing them. I pity them. Oh, how I pity them. I know I'd be right there with
them if God left me to myself. I know I would. If you would
know God, if you would know who God is, How God saves sinners. Get in this world. Read it and
believe it. Don't believe your interpretation
of it. Believe what God says in his word. You shall be saved. This is where the Savior is revealed.
But these folks. They want their own way. They're
going to insist on their own way, and here's a very serious
warning for those who refuse who refuse to believe God, who
refuse to bow to Him, and insist on their own way. Verse 24, wherefore,
God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lust of their own
hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves, who
changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served
the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen,
so be it. For this cause, God gave them
up unto vile affection. 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. 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. Paul says,
wherefore? Because people refuse to believe
God. Because they refuse to bow to
God as God. Because they refuse to beg for
salvation on God's term. God gave them up. They wanted
their own way and God gave them up. And when He gives them up,
what's the end? He gives them up not to something
good. He gives them up to uncleanness. Those who insist on self-righteousness,
on doing it my way, If you persist on long enough, God will give
you up to Him. That's what man's religion is. It's uncleanness.
Man's religion cannot tell you how to clean you from your sin,
from the filth of your sin. It can only make you more unclean.
These folks, Paul's writing about, wanted their own way rather than
submitting to God. And God said, all right, I'll
give you your way. I don't know that there's anything
that frightens me more than that. My constant prayer is, Lord,
don't leave me alone. Don't leave me to my way. Don't
leave me to my understanding. Don't let me just do what I think
is right. Use your rod and your staff to
comfort me by keeping me in the way. Don't let me stray. That's how I'm going to be comforted.
Use your rod and your staff Whatever it takes to keep me from straying
away from Christ. I tell you, someone can insist
on their own way long enough. I just let him go. Hosea 4 verse
17, the Lord said, Ephraim is joined to his idols. He's insisted
on it. Let him alone. Don't go preach
to him. He says that three times in these
verses we've just read. Verses 24, 26, and 28, God gave
them over. Now that's frightening because
we see what happens when God gives somebody over and leaves
them alone to their own way. We really don't know how far
away from God we'd go if God took his hand off of us. We really
don't know. It already frightens me and I
still don't know how far away from God I'd go. All right. Now, these verses clearly are
referring to homosexuality. I've got a few things to say
about this, I feel are very needful. I hope you listen, especially
our young people. I hope you listen to what I'm
about to say from God's word, because it's very, very, very
relevant to your world. Are you listening to me? Homosexuality
is wrong. It's sinful and it's wrong. I'm
not being an old fuddy-duddy when I say that. This is God's
Word. I'm not being unenlightened. I'm not being ignorant behind
the times. God's Word's never behind the times. God's Word
says that homosexuality is wrong. Homosexuality is not an alternative
lifestyle that we ought to accept. God says it's a dishonor. God
says this is a way men have devised to dishonor themselves with each
other. God says doing that is unseemly.
The word is indecent. It's not decent. It's not something
decent folks ought to accept. It's indecent. God says this
love, the homosexual love, it's not natural. It's not a natural
love of a husband and a wife. It's unnatural. And I'll tell
you where it comes from. It didn't come from God. It comes
from the lust of our fallen nature. That's where it comes from. and
AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases are God's judgment against
it. That's what he says there at
the end of verse 27, and receiving in themselves that recompense
of their error, which was me. It's just the recompense of the
error, which was just right. It's God's judgment against this.
Homosexuality is wrong and we should never accept it as an
alternative or good way of life. But now listen to me. Don't go
bashing them either. Just don't be a gay bashinger. Don't do that either. Because
that would be just as self-righteous as blasting people about other
sins. And you know why we don't tend
to blast people about other sins quite as much? Because we got,
you and me, got a draw to those things. We all hate a thief,
but we don't bash him as much as you do homosexuality because,
you know, I can see myself stealing. That's why every other sin is
just as bad. That's right. Sin is sin. God doesn't see degrees of sin.
In the last four verses of this chapter, Paul gives us an extensive
list of them. Look here at verse 29. He says,
being filled with all unrighteousness. By nature, we are filled with
all unrighteousness. So if we're filled with unrighteousness,
that means by nature we don't have any righteousness. Does
that make sense? We're filled with unrighteousness.
Unrighteousness is what we like. It's what we want. The opposite,
that's what we want by nature. Then Paul says fornication. That's
just any sexual sin. These are the things we naturally
desire and think about, even if we don't act them out. Then
he talks about wickedness. That's just any sinful desire
or any sinful thought. Just today, it's not even 1130.
Have you thought something you thought? I shouldn't have thought
that. He talks about covetousness and
envy. Have you ever wanted something
that didn't belong to you? Have you ever wanted something that belonged
to somebody else? Yeah, I can't help it. Well, we don't think
envies is, you know, we just because it's in us, we don't
think it's as bad as other things, right? Maliciousness. It's just the word means naughty.
You know, if you just ever thought being naughty is more fun, I
think maybe I'd just rather be on Santa's bad list and be naughty
and have fun the rest of the year. Maliciousness. Murder. Somebody's out of college. Murder. Debate. You ever want to argue
with God about why he does what he does? You ever want to argue
with God about the way he does what he does? You ever argued
with your boss or your teacher? Debate. Malignity is just mischievousness. Do you ever think a little mischief
would be fun? That's innocent. Whispers and
back biters. You ever had a piece of juicy
gossip you just You couldn't keep it, you had to tell it.
Did you ever have a little piece of juicy gossip you want to tell
to get back at somebody, just get them behind their back? Whispers. Haters of God. Now there's the
root of our problem. Haters of God. By nature, we
don't love God. The carnal mind's enmity against
God. Proud. This is what we've been talking
about. Pride. Pride in self. You ever been
proud your sin's not as bad as somebody else's? Boasters. This is, again, what
we're talking about. Bragging about what you've done.
Bragging about what you've done for God. Self-righteousness.
Even with other people. You know, something great happens
to somebody and they're talking about it. You just can't stand
not to be the center of attention. You've got to be the bigger,
better deal and brag about something you've done. Boasters. Inventors
of evil things. You know, it's not good enough
following the bad example of seeing somebody else say that.
We got to make up our own ways. Inventors of evil things. Disobedient to parents. Every
heart in this room is smitten. We all do that. Without understanding. They mean foolish. You ever been
a fool just because you didn't know any better? Covenant breakers. They're breaking a promise. That's
our nature to be a covenant breaker. And that's why divorce is so
common in our day. It's just no big deal. We just
look at it as no big deal because we're covenant breakers. We break
our promises without natural affection. This is people not
being loving and giving to their own family members, to their
own flesh. Parents ignore their children
and just the instruction that they go through because we're
without natural affection. Implacable, that means truce
breaker. You ever broke peace with somebody just because of
meanness? Unmerciful. You ever felt unmerciful to others
after God's been so merciful to you? Well, we see those things
are bad, don't we? But since I see them in myself,
I have a draw to every one of those things. Since I see those
things in myself, and everybody does it, I don't think it's as
bad as somebody else. Maybe the only sin we do not
feel a draw to, as mentioned in this chapter, is homosexuality. So we think it's worse than my
sin. My friends, that's nothing more
than plain old self-likeness. That doesn't mean it's not wrong.
It just means it's self-righteousness to want to think I'm better than
that. Now, a person may say, and you'll
meet people, I've met many people like this, who say, well, I was
born a homosexual. I just came into the world that
way. I've got these homosexual desires and I can't help it.
Well, I'll tell you what scripture says. We just read it. Scripture
says, scripture that cannot make a mistake says, God gave him
over to it. So you reconcile it. I think
you probably know the answer. But let me tell you this. I agree,
I agree. This is what I see in the world.
I see men who are born that seem to be very feminine. I see women
born who seem to be very masculine and I can't really explain that. This is what I'm gonna hang my
hat on. God says he gave him over to it. And this is Frank's
thought. Just because we have a desire
to a particular sin does not mean we have to act on it. Murder
and theft and lying is in me. That don't mean I have to act
on it. If I do, I'll be punished. If I murder somebody, the state's
going to punish me, and rightfully so. Just because it's in me don't
mean I have to act on it. And homosexuality is the same
way. Let's get right down to where
the rubber meets the road. I want to get right down to where
we live. Is a homosexual a worse sinner
than me? Are they? No, sir. No, they are not. Did God save a homosexual? Absolutely,
He would. God saved sinners. The only unforgivable
sin is the sin against the Holy Ghost. Unbelief, you gotta die in that,
die in unbelief. So how can I preach the gospel
from this? Well, in context, these verses are talking about
false religion and dependence upon self, aren't they? That's
what this, in context, that's what Paul's talking about here.
And he ties that to homosexuality. Why does he do that? Well, you
know very well in Ephesians chapter five, where Paul talks about
marriage, he gives us wonderful instruction in marriage. In verse
32, he sums it up by saying this, now this is a great mystery,
but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Paul says, I'm
preaching to you the gospel from this about marriage. So marriage
between a man and a woman, a husband and a wife is given to us as
a picture of the union between Christ and his people as It's
undeniable. We see that the husband is the
head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. Husbands
are to love their wives with a self-sacrificing, providing,
tender love as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.
We can preach the gospel from that, can't we? Husbands are
to nourish and to cherish their wives as Christ nourishes and
cherishes the church. and wives are being to submission
to their own husbands as unto the Lord as the church is in
submission to Christ. Now, here's another way. The
marriage between a husband and a wife is a picture of the union
between Christ and his people. The union of a husband and a
wife produces life. Children come from that union.
And that's the gospel of Christ. The gospel of Christ produces
life in God's children through the new birth. And the seed that
God uses to give life to his people is the seed of the Word
of God. Life always comes from a seed
being planted. Self-righteous religion, religion
that depends upon self, can never produce life. It can never produce
spiritual life. There is no life and no salvation
in self because we're dead. The Holy Spirit will never use
a lie as a seed to give life. Never. And that's the picture
of homosexuality. It can never produce life. Our
government can legalize homosexual marriage all they want to. Let them do what they want. But
I'm telling you this, those unions will never produce life. It's
an impossibility. The same way there can be, it's
impossible to get spiritual life from a lie. Utterly impossible. So here's the warning. If a person
insists on following my own way and refuses to bow to Christ,
God very well may let us have our way. And if he does, we will
surely die in our sin. If we insist on our own made
up religion, if we insist on our own idea of who God is, we
will receive the just recompense of our error. which is eternal
domination. That's just so. And listen, it's
only right, isn't it? If we insist on my own way, rather
than bowing to Christ, if God damns me, it's only right. We have to say that. All right, that was a long introduction. Now that we've preached the gospel,
if we'd end there, that'd be kind of, we'd go on down. Let
me see if I can, for a minute, preach the gospel to you. This was encouraging. I came
out of my study one day, I told Janet, see what that's saying. I need a message from the Lord.
I believe he's giving me something. That's what those verses say.
Everybody that reads those verses can see that's what that says.
Well, what conclusions can we draw from what these verses are
teaching us? How does this apply to you and
me, my heart? Tell you what this shows. This is the conclusion that I
draw from reading this chapter. How I need God's electing grace. We've just read about our nature
and it's fallen in sin. Even when we know something about
who God is, even that we know God is from our conscience or
from our, from creation. And for us here, every person
in this room knows something about who God is. You've heard
the gospel many times. We know something about who God
is by nature, but we refuse to believe it. We refuse to come
to Christ for mercy. That's our fallen nature. And
our nature hates righteousness. Our nature hates the gospel of
Christ and just loves all manner of sin. Just can't get enough
of it. So our nature never will choose God. Left to our own devices,
we will never choose God. Well, then if we're going to
be saved, God's got to choose me. But we need divine election. Our cry should be, Lord, Would
you save me? Lord, would you choose me? I
don't deserve it, but Lord, would you have mercy on me? Would you
call me? Boy, I've got no other hope. Would you call me? Would you
choose me? You know what? God saves sinners
like that. We need God's electing grace. Second, this shows us how desperately
we need Christ to be our subject. We need Christ to be the sacrifice
for our sin. Again, we just read about our
nature. It ought to be obvious to us all that we are so vile,
we're just so ruined in sin, we're too vile to be justified
any other way than the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We
can't be made righteous plainly, we do. The only way we can be
made righteous is through faith in Christ who obeyed God's law
for His people. My sin is so fine. The stain
has gone through me so deep. I'm so ruined in sin that the
only way that I can live is if Christ dies for me as my substitute.
It's the only way, the only hope I have. The only hope a sinner
like me has of being saved is that Christ suffered. He suffered
all the punishment and all the death that my sin deserved. He
is my only hope. I've got no other hope. because
of who my nature is and who Christ is. Then what should our cry
be? Lord, would you be merciful to
me? Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. That cry stopped
the Lord of glory in his tracks. Maybe it would again if I cried
that, if you cried that. Lord, I'm begging you for mercy. And I'm telling you what, I must
stay right here to you. I must stay right. You don't
have to. You may not, but I'm not leaving until you do. And
I will not let you go except you bless me. You know, God always
had mercy on sinners. You don't have to, but he always
does. Here's the third. Here's the conclusion I draw
from reading these verses. This shows me. How much we need
God's regenerating grace. You saw our nature. Is this obvious
to us? My nature is dead. I'm dead in
trespasses and sins. I cannot come to Christ. By nature,
I lack the ability to come to Christ. I'm dead. I can't do
anything. By nature, I will not come to Christ. I'll never choose
to come to Christ because my will is not free to choose Christ.
It's a captive sin. Then the only hope of salvation
and eternal life I have is that God in His grace will cause me
to be born again. My only hope of being accepted
before God is God will give me a new nature, the nature of Christ
that He accepts. Then our cry should be, Save
me, save me against my will with my full consent. Save me against
the will of my old nature. Give me full consent with the
new nature that you give me by your grace. These verses show
us how much sinners need grace, don't they? Oh, how we need grace. Grace that saves sinners like
you and me must always be amazing grace. Amazing grace. Mike didn't see my notes, but
that's a song he's picked out for us to sing. And I didn't
clear this with Mike before, but could we sing that acapella?
I'd like that. After we pray, Mike and Clem,
we're going to sing Amazing Grace. I think that'd be beautiful.
Oh, I hope that the Lord will bless that. His glory to our
prophet. Let's bow in prayer. Our Father, we bow before you
as needy beggars. For your children, children by
your mercy, by your electing grace, by your infinite love
for your people, by adoption, by the new birth, you made your
people your children, that we bow before you as a needy beggar.
We'll never get past the point that we don't need you, how we
need you every hour. Father, I pray that you bless
your word to the hearts of your people. It won't be a blessing
to us unless you do it. Bless your word to the hearts
of your people. Cause this word to take root
in our hearts that we might see the glory of our Savior, the
Lord Jesus Christ, that we might see our need of him and cause
us to run to him and never look anywhere else, never cling to
any other hope. other than the Lord Jesus Christ
alone. Father, how we thank you. Bless us. Bless us, we pray. It's in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ that we thank you. We ask this great blessing. Amen.