Romans chapter 1 in our study
today. We want to try to look at verse
18 down to verse 23 and if we don't get that far that'll be
That'll be okay because the Lord willing We'll come back and pick
up where we left off Next week now we know in the gospel of
God The gospel of God is concerning the Lord Jesus Christ we see
the only way God can be just and holy and and yet the justifier
of the ungodly. The only way that God can be
just and punish our sin, honor His own law, and at the same
time magnify His mercy. Now that's the mystery of the
gospel, how God can be just, a just God and Savior, how He
can be just and the justifier. He is the only just God and Savior. He says that many times in the
book of Isaiah, I am God, beside me there is no other. And we know He's the only just
God and Savior, and we know the Lord Jesus Christ He is the power
of God unto salvation. Christ himself is the power of
God unto salvation. Our Lord declare all powers given
unto me in heaven and earth that I may have mercy on whom I will
have mercy, that I may give salvation to whom I will give salvation. Now we know that Paul was ready
to preach this message and determined to only preach this message,
as he says in verse 15, so as much as in me is, I'm ready to
preach the gospel and only the gospel. He said, I'm determined
not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. And then he says, woe is unto
me if I don't preach the gospel. Now we don't have to preach.
But if we do preach, we better preach the gospel. He says, woe
unto me if I do not preach the gospel. And we preach not ourselves,
but the Lord Jesus Christ himself and ourselves, your servant for
Christ's sake. Now with that introduction, look
at verse 18. Not only is the righteousness
of God revealed in the gospel, but here we see this word, the
wrath of God. The wrath of God. Now, a lot of people want to
totally dismiss the wrath of God. The judgment of God. They want to dismiss that. But
the wrath of God is also revealed in the gospel, as it says there. For the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven, from the God of heaven, against some ungodliness. It doesn't say that. Against
all ungodliness, all sin, all unrighteousness, all ungodlikeness
and all unrighteousness. You see, it has to be perfect,
perfect to be accepted of God. Anything less than perfection
is ungodliness. and unrighteousness. Now that
leaves me in bad shape because by nature I'm ungodly. By nature the best I can muster
up, God said, the best righteousness I have is nothing but filthy
rags. So that leaves us in a terrible
shape, doesn't it? The wrath of God is revealed
against all sin, all rebellion, all judgment is revealed against
all ungodliness, all unrighteousness of sinners, men, but it doesn't
exclude women, does it? All mankind. And then it describes
those who hold the truth, and they do so, or they regard the
truth as unrighteous. Isn't that amazing? The rebel
holds and looks to the truth, who is Christ, who is the true
God, the only true God and Savior, and they do that with contempt.
They look truth right square in the face. Pilate said, what
is truth? Well, he was looking at truth.
The Lord Jesus Christ is truth personified. And those Jews in
that day said away with him, crucify him. We have no king
but Caesar. So what were they doing? They
were holding the truth in contempt and disdain. They were holding
the truth in an ungodly manner. Regarded the Lord Jesus Christ,
they called him a wine beaver. They called him a devil. They
called him a gluttonous man. They hold the truth in unrighteousness. In that gospel is the justifying
righteousness of God revealed, but in that same gospel we also
see the revelation of the wrath of God revealed from the God
of heaven against everything that's contrary to the God of
heaven. Now, some have suggested that
God is all love, and does not show any wrath or he will not
show wrath. Now, think about this. God told Noah he was gonna send
a flood. Judgment, judgment. Noah was
a preacher of righteousness. Noah was a preacher of truth.
The whole 120 years that Noah preached the gospel, he was saying,
get in the ark. Wrath is coming. Get in the ark. Judgment is coming. And one day,
judgment fell. And the wrath of God fell. The
wrath of God fell on that ark. And those inside that ark were
safe. But what do we see inside that
ark? We see inside that ark, Noah's
ark, we see the love of God manifested, don't we? Noah and his family
were safe. The wrath of God fell on the
ark, but they were safe in that ark. And that's a picture of
pride as well. But outside that ark, what do
we see? Don't see the love of God, do
we? It used to be years ago, don't see it much anymore. You
remember back in the 70s, everybody nearly had on their back bumper,
God loves everybody, or God loves you, remember? You reckon on
the back of that ark that day, there was a big sign that said,
smile, God loves you? Now, you see, people don't like
to talk about the wrath of God. But now the wrath of God is so.
God rained fire on Sodom and Gomorrah. Was that love? No, it was His wrath. The wrath
of God is revealed from heaven against all sin. Well, we know
that God is love, right? Scriptures teach that. God is
love. Nothing can separate us from
the love of God, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. But let
us never forget that God is holy. Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty. It says in Habakkuk 1.3 that
God cannot look upon sin with favor. Now how do you describe
the wrath of God in the light that God is love? a good question,
isn't it? Well, I read this statement years
ago, and it may have been back years ago, I used to read a lot
of books. I don't so much anymore, other
than commentaries, but I used to read Arthur Pink and Spurgeon
and some others back when I was cutting my teeth and growing. But I read a statement by, I
think it was Pink or Spurgeon or one of those old writers,
when he talked about the wrath of God and the love of God, and
he described it this way, the wrath of God is the holiness
of God stirred in the activity against sin. That's a pretty
good definition. The wrath of God is His holiness stirred against
sin. Now God is love, but His love
is holy love. His justice is holy justice.
His mercy, God is merciful. but not the expense of his justice.
That's why Calvary is absolutely necessary. That's why the death
of the Lord Jesus Christ is absolutely necessary. His wrath is a display
of his holiness against sin. Now write that down somewhere
or at least Put it in your mind somewhere. I used to be able
to remember those things when I was 30 years ago, but I can't
anymore. If I don't write it down, it's
just like a leaking bucket. It just goes right out. My youngest son's birthday was
yesterday. I didn't even remember to send
him a text message, happy birthday. And my wife chastised me. Well,
you know, how do you forget that? Well, I just did. But God, in
regard to our sin, through the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus
Christ, he said, their sin and their iniquity will I remember
no more. Even at Calvary, we see the display
of his love, don't we? At Calvary, here in his love,
not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son
to be the sacrifice for our sin. At Calvary, we see the love of
God displayed, don't we? We see the love of God displayed,
but what else do we see? We see the wrath of God displayed
as well, don't we? One of my favorite scriptures
about what happened at Calvary, so much so, God will not look
upon sin with favor, even when it's found in the beloved son,
whom he said, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased.
But when God made him to be the object of, when God made him
to be sin for us, he became the object of God's wrath. the object
of God's justice. We see in Isaiah 53 that it pleased
the Lord to bruise him. Why? Because God cannot look
on sin with favor. That's why the Lord said, my
God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? God can't look upon sin with
favor. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him in our room and in our stead. But one of my favorite verses
to help us understand about what was happening at Calvary is Lamentation
1 verse 12, where Jeremiah is weeping over the destruction
of Jerusalem. And that verse says, is it nothing
to you, all ye that pass by? Behold and see if there be any
sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done to me wherewith the Lord
hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. Now, you take the words of Jeremiah
and put them on the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary.
We see the display of God's fierce anger against sin. And again,
it's His holiness stirred in activity against sin. Now, all men, includes all of
us, all men are deserving of the judgment of God. the wrath
of God, because all men are what? Guilty. Guilty. It says over
here, one page over in Romans 3, 19. Now we know that what
things whoever the law saith, it saith to them that are under
the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
become guilty before God, And then it says down in verse 23
of Romans 3, where all have sinned, does that include you? All have
sinned and have come short, we've come short of the glory of God. Now if you picked up a baseball
and tried to throw a baseball to the North Pole, if you pick
up a baseball and try to throw it to the North Pole and hit
the North Pole, Now, some may be able to throw the baseball
100 yards, some 200 yards, but everybody who throws the baseball
is going to come short. We all come up short. No matter
who it is, we've come up short. We have not honored God, glorified
God as we ought to. We've come up short. We've come
up short. We've all sinned and come up
short. Every man has sinned against
God and he has sinned against the light he's been given, whatever
light that may be. The light of creation, the light
of law, the light of conscience. Because men by nature love darkness
and hate light, the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God. They hold the truth regard the
truth and hold the truth in unrighteousness, unrighteousness, unrighteousness. The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God, their foolishness unto him. The preaching of the cross is
pure foolishness. And then we know this too where
it says in Romans 8, 7, the carnal mind, that is our natural inclination,
natural thoughts. The carnal mind is enmity against
God, if not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Therefore, by the flesh, in the
flesh, no man, no man can please God, not in the least way. Not in the least way. I jumped way ahead of myself.
I missed page two and went right to page three. And y'all didn't
catch it. I didn't either. The wrath of
God is revealed and manifested and made known by the God of
heaven against everything that is contrary to the gospel, against
every way of salvation by works, The Lord said, away with it,
it's filthy rags. Against every way of ungodliness
and sinful wickedness of the flesh, that's against God. God
is against every way that is opposed to the gospel of God
concerning Christ, who hold the truth in contempt, who would
change the truth of God into a liar. We're gonna see in Romans
chapter three, he said, let God be true. and every man a liar. But said down there in verse
25, who changed the truth of God into a lie and worship and
serve the creature more than the creator. Now, the good news
of the gospel of Christ is, that's the power of God unto salvation,
is that he has delivered us from the wrath to come. Now it says
that, Let's turn and read that so you can mark it. Find 1 Thessalonians
chapter 1. He's turned us to God from our
idols. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse
1. And here's the good news of the
gospel. Yes, the wrath of God is revealed against all rebellion,
sin, and ungodliness, unrighteousness. But He's turned us to God from
our idols to serve the living and true God, to wait for a Son
from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered
us from the wrath to come. You see that in verse 10. First
Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 10. He delivered us from the
wrath to come. Oh the wrath to come. Since Christ
took our sins in his own body on the tree, suffered the wrath
of God for my sin, Now therefore in Christ there is no condemnation. Romans 8, 1. Remember? There
is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ. There
is no more wrath toward the believer. Because the Lord Jesus Christ
took all my sin, all my judgment, all my guilt, and He took my
wrath. The wrath that would do my sin.
He took it all. and gives me his righteousness.
There is therefore now in Christ Jesus no condemnation. The wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, verse 19, because that which
may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed
it unto them 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. Now God has all power and He's
had all power forever. His eternal power and Godhead
so that all men everywhere are without excuse. All men everywhere
are without excuse for the rebellion against the God of heaven. Because,
why? Because he said so. He said all
men are without excuse. That satisfies me. All men are
without excuse. God says so. Let him be true,
God be true, and every man a liar, shall not the judge of all the
earth do right. In Adam, all are guilty, subject
to judgment. Well, say, someone might say,
well, I object to that truth of Adam's sin being imputed to
all men, and especially if what Adam did is imputed to me. I
don't like that idea. Okay, well think about this.
How have you done on your own? You're still a sinner and Adam
all died. We're born in sin, shaping iniquity. All men are deserving of the
wrath of God because all are guilty and every man has sinned
against the light he's been given, whether it be the light of creation
or the light of conscience. We're going to see later on in
Roman chapter 2 that the law is written upon our conscience,
upon our heart, and even creation itself declares that God is God. And every man has sinned against
the light that he's been given because by nature we love darkness
and hate the light because we love ourselves and we hate God. Now look at verse 20 carefully.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world
are clearly seen. Now, we had this morning some
rain showers. The rain declares God is God. The sun is shining. The very
fact that the sun controls this whole solar system of ours declares
that God is the God of all creation. The invisible things of Him from
the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood. There's not a man alive that
doesn't know something about the sun. about the elements of
nature being understood by the things that are made, even His
eternal power and Godhead, so that men are without excuse. Even in the light of creation,
where His eternal power and Godhead are revealed, for the creation
itself reveals that there is a God who is almighty and everlasting. Genesis 1, in the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth. There was nothing made
that was not made by Him. By Him, all things were made,
and by Him, all things consist. In Psalm 19, it says, the heavens
declare the glory of God, Psalm 19. The heavens declare the glory
of God. But now watch. But even in this
revelation of God in creation, men don't worship the Creator. That's what it says there. Being
understood by the things that are seen, even His eternal power
and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. But instead,
instead of worshiping the Creator of all things, men are so fallen
and so wicked, instead they worship the creation. And they're the
creator. In other words, they worship
nature, don't they? Now, I've run into people like
this. Or what they call, I've got to go out in the woods because
I get close to God out in the woods. Well, God's in the city,
too. He's everywhere present. They
say they like to get out in the woods to be close to nature because
that's where God is. And they say, well, we like to
get close to Mother Nature or Father Evolution. Yet God holds men without excuse. They refuse to walk in any other
way but away from God. They worship the creation rather
than the creator of all things. Many of you know my dear friend
John Chapman. He's preached for me many times
here over the years, but I remember something he said 30, 35 years
ago about the evolutionists. They say this, it's much easier
to look at a monkey and say, look how far we've progressed,
than to acknowledge God and say, look how far we have fallen. That's a pretty good statement,
isn't it? That's what the evolutionists say. Well, we look at that monkey
and we say, man, we've made progress. No, it's just downhill, downhill. And then, instead of acknowledging
God and say, we are fallen, we've sinned against God, we've all
come short of the glory, the glory of God. Let's take a quick
look at verse 21. Because that when they knew God,
now creation declares that there is a God. They glorified him
not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imagination,
and their foolish heart was darkened. Even when creation declares that
God is the God of creation, even the sun, the stars, the clouds,
the mountains, the rivers, the trees, the lakes, the oceans,
the seas, All declare that God is God. All creation can even
be used to declare the gospel of God. God is light. He's the water of life. He's
the rivers of water in a dry place. He's the son of righteousness
with healing in his wings. David said, my eyes look up,
look unto the hills from whence cometh my help. He is the tree
of Life. All creation. We can take all
creation, the elements of nature, and we can use those things as
it does in the Word of God to declare the Gospel. But yet they
did not honor God, did not glorify Him, nor believe Him as God.
And that's the chief end of man, and that is to glorify God. They
were not thankful. They became vain in their imagination. The fool has said in his heart,
there is no God. And their foolish heart, as it
says there, those three things. They were not thankful that God
created all things. They had vain thoughts about
God. And their heart, which was foolish,
was darkened even more in ignorance and blindness before God. My dear pastor, Brother Mahan,
had this in his commentary, those who will not have God to reign
over them will have darkness and death to reign continually
in them. Okay, we'll pick up there next
week. Verse 22, professing themselves
to be wise, they just really reveal their foolishness. Foolishness
before God.