Quote from Forum Archives on May 12, 2002, 5:34 am

Posted by: jmichaelwalls <jmichaelwalls@...>

THE NEED FOR JUSTIFICATION AS SEEN IN THE GUILT OF THE HEATHEN
Romans 1:18-32
Introduction: In last week's message, I introduced the doctrine of
Justification. Remember what I said justification meant? It means that in
the sight of God, it is just like I have never sinned. This is a
transformation from the old life that was marred by sin and Satan.
Before you can get justification unto something, you have to be justified
from something. That something is the guilt that you should feel because
of your sin. The Gentiles, no matter how nice and civilized that they may
have been, is considered as heathen in the mind of the Jewish people. Our
text verses reflect much of the world today. These verses could be ripped
from any major newspaper headlines.
This section starts by showing us the true condition of man, what he is
really like. In Genesis chapter three, you find the first question from
the Lord directed to man. "Where art thou?" This is a revealing question.
There is a law of first mention of Bible study that goes like this. The
first time a subject or object is mentioned in the Bible, it is the key
to the rest of the times it is found in the Bible. This question as first
mention reveals a probing, revealing question that God still asks men.
"Where art thou?"
Until you can answer that question, you will go no further with God.
Until you answered that question, it is impossible to be given direction
to be from point A to point B. Before a man is saved, he has to answer
the question of being a sinner. Until he answers he/she is a sinner, then
the direction to salvation is not able to given.
You could call this section which goes from Romans 1:18-4:25 a court
record. For the next four Sunday's we will be looking at the guilty
parties. This week we will be looking at the heathen. Then we will look
at the moralist (Romans 2:1-16). The following week we deal with the
guilt of the Jew (Romans 2:17-3:8). Lastly, we will deal with the guilt
of the entire human race (Romans 3:9-20).
This passage of Scripture is actually like a ten part detailed
indictment. Let me run through them quickly before proceeding into the
bulk of my message.
1. They held the truth of God in unrighteousness.
2. They knew God but did not honor Him as God.
3. They were unthankful.
4. They began foolish speculations.
5. They allowed their hearts to become darkened.
6. They thought themselves to be wise but became fools.
7. They preferred idols to the living God and exchanged Him for the
idols.
8. They gave their bodies over to sexual perversions.
9. They are filled with unrighteous acts.
10. They know the seriousness of their crimes, but still continued and
even encouraged others to join them.
That is some indictment. How should the heathen man plead? Guilty! But He
will not try to be acquitted on the grounds of ignorance. He will be
trying them on the basis of His revelation of Himself and the conscience
that He placed in us.
Let's look at this section of Romans. Bear in mind that man ought to
acknowledge his guilt before God.
I. MAN'S OPPORTUNITIES
Vs. 18-20
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because
that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed
it unto them. 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"
We see the revelation of God as seen in nature. The
Lord can be acknowledged through nature. Man has many opportunities to
acknowledge Him. Nature can teach us much about the orderliness of this
world. Walter L. Wilson was a medical doctor, businessman and most of
all, a preacher of the Gospel. One day, he noticed that several
watermelons he had all had the same amount of stripes. So he went to a
farmer's field full of watermelons. He asked if he could do some research
about the watermelons. The farmer agreed. He looked at over one hundred
watermelons and found that every one of them had the same of stripes.
Then he studied the fertilized eyes cycles and how long it took for birth
to occur. In every one of his studies which included man, they cycle was
always in sequences of seven days for how ever long it took for the
mother to have to carry their offspring. He went on and showed more and
more of the orderliness of this universe. This orderliness is part of the
opportunities of man to acknowledge his creator.
But the ungodliness and unrighteousness of man brings the wrath of man.
This has been a problem almost since the expulsion of man from the Garden
of Eden. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord amongst the unrighteous
and ungodly people of his time. God has shown his righteousness in so
many ways.
The wrath of God is a subject rarely preached in this day. People do not
want to hear this type preaching because it makes them feel guilty. The
subject they want to hear is the love of God or the mercy of God. But if
you love something, you have to hate something at the same time. We need
God's righteousness but in reality deserve His wrath. People usually do
not go to the doctor unless they are sick. People will not get saved if
they do not realize they are needy sinners.
John 3:36
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on
him."
John 3:18
"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God."
Because God can be seen through nature, it stands as part of the reason
why man basically is found guilty in the eyes of God. These three verses
also answer an age-old question.
What about the heathen in undeveloped countries those have never heard
about the Lord? They have knowledge of God. No one has ever lived without
some knowledge of God. They may not know who He is but they know He is.
That is why you find in these undeveloped countries, idols made out of
stone, clay, metals or wood. This revelation of that He is comes from
nature. Psalm 19:1-4
"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his
handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth
knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not
heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to
the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun"
Psalm 8:3-4
"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the
stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of
him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"
The very laws of nature reveal that there is a God. You won't walk off a
fifteen-story building. Why? You know that you will rush to the ground by
gravity, which is a law of nature.
II. MAN'S OBSTINATENESS
Vs. 21-23
"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,
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."
Being obstinate is having an attitude. Since nature affords us the
knowledge that there is a God, then our obstinateness reflects no God in
our lives. This section of verses shows us the rejection of man toward
God.
Psalm 14:1
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they
have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
His obstinateness is clearly seen in his steps away from God.
1. Indifference- agnosticism
2. Ingratitude- egotism
3. Ignorance- atheism
4. Idolatry- paganism
These four steps away from God cover a great deal of territory. Man's
attitude is seen in these three undeniable truths.
A. Man refuses to acknowledge the Lord.
Vs. 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."
This has progressively gotten worse. Our children on most part can not
pray in school anymore. They are being taught in many places that there
can not be a God. The next argument for no God is if there is a God, why
does He allow such wicked acts to occur like rape of a child or allow
diseases to run freely or shootings to happen in the schools. I have on
my arm a watch. This watch implies a watchmaker. This world is orderly in
many aspects that man has no control such as the spin of the world or the
tilt of the world or the atmosphere preventing the sun's heat from
cooking up. This should naturally imply there is a master Creator or
Designer. To refuse acknowledge God is crime. Let this burn in your heart
and mind. GOD WITH MAN IS GOD; MAN WITHOUT GOD IS NOTHING.
B. Report themselves to be wise.
Vs. 22
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools"
The Greek word for "become fools" is a verb form of moros from which we
get our word "morons". Man loves wisdom but usually the wrong type. There
are very few who really want to know more about the Lord. Many want to
know more about man or the universe instead of the Creator of the
universe. They are ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the
truth.
C. Replace the Lord Vs. 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."
They love idols so much that they replace God with them. Problems that we
find with idols are found in Psalm 115:4-8.
"Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have
mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have
ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have
hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither
speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them;
so is every one that trusteth in them."
Four categories are seen here along with the parallel to how man is in
the replacing the Lord.
1. Corruptible man- The Greeks worshiped the human body, as does
Hollywood today.
2. Birds- you find that the Assyrians bowed down to birds as well as the
American Indians thought that some birds were sacred.
3. Four footed beasts- The Egyptians worshiped many
animals to include cats, crocodiles and cattle.
4. Creeping things- the pagans’ worshiped snakes.
Verses twenty-one through twenty-three shows that evolution is not true.
The reality is that devolution is true. Man is progressing becoming worse
and worse. Man is not becoming or evolving into a higher life form like
God. He can never and will never heights of God. Man began there and fell
from there. Man has progressive become worse and worse.
III. MAN'S OUTCOME Vs. 24-32
"Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of
their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 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. 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 recompence 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; 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, covenantbreakers, 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."
There is a phrase that is repeated twice and pushed further a third time
in these verses. It is "GOD GAVE THEM UP" and "GOD GAVE THEM OVER". What
a sad commentary on the part of mankind! We will see the results of man's
rejection of the revelation of God.
A. Spread of sexual perversion in particular sodomy
Vs. 24-28
"Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of
their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 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. 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 recompence 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"
The Greek word that is used with the word "gave" means "to hand over,
give over, deliver, turn over or give up a person." It is a sad day when
we give up on a person. It is eternally tragic when God gives up on man.
Genesis 6:3
"And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that
he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."
Man is given opportunity after opportunity to see the revelation of God
but he chooses to reject God. Man can only go so far then God gives up on
him. Man abandons God and then God abandons man. In judgment He gives
them up and delivers them over to their own lust. He is basically turning
the restraint loose like you do when you let a dog off a leash. This is
all connected with the previous verses with the conjunction of
"wherefore".
The word "vile" can be summed up in three words that describe it
perfectly. They are dishonorable, degrading and disgraceful. When this
word is linked to a word like "affections" which is passions, it makes it
even worse.
God created man and woman to fit together. A man and a man do not fit
together naturally. Nor does two women.
Sodomy is the end product of rejecting, replacing and refusing God. I do
not mean that every man or woman, who rejects, replaces or refuses God,
will go into sodomy. It is unnatural for a man to burn with desires for a
man and a woman to burn with desires for a woman. It is only natural for
a man to have desires for a woman and vice versa.
A lady came to Brother Steve Roberson who was the assistant pastor at
Gospel Light Baptist Church in Walkertown, crying that about her son who
was thirteen or fourteen liking girls. Brother Roberson told her he
certainly hoped so. Why? It is only natural.
God instituted this desire a man for a woman in the Garden of Eden. Jesus
emphasized the same in Matthew nineteen. God showed his wrath of sodomy
when He rained down fire and brimstone upon the city of Sodom in the days
of Abraham.
In the law given to Moses, the Lord gives further proof of His hatred of
sodomy.
Leviticus 18:22
"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."
Leviticus 20:13
"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them
have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their
blood shall be upon them"
It was a capital offense which judgment called for stoning.
But thanks to Calvary there is hope for the sodomite. 1 Corinthians
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. 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."
Calvary's blood can cleanse and change even a sodomite. It is rare for a
sodomite to come to Christ because he or she is hooked in their sin that
they would rather die than give up their life. One reason it is rare that
most Christians think it is hopeless to witness to a sodomite.
B. Spread of sinfulness is part of the outcome to man's rejection of the
revelation of God.
Vs. 29-31
"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, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable,
unmerciful"
This is almost a x-ray of the human heart. It is accordance with Jeremiah
17:9-10. ("The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins,
even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit
of his doings.") The word "deceitful" in the Hebrew means fraudulent. The
phrase "desperately wicked" in the Hebrew means incurable sick. There are
twenty-three pictures of the human heart seen here. I will not be able to
go into a detailed description of each. This would make an interesting
study for someone one day. Let me briefly describe each of sins in one
short sentence or just a few words.
1. Filled with all unrighteousness. This involves with any kind of wrong
thinking, speaking acting or living.
Filled with all fornication. I understand that this
we get our word 'pornography". It is a general word for any kind of
illicit sex outside of the marriage bonds.
3. Filled with all wickedness is evil and those who delight in doing what
is wrong.
4. Filled with all covetousness is the craving to have more and more and
more. It is nothing less than greed.
5. Filled with all maliciousness is wickedness or badness in general.
6. Full of envy is jealous over what someone else has.
7. Full of murder can involve "mental murder" which
Jesus revealed as hatred and anger in one's heart.
Full of debate is a quarrelsome disposition,
fightings, strife or arguments.
9. Full of deceit is one who tricks, deceives and uses
cunningness to get his own way.
10. Full of malignity is someone who makes the worst of the best. It is
also bad manners or character or an evil disposition.
11. Whispers is one who secretly whispers about others which is nothing
less than slander and spreading gossip and rumors.
12. Backbiters is one whom the Greek word literally
means to speak against or mean things about someone whom is not there. It
is most likely you would never say this about them if they were there.
13. Haters of God is one whose hatred for God is
evidenced in how they use God's name.
14. Despiteful is one who brings harm or injury to
someone.
15. Proud is someone who is arrogant or shows
himself above others.
16. Boasters are one who brags on one's self.
17. Inventors of evil things is the person or persons
who devise and plan what evil thing they can do next.
18. Disobedient to parents is pretty self-explanatory
yet it shows in a list like this in the Bible how much God hates and He
views the severity of this crime against God and parents.
19. Without understanding is one who is void of
understanding that they are unwilling to listen to God. Basically they
are foolish and spiritually blind.
Covenant breakers is one who will not keep their
word.
Without natural affections is the unloving, heartless that one should
have for those that we should have proper love. It is seen in how parents
do not love their children or brothers or sisters not loving their
brothers or sisters.
22. Implacable is unforgiving.
23. Unmerciful is one who shows no mercy, is
ruthless and/or cruel.
As we have listened to this twenty-three indictment against man, did you
like I did find some sin that you would have to say "guilty" if
confounded by the judge?
C. Seriousness of situation Vs. 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."
People know full well that they are guilty of the offenses spelled out in
verses twenty-nine through thirty-one. This is normal practice for many
people. Not only are guilty, they also know they are worthy of the
penalty of the judgment. In order for a penalty fit the crime, it must be
equal to the weight of the crime. What is the penalty prescribed for
these offenses? It is death. Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord."
What makes this even worse if it could be possible is that not only doing
their practice these crimes against the Lord and His righteousness but
they also encourage others to do so! Thus proving an old saying: Misery
loves company. They enjoy their sin and want others to enjoy it with
them. It is like parents who encourage their children to drink alcohol
because they do. The wrong crowd always wants you to participate in their
sin.
Conclusion: Is it any wonder that the wrath of God is revealed against
the wickedness of man? We deserve His wrath. But in the age in which we
live, we can have the grace of God given to us by accepting the Lord
Jesus as Saviour. God allowed Paul to record this indictment against man
so we could see our unrighteousness so plainly against the righteousness
of God.
Christian, we are scarcely saved. So what hope does the sinner have? Only
in the finished work of Calvary is the answer. It behooves us to give the
Gospel message to those we know so they can escape the wrath and fury of
Almighty God who revealed Himself in nature and in the hearts of every
man.
Friend if you have not been saved, let me invite to the Saviour today. He
is your only hope against the wrath of God.

FBC
5/12/02 AM

Pastor Mike Walls
Freedom Baptist Church Smithfield, NC
All scriptures are King James Bible
Isa. 41:10