WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.519 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:15.280 redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:22.620 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:22.620 --> 00:00:30.179 From the letter of Paul to the Romans. 00:00:31.380 --> 00:00:37.660 For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, 00:00:38.359 --> 00:00:40.120 first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 00:00:40.780 --> 00:00:43.420 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:47.960 a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, 00:00:48.500 --> 00:00:50.159 the righteous will live by faith. 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:57.079 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people 00:00:57.079 --> 00:01:00.280 who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 00:01:00.819 --> 00:01:03.399 since what may be known about God is plain to them, 00:01:04.140 --> 00:01:05.939 because God has made it plain to them. 00:01:06.859 --> 00:01:09.859 For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, 00:01:10.140 --> 00:01:14.099 His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:17.039 being understood from what has been made, 00:01:17.099 --> 00:01:19.019 so that people are without excuse. 00:01:19.019 --> 00:01:24.539 For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him. 00:01:25.319 --> 00:01:29.359 But their thinking became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 00:01:30.219 --> 00:01:32.359 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:34.939 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God 00:01:34.939 --> 00:01:38.759 for images made to look like a mortal human being, 00:01:38.899 --> 00:01:40.739 and birds and animals and reptiles. 00:01:41.399 --> 00:01:45.959 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, 00:01:45.959 --> 00:01:48.699 for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:52.000 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, 00:01:52.099 --> 00:01:53.899 and worshipped and served created things, 00:01:54.259 --> 00:01:56.599 rather than the Creator, who is forever praised. 00:01:56.719 --> 00:01:56.899 Amen. 00:01:57.979 --> 00:02:01.739 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. 00:02:02.379 --> 00:02:06.739 Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 00:02:06.739 --> 00:02:12.060 In the same way, the men also abandoned natural relations with women, 00:02:12.259 --> 00:02:14.340 and were inflamed with lust for one another. 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:17.699 Men committed shameful acts with other men, 00:02:17.879 --> 00:02:21.039 and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 00:02:22.299 --> 00:02:26.359 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, 00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:29.540 so God gave them over to a depraved mind, 00:02:29.820 --> 00:02:32.760 so that they do what ought not to be done. 00:02:33.760 --> 00:02:39.260 They become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. 00:02:40.220 --> 00:02:45.140 They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. 00:02:46.020 --> 00:02:50.860 They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. 00:02:51.440 --> 00:02:52.980 They invent ways of doing evil. 00:02:53.720 --> 00:02:55.000 They disobey their parents. 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:59.419 They have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 00:03:00.219 --> 00:03:05.020 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:07.840 they not only continue to do these very things, 00:03:08.060 --> 00:03:11.259 but also approve of those who practice them. 00:03:11.699 --> 00:03:12.780 This is the word of the Lord. 00:03:13.500 --> 00:03:14.280 Thanks be to God. 00:03:17.159 --> 00:03:18.879 Good morning, Christ Church. 00:03:19.639 --> 00:03:21.360 Just to see a show of hands, 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:23.379 how many of you wish that you were preaching this sermon? 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:33.560 How many of you have ever witnessed someone walk on a tightrope across the open crater of an active volcano? 00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:34.960 Anyone ever seen that? 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:37.219 That's what you're about to witness right now. 00:03:37.219 --> 00:03:44.259 I want to reassure you that I plan to speak about the one thing in this text that you really want to hear about, 00:03:44.340 --> 00:03:45.500 which is the wrath of God. 00:03:46.620 --> 00:03:53.520 But I know that our eyes are probably glued to these thorny verses in verses 24 to 27 about sexuality. 00:03:53.520 --> 00:04:00.880 And probably one of the reasons we've never preached the epistle to the Romans in our 17 years as a church, 00:04:01.580 --> 00:04:02.760 at Christ Church, 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:04.719 is probably because of this text. 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:08.080 Who wants to walk over bubbling hot lava? 00:04:08.900 --> 00:04:11.540 So I need to make some remarks here up front. 00:04:11.640 --> 00:04:14.060 Otherwise, we're going to be distracted about sex the whole time 00:04:14.060 --> 00:04:16.980 and not really hear the main point of this scripture. 00:04:16.980 --> 00:04:19.939 In God's providential timing, 00:04:20.259 --> 00:04:21.280 a few months back, 00:04:21.340 --> 00:04:25.080 I preached on Jesus' teaching about marriage and singleness, 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:26.319 sexuality and gender, 00:04:26.500 --> 00:04:28.280 and the Gospel of Matthew chapter 19. 00:04:28.500 --> 00:04:30.180 If you weren't here for that, 00:04:30.220 --> 00:04:31.980 I encourage you to go back and listen to that. 00:04:32.400 --> 00:04:34.720 I'm going to repeat a little bit of that preamble 00:04:34.720 --> 00:04:36.439 as we enter in today. 00:04:36.600 --> 00:04:37.240 And I want to just say, 00:04:37.280 --> 00:04:38.759 anytime we talk about sexuality, 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:40.980 recognize these are personal, 00:04:41.220 --> 00:04:41.580 sensitive, 00:04:41.840 --> 00:04:42.160 serious, 00:04:42.340 --> 00:04:43.780 even controversial matters. 00:04:43.779 --> 00:04:45.879 They're not just about issues. 00:04:45.979 --> 00:04:47.479 It's about real people. 00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:49.979 It affects every person here, 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:51.639 people who are not here, 00:04:51.719 --> 00:04:54.479 that we love so much and care about so much, 00:04:54.539 --> 00:04:55.279 our parents, 00:04:55.379 --> 00:04:55.819 our siblings, 00:04:56.019 --> 00:04:56.559 our kids, 00:04:56.659 --> 00:04:58.099 our friends and neighbors and coworkers. 00:04:59.239 --> 00:05:01.099 Anytime we talk about sexuality, 00:05:01.299 --> 00:05:04.559 I feel inadequate and often quite nervous 00:05:04.559 --> 00:05:09.159 because these topics just inevitably bring up tension and conflict 00:05:09.159 --> 00:05:11.879 and texts and emails and conversations 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:14.120 that aren't all that fun. 00:05:15.620 --> 00:05:18.620 And perhaps you are more nervous than I am 00:05:18.620 --> 00:05:19.540 when these things come up 00:05:19.540 --> 00:05:23.659 because issues of sexuality bring up immense pain and sadness, 00:05:24.579 --> 00:05:26.439 perhaps even guilt and shame 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:28.300 for things that we've done, 00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:29.959 things that have been done to us, 00:05:30.060 --> 00:05:31.500 ways that we've been wronged. 00:05:32.259 --> 00:05:33.740 Some of us are here today, 00:05:33.980 --> 00:05:35.219 and if we're honest, 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:38.139 we're trapped in sexual addictions 00:05:38.139 --> 00:05:40.620 and we have sexual secrets. 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:42.519 Some of us are here today, 00:05:42.639 --> 00:05:44.000 and we're same-sex attracted, 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:44.660 we're gay, 00:05:44.819 --> 00:05:47.280 the church has not been a safe place 00:05:47.280 --> 00:05:48.959 for us to feel that we belong 00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:50.620 or that we are accepted. 00:05:51.160 --> 00:05:52.300 And if you're nervous, 00:05:52.439 --> 00:05:54.139 I just want to reassure all of you 00:05:54.139 --> 00:05:55.500 that I love you, 00:05:56.420 --> 00:05:57.379 that I'm your pastor, 00:05:57.560 --> 00:05:58.939 and I love you so much. 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:03.180 And I want you to fear not. 00:06:03.740 --> 00:06:06.639 I just want you to open up yourself to God. 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:10.860 God is here to meet you 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:12.259 in his compassion, 00:06:12.439 --> 00:06:12.959 his kindness, 00:06:13.139 --> 00:06:13.659 his healing, 00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:15.159 his transforming power. 00:06:15.719 --> 00:06:16.579 Some of us are here, 00:06:16.719 --> 00:06:17.759 we're exploring Christianity, 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:19.519 and if that's you, 00:06:19.719 --> 00:06:22.180 we preach on this text once every 17 years. 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:27.259 And the first thing you need to do 00:06:27.259 --> 00:06:28.939 is really get straight on Jesus. 00:06:29.300 --> 00:06:30.439 Is he the son of God? 00:06:30.659 --> 00:06:31.779 Did he die for your sins? 00:06:31.919 --> 00:06:33.019 Did he rise from the dead? 00:06:33.099 --> 00:06:34.620 And have you experienced his grace? 00:06:34.620 --> 00:06:36.280 If you deal with that, 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:37.379 then let's have a conversation 00:06:37.379 --> 00:06:38.639 about the ethics of Jesus. 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:42.199 But every person here is broken 00:06:42.199 --> 00:06:43.740 in the area of sexuality, 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:44.879 including myself. 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:46.399 We don't have it all together. 00:06:46.540 --> 00:06:49.100 Our common ground is that we need wisdom. 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:50.899 There's not a lot of wisdom 00:06:50.899 --> 00:06:51.980 to be had on these issues, 00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:52.860 and we need wisdom. 00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:55.180 And I don't think that we're all 00:06:55.180 --> 00:06:56.420 going to walk out of this room today 00:06:56.420 --> 00:06:56.980 and agree. 00:06:58.019 --> 00:06:58.980 And that's okay. 00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:00.759 I just want to open the door 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:02.600 for us to seek the mind of God. 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:04.540 And I want to say once again 00:07:04.540 --> 00:07:06.460 that sex is not the main point 00:07:06.460 --> 00:07:07.220 of this passage. 00:07:07.939 --> 00:07:08.980 If you look closely, 00:07:09.200 --> 00:07:11.360 it's neither the upfront number one concern, 00:07:11.540 --> 00:07:12.580 nor is it at the end 00:07:12.580 --> 00:07:13.819 is the climactic concern. 00:07:13.939 --> 00:07:15.740 It's just sandwiched in the middle. 00:07:16.340 --> 00:07:18.760 But there are two wrong ways 00:07:18.760 --> 00:07:20.140 to read that middle part. 00:07:21.460 --> 00:07:23.900 One wrong way in our culture war 00:07:23.900 --> 00:07:25.160 that's raging right now 00:07:25.160 --> 00:07:26.800 is that if you're a conservative 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:27.600 on the right, 00:07:27.820 --> 00:07:29.420 you can read texts like this 00:07:29.420 --> 00:07:30.939 and you can use them as a club 00:07:30.939 --> 00:07:32.560 to beat people over the head 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:34.780 and practice oppression and exclusion 00:07:34.780 --> 00:07:36.280 in the name of Jesus. 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:38.019 And I just have to say out loud, 00:07:38.120 --> 00:07:38.680 that's wrong. 00:07:39.259 --> 00:07:39.939 That's bad. 00:07:40.259 --> 00:07:41.160 Stop doing that. 00:07:41.980 --> 00:07:44.160 If you're a progressive on the left, 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:46.060 you might make an equal 00:07:46.060 --> 00:07:47.360 and opposite error, 00:07:47.480 --> 00:07:49.840 which is to dismiss a text like this 00:07:49.840 --> 00:07:50.459 as outdated 00:07:50.459 --> 00:07:52.660 and to fail to appreciate 00:07:52.660 --> 00:07:54.000 the sexual revolution 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:55.420 of the prophets and the apostles. 00:07:55.759 --> 00:07:56.620 These men and women 00:07:56.620 --> 00:07:58.680 who insisted and demanded 00:07:58.680 --> 00:08:00.139 that all sexual activity 00:08:00.139 --> 00:08:02.680 be channeled into marriage 00:08:02.680 --> 00:08:04.280 between one man and one woman. 00:08:04.500 --> 00:08:05.519 And in doing so, 00:08:06.280 --> 00:08:08.319 they forced the sexual genie 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:10.259 back into the marital bottle. 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:12.079 And when that happened, 00:08:12.180 --> 00:08:13.639 it did untold good 00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:15.600 for human society and civilization, 00:08:15.980 --> 00:08:18.300 not least for women and children. 00:08:18.500 --> 00:08:21.460 So as we're walking this tightrope 00:08:21.460 --> 00:08:23.399 over this open crater 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:24.600 of an active volcano 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:25.960 with boiling hot lava, 00:08:25.959 --> 00:08:28.779 we want to not fall off on the right 00:08:28.779 --> 00:08:31.299 and we want to not fall off on the left. 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:33.220 Okay, how am I doing so far? 00:08:33.980 --> 00:08:36.439 So what I want to ask all of you 00:08:36.439 --> 00:08:37.319 to do right now 00:08:37.319 --> 00:08:38.879 is to just put a pin in this, 00:08:39.740 --> 00:08:41.240 suspend your judgment for a moment 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:42.519 so that we can go on 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:43.759 and talk about the main point 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:44.360 of this passage. 00:08:44.600 --> 00:08:46.460 And then we're going to circle back briefly 00:08:46.460 --> 00:08:48.659 as it unfolds in the text. 00:08:48.740 --> 00:08:49.519 An advanced apology. 00:08:49.699 --> 00:08:51.000 This is a bit of a longer sermon, 00:08:51.539 --> 00:08:52.960 but blame the Apostle Paul. 00:08:53.740 --> 00:08:55.720 He put a lot in this text, okay? 00:08:56.519 --> 00:08:57.980 So what he's saying 00:08:57.980 --> 00:09:00.639 and what the message is for us today 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:02.080 is that the gospel reveals 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:03.940 the cause of God's wrath, 00:09:04.420 --> 00:09:06.540 the consequences, and the cure. 00:09:07.160 --> 00:09:08.340 The gospel reveals 00:09:08.340 --> 00:09:09.639 the cause of God's wrath, 00:09:09.740 --> 00:09:11.660 the consequences, and the cure. 00:09:11.740 --> 00:09:12.259 First of all, 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:13.240 the gospel reveals 00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:15.000 the cause of God's wrath. 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:16.160 Notice in verse 17, 00:09:16.280 --> 00:09:17.320 it says the gospel, 00:09:18.160 --> 00:09:19.200 in the gospel, 00:09:19.720 --> 00:09:21.759 the righteousness of God is revealed. 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:23.879 And then in verse 18, 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:24.439 it says, 00:09:25.100 --> 00:09:26.480 the wrath of God 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:27.740 is being revealed from heaven. 00:09:27.860 --> 00:09:29.580 So two things are being revealed. 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:31.019 Two ages, 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:31.980 two realms 00:09:31.980 --> 00:09:33.299 are being revealed. 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:34.399 The old age, 00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:35.200 the old realm 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:36.139 of God's wrath, 00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:37.519 and the new age, 00:09:37.620 --> 00:09:38.340 the new realm 00:09:38.340 --> 00:09:39.659 of God's righteousness 00:09:39.659 --> 00:09:40.439 in the gospel. 00:09:41.460 --> 00:09:42.639 And Romans 1 to 3 00:09:42.639 --> 00:09:43.659 is there to show us 00:09:43.659 --> 00:09:44.299 what it means 00:09:44.299 --> 00:09:46.399 to live under God's wrath 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:47.120 so that we'll see 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:48.379 the necessity for 00:09:48.379 --> 00:09:50.440 and the power of the gospel 00:09:50.440 --> 00:09:51.900 to bring us out 00:09:51.900 --> 00:09:53.400 from under the wrath of God 00:09:53.400 --> 00:09:54.320 and to bring us up 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:55.400 and under the righteousness 00:09:55.400 --> 00:09:57.320 of God in Christ. 00:09:58.140 --> 00:09:59.660 And so we're gonna keep repeating 00:09:59.660 --> 00:10:01.480 verses 16 to 17 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:02.720 because that's the thesis 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:03.800 of this whole letter. 00:10:04.500 --> 00:10:05.580 But we're also gonna repeat 00:10:05.580 --> 00:10:06.420 these next couple weeks 00:10:06.420 --> 00:10:07.080 verse 18 00:10:07.080 --> 00:10:08.140 because that's the thesis 00:10:08.140 --> 00:10:09.300 of this next section, 00:10:10.200 --> 00:10:11.380 these next three chapters. 00:10:11.500 --> 00:10:12.100 And you'll notice 00:10:12.100 --> 00:10:13.980 that Paul's methodology 00:10:13.980 --> 00:10:15.580 is the exact opposite 00:10:15.580 --> 00:10:16.400 of the church 00:10:16.400 --> 00:10:17.460 in North America today. 00:10:17.460 --> 00:10:20.160 The church in North America 00:10:20.160 --> 00:10:21.060 does not wanna talk 00:10:21.060 --> 00:10:22.040 about the wrath of God. 00:10:22.540 --> 00:10:23.379 We don't wanna talk 00:10:23.379 --> 00:10:24.300 about the godlessness 00:10:24.300 --> 00:10:25.480 or wickedness of people 00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:26.700 because that won't 00:10:26.700 --> 00:10:27.540 attract people, 00:10:27.759 --> 00:10:28.420 it'll make them feel 00:10:28.420 --> 00:10:28.920 uncomfortable, 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:29.879 they won't come back 00:10:29.879 --> 00:10:30.340 to church, 00:10:30.519 --> 00:10:31.060 it won't touch 00:10:31.060 --> 00:10:31.860 their felt needs, 00:10:32.300 --> 00:10:33.460 et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. 00:10:33.560 --> 00:10:34.160 But Paul, 00:10:34.280 --> 00:10:34.820 if he were here, 00:10:34.900 --> 00:10:35.320 would say, 00:10:36.100 --> 00:10:37.500 can we really know God 00:10:37.500 --> 00:10:39.019 and know the love of God 00:10:39.019 --> 00:10:40.120 without the wrath of God? 00:10:41.100 --> 00:10:42.680 Can we really even see 00:10:42.680 --> 00:10:44.019 the need that we have 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:44.540 for the gospel 00:10:44.540 --> 00:10:45.460 if we don't talk 00:10:45.460 --> 00:10:46.660 about the wrath of God? 00:10:47.460 --> 00:10:48.840 Now, is the apostle Paul 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:49.620 the only one 00:10:49.620 --> 00:10:50.300 in the New Testament 00:10:50.300 --> 00:10:51.519 that insists on wrath? 00:10:52.440 --> 00:10:53.540 Well, the first preacher 00:10:53.540 --> 00:10:54.200 in the New Testament, 00:10:54.340 --> 00:10:54.900 John the Baptist, 00:10:55.040 --> 00:10:56.220 his main message was 00:10:56.220 --> 00:10:57.560 flee from the wrath 00:10:57.560 --> 00:10:58.379 of God to come. 00:10:58.519 --> 00:10:58.980 And we say, 00:10:59.400 --> 00:11:00.460 yikes, let's move on 00:11:00.460 --> 00:11:01.280 from John the Baptist 00:11:01.280 --> 00:11:01.900 to Jesus. 00:11:02.780 --> 00:11:03.560 That's why I prefer 00:11:03.560 --> 00:11:04.780 his preaching of love 00:11:04.780 --> 00:11:05.840 and grace and compassion. 00:11:05.940 --> 00:11:07.100 Well, here's Jesus preaching. 00:11:07.620 --> 00:11:08.660 In the Sermon on the Mount, 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:09.720 he says in Matthew 7, 00:11:09.860 --> 00:11:11.100 every tree that does not 00:11:11.100 --> 00:11:11.879 bear good fruit 00:11:11.879 --> 00:11:12.940 is cut down 00:11:12.940 --> 00:11:14.639 and thrown into the fire. 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:16.980 Matthew chapter 10, 00:11:17.299 --> 00:11:17.840 Jesus says, 00:11:18.019 --> 00:11:18.720 do not be afraid 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:19.799 of those who kill the body 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:20.879 but cannot kill the soul. 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:21.899 Rather be afraid 00:11:21.899 --> 00:11:22.539 of the one 00:11:22.539 --> 00:11:23.740 who can destroy 00:11:23.740 --> 00:11:24.899 both soul and body 00:11:24.899 --> 00:11:25.399 in hell. 00:11:26.740 --> 00:11:27.519 Matthew 13, 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:28.559 the Son of Man 00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:29.799 will send out his angels 00:11:29.799 --> 00:11:30.580 and they will weed 00:11:30.580 --> 00:11:31.340 out of his kingdom 00:11:31.340 --> 00:11:32.799 everything that causes sin 00:11:32.799 --> 00:11:34.000 and all who do evil. 00:11:34.539 --> 00:11:35.279 They will throw them 00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:36.419 into the blazing furnace 00:11:36.419 --> 00:11:37.039 where there will be 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:38.439 weeping and gnashing 00:11:38.439 --> 00:11:39.539 of teeth. 00:11:40.299 --> 00:11:41.299 Jeez, thanks Jesus. 00:11:42.100 --> 00:11:43.000 Happy Mother's Day. 00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:43.600 You know, 00:11:43.899 --> 00:11:45.679 that's tough preaching 00:11:45.679 --> 00:11:46.279 from Jesus 00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:48.200 but that's what he says. 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:49.580 He talks about 00:11:49.580 --> 00:11:50.480 the wrath of God 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:51.720 and what is 00:11:51.720 --> 00:11:52.659 the wrath of God? 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:54.279 The wrath of God 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:55.460 is not human wrath 00:11:55.460 --> 00:11:56.860 which is so often 00:11:56.860 --> 00:11:57.539 irrational, 00:11:57.840 --> 00:11:58.919 uncontrolled emotion, 00:11:59.480 --> 00:12:00.700 very often arbitrary 00:12:00.700 --> 00:12:01.840 and almost always 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:02.580 full of vanity, 00:12:03.299 --> 00:12:03.639 malice, 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:04.259 and revenge. 00:12:04.820 --> 00:12:05.879 God's wrath is free 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:07.220 of all that human poison. 00:12:08.399 --> 00:12:09.000 The scriptures say 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:09.840 that God is light 00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:10.279 and in him 00:12:10.279 --> 00:12:11.059 there's no darkness 00:12:11.059 --> 00:12:11.600 at all. 00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:13.340 And so the wrath 00:12:13.340 --> 00:12:13.759 of God 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:14.980 is his holy hatred 00:12:14.980 --> 00:12:15.600 of evil. 00:12:16.700 --> 00:12:17.420 The wrath of God 00:12:17.420 --> 00:12:18.080 is his settled 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:19.159 righteous opposition 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:20.360 to darkness. 00:12:21.460 --> 00:12:22.879 It's his uncompromising 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:24.860 hostility against sin. 00:12:24.980 --> 00:12:25.820 If we're going to see 00:12:25.820 --> 00:12:26.940 love in God 00:12:26.940 --> 00:12:28.279 then we also must see 00:12:28.279 --> 00:12:29.220 his hatred 00:12:29.220 --> 00:12:30.580 because God hates 00:12:30.580 --> 00:12:32.000 all that opposes 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:32.720 what's good 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:33.240 and true 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:33.800 and beautiful. 00:12:34.860 --> 00:12:35.700 God hates 00:12:35.700 --> 00:12:36.660 all that 00:12:36.660 --> 00:12:37.519 damages, 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:38.259 defaces, 00:12:38.440 --> 00:12:39.040 and destroys 00:12:39.040 --> 00:12:39.779 his creation 00:12:39.779 --> 00:12:40.620 and his creatures. 00:12:40.620 --> 00:12:42.580 If God didn't 00:12:42.580 --> 00:12:43.480 hate those things 00:12:43.480 --> 00:12:44.179 then God would not 00:12:44.179 --> 00:12:44.560 be God 00:12:44.560 --> 00:12:44.940 and he would 00:12:44.940 --> 00:12:45.659 certainly not be 00:12:45.659 --> 00:12:46.279 a God that's 00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:47.379 worthy of our 00:12:47.379 --> 00:12:47.720 worship. 00:12:48.860 --> 00:12:49.519 So Paul says 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:50.519 the wrath of God 00:12:50.519 --> 00:12:51.779 is being revealed 00:12:51.779 --> 00:12:53.080 and what is causing 00:12:53.080 --> 00:12:53.779 the wrath of God? 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:54.240 He says 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:55.580 it's our denial 00:12:55.580 --> 00:12:56.120 of God. 00:12:56.220 --> 00:12:57.299 It's our suppression 00:12:57.299 --> 00:12:58.120 of the truth 00:12:58.120 --> 00:12:58.980 about God. 00:13:00.039 --> 00:13:00.860 Verse 18 says 00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:02.299 the wrath of God 00:13:02.299 --> 00:13:03.060 is being revealed 00:13:03.060 --> 00:13:03.620 from heaven 00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:04.700 against all what? 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:06.399 All godlessness, 00:13:06.680 --> 00:13:08.080 all ungodliness. 00:13:08.080 --> 00:13:10.000 we were created 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:10.759 by God 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:11.560 and for God 00:13:11.560 --> 00:13:12.520 to trust 00:13:12.520 --> 00:13:13.139 the truth 00:13:13.139 --> 00:13:13.800 of God 00:13:13.800 --> 00:13:14.340 and to live 00:13:14.340 --> 00:13:15.340 these God-centered, 00:13:15.560 --> 00:13:16.120 God-full, 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:17.740 godly lives. 00:13:18.759 --> 00:13:19.680 All of us 00:13:19.680 --> 00:13:20.160 and everyone 00:13:20.160 --> 00:13:21.060 you've ever met 00:13:21.060 --> 00:13:22.040 or will ever meet 00:13:22.040 --> 00:13:22.759 were made 00:13:22.759 --> 00:13:23.420 to love 00:13:23.420 --> 00:13:24.400 the Lord our God 00:13:24.400 --> 00:13:25.120 with all our heart, 00:13:25.280 --> 00:13:25.540 soul, 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:26.320 and strength. 00:13:27.020 --> 00:13:27.820 And the problem 00:13:27.820 --> 00:13:28.639 is that we're not 00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:29.940 godly like that, 00:13:30.040 --> 00:13:31.620 we are godless. 00:13:32.460 --> 00:13:33.340 We're made to be 00:13:33.340 --> 00:13:34.600 these dependent creatures 00:13:34.600 --> 00:13:35.120 but instead 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:36.220 we seek independence 00:13:36.220 --> 00:13:36.800 from God. 00:13:37.420 --> 00:13:38.180 We're made to be 00:13:38.180 --> 00:13:39.740 these God-centered people 00:13:39.740 --> 00:13:40.240 but instead 00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:40.759 we become 00:13:40.759 --> 00:13:42.040 these very self-centered 00:13:42.040 --> 00:13:42.840 people. 00:13:43.480 --> 00:13:44.379 And that's the essence 00:13:44.379 --> 00:13:44.899 of sin. 00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:46.660 The essence of sin 00:13:46.660 --> 00:13:47.980 is to be godless, 00:13:48.139 --> 00:13:48.960 to be ungodly, 00:13:49.060 --> 00:13:50.720 to be against God. 00:13:51.620 --> 00:13:52.560 It's to hold down 00:13:52.560 --> 00:13:53.779 the truth about God 00:13:53.779 --> 00:13:55.720 and refuse to desire 00:13:55.720 --> 00:13:57.639 God with our whole being, 00:13:57.759 --> 00:13:58.840 to want Him 00:13:58.840 --> 00:14:00.279 as the supreme object 00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:01.980 of our desire 00:14:01.980 --> 00:14:05.460 and to want to know Him 00:14:05.460 --> 00:14:08.960 and to live entirely for Him, 00:14:09.019 --> 00:14:10.120 to do His will 00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:11.940 and to live for His glory 00:14:11.940 --> 00:14:13.019 and His glory alone. 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:16.580 See, Paul is telling us here 00:14:16.580 --> 00:14:18.080 what we've been created for. 00:14:19.060 --> 00:14:20.039 We've been created 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:20.779 in verse 20 00:14:20.779 --> 00:14:21.680 to be in awe 00:14:21.680 --> 00:14:23.259 of the invisible qualities 00:14:23.259 --> 00:14:23.779 of God. 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:27.159 We have His eternal power, 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:28.080 His divine nature, 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:28.639 His holiness, 00:14:28.840 --> 00:14:29.259 His righteousness, 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:29.740 and justice, 00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:30.519 all these things. 00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:31.299 He says, 00:14:31.419 --> 00:14:32.139 we've been designed, 00:14:32.299 --> 00:14:33.220 according to verse 21, 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:34.960 to glorify and thank God 00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:35.759 in all things. 00:14:36.759 --> 00:14:37.840 We've been made, 00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:39.179 according to verse 23, 00:14:39.379 --> 00:14:40.559 to delight in the glory 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:41.840 of the immortal God 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:43.379 and we've been fashioned, 00:14:43.879 --> 00:14:45.159 as verse 25 says, 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:46.279 to worship and serve 00:14:46.279 --> 00:14:46.939 our Creator 00:14:46.939 --> 00:14:47.879 and to praise Him 00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:48.559 and please Him 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:49.639 with every thought, 00:14:50.019 --> 00:14:50.720 word, and deed 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:51.500 that we do. 00:14:53.059 --> 00:14:54.059 Our failure 00:14:54.059 --> 00:14:55.159 to do these things 00:14:55.159 --> 00:14:56.819 is not 00:14:56.819 --> 00:14:58.319 the breaking 00:14:58.319 --> 00:14:59.679 of some random rules 00:14:59.679 --> 00:15:00.500 that God has set up. 00:15:00.519 --> 00:15:01.139 for us. 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:02.559 Our failure 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:03.559 to do these things 00:15:03.559 --> 00:15:04.279 is in fact 00:15:04.279 --> 00:15:04.919 a violation 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:06.720 of our very own essence, 00:15:07.500 --> 00:15:08.519 our very own nature 00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:09.960 as creatures 00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:11.319 made to live 00:15:11.319 --> 00:15:12.059 with and for 00:15:12.059 --> 00:15:12.679 our Creator. 00:15:13.939 --> 00:15:14.319 And so, 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:15.240 every time 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:16.259 we fail to do these things, 00:15:16.360 --> 00:15:16.980 we're tearing 00:15:16.980 --> 00:15:17.720 at the fabric 00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:18.840 of our own being. 00:15:19.699 --> 00:15:20.620 To break away 00:15:20.620 --> 00:15:21.100 from God 00:15:21.100 --> 00:15:21.740 is to break 00:15:21.740 --> 00:15:22.579 our very selves 00:15:22.579 --> 00:15:23.579 because myself 00:15:23.579 --> 00:15:24.819 needs God 00:15:24.819 --> 00:15:25.679 more than it needs 00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:26.559 oxygen. 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:26.679 oxygen. 00:15:28.039 --> 00:15:29.000 You don't want 00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:29.639 to go very long 00:15:29.639 --> 00:15:30.459 without oxygen. 00:15:32.619 --> 00:15:33.259 Godliness 00:15:33.259 --> 00:15:34.699 is our design. 00:15:35.739 --> 00:15:36.299 Godlessness 00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:37.839 is our demise. 00:15:38.859 --> 00:15:39.219 And friends, 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:40.079 even before 00:15:40.079 --> 00:15:41.000 Adam and Eve 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:42.599 ate that forbidden fruit, 00:15:42.939 --> 00:15:43.839 they had already 00:15:43.839 --> 00:15:44.879 fallen into 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:45.959 ungodliness. 00:15:46.099 --> 00:15:47.219 They were questioning God. 00:15:48.079 --> 00:15:48.599 They were saying, 00:15:48.819 --> 00:15:49.859 did God really say? 00:15:49.979 --> 00:15:50.539 Is God 00:15:50.539 --> 00:15:51.559 really good? 00:15:51.639 --> 00:15:52.439 Is He for us? 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:53.279 Can we trust Him? 00:15:53.319 --> 00:15:53.939 Can we trust 00:15:53.940 --> 00:15:54.700 His word? 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:55.240 Any of you ever 00:15:55.240 --> 00:15:56.480 question like that? 00:15:57.540 --> 00:15:58.040 Any of you ever 00:15:58.040 --> 00:15:59.520 live against God 00:15:59.520 --> 00:16:00.620 and apart from God 00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:01.160 in that way? 00:16:02.220 --> 00:16:02.880 Just think about 00:16:02.880 --> 00:16:03.580 this morning. 00:16:03.880 --> 00:16:04.540 Today's Sunday. 00:16:04.700 --> 00:16:05.660 It's the Lord's Day. 00:16:06.900 --> 00:16:08.040 How much time 00:16:08.040 --> 00:16:09.020 passed 00:16:09.020 --> 00:16:10.020 this morning 00:16:10.020 --> 00:16:11.000 where you didn't 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:11.860 think about God? 00:16:12.480 --> 00:16:13.680 You didn't thank God? 00:16:14.300 --> 00:16:15.600 You didn't glorify God? 00:16:15.760 --> 00:16:16.160 Think about 00:16:16.160 --> 00:16:17.100 your past week. 00:16:18.100 --> 00:16:19.080 Did you love God 00:16:19.080 --> 00:16:20.480 with all of your heart, 00:16:20.760 --> 00:16:20.980 soul, 00:16:21.060 --> 00:16:21.620 and strength? 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:23.500 Paul is saying 00:16:23.500 --> 00:16:24.639 that the primary matter 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:25.440 on which we're all 00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:26.279 going to be judged 00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:27.840 is our response 00:16:27.840 --> 00:16:28.279 to God 00:16:28.279 --> 00:16:29.139 and all that He is 00:16:29.139 --> 00:16:29.919 and all that He 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:30.919 has done. 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:32.139 And he says 00:16:32.139 --> 00:16:33.139 that God has revealed 00:16:33.139 --> 00:16:34.179 enough of Himself 00:16:34.179 --> 00:16:35.480 so that even the most 00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:36.620 irreligious people 00:16:36.620 --> 00:16:38.299 can look around creation 00:16:38.299 --> 00:16:39.379 and know that we are, 00:16:39.559 --> 00:16:40.799 we're just mere creatures. 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:42.840 We are not the key 00:16:42.840 --> 00:16:44.440 to our own existence 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:45.159 and the existence 00:16:45.159 --> 00:16:46.519 of everything around us. 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:48.639 We know at least that. 00:16:49.240 --> 00:16:50.200 We know enough 00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:50.919 to believe 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:51.840 that we are utterly 00:16:51.840 --> 00:16:52.440 dependent 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:53.540 and completely 00:16:53.540 --> 00:16:55.640 accountable to God. 00:16:56.500 --> 00:16:57.540 Although they knew God, 00:16:57.600 --> 00:16:58.600 they neither thanked God 00:16:58.600 --> 00:17:00.100 nor glorified Him 00:17:00.100 --> 00:17:01.260 as God. 00:17:02.180 --> 00:17:03.700 Every person we meet, 00:17:03.780 --> 00:17:04.900 including ourselves, 00:17:05.299 --> 00:17:06.759 has enough of the truth 00:17:06.759 --> 00:17:07.200 to know 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:08.360 that the only right 00:17:08.360 --> 00:17:09.940 and reasonable response 00:17:09.940 --> 00:17:10.620 to God 00:17:10.620 --> 00:17:11.980 is to glorify 00:17:11.980 --> 00:17:12.720 and thank Him, 00:17:12.820 --> 00:17:13.320 to worship 00:17:13.320 --> 00:17:14.980 and serve Him. 00:17:15.820 --> 00:17:16.660 But Paul says 00:17:16.660 --> 00:17:17.500 the problem is 00:17:17.500 --> 00:17:19.640 we suppress the truth. 00:17:19.640 --> 00:17:23.100 we restrain the truth. 00:17:23.600 --> 00:17:25.580 We hold the truth down. 00:17:26.120 --> 00:17:27.180 We fight against it. 00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:28.380 We push it aside. 00:17:28.520 --> 00:17:29.220 We dismiss it 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:29.820 and twist it 00:17:29.820 --> 00:17:30.800 and explain it away 00:17:30.800 --> 00:17:32.100 and do everything we can 00:17:32.100 --> 00:17:33.040 to get rid of it, 00:17:33.300 --> 00:17:34.140 to throttle it, 00:17:34.380 --> 00:17:35.800 to drown it out. 00:17:35.960 --> 00:17:36.540 And the gospel 00:17:36.540 --> 00:17:37.840 is revealing to us 00:17:37.840 --> 00:17:38.680 that the cause 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:39.540 of God's wrath 00:17:39.540 --> 00:17:41.100 is this truth suppression, 00:17:41.340 --> 00:17:42.380 this godlessness 00:17:42.380 --> 00:17:43.259 in our lives. 00:17:44.520 --> 00:17:44.900 Friends, 00:17:44.980 --> 00:17:45.800 do you realize 00:17:45.799 --> 00:17:47.500 that apart from 00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:48.579 the grace of God, 00:17:49.220 --> 00:17:50.759 your life has been poisoned 00:17:50.759 --> 00:17:51.859 by this godlessness? 00:17:52.639 --> 00:17:53.440 Your life has been 00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:54.480 completely ruined 00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:56.619 by ungodliness. 00:17:57.899 --> 00:17:59.159 To withhold from God, 00:17:59.220 --> 00:18:00.319 the God who made us, 00:18:00.659 --> 00:18:01.919 anything of ourselves 00:18:01.919 --> 00:18:04.579 is a sin against Him 00:18:04.579 --> 00:18:05.940 grievously. 00:18:07.639 --> 00:18:08.899 Every human being, 00:18:09.159 --> 00:18:09.720 Paul says, 00:18:10.639 --> 00:18:12.200 is living in this old age, 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:13.839 this old realm 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:14.839 of godlessness 00:18:14.839 --> 00:18:15.740 under the wrath, 00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:16.599 the condemnation, 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:18.439 the judgment of God 00:18:18.439 --> 00:18:19.399 without exception. 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:21.480 And unless and until 00:18:21.480 --> 00:18:22.959 God graciously 00:18:22.959 --> 00:18:24.259 and powerfully intervenes 00:18:24.259 --> 00:18:24.859 to bring us 00:18:24.859 --> 00:18:26.059 into this new realm, 00:18:26.199 --> 00:18:27.199 this new age 00:18:27.199 --> 00:18:27.919 of the righteousness 00:18:27.919 --> 00:18:28.679 and salvation 00:18:28.679 --> 00:18:29.899 and life of God, 00:18:30.639 --> 00:18:32.199 we're stuck. 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:34.599 We're absolutely stuck. 00:18:35.679 --> 00:18:36.359 So the gospel 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:38.779 reveals God's, 00:18:38.919 --> 00:18:39.980 the cause of God's wrath, 00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:40.899 but it also reveals 00:18:40.899 --> 00:18:41.839 the consequences. 00:18:43.079 --> 00:18:43.379 Really, 00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:45.180 the rest of Romans 1 00:18:45.180 --> 00:18:47.060 just unpacks verse 18 00:18:47.060 --> 00:18:48.140 and talks about 00:18:48.140 --> 00:18:49.120 how our godlessness 00:18:49.120 --> 00:18:50.440 leads to wickedness. 00:18:50.520 --> 00:18:51.340 Our ungodliness 00:18:51.340 --> 00:18:54.400 results in unrighteousness. 00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:56.240 If our relationship 00:18:56.240 --> 00:18:57.280 to God were right, 00:18:57.360 --> 00:18:58.440 then all of our actions 00:18:58.440 --> 00:18:59.120 would be right. 00:18:59.660 --> 00:19:00.520 And we'd not be guilty 00:19:00.520 --> 00:19:02.020 of any of the particular things 00:19:02.020 --> 00:19:02.600 that are listed 00:19:02.600 --> 00:19:04.180 here in our text. 00:19:04.780 --> 00:19:06.440 But because we are ungodly, 00:19:06.540 --> 00:19:07.720 because we're against God, 00:19:07.780 --> 00:19:09.240 we become unrighteous. 00:19:09.340 --> 00:19:11.240 We become against other people. 00:19:11.240 --> 00:19:12.920 We even become against ourselves. 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:15.319 And Paul describes 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:16.599 this descent, 00:19:16.759 --> 00:19:17.680 step by step, 00:19:18.059 --> 00:19:18.980 downward, downward, downward, 00:19:19.059 --> 00:19:19.880 from godlessness 00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:22.299 to unrighteousness. 00:19:22.839 --> 00:19:23.799 And he talks about 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:24.579 a few things. 00:19:24.660 --> 00:19:25.160 He talks about 00:19:25.160 --> 00:19:26.120 deceitful idols, 00:19:26.819 --> 00:19:27.680 degraded bodies, 00:19:27.859 --> 00:19:28.720 depraved minds, 00:19:28.839 --> 00:19:30.240 and decaying societies. 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:30.980 Each of those 00:19:30.980 --> 00:19:32.220 is a sermon in and of itself. 00:19:32.599 --> 00:19:33.700 I'm going to touch upon them 00:19:33.700 --> 00:19:34.620 ever so briefly. 00:19:35.380 --> 00:19:35.900 First of all, 00:19:35.980 --> 00:19:36.900 deceitful idols. 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:39.140 He says in verse 23, 00:19:39.140 --> 00:19:40.340 we exchanged the glory 00:19:40.340 --> 00:19:41.340 of the immortal God 00:19:41.340 --> 00:19:41.980 for images 00:19:41.980 --> 00:19:43.259 made to look like 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:44.440 mortal human beings. 00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:46.280 And in verse 25, 00:19:46.520 --> 00:19:47.620 we exchanged the truth 00:19:47.620 --> 00:19:48.700 about God for a lie 00:19:48.700 --> 00:19:49.660 and worshipped and served 00:19:49.660 --> 00:19:50.840 created things 00:19:50.840 --> 00:19:52.420 rather than the creator. 00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:54.420 My wife and I 00:19:54.420 --> 00:19:55.020 had the privilege 00:19:55.020 --> 00:19:56.860 of going to the United Kingdom 00:19:56.860 --> 00:19:57.480 last summer. 00:19:58.500 --> 00:19:59.320 And let's suppose 00:19:59.320 --> 00:20:00.700 that had we gone on that trip 00:20:00.700 --> 00:20:03.140 and taken a million U.S. dollars, 00:20:03.259 --> 00:20:04.400 like we typically do 00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:04.980 when we travel, 00:20:06.140 --> 00:20:08.120 we took a million U.S. dollars 00:20:08.119 --> 00:20:09.599 and we exchanged 00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:10.739 that money 00:20:10.739 --> 00:20:13.199 for 100 British pounds. 00:20:14.859 --> 00:20:15.599 What would you say 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:16.359 about that exchange? 00:20:16.959 --> 00:20:17.599 Would you say 00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:18.919 that that was a wise exchange? 00:20:20.039 --> 00:20:20.919 No, you would say 00:20:20.919 --> 00:20:21.759 that's outrageous. 00:20:22.019 --> 00:20:22.799 That's absurd. 00:20:22.919 --> 00:20:23.199 Jonathan, 00:20:23.399 --> 00:20:24.219 you're an idiot. 00:20:25.799 --> 00:20:26.539 And Paul's saying 00:20:26.539 --> 00:20:27.399 we exchanged 00:20:27.399 --> 00:20:28.719 the glory and the truth 00:20:28.719 --> 00:20:30.339 of the living creator God 00:20:30.339 --> 00:20:32.039 for these counterfeit gods. 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:34.179 We traded in 00:20:34.179 --> 00:20:35.819 this life-giving relationship 00:20:35.819 --> 00:20:36.539 with God 00:20:36.539 --> 00:20:38.240 because we'd rather enjoy 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:39.680 the creatures 00:20:39.680 --> 00:20:41.059 and the created goods 00:20:41.059 --> 00:20:42.319 and created ideas. 00:20:42.399 --> 00:20:43.859 We've become so confused. 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:44.899 It's absurd. 00:20:46.200 --> 00:20:47.139 We've been created 00:20:47.139 --> 00:20:48.899 to worship this uncorruptible, 00:20:49.019 --> 00:20:50.480 majestic creator, 00:20:51.299 --> 00:20:52.259 and yet here we are 00:20:52.259 --> 00:20:53.240 creating these little 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:54.920 golden cast substitutes 00:20:54.920 --> 00:20:55.359 and we say 00:20:55.359 --> 00:20:56.680 this little thing down here, 00:20:56.859 --> 00:20:57.559 this is ultimate. 00:20:57.759 --> 00:20:59.299 This is what I'm going to live for. 00:20:59.399 --> 00:21:00.859 This is my precious 00:21:00.859 --> 00:21:02.759 money 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:04.299 or power. 00:21:05.700 --> 00:21:07.599 Let's live for the state. 00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:08.900 Let's live for the markets. 00:21:10.019 --> 00:21:10.220 You know, 00:21:10.279 --> 00:21:11.660 let's live for our race. 00:21:12.700 --> 00:21:13.440 Let's worship 00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:14.759 and serve our bodies. 00:21:15.140 --> 00:21:16.000 I've got a great idea. 00:21:16.140 --> 00:21:17.140 Let's live entirely 00:21:17.140 --> 00:21:18.240 for our children. 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:21.279 Let us bow down 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:22.879 to human-made ideas 00:21:22.879 --> 00:21:23.460 about God 00:21:23.460 --> 00:21:24.920 rather than the self-revelation 00:21:24.920 --> 00:21:25.700 of God himself. 00:21:26.900 --> 00:21:27.680 And some of you might say, 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:28.000 Jonathan, 00:21:28.119 --> 00:21:29.200 you're taking this too far. 00:21:29.299 --> 00:21:31.500 There are no real idols 00:21:31.500 --> 00:21:32.460 in the modern world. 00:21:32.539 --> 00:21:33.299 That's all ancient, 00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:34.039 primitive stuff. 00:21:34.119 --> 00:21:34.759 We've outgrown it. 00:21:34.799 --> 00:21:36.319 We've matured beyond it. 00:21:36.380 --> 00:21:37.380 I could literally 00:21:37.380 --> 00:21:39.059 take you outside right now 00:21:39.059 --> 00:21:40.259 and show you people 00:21:40.259 --> 00:21:41.559 bowing down 00:21:41.559 --> 00:21:44.019 to these little black mirrors 00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:45.059 that they're carrying around 00:21:45.059 --> 00:21:45.619 in their hand. 00:21:46.859 --> 00:21:48.039 And those little mirrors 00:21:48.039 --> 00:21:49.200 reflect our image 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:49.980 back to ourselves 00:21:49.980 --> 00:21:51.079 so that all we do all day 00:21:51.079 --> 00:21:51.720 is see ourselves 00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:52.759 and we go around like this. 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:53.880 I'm not kidding. 00:21:54.839 --> 00:21:55.839 Our modern world 00:21:55.839 --> 00:21:57.099 is full of idols. 00:21:58.500 --> 00:21:59.559 And these idols, 00:21:59.559 --> 00:22:03.240 they really just exalt us. 00:22:04.119 --> 00:22:05.379 They're there to put us 00:22:05.379 --> 00:22:06.039 in control 00:22:06.039 --> 00:22:07.519 so that we don't have to rely 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:08.179 on the control 00:22:08.179 --> 00:22:09.539 of God in our lives. 00:22:09.639 --> 00:22:10.200 And again, 00:22:10.279 --> 00:22:11.379 I can't say much about this 00:22:11.379 --> 00:22:12.519 but I encourage you 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:13.480 to look at these books, 00:22:13.639 --> 00:22:14.639 Counterfeit Gods, 00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:16.299 The Empty Promises 00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:17.460 of Money, Sex, and Power 00:22:17.460 --> 00:22:18.220 by Tim Keller 00:22:18.220 --> 00:22:19.460 and also a book 00:22:19.460 --> 00:22:20.279 by Richard Foster 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:21.379 that has some dynamite 00:22:21.379 --> 00:22:21.940 on the front 00:22:21.940 --> 00:22:23.799 about money, sex, and power. 00:22:24.599 --> 00:22:25.799 A lot more we could say 00:22:25.799 --> 00:22:26.159 about that. 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:26.859 But Paul moves 00:22:26.859 --> 00:22:28.139 from our deceitful idols 00:22:28.139 --> 00:22:30.099 to our degraded bodies. 00:22:31.059 --> 00:22:32.359 And he says in verse 24, 00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:33.019 he says, 00:22:33.459 --> 00:22:34.619 Therefore God gave them over 00:22:34.619 --> 00:22:35.719 in the sinful desires 00:22:35.719 --> 00:22:36.399 of their hearts 00:22:36.399 --> 00:22:37.619 to sexual impurity 00:22:37.619 --> 00:22:38.919 for the degrading 00:22:38.919 --> 00:22:39.599 of their bodies 00:22:39.599 --> 00:22:40.619 with one another. 00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:42.639 You know, the body 00:22:42.639 --> 00:22:43.319 and sex, 00:22:43.439 --> 00:22:44.479 these are some of God's 00:22:44.479 --> 00:22:45.439 best gifts. 00:22:46.599 --> 00:22:47.779 And we take in 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:48.879 those gifts 00:22:48.879 --> 00:22:49.799 that are designed 00:22:49.799 --> 00:22:51.279 to operate 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:55.539 in a male-female marriage, 00:22:55.539 --> 00:22:57.240 to ennoble us 00:22:57.240 --> 00:22:58.420 and to humanize us. 00:22:58.440 --> 00:22:59.220 And whenever we take 00:22:59.220 --> 00:22:59.659 those gifts 00:22:59.659 --> 00:23:00.599 and we remove them 00:23:00.599 --> 00:23:02.099 from that God-designed context 00:23:02.099 --> 00:23:02.920 and we put them 00:23:02.920 --> 00:23:03.680 over here 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:05.059 into any other context, 00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:06.399 inevitably, Paul says, 00:23:06.740 --> 00:23:07.599 degrades us 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:09.099 and dehumanizes us. 00:23:10.399 --> 00:23:11.180 Paul's writing 00:23:11.180 --> 00:23:12.480 from the city of Corinth 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:13.480 in 57 AD 00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:14.700 and he's looking out 00:23:14.700 --> 00:23:15.379 in this city 00:23:15.379 --> 00:23:16.539 he can literally see 00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:18.159 the cult of Aphrodite 00:23:18.159 --> 00:23:19.019 which is the goddess 00:23:19.019 --> 00:23:19.639 of love. 00:23:20.299 --> 00:23:21.819 He sees all these girls 00:23:21.819 --> 00:23:22.539 and these women 00:23:22.539 --> 00:23:23.879 who are being objectified 00:23:23.880 --> 00:23:24.740 and used. 00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:26.440 Paul can look over 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:27.760 at the cult of Apollo, 00:23:28.020 --> 00:23:30.420 the god of beauty 00:23:30.420 --> 00:23:32.180 and the shrine 00:23:32.180 --> 00:23:33.100 that's been set up 00:23:33.100 --> 00:23:36.200 to the unbridled male sex drive 00:23:36.200 --> 00:23:37.820 to do anything at once 00:23:37.820 --> 00:23:38.940 without any limits 00:23:38.940 --> 00:23:40.400 and Paul looks at all this 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:40.720 and says, 00:23:40.880 --> 00:23:41.360 oh my goodness, 00:23:41.440 --> 00:23:43.100 they've taken God's best gift 00:23:43.100 --> 00:23:44.360 and they've turned even it 00:23:44.360 --> 00:23:45.060 into an idol. 00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:48.540 And it's doing so much harm. 00:23:49.240 --> 00:23:50.980 It's doing so much damage 00:23:50.980 --> 00:23:51.500 to people. 00:23:51.500 --> 00:23:52.980 People think that 00:23:52.980 --> 00:23:54.259 in their sleeping around 00:23:54.259 --> 00:23:55.619 and in all their experiences 00:23:55.619 --> 00:23:56.660 of false intimacy 00:23:56.660 --> 00:23:58.420 they're just expressing 00:23:58.420 --> 00:23:59.099 their freedom 00:23:59.099 --> 00:24:01.400 but what's really happening 00:24:01.400 --> 00:24:02.059 is they're becoming 00:24:02.059 --> 00:24:03.279 more and more enslaved. 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:06.079 And so Paul writes 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:07.380 to this church in Corinth 00:24:07.380 --> 00:24:09.579 in 1 Corinthians 6 00:24:09.579 --> 00:24:10.660 and he says this 00:24:10.660 --> 00:24:11.420 to these people 00:24:11.420 --> 00:24:13.859 who are surrounded 00:24:13.859 --> 00:24:15.559 by a cult of sex. 00:24:16.599 --> 00:24:18.759 So pressured to conform 00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:19.559 to the pattern 00:24:19.559 --> 00:24:21.059 of that world around them. 00:24:21.779 --> 00:24:22.799 And here's what he says. 00:24:22.879 --> 00:24:23.179 He says, 00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:24.139 do you not know 00:24:24.139 --> 00:24:25.559 that the unrighteous 00:24:25.559 --> 00:24:26.399 will not inherit 00:24:26.399 --> 00:24:27.379 the kingdom of God? 00:24:28.339 --> 00:24:29.279 Do not be deceived. 00:24:29.419 --> 00:24:31.139 Neither opposite sex sinners 00:24:31.139 --> 00:24:32.419 nor same sex sinners 00:24:32.419 --> 00:24:33.779 nor idolaters 00:24:33.779 --> 00:24:34.539 nor thieves 00:24:34.539 --> 00:24:35.200 nor the greedy 00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:35.960 nor drunkards 00:24:35.960 --> 00:24:36.839 nor slanderers 00:24:36.839 --> 00:24:37.480 nor swindlers 00:24:37.480 --> 00:24:38.379 will inherit 00:24:38.379 --> 00:24:39.339 the kingdom of God. 00:24:41.139 --> 00:24:42.000 And Paul says, 00:24:42.099 --> 00:24:43.279 that is what some of you 00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:44.839 at Christ Church Corinth 00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:46.359 that's what some of you were. 00:24:47.500 --> 00:24:48.680 That's what some of you 00:24:48.680 --> 00:24:49.799 used to be. 00:24:50.899 --> 00:24:52.220 But then God came in. 00:24:52.980 --> 00:24:53.940 And God came in 00:24:53.940 --> 00:24:54.259 and he says, 00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:55.899 but you were washed. 00:24:56.700 --> 00:24:57.660 You were sanctified. 00:24:57.859 --> 00:24:58.940 You were justified 00:24:58.940 --> 00:24:59.639 in the name 00:24:59.639 --> 00:25:00.759 of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:25:00.759 --> 00:25:01.980 and by the Spirit of God. 00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:02.680 Paul's saying that 00:25:02.680 --> 00:25:03.599 no matter how much 00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:04.299 you've slept around, 00:25:04.399 --> 00:25:05.119 no matter how much 00:25:05.119 --> 00:25:05.879 false intimacy 00:25:05.879 --> 00:25:06.599 you've practiced, 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:08.240 it doesn't matter anymore. 00:25:08.460 --> 00:25:09.960 You've been cleansed. 00:25:10.619 --> 00:25:11.859 You've been set apart 00:25:11.859 --> 00:25:12.500 to God. 00:25:12.599 --> 00:25:13.199 You've been declared 00:25:13.199 --> 00:25:14.699 righteous in God's sight. 00:25:15.559 --> 00:25:16.240 But now, 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:16.699 he says, 00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:17.439 brothers and sisters, 00:25:17.539 --> 00:25:18.639 you've got to unlearn 00:25:18.639 --> 00:25:20.219 all those old ways 00:25:20.219 --> 00:25:21.139 that degraded you 00:25:21.139 --> 00:25:22.119 and you've got to learn 00:25:22.119 --> 00:25:23.299 God's new ways 00:25:23.299 --> 00:25:25.240 that humanize you, 00:25:25.719 --> 00:25:26.879 that ennoble you. 00:25:27.740 --> 00:25:28.519 And so he says, 00:25:28.639 --> 00:25:29.139 the body 00:25:29.139 --> 00:25:30.779 is not meant 00:25:30.779 --> 00:25:31.859 for sexual immorality 00:25:31.859 --> 00:25:32.719 but for the Lord. 00:25:35.199 --> 00:25:36.639 And the Lord for the body. 00:25:37.479 --> 00:25:38.099 Do you not know 00:25:38.099 --> 00:25:38.719 that your bodies 00:25:38.719 --> 00:25:40.219 are members of Christ himself? 00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:40.639 He says, 00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:41.099 flee 00:25:41.099 --> 00:25:42.819 from sexual immorality. 00:25:42.959 --> 00:25:43.719 All other sins 00:25:43.719 --> 00:25:44.519 a person commits 00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:45.480 are outside the body 00:25:45.480 --> 00:25:46.839 but whoever sins sexually 00:25:46.839 --> 00:25:48.919 sins against their own body. 00:25:49.539 --> 00:25:50.219 Do you not know 00:25:50.219 --> 00:25:50.839 that your bodies 00:25:50.839 --> 00:25:52.359 are temples of the Holy Spirit 00:25:52.359 --> 00:25:53.139 who is in you, 00:25:53.679 --> 00:25:54.919 whom you have received from God? 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:56.039 You are not your own. 00:25:56.519 --> 00:25:57.719 You were bought at a price. 00:25:57.859 --> 00:25:58.099 Therefore, 00:25:58.399 --> 00:25:59.159 honor God 00:25:59.159 --> 00:26:00.339 with your bodies. 00:26:02.119 --> 00:26:02.559 Paul's saying 00:26:02.559 --> 00:26:03.219 to be a Christian 00:26:03.219 --> 00:26:04.179 is to no longer 00:26:04.179 --> 00:26:06.000 have this very low view 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:06.519 of the body. 00:26:07.359 --> 00:26:08.099 To be a Christian 00:26:08.099 --> 00:26:09.539 is to have a very high 00:26:09.539 --> 00:26:11.139 an exalted view 00:26:11.139 --> 00:26:11.720 of the body. 00:26:11.819 --> 00:26:12.579 That this body 00:26:12.579 --> 00:26:13.420 that's going to be 00:26:13.420 --> 00:26:14.119 one day 00:26:14.119 --> 00:26:15.680 resurrected from the dead, 00:26:15.779 --> 00:26:17.039 this body even now 00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:18.700 is full of the Holy Spirit 00:26:18.700 --> 00:26:19.259 of God. 00:26:20.200 --> 00:26:21.559 This body's been purchased 00:26:21.559 --> 00:26:23.500 by the infinite value 00:26:23.500 --> 00:26:24.539 of the blood of Christ. 00:26:24.680 --> 00:26:25.259 This body 00:26:25.259 --> 00:26:27.200 no longer belongs to me, 00:26:27.259 --> 00:26:28.399 it belongs to God. 00:26:29.579 --> 00:26:30.680 And Paul's question 00:26:30.680 --> 00:26:31.740 to us in this text 00:26:31.740 --> 00:26:33.339 is how many of us 00:26:33.339 --> 00:26:34.200 have acted 00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:35.139 as if our bodies 00:26:35.139 --> 00:26:36.879 are not God's 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:37.780 but they're our own. 00:26:39.200 --> 00:26:40.060 How many of us 00:26:40.060 --> 00:26:42.300 have dishonored God 00:26:42.300 --> 00:26:43.040 with our bodies, 00:26:43.520 --> 00:26:44.860 with our eyes, 00:26:45.660 --> 00:26:46.780 with our thoughts, 00:26:47.580 --> 00:26:48.660 with our hearts 00:26:48.660 --> 00:26:49.700 and our desires? 00:26:50.800 --> 00:26:51.780 Can any of us 00:26:51.780 --> 00:26:52.960 honestly look in the mirror 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:53.920 or look in the face 00:26:53.920 --> 00:26:54.660 of God himself 00:26:54.660 --> 00:26:55.340 and say, 00:26:55.940 --> 00:26:58.040 I am sexually righteous? 00:26:59.780 --> 00:27:00.700 And Paul's whole point 00:27:00.700 --> 00:27:02.920 is no one can do that. 00:27:03.840 --> 00:27:04.800 None of us are righteous. 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:06.460 No, not one. 00:27:06.460 --> 00:27:07.759 Again, so much more 00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:08.579 to say about that. 00:27:08.660 --> 00:27:09.240 You're going to have to go 00:27:09.240 --> 00:27:10.180 listen to other sermons 00:27:10.180 --> 00:27:10.900 that are preached. 00:27:12.140 --> 00:27:12.980 But Paul's talking about 00:27:12.980 --> 00:27:13.980 our deceitful idols, 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:15.680 our degraded bodies, 00:27:16.299 --> 00:27:17.860 and then our depraved minds 00:27:17.860 --> 00:27:19.000 and decaying societies. 00:27:20.180 --> 00:27:21.220 He says in verse 28, 00:27:21.319 --> 00:27:21.700 furthermore, 00:27:21.779 --> 00:27:22.640 just as they did not think 00:27:22.640 --> 00:27:23.220 it worthwhile 00:27:23.220 --> 00:27:24.400 to retain the knowledge 00:27:24.400 --> 00:27:24.960 of God, 00:27:25.079 --> 00:27:26.079 so God gave them over 00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:27.880 to a depraved mind 00:27:27.880 --> 00:27:28.600 so that they do 00:27:28.600 --> 00:27:29.819 what ought not to be done. 00:27:31.120 --> 00:27:31.940 We've been made 00:27:31.940 --> 00:27:32.980 to love our neighbors 00:27:32.980 --> 00:27:34.220 as ourselves. 00:27:35.160 --> 00:27:36.340 And then Paul lists for us 00:27:36.339 --> 00:27:37.699 these 21 vices 00:27:37.699 --> 00:27:40.179 in verses 29 to 31. 00:27:40.959 --> 00:27:41.699 Of all the ways 00:27:41.699 --> 00:27:42.639 we don't love our neighbor, 00:27:42.759 --> 00:27:44.139 we destroy our neighbor, 00:27:44.220 --> 00:27:44.919 we make our neighbor 00:27:44.919 --> 00:27:46.639 absolutely unhappy 00:27:46.639 --> 00:27:47.919 and miserable. 00:27:48.559 --> 00:27:49.379 If you just scan 00:27:49.379 --> 00:27:50.500 over that list, 00:27:52.059 --> 00:27:53.539 is that not a perfect summary 00:27:53.539 --> 00:27:54.399 of human history? 00:27:55.619 --> 00:27:56.339 Does it not explain 00:27:56.919 --> 00:27:58.779 why things are as they are? 00:27:58.779 --> 00:28:01.339 We tell ourselves 00:28:01.339 --> 00:28:02.740 with all of our education, 00:28:02.980 --> 00:28:03.980 all of our technology, 00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:05.180 all of our culture, 00:28:05.259 --> 00:28:05.799 that we're going to 00:28:05.799 --> 00:28:06.819 continually improve 00:28:06.819 --> 00:28:07.839 and make progress 00:28:07.839 --> 00:28:09.279 and one day bring in 00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:10.279 the utopia. 00:28:11.799 --> 00:28:12.240 And yet, 00:28:12.579 --> 00:28:12.980 somehow, 00:28:13.220 --> 00:28:14.639 in this entire last century, 00:28:14.779 --> 00:28:15.519 we've not yet 00:28:15.519 --> 00:28:17.279 been able to eradicate, 00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:18.420 with all of our advances, 00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:19.639 we've not yet been able 00:28:19.639 --> 00:28:20.799 to eradicate greed, 00:28:20.940 --> 00:28:21.440 for example, 00:28:22.139 --> 00:28:24.039 or envy of our neighbor. 00:28:24.039 --> 00:28:25.859 In fact, 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:26.399 Paul says, 00:28:26.579 --> 00:28:28.460 we invent new ways 00:28:28.460 --> 00:28:30.259 of becoming even more 00:28:30.259 --> 00:28:31.960 vile and violent 00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:32.799 and vicious 00:28:32.799 --> 00:28:34.079 toward one another. 00:28:35.240 --> 00:28:36.559 And what does God do 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:38.039 about all this ungodliness 00:28:38.639 --> 00:28:39.879 and unrighteousness? 00:28:40.819 --> 00:28:41.759 Three times, 00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:42.139 it says, 00:28:42.460 --> 00:28:43.180 God gave them over. 00:28:43.879 --> 00:28:44.879 God gave them over. 00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:46.639 God gave them over. 00:28:47.500 --> 00:28:48.659 When we refuse 00:28:48.659 --> 00:28:50.480 to glorify God as God, 00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:51.700 when we do not thank Him, 00:28:51.700 --> 00:28:53.100 when we do not worship 00:28:53.100 --> 00:28:54.539 and serve Him as we ought, 00:28:55.480 --> 00:28:56.000 when we, 00:28:56.100 --> 00:28:56.640 in our wisdom 00:28:56.640 --> 00:28:57.620 and our cleverness, 00:28:57.779 --> 00:28:58.400 dismiss Him 00:28:58.400 --> 00:28:59.640 and turn our back on Him, 00:29:00.140 --> 00:29:01.279 then God does exactly 00:29:01.279 --> 00:29:03.039 the same thing to us. 00:29:04.039 --> 00:29:05.160 We give Him up, 00:29:06.019 --> 00:29:07.420 and so He gives us up. 00:29:08.220 --> 00:29:09.340 We abandon God, 00:29:09.400 --> 00:29:11.259 and so He abandons us. 00:29:11.340 --> 00:29:12.059 We break up 00:29:12.059 --> 00:29:13.420 our relationship with Him, 00:29:13.480 --> 00:29:14.299 and so He allows us 00:29:14.299 --> 00:29:15.620 to break up everything else 00:29:15.620 --> 00:29:16.420 in His creation. 00:29:18.039 --> 00:29:19.120 He hands us over 00:29:19.120 --> 00:29:19.840 to ourselves 00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:22.240 so that we just stew 00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:23.000 in our own juices 00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:24.259 and go round and around 00:29:24.259 --> 00:29:25.059 in circles. 00:29:26.399 --> 00:29:27.879 And when God withdraws 00:29:27.879 --> 00:29:29.399 Himself and His presence, 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:30.539 all that's vile 00:29:30.539 --> 00:29:31.699 and violent and vicious 00:29:31.699 --> 00:29:32.619 floods in 00:29:32.619 --> 00:29:33.480 and is let loose 00:29:33.480 --> 00:29:34.740 and given free reign 00:29:34.740 --> 00:29:35.939 so that the world 00:29:35.939 --> 00:29:37.759 becomes a living hell. 00:29:38.959 --> 00:29:40.199 And that's what hell is. 00:29:40.299 --> 00:29:41.079 Hell is just simply 00:29:41.079 --> 00:29:42.799 being given over to ourselves 00:29:42.799 --> 00:29:45.039 to exist in a state of being 00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:45.839 without God, 00:29:46.659 --> 00:29:48.159 without His restraining hand 00:29:48.160 --> 00:29:49.400 and His restraining grace 00:29:49.400 --> 00:29:50.279 that holds back 00:29:50.279 --> 00:29:52.900 all of our self-centeredness. 00:29:54.060 --> 00:29:54.420 And you see, 00:29:54.500 --> 00:29:55.480 the gospel reveals 00:29:55.480 --> 00:29:56.420 these things to us. 00:29:56.480 --> 00:29:57.240 The gospel reveals 00:29:57.240 --> 00:29:58.700 the cause of God's wrath 00:29:58.700 --> 00:30:00.500 and the consequences 00:30:00.500 --> 00:30:01.440 of God's wrath, 00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:03.240 but it also reveals 00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:04.519 the cure of God's wrath. 00:30:04.640 --> 00:30:06.240 Now, so far, 00:30:06.320 --> 00:30:06.640 you're like, 00:30:07.040 --> 00:30:08.120 this is an awful sermon. 00:30:09.140 --> 00:30:09.380 Okay? 00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:10.900 This is terrible preaching. 00:30:11.060 --> 00:30:11.940 It's Mother's Day. 00:30:12.940 --> 00:30:15.640 And why all this doom and gloom? 00:30:16.520 --> 00:30:17.920 Why are you making us feel 00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:20.060 so helpless and so hopeless? 00:30:21.520 --> 00:30:25.320 Well, that's precisely the point. 00:30:27.080 --> 00:30:30.380 Do we see now why Paul says 00:30:30.380 --> 00:30:31.560 that he's not ashamed 00:30:31.560 --> 00:30:32.460 of the gospel? 00:30:33.520 --> 00:30:34.940 Because he says that Christians 00:30:34.940 --> 00:30:36.420 are the only people 00:30:36.420 --> 00:30:37.020 on the planet 00:30:37.020 --> 00:30:39.480 who know not only the cause 00:30:39.480 --> 00:30:40.400 and the consequences 00:30:40.400 --> 00:30:41.259 of God's wrath, 00:30:41.320 --> 00:30:42.240 but we know the cure. 00:30:43.220 --> 00:30:44.020 We not only know 00:30:44.019 --> 00:30:45.240 the plight of humanity, 00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:46.879 but we know the power of God, 00:30:46.940 --> 00:30:47.940 the one power 00:30:47.940 --> 00:30:48.920 that's sufficient 00:30:48.920 --> 00:30:49.879 to deal with 00:30:49.879 --> 00:30:50.980 our deepest problems. 00:30:52.779 --> 00:30:53.579 Paul says, 00:30:53.660 --> 00:30:54.859 I'm not ashamed of the gospel 00:30:54.859 --> 00:30:56.900 because it is the power of God 00:30:56.900 --> 00:30:57.879 that brings salvation 00:30:57.879 --> 00:30:59.859 for everyone who believes, 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:00.819 first for the Jew, 00:31:01.079 --> 00:31:02.259 then for the Gentile, 00:31:02.379 --> 00:31:04.039 because in the gospel, 00:31:04.180 --> 00:31:05.740 the righteousness of God 00:31:05.740 --> 00:31:06.700 is revealed, 00:31:06.819 --> 00:31:07.480 a righteousness 00:31:07.480 --> 00:31:08.759 that is by faith 00:31:08.759 --> 00:31:09.900 from first to last. 00:31:09.900 --> 00:31:10.799 As it is written, 00:31:11.180 --> 00:31:12.379 the righteous will live 00:31:12.380 --> 00:31:13.400 by faith. 00:31:13.480 --> 00:31:13.960 Paul says, 00:31:14.120 --> 00:31:15.780 we living in the midst 00:31:15.780 --> 00:31:17.320 of this old age 00:31:17.320 --> 00:31:19.500 and this old sad realm 00:31:19.500 --> 00:31:21.020 of the wrath of God, 00:31:22.140 --> 00:31:23.220 God has come in 00:31:23.220 --> 00:31:24.680 and he's revealed something new. 00:31:24.940 --> 00:31:26.300 He's revealed a new age 00:31:26.300 --> 00:31:27.700 and a new realm 00:31:27.700 --> 00:31:29.040 of his righteousness, 00:31:29.180 --> 00:31:30.420 a righteousness from God 00:31:30.420 --> 00:31:31.140 that God, 00:31:31.820 --> 00:31:33.260 in his infinite wisdom, 00:31:33.520 --> 00:31:34.220 in his love, 00:31:34.300 --> 00:31:35.680 in his mercy and compassion, 00:31:36.020 --> 00:31:37.300 he has made a way 00:31:37.300 --> 00:31:39.180 to save the ungodly 00:31:39.180 --> 00:31:40.320 and the unrighteous. 00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:41.339 He's made a way 00:31:41.339 --> 00:31:42.899 to make us righteous, 00:31:43.119 --> 00:31:44.220 to give to us 00:31:44.220 --> 00:31:45.460 and impute to us 00:31:45.460 --> 00:31:46.399 a righteousness 00:31:46.399 --> 00:31:47.740 not of our own 00:31:47.740 --> 00:31:49.319 but of his own son, 00:31:49.419 --> 00:31:50.200 Jesus Christ. 00:31:50.899 --> 00:31:51.179 Amen? 00:31:52.339 --> 00:31:53.399 When Paul says, 00:31:53.539 --> 00:31:55.019 I'm not ashamed of the gospel, 00:31:55.139 --> 00:31:55.539 he means, 00:31:55.700 --> 00:31:55.980 actually, 00:31:56.099 --> 00:31:57.759 I'm very proud of the gospel. 00:31:58.379 --> 00:31:59.779 I glory in the gospel 00:31:59.779 --> 00:32:01.399 and I boast in the gospel 00:32:01.399 --> 00:32:02.399 and the gospel 00:32:02.399 --> 00:32:03.559 just thrills me 00:32:03.559 --> 00:32:05.200 down to the very marrow 00:32:05.200 --> 00:32:06.200 of my bones 00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:07.500 and the very core 00:32:07.500 --> 00:32:08.619 of my being 00:32:08.619 --> 00:32:10.939 because the gospel reveals 00:32:10.939 --> 00:32:12.339 the only hope, 00:32:13.179 --> 00:32:14.959 the only hope 00:32:14.959 --> 00:32:15.899 for humanity 00:32:15.899 --> 00:32:18.139 that God provided 00:32:18.139 --> 00:32:19.599 a righteousness for us 00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:20.859 that none of us, 00:32:21.119 --> 00:32:22.059 even if we had all 00:32:22.059 --> 00:32:23.159 tried to get together 00:32:23.159 --> 00:32:24.579 and do it together, 00:32:24.879 --> 00:32:25.619 none of us 00:32:25.619 --> 00:32:26.599 could have achieved 00:32:26.599 --> 00:32:27.799 or produced 00:32:27.799 --> 00:32:28.579 the righteousness 00:32:28.579 --> 00:32:29.319 we need 00:32:29.319 --> 00:32:30.539 on our own. 00:32:31.500 --> 00:32:32.119 So yes, 00:32:32.239 --> 00:32:32.719 Paul says, 00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:34.479 God gave us over 00:32:34.479 --> 00:32:36.059 to fester 00:32:36.059 --> 00:32:37.019 in that gutter 00:32:37.019 --> 00:32:38.039 and that cesspool 00:32:38.039 --> 00:32:38.619 of evil 00:32:38.619 --> 00:32:40.859 but God also 00:32:40.859 --> 00:32:42.500 gave Jesus over 00:32:42.500 --> 00:32:44.180 to be our righteousness. 00:32:44.359 --> 00:32:46.160 Paul uses the very same word 00:32:46.160 --> 00:32:47.839 in Romans 8, 32. 00:32:47.980 --> 00:32:48.220 He says, 00:32:48.700 --> 00:32:48.720 God, 00:32:49.240 --> 00:32:50.379 who did not spare 00:32:50.379 --> 00:32:51.279 his own son, 00:32:52.000 --> 00:32:53.180 he gave him over 00:32:53.180 --> 00:32:54.579 for us all 00:32:54.579 --> 00:32:56.960 and Jesus left heaven 00:32:56.960 --> 00:32:58.799 and he was born 00:32:58.799 --> 00:33:00.139 willingly under the law 00:33:00.139 --> 00:33:00.779 and he came 00:33:00.779 --> 00:33:01.440 and he lived 00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:02.700 that godly, 00:33:03.220 --> 00:33:04.019 righteous life 00:33:04.019 --> 00:33:04.779 that we were meant 00:33:04.779 --> 00:33:05.339 to live 00:33:05.339 --> 00:33:07.399 and he gave himself 00:33:07.399 --> 00:33:08.879 over voluntarily 00:33:08.879 --> 00:33:10.319 to die for us 00:33:10.319 --> 00:33:12.220 to take our ungodliness 00:33:12.220 --> 00:33:13.559 and our unrighteousness 00:33:13.559 --> 00:33:14.299 upon himself 00:33:14.299 --> 00:33:15.279 and more than that 00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:16.679 to take upon himself 00:33:16.679 --> 00:33:18.559 the wrath of God, 00:33:19.339 --> 00:33:20.819 his holy hatred of evil 00:33:20.819 --> 00:33:21.799 so that we wouldn't 00:33:21.799 --> 00:33:22.579 have to bear it, 00:33:23.299 --> 00:33:24.379 so that we rather 00:33:24.379 --> 00:33:25.619 would get the righteousness 00:33:25.619 --> 00:33:26.359 of Christ 00:33:26.359 --> 00:33:27.839 placed upon us. 00:33:27.839 --> 00:33:30.399 why is Paul 00:33:30.399 --> 00:33:31.059 so proud 00:33:31.059 --> 00:33:31.659 of the gospel? 00:33:32.980 --> 00:33:34.419 Why is he so pleased 00:33:34.419 --> 00:33:35.639 to announce 00:33:35.639 --> 00:33:36.559 this righteousness 00:33:36.559 --> 00:33:37.299 of God? 00:33:38.539 --> 00:33:39.579 Because nothing, 00:33:40.299 --> 00:33:42.500 nothing but the gospel 00:33:42.500 --> 00:33:44.279 is adequate 00:33:44.279 --> 00:33:44.799 to meet 00:33:44.799 --> 00:33:46.259 our terrible need 00:33:46.259 --> 00:33:47.639 under the wrath 00:33:47.639 --> 00:33:48.079 of God. 00:33:49.259 --> 00:33:50.259 Paul's been very clear 00:33:50.259 --> 00:33:51.159 that nobody 00:33:51.159 --> 00:33:52.539 under the wrath 00:33:52.539 --> 00:33:52.839 of God 00:33:52.839 --> 00:33:53.220 will live. 00:33:53.299 --> 00:33:54.319 It all obviously 00:33:54.319 --> 00:33:55.199 ends in death 00:33:55.199 --> 00:33:55.819 and destruction 00:33:55.819 --> 00:33:57.879 but he says 00:33:57.879 --> 00:33:58.379 those 00:33:58.379 --> 00:34:00.460 who are righteous 00:34:00.460 --> 00:34:02.099 by faith 00:34:02.099 --> 00:34:02.679 in the righteousness 00:34:02.679 --> 00:34:03.299 of God 00:34:03.299 --> 00:34:05.379 they will live. 00:34:06.919 --> 00:34:07.859 That's the only way 00:34:07.859 --> 00:34:08.400 to experience 00:34:08.400 --> 00:34:09.039 the power 00:34:09.039 --> 00:34:09.960 that saves. 00:34:10.059 --> 00:34:10.819 If you're exploring 00:34:10.819 --> 00:34:11.400 Christianity 00:34:11.400 --> 00:34:12.659 we're so glad 00:34:12.659 --> 00:34:13.079 you're here 00:34:13.079 --> 00:34:13.579 and I hope 00:34:13.579 --> 00:34:14.659 that I've convinced 00:34:14.659 --> 00:34:15.440 you to at least 00:34:15.440 --> 00:34:16.000 consider 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:17.679 that the main 00:34:17.679 --> 00:34:18.860 problem that we have 00:34:18.860 --> 00:34:19.619 as human beings 00:34:19.619 --> 00:34:20.519 is that we've turned 00:34:20.519 --> 00:34:21.480 away from God 00:34:21.480 --> 00:34:22.960 and therefore 00:34:22.960 --> 00:34:24.119 the only solution 00:34:24.119 --> 00:34:25.740 to that problem 00:34:25.740 --> 00:34:27.320 is to turn ourselves 00:34:27.320 --> 00:34:28.119 back to God. 00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:30.019 And if you're here 00:34:30.019 --> 00:34:30.699 and you're a Christian 00:34:30.699 --> 00:34:32.059 and you really believe 00:34:32.059 --> 00:34:33.139 these things 00:34:33.139 --> 00:34:33.980 that we're talking 00:34:33.980 --> 00:34:34.599 about today 00:34:34.599 --> 00:34:38.119 you will not long 00:34:38.119 --> 00:34:40.000 for a life of ease 00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:40.900 and rest 00:34:40.900 --> 00:34:41.579 and comfort 00:34:41.579 --> 00:34:43.639 because you will 00:34:43.639 --> 00:34:44.619 feel the burden 00:34:44.619 --> 00:34:46.139 and you will feel 00:34:46.139 --> 00:34:47.159 the great plight 00:34:47.159 --> 00:34:47.980 of humanity 00:34:47.980 --> 00:34:50.019 upon your very breast 00:34:50.019 --> 00:34:50.940 and you will begin 00:34:50.940 --> 00:34:51.659 to pray 00:34:51.659 --> 00:34:53.340 and cry out to God 00:34:53.340 --> 00:34:54.039 for revival. 00:34:55.119 --> 00:34:56.039 Call out to God 00:34:56.039 --> 00:34:57.320 for spiritual awakening 00:34:57.320 --> 00:34:58.340 and an outpouring 00:34:58.340 --> 00:34:59.920 of the Holy Spirit 00:34:59.920 --> 00:35:01.139 so by the power 00:35:01.139 --> 00:35:02.039 of the God 00:35:02.039 --> 00:35:02.840 who saves 00:35:02.840 --> 00:35:04.759 more and more 00:35:04.759 --> 00:35:05.340 of the people 00:35:05.340 --> 00:35:06.340 living around us 00:35:06.340 --> 00:35:07.300 could come out 00:35:07.300 --> 00:35:09.139 from under the wrath 00:35:09.139 --> 00:35:09.599 of God 00:35:09.599 --> 00:35:11.259 and they could come 00:35:11.259 --> 00:35:11.920 and live 00:35:11.920 --> 00:35:12.880 joyfully 00:35:12.880 --> 00:35:13.500 and fully 00:35:13.500 --> 00:35:14.739 under the righteousness 00:35:14.739 --> 00:35:15.460 of God 00:35:15.460 --> 00:35:17.079 that's been provided 00:35:17.079 --> 00:35:17.759 for us 00:35:17.759 --> 00:35:19.340 in Jesus Christ. 00:35:20.019 --> 00:35:21.599 As it is written 00:35:21.599 --> 00:35:22.239 the righteous 00:35:22.239 --> 00:35:23.280 by faith 00:35:23.280 --> 00:35:24.739 will live. 00:35:25.759 --> 00:35:26.960 Will live eternally. 00:35:27.539 --> 00:35:28.759 Will live abundantly. 00:35:29.940 --> 00:35:31.199 Thank God for that. 00:35:32.539 --> 00:35:33.719 Let's pray to that end 00:35:33.719 --> 00:35:34.559 in the name of the Father, 00:35:34.699 --> 00:35:35.579 Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:35:36.519 --> 00:35:36.840 Amen.