We're going to be reading now from the book of Romans, chapter 1, starting at verse 18
through the end of the chapter.
For the wrath of God is arreled from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly
perceived ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.
So they are without excuse.
For although they know God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they
became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for
images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonouring
of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and
worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever.
Amen.
For this reason, God gave them up to dishonourable passions.
For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature.
And the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for
one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due
penalty for their error.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do
what ought not to be done.
They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice.
They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.
They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil,
disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
Though they know God's righteous decrees that those who practice such things deserve to
die, they not only do them, but give approval to those who practice them.
Well, good morning, everyone.
Those on Zoom as well.
Well, I'd like to start with a question, and today is no different.
So here it goes.
Confronting question, what matters most to you when you think about God?
What matters most to you when you think about God?
I'm going to give you two options.
Is it how well you feel your life is going?
God's in charge of life, as it were.
So is it how well you feel your life is going, or is it how you stand before God, or how God's
view of you?
Just take a couple of seconds, literally take a few seconds, just to decide which one matters
most to you when you think about God.
I think if we're honest, most of us default to self-interested thinking in most things.
Even when thinking about God and God's powerful gospel.
Will it fix my brokenness, my bad habits, my struggling relationships?
Will it deliver me a hassle-free life?
Does it promise me an enjoyable experience?
That's a fairly modern one.
Happiness.
When we come to read Paul's letter to the Christians at Rome, it's anything but self-interested.
His focus constantly, especially in the introduction, in the first 17 verses, is very strongly God-centered.
God's powerful gospel.
And this morning, the God of the gospel.
Paul knows that what matters most is not whether we feel good, whether we have our needs met,
whether we've had a meaningful experience when we come to church.
What matters most is how God thinks of us, whether we're in a good relationship with God,
and on what basis we believe we're in that relationship with God.
And in verse 16 and 17, which was the sort of climax of Paul's introduction,
he says,
For I am not ashamed of the gospel.
Why is he not ashamed of the gospel?
Because it's the power of God for salvation.
God's gospel, the God of the gospel, the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,
the Jew first and also to the Greek.
For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed.
In it, in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed.
The gospel, God's powerful gospel, does two things.
It shows us both what God is like, his righteousness,
and it shows us God's way of salvation,
God's way of people coming back into right relationship with him.
But if that's the introduction, then it raises a very, very big question.
And that's what Paul turns his attention to in this next section of his letter
that runs all the way from chapter 1, verse 18, through to chapter 3, verse 20.
The question is this.
Who needs the gospel?
And why do we need the gospel to come back into right relationship with God?
It's almost as if, I remember when I first came down here,
there's an advertising billboard out in Hexham Way,
and it actually had great big letters.
If Jesus is the answer, then what is the question?
Paul tells us in his introduction that Jesus is the answer.
Now we're starting to jump into the question.
What is the question?
The question is, who needs this gospel, this powerful gospel,
and why do we need it?
Why do we need it to be put back into the right relationship with God?
Because I guess most people in their natural state,
if you ask them what God thinks of them,
they'll say, well, I'm not perfect,
but I've done this and this and this and this.
And so I think overall they'll think,
I'm acceptable to God.
So this question of who needs the gospel and why,
we'll unpack over the next three Sundays.
But before I jump into the details of 1, 18 verse 32,
18 through to 32,
I want you to step back and frame the argument
at a sort of big picture level.
So I want you to talk first about salvation and wrath
as two sides of the one coin of God's righteousness.
Now, if you look at verse 17,
it says,
the righteous for in it,
that is God's powerful gospel,
in it the righteousness of God is revealed.
Paul's introduction finishes verse 17
with a spotlight on God's righteousness.
And righteousness means, as I said last week,
faithfulness to his promise to love
and deliver his special covenant people.
And that's been revealed in an ongoing way.
The righteousness of God is being revealed.
How is it being revealed?
It's been revealed through the gospel.
God's salvation powerfully delivered
through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
But then Paul's next sentence,
the beginning of verse 8,
launches into this idea of the wrath of God.
How did we get from this glorious notion
of the righteousness of God in the gospel
to the wrath of God in the next sentence?
The connection's really, really important,
I think, to our understanding
of what Paul's going to do
over the next few chapters.
The next sentence goes really dark,
shifting to the wrath of God,
which he says in verse 18,
is also being revealed in an ongoing way,
present tense, present continuous.
So the question is,
why the sudden shift from hugely positive
to darkly negative?
Answer,
because Paul's starting to address this question
and spell out the answer to this question,
who needs the gospel and why we need it?
Who needs God's righteousness as a gift
through the gospel,
that which is spoken about in verses 16 and 17?
And why we need God's righteousness as a gift
through the gospel?
Why?
Well,
because of God's wrath.
Now, God's wrath is his sort of considered response.
It's not that just God flies off the handle
in a temper tantrum.
Wrath is a considered response
or judgment on unrighteousness.
That's what it says.
The wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness of mankind,
humankind.
So the wrath of God is God's considered response.
What's unrighteousness then?
Well,
if the righteousness of God
is a reflection of God's character
and God's character responding
to unrighteousness,
then by definition,
unrighteousness
is anything that's contrary
to God's character.
Anything that's at odds
with God's status
as creator
and Lord of this universe.
Which is, of course,
otherwise described in the Bible
as sin
or rebellion.
So,
the wrath of God,
a considered response
against anything
that's contrary to his character
or his standing
as creator
and Lord of this universe,
where he sees it
in mankind,
humankind,
sinners,
sinners rather.
Now,
what we have to understand here
is that for Paul,
it's not a change
of focus at all
because God's wrath
is equally
an expression
of God's righteousness.
It's one coin
with two sides.
And we see that
throughout the history of Israel
if you read through the Old Testament.
God's righteousness
was seen
either in
magnificent deliverances
of God's people
and salvation
or at other points
in the history of Israel,
God's righteousness
was seen as calling
his people to account
and bringing judgment
upon them.
Either partial judgment
or more complete judgment
or total judgment.
Both were acts
of God's righteousness
in respect of his people.
And so,
Paul's intention here,
I think,
and it's been a bit
of a long-winded argument,
hopefully I haven't lost you on it,
but I think it's an important argument.
Paul's intention here,
I think,
as we move from verse 16, 17
into verse 18
and the rest of the letter,
Paul's intention here
is to highlight
the wonder,
the splendor
of God
gifting us
his righteousness
in the gospel,
that which makes us
acceptable to God.
He wants to highlight that
against
the dark
and hopeless
condition
of mankind
in their natural state,
that is,
in their unrighteousness.
So Paul's
making a contrast here
to answer the question
why we need it.
Why do we need it?
Well,
this is an expression
of God's righteousness
in the gospel.
Why do we need it?
Because we're unrighteous.
We do that
which is contrary
to God's status,
which challenges
God's status,
which is at odds
with God's character.
which leaves us
unacceptable to God
and facing condemnation.
So,
who needs the gospel then?
Who needs this gospel
of God's,
of the gift
of God's righteousness
in Jesus?
Answer here again,
all mankind.
The word men there
is actually humankind.
which means,
if you go back
to verse 14
where Paul mentioned
Greeks and barbarians,
it means that
the barbarian,
and that was a term
by the Romans
and the Greeks
for everybody else
in the world,
apart from the Jews.
So,
the barbarians,
and these barbarians
had very,
very little knowledge
of the one true God.
All they had
was what they could
observe in the
physical creation.
Do they need the gospel?
Absolutely,
says Paul.
The Greeks
and the Romans,
sophisticated civilizations
who have a finely
tuned conscience,
do they need the gospel?
Absolutely,
says Paul,
because they're unrighteous.
What about the Jews?
They've actually got
God's written word.
God spoke to them directly.
Do they need the gospel?
Well,
we'll see in chapter 3.
Absolutely,
says Paul.
They also are unrighteous.
All are without excuse.
Now,
why are all
without excuse?
big point,
which is the point
you need to take away
from all of what
I've been saying
up to this point,
because nobody,
none live
according to what
they know about God.
None live
according to what
they know about God.
Now,
the problem of unrighteousness
is not a problem
of a lack of knowledge
of God.
It's a problem
of the choice
to live
contrary
to what they do
know about God.
That's the problem
of unrighteousness.
It's a deliberate
choice.
Let me put it
another way,
perhaps a little bit
more confronting.
Why will God
condemn,
sorry,
let me try that word
again.
Why will God
condemn
people who might
have lived
in the deepest,
darkest part
of the Amazon,
who have never
heard of Jesus
or God
or the Bible
in any sort
of written way?
Why will God
condemn them?
Answer,
not because
of what they
don't know
about the Bible
or Jesus,
but because
they refuse
to live in the light
of what they do
know about God
from observing
the physical universe
around them.
So,
let's
jump into
18 to 32
now and see
if we can
demonstrate that
principle under
two headings.
The first one
is this,
both autonomy
headings.
The first one
is that
autonomy
is pursued
as people
seek freedom
at any cost.
Now,
we all know
the idea
of autonomy.
It's been
sort of
fascinating
and scary
at the same
time
to look
at autonomy
just in the
motor vehicle
industry alone.
Autonomous
vehicles,
for goodness
sake.
They drive
themselves,
apparently.
In other words,
the driver's
been displaced.
That's autonomy
for you.
But we all
know it
personally too,
don't we?
We all know
it as a
constant desire
for freedom.
And boy,
has that been
a big word
through the
pandemic,
an increasingly
big word
through the
pandemic.
We all
want to do
what we
want to do
when we
want to do
it,
as we
want to
do it.
Freedom.
Freedom at any
cost,
I would dare
to add.
Now,
Paul argues
in these
verses here
that the
desire for
autonomy
is a key
driver in
the way
people respond
to God.
And the
reason why
all people,
without exception,
naturally
attract and
deserve God's
wrath or
judgment.
you look at
verses 19
and 20.
For what
can be known
about God
is plain
to them,
because God
has shown it
to them.
For his
invisible
attributes,
namely his
eternal power
and divine
nature,
have been
clearly perceived
ever since the
creation of the
world in the
things that
have been
made.
so they
are without
excuse.
Any
person
observing our
physical world
is but
confronted by
the reality
of God.
We cannot
actually see
him, but
his fingerprints
are everywhere.
And it's a
very simple
argument,
really,
that we can
understand.
If you
look at a
computer,
my laptop,
for instance,
if you look
at the
complexity of
my laptop,
it's obvious
that it
required somebody
bigger than
the laptop to
actually design
and construct
it.
So,
when you look
at our
physical world
in all its
beauty and
complexity,
it points
to a very
real and
powerful
designer.
mirror.
But verse
18,
the problem
is that
people want
to suppress
that which
is obvious,
the truth
about God.
Why do they
want to suppress
the truth
about God?
because to
admit that
truth,
to embrace
that truth,
is also to
embrace that
that God may
well have
some designs
on relationship
with you.
If he's bigger
than you,
you are then
under him.
There's,
by definition,
a relationship
that's implied
there.
People suppress
the truth
because they
want to
avoid the
relationship.
Freedom.
We want
to do our
own thing,
answer to
ourselves.
So,
verses 21,
22,
and 23,
instead of
honoring God,
what do they
do?
They treat
him shamefully.
And there's
that theme
again,
shame and
honor,
that we
saw last
week.
They treat
him shamefully.
How do they
treat him
shamefully?
Well,
listen to the
verses.
When I can
find them.
For although
they knew
God,
they did
not honor
him as
God or
give thanks
to him.
But they
became futile
in their
thinking,
and their
foolish hearts
were darkened.
Claiming to
be wise,
they became
fools,
and exchanged
the glory of
the immortal
God for
images resembling
mortal man and
birds and
animals and
reptiles.
Instead of
acknowledging
their existence
to God and
dependence on
him,
they treat
him shamefully.
How do they
treat him
shamefully?
Well,
they're
constantly
reducing
God.
They're
constantly
trying to
bring God
down to
a size
which is
comfortable
to exist
with,
and perhaps
even control.
So if God's
way up there
big,
whoa,
that's scary.
Let's bring
him down and
make him into
a stone or
a totem pole,
and we'll
say,
okay,
we'll carve
him,
we'll fashion
him,
we'll stick
him here,
and then
that's ours
to control.
That's God.
blurring
distinction
between God
and that
which he
has made.
So God
is now
part of
a piece
of wood
or part
of a piece
of stone
or part
of a
building.
And we're
told here
the ultimate
consequence
of continually
suppressing
truth is
that ultimately
reality becomes
so distorted
that we can
no longer
access truth.
In other
words,
we've lived
under a lie
so long
that now
the lie
has become
the truth
for us.
We can't
actually get
back to
what it was
before the
lie.
And the
lie is
that people
can decide,
individuals can
decide what
God is like,
or they can
even decide
to replace
him completely
if they don't
like the
idea of
God.
And what
do they
replace him
with?
Well,
we're told
they're
autonomy,
self-wisdom,
and self-worship.
Now,
friends,
this is the
culture we
live in.
And therefore,
we must say
it's a culture
under God's
wrath,
and a
culture without
excuse.
For all
our knowledge
and discovery
and science
and research,
and it's
vast.
There are a
lot of
really clever
people out
there doing
a lot of
really amazing
research.
But all
of it is
predicated by
desire to
suppress the
truth.
That's a
general statement,
I should say.
I'm talking
about in
cultural terms.
as a
nation,
and
individually,
we've
rejected
God,
most clearly
seen in
Jesus and
the gospel.
But here's
the rub,
you see,
having rejected
God and the
gospel,
our culture
is not any
less spiritual.
It is just
as spiritual
as ever.
what's
happened now
is,
and you
only have
to listen
to your
TV for a
day to
see this
demonstrated,
what's
happened now
is that
any form
of spirituality
is now
welcomed and
accepted.
And every
form of
spirituality
appears on
the TV
except
Jesus
suppressing
the truth.
There's a
long list
which are
becoming
increasingly
popular,
increasingly
mainstream.
Each
appears to
seek God,
and this
is something
we've been
pushed into
as Christians
and we've
wrongly given
up ground
here.
We've been
pushed to
say that
First Nations
culture and
First Nations
spirituality
has its
own
integrity.
Wrong,
says the
Bible.
First Nations
spirituality
and every
other form
of
spirituality
we see
in our
nation,
whether it's
consumerism
or celebrity
worship in
sport and
Hollywood,
every one of
those
spiritualities
is designed
to suppress
the truth
about God.
It's a
strategy to
suppress truth,
hide from
God,
reduce God,
or in some
cases even
replace God.
Autonomy
at any
cost.
But that's
not the
end of
the problem.
The deliberate
choice has
real and
dramatic
consequences,
which is
the second
part of
our text
this morning
from verse
24 onwards.
Autonomy
is actually
experienced,
but it
becomes a
grotesque
form of
freedom
with
debasing
destructive
costs.
God's
wrath is
being
revealed,
present
continuous.
Well,
the question
is,
how do we
see God's
wrath being
revealed in
a present
continuous
context,
sense?
How do we
experience it?
Well,
in these
verses 24
through to
31,
the awfulness
of God's
wrath in
its current
expression among
us as a
culture is
emphasized by
threefold
repetition.
Verse 24,
where am I?
Verse 24,
here we go.
Therefore,
there's your
connection back
to what was
been said,
therefore,
God gave
them up,
that's the
repetition
phrase,
God gave
them up
in the
lusts of
their heart
to impurity,
to the
dishonoring of
their bodies
among themselves
because they
exchanged the
truth about
God for a
lie and
worshipped and
served the
creature rather
than the
creator who
is blessed
forever.
Amen.
God gives
people up to
lust and
impurity.
The human
craving to be
loved, to be
valued, to be
validated, to be
secure, that's a
natural human
craving.
Well, Paul's
point here is
that when
that's not
sought in
relationship with
God, it will
be pursued in
all kinds of
false intimacy.
And there's a
whole range of
false intimacies,
which I'm not
going to detail
this morning, but
there's just a
plethora of
them.
But that's the
thing.
When we're not
seeking these
identifying,
defining relationships
in the Lord,
then we will
find them and
seek them
elsewhere.
And this
false intimacy,
when it's
pursued, apart
from God,
actually becomes
consumerist.
We consume one
another.
When we use our
bodies, and do
use our bodies,
in destructive
ways, we use our
bodies in destructive
ways, trying to
get positive
validation.
It's a crazy
thing.
And we can see,
therefore, the
futility of
thinking that's
been spoken about
in the earlier
verses.
We keep on
thinking these
destructive
behaviors will
deliver the good
things we need
in our heart of
hearts.
Verse 26.
For this reason,
again, the link,
for this reason,
God gave them
up.
There's the
repetition.
God gave them
up to
dishonorable
passions.
For their
women exchanged
natural relations
for those that
are contrary
to nature,
and the men
likewise gave
up natural
relations with
women and were
consumed with
passion for one
another.
Men committing
shameless acts
with men and
receiving in
themselves the
due penalty for
their error.
God gives
people up to
dishonorable
passions.
My friends,
again, the
personal craving
for personal
identity,
that's what's
common right
across gender
dysphoria and
homosexuality,
is a craving
for identity,
a craving for
transformation,
salvation,
something that
will lift them
out of the
sadness and
the limitations
of their
current life,
something that
will deliver
happiness and
hope into a
world that
seems despairing
to them.
When these
things,
that sort of
identity,
is not sought
in transformational
relationship with
the Lord,
then it will be
sought and found
in all sorts of
abnormal
relationships.
And the
strange thing
about it is,
when it's sought
apart from God,
then the things
that we would
normally consider,
then the things
that would normally
be considered
boundaries in
these relationships
are so easily
removed and
replaced.
because the
drive is for
this freedom,
for happiness,
for a
transformation.
And we'll
try anything
rather than
go down the
path of
transformational
relationship with
the Lord.
And when such
relationships are
formed with
people who
already reject
any notion of
being made in
the image of
God, made to
reflect God's
character and
relationship,
then as I say,
natural boundaries,
natural restraints,
which once seemed
so obvious and
so fixed,
now become so
easily removed
and redefined.
Self-wisdom.
Self-worship.
Verse 28.
The third.
The trifecta.
And since they
did not see fit to
acknowledge God,
God gave them up
to a debased mind
to do what ought
not to be done.
And then you get
that list.
And it really is a
shotgun list of
relationships,
isn't it?
I spent some time
pondering this week
and I couldn't
think of anything
in any of my
relationships over
my 65 years
that's not in
that list.
It's a
comprehensive list.
But mind you,
it sits alongside
the two previous
God gave them up.
So it's not as if,
as this is what
some Christians have
done,
have made this text
all about
homosexuality.
But it's not all
about homosexuality,
it includes homosexuality,
but it involves
the destructive things
we bring to
relationships generally
at every point
in every relationship.
Gay,
bi,
straight,
whatever you want
to call them.
The problem's the same.
God gave people up
to a debased mind
and destructive
behaviors.
And here's where
we're so clever
as people
and so stupid.
Made in the image
of God,
sorry,
I should only
call myself stupid,
I shouldn't call you stupid,
but anyway,
that's a generic
sort of thing.
Made in the image
of God,
we've got this
wonderful human
ability to think,
to set goals,
and then to strategize
to achieve those goals.
And this
incredible creativity,
when not shaped
and informed
by God's mind
and character,
then becomes
self-interested,
exploitative,
and ruthless.
And that's
exactly what
Paul describes
in verses 29
to 31.
It could be
a summary
of any given
news report
on any given
day in Australia.
Even more sadly,
it could be
a summary
of many family
interactions
on any given
day in Australia.
It's as if
God is saying
to people
through these,
God gave them over.
It's as if
God's saying
to people,
you don't want
him to know me,
you don't want
him to honour me,
you don't want
him to live
under my rule,
well,
I'll leave you
to it.
Here it is,
see how you like it,
see how well
you do with it.
I'll give you
over to the
autonomy you want.
I promise
I won't interfere
with you.
I'll step back
and let you
have your head.
I'll let you
loose to experience
the autonomy
you've been craving.
I'll not prevent
you from spiralling
downwards into
thinking and actions
which will debase
yourself and
destroy yourself
and everybody
around you.
Have a good
sacrifice and see
how you like it,
says the Lord.
God.
And again,
my friends,
this is our
culture.
People are
obsessed with
freedom.
They're demanding
a lack of
restraints,
a removal of
restraints in
almost every
sphere of life.
Don't ask me to
wear a mask
because it might
be helpful for
people around me.
I don't want to
wear a mask and
I won't wear a
mask.
But here's the
rub you see.
When people
think they're
enjoying their
greatest freedom,
they're actually
experiencing God's
judgment.
In part now,
but chapter 2
verse 5 says
there's much
worse to come.
That partial
judgment now
will become a
final judgment
one day.
And the
consequences are
everywhere to be
seen around us
in this grotesque
distortion of
truth about people
and human
relationships at
every level.
victimhood.
And again,
in keeping with
what Paul says
here,
victims of
their own
passion for
autonomy,
the thing
they once
chose to
pursue
now controls
them.
So they're
unable to
break away
from it.
Even as
they experience
and recognize
the damage
it causes.
So how
do we
address this
massive,
terrible blight
on society
of domestic
violence?
Well, we need
more money
put into the
coffers.
We need
more counselors
unable to
break free
from it.
Which leads
Paul to
conclude,
ever so
sadly,
in verse
32,
people know
experientially
that their
thinking and
actions have
not delivered
the good
life.
They know
the pain of
competition in
relationships.
They know
the effects of
jealousy and
exploitation of
being used,
being consumed
in relationships.
They sense
they're made
for something
better than
the relationships
they now
experience.
They long
for something
superior,
someone superior
to transform
them, to
make their
relationships the
things they
want them to
be.
But in
spite of that
painful experience,
their commitment
to autonomy
makes them
continue in
their destructive
freedom.
And how do
they reassure
themselves?
foolishness that
this pathway
is the right
pathway?
Well, they
encourage others
around them to
do the same
things.
Is that
foolishness or
what?
It's like
lemons,
lemmings,
those little
things that used
to go over the
cliff anyway,
one after the
other.
Okay.
friends, with
the graphic
backdrop of
the reality of
God's righteousness
expressed in
his wrath and
condemnation of
all sin, and
that's every
sinner, we
come full
circle and
the need to
identify and
engage with the
challenge of
what matters
most when you
think of God.
the immediate
reality of
living daily
with the
reality of
God's wrath,
my friends, has
to be sobering,
does it not?
But again, here's
another twist in
this story, because
at the same time,
partial judgment
is a great
blessing from
the Lord.
In that, it
warns us of
even greater
judgment to
come and
pushes us to
take up the
offer of the
gospel presented
in verse 16
and 17, that
we can actually
find a
righteousness, we
can be given a
righteousness as
a gift in the
Lord Jesus, in
the gospel.
And that's the
means by which
both we can
escape his
wrath and
judgment and
become acceptable
to him and
secure and have
an identity and
have fulfillment and
meaning and
purpose and
ultimately have
happiness and
joy in life.
life.
So I just
finished on this
and I've run
over time, I'm
sorry, but I'm
going to finish on
it anyway, so
how sorry is that
one?
I'm going to keep
going.
Either you're not
a believer here
this morning.
If that's you, if
you're not a
believer here this
morning, then it
means you're still
committed to
autonomy, your own
autonomy.
Perhaps you're
committed to
living the lie
that you can
live successfully
as though God
doesn't even
exist.
You'll just be
the master of
your own ship.
Convinced that
your authority is
the only authority
that matters, that
you just need to
answer to yourself
and be happy in
your own skin.
And that by your
own efforts you can
achieve the good
life now and
then be able to
do a deal with
God when you
die and stand
before him that
your righteousness
is sufficient to
get you over the
line.
Well I'd ask you
to re-read these
verses this morning
my friend.
Because that ain't
true.
You're in big
danger.
You can ignore
what's obvious from
experience, the
things that are not
right about yourself,
not right in your
world.
You can work
harder to be even
nicer.
You can spend
your life trying
to make the
world a better
place.
You can make
up the rules as
you go.
You can run your
own life.
But you're still
in danger.
Or you're a
believer.
You're a believer
and if you're a
believer then I
hope and pray that
you've given up your
desire for autonomy.
And any thought of
being able to build
your own righteousness
because you know
that from the
inside out your
thinking, your
attitude, your
desires, your
actions, they're all
so distorted in your
natural state because
of sin that you need
a complete renewal.
And that complete
renewal comes in the
gospel.
So you come to
Jesus to receive
God's righteousness as
a free gift and
therefore you gladly
live now under
God's rule.
no longer craving
autonomy but craving
dependence and
closer relationship
with God.
Welcoming the way
his character shapes
you and gives you
security and gives
you joy and hope.
All the things you
crave naturally as a
human being.
And you share also
Paul's excitement
about God's powerful
gospel which delivers
from sin and renews
our ability to live
properly as God's
image bears.
My final sentence.
Make no mistake.
It is impossible to
avoid God's
righteousness in
action in his
world.
So here are the two
options again.
Will you seize the
opportunity to come
to Jesus in the
gospel and know
God's righteousness
in your life as
deliverance and
salvation and
renewal?
Or will you push
the barrel of
autonomy and crash
into God's wrath
and condemnation?
Normally I would
pray at the end of
this talk but I'm
just going to let
you use this time
as I sit down and
Adam comes up again
just to be in your
own space with the
Lord.
Amen.
Thank you very much.