We desperately need the righteousness that only Christ can provide

Main Proposition:

Statement of Doctrine or Application:

“We desperately need the righteousness that only Christ can provide”

“Do not take Christ’s righteousness for granted”

“What would our hearts look like if it weren't for God?”

The Main Thing:

(Context)

What was going on in Rome at this time? Sexual immorality like what we see today. This is the start of the decline of the Roman Empire.

As we talked about last week God does not think highly of human wisdom. The more prideful man gets the smaller view that they have of the sovereign Lord. You cannot serve yourself and God equally; it is either one or the other. When we put our sinful acts above what God has commanded of us he will eventually punish that behavior.

Intro:

Statement of proposition

It is only through the righteousness of Christ that man can be saved. The verses we go over tonight are going to show us what our soul would be like, what our lives would be like if it were up to man to decide what was righteous or not. We can literally see and feel this vile, despicable behavior and sin that would be in our lives.

These verses are a prime example of how grateful and thankful we should be. God knew us before time existed and picked us to be his elect and only through Christ’s righteousness we are considered righteous.

Other texts that support

2 Chronicles 15:2

Yahweh is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will be found; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

1 Timothy 1:12-13

12 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He regarded me faithful, putting me into service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor.

Galatians 6:7-8

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Why does this matter?

This is just more biblical proof that only through Christ can we have a relationship with God. That only through Christs’ righteousness can we be saved. On top of that we can see what our future would hold if we continued to be servants to the world and not to Christ. Maybe not in the manners of which we are about to talk about, but in one way or another we are going to live a life that is spiritually dead if we don’t accept Christ.

Main Point #1: “Whatever captures our heart will always be reflected in our lives”

Statement:

God Gives Their Hearts Away To Their Impurities

Prove

24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for [a]a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed [b]forever. Amen.

Verse 24:

“Therefore” or for this reason, the penalty to follow these sins are justifiable.

Last week we called: Men and women are not only fools they are foul

A fool says: “God doesn’t exist”

Somebody foul: Does something to their body that is disgusting, repulsive, vile

Here impure means “decaying”

The way they dishonor the bodies that God has given us.

What happens next: He ceases restraining them in their lives, letting them go head first into their sins with all of its consequences.

When God decides to let a person go who refuses to have him as his God, that person will eventually sink deeper and deeper into a wicked and wayward life.

Results: Harm to himself and others

God is basically saying: “You want your sins?” You can have your sins along with all of their dreadful ramifications that come from it.

What was happening during that time in Rome?

Same kind of sexual immorality that is happening today

Unsaved people treat their bodies beneath God’s design

Verse 25:  Why does God do this?

Because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator.

Everything that God created has a very specific purpose, nothing is by accident.

What is the lie that Paul is talking about?

If you do what you want you will be happy

In this passage Paul is talking about the people committing sexual immorality

When you commit sexual immorality it is a direct disregard God has for our bodies. In that moment you are worshiping the creature over the creator.

Even though unbelievers don’t worship the one and true God they are still worshipers.

When God leaves people in such a state, there is no level too low for them to sink to.

At the end of verse 25: “Amen”; Paul is just overwhelmed by the difference between the living God and all these images, idols, lies and thinking about God as He really is, he paused in worship and adoration and in praise.

We put the creature in front of the creator whenever we put any single idea of our own before the revelation of Scripture.

Therefore, we should always approach the word of God with reverence and with humility.

Flowers in texts

Judges 10:13

13 Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will no longer save you.

Psalm 81:11-12

11 “But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel was not willing to obey Me.

12  So I released [a]them over to the stubbornness of their heart, That they would walk in their own devices.

Matthew 15:14

14 Let them alone; they are blind guides [a]of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Illustrations:

Eating healthy v. unhealthy (Sarah preparing good food v. eating out)

I can eat out, but I am going to have the ramifications of eating out

Obesity, Diabetes, Heart and pulmonary disease, cancer etc.

Apply or Confront:

Misery loves company and people living in sin want to feel that they aren’t immoral or sinful. So what they do is they try to recruit people to live the life that they are living. They try to justify their lives by saying “Well i’m not the only one that is doing this, there are a lot of people doing this so it must not be that bad”

Sinful people will try and bring you down to their level

Main Point #2:   “What is worth the price that you are going to pay?”

Statement

I feel that when people are living a life of sin, a life that is far from God they don’t recognize the price that they are paying and what the consequences are for those actions. They are living for themselves with no regard to anybody else, especially Christ and in verses 26 and 27 we see what some of the consequences are of those actions.

Prove

26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions; for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is [c]unnatural,27 and in the same way also the males abandoned the natural function of the female and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing [d]indecent acts and receiving in [e]their own persons the due penalty of their error.

Verse 26:

Our world is full of these vile affections, horrible perversions

But people are defending them

They are even trying to say that there is something marvelous about them

Life today has become foul

This is the result, when men and women do not glorify God as God, and do not give thanks to Him, but exalt their own wisdom, their own mind and understanding.

This is what it leads to: Vile, foul, violent, vicious, fools

It makes no difference if it happened at the time of the flood, Paul’s time 2000 years ago or today. It is always the same.

And what does God say about it all? The Apostle answers that in three statements. It is such a powerful statement that he repeats himself three times.

First in verse 24 “God also gave them up”

Second in Verse 26: “God gave them over”

Third in Verse 28 “God gave them over”

They abandoned God so God abandoned them.

God abandoned them in their minds: God gave them up for a reprobate (Rejected) mind.

A foolish mind

This is why he tries to justify foolish things because he can’t think straight

When a man’s mind has become rejected, there is no hope for him, there is nothing to appeal to.

Verse 27

God abandons man because of his wrong attitude, and the result is that man behaves in the way that we have seen in these verses.

As we read this it is clear that it is God who preserves morality in the world

Our World today with all of its moral problems is proof of what Paul is describing here. Man can’t keep morality on his own accord

If we believe all of what we have been talking about in this book of Romans than we must have a great amount of compassion for them, we see what awaits them and we must pray to God and pray for a revival for the power of the Holy Spirit to open the eyes and hearts of the unbeliever.

Flowers in texts

Leviticus 18:22

22 And you shall not lie with a male as [a]one lies with a female; it is an abomination.

We are told straight up it is an abomination (a thing that causes disgust or hatred)

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [a]effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Galatians 5:19-21

19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, [a]factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Illustrations: What are the consequences of our actions? Is it worth the price it is asking for?

When I was 21-22 years old I was a professional cyclist and had friends that were all on the same level in some way. Dreams of racing in the TDF, Classics, living in Europe etc. I got to a point where teams were telling me “Hey, you have a lot of potential and we want to sign you, but we need you on this “protocol” so you can continue to progress. What do you do?

This is something you have worked your whole life for and if you say yes all your dreams come true. What do you do?

What are the consequences? Is it worth the price that you are going to pay?

A lot of the top cyclists from the 90’s-early 00’s are now drug addicts.

Moral compromises, Cheating

Health issues in the future, including possible death

Apply or Confront:

Society today does not look at the consequences for their actions, they look at “what can I do now?” “What will benefit me at this moment?” and will ignore how this is going to affect my life in one year, five years, twenty years.

Main Point #3:   “What are you putting into your heart?”

Statement

As we live in the world we can be pulled into the world. If it wasn’t for Christ and his sacrifice at the cross nobody would be above what we are describing. What are we filling our minds and our hearts with?

Prove

28 And just as they did not see fit [f]to acknowledge God, God gave them over to an unfit mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, [g]haters of God, violent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the righteous requirement of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Verse 28:

If Paul restates something multiple times in a short period of time I think it’s safe to say that it is very important.

Paul is once again going into the mind (Lack of) of the unbeliever, the suppression of God’s righteousness, the lack of acknowledgement. So God’s response is to give them up to do what is improper

One translation is “depraved” meaning not passing the test

Often used for metals that were impure

In a sense, God has tested man’s heart and mind and found them impure

Verse 29-31:

This is Paul’s longest list of sins found in all of his letters.

He goes into depth about their sinful behavior and this is the ultimate result of their choices. God gives them up to their own lusts and they become: vile, untrustworthy, malice (Intention to do evil), insolent (Showing a arrogant or rude lack of respect)

Verse 31 “Without Understanding”: Have you ever met someone that their mind is already set on (whatever it is) They don’t even want to hear you, You are wrong and they are right. The second you mention anything that goes against what they think you are considered a horrible person, repulsive. The second you may make them question something about themselves they just explode.

Verse 32:

Verse 32:

They deliberately ignore their knowledge of God’s judgment on sin.

There is always a sense of right and wrong i.e. conscience

Not only do human beings do certain things they rejoice, joke about them, boast.

They not only make beasts of themselves, but rather like to tell the story and to enjoy it as they tell one another.

Paul’s list of sins of the lost has reached its peak.

We can see the full manifestation of people going from bad to worse

They aren’t just diving into sin for themselves, but are consenting and taking pleasure in those who practice them

Affirming the evil of others

Flowers in texts

Romans 2:15

15 in that they demonstrate the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,

Illustrations:

Talking to my sister on Catholicism (Without understanding)

Apply or Confront

All we can do is share the Bible and let the Holy Spirit work.

Us sharing the Gospel won’t change somebody’s heart, but if presented correctly that opportunity can be used by God

Apply to their lives:

Pray for wisdom

Is it worth the consequences? Is it worth the price that it is asking?

If you are saved ask yourself: What would our hearts look like if it weren't for God?

If you are not saved: Pray to God and to turn your life over to Him. Do not be a slave to the world or yourself, but be a slave to God.