The Charges

Romans  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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INTRO:

AG: Trial:
The reading of charges at trial is called the arraignment, which is the first formal appearance of a defendant in criminal court. he judge reads the charges against the defendant from the indictment or information if a felony or complaint if a misdemeanor. It is a formal document that outlines the charges.
Notice this picture of a blank one
Date:
The complainant (prosecutor)
The law (both # and text)
Supporting evidence
TS: Paul begins this section of Romans by presenting the charges. His point: Everyone is a sinner. He spells out specific sins to help the recipients in Rome realize they too are sinners. We will read this list, and I’m certain at least one thing might strike home. That uncomfortable feeling is on purpose! He wants us to see these charges as our own! But keep it in context:
Romans 1:16–17 NKJV
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Gospel- good news! Sin doesn’t have the last say. Yes, we are all sinners. YES, Jesus can save any of us.

The General Charge

Romans 1:18–19 NKJV
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
The wrath of God
Paul isn’t describing an outburst of anger here
The wrath of God is a divine response to human sin and disobedience.
It is perfectly just (and Paul is about to explain why)
The wrath of God is revealed
MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary)
God reveals His wrath in two ways:
1) indirectly, through the natural consequences of violating His universal moral law
2) directly through His personal intervention
The OT record has several examples
— The worldwide flood
---The fire and brimstone that leveled Sodom
---The Babylonian captivity
---ETC.
The NT also records examples
King Herod- God struck him down after a speech
Ananias and Sapphira - lied about property sale price to make themselves look good- God struck them down.
The Book of Revelations - Reveals future examples
Seals, Trumpets, Bowls etc.
Sea, & freshwater turned to blood
1/3 of animals die on land, in ocean, and 1/3 of humans… (happens more than once!)
All pale in comparison to God’s wrath poured out on His Son.
In these formal charges, God makes it plain that sin has a consequence, HIS WRATH
They are ungodly and unrighteous in defiance of God
Left to our own devices, we will sin
commit acts God forbids
Omit acts God commands
The truth of God is known to them instinctively
There is something “baked” into us
A conscience, an awareness of God’s existence.
That is why we see so many man made religions.
We are created to worship
Look at all of the ancient cultures
Look at modern movements
Atheism- they oppose God often with more fervor than we defend Him
Some “political movement” or fans of entertainers seem to have religious devotion
God has displayed Himself throughout creation

The Specific Charges

Romans 1:20-32
In this text, Paul offers indictments based on categories of sin. This isn’t a ranking of “lesser” and “greater” sins. All sin is equally bad in God’s eyes. This is done for our understanding.
1 Corinthians 5:11: Galatians 5:19-21: 1 Timothy 1:9-10: 2 Timothy 3:2-4:
Inexcusable ignorance
Romans 1:20 NKJV
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
God’s attributes can be seen
His eternal Power
Key factors making Earth unique for life: -Location in the habitable zone:
Earth is positioned at the right distance from the sun to maintain liquid water.
-Presence of liquid water:
Most of Earth's surface is covered in liquid water, providing a medium for life to evolve.
- Atmosphere composition:
Earth's atmosphere contains a mix of gases like nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide, essential for life processes.
-Magnetic field:
Protects the planet from harmful solar radiation.
- Plate tectonics:
Geological activity that recycles nutrients and contributes to the planet's dynamic environment.
Godhead - His divine nature- refers to His faithfulness
God delivers a clear unmistakable message about Himself
There is no excuse for denying God’s existence
it is willful ignorance and denial of God.
2 Ingratitude
Romans 1:21 NKJV
because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
He is worthy of all glorifying Him
Instead, we are ungrateful
Did not glorify
Were not thankful
People would rather believe a giant explosion made everything and we are one big accident!
Statistically, it is impossible
Professor Francis Crick, awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of DNA, wrote:
The trouble is that there are about two thousand enzymes, and the chance of obtaining them all in a random trial is only one part in (10^20)^2,000 = 10^40,000, an outrageously small probability that could not be faced even if the whole universe consisted of organic soupAn honest man, armed with all the knowledge available to us now, could only state that in some sense, the origin of life appears at the moment to be almost a miracle, so many are the conditions which would have had to have been satisfied to get it going.(2)
The only reason scientists accept the Big Bang is they refuse to consider God created it all. They would be laughed out of all circles if they brought such flimsy evidence in any other area.
3 Insolence
Romans 1:22 NKJV
Professing to be wise, they became fools,
We tend to rely on our own ideas
Many today throw out all thought of God just because they refuse to consider
They claim wisdom but are fools
Psalm 14:1 NKJV
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.
People who claim to be too wise to believe in God, often refuse to even consider the thought of God
They have never examined the evidence
They don’t even know the basics of the gospel
they know what someone told them about it.
4 Idolatry
Romans 1:23 NKJV
and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary)
They substitute the worship of idols for the worship of the true God.
Historians report that many ancient cultures did not originally have idols.
For example, Persia (Herodotus; The Histories, 1:31), Rome (Varro in Augustine; The City of God, 4:31), even Greece and Egypt (Lucian; The Syrian Goddess, 34) had no idolatry at their founding.
The fourth-century A.D. historian Eusebius reported that the oldest civilizations had no idols.
The earliest biblical record of idolatry was among Abram’s family in Ur (Jos 24:2).
The first commandment forbids it (Ex 20:3–5), and the prophets continually ridiculed those who foolishly practiced it (Is 44:9–17; cf. 2Ki 17:13–16).
Although the false gods which men worship do not exist, demons often impersonate them (1Co 10:20).
They would rather worship creatures than the creator
They made idols for themselves to represent their made up gods
Humans have an immense capacity to reject God
OT, Moses on mountain getting law
Aaron convinced to take earrings and made a calf, then they turned around and
Exodus 32:2–4 NKJV
And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
bowed down to it and worshipped.
Lied to defend- Aaron told Moses
Exodus 32:22–24 NKJV
So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”
5 Immorality
They committed many sexual sins
Romans 1:24–27 NKJV
Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
Here we see the downward spiral in the lives of those God has abandoned in His wrath.
“Gave them over”
Judicial term- God has abandoned them because they consistently abandoned Him
It is a judgment BY Him to be abandoned.
He no longer restrains, and thus they run deeper into sin
Without restraints, they degenerate into sexual immorality.
They live to fulfil their lusts
This text describes a drive to live by our feelings
If it feels good… it must be good!
It is a clear rejection of God and His word
Sadly, this describes our society to a T
Sexual immorality is rampant
We are being told by the culture to not condemn, but that we must celebrate it.
They more it is accepted, the harder they push back against God’s ways.
6 Incorrigibility
They embrace their wicked deeds
Romans 1:28–31 NKJV
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
God gives them over to a worthless mind
Debased- Word was used for useless, worthless metals, discarded because they contained too much impurity.
Our minds have too many impurities
What comes of it?
This list of sins and others
7 They endorse their wicked deeds
Romans 1:32 NKJV
who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Finally, Paul adds this last element of the case
It isn’t just that we practice evil which makes us worthy of death..... We applaud others who do so as well

Conclusion:

We are sinners.
We have sinned and we will sin
Thankfully we have a Savior!
Never forget that!
The gospel is Good News because the Savior:
Has taken the wrath we deserve
Has made possible our forgiveness
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