Without Excuse: The Danger of Rejecting God's Truth

Good morning.....what a wonderful morning to be in God’s house praise and worshipping God Almighty Amen

Thank you to Barb and Monte for leading hymn Sunday for us....it is the last Sunday of each month......also the last Sunday of each month is Worship night and fellowship dinner.......Soup and Sandwich theme for the meal....Worship starts at 6 pm

I pray you made it to the revival in Eldo at Camp Galilee this past week....those who attended were filled and blessed

Melody and I were able to attend Monday through Wednesday and each night was just fantastic....worship.....Word....fellowship....even got to witness a baptism...what a blessing

Speaking of baptisms Justin Holman will be baptized next week so make plans to be here to witness and celebrate together and with heaven as Justin commits to walking in the Spirit not the flesh

In talking with folks as the revival as we fellowshipped the ongoing theme was we need each other and this was a wonderful opportunity to fellowship, worship together and be filled and convicted and encouraged by the Word being boldly proclaimed each night

Time is one of those things that you never get back

you have to choose

that is why I highly encourage you to routinely do a time audit on your life

how are you investing your time

are you honoring God with your time

are you spending time with God

we miss out on so many wonderful things because we are selfish with our time or just manage it poorly

I have learned I have to put things in my phone calendar to make sure I don’t miss things that are important to me

What a glorious day last Sunday was here in the Lord’s house

He was moving

convicting

edifying

encouraging

rebuking

so many responded to God’s call and movement in them last week

those things left on the cross have been prayed over and know that with God they are as far as the east is from the west....leave them there....God has it you no longer need to carry that burden

I pray that it didn't stop at the altar that you lived in that all week

as always I want to meet with you

I want to counsel you

I want to be your pastor but I can’t if you don’t reach out

sanctification takes work and help...Godly counsel and discipleship and it is only Godly counsel and discipleship if it is in the Word of God

I am here for you

Let’s Pray

Today we have arrived at 20-23 in Romans 1. Today we begin to tackle a very serious Truth

I am going to read 18-32 this morning because this all goes together.....i would be okay spending the 3 or 4 hours it would take to truly dissect this in one sitting but most are not but I want to read it in its entirety so that you hear it together because

if not dealt with or ignoring or rejecting this Truth ends up with eternal consequences for not heading God’s warning found here in Romans

So many today, maybe even you, see the Bible as a list of dos and don'ts but that couldn’t be further from the truth

God is perfect

God is holy

God is just

God is also love

God loves you

Because of all that He reveals His character to us in His Word

He warns us in His Word

He shows us His Truth and how we are to respond to that Truth

Because He is perfect and holy and just and full of love He warns us of beliefs, and words, and actions, that are sinful that have eternal consequences

God fully expects

God demands His children....all of us who are saved....live in obedience

Why

He sent Jesus to die in your place.....to become your sin.....

you were destined for hell

you were destined for eternal separation from God

you were destined to face God’s wrath or if you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior you are still destined for hell, you are still destined for eternal separation from God you are still destined to face God’s wrath

yet

in Jesus you are forgiven

you are redeemed

you are renewed

you are restored

you are His for eternity

because of that you must be different and live as God calls you to live

This is an ongoing theme so far in Romans and will continue

It is almost like God really wants us to get it

If God however just left it at that.....you get saved and nothing needs to happen as a result

living in sin but claiming Jesus

If God left you there that is the opposite of love

that is bondage

that is slavery

that is being stuck in a pattern that leads to death and destruction

He loves you

He wants you to get it

He gave the law in the Old Testament to show how much better Jesus is

No one could keep the law

No one could stand up to the law

The law was designed and given by God to demonstrate how Holy He is and how unholy we are

It was given just to appease God’s wrath until He sent Jesus to fulfill the law and open the gates of heaven and direct relationship to all who will confess and believe on Jesus because Jesus took God’s wrath upon the cross for you and me

Not only do you have Jesus but Jesus said He would ask God and God would send the Holy Spirit

You receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation

He leads you

He guides you

He teaches you

He convicts you

He rebukes you

He encourages you

He edifies you

He is your all in all and direct line to God the Father through Jesus Christ

I believe this is the heart behind 20-32 in Romans 1. God loves you so much but still is

holy and just

because He is holy and just He must give those who reject Him over to their evilness and hell

however because God loves you He tells you how to avoid that

What if life worked this way.....it is supposed to work this way and did in fact did work this way but no longer

This is the expectation and if you fail to meet this expectation here is the result

Our legal system is supposed to work that way

here is the law....expectation....if you break the law....fail to meet the expectation....here is the result...jail or fines etc

However if you pay enough

have the right political beliefs or connections

you face no consequences today

God tells us He is not like that

In fact God tells us Himself He is not a respecter of persons

Acts 10:34

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Acts 10:34 “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:”

It doesn’t matter to God if you are

rich

poor

powerful

common

popular

none of that matters to God

God cares about are you covered by the blood of Jesus or not

right is right

sin is sin

period

end of story

Again as we get going this morning I want to read the entire section of scripture

Romans 1:18–32

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Last week we saw in verse 19 that those who reject Jesus have no excuse

God continues in

Romans 1:20

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Romans 1:20 “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

God gives two of His characteristics on full display removing all excuses

1. Creation

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God reveals His character through creation

One cannot look at creation...the world...animals...humans...a beautiful sunset or sunrise and seriously

honestly deny that all was created

One cannot deny the intelligent design behind creation

creation must have a creator

design must have a designer

God clearly takes credit for creation

Genesis 1:1

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Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

John 1:3

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John 1:3 “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

God is the creator

Through Jesus all that has been made was made

if it was made Jesus made it

Creation also reveals God’s character

Psalm 19:1

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Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork.”

Psalm 8:1

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Psalm 8:1 “O Lord our Lord, How excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens.”

Colossians 1:16

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Colossians 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”

God’s creation fully displays His power

God’s creation fully displays His might

God’s creation fully displays His holiness

There are no excuses

That is why He says in vs 20 “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen”

You and I were created by God to recognize Him

So many run from this

So many try to shove all kinds of things into that place in their heart where God is to dwell

drugs

alcohol

sex

greed

pride

money

work

hobbies

vacations

you name it man has shoved it into the place that only God can fulfill and then they wonder why the are left wanting more

this world is not our home

Heaven is our home but we can choose to reject God and be destined for hell and punishment for all eternity

God created us to recognize Him in all that He created....creation reveals God!

No excuses

2. Godhead

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Trinity

God’s triune nature and character

God displays this throughout scripture

God the Father

God the Son

God the Holy Spirit

To those who have confessed and believed in Jesus....saved....have personally experienced this in their own lives we may not fully understand it because we have a finite human mind but we fully believe it

Today the world wants to say because we can’t fully understand this it can’t true

However they fully believe worldly science without understanding it

most believe that women have babies but to tell you the science.....the how to down to the last detail most cannot

today people don’t believe that only females can have kids....in fact many today can’t even define male and female

chaos

confusion

hatred when someone shares Truth

all from satan

it is an excuse because God says you are without excuse due to all He has made known

Here is what you have to get

you have zero excuse

This is where the rubber meets the road

no one has an excuse to not know God

they can choose to reject Him but they can not say they don’t know

I pray you are not one of those who have rejected Jesus

If so you can change that today

Romans 1:21

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Romans 1:21 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

They are without excuse because they knew God yet refused to glorify Him as God

They are not thankful for God!

Instead they turn away from God

“but become vain in their imagination”

Vain comes from Greek word meaning to render....become foolish....morally wicked...idolatrous

This is nothing new to our generation

II Kings 17:15

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2 Kings 17:15 “And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.”

Sounds very familiar doesn't it

Leaving God and His ways to chase the world and sinners and sinful living all around us!

Church this is so serious and eternal

you have to reject sin

you have to reject sinful lifestyles

you must reject the world all around you

you love the people

you serve the people

you speak Truth in grace and mercy and love to the people

but you reject the sin and sinful lifestyles

you refuse to join them

and to refuse to join them in sin and sinful lifestyles you must kill your flesh and sinful lifestyle in your own life

Church as God’s children we are set apart by God

we are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit as we study God’s Word

as we pray

as we obey

as we are in discipleship with Jesus and other Christians

If you are not doing that you must question are you set apart

if you have to question if you are set apart you have to question are you saved

you can’t stay set apart when you run to the world and the worlds ways

you can’t stay set apart when you run to your old ways and thinking and beliefs that you are to be dead to as a Christian

When you run to the world or your old self you are vain....morally wicked

you and I justify so much wickedness in our lives and hearts

we are vain

it is so much more than actions

imaginations comes from a Greek word that means reasoning and thought

notice this scripture is talking about hearts

thoughts

emotions

beliefs

it is talking about the fact that being vain is an inside job....inside of you and me

Those who have become vain have lost the battle of the mind

they have lost the battle of the heart

they have lost the war if they refuse to repent and confess and return to Jesus!

I love you

I pray you don’t lose the battle of the heart and mind or the war

I pray you refuse to be drawn away by the evil that surrounds you

you have to stop chasing your imaginations and chase Jesus!!!!!!

If you choose to continue to chase your imaginations God will allow your heart to be darkened

How do you know you are on this path?

your fruit

specifically what God says

you really think you are wise

I know many wise Christians and not one of the claims to be wise.....only to intimately know and trust the wise One!!!!!

Proverbs 16:18

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Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall.”

Pride is evil

pride is dangerous.......very dangerous

pride will destroy you

one of the fruits of being vain....morally wicked is pride

and then that pride leads to your imaginations being morally wicked and leading you away from God and straight to satan

stop justifying your pride

kill your pride

haughty comes from a Hebrew word that means elation.....grandeur...arrogance...loftiness..pride

really the character of the proud

pride is a belief that results in the character that is haughty

do you see

actions

words

thoughts

beliefs

pride penetrates all of it

pride destroys you

pride makes you fall

please my friends

please my brothers and sisters in Christ

KILL YOU PRIDE

KILL YOUR HAUGHTINESS

Do not become vain!!!!!

Don’t profess or believe you are wise!!!!!!

Romans 1:23

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Romans 1:23 “And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”

This is the result of vain imaginations

I love the casting crowns song slow fade

this is being described here

you refuse to kill something fleshly

you continue to justify it

you continue to hide it

you continue to indulge it

and it continues to eat away at your character

it continues to eat away at your relationship with God

it continues to eat away at your morals until before you know it you are chasing your vain imaginations and caught up in idol worship that you never would have done except you kept that sin alive in your life

This is vainness

this is pride

this is haughtiness

IDOLS

the world loves idols

the world pushes idols

the world proclaims you must have an idol

phones

music

tv

movie stars

sports stars

money

power

status

etc

etc

etc

the list is limitless but all can be worshipped and therefore become an idol

the world in fact teaches you should...must...worship them

as we can see here there is nothing new under the sun

Israel struggled with idols

we still struggle with idols

anything you put in front of God

anything you put in place of God.… if you turn to it before you turn to God it is an idol

the problems with idols are many but here God says the problem is you glorify the creation and refuse to glorify the Creator God Almighty

it is like seeking the healing when you can intimately know the healer

healing is good but knowing the One who heals is so much better

When you stop and look at it and really think about it.....idols make no sense and should be easy to kill

however most of us in the moment are not disciplined enough to slow down and think

we just react

we just rely upon past experiences

we rely upon the worldly knowledge all around us

and before we know it we are so deep into idols we aren't sure how we got there

I beg you to have God search your heart on this right here and right now this morning

then have the courage to get out of your pew and come deal with God with what He has shown you

the slow fade is real and many of you may be in the midst of it....

maybe you are at the beginning and today for the first time God has shown you that you are headed for destruction and that your relationship with Him needs work

maybe you have been hearing that for a while and continue to do your own thing you are sliding

maybe you used to hear that from God but have ignored and ignored for years and years and today you hear it again.....please act....now is the time.....you are in your vain imaginations and God is calling you home

Maybe the Holy Spirit has awakened you to your need for repentance and salvation found only in Jesus

whatever it is come

I am here

God is here

the only one missing is you

Your time is now

Come