Paul’s Thesis in Romans:

In the Gospel of Jesus we receive the

RIGHTEOUSNESS of God.

First Question:

Why do I need to receive righteousness

from God? Romans 1:18-3:20

“There's somethin' wrong with the world today

I don't know what it is

Something's wrong with our eyes

We're seein' things in a different way

And God knows it ain't his

It sure ain't no surprise

We’re livin’ on the edge

You can’t help yourself from falling.”

Reason #1 We exchange the truth

about God for a lie.

Romans 1:18-2118The wrath of God is being revealedfrom heaven against all thegodlessness and wickedness ofpeople, who suppress the truth bytheir wickedness, 19 since what maybe known about God is plain tothem, because God has made itplain to them.

Romans 1:18-2120 For since the creation of the world God’sinvisible qualities—his eternal power anddivine nature—have been clearly seen,being understood from what has beenmade, so that people are without excuse.21 For although they knew God, they neitherglorified him as God nor gave thanks tohim, but their thinking became futile andtheir foolish hearts were darkened.

What is the WRATH of God?

God’s settled, fair and righteous disposition toward sinful

humanity.

“What would really satisfy us would be a Godwho said of anything we happened to likedoing, 'What does it matter so long as they arecontented?' We want, in fact, not so much aFather in Heaven as a grandfather in heaven—a senile benevolence who, as they say, 'liked tosee young people enjoying themselves' andwhose plan for the universe was simply that itmight be truly said at the end of each day, 'agood time was had by all’.”C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Reason #1 We exchange the truth

about God for a lie.

Two Evidences of God’s Revelation to Mankind:

v.20 Eternal Power and Divine Nature

“How could a cosmic accident ever result in something of this digital

elegance of a DNA strand? It’s like thinking an explosion in an ink

factory could inadvertently produce the collected works of

Shakespeare.”Francis Collins

Two Evidences of God’s Revelation to Mankind:

v.20 Eternal Power and Divine Nature

“In the Western world we’ve been told thatonly stupid people believe in Christianity. Butas a matter of fact, it’s atheism that is a dry,lifeless creed and totally irrational. Atheismsays that we’re just a collection of chemicals. Ithas no answer whatsoever to the question ofhow this animated sack of accidentalchemicals could be capable of love or heroismor poetry.”

-A.N. Wilson

Reason #1 We exchange the truth

about God for a lie.

Reason #2 We exchange worship of God for worship of idols.

Romans 1:22-23, 25-2622 Although they claimed to be wise, theybecame fools 23 and exchanged the gloryof the immortal God for images made tolook like a mortal human being and birdsand animals and reptiles.25 Theyexchanged the truth about God for alie, and worshiped and served createdthings rather than the Creator—who isforever praised. Amen.

“In the day-to day trenches of adultlife, there is actually no such thing asatheism. There is no such thing as notworshipping. Everybody worships.The only choice we get is what toworship. And the compelling reasonfor maybe choosing some a god isthat pretty much anything else youworship will eat you alive.”

”If you worship money and things, ifthey are where you tap real meaningin life, then you will never haveenough, never feel you have enough.It's the truth. Worship your body andbeauty and sexual allure and you willalways feel ugly. And when time andage start showing, you will die amillion deaths before they finallygrieve you.”

-David Foster Wallace

Reason #3 We exchange obedience to God for obedience to

our desires.

Romans 1:24, 26-3224 Therefore God gave them over in thesinful desires of their hearts to sexualimpurity for the degrading of theirbodies with one another. 26 Because ofthis, God gave them over to shamefullusts. Even their women exchangednatural sexual relations for unnaturalones.

Romans 1:24, 26-3227 In the same way the men also abandonednatural relations with women and wereinflamed with lust for one another. Mencommitted shameful acts with other men,and received in themselves the due penaltyfor their error. 28 Furthermore, just as theydid not think it worthwhile to retain theknowledge of God, so God gave themover to a depraved mind, so that they dowhat ought not to be done.

Romans 1:24, 26-3229 They have become filled with every kindof wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceitand malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers,God-haters, insolent, arrogant andboastful; they invent ways of doing evil;they disobey their parents; 31 they have nounderstanding, no fidelity, no love, nomercy.

Romans 1:24, 26-3232 Although they know God’s righteousdecree that those who do such thingsdeserve death, they not only continueto do these very things but alsoapprove of those who practice them.

“God gave them over.”

verse 24, 26, 28

“Epithumia”Over-desires

Outworking of Idolatry:Sexual Disorder

Outworking of Idolatry:Sexual Disorder

Economic Disorder

Outworking of Idolatry:Sexual Disorder

Economic DisorderSocial Disorder

Outworking of Idolatry:Sexual Disorder

Economic DisorderSocial Disorder

Relational Disorder

Matthew 20:17-1917 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem.On the way, he took the Twelve asideand said to them, 18 “We are going up toJerusalem, and the Son of Man will beDELIVERED OVER to the chief priestsand the teachers of the law. They willcondemn him to death 19 and will HANDHIM OVER to the Gentiles to be mockedand flogged and crucified. On the thirdday he will be raised to life!”

Only the Gospel has the POWER to break the fall!