Romans 1 - They exchanged the truth of God for a lie
We are back in the NT for two weeks with Paul’s letter to the Romans. Paul introduces himself and his subject by beginning with a well understood truth, that we are all without excuse.
Romans 1: Greeting
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh
4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,
6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Longing to Go to Rome
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.
9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you
10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you---
12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.
13 I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.
14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.
15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
God's Wrath on Unrighteousness
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 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.
21 For although they knew 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.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonouring of their bodies among themselves,
25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonourable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
27 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.
28 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.
29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,
30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Things to think about…
1. The Apostle Paul had never been to Rome at the time of writing this letter. He is eager to get there though and preach the gospel as he says in Rom 1:15. Look at Paul’s words of grace and thankfulness to the Romans. Paul is about to say some very tough things in this letter, but his love for the Roman Christians is undeniable. He prays for them and as an Apostle wants to impart some spiritual gift to them, Rom 1:11. The whole purpose in writing is to encourage them and build them up in Christ. Continue to pray for and encourage others in our church. If the Lord has put someone on your heart, why not send them a text or give them a phone call and affirm your encouragement and support. What authority does the resurrection have? Paul’s answer – It declares Jesus Christ to be the Son of God in power, Rom 1:4. Our message of the cross must include the victory of the resurrection.
2. Paul wants to visit the church in Rome for three reasons – to give them a spiritual gift, to be mutually encouraged and to evangelise, Rom 1:11-13. Consider our role to each other and our city. I praise God that at CBC we have the same desires.
3. Have a look at Rom 1:16 and 17. Martin Luther was saved when he read and meditated upon these verses. He was relieved of his unbearable burden of works that was given to him through Roman Catholic dogma. Do not be ashamed of the gospel – it has saved you and it will save others. Paul’s reasoning is that God’s righteousness is revealed by faith which is given to those who hear it – from faith, for faith. The gift of faith through God’s grace. There is no greater liberty for the human soul than what is expressed in these two verses. Paul reminds us of our identity – we are ‘righteous’ because we are made so by the blessed gift of ‘faith’ in Christ, Rom 1:17. What more could we want? If we are ‘right’ with God, what else should concern us?
4. Paul goes on to say that men suppress the truth in their unrighteousness, Rom 1:18 – even the truth about the deity and the Lord’s eternal attributes. We certainly see this overt rebellion with the militant atheists that refuse to acknowledge any god. Our Lord therefore hands them over to moral rebellion and to worship the creation. This is certainly seen in the worship of nature which is based on an atheistic, evolutionary worldview. Essentially getting rid of the concept of God. It is a type of humanistic get out of jail free card. But look at the fruit of being handed over to this in one’s life Rom 1:28ff. In Rom 1:18-32 the fault of rejection of God lies with the unbeliever who has wilfully hardened his heart in the face of the evidence. An atheist needs to be told he is rejecting the ‘evidence’ through a biased heart.
5. You can see that same sex attraction is nothing new Rom 1:27. Paul gives the reasoning as that “they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind”. The fundamental issue is a rejection of the Lord and His rule over their lives. While we need to be sensitive to our culture we also need to recognise the words of Scripture will be a stumbling block to those who refuse to follow Christ fully.
6. It is a tragedy when some are handed over to a debased mind, Rom 1:28. Even worse when this fruit, Rom 1:29 is evident in the lives of those who say they are believers in Christ. Those who gossip, slander and are disobedient to parents are listed with those who murder, Rom 1:29. It is all rebellion in God’s eyes. Christ is a builder; Satan is a destroyer. As Christ’s people it is better to build for Christ by our words and actions.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon title was “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem” - from 2 Kings 25:1-21
1. Zedekiah feared man. He listened to his nobles and officers that encouraged him to resist the Babylonians rather than listen to God and surrender to the Babylonians. Has there been a situation where you have feared man and the consequences of obeying God and have not done what you knew to be right.
2. Jeremiah the prophet told Zedekiah that if he surrendered to the king of Babylon his family would be spared and the city would not be burned. He did not listen and in the end tried to escape when it was too late. The city and the temple were destroyed and he lost his family. Discuss how you know for certain that the Lord is leading you one way or another and that you are walking in obedience.
3. Jay mentioned 2 Christian men who fell in love with women who came from Muslim families. There were 2 different outcomes. Discuss the challenges of marrying someone who does not believe what you do.
Prayer Points
1. Wisdom in dealing with Qld government restrictions that legislate isolation. Pray church is a place of freedom hope and attendance for all.
2. Growth in our kids and youth ministries
3. Pray for testimonies that people will be giving every second week. Please consider when you would like to do yours when the pastor asks you to share yours.
4. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
5. Witness over the Christmas season.
6. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. People encouraged by Sunday’s message.
2. Worship team and technical team. Thankyou Zac, Jean, Dan and Melinda.
3. More visitors and spirit of joy on Sunday.
Announcements
1. Members meeting 28th Nov after the service.
2. Country Carols, monster trucks, fire works – Sat 11th Dec. Feel free to park at CBC if required.
3. Kids@church back. Please check your rosters
4. Recharge Youth – back on Friday 6:30pm at church all high schoolers.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
