1. God Has Revealed Himself
2. Man Has Rejected God
3. The Result of It All
As many of you know, I have spent much of this past week without my family. On Tuesday, I sent my wife and children off to see grandma and grandpa in California. Some of you have asked how my family is doing. I have been receiving daily emails from them. I would like for you to read one such email concerning the events of last Thursday, that I think that you will enjoy. My wife wrote to me how they visited Muir Woods that morning, where the redwoods are absolutely huge. It’s just north of the Golden Gate bridge. From Muir Woods, Yvonne writes, "We drove about 20 minutes to Stinson Beach. The road was very curvy, but no-one got car sick. Stephie slept the whole way. At the beach, we finally ate lunch. Grandma Lola was the last one to finish. After eating, we walked down to the water. It was extremely windy by the water, which made it feel pretty cold, even though it was a beautiful, clear, sunny day. Stephie was in the backpack, and didn't like the wind too much. Hanna liked running through the water, but got cold quickly. Carissa & SR loved running in the ocean water, and could have kept going for hours. Lola, Janelle, and Hanna went back to the car to clean Hanna up and change her pants, and Yvonne & Stephie stayed a little longer at the water while Carissa & SR played. When they came back to the car, they got cleaned up and changed their pants. Janelle is extremely particular about keeping her car spotless, inside and out, so sand is NOT allowed in her car! We headed for home around 4:00. We stopped at a lookout point called Muir Beach. It was a high, rocky crag overlooking the ocean. We made another stop a little later for snacks. The kids couldn't eat the snacks inside Janelle's car because food is NOT allowed to be eaten in her car. SR wasn't hungry for cookies, which surprised all of us, and he went back into Janelle's car. Well, we soon found out why he wasn't hungry for cookies... That curvy road had gotten the best of him, and he suddenly got car-sick, throwing up all over the back seat of Janelle's car. Throw-up is NOT allowed in her car either, especially when it drips down in the cracks between and under the seat!"
This morning, we are going to spend our time in the last half of Romans 1, which begins at verse 18 and continues through the end of the chapter. My reason for coming to this passage is really quite simple. As a church, it is always good for us to be reminded again of the simple, foundational truths of the gospel of Christ. Yesterday, I was at the Frayne’s house, helping them put up a wall. The majority of our time was spent in making sure that the foundation was properly laid. It had to be level and straight. But once the foundation was established, the wall went up pretty easily. So also with the Bible. It is so important that we get the foundation right. We ought to spend our time insuring that our foundation is firmly established. There is no better way to destroy a life and a church, than by laying on a wrong foundation. And I know of no passage more foundational to the gospel than Romans 1. I would go so far as to say that of any passage of Scripture, Romans 1 has helped to give me a Biblical worldview more than any other passage in the Bible. It’s a powerful passage; it helps explain the world. This passage has impacted my life so much that when I was given my very first opportunity to preach to a church on Sunday morning, Romans 1 was the text that I chose.
To set some context, I want to remind you that the book of Romans is a gospel tract. In 16 short chapters, Paul lays out the good news of how we can be reconciled to God. In Romans 1:16-17, Paul sets for the theme of the book of Romans:
"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. For in it [the] righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS [man] SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." (Rom. 1:16-17)
The book of Romans is about the salvation of souls. The book of Romans tells how a Jew or a Gentile can be made righteous before a Holy God. It’s by faith in Jesus Christ, as verse 17 points out, "the righteous shall live by faith." The book of Romans makes this point over and over again. Let me show you some examples. In Romans 3:28, we read "A man is justified by faith apart from works of the law." In the next chapter, we read "to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness" (Romans 4:4-5). Romans 5:1 tells us that we are "justified by faith." This point is repeated over and over again in the book of Romans. By faith in Jesus Christ and His work of redemption upon the cross, we no longer face the condemnation of God (Romans 8:1). And this is good news! This is wonderful news! This is unbelievable news!
What makes the message so good is the terrible circumstance of our condition. I think of the story that I told of my son vomiting in Aunt Janelle’s car. What made that story funny was the repeated examples of how meticulous she is about keeping the inside of her car so clean. She made the kids change their clothes before they got in the car, lest they drag any sand into the car. She refused to allow them to eat anything in the car, lest they get a few crumbs on the seats. So, when my son vomited, it’s funny. I don’t think that she thought that it was too funny. But, if I would have simply told you that my son got carsick and vomited in the car, that wouldn’t have been funny. In fact, your reaction probably would have been exactly opposite. You would probably feel compassion for SR who was pretty sick. You probably would have thought little about the mess that was made and where it was made. The same thing is true here in Romans. Without the context, you hear the good news of the gospel and it barely stirs you. But with the context of the bad news, the good news comes as stunningly awesome and magnificent! Paul spends two chapters dealing with the bad news (from mid chapter 1 through mid chapter 3).
This morning, we are going to turn our attention to the bad news of our sinful and rebellious situation against an angry God. My prayer for you this morning is that you might see afresh how, apart from God’s sovereign intervention, we face a hopeless plight. May all glory be given to God! Let's take a look at the text that is before us this morning:
Romans 1:18-32
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; [they are] gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and, although they know the ordinance 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.
In this passage, we are first confronted with the wrath of God (verse 18). This means that God is angry. "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." When God looks upon the earth and upon the wickedness that is taking place here, it stirs his heart to anger. But, His wrath means more than anger. God’s wrath is His anger that judges and punishes evildoers. Why is God angry? The end of verse 18 and verse 19 tells us why. God is angry at those, "who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them" (verse 18b-19). I see two key thoughts here in these verses: (1) God has revealed Himself, and (2) man has rejected Him. These two thoughts form the title of my message this morning: "God Revealed and Rejected." We see these two themes coming up again and again in various forms in this passage. Let’s look first at those verses which demonstrate how ...
1. God Has Revealed Himself
Let’s begin with verse 20: "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." This verse tells us that God has revealed Himself to everyone, so that when men sin, they are without excuse. In other words, nobody on the planet can ever say, "I didn’t know that there was a god!" Atheists may claim not to believe in God, but deep in their hearts, they know. How many foxholes on the battlefield have revealed this! When men are facing a life or death situation, though they may have denied the existence of God for years, they suddenly demonstrate that they really do believe in God.
God has made Himself known "through what has been made" (verse 20). In other words, the creation gives testimony that God exists. Anyone who has ever witnessed the marvels of creation knows that God exists. The Psalmist says it this way, "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge" (Psalm 19:1). If you were to look outside right now and observe the sun, you would see proof of a Creator. If you were to look outside after the sun goes down tonight, you would see the night sky which is a display of the wonderful, awesome, power of God. And though there are no voices, it rings forth the words, "There is a God behind all of this creation. This God is powerful. This God is glorious."
God’s revelation of Himself is not merely limited to the heavens. The things upon the earth give testimony to God as well. Job tells us to...
"...ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.
Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare to you.
Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this." (Job 12:7-9)
And it’s not just the animals, either. It’s your own body. Just look at your own hand. Move your fingers. Look at how intricate you hand is. David said in Psalm 139, "I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well." God has revealed himself to all! How? Through the creation. Theologians call this, "Natural Revelation." It is the revelation of nature. It is the revelation of creation. It matters not where you live. You might live in the crowded downtown of Chicago or in the sprawling jungles of Africa. God has still revealed Himself to you.
What has God revealed? Verse 20 gives us two things that God has revealed about Himself: (1) His eternal power, and (2) His divine nature. The first of these qualities, His eternal power, describe His awesome greatness. When you consider the vastness of the universe, God’s eternal power is plain. The second of these qualities, His divine nature, describe His existence. When you think and ponder about the world in which we live, it is absurd to come to any conclusion other than that there is a divine being who created it all. When someone says he is an atheist, don’t believe him! Romans 1:20 says that through the creation, God has made His divine nature evident to all people. In fact, look at verse 21: "for even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks." Paul is speaking about the non-Christian at this point. We know they're non-Christians because they "did not honor Him as God, or give thanks." Paul says that these people, "knew God." It’s not simply that they knew about God. It’s not that they knew some things concerning God. They had an intimate, experiential knowledge of God. This is true of all who live in this wonderful creation. Verse 19 says, "that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them." So my first point this morning is that God has revealed Himself. He has revealed Himself to everyone who has ever walked the planet! But what have we done with this revelation? That question brings me to my second point, ...
2. Man Has Rejected God
Again, the seed of this thought originates in verse 18, ...
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness."
This passage paints a picture of betrayal and rebellion. The truth of God is known because God revealed it to all. But the truth is willfully rejected. The word used here to describe this process is one of suppression. It gives the idea of holding it down, denying it, tucking it away, and refusing to acknowledge it. Now, why would anybody do this? Why would anybody suppress the truth? Here’s why: there is something else going on, which they think that they can gain by suppressing the truth. For instance, a child is caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. When confronted, the child might lie about stealing the cookie. Why would a child lie? Because the sweet little child holds on to the possibility that he might just avoid punishment if he gets away with it. In other words, the truth is suppressed so as to gain an advantage. How about another example? Remember when the scandal broke out at Enron a few years back? Arthur Andersen was the auditing firm. When they realized that authorities were going to come in and investigate, they shredded thousands of pounds of accounting documentation. They had their machines shredding 700 pounds of paper per hour. Why? Because they thought that it would help keep them from being prosecuted by the Securities Exchange Commission. In other words, the truth was suppressed to protect themselves.
Here in Romans 1, we have people suppressing the truth that has been "clearly seen." And why do they do this? The key is found at the end of verse 18, they "suppress the truth in unrighteousness." In other words, they want their unrighteousness. But, they can’t have their unrighteousness and the truth at the same time since the truth exposes their sin. They suppress the truth, so that they can live in their unrighteousness.
One example of suppressing the truth takes place in the whole matter of abortion. A local newspaper recently printed a letter to the editor that exposes how truth is suppressed.
Editor:
A man has his head cut off by terrorists and it is called a "reprehensible and barbaric act."
A term or near-term baby has its head cut off and/or the brain destroyed and it is called a "woman's choice."
(Daily Chronicle, June 26, 2004, by Dr. Stanley Brandon).
Give your evil deed a new name that doesn't sound so evil, and then you can keep on doing it and feel good about it.
There are many in this world who believe in evolution because they want to live their own, sinful lifestyles. A God who judges sin isn’t particularly the sort of God that they like. They would rather have no God at all, so that they can live their own lives, entirely apart from any accountability, in this life and in the life to come. And so, they come up with the idea that there is no God at all. Verses 22 and 23 speak of these sorts of individuals, "professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures." If anybody in our society is known to be "wise," it is the professors at our universities. And if you go into the biology department, or the archeology department, or the geology department, you will see plaques on the walls, describing their great academic and intellectual achievements. They look so wise. They speak so scholarly. But many of them, my friends, are fools. "Professing to be wise, they became fools" (verse 22). They are fools because, "they knew God, [but], they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks" (verse 21). And when God is not at the center of your intellectual world, it is a darkened, foolish, futile world. These professors, who have purported themselves as experts in their field, are believing and living a lie. Verse 25 says it this way, "they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." It is their lifestyle that has given them reason to exchange the truth of God (which they know! -verse 21) for a lie. Man has become the center of their universe and not God. They can do as they please.
I see this same pattern in the homosexual movement. They go to great pains to explain away the Scriptural prohibition of homosexuality. They will deny the clear meaning of words through their academia. They will deny the clear teaching of specific passages, including verses 26 and 27, which states that homosexuality is sinful. It states it as clearly as I can ever imagine you could state it. This is what it says,
"For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." (Rom. 1:26-27)
This week, I read what some churches teach about these verses. Some churches actually interpret these verses in such a way that does not prohibit homosexuality at all! It's amazing! Why would anyone ever interpret this to mean that homosexuality is permissible? Only if they wanted to justify a homosexual lifestyle.
It comes to evangelical churches as well. Men and women who have committed adultery will justify themselves and say that the divorce is justified. Church members will copy software onto their computers and justify stealing it, saying that everybody does it. Sinful entertainment choices are justified as being an artistic expression. Feminism comes into the church twisting the clear testimony of scripture.
I remember studying one time the meaning of the word, kefalh (kephale), which is translated, "head." I read an article written by Wayne Grudem, who surveyed over 2,000 instances of the usage of this word in ancient Greek literature. He discovered that in every instance in which "head" was used to describe an individual, it always was used in a context meaning, "to have authority over." Now, there are some women in the church who hate this teaching, because of what it implies for their marriage. Ephesians 5:23 is clear, "the husband is the head of the wife." This means that the husband has authority over his wife. Admittedly, such authority ought not to be manifested with dictatorial abuse. Rather, it ought to be expressed in sacrificial love as expressed in Ephesians 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her."
There are professing Christians who would deny the meaning of the word, kefalh(kephale). Rather than meaning, "to have authority over," some would argue that it means, "source." I remember reading of an attempt to prove that this is the case by Catherine Kroeger. She professed to have found several instances in which kefalh (kephale) means "source." In a response to her evidence, Wayne Grudem points out that she often mis-quoted sources and was even dis-honest in her research. I remember speaking with a fellow pastor, who also had read this same article. He said that he felt sorry for Catherine Kroeger as he read the article, because her shoddy research was being exposed so clearly. (If you are interested in reading this article, you can click on the following link, http://www.cbmw.org/resources/books/BiblicalFoundations.pdf. The article to which I am referring is on pages 145-202).
Now, why would people go to such extremes to attempt to dispute the clear meaning of the word, kefalh(kephale)? I believe that they want to suppress the truth, because they don't like the idea of a husband having authority over a wife. Those who do this will even tamper with the historical understanding of the Trinity to do so. In 1 Corinthians 11:3, Paul wrote "Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the women, and God is the head of Christ (1 Cor. 11:3)." In this verse, we see that authority structures are even established in the Trinity. In the Bible we see this worked out. It is the Father who sends the Son. It is the Son who does the will of the Father. These roles are never reversed. Yet, feminists in the church will deny that the Trinity is this way. Why do they say this? Because they are interested in their own agenda, and will thus, suppress the truth.
In all of these instances, clear, biblical truth is suppressed based upon a lifestyle choice that takes priority. Sin works like this: you see your sin and you want it. You want it bad. But, the truth of the Bible stands in the way of allowing you to fully enjoy it. So, you simply "suppress the truth," and you "exchange the truth of God for a lie." As a result, you do not "acknowledge God any longer" (verse 28). What makes this horrific is the fact that people know the revelation of God. Verse 18 says that these people know the truth. Verse 25 says that these people know the truth. But, they love their sin, and they will stop at nothing to get it. Look at how clear this becomes in verse 32,
"Although they know the ordinance 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."
When you sin against God, you sin against the light that He has given! Nobody sins in a vacuum. Nobody will be able to say to the Lord when they stand before Him in judgment, "I didn’t know that you existed. I certainly didn’t realize that this was sin."
So, what is the result of all this? When God has revealed Himself, and man has rejected God, what does God do about it? This is brings us to my third point this morning, ...
3. The Result of It All
Again, we see an overview of the result coming in verse 18, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." God is angry. I trust that you now see why it is that God’s wrath is upon the ungodly and unrighteous. He is angry with them because God has made His truth clear to all. And yet, many have rebelled against God and hated His truth. They have denied it. They have desired their wickedness instead.
It is amazing that in many churches, the wrath of God is never mentioned. There are many people who look at God as a God of love. They say, "Oh, God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son" and provided a way to eternal life, through belief. What a loving God we have. To this, I say, "Amen. Amen. Amen." But, listen, you can’t understand the love of God, until you first understand His wrath. Why did the Son come into the world? He came to appease God's wrath. The divine gospel tract that we call the book of Romans devotes the first three chapters to discussing the wrath of God that is revealed against our sin. And then it moves on to the wonders of His magnificent grace and love. But, you first need to understand the severity of our situation. You need to understand that the consequences of your sin before a holy God are devastating.
Sadly, there are many in our society today that hardly understand the severity of sin. This was made painfully obvious to us this past week in Illinois. The news media has distributed information on the past history of Jack Ryan, who was running for U.S. Senate. When he and his wife were divorced some years ago, she accused him of shameful, sexual sin against her. The Rockford Register Star ran the following headline on June 24, 2004: "Theme on the street: So what?" The reporter went to the streets and spoke to a few people concerning the new revelations of what took place in his divorce. Listen to some of the things that people said, ...
"What happened in his divorce? He’s not running on that. He’s running on his ability."
"Are you perfect? You? None of us are perfect. I don’t want to get into a guy’s personal life."
"What he does in his free time is what he does in his free time. ... It has no bearing on the election at all."
"If you’re getting divorced, go ahead. And move on."
"Everybody makes mistakes."
Now, the good news is that Jack Ryan has dropped out of the race for Senate. But, it took our society some time to come to the conviction that he was wrong. And many believe that his sin is irrelevant to the situation at hand. It’s because in our society today, there are many people who aren’t concerned with sin. Many don’t think that it’s a big deal. When it comes to God, people think that God has the same, laissez-faire attitude towards it. But, that is not the case. When people sin, God is angry. This is what it means in verse 18, "for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." Every sin is an act of high rebellion against God.
The Biblical situation is clear: (1) God has revealed Himself, and (2) man has rejected Him. And so God let’s them go and do what they want to do. He no longer restrains them. This comes from a phrase that is mentioned three times in these verses. Verse 24, verse 26, and verse 28 all say the very same thing. Verse 24, "Therefore God gave them over." Verse 26, "For this reason, God gave them over." Verse 28, "Just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over." He gave them over to their sin. In verse 24, "God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity." In verse 26, "God gave them over to degrading passions." In verse 28, "God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper." God let them go do what they have wanted to do all along. A few of their sins are mentioned in verses 29-31,
"...being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; [they are] gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful." (Romans 1:29-31)
The picture of these verses is of a dog on a leash. Have you ever seen a dog taking an owner for a walk? The owner has a leash, but the dog is pulling and pulling, wanting to farther and faster. When you think of sin, think of it as a dog on a leash. Without the leash, the dog would chase the rabbit, or the squirrel, or the cat. But, the owner restrains him. This is a picture of those who want to sin. They want to pursue that sin, as a dog pursues a varmint. But, in His common grace, God restrains us all. But, there reaches a point, when God will release the leash and allow the sinner to manifest his sin as he wants. The picture that the Bible gives of man in his rebellion isn’t of God hopelessly losing control of His creation. The picture is that of men so desiring their sin, that God eventually "gives them over" to their desires.
Here's where the rubber meets the road. When you think about the people in this world who are without Christ, don’t simply think of them as wandering aimlessly like a lost star someplace, somehow looking for God. Many churches assume this as they seek to have church services established for "seekers." But, this isn't the Biblical view of man. You ought to think of people as seeing God, and wanting nothing of him. You ought to think of them as running away from God with all their might. And when you understand this, you can see why God is angry. You can see why God will be perfectly fair with them in condemning them to hell forever. They have willingly rejected the revelation of God. They have proved themselves to be haters of God, who have "no fear of God before their eyes."
I’ve not yet talked about the extent of man’s rebellion. But it has reached us all. Don’t think that you stand as the exception. God has been rejected by everyone who ever walked the planet. Turn over to Romans 3. In this passage, Paul speaks of who are guilty under the condemnation of sin. It matters not whether you are a Jew or a gentile. It matters not whether you grew up in church or whether you grew up a the local bar. Romans 3, verses 10-12 pronounce the verdict. As I read it, I want for you to listen to how inclusive Paul is. He leaves nobody an out, and that is his point. He says in verse 19, "that ... all the world may become accountable to God." Let's read Romans 3:10-12,
... as it is written, "There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands. There is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become useless. There is none who does good. There is not even one."
Six times in these three verses, Paul says, "none, none, none, ..." Once Paul says, "all" (have turned aside). You say, "Steve, is the situation hopeless?" I say no! Because in verse 21, Paul will pick up with the good news! He will explain the revelation of the righteousness of God, which is "through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe" (Romans 3:22). The situation isn’t hopeless, because God has provided the way of reconciliation: "faith in Jesus Christ." When men are running from God, much as a dog runs away from his master when the hold on the leash is let loose, none will ever turn back to God unless God pursues them first, and grants them faith and repentance.
Men are running away from God when they need to be turning to Him! Paul writes in 1 Cor 2:14, "A natural man does not accept the things of the spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." It is the sheer act of the grace of God, that turns any sinner from His rebellion against the Lord to repent and come to Christ. This is why it says in verse 24, ... "[we are] justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus."
Salvation is a gift which God sovereignly gives to rebellious sinners. In Romans 5:10, Paul describes us all as God’s enemies. And it is then that His marvelous love shines through. "Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. 5:6). "Christ died for us ... while we were yet sinners" (Rom. 5:8). "while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son" (Rom. 5:10). The obvious question for you this morning is this: Have you received mercy at the cross of Christ? Or has God let you go to enjoy your sin?
I close this morning with a quote from C. S. Lewis. He said that there were two types of people in this world, "There are those who say to God Your will be done, and there are those to whom God will say Your will be done." Which one are you?
This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on
June 27, 2004 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rvbc.cc.