​The Tragedy of Rejecting God Part 3
Romans 2:1-11
The Righteous Will Live By Faith!
Humankind naturally rejects faith in God    Romans 1:18-32
-Part 1:  We suppress the truth, worship false gods   vs 18-23
-Part 2:  We worship our heart desires and creation   vs 24-32
 
Rejecting God leads to tragic lives
-We violate God’s natural design for our lives
-We destroy human relationships
-CS Lewis “[They] enjoy forever the horrible freedom they have
  demanded, and are therefore self-enslaved.” 
 
Today, The tragedy of trusting GOOD instead of God
-Read Romans 2:1-11
-note: Paul uses a diatribe literary device- “argument with an imaginary critic”
 
The tragedy of trusting Good instead of God!
1. Good blinds us of our bad  vs 1
-self-righteous people judge others without judging themselves
-“you do the same thing!”   the same sins (maybe 1:29-31)
-Matthew 7:1-5  you see their splinter, don’t see your log!
-note:  Jesus DID say evaluate (Matt 7:15-20)- the fruit of
   someone’s life determines if you can trust him/her spiritually
   -judging character is different than judging to gain moral
     superiority over others.
 
2.  God judges good based on truth  vs 2
-No one is good enough to pass as perfect
-Moral standards don’t save us
-No one can escape the truth!
 
3. Good gives false security  vs 3-5
-Good is generally rewarded in this life (see Proverbs!)
-But temporal blessings don’t erase God’s judgment of sin
   -good people mistake God’s patience for approval
   -good people become hard hearted, don’t see their sin
   -They will receive God’s wrath unless they repent
 
God will repay fairly  vs 6-11
Paul uses a chiastic literary arrangement, the main point is at the beginning and then restated at the end (vs 6 and 11)
1.  Eternal life to those who pursue what is right
-vs 7, 10
 
2.  Wrath and destruction for those who pursue evil
-vs 8, 9
 
3.  Those who “knew better” will be judged first!
-Jews, then Gentiles/Greeks   vs 9, 10
 
 
Stop trusting in GOOD!
1.  Agree with God- good isn’t good enough!
-Romans 3:23
 
2.  Believe in Jesus- He died to pay for our sins
-Everyone will be judged by their works!
   -No one can escape the wrath of God
-Putting our faith in Jesus makes us righteous!
   -A Christ follower is judged by Christ’s works
   -We are made perfect in God’s sight!
-Ephesians 2:8-9-  Trust the gift of God’s grace!
    -Good works don’t save us- that would diminish God’s glory
 
3.  Commit your whole life to Jesus Christ
-knowing is not good enough, we must repent and follow
-Matthew 3:8  “Therefore produce fruit consistent with
   repentance. 
-James 2:17  “In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is
  dead by itself”
-Stop using your own standards of good and evil
-Surrender to God’s truth
-Make Jesus your forever boss

The Tragedy of Rejecting God Part 2
Romans 1:24-32
The righteous will live by faith!
This is the theme of the entire letter to the Roman church
-nobody can be come perfect by themselves
We receive righteousness by putting our faith in Jesus
-He came to earth, died for our sins, rose from death
 
Rejecting God has tragic consequences!
-last week- we suppress truth, worship creation instead of the
   Creator, and become foolish in our thinking
-God’s wrath (punishment) is currently displayed in humanity
 
Today:  God gives people what they ask for!
 
Observations from Romans 1:24-32
1.  God gives us what we want!
-“God delivered them over”  vs 24, 26, 28
-illust:  God ceases to hold the boat as it is being dragged by the
   current of the river” 
-CS Lewis:  “[They] enjoy forever the horrible freedom they have
   demanded, and are therefore self-enslaved”
-God permits us to continue in and to plunge more deeply into
   the sin we have chosen, which begins with our rejection of
   God Himself, and the testimony of His existence in nature
 
2.  We worship the “desires of our hearts” vs 24
-Sex and worldly pleasure become our gods- 
-The Roman church and most of the world was a sex saturated
   culture, much like today
-Sex is our god- we measure the identity of people based on
   how they like to have sex, rather than how they were naturally
   born.  Personal heart feelings are the ultimate authority
 
3.  We worship creation instead of the Creator  vs 25
-We worship ourselves, exchange the truth of God for a lie
-Or we worship creation, and then devalue human worth as
   equal, or worse, to less than the value of earth itself.
 
4.  Rejecting God leads to unnatural sexual relations
-vs 26-27 are the clearest NT teachings on human sexuality
-“natural sexual relations” are rejected for unnatural sex
      -sex between people of the same sex
-1 Cor 6:9-10,   vs 11 says some were delivered from this
-Leviticus 18:22-23 condemns homosexuality
-There is no translation of this passage that justifies same sex
   monogamy. 
-God meant for sex to bond a man and woman in marriage for
   life, and to build humanity through procreation.
    -Having sex for only the sake of sex destroys and disfigures
      the natural building blocks of relationships and society
-Paul is not ashamed of the gospel, not ashamed to tell the
   truth, and neither should we today. 
 
5.  Rejecting God destroys human relationships
-vs 28-32 describes a life of self-validation at the expense of
   others
-Note:  this list is no better or worse than sexual sin.  Anyone
   attempting the sexual moral high ground to be righteous will
   quickly be brought low by this list of vices!
-We exchange the authority of God for the authority of the
   individual self- which leads to all kinds of exploitation and
   even murder!
-Cheering on evil behavior is even more tragic!
   Matthew 18:6-  woe to you who offend children!
 
We can escape this human tragedy!
1.  Stop denying the witness of nature and your conscience
-you are suppressing the truth and know that sin deserves death
-Without Christ, we are slaves to our flesh, an enslavement to a
   corrupt nature that is naturally seeking relief, but because of a
   refusal to worship the Creator, will never find it.
-God is letting you see that only He can satisfy your hunger
 
2.   Trust the love of God (Romans 5:8)
-He is trying to get your attention!
 
3.  Place your faith in Jesus Christ now!
​

​The Tragedy Of Rejecting God
Romans 1:18-23
Everyone worships something or someone
Every people group and society creates a religious system
-Actual idols- carved images- are common worldwide
-We have an innate drive to live for something important
-What do we worship today?  Fame, money, talent, sports, sex
 
Today we will see the results of refusing to believe in God
 
Read Romans 1:18-23
 
Why is Life Tragic?  Vs 18-19
The problem of suffering and evil are real
-many attempt to blame God, others, but never themselves
 
God’s wrath is revealed today
-this is not a distant future judgment
 
Everyone is unrighteous (not right)
-Romans 1:17 says “The righteous will live by faith”
 
Humans naturally “suppress the truth” about God
-Theory of Evolution says we didn’t need a creator to exist
-refusal to accept any authority above self
-Christianity is openly mocked today- not popular
-Social Justice and Liberation movements have been formed absent of any “God-driven” mandate
 
Godless lives are tragic
-resulting in a sense of hopelessness, fatalism,
-lack of self worth
-refusal to live for anything eternal or lasting
-human worth boils down to personal choice
   -we can murder babies in the womb if we choose
   -we can euthanize ourselves or others
 -Evolutionary thought has led to dehumanizing of certain races
     -Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Jewish Holocaust, Genicide
 
There is no excuse!  Vs 20
Nature reveals God   His eternal power and divine nature
-Atoms reveal the Trinity-
-Intelligent design- the details of nature could never have been a
   result of change!
 
The Steps toward personal tragedy   vs 21-23
Refuse to glorify or show gratitude towards God
-Reject God as your creator
-Refuse to believe you were made in His image
-see the natural world as a right, not a gift
-refuse to thank God for revealing Himself to you
-deny your inner conscience that naturally convicts you
   -suppress your guilt, explain it way, blame others for it
 
Claim to be wise on your own
 
Worship anything other than God
-Reality:  you are controlled by whatever you worship
   -anything other than God is abusive, a prison, never satisfied
-Isaiah 44:9-20- the folly of worshipping idols
 
We can escape this tragedy!  Vs 21
-depression, fatalistic attitudes, destruction of relationships,
  devaluing of human life, eternal separation from God
Glorify God
-See the God of creation instead of making creation a god!
-Acknowledge that God exists and is worthy of worship
-Seek the Lord while He may be found
 
Give Thanks to God
-for making us in His image
-for the wonder and beauty of his creation
-for letting us know who He is!  God could have hidden from us!
 
Place your faith in the Good News of Jesus Christ!
-Stop trying to manufacture your own righteousness
-Accept God’s unconditional love and forgiveness
-Surrender your life to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord

​What is the Gospel?
Romans 1:16-17
Romans 1:3-4 explains the gospel
God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for your sins
Jesus physically resurrected from death
You must believe/trust in Jesus Christ to receive salvation
-forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with God, eternal life
Live by faith today to be declared righteous by God!

Romans 10:9-10 explains how to respond to the gospel
Believe/Trust in what Jesus did for you
Openly confess that you have surrendered to Jesus

Romans 1:16-17 explains why the gospel changes lives
The Gospel is the power of God for salvation
--Following the ethics of Jesus can reform us temporarily
-Placing our faith in Jesus for salvation transforms us forever!
-our problem- we are trusting in ourselves to change us
-this is prideful, disrespectful to God
-this isn’t working- world is still in chaos
-Next week- we will see how rejecting God destroys society
The Gospel saves everyone who believes
-all people groups are invited to be reconciled to God!
-first for the Jew, then the Gentile- God’s progression
-Israel is God’s chosen people- as an example for us!
-Everyone who believes in Jesus is Chosen too!
-We are all part of the Human Race- from Adam, then Noah
-God wants us to enjoy depend on others unlike us
-complete one another, don’t compete with one another!

The Gospel reveals God’s righteousness vs 17
-The rightness and perfection of God
-The gospel shows God’s is a perfect promise keeper
-The gospel empowers us to reflect God’s righteousness
-We have victory over sin
-We are the “aroma” of life or death to people- 2 Cor 2:14-16

The Gospel must be received by faith alone
-This letter will provide evidence to back this up!
-stop offending God by trying to be good enough on your own
-stop trying to earn God’s love!
-this behavior is destroying relationships

The Gospel must be lived out by faith alone
-We depend on Christ’s saving power every moment!
-The righteous will live by faith see also Hab 2:4; Gal 3:11
-draw “Gospel Centered Life” diagram
Have you placed your faith in the Gospel?
We must not be ashamed of this Good News! vs 16
-Why someone might be ashamed to publicly share Jesus
-Intimidated by the culture
-Not convinced Jesus is the Savior for everyone
-Living in disobedience- too convicting personally
-Hasn’t really repented and trusted in Jesus for salvation

Final Thoughts
Are you ashamed of the gospel?
Have you placed your faith in the