When God Gives Up
Rom. 1:18-25
Intro.
A. “Hear ye! Hear ye! The Court is now in session!” could summarize the awesome words of Paul in Romans 1:18. It introduces God’s court room for those who reject His will. Three times - states God gave them up (vs. 24,26), gave them over (v. 28).
B. The theme of Romans is the righteousness of God (mentioned c. 30 times), but Paul begins with the unrighteousness of man.
C. What happens when men try to live as if there is no God:
1. Betty Frieden (feminist, promoter of humanist goals) - March, 1973 stood before audience of Roman Catholics and said: “By the year 2000, we will, I hope, teach our children to believe in human potential, not God.” Instead of “in the beginning, God...” she would say “in the beginning man...” Personal wants become the standard of right and wrong, pleasure becomes the purpose of life and the grave becomes the goal. “Grab all the gusto you can” becomes the motto.
2. Humanist Manifesto: “As non-theists, we begin with humans not God, nature not deity...no deity will save us; we must save ourselves...promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful.”
3. This is not new - Paul described the results of this attitude in Romans 1!
a. Why would man deliberately reject God? Men want no rules. “Jesus had good ideas, but I have my own.”
b. Prov. 16:25; Jer. 10:23
D. What are the steps of man’s rejection of God, resulting in His leaving man to the consequences of his decision?
Body:
A. Man is without excuse (Rom. 1:18-20).
1. Human history began with man knowing God.
a. The story was not that beast evolved into human-like creatures that worshiped idols, then cavemen learned to worship God.
b. The truth is that man began knowing God - those who deny that are “suppressing” (holding down) the truth (v. 18).
2. The power and intellect (deity) of the Creator is seen in the visible creation (v. 20; Ps. 19:1)
3. Three positions: atheism (no God), agnosticism (the human mind cannot know whether there is a God or an ultimate cause, or anything beyond material phenomena), or theism (belief in God).
4. Three ways God could have revealed Himself: appear visibly, create and place around us visible objects that are beyond human power, give a spoken/written message with internal evidences that it is from Himself. (He did the latter two for us.) Man is without excuse - cannot blame God for not providing evidence.
B. Man refused to acknowledge God (1:21-23).
1. Man turned from his purpose - to glorify God (Eccl. 12:13; 1 Cor. 6:20). They knew God, but you would not know it by the way they lived!
2. Neglected to give God thanks (v. 21).
a. Giving thanks shows dependence. Failure to realize the source of all the blessings we enjoy is a step toward atheism and immorality.
b. It is a short step from neglect of God to rejection of God. Those who refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him and responsibility to glorify Him put something else in His place (v. 23; Ps. 115:4-8).
c. They become “fools” (v. 22) - such statements as: “Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing” (Humanist Manifesto, 1933).
d. When “wisdom” leads to believing the universe created itself, intelligence developed from non-intelligent matter and that man is a product of evolution the person manifests foolishness. They make God a myth and man a “god.”
C. The life without God (1:24-32).
1. From idolatry to immorality is one short step - man becomes his own god and can do whatever pleases him. Verse 25 - “the lie” - man is his own god and should please himself.
2. The result of self-deification is self-indulgence (vs. 26-31).
a. Sin rampant in that day - homosexuality (“dishonor their bodies” v. 24), from “natural use” to “what is against nature” (v. 26), “vile passions” (v. 27), “committing that which is shameful” (27).
b. Same sin rampant today - and “religious” people try to justify it. “Homosexual acts are not sex,” and “oral sex is not sex.” Why? - do not retain God in their knowledge (v. 28).
c. Will God give up on this nation? H. Hailey used to say “if God doesn’t judge this nation, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!”
d. We may not be able to change what the world thinks - but we had better not agree with it.
3. Paul listed 23 sins prevalent in that day, which are still prevalent - then a 24th. one just as bad, or worse - encouraged and applauded those who practice them (v. 32).
Concl.
A. Man began glorifying God, then glorified idols, and worshiped them as gods; began with realization he was in the image of God, then refused to keep the knowledge of God in his heart.
B. The verdict? V. 20 “they are without excuse.”
C. The good news? (1:16,17). This message was taken to one of most wicked cities of first century (1 Cor. 6:9-11), and to city given over to idolatry (Acts 17:16). It is still God’s answer to where we came from, who are we, why are we here and what is our destiny?
D. Our attitude toward this book is our attitude to its giver - God.
Intro.
A. “Hear ye! Hear ye! The Court is now in session!” could summarize the awesome words of Paul in Romans 1:18. It introduces God’s court room for those who reject His will. Three times - states God gave them up (vs. 24,26), gave them over (v. 28).
B. The theme of Romans is the righteousness of God (mentioned c. 30 times), but Paul begins with the unrighteousness of man.
C. What happens when men try to live as if there is no God:
1. Betty Frieden (feminist, promoter of humanist goals) - March, 1973 stood before audience of Roman Catholics and said: “By the year 2000, we will, I hope, teach our children to believe in human potential, not God.” Instead of “in the beginning, God...” she would say “in the beginning man...” Personal wants become the standard of right and wrong, pleasure becomes the purpose of life and the grave becomes the goal. “Grab all the gusto you can” becomes the motto.
2. Humanist Manifesto: “As non-theists, we begin with humans not God, nature not deity...no deity will save us; we must save ourselves...promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful.”
3. This is not new - Paul described the results of this attitude in Romans 1!
a. Why would man deliberately reject God? Men want no rules. “Jesus had good ideas, but I have my own.”
b. Prov. 16:25; Jer. 10:23
D. What are the steps of man’s rejection of God, resulting in His leaving man to the consequences of his decision?
Body:
A. Man is without excuse (Rom. 1:18-20).
1. Human history began with man knowing God.
a. The story was not that beast evolved into human-like creatures that worshiped idols, then cavemen learned to worship God.
b. The truth is that man began knowing God - those who deny that are “suppressing” (holding down) the truth (v. 18).
2. The power and intellect (deity) of the Creator is seen in the visible creation (v. 20; Ps. 19:1)
3. Three positions: atheism (no God), agnosticism (the human mind cannot know whether there is a God or an ultimate cause, or anything beyond material phenomena), or theism (belief in God).
4. Three ways God could have revealed Himself: appear visibly, create and place around us visible objects that are beyond human power, give a spoken/written message with internal evidences that it is from Himself. (He did the latter two for us.) Man is without excuse - cannot blame God for not providing evidence.
B. Man refused to acknowledge God (1:21-23).
1. Man turned from his purpose - to glorify God (Eccl. 12:13; 1 Cor. 6:20). They knew God, but you would not know it by the way they lived!
2. Neglected to give God thanks (v. 21).
a. Giving thanks shows dependence. Failure to realize the source of all the blessings we enjoy is a step toward atheism and immorality.
b. It is a short step from neglect of God to rejection of God. Those who refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him and responsibility to glorify Him put something else in His place (v. 23; Ps. 115:4-8).
c. They become “fools” (v. 22) - such statements as: “Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing” (Humanist Manifesto, 1933).
d. When “wisdom” leads to believing the universe created itself, intelligence developed from non-intelligent matter and that man is a product of evolution the person manifests foolishness. They make God a myth and man a “god.”
C. The life without God (1:24-32).
1. From idolatry to immorality is one short step - man becomes his own god and can do whatever pleases him. Verse 25 - “the lie” - man is his own god and should please himself.
2. The result of self-deification is self-indulgence (vs. 26-31).
a. Sin rampant in that day - homosexuality (“dishonor their bodies” v. 24), from “natural use” to “what is against nature” (v. 26), “vile passions” (v. 27), “committing that which is shameful” (27).
b. Same sin rampant today - and “religious” people try to justify it. “Homosexual acts are not sex,” and “oral sex is not sex.” Why? - do not retain God in their knowledge (v. 28).
c. Will God give up on this nation? H. Hailey used to say “if God doesn’t judge this nation, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!”
d. We may not be able to change what the world thinks - but we had better not agree with it.
3. Paul listed 23 sins prevalent in that day, which are still prevalent - then a 24th. one just as bad, or worse - encouraged and applauded those who practice them (v. 32).
Concl.
A. Man began glorifying God, then glorified idols, and worshiped them as gods; began with realization he was in the image of God, then refused to keep the knowledge of God in his heart.
B. The verdict? V. 20 “they are without excuse.”
C. The good news? (1:16,17). This message was taken to one of most wicked cities of first century (1 Cor. 6:9-11), and to city given over to idolatry (Acts 17:16). It is still God’s answer to where we came from, who are we, why are we here and what is our destiny?
D. Our attitude toward this book is our attitude to its giver - God.