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May 18, 2020 2:00 am
God is full of love, right? That's right. It's good news. But there's some bad news we need to know first. In the message "Is God Mad?" Skip helps you wrap your head—and your heart—around the wrath of God.
This teaching is from the series Heart & Soul: A Study Through Romans.
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Get detail after detail about the wrath and judgment of God, why, why, because Paul believes and it is true you will never fully appreciate the good news so you fully apprehend the bad. You have to know how bad you are, you know that gospel is really great news. Many people have a tough time reconciling God's grace with his right. But as you see today and connect with skip-it's important for every believer to understand and comprehend gospel nature. Here's an eye-opening resource that doesn't do some of the most exciting stories found in the book of Genesis never walk into a movie like you may never catch up on one well seems to the Bible is the opening book your questions with Genesis is the foundation of the ground floor. If we don't understand the book of Genesis stand.
What follows that's divisive reminding that our redemption, death and resurrection starts book of Genesis, God says to Satan, I will put enmity between the woman between your seed and her seed promise of a lot of the rest of the Bible discover the foundation of your faith in the book of Genesis are gift you $35 or more today. Request your copy when you get online securely connectwithskip.com/Oliver call 800-9200 92 1888. Okay, let's dive into today's teaching movie in Romans chapter 1, Skip high to begin.
As we started out so you are a mom that's related.
This is your older years. This lady was about 5 foot, which he ended up as 56565 foot. Maybe she was five. To enter earlier years, but she kind of shrunk down little but she had a great smile asserted another picture to see Celia so there's me next to her on the tie to my sweet little mom with a frisbee hat on and so what I remember about my mother is her laugh. Her love and her unconditional acceptance of four rowdy boys, but there was another side of the slate. It was the side you don't want to be on it's not set a look in her eyes and that little German frame against your body.
You the wrath of mom I was five years old when I discovered the wrath of mom. It's so distinct in my mind because she was responding to my mouthing off to her.
I memorized standing in the living room and I remember it was an epiphany moment for me and what I realizes never mess with that lady again.
She is very capable, with or without dad to handle for voice self include infinitely greater than the wrath of mom is the subject that is before us and that is the wrath of God is an attribute of God that some people dismiss as pure fiction. They decided it's too painful to think about so they don't even believe it exists. The wrath of God. There was a street evangelist who was standing on a street corner yelling at people as they walked by saying, flee from the wrath that is to come, for there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth and is people walking by one old lady decided she was sarcastic and she walked up to him and you will I don't have any teeth so how can I gnash my teeth and they evangelist bent over and said with all due respect, ma'am. Don't worry teeth will be provided.
For some people. When you put the words God and wrath in the same sentence. It's an affront to them.
It insults their sensibilities and sensitivities. In fact, some Christians almost feel like they have to apologize for God. Because of this attribute that sullies his otherwise perfect temperament and they like to backpedal on this. They don't like to talk about this. Bertrand Russell wrote a book many years ago called why I am not a Christian, why I am not a Christian, and he wrote and I quote there is one very serious defect in my mind in Christ moral character and that is that he believed in hell.
I do not myself feel that any person who is really profoundly humane can believe in everlasting punishment. Jesus Christ certainly as depicted in the Gospels did believe in everlasting punishment." If you happen to feel like Bertrand Russell, you're gonna find this to be a very difficult passage and so let me just say I am simply the messenger. This is not my Bible. I didn't write it, but I do believe in it and I believe in it in its entirety and because it is in the Bible and in the study of Romans, I'm not in the same mail. This is one part I don't like to talk about siliceous Skip a few chapters to get to those really on parts that would sort of be like a doctor telling the hospital administrator. Listen, I want you to know in advance that I don't like to give bad news to my patients. So if there dying of cancer and they only got six months to live. I don't want to say that I'm to pat him on the back and say all can it be great or if they're doing certain activities that are harmful bad habits. I want to tell them that they're doing those things I just want to give him a hug and feel really good about their visit and send them on their way. That would be malpractice. Paul cannot be accused malpractice. So Paul tells us about the wrath of God before we jump into these verses become to bring up to speed. So far so good with Paul.
So far so good so far is open about the good news write ups were gospel means whatever you see gospel I said last week, translate that good news so Paul is saying, hey, I got good news for y'all. There is a righteousness from God for you.
He will clothe you with the righteousness that is in Christ, if you believe in him that's the theme of his book, but from verse 18 and for the next few chapters.
He's going to give detail after detail about the wrath and judgment of God. Why why well because Paul believes and it is true that you will never fully appreciate the good news until you fully apprehend the badness you have to know how bad off you are before you go to know that gospel is really great news so he does you that service. The theme of the book is the righteousness of God. As we have said to you on a couple of occasions, but Paul now begins with the unrighteousness of man because until mankind admits that they are a sinner, there will never seek a Savior.
If you don't admit you have a problem. You will never seek the medicine. The solution for that problem. I'm it's interesting that in the 12 step program for alcoholics.
Step number one is to admit the powerlessness you have over alcohol. You admit you are powerless over alcohol and you admit that your life is become unmanageable. At step one. Consider this Paul's step one.
Paul is saying before I wash over you with the grace of God, you need to know how good that grace is by seeing how bad off you are without, so that in mind we begin were Paul leaves off in verse 18. He says for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them. For God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts. That is vain and empty, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man birds four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil mindedness, there whispers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, posters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice boy, that's a mouthful call tell us how you really feel right. So he's dealing with the wrath of God now and looking at this I went out to give you three things I want to answer three questions about God's wrath. What is why it's required and how it's revealed.
First of all what what is it what is a regard.
What's it all about verse 18 says the wrath of God is revealed from heaven back in the 1920s the 30th President of the United States Calvin Coolidge went to church one Sunday I his wife didn't go for some reason she stayed home in the White House present went to church came back home. His wife wanted to know what was a sermon about what the preacher talked about so in typical male fashion.
The president just said one thing one word she said honey was a sermon all about tell me he goes sin.
That's it.
It's always at well, being a typical woman she wanted more than one word answer. So she kinda prodded him and yet it give me more now in the presence of finally well I think he was against it.
That summed up the sermon.
While I think he was against it. You can't read this without coming up with the inevitable conclusion God is against it. Others to words in the Greek language that are used in the New Testament for the word wrath. One of them is used here and you need to know the difference. One word used in the Greek New Testament for the word wrath or anger is the word for Thomas. Thomas we get our word thermometer from the work Thomas or we get the word thermos from Thomas.
Thomas means a red hot anger at somebody's flying off the handle into a rage, losing their temper. It is a word that means when people are overcome by a rage. It is impulsive anger, passionate anger and it is not the word that is used here for God's wrath. That's not the word but that's why it's hard to imagine God as being wrathful because that is what we typically think of wrath as and that is because most of our experience with anger is with the selfish anger with the guy who drinks too much and throws his wife down or the mother who is impatient with her five-year-old and flies off into a rage because a son or daughter spills his drink.
Some of us have been recipients and victims of that kind of anger and wrath.
So when we hear the words wrath of God. Naturally we cringe, but again that is not the word used here. The word Paul uses for the wrath of God is the second Greek word that is the word or gay. And the word or gay literally means to grow right like fruit when it ripens to grow right and it's something that builds up over a long period of time, like water that collects in a dam and a huge dammit collects behind that damn. It is stable.
It is settled. It is controlled.
That's the word that is used here so God does not lose his temper. God doesn't fly into a rage or lash out. He lets the water collect over a long period of time, and thus he controls his response and he waits for the right time. That is the thought in the very next chapter of Romans chapter 2 verse five Paul writing says because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath. Get the picture.
It's like water being collected behind a huge dam so the wrath of God used here by Paul means God's firm settled and perfect hostility against all evil.
Once again God's firm settled perfect hostility toward all evil.
The wrath of God is a parallel flock to something else mentioned in verse 17 the righteousness of God.
I want you to look at the difference go back to verse 17 we looked at all last week.
Paul said, for in it the righteousness of God is revealed.
Now look at verse 18 for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. You get the link.
It's a parallel the righteousness of God. The wrath of God.
God is perfectly righteous. Therefore God is perfectly wrathful he is never neutral when it comes evil, guidance and run heaven LOL you know that guy killed 20 people so a lot he you know he meant well, God is never neutral toward evil. In the words of Calvin Coolidge. I think he's against it. Now verse 18. What Paul is essentially doing is walking all of humanity into God's courtroom. Paul is acting like the prosecuting attorney. He is bringing the accusation marshaling all the evidence and securing the sentence as guilty before God. Why does he do that because Paul knows that in his audience as in any audience, there are some with enough hubris, enough bravado to insist they're not sinful they're not guilty and they want to live in a false paradise of supposed innocence so he goes not so the wrath of God is being revealed and it's in the present tense is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness. So that's the one that's what it means. Second question, why wise got so mad.
Why would he have wrath. Why would he be angry at all. What is that wrath directed at well, Paul paints a pretty ugly picture in the verse that we just read and I'll say that he sums it up by giving us three reasons. Reason number one for God's wrath is for suppressing God's truth.
That's what he says in verse 18 the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them.
For God has shown it to them. Simply put, God put his stamp in us and God put his workmanship around us so we can look inward, in a sense we have a conscience and then the conscience. There is the testimony of God and in the cosmos around us.
There is also the testimony of God. But people hold that down.
They suppress it.
The word suppressed means they know the truth.
But there holding it down or holding it back in order to live unrighteous lives. The Jerusalem Bible translates this verse because they keep the truth imprisoned in their wickedness. In other words, there are people who don't believe in us, not because they can't believe there are people say that you tone gossip. I can't believe that is it. I can't believe that really you can't believe that and I can't believe that. What if I gave you enough evidence so that the logical step is that you believe that would you do then no okay so you gotta rephrase that. Don't say I can't believe it.
Say I won't believe very different. It's not a matter of ability as a matter of will. So many people don't believe, not because they can't believe it because they will not believe they don't want to believe. RC Sproul calls this the psychology of atheism. Let me give you what he wrote. He said and I quote unbelief is generated not so much by intellectual causes. But as my moral and psychological ones. The problem is not that there is insufficient evidence to convince rational beings that there is a God, but that rational beings have a natural antipathy to the being of God in a word, the nature of God, or at least the Christian God is repugnant to man and is not the focus of desire or wish projection man's desire is not that God exists, but that he doesn't" this is why so many people work so hard at suppressing this. They work hard at explaining got away and and and working hard at saying you shouldn't believe in God do it every Christmas and every Easter. The national atheist work really hard at holding down the truth so why is God's wrath required for suppressing God's truth number two for ignoring God's revelation.
Verse 20 for since the creation of the world so you know right now the Paul is a creationist believe that there is a God in heaven who actually created the world for since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen or visible, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so they are without excuse because although they tease me verse one because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful that became futile in their thoughts, their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and they change the glory of incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man birds four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up to uncleanness, etc. here's the policy God who is invisible and unknowable unless he reveals himself has made himself visible and knowable by his creation. Now this is called the argument from design and I'm not to get too heady into this stuff but some of you know if you have a background in apologetics that the term for this is the teleological argument for the existence of God saw all outputs that were decide that's what it is with this is the argument from design. In other words, creation is the visible disclosure of invisible God. Just like an artist would reveal himself or herself by a painting or a sculpture would do that with the with the statue, the divine artist has revealed himself.
We call this general revelation general revelation.
In other words anybody at any time everywhere can know this stuff its general revelation. I found it interesting Johan Kepler. Some of you know that name Johan Kepler, the father and founder of modern astronomy. I had a great little sentence. He said the undeveloped astronomer is mad great quote.
The undeveloped astronomer is met put in another way, if you can look up at the sky and the galaxies and the stars and save there is not a God your nuts. That's Johan Kepler, the father of modern astronomy. The undeveloped astronomer is mad David would agree with him.
David wrote in Psalm 19. The heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament shows his handiwork Dan today.
They are there speech night and tonight they reveal knowledge, speech or language where their voice is not heard that Skip message for you today from the series. Now here's to tell you about how you can keep encouraging messages like this coming your way as you help connect others to God's truth when Jesus came to this earth. He presented a brand-new way of inking that challenge the religious leaders of his day. The truth is that he taught still challenge worldly thing and through this broadcast.
We want to inspire more listeners like you to live a Christ centered life so please help take these messages to more places by giving the gift today so you can do it you can give online@connectwithskip.com/donate. That's connectwithskip.com/donate or call 892 to 1888, 800-922-1880, think tomorrow I should share some important and encouraging promise is for you about God's grace we believe in Jesus Christ believe that radical IQ air you're not ashamed of that believe in the study that that's the truth you have will have right however you have it now guaranteed that I'll just get better. Matter what that is so Skip visitation of connection communication is changing through ever-changing time