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https://youtu.be/JSqdgw6-Szo
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The following are the notes I (Daniel) took during the sermon when we heard it live a Word Alive in Wales (Easter 2015):
1. Romans – David Cook
Romans 1:18-32 A Perfect Diagnosis
1991 audience with Pope. Rome needs Romans. So does London, Cardiff, Notodden
Romans starts 1:1 – not about people, a man. Paul (little) a slave (one without rights) set apart (fenced off) for? The GOSPEL of God. What’s it about? His SON: humanity – son of David (king); divine son – designated divine by resurrection from dead.
Gospel of God – it belongs to God. I’m not free to edit it – to add to it or to subtract it.
Three “I am” statements of Paul: v14 I am under obligation. V15 I am eager to share the gospel. V16 I am not ashamed.
Not good news – momentous news. Not necessarily good – but momentous (earth shattering).
It is God’s momentous news addressed at the central issue: v17 a righteousness of God.
About the righteous God who makes unrighteous righteous in a righteous way – through faith.
Romans answers the question: how can I be right with God.
Do you want good news or bad news first? Rom 1-3 is the bad news.
The unrighteous cannot help themselves. If you want to understand good news, momentous news – you must understand our predicament.
“This is a mongrel world – who has any answers”. Secularist has no answers because too optimistic about our nature.
Where are we most weak in our theological understanding? Our understanding of ourselves. Calvin: all true wisdom consists of two parts knowledge of God and knowledge of ourselves, and these two are linked.
Krustchev: Communisms failure is its failure to produce the selfless man.
What do you believe about humanity?
What does God say?
V18. It begins “the wrath of God”. If God is righteous, then he must be angry! He hates unrighteousness and has a just desire to punish it.
It is the idea of a crushing weight.
It is being revealed, being revealed now. Why? Godlessness – no respect for God. Wickedness – no respect for people.
People should have v21 glorified him.
But v23 they exchanged the glory of God revealed in created order for “the lie” idols. They worshipped the created instead of creator.
This is our human condition. So how does God react? God gave them over. It is the passive judgement of God. Teenager comes and says “I never want to see you again” parents say “you will never see us again”.
Degrading our bodies, sexual confusion. Inflamed with lust for one another. Extreme lust which will never be satisfied.
But that’s not all. A depraved mind – a counterfeit mind. Arrogant boastful etc. (v28-31). They do not only do evil, but encourage others do
Is your battle same sex attraction? Good to be here. But note that God’s diagnosis is not just limited to v26! Also v24 (uncleanness) v26 (sexual confusion) v28 (unclean mind).
Problem is theological.
Wants us to see that we are under the wrath of God.
This is reality. Christianity has a realistic assessment of the human condition.
3 attitudes.
1. But we’d never do these awful things (2:1 self-righteousness)
You’re passing judgement – but you do the same things? Do you think you’ll escape God’s judgement? Your failure is judgementalism – your heart is hard and you despise his kindness.
Here is the problem v6 God will give to each person individually and each person universally.
and v11 God does not play favourites. Self-righteous man your problem is God.
2. But we never knew! (ignorant)
V12 God will not judge you by what you did not have.
But their conscience judges them!
On judgement day the unreached ignorant national will be sometimes defended by following his conscience – other times condemned
3. The Jew – we did know!
V20 you promote the law – but do you obey it?? Do you actually promote the law. No! God’s name is blasphemed v24.
If you trust in your performance you will be condemned before God
But Jew says “circumcision” – you can’t take that away from me.
But Paul destroys that – circumcision only as useful as internal circumcision.
If you’re a law-breaker you cannot trust in a rite. “praise is not from man but God”
No haven in religion, good deeds, or ignorance.
Paul then addresses the question the Jews would come with:
What advantage then in being a Jew?
Many – but names only one: revelation of God.
Does their faithlessness then nullify God’s faithfulness? Can God come with wrath to his people and still be faithful. Yes! Because he made promises and warnings.
V5 But how can God judge me if my sin is bringing God’s glory into focus? That is just an evil argument!!
Every human excuse and every claim that I am exempt from God’s wrath DEMOLISHED.
Sums up now with quotes from OT.: Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah.
V10-12. No-one x8. Am I condemned? YES! Am I exempt? No. NO ONE is.
V13 -22 Conduct. 6 parts of our body (if you want to know what’s in our hearts listen to our words)
throats unclean (open graves, like touching a corpse). Do not trust them. Mouths overflow with cursing.
feet swift to shed blood, ruin and misery mark their ways. Statistics – abortion statistics.
There is no fear of God before their eyes. Psalm 36. V2- he flatters himself that his sin will not be found out. He even imagines himself to not be a sinner. V4 plans evil. Why? Because no fear of God.
3:19-20 straight edge of the law shows us how crooked we are.
Law is just a thermometer which tells me I’ve got a problem. Taking my temperature daily does not solve the problem. I need medicine!!
I need rescue from outside myself. It is a dangerous and wicked fantasy to think that we are right with God (God is our mate). No! We are in trouble with the righteous God because we are unrighteous.
Religion is simply cruel – it is a bully - because it calls on us to do the impossible and then threatens us with the horrific if we don’t do the impossible. Read ALL the religious books – because they tell us what to do. In Romans we are not given one command until Rom 6:11! And then that’s something to do with our mind!
Christianity is marked by the triumphant indicative: what God has done, not what we must do.
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