The God of the Gospel

We're going to be reading now from the book of Romans, chapter 1, starting at verse 18

Romans 1 · chapter mention

through the end of the chapter.

For the wrath of God is arreled from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness

of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly

perceived ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.

So they are without excuse.

For although they know God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they

became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for

images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonouring

of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and

worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever.

Amen.

Amen.

For this reason, God gave them up to dishonourable passions.

For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature.

And the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for

one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due

penalty for their error.

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do

what ought not to be done.

They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice.

They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.

They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil,

disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

Though they know God's righteous decrees that those who practice such things deserve to

die, they not only do them, but give approval to those who practice them.

Well, good morning, everyone.

Those on Zoom as well.

Well, I'd like to start with a question, and today is no different.

So here it goes.

Confronting question, what matters most to you when you think about God?

What matters most to you when you think about God?

I'm going to give you two options.

Is it how well you feel your life is going?

God's in charge of life, as it were.

So is it how well you feel your life is going, or is it how you stand before God, or how God's

view of you?

Just take a couple of seconds, literally take a few seconds, just to decide which one matters

most to you when you think about God.

I think if we're honest, most of us default to self-interested thinking in most things.

Even when thinking about God and God's powerful gospel.

Will it fix my brokenness, my bad habits, my struggling relationships?

Will it deliver me a hassle-free life?

Does it promise me an enjoyable experience?

That's a fairly modern one.

Happiness.

When we come to read Paul's letter to the Christians at Rome, it's anything but self-interested.

His focus constantly, especially in the introduction, in the first 17 verses, is very strongly God-centered.

God's powerful gospel.

And this morning, the God of the gospel.

Paul knows that what matters most is not whether we feel good, whether we have our needs met,

whether we've had a meaningful experience when we come to church.

What matters most is how God thinks of us, whether we're in a good relationship with God,

and on what basis we believe we're in that relationship with God.

And in verse 16 and 17, which was the sort of climax of Paul's introduction,

he says,

For I am not ashamed of the gospel.

Why is he not ashamed of the gospel?

Because it's the power of God for salvation.

God's gospel, the God of the gospel, the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,

the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed.

In it, in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed.

The gospel, God's powerful gospel, does two things.

It shows us both what God is like, his righteousness,

and it shows us God's way of salvation,

God's way of people coming back into right relationship with him.

But if that's the introduction, then it raises a very, very big question.

And that's what Paul turns his attention to in this next section of his letter

that runs all the way from chapter 1, verse 18, through to chapter 3, verse 20.

The question is this.

Who needs the gospel?

And why do we need the gospel to come back into right relationship with God?

It's almost as if, I remember when I first came down here,

there's an advertising billboard out in Hexham Way,

and it actually had great big letters.

If Jesus is the answer, then what is the question?

Paul tells us in his introduction that Jesus is the answer.

Now we're starting to jump into the question.

What is the question?

The question is, who needs this gospel, this powerful gospel,

and why do we need it?

Why do we need it to be put back into the right relationship with God?

Because I guess most people in their natural state,

if you ask them what God thinks of them,

they'll say, well, I'm not perfect,

but I've done this and this and this and this.

And so I think overall they'll think,

I'm acceptable to God.

So this question of who needs the gospel and why,

we'll unpack over the next three Sundays.

But before I jump into the details of 1, 18 verse 32,

18 through to 32,

I want you to step back and frame the argument

at a sort of big picture level.

So I want you to talk first about salvation and wrath

as two sides of the one coin of God's righteousness.

Now, if you look at verse 17,

it says,

the righteous for in it,

that is God's powerful gospel,

in it the righteousness of God is revealed.

Paul's introduction finishes verse 17

with a spotlight on God's righteousness.

And righteousness means, as I said last week,

faithfulness to his promise to love

and deliver his special covenant people.

And that's been revealed in an ongoing way.

The righteousness of God is being revealed.

How is it being revealed?

It's been revealed through the gospel.

God's salvation powerfully delivered

through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

But then Paul's next sentence,

the beginning of verse 8,

launches into this idea of the wrath of God.

How did we get from this glorious notion

of the righteousness of God in the gospel

to the wrath of God in the next sentence?

The connection's really, really important,

I think, to our understanding

of what Paul's going to do

over the next few chapters.

The next sentence goes really dark,

shifting to the wrath of God,

which he says in verse 18,

is also being revealed in an ongoing way,

present tense, present continuous.

So the question is,

why the sudden shift from hugely positive

to darkly negative?

Answer,

because Paul's starting to address this question

and spell out the answer to this question,

who needs the gospel and why we need it?

Who needs God's righteousness as a gift

through the gospel,

that which is spoken about in verses 16 and 17?

And why we need God's righteousness as a gift

through the gospel?

Why?

Well,

because of God's wrath.

Now, God's wrath is his sort of considered response.

It's not that just God flies off the handle

in a temper tantrum.

Wrath is a considered response

or judgment on unrighteousness.

That's what it says.

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven

against all ungodliness

and unrighteousness of mankind,

humankind.

So the wrath of God is God's considered response.

What's unrighteousness then?

Well,

if the righteousness of God

is a reflection of God's character

and God's character responding

to unrighteousness,

then by definition,

unrighteousness

is anything that's contrary

to God's character.

Anything that's at odds

with God's status

as creator

and Lord of this universe.

Which is, of course,

otherwise described in the Bible

as sin

or rebellion.

So,

the wrath of God,

a considered response

against anything

that's contrary to his character

or his standing

as creator

and Lord of this universe,

where he sees it

in mankind,

humankind,

sinners,

sinners rather.

Now,

what we have to understand here

is that for Paul,

it's not a change

of focus at all

because God's wrath

is equally

an expression

of God's righteousness.

It's one coin

with two sides.

And we see that

throughout the history of Israel

if you read through the Old Testament.

God's righteousness

was seen

either in

magnificent deliverances

of God's people

and salvation

or at other points

in the history of Israel,

God's righteousness

was seen as calling

his people to account

and bringing judgment

upon them.

Either partial judgment

or more complete judgment

or total judgment.

Both were acts

of God's righteousness

in respect of his people.

And so,

Paul's intention here,

I think,

and it's been a bit

of a long-winded argument,

hopefully I haven't lost you on it,

but I think it's an important argument.

Paul's intention here,

I think,

as we move from verse 16, 17

into verse 18

and the rest of the letter,

Paul's intention here

is to highlight

the wonder,

the splendor

of God

gifting us

his righteousness

in the gospel,

that which makes us

acceptable to God.

He wants to highlight that

against

the dark

and hopeless

condition

of mankind

in their natural state,

that is,

in their unrighteousness.

So Paul's

making a contrast here

to answer the question

why we need it.

Why do we need it?

Well,

this is an expression

of God's righteousness

in the gospel.

Why do we need it?

Because we're unrighteous.

We do that

which is contrary

to God's status,

which challenges

God's status,

which is at odds

with God's character.

which leaves us

unacceptable to God

and facing condemnation.

So,

who needs the gospel then?

Who needs this gospel

of God's,

of the gift

of God's righteousness

in Jesus?

Answer here again,

all mankind.

The word men there

is actually humankind.

which means,

if you go back

to verse 14

where Paul mentioned

Greeks and barbarians,

it means that

the barbarian,

and that was a term

by the Romans

and the Greeks

for everybody else

in the world,

apart from the Jews.

So,

the barbarians,

and these barbarians

had very,

very little knowledge

of the one true God.

All they had

was what they could

observe in the

physical creation.

Do they need the gospel?

Absolutely,

says Paul.

The Greeks

and the Romans,

sophisticated civilizations

who have a finely

tuned conscience,

do they need the gospel?

Absolutely,

says Paul,

because they're unrighteous.

What about the Jews?

They've actually got

God's written word.

God spoke to them directly.

Do they need the gospel?

Well,

we'll see in chapter 3.

Absolutely,

says Paul.

They also are unrighteous.

All are without excuse.

Now,

why are all

without excuse?

big point,

which is the point

you need to take away

from all of what

I've been saying

up to this point,

because nobody,

none live

according to what

they know about God.

None live

according to what

they know about God.

Now,

the problem of unrighteousness

is not a problem

of a lack of knowledge

of God.

It's a problem

of the choice

to live

contrary

to what they do

know about God.

That's the problem

of unrighteousness.

It's a deliberate

choice.

Let me put it

another way,

perhaps a little bit

more confronting.

Why will God

condemn,

sorry,

let me try that word

again.

Why will God

condemn

people who might

have lived

in the deepest,

darkest part

of the Amazon,

who have never

heard of Jesus

or God

or the Bible

in any sort

of written way?

Why will God

condemn them?

Answer,

not because

of what they

don't know

about the Bible

or Jesus,

but because

they refuse

to live in the light

of what they do

know about God

from observing

the physical universe

around them.

So,

let's

jump into

18 to 32

now and see

if we can

demonstrate that

principle under

two headings.

The first one

is this,

both autonomy

headings.

The first one

is that

autonomy

is pursued

as people

seek freedom

at any cost.

Now,

we all know

the idea

of autonomy.

It's been

sort of

fascinating

and scary

at the same

time

to look

at autonomy

just in the

motor vehicle

industry alone.

Autonomous

vehicles,

for goodness

sake.

They drive

themselves,

apparently.

In other words,

the driver's

been displaced.

That's autonomy

for you.

But we all

know it

personally too,

don't we?

We all know

it as a

constant desire

for freedom.

And boy,

has that been

a big word

through the

pandemic,

an increasingly

big word

through the

pandemic.

We all

want to do

what we

want to do

when we

want to do

it,

as we

want to

do it.

Freedom.

Freedom.

Freedom at any

cost,

I would dare

to add.

Now,

Paul argues

in these

verses here

that the

desire for

autonomy

is a key

driver in

the way

people respond

to God.

And the

reason why

all people,

without exception,

naturally

attract and

deserve God's

wrath or

judgment.

you look at

verses 19

and 20.

For what

can be known

about God

is plain

to them,

because God

has shown it

to them.

For his

invisible

attributes,

namely his

eternal power

and divine

nature,

have been

clearly perceived

ever since the

creation of the

world in the

things that

have been

made.

so they

are without

excuse.

Any

person

observing our

physical world

is but

confronted by

the reality

of God.

We cannot

actually see

him, but

his fingerprints

are everywhere.

And it's a

very simple

argument,

really,

that we can

understand.

If you

look at a

computer,

my laptop,

for instance,

if you look

at the

complexity of

my laptop,

it's obvious

that it

required somebody

bigger than

the laptop to

actually design

and construct

it.

So,

when you look

at our

physical world

in all its

beauty and

complexity,

it points

to a very

real and

powerful

designer.

mirror.

But verse

18,

the problem

is that

people want

to suppress

that which

is obvious,

the truth

about God.

Why do they

want to suppress

the truth

about God?

because to

admit that

truth,

to embrace

that truth,

is also to

embrace that

that God may

well have

some designs

on relationship

with you.

If he's bigger

than you,

you are then

under him.

There's,

by definition,

a relationship

that's implied

there.

People suppress

the truth

because they

want to

avoid the

relationship.

Freedom.

We want

to do our

own thing,

answer to

ourselves.

So,

verses 21,

22,

and 23,

instead of

honoring God,

what do they

do?

They treat

him shamefully.

And there's

that theme

again,

shame and

honor,

that we

saw last

week.

They treat

him shamefully.

How do they

treat him

shamefully?

Well,

listen to the

verses.

When I can

find them.

For although

they knew

God,

they did

not honor

him as

God or

give thanks

to him.

But they

became futile

in their

thinking,

and their

foolish hearts

were darkened.

Claiming to

be wise,

they became

fools,

and exchanged

the glory of

the immortal

God for

images resembling

mortal man and

birds and

animals and

reptiles.

Instead of

acknowledging

their existence

to God and

dependence on

him,

they treat

him shamefully.

How do they

treat him

shamefully?

Well,

they're

constantly

reducing

God.

They're

constantly

trying to

bring God

down to

a size

which is

comfortable

to exist

with,

and perhaps

even control.

So if God's

way up there

big,

whoa,

that's scary.

Let's bring

him down and

make him into

a stone or

a totem pole,

and we'll

say,

okay,

we'll carve

him,

we'll fashion

him,

we'll stick

him here,

and then

that's ours

to control.

That's God.

blurring

distinction

between God

and that

which he

has made.

So God

is now

part of

a piece

of wood

or part

of a piece

of stone

or part

of a

building.

And we're

told here

the ultimate

consequence

of continually

suppressing

truth is

that ultimately

reality becomes

so distorted

that we can

no longer

access truth.

In other

words,

we've lived

under a lie

so long

that now

the lie

has become

the truth

for us.

We can't

actually get

back to

what it was

before the

lie.

And the

lie is

that people

can decide,

individuals can

decide what

God is like,

or they can

even decide

to replace

him completely

if they don't

like the

idea of

God.

And what

do they

replace him

with?

Well,

we're told

they're

autonomy,

self-wisdom,

and self-worship.

Now,

friends,

this is the

culture we

live in.

And therefore,

we must say

it's a culture

under God's

wrath,

and a

culture without

excuse.

For all

our knowledge

and discovery

and science

and research,

and it's

vast.

There are a

lot of

really clever

people out

there doing

a lot of

really amazing

research.

But all

of it is

predicated by

desire to

suppress the

truth.

That's a

general statement,

I should say.

I'm talking

about in

cultural terms.

as a

nation,

and

individually,

we've

rejected

God,

most clearly

seen in

Jesus and

the gospel.

But here's

the rub,

you see,

having rejected

God and the

gospel,

our culture

is not any

less spiritual.

It is just

as spiritual

as ever.

what's

happened now

is,

and you

only have

to listen

to your

TV for a

day to

see this

demonstrated,

what's

happened now

is that

any form

of spirituality

is now

welcomed and

accepted.

And every

form of

spirituality

appears on

the TV

except

Jesus

suppressing

the truth.

There's a

long list

which are

becoming

increasingly

popular,

increasingly

mainstream.

Each

appears to

seek God,

and this

is something

we've been

pushed into

as Christians

and we've

wrongly given

up ground

here.

We've been

pushed to

say that

First Nations

culture and

First Nations

spirituality

has its

own

integrity.

Wrong,

says the

Bible.

First Nations

spirituality

and every

other form

of

spirituality

we see

in our

nation,

whether it's

consumerism

or celebrity

worship in

sport and

Hollywood,

every one of

those

spiritualities

is designed

to suppress

the truth

about God.

It's a

strategy to

suppress truth,

hide from

God,

reduce God,

or in some

cases even

replace God.

Autonomy

at any

cost.

But that's

not the

end of

the problem.

The deliberate

choice has

real and

dramatic

consequences,

which is

the second

part of

our text

this morning

from verse

24 onwards.

Autonomy

is actually

experienced,

but it

becomes a

grotesque

form of

freedom

with

debasing

destructive

costs.

God's

wrath is

being

revealed,

present

continuous.

Well,

the question

is,

how do we

see God's

wrath being

revealed in

a present

continuous

context,

sense?

How do we

experience it?

Well,

in these

verses 24

through to

31,

the awfulness

of God's

wrath in

its current

expression among

us as a

culture is

emphasized by

threefold

repetition.

Verse 24,

where am I?

Verse 24,

here we go.

Therefore,

there's your

connection back

to what was

been said,

therefore,

God gave

them up,

that's the

repetition

phrase,

God gave

them up

in the

lusts of

their heart

to impurity,

to the

dishonoring of

their bodies

among themselves

because they

exchanged the

truth about

God for a

lie and

worshipped and

served the

creature rather

than the

creator who

is blessed

forever.

Amen.

God gives

people up to

lust and

impurity.

The human

craving to be

loved, to be

valued, to be

validated, to be

secure, that's a

natural human

craving.

Well, Paul's

point here is

that when

that's not

sought in

relationship with

God, it will

be pursued in

all kinds of

false intimacy.

And there's a

whole range of

false intimacies,

which I'm not

going to detail

this morning, but

there's just a

plethora of

them.

But that's the

thing.

When we're not

seeking these

identifying,

defining relationships

in the Lord,

then we will

find them and

seek them

elsewhere.

And this

false intimacy,

when it's

pursued, apart

from God,

actually becomes

consumerist.

We consume one

another.

When we use our

bodies, and do

use our bodies,

in destructive

ways, we use our

bodies in destructive

ways, trying to

get positive

validation.

It's a crazy

thing.

And we can see,

therefore, the

futility of

thinking that's

been spoken about

in the earlier

verses.

We keep on

thinking these

destructive

behaviors will

deliver the good

things we need

in our heart of

hearts.

Verse 26.

For this reason,

again, the link,

for this reason,

God gave them

up.

There's the

repetition.

God gave them

up to

dishonorable

passions.

For their

women exchanged

natural relations

for those that

are contrary

to nature,

and the men

likewise gave

up natural

relations with

women and were

consumed with

passion for one

another.

Men committing

shameless acts

with men and

receiving in

themselves the

due penalty for

their error.

God gives

people up to

dishonorable

passions.

My friends,

again, the

personal craving

for personal

identity,

that's what's

common right

across gender

dysphoria and

homosexuality,

is a craving

for identity,

a craving for

transformation,

salvation,

something that

will lift them

out of the

sadness and

the limitations

of their

current life,

something that

will deliver

happiness and

hope into a

world that

seems despairing

to them.

When these

things,

that sort of

identity,

is not sought

in transformational

relationship with

the Lord,

then it will be

sought and found

in all sorts of

abnormal

relationships.

relationships.

And the

strange thing

about it is,

when it's sought

apart from God,

then the things

that we would

normally consider,

then the things

that would normally

be considered

boundaries in

these relationships

are so easily

removed and

replaced.

because the

drive is for

this freedom,

for happiness,

for a

transformation.

And we'll

try anything

rather than

go down the

path of

transformational

relationship with

the Lord.

And when such

relationships are

formed with

people who

already reject

any notion of

being made in

the image of

God, made to

reflect God's

character and

relationship,

then as I say,

natural boundaries,

natural restraints,

which once seemed

so obvious and

so fixed,

now become so

easily removed

and redefined.

Self-wisdom.

Self-worship.

Verse 28.

The third.

The trifecta.

And since they

did not see fit to

acknowledge God,

God gave them up

to a debased mind

to do what ought

not to be done.

And then you get

that list.

And it really is a

shotgun list of

relationships,

isn't it?

I spent some time

pondering this week

and I couldn't

think of anything

in any of my

relationships over

my 65 years

that's not in

that list.

It's a

comprehensive list.

But mind you,

it sits alongside

the two previous

God gave them up.

So it's not as if,

as this is what

some Christians have

done,

have made this text

all about

homosexuality.

But it's not all

about homosexuality,

it includes homosexuality,

but it involves

the destructive things

we bring to

relationships generally

at every point

in every relationship.

Gay,

bi,

straight,

whatever you want

to call them.

The problem's the same.

God gave people up

to a debased mind

and destructive

behaviors.

And here's where

we're so clever

as people

and so stupid.

Made in the image

of God,

sorry,

I should only

call myself stupid,

I shouldn't call you stupid,

but anyway,

that's a generic

sort of thing.

Made in the image

of God,

we've got this

wonderful human

ability to think,

to set goals,

and then to strategize

to achieve those goals.

And this

incredible creativity,

when not shaped

and informed

by God's mind

and character,

then becomes

self-interested,

exploitative,

and ruthless.

And that's

exactly what

Paul describes

in verses 29

to 31.

It could be

a summary

of any given

news report

on any given

day in Australia.

Even more sadly,

it could be

a summary

of many family

interactions

on any given

day in Australia.

It's as if

God is saying

to people

through these,

God gave them over.

It's as if

God's saying

to people,

you don't want

him to know me,

you don't want

him to honour me,

you don't want

him to live

under my rule,

well,

I'll leave you

to it.

Here it is,

see how you like it,

see how well

you do with it.

I'll give you

over to the

autonomy you want.

I promise

I won't interfere

with you.

I'll step back

and let you

have your head.

I'll let you

loose to experience

the autonomy

you've been craving.

I'll not prevent

you from spiralling

downwards into

thinking and actions

which will debase

yourself and

destroy yourself

and everybody

around you.

Have a good

sacrifice and see

how you like it,

says the Lord.

God.

And again,

my friends,

this is our

culture.

People are

obsessed with

freedom.

They're demanding

a lack of

restraints,

a removal of

restraints in

almost every

sphere of life.

Don't ask me to

wear a mask

because it might

be helpful for

people around me.

I don't want to

wear a mask and

I won't wear a

mask.

But here's the

rub you see.

When people

think they're

enjoying their

greatest freedom,

they're actually

experiencing God's

judgment.

In part now,

but chapter 2

verse 5 says

there's much

worse to come.

That partial

judgment now

will become a

final judgment

one day.

And the

consequences are

everywhere to be

seen around us

in this grotesque

distortion of

truth about people

and human

relationships at

every level.

victimhood.

And again,

in keeping with

what Paul says

here,

victims of

their own

passion for

autonomy,

the thing

they once

chose to

pursue

now controls

them.

So they're

unable to

break away

from it.

Even as

they experience

and recognize

the damage

it causes.

So how

do we

address this

massive,

terrible blight

on society

of domestic

violence?

Well, we need

more money

put into the

coffers.

We need

more counselors

unable to

break free

from it.

Which leads

Paul to

conclude,

ever so

sadly,

in verse

32,

people know

experientially

that their

thinking and

actions have

not delivered

the good

life.

They know

the pain of

competition in

relationships.

They know

the effects of

jealousy and

exploitation of

being used,

being consumed

in relationships.

They sense

they're made

for something

better than

the relationships

they now

experience.

They long

for something

superior,

someone superior

to transform

them, to

make their

relationships the

things they

want them to

be.

But in

spite of that

painful experience,

their commitment

to autonomy

makes them

continue in

their destructive

freedom.

And how do

they reassure

themselves?

foolishness that

this pathway

is the right

pathway?

Well, they

encourage others

around them to

do the same

things.

Is that

foolishness or

what?

It's like

lemons,

lemons,

lemmings,

those little

things that used

to go over the

cliff anyway,

one after the

other.

Okay.

friends, with

the graphic

backdrop of

the reality of

God's righteousness

expressed in

his wrath and

condemnation of

all sin, and

that's every

sinner, we

come full

circle and

the need to

identify and

engage with the

challenge of

what matters

most when you

think of God.

the immediate

reality of

living daily

with the

reality of

God's wrath,

my friends, has

to be sobering,

does it not?

But again, here's

another twist in

this story, because

at the same time,

partial judgment

is a great

blessing from

the Lord.

In that, it

warns us of

even greater

judgment to

come and

pushes us to

take up the

offer of the

gospel presented

in verse 16

and 17, that

we can actually

find a

righteousness, we

can be given a

righteousness as

a gift in the

Lord Jesus, in

the gospel.

And that's the

means by which

both we can

escape his

wrath and

judgment and

become acceptable

to him and

secure and have

an identity and

have fulfillment and

meaning and

purpose and

ultimately have

happiness and

joy in life.

life.

So I just

finished on this

and I've run

over time, I'm

sorry, but I'm

going to finish on

it anyway, so

how sorry is that

one?

I'm going to keep

going.

Either you're not

a believer here

this morning.

If that's you, if

you're not a

believer here this

morning, then it

means you're still

committed to

autonomy, your own

autonomy.

autonomy.

Perhaps you're

committed to

living the lie

that you can

live successfully

as though God

doesn't even

exist.

You'll just be

the master of

your own ship.

Convinced that

your authority is

the only authority

that matters, that

you just need to

answer to yourself

and be happy in

your own skin.

And that by your

own efforts you can

achieve the good

life now and

then be able to

do a deal with

God when you

die and stand

before him that

your righteousness

is sufficient to

get you over the

line.

Well I'd ask you

to re-read these

verses this morning

my friend.

Because that ain't

true.

You're in big

danger.

You can ignore

what's obvious from

experience, the

things that are not

right about yourself,

not right in your

world.

You can work

harder to be even

nicer.

You can spend

your life trying

to make the

world a better

place.

You can make

up the rules as

you go.

You can run your

own life.

But you're still

in danger.

Or you're a

believer.

You're a believer

and if you're a

believer then I

hope and pray that

you've given up your

desire for autonomy.

And any thought of

being able to build

your own righteousness

because you know

that from the

inside out your

thinking, your

attitude, your

desires, your

actions, they're all

so distorted in your

natural state because

of sin that you need

a complete renewal.

And that complete

renewal comes in the

gospel.

So you come to

Jesus to receive

God's righteousness as

a free gift and

therefore you gladly

live now under

God's rule.

no longer craving

autonomy but craving

dependence and

closer relationship

with God.

Welcoming the way

his character shapes

you and gives you

security and gives

you joy and hope.

All the things you

crave naturally as a

human being.

And you share also

Paul's excitement

about God's powerful

gospel which delivers

from sin and renews

our ability to live

properly as God's

image bears.

My final sentence.

Make no mistake.

It is impossible to

avoid God's

righteousness in

action in his

world.

So here are the two

options again.

Will you seize the

opportunity to come

to Jesus in the

gospel and know

God's righteousness

in your life as

deliverance and

salvation and

renewal?

Or will you push

the barrel of

autonomy and crash

into God's wrath

and condemnation?

Normally I would

pray at the end of

this talk but I'm

just going to let

you use this time

as I sit down and

Adam comes up again

just to be in your

own space with the

Lord.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you very much.