Today’s message:

• The book of Romans 
• Baby Christians were getting to understand Christianity
• Rome
  • Home to many false gods
  • Home to much perversion
  • Home to much high minded philosophers

Romans 1:16–17 (ESV) — 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

The Revelation of Righteousness

• His Righteousness 
  • He’s perfectly right in every way
  • “His righteousness is like the mountains” Psalms 36:6
  • “His righteousness reaches to the heavens” Psalms 71:19
  • His righteousness is the standard
• Our righteousness

• Is like dirty rags
• We fall short
• Measuring up at the theme park
  • Wear your tallest shoes
  • Tiptoe a little
  • Still under the line

Romans 1:18–32 (NLT) — 18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. 28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

The revelation of wrath

What happened to humans: Our Ancestors

1. The Reason of Wrath
   1. Truth is suppressed - “who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”
   2. Ignore Him - “They knew Him, BUT they wouldn’t worship Him as God
      1. One of the most offensive things you can do is ignore or not acknowledge someone
      2. Standing up when you’re mom or dad walks in the room. 
   3. Refusal of gratitude - “Wouldn’t even give Him thanks”
      1. Refusal to give Him the thanks He deserves
   4. Not worshipping Him - “Wouldn’t worship him as God”
      1. Not bowing a knee to Him
   5. PRIDE - “Claiming to be wise”
      1. 1882 Friedrich Nietzsche said: "God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us?”
2. The Way of Wrath
   1. Abandoned by God - GOD GAVE THEM OVER
      1. Three times it says “He gave them over” 
      2. God’s character gives free will
      3. He gave them what they asked for, like the Israelites asking for meat
   2. Given to foolish ideas - THEY BECAME FOOLS
      1. Greek word: Moros - Moron
      2. They started worshipping created things instead of the creator
      3. Following other world views
   3. Given to shameful desires - GAVE THEM OVER TO SHAMEFUL DESIRES
      1. Humans are given to Dishonorable desires
      2. Paul chooses sexuality, specifically homosexuality
      3. Let’s talk about human sexuality and the LGBTQIA+ movement 
         1. It is UNRIGHTEOUS and to call it RIGHTEOUS is deception
         2. IDENTITY instead of DESIRE
         3. Dismiss Biblical text
         4. Attempts to downplay it
         5. Pressure to accept or become ally
      4. It is UNRIGHTEOUS and it doesn’t measure up
         1. We must LEAVE IT BEHIND
         2. We must not accept the push of culture
      5. The challenge for believers
         1. Don’t change your perspective
         2. Love people like Jesus does
      6. All sin leads to death
   4. Given to unrighteous actions - MEN DID SHAMEFUL THINGS
      1. Dishonorable things
      2. The drain is deep
         1. Nazi Germany started by putting tags on people’s garments
         2. Civil unions 1996, Gay marriage early 2000s, now transitioning young people.
      3. We harm ourselves
      4. We harm others
      5. We become hopelessly bound
3. The End of Wrath  Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness,
   1. Life consumed by wickedness
   2. Our wickedness hurts others
   3. We can’t help ourselves
   4. We are blinded and proudful about our condition

So what’s the hope:

Romans 1:16–17 (NLT) — 16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

• We’re saved by grace through faith. You are MADE righteous.