Tom Leonard - September 21, 2014
Are You Making Excuses?
Are You Making Excuses?! Romans 1:18-2:6 Main Point: We cannot make excuses of ignorance nor of our wickedness before God, for He will judge us – rather, through repentance and faith in Christ, we must seek to do good, and be righteous. 1. God has made His invisible attributes plain to us – His eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen and understood in the visible creation, so that all are without excuse for unbelief. verses 18-20 Psalm 19:1-4 *Rejecting and suppressing the knowledge of God through wickedness leads to God’s Wrath wherein He turns us over to a darkened, depraved mind, and futile thinking that leads to idolatry and perverse sensuality verses 21-28 ‘Wrath’ (orga) = anger, indignation, and retribution of evil – it is an attribute of God that fulfills His justice ‘Gave them over’ = to give one up into the hands of another> God gives us over to the control of the sin we are embracing (in rebellion to Him). *His Wrath is being revealed in that He turns us over to our sin and it dominates/contols us, and the result is a depraved mind. 2. Only God is able to rightly judge another, for we fail and are guilty – and therefore we must not judge (condemn) others. verses 2:1-4 Matthew 7:1-5 3. God’s kindness is to lead us to repentance where we escape His Wrath & are made right with Him thru faith in Jesus Christ, and are empowered to live a righteous life. verses 2:4-7 *There is also a Day of God’s Wrath coming - it will be judgment and spiritual death. Nahum 1:2-3 > II Thessalonians 1:7-8 Have you come to true repentance and put your faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ?!! Philippians 2:12
Scripture References: Romans 1:18-6, Romans 19:1-4, Hebrews 12:4-11, Matthew 7:1-5, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, Philippians 2:12
