The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to the word made plain with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching through the book of Romans. Please open your Bible to Romans chapter 1 verses 28 through 32.

Tony Clark: He said they are proud. This speaks of being prideful in in your sin and in your rebellion against God. Watch this. Watch this. You're going to understand the pun, and the pun is intended. You know, people say something they say no pun intended. No, this pun is intended. Prideful in their sin and rebellion to the point where they will parade it all around for all to see. Another word that describes this arrogance is insolence. You may have a translation that may translate it insolent. Insolent means to be violently arrogant. And we're seeing those in this condition being violent towards those who disagree with them and their lifestyle.

Then he said they are boasters, making claims of being superior in intellect and intelligence. We see this in college professors and and higher learning boasting of being too educated to believe in the God of Christianity. Inventors of evil things, coming up with new ways to carry out their heinous sins. The internet has placed a porn site in everyone's hands. Sex toys and sex dolls can look and act and feel like real humans. I could go on and on with the new inventions man is coming up with to to fulfill his reprobate or his debased mind.

I don't have to tell you you agree there's disobedience to parents. When the authority of God is tossed out, then parental authority is not far behind. And what's so sad about this is that so often the parents have set the bad example for their children to see. I just I just got to know parents, are you setting a bad example for your children to see? So when they grow up and do just like you, don't try to rebuke them for because they learned it from you. They grow up and drink and become an alcoholic and struggle with alcoholism and all that sort of stuff, and they learn to drink from the beer and the wine bottles in your refrigerator growing up.

So don't don't get after them for something you taught them. It's very simple. We we have significant others. I had to make sure I I said that right. You know, back in the day I used to say boyfriend or girlfriend, but that's old. Now it's significant other. Living at your house in front of your children, you're drinking, getting drunk as I mentioned, high at home, and sometimes with your children. I'm I'm baffled at that. That that folks are doing these things with their children. So often our children's disobedience to us is directly linked to the example we lived in front of them.

Parents, yes, we sin. We do. We sin. We make mistakes. But you need to understand you need to repent and own up to it and ask your children for forgiveness. This way they will say, you know what? My parents were not perfect, but when they messed up, they always asked us for forgiveness. See, and that will let them know and teach them that when they mess up, they can ask God for forgiveness. It's teaching them something. But when you come do as I say, not as I do, and I'm the parent around here, you're the child, when you come with that kind of mess, they're going they're going to rebel against you.

And you're going to wonder why. Because of the bad example you set in front of them. Oh, I've done things myself that I'm ashamed of that my children have seen and known about. And I try to go to them and ask for forgiveness because I I know I'm not perfect. See, and they know and they understand the fish bowl that they had to grow up in because of what I do here at this church. And they understand and they understood and I was constantly asking them, can you forgive me? I'm sorry. I didn't you know.

We do. We mess up. We we sin. We we fall short of his glory. And we got to humble ourselves and just say, you know, cuz see when we come off like like you know, like like my dad used to say, like our poop don't stink, you know. My dad, while I was talking to him yesterday, he said something that I was just like, wow. I can't believe another story. But we we we mess up. We mess up and need to ask for forgiveness. Because if you don't, they will stop respecting you, which will lead to disobedience to parents like we're reading about here.

Look at verse 31. It it continues. Undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, undiscerning or unable to discern spiritual and moral things which will lead to the thinking that evil is good and good is evil like Isaiah 5:20 says. Untrustworthy. The Greek word is and it means a covenant breaker. It is translated, watch this, as untrustworthy because you're known not to keep your word or you can't be trusted to keep your word. You Did you know that the Bible calls marriage a covenant? Listen to this verse. This verse every time I read it, it rocks me to the core.

Malachi 2:14, it confirms this truth. It says, yet you say for what reason? Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth with whom you have dealt treacherously, yet she is your companion and wife by covenant. By covenant. In other words, God was telling the nation of Israel that he has been a witness to how they were treating the wife of your youth or your wife by covenant. I believe that God is a witness to how we as Americans have been treating our wives, and he is appalled. The divorce rate is at an all-time high in the church, let alone in our society, to the point where this world thinks very little of marriage.

They'd rather play marriage or as we used to say growing up play house. You remember how you used to play house? Put on your could try to put on your parents clothes and try to act like you you're the parent and you know, always the little siblings always they they're always the kids, you know. And you you and you you you're playing house. And people want to play marriage without a piece of paper. They say who needs a piece of paper or a certificate? Because this way you can leave as soon as there are signs of trouble.

Something they learned from us, our generation. And God said that he is a witness. He's a witness to all of this. He sees it all. Then he says that the people will be unloving. People are just flat out mean. That's all I'm just going to say it. People are just flat out mean and nasty. Jesus said in Matthew 24:12, and because lawlessness will abound like it is now, the love of many will grow cold. Because we have seen unspoken violence on TV, social media, and through movies, we have grown cold towards those suffering in this world.

Then he says unforgiving. Oh, I'm forgiving. Nowadays if you blow it and sin, this society will crucify you. It's called cancel culture. We're called to be forgiving, but today in our society this is seen less and less. And the church it is even worse. That's why sayings came about we we we're known to shoot our wounded. You know, we see people hurting in the church and we don't we don't we talk about them. We gossip about them. We don't reach down and help them. No. Says unmerciful. Now mercy by way of definition is not getting what you deserve.

So unmerciful means being cruel, being harsh. Now this next verse is the one that will close all of our mouths, and it is the crux of this whole message. I'm going to take it a piece at a time. Look at the first part of verse 32. Who knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death. Stop right there. Paul said who knowing the righteous judgment of God which was told to them in verse 18, that those who practice such things are worthy of death. I have to draw your attention to the word practice.

The Greek word is prasso. And it means to perform repeatedly or habitually or something you practice because it is a habit of yours. So a society practicing these things will experience God's judgment which is death. And here is the crux of the entire message, the last part of verse 32. Not only do the saying, but also approve of those who practice them. Not only do the same, but approve of those who practice them. The Greek word for approve is not on the screen. It's a long Greek word, so I'm not even try to It's a long long one.

Soon you do echo is the is how it's pronounced. And and this word means to consent, to agree, am one mind with, to enthusiastically agree to cooperate with. Let me say that again because I I this morning is what I wrote this down this this definition down because we really need to know I gave you the Webster definition at the very beginning of this message what approve means. The Greek word goes a lot deeper. It means to consent, to agree, I am one mind with, to enthusiastically agree to cooperate with is what the word approve means.

See, many people will boast in the fact that they will never commit any of these sins. You may be right, but let me ask you, do you approve of them on TV? Do you approve of them at the movies? Do you approve of them on your phone? In other words, do you enjoy watching the murder of people, the blood and guts of horror movies? Do you enjoy watching porn or nudity on your phone? Aren't you approving of those practicing these things? See, we we would try to substitute synonyms and say I I'm not approving. I am just going along with.

We we use some kind of way to justify our actions. See, this is the problem. This is the problem with the church. And it was a problem with me for a long time. I will boast. I will boast because of this verse. I will boast that I would never go to a gay marriage because in me going to a gay marriage I'd be approving of those practicing those things I just finished naming. However, I would boast in being proud. I would never go to a gay marriage because of this verse here. But on the other hand, I would go home and love a good man revenge movie, blow them up, shoot them up, and just go for it.

See, here's the problem with us Christians. We pick and choose what we want to follow and what we want to obey. We got to be consistent across the line. If we going to say I'm not going to a gay marriage, then you got to stop the blood and guts horror movies too. It can't be we going pick and choose. It got We got to be consistent across the board because the world is looking at you. Because the world is looking at us and say, oh, you want to you won't approve of this, but you approve of the the rated R new in the new scenes in the rated R movie.

Aren't you approving by watching that? But you are boast. You are boast. Now if you're like, hey, okay, I I I can go to a gay marriage. I I don't feel no conviction. You know, I know those verses say that, but I feel no conviction. If you say that, then be across the board with it. Be across the board with it. If you going If you going to say be a be We can't just start picking and choosing. That's what's wrong with us today, the church. We pick and choose what we going to follow. We pick and choose what we going to obey.

We pick and choose. We we talk about this big time, but then we we we kind of do it that when we get home. You know. And and that's the kind of stuff that has given us as Christians a bad name. And I'm telling you, I've had great conversations with with my youngest son and my See, my youngest son is the age of this generation. He has his ear to the ground of what's going on in the world. And we've had some very good discussions and some things some things that has caused even me to say, hmm.

Because we are real good at this. No, I don't do any of those things. But do you approve of those practicing them? Well, yeah, I can go to that wedding, but I'm not saying I approve of it. How can you not approve if you're right there? You're right there in the midst of it, shaking hands, hug and congratulations. How can you not say you're approving of that? But then at the same time, we we condemn something else over here. But you're approving that too by watching it. Yes, they are practicing that. They are practicing adultery or fornication on your porn site, but you're approving by watching it.

Well, no, I'm just kind of you know you're approving it by watching it. So we got to be across the board. If we going to be Christians, we got to be equal across the board with this thing. We can't pick and choose and condemn them over there while we're doing this over here. Well, it's not it's it's not quite as bad as what they are doing, you know. No. He said those practicing those things are worthy of death. And then he says, not only practice, but approve of those practicing them. Let me tell you all something.

I didn't make this Bible up. I couldn't have made this Bible up. But I am called mandated. Like Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:16, woe is me if I preach not the gospel. I have to give an account to a God in heaven. As we used to say in the Marine Corps, I have to stand tall before the man. One day I'm going to stand tall, and I got to make sure that I gave you what the word says. I know you live out in the world and you only come here maybe a maybe a hour you on a Sunday and you living out in the world you in the date with these things and maybe these things have affected you.

I don't have a heaven to put you in nor hell. I just want to plead with you to evaluate your life. Evaluate your life. If you going to if you're going to approve of something, then as I said last week, I know you don't remember, as I said last week, God is consistent. God is consistent. Throughout the Bible, he is consistent. Then we as his people, we need to be equally as consistent. If you going to not approve of this, then don't approve of this over here. Don't not don't go and say I would never go to a gay marriage.

Okay, then also equally with the same enthusiasm say I would never watch a blood and guts horror movie where people are being murdered and killed and strangled. But Pastor Tony, that's that's that's just entertain. I'm just being entertained. Oh, so you approving of those practicing them. I'm going to leave you all alone. This is this is what all I'm trying to do is just we have to be consistent as Christians. If you're going to If you're going to say this, then also say it over here. Be consistent because what we look like as believers and as the church, we get to pick and choose what we going to do.

Like like this is like like the Bible is some kind of grocery store where we pick and choose the items we want. No, no, this this is no, this it's all of it. We got to We got to follow all of it, not just the ones we agree with. Let me conclude with this. In this message do you approve? We We saw how we may not be directly committing these sins in our society, but we can be equally guilty by approving of those practicing them. If this is us, then we need to repent before we begin to experience a death in our lives.

And and you know, there's one verse I want to close with. And and I think the book of James talked about this. It's not on the screen. James 5:19 and 24, you know takers. Listen to what it says. It says, brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way, here we go, will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. This is what I'm trying to do, save a soul from death. I'm trying to save you from experiencing a death in your lives.

Porn has killed many marriages, killed relationships because you don't want to be around anyone else because you're too preoccupied occupied with the porn. It's it kills. It It says those not only practicing but approve of those. He said they're worthy of death. So there's a death that will occur in our lives. If we if we're doing those things and if we are approving of those doing them, I'm just trying to save you from a death from experiencing a death. My son taught me something. He said, Dad, he said Christians got to be consistent. God And then it hit me because I just mentioned how God is consistent.

We have to be consistent as well. We can't just be very enthusiastically condemning this and then we allow ourselves to live freedom. We you know, Pastor Tony, we got freedom in Christ. But it's never free to sin. I just I just pray let me just say I learned something. And the takeaway that I'm going to take from this is that we as Christians we got to be consistent. We got to be consistent. We And we can't just We can't pick and choose from this list. We can't we can't pick and choose what we going to follow and what we going to obey.

We don't get We don't get the choice to do that. So you look at these verses, you you look at verses 29 to 32 and you like, oh, well, oh, yeah, I I wouldn't dare do that and do dare do that. But who No, well, let's skip those two over there. No, we don't get to do that. We must be consistent so we can show this world that what God is like. You It says knowing the righteous judgment of God. And we supposed to be representatives of that righteous judgment of God. We supposed to show them what right living is all about.

That's what we're supposed to do as as believers. So may God help us. May God help us. May God help us to be consistent. May God help us to live a certain way in front of our children and our children's children our grandchildren. We have to be consistent. And And And I was one who said I would never do that. But you know, give me a man movie especially with revenge as the theme. I love to see people getting it back. You did him wrong and he went and got every last one of you. I just I'm like I I show my teeth and I'm like, yeah, I love that.

I got to be consistent. And may God help us to be that. Father, thank you so much for your word. We pray that your spirit would teach us, guide us into all truth. Oh, dear God, I just pray have mercy upon us. Forgive us, Lord. We've fallen short as your people, and I pray that you forgive us. Give us a humility. Give us a humility, Lord. Give us the humbleness of heart and mind. Lord, if there's anyone here who has not repented of their sin and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, I pray if there's you online or even here, just repeat this prayer after me.

Just say, Lord Jesus, forgive me. I believe you died on the cross and was buried and rose again. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. Help me to live for you from this moment forward in Jesus name. Amen.

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