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 18 through 20.

Tony Clark: God will not allow mankind to go on infinitely in their own sin or anymore than a doctor will allow his patients to go on with cancer. So, God's wrath is revealed. Notice the location from heaven. Why is that emphasized? So, you can understand where it comes from and you cannot be mistaken who's the one bringing down the wrath. And it's noticed he says his wrath is against whom? Against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, verse 18 says. Now, in this statement, we see that God's wrath is universal being poured out against notice all who deserve it.

No one is exempt who doesn't deserve it. No this is not the wrath of a mad man lashing out, not caring who is injured or killed. We see this in mass shootings. No, God's wrath is not like that. Nor is it the anger we display that is rooted in revenge for the wrong done to us. No, God's wrath is directed, notice, at sin. The sin is summed up in two categories. Number one, ungodliness, and number two, unrighteousness of men. Ungodliness, the Greek word is asebia, and it is sin against God. And unrighteousness is the Greek word there.

It is sin against our fellow man. Now, these Greek words are also synonyms with the first word asebia, stressing something being off in our relationship with God. The second word adikia focuses on us sinning against each other. However, notice ungodliness will lead to unrighteousness. See, when our relationship with God is off, it will lead to our relationship with our fellow man being off. Oh, just look at the world today. It shows that mankind is primed for God's wrath to be revealed because of the ungodliness towards God, which has led to our unrighteousness against each other.

People know what they are doing isn't right. Everyone knows right from wrong. Now, how can I know this? Look at the third part of verse 18. Notice it says who suppressed the truth in unrighteousness. Now, the Greek word for suppress is kaecho, and it's a word that means to hold down. It means to withhold. It means to suppress. And it's an amazing Greek word. This word speaks of those who suppress or hold down the truth so they can live like they want to live. And you have to know what the truth is in order for you to hold it down.

They suppressed the truth. How? Notice in unrighteousness. John 3 in verse 19 says and this is condemnation that light has come into the world referring to Jesus. And notice this last phrase, and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. When we love our darkness that we're living in, we will suppress or hold down the truth or what we know is right in order for us to continue in our sin. The question is are you doing this today? Let me encourage you to repent and turn away from your sin because 1 Timothy 4 2 talks about having your conscience seared with a hot iron.

Meaning that we can sin or suppress the truth, hold it down so many times that that our conscience becomes seared like a piece of fabric under a hot iron. Oh, we've all here. We sitting here. We've all have left a hot iron on a piece of fabric too long to where it it's it's seared or burned it in that area. Or in other words, we can suppress the truth so much that we sear our conscience in that area. To the point where we no longer sense God or his word convicting us in that area any longer.

Which deceives us, watch this, which deceives us into thinking either God approves of what we're doing or or he doesn't care about what we're doing. No, it's not that he cares. He's been convicting you of it, but you've seared your conscience in that area where you no longer feel that prodding and that conviction any longer. Verse 19 takes takes us deeper on this subject. Look what it says there in verse 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them for God has shown it to them. Now, in this verse, Paul is telling the Roman believers why God's wrath is revealed.

Notice that this verse starts off with because. Now, the first word of this verse says because. Why? Well, what may be known of God is manifest. Notice the location in them through their conscience. Now, conscious is a beautiful word. It comes from two Latin words, con which means with and science which means knowledge. And Paul is saying that mankind is sinning with the knowledge that what they are doing is in direct violation of God. How is that? Well, in Romans chapter 2 and verse 15 it says that the law of God, which is the Ten Commandments, is written on every man's conscience accusing him or else excusing him.

The Ten Commandments are telling everyone that it is wrong to steal, to lie, to murder, to disobey your parents, to use God's name in vain, and commit adultery, just to name a few. But mankind takes this knowledge that their conscience is giving them and they suppress it or hold it down so that it no longer convicts them in that particular area so they can continue to do what they want to do. This is the first way God has revealed himself to mankind through number one, his conscience. The second way we see is in verse 20.

Notice what it says there. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. The second way God has revealed himself to mankind is through number two, creation. Creation testifies that God exists. Creation shouts that there is a creator. A design shows that there is a designer. A building shows that there was a builder. In Psalm 19 verses 1 to 3 it says the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament or the sky shows his handiwork.

Day unto day they utter speech. Night unto night they reveal knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. David is saying, who wrote this Psalm, that creation is screaming, shouting that there is a creator. Day and night creation is telling us that God exists and there is no language on the earth that creation is not speaking, shouting, testifying that there is a creator. However, I am amazed, astonished, marveled, mesmerized that mankind can admire and acknowledge the artistic works of Picasso and Vincent van Gogh and Michelangelo, but deny the artistic design of the creator God.

I'm amazed by this. Mankind looks at and marvels at the creation and says with a straight face there is no creator God. I remember talking to a group of atheists on social media and I said what I just said, a design shows that there was a designer. I said a building shows that there is a builder. A painting shows that there was a painter. I said but you're going to look at creation and say that there is no creator. I said how can you do that with a straight face? How can you admire all the wonders of creation?

How a caterpillar can turn into a butterfly and and how all these things happen? And you can just look with a straight face and say that there is no creator. It's as if you look at the painting the the the the the majesty of Picasso and you look at that and say, hey, this is the result of an explosion that took place at a color shop. And all of a sudden, after the explosion, this painting came about. You I will insult your intelligence if I tell you that. I said but you can look with a straight face at the marvels of how a sperm and the egg come together inside of a womb and then fingers and arms and legs and eyes and ears and all these things come about.

And you you you can look at and say, look, this is the result of an explosion called the Big Bang theory. I said you cannot look with a straight face and tell me such hogwash, such malarkey. You can't do that to me. You can't insult my intelligence like that. But this is what they're doing. This is what they're saying. That there is a creation, they had Godhead, but there is no creator. I don't know how you do that. How do you do that with a straight face? You know what? The Bible talks about in the book of Peter, it talks about how there are some men who are willingly ignorant.

And so they willingly want to be that way. They can see the evidence and say something totally different. That's being willingly ignorant. And I'm amazed at that. Oh, Paul says that God's, notice, his invisible attributes are clearly seen. This means that even though God's attributes are invisible because God is spirit, John 4 24 says, they can be clearly seen through his creation through the natural processes of cause and effect. So to the cause, we're suppressing God's truth in unrighteousness. The effect is the wrath of God is coming upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. This verse also shows us how God will judge the world in places where the gospel has not been preached.

People love to ask questions. They love to ask questions that you know, well, how will God judge the pygmies in Africa and those on those deserted islands where they have not ever seen or had any contact with the outside world? How will God judge them? Well, very easy. He would judge them by the revelation they have been given. They have, number one, their conscience, and they have, number two, they have creation. This is why America or Americans will be judged harsher because the revelation of God we have been given. We have churches on every corner, Christian radio, TV, Christian flyers, gospel tracts, Christians on social media with the sharing of sermons and Christian quotes and and church services and Bible verses.

We have Christians going out on the street. We have a team that goes out all the time on once a month on Thursdays going out in the community sharing the gospel. See, the Bible says in Luke 12 in verse 48, to whom much is given, much is required. And we as a nation has been given much in the area of Christianity. So our judgment will be harsher. So you better start worrying about those pygmies. Start worrying about yourself because we have been given such a revelation of God from the time we were conceived as a nation until today.

Our plethora of Christian verses and Bibles and churches and tracts. And now with social media, we can just post for right now at least. We can post and then you post too much, then you going Facebook jail and and you wait about 30 days before you get out and then you start posting all over again, you know, from there. This is why the last part, because of everything we've been given, this is why the last part of verse 20 says they are without excuse. No one in the world can give any excuse to God for why they didn't accept him or walk in his ways.

Why? Why? Because verse 20 says that God's invisible attributes are not only clearly seen through creation, but they also being understood by the things that are made. Even God's eternal power and Godhead or his divinity can be seen through creation. So if this is the case, then why is it that the gospel needs to be preached in all the world like Matthew 24 14 says? Why is it that, you know, need to be preached to every creature? Why is it that Mark 16 verse 15 says going to all the world and preach the gospel to every creature?

When they have their conscience and the witness of creation, why do we need to still preach the gospel to them? Watch this. Because creation, God's natural revelation tells us that there is a creator God. But creation alone, don't miss this, creation alone can never tell us what this creator is like. Is he mean? Is he nice? Is he indifferent? Does he even care? See, this is why we need God's special revelation, which is Jesus Christ seen through his word. It is in God's written revelation through Jesus Christ that we see and know what this creator God is all about.

Philip said, one of the disciples, he says, show us the Father, Jesus, and that would be sufficient for us. He said, Philip, have I not been with you so long? If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. See, if you want to know what God is like, just look at Jesus Christ. And from Genesis to Revelation, especially in 1 John 4 8, this says that God is love. Yes, he is a God of love that most people want to stop right there. The people you come in contact with that don't know God, one thing they do know, well, God is love.

And so they're saying, since God is love, then he just loves me the way I am and I can do whatever I want to do because it doesn't matter because he still loves me. And they stop at that one attribute that God is love. Did you know God has other attributes? He does. And the other attributes that he has and one other one is that he is holy. And his holiness must punish sin. God doesn't love us so much that he's going to ignore his attribute of holiness and being holy. He's not going to do that.

He's going to punish sin. Yes, he loves us, but he will punish sin. When sin was placed on his very own son, he punished sin. That goes to that that Are you better than Jesus? Our sin was placed upon God's wrath against sin was placed on Jesus on the cross. This is why we call it Good Friday. Cuz he paid the price for our sin. The wrath that was due us, the wages of sin is death. The wrath that then the punishment that was due us, which is death, Jesus took upon him on the cross.

That's what we are so thankful for that God didn't say, well, you know, that's my son. I I love him and let me stop right there. So because yeah, I'm not going to punish you know, you you're my you're my son. See, oh, no, no, no. Our sin was upon his son and he still executed his wrath against sin. He had to because his holiness is another attribute of his love. Oh, boy. And his holiness had to punish sin. His wrath will punish sin. And all of this is revealed to us through his special revelation, the Bible seen beautifully through the life of Jesus Christ.

So if mankind can know God through their conscience and through creation, why is it that more people don't worship God? Well, you got to wait until next time. And you really got to wait to after Easter. So you you got to wait a couple of weeks before we dive back into this this particular chapter because this the end of this chapter is worth this price of admission. It it really is. Let me conclude with this. In this message, when God gives up, we saw that God's wrath is is going to come upon this world. We know it because God has revealed himself to us through our conscience and through creation.

But we have decided to suppress or hold down the truth so we can continue to enjoy our sin. The Bible says sin is pleasurable for a season. However, God's word told us that we will be without excuse. Are you doing this today? Are you holding down God's truth so that you can continue to live the way you want to live? Let me encourage you to repent of whatever you are doing because God's wrath will be revealed from heaven upon you. I've had it done. I've had God's wrath. He loves me. But just like I would do with my children when they were growing up, I disciplined them.

I still love them. But they got that belt. Oh, I'm sorry. That's another sermon. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I 'm sorry. But they got disciplined. And therefore, God, he loves us, but he will discipline us. The purpose of the discipline is to correct incorrect behavior. That's the purpose. See, you like to punish. No, no. The punishment for our sin was placed on Jesus on the cross. Jesus trains us that the peaceable fruit of righteousness may work in us. This is why he disciplines us to train us. You you you discipline to punish. That's what that's what you do.

And we used to say, you I'm on punishment. See, that's that's that's that's what you do. Now, God is different. He he wants us to become more like Jesus, so he disciplines us. And that and that's to correct our incorrect behavior. For example, if your little one is going towards the the electrical socket with a butter knife, you not going to say, oh, little Johnny, please come back. Please don't please don't do Johnny please Johnny please please 1 2 3 That foolishness y'all do. You will run over there, knock that butter knife out of hand, swat that hand and that leg and what whatever you going to do, you because you understood the danger that they were about to be in.

So to it, God sees us heading toward the danger of our sin. And so he will discipline discipline us. And so if that's you today, please turn. Please turn from your sin. I've been spanked by the Lord. It's not pleasant. And I've been spanked more than once because I'm a little hardheaded. So um maybe you learn faster than I do, but turn. And all because it looks like you're getting away with what you're doing because God's wrath hasn't come upon you yet. God is only being patient and merciful and he's just giving you time to repent.

That's all. He's not approving of what you're doing. He's not indifferent toward what you're doing. He's just giving you time to repent, giving you time to turn to him. And may you turn to him today. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word that is so clear. Lord, thank you for just giving us your word. Lord, you didn't leave us to our own devices. And dear God, I just pray, Lord, for those who are here, even those who are online. Lord, I just pray that your spirit will move upon us now. And if there's anyone who has not repented of their sin and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, just pray this simple prayer after me just say, Lord Jesus, forgive me.

I believe you died on the cross and was buried and rose again just for me. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. Help me to live for you from this moment forward by the power of your Holy Spirit in Jesus' name. Amen.

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