Sermon Tone Analysis

MBC - 7~/25~/2004 - Pastor Doug Thompson

*/“God’s Wrath Against False Worship”/*

Romans 1:22,23

 

ROM 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

ROM 1:19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

ROM 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

ROM 1:21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

ROM 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

ROM 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

ROM 1:25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.

Amen.

Let’s put this passage in context: Why is the gospel such good news--why is it so urgent and necessary in this world?

Because the wrath of God is continually being displayed against the sinfulness of man as a merciful warning of the great Day of Judgment to come.

And why is God angry at unbelievers?

Because even though they know Him, they willfully reject Him, and instead of giving Him the honor and worship He deserves, they devise their own religions to escape from Him.

There are two facts that are imbedded in the heart of every person: one is the fact that there is a God--it’s evident within us--we know.

Ecc.3:11 says that God has set “eternity in our hearts.”

Augustine said this: "For you have made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee."

But the second fact imbedded in our hearts, is our own sinfulness--we know that we are wrong in rejecting God!

But when natural man is confronted with these two conflicting truths: “there is a God who should be honored and worshiped--but I like my sin, and I don’t want to,” instead of changing his actions to match his beliefs, he changes his beliefs to match his actions.

I.e., First, men willfully reject God, and then they seek to justify their decision after the fact, by constructing a system of beliefs--a false religion that will accommodate their sinfulness and hide them from truth about God.

That’s what we’re going to see this morning.

*I.

The invitation sent.*

Our family received an invitation in the mail this week to attend a wedding and reception for some people who are very dear to us.

And there was an envelope and card, marked R.S.V.P. It’s common courtesy to respond.

And since I am performing the ceremony for this couple, I’m sure they will be relieved to know that we plan on being there!

Ø      But I want you to imagine receiving in the mail a very formal looking envelope addressed to you, and bearing the Presidential seal!

Inside you find a personal handwritten invitation from President Bush and Laura to you and your family to join him at his Crawford, Texas ranch for a Bar-B-Q.

All of your expenses will be paid, and you will be hobnobbing with govt.

officials and celebrities, discussing like nukuler energy, & stuff like that.

And inside the envelope is a card and another envelope, marked R.S.V.P.

 

Ø      Imagine what a shame it would be to toss the invitation aside and miss the opportunity to go because you forgot to respond.

Ø      But how much worse it would be if you not only missed the event, but deliberately chose to do a dump run that day instead of attending the President’s Bar-B-Q!

This is what unbelieving mankind has done with the invitation it has received from God!

 

Look with me at vv.19,20: /This is God’s personal invitation to worship Him!/ It doesn’t come in the mail--it is written in the skies, on the mountains, on every flower, on every bird.

It comes through every one of our senses--this is an invitation that we see, touch, smell, hear, and even taste--remember the peach!

And notice that this invitation is delivered straight to our hearts--it is innate, it is inside.

No one--no one--can say they didn’t get the invitation to worship God.

And no one can claim that they didn’t know they were supposed to R.S.V.P.

They know that too--deep inside--that what God has revealed of Himself cries out for worship and praise.

Look at v.21: God’s glory, displayed in creation, should lead us to “honor Him as God and give thanks.”

That word, “honor” is /doxazo/, = glorify!

The entire creation is a billboard, inviting men and women to respond by singing a doxology to God!

 

That’s what they are doing continually in heaven.

Listen to the song they sing--

 

Ø      REV 4:11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."

*II.

The invitation rejected.*

* *

What does v.18 say that unbelievers have done with the invitation?: They’ve /suppressed /it: They’ve stuffed in with the junk mail to be recycled.

Then v.22 says that they brag about it, “Professing to be wise, they became fools”--“Hey, look how smart we are!

We aren’t paying any attention to God!”--but what could be more foolish than that?

But beyond all of this, v.23 says that they /exchanged/ this invitation to worship a good and loving Creator God, to accept a counter offer: to worship images of men, animals, reptiles, and bugs, and bow to them, pray to them, and serve them--instead of God--

 

Ø      ROM 1:25 For they /exchanged/ the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.

Amen.

It’s worse than rejecting a personal invitation to a Presidential Bar-B-Q for a counter-offer to go to the county dump and spend the day wading in rotting garbage and filth.

But beloved, that’s the way God views false worship!

No wonder it brings on His wrath.

Ø      I want you to leave here this morning without absolute clarity on this: All false religion is a manifestation of man /running/ from the true God, not /seeking/ the true God.

(repeat)

 

I know that it’s our natural inclination is to see all of the thousands of religions and cults as expressions of mankind’s sincere, honest desire to worship God--

 

Ø      “Sure, maybe some of them are misguided, but they mean well.

It’s certainly better to be a sincere Buddhist or Muslim than to be an atheist!

Religion represents mankind doing its best with what it knows.”

But what we learn here is shocking!

All false religion--whether it is the gilded sophisticated versions, such as Roman Catholicism or Mormonism, or the most degraded, animistic paganism--is an expression of man’s rebellion against God, his running from the truth, and substituting a repulsive counterfeit in the place of true God!

If any of you have taken a secular college class on comparative religions, you would be told that when man finally /evolved /enough to become superstitious and religious, he was animistic--he began to worship the spirits that he believed inhabited animals and trees and rocks.

This evolved into polytheism--the worship of many gods, and eventually, he became more sophisticated and intelligent--again, due to evolution--and developed monotheism--the worship of one God.

That’s not true.

Let me read you something fascinating from a book entitled “Origins and Ideas,” by Robert Brow:

 

Ø      “Research indicates that the tribes are not animistic because they have continued unchanged since the dawn of history.

Rather, the evidence indicates degeneration from a true knowledge of God. . .

Animal sacrifices were a way of acknowledging that the worshiper had offended God and needed to make atonement for his or her offenses.

In time, polytheism entered, providing a pantheon of gods and goddesses who were worshiped not because they were imagined to be higher or greater than the original true God, but because they were lesser and therefore less to be feared.

At this point priests emerged to take over the functions of sacrifice, and the religions degenerated even further. . .

At the root of all pagan religions and mythologies, there lies an original /monotheism/, which is the historical starting point in religion for all mankind.

Ø       “All false religion proves devolution, not evolution!

“For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.

Amen.”

Do you see the downward spiral here?

1.) Revelation: vv.19-20

2.) Suppression: v.18,21

3.) Speculation and rationalization: vv.21,22

4.) Substitution and idolatry: v.23, resulting in--

5.) Wrath and less divine restraint on sin.

And the ironic thing about this is that/ “Professing to be wise, they became fools.”/

Ø      When Socrates was dying from the hemlock, he requested that his friends bring him a rooster that he could sacrifice in his dying moments to the god of healing, Aesculapius.

The wisest man in Athens, died making a fool out of himself.

Someone wrote this: “All too often in the history of mankind a high level of philosophy has been found consistent with all the degradation of polytheism.

The ability to think clearly does not necessarily deliver from superstition.”

Ø      We know of super-intelligent world leaders who read their horoscope and consult psychics.

One famous female politician even claimed to channel conversations with Eleanor Roosevelt!

Ø      And many of our supposedly brilliant celebrities belong to the church of Scientology, founded by Science fiction writer, L. Ron Hubbard, where people like John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Jenna Elfman, and Kirstie Alley, go through a religious exercise of holding two metal cans in their hands hooked up to a phony machine called and e-meter that is supposed to read their thoughts!

Professing to be wise, they became fools.

*III.

The counter-offer--and who is behind it.*

Look at--

 

Ø      ROM 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

“Crawling creatures” is /herpeta/.

Do you know what a herpetologist studies?