WEBVTT 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:05.696 Today we are in Romans chapter one. 00:00:05.696 --> 00:00:08.336 We're going to be looking at verses 21 to 32. 00:00:08.352 --> 00:00:09.840 I'll just go ahead and tell you, 00:00:09.840 --> 00:00:12.376 this is probably the most hated passage. 00:00:12.408 --> 00:00:13.696 I heard one pastor say this, 00:00:13.696 --> 00:00:15.280 so I'm going to copy him. 00:00:15.280 --> 00:00:17.920 Most hated passage of Scripture in the Bible. 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.728 Okay, I see. 00:00:20.784 --> 00:00:21.496 Now, Joel, 00:00:21.528 --> 00:00:25.800 don't. Because my sermon got rearranged to these three points. 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:26.792 First reaction. 00:00:26.856 --> 00:00:27.704 Second reaction. 00:00:27.752 --> 00:00:28.860 Third reaction. 00:00:30.210 --> 00:00:31.658 When you read these verses, 00:00:31.658 --> 00:00:35.026 you're going to have a reaction and then I'm going to come back after I 00:00:35.026 --> 00:00:38.714 read these verses and you get to decide where your reaction falls. 00:00:38.714 --> 00:00:43.664 Alright, but today I'm going to read the passage and I want to warn you 00:00:43.666 --> 00:00:48.258 that there are things in this passage that if your kids are in the room, 00:00:48.258 --> 00:00:49.986 you might have to explain it later, 00:00:49.986 --> 00:00:51.346 because I'm not going to. 00:00:51.346 --> 00:00:54.602 Alrighty. But I will preach it because it is where we are. 00:00:54.338 --> 00:00:58.864 And. And I cannot not preach it because that would be denying God's truth 00:00:58.864 --> 00:01:02.304 and avoiding some of the difficult subjects of the word of God. 00:01:02.304 --> 00:01:03.304 And I can't do that. 00:01:03.304 --> 00:01:03.720 All right. 00:01:03.720 --> 00:01:04.897 Romans 1:21, 00:01:05.054 --> 00:01:05.760 32. 00:01:05.800 --> 00:01:06.280 Here we go. 00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:08.544 For even though they knew God, 00:01:08.592 --> 00:01:10.128 they did not honor him as God, 00:01:10.128 --> 00:01:11.184 or give thanks. 00:01:11.312 --> 00:01:14.176 But they became futile in their speculations, 00:01:14.208 --> 00:01:16.660 and their foolish heart was darkened. 00:01:17.320 --> 00:01:18.576 Professing to be wise, 00:01:18.576 --> 00:01:19.488 they became fools, 00:01:19.488 --> 00:01:22.128 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God, 00:01:22.224 --> 00:01:24.710 for, for an image in the form of corruptible man, 00:01:24.710 --> 00:01:25.422 and of birds, 00:01:25.422 --> 00:01:28.062 and of four footed animals and crawling creatures. 00:01:28.126 --> 00:01:33.102 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, 00:01:33.246 --> 00:01:35.886 that their bodies might be dishonored among them. 00:01:35.814 --> 00:01:39.214 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, 00:01:39.342 --> 00:01:42.686 and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, 00:01:42.798 --> 00:01:44.222 who is blessed forever. 00:01:44.286 --> 00:01:48.942 Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions. 00:01:49.006 --> 00:01:52.306 For their women exchanged the natural function for that which is 00:01:52.306 --> 00:01:55.962 unnatural. And in the same way also the men abandoned the natural 00:01:55.962 --> 00:01:58.930 function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another. 00:01:58.658 --> 00:02:02.426 Men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons 00:02:02.426 --> 00:02:04.362 the due penalty of their error. 00:02:04.362 --> 00:02:07.626 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, 00:02:07.626 --> 00:02:12.858 God gave them over to a depraved mind to do those things which are not 00:02:12.914 --> 00:02:16.122 proper. Being filled with all unrighteousness, 00:02:16.186 --> 00:02:17.050 wickedness, greed, 00:02:17.130 --> 00:02:18.122 evil, full of envy, 00:02:18.122 --> 00:02:18.762 murder, strife, 00:02:18.762 --> 00:02:19.674 deceit, malice. 00:02:19.722 --> 00:02:20.734 They are gossips, 00:02:20.842 --> 00:02:22.342 slanderers, haters of God, 00:02:22.406 --> 00:02:23.414 insolent, arrogant, 00:02:23.462 --> 00:02:25.046 boastful, inventors of evil, 00:02:25.158 --> 00:02:27.622 disobedient to parents without understanding, 00:02:27.686 --> 00:02:29.334 untrustworthy, unloving, 00:02:29.462 --> 00:02:32.694 unmerciful. And although they Know the ordinance of God, 00:02:32.742 --> 00:02:36.042 that those who practice such things are worthy of death. 00:02:36.094 --> 00:02:37.806 They not only do the same, 00:02:37.806 --> 00:02:41.570 but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. 00:02:42.910 --> 00:02:43.486 All right, 00:02:43.486 --> 00:02:44.410 let's pray. 00:02:44.830 --> 00:02:48.460 God, we praise you that your word is true and faithful. 00:02:48.534 --> 00:02:49.082 And God, 00:02:49.082 --> 00:02:50.218 you have spoken. 00:02:50.394 --> 00:02:52.374 We know what your word says. 00:02:52.194 --> 00:02:53.850 We've read these verses. 00:02:54.010 --> 00:02:55.754 We understand God, 00:02:55.882 --> 00:03:00.650 that you have accordingly revealed yourself and revealed that which is 00:03:00.690 --> 00:03:02.346 righteous and holy. 00:03:02.458 --> 00:03:03.258 And yet God, 00:03:03.258 --> 00:03:06.394 you have also pointed out that which is unrighteous, 00:03:06.522 --> 00:03:09.130 unholy and subsequently ungodly. 00:03:09.210 --> 00:03:11.314 And so God help us to hear you this morning, 00:03:11.314 --> 00:03:11.974 not me, 00:03:12.066 --> 00:03:13.290 not the culture, 00:03:13.450 --> 00:03:15.894 not even our own preferences. 00:03:15.942 --> 00:03:18.582 God, let us hear your voice this morning. 00:03:18.254 --> 00:03:20.046 And God help us to respond to you. 00:03:20.046 --> 00:03:21.518 And we pray it in Jesus name. 00:03:21.518 --> 00:03:25.558 Amen. I've shared from time to time that I have been given instruction 00:03:25.558 --> 00:03:27.374 over the years of how to do things. 00:03:27.374 --> 00:03:28.034 For instance, 00:03:28.086 --> 00:03:29.478 how to make what, 00:03:29.534 --> 00:03:31.638 cookies maybe I don't bake. 00:03:31.734 --> 00:03:32.190 You know, 00:03:32.190 --> 00:03:34.982 nowadays you can just go get it in a squirt tube. 00:03:34.982 --> 00:03:35.972 There it is. 00:03:36.510 --> 00:03:40.630 I did get taught in construction how to do some things the right way, 00:03:40.630 --> 00:03:41.408 right? For instance, 00:03:41.408 --> 00:03:41.896 I told you, 00:03:41.896 --> 00:03:46.880 the guy that I started in construction with showed me that back in the 00:03:46.920 --> 00:03:48.024 day when you were building, 00:03:48.024 --> 00:03:49.376 I'm going to use these terminology. 00:03:49.376 --> 00:03:50.208 If you're in construction, 00:03:50.208 --> 00:03:51.496 you know what I'm talking about. 00:03:51.272 --> 00:03:51.960 Back in the day, 00:03:51.960 --> 00:03:54.232 to build a T post or a corner post, 00:03:54.232 --> 00:03:55.882 you used a whole stud. 00:03:56.520 --> 00:03:59.400 But that cost money because a stud cost a lot. 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:03.448 But because you make scrap out of two by fours when you're building, 00:04:03.448 --> 00:04:07.552 you can take scrap pieces and build a T post or a corner post. 00:04:07.552 --> 00:04:08.442 If you don't know what I'm talking about, 00:04:08.442 --> 00:04:09.306 don't worry about it. 00:04:09.306 --> 00:04:10.522 But there's a right way, 00:04:10.522 --> 00:04:13.530 like we used to do it back in the day. 00:04:13.146 --> 00:04:14.362 And now here's the, 00:04:14.362 --> 00:04:20.162 here's the cost cutting way by using blocks instead of full pieces of 00:04:20.186 --> 00:04:20.978 lumber, right? 00:04:21.034 --> 00:04:22.986 So there was a right way back in the day. 00:04:22.986 --> 00:04:24.666 Today we can do it this way. 00:04:24.666 --> 00:04:27.110 But it's not the most stable, 00:04:27.450 --> 00:04:29.218 it's not the most right. 00:04:29.274 --> 00:04:29.934 I mean, 00:04:29.994 --> 00:04:31.644 I was taught these things. 00:04:31.658 --> 00:04:35.998 So what God gives us in the book of Romans is the right thing, 00:04:35.998 --> 00:04:37.254 the righteous thing, 00:04:37.342 --> 00:04:38.332 the Godly thing. 00:04:38.350 --> 00:04:40.246 And then from verses 16 and 17, 00:04:40.318 --> 00:04:42.374 he gives us the good news, 00:04:42.542 --> 00:04:44.822 right? For I'm not ashamed of the gospel, 00:04:44.822 --> 00:04:45.598 the good news. 00:04:45.598 --> 00:04:49.926 For it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone that believes. 00:04:49.958 --> 00:04:50.798 To the Jew first, 00:04:50.798 --> 00:04:51.894 also to the Greek, 00:04:51.894 --> 00:04:55.370 for in it the righteousness of God is revealed, 00:04:56.190 --> 00:04:56.550 right? 00:04:56.590 --> 00:04:57.910 From faith to faith. 00:04:58.190 --> 00:05:00.190 And so when we look at these verses we're like, 00:05:00.190 --> 00:05:00.510 all right, 00:05:00.510 --> 00:05:03.010 God's telling us the good things. 00:05:04.210 --> 00:05:05.794 And then he spends the next three, 00:05:05.794 --> 00:05:06.850 the rest of chapter one, 00:05:06.850 --> 00:05:08.658 and the next two chapters after that, 00:05:08.658 --> 00:05:09.794 telling us the bad news. 00:05:09.794 --> 00:05:10.802 We've got the good news, 00:05:10.802 --> 00:05:12.210 now we get the bad news. 00:05:12.210 --> 00:05:14.378 And then throughout the rest of the book of Romans, 00:05:14.378 --> 00:05:17.722 God starts to unfold how the good news works. 00:05:17.786 --> 00:05:20.522 Okay, so that's where that's sort of the overall outline. 00:05:20.522 --> 00:05:22.210 But we're in the bad news part now, 00:05:22.210 --> 00:05:24.106 so just buckle your seat belts, 00:05:24.106 --> 00:05:28.530 because the way that I believe God wants me to share this with you this 00:05:28.530 --> 00:05:33.104 morning really comes down to how we respond to the word of God. 00:05:33.152 --> 00:05:34.500 What's your reaction? 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:39.392 Right. How is it that you respond to God's written word, 00:05:39.456 --> 00:05:40.624 God's spoken word, 00:05:40.672 --> 00:05:41.872 God's revealed word? 00:05:41.936 --> 00:05:44.784 Do we respond in righteousness, 00:05:44.912 --> 00:05:46.192 surrender, submission, 00:05:46.256 --> 00:05:47.296 and obedience? 00:05:47.408 --> 00:05:54.060 Or do we respond by weighing it against what is going on around us, 00:05:54.730 --> 00:05:57.310 weighing what's going on within us, 00:05:58.410 --> 00:06:03.390 weighing what's going on in the world? 00:06:04.170 --> 00:06:06.480 So I want to make this statement. 00:06:07.370 --> 00:06:10.690 To not worship God is plain and simple. 00:06:10.770 --> 00:06:12.230 To worship oneself. 00:06:13.530 --> 00:06:15.610 Okay, now what do I mean by that? 00:06:15.610 --> 00:06:17.770 If you go back to the garden, 00:06:17.770 --> 00:06:19.906 Adam and Eve were given an instruction, 00:06:19.906 --> 00:06:21.384 don't eat that tree. 00:06:21.562 --> 00:06:22.860 Eat all the other trees. 00:06:22.860 --> 00:06:24.180 Don't eat that tree. 00:06:24.820 --> 00:06:26.588 And then by temptation, 00:06:26.684 --> 00:06:27.708 Satan says, 00:06:27.844 --> 00:06:28.572 why? 00:06:28.756 --> 00:06:29.756 Because we'll die. 00:06:29.788 --> 00:06:30.880 You'll not die. 00:06:31.780 --> 00:06:32.716 You won't die. 00:06:32.716 --> 00:06:34.844 You'll just be able to know, 00:06:35.012 --> 00:06:36.640 as God knows. 00:06:37.140 --> 00:06:37.796 And they say, 00:06:37.796 --> 00:06:39.916 oh, I can be like God. 00:06:40.108 --> 00:06:42.412 I can be my own God. 00:06:42.476 --> 00:06:43.920 I can be God. 00:06:45.220 --> 00:06:46.380 See, to worship, 00:06:46.460 --> 00:06:50.560 to not worship God is thus to worship oneself. 00:06:51.540 --> 00:06:56.732 Now, how that starts to play out is that as I'm worshiping myself, 00:06:56.876 --> 00:06:58.856 I get to decide what's important. 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:02.260 I get to decide what's right and wrong. 00:07:02.364 --> 00:07:05.804 I get to decide what is righteousness and what is unrighteousness. 00:07:05.804 --> 00:07:10.988 I can let other things feed my knowledge and opinion of what is the right 00:07:11.044 --> 00:07:12.694 thing versus the wrong thing, 00:07:12.772 --> 00:07:16.852 as opposed to what God has said is righteousness and what is 00:07:16.876 --> 00:07:19.940 unrighteousness? Or what is godliness and what is ungodliness? 00:07:20.020 --> 00:07:23.980 Now, I am not the one that came up with this text, 00:07:24.700 --> 00:07:27.644 okay? So if you've got an argument this morning, 00:07:27.644 --> 00:07:29.294 you're not arguing with me. 00:07:30.700 --> 00:07:32.684 You want to get mad this morning? 00:07:32.684 --> 00:07:34.452 Don't get mad at me. 00:07:34.636 --> 00:07:35.836 Go ahead and get mad at me, 00:07:35.836 --> 00:07:37.816 because I'm going to preach it. 00:07:38.220 --> 00:07:40.084 But truth is, 00:07:40.172 --> 00:07:41.492 I didn't originate this. 00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:44.880 This was not the thoughts of my mind in my heart. 00:07:44.576 --> 00:07:45.448 And quite honestly, 00:07:45.448 --> 00:07:49.256 I'm not going to explain the breakdown of verses 26. 00:07:49.328 --> 00:07:52.936 And following where it starts talking about men and women, 00:07:53.088 --> 00:07:57.752 just go read the newspaper or watch something on the news. 00:07:57.856 --> 00:08:01.432 It's explained in culture today. 00:08:01.616 --> 00:08:02.504 All right, 00:08:02.672 --> 00:08:05.376 so I'm not going to break it down for you because there are kids in the 00:08:05.376 --> 00:08:06.840 room, all right? 00:08:06.960 --> 00:08:11.540 It's there and there are examples of it all around us. 00:08:12.550 --> 00:08:13.614 So first reaction, 00:08:13.662 --> 00:08:14.782 here's the first reaction. 00:08:14.782 --> 00:08:15.198 You ready? 00:08:15.198 --> 00:08:16.126 Because you're in church, 00:08:16.126 --> 00:08:16.798 welcome to church. 00:08:16.798 --> 00:08:18.118 We're glad you're here. 00:08:18.630 --> 00:08:19.620 You're in church. 00:08:19.502 --> 00:08:20.966 And so here's the thing that we do. 00:08:20.966 --> 00:08:21.494 We go, 00:08:21.494 --> 00:08:23.290 ah, see, 00:08:24.790 --> 00:08:28.330 that's the sinners around us. 00:08:28.630 --> 00:08:31.250 And I'm in church, 00:08:31.990 --> 00:08:33.022 so I'm not. 00:08:33.126 --> 00:08:34.230 You know where we see that? 00:08:34.230 --> 00:08:40.872 We see that when Jesus points out the Pharisee and the tax collector 00:08:40.936 --> 00:08:41.940 praying, right, 00:08:42.880 --> 00:08:43.912 Lord, thank you. 00:08:43.936 --> 00:08:47.500 That I'm not like this ungodly tax collector. 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:49.980 See, that's the first reaction. 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:55.180 I've been in church since I was nine months pre birth. 00:08:57.120 --> 00:08:59.430 I've been in church all my life. 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:04.818 I've been given a right to point at the sin in the world and God. 00:09:04.864 --> 00:09:05.350 And look, 00:09:05.350 --> 00:09:05.862 I mean, 00:09:05.862 --> 00:09:06.990 get this imagery. 00:09:07.070 --> 00:09:10.370 I'm looking down my finger right at somebody and going, 00:09:10.518 --> 00:09:11.982 that's, that's okay. 00:09:12.046 --> 00:09:14.302 I'm not saying that we're not supposed to point out sin, 00:09:14.302 --> 00:09:17.374 but I am going to tell you that the minute you do that in the next couple 00:09:17.374 --> 00:09:17.774 of chapters, 00:09:17.774 --> 00:09:18.310 it's going to say, 00:09:18.310 --> 00:09:19.130 guess what? 00:09:19.830 --> 00:09:21.902 And then you get back to the third reaction. 00:09:21.902 --> 00:09:22.166 All right, 00:09:22.166 --> 00:09:25.136 but we haven't got to the second one yet. 00:09:24.470 --> 00:09:31.102 Okay, I believe the second reaction to this text is some people will look 00:09:31.126 --> 00:09:34.570 at the culture and society and try to justify it. 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:38.476 With regard to changing culture, 00:09:38.508 --> 00:09:45.116 we're more sophisticated now than the 1st century Roman Empire in Paul's 00:09:45.148 --> 00:09:50.604 writings. Now everything's going on in Rome during that Nero as emperor. 00:09:50.652 --> 00:09:55.564 There were some things going on in the capital that just keep repeating 00:09:55.612 --> 00:09:56.812 themselves throughout history, 00:09:56.916 --> 00:09:57.956 just so you know. 00:09:57.956 --> 00:09:58.668 All right, 00:09:58.804 --> 00:10:01.708 so this justification of people, 00:10:01.844 --> 00:10:04.196 and here's the word that we like to use, 00:10:04.196 --> 00:10:04.526 this. 00:10:04.436 --> 00:10:05.234 They just, 00:10:05.402 --> 00:10:07.830 God wants them to be happy. 00:10:09.450 --> 00:10:12.026 So we start to justify every behavior in the world. 00:10:12.026 --> 00:10:15.986 And here's what I've noticed and you've noticed and studies and research 00:10:16.026 --> 00:10:20.370 shows that the more you try to justify unrighteousness and ungodliness, 00:10:20.450 --> 00:10:23.270 the unhappier the culture gets. 00:10:24.970 --> 00:10:26.910 Suicide rates are up, 00:10:27.450 --> 00:10:32.410 prescriptions are through the roof trying to make people happy. 00:10:34.510 --> 00:10:37.278 So we try to justify a behavior that says, 00:10:37.278 --> 00:10:41.650 okay, we'll just let people do whatever they want to do. 00:10:42.030 --> 00:10:43.370 They'll be happy. 00:10:45.790 --> 00:10:46.850 That doesn't work. 00:10:47.230 --> 00:10:48.838 Sorry, that's a bad reaction. 00:10:48.838 --> 00:10:50.250 But that's my reaction. 00:10:51.710 --> 00:10:52.982 Here's the third reaction, 00:10:52.982 --> 00:10:55.158 folks, and here's what I believe is the biblical reaction. 00:10:55.158 --> 00:10:57.390 And as we work our way through chapters two and three, 00:10:57.390 --> 00:10:59.700 this is what we're going to see. 00:10:59.890 --> 00:11:03.310 Third reaction should be an examination of our own hearts, 00:11:05.330 --> 00:11:06.670 our own sin. 00:11:08.210 --> 00:11:12.522 That not so much the magnifying glass to the world around us, 00:11:12.626 --> 00:11:15.590 but the mirror to who we are. 00:11:16.050 --> 00:11:16.610 All right? 00:11:16.610 --> 00:11:21.866 Because we're going to get to them where it says beginning of chapter 00:11:21.898 --> 00:11:22.298 two, therefore, 00:11:22.298 --> 00:11:26.300 every one of you who judges is without excuse right? 00:11:26.420 --> 00:11:30.332 Now, judgment implies conviction in sentencing, 00:11:30.396 --> 00:11:31.200 okay? 00:11:31.860 --> 00:11:35.340 Because God does call upon us to recognize righteousness, 00:11:35.420 --> 00:11:40.716 but to recognize our hearts for our love for and our pursuit of 00:11:40.788 --> 00:11:44.880 righteousness. So to not worship God is to worship oneself. 00:11:45.860 --> 00:11:50.640 And the problem with mankind from the Fall is that we are self centered. 00:11:51.910 --> 00:11:53.810 We love worshiping ourselves, 00:11:54.710 --> 00:11:57.090 right? We like our own ideas, 00:11:57.670 --> 00:11:58.810 many of us. 00:11:59.590 --> 00:12:02.150 I'm raising my hand because I'm included in this. 00:12:02.150 --> 00:12:04.690 I think myself reasonably smart. 00:12:05.430 --> 00:12:08.070 I can kind of figure some things out, 00:12:08.150 --> 00:12:10.494 right? And then if I'm given instruction, 00:12:10.542 --> 00:12:11.022 for instance, 00:12:11.022 --> 00:12:13.332 on how to build a T post, 00:12:13.430 --> 00:12:15.182 I can do it, 00:12:15.366 --> 00:12:17.278 I can accomplish that thing, 00:12:17.334 --> 00:12:20.546 right? So I think I'm pretty well accomplished in these things. 00:12:20.338 --> 00:12:21.234 But the truth is, 00:12:21.234 --> 00:12:24.826 is that anywhere along the way where I refuse to submit, 00:12:24.826 --> 00:12:28.714 surrender, obey and acknowledge God for who God is, 00:12:28.802 --> 00:12:32.710 I am already going down the wrong road. 00:12:33.250 --> 00:12:37.010 Okay, now I love that Nick just came in and sat down last week. 00:12:37.010 --> 00:12:40.394 I was watching him at this hour as I was driving to Burgo. 00:12:40.394 --> 00:12:44.186 And I like that he brought up the fact that sin is sort of disease, 00:12:44.186 --> 00:12:47.560 like sin's a disease. 00:12:48.780 --> 00:12:53.604 And I've used the illustration that disease is a lot like cancer because 00:12:53.772 --> 00:12:55.000 it creeps, 00:12:56.060 --> 00:12:58.080 it keeps claiming more ground. 00:12:58.380 --> 00:13:00.030 And that's what sin does. 00:13:00.060 --> 00:13:03.660 And so this passage kind of takes us through this and it points out 00:13:03.660 --> 00:13:04.076 things that, 00:13:04.076 --> 00:13:05.436 yeah, we can identify with and go, 00:13:05.436 --> 00:13:06.220 yeah, we're not that. 00:13:06.220 --> 00:13:08.044 So we can point our fingers at that. 00:13:08.044 --> 00:13:10.292 But then it goes on down there and that list at the bottom, 00:13:10.292 --> 00:13:11.948 that's the one I'm going to hit in a minute. 00:13:11.948 --> 00:13:15.030 Because self centered man is one of three things. 00:13:15.070 --> 00:13:16.230 We're either unrighteous, 00:13:16.310 --> 00:13:16.970 self righteous, 00:13:16.982 --> 00:13:20.902 or over righteous as self centered man. 00:13:20.926 --> 00:13:22.478 And that's where we're going through. 00:13:22.478 --> 00:13:23.790 And I didn't come up with that, 00:13:23.790 --> 00:13:24.510 somebody else did. 00:13:24.510 --> 00:13:25.678 So I stole it. 00:13:25.678 --> 00:13:29.350 1, 2 and 3 deals with unrighteousness, 00:13:29.430 --> 00:13:31.610 self righteousness and over righteousness. 00:13:32.110 --> 00:13:35.790 And the problem is that we've done exactly what this text says in that 00:13:35.790 --> 00:13:38.010 We've begun to worship creature, 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:39.624 the created thing, 00:13:39.712 --> 00:13:41.960 as opposed to the creator. 00:13:42.040 --> 00:13:43.200 And that's in verse 24. 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:47.296 Therefore God gave them over in the lust of their hearts to impurity that 00:13:47.296 --> 00:13:49.424 their bodies might be dishonored among them. 00:13:49.424 --> 00:13:54.776 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served 00:13:54.808 --> 00:13:57.976 the creature rather than the creator. 00:13:58.168 --> 00:14:03.560 Folks, God's word calls us to bow before the throne of God who is the 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:05.112 creator of all things. 00:14:05.216 --> 00:14:08.988 And last week's verses were the very simple fact that we are without 00:14:08.988 --> 00:14:12.324 excuse. God has revealed himself through his creation. 00:14:12.372 --> 00:14:13.748 He's revealed his power, 00:14:13.804 --> 00:14:14.412 his design, 00:14:14.412 --> 00:14:15.268 his omniscience, 00:14:15.364 --> 00:14:16.708 his omnipresence, 00:14:16.884 --> 00:14:17.748 all of that stuff. 00:14:17.748 --> 00:14:18.796 God has revealed it to us. 00:14:18.796 --> 00:14:22.940 So none of mankind from the beginning of the world to this very day has 00:14:22.940 --> 00:14:26.876 an excuse not to acknowledge that there is a designer and a creator. 00:14:26.692 --> 00:14:29.028 Now what we did through the Dark ages, 00:14:29.028 --> 00:14:34.690 into the Reformation and into the Enlightenment is of our own minds, 00:14:34.780 --> 00:14:37.702 in our own sort of professing to be wise. 00:14:37.702 --> 00:14:38.598 They became fools. 00:14:38.598 --> 00:14:41.566 They exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the 00:14:41.566 --> 00:14:42.670 form of corruptible man. 00:14:42.670 --> 00:14:45.734 And of birds and four footed animals and crawling creatures. 00:14:45.734 --> 00:14:49.530 We started theorizing, 00:14:50.750 --> 00:14:56.934 trying to explain away the existence of an all powerful creator. 00:14:56.982 --> 00:14:59.970 God started looking at, 00:15:03.080 --> 00:15:06.100 looking at creatures in the Galapagos and going oh, 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:08.140 that's what we came from. 00:15:08.920 --> 00:15:16.304 So we'll write a book about it and we'll convince the world that this 00:15:16.392 --> 00:15:28.136 organized system agreeing incredible body of mankind developed from the 00:15:28.208 --> 00:15:34.216 smudge at the bottom of some pool because lightning struck it and enzymes 00:15:34.248 --> 00:15:35.820 went whoa. 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:43.048 That's this whole process that quote scientism has given us. 00:15:43.104 --> 00:15:46.780 Now notice I didn't say science because science is just studying, 00:15:47.520 --> 00:15:50.232 recognizing what God has put in place. 00:15:50.416 --> 00:15:56.310 Scientism, worshiping our own ideas and our own explanations, 00:15:57.290 --> 00:15:58.034 right? 00:15:58.202 --> 00:15:59.890 So I would say follow science, 00:15:59.890 --> 00:16:01.670 yes, but don't follow scientism. 00:16:02.810 --> 00:16:04.270 Okay? I'm just. 00:16:04.890 --> 00:16:05.890 My reactions, 00:16:05.970 --> 00:16:08.090 get mad at me if you want to. 00:16:08.090 --> 00:16:09.090 Self centered man, 00:16:09.130 --> 00:16:11.874 unrighteous, self righteous or over righteous creature, 00:16:11.922 --> 00:16:15.070 worships anything the created can come up with. 00:16:16.090 --> 00:16:21.486 We are the created and we end up worshiping anything we can come up with 00:16:21.638 --> 00:16:31.342 to give us some sort of rationalization to deny that we are bound under a 00:16:31.366 --> 00:16:32.530 creator God. 00:16:34.390 --> 00:16:37.230 We'll worship just about anything. 00:16:37.390 --> 00:16:42.670 I remember first time we had an AA group up in Maryland that met in our 00:16:42.790 --> 00:16:45.582 building there at at town Baptist. 00:16:45.646 --> 00:16:49.542 And remember the first time I heard somebody say they had just come out 00:16:49.542 --> 00:16:53.470 of rehab and in REHAB they do 12 steps, 00:16:53.630 --> 00:16:58.238 right? And the first one is to acknowledge a supreme Being. 00:16:58.374 --> 00:17:00.734 Well, the original AA said acknowledge God. 00:17:00.782 --> 00:17:04.598 It didn't say acknowledge you can make up your own supreme being. 00:17:04.598 --> 00:17:08.774 And I remember this guy telling me that one of the guys in his group for 00:17:08.774 --> 00:17:12.311 AA grabbed a pillow on the couch and said, 00:17:12.335 --> 00:17:13.985 this is my supreme being. 00:17:15.919 --> 00:17:17.099 A pillow. 00:17:18.399 --> 00:17:19.527 I'm sorry. 00:17:19.703 --> 00:17:24.711 Created man will come up with anything to worship to keep from having to 00:17:24.735 --> 00:17:28.379 be submissive and surrendered to creator God. 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:32.059 That's what this verse is about. 00:17:32.479 --> 00:17:37.659 So what happens is it starts us down a path, 00:17:38.030 --> 00:17:44.966 error. And it started in the garden and it's sin. 00:17:45.158 --> 00:17:49.778 And it goes back to the verses we've dealt with previous to this passage. 00:17:49.302 --> 00:17:56.806 Is that the unrighteousness and godliness and suppressing the truth in 00:17:56.878 --> 00:18:03.062 unrighteousness. Let's come up with some other means of worship so that 00:18:03.086 --> 00:18:05.210 we don't have to worship God. 00:18:05.780 --> 00:18:08.880 That's suppressing the truth and unrighteousness, 00:18:09.460 --> 00:18:16.012 okay? Coming up with theories that have yet to be proven for all the 00:18:16.036 --> 00:18:19.940 hundreds of years or whatever they've been trying to prove that stuff. 00:18:19.940 --> 00:18:20.732 You see. 00:18:20.836 --> 00:18:24.500 So I look at this thing and my outline was self centered man, 00:18:24.500 --> 00:18:25.148 creature worship, 00:18:25.148 --> 00:18:26.700 first path to error. 00:18:26.780 --> 00:18:27.476 And then I thought, 00:18:27.476 --> 00:18:27.860 all right, 00:18:27.860 --> 00:18:28.420 you know what? 00:18:28.420 --> 00:18:30.820 I. And as I did the devotionals for this week, 00:18:30.820 --> 00:18:33.156 and some of you have watched the devotionals this week, 00:18:33.156 --> 00:18:37.436 and in the devotionals I mentioned some of the cultural things that we're 00:18:37.436 --> 00:18:40.092 dealing with today in our news reports. 00:18:40.196 --> 00:18:42.108 I mentioned it in the devotionals, 00:18:42.108 --> 00:18:42.760 right? 00:18:43.300 --> 00:18:44.596 But I look at that and I go, 00:18:44.596 --> 00:18:45.132 okay, God, 00:18:45.132 --> 00:18:46.340 what do you want me to do? 00:18:46.340 --> 00:18:48.420 Can I tell y'all what God told me to do? 00:18:48.420 --> 00:18:50.360 This morning at about 5:30, 00:18:51.060 --> 00:18:56.348 I was on the floor in my room on my knees with my face to the floor 00:18:56.348 --> 00:18:57.280 going, God, 00:18:57.710 --> 00:19:01.130 show me my sin, 00:19:02.910 --> 00:19:04.290 show me my heart. 00:19:05.550 --> 00:19:07.610 Am I that judgmental guy? 00:19:09.470 --> 00:19:14.390 Am I the one that's actually pointing to myself when I'm pointing to 00:19:14.430 --> 00:19:15.010 others? 00:19:16.670 --> 00:19:21.366 See what's our reaction supposed to be going to First Corinthians 11 00:19:21.438 --> 00:19:22.318 where Paul says, 00:19:22.318 --> 00:19:23.446 let a man so exist, 00:19:23.446 --> 00:19:25.970 examine his own heart himself. 00:19:27.190 --> 00:19:30.422 Folks, this is one of the reasons why I'm just telling you we can love 00:19:30.422 --> 00:19:33.870 everybody. We can love people. 00:19:33.910 --> 00:19:36.220 We don't have to agree with people. 00:19:36.390 --> 00:19:37.710 We do have to. 00:19:37.830 --> 00:19:40.638 When given the opportunity by the spirit of God, 00:19:40.638 --> 00:19:43.938 we have to share with them what God's word says. 00:19:45.110 --> 00:19:48.806 But that doesn't mean I'm going to walk out of here and go find me a 00:19:48.806 --> 00:19:51.526 gathering somewhere where they don't agree with me and I'm going to start 00:19:51.526 --> 00:19:53.176 beating them with my Bible. 00:19:53.760 --> 00:19:55.740 I'm not going to do that, 00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:57.900 I might hug their neck. 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:01.752 What's our reaction? 00:20:01.816 --> 00:20:03.128 What's our response? 00:20:03.304 --> 00:20:04.496 So here you go. 00:20:04.496 --> 00:20:08.786 This is what I did before I was on my face this morning. 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:09.980 I googled. 00:20:11.280 --> 00:20:12.780 I got three pages. 00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:18.740 The first one was that in 600 A.D. 00:20:19.860 --> 00:20:20.684 pope Gregory, 00:20:20.732 --> 00:20:25.120 I delivered the message of the seven deadly sins. 00:20:26.180 --> 00:20:27.996 Now, under seven deadly sins, 00:20:28.028 --> 00:20:30.180 you got a lot of breakout sins, 00:20:30.180 --> 00:20:34.124 a lot of little sort of corollaries to the seven, 00:20:34.212 --> 00:20:36.444 right? You know, 00:20:36.532 --> 00:20:41.482 I made it eight when I told you not to put decorations in your coffee. 00:20:41.140 --> 00:20:43.692 God never intended for you to decorate coffee. 00:20:43.692 --> 00:20:48.114 Anyway. Just kidding then. 00:20:48.282 --> 00:20:49.562 And I don't know where this. 00:20:49.562 --> 00:20:52.170 This one doesn't attribute who came up with it. 00:20:51.626 --> 00:20:56.434 But you got things like several breakdowns, 00:20:56.482 --> 00:20:57.890 four general categories. 00:20:57.970 --> 00:20:58.786 Pride, jealousy, 00:20:58.818 --> 00:21:01.190 abusiveness, and depression. 00:21:02.410 --> 00:21:03.530 And then this one here, 00:21:03.530 --> 00:21:05.626 y'all, this is the one I want to show you. 00:21:05.626 --> 00:21:06.834 2 full pages, 00:21:06.962 --> 00:21:12.660 99 sins with verses attached to them. 00:21:13.280 --> 00:21:14.500 How about that? 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:18.500 Man, we could be pointing at folks all day long. 00:21:19.520 --> 00:21:22.820 Except that I might find myself in some of these, 00:21:23.040 --> 00:21:27.980 right? So there's the consideration I want us to have for a minute. 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:33.136 And I want us to go down and look at the last section of this text from 00:21:33.136 --> 00:21:36.728 verse 28 and listen to what it says. 00:21:36.784 --> 00:21:43.030 And just as they did not see fear fit to acknowledge God any longer, 00:21:43.930 --> 00:21:47.390 God gave them over to a depraved mind. 00:21:48.650 --> 00:21:49.826 Depraved mind. 00:21:49.898 --> 00:21:51.946 Now, I had to listen to somebody talk about this, 00:21:51.946 --> 00:21:52.794 and I looked it up. 00:21:52.794 --> 00:21:54.950 It means an untested, 00:21:56.170 --> 00:21:59.250 an unexamined thought process. 00:21:59.370 --> 00:22:00.490 What does that mean? 00:22:00.490 --> 00:22:03.150 That means letting your own thoughts run away. 00:22:04.420 --> 00:22:07.390 Just thinking up anything you want to think up. 00:22:08.340 --> 00:22:11.388 Depraved, unchallenged, 00:22:11.484 --> 00:22:13.840 untested, unexamined. 00:22:14.740 --> 00:22:21.240 What a depraved mind to do those things which are not proper. 00:22:21.540 --> 00:22:25.120 Being filled with unrighteousness, 00:22:25.460 --> 00:22:27.600 wickedness, greed, 00:22:28.100 --> 00:22:30.654 evil, full of envy, 00:22:30.772 --> 00:22:31.978 murder, strife, 00:22:32.074 --> 00:22:33.630 deceit, malice. 00:22:33.970 --> 00:22:34.630 They are, 00:22:34.674 --> 00:22:36.226 and that's added into the text. 00:22:36.042 --> 00:22:39.210 They are gossips and slanderers and haters of God. 00:22:39.290 --> 00:22:40.394 Insolent, arrogant, 00:22:40.442 --> 00:22:42.270 boastful inventors of evil. 00:22:43.170 --> 00:22:43.650 All right, 00:22:43.650 --> 00:22:44.850 parents, y'all all hear this one. 00:22:44.850 --> 00:22:49.630 Disobedient to parents without understanding. 00:22:50.210 --> 00:22:52.170 Untrustworthy, unloving, 00:22:52.250 --> 00:22:53.162 unmerciful. 00:22:53.226 --> 00:22:58.410 And although they know the ordinance of God that those who practice such 00:22:58.450 --> 00:23:00.100 things are worthy of death, 00:23:00.560 --> 00:23:02.160 they not only do the same, 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:06.008 but also give hearty approval to those who practice it. 00:23:06.064 --> 00:23:09.776 Now, in rereading this and reading and reading and reading it over and 00:23:09.776 --> 00:23:10.224 over again, 00:23:10.224 --> 00:23:11.432 that's where the first reaction, 00:23:11.432 --> 00:23:12.376 second reaction, 00:23:12.488 --> 00:23:14.180 third reaction come from, 00:23:15.040 --> 00:23:19.940 folks. It is sinful and ungodly to practice these things. 00:23:20.800 --> 00:23:22.440 It is Also equal, 00:23:22.520 --> 00:23:24.120 sinful and ungodly, 00:23:24.280 --> 00:23:28.052 to give hearty approval to those who practice them. 00:23:28.156 --> 00:23:31.786 So I'm not saying we agree with the culture and go, 00:23:31.836 --> 00:23:33.204 okay, whatever. 00:23:33.252 --> 00:23:34.080 You know, 00:23:34.700 --> 00:23:40.228 I'm not saying that's okay because the Bible says definitively it is not 00:23:40.284 --> 00:23:42.388 okay. All right, 00:23:42.444 --> 00:23:43.764 so there you go. 00:23:43.980 --> 00:23:46.290 That's my message on it right there. 00:23:46.860 --> 00:23:48.812 So what do we do then? 00:23:48.812 --> 00:23:54.412 We examine our hearts to make sure there's not a log in our eye so that 00:23:54.436 --> 00:23:56.800 we approach sin hypocritically. 00:23:57.380 --> 00:23:59.508 Okay, so when you see that list, 00:23:59.508 --> 00:24:00.660 now, that's not this list. 00:24:00.660 --> 00:24:01.964 This list got 99. 00:24:02.052 --> 00:24:03.868 I didn't count all those in Romans. 00:24:03.868 --> 00:24:06.164 But when you see something like that, 00:24:06.164 --> 00:24:08.652 arrogant. Am I guilty of arrogance? 00:24:08.716 --> 00:24:11.612 Absolutely, I'm guilty of it. 00:24:11.636 --> 00:24:13.946 God help me to see my sin. 00:24:14.180 --> 00:24:15.084 You know, 00:24:15.252 --> 00:24:16.252 am I boastful? 00:24:16.316 --> 00:24:17.306 There are times, 00:24:18.190 --> 00:24:22.230 right? So when I look at this and I go, 00:24:22.270 --> 00:24:22.758 okay, God, 00:24:22.758 --> 00:24:25.526 you pointed all this out in verses 26 and 27. 00:24:25.598 --> 00:24:26.670 Two verses back there. 00:24:26.670 --> 00:24:30.198 Now we got four verses down here that give a whole different list of sin. 00:24:30.198 --> 00:24:30.662 And God, 00:24:30.662 --> 00:24:32.214 I fall into that. 00:24:32.382 --> 00:24:35.090 So what must my reaction be? 00:24:36.830 --> 00:24:43.062 To confess and to repent of my sin and to love people with the love that 00:24:43.086 --> 00:24:44.388 God showed me, 00:24:44.534 --> 00:24:45.780 redeeming me. 00:24:47.040 --> 00:24:49.784 Okay, now I'll be honest. 00:24:49.832 --> 00:24:51.544 I've preached these verses before, 00:24:51.632 --> 00:24:54.552 and I've preached them under reaction number one. 00:24:54.736 --> 00:24:56.056 I admit that, 00:24:56.208 --> 00:24:58.464 man. I pointed down my finger and said, 00:24:58.464 --> 00:25:01.860 see, it was just on the news last night, 00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:04.500 right? I've done it. 00:25:04.800 --> 00:25:08.136 And I'm not saying that it's wrong to point out sin. 00:25:08.136 --> 00:25:10.920 However, I am saying that we've got to examine ourselves. 00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:12.112 First reaction, 00:25:12.296 --> 00:25:13.940 not third reaction. 00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:18.512 Okay, so here's how I do it, 00:25:18.536 --> 00:25:19.176 and I'm going to tell. 00:25:19.176 --> 00:25:20.296 I've told this story before. 00:25:20.136 --> 00:25:24.220 It happened right here in this congregation many years ago. 00:25:24.760 --> 00:25:28.184 There was a couple that came to be a part of the gathering back then, 00:25:28.184 --> 00:25:35.840 and they brought friends and others that were not in agreement with some 00:25:35.880 --> 00:25:38.290 of the things that are in the Bible. 00:25:38.290 --> 00:25:40.050 And so after I preached that day, 00:25:40.050 --> 00:25:40.530 they said, 00:25:40.530 --> 00:25:44.746 do you really believe all that that you said this? 00:25:44.818 --> 00:25:46.914 And it had to do with Chick fil a and all that. 00:25:46.914 --> 00:25:51.864 Anyway, I'm just giving you a pinpoint in time as to when this took place. 00:25:51.634 --> 00:25:52.706 Had to do with Chick fil a. 00:25:52.706 --> 00:25:57.326 And I made a comment about getting to Chick fil a before they do. 00:25:57.506 --> 00:25:58.550 Remember that? 00:25:58.850 --> 00:25:59.810 So after that day, 00:25:59.810 --> 00:26:00.706 somebody came to me and said, 00:26:00.706 --> 00:26:02.354 do you really believe all that? 00:26:02.354 --> 00:26:05.900 And so we were back here when the office was right here, 00:26:05.900 --> 00:26:06.700 and I said, 00:26:06.700 --> 00:26:07.676 sit down a minute. 00:26:07.476 --> 00:26:09.332 I opened the Bible And I turned to Romans, 00:26:09.332 --> 00:26:09.820 Chapter one. 00:26:09.820 --> 00:26:10.480 I said, 00:26:10.604 --> 00:26:11.972 read chapter one. 00:26:12.156 --> 00:26:13.280 Just read it. 00:26:13.660 --> 00:26:14.156 I said, 00:26:14.156 --> 00:26:15.052 we're not going to talk about it. 00:26:15.052 --> 00:26:16.628 I just want you to read it. 00:26:16.300 --> 00:26:17.252 That's the word of God. 00:26:17.252 --> 00:26:18.180 That's God speaking. 00:26:18.180 --> 00:26:19.172 That's not me. 00:26:19.356 --> 00:26:20.346 It's not Bobby. 00:26:20.420 --> 00:26:22.140 I didn't come up with that. 00:26:21.820 --> 00:26:22.880 Just read it. 00:26:23.180 --> 00:26:24.452 He read it. 00:26:24.636 --> 00:26:25.764 Shut the Bible. 00:26:25.892 --> 00:26:26.804 He said, 00:26:26.972 --> 00:26:30.800 okay, never ask me another question about it. 00:26:31.750 --> 00:26:35.380 See, God's got to speak and we've got to pay attention. 00:26:36.710 --> 00:26:39.350 You can't cut out the parts you don't like. 00:26:39.350 --> 00:26:43.010 Can't ignore the parts that you don't want to apply. 00:26:43.750 --> 00:26:45.166 God speaks, 00:26:45.358 --> 00:26:47.338 and we've got to pay attention. 00:26:47.350 --> 00:26:48.670 We've got to submit, 00:26:48.670 --> 00:26:50.174 surrender and obey. 00:26:50.302 --> 00:26:54.730 Okay, because we're going to get over in here to chapter two. 00:26:56.310 --> 00:26:59.984 God points out the sin in the world, 00:27:00.072 --> 00:27:02.052 the sin in the Gentile world. 00:27:02.056 --> 00:27:05.520 Then he's going to get to the sin in the Jewish culture, 00:27:05.520 --> 00:27:07.472 faith and all of that. 00:27:07.656 --> 00:27:09.496 And then we get to the end of chapter three, 00:27:09.496 --> 00:27:10.512 and he says, 00:27:10.696 --> 00:27:16.720 there's none righteous for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of 00:27:16.760 --> 00:27:18.400 God. See, 00:27:18.520 --> 00:27:20.500 so what is it that God's. 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:23.660 What is God drawing us to? 00:27:24.130 --> 00:27:26.218 He's drawing us to the third reaction, 00:27:26.218 --> 00:27:27.578 which ought to be the first reaction, 00:27:27.578 --> 00:27:28.050 which is, 00:27:28.050 --> 00:27:30.430 God, show me my sin. 00:27:31.730 --> 00:27:34.298 Okay. All right. 00:27:34.434 --> 00:27:35.346 There you go. 00:27:35.346 --> 00:27:36.006 That's it. 00:27:36.018 --> 00:27:37.130 God rearranged it. 00:27:37.170 --> 00:27:37.866 I didn't. 00:27:37.978 --> 00:27:39.418 I just had to pay attention. 00:27:39.418 --> 00:27:40.930 If you got questions about it, 00:27:40.930 --> 00:27:44.186 my phone number is abundantly available. 00:27:44.338 --> 00:27:47.010 You can call me if you want my phone number, 00:27:47.010 --> 00:27:47.506 come down here, 00:27:47.506 --> 00:27:48.690 I'll give it to you. 00:27:48.418 --> 00:27:49.810 Not going to announce it because we're on. 00:27:49.810 --> 00:27:50.646 Live on. 00:27:50.818 --> 00:27:51.806 On the Internet. 00:27:51.806 --> 00:27:54.776 Somebody from Timbuktu will be calling me this week. 00:27:57.670 --> 00:28:00.062 Is there really a place called Timbuktu? 00:28:00.206 --> 00:28:00.866 There is. 00:28:00.918 --> 00:28:01.590 I didn't know. 00:28:01.590 --> 00:28:02.062 But anyway, 00:28:02.062 --> 00:28:03.712 I just always heard it. 00:28:04.870 --> 00:28:12.942 Folks, taking God's word seriously is the posture of worshiping the 00:28:12.966 --> 00:28:13.890 Creator. 00:28:14.710 --> 00:28:16.790 And that's what God calls us to do. 00:28:16.790 --> 00:28:17.902 See, if you don't know Jesus, 00:28:17.902 --> 00:28:19.022 we want you to know Jesus. 00:28:19.022 --> 00:28:21.166 We want to introduce you to Jesus. 00:28:21.166 --> 00:28:24.982 And we have worship times like this to study and be encouraged by the 00:28:24.982 --> 00:28:28.110 word of God and to be challenged by the word of God. 00:28:28.110 --> 00:28:31.454 And this is a text that challenges the world, 00:28:31.622 --> 00:28:32.830 more specifically, 00:28:32.910 --> 00:28:36.798 cultural events and attitudes and ideas. 00:28:36.974 --> 00:28:38.382 It challenges it. 00:28:38.486 --> 00:28:40.702 How do we respond to that challenge? 00:28:40.702 --> 00:28:43.982 Do we respond to the challenge with submission, 00:28:44.126 --> 00:28:45.634 surrender, and obedience, 00:28:45.742 --> 00:28:49.702 or do we respond to the challenge of God's word with rebellion? 00:28:50.050 --> 00:28:51.050 That's the question. 00:28:51.170 --> 00:28:52.538 We're going to sing a song. 00:28:52.282 --> 00:28:54.618 Gives you the opportunity to respond to God. 00:28:54.618 --> 00:28:56.002 You're not responding to me. 00:28:56.002 --> 00:28:57.706 You're not responding to the gathering. 00:28:57.706 --> 00:28:58.778 You're responding to God. 00:28:58.778 --> 00:29:02.002 What is it that God has spoken to you in your heart? 00:29:01.858 --> 00:29:03.394 What is it he's revealing to you? 00:29:03.394 --> 00:29:06.186 If he's calling you to confession and repentance, 00:29:06.298 --> 00:29:07.770 personally, individually, 00:29:07.930 --> 00:29:09.630 he expects you to respond. 00:29:10.130 --> 00:29:11.842 You can do that right where you are. 00:29:11.842 --> 00:29:12.690 You can do like me. 00:29:12.690 --> 00:29:13.642 Just get in the floor, 00:29:13.642 --> 00:29:15.622 put your face on the floor. 00:29:15.470 --> 00:29:16.214 Just God, 00:29:16.262 --> 00:29:17.582 show me my sin. 00:29:18.030 --> 00:29:20.358 That's a response to the righteousness of God. 00:29:20.358 --> 00:29:21.566 Okay, pray with me. 00:29:21.566 --> 00:29:22.878 God, thank you for today. 00:29:22.878 --> 00:29:25.086 Thank you for your word that it's true and faithful. 00:29:24.918 --> 00:29:25.318 And God, 00:29:25.318 --> 00:29:26.574 we can trust you. 00:29:26.574 --> 00:29:28.182 We can trust your word. 00:29:28.182 --> 00:29:32.950 You've given it through the ages and protected it for us to have all 00:29:32.990 --> 00:29:33.798 through the ages. 00:29:33.798 --> 00:29:37.838 God, help us to read it in 2025 and realize that your word is for today 00:29:37.838 --> 00:29:39.446 too. And God, 00:29:39.478 --> 00:29:46.282 we read it and we are called to respond to your word as we are called to 00:29:46.306 --> 00:29:51.194 respond to your love for us that is seen in the gospel, 00:29:51.242 --> 00:29:52.098 the good news, 00:29:52.098 --> 00:29:53.418 Jesus on the cross, 00:29:53.546 --> 00:29:56.922 our sins forgiven and redemption and victory. 00:29:57.066 --> 00:29:59.746 We thank you for those things and we pray it in Jesus name, 00:29:59.746 --> 00:29:59.930 Amen.