From Valley to Victory (Part 2)

Back in the days of the horse and buggy story told about a former who came from his house to the town to buy some supplies on this particular day. His dog decided to follow him all the way to town the farmer when he arrived into the storehouse and basically tied his horse into the poster there. The storekeeper notice that the dog was panting so hard and so he chided the farmer for letting the dog run while he was riding on the horse and buggy and the farmer responded is that this dog is not tired from following me to town this dog is tired from his foolish zigzagging along the way. There was an open gate or a hole in the fence or a tree stump that this dog did not explore his worn out from zigzagging my beloved friends. I am absolutely convinced as I'm standing before you today that the reason our society is in the fixed that it is in is because of our foolish zigzagging away from God. There's only one reason why the drugs and the murders in their addictions and the pornography and the sexual perversions, a breakdown of the family other than the zigzagging of sin away from God. Our problem is not because we do not have enough government programs are problem is not because we don't have enough government spending on social programs are problem started back younger when they began to zigzagging away from God. In fact there were just about the time when Pres. Lyndon Johnson announced that the final conquest of poverty is within our grasp. About that same time, a group of offbeat theologians declared and announced that God is dead by accident. I think not. The government now has replaced God in his church and that is why the epistle to the Romans is so relevant to our culture today is so poignant culture today.

It speaks to our culture today as well as allow the church to speak with a prophetic voice today. However, the term of the apostle Paul when he was writing this epistle to the Romans when he was telling them about the wrath of God in the judgment of God that is coming upon the evil look of society when he wrote at that time he did not have the benefit of 2000 years of Christianity. He did not have the benefit of hundreds of years of Christian heritage. He did not have the benefit of 500 years of reformation or the godly founders of this great experiment we call America. Beloved, here is an indisputable fact of modern history after 2000 years of Christianity. After 500 years of the Reformation after 250+ years of this American experiment. We are returning back to the pre-Christian Greek or Roman in moral perversion question, could the judgment of God that came upon role after hundred and 50 years of Christianity when it was declared a Christian empire by Constantine and the judgment that came down by the Visigoth by the barbarians that came and wiped role. Could that judgment be far behind. Today, I know a lot of great doctors in this church and I've known many great doctors in my life I have never never seen a doctor who would say because I want my patient to like me. I'm not gonna tell them the truth about their prognosis, or because I don't want my patient to leave me go to another doctor.

I will tell them what they want to hear or because I don't want to alarm my patient.

I don't make more so I'm going to tell them that all is well. I've not met that such a doctor and I never will. Why because truth is truth is truth here in this epistle of Romans you found the apostle Paul being a great diagnostician is diagnosing the problem. The problem of cultural problems society.

The problem even with believers before you could tell them about their spiritual healing that only can be found in Jesus Christ.

He has to show them their most depraved condition in which therein before anyone can be saved from their sins. Eternally they have to recognize that their sinners until I recognize that I am not just her son about sinful.

I could not come to Christ and ask forgiveness of my sins, and here in Romans chapter 1 verses 18 to 32 Paul gives us three reasons as to why the wrath of God at the judgment of God must not, may, but must take place sooner or later.

Reason number one verses 18 to 23 carotid data for taking notes. Reason number one for God's judgment is going to be upon those who invert the truth. The second reason versus 24.

27 God's judgment will be upon those who perverted God's gift of sexuality. And thirdly, verses 28 to 32 God's judgment will be upon those of depraved minds in version of God's truth. Perversion of God's gift deprivation of the mind follow with me please those three causes of judgment as to the reason of judgment. In fact, those three things basically codify every conceivable sin you can think of is going to come under one of those three categories. Let's look at the first one. The invention of the truth.

But before I get there just bear with me just for a minute because of several things I need to tell you about the wrath of God. It is very important because today more than 60% of those who claim to be Christians deny or reject the wrath of God altogether. He's getting has a song called in Christ alone. We sing it in this church. One of the stanzas goes like this, and the wrath of God was satisfied. Talk about the cross, you will be amazed of how many singers and how many musicians and how many pastors literally either take that stanza out or modify it.

They say there is no wrath of God. Only love.

What they don't understand is this that the wrath of God and the love of God had two sides of the same coin. You try to split that corn and ceased to be a legal tender without the wrath of God, the love of God is purposeless why because his love rescues us from the wrath of God. Are you with me the love of God rescues us from the wrath of God without the love of God, the wrath of God is helplessness or just might as well as eat and drink and be merry and for tomorrow we shall die.

Now here is the biggest misconception about the wrath of God or God's judgment is not a capricious uncontrollable fury as some people think that that's what they avoid. The reason they deny the judgment of God, or the wrath of God is because they associated with man's sinfulness of irrational and uncontrollable rage in and emotions is because they associated the word wrath with man's hate filled anger and this if God cannot do this. God is not like this is because the associate the word wrath with this animosity or animosity laden feelings toward somebody so they throw the baby with the bathwater and deny the truth of the word. Some people think just like an angry person, so I'm going to get you for this. This is how God is, in fact, that's how Martin Luther for a while talk with God.

I'm going to get you for this. None the wrath of God has nothing in common with these understanding of this type of emotions. This type of emotions described in the Bible and the Greek word for mulch from which we get the word thermometer up and down, but the word is used here is not the word from us what the word organic which means controlled settled matter is as nothing was emotions is or was not me controlled and settled. Listen to be very careful because it's important. Is this controlled settled as somebody jumping from the 10th floor building goes out of the ground is not right at settled has nothing with means lovely with you living with any of us write it settled. It is like a person who puts his hand in the file and keep it there because all burnt its control settled has nothing to do with me, you or anybody else is just somebody standing in front of a freight train is going to end up being mincemeat dry has nothing to with anybody else. It has something to do with the person. These are settled facts. These are indisputable things, but the something else I want to tell you about the wrath of God is declared upon evil. It is declared upon evil. See you when I get angry when our pride is injured right wing it and it really miffed.

And sometimes we were more exact revenge is the natural but easy. There is no peace on God's out of the wrath of God.

This is not no personal animosity, no personal anger toward a specific personnel in his are settled matter as a person jumping from a high-rise building and hitting the floor… That's is that see the essence of sin in the singular, the root of sin.

The fruit is all the sinful things we do, but the root of sin in the singular is to get rid of God. That's the root of sin is to replace God or is to ignore God or is to modify what God said and pervert his truth and that is why the judgment of God is going to be on those who perverted his truth was Voltaire who said sarcastically is a God created man in his own image and now man has returned the favor in case you haven't got this we are creating a God in our own image, the God of which we approve. We want to God that he agrees with us so I subsided change in sin change and would want to gossip. All right, that's okay as a kind of God we walked the essence of sin or evil is either living without the fear of God or twisting the truth about God. Those who invert the truth about God's word. Those who tell half truth about God's word. Listen to me.

Those who have made up their mind to live by their own rules.

Reason fancies are going to come under the wrath of God. Make no mistake about it.

So what is the truth will Paul says in Romans chapter 1 verses 19 and 20 BC they rejected the knowledge of God, the rejection of the knowledge of God is really the core of the problem. I know you heard people say God is not fair what is going to happen to those who never heard our Savior. None of your business except you share the gospel with them.

Leave them to God's care, love, mercy and grace and justice. But that's okay.

It's always a red herring always say what you can do. You heard the truth about the ones who haven't heard, but if you look within verses 19 and 20. Paul tells us what's going to happen. Paul is saying that there is natural revelation of God that he has placed as playing as the nose in your face, except some cases the Moses, so horrific, you can't miss. He is saying that when they look at the majestic mountains and when they look at the mighty oceans when they look at the exquisite and intricate way our bodies are formed when they see the procedure by which the galaxies and stars are operating and after seeing all of the wrath and they do not believe in the Almighty God than there will come on the judgment is after seeing all of this and still think it comes from a blog book, the going to come undergo judgment. They just rejected God.

I honestly believe that the theory of evolution is one of the most incredible hoaxes that ever been perpetrated upon humankind. How come that the God who created these magnificent things with such precision and accuracy cannot breathe in a bunch of dust that there is humanity the New York Times that you agree with me. That's not an evangelical paper right back in 1979 July 11, 1979 reported on in the read the latest DNA testing is proving the evolution among humans is a hoax. That's not Christianity today is New York Times and what Paul is saying is this denial of God is a concentrated act of the will to suppress the truth about God.

No wonder the psalmist said in 19 one is that the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament proclaim his handiwork and that is why it says though they knew him how by looking at the magnificent creation and yet they chose to suppress the truth about God instead of letting the natural revelation lead them to God who chose to close their eyes but is one more thing I wanted you to know about the wrath of God. There is a day in which is going to be a global judgment, the entire globe will be judged by God and the judgment is coming up with those who have rejected God.

Those who have modified the word of God. Those who have changed the truth about God, but there is something else that is says here in Romans that makes you want to sit in the corner and we he said even in this life before the day of judgment. God gives them up to the consequences of the rejection God gives us more of what we want to say that with God gives us more of what we want. You see it in the very early part of the Scripture Pharaoh hardened his heart, God says Mr. Pharaoh, I'm going to give you more of what you want. I'm going to harden your heart even more. The opposite is true. When you hunger for righteousness set her. How can I do this when you sin, and will stumble and fall, and then he immediately cried out because it all got I'm so sorry I'm so sorry.

Forgive me. That is not something a man of God, a woman of God to that. I am so sorry. Forgive me that's hungering for righteousness.

God sees that and he sees that hunger is I give you more my righteousness I give you more righteousness to this writer does a hunger for rights, they shall be fed? Why does God give you more of what you want. See God is a respect of his creation. He respects us a red not long ago that the number of people in the United States alone, who are sexually transmitted diseases. Over 70 million. This is a while back. God didn't give them that God did not give them that they gave it to themselves why because all moral enlightenment comes from God.

All intellectual Enlightenment comes from God. All reasoning power comes from God.

So when the source of this moral, intellectual and reasoning power, namely, God is rejected, they defend themselves into this moral, intellectual and reasoning, darkness, beloved receivers all around us we see it all around us sometimes and I'm watching the news and hear news reporters showing some atrocity somewhere in the world and you say this is man's inhumanity to man. I want to shout non-silly this is man's humanity to plan because without the one true God.

There can be no true humanity without the light of the gospel. Man becomes a wild beast. Verse 22. Although they claim to be wise their foolish mother Greek word here for foolish and is a word from which we get our English word moron. Sometimes I hear some of these morons saying because the final judgment has not happened, therefore, is not coming beloved just because God is so patient. Just because God is so long-suffering. It does not mean that he does not settle accounts someday here settling some accounts now by giving them up to the consequences of their choices, but the final day the judgment day, the day of wrath, which is yet to come. He will settle all accounts, all preachers prescribed payday. Someday, listen, God will bless and will bless and will bless and then blow some more and then the day of reckoning comes, is what the Bible said nobody is going to have an excuse on the day no excuse. No one will be able to spread God did not give me enough time God did not give me enough opportunities. God did not give me enough warnings known judgment is coming up on those who have inverted the truth. Secondly, judgment is coming up on those who perverted the gift of sexuality see when God's truths are suppressed. The mind becomes darkened and when the mind is darkened all of God's gift. All of them, but especially the gift of sexuality becomes perverted, misused and abused.

Listen to what Jesus said if you're still having problem with wrath anything closest.

The apostle Paul is what Jesus said in John chapter 3 verse 36 whoever believes in the son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the son will not see a life for God's wrath. This is Jesus. Now God's wrath remain on policy basically saying the same thing that Jesus said in Romans 126 for this reason. What reason the perversion of God's gift of sexuality, God gave them up for this reason God gives them up to their detestable passions, females exchanged natural relations for unnatural in the mail. Likewise, beloved, listen to me this is a very sensitive subject and I know it is especially sensitive for those who are family members or caught in this lifestyle listen to.

First of all if you have a family member or archive new neighbors whom I gone hard and I talked to him befriend.

But if you have a family member, you must do the following. It doesn't matter who said what, you must love them love them love them and then love them some more okay. It doesn't matter what a mega-church pastor in this city or any other citizen. It doesn't matter what ahead of the denomination said it doesn't matter what the Supreme Court said it doesn't matter what government says God said that any sex other than between a husband and wife in marriage is perversion of the gift of sexuality. We must always love those recording that lifestyle always always always you never stop praying and fasting on their behalf, never, never, never, never give up praying for them, and men in the past. I knew some people who came to the Lord after the contracting AIDS. We love them in this church we minister to them who conducted the funerals I never forget a man who came to the Lord actually listening to me on radio.

Then he came to the church join the church baptized, actually he gave his testimony on the Thanksgiving service Thanksgiving day and we use that testimony recorded and played it in his funeral. This man said to me he said don't you ever stop preaching the truth. Deep down we all know is a sin against God.

Deep down we suffer the guilt of conscious deep down we wish. We have victory over that sin and then he said something else.

I'll never forget is that those who are most militant and fighting hard for their cause of those who've experienced the deepest conviction and carrying the greatest of guilt. I'll never forget that.

He said all of that acceptance in the world will not ease the burning conscience.

A dear friend of mine told me just this week that a very reputable survey showed that 95% of those who have gone through sex change in Sweden where it's so easy 95% of them are miserable and depressed.

Beloved all of the honest and brilliant psychiatrist that I read have said gender confusion is a terrible psychological disorder but it is treatable and is treatable and you can go through 106.

Change, but until you come to the loving arms of Jesus. You will still be unhappy. You'll still be miserable. But Jesus loves you and he wanted to come to him today.

God gave us the gift of sexuality to be practiced in marriage between a biological man in the biological listen to me. It's a terrible sentence might be emotional before your birth now is preparing the message are genuine, wept. It's a terrible sentence in this repeated three times God gave him up. Anyone who rejoices in that doesn't know the heart of Jesus in version of the truth. Perversion of God's gift of sexuality served later deprivation of the mind versus 28 to 32. Here again the third time God gave them up. Beloved, listen to me. We are seeing this downward spiral before our own eyes. Every step that is taken down, and rejecting of biblical truth. Every step we take down and listing biblical truth and modifying biblical truth in doing injustice the biblical truth we see God hands of restraint.

Let's go a little bit low birth little more than a little more more, until finally, when the bottom of morality falls these catalog of 21 evils dominate our lives is 21 categories all matters of wickedness, evil, greed, depravity, injury, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossips lender, God haters instrument, arrogant, boastful, invent new ways of doing evil they disobey their parents senseless faithless, heartless, ruthless. I don't know about you every time I read this list. I want to have a shower not talk about spiritual show. Just think about this being a dominant thing terrible thing for our children and grandchildren. Think about. I wonder how many of us even if we don't practice these we approve of them by our silence, always wonder whether message of the Angels about the birth of Jesus. He was born in the darkest of night rest because he and he alone can meet us in the midnight of also Jesus wants to meet you at the midnight of your soul. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael use sat recently featured on leading the way. If you'd like to know more about us, please visit LTW.org@LTW.Ward