Saltwater - Romans 1:24

When God saved you that salvation did not include vaccination from sin and salvation provided some sort of vaccination against loss if it provided some sort of armor against the sins of the body, and Paul would never have had the right to Timothy Timothy Lee, youthful lusts, would you notice he did not say Timothy not Stan and here's how you fight it. He said Timothy fully and run from it lace up your boots and God don't hang around or leave while it's true that all of us in. We don't need to be dominated.

Buyers God's Word gives us guidance for dealing with sin properly for the unbeliever who ignores God and lives in rebellion, God allows that person to be completely given over to sin.

Have you ever taken the plunge into the ocean and swallowed a mouthful of saltwater, it might've looked refreshing and cool but it only made you thirsty in this message. Called saltwater Stephen Davies shows you how the world's vein philosophies and empty pursuits are just like drinking saltwater. Thanks for tuning into wisdom for the heart here Stephen with today's Bible lesson. Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote these provocative words. He said every man shall one day be seated at a banquet table of consequences in Romans chapter 1 verses 24 to 32 discover a vivid description of what those consequences looked and acted like Paul will spread the table with a list of sins that will make all of us uncomfortable. We will find each of us in some way reflected in this list. None of us escapes and we would perhaps rather skip it altogether.

They might be thinking this list in Romans one, verses 24 to 32 are not consequences, but the sin alone, but in a way that's true, but in a very real sense, these sins happen to be nothing less than the consequences that enslave the life of the person who refuses to acknowledge God the person who says there is no God or I know there is a God, but I refuse to worship and honor him. This is the table spread before them, and he will cover it all, from adultery to arrogance from lesbianism to gossip. You will find here as he spreads the banquet table. People who are unrestrained in their evil and unrepentant in their wickedness and uninhibited in their perversion. I believe that I am led by God to refuse the temptation to hurry here, even though there will be times that we will hold our breath and hang our heads in shame.

If God did not want us to expound on the darkness of man's nature, he would not of inspired Paul to spend nearly half of the first chapter bringing it to our attention. There is warning here for us all, warning that will save us back in verse 21, all of mankind knows about the existence of God through creation and conscience.

We have learned, but they refused to place him on the throne.

They refused to thank him for the kindness of the rain.

The warmth of the sunshine and they in effect say to God, leave us alone in the darkness we would rather have our sin than the Savior, so Lee must be and God gives them their wish three times you read the chilling words in verse 24 God gave them up or God gave them over in verse 26, God gave them over verse 28 God gave them over negative you understand in the context of this passage that Paul is already revealed to us that man has given up God before God gives up on man man has chosen to ignore God before God chooses to ignore man man chose to violate that intuitive voice of conscience before God allowed man to ruin himself in immorality. We don't want a holy and righteous God man says and have a seat at this awful table of consequences for as sure as I am standing here you will eat from this banquet. You cannot trifle with the truth of God's word and hope to escape unharmed.

You abandon God, God will abandon you. The tragedy of these words, God gave them over, God gave them over the Greek word for this phrase is one word. It only the word that comes right out of the Roman system of law and call the former attorney brings us back into sort of a courtroom setting. It means to be handed over to suffer the payment of crime that you've committed the word was used in Mark chapter 1 verse 14 to speak of John the Baptist who was handed over to the authorities and put into jail.

The word is also used in Matthew five verse 25 where Jesus Christ himself used the word saying make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way to court in order that your opponent may not deliver you to the judge.

There's that word and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be thrown into prison board is also used in reference to fallen angels or demons, some who immediately face judgment as second Peter 24 where we read God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and here's a word committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment. So when Paul writes here in Romans chapter 1 verse 24 therefore God gave them over. This is the act of a righteous judge who takes the unrepentant sinner and abandons him to his own undoing of the verb could be understood passively. That is if you could just imagine God standing on the bank of a river holding in his hand. Man only man is in the form of a bottle and he lets man go. And he releases man. He gives him over to the current of the river and the river picks him up and pushes him forward until he heads toward that waterfall, but speed and momentum are against him and he crashes over the edge and down the rocks below God simply withdrew and let man take his full course of sin and its consequences. That's passive. It can also be active in his understanding that is not just and let man know in the water.

God constructed the boat boarded unrepentant man on it and set it to sail down the river over the waterfall. The crashing rocks you can understand both of these senses. In this word God not only passively is involved in allowing man to destroy himself in sin, but he is actively involved in judging sinful man by giving over through his wrath.

These consequences that they must reap as penalties of sin, and so man they wanders about in his misery. He wanders about his unfulfilled estate. He wonders about seeking and speculating and despairing of life, man has said we will choose to ignore our conscience with its moral whisperings. We will choose to dethrone the creator and make a God in our own image. That's more comfortable with us and more conducive to our sin. We don't want anything to do with creator God. God, if you're out there only me alone and God grants the wish.

There is something also about this word or dinner me. It has within it the nuance of said it describes the feeling of the father whose son turned his back on him and said I would get away from you on a leave, give me my inheritance.

So the father released the father gave him what he wanted. He gave him his inheritance and it says the sun went into a far country that implies that he wanted to go to a country that was as far away from his father. He could go there. He lived it up with his inheritance he bought his friends he bought his pleasures until he ran out of money. I believe several years later he'd spent everything that he had had given to him by his father and he ended up in a pigpen. You know the stories covered with filth trying to satisfy the cravings of his stomach with food meant for the pigs. He was ladies and gentlemen seated at the banquet table of consequences apart from the mercy of his father. He would live the rest of his life.

The slaves, but his father gave him mercy and rode the grace while you're still living my friend while you have breath in your lungs. You can run the father you can stop chasing the mirage of the world and run to him with parched lips and begged for mercy and he will give you mercy. He will roam you with his righteousness as he forgives you he will put on your finger. The ring of redemption upon your feet, the sandals of salvation as long as you have breath and maybe for some of you today go to him and say, oh God, forgive me. I put you upon the throne of my life or Jesus become my Savior. Well, for those who won't. If you want to swim in the current of sin, God abandoned you to the waterfall you choose the country far away from God and I predict there is a pigpen in your future, and possibly describes it for us in chapter 1 verses 24 to 32. He begins the description of this banquet table of consequences by saying in verse 24 therefore that is on the basis of what they have denied in preceding verses God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity that their bodies might be dishonored among them that you notice the progression you first dishonored God and then you dishonor yourself and you dishonor yourself first in your heart and then with your body, the lusting in your heart and the craving in your heart that is unfettered by a conscience. You remember the conscience has been choked off and it has been silenced and what once brought a pang of guilt and you may have looked both ways before doing or saying or acting now would no longer can choke out all morning. You have silenced the word lost here is up with the media. It is a word in this context it refers to the sins of the flesh sins you commit to or with your body. These unfulfilled cravings. The Bible tells us can come in many forms.

Forms that we know today forms that were current in Paul's day. Drug abuse was current in Paul's day, and current today, pornography, sexual immorality, the point that Paul is making is that when you do not long after God you will long after something else you think that something else will satisfy me, but my friends at saltwater you drink it, and you're thirsty for more and you drink it, and you're thirsty for more you drink it, and you're thirsty for more until it destroys you from the inside out society in our generation is consumed with sexual content and activity. I read this past month that 68% of all television shows have something to do with it. 89% of all the movies that are on feature some form of it and nearly 9/10 times you see it, it will be activity between either single people or between married people with someone for whom they are not married, you're like my wife and me. You now consider even the commercials to be out of bounds. The trouble with sexual sin or the lusting of the heart is that it never satisfies and it is never satisfied one off the road when the heart becomes hardened and the thrill is gone. Forbidden pleasure needs more and more like a drug addict who needs higher and higher doses, to get that original high sinners have to go to more and more extremes to get the same sense of pleasure and ladies and gentlemen, we are in the process of watching our world go deeper and deeper in the sexual darkness and deviancy seeking the same hybrid it's taking so much more. An article out of world magazine, March 10, 2001 says virtually the same thing a few years ago. The portrayals now sex in the media keep growing more and more explicit, more and more extreme, more importantly, as the culture keeps stepping over the line that marks what is illicit evermore outrageous perversions slither out and make their claim to be socially acceptable. This article that I don't read and file the way he talked about a couple of illustrations.

One is this past years Oscar winner for best picture. American beauty. It is a story that hinges on a man who rediscovers his vitality by lusting after his daughter's underage friend know where this review said does the movie ever present. The main character as a repulsive figure as movies usually depict pedophiles and the audience is led to be definitely on his side.

Another review recently. Hollywood attempted to recast an 18th-century pornographer Frenchman named Marquis de Sade is a man who wasn't all that bad in a movie called quills true history, however, reveals this man was an 18th-century pornographer who tortured women and molested children. But the movie played him as a champion of free speech are sexually and inundated society is simply reaching for the same thrill but it's taking more and more graphic stuff to get the same high and in the process.

Sinful man is dishonoring his body. He is dishonoring the bodies of others and he is pursuing the current that will lead him to ultimate despair and destruction.

Another author wrote these words as mankind goes further and further away from God.

God gives them over to the consequences of their spiritual and moral rebellion against him instead of adhering to God's standards of moral purity.

They attempt to simply remove the consequences of their impurity, they turn to counseling to medicine to psychoanalysis. The drugs do all the travel or whatever host of other means to escape. What cannot be escaped, except by the forgiveness and removal of their sin and all the while sin destroys personal relationships. It destroys marriages. It destroys families.

It destroyed cities and nations. Sin degrades man debases the image of God in which he is made and stripped him of dignity, peace of mind and a clear conscience. The heart the biblical writer said all of man is full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. In other words, man left to himself man who ignores God. Amanda decides to live life like he wants to live as a life filled with insanity you want to see the insanity of lost. You want an illustration of how immorality deceives your intellect darkens your ability to discern right from wrong, good from bad. All you have to do is look in the Bible you know there are a couple of ways that you can learn truth one is through objective oppositional statements such as the one you told your little child some time ago, honey, if you touch this stove.

It's hot and it'll burn you. That's propositional truth is, so your four-year-old evaluated the validity of that propositional truth and decided it would learn the second way experience and so it touched it, thus proving the propositional truth was, indeed, absolute truth now, which is the best way to learn by hearing it, and believing it, not by experiencing you not to experience all of the dredges of society did know that the result of that activity is what exactly the Bible says it would be the best thing to do is is read in the Bible don't do this, don't do it, do this, do it when you follow propositional truth, you will be protected for those who ignore the word of God, and run in their own direction will experience all the horror truth. Sinful pleasure promises something it cannot finally produce a cannot satisfy for the moment and by the way, with a wayward son with any sinner you know it is producing pleasure and mirth and friendship. Don't ever tell a sinner you're not having any fun, but of course they are. If they weren't, they wouldn't be living the life they live. The point is hands it ends and there is the loss of roots. There is the loss of heritage. There is the loss of honest relationships. There is the loss of a clear conscience. There is ultimate pain and guilt and suffering. You can learn it by hearing propositional truth now or you can experience. According to Paul, sins against the body include not only those sins against your own body, but against the bodies of others.

The word translated impurity and adverse can actually refer to the decay that occurs within a grave they could include actions of violence against the bodies of others for the sake of personal satisfaction are selfish.

I believe that these things can best be described as betrayal of one person against another. Our culture today is filled with unrestrained betrayal. One is abortion.

That's the betrayal of the unborn by the mother and father in society at large that endorses it and encourages it wholly upside down logic of our world that's lost that sense it is in this country against the law to crush the egg of an unborn eaglet and yet you can dismember the body of a baby in the womb.

Infanticide is the betrayal of babies by their parents. This step downward was being practiced in the days of Paul as he wrote to the Roman believers. The father had the right to decide whether or not the newborn lived if it was weak, sickly, maybe was a girl and he wanted a boy he could put it out on the door stoop and at night. Gangs would come by and take the babies and raise them for prostitution priest could come by and get the babies for child sacrifice or the dogs would carry them away. The early church we know was in the practice of at times going out at night and scooping up the babies and raising them within the community of the church. You might think that infanticide would never happen in our generation in any form. I wish it were so. But it's not even today the voices are clamoring for the next step and other steps involved.

One gentleman was anything but a gentleman chairs the Department of ethics at Princeton University's name is Peter Singer and he is creating a firestorm of protest, but he is also gaining a hearing saying things that have already been said, now for some 25 years. He writes, perhaps like the ancient Greeks we should have a ceremony. A month after birth at which the infant is admitted to the community. Before that time. He says infants would not be recognized as having the same right to life. As older people. This is, he argues, morally acceptable because it is not until weeks after birth that they gain self aware is not alone. University of Colorado philosopher Michael Tooley far back as 72 said that infants are non-persons who do not have a right to life is selfish, sinful, abusive man wanders further and further away from God's word, he loses the standard of human dignity.

The preciousness of human life Isaiah 44, two says, thus says the Lord, who made you and formed you from the womb.

Life begins there. David wrote in Psalm 139 for that asked for my inward parts that it's leave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to the Verizon fearfully and wonderfully made. Even now, ladies and gentlemen in this country of America, there is a bill pending in Congress call quote born alive infants protection act to simply trying to keep infants who survive abortions from being killed. There is another form of betrayal, incest. This is the betrayal of children by adults.

Again, the rushing water going down the sewer.

The further away gets the dirtier gets there authors there are people there are intelligentsia clamoring to lower the age of consent.

What is what is called child abuse today should be reconsidered.

One author said that much of what is called abuse between consenting minors and adults should be recalled quote intergenerational relationships. July and it is betrayal.

Another dishonorable action betrayal of the human body is euthanasia.

It is the betrayal of older people by the younger people, those who are too old now to contribute to society or to value or enjoy their own lives should be put to sleep like animals. Euthanasia is derived from the Greek prefix you, which means good and the Greek noun, Thanatos deftly put those two together and it says good death, but it's a lie when you discard the truth from God's word, that life is sacred and worthy of being saved, then the deformed, the handicapped, mentally disabled, the old and infirm, the newborn, the unborn, the undefended child are no longer protected but they are dishonored. Bodies are mistreated, they are betrayed. Paul wrote in chapter 1 verse 24 therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity that their bodies might be dishonored among them. In other words, in the end. Sinful pleasure betrays you. It deceives you with the fraud you it will destroy. Let me give you two principles that emerge from Romans 124 first to abandon God is to be abandoned by grace to say goodbye to God is to say goodbye to the grace of God is the grace of God that gives life meaning and gives laughter that is in hollow. It gives joy that doesn't need a drink or pill saying goodbye to God is saying, I will live my life my own way and I will do without the grace of God which is that very element that makes life worth secondly to reject the freedom of salvation is to embrace the slavery of sin. Paul, in writing, the Titus contrasted salvation with slavery as he wrote to Titus, for we also once were disobedient, deceived and enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, but when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, saved not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior know a lot about that.

I love the fact that he says we also once were God's cleanse me had one practical warning to the believer here.

If salvation provided some sort of vaccination against lost if it provided some sort of armor against the sins of the body, and Paul would never have had to write to Timothy Timothy for Lee youthful lusts. Would you notice he did not say Timothy not Stan and here's how you fight it. He said Timothy fully.

It run from it lace up your boots and begone don't hang around Ron Lee Lee, youthful lust, he says, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord Jesus. From a pure heart. There's that word again.

Heart is in Romans one, you remember, the unbeliever loses the battle of loss where in the heart now in second Timothy to the believer wins the battle for purity where the heart see you will never do anything with your body without first giving a permission by your heart. What's the best way for a believer in his heart to be ready to run to be prepared in the society that is constantly going downward in his digression away from God and his holiness.

David gives us one of the most wonderful verses he says in Psalm 119 thy word have I hidden where my heart that I might not what sin against the you have evidently memorized that only ask you when is the last time you have memorized verses if it is Scripture, tucked away in the heart that keeps you and me from following these lusts from a life of despair and being defrauded and being deceived. When is the last time you you actually studied and memorized verses your my friends if you want something quick to overcome sin. I'm here to tell you it does not exist. It is a matter of discipline is a matter of study.

Ladies and gentlemen. Holiness will never sneak into your life. Moral purity will never be a coincidence, but I woke up today and I was wholly what you know. No to battle for purity that is followed in the heart of every believer will call the pursuit second Timothy 222 so is the word of God in your heart.

Secondly is the spirit of God in your walk. Paul wrote, walk by the spirit bought by means of the spirit per potato walk everything around you and about you should be inundated not by the lust of the flesh, but inundated by the influence and the leadership of the Holy Spirit walk like that and he says what you will not carry out the lusts same words in Romans one of the flesh. That was an important reminder for today wasn't it your listening to wisdom for the heart. The teaching ministry of Stephen Davey. Today's lesson called saltwater is part of Stephen series from Romans one, entitled the banquet table of consequences will continue through this series all week. In the meantime, make sure and contact us to request your complimentary issue of our magazine heart to heart. You can call us today at 86 648 Bible. That's 866-482-4253 and will add you to the list for the next three issues. You can also find information as well as a sign-up form on our installed the wisdom From the iTunes or Google play store. Join us again tomorrow for our next Bible