Truth Imprisoned

It says things like little malice and bitterness put away so things like love your neighbor as yourself into things like forgive 70×7 is not just one of the little thoughts that if you'd like to apply them to your life. Things will get a little better. These are spiritual laws and when you violate them. You bear in your body.

The consequences if you want to keep that garage keep it watch happen to you, and discover the physical and emotional consequences to things like envy and pride and bitterness and even stinginess. The truth is suffering follows said God explains what he expects from us in the Bible and he expects that we will obey. Have you met people who think they can pretty much do as they please as long as they don't hurt anyone else.

That's a common way of thinking.

One reason why many in our society have adopted that viewpoint is because they forgotten about God and they don't anticipate that God will ever judge them today on wisdom for the heart are Bible teacher Stephen Devi will challenge that misconception were looking at a hard reality today discussing the wrath of God in a message Stevens calling truth imprisoned man is busily in the process of continually re-creating God in his own image crafts a comfortable deity was easier to face, and certainly easier to ignore. He fashions a facilitating God who pats him on the head.

Every so often and says boys will be boys. No wonder the organized church is wandering all around the theological and moral landscape today struggling to vote against homosexual ordination struggling to come up with a position on abortion and fornication in gambling and on and on and on my friends if you no longer have an absolute standard of righteousness.

When that is thrown out. Everything else can come in if you no longer have that standard of holy righteousness, you will not be able to know what is wrong because you no longer know what is right. In fact what a person believes about spiritual things doesn't even require reasoning or justification or some sort of objective truth. All that matters is that you believe it.

Your sincerity counts, not your reason.

So, while religion and spirituality are bigger than ever.

Although they are more confusing and diverse than ever. It is according to one secular source, a type of religion now to be praised and I called the secular source because it is religious expression that now downplays doctrine and dogma and revels in direct experience of the divine in the Lord away with objective truth up with subjective truth, whatever stripper is true so they revel in this direct experience of the divine weather that experience of the demise of the Holy Spirit, or cosmic consciousness or the true self doesn't matter. It's practical and personal. It is more about stress reduction than salvation. It is more about therapy than theology. It is about feeling good, not being good.

Most people still say they believe in God but they are mixing and matching religious beliefs and practices that now resonate with their own life experience that also thought it was an improvement. I just got that out of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and I'm so glad I got something out of it that I get used just about the money is another author, however, raises the warning in his book the new absolutes. He says this we have reached the point where we permit almost everything and stand for almost nothing except the dogmatic belief that every person is right in their own eyes. Our beliefs are now more a matter of feelings than anything. Most importantly, our beliefs are our beliefs and that we think makes them worthy and beyond dispute will put. So what are we left with were left with the behavior and beliefs that have become to a person his newest sacred idols man is as guilty as of idolatry as he has been in the past he has now created gods in his own image. He is now created a religious system with his own beliefs which are now the idols before which he worships and he would rather worship his self-made self styled self vindicating self satisfying self promoting, self serving God than the one true and living God, to whom he must one day give an account he would rather have his own. No wonder his own are impotent to hold them accountable to some form of standard or holy living.

While the wrath of God.

We discussed at length the past is an unwanted attribute.

It is an undeniable attribute. Listen as Isaiah writes in chapter 13 behold, the day of the Lord is coming cruel with fury and burning anger to make the land the desolation and he will exterminate its sinners from it for the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shed its light. Thus, all I God says will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will also put an end of the arrogance of the proud and abased the haughtiness of the ruthless. I will make mortal man, scarcer than pure gold. Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the Lord of hosts in the day of his burning anger. There is this other side of God that we would rather do away with the Isaiah is communicating the truth about wrath of God, which is yet to come.

Paul in Romans chapter 1 verse 18 announces that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. If you go back to the text the tense could be translated. Read for the wrath of God is continually presently in an ongoing way being revealed against mankind from heaven.

What is he mean the wrath of God is revealed from heaven will in order to answer that question I need to answer another one. What are the categorical types of revelation from God to begin with.

When there are two. The first is what we call general revelation is general revelation because it's the kind of revelation that everybody has access to, and there are two forms of general revelation want to write this down. You'll need for the test. The first is creation and the second is conscience and all of humanity has access to creation, and all of humanity has an inborn conscience that they choose not to listen to general revelation basically in effect brings an awareness that there is a supreme being that there is a creator that there is a designer will come back for greater detail in another study in the future but for now, notice how Paul expounds on this form of general revelation look in verse 19, that which is known about God is evident within them.

For God made it evident to them.

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 what they are without excuse. In other words, creation naturally leads mankind to form an opinion that there must be a creator, the beautiful and complex design of our universe leads a person with an open heart to believe in a designer listen to David as he sings about the creation pointing open hearts toward the truth of God's existence. In Psalm 19.

The heavens declare the glory of God.

The skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech night after night they display knowledge there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In other words, no matter how remote the tribe of Indians. Maybe no matter where you travel around the globe or out into outer space there is. This allowed persistent declaration of creation which points you to say there must be a creator creation points to creator design points to a desire I read recently in the town hall in Copenhagen stands the world's most complicated clock. It took 40 years to build a cost of about $1 million in today's market and be about $100 million.

It has 10 faces 15,000 parts and is accurate to 2/5 of a second every 300 years. The clock computes the time of day the days of the week, the months and years, and the movements of the planets for 2500 years.

Some parts of this clock will not move until 25 centuries have passed, the more you know about this clock would lead you to say those designers were very intelligent people. These were the ones who were awake and algebra. The more sophisticated and intricate. The design of anything would lead you to assume the brilliance and intelligence of the designer behind it. And so the author Scripture says just like look around you. This incredibly massive universe must speak of a massive God. This infinitely complex universe must speak of an incredibly complex God. Even Charles Darwin once admitted the complexity of design within the human eye is enough to cause him to consider a creator. See such an incredible creation implies the existence of an incredible creator.

That's what David said all that heavens declare that God is unbelievably glorious when Puritan Rd., God has left large footprints all around his universe.

That argument is used by King David and hereby the apostle Paul basically says this God exists and everybody knows the point is what they do. It will see in a moment with the new so the first kind of general revelation is creation of a second kind of general revelation is human conscience my notice universe 19 as pulses because that which is known about God is evident with in them you could take your pencil run of the margin. That's conscience for God made it evident to them.

That's creation so revelation available to all of humanity is creation without an conscience within the look over to chapter 2 verse 14. Would you. Chapter 2 verse 14, where Paul speaks in a little more detail on this subject of conscience. He writes for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, that is, they do not have the 10 Commandments, yet they do instinctively the things of the law. These people that is not having the law are a lot of themselves in that they show the work of the wall written in their hearts, their conscience, bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or announce defending them. So in other words, when a man lies and steals and fornicate send sheets and murders. He knows without ever having read the book of Exodus. It says you shouldn't do those things that he did something wrong and so he seeks to excuse them while he will never seek to excuse telling the truth. They need understand why told the truth, I was pressured and because of that I decided to tell what actually know they'll do that you are pressured to explain the lie right where did the sense of right and wrong come from what is gnawing, turning in the stomach come from the goes all the way back to when you were little. God is written, the law on our hearts, he says. And conscience is the voice that teaches the remote tribal man and the sophisticated urbanite just accept that the other form of revelation from God. In addition to general revelation is special revelation that happens to be the explicit communication God to man, you probably happen to have a copy of it on your lap skull. The Bible, God's breath in words, his inspired special revelation called inspired Scripture that listen to this carefully. While general revelation allows mankind to be aware of.

There must be some God out there special revelation allows a man to worship God by introducing God to him what that means is general revelation through creation and conscience is not sufficient to save a person, it is sufficient.

According to Romans one to render every person guilty and without what without excuse. Paul gonna say in verse 21, that in spite of general revelation in spite of the fact that there is is wonderful creation man still chooses to worship the creation rather than the creator they still kneel down before stump or a rock or the moon or or a river or their man-made gods. Rather than say there's got to be an infinite being out there and I want to know who he is no. He says that everyone is guilty because they have general revelation and they ignore it and they suppress in silence a voice of their conscience. So mankind and suppresses the truth of general revelation and what it reveals about this wonderful creator. They assault the truth is, will see they deny the truth. They resist the truth and so men and women whether or not they had a Bible will be without excuse. One day before God because they had creation and they had conscience and they denied them both. They were along to themselves and their own law found them guilty and sinful, but also believe ladies and gentlemen that anybody anywhere in the world who sees creation says there must be a creator who hears conscience and says I am troubled by my guilt.

I am convinced from Jeremiah's own promise that those who seek me will find me when they search for me with all their heart. John MacArthur rights no matter how little spiritual light. A person may have got guarantees that any person who sincerely seek him will find him and this is part of the mystery, but between divine election and mankind is a free moral agent that Paul makes it clear if you would like another passage turn to Romans chapter 10 that we must have special revelation. In addition to general revelation in order to be safe and I make this point because the church at large. Today is denying this very foundational truth saying that somebody out there in the remote wilderness is never heard of Jesus Christ can be safe is in true Paul says in Romans one, they are without excuse because they deny creation and its creator, and they suppress the truth of conscience that listen to what Paul says which gives us by the way, the motive for mission. Romans 1013, whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. How then shall they call upon him in whom they not believed and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a messenger, a preacher, the Denver 17 so faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God and the Lord's faith comes on the heels of objective biblical truth and our passion for world missions emanates from our desire to serve as God's special agents in distributing all around the world. The special revelation called God's word so that those who only know about God will know who he is and what the name of his son, our Savior is okay. That takes care of our review. Now that is her introduction let's go back to the original question we started with in the original question was, will we ever get out of verse 18. No, that was not the original question we talked about how God reveals himself, but Paul says in verse 18, that the wrath of God is constantly being revealed. What is that mean and how does God demonstrate and reveal his wrath to all of humanity. Let me very quickly give you a fivefold demonstration of God's wrath. Here's five ways he demonstrates his wrath. The 1st Way, God's holy anger is enacted or revealed is through civil punishment of sin or crime.

In other words, his anger is demonstrated when civil courts punish offenders Romans 13, by the way, will inform us that civil government is appointed by God to wield the sword the role by God whether they believe in him or not is to wield the sword and bring justice to any community and well was that community that instead of bringing justice and condemning and punishing crime. Instead, rewards sin and punishes good right just the direction which our culture is headed. Secondly, God punishes sinners and that wrath is revealed in this built-in tendency of moral evil to produce misery. Charles Hodge put it that way I couldn't come up with a better way to say it, the tendency of moral evil to produce misery is a fascinating thought. We don't have time to explore, but suffice it to say that sinners do not find lasting ongoing continual satisfaction from sin when a pillow, there had neither guilty and are troubled in their miserable that's part of God's wrath is built in, so that those who sin without repentance are in misery because of their God demonstrates his displeasure through the voice of conscience. We've talked about that. Fourth, God's wrath against sinners is found in the consequences of breaking God's laws. God, the creator has established laws by which were to abide and through which we find satisfaction and enjoyment. There are several fronts of his laws. One would be his physical laws. You break those physical laws and you will suffer consequences. Take for instance the law of gravity. If you break the law of gravity. You will suffer the consequence in some fashion, like the proverbial man who decided to fly by jumping from the roof of an office building 50 stories high.

He was heard announcing as he passed the open window on the 20th floor level. So far so good will, eventually, the law and the consequence of breaking the law will catch up to the way he's feeling. William Barclay wrote you break the law of agriculture and your harvest failed you break the laws of architecture in your building collapses.

You break the laws of health and your body suffers the wrath of God is revealed, we break these certain laws and we pay the consequences because of their also consequences the violating God's moral laws.

Not only does he have physical laws but he is moral laws. One of those would be venereal diseases which are proliferating hundreds of thousands of people this year will contract a venereal disease in the world doesn't want to accept the message that God is in a sense, through this wrath attempting to communicate a message that he has designed the law and the laws one man and one woman in anytime you go beyond that you run the risk of bearing one of these consequences. The world doesn't understand the fact I remember writing down in my own memory of this quote by an actress a few years ago who said she was so frustrated she said it is infuriating to me that something so beautiful has two consenting adults results in disease. She is denied.

What God has built into his moral law. There are consequences to disobeying another form of law. This is spiritual law physical law on moral law on spiritual.

The Bible says a lot of things that would fall into this category. Things like do not let the sun the downer representing go go to bed. What don't go to bed angry.

It says things like little malice and bitterness be put away, says things like love your neighbor as yourself. It says things like, forgive 70×7.

These are not just wonderful little thoughts that if you'd like to apply them to your life will be a little better.

These are spiritual laws and when you violate them.

You bear in your body the consequences if you want to keep that garage keep it but watch what will happen to you read the book of Proverbs and discover the physical and emotional consequences to things like envy and pride and bitterness and even stinginess. The truth is suffering follows sin. Finally, God's wrath is revealed against sinful humanity through death for the wages of sin is what is death. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men of sin. Romans 512 and 13.

It was thou not that bad. I really am in sin, will prove it of wages long enough because you gonna die will occupy a coffin, thus proving that God's wrath is indeed a reality. So the constant ongoing demonstration of God's wrath can be observed in everything from diseases to despair to death. Sometimes those things are agents of his will to godly people most often they are agents of his wrath to disobedient people that God wants us to know through Paul's writings that his fury is not without focus you look back at verse 18 of Romans one and he says it's directed against two things ungodliness and unrighteousness. I want to follow this carefully. There are two different Greek words which have been two different meanings.

The Greek word for ungodliness at Sabia normally refers to impiety toward God. That is rebellion against God and ungodly person is at rebellion with God but God's wrath is also revealed against unrighteousness on a Kia that normally refers to mankind read alien against one another that what our community has mixed up is that one is the source of the other ungodliness produces unrighteousness.

In other words, the lack of respect for God reveals itself in a lack of respect for other people when we do not treat God right.

We do not treat each other right so the effects of ungodliness are seen in unrighteousness when he illustrated this way.

The problem in our world is not racism that is the problem. That's the symptom. The problem is the rebellious heart of man against God, and because he is not rightly related with God. All these unrighteous things take place in our world system is constantly insisting on people sitting down and coming up with ways to treat each other better when they haven't addressed the fundamental issue and that is how to treat God until they discover how to treat God they will never know how to treat each other.

I think of one story very quickly story the little girl named Helen Keller she didn't have the ability to see here or speak probably heard her story I can imagine personally the horror of growing up in a dark, silent world as if the tight box or maybe locked away in a closet and this is how she lived.

But as you probably have heard a woman by the name of an Mansfield Sullivan came into her life and began to persistently communicate with Helen Keller by pressing into her hand. Letters she would form words with those letters and then she would get the object and put it in your hand. She did that over and over and it would be interrupted at times when with Helen Keller's infuriated tantrums, frustration and anger out of her confusion, but I am persistent. Finally, that one day came when there was a well with running water in and stuck Helen Keller's and under that, and while the water was gushing over her and she pressed in the word for water and connected after two years. This, that she was feeling her hand in these letters meant objective reality and and that created this avalanche of of learning Helen Keller Summit. He told me after this second service had read her biography. Just this past week and should learn 67 languages. This began at. So after much education by and they finally had the alphabet down and many many words and then at that point. This is what you haven't heard and saw. When he got a preacher and that preacher came in through an dictated to Helen Keller gospel of Jesus Christ.

Her biographies revealed to us that while they were in the process of getting the gospel message started suddenly she broke into a smile and pressed back into Anne's hand.

The words known about him for a long time. I just question is do we have known about his name. He believed wise way to live is to accept God's offer of salvation given to us in the person of Jesus Christ, thanks for joining us today here on wisdom for the heart.

This lesson is called truth, imprisoned, and it comes from the series.

The banquet table of consequences are Bible teacher Stephen Devi provides the archive of his teaching ministry, including this series on our website and on our app you'll find us online@wisdomonline.org you'll find our smart phone app in the iTunes and Google play stores using either of those platforms you can listen to this or any of our Bible lessons free of charge, by the way while you're there, sign up to receive the next three months of our magazine heart to heart. There are sign-up links on our app and on our website, you can fill out the form and will add you to the mailing list for the next three issues.

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