This is the ninth in a series of verse-by-verse expositions of the book of Romans. This message was delivered at Hillcrest Baptist Church on the morning of May 5, 2013. This message deals with the general sinfulness of mankind, and a lack of a fear of God. This contains an audio recording of my message, along with my sermon notes and a study outline. Please note that the sermon notes are not a full transcript.
AUDIO – Listen Now:
SERMON OUTLINE:
SERMON NOTES:
Romans 1:28-32
v.28:
This is the third time we read that God gave them “over.”
Note that they did not “like” to retain God in their knowledge.
Literally, they did not approve.
It was by choice. Just as the scoffers spoken of by Peter, they were willfully ignorant.
2 Peter 3:5
There is somewhat of a play on words here.
The word for debased actually paints a picture of being disapproved by God.
Because they didn’t approve of Him,, He gave them over to a mind that He disapproves of.
The obvious result of this, is to live a life of unrepentant sin.
vv.29-31:
Here begins a list of 23 indictments against unregenerate humanity.
There is no area of debauchery which is not covered in these verses.
This is a reminder that there are none who are righteous of their own accord.
It is a reminder that without the application of the blood of Christ, we embody wickedness, and cannot please God.
It is a reminder that the very nature of our hearts is sinful.
It is a reminder that we require the help and sacrifice of Christ, if we are to please God.
These are people without faith, and without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Hebrews 11:6
v.32:
What is disturbing, and very telling, is that these people are not ignorant of God’s judgment. They just refuse to acknowledge it.
They choose to sin anyway.
Such is typically the case with criminals.
They willingly engage in activity that they know to be illegal.
They know there are penalties, but they choose to do it anyway.
This paints exactly the same picture.
What’s worse, is that they take pleasure in their wrongdoing.
There is no fear of God with these people, and indeed, things are much the same today.
Fear is essential to a healthy and productive relationship with God.
Unfortunately, the “fear of God” is rarely talked about anymore.
We have toned it down so as not to offend anyone.
There is nothing wrong with a fear of God, in fact it is healthy.
It’s much the same as when you did something wrong as a child, you feared your parents.
That doesn’t mean that you didn’t love them. It means that you acknowledge their authority and their ability to punish you for what you had done.
Where there is no fear of God, there is no obedience to God, as can clearly be seen in our world today.
A fear of God is beneficial, and we should cultivate it.
- 1) Fear is a motivator for obedience.
Leviticus 25:17
Proverbs 16:6
- 2) The fear of God brings wisdom and knowledge.
Job 28:28
Psalm 111:10
Proverbs 1:7
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of God is a good thing and a healthy thing.
It is beneficial to us, and it is an attitude that we must cultivate in our daily lives.
The church needs to get off of the politically correct, I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings bandwagon, and get back to preaching the un-compromised truth of God’s Word.
In Defense: The Blog 
Posted on May 16, 2013
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