Our Great Commission
ROMANS 1
Part 2: His no more
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
Monday 5:00PM Bible Study – CANCELLED (I have to leave town tomorrow)
Tuesday Women’s at Lori’s
Men’s on Friday at the church 8:00PM – (Guy’s night when girls go to camp: pizza/games)
WHERE WE
† Maturing in Christ
† Understanding in Christ
† Love of God
† God’s Spiritual Fruit
This Series: The Book of Romans
Previously: Part 1 ~ Apostasy Among Us
TODAY’S SERMON: Our Great Commission
Romans 1
Part 2: His no More
SCRIPTURE
Romans 1:24
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
INTRODUCTION
What if God were to give you up today?
You may say “impossible!”, but the truth found in the scriptures say otherwise.
Let us not forget those whose Apostasy and sin had caused God to “Give them up”, in essence, they lost their salvation, or were barred from receiving it.
† Pharaoh, in Exodus, hardened his heart and refused to listen to the Word of God through Aaron and Moses (Exodus 8:15; 8:32; 9:34), more than once, to the point where God stepped in and hardened Pharaohs heart for good…God turned Pharaoh over to his sinful heart, which drove Pharaoh to death.
† Ananias and Sapphira, in the book of Acts, lied to the Holy Spirit and the Disciples. Their un-repented sin lead to their death. In Acts 5:3 Peter asks “How is it that Satan has filled your heart?”
† Judas Iscariot, whose sin was the love of money, which went un-confessed and un-repented, leading to the Saviors crucifixion, and Judas’ suicide. We can actually read in John 13:27, Judas took communion unworthily, with un-repented sin in his heart, and we see in the scriptures, it was at that point that Satan entered into him.
† Hymenaeus and Alexander, in I Timothy 1:20 – “…whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.”
These are a few examples which show that if you have un-confessed sin, God will turn you over to your sinful heart if you refuse to confess and repent, and the result of your sinful heart being your master is always the same…death and damnation.
We must confess and repent, or be turned over to our sinful hearts!
I. GOD GAVE THEM UP (LOST SALVATION)
1. Romans 1:24 – “…therefore God gave them over…”
† Although the scriptures say if you are in the hands of the Lord, no one may pluck you out, that does not mean you can’t walk away, or be removed by God giving you up.
2. Mark 3:29 – “29But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."
† Blaspheme (a form of apostasy) is the only unforgivable sin.
3. James 5:19-20 – “19My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
† We see that when one wanders from the truth (lives in sin) he has stepped off the narrow path, which leads to life, and onto the broad path which leads to death. If you see this, and can bring them back, the sin of their wandering will be forgiven, and they will be restored to salvation!
ILLUSTRATION
There is a novel by Madeleine L’Engle entitled “A Severed Wasp”, the title coming from one of George Orwell’s essays. It offers a graphic image of a human beings lostness.
Listen as Orwell describes the scene…
“A wasp was sucking jam on my plate and I cut him in half. He paid no attention, merely went on with his meal, while a tiny stream of jam trickled out of his severed esophagus. Only when he tried to fly away did he grasp the dreadful thing that had happened to him.”
The wasp and people without Christ have much in common. Severed from their souls, but greedy and unaware, people continue to consume life’s sweetness. Only when it’s time to fly away will they grasp their dreadful condition.
Our hearts, full of sin, deceive us.
II. THE SINFUL DESIRES OF ONES HEART
1. Jeremiah 19:9 – “ 9 The heart is deceitful above all things…”
Do we want a master who is deceitful above all things?
2. Hosea 10:2 – “ 2 Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt.
The LORD will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones.”
When we have un-confessed sin (live in sin), if we continue, we are following something other than God, and this apostasy will result in our demise.
3. James 4:8 – “8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
God wants us to confess and repent, live for God alone…If God is anything, He must be everything!
ILLUSTRATION
When Michigan played Wisconsin in basketball in early 1989 season, Michigan’s Rumeal Robinson stepped to the foul line for two shots late in the fourth quarter.
His team trailed by one point, they could regain the lead and win if he made the two shots. He missed both of them.
Rumeal felt so awful about costing his team the game, but his sorrow didn’t stop there at the emotional level. After each practice for the rest of the season, Rumeal shot 100 extra foul shots.
He was ready when he later stepped to the foul line to shoot two shots with 3 seconds left in overtime in the national championship game.
He made those two shots, which won Michigan the National Championship.
Rumeal’s repentance had been genuine, and sorrow motivated him to work so that he would never make that mistake again.
As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:10 – “Godly sorrow leads to repentance”
III. THE RESULTS OF APOSTASY
1. Sin becomes our master whom we will serve.
2. Eventually this path will lead to eternal separation from God.
3. We MUST confess our sin and repent, or there will be no forgiveness.
It is true that after we are saved, we will still commit sins.
Our un-redeemed flesh is sinful, BUT the Lord has given us His Holy Spirit, through whom all things are possible! We CAN confess, repent ad be forgiven!
CONCLUSION
Therefore everyone must confess (both saved and unsaved) and repent or the result of their apostasy will be, God will turn you over to your sinful heart to be ruled by your lust, and lose your soul.
Repent therefore and remain in Him.
