Have
you ever had a difficult time accepting God’s word? That’s only natural.
Sometimes it’s hard for us to accept God’s word because of our self-centered
nature. Man has always believed that everything revolves around him, and to be
told that this is not true causes problems. Not all members of the human race
share this belief. There is evidence that man has an inner sense that truth is
connected to God. For example, recent polls suggest that even though most of
the people surveyed had no deeply felt spiritual commitment, almost all of them
still insisted that they believed that God exists.
We
can know about God and still reject him. Some people reject him on the grounds
that not everyone is capable of observing creation and coming to an accurate
view of God so that they can be thankful. Anyone can reject God despite the
testimony of creation and conscience, and many people do, especially if their
hearts are not regenerated by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the inner
witness to right and wrong. It is the greater power that believers are
accountable to.
People
who hear the word of God and reject it are called fools. People can reject God
by not glorifying him, not being thankful, being futile in their thoughts and
changing the glory of God into an image.
Worshipping creation instead of the Creator is an example of rejecting
God by worshipping an idol. That idol can be anything-money, power or social
status, for example. This goes back to man’s preoccupation with himself. Man
has been more influenced by the world than by God’s commands. It is the start
of a downward spiral. People know God but fail to glorify him. They change the
truth of God into a lie and reject any knowledge of him. Then they worship
anything that they want to worship. Dishonourable acts detract from the
Creator, who is blessed forever.
Humans
want to worship something that makes sense to them. The world wants to see, do
and feel what feels good. That’s not God’s way. God is pleased when we walk
with him by faith. The righteous live by faith no matter how it feels, how weak
they are, or how confusing their circumstances are.
Those
who reject God will face his wrath. God’s wrath is part of his righteousness.
It is a holy response to the unholy, a just reaction to the unjust, and pure
rejection of the impure. God will not tolerate those who deliberately reject
him. Man often thinks of God’s wrath as a future event when in reality it is
being dispensed right now in many hidden ways. He dispenses his wrath by giving
man the right to choose what to do and to live with the consequences. In other
words, if you choose the behaviour you choose the consequences. For example,
sexually transmitted diseases are often the result of sinful sexual behaviour.
This is what happens when humans choose the pleasure of the world instead of
the pleasure of God. Man becomes separate from truth and reality.
God reveals his wrath indirectly through the natural consequences
of breaking his laws and directly through his intervention, as he did when he
sent the Great Flood. In any case, man is held responsible for refusing to obey
God, even if he has never heard the Gospel. When we justify any act of sin, we
harm the person involved because it gives the person involved an excuse not to
face their issues and solve their problems. We as Christians are to love the
sinner and not judge him, but we are not to accept or approve of their sinful
behaviour. For example, a mother in the
state of Washington said recently that she was ‘shocked’ and ‘in tears’ after
attending a profanity-laced and sexually-charged awards ceremony at her
daughter’s local high school.
The unidentified mother told a local television station that she
eventually walked out of the event. She was outraged that the program was
filled with profanity, filthy jokes and inappropriate awards during the
ceremony, which was overseen by a teacher.
“I sat there with my mouth open in shock, and the final straw was when a
joke was told on stage about a teacher, a lawyer and a priest on a plane,” the
mother wrote in an email, and because of the obscene nature of the joke I
will not repeat it in this sermon. She also stated that some of the awards were
inappropriate, and again I will not repeat what these awards were because of
their obscene nature. One prize was a box of condoms.
“We need to get the word out there that this is the kind of trash that
is being taught in our schools,” said the mother, who wishes to keep her
identity secret. She added, “I am so shocked right now I am in tears.”
The teacher, who is retiring after this year, is now under investigation
by the school district and along with her drama students attended a meeting
with the school principal. The principal said in a statement, “This has
generated media coverage and has been a learning opportunity for our teens
regarding the harm that can come from offensive comments and jokes.”
In
his Letter to the Romans, Paul expressed his concern for eternal life. It was a
“black and white” issue for him then, and it is a “black and white” issue for
us today. Those who reject God are doomed to perish under his wrath. Those
who believe in Jesus are saved. Although the message of the Gospel might be
foolish in the eyes of a sinful world, it is effective because it offers
salvation. Salvation is an ongoing process, and it is the only means by which
we can become righteous in the eyes of God. Righteousness is the state of
perfectly obeying God’s law and holy character. We can’t let fear or ignorance
keep us from giving the lost people a message that can change their eternal
destiny. The apostle Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel because through it
God’s power is released to save humanity. By trusting in Christ, people gain a
new life in Christ.
Bibliography
1.
“Mother
‘Shocked’ and ‘in Tears’ Over Sexually-Charged School Awards Ceremony”.
Retrieved from www.christiannews.net
2.
Jeremiah,
David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood,
TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)
3.
Briscoe, D.S.
& Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s
Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.;
1982)
4.
MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.;
2006)
5.
ESV Study
Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.
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