Gratitude That Adorns The Gospel-5

GRATITUDE That ADORNS The GOSPEL-V—Romans 1:15-25

OR: Gratitude That Graces The Gospel

Attention:

Irving was just coming out of anesthesia after a series of tests in the hospital, & his wife, Sarah, was sitting at his bedside. His eyes fluttered open, & he murmured, "You're beautiful."

Flattered, Sarah continued her vigil while he drifted back to sleep. Later he woke up & said, "You're cute."

Sarah asked, “What happened to ‘beautiful’?”

Irving said, “I guess the drugs must be wearing off.”

Irving’s gratitude was ‘somewhat lackluster’ so that as a result, the relationship with his wife suffered!

There are some in the church who for all appearances it seems that ‘the drugs worn off’ in their service to the Lord...whose gratitude is out of place considering their confession!

Need:

Our lives in Christ Jesus encourage celebration! God’s people continuously offer up sincere thanks for offering them God’s wisdom, which in turn, causes them to view the world very differently than those who are without Christ in the world.

“ADORN”—To make more beautiful, or attractive; To enhance.

Titus 2:9-10—“Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.”

1Pet. 3:3-4—“Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle & quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”

For the Christians in Rome, Paul delineated the relationship of gratitude to the Gospel.

Personal Gratitude must properly adorn the Gospel of Christ.

What manner of Gratitude properly adorns the Gospel of Christ?

OR...

How can your Gratitude adorn the Gospel of Christ?

Some assurances that your Gratitude is one that Adorns God’s Good News.

So far we have found that

Our Gratitude adorns the Gospel thru...

1. Our SHAMELESS TRUST(:15-16)

2. SHARING(:17)

3. REINFORCING GOD’s WRATH(:18)

4. KNOWLEDGE(:19)

5—Gratitude adorns the Gospel thru...

SIGHT(:20)

Explanation: (:20)

:20—“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse,”

Paul intensifies his explanation so that the condemnation(“without excuse”) is clearly understood.

God’s “invisibles”(“invisible attributes”)—are those things imperceptible to the physical eye. The spiritual realities which are behind the physical, are actually “clearly seen” by all men. All mankind get’s the big picture of God’s power & thus His worthiness to be worshiped. From nature...men & women, boys & girls...know enough to look to & be drawn to seek God but not enough to be saved apart from personal knowledge of Him.

This vantage point is obtained merely by observing the created things of ‘nature.’ These give all men such an understanding that they are rendered ‘excuseless’ & thus ‘defenseless’ in both their decision to personally turn from God & likewise tempt others from Him by their choices. No one is immune. All are thus guilty before God.

Rom. 3:1-4—“What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.””

The particular ‘invisibles’ of God that are pertinent & applicable to mankind’s attention & command his acceptance are:

1)God’s “eternal power” &...

2)His divinity(“Godhead”).

No one of any time or era, can deny these things & be guiltless!

“God’s eternal power refers to His never-failing omnipotence, which is reflected in the awesome creation which that power both brought into being & sustains.”—John MacArthur

“No one can charge God with hiding Himself from them...”—Lenski quoted in Guzik

Secular evolutionists attempt to disarm this truth with their flesh-derived theories.

We live in a world that regularly attempts to explain-away God’s hand thru ‘secular’ scientific means & then supposes they have arrived when they can describe the physical principles at work!

*But rather than dismissing God altogether, a ‘proper’ understanding of physical principles at work in our world recognizes that those are principles that God has created & uses! As a result, honest scientific exploration actually drives an unprejudiced thinking person to a greater awe of God, & to an personally ‘owned’ accountability before God!

His Divine nature(“Godhead”) refers to His Trinitarian nature(Father, Son, & Holy Spirit) that characterizes Him.

Many(but not all) things in nature speak of a trinitarian creator.

Example: The three components of petals, pistil(female), & stamen(male) form what we recognize as a flower.