Scripture this evening comes to us from Romans 1, Romans chapter 1, Romans 1, verses 18 through 25. Hear now the very words of God. The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, But their thinking became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desire of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator who is forever praised. Amen. Here ends the reading, hearing of God's holy and inspired Word. People of God, if you were given the option to hear the good news or the bad news which would you choose to hear first? Well, in my opinion, people would rather hear the bad news before the good news. And the reason that is, is because the hope is that the good news will overshadow the bad news which came first. Or, that the ending on the good news would leave the person with hope instead of despair. While the history of redemption contains both bad news and good news. And Paul, in the text here before us, begins his book of Romans with bad news. You see, Paul understands that if we don't first understand the bad news, then we won't understand the good news. And so Paul here is giving us a context 4. The history of redemption. And the bad news is that man is in need of a Savior. Man is in need of a Savior. And the text before us teaches that man is in need of a Savior by pointing out two reasons. Two reasons. The first reason man is in need of a Savior is because God is angry. God is angry. And the second reason is because man is guilty. Man is guilty. And so let's begin with our first point. The first thing that we should note here in the text is that the wrath of God is being revealed. God's wrath is being revealed because God is a wrathful God. Today, many claim that God is simply love or God is a forgiving God, but they focus on love and forgiveness to the neglect of his righteousness and holiness. But we must understand that when we speak of God's wrath, we are speaking of his righteousness and holiness. The wrath of God is born out of God's righteousness and holiness. You see, the wrath of God is God's response. God's response to the sinfulness of man. It's not as if God is a wrathful God, or when I say God is a wrathful God, I'm not saying or trying to describe God as this divine being who is angry constantly and looking to crush any person he comes across. No, that's not the case. You see, wrath, the wrath of God is not an attribute of God like His holiness or His perfection. But His wrath is born out of that. It comes out of that. God's holiness cannot tolerate sin and so God must exercise wrath against sin. One notable Old Testament reference to the wrath of God is found in Psalm 2 which says, Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His anointed one. Let us break their chains, they say, and throw off their fetters. The one enthroned in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath. But God is not only a wrathful God in the Old Testament, There are many New Testament references that refer also to the wrath of God. One such place is John 3.39, which says, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him. And the one place, the one place that God's wrath was fully expressed and fully displayed was on the cross. On the cross at Calvary where God's holiness and righteousness demanded that sin be dealt with. That wrath that should have been poured out upon us was poured out upon Jesus Christ. So as Christians, as Christians, even now, when we're faced here with the wrath of God in the text, we should be reminded, reminded of the cross. You see, when we think of the wrath of God as Christians, we don't need to be seized with terror or fear. But we should remember the wrath that Christ took upon Himself for us. We as Christians, we do not simply worship God because if we don't, He will crush us. but we worship God because He saved us from the wrath that was to come upon us. And so, we are even here reminded of the Gospel. The Gospel of Christ, Jesus our Lord. That He has saved us, a people. Though we are sinners, He has saved us. Of course, for those outside the body of Christ, The idea of the wrath of God is something to be feared. And rightly so. Rightly so, because God's wrath is holy and perfect. You see, the wrath of the gods is a common theme in the Roman Greco world that Paul is dealing with here. But the Greek gods were similar to men and their anger. The Greek gods, their wrath was selfish, unpredictable, and oftentimes didn't accomplish what it set out to accomplish. But God's wrath is not like man's anger. God's wrath is perfect and it accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish. Isaiah 34, 1-3 gives us a picture of the extent of the Lord's wrath. It says, Come near you nations and listen. Pay attention you peoples. Let the earth hear and all that is in it. The world and all that comes out of it. The Lord is angry with all nations. His wrath is upon all their armies. He will totally destroy them. He will give them over to slaughter. The Lord's wrath is something to be feared. Our own catechism, Heidelberg's question and answer 17, teaches that no man, no one, could stand under the burden of such wrath except for Christ. And therefore, Christ must have been fully God in order to sustain the wrath of God on the cross. But God's perfect wrath is being poured out upon all of mankind, as horrible and terrorizing as that may be. Our first verse in the text here teaches us that the wrath of God is being revealed. Now you might be wondering, is this a present event of wrath or a future event of wrath? Especially since oftentimes in the New Testament, The idea of wrath is tied to a day of wrath. The day of judgment. And even in the book before us in Romans, Paul, not soon later in Romans 2.5, mentions a day of wrath. But, we should note that this word here, revealed, the verb here, is in the present tense. It's in the present tense and it's closely linked to verse 17, which actually has the same word, the same verb there used when referring to righteousness. The righteousness of God is being revealed. And so we see this link and we see that also the wrath of God is being revealed. Although this is the same wrath, the same wrath that is to come on the day of final wrath. This is wrath that has been mentioned all throughout history. For example, wrath in the flood where God destroyed all of mankind with the exception of one family. Or wrath at the Tower of Babel where the Lord confused mankind. Or wrath upon the Egyptians when the Lord struck them with plagues. Or even wrath upon Israel for disobeying and breaking the Lord's covenant. You see, this wrath is being revealed and it has been revealed and it will come to a climax. A climax that we see in passages like Revelations 20. But the wrath here that Paul is speaking of, specifically here in our text, is not God striking down men, but it is God giving man over to sin. Notice here what Paul says in verse 24. He says, Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. You see, the wrath which is being revealed here is God turning man over, turning man over to sin and allowing him to wallow in the depravity of his sinfulness. It's God removing His hand of restraint and grace and allowing man to fall deeper and deeper into the self-destructive activity of sin. Now that we understand that this wrath is being revealed, that it is a present event, we should consider who this wrath is being revealed against. The text teaches us that God's wrath is against the godlessness and wickedness of man. As we know, and as Paul soon says in chapter 3, all men are godless and wicked. There are none who seek God, none who understand. Paul is speaking here of the universal sinfulness of man, but he's doing so in a very specific way. He uses two words, godlessness and wickedness, to describe the extent of man's sinfulness. Godlessness is sin against God. The first and great commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Godlessness is a transgression of that. Wickedness. Wickedness is wrong done from one man to another. The second great commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. Wickedness is a transgression of this. And so Paul here with these two words, is binding all men under the law and showing that all men are deserving of wrath. And this points us back to our need of a Savior. God is angry. Man is in need of a Savior. But, but, Paul doesn't just point out that God is angry. He goes further and points out the guilt of man. Man is guilty, and that is our second point. In the text before us, Paul points out that man is not only guilty because he is godless and wicked, but he is further guilty because he has suppressed the truth which God has revealed to him. Verses 19 and 20 state that God has made Himself plain to man. We should note that God has revealed Himself and He has done so in creation. He has revealed Himself in and through creation. Now, I've had the chance to speak to a few of you, and I know a few of you enjoy the outdoors. And I share that enjoyment with you. I, too, enjoy the outdoors, and specifically, I enjoy the mountains. And there's nothing, there's nothing that I can think of that exclaims God. But when I see a mountain, and I see the beauty of the creation. And that just strikes me. And it declares that God is there. You see, God has given us revelation of Himself, and He has done so in creation. What Paul says here in verse 20 seems to come directly from Psalm 19, which says, 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's no speech or language where their voice is not heard. God has revealed Himself. And this is plain. This is obvious. It's not difficult to see or understand. Now, I wonder how many of you remember the books Where's Waldo? I remember as a young man, I used to enjoy those books. If you're not familiar with the books, let me describe them a little to you. There are these picture books where a character, Waldo, dressed up in the same clothes, is placed in different settings, whether it be the beach or the mountains or the carnival. And the task of the person with the book, the fun in this, is that you try to find where Waldo is. And sometimes it's more difficult than others because Waldo is hiding or Waldo blends in with the environment around him. Well, people of God, God is not like Waldo. God is not hiding. God is not blending into the environment around us. God has revealed Himself in creation. And this is furthest pointed out in verse 20. This revelation has been from the beginning. God has always, always from the beginning of creation, revealed Himself in that creation. The creation has always pointed back to its Creator. It's not as if more recently, man in his scientific mind, Or man has achieved some kind of new knowledge where he can discover God. And God has now revealed Himself to man. God has always revealed Himself to man. Now at this point, we need to make a needed distinction in order to understand what Paul is saying here. We have to be able to make a distinction between general revelation and special revelation. You see, there's general revelation and general revelation is what Paul is discussing in the text before us here. This is revelation that all men have. All men have before them in the creation. But this is not revelation unto salvation. It's revelation unto conviction. Because creation only presents man with law. And what I mean by that is, there is no gospel in the creation. Man is only faced with the Creator. That Creator that He has crossed. But He isn't presented with any way, any way of mending that relationship. We as good Reformed folk, We do not believe in natural theology which states that man can come to a saving knowledge of the truth by creation. These things, creation, mountains, stars, even our own existence, they do reveal knowledge of God and revelation of Him. But this revelation is only to convict man. it will be used against man on the day of judgment. We believe that it is only special revelation that God brings people to a saving knowledge. And special revelation is the revelation contained in His Word. The history of God working in the world to bring about His plan of salvation from fall to promise to the Redeemer the whole history of redemption. This is where you find gospel. This is where you find the good news. This is revelation unto salvation. This is revelation which God has ordained to use by His Holy Spirit to call people back to Himself by His grace. By His grace. And we have been given this revelation. We who know Christ. By God's grace, He has opened our eyes and given us understanding. But God does not bring men to salvation through general revelation. It is only, only through special revelation. But it is not as if general revelation does not grant man knowledge, as I said. It does. The Bible teaches that man possesses this knowledge. Verse 20 of our text points out that God's invisible qualities have been clearly seen. Clearly seen. Man has seen this revelation of God. God's eternal power and divine nature, Paul says, has been seen. Now, there's this saying that gets passed around today. And it goes something like this. Seeing is believing. Seeing is believing. Now, as you can tell, this isn't a Christian saying at all. But, I'll tell you what, for those who hold to this saying, there's no better example of seeing God in the revelation of creation God has revealed Himself there. Paul says, man has seen. What is it about creation that strikes us with awe? Except that the fact that creation implies a Creator. But Paul doesn't only state that man has seen. He further states that man has understood this revelation. The second half of verse 20, Paul says, God's invisible qualities have been understood. And this points out that this knowledge is true knowledge which man has received and comprehends. Every people group, every culture from all time understood and even now understands that there is a God. Just think of the civilizations over time and the various religions and sacrificial systems that they developed, that all came by way of just looking at the creation. Well, modern man isn't very different today. He too, he too looks out and sees a Creator and he will be held accountable for this. But he, like past generations, take that truth which God has revealed and they exchange it for a lie. Verses 21-25 states that man has exchanged the knowledge given to him for a lie. Two examples of this are atheists. Atheists and agnostics. Although it's plain that God is there, atheists claim there is no God. They flat out deny God's existence. And agnostics claiming to be a bit more intellectually honest claim, well, there's not enough knowledge, there's not enough information to determine whether there is a God or not. But both of these are lies and so are all the other numerous world religions and philosophies. They have exchanged the knowledge of God for a lie. Now, of course, it's easy to point out here in church, it's easy to point out the failures of these man-made lies and suppressions of the truth. But I wonder, I wonder if people even within the church have somehow or some way exchanged the truth of God for a lie. And so my question to you tonight is what have you done with the revelation which God has given you? What have you done with the Gospel? Do you know the Gospel? Are you content to rest in the Gospel? Do you allow the Gospel to inform you in everything that you do? You see, people of God, there are some today, even within the church, who want to take the Gospel and exchange it for a lie. They want to change the good news of Christ into bad news that man still has obligations and responsibilities to fulfill his end of the bargain. They want to exchange the lie that Christ, or the truth that Christ has fully met all of our needs and all that is necessary to say that we still have a part to play. But if we do not trust in the Gospel and receive God's revelation as He has given it to us, then we aren't very different than the men that Paul references in this text who also have taken the truth, the revelation given to them, and exchanged that for a lie. You see, this exchange of the truth here that Paul mentions is simply a symptom of a greater issue. Notice with me the worship element that is present here in the text. These men who exchange the truth do so because they will not, They will not bow down and worship God. Verse 25 says, They exchange the truth for a lie and worship and serve created things rather than the Creator. The issue is not that man does not have enough information. He doesn't have enough revelation. The issue is that man will not glorify God. Man will not bow down to his Creator. And man is guilty. Man is guilty because he possesses this knowledge. And he still would rather instead turn from that knowledge. Isaiah 44 speaks to the foolishness. The foolishness of worshiping a lie instead of the true God. He says in verses 9 and 10, All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind. They're ignorant to their own shame. Who shapes a God and casts an idol which can profit Him nothing? And then he continues in verse 16, Half of the wood He burns in the fire. Over it He prepares His meal. He roasts His meat and eats His fill. He also warms himself and says, Ah, I am warm. I see the fire. From the rest, he makes a god, his idol. He bows down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, Save me, you are my God. Isaiah clearly shows the foolishness of idol-making and idol-worshiping. But carved images are not the only idols that man has made. Man has even formed himself into an idol. As I stated earlier, modern man isn't very different from men of past generations and civilizations. Modern man is just more sophisticated in his attempts to exchange the truth about God for a lie. Instead of carving idols and bowing to them, he thinks and believes of himself as a God. Whether man attempts to glorify himself through pleasure, fame, fortune, or even intellectual achievement, each of these are simply another way of exchanging the truth for a lie. But once again, once again it's easy to recognize the idolatry of sinful man, but we too as Christians must be reminded that we too make this foolish mistake of worshiping things over God. Whether that comes in the pursuit of pleasure, where we begin to take joy in a person or an activity or an object. Maybe we've made ourselves into idols and pursued fame for our own name over and above God. We too, as Christians, need to be reminded that it is only God who deserves our worship, not ourselves, not others, not the things God has given us. You see, we've considered tonight mankind's need for a Savior. But people of God, we too are still in need of this Savior. But it's not because we do not know Christ. It's not because we do not know Christ as a Savior. And it's not because Christ hasn't met all what is necessary for us. But it's because we are still not so very different from the world out there. We too still struggle with sin. And we too still need to hear the Gospel and the good news of Christ. We too need to be reminded that it is only by Him and Him alone that we are saved. That though we are sinners, we have the good news. We know that there is not just bad news, but that there is also good news. And so, take comfort in that. Take comfort in that tonight. That though Paul lays out the bad news here that man is in need of a Savior because God, God is angry and man is guilty. Be comforted that you know the good news that He has provided that Savior for you. Amen. And let us pray. Father, we are taken back by Your beauty and majesty. You're truly awesome and powerful. The Creator of all things. And Your creation testifies to You and Your power. And Lord, Your creation is accountable to You. We are accountable to You. But Father, out of your grace, out of your mercy and love, you have provided a Savior for us. And we thank you for that Savior. We thank you for Christ and the life that we have in Him. Would you continue to grow us in Him? Would you continue to sanctify us by your word? Build us up that we may grow more and more into a deeper fellowship with you. We pray all this in Christ's name. Amen.