 All right. Welcome back everyone. I'm just started the recording of this session, so we are good to go So Romans 7 to 1 and we were looking at verse 20 what Paul is saying is you know The wrath of God is revealed against all the sin of this world people but You know What are people doing? They are suppressing the truth. They're pressing it down holding it down but God has made things very clear and Paul points to creation He points to things God has made and he's saying the invisible attributes of God his power His Godhead the very nature of deity is Made very plain So that he says we are without excuse, you know, so what I was mentioning earlier is You can't hear me Can yeah, it's the same. Yeah, it's good. All right So whatever saying was that Many people, you know, they make the excuse If God reveals himself to me I'll believe there is a God if there is a God let him show himself to me. I mean things like that, you know They may say it in different words But God has given us enough evidence and That evidence is he says Creation the things he has made and the invisible attributes of God are Seen in his creation and we know we can actually think about this What are the attributes of God, you know the wisdom of God? Well, you look at You know where you can take a single cell You can look at so many things in creations like wow That is, you know, it's I'm just using the word brilliant, but it's beyond brilliant. There's it's just amazing the detail the design That is that is there, you know and Paul is telling us God has revealed himself to us in this creation. So we are without excuse So creation is God's big signpost that he's there and We can't be ever that excuse. We can't say God didn't reveal himself to me However, what Paul is telling is this verse 21. I'm just going forward from verse 21 to 23 However, here's the problem that Even though people knew this That hey Creation is so brilliant Creation is so great It has to be the work of God Even though they knew God verse 21 They're making a choice That did not glorify him as God verse 21 But they became futile vain useless in their thinking their hearts were darkened And professing to be wise they became fools So here's a deliberate deviation A deliberate departure from truth They knew God It's like wow look at creation. I mean this can't be an accident This has to be this is a masterpiece It's the work of the creator the work of the great designer So they knew that but still They chose to become foolish in their thinking they chose to You know just just Befalls professing to be wise So I said like look look look we've got a scientific explanation or we've got a An explanation for how everything came into the existence. So professing to be wise They actually became fools verse 23 I was 22 and verse 23 They changed the glory of the incorruptual god do things that they to corrupt will man birds and food for footed animals and so on so instead of worshiping god For his glory They began to look at Corruptible things things that will pass away And they brought you know the great creator god to become like man animals creeping things And then he continues Let's read verse 24 to 32. Please somebody could read that Actually, so Let's read verse 24 to 27. Then we will read after that. So let's just read verse 24 to 27 24 to 27. Yes, please Therefore god also gave them up to emptiness In the lust of their hearts for these honor their bodies among themselves Who exchange the truth of thought for the life and worshiped and serve the creature Rather than the creator who is blessed forever a man For this reason god gave gave them up to vile passions For even their woman exchanged the natural use for what is against nature Likewise also the man Leaving their natural use of the woman burned in their lust for one another men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the plenty of their error which was due Okay so Because man chose thank you because man chose To do this that means he knew god But he didn't want to glorify god instead he deported from that And began to focus in on you know he changed the glory of god into Corruptible things man Animals creeping things focused on that Two times in this passage here We see it says god gave them up In verse 24 and again in verse 26 god gave them up meaning God just let him go Find that's the way you want to think That's what you want to do Okay Right, so it's showing us something here that god Well, this is not the best and this is not what god really desires god is You know respecting the fact that we are free moral agents free moral beings free will beings And you say okay, that's what you want. That's the way you want to go god gave them up He let him go and it tells us He let them go on into uncleanness verse 24 And how unclean could could man get They dishonored their bodies among themselves So we give them up And they went all the way To this extreme of dishonoring their bodies among themselves And then he kind of recaps that he says in verse 25 What did they do? He's explaining what he meant in verse 23 What did they do when they changed the glory of the incorruptible god? To birds and four-footed beasts. What what what did he mean by that verse 25? they Changed the truth of god for a lie and they began to worship and sell the creature rather than the creator So you can imagine the people started, you know worshiping created things instead of worshiping the creator god verse 26 They went on and their god gave them up to their vile passions Even the men exchanged the natural use what's against nature and verse 27 So what he's explaining now what he meant by they were dishonoring their bodies among themselves What was it? he's saying They were burning verse 27. They were burning in lust for one another men with men Committing what is shameful So women with women men with men So really it's like this is the climax or the high point Of being vile in our being vile in our passions And dishonoring god in our bodies This is what it is it's like the ultimate of uncleanness and being vile So You know we pause here and think about this This is such a big issue in our day in our time now obviously It was there way back 2000 years ago and way back in the time of noah so it's not in You know women women and men with men it's not a new kind of thing It was way back there in the book of genesis And he was there during paul's time. She's obviously writing about it And it's there in our day and time But the bible is very clear This is wrong Not only just wrong It's saying it was 26. These are vile passions It's against nature. It's against gods natural design It's against it now When you look at what is happening globally now for us in india You know, it doesn't seem like a big issue yet to some extent there is you know there is People aren't talking about it and so on But not the parts of the world. This is a big thing and it it's it's mainstream when you know Homosexuality in all of its forms and expressions are, you know The demand to be accepted as natural as normal And here we are seeing in scripture. It says no, it's not This is not the way god intended or god designed it It is against the way It's a dishonoring of our bodies it is Again natural use. It is an expression of vile passions But god gave them up. This is that's what you're choosing Go your way right And I don't want to you know kind of go into uh Necessarily discussion at this point on you know, how should the church respond but you know this We must be aware of or what I want to highlight here is the scriptures are very clear That this is wrong just not gods Be able to I think my line just Maybe my line dropped a minute there You know how the church responds to all of this This is a totally another area that we need to talk about That the church needs to move with love And yet at the same time move in truth. We cannot compromise the truth Either can be Not to walk in love right so we have to walk in love We have to walk in truth And so we have to balance the two and then you have to Reach people right but that's something that's a big area that that needs to be addressed But let's finish up now in chapter one will read verse 28 to verse 32. Please Somebody could read it. Okay, sir. I'll read And even as they did not like to retain god in their knowledge God gave them over to our disposed mind To do those things which are not fitting Being filled with all unrighteousness sexual immorality wickedness cover Covers Ness Billioness full of envy murder Stiff Deceit evil Mindedness they are worshippers Backbeaters haters of god violent proud Bosters Inventors of evil things disobedient to parents Undecerning Untrustworthy Unloving unforgiveness Unmerciful Who knowing the righteousness judgment of god that those who practice such things are Disserving of that not only do the same but also Also free of those who practice them Okay, thank you so What's what is Paul saying? Yeah The way the routine goes the way you're choosing to go Okay I'm letting you go Pastor sorry pastor come again your Voice medium and voice little disturbed for network. Okay. Okay. All right. I'll do that. Okay. So Once again, now we're looking at versus 28 to 32 So people chose Not to retain god And this is okay. We don't want god in the picture He chose not to retain god And you know, this is something we are saying happen even in our day No, if you don't want god, you don't want don't talk about god Don't talk to me but people chose not to retain god and then what what paul says is God gave them up. So for the third time In this so far in this passage paul is using that same phrase god Gave them up the first time is in verse 24. He gave them up to uncleanness Our second time verse 26. He gave them up to wild passions Third time verse 28. He gave them up to a debased mind A mind that is just corrupt And it is Literally thinking the wrong way. It's going the wrong way so That's how you're going to go you're choosing to go god. Give them up He gave them up to their uncleanness to their wild passions to a debased mind And and then you know, then he lists all kinds of things Man is doing Out of a pursuit of uncleanness wild passions And in a debased mind He lists all kinds of things that man is doing But he says Is ends up that that those who do these things They are deserving of death. There are going to be eternal consequences to these things right, so paul is now developing this whole journey of How is salvation possible? and Then he goes into talking about faith and salvation through jesus christ And she's actually building up towards the message of christ. Okay, so in chapter two are we All right, you just lost me again. Okay. I don't know why the line is a little patchy today, but So what am I saying is in chapter one after all the introduction paul is, you know, he's Is writing in a very very logical way. He starts off by talking about creator and creation And the sinfulness of man the Depravity of man, which is what we have just read that god has given man up to this. Okay, that's what is your choice Then in chapter two, which we will get into now he deals with the issue of law and conscience Okay, both with respect to jews and the Gentiles, so it's very interesting Debate almost To where paul is debating within himself or you know with the mind of readers The whole issue of law and conscience With respect to jews and with respect to the Gentiles And then he develops that in chapter three with a whole issue of sin sinfulness Chapter four the issue of faith in chapter five How can we be be made righteous? when he said in the gospel The righteousness of god is revealed he's going there chapter five the righteousness of god is revealed, right But let me just have to and then we will get into it In chapter two and again these notes have been put up in the coursework section So chapter by chapter there's a pdf so each time we get in for chapter You know, we can get into a new pdf. So that you have a question. Please go ahead Yeah, so I was just wondering what's 24 and 26 Which is this or god gave them over in the sinful desires So again what's going to succeed because of this god gave them over to sinfulness So this is the one god is giving them the sinful desires or You know So God gave them up to these things that means Or if you put it in a simpler english, we would say god let them go to God let them go in their pursuit of uncleanness God let them go in their pursuit Of evil passions God let them go As they followed their own debased mind, right? So it's not like god is keeping them the unclean passions or obviously god is he good and he cannot do that But god is letting them go Towards you know, because they are making the choice is letting them go Into what they want okay now God russian they have a question Yes, thank you. Um, so uh from verse 1 to 17 we see that it's a grand Introduction like paul is giving right and then from verse 18 onwards he starts addressing the issues Now unlike other letters like where paul addresses to a certain church Like certain issues or challenges of the church's experiencing now when paul says all these you know issues on verse 18 to all the way down to The last verse of chapter one is he generally saying the the challenges and the issues that uh The mankind general are Going through all over the world or is he specifically addressing The people in the room Who's the addressing question? Yeah So good question. So um paul's episode to believers at rom Is different from his other episodes Like you pointed out The other episodes were specific to a group of believers Corinth he was addressing First and second current is addressing problems at Corinth Gully addressing problems there and so on. So they were very specific to a group of people Here of course, he's writing to the believers at rom but paul's episode to rom is a very doctrinal in nature. It's a Teaching Where he's he's not you don't find him necessarily addressing specific issues That had to deal with the challenges of the of the church in rom. No, it's more or more or less teaching the Applies to all believers part of There are some that are not amongst people in rom for instance, uh, what about jews and gentiles? That's uh, definitely a big issue there because um They were Jewish believers initially at later on the gentile leaders emerged in the church of rom. So What's happening there? Secondly, how to be a civil government They will choose Gentiles, but they are the roman government there. How do we relate to them? so that's addressed in chapter 13 and uh, then there is this whole issue of Yeah food and and those kinds of things chapter 14 so Under chapter 16 is, you know, he's just greeting people who are at rom. So toward that a part of The episode. Yeah, he gets into some specifics That would be on the minds of the believers at rom But up until then It's it's it's teaching its doctrine that is for all believers everywhere. So he's not addressing something specific To or only to the believers in rom So that's how those this episode to the romans is differs, you know from a lot of the other episodes Thank you, pastor. Thank you. Yeah Dave, you have a question Yes, sir I just had a practical kind of thing if I hope this doesn't Happen in our churches uh, but if um How would you personally deal with those who if someone in your church You found out that he or she is involved in homosexuality How what kind of procedure or things would you would? Uh, would a church should be doing uh, either counseling or talking with them Yeah, so This definitely is uh, you know Challenging question, but it is a very important question It's challenging because it is you know, it is uh, it is it is causing a lot of Discussion Not in the church, but even from outside the church and let me just put it in a very concise way um So one like we said we have to walk in love. We have to walk in truth People are people and people need to be loved Right, so whether A person is uh, you know a female who's a homosexual a male who's an homosexual They are people They need to be loved But then there is truth The word of god And god it as we read here god is very clear in this and another passage other passages Look This is unnatural. This is not the way god designed you. This is not uh Approved by god So that is truth As we stand by and we can't change the bible Many christians believe in the bible. Well, this is what the bible says We have to follow the word of god And we can't say the word of god is outdated No, the word of god is for all time for all people and it is truth truth doesn't change with time truth is eternal Truth is absolute So that is truth. We have to So how do we help the people? Without come How do we walk in love but not compromise the truth? That's the question And here's what you know, and I just what I believe I believe that we love people And if they are willing and we can't force this on anybody and we shouldn't force it on anybody But if they're willing We can share with them the truth We can share with them the word of god And as we minister the truth of the word like paul only has said the gospel is the power of god The message of jesus is the power of god. We don't have to force it on people. We don't have to Control a manipulate people But if they are open, right? He can communicate the truth and trust that god Would bring them out by the power of his word by the power of his spirit and he would transform them We can't force it But if they're open We can impart And at the same time we must not compromise the truth So that means in the church we will not conduct gay marriages Because that's that's not bible in the church. We cannot have People who are practicing or choosing to continue that lifestyle to Hold positions of leadership We cannot now we're not going to chase them out of the community when I love them But in truth in love we're going to say look that's not acceptable by the according to the scriptures And therefore there are certain things we cannot permit As a church because we're living by the word of god Right, so we don't want to force them now Just to make a comment here generally speaking outside in the church outside the church They refer to what we do as conversion therapy That means People from outside When they look at us saying that you know when we when we present the truth to people who are gay homosexuals And try to tell them look this is the word they call, you know for the refer to this conversion therapy They try to convert them out of homosexuality into being straight Into living a heterosexual life. So they call it conversion therapy Now a lot of negative things have been said about conversion therapy And maybe to some extent The way it is being done Maybe we are wrong, you know the way we we can't force this on people. We can't You know do this in a condemning way We have to do this in a way of in love and Help let god work in their hearts and lives so perhaps The approach taken by the church in some situations has been very harsh has been very mean has been very hurtful People have been hurt in the process but uh What we need to do is to in a very wise way walk in love walk in truth As we minister to them we cannot compromise the truth But we don't want to hate people. We don't want to condemn people So that's the balance we have to seek as we minister to them and depend on the power of god's word and the holy spirit to bring about change Does that help? Yeah, that's it. Perfect. Something to think about. Thank you. All right So let's go to chapter two and uh, you know each chapter Outnotes are in SFPDF will be uploaded the classical section also in the e-learning portal Now let's just give an introduction to chapter two and then we'll get into reading it So in chapter two, like I said Paul is dealing with the issue of the law and conscience Plus he has to deal with two broad categories of people that is Jews and Gentiles So for the Jews, they are in a different position meaning they have the law And it's called told them This is my law But as for the Gentiles they were not given the law They don't have the written uh, old test when they did they were not given that So I was god going to judge the the Gentiles because to the Jews you can say and as Paul mentions They'll be held and they've been given the law and they can be judged by the law But the Gentiles were not given the law. So how is God going to judge them? And that's where Paul says well There is a law that has been built inside every person And there are two things one is the reason second is conscience That means within every person The way God has designed us he has already given us two things that Tell us About God and about what's right and wrong He's given us a reason. He's given us conscience So even those who don't have the law they have reason they have conscience therefore They are also without excuse but Paul concludes Everybody will be judged according to the gospel whether you're Jew or Gentiles You're going to be judged according to the gospel. So that's in a nutshell chapter two Let's go through because it's very very interesting how Paul brings this up. Okay So let's go chapter two we will read from verses one through 11 I think we can do that. Yes So let's read verses one through 11 and let's Look at that chapter two one through 11. Please Okay, chapter two one through 11 Therefore, thou are in In excasible. Oh men Whosoever thou art that judges for way in thou judges another thou condemnest I say for thou are justice Does the same thing But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to According to the truth against them which commits us things and think Thou this woman that Does is that them which do such things and does the same That thou shall escape the judgment of God or despite it Thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering Not knowing that the goodness of God leads Leads these two Republicans but after thy hardness and impenetrable heart treacherous Up on to thy wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God Who will render to every man according to his deeds to them who by patient Continence in well doing sick for glory and honor and immortality eternal life But unto them that are contingents And do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that do us evil of the View first and also of the Gentiles But glory honor and peace to every man that work is good to the view first and also to the Gentiles Or there is no respect of person with God Hmm so What is Paul developing here? He has already told us look man is very simple He has suppressed the truth He has gone after his own unclean desires his wild passions And the thoughts of his corrupted mind is gone that way Then he says verse chapter two verse one This is the condition of man therefore You are inexcusable Oh man Even if you aren't judging someone else That means if somebody's sitting and say hey look these people are doing all these wrong things You you're you're judging others but You also are inexcusable because And now you know he's now he's speaking really to the Jewish people Since look choose, you know, we can point at the Gentiles and say oh look they're all All the Gentiles are doing all these things But we also are inexcusable. We don't even excuse because When we judge others you must remember we will also be judged by the same things by the same standard says uh Verse one and if you you practice the same things if you yourself are doing the things you also want to be judged Right, I can't just point fingers at others. I will also be judged and then Verse three you you're doing the same thing. You can't escape the judgment of God right and So as he's going on with this So he says look And I'm skipping verse four. I'll come back to verse four and highlight that but he says, you know everyone Whether you're true or Greek We are going to be judged by What we are doing the life we're living we're going to be judged And there is no partiality with God and notice he says you first to the Greek You first to the Greek in verse nine and verse ten Why is he saying that because he's going to explain that a little bit as we go now He's saying we are all going to be judged You can't point fingers at others Because if you point fingers at others and we ourselves are doing it. We are also going to be judged by the same standards We're going to be judged For everything we do and Jew first Then the Greek Jew first then the Greek. There is no partiality with God Right So keep this thought here. He's already started saying Jew first then the Greek Jew first and the Greek or Jew first and the Gentile Jew first and the Gentile And God is not partial. Okay. Keep that thought I just want to highlight verse four he says don't despise the goodness the patience The long suffering of God because the goodness of God leads you to repentance So think about that phrase the goodness of God leads to repentance How does God deal with sinful man? True God is a just God And his justice has to You know demands judgment of all the sin But how does God deal with sinful man? Paul is saying The goodness of God leads people to repentance That means True God is judge And he will judge sin But what God is really trying to do is draw people in By his goodness his forbearance his mercies and his Long suffering he's going to try to do So this is something to keep in mind that The goodness of God leads people to repentance. So when we are dealing with dish of sin and the sinfulness of people And as you know as We all sin itself has to be judged But what about the people? Well, the goodness of God draws them to repentance The goodness of God draws the people to repentance. So I Or we we must Extend or demonstrate the goodness of God. We must demonstrate the mercies of God I'm not saying You know condone the sin or Encourage them to sin more that's not But as far as the people is concerned, we love them We extend goodness to them because the goodness of God leads people to repentance, right so having What Paul is saying is look we've all are doing these wrong things And we are all going to face judgment. We're going to be judged for what we're doing You first Then the greek he's mentioned that twice and he says there is no partiality, right? But now the whole issue is Jew, okay, I can understand the Jew being judged because they were given the law But how are the Gentiles going to be judged? That's what he begins to discuss, right? So let's read from verse 12 On to verse 20 verse 12 to 20 somebody could read that for for us chapter 2 12 to 20 aran or conan and thomas or not friends For as many as have sent without law will also very sweet outlaw and as Many as have sent in the law will be judged by the law for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God but the doors Of the law will be justified For when Gentiles who do not have the law by the nature Do the things in the law This all the not having the law or a law to themselves who's Who shows the law who saw? the work of the law written in their heart their consequence also brings a ring witness and between themselves there their thoughts Accusing or excel exceeding them In the day when in the day when God will judge the secret of man by Jesus Christ according to my gospel Indeed you are called as you and rest on the law and make your boast in God and known his will and Approve the things that are excellent bring in started in start with the law with out of the law and are the Confident that you yourself are a guide to guide to the blind light to those who are in darkness and in stock store of the police a teacher of babies having the Prom of knowledge and truth in the law Thank you. All right. So Paula said Jew first Then the Greek on them the Gentiles. There is no partiality with God and then he says look If you sin Without the law It means you don't have the law, but you're sinning You will still perish the consequence still judged And for those who have the law, of course, God is the law itself is going to judge them. Right And he says so now we're dealing with this, you know, what's the team? It's not just if you hear the law, but you've got to keep the law In order to be justified So there he's driving home the point and he's going to tell us later that none of us can keep the law Right, but the point is making the point here. Look If you keep the law, you'll be justified by the law Right and then this whole issue of what about the Gentiles would have the law He says we're 14 Gentiles They don't have the law but by nature They do things in the law So it's telling us this that The way people are designed We had designed first of all with something inside of us That what is right and what's wrong? So he says by nature they do the things And what is he referring to? So he says although not having the law are a law to themselves. They don't have the law They don't have you know the written scriptures that say do this and don't do this and this is good and this is not good They don't have that but there's something inside them. And what is that verse 15? The law is written in their hearts What is that their conscience? Their conscience tells them Bear's witness, so it's the conscience is speaking to them And selling them. This is okay. This is not okay Accusing not okay excusing this is okay so this whole thing of How will people you know The gentiles don't have the law So how can you you know, how can they have the consciousness of sin? How can they Know what is right and wrong when he says look By nature they know what's right and wrong. Why? because God has written the law in their hearts. They may not have the written law as in the scriptures But they've got something inside them. They've you know, if you use modern term terminology We could say they've been programmed like this. They've been designed like this how every man Is born With a conscience the law written in their hearts. What is the conscience? It's the law written in their hearts. It's the capacity to know right and wrong which is built into every person And so Every person has the capacity To know what's right and what's wrong now The conscience can be damaged That means our ability to know right and wrong can be damaged and as we see in scripture The conscience can be seared It can be you know It comes to a place where it no longer is telling the person. This is right and this is wrong. They've gone past But every person to start with has the law written in their hearts In the form of the conscience in the form of the conscience which tells them what's right and what is wrong Okay I'm going to pause here. I will pause here. The time is up now We'll pick up here from here in chapter two And we'll begin to understand Law conscience jew gentile and the gospel right remember the gospel is there. That's how we started out So how does it all fit in? um One thing and let's make mention of it and we'll wrap up in prayer one thing The conscience does not replace the gospel The conscience does not replace the gospel the conscience is an alternate law But it does not replace the gospel will expand on that next week and Uh, take it forward. All right. Could somebody Close this prayer. Uh, we are now we have time we're going to close and then we will dismiss please thomas Sure, pastor Father Jesus, thank you for this wonderful time. Oh lord. We thank you. We praise you. We bless your holding and daddy Thank you for unwilling the truths of roman study. Thank you for the wonderful book of roman as we're reading this father This gesture live by faith. Thank you father for your truths. Thank you for your mercy Father, thank you for this wonderful book as we read father. Let me live by faith In jesus christ and spread the gospel not condemn anyone but to share the goodness and Hate sin and share the love of god and see the goodness of god lead the people to repentance Thank you for this wonderful time. We love you. We praise you. Thank you for your mercy and grace Amen, amen. Thank you everyone for being on the class today with me again and continue this next week