 The title of our sermon this morning is The Penalty Which Was Due. This is part three in this text, Romans chapter one, verses 26 through chapter two, verse one. The penalty which was due. Welcome back again to our verse by verse journey through the book of Romans. Today we're coming to the end of chapter one. I feel like we're arriving at a sad milestone coming to the end of chapter one. We only have 15 chapters left in this book together. If you're visiting with us, it's a great time to jump in. We are just getting started. We're coming to the end of chapter one. And although we arrive at this morning at the end of chapter one, we do not arrive at the end of Paul's argument here. And the intent of this section of text, Paul pays absolutely no attention to the chapter division that's there. Wasn't there when he wrote it. And so Paul just keeps going. And what we're going to do is we're going to keep right ongoing with him. And we're going to spend all of chapter two and most of chapter three developing Paul's opening statement. We're just getting started with Paul's opening statement. So if you consider chapter one, verses 26 through chapter two, verse one, the court has been called to order. You and I together with all mankind, we sit in the seat of the accused. And as a good prosecuting attorney, Paul is carefully now very carefully specifying the charge and he's beginning to lay out an airtight case against us. We are all guilty before God. There is none righteous. No, not one. There is none who does good. No, not one. There are none who understand. There are none who seek after God. The evidence against us is stacked up to heaven. We are without excuse and God is just God is righteous in pouring out his wrath upon a sinful human race. One of the concepts now that Paul is developing in this section of text is reciprocity, reciprocity. God's retributive justice, the wrath and judgment that God pours out on man against sin is reciprocal. It's the concept of reciprocity. Paul refers to this reciprocity in verse 27 as the penalty of their error which was due. That's a frightening statement on multiple levels. In other words, the penalty, the wrath that God pours out on man against his sin, against man for his sin is a proportionate response. It's an appropriate response. It's a measured response. It's fitting, the Bible would say, when you consider what we've done. Think with me for a moment about that statement. When you consider our sin against God, when you consider the wickedness that dwells within your own heart, your sin against him, God's wrath poured out against you for your sin is a measured, proportionate, appropriate fitting response. Let's unpack the implications of that for a minute. Think with me. God considers the depth of our sin. He ponders, if you will, our rebellion against him. He ponders our rejection of his gracious revelation. He considers that we would rather worship ourselves than to glorify him as God and to be thankful. He concludes that a measured response, a proportionate response, an appropriate response to that rejection is divine wrath. The wrath of an omnipotent God poured out full strength into the cup of his indignation, the wrath of God's abandonment in this life, the wrath of hell into eternity, and God says that's a proportionate measured response. What does that then say about the evil of our sin? What does that communicate about the wretchedness of our own condition as sinners? The unholiness of sin is in direct proportion to the holiness of God. What does that communicate about the holiness of God? What does that communicate about the ungodliness, the unholiness of our sin? Low views of God will lead to low views of sin. I would submit to you the vast majority of professing Christians today have such a deplorably low view of God, such that they have then a very high view of themselves, a very low view of their own sin. We need this kind of teaching from the apostle Paul, don't we? When you're witnessing to people often, they absolutely don't see it. I can never serve a God. I can never give my heart to God, to a God who would burn people in hell forever. Low view of God, low view of God's holiness, very high view of man, not considering whatsoever the wretchedness of man's sin against God. I want to submit to you that we don't see our sin as evil as God sees it. We don't see our sin as evil as God sees it. We don't see our sin as the evil that it must be to warrant such reciprocity. Jeremiah Burroughs, there are manifold manifestations of God's displeasure against sin, which when they are spoken of and opened up unto the people who do not understand the dreadful evil that is in sin, they stand and wonder at it. And they think that these things are hard and severe things, reminded of the words of the apostle Paul quoting Isaiah when he says, marvel and perish, marvel and perish. Behold, God says, I will work a work in your days that you wouldn't believe it if I told it to you, speaking of God's wrath, speaking of God's judgment against sin. Burroughs goes on to say, when ministers reveal the threatenings of God against sin, these people say, God forbid, we hope God is more merciful than this. And all because they do not apprehend what dreadful evil there is in sin. The soul that apprehends and believes these particulars, which have been opened unto you, cannot but justify God when they hear the revelation and the manifestation of the wrath of God against sin. In other words, the more that we understand our own sin, the more that we understand the sinful condition of our own heart, the more that we understand our rebellion against him, the more that we will justify God as righteous in his judgments, do you see? The more that we'll see God as a holy and righteous and just in his judgments. And of course, all of that is the intention of Paul in this text. One of the intentions, one of Paul's purposes here in this text is to vindicate the justice of God in pouring out his wrath upon sinners by opening unto them the wickedness of their rebellion against him. Paul wants us to sit here this morning, you and I, to look at this text and to lay our hearts before open, wide open, bare before ourselves, before our own sight as it is in the sight of God. He wants us to see ourselves more the way that God sees us. And so he labors in this text, building his case. Most of chapter one, all of chapter two, most of chapter three, just to get to the point of saying your mouth is stopped, you have no case, you are inexcusable, you are guilty before God. Do you see? Vindicates God for his justice. What's the purpose of all that? So that you and I seeing the truth, understanding the truth would turn from our sin and would trust alone in Jesus Christ, who alone can save us from the wrath of God. Do you see? It's for us to be saved. Every bit of this is dripping with grace, do you see? Because it should point us to Jesus Christ. The one who has given us life and breath, the one in whom we live and move and have our being has graciously and sufficiently revealed himself to us. And what has man done with that gracious revelation? Man has rejected it. Rejected it out of hand. They're not just rejecting the revelation, they're rejecting the God who has revealed himself to us in it, do you see? Verse 18, the wrath of God has revealed from heaven against all this ungodliness, against this unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth and his unrighteousness. Because reciprocity, do you see? Reciprocity, because what may be known of God is manifest in them because God has shown it to them, written on our hearts, so to speak. Since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes clearly seen, clearly being understood by the things that are made such that we, brothers and sisters, we, men, women, boys, girls, we are without excuse. Verse 21, we know God and yet refuse to glorify him as God. We're not even thankful. Verse 23, we exchange God as the object of our worship for a man-made image. We plunge ourselves into idolatry. Therefore, reciprocity, reciprocity, God gave them up to uncleanness. Verse 24, they exchange the truth of God for a lie. Therefore, a reciprocal response, God gave them up to vile passions. Verse 26, they don't even want God in their thoughts. They don't want to retain him in their knowledge. Therefore, reciprocity. God gave them up to a debased mind. Verse 28, listen to Romans chapter two, verse five, reciprocity in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart. In other words, it's a proportionate response. It's a fitting response to your hardness, your impenitent heart that you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. The righteous judgment of God. Who will reciprocity? Honor to each one according to his deeds, eternal life to those who buy patient continuance in doing good, seek for glory, honor and immortality, but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish on every soul of man who does evil of the Jew first and also of the Greek. But glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good to the Jew first and also to the Greek. There is no partiality with God. God is just when he speaks. God is righteous when he judges. God is holy in his wrath. God is right to judge sinful man, is he not? We have a tendency to think that God sees our sin the way that we see our sin. We tend to justify our sin. We tend to minimize our sin. We excuse our sin. We ignore our sin. We forget our sin. We take pleasure in our sin, but how evil, how wicked must our sin be to consider as reciprocal the suffering and death of the sinless Son of God to quench the wrath of God against it? What does that communicate about the wretchedness of our sin? See who think of sin but lightly, nor suppose the evil great? Here may view its nature rightly. Here its guilt may estimate. Mark the sacrifice appointed. See who bears the awful load, tis the word, the Lord's anointed Son of Man and Son of God. You can look at the cross and see the wretchedness of our sin. At the same time you look at the cross to see the wretchedness of our sin, you see the glory of His grace, the glory of His love, His mercy, His condescension. These words are dripping with grace. Chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, the world looks at this and they say, this is crazy. This is absurd. Why would we ever worship a God like this? Why would we ever come to church to hear this? You talk to people all over the place. They don't want to hear Hellfire brimstone preaching, but you don't want to hear biblical preaching. This is what the Bible tells us. And we need this. It's like, come on, Paul, give it to me. I've got to get this. Let me have it. Give it to me straight. Let me view my nature rightly that I might flee for salvation to Jesus Christ, the refuge of the cross. We need this truth and we need Paul to take his time. We're not in any rush, are we? We need Paul to take his time. Referring to your outline, we've considered point one in this text and the tragic refrain that expresses the retributive justice of God's wrath revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Three times, God gave them up to uncleanness. God gave them up to vile passions. God gave them over to a debased mind. We've considered point two on your outline. The shameless perversion to which they have been delivered. Men reject God, plunging themselves into idolatry, and then God gives them over. He delivers them up, abandons them to the vile and unnatural passions of their wicked heart. Ultimately, as we've seen in the text, manifesting itself in the degrading, desecrating abomination of homosexuality. Paul refers to homosexuality as the penalty of their error, which was due. It's reciprocity, isn't it, reciprocity? Consider with me now point three then on your outline, a corrupt compulsion. A corrupt compulsion. We see that beginning in verse 28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over, there's the language again, gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting. In these verses, Paul once again continues to refer to the wrath of God's abandonment. This is the third time in the pattern. God delivers men up to the dominion of their sin, and they are now ruled by unnatural lusts. They've come under the dominion of vile passions, committing that which is shameful. The dominion of their heart leads to a dominion of their wretched conduct. Being already referred to the abomination of homosexuality as the most blatant evidence of that, of man's degeneracy, Paul now expands his evidence in this text to include an absolute deplorable list of all manner of vile vices, right? Now at the outset, I want you to see a very important connection in the text. It's not clear in our English translation, but it is there in the Greek and I want you to see it. Follow along with me. Paul says, verse 28, they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, okay? They did not, the word means approve. They did not approve. They did not find it fitting to retain God in their knowledge. The word is from dachymodzo, meaning to approve of something as good or to approve of something as fitting, to approve of it as appropriate, okay, dachymodzo. In other words, they found it unfitting to have God in their knowledge. And so God gave them over to an adachymos mind, an unfit mind, see what Paul is saying in the connection in the text, the word play that's going on here. They did not find it fitting to retain God in their knowledge, so God gave them over to an unfit mind. What do you see in that? Reciprocity. What do you see? Reciprocity. God's judgment, God's wrath is not arbitrary. It's not wild, given over to passions like the lusts or the anger of man. God gives sinful man exactly what sinful man deserves. He pours out a measured, a muted response. It doesn't mean that it's a light response. It is a hard response. It is a severe response and it is exactly what man deserves for his sin. Reciprocity is communicated really clearly, verse 28, in that little Greek word translated even as, even as, even as they did this, God as a fitting response did that, right? It's proportionate. It's appropriate. Dr. Murray says there's a correspondence between the sin committed and the recompense made it out. Arminians, most of professing evangelicalism, most professing Christians who aren't taught well tend to think of sin as this nebulous black blob, God's wrath as this sort of unreasonable response to all that, and salvation as being this thing that just makes heaven possible or potential. It really all depends on man accepting Jesus into his heart or God just simply forgiving because that's what God is supposed to do and somehow we just all make it to heaven. No. God is just, justice will be done. Not worldly justice like we see all over the place today. Not worldly conceptions of justice like people are propagating in our country today. God is perfect in his justice. Justice will be served. Every sin paid for, if they're not paid for by Jesus Christ, who do you think pays for them? You do in justice in eternity pray to the Lord Jesus Christ that he would save you from your sin, right? And bear that penalty for you. He's the only one who can. God will meet out a proportionate response to sin and he considers hell a proportionate response. You see? Even as they disapproved of having God in their knowledge, that which is understood or recognized by the mind, right? Knowledge is that which is understood and comprehended, recognized by the mind. Even as they disapproved of having God in their knowledge, God delivered them up to a disapproved mind, an odd document mind, a disqualified mind, a reprobate mind, a morally reprehensible, debased or depraved mind. The faculty through which they attain knowledge then is disapproved. These are the same words used by Paul in 2 Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 5, where Paul says test yourselves. In other words, approve yourselves, dachimadzo. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you unless in fact you are a dachimas, right? Dachimadzo yourself so that you know you're not a dachimas, right? Test yourselves, approve yourselves in that sense, unless in fact you are disqualified. What is Paul saying here? These that reject the revelation of God, plunge themselves into idolatry and who are now objects of God's wrath, they did not love, they did not cherish, they did not value or rejoice in the knowledge of God. God has graciously condescended to reveal himself to us, they could care less. They didn't esteem him as worthy of occupying any of their worthless thought. So God in retributive justice as a reciprocal response in kind delivered them up to the dominion, to the rule of a worthless mind, do you see? The judgment of God poured out against the very seat of our thoughts and the rejecting mind becomes the rejected mind. More than that here and I want you to see this, more than that, the knowledge referred to you here in verse 28 is that knowledge which necessitates a response. We're not merely to know about God, right? We're to know God and when you know God, that knowledge of God produces fruit. It provokes, compels, constrains man to worship, constrains, compels us to adoration, to praise, to service, to devotion, to affection, to love, to rejoicing, to hope, to encouragement, right? That knowledge of God produces in us fruit. The knowledge of God in verse 21, if you look there, should have compelled men to glorify him as God and should have compelled them to be thankful. But they did not do that which is fitting given their knowledge of God. And so God delivers men over to do that which is not fitting, do you see? Reciprocity, this is all retributive justice, it's establishing reciprocity. We get what we deserve. That's justice, justice. What else does this communicate? What else? What we think is directly connected to how we act. What we know of God directly impacts how we live for him. How we live in his presence, quorum deo. How we live before the sight of God, how we live under his gaze. It's all impacted by our knowledge of him, what we know of him, what we think of him. All of life is theology in that sense, do you see? And I would love like if I could lovingly take you by the lapels and like shake into you a love of theology, a love of how God has revealed himself in his word, good books that get you into the Bible, reading the Bible and seeing out of the Bible wonders of what God has communicated to us. A love for theology that love for God will produce fruit in your life, will change the way that you live, change the way that you think, change desires and affections, change the way that you process things, change imaginations, change hopes and it changes you. It's not just information, it's information for transformation, do you see? We need to love theology and listen brothers and sisters, it's good to listen to podcasts, it's good to listen to sermons, that's a great way to soak in information, but we've got to be readers of God's word. We've got to be studyers of God's word. We've got to get ourselves into good theology. Not just the practical applications of that, right? Of course, Lord, I want to be a more faithful husband, a more faithful father. I want to raise my children in the way that honors the Lord. We want to do those things. We want to practically obey the Lord in all those things, but I tell you, my knowledge of him is going to make me a better husband. It's going to make me a better father. It's going to make me a better, right? It transforms who we are, how we think, how we live. What we think is directly connected to how we act. Verse 28, these godless men found it unfitting to know him, so God gives them over to an unfit mind to then do those things which are not fitting. Do you see the dots connected there? They found it unfitting to know him. He gives them over to an unfit mind to do those things which are not fitting, not proper to do those things which ought not to be done. Paul then follows that truth with a horrific list of desecrating sins that characterize those with a depraved or reprobate mind. The mind is the seat of thought, thought is the seat of action. So in verse 29, they are filled, filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil mindedness. They are whispers, backbiter, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful who knowing the righteous judgment of God and those who practice such things are deserving of death not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. They're not all of those things all at once, mind you, right? This is a representative list, not a comprehensive or exhaustive list, and these who are given over in this way do things like these, okay? The Lord makes the same connection regarding Israel. Turn back, let's look at an example of this in Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 4. Jeremiah chapter 4, look there at verse 22, the Lord makes the same connection regarding Israel, we see examples of this all over the Bible, rejecting the knowledge of God leads to a debased mind and a debased mind leads to depraved action. What we think, how we think is directly connected to how we act, right? A debased mind leads to depraved action. Jeremiah chapter 4, verse 22, now the Lord here is speaking of his own people, his own people, these are not the gentile nations, the Lord is speaking to Judah. To Judah, he says, my people are foolish. They have not known me, that's interesting that he says that, these are the people of God, and God is saying to them, you don't know me, you don't know me. They are silly children, they have no understanding, therefore, reciprocity, they are wise to do evil, but to do good, they have no knowledge, right? Again, true knowledge of God is connected to how we live our lives, of course the nation of Israel had knowledge of who God is, right? They certainly knew about him, they had been raised learning about him, however, in the same way today, you can find people all over churches today, at this very moment, all over churches, all over the world who know God, so to speak, all over seminaries, you will find people who know about God, up and down your street, know all kinds of things about God, and yet have no knowledge of him, and yet do not know him, right? How many lexicons, how many commentaries written by godless unbelievers, Trinity denying, Deity of Jesus Christ denying, Bible denying liberals, all kinds of knowledge about the Bible, and yet are entirely devoid of any knowledge of God, and bound for hell, absolutely astonishing. The Lord says, my people, my people are foolish, they have not known me. True knowledge of God is a knowledge that is applied, right? Knowledge applied is wisdom, right? The knowledge of God that is an applied knowledge makes one wise. These people, God says, are fools, they don't truly know him. If they did truly know him, they would be wise, they're not wise. My people, he says, are foolish. He says they are silly children, meaning they lack judgment. They have no understanding, meaning they are incapable of comprehending or discerning the truth, and what is the fruit of this sad condition, not knowing God? What is the fruit of it? They show great skill and aptitude for evil. Great skill and aptitude, they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. They don't know how to conduct themselves in righteousness, they have no idea how to do it. I want you to listen to this by way of contrast, listen to this. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy which can ever engage the attention of a child of God is the name, nature, person, work, the doings and the existence of the great God whom he calls his father. There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the divinity. It is a subject so vast that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity, so deep that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can compass and grapple with, and then we feel assigned a kind of self-content and go our way with the thought, behold I am wise, but when we come to this master science finding that our plumb line cannot sound its depth and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought that vain man would say he is wise, but he's like a wild ass's cult with a solemn exclamation, I am of, but yesterday and know nothing, but no subject will tend more to humble the mind than thoughts of God. And the same subject that humbles the mind is the subject that expands it. Charles Spurgeon wrote that when he was 20 years old, 20 years old, far from silly or foolish I'd say, right? Jeremiah chapter nine verse 23, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches, but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord exercising loving kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth for in these I delight says the Lord. Well that's gonna have an impact on your life, isn't it? Impact on how you live, how you love, it's gonna have an impact on your worship, it's gonna have an impact on your devotion to serve him, it's gonna have an impact on your evangelism, it's gonna reach into every square inch of who you are, you have that kind of knowledge of God. I knew a young man years ago who loved to talk theology, loved to talk theology, would debate theology, talk about theology, every time we got together we're talking about theology, he would study, read, he would memorize scripture, evangelize, he was serving and he was a reprobate, did not know the Lord, not long after given over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting, plunged himself headlong into sin. A full blown apostate went headfirst deeply into drugs, crime, left his wife, left his children, plunged himself into sin and rebellion and recently died. Died as an apostate, died in his sin, died apart from the Lord and yet knew so much about him, that's shameful, right, shameful and a fearful thing. We need to pursue knowledge of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who died and gave himself for us. It's the only way to go about that, reading your Bible, praying to God, God I want to know you, I want to love you more the way that I should. I want to forsake my sin, I want to serve you as I should, I want to have a heart for you, I want to be a man after God's own heart like David, right, Lord change me, transform me through your word, help me Lord to understand, help me to follow you as I should and departing from sin, forsaking sin to trust in him, independence upon his spirit, not on our own strength, not for our own pride, not for our own shameful aspirations, so to know him. Jesus Christ says, doesn't he, that eternal life is to know him and know the one whom he has sent. Truly knowing God will not only produce a love for theology, truly knowing God will produce a love for the one who is the subject of theology, a love for him, his person, his work, that love will constrain the one who believes in him to worship and to praise and to devotion and to zeal. It'll constrain or compel that one to heart holiness, to live a holy life. It will lead to comfort and encouragement and hope and joy and peace and faith. It will lead to a love for theology that leads to a greater knowledge of him for who he is, a greater maturity in the faith. True knowledge of God produces good fruit. Daniel 11 verse 32, the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits. I like that. Spurgeon said, there was something exceedingly improving to the mind in the knowledge of God. The opposite is also true. The opposite is also true. There's something exceedingly destructive to the soul in rejecting that knowledge of God. Back in Romans chapter 1 verse 29 then, even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting, which are not proper. Verse 29, this tragic list, being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immoral immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil mindedness, their whispers, backbiders, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them. Again, this is not an exhaustive list. It is merely a representative list and it is a tragic list. Verse 29, the extent or the depth of man's depravity, the scope of man's depravity is expressed by the description given at the beginning of verse 29, being filled, being filled. All unrighteousness there is generic and it is comprehensive, implying that the wicked list that follows is a representative list of what all unrighteousness they are involved in. It's included in all unrighteousness. Being filled with all unrighteousness suggests how enslaved they are. They are filled with it. Do you see how thoroughly, how completely they have come under the dominion of a demaced mind? Their cup now runneth over with filth. They're choking on it. Now some of you may know exactly what Paul is referring to there with a battle or struggle that you've had with sin or a particular sin. That you sometimes are just overrun by it. You feel like you're drowning in it and choking on it. That's what Paul is talking about here. Being filled with all unrighteousness of that thing, whatever it is from this list or from other things. We're not going to go into each of these words individually. I think the words are self-evident and self-explanatory, easy to define, suffice it to say, this is how the Spirit of God describes those, the actions of those who are abandoned by God. Do you see? The Spirit of God has the ultimate author of this list. So consider with me now the last point, point three on your notes, point three on your notes, and the corrupt compulsion then, the corrupt compulsion. The end of this list, verse 32, Paul concludes by saying that knowing the righteous judgment of God then, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do they do the same, but also they approve of those who practice them. Now think with me, they know the righteous judgment of God, just like they know God in verse 21. Just like they know God in verse 21, refusing to glorify him as God, refusing to be thankful, they know here the righteous judgment of God. What is the righteous judgment of God? That those who practice these things are deserving of death. Now the Greek word translated righteous judgment there refers to commandment or ordinance. The word is literally ordinance or commandment. This is the commandment that they know. This is the commandment. Those who practice such things are deserving of death. That's what God commands. That is in accord with his righteous character. That's in accord with his holiness. That's in accord with his law. That is in accord with perfect justice. Those who do such things are deserving of death. And again, this is a representative list, not an exhaustive list. They know this. They know the commandment. In other words, this is a witness from conscience against them. They know these things that they are deserving of death, those who practice them. And so in other words here, they don't act in ignorance. They act in full knowledge under the watchful eye of an omnipresent omniscient God. They act in broad daylight as it were. They don't act in ignorance. They know that those who do those things deserve to die. And yet they both do those things and approve of others who do them. When the Bible speaks here of deserving death, those who deserve such things or do such things or deserving of death, it's not merely speaking of physical death. You understand physical death is a shadow. It's a type. The fact that every person dies is an indication that we deserve death for our sin. And the death that the Bible is referring to as just desserts for our sin that will come to us in that day is an eternal death. The Bible calls it the second death, an eternal death in torment. Physical death points us to the reality of that horrifying truth, the fact that every single person dies. And it's amazing to me how few, you know, the only time I've ever been to a funeral that actually preaches the truth about that was one that I preached or one of the brothers here preached. It's the only time, the only time, I've been to a lot of funerals, but you're at a funeral at the death of someone. That is an object lesson in reality, folks, an object lesson in reality. And you stand there over the grave of someone who has passed through that veil, and then you have some liar in the pulpit, he's in a better place, you know. It's despicable. It's despicable. This is a terrifying truth. We face eternal death. Those that do such things are deserving of that judgment. They don't do it in ignorance. This is not something they fall into in a moment of weakness. They don't fall into it in a fit of passion. They're not overtaken by some temptation unaware. No, as Jeremiah would say, they're wise to do evil, wise to do evil. They're calculated in their evil. Whatever that evil is from this list or among other things, whatever it is, they're calculated in their evil. They determine to make a practice of things like these. Well, how do we know that? They determine to do it. I don't want righteousness, they would say to themselves, I don't want to follow the Lord. This is what I want. And they, things like these then characterize their life, things like these characterize their desires, their pursuits. And how is it that it's calculated in a very calculated way? They approve of those who do the same thing. They look around, they look at themselves, what they're doing. They determine to do that. And they look around and they approve of everybody else who's acting in the same way. As if there's some twisted, sick strength they sense in numbers, right? We're all, and don't you hear that when you witness, right? When you talk to people, you witness to people, someone will say, we're all sinners. We're all sinners. If that's the truth, then we're all going to hell. Paul is describing here an even deeper and a far more calloused degree of depravity, a depravity to which the debased mind leads. This is the low point I would submit to you. It's not the homosexuality, verse 27, verse 26. This is the low point in their degeneracy. This is the low point in their desecration. This is the basement in the rusted out tin shack that is man's lost condition. Do you see? And knowing the righteous judgment of God, knowing it that they deserve to die, they are compelled against all reason, compelled against all knowledge to do that, which will lead to their own destruction. It is certainly, is it not, a corrupt compulsion. This is a testimony to man's depravity, a testimony to our sinful will that apart from a miraculous work of God in the heart of man, to cause him to be born again, to renew his nature, apart from that work through the person in work of Jesus Christ, our compulsion is to rage against all wise counsel from God's word and do that thing, which will lead to our own destruction, compelled by our flesh to do it. Absolutely a staggering testimony of the deplorable wickedness of man's heart. Unlike those who see the wrath of God poured out against sin and respond with a hatred for it. Unlike those who consider the horror that sin must be in the eyes of God to warrant such a penalty and flee to Christ to turn from it. These people know what their sin rightly deserves. That knowledge doesn't cultivate any hatred for sin. That knowledge doesn't cultivate any desire to repent from sin. With knowledge, they would rather continue to live in defiance against God and die. Paul is referring to the indisputable nature of their guilt before God. Paul is making an airtight case, an airtight case against the condition of man. It inevitably and inexorably leads to point four on your notes then and a righteous judgment, a righteous judgment. Therefore, Paul says, chapter two, verse one, therefore you are inexcusable, oh man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself for you who judge, practice the same things. This statement of Paul, he brings his thought, this first section of his thought, to a close with an inclusio. It's literary bookends, so to speak, bookends on either end of Paul's thought here, encompassing a predominant thought. Here's that thought. These are those who rejected the revelation of God given in creation, verse 18, even though it was manifest in them the law of God written upon their heart, even though God has shown it to them, what may be known of God clearly seen, these have suppressed that truth of God in their unrighteousness, and Paul concludes that they are without excuse, verse 21. That rejection of God's gracious revelation results in a devastating series of consequences. One, men are lost in idolatry, creating a God after their own image, men exchange the truth of God for the lie. Second, they are given up by God, abandoned to vile lust and uncleanness. Third, they degrade to themselves with all manner of abhorrent and despicable sin, such that now Paul concludes on the basis of their actions, chapter two, verse one, they are without excuse. In the beginning, rejecting God's revelation of himself in creation, they are without excuse. Paul concludes his thought with the same judgment. Therefore, you are inexcusable, oh man, do you see how Paul wraps up his point, right? Rejecting the revelation that God has given will lead to sin, will lead to rebellion resulting in judgment and condemnation. Therefore, chapter two, verse one, you are inexcusable, oh man, whoever you are, who judge, for in whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself, for you who judge practice the same things. Who is the you of verse one? Who is the you of verse one? Who is Paul referring to when he says, you are inexcusable, oh man? Have you noticed the transition here? Chapter two, verse one, he goes from speaking of mankind, man, we've even done that through these sermons, haven't we? Talking about mankind in general, using mankind in the third person, they, them, right? Paul makes the transition now in chapter two, verse one, to the second person, you. Makes a transition from the third person to the second person, you. You, you are inexcusable, oh man. Speaking of you and I specifically, it's as if Paul was speaking to you from this text in relation to what he's just concluded. In other words, have you been listening to this text and judging those who practice such things? Oh, the wickedness of those deplorable people, the vile heart of those poor lost souls, my how they deserve hell. Have you been judging those who think in such ways? How could someone be capable of doing something like that? I sure hope somebody's listening to this sermon. He needs to be hearing this because, you know, when Paul says, you are guilty, I am guilty of the same transgression against God. Therefore, you. So we come to the end of this, this section of text in which Paul has laid out an airtight case for the universal guilt of mankind in their sin. And then Paul says, and you, me, we're a part of that. You're inexcusable. I'm inexcusable because we, judging another, we do the same thing. Before Jesus Christ, would you not say that you were filled with all unrighteousness? Do you not remember the depth of your depravity? Do you not remember just how filthy when you, when you, when the Lord opened your eyes, right? And you look back on those things of which you are now ashamed. Does it not just grieve your heart, right? Just devastate you to think I was capable of that kind of hatred and that kind of anger and that kind of wickedness and that kind of sin, right? Even now, Christian, you come to Jesus Christ, you turn from your sin. You say to yourself, as Christians do, I'm sick of it. Sick of living as an offense against him. I'm sick of the filth. I'm sick of my life, right? Sick of making a wreck of it. And so you turn from your sin. You trust Jesus Christ. And now, praise God. There's joy. There's peace. And there's hope. And there's encouragement. And there's love. And Jesus Christ has saved you and I am his and he is mine. I'll never sin again. Until the next minute. And now you're sinning against grace, right? Now you're sinning against knowledge. How wretched is our heart? Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ. Our Lord will be delivered. We practice the same things. And whatever you judge another, listen. Yeah, you know, you condemn yourself. You do the same. We are without excuse. Do you acknowledge that this morning? If you're here this morning, you're listening to this, you're reading through this text and you say, no way, not me. This is stretching it. This is extreme. Do you not acknowledge it? You are filled with all unrighteousness that you deserve to die for your sin. Do you not acknowledge that? Acknowledging that is the first step in repentance. It's the beginning of wisdom, right? Fear of God. Our only hope in this is answered in the remedy that Paul gives back in Romans chapter one, verse 16. Paul, the reason that Paul is not ashamed of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is because the gospel is the remedy to this problem. It is God's provision for this wretchedness. It is our solution, God's solution to our sin problem. It's the way that we can be made right with God, reconciled to God. Paul says I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ because the gospel in it, the righteousness of God is revealed. That righteousness that we need to be reconciled to God, that righteousness that we need to, in order to stand before Him justifying, Paul says is given in the gospel and the gospel is the power of God to salvation. Apart from a gift of His righteousness, this list describes you and I. Although you and I have done these things because of the gift of His righteousness given through faith, this list doesn't mark us anymore. It's been taken off our ledger. Praise God. And by His grace, it was placed on His ledger and He bore the penalty that that deserves in His own body on the tree. My ledger in Him is clean. Praise God. Praise God. God, Paul tells us these things. Paul confronts us in our sin. He shoves it up our nose, so to speak in these chapters, so that we may turn and be saved so that we might flee to Jesus Christ. Having turned now, brothers and sisters, that we may see our condition rightly, boast not in ourselves, but in Him who is our righteousness. All praise, honor, and glory be to Him. Amen. Amen.