Romans, Reasoned Revelation of Redemption

The Wrath of God Revealed

Romans 1:18-21

INTRO
This section of Romans, Romans 1:18-32, shows us
The revelation of God’s wrath
the reason for God’s wrath, and
the ramifications of God‘s wrath

“Pastor, I would rather hear a message on God’s love

than a message on God’s wrath.”
Would you realize today that the love of God comes forth in all of its wonder and
glory
only when you first comprehend the wrath of God against our sin.
It is no big deal for us to pass over someone’s sin against us… because we
know that we have probably done the same thing or worse to many other
people!
BUT
When the God Who has never sinned, Who abhors sin,
is willing to take my sin on Himself in the person of Jesus Christ,
to shed His blood and die in payment for my sin,
to in Himself, suffer all the eternal wrath of God against my sin
and the sin of the entire world…
It is then that the love of God comes more clearly to us in all of its splendor!

When the “exceeding sinfulness of sin” described in Romans 7:13

comes to bear in our thinking with all of its weight…
We then are enabled to begin how marvelous the love of God really is!

“My sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought,

My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the Cross, and I bear it no more!
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul!

God’s holiness makes it so that my sin…

separates me from God immediately…
and will separate me from God for all eternity in a place the Bible calls Hell.
The flames of Hell and the Lake of Fire are a just punishment for my sin!
When I realize the justice in the wrath of God,
then I realize how wonderful is God’s love toward me!

This time, from Romans 1, we will consider the revelation of God’s wrath and the
reason for God’s wrath.
Next time we will look at the ramifications of God’s wrath.

1
I. The Revelation of God’s Wrath (vs. 18)

God has revealed truth to man.

The righteousness of God is revealed (vs. 17).
Man holds the truth in unrighteousness.

Psalm 7:11 – God is angry with the wicked every day.

God has a right to be angry.

Because he is holy, totally separate from sin, He has to be angry.
If He ceased to be angry at sin, he would cease to be God.

All men to some extent, “hold the truth” from God (vs. 18b),
but they hold it “in unrighteousness.”
God has shown it unto them! (vs. 19b)
But they fail to have a right and righteous response to God’s truth.

How is it that they know of God’s truth and God’s wrath?

A. Revealed by Conscience (vs. 19)

Romans 2:15
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience
also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else
excusing one another;)

John 8:9
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out
one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left
alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

The conscience is a God-given mechanism to help all men realize both the
righteousness of God and the wrath of God against unrighteousness.

BUT
Titus 1:15 says the conscience can be “defiled.”
The Bible explains in I Tim. 4:1,2 that
in the latter times, people will have their consciences “seared with a hot
iron.”
I Tim. 1:19 explains that you can “shipwreck” your conscience.

Hebrews 9:14 explains that the conscience needs to be purged from dead
works.
Man tries to use good works to ease his conscience. They are “dead works”!

2
 If someone responds to God’s tug on his conscience, God will send him more
truth until he understands and receives the Gospel!

God and His wrath are not only revealed by conscience, they are also…
B. Revealed by Creation (vs. 20)

Psalm 19:1-6
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his
handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the
world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a
strong man to run a race.
6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends
of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

Isaiah 40:25-28
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that
bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the
greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the
LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the
LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is
weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

Creation reveals that there is indeed a God Who created us,

and I am responsible to Him.

Romans 1:20…
1. Creation shows His existence
2. Creation shows His power
3. Creation shows His Godhead
The word “Godhead” is 3X in our Bible.
The other 2X, it is translated from a Greek Word that indicates the unity
of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.
Here (1X) it indicates His divine nature… what He is like.

From conscience and creation, all men know there is a right and wrong,
there is a God of power, love, and wrath, and
we are responsible to Him!

C. Revealed by Christ
In person during the Bible days, and in the written word in our day.

3
 Hebrews 1:1,2
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past
unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath
appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

The wrath of God is revealed in Christ by the incredible suffering He endured

because of God’s wrath against sin!

He paid the price for us!

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto
the Father, but by me. – John 14:6

In our day, the truth of Christ is revealed perhaps more than ever before, with
radio, TV, Internet, all vehicles used for communicating God‘s truth and
providing the ability to access it freely.

But in all ages and in all lands,

Jesus is the Light that lighteth every man!
John 1:6-12
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men
through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the
world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew
him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name:

And that’s the key… we must receive Him!

Which brings us from…
I. The Revelation of God’s Wrath (vs. 18)
To…
II. The Reason for God’s Wrath

Not receiving Him!

The rejection of God!

Romans 1:21
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were
thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was
darkened.

4
 Why would man reject God as He has revealed himself?
Because to accept and acknowledge Him, they would have to change their
lifestyle.
They would have to change their mind about sin.

To turn to God, is to turn from sin.

Repentance is changing your mind about sin, self, and the Savior.

The crime of all crimes is to know God, and yet refuse to glorify him as God.

Light rejected leads to further light denied.

Light received leads to further light given.

CONCLUSION
1) Understanding more about the wrath of God,
rejoice more than ever in the love of God!

2) In the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ,

we have the solution for man deserving the wrath of God.

Make it your life to shine the light of Christ into people’s darkness.

Acts 26:18 – from darkness to light

18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and
inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.