Dear Beloved Church,

This week’s lesson is taken from the book of Romans, chapter 1, verses 18-25. I have underlined some key points that the Apostle Paul is sharing.

 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 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 people are without excuse.21 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. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Sunday the Psalmist spoke about Blessing, this week we focus on His wrath. Before we see the wrath, let us understand how we arrive at that point before a loving and patient God. He says we suppress the truth. Not that we lie forthright, though we do; suppress means to put out of our conscience. This mindless sin of mankind puts our Lord to the back seat of our thinking. Scripture tells us to put the things of God on our foreheads and to write them on our doorposts. To not thank Him, or ignore, forget, toss to the side His qualities and purposes is an outrage for He has revealed Himself through all He has made. Creation has exposed our Lord’s character. Beauty, power, majesty, strength, and divine eternal power surround us daily. As the scriptures allude to, what are we thinking! To ignore such a precious Lord is the most unwise and foolish thing anyone could do.

Yet some of the kindest and nicest individuals I have come to know in my lifetime will face this wrath, or judgment of God, because of such actions! Repent and turn from this wickedness is the message of Paul.

So what is the “WRATH” to come on such individuals? Simply this, He will leave you to yourself and your sin! He will disconnect Himself from you. The very things that you worship and care about, the desires of your heart will condemn you in this life, and the afterlife. There will be no loving and protective care and promises of the Savior, those gifts are for His people. To believe anything else is simply believing the lie.

So this is the million-dollar question. What are the desires of your heart? Who are you worshiping? What are you thinking about? If it is not Jesus Christ, you should expect damnation and wrath. I plead for you to turn and ask for forgiveness and start living a different life today.

If Jesus is at the forefront of your life and you are putting yourself in the most opportune place so Christ can work His grace in and through you, you can expect an eternal love and care that can overcome this world.

In closing, Paul writes so that we will see and know the Creator and caregiver of our souls. To Him be the praise forever. Love is giving you what you need. Jesus has a love for all who believe, after all, He suffered and died for our sins and delivering us personally to His God and Our God!

Love Pastor Jeff