The Book of Romans ~ Lesson Three

"Giving Up What's Best"

Acts 1:18-32 (Message) But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
   So God said, in effect, "If that's what you want, that's what you get." It wasn't long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!
   Worse followed. Refusing to know God, they soon didn't know how to be human either—women didn't know how to be women, men didn't know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men—all lust, no love. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it—emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches.
   Since they didn't bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it's not as if they don't know better. They know perfectly well they're spitting in God's face. And they don't care—worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!

Whew!! What did I get myself into when I decided to study the Book of Romans? It starts out with a warm and encouraging greeting and BAM in your face!! I hope I can comment without having you stop reading because some of the issues this lesson brings up may offend you. The deal is this, do you want to know what God really says are do you want to hear the happy stuff? God is righteous. That means His way of relating to us comes from a love that wants nothing but the best for those who love Him. There is no compromise in His love. So why should there be compromise in ours? With that said let's dive in.

God's anger toward mankind began when we chose our self-made "gods" for the one true "God." We didn't like the limitation He puts on our relationship with Him so we made Him be what fit our desires. Admit it, its easier to do what you want to do than it is to follow someone. The problem with that is that we want Him to fix things when we can't. We want Him when we want Him and He can just "butt-out" the rest of the time.

John 3:31-36 (NLT) “He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands. And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”

Our viewpoint isn't from an eternal perspective. It is limited by our human-ness. God is from a higher perspective, one we cannot reach without Him. Because we don't understand that He can see infinitely. We rely on what we see, hear and experience. Because God knew this about us, He came down to earth in the form of man as Jesus and walked among us teaching us by His actions. He taught us what God's perspective on life really was.

Some will read the list of depravities in these verses and think they are what keeps us from eternity. The truth is what keeps us from an eternal relationionship with God, through Christ, is that we have abandoned Him for the little "gods" in our lives that allow us to feel justified in our actions. It's not about homosexuality, lusts, indecent acts, lying, stealing, cheating, etc. ~its all about giving up our relationship with Jesus to do what we want. We exchange the best and perfect for what doesn't cause ripples in our world. We don't want anyone to tell us what's right or wrong. We refuse His will for us and forfeit relationship with Him and that is what keeps us from eternity. We don't get eternity without Jesus and Jesus won't come into our lives unless we lay down ours.

Ephesians 5:1-14 (NLT) Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
   Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
   Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
   Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, or the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Let me break these verses from Ephesians down:
To Imitate God:
   * Live a life filled with love.
   * Follow the example of Christ.
   * Offer your life as a pleasing aroma to God.
Don't live your lives like this:
   * No sexual immorality.
   * No impurity.
   * No greed.
   * Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes.
 Instead live like this:
   * Don't be deceived by empty words.
   * Be obedient to God.
   * Live in God's light and not in darkness.
   * Find out what pleases God and do it.
   * Wake up from the world's lullaby.

The deal is that Christians have blasted those who don't know Jesus for living "sinful" lives. But, we sin by pointing to the sin and not directing them to Jesus. What keeps a person from forgiveness and full restoration to God is refusing the Son and what He has done for them.

I fail so often and get caught up in the actions of a person and not the heart of the person. God changes lives when He is allowed to enter a heart. His Spirit is the power of salvation that prompts a person to change and accept God's best. We ALL need to ask ourselves if we are truly following the One True God or have we molded and shaped our own "god" to fit the way we want to worship Him?

The decision rests with each individual. Who will you serve? Those of us who do believe that Jesus is God and has rescued us from a life without a relationship with Him, are required to love as Jesus loves and to leave His judgment to Him. Let's examine our hearts and live lives that He desires as best for us. Along the way, let's love others to Him and He will change hearts and minds.

Psalm 11:4-7 (NIVRV) The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord is on his throne in heaven. He watches all people. His eyes study them. The Lord watches over those who do what is right. But he hates sinful people and those who love to hurt others. He will pour out flaming coals and burning sulfur on those who do what is wrong. A hot and dry wind will destroy them. The Lord always does what is right.  So he loves it when people do what is fair. Those who are honest will enjoy his blessing.

Honestly, those who truly seek God through Jesus will receive His best and all eternity with Him. He is with them throughout this life that bumps and bruises our hearts. Fleeting desires only keep us from true delight. Jesus is the real thing, all other things are just smoke and mirrors. God allows us to choose. Let's choose Him, the real thing, not something that is a decoy and leads to more and more hurt.