Romans 1:24-32
1. We began with a recap of our talks in Romans 1 concerning God’s wrath.
A: It was said that God is not embarrassed by His wrath & neither should we be embarrassed. In what ways/circumstances are we tempted to be embarrassed of God’s wrath?
B: When eliminating God’s wrath, you eliminate God’s love. How can this statement be effective for talking with others about the wrath of God?
C: It was said that eliminating God’s wrath eliminates the need for the gospel. How does believing in the wrath of God propel us to share the gospel with others?
2. We then talked about 3 portions of the passage where it states that “God gave them up.”
A: The first of these statements is found in v. 24. We see that God gave humanity up to its selfish desires…which are found in our hearts. Reading this passage, Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9 & others…how does the Biblical view of humanity’s heart differ from the world’s view of a person’s heart? Why does this difference matter so much?
B: We saw in v. 25 that this selfish desire ultimately leads to idolatry: exchanging the truth of God for falsehood. What are ways that people can fall into idolatry today?
C: We then looked at v. 26 & see that God abandoned humanity to corrupt desires: exchanging natural desires for unnatural desires. The text points to the sin of homosexuality & the consequences of acting on those desires. What are other ways that people trade natural desires for unnatural desires?
D: Preparing for next week’s message concerning the issue of homosexuality, consider this: How do we demonstrate BOTH that we maintain with conviction & clarity that homosexuality is a sin & hold to that position with compassion?
E: Next we considered v. 28 & that God abandoned humanity to a depraved disposition. Looking at how far reaching the effects of this arrogance are seen in v. 29-32…how does this passage negate any sense of innocence & instead show all of humanity to be guilty before God? Do you think people recognize these far reaching effects of sin today?
3. We ended by asking, “So what do the people of God do?”
A: We were encouraged to beg God on behalf of those that reject God. How is prayer a loving thing you can do for those who reject God? What does praying to God for others show about our view of salvation?
B: We were also encouraged to boast of God, to delight in the God who saves. We do this by imitating Christ & telling others of Christ. How can you do these this week in your life?