The BIG sin

THE “BIG” SIN

Jeremiah 10:1-16; Romans 1:14-32

I. THE “BIG” SIN

What is the “big” sin of Romans 1?

A. All the other sins in Romans 1 are a consequence of not ____________ God.

B. When we do not acknowledge and honor God in praise and thanksgiving, He hands us over to other sins.

1. If you suppress the knowledge of God which is clearly seen, then God will hand you over to darkness (Romans 1:20,21).

2. If you do not honor God in worship then He will hand you over to dishonor (Romans 1:21,24).

3. If you exchange the truth of God for the lie then you will exchange the natural function of sexuality for that which is unnatural (Romans 1:25,26)

4. The degrading passions of Romans 1 are a result of not giving God the praise and honor and thanks that are due to Him (Romans 1:28-31).

“The fundamental sin is a failure to worship him. All other sin is a consequence of this one... The fundamental truth of the universe is that God exists and that he should be worshiped and served and his name should be praised (v. 25). The addition of the doxology in verse 25 …is charged with meaning. Those who worship, serve, and glorify God bring praise to him. The fundamental task of the creature is to bless the name of God” (T.R. Schreiner, Romans, 91).

C. Self-worship leads to the degradation of the body and not its exaltation.

D. Idolatry is a sin against God’s glory. Homosexuality is a sin against man’s glory.

E. Once you realize that Paul’s argument deals primarily with idolatry, it makes sense that Paul places a doxology in the middle of it (Romans 1:25).

1. “the lie” (v.25)

2. “Amen” – Hebrew for “it is the truth” (v.25)

3. Romans 1 is about the lie of idolatry versus the Amen of true worship.

F. We do a great injustice to the glory of God when miss the fact that the great sin of Romans 1 is idolatry.

II. THE CORRUPTION OF WORSHIP LEADS TO THE CORRUPTION OF THE REST OF LIFE.

A. Worship was never meant to be a reflection of culture. Culture was meant to be a reflection of worship.

B. When the church tries to become more culturally relevant in her worship:

1. she will become more idolatrous

2. she will become more man centered instead of God centered

C. The more the church acts like the world on Sunday, the more Christians will act like the world on Monday.

“The light of nature sheweth that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and doth good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might. (Rom. 1:20, Acts 17:24, Ps. 119:68, Jer. 10:7, Ps. 31:23, Ps. 18:3, Rom. 10:12, Ps. 62:8, Josh. 24:14, Mark 12:33) But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture. (Deut. 12:32, Matt. 15:9, Acts 17:25, Matt. 4:9–10, Deut. 15:1–20, Exod. 20:4–6, Col. 2:23)” (Westminster Confession of Faith; 21:1).

“If it be inquired, then, by what things chiefly the Christian religion has a standing existence amongst us, and maintains its truth, it will be found that the following two not only occupy the principal place, but comprehend under them all the other parts, and consequently the whole substance of Christianity: that is, a knowledge, first, of the mode in which God is duly worshipped; and, secondly, of the source from which salvation is to be obtained. When these are kept out of view…our [Christian] profession is empty and vain” (John Calvin, The Necessity of Reforming the Church pp.6, 15).

D. The Gospel is not only about making believers but worshippers (Acts 17:23ff.; 1 Cor.12:2; 1 Thess.1:9).

E. The worship and glory of God is one of the central thrusts of Romans (Romans 1:25; 9:5; 15:5-13).

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. (John Piper, Let the Nations be Glad, [Second Edition] pp.17, 203).

QUESTIONS FOR SABBATH DISCUSSION & MEDITATION

Take what you have learned this morning and make it into a prayer for yourself, your family, the church and/or your nation.

What passages of Scripture were read this morning?

Jeremiah compares idols to scarecrows in a ___________ field.

What is the “big” sin of Romans 1? Would you have given the same answer before today’s sermon?

What are all sexual perversions and other forms of unrighteousness a result of?

Idolatry is a sin against God’s glory. Homosexuality is a sin against man’s _________.

What does “Amen” mean?

Is worship to reflect culture or is culture to reflect worship? Explain.

The more the church acts like the world on Sunday, the more Christians will act like the world on _________.

What is the goal of missions and evangelism?

How has culture affected much of the worship of the modern day church?