If you have your Bible, turn to Romans 116 through 32. I'm going to spend a lot of time introducing this passage. Now, if you've been listening, this is our third week in Romans, the first week we examined some things that Paul said about himself, some things he said about Jesus, and some things he said about you. Then last week we talked about friendship, and we saw that Paul needed friends, and he had a soft side. And this week, after kind of giving you some good stuff, we're going to have a miserable time to be perfectly honest with you. Before we turn to that miserable time, let's go before the throne. Father, we're glad that we belong to you. Glad that you called us to yourself, and glad that you're going to get us home. Father, we deserve nothing, and you've given us everything, even giving us your own son to hang on across in our place. Father, we're overwhelmed with your love, overwhelmed with your grace, overwhelmed with your mercy. Father, as we go into another week, we don't know what the week holds. Every day the world rolls over on top of somebody who was just sitting on top of it, and we might be the one this week. Father, be close, and may we sense your presence in the midst of whatever happens. When we laugh, be there also. When we play, when we're with friends, when the soft times come, Father, join us, but when the tears come and the pain come, Father, be there too. Father, we're not good, and we confess that before you. We've not been obedient to what you've told us to do. We failed. You told us to love people, and we were too busy doing our own thing that was religious. Father, forgive us for all of our sins and our sin. The thought that we praise you, because we're better than we were, and we're growing. We love more than we did. We're more obedient than we were, and before long we're going to be just like Jesus, because He promised. And so we're thankful for that. Father, we're not good. We're not together. Everything isn't right, but we are youers, and that's what's most important because you made us youers. Father, as we study your word, this week on Key Life, we pray for the one who teaches that you would forgive Him His sins, while they are many we would see Jesus and Him only, and we pray in Jesus' name, I mean, okay, if you're at home, sit back and relax, get a cup of coffee, glass of milk or orange juice if you're in Florida or California, sit back and we'll study the Bible together. If you're in your office and you can get your Bible out, without everybody thinking you're a fanatic, then by the way, you say, well, I'm going to make a witness in my office. I'm going to carry this big, black Bible, and everybody will know I belong to Jesus. Let me tell you something. That's not the way you do it. Listen, you just create questions by your love and your compassion and your faithfulness and your kindness. And when I ask you why, then get off your big, black Bible and then begin to share the reality of what you found. But if you're in a place where you can open your Bible, do it if you're driving, you keep your eyes on the road. Now, before we turn to the text for this week on Key Life, Romans 116 through 32, I feel that it's very important that we place this week's programs and next two weeks programs in context. Now, if you've been listening, and I've told you before, the first week we talked about some things that Paul said about Jesus, some things he said about himself, and some things he said about us, and they were great. And then last week we talked about friendship, and that was a wonderful time. Well, you need to know that as we move into the verses that follow from the next chapter or two, it's going to be not exactly an upper. Romans 116, through Romans 229, is a very scary piece of scripture. In a church I once served as seminary student wanted to teach Romans during the summer months for one of the adult Sunday school classes, and I tried to get him to teach something a little lighter, but he insisted and so I gave in. Our Hendrix tells about a seminary student who would come to him and was so sure and arrogant a litus that he was going to change the world, and he would call a local pastor. Dr. Hendrix would say to the local pastor, I've got a young man here and I want you to give him the hardest job that you've got. I'm in a job that's so hard that there is no way that he is going to be able to accomplish and I want him to fail big time. Dr. Hendrix said when the young man came back to the seminary, he was ready to learn. Well, some sort of like that happened with this young man who was teaching Romans after about two weeks. He came to me and he said, Steve, I don't think Roman says what we thought it said. He said, what do you mean by that? He said, well, all I've talked about is standing at Gilt, and I feel guilty and the Sunday school class feels guilty and there's no light in it, and maybe we missed this thing all together and I said to him, son, just keep on trucking, just keep on teaching. I asked him, how far he got, he said, I got to the end of the second chapter and I said, well, you're not even close yet. Keep going because pretty soon you're going to see the light and I would say exactly the same thing to you. This section in Romans, now listen to me because this is important, is a section of scripture that is designed to make you feel bad. You say, say what, and this section of scripture is designed to make you feel bad. That's what I said. You heard me right. And if you're looking for something to give you the warm fuzzies, I mean, if you're into a good self-esteem and self-image, this is not going to be your passage. Dear friend, this is not it. I remember one time and a young couple had come to me to perform a ceremony and he wasn't a Christian and she was and she loved him and he loved her and I listened for a while and I realized this young man wouldn't buy anything but had to do with the Christian faith. And I said, I'm not going to be able to perform this ceremony because you're not a Christian and he jumped up and he was about six foot three and I'm still sitting. And he said, I thought the church and by then his fiance was crying and he said, I thought the church was supposed to help people and this didn't help anybody. I said, son, I'm helping you about as good as I can. You guys are going to be on a lot of trouble. If you, as an unbeliever, a believer, you're going to find all the time the very central thing of your marriage isn't going to work. He's why I thought you were supposed to help and I said, I'm helping, it just doesn't feel like it. Well, this passage is going to be helping but it won't feel like it for a while. Let me tell you what Paul's doing. He's making sure that we hear the bad news before we hear the good news, aren't it good it better, that we are hearing the incredibly bad news before we hear the incredibly good news. That's always true isn't it? Let me give you a principle. Light is light and direct proportion to how much you've seen the darkness. Converse is also true. Dark is dark and direct proportion to how much you've seen the light. In the case of Jesus in the incarnation, you can see the income as the eternal, free existence, son of God, the second person of the Trinity, the total light, ruler of the universe, creator of the entire earth, any inners, the silent planet of Santa, darkness and hatred, any hangs on across. Now, you think the world is bad to you, you don't know anything. I mean, it was really bad for Jesus because he'd come from light. How do I know that? Because dark is dark and direct proportion to how much you've seen the light. And when you read the 17th chapter of the gospel of John, when Jesus is getting ready to go home, I mean, there is excitement there because you see that light is light and direct proportion to how much you've seen the darkness. Well, this text is sort of like that. I mean, we're going to see the darkness in this text, but we're going to see the light on the other end of it, and the light is going to be truly light because the darkness is so dark. It's something that my friend, Carl Thomas, wrote in his syndicated column. The attack, by what I've called the pagan left, has begun against what they call the religious right. Michael Kinzley wrote in the New York Times that if Christians can't stand the heat of criticism, they should get back into the church fused. They can't have it both ways, he said. They can't enter the political arena and comment on all sorts of issues in the cry file or bigotry when they're criticized. Michael says he has a point, but there's a larger one. How can a spiritually dysfunctional church hope to speak truth to an even more dysfunctional culture when it is lost its moral compass, and compromised its message by allowing internal rot? If the church wants to be a full-player, again, on the national political scene, in addition to getting its own house in order, it must re-enter the arena and participate on an equal footing in presenting its beliefs and values. You must stop bashing the news media, the government, the individuals. It must put its ideas up against opposing ideas and debate on the basis of what it sees as true and what is in the best interest of America. Christians have a responsibility to slow down the spoilage of the kingdom of this world, but they cannot do this through the arm of the state alone. Moral power, not political power, is the superior force. If Christians will begin living what they say they believe, loving their enemies, praying for those who persecute them, becoming a friend to sinners, even pro-choicers and aided liberals, a new kind of power would be unleashed on the land. It would be a power that no one would stop. Might produce something called revival, which would create a social condition. Christians now say they want, but cannot achieve by themselves. Now there's something we can all pray for. That's good stuff. Now Paul's saying something sort of like that in this passage. He's not judging others. He's talking about the people who are religious. Now he starts out by talking about barbarians and many moves into talking about those who are part of God's covenant people. This passage is one that should be used to judge ourselves, not others. You've got to remember that as you go through this passage, for instance. The passage we're going to be studying this week, there's some strong language about homosexual actions. Now that language does reflect how God feels about a homosexual lifestyle. However, Paul didn't write this passage so we could go out and void it other people. He's writing this passage to the people in Rome so that they will begin to look at their own sense, talks about barbarians and he said, but I don't have any excuse. And then he talks about the nice and he says, we don't have any excuse. So it's very important that we recognize as we begin to study these passages that they are not rocks that we throw at the world. This passage was written expressly to show us our own sin, to show that no human being on the face of the earth, whether barbarian or Jew, whether Greek or wiser through which has any excuse when you stand before a righteous God. Now we're going to be in this rough weather from Romans 116 through Romans 229, so I'm going to start at the 18th verse. So the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all in Godliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them, for since the creation of the world is invisible after view to clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power in Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God. Nor were they thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened, professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things. Therefore, God also gave him up to uncleanness and the lusts of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever, amen. For this reason, God gave them up to bile passions, for even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature likewise. Also the men leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their era which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a dead-based mind, to do those things which are not fitting, being filled with all in righteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness. They are whispers, backbiteers, haters of God, violent, proud boasters, and betters of evil, things disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, undiscerning, unmerciful, who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them. Well, that's a real effort, and you think you've got problems. I've got to teach this text, and a couple others like it for the next two or three weeks. You need to remember that Paul here is not showing that some people are good, and some people are bad. This is that everybody is bad, and everybody deserves the wrath of God, and he's doing it with an interesting, polimical methodology. Now he's starting with the barbarians, the people that never knew the covenant God of Israel. But in his list that I read to you, all of bad stuff, unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, envy, murder, strife, deceit, etc., etc., etc. My pastor said when he was teaching this, he said, I, he said, if you don't find yourself there, you're going to find yourself pretty soon. He said, I don't have to even go beyond that. I've got two or three of those in my own life, and therefore the word of God did exactly what it was supposed to be. We said yesterday that the teaching here about homosexual lifestyle is very clear about what God thinks. And I suspect that when we want to know what God feels about, this is a good text, but we don't go to this text so we can point at other people. This text was written so that we could point at ourselves, and so Paul starts with the barbarians. And I even find some barbarian stuff in there, I had covetousness in my life on occasion. There's sometimes been envy, strife, I told a lie occasionally. When you look at all that, you begin to look at that list, and you think, hmm, I mean, they're barbarians. I've been doing some of that stuff myself, so don't use this to throw rocks out of the people. This is a text to let us know how we are. No, there's an interesting, polimical methodology, polimics is argument. Now, let me tell you where Paul learned it. He learned it from Amos. Amos was the prophet who spoke during a period of national optimism in Israel in the 8th century BC. You might want to, as soon as the broadcast is over, flip over to Amos and see how he does it. Business was booming, boundaries were bulging, but below the service of Israel there was an incredible sin. Rebellion against God, disobedience. Now Amos knew that if he told the people the horrible truth about themselves, they wouldn't listen. So let me tell you what he did. He got a crown together, and he got a crowd together by pronouncing the judgment of God on their imamies. I mean, he went after Damascus and got him good, and everybody went, yes! When after Gaza and Tyre and Adam, and everybody went, yes! And he went after Eman and Moab, and everybody said, yeah, God is going to get those turkeys, and once Amos got the crowd on his side, he said, now, let me tell you about you. And bear of unfollow some of the strongest language in Scripture directed to God's people. Woe to you, who desire the day of the Lord for what good is the day of the Lord to you. It will be darkness and not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion and a bear met him. Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the Lord darkness and not light. Is it not very dark with no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your feasts, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you offer me burn offerings, and your grain offerings, I will not accept them nor will I regard your fat and peace offerings. Take away from me the noise of your songs, for I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments, but let justice roll down like water and righteousness like a mighty string. Now you may not like what Amos was saying, I don't particularly, but he was smart in the way he gave it. If you tell something bad to somebody, you better say something good about them, or say something bad about their enemies before you say something good then they will be listening. Now Paul is doing exactly the same thing in Romans. That Amos hundreds of years before was the 8th century BC had done in preaching to Israel. Listen to me again. The purpose of this passage is not to show that they are bad and we are good, but that everyone is bad and deserving of the righteous judgment of God. Now before we look at the main point of that text, I want to go down a couple of side roads and we will get these out of the way I think today, and then we will get into seeing some of the teaching of this text. The first side road is this, please note that homosexual actions are sinful. Romans 1, 26, 27, for this reason God gave them up to bile patients. For even their women exchange natural use for what is against nature likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the woman burned and their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the penalty of their era which was due. Now that doesn't take a lot of interpretation. You're going to hear some people tell you that doesn't say what it plainly does say. We teach assertiveness training in our born free seminar when we just did in Orlando, and we'll be coming to your city one of these days, buddy green, peculiar people, the drama couple, the eye will be teaching, we bring up large staff and have a great time in our born free seminar. But a section of the born free seminar is called assertiveness training for Christians. It's the biblical doctrine of boldness, and one of the exercises that we give the people who come to the seminar is that when somebody asks you to do something that you're not supposed to do, say no and don't explain yourself. I mean you're going to have to bite your tongue because we Christians always want to defend ourselves. We want to explain ourselves. Just say no. And once you say no, just be still and there'll be dead time because it'll be waiting for you to say one. And I'll say, well, I don't understand, and then you say to them, what is it about no that you don't understand? Well, Romans 126 through 27 is quite clear. I mean, it says no about homosexual actions. But you've got to first remember that this text is talking about you too later on, and God is going to be clear about your sandwich so you can never go to anybody, even something like homosexual actions, and point your finger as if you were pure because you're not pure. We all deserve, and we're going to see this as we go along, the righteous condemnation of God. But we've got to be clear. I've got a letter that's been a lot of months ago and now from a young man in another state and he told me he was a Christian and he was homosexual, and he said he thought I was wrong to go after her brother the way I'd gone and I said I didn't go after you. I tried to be clear, talk about we were all sinners, but you can't erase what the Bible says about it. And so I wrote him back and I said look, I'm not going to go for a rock set you because we're all sinners, deserving of the wrath of God. But the dangerous thing that you do is that you're calling sin, not sin. And that's the worst thing you can do because you burn the bridge back to God. You can't repent of something you don't have to repent about. And I said, but I love you, but I can't change what the Bible has to say every time I try to erase it, it leaves a smudge on the page. The next letter I got from my friend said, you know, you may be right. I have always felt a little bit uncomfortable about this. And that thereupon followed a series of a bunch of letters and my friend now is celibate. And he's walking with Christ in a wonderful way and I want to say yes when friends by shame are undefined. When you look at some of the radical homosexual groups, queer nation and some of those kinds of things, you always know that they feel uncomfortable if they didn't, there wouldn't be so much weird stuff. I mean, they're in your face, whenever you're in body shouting and they're in your face, that means they're insecure and that includes Christians who shout or are in your face all the time and it includes queer nation and it includes political groups. And you need to know that you simply can't change what God says. And God says that a homosexual lifestyle is sinful. Let me give you another side road. Please note that when people no longer believe in the real God as Chesterton said, they don't then believe in nothing, they believe in anything. Romans 1, 22 through 23, professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and forfeited animals and creeping things. You remember back in the time when everybody was saying God was dead? Boy, that's been a lot of years ago, a lot of years too young to remember it, but I remember time magazine had God is dead on their cover. I was speaking at some churches in Lansing, Michigan, or outside of Lansing, Michigan and the University of Michigan there having God's trial. They were the devil's trinity, I don't remember, that was Al Tizer who was teaching at Emory and McDonald and somebody else, I don't know. Anyway, everybody was saying God is dead and we had to do it on our own. And I wrote my first book back then where the action is in which I suggest and by the way it was not a very popular book, my mother bought it and my brother bought it and my brother bought it because I knew some dirt on him and threatened to redeem it if he didn't, he didn't buy it. But in that book, there's no longer in print so don't look for it, where the action is. I suggest somebody ought to check the coffin, they may find it is empty. I suggested that God might not be dead and you better not start shouting and doing your own thing until you find out for sure. But I thought in those days, that was the time, I think I told you this, that Mr. Graham said, I know that God is alive because I talked to him this morning and I was at Boston the University and a professor said that's not the issue, the issue is did he speak back? Well, for Mr. Graham he did speak back and he speaks back to millions of people who know him and love him and who have come to the throne of grace by Jesus Christ in any way. I used to think in those days, you know, this isn't bad. There are a lot of gods that ought to die. I mean there are a lot of silly, superficial gods that ought to die, a lot of people worship those kind of gods. I know the new age is awful and I know it's a cult and I know it's dangerous and all that sort of stuff and I know how upset these Christians are about the new age stuff that gets into television shows and movies and our kids stuff and I know it's dangerous, but let me take something dear friend, it's more silly than it's dangerous. I mean, everybody who gets a crystal and goes on and thinks that the crystal is going to do anything. It's got some serious problems, man. You know, for rocks and people like that, you try to help them. You show pity and love toward them. It's not that the new age is so dangerous, though it is, it's just plain silly. I mean the stuff they believe, you ever read some of those books, you know, sometimes go to your library and pick out a couple of those books, you won't believe it. I mean all these bad guys that you've been so angry at because they're into the new age, they're just silly. That's dangerous too and I know it, I know it because there's some, you know, there's some bad, evil side of that that's supernatural, but most of it, most of the popular new age stuff is some of the silly stuff I've ever seen and I've always felt that God is dead died too soon, that we ought to kept that God is dead movement going for a long time. A lot of God's that a lot of people worship ought to die because they never exist it. True God is the true God and he's not dead. They ought to check the coffin, make sure that God is dead movement, had misquoted and misused bond offer in some of their literature and they missed the whole point of what bond offer was saying. But let me tell you something, when people no longer believe in the real God, C.K. Chesterton said, they then don't believe in nothing, they believe in anything. And if you look at our nation today, as we've lost our roots, our Judeo-Christian roots, the propositional truth upon which this nation was built, as we began to lose that, we don't then become an atheistic society, we're the most religious society on the face of the earth. It's just that our religion is quite weird. And quite silly and false as that in Romans 1, 22 through 23, well enough of that. I want to show you some things about this text that are quite important, five important facts, if you will, that will help you understand the way the world works. It's been mind always that this text is dealing with the sin of barbarians and then he begins to scoot in some of our own sands and then next week he's going to really deal with the people that are in a covenant relationship with God in their sins. Now let's look at some of these tremendous facts that you find in this particular text. First I would have you note that there is a universal possibility for knowledge of God, Romans 1, 18 through 19. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth and unrighteousness because in here comes sports hands. What may be known of God is manifest in them for God has shown it to them. Now what's Paul staying here? He's saying that all across the world in every culture no matter how primitive, no matter how developed in every culture, every human being, every man, woman, and child knows that there is a God. I think I told you about Mel Brooks album, the 5,000 year old man, and the interviewer said, well were you there when people started worshipping God? He said, yes, his name was Phil and the interviewer said, Phil, he said, yes, his name was Phil. He said, he was God and everybody started following him around. They were out in the field one day and Phil was teaching, and a lightning boat came out of heaven and fizzled Phil, and the guy standing next to Phil stepped aside and said, you know there's somebody bigger than Phil? Well it's a comedic thing, but it says a truth, and it's the truth of Romans 1, 18 through 19, that everybody on the face of the earth knows. They really know inside that there's somebody bigger than Phil. I have a friend that I've been writing for a couple of years now. And I just love this guy more than I can tell you. He wrote me and he's an atheist, and generally I don't answer all. I can't answer. We got about 7,000 letters a month, so I can't answer all of them. But this guy's a very articulate, brilliant, bright young man, and he's read a lot, and so I decided that I would set up a car, as long as we've been writing for a long time. He's not a Christian yet, but he's not an atheist anymore either. He's moved into theism, and I fully expect the books and his jaw, and that that fish is just going to get his own blood in the water, as he flashes around, because God is been chasing him. CS Lewis said, to say that I've been looking for God is like saying a mouse has been looking for a cat. Well, my friend is sort of like that, but the interesting thing is we've talked back and forth is that I would say things, and he would agree with them without being able to prove them. And he would say, you know, I know that's true, but I don't know why I know that's true. Well, I'll tell you why he knew it was true, because it Romans 118 through 19. And you take the meanest atheist in the world, who is the atheist who toured me into his life? Said I never said there wasn't a God, I said I wasn't sure, well, he knew inside. There was a God. Because Romans 118 through 19 is clear that there is universal knowledge of God, not only by kids about that. But let me show you some other things. There is also universal knowledge of the will of God, Romans 121, since the creation of the world. His invisible attributes are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Have you noticed how public schools have started teaching courses in bad use clarification? They can't talk about God, so they decide we'll get together and talk about what's right and what's wrong. Because there's no God, there isn't any right or wrong. And some of the teachers I talk to aren't even Christians who are getting pretty scared. I mean, the students are stealing their cars and bringing guns to school, and they say, you know, you have to teach them right or wrong. Well, then the student says there is no right or wrong, if there's no God, then there's no value. If there's no value, there's no meaning, if there's no meaning, then I'm a turn up and I'm going to shoot you. So they're teaching bad use clarification in the high schools. And I used to say that one of the dangerous things happening in our society is that students in our generation did bad things, but we knew they were bad, and today they don't even know they're bad when they do them. But I was wrong. It was the only time I was ever wrong. You said one other time when I thought I was wrong. That's just not true. Romans 1.20 says that when people do stuff that's wrong, they know it's wrong. That's why you see some of the people who are in your face and shouting at people who believe in right and wrong, say, we're going to do what we want to do. Why are they doing that? Because they know what they're doing is wrong. You don't have to yell. You don't have to show them where they're wrong. Every time a woman goes to an abortion clinic, she knows she's doing wrong. Now I can understand the hurt and the pain that she may be going through. I can understand that. And we've got to understand people like that. About for one minute, weakening our pro-life stance. But I want you to know she knows what she's doing wrong. Because of Romans 1.20, it's very clear. Norapol, Stooky, moved to Maine and just been a number of years ago and he did an album. In the album, he was talking about how they had turned a chicken coop into a recording studio and said they had steamed, cleaned it and they had painted it and they had washed it out and he said, but on rainy days, you could still tell. Well, no matter how rainy, no matter how foggy, the pagans can still tell when they're doing right and when they're doing wrong. That's the whole basis of CS Lewis book, Mirror Christianity. And if you don't have that, y'all to read it. It's one of the great books. My friend Chuck Colson came to know Christ because he read Mirror Christianity. CS Lewis, and if you saw the movie about CS Lewis, it was a movie that I enjoyed very much. But that's not everything about CS Lewis. It wasn't to CS Lewis, Mary Joy and she died and he went through a lot of pain. I mean, there's more to CS Lewis than that. And if you want to begin to read CS Lewis, get the book Mirror Christianity. And in that book, he makes the case that universally there is an understanding that some things are right and some things are wrong. Now where did he get that? Got that from Romans 1, 20, and also from observation. And so there is a universal knowledge of God. There is a universal knowledge of the will of God, and then thirdly there is universal rebellion against God, Romans 1, 21, through 23, because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened, professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of interruptible God into the image made like corruptible man and birds and forefooted in animals and creeping things. Now what's Paul saying? He's saying that there's a universal authority problem and who's the authority? God is the authority. Paul is saying that everybody on the face of the earth has an authority problem and we don't like the idea of God. We feel that God, if there is a God, is in charge, and if he's in charge, we're not and we want to be in charge. I think I told you one time about a television interview that I did. I'd written a book, and I didn't say much about Jesus. I was talking more about me, and thought really ashamed of that, and right at the end said you know how to say something good about God. And I started to, but the program was over and I was so ashamed. But God used it anyway, the cameramen and the directors came down and they started asking questions. And the director stayed around longer than everybody else and I realized I was late for an appointment and I said to him, I said, listen, I've got to go. But let me write down two or three books I want you to read, then call me after you read those books and we'll discuss this. And this is a mini biobibliography, if you'll read these books and I started walking out the studio and he called out to me. He said, hey Reverend, and I said, you said, I don't believe I'm going to read these books. And I said, well you both, oh you were the one who were asking a question and you want to find some answers. You read the books. He said, no, any granny. If I read these books, I may find out you're right. And if you're right, I've got to change. And I don't want to change. And Diogenes blew out his lamp and went home. You see, there is universal rebellion against God, a universal authority problem. I have an authority problem. I get mad at authority. I get mad at stop signs and stop lights. I mean, if you want to tell me to do something, don't tell me to do it as an authority because I'm going to do just the opposite. And I'm not proud of that because that's the basis of human sin. But you've got it, too, and everybody knows got it. There is universal rebellion against God because if God is God, then you're not. There is not only universal knowledge of God. There is not only universal knowledge of the will of God, there is not only universal rebellion against God, there is universal process that reflects the working of God Romans 124. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness and the lust of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves. Therefore, God gave them up to vile passions. And the principle is this, God greases the tracks and the direction you've decided to go. You say one more time, God greases the tracks and the direction you have decided to go. If you've decided to be godly, he'll help. If you've decided to rebel, he'll help you with that, too. That's why bad people get worse. That's why people who love God love him more. That's why Christians grow inevitably and people who do not have anything to do with God become more and more pagan the older they get. I think I'll die the next time somebody comes to me and says, I'm not going to receive Christ now, but when it's my time to die, I'm going to do it. It's like letting the candle burn out and then blowing the smoke in God's face, but it never happens. You know why? Because most people die the way they've lived. Let me say that again. I've stood by more death beds than hardly anybody I know. I've been a pastor for 28 years and I've stood by a lot of death beds. I've held a lot of hands as people have gone into eternity. And I want you to know most people die the way they've lived. I said to a man, look, you know, they've given you a terminal prognosis. You're going to die in the next two months and I want to talk to you about God. And he said, Reverend, I don't want to talk to you about God. I mean, I'm not going to be a hypocrite. I have not loved God. I have not had anything to do with God all of my life and I'm not going to have anything to do with him now as I die. I will not be a hypocrite. And I said, you know, it's better to be a hypocrite than to be lost for all eternity. Turn it. He said, I don't care. Don't want to hear your God talk. And then he died two weeks later. I couldn't believe that. But I've learned over the years that most people died the way they have lived. Why? Because God greases the tracks in the direction they have decided to go. So dear friend, if you're not a Christian and you don't want to be a Christian, God's not going to make you be a Christian and you're going to get worse and worse and worse and eventually you're going to hate God. And if you love God even a little bit, if God's spirit is working in your life, a principle begins to take place. That God begins something in your life and what he begins is the promise of his completion and the fact of its beginning is the promise that he will complete it in your life, Philippians 16. So you take the first step, God will take the second step and by the time you get to the third step you'll know that it was God who took the first step. Now I have one other point. There is not only universal knowledge of God, there is universal knowledge of the will of God. There is universal rebellion against God, there is universal process reflecting the working of God and finally there is universal action that solicits the wrath of God, Romans 118 for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Romans 132 knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Jesus is coming back, I saw on a bumper sticker in boy as he ticked. Let me tell you something, everybody who knows God and everybody knows God. Everybody who knows the will of God and everybody knows the will of God. Everybody who rebels against God and everybody rebels against God knows that God is a God with authority and wrath and that He or she is in trouble. Now remember what I told you, I am giving you the bad news because there is some good news coming up. Now there are no exceptions to what we have been talking about this week, none whatsoever. You are not the exception, I don't care if you are a pastor or a priest or a rabbi or if your father was an elder or a deacon in the church, I don't care if you are perceived by your friends as the most pure person on the face of the earth, you are not the exception to the things that I have been saying about talking about this week on key life. Let us hear some good news because a rabbi came and died on a cross in our place that we might be free and receive the love of God. After hearing this it is easy to say, as someone has said, if I were God I would kick the world of pieces. Aren't you glad that I am not God? You think about that? Amen.