Hope Amidst Human Depravity: The Gospel's Power

Devotional

Day 1: The Cycle of Sin and Influence

The passage in Romans 1:28-32 reveals the depth of human depravity, where individuals not only engage in sinful acts but also encourage others to do the same. This creates a cycle of spiritual destruction, evident in the pervasive influence of pornography and other vices in society. Millions indulge in these sins, and many profit from them, perpetuating a culture that normalizes and even celebrates sinful behavior. This cycle is not just a personal issue but a societal one, where the encouragement of sin leads to a collective moral decline. [00:36]

Ephesians 4:18-19 (ESV): "They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity."

Reflection: Consider the media you consume daily. Are there areas where you might be unknowingly encouraging or participating in the cycle of sin? How can you make a conscious effort to break this cycle today?

Day 2: The Inescapable Knowledge of God

Every human being has an innate knowledge of God and His standards, as God has made it evident within us. This means we are without excuse for our actions, both in how we treat God and each other. Despite claims of ignorance or disbelief, there is a deeper, suppressed knowledge of God's ordinances and the consequences of sin. This understanding should give us confidence in our interactions with others, knowing that they carry within them a knowledge of God and His laws. [06:08]

Psalm 19:1-3 (ESV): "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt a deep sense of right and wrong. How does this innate knowledge of God influence your daily decisions and interactions with others?

Day 3: The Suppression of Truth

Despite claims of ignorance or disbelief, there is a deeper, suppressed knowledge of God's ordinances and the consequences of sin. This suppression leads to spiritual and psychological turmoil, as individuals struggle with the internal conflict between their actions and the truth they inherently know. This understanding should give us confidence in our interactions with others, knowing that they carry within them a knowledge of God and His laws. [14:08]

Romans 2:14-15 (ESV): "For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them."

Reflection: Think about an area in your life where you might be suppressing the truth. What steps can you take to confront this suppression and align your actions with God's truth?

Day 4: Confidence in Sharing the Gospel

Knowing that everyone carries this knowledge within them should give us confidence in our interactions with others. We can trust that God can awaken this suppressed knowledge and bring it to the forefront of their consciousness. Our role is to engage with them in love and truth, trusting that God can awaken this suppressed knowledge and bring it to the forefront of their consciousness. [18:23]

2 Corinthians 4:6 (ESV): "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

Reflection: Identify someone in your life who seems distant from God. How can you lovingly and truthfully engage with them this week, trusting that God can awaken their suppressed knowledge of Him?

Day 5: The Gospel as the Remedy

The hope lies in the gospel of Jesus Christ, who offers forgiveness and eternal life. As we share this message, we must pray for God to remove the barriers that suppress this knowledge, allowing people to see the truth and embrace salvation. The gospel message becomes the remedy for their realization of sin and need for salvation. [24:25]

Colossians 1:13-14 (ESV): "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Reflection: Reflect on your own journey of faith. How has the gospel been a remedy in your life, and how can you share this transformative message with others today?

Sermon Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound truths found in Romans 1:28-32, focusing on the bleak reality of human depravity and the hope that lies beneath it. The passage paints a stark picture of humanity's condition when God gives us over to our sinful desires. It reveals that not only do people engage in sinful acts, but they also encourage others to do the same, creating a cycle of spiritual destruction. This is evident in the pervasive influence of pornography and other vices in our society, where millions indulge in these sins, and many profit from them.

Despite this grim depiction, there is hope embedded within these verses. The knowledge of God and His standards is evident within every human being, as God has made it known to us. This innate understanding means that we are without excuse for our actions, both in how we treat God and each other. Even when people claim ignorance or disbelief, there is a deeper, suppressed knowledge of God's ordinances and the consequences of sin.

This understanding should give us confidence in our interactions with others, knowing that they carry within them a knowledge of God and His laws. Our role is to engage with them in love and truth, trusting that God can awaken this suppressed knowledge and bring it to the forefront of their consciousness. When this happens, the gospel message becomes the remedy for their realization of sin and need for salvation.

The hope lies in the gospel of Jesus Christ, who came to die for our sins and offer us forgiveness and eternal life. As we share this message, we must pray for God to remove the barriers that suppress this knowledge, allowing people to see the truth and embrace the salvation offered through Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. Human Depravity and Encouragement of Sin: The passage highlights the depth of human depravity, where people not only engage in sin but also encourage others to do the same, creating a cycle of spiritual destruction. This is evident in the widespread influence of pornography and other vices in society. [00:36]
2. Innate Knowledge of God: Every human being has an innate knowledge of God and His standards, as God has made it evident within us. This means we are without excuse for our actions, both in how we treat God and each other. [06:08]
3. Suppression of Truth: Despite claims of ignorance or disbelief, there is a deeper, suppressed knowledge of God's ordinances and the consequences of sin. This suppression leads to spiritual and psychological turmoil. [14:08]
4. Confidence in Evangelism: Knowing that everyone carries this knowledge within them should give us confidence in our interactions with others. We can trust that God can awaken this suppressed knowledge and bring it to the forefront of their consciousness. [18:23]
5. The Gospel as the Remedy: The hope lies in the gospel of Jesus Christ, who offers forgiveness and eternal life. As we share this message, we must pray for God to remove the barriers that suppress this knowledge, allowing people to see the truth and embrace salvation. [24:25]
** [24:25]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:16] - The Arsenic of Pornography
[00:53] - A Bleak View of Human Nature
[01:50] - Suicidal and Murderous Love Affair with Sin
[03:18] - The Consequences of Lust
[05:15] - Hidden Hope in Bleakness
[06:08] - Innate Knowledge of God
[07:21] - Without Excuse Before God
[09:27] - Given Over to Depravity
[12:21] - Knowing Beneath Consciousness
[14:08] - Suppression and Repression
[16:38] - Hope in the Bleak Picture
[18:23] - Confidence in Evangelism
[20:17] - Awakening to Consciousness
[24:25] - The Gospel Remedy

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Romans 1:28-32
- Matthew 5:27-29

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Observation Questions:

What does Romans 1:28-32 reveal about the nature of human depravity and the cycle of sin? How does this passage describe the actions and attitudes of people who are given over to their sinful desires? [01:12]
According to the sermon, what is the significance of the phrase "God gave them over" in Romans 1:28? How does this relate to the concept of judgment? [09:27]
In Matthew 5:27-29, what does Jesus teach about lust and its consequences? How does this teaching relate to the sermon’s discussion on the pervasive influence of pornography? [02:47]
How does the sermon describe the innate knowledge of God that every human possesses, as mentioned in Romans 1:19-20? What implications does this have for our accountability before God? [06:08]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does the sermon interpret the suppression of truth mentioned in Romans 1:18-19? What are the psychological and spiritual consequences of this suppression according to the pastor? [14:08]
The sermon suggests that everyone carries a knowledge of God and His ordinances. How does this understanding affect the way Christians should approach evangelism and interactions with non-believers? [18:23]
In what ways does the sermon suggest that the gospel of Jesus Christ serves as a remedy for the realization of sin and the need for salvation? How does this align with the hope found in Romans 1:28-32? [24:25]
How does the sermon explain the concept of being "without excuse" in relation to both our treatment of God and each other? What does this mean for personal responsibility and moral accountability? [07:21]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on the sermon’s discussion about the cycle of sin and encouragement of others to sin. Are there areas in your life where you might be inadvertently encouraging sinful behavior in others? How can you address this? [00:36]
The sermon highlights the innate knowledge of God within every person. How can this understanding change the way you engage in conversations about faith with those who claim disbelief or ignorance? [06:08]
Consider the sermon’s message about the suppression of truth. Are there truths about God or your own life that you might be suppressing? What steps can you take to confront and address these truths? [14:08]
The pastor speaks about having confidence in evangelism because of the knowledge of God within everyone. How can you cultivate this confidence in your own life, and what practical steps can you take to share your faith more boldly? [18:23]
The sermon discusses the hope found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. How can you actively share this hope with someone in your life who is struggling with the consequences of sin? What specific actions can you take this week? [24:25]
Reflect on the sermon’s teaching about being "without excuse" for our actions. How does this challenge you to live more intentionally in your relationship with God and others? What changes might you need to make? [07:21]
The sermon mentions the pervasive influence of pornography and other vices. Are there specific influences in your life that you need to address or remove to align more closely with God’s standards? What support or resources might you need to do this? [00:16]

Sermon Clips

Human depravity is evident when people not only sin but urge others to do the same. So is there any hope for society when this happens? John Piper turns to Romans 1:28-32 to answer that question in this episode of Light and Truth. [00:00:36]

Verse 32 brings the chapter to a close with a very bleak view of human nature and a very deep indictment of what becomes of us when we are given over by God to worse and worse sinfulness. Keep in mind the phrase in one sense this is what happens. [00:01:02]

We not only have a suicidal love affair with sin, we have a murderous love affair with getting people to join us in suicide. We all become Dr. Korans who spiritually want people dead with us spiritually, eternally. Now there's a lot of things in America today that would point to this. [00:02:12]

What shall we say of those people who devote all their time and all their energy to helping people commit everlasting spiritual suicide? What should we say of them? That's what Paul says in verse 32 is the bottom of the spiral. [00:04:08]

The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of man who suppress the truth in unrighteousness because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them. [00:05:33]

This knowledge means that people, everybody, are without excuse not only for the way they treat God but for the way they treat each other. Now with regard to the way they treat God, look at verse 20 and 21. [00:07:30]

There is a real knowing beneath conscious knowing. Now this is puzzling and it's an inference I draw from this text by necessity because I know that there are many people who would read verse 32 where it says they know the ordinances of God. [00:12:26]

Everybody you know, including yourself and everybody at your office and everybody in your family, your extended family, and everybody in your dormitory and in your classes, everybody knows God, that he's glorious, that he's beneficent, that he's eternal, and that he's powerful. [00:14:12]

We must exert energy, we must drown it with drink or shoot it up or we must work, work, work, work, or watch videos and videos and videos and videos. We keep, we can't let ourselves think about ultimate reality and about our nature and about our God and about eternity. [00:15:45]

Everybody you know knows God, and everybody you know knows his law in part, and everybody you know knows they deserve death from him. That's amazing, takes my breath away to say it. Just think of it, just think of what they bring to your conversation. [00:16:54]

We should come to everybody we care about in the dormitory, in the family, at the workplace, in the neighborhood, at school with tremendous confidence that the starting point that we have with them is profound. The common ground we have is profound. [00:18:08]

When God is pleased to awaken you to your knowledge of him and your need for him, remember this gospel. This is light and truth, God-centered preaching to help you see Christ clearly and treasure him truly. [00:25:11]

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Hope Amidst Human Depravity: The Gospel's Power

Devotional

Day 1: The Cycle of Sin and Influence

Day 2: The Inescapable Knowledge of God

Day 3: The Suppression of Truth

Day 4: Confidence in Sharing the Gospel

Day 5: The Gospel as the Remedy

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Hope Amidst Human Depravity: The Gospel's Power

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