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ROMANS: God Has Made it Plain - June 4, 2017 - Pastor Scott Christenson

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St. Paul's Lutheran Church Orange, CA

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so last weekend past Robinson kicked off her summer serve series on Romans a walk-through at the opening verses of chapter 1 and his text last week ended with this famous from Romans 1:17 which says this for I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to ever one who believes keywords to everyone who believe the gospel of Jesus Christ is true whether you believe it or not but it only does you any good if you believe it and you trust in it and so our question for today we continue this journey through Romans is this what if you don't believe it  or worse yet what if you never even had opportunity to believe it what you lived your whole life  once what is the gospel the question is what would God do with you  hey Woody what do you condemn you to an eternity in hell doesn't seem quite right doesn't it I mean it's not your fault that you didn't hear it  or we got be merciful to you and save you buy some turn standard other than by grace through faith in Jesus Christ that might sound good at first but it kind of seems to violate the whole atonement thing doesn't it Jesus death on the cross and so what do you think about this what what does God do with people who never hear the gospel that's our question for this morning because it's one of the key dressed in our texts in the opening verses of our reading and it's a question that Christians have struggled with for literally thousands of years and after years of pondering it myself I think if you want to know the answer to this question I actually have to ask you a different question first the question I have to ask you is why do you want to know where tell you three stories today to help illustrate what I mean by that other these three stories are all true stories and I how about because they're true stories from my life all three of them are about surprise birthday parties that people have had for me how many of you have ever had a surprise birthday party thrown for your raise your hand very fortunate over the course of my 47 years of life actually had  they'll be helpful to us the first one happened around my 15th birthday I believe it was I was very given my church youth group at the time it just so happened that there were actually three of us in that group who all had birthday is around the same time name within a couple of days of each other and so that year of the rest of our friends decided they were going to hold a joint surprise party for all three of us  not if you've ever tried to pull off one of these things you can imagine the difficulty of having to get not just one three people at the same party at the same time and keep it a surprise what I did good job  and when I say pretty good when I mean is the other two people didn't have a clue who dis  a few weeks before this party of one of the people involved in it actually inadvertently said something to me at school they didn't even realize gave the whole thing away to me frankly I was pretty bummed about this in fact you could probably you say more accurately I would because I wanted my surprise birthday party and now this guy had ruined it for me oh no not only was it not going to be a surprise but I'm with you realize I'm going to have to fake that it was a surprise embarrassed to say this but I actually really soft about this for quite a while I remember walking up to the door with the other two didn't have a clue what was going on do I have like the worst attitude in the world about this whole thing and everyone walked in the door yelled surprise and I was basically annoyed by this whole thing  what can I say I was pretty mature 4:15 right that's great but what does any of this have to do with the question what does God do with people who never hear the gospel I would ask you if you're asking that question why do you want to know  because some people I think ask this question because they're a lot like I was when I was 15  I mean I was really being pretty foolish about this if you think about I'm here work launch my friends trying to do something really cool for me something they did not have to do something that a lot of people never get their whole life and I was annoyed by this I mean talking about dumb  pray for some people ask this question for the same reason  some people ask the question what about those who never hear the gospel because they're Skeptics did they don't really believe in God at all they don't really have any intention of ever believing in him this question is just sort of their way of taking a pot shot add those of us who do  don't even really want to know an answer to this question their real motivation for asking this question is to try and the Christianity is foolish and full of inconsistency  which I think sounds a lot like me at my 15th birthday party when hears God trying to do this amazing thing for all of us something he did not have to do he's Redeeming the world from sin and death and Satan and they're just missing it  sickening saw hung up on their questions that they're missing the blessing God's trying to give I think if you ask this question for that reason Apostle Paul would say to you you better watch out he says in Romans 1:18 the wrath of pause is being revealed from heaven  I think what he's really saying is guys this is not a game when we can sit here all morning long and have all these deep and challenging theological discussions but at the end of the day the truth will still be that we're all that sin brings God's Wrath and that God has provided a way out for us and the only question set really matters is what are you going to do with that  see if you're asking this question stop frame of mind you know questioning of being skeptical of the justice of God I think it's important that we get some perspective here there's the truth is no matter what God does  it's not going to be unjust  because the truth according to Paul is that every single person on Earth whether they've heard the gospel or not is guilty of the wickedness of men that he's talking about he really who are who are we to tell God what he should or shouldn't do none of us are in a position to do that because God is under no obligation to show Mercy to anyone stop to take every person who's ever lived in turn down the saltu an eternity in hell and the only thing any of us could ever say is that's what I deserve the fact that we're even asking this tough question is a testimony in and of itself to the fact that God is a god of mercy and Grace that's why Paul says he's not ashamed of the gospel because the gospel is not just a neat thing  cigar Jesus is an amazing all this leads me to my second story my second surprise birthday play happened when I was 18 a senior in high school and my girlfriend at the time set up the whole thing  and how my status  she did a pretty good job too yes I figured the whole thing out again in advance and I don't even remember how I figured it out but I did only now I was a little older a little more mature a little more devious and I realize this is not something to be annoyed about this is something I could have a little bit of fun with it's my birthday approached I was figure Leah waiting to see what the setup was going to be a better one day Ferrari suddenly very casually as is it really wasn't even a big deal to her whether I said yes or no he told me she's like to take me out to dinner for my birthday and then we would maybe average rent a movie and and go back to her house to watch it  what course I knew right away this is that right this is the set of the people are going to go to her house while we go have dinner and then the movie would just need to get back to the house where everyone would yell surprise playtime with this writing all kinds of other things and watching a movie  I think I said maybe we should rent a movie but let's go to my house and watch it instead of yours and it was just hilarious to watch how she reacted to all of this because it just perfect she didn't really even care what we did she was dying inside was Prince  finally I just say okay don't be too mean I okay well why don't we just go to your house so we drove over to her house as we approach not a single car parked on the street I started wondering whatever she told all the farc so I wouldn't see them we walked up to the front door and my heart was just pounding in my chest cuz I knew we were just moments away everyone shouting surprise I started wondering if I wonder who's going to be here even though I knew that this was very exciting for me and then we walked in the door and nothing happened everyone's going to be down in the basement this the Midwest everyone has their TV down the basement they have family rooms down in the basement and so this made the anticipation start growing again we talked to her parents for awhile or some finally we go down to the basement and open the door to the basement  and no one was there it turned out I was totally wrong  there was no surprise party there was no there never was a surprise party  I've never been so disappointed with dinner and a movie in my life then you're going to say what is any of this have to do with our question right what about those who never hear the gospel it seems to me that some people asked this question not because they're Skeptics but because they're fearful they're fearful that the end of their life is going to look a lot like that second birthday party of mine so you know if your Christian you have banked your entire Earthly life and even your eternal life on the fact that God is just and faithful the God always does the right thing that he is worthy of your trust it's not that you're really rejecting this so much as I think you're that Satan uses complex questions like this to start to raise other questions in your mind you know are you sure can you Bank your Holy Trinity on this maybe you should rethink it you could be wrong that's why there's a little phrase from our reading is so critical Paul talks about there about the godlessness wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness was Paul saying he's saying if anything happens to anyone when this world is all set and done  it's not going to be God's fault it's not going to be because God fell down on the job it's going to be their fault  because God is faithful and God can be trusted and he will always do what is just and right you can count on so this leads me to my final story and I tell this story because again I think sometimes people asked the what does God do with people who never hear the gospel not because they're Skeptics not because they're fearful and worried but because there simply overwhelmed by the missionary task that God has given us  who's this is our job right Jesus said go and make Disciples of all the nations  how does a huge job and sometimes you think about how on Earth are we ever going to get that done  that's what my wife Linda asked when she wanted to surprise me for my 5th birthday how am I going to get this done how am I going to surprise him figure out  we were living in Bradenton Florida at the time I was serving my vicarage my third year Seminary internship and Linda had a great idea of what she wanted to do but the problem was it would require me to leave work early one day and to drive about an hour north of us into Tampa add she was really struggling she told me later on how she was going to make this happen and still keep it surprise for me and because it required me to get off work early she unbeknownst to me went and talked to my super fishing pastor Pastor Paul Rough man I worked on there and she went and asked for permission to do this I want she happen to mention how's the rope that she was struggling with how to make this happen I found out later he sent her Linda it's no problem I will take care of everything and he dead so my birthday came in about three in the afternoon Pastor called Castrol emergency  someone that I've never heard of was Gravely ill and facing life-threatening surgery 4:30 p.m. at Tampa hospital he wanted me to Victor to get up there immediately and give this person communion before their surgery where can I was absolutely kicked by this because I thought how the world is just going to happen right Tampa's like an hour away it's already 3 hours are surgeries in an hour and a half I am never going to get there in time I don't even know where is with GPS back then communion right before surgery report surgery I'm sorry I said what heavy Goods maker says in a situation like this to their supervising pastor  yes sir so I ran home Linda just happened to be home that day I asked her if she would go along with me I'm at least I could have some company on this when she did in the hallway up to Tampa she listen to me complain about how dumb this whole thing was play Dots of Tampa she suddenly handed me an envelope  and inside was a homemade car that confused me very much when I looked at it on the front all it said was I finally got you hey man sorry when I opened it up it said inside pause  there is no hospital call  we are going to Tampa Stadium to see Elton John and Billy Joel happy birthday  I'm in the back of the car was hitting our dinner so we went to Tampa Stadium we tailgated there had dinner and I had one of the birthday celebrations of my life  so what's the point of me telling you this when did was show concerned about how she's going to pull this huge task off  and in the end all she really had to do switch just go along for the ride  is she that's how it works for us because we have to remember in the world is not our job  that's God's job  really he's just invited us to go along to the ride with him Paul says this he says what may be known about God is plain to them playing to the creation of the world gods in power what has been made  dogs not sitting up in the sky somewhere with his arms crossed you know doing nothing never heard the gospel message through his creation process is showing them that he exists that he is all-powerful that he good and loving  elsewhere the Bible says he is writing his law unto the hearts of all people some course people do still need to hear the gospel because they're never going to look at creation they're never going to look into the sky and say oh Jesus died on the cross for my sins faith comes from hearing the word of Christ and it is our job to Proclaim that word to everyone we can whenever we but having said that we would never think that somehow this all depends on us does  it's like Martin Luther said in his small catechism and he said when we pray in the Lord's Prayer by Kingdom Come he says the is this the kingdom of God comes myself with our prayer we pray in this petition that it may come to us also can you said when we pray of I will be done on Earth as it is in heaven the truth is the good and gracious will of God is done even with turn our prayer  so we pray in this petition it may be done among us all  the good news of God is that God has made it plain his eternal power and divine nature had been clearly understood from what has been made so that men are without excuse  so maybe the better question is not what about those who never hear the gospel  maybe the better question is will you join him will you take up his invitation and come along with him for the ride of your life

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ROMANS: God Has Made it Plain - June 4, 2017 - Pastor Scott Christenson

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