Romans 1:24-32

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Introduction

If you are given an opportunity, what is it that you would like to do in your lifetime? When you retire in a very ideal situation, would you travel to places you dreamed to go? Pray that God would bless you with sufficient retirement savings! Most often, people would consider how they could relax and enjoy life, right?

Whatever you do, pray for opportunities to store up for yourselves eternal treasures. Christ Jesus encourages in Matthew 6:20-21, ²⁰Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

What does it mean, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also?”

Well, let’s agree about ‘treasure.’ Do you value family, friendship, finances, health, time, career and spiritual life? Which of those things would you consider as treasure? The most valuable, the most precious or the most important things to you are your treasures.

Next, what’s biblical heart? It’s the affective center of our being and the capacity of moral preference, volitional desire, or resolved choice; desire-producer to make us tick or motivate to behave; desire-decisions that establish who we really are; the center and throne of spiritual life. It’s the fountain, the seat of thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes or endeavors flow from.

So, when it says “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” we treasure things we value and spend our precious time and passion. Let’s check our time and passion. Employees spend much of their time at workplaces, but, are they passionate about their job? For students, do you treasure your studies?

What do you wish you were doing instead of work or study? Parents plan for things that may benefits their family. Singles could be serious about personal improvement or retirement. Friends, do you value your spiritual growth? Do you plan on something to have your faith active? Attend prayer meeting, read Bible?

Material things will be destroyed eventually. Eternal treasures cannot be destroyed. Aspire for them. How can we store up for ourselves eternal treasures in heaven without ignoring material things we need in this life? It is necessity to earn, right. Well, we can earn much and spend part of it righteously.

Malachi 3:10-11 says, ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. ¹¹ I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty.

Giving God’s tithes earns both spiritual treasures and practical blessings. God promised overflowing blessing, and when we obey His instruction, we earn eternal treasure. We value our family. The Lord decreed how to value our family. Husband, love your wife; wife, submit to your husband; children, honor your parents; parents, teach your children biblically; grandparents, be good examples.

We value our career. Ephesians 6:7-8 says, ⁷ Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, ⁸ because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

Ordinary activities are avenues to store up for ourselves eternal treasures.

When by faith we behave according to the Lord’s instructions, we store up for ourselves eternal treasures in heaven. That’s how the righteous lives by faith.

In the eyes of God, nobody, no human sinful nature can behave according to His decrees except when Christ’s Spirit helps us to behave righteously.

We can be righteous only when we let Christ be the Lord of our life.

Without Christ in our life, we follow the inclination of our sinful desire, sinful desire prevails in our heart, and we choose impure activities. Nevertheless, after we are transformed into the image of Christ, we can still think, desire and do essential things necessary to live in this world and still pure in the eyes of God.

1. Purity

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

The pronouns, “them and they,” Apostle Paul pertains to anyone who has disregarded Christ as Lord. God allowed them to be controlled by sinfulness.

When we accept Christ as Lord, He transforms us to desire purity. When Christ is in control of our life, heart and mind, we desire and think of purity; we want our life to be purely righteous and godly; and we behave in godly manner.

Sinful nature desires sexual impurity. It corrupts dignity. It brings shame to the body. The subsequent result of sinful desires is to be undignified. There’s no dignity in sinfulness. But when we let Christ transforms and empowers us to live by faith, we desire things that are purely righteous in the eyes of God.

Credit Cards

Someone said, “Sin is like Credit Cards. Enjoy now, pay later!” Truly, most sinful temptations entice us to enjoy a brief moment, even when we know that the payment will be huge. People take ‘selfies’ on dangerous grounds and get hurt or die. Negative effect of junk foods is not a secret but we are enticed to eat them.

The Lord Jesus says in Luke 12:29-31, ²⁹ And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Food and drink are basic necessities in life but worry triggers panic-buying.

The Lord expects believers not to worry about basic things. He attributed worrisome as practices of nations or ethnic groups who are not believers.

Eating junk food or taking selfies on dangerous grounds and many other things that we ordinarily observe and pattern our life into, the Lord did not prevent them. He did not say, “Don’t eat, don’t drink!” Attitude to necessities and other things should reflect purity of our thoughts and actions. Christ instructed us not to pattern our lives into “worrying” about basic necessities. It exhibits unbelief.

The Lord Jesus contrasted “worry of basic necessities” to priority to seek the kingdom or authority of God. “Worry of basic necessities” shows priority of material things. It exhibits no faith of what God can do. In contrast, to seek God’s kingdom or to God reigns and rules our life is a practice of faith that pleases Him.

It says in Hebrews 11:6, And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists, and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

He rewards when we let Christ reigns in our life. Ignoring Him has penalty.

2. Penalty

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

There is great distinction between believing in the Lord and ignoring Him. The behavior of genuine believers is to seek the desire of God. In contrast, the behavior of those who ignore Him is to satisfy the desires of the self.

The Lord has designed sexual relation, especially, for husband and wife.

It says in Genesis 2:21-24, ²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. ²³ The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” ²⁴ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Genuine believers of Christ adhere to biblical definition of husband and wife. We should not conform to the pattern of this world. Interpretation of God’s words exhibits faith in God. When Christ transforms our mind, we seek the will of God.

It says in Romans 12:1-2, ¹Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The will of God is pleasant and delightful, why? God is good and perfect. His will is good and perfect and has eternal effect, temporal effect included. When we obey God’s will, we accumulate for ourselves eternal treasures.

Harvey Weinstein

Have you heard of the name Harvey Weinstein? He’s a powerful American film producer who was convicted of sexual offence and sentenced to 23 years in prison. “Mr. Weinstein cannot walk outside without being heckled, he has lost his means to earn a living, simply put, his fall from grace has been historic, perhaps unmatched in the age of social media,” one lawyer said.

The film industry is very influential in many aspects of life. The lifestyle of popular actors could influence the lifestyle of fanatic audience. Believers should be very careful of what movies or TV shows to watch. In 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, ¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. ¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Most often, believers and potential believers are also scared of Covid-19. Authorities advise concerned citizens to take careful precautions. Others have anticipated the worst scenario and bought things they need for them to be isolated and avoid going to crowded places where virus carriers may be present.

To be scared of the deadly virus should remind us to have careful precaution against spiritual virus of sinfulness. Just as we practice cleanliness to avoid virus infection, we’ve got to practice spiritual carefulness and cleanliness.

3. Practice

²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

How can we know that we value our knowledge of God? We obey the Lord instructions. Instead of wickedness, our thought is filled with things that are acceptable to God. We sense contentment in life despite of scary deadly virus. We would rather talk about the Lord’s grace and His love for us rather than talking about others’ mistakes or misfortunes.

Interestingly, obedience to parents is relative to fidelity, love and mercy.

All righteous behaviors are God-inspired lifestyle of all who believe God.

It says in Philippians 4:4-7, ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Covid-19 Precautions

The government declared: The health, safety, and well-being of our employees and maintaining essential services to residents are our top priorities. We will continue to monitor this situation and our approach with health officials. You are reminded to exercise precautions to protect against the spread of illness.

• Everyone should practice good handwashing hygiene and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds and dry them thoroughly – if you are unable to wash your hands, use an alcohol-based hand cleanser
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, or cough or sneeze into your sleeve – throw used tissues in the garbage and immediately wash your hands, or use an alcohol-based hand cleanser
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Avoid close contact (within 2 meters) with anyone showing symptoms of a respiratory illness, such as coughing or sneezing
• If you are unwell, stay at home.

The effect of pandemic Covid-19 has spark worries to many individuals. Companies are closing temporarily and workers are worried of their benefits.

So, as believers of Christ, if you will not be earning in the next few weeks or even months, how could you rejoice always?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Always in all circumstance, when we are placed in good and bad situations, it is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus, and we can rejoice. Sure we don’t force the issue of rejoicing. Instead, we seek Christ’s Spirit to bear fruit of joy and peace in our life. When the Holy Spirit is in control of our life, we don’t panic-buying, we sense joy and peace.

Philippians 4:8-9, ⁸ Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy —think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Keep praying that God’s joy and peace would manifest in your life in this time of pandemic scare, and your faith in Christ would grow stronger so that you would praise Him in this life and in heaven forever.

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