SERMON OUTLINE Sunday Sept 24th 2017
PASTOR DAVID COOKE: Messed Up
Romans 1: 18-32
• Messed Up
Be careful of “Us vs Them” thinking.
This is about how need Jesus.
• Uh Oh…

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their
unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (Romans 1:18, ESV)
• No

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God
has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal
power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since
the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they
are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19–20, ESV)
• A Downward

“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or
give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their
foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became
fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images
resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping
things.” (Romans 1:21–23, ESV)
• The Problem:
• Recognizing God doesn’t result in honoring God and being
thankful (v.21)
• The Journey
1. It starts with your thinking
V. 21 – “…they became futile in their thinking,”
2. Your thinking affects your heart
“…and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
3. Your heart guides your actions…
a)…And the most fundamental action is about what we
worship. All actions are a reflection of this core heart issue.

b) “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged
the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and
birds and animals and creeping things.” (Romans 1:22–23, ESV)
c) Luke 6:45, Proverbs 21:2, Psalm 14:1

• The Great

“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity,
to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they
exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served
the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!
Amen.” (Romans 1:24–25, ESV)
A. Truth vs Lies
B. Right Focus vs Wrong Focus
C. Right Worship vs Wrong Worship
• Paul’s Example
Romans 1:26–32
A. Broken Sexuality
B. “The List” of Brokenness
• For The Messed Up
(Romans 5:6–11, ESV)
• We All Need
Answers: Excuses, spiral. Down, Out and Away, Exchange, hope,
Jesus
LIFE GROUP STUDY GUIDE
Welcome/Mingle/Eat
Ice Breaker If you could master one skill you don’t have right now, what
would it be?
Group Covenant
Prayer Tithe
This Week “Messed Up” Romans 1:18-32
We continue this week with…
1. What Paul talks about in this passage isn’t about how others
need Jesus, but how we need Jesus. How have you recognized
you need Jesus?
2. How do these verses affirm our need for Jesus and the difference
Jesus makes?
“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and selfcontrol.” (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV)
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV)
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ
who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the
Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20,
ESV)
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, ESV)
3. Verses 19-20 tell us the evidence of God is visible around us.
How do you see the evidence of God in the world today?
4. Paul describes a downward spiral we all have experienced
(vv. 21-23) – False thinking leads to a darkened heart leads to wrong
actions. How do you see this around you? How have you seen this
in you?
5. This passage is ultimately about what we worship. What are the
things we are most tempted to worship? How is this contrary to
God’s expectations for us?
6. Verses 26-32 are examples of false worship in the culture of
Paul’s day and the result of wrong worship. As people called to be
salt and light, people called to live in grace and show God’s grace,
how do we respond as the people of Jesus when we see such
things in our world today?
7. Read Romans 5:6-11. How does this passage in Romans 5 speak
to what Paul wrote in Romans 1? Why is Romans 5 so important for
us to remember as we live as followers of Jesus in our world today?