Romans 1:28
Smarty Pants
Sometimes I date myself, and I don’t realize it. The term, "Smarty
Pants" may not even be used today so let me give you my understanding
of it.
Growing up, when we boys got a little too sassy for our own good,
mother might call us "smarty pants." That was her gentle warning that
we best not go too far. There was another more ominous warning which
was similar. If she said, "You are about to get too smart for your
britches," that meant if we did not change course quickly, the
backside of our pants would be getting a thorough dusting, and that
was most often done with a belt. Keep that background in mind as I
preach this morning.
Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to
retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over
to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are
not convenient;
Notice the word "reprobate." Sadly, most are going to hell, and the
reason most of them will go is because of a lack of knowledge. Most
of hell’s residents will be there because they did not know who Jesus
was.
However, there are two groups that will go to hell in spite of their
knowledge: hypocrite and reprobates.
1. Hypocrites will go to hell in spite of their abundant religious
knowledge. Jesus coined the term hypocrites as He had to deal
with people who thought they knew too much about God to
believe on Him.
2. Reprobates will go to hell in spite of their abundant
intellectual knowledge. Paul coined that term as he had to
deal with people who thought they were too smart to believe on
Jesus.
Although there are similarities in the two groups, I don’t have time
to speak on them both this morning so I will speak on the reprobates.
They are smarty pants who are too smart to go to heaven.
I. Paul’s Conclusion
A. As I said, Paul took the term reprobate and gave it a Biblical
meaning.
1. In Romans 1, he explained what reprobates are, how they
come to be, and what will happen to them.
2. Romans is a rather deep book so let’s take it one verse at
a time.
3. There are three steps in becoming a reprobate, but Paul
listed the first two together.
B. Step One and TWO- God Reveals Truth and Men Reject Truth.
1. Paul first tells us that it is the gospel that saves, and
it is our believing that makes it so.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the
Jew first, and also to the Greek.
a. Paul gave us three things (gospel, salvation, and
believing), then he told us what the relationship of
the three things to one another is.
b. The gospel (the good news of what Jesus did for us on
the cross) is what saves us. There is no other way!
c. And it is our believing that causes the gospel to save
us.
(1) Other verses will tell us that we must also
repent (surrender ourselves) to Jesus, but
nothing happens if we do not first believe.
(2) Paul mentioned that up front because a reprobate
chooses not to believe.
(3) Just keep that in mind.
2. Then Paul tells us what happens when we reject truth like
that.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
3. Then Paul tells us why God gets so angry.
19 Because that which may be known of God is
manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto
them.
a. God gets angry because He is the One showing them
truth, and they reject it.
b. It goes back to what I said last week, they steal
God’s glory.
21 Because that, when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful;
but became vain in their imaginations, and their
foolish heart was darkened.
4. I believe the reason Paul was the one who created this
term.
a. It was because Paul was the one who first brought the
gospel to so many who had never known the truth about
God, sin or salvation.
b. That gave him the opportunity to watch as reprobates
were being born.
c. Whenever the gospel is presented, and the Holy Spirit
turns the light of understanding on, one of two
things is born.
(1) Either a new convert is born.
(2) Or a new reprobate is born.
5. But a person does not have the plan of salvation presented
to them to become a reprobate.
a. No. That much understanding is not required to become.
b. You can become a reprobate by just understanding that
there a God.
Ro 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the
creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even his
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are
without excuse:
c. All that is necessary is that you understand there is
a God and then you reject that knowledge.
6. That is why I called this message, "Smarty Pants."
a. Typically, only people who think they are smarter than
the Bible and God will become reprobates.
b. But this is a common affliction of the affluent and
the academic.
c. It is strange that the very thing that should bring us
to God (knowledge) is the thing that recreated a
whole new pool of damned souls.
C. Step three - They must the truth that God is God.
1. I am not saying everyone who knows there is a God and
doesn’t get saved will be a reprobate.
2. There is more to it, and Paul spelt it out.
3. There are three steps to becoming a reprobate.
a. To be a reprobate, one must have and understand the
truth.
Romans 1:19 Because that which may be known
of God is manifest in them; for God hath
shewed it unto them.
b. To be a reprobate, one must reject the truth.
Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God,
they glorified him not….
c. But even more, the reprobate does not just reject
truth. He rejects God.
Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew GOD,
they glorified him not AS GOD….
(1) This is not just a case of rejecting truth.
(2) All lost people have rejected truth, even though
they don’t know what the truth is.
(3) But the reprobate knows there is a God (he may
not know what name to call Him, but he knows)
and rejects the God he learns must exist.
II. Predetermined Course.
A. "Predetermined Course" is another way for me to say a
"Predestined Course."
1. The Bible definitely teaches predestination; however, it
definitely does NOT teach Calvinism.
2. God has NOT predetermined who will go to heaven and who
will go to hell, but He has predetermined what will
happen to a reprobate. (and a lost person, and a
Christian, and a faithful servant, and lots of others.)
B. However, notice the "Predetermined Course" starts with a
personal choice.
1. God made Himself known to the person.
Romans 1:19 …for God hath shewed it unto them.
2. That person chose not to acknowledge God.
Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God,
they glorified him not….
3. And chose to reject God altogether.
Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew GOD,
they glorified him not AS GOD….
4. After that, God determines what will happen to them.
a. If you have ever wondered whether God predesignated
Pharaoh to reject Him in the Bible, the answer is
not until God showed Pharaoh who He was, and Pharaoh
decided to reject that truth and to reject God as
God.
b. Pharaoh was a reprobate.
c. Reprobates have a predetermined course.
C. Once a person or a people refuse God, what does God do with
them?
Romans 1:21 …but became vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish heart was
darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they
became fools,
1. They become vain first, the foolish.
2. They might even become foolish enough to worship the
things God created instead of the God who created them.
3. Oh, wait! That is what the next verse actually says.
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image made like to corruptible man,
and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and
creeping things.
a. It amazes what America will worship and what they will
not worship.
(1) Since 9/11, Islam has been made the victim and is
encouraged even in public schools.
(2) On tour is a replica Arch from a sanctuary of
Baal.
b. People worry about Pharaoh being predesignated to hell.
(1) Pharaoh was a reprobate!
(2) Even after God showed Pharaoh who He was, Pharaoh
rejected God as God and continued to worship
beasts: cows, cats, crows.
(3) All of the plagues against Egypt was God showing
Pharaoh that He was God.
(4) Pharaoh damned his own soul and placed himself on
the Predestinated Course.
4. And they might become so smart that they think they know
more about sex and the human body than the God who
created us. (Oh, wait. That’s what the next verses
actually say!)
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to
uncleanness through the lusts of their own
hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between
themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and
worshipped and served the creature more than the
Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile
affections: for even their women did change the
natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the
natural use of the woman, burned in their lust
one toward another; men with men working that
which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves
that recompence of their error which was meet.
5. And all of this might affect their behavior so that they
become very hateful toward God and contrary to everything
He teaches is right. (Oh wait! That’s what the next
verses actually say.)
28 And even as they did not like to retain God
in their knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness,
fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate,
deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud,
boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient
to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers,
without natural affection, implacable,
unmerciful:
D. Does this sound like anyone we know?
1. Yes!
2. It sounds like pretty much everyone we know—at least
those who are lost.
3. But it is hard to blame the people. They were MADE into
reprobates!
4. For the last 60 years, they have all been educated that
there IS no God.
a. They spend all day at school studying the beauty,
the wonder, the precision, the delicacy, the power
that was and is required for this world to exist—
and then say "There is no God. All of this just
happened."
b. Then they go to colleges where that foolish teaching
is concentrated and poured down their throats as their
esteemed professors call the Bible antiquated, the
concepts of man and women arbitrary, and declare
the deity of mankind.
5. But the other deadly prong is that many of those same
people sat under some kind of religious teaching.
a. Maybe it was good Bible preaching and teaching.
b. Maybe it was false, but one thing most every religion
does teach is that there is a god—some kind of
Creator and Mastermind.
c. Then under the day-in and day-out tutorage of the
atheists that parents encourage—if not demand—their
kids list to, the children reject the notion that
there is a God, and we wonder why we are where we
are!
6. Friend, it was a predetermined course!
a. First, the mind is corrupted.
b. Then the spirit is corrupted.
c. And finally their morals are corrupted.
E. Please notice why I call this predestination.
1. And you don’t want to miss the fact that God makes sure this
path for the reprobates is followed by nudging the foolish
further and further down the pathway they have chosen.
2. Remember, it started with God revealing Himself and those
to whom He revealed Himself to did not glorify Him.
3. But then God takes over:
a. \\#24\\ Wherefore God also gave them up to…
b. \\#26\\ For this cause God gave them up…
c. \\#28\\ God gave them over to…
4. This pathway is not random.
5. It is predestinated.
6. When fools start feeding the foolish foolishness, God
will take His mercy from them altogether.
III. Pitiful Conclusion.
A. We left these damned reprobates in \\#Romans 1:31\\ "without
understanding…," but that is not their conclusion.
B. That is just a stopover on the way to their final destination.
Romans 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God
(that would be hell), that they which commit
such things are worthy of death, not only do
the same, but have pleasure in them that do
them.
1. "who knowing the judgment of God"
a. I could show you pictures of people standing with
placards mocking hell.
b. People making jokes about hell.
c. People laughing at the notion of hell.
d. People declaring that they are looking forward to
hell.
2. Smarty pants - You won’t be there 10 seconds before you
will regret it all.
3. Can we help them?
a. We can try, but the Bible does not give us a lot of
hope.
Tit 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the
first and second admonition reject;
Pro 26:4 Answer not a fool according to his
folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
b. You see one cannot be saved without understanding, the
ability to see cause and effect.
c. When you see the effect (creation and all that is) and
refuse to the see the Cause (a Creator), you have
turned off the lights of both the mind and the spirit.
d. God can intervene so we will continue to tell them,
but sooner or later they are apt to turn on us and do
us harm.
e. You see, they think they know it all, and we are their
inferior.
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