Professing to be wise, they became fools.” Those who reject God are fools. They became empty in their speculations, their foolish heart was darkened. “And though they knew God,” – that is they knew God existed because it was clear in the creation and in the Scripture – “they did not honor Him as God or give thanks. In the case of our society, turns against the revelation of Scripture, which has been available to everyone. This wrath is for those, verse 21, “who knew God, did not honor Him as God or give thanks.” It comes on a society that inexcusably turned against the living God who is the Creator of all. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and His divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” God has revealed Himself to the degree that man is without excuse if he doesn’t acknowledge the existence of God and when men suppress that knowledge in ungodliness and unrighteousness, a king of wrath comes out of heaven. “That which is known about God,” says verse 19, “is evident within them for God made it evident to them. Wherever you have a society suppressing truth, it necessarily then is characterized by ungodliness and unrighteousness. But this wrath is not any of those, but rather described as follows: it’s wrath “against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” So it’s a kind of wrath that has to unfold on a society that is suppressing truth. It could be the wrath of sowing and reaping, built in judgment to certain behaviors. It could be eschatological wrath, the wrath that’s described in the book of Revelation. Verse 18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven.” Now the wrath of God takes many forms. How did that happen? Turn to Romans chapter 1, and I want to rehearse for you some very important portions of Scripture. America has been gradually becoming a kingdom with a king, an evil kingdom with an evil king and his evil agents. We haven’t had, as I said a week ago, a king in our history – well, until now. We don’t know a lot about kingdoms and kings, so I want to help you with that. They were looking for a kingdom in the future, and the kingdom was there because the King was there. But, “He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed nor will they say, “Look, here it is!” or, “There it is!” For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst, or among you.’” That is an incredible statement. They thought it was still future and elements of it are, of course. In Luke chapter 17, verse 20, Jesus was questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming. So we are this invisible kingdom in the middle of a visible kingdom that is getting more wicked all the time. When Jesus prayed to the Father, He didn’t say, “Take them out of the world,” He said, “Keep them from the Evil One.” We have to be in the world, otherwise we can’t preach the gospel. I have a lot to say, and I want to say things that will be definitive and helpful to you, because it’s very apparent to us now that we who are in the invisible kingdom are living in the middle of another kingdom. I want to take you back to Luke 17 again this morning.
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