Dr. Cecil A. Fayard - 2001 Sermons
Sunday, February 11, 2001   

1. Elohim - In Genesis 1:1, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, "created the heaven and earth."
   
2. El-Shaddai - the breasted one, He is the almighty God of Genesis 17:1, "I am the almighty God..."
   
3. Jehovah - this means He is the "self-existent one," or "the one who causes to be". In Exodus 6:2, God says: "I am the Lord." In Exodus 3:14, "and God said unto Moses, I AM, That I AM..."
   
4. Jehovah-Jirah - The Lord will provide (Genesis 22:14).
   
5. Jehova-Rapha - The Lord that heals (Exodus 15:26). "I am the Lord that healeth thee..."
   
6. Jehovah-Nissi - The Lord our banner (Exodus 17:15).
   
7. Jehova-Shalom - The Lord our peace (Judges 6:24).
   
8. Jehovah-Raah - The Lord my shepherd (Psalm 23:1, "the Lord is my shepherd...")
   
9. Jehovah-tsidkenu - The Lord our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6).
   
10. Jehovah-Shammah - The Lord is present (Ezekial 48:35).
    
11. Adonai Jehovah is our ruler and help in battle (Isaiah 1:9, 6:3).

Yes, God exists and in the scriptures we read of:

1. His duration-He is the everlasting God (Genesis 21:33).
   
2. His power - He is Almighty God (Genesis 17:1).
   
3. His exclusiveness - He is the jealous God (Exodus 20:3-5).
   
4. His Holiness - He is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24).
   
5. His pity - He is a merciful God (Deuteronomy 4:31).
   
6. His fidelity - He is a faithful God (Deuteronomy 7:9).
   
7. His vitality - He is the living God (Joshua 3:10).
   
8. His greatness - He is the terrible God (Nehemiah 1:5).
   
9. His compassion - He is the gracious God (John 4:2).

1. VERSES 19-20, PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY
   1. Verse 19, the word "because" points us back to verse 18. "Because", "on this account", the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness..."
      
      1. "That which may be known of God is manifest in them."
         
         1. Note that it says, "in them." The truth of God was revealed, not among them, but within them. The truth of God was revealed upon their consciousness and in their hearts."
            
         2. Plainly, clearly, openly, God has revealed truth to them.
            
         3. The fact that God exists is revealed from God to the inner consciousness of man.
            
      2. What more could God do for man? How could man be more guilty for he has revolted against God from the very seat of his being!
         
      3. "Shewed" this is the same basic word in the Greek as "manifest".
         
         1. God made it clear. He made it evident that He exists.
            
         2. God endowed man with a reason and a conscious (Romans 2:14-15).
            
         3. God made man capable of seeing and investigating His works. He has given man light in this area (John 1:9). "God gave man a conscience inside that is God-shaped, and cannot be filled with sex, alcohol, drugs, materialism, things, hobbies, nor religion." (Prochall 17).
            
         4. W. H. Griffith Thomas said: "There is no valid reason for ignorance of God for that which is matter of knowledge concerning God has been manifested in them by conscience and nature (Acts 13:38; 14:17; 28:28) (68).

   2. Verse 20, Man is without excuse; there is a God!
      
      1. In verses 16-17, we read of God's revelation of the Gospel unto salvation.
         
         1. In verses 19-20, we have the transition from special to general revelation.
            
         2. He now speaks of "the things that are made". God's revealed in His works, creation and nature.

         3. When we look up at the stars, how can we not say there is a God!
            
         4. Psalm 8:3-4; 19:1-6
            
         5. A French revolutionary told a peasant", "We are going to pull down all that reminds you of God." The peasant simply replied: "Citizen, pull down the stars then!"
            
      2. Everyone who has ever lived has had come at ableness to this revelation, even those in darkest Africa.
         
         1. This revelation has been clearly seen.
            
         2. Clearly seen yet, men "hold the truth in unrighteousness", (Verse 18c). They suppress that truth instead of submitting to it.
            
         3. Because men suppress the truth, God can justly condemn all unbelievers, even those who have never seen a Bible have heard about Christ (verse 18).

2. VERSE 21, MAN'S PITIFUL DECLINE
   1. Indifference to God will send you on a downward path.

   2. This verse speaks of man willfully ignoring God. "When they knew God, hey glorified Him not as God..."
      
      1. When a man throws God out of his thinking he becomes an ingrate.
         1. He becomes high and mighty thinking that he controls his destiny.
            
         2. He becomes an ingrate. He does not praise, magnify or express any appreciation to God.
            
         3. Unthankfulness:
            
            1. Makes a man's heart hard and unsensible.
               
            2. Causes man to forget God.
               
      2. "Became vain."
         
         1. "Vain" - worthless - Here of worthless speculation about God that leads to expelling Him completely.
            
         2. "Imaginations" - they are unable to make moral and spiritual discriminations. They justify wretched, filthy, vile, open sin.
            
         3. They refuse the light and wallow in darkness.
            
      3. "Imaginations" - without God men think weird. Their thoughts and reasons are away from God.
         
      4. "Darkened" - blinded, unable to see. How sad to be blind to spiritual things, unable to perceive the truth.
         
         1. "Foolish" - without understanding, unintelligent, not able to discern the evidence given about God. They run headlong into sin, void of understanding (Proverbs 7:7-23).
            
         2. "Darkened" - blinded, unable to see. How sad to be blind to spiritual things, unable to perceive the truth.

3. VERSES 22-23, SHEER DEGRADATION
   1. Verse 22, the word for "fools" is related to a word from which we get "moron". They think they are wise, but they are not.
      
   2. The Bible says much about "fools" (Proverbs 1:7, 3:35, 10:18, 12:19, 14:9, 16, 15:5, 26:4, 28:26, 29:11).

   3. Verse 23, "Wherefore" on account of refers to man's willful choice to worship idols.
      
      1. "The next step down from atheism is idolatry" (Phillips 29).
         
      2. Man must have something to worship, so he worships idols.
         
         1. They worship creatures instead of the creature.
            
         2. Save the whale, eagles, hug the tree, etc.