Romans 1:18-25 Pentecost 8
Pastor Ron Koehler
Grace-Tucson, AZ
July 19, 2026
When People Trade God Away Picture an 8th grade boy, back in 1978, who spent before-school time and recess (and maybe a little class time) trading football cards. Let’s— hypothetically—say that he just needed card #390, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson of the Houston Oilers, to complete the whole 1978 TOPPS set. And imagine him being so happy to complete that set (with the player you have to thank for touchdown celebration dances becoming a thing) that he traded all his “doubles” to get that one card—and that among that stack of cards he gave away to get Billy “White Shoes” Johnson was a Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboy running back Tony Dorsett rookie card . Now, if I was the one—hypothetically—who still had a 1978 TOPPS Football set, I could pull that Billy “White Shoes” Johnson card #390 and sell it on eBay at the going rate of…$1.79. Seven weeks ago, a gem mint Tony Dorsett rookie card sold for $24,322. It might not be overly difficult to imagine me—hypothetically—looking back and being a lot less happy about that trade now. Now, this 1978 8th-grade trade was not a life or death trade, but there are trades that are life or death. The Apostle Paul tells us about the most devastating trade in the history of the world. It is the trade that humanity made. It is the same trade made by many today. A little earlier, you heard Jesus tell a story about wheat growing among weeds until the harvest—people who trust in God living right alongside those who reject God until the Lord comes on the Last Day. So, Christians witness hostility and apathy toward God from people around them. And we might wonder, How can people reject what seems kind of obvious—that there is a God? In Romans chapter 1, the Apostle Paul wrote why that is and about what happens When People Trade God Away. The Tragic Trade Mom asks you to get something from the kitchen for her and you yell out, “I can’t find it.” So, mom comes into the kitchen and immediately points to it. It was right in front of you. You’re looking for your reading glasses only to discover that they’re on your head. It’s kind of funny when things like that happen. Paul writes about something similar, but it’s not funny in the least. It’s tragic. What can be known about God is evident among them, because God made it evident among them. Have you ever thought about how every sunrise speaks about God? There is a beauty that is clearly created by someone, something, bigger than human beings. And the consistency of it! It happens every day without fail and always has—in a way that no human being can make happen! There is creativity and power and wisdom put on display for everyone to see. Every. Single. Day.
Or what about the miracle that is childbirth and the way all the body’s systems function? The usefulness and constancy of gravity. The majesty of the stars in their constellations. Those things we observe are preachers. They tell of God. Isn’t that what Kind David wrote in Psalm 19? The heavens tell about the glory of God. The expanse of the sky proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour out speech. Night after night they display knowledge. (v.1-2) A thousand years after David wrote that, Paul wrote that God’s invisible characteristics—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, because they are understood from the things he made. As a result, people are without excuse. Clearly seen. Without excuse. Don’t misunderstand though. A person who knows nothing of God can’t stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon, be awed by its beauty and say, “Wow, God sent his Son to die for me? That’s incredible!” A medical student who doesn’t know God doesn’t study the makeup of the human body and how it functions and suddenly say, “Whoa, I am really sinful and need Jesus’ forgiveness!” Viewing God’s creation is not the gospel, and it doesn’t speak the gospel message. But what do the world and universe and all the things in them do? They tell every person that there is a powerful and wise God. There is no excuse for anyone to say there isn’t. There is no excuse for not wanting to know exactly who God is. Every person possesses this innate knowledge of God and a sense of his expectations. Their conscience whispers that they are accountable to him. This happens when they view the world around them, as Paul says, and as they experience feelings of guilt. When it comes to God, people are without excuse if they claim he does not exist. This truth about God is all around them and right there inside them, but they push it down. His power and divine wisdom are obvious, but they won’t have it. They perceive that God is there, but they exchange this truth—that they have sensed—for the lie. The lie is that they can suppress this truth that there is a God by choosing other things to worship and serve instead. They aim their attention at other things. All sorts of things become their god. Things that God created—and things made from the things God created—become their focus in life and the object of their passion. Paul calls this nonsense and senseless, because it is! It makes no sense to completely reject what your eyes see and your heart and mind tell you is true—that there is a God and he is powerful and wise and that there is an accountability to him. To reject that makes no sense at all. Paul calls it exactly as it is. He even says that they think they’re smart, but couldn’t be more foolish!
Terrible Consequences That Billy “White Shoes” Johnson card trade pleased the 8th grader at the time, but ultimately seems like something he might want to do over. When People Trade God Away, they may be pleased with what they have for a time, but in the end, they will want to do that over. But at the end of their life, they’ll find that there is no undoing this Tragic Trade. This rebellion and rejection of God justly incurs his wrath. And his wrath will be revealed already in this world whenever he hands them over to their sin. Resistance and rejection can result in God saying, Have it your way. And they will then go on living the lie until their death. What a Terrible Consequence. And when they die, they will stand right in front of God and they will have zero defense. There can be no plea of ignorance even. They will be faced with the truth that deep down they knew, but chose to deny and reject the truth. So, there will be divine justice. They will be sent away for eternity from the One they did not want during their lifetime. They will get what they wanted all along, but it will come with weeping and fire and the torment of regret that will not end. Their company will be all those who did the same thing they did, the angels that rebelled against God and were thrown out of heaven, and the one that rallied them to do it—Satan himself. This is frightening. Now, if you are even flirting with the thought, How could they do that?! Or They deserve God’s judgment! Serves them right! you need a brief history lesson, and you need to take a look in the mirror. First, the history lesson. Think back to the Garden of Eden. Perfectly-created Adam and Eve knew the truth about God, didn’t they? They knew his power and wisdom and were perfectly in tune with him. Then what happened? Satan lied to Adam and Eve— and they believed him. When they listened to the lie, they immediately began worshiping and serving themselves, thinking they would grab all of God’s knowledge for themselves once they ate from the tree. They became their own idols. A Tragic Trade with Terrible Consequences. Out of tune with God and out of the Garden. Difficulty and pain in life. Physical death. Separation from God. Awful. You don’t get perfect children from two imperfect parents, so every person born from and after Adam and Eve, were and are sinful people who by nature reject God and worship and serve themselves and the things in this world. That includes you and me. So, be careful about shaking your head too hard at people who suppress the truth about God and live the lie of thinking that you can put something else in his place and be okay. You and I do it too—and we know better! Eternal death in hell is what we should receive also.
The Gracious Answer What humanity needed was a different kind of trade—a trade that would undo the one Adam and Eve made, one that would undo the trades we are sometimes still making. God reached out immediately to Adam and Eve with a promise that he would do that. And when the time was just right, he sent his Son into the world to make the trade. He would trade a life lived perfectly for all the lives lived imperfectly. The trade took place on a hill just outside Jerusalem. It happened on a cross. It was blood for sin, death for life, the Son of God for sinful people. You trust that trade. You trust that your sins were paid for and that God’s promise is good that you’ll be with him in heaven. You believe that because the Holy Spirit overcame your rebellious heart and mind. There is no room for pride in this—you believe and are saved only by the grace of God. The fact is though, there are many who continue to push the Holy Spirit away, like Paul described. Why think about these words today, on the day we are considering that Christians live among those who reject God, who live as wheat among weeds? Because we live side by side with people who are living the lie. We are friends with them. We work alongside them. They live across the street. We go to class with them. We share a house with them. We may enjoy their company, do things with them—we may even love them. But there is quite a difference between people who reject God and those who trust him with their lives and their eternal lives. Yet, here we are, together. We grow side by side in this world, but at harvest time, we’re separated. God talks about taking his wheat into the storehouse of heaven and burning the weeds in the fire of hell. Paul’s words explain to us what is going on as we see people living without God. He tells us how God sees it and what he’s doing while we wait for this world to come to an end. And they serve as a strong warning for us to not be foolish and trade away worshiping and living for him so that we can worship and serve ourselves and the things that we want in life. That would be a Tragic Trade with Terrible Consequences. It might seem enjoyable for a time, but the consequences are eternal. Instead, give him your thanks and praise for the trade he made to make you his and for overcoming your rebellion. And be patient as you wait for the day he brings you to his side in heaven. Amen. Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.