It’s easier to curate a photograph than to face a mirror. In Romans 2, Paul holds up a mirror to religious people who know the truth, teach the truth, and carry the symbols of belonging, yet may lack inward transformation.

In this message, Pastor Steve explores the danger of religious privilege, the exhaustion of performance, and the gap between claim and conduct. God is not impressed with our carefully managed image. He is after something far deeper. He wants a new heart. This sermon invites us to step out from behind spiritual filters and receive the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, living for the praise of God rather than the applause of people.

Most of us know how to prosecute someone else’s sin. We are far less comfortable defending our own. In Romans 2, Paul turns the spotlight from the obvious sinner to the respectable, moral, churchgoing person. The finger we were pointing outward suddenly points back at us.

In this message, Pastor Steve walks through the courtroom of the conscience and exposes the illusion of being a “good person.” God’s patience is not permission. His silence is not approval. And His judgment is not based on reputation but reality. Yet this hard truth is not meant to crush us. It is meant to lead us to repentance and into the arms of the only Advocate who can silence our accuser.

Is our world falling apart, or is it falling into place?

When we look at the shifting moral landscape of our culture, it’s easy to feel like God is distant or that His judgment is something far off in the future. But the sobering truth of Romans 1:26-32 is that the very things we lament are often signs that God is giving us exactly what we’ve asked for. Stephen Bean walks us through the "anatomy of being given over," explaining that God’s judgment isn't a passive reaction, but a righteous response to our choice to worship the creation rather than the Creator.

This message isn't about pointing fingers from a distance; it’s about recognizing the "trap" Paul sets to show us that every single one of us is under the power of sin. Whether we struggle with "disgraceful passions" or the "social sins" of gossip and pride, we are all in need of a rescue that we cannot provide for ourselves. If you’ve ever felt like a "refugee" of your own desires, this conversation is an invitation to move past the darkness of a "corrupt mind" and find the life-giving warmth of a Savior who welcomes the broken with open arms.