In the sermon 'Given Up by God,' Jason Dohm explores the biblical concept of God giving individuals over to their own sinful inclinations when they reject His truth. Drawing from Romans 1:24-32, the speaker emphasizes the power of the gospel and the consequences of suppressing the truth of God. He outlines how human rebellion leads to God allowing people to pursue their sinful desires unchecked, resulting in a debased mind and a life filled with unrighteousness, including both heterosexual and homosexual sins. The sermon also introduces the idea of 'judicial hardening,' where persistent rebellion leads God to harden hearts as a form of judgment. Despite the grim picture painted by human sinfulness, the sermon offers hope through the transformative power of Christ's redemption, urging believers to respond with truth and compassion towards those ensnared by sin.

Our sermon text for today will be verses 24 through 32, but for context let's pick it up starting in 16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

Because what may be known of God is manifest in them for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.

Amen." And for this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise, also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust for one another, men with men, committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting. Being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness.

They are whisperers, backbiter, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them." title of the sermon today is, Given Up by God. It is a contemplation of what it is for God to leave you to just pursue your own inclinations unchecked by His hand of grace. That's really what we're contemplating today. If God just leaves you alone, where would you be? And we're brought face to face with that today.

Last week in our text we were taught by Paul that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. During last week's sermon I brought us to John chapter 3 where Jesus explains that He brought light into the world but men love darkness because their deeds were evil. So men actually don't want the light. They want darkness because light exposes us for who we are. And we don't want that.

When Paul says that the anger of God, the fury of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness, he's trying to steer us away from thinking of all the really bad things that the really bad people do. And he's saying, no, no, no, it's all ungodliness, your ungodliness. All unrighteousness, Your unrighteousness. The argument was this from last week's text. What is made, the creation, teaches everyone enough about the eternal power and godness of the Maker, to coin a term, is eternal power and godhead, or godness.

You get enough from viewing the things that have been made so that you're without excuse if you will not glorify God as God and be thankful to God. This week starts with therefore, So we're continuing on the same theme. In verse 21, last week's text, we learned of the consequences of not glorifying God as God and being thankful to Him. The consequences were this, they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." So today's text takes us further down that track. Really today's text is an explanation of what it means that they became futile, or empty, or vain in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened.

This is what happens to you if you will not glorify God as God and you will not live thankfully before him. As we come to our text, let's ask God to help us. God, please have mercy on us. This text proves so abundantly that we're in desperate need of your mercy, that If you were to back away and leave us to pursue our own inclinations, every one of us would plunge ourselves into the worst evils and into destruction. Thank you, that is very different than so many of our experiences that You haven't left us to ourselves to plunge ourselves into destruction, but you've shown your kindness so fully by breaking into that, showing us our great need, and giving us the person and work of your son to make things right.

So may that happen today. In Jesus' name, Amen. I'm only breaking the text into two parts this week. The first part will be verses 24 through 27. So hopefully you still have a finger in Romans chapter 1.

Follow along as I reread Romans 1 verses 24 through 27. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature, rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions, for even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the women burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due." Here Paul speaks of being given up by God to the lusts of their hearts.

So if you're taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks, there are two blanks. Lusts and hearts fills in the blanks. Given up by God to the lusts of their hearts. We see this three times in our text. Verse 24, Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness in the lust of their hearts.

Verse 26, God gave them up to vile passions. Verse 28, God gave them over to a debased mind. The Greek word in all three instances is paradidamai. It just means to give into the hands of another. So the translation here is perfect.

To give up or to give over represents this one Greek word that is used and used and used to repeat and to drive home the truth that God is giving them over or giving them up to certain things. Each time, all three times, God is responding to human rebellion. The first time it is people exchanging the glory of God for likenesses of created things. That's verse 23. It leads into the first, God gave them up.

The second time it is people exchanging the truth of God for the lie by worshiping and serving the creature rather than the creator leading into the second God gave them up. The final time it is people not liking to retain God in their knowledge which leads into the God giving them over. In each case people harbor and cultivate rebellion against their creator and God responds to that rebellion by giving them over. It is initiated by the person harboring and cultivating rebellion. God responds by giving them over.

Last week I called this judicial hardening, meaning the penalty for the persisting in rebellion is God intervening and hardening you as the penalty for the rebellion or judicial blindness, an increasing inability to see things as they really are in judgment for the persisting in rebellion. Listen to Psalm 81 verses 11 through 12. I'll give you that reference again. Psalm 81 verses 11 through 12. God here is speaking through the psalmist Asaph and here's what God says, but my people would not heed my voice, and Israel would have none of me.

So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart to walk in their own councils. I just want to read it again. Think about it as I read it again. This is exactly what Paul was speaking of in Romans chapter 1. Psalm 81 verses 11 and 12, But my people would not heed my voice.

I spoke to them. They wouldn't listen to me. And Israel would have none of me. They didn't want me. They wanted something else.

So in response to that, I gave them over to their own stubborn heart. Oh, you'll persist in this? I'll just give you over to what you say you want, to what you're pursuing, to walk in their own councils. I'll let you walk it out to the very end. Now, our subsection in Romans 1.

Because people exchange the glory of God for likenesses of created things, I don't want God's glory, I want created things, therefore God gave them up to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts. It is the response of exchanging the glory of God for created things. God gave them up to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts. This is speaking of things that God designed to be wonderful in marriage. The physical union of husband and wife.

God made that, designed that on purpose, with purpose. He made it to be wonderful in the context of marriage. But it actually becomes an act of rebellion when engaged outside of marriage. Designed by God to be good and wonderful in marriage, but becomes an act of rebellion outside of marriage. This is what Paul means by uncleanness.

Physical union outside of the context of marriage. We are meant to possess our bodies in honor, meaning we are to be holy and offer our members to set them apart to serve God, to honor God, and to honor others with the use of our bodies. Our bodies are for blessing others, not cursing them. This is what it means to love your neighbor. Sexual immorality is not love.

Sexual immorality is not love. It is the dishonoring of your own body and the dishonoring of your neighbor who you're supposed to love. And so you dishonor and you are dishonored among yourselves. This is exactly what the text is saying. God is the one true God and all truth is bound up in Him.

He is truth. So when you embrace darkness so that you can worship and serve the creature, God gives you up to what you wanted. This is the terrifying thing in the text. There is nothing more terrifying than God giving you up to just chase the inclinations that are in your heart. He leaves you to the cravings of your heart.

And it is a terrible master. Your heart and its cravings after Genesis chapter 3 and the entry of sin into the world and the warping and corrupting of human nature, that's what you got. That's part and parcel to your family line, this warped, corrupted nature that now craves things that will plunge you into destruction if you chase those cravings. Now think of God just leaving you to serve that. Slavishly serve those cravings which are part and parcel of a warped, corrupted nature.

Of a warped, corrupted nature. Then Paul gives us this phrase, who is blessed forever, amen. What's he saying? I'm at the end of verse 28, I think. Is that right?

End of verse 24. 25. End of verse 25. Worship and serve the Creator rather than the creator who is blessed forever. Amen.

Why does Paul say that? It's not really needful to the argument. Here's why he says it. No matter who exchanges the truth of God for the lie, no matter how many worship and serve the creature, the Creator has been, is, and forever will be blessed. Amen.

John Murray says this, the dishonor done by men does not detract from the intrinsic and unchangeable blessedness. God is blessed forever. Amen. And to Paul's amen, I add my amen. God is not glorious because we glorify Him.

We glorify Him because He is glorious. If you stop glorifying Him, if you withhold your glorifying of Him, He does not become less glorious. From eternity past, in the present, through eternity future, God is forever blessed. Amen. No matter what men do, no matter the depths of depravity and filth that they plunge themselves into.

God is God and is forever blessed. Amen. Now we get another link in the logic chain in verse 26. So he's lengthening the logic chain. He's building the argument.

For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For this reason, because of all that that I just said, God gave them up to vile passions. What vile passions? Homosexuality. Instead of physical union between a man and a woman in the context of marriage, a physical union between women with women or men with men outside the context of marriage.

Parents, hopefully I'm giving you language to use with children who are young who will know more later but need some level of explanation now. Homosexuality is physical union outside of marriage, men with men, and women with women. Privileges that God has reserved only for marriage are engaged outside of marriage, and engaged with a person of the same gender. This is what Paul is speaking of here. Know this, when you exchange worshiping and serving the creator for worshiping and serving the creature, you have not made your last exchange.

See, Paul uses this term twice. He's speaking of people who exchanged worshiping the Creator for worshiping the creature and then he says there's another exchange that follows that. Paul says that women who made that first exchange then exchanged a natural sexual relationship for an unnatural one and men who made that first exchange worshiping and serving the Creator for worshiping and serving the creature then made this second exchange natural sexual relationship for an unnatural one. It is a leaving of the natural, that's what verse 27 says. Leaving what is inborn by the design of God, that is rejected in favor of what was never intended by God and They do it because of a burning lust there is a burning Inclination this is what it means to be given over to the inclinations of your heart to be left with a burning craving for something God hates.

Isn't that terrifying? Having this burning craving for something that God hates. Now a few things need to be said, especially in the year 2022. Understand this, There is heterosexual sexual sin. What is that?

Physical union between members of different genders, men with women, women with men, outside of marriage. That is a distortion and abuse and perversion of natural inclinations that are inborn by the design and purpose of God. Are you still with me? I'm not losing you. God put a natural inborn inclination within men to desire women, within women to desire men, but it is only to be in the context of marriage.

So men engaging in physical union with women, women with men outside of marriage is a distortion and abuse and perversion of an inclination that God put there on purpose, embedded it for the marriage relationship. Homosexuality is rejection of God at an even more basic level. In the sense that there is no legitimate expression of it. Meaning, heterosexual, sexual sin, is a distortion, and abuse, and perversion, but there is a legitimate expression of it. Marriage.

Homosexuality is rejecting God at an even more basic level. There is no legitimate expression of it. Anyone who accepts the Bible as revelation of truth from God can never accept that there is any such thing as gay marriage. Let me say it again. Anyone who accepts the Bible as revelation of truth from God, so there's a whole bunch of people who don't fit inside that orbit, They say, the Bible, I don't care about the Bible, I don't think that's God revealing truth to man.

I think that's just another book at best and actually maybe even a damaging book. We're not talking about them. We're talking about people who say, no The Bible is God revealing truth to man. Anyone who is inside of that orbit can never accept that there is any such thing as gay marriage. It doesn't exist.

How can I say that? Can I say that? Because in Malachi chapter 2, God calls marriage my holy institution, which I love. So Malachi chapter 2, God lays claim to marriage. He says, it's mine, it's holy, meaning I have set it apart to myself, and I love it.

So no one can touch that. You can make a creation and say, that's homosexual marriage, that's gay marriage, but marriage isn't yours to define. If God laid claim to it, it's only His to define. So I can call it gay marriage, you can call it homosexual marriage, But there is no such thing because it doesn't belong to me or to you. It belongs to God who has claimed it and He defines it and He has defined it.

What is the core of that? What is the core of marriage being his set-apart institution? He set apart this institution to himself and he loves it. What's the core of that? Human marriage is a reflection of Jesus Christ and His church.

To reflect that, it requires distinct maleness, distinct femaleness, being brought together into union, and there is no way to reflect that male with male female with female and so there can be no such thing Here is a major point that Paul is making in our text. If God gives you up to slavishly serve your own inclinations, you cannot even predict how low you will go. You think I'm not capable of that? Oh, oh, oh, oh, listen to Paul. If God gives you up to slavishly serve your own inclinations, having inherited this warped, corrupted nature, you have no idea how low you are capable of going.

It doesn't feel that way, but it is that way. Paul is warning you, Paul is telling you. Even though it might not feel that way, it is that way. I've heard Scott Brown say this many times. Sin will take you farther than you ever wanted to go.

I only wanted a little bit of sin. No, that's not how it works. When you let sin take the lead, it takes you farther than you want it to go. Sin keeps you longer than you ever wanted to stay. I just wanted to make a little incursion and then come back to this place.

No, that's not how it works when you let sin take the lead. It holds you in a place that you never wanted to stay. And sin costs you more than you ever wanted to pay. I never knew that would be the price. Let's apply.

The clamor, the modern clamor, to normalize homosexuality has never been louder. It's not a request, it's a demand. It has the force of culture and in some nations it has the force of law coming here soon if you're not prepared to fight. It has developed an entire vocabulary, words and phrases such as pride, same sex attraction, wrong side of history. For the record, like all forms of rebellion against God, it is shameful.

That is what verse 27 says. Not a source of pride. Not a source of pride. The Bible calls it vile passions, not same-sex attraction. And God is never on the wrong side of history.

He is the Lord of history and His word is truth. Let God be true and every man a liar. In the end, No matter what people say and how many people say it, God will be shown to be right. God is right. This all out push to normalize homosexuality is nothing more than Psalm 2.

The Bible anticipates it. Listen to Psalm 2. Or you turn there if you like. Psalm chapter 2. Psalm chapter 2.

You know, nothing takes God by surprise. So he just puts it in his word before it happens. Here it is. Psalm 2. Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed saying, let us break their bonds and pieces and cast away their cords from us. Those prudes, those puritans, will break their chains. Verse 4, He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision. He shall speak to them in His wrath and distress them in His deep displeasure.

Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion." The nations can rage. Jesus is King. Skipping down to verse 10, Now therefore be wise, O kings, be instructed you judges of the earth, serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled, but a little blessed are all who put their trust in him." It's possible that homosexuality has been normalized more in ancient Rome at the time of this writing than of any culture on earth, including our own in the present day. I don't say that with confidence, but it is possible.

Historians all note the normalizing of it. So we can know how Paul responds to the normalizing of it. He confronts it in chapter 1. So if you think we ought to be backpedaling because the normalization of it is demanded here, think again. Paul's not backpedaling, he's calling it out by name in chapter 1 of his letter to the Romans where it was normalized.

Homosexuality brings devastation into human lives. It is no friend to your neighbor. It will destroy your neighbor. It will destroy your neighbor. Our text says, men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error, which was due.

Whether it's life span, or mental health, or the sins that it travels with, rarely find homosexuality alone. Find it with other sins that devastate life. Or disease. Such a heavy price is paid for this fundamental rejection of God. Galatians 6, God is not mocked, whatever a man sows that he will reap.

What should be our response? Truth and compassion. Truth in compassion. Truth with compassion. Speaking the truth in love.

We should be telling everyone to repent of any and all burning cravings for things that dishonor God. Let me say that again. We should be telling everyone to repent, turn and go the other direction. Forsake that of any and all burning cravings for things that dishonor God. Listen to Ephesians 2 verses 1 through 3.

Ephesians 2 verses 1 through 3. It was a memory text not too long ago. Writing to Ephesian believers, and you he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the air the Spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience listen to this verse 3 is it among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of your flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. So homosexuality is a particularly intense expression of that, but it's just one of many Expressions of that and if you don't have that one you have others Those things are only natural in the sense that they come from a human nature that is bent on radical autonomy against God. In that sense, it's natural.

It's bent on radical autonomy against God, and that is the human condition. So in that sense, it's natural. But these things are not natural in the sense that they reflect the design and purpose of God for humans. In that sense, They are unnatural. They do not reflect the design and intent of God for humans.

Moving to the second part of our text. Back in Romans 1, 28 through the end of the chapter, follow along. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting. Being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness. They are whisperers, back-biters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undecerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.

In this section, Paul speaks of being given up by God to a failed mind. If you're taking notes on the handout, filling in blanks, the two blanks are failed mind. Given up by God to a failed mind. It's a frightening thought. Let's look at verse 28.

They did not like to retain God in their knowledge." There's a wordplay in the verse in Greek that doesn't come across in the translation, so let me show you what a Greek reader would instantly recognize. This word which is rendered like, they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, comes from a Greek word which means to test for genuineness or worthiness. So testing or worthiness. Testing something to see if it's real or worthy. It's used for metals.

Test a metal. Is this real? Worth anything? So what Paul is saying here is that humans stood in judgment of God Tested him and found him unworthy of holding on to him in their thoughts. Can you imagine the creature, the maid thing, standing in judgment of his maker, of her maker, to consider whether I find you worthy of holding on to you in my thoughts." I hope you recoil when it's put in those terms.

It's designed, the language that Paul is using is designed to make us recoil from the thought. What is God's response to that? Well, our translation says that God gave them over to a debased mind. This Greek word which is rendered debased means not standing the test, not approved. A mind that doesn't pass the test.

So now put these things together. When a person tests God and finds him unworthy, God gives him or her over to a mind that fails the test. Their minds cease to fulfill the intended function. They fail the test. Which is the ability to recognize truth.

Your mind was made by God to be able to recognize truth. Oh, you find me unworthy to hold on to me in your thoughts. I'll give you over to a mind that can no longer even recognize truth anymore. Your sense of right, wrong, good, evil becomes distorted so you do things which are not fitting. That's what Paul is saying.

And this brings us to the long and frightening list which begins in verse 29, which begins with, being filled with all unrighteousness. So here's the heading of the list. Filled, not a little, but a lot, All. We get this list to fill out the different categories of rebellion against God that can work their way out in these different sounds. Unrighteousness.

Everything that's not right. It's against what's good and right. That's the heading of the list. Being filled with all unrighteousness. Matthew Poole says this of the list, all were guilty of some and some were guilty of all.

That's if you compare yourself to this list, especially before you repented and trusted in Jesus Christ, you'll acknowledge that one of those things is true of you. That you're guilty of some or part of the all that we're, you're part of all that we're guilty of some or part of the some that we're guilty of all. In this list we're given all kinds of unrighteousness. Examples that are scandalous to us, like sexual immorality and murder, never do that thing. And examples that are minor to us, that we might call respectable sins, as if there were any such thing.

Things such as disobedient to parents was just a phase. I don't know, it made the list. I'm not sure we should call it a phase, and I'm not sure we should call it a respectable sin, things like undiscerning. There is a lack of discernment that is actually a reflection of God judging you and giving you a mind that doesn't work. Because if you're persisting in rebellion, not respectable.

People who judge God unworthy of holding on to in their thoughts will find themselves losing an accurate sense of right and wrong, good and evil. And so they'll begin to engage and then do it more and more, things that they might have even been against in time past. People who judge God unworthy of holding on to in their thoughts will find themselves plunging into some or all of the sins on the list. There are 22 sins on the list. I can't take time with each of 22 things on a list.

But let me make a few observations. I'll give you four observations about a list of 22. You can thank me for not going one by one. One. Love is the fulfillment of the law.

Paul is going to say that in chapter 13 verse 8. Love is just fulfilling the law. So, these are anti-love. This is just what it looks like to be unloving towards God and unloving towards your neighbor. All the law and the prophets hang on these two laws.

Love God with all your heart, love your neighbors yourself. So this is a list of love killers, things that are anti-love. Number two, let me touch on a couple in the list. Verse 30, haters of God. Many of us are on the other side of the cross, meaning we have repented and trusted in Jesus.

And now we know God is the most loving, good, pure, wonderful, beautiful being that could ever be imagined. Haters of God! Imagined. Haters of God! To know this God, who could hate him?

A simple rejection of A simple rejection of God will take you so far that you would hate him, the most lovely, beautiful, wonderful being who could ever be and you hate him. Verse 30, verse 30 gets all the interesting ones. Inventors of evil. Inventors. We're out of categories for sin.

Let's make a new one. So insatiable. You can never be satisfied with the depths. You have to go one level deeper. To a level that no one even knew existed.

Inventors of evil. That leads me to my third observation and it's a question. If you knew this was part of the exchange, Would you make it? If you knew this was the cost of the exchange, would you pay it? If you thought that it would make you hate the most glorious, wonderful, beautiful being that there ever could be, would you make the exchange?

If you knew it would make you invent new levels of evil, would you do it? People don't step on this path thinking those things, but Paul just says, but this is where the path takes you. Consider and be wise. That's really what the observation here is, Consider and be wise. It does take you further than you want to go.

It does hold you there longer than you wanted to stay. It does cost you infinitely more than you thought you would have to pay. My fourth observation is a quote. Listen to Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry says, here is enough to humble us all in the sense of our original corruption.

For every heart by nature has in it the seed and spawn of all these sins." Don't go through the list and say, I could never be this, I could never be that. You could be any and all of them. God left you alone. What does that mean for us? It means we should run to God.

That He wouldn't give us up to our own inclinations and we should be thankful to God if He's received us in His Son. Please believe, if you don't believe anything else from this text, please believe that you could be any and all of these things. That once sin came into the world in Genesis chapter 3, our nature became so fundamentally warped and corrupted that the potential for every one of these and all of these exists in your heart. You need a savior, One who can save you to the uttermost, Jesus is that Savior. These are not things to be played with.

We should flee to Jesus. Finally, verse 32 makes it clear that these sins are not engaged because they don't know that God hates and judges them, But that they do know and they engage those sins anyway. So if we didn't have this verse, we might think, well your conscience gets so seared that you totally lose any sense that God hates and judges these things. No, verse 32 brings us back to teach us that though these things do dull and sear the conscience, make you insensitive to things that you should be sensitive to, it does not put you beyond knowing that God hates and judges these things. People don't engage in the sins on the list because they don't know that God hates them, don't know that God judges them, they do know it and they do it anyway.

Not only that, but they aggravate the rebellion by approving of other people who engage in them. And aren't we seeing that? Everyone must approve. Everyone must approve. Well friends, where should we end?

Please turn to 1 Corinthians 6. 1 Corinthians 6. 1 Corinthians 6 will end here. 1 Corinthians 6 verses 9 through 11, well-worn territory and I'm thankful it's well-worn. 1 Corinthians 6, 9 through 11, Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?

Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, Nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. These sins are terrible sins.

They should never be minimized. They are not unforgivable. They are not beyond the blood of Christ, washing and making as white as snow. God, I pray that two things would be true as The end of this time settles on us. One, that we would take warning from how terrifying the notion is that you would abandon us and leave us alone with our own inclinations to chase them to where they lead.

But secondly, We would know that you have not been content for that to be the end of the story, but that you have sent your son. So that people all over the world who have engaged in all of these things rebel to you, against you, to depths that we find hard to imagine. Could say that those things were formerly true of them, but no longer true because of your cleansing blood. Thank you for your mercy, your goodness, and your grace. I do pray that you would make us a people ready to receive those who have rebelled to you, rebelled against you in ways that have devastated their lives that we would reach to them with both truth and compassion.

Truth in compassion, truth with compassion, speaking the truth in love, that you would make us ready as the devastation of these choices increases in the lives of people around us, that we would be all the more ready to hold forth Jesus as a Savior who saves to the uttermost. May it be so in Jesus' name, Amen.