God Gave Them Up Ps 81:12 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
One of the most tragic statements in the Bible is, God gave them up. When God gives you up to something and leaves you alone to go after it, you are well nigh hopeless, at that point. Notice the progression of your downfall when God gives you up:
God gives you up to your own heart’s lust – Ps 81:12 – lust is seated down in your heart. According to James, once lust conceives it brings forth sin and when sin is finished it brings forth death. So, the path you are on is deadly. It’s on this path that you walk in your own counsel. And truly when you are your own counselor, you have a fool for a client.
God gives you up to idolatry – Acts 7:42 – when the heart of the Jews turned back to Egypt, they made a calf and worshiped not only it but the host of heaven. Today, idolatry is found in the worship of the human body, the accumulation of possessions, the stimulation of the imagination and the science of evolution.
God gives you up to uncleanness – Rom 1:24 – uncleanness is best defined in the Bible as unholiness. Notice that it starts with the lust of the heart. And it manifests itself in the dishonor of your body. Now, if you are saved, your body is the temple of the HOLY Ghost [1 Cor 6:19]. You are bought with a price and you are to glorify God in your body [1 Cor 6:20]. When you are given up to uncleanness, then you are defiling the temple of the Holy Ghost and you are not glorifying God.
God gives you up to vile affections – Rom 1:26-27 – the context of vile affections is clearly homosexuality. Yes, the New Testament opposes homosexuality just like the Old Testament does. God did not change his mind about this sin so that you could get away with it on this side of the cross. Most definitely what you are feeling for your partner is “affection,” it’s just that, according to the Lord, that affection is VILE. Once you have been given up to it, you feel justified that God made you that way. Not true. He gave you up to that affection. There is a huge difference. God was undeniably involved but not the way you are thinking.
God gives you over to a reprobate mind – Rom 1:28 – since you did not like to retain God in your knowledge then God gave you over to a reprobate mind. That’s a mind void of the knowledge of God. When you are in a reprobate mind you are not in your right mind and so the sins of Rom 1:29-32 seem perfectly normal and legitimate to you. You would need a sound mind to see how wrong you are [2 Tim 1:7]. When your mind is sound it is easy to see your error.
God gives you up to desolation – 2 Chr 30:7; Rom 1:32 – this is when the full brunt of your wickedness hammers you down. Your life spirals out of control and you wind up totally consumed by the sin that is trying to finish you off.
Conclusion: The place to stop this disastrous ruin is at the beginning. Deny your own heart’s lust and do not walk in your own counsel. If you find yourself part of the way down this road, get off and beg God in repentance to allow you to get back in his will.