God’s Wrath Gives People What They Want

Romans 1:28-32

GBCCR 1/31/26

Introduction

Have you ever noticed how the 10 commandments are often divided up into two distinct groups?

Those great tablets have 1-4 focused on sins against God, but then 5-10 all are sins against others.

At different times in civilization, there is sometimes fighting over which one matters more

Why would God care about someone being envious about another person’s house? Does it really matter in the heavens that I have a jealous thought about my neighbor’s really nice fire pit or sweet boat?

Or some may ask today… why does God care about someone not making an image of Him? Can’t he see someone’s heart is just trying?

But that is the point of the 10 commandments and that we’ve seen in Romans…

a wrong worship of the true living God, a replacement of him leads to hurting ourselves and others

Sins may start in the heart, but they do not end there…. The flow out

Review

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God starts this section

Romans 1:16 says I’m not ashamed of the gospel, which requires explanation of why we need saving

1:17-23 explained that sin is not just doing bad stuff, but it is the overflow of a bad heart that has replaced God with idols

After looking at what God’s design for men and women is in Genesis we saw the big problem in Genesis 3 with Adam and Eve deciding they knew what was right and wrong instead of God’s plan

The same thing happens when we saw the example of homosexuality in rom 1:24-27

Just as God gives people over to their idols when they exchange him

So God gives people over when they exchange the created rolls of husband and wife for men and men, women and women

Too often in our world it is thought that you if you love someone, you will give them what they want

But in this text the mark of those on their way to hell is God lets them have their own way

And the mark of those in union with Christ is that he turns them to his way

We talked about how this is sin against God and others, but there was hope that change is possible

We need not to rely upon our feelings to define our identity, but upon the unchanging creator who is blessed forever

I didn’t get to my final point, but we’re going to say it now with the passage today…

that this is just one sin among many

God gives people over to their own way in many different forms that should accuse all of us

And when our excuses are stripped away, we get to see the power of God in your lfie and mine

So let’s see

22 Vices that reveals our SINS and the need for salvation

I know it’s tempting to not focus on the negatives, but these lists of sins are found throughout the New Testament with a big keep off sin.

Like God graciously set a standard in the garden, so he gives us His right standards to reveal the dangers and our need for forgiveness

I’ve previous defined SIN as Shove off God, I’m In Charge, Not you

But let’s do a study on SINS using a different aconynm to help us:

Suppressed minds- sin starts by making sense to you. (v. 28–29a)

Explanation

A mind filled with Unrighteousness

It starts with a rejection of God that everyone has from creation itself or our conscience within

The CSB helpfully translates this, “did not think it worthwhile”

It means to test and find it lacking or not worth our time

God has wired our minds to lead our emotions and actions

Proverbs 23:7 says that, "as [a man] thinks within himself, so he is." The thoughts that occupy your mind are the raw materials that form your actions.

So, as people reject whatever they know of God from nature or teach

God gives over to a unworthy mind,

Then out comes unrighteous actions

The word unrighteous means unjust or not right

This wrong thinking leads to

Wickedness.

It is a general term for badness

V18- “the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness”

This refers to man’s suppression of the truth about God.

Paul is saying the horizontal dimension of sin exists because of the vertical rejection of God

1 Corinthians 8:12: “Thus by sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience which is weak you sin against Christ.”

So people do what it not proper against God and each other

This is all summary of all the wrong we do against each other

These wrongs are built upon our desires

Greed

The word means excessive desire of acquiring more

As Jesus warned Luke 12:15- “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

RC Sproul says this is man seeking to amass for himself things that he would rob from other people. Such a person has a hostile attitude to his fellow man, for he will stop at nothing for his own private gain.

And he does this because he thinks he can have enough such as Jesus warns

Luke 12:19–21- And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

The treasurers on earth make poor god’s who provide us with insufficient security

Eccl 5:10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity

This is the problem with coveting, it rejects what God has given us and says… this is not enough, you are not good God to issue this… I know what I need better

Trans: This self-centered heart spreads to all of us creating people full of

Depravity/evil

This evil can be translated as malice or depravity as we read before Noah

Genesis 6:5- The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

You may have heard the rightful theological phrase used, total depravity

man in his natural state is completely polluted by sin affecting his desires in such a way he is incapable of change on his own. . .

It does not mean that humans cannot do relative good in some ways.

Unbelievers can do things that are good for society, their friends, and their family

Jesus said evil people can love their families

Luke 11:13- If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

But it means that evil touches everything they do

Like when my toilet leaked.

I dropped a few drops of dye into the top… it wasn’t very much but it spread to the whole container and then slowly I saw it appearing in the bowl as well

It touched everything

Illustration point-Sin starts making sense to the suppressed mind

And what’s crazy is we swim in the culture that live in that we’re told to follow our hearts and do what makes sense to me

In The Sound of Music, When Maria returns to the Abbey, confused by her feelings for Captain von Trapp, the Mother Abbess assures her that loving another person can be part of what God wants us to do.

“You must find the life you were born to live,” she says before singing

Climb ev’ry mountain,Ford ev’ry stream,

Ford ev’ry stream,Follow ev’ry rainbow

Follow ev’ry rainbowTill you find your dream.

Till you find your dream.

A dream that will need all the love you can giveEv’ry day of your life for as long as you live.

Ev’ry day of your life for as long as you live.

A very typical follow your heart story that makes sense in Hollywood

But the real story actually far better

Maria did not fall in love with Captain von Trapp right away

As she said in her autobiography,

When he asked her to marry him, she was not sure

"I really and truly was not in love. I liked him but didn't love him. However, I loved the children, so in a way I really married the children. . . . [B]y and by I learned to love him more than I have ever loved before or after."

This is the crazy part, she denied her feelings for the sake of the children and actually learned to love the man as she went on

We live in a world that says follow your heart, but instead of listening to the sense of sin, we must find greater joy and love

Application

If you’re not a christian you might feel really good about where you’re at…

You can justify your self-reliance as you think you don’t really need God

Or perhaps you have philosophical questions about why you don’t really believe God is real

Or kids… it might seem a bit just like fairy tales

But we will continue to see that the God of the bible is unlike any other story or man-made religion

When you put your head down, you know that your creator is worthy of your worship… his moral standards condemn you

And when you hear of Jesus, you know there is no better way than the man who died for His enemies

So push against the depraved mind before it leads you down a path that excuses your sins

Instead, you need to submit to God’s standard and see your need for Jesus to die in your place

With that comes a commitment to do things His way since youy want to die to your way and trust in HIs

And, Remember, Christian, that the command to renew your mind in Romans 12 is necessary because the threat to sins remain

We’ll read in chapter 6

Romans 6:12- Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.

And Paul warns in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 10:12- Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

Even those of us with the Holy Spirit working in us must continue to put truth in our minds or else sin will start to reign over your mind and make so much sense

This is why we need to keep not just reading the bible

But you must apply the bible to your life and decisions

Watch out for the replacing God in your mind

Idols say “I need this to make me happy,” or “If I don’t have this my life is worthless and meaningless

Elyse Fitzpatrick comments, “The truth about our choices is that we always choose what we believe to be our best. We always choose what we believe will bring us the most delight

So you must continue to choose that God is best

Acknowledge him, worship Him… not because He needs you to, but because the alternative masters will destroy you

Trans: The list changes slightly here as the word as full of begins to describe the inner man

Inward desires- What you want starts to corrode you (v. 29b)

5 traits that fill their hearts

Envy

It is a little different from greed because it has to involve someone else

It is spite and resentment toward the success or possessions of another.

It is the looking at what someone else has and the thought comes to mind… why do they have it and I do not, I should have it

Envy is one of Satan’s greatest weapons that almost destroyed the faith of Asaph

Psalm 73:2–3- But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psalm 73:12–13- Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.

I just saw someone online bemoaning their morals because drug dealers and immoral people are buying yahts for their families

But, he was pulled out by hearing God’s word in the temple

Psalm 73:17–19- until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!

Envy destroys people

Trans: and as with Jesus, envy often leads to desiring total destruction of the person who has what you want in

Murder

Of course we have, Ex 20:13 “You shall not murder.

This is not just not killing someone as there are proper times for the death penalty

Exodus 21:12 tells us someone could kill the first- “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death

But the second man could be safe in a city of refuge

But Jesus raises the bar with the murder of unseen anger

Matthew 5:21–22- “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire

Being angry gives you the same judgment as someone who murders. Calling someone fool brings hell.

John shows us hatred is murder

1 John 3:15- Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him

We must not hate people in even in our hearts

Racism, is thus murder. And anyone of anyone ethnic background can be a murder

Those fights you have with your spouse or friend, is murder of the heart

Murder starts in the heart, but usually doesn’t stay there leading to

Strife

It is bitter conflict; heated often violent dissension

The root of the word is debate, but it’s much more than a back and forth discussion… it’s hatred coming out

You know people who just love to pick fights?

They have suppressed their own failures of God’s standard and so think they’re always right

This is what James 4 warns about destroying us… that our desires leads to I demands, lead us to destroy others

And this fighting fills our relationships with

Deceit

This is someone who is powerful liar

The father of lies creates lies between people

If someone has to define themselves and do what is right in their own eyes

The lies to yourself start to flow out into lies with others

How often someone loses track of what is a lie vs what is truth

Trans: and the final in this selection is

Malice

This word is only used here in the bible,

It means a malicious interpretation to the actions of others, a nature which is evil and makes one suspect evil in others

As someone denies the law giver and gives into their own sin, they start to see that sin in others

Illustration point-

These inward desires destroy us

We see this in the medical world with the diagnosis of an auto-immune disease.

Months of struggle do not give any results becuase medical care doesn’t help

Typical treatment actually worsened the situation,

Until it is discovered- the immune system is one’s own worst enemy, for its efforts to protect and to strengthen are what is hurting you

So treatment requires weakening the immune system,

Only then can be it be treated.

This is true of our spiritual health as well

Our problem is not only our moments of utter disinterest in God or even giving into sin

But also zealous attempts at being better make sorse sin-sick struggles.

Because what’s in us needs recalibration of our wills by God’s own will

These inward desires that fill people are destroying us

Application

This reminds us that sin comes from within

Jesus said out of the heart comes evil dresires

Matthew 15:19- For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Our kids, grandkids, neighbors, society over all needs to hear that following your heart is bad because following your heart will lead to sinful destrtuction

Therefore, whether it is the sin of homosexual lust or the envy or lying, there has to be a repentance focused on the heart

Confession must include the heart as well as the behavior of homosexuality

You must say not just that what I did was wrong, but it’s my family

No, there is something wrong with you and me

Repentance must involves a complete renunciation of the desire that leads to that sin

Matthew 18:9- “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.

So you must Do what it takes to get rid of temptation

This can be hard: but certain friends, places, activities, even technology must be removed

Social media or news is not worth it if causes envy or constant anger

God’s original model for must be taught

Remember, it is not just enough to say something is immoral,

People need the discipleship of God designed husband and wife relationships.

The gender confused are a broken puzzle, show them the correct one.

Christians need to show them what a healthy relationship between a husband and wife looks like

When need to show them what godly friendship between men with other men and women with other women looks like

That’s why being in church is so important and our fellowship outside of this short gathering matters

Your internal desires must be viewed as a matter of worship

Rom 12:1- present your bodies as a living sacrifice, you spiritual worship

Remember, Romans 1 is all about worship, so get them worshiping God.

For some it will seem unnatural, but it is worth it

Mark 10:28–30- Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive

Here is the hope though of God working through these desires

Through our faith that God’s discipline is motivated by his love, he enables us both to lose and to find our lives.

Hebrews compares God’s discipline to that of earthly fathers who discipline for “a little while.” And though this discipline does not seem pleasant “at the time,” “later on” it “produces a harvest of righteousness and peace” (Heb. 12:10-11)

God wants more than just your short term pleasures… he wants you to have the joy of holiness