Beginning statements
Regardless
of where you stand on this issue you ‘ll need to behave. Whether you think I’m
taking too light of a stance or too hard of a stance if you are going to shout
out about it, you’ll be asked to leave. We will continue to respect God’s word,
over man’s opinion. Having said that, there is going to be opportunity for you
to ask any question you want… you’ll have opportunity to make comments. It’ll
be (FAQ) so fill out your sheets I’ll collect them and go through them in the
allotted time at the end.
We are not afraid
to talk about the subject. We just need to do this respectfully. I will stay on
task and if anyone takes me off and rabbit trails towards a subject out side of
it, I’m going to say let’s talk later. Today is about this topic.
Let’s pray…
Truth,
balance, loving, convicting graceful…
Introduction
While we are
not afraid to dialogue on this…
Let me tell
you what I am concerned about on this subject. (it has nothing to do about
state of Wisconsin- although the timing is good. I didn’t even knew this was
happening until it was over so… there you go now we are in 2 states that affirm
this so best we think biblically on this.)any way what I am concerned about on
this subject is
a. Exalting one sin over another.
Christians are notorious for making hot topic issues or cultural issues the worst since Adam and Eve. In times
past, it used to be what I call gray area behaviors, smoking,
dancing, drinking. Then it turned to actual black and white sins of sexual
promiscuity, and abortion. We at times deem something as the unforgiveable sin,
like losing your virginity, divorce, watching pornography or any abuse or
addiction that someone is under But
what we- the Christian church at times
do is elevate one sin over the other and I don’t want to play into that mindset
here today. I have labeled the class room topic today Rethink 6 thoughts about
homosexuality, because I want us to know what Scripture says and to rethink
about this subject according to what the bible says, not what culture or media
is cramming down our throats. But also I want us, as community of believer who
are imperfect and have experienced God grace, to think how we are to respond
graciously, but also uncompromisingly to God’s word. How do we minister and
interact on this.
b. Second concern about the subject of homosexuality
is the faulty teaching that is rising up in the church. It’s been on my heart for a little while but
especially, since God and the Gay
Christian hit the Christian and larger market.
In fact his comments are featured in Time magazine this week. It is a
young man who claims to be a Christian and believes in the full authority in
Scripture and is trying to defend his right to sin, biblically. How is he doing this? By mangling Scripture and
parroting the liberal theologians who (he says he is not) who don’t believe God
wrote the Bible. Yet he’s quoting them. What
is deeply concerning about this is, Matthew Vines (the author) is winsome and
appeals emotionally very well. So well, that discernment may go out the door
theologically for many and will tend to agree with him. I’m concerned that
Matthew Vines is deceiving himself and other, straight into hell.
Theologians who refuted his book and tore the supposed scholarship apart(Mohler and co.
well done get it free) - ended very lovingly toward him saying “Matthew we are
concerned for your salvation- you may not be saved! You need to repent”
But I’m getting ahead of myself
let’s set the stage for our class today.
To rethink
somethink means I will put together thoughts startling enough to get your
attention. I hope that these key
thoughts will get you meditating on Scripture, theology, world views as well as
life, church and ministry.
3 Truths to Understand
1.
Sexual orientation was created by
God, but it was broken at the Fall of Man.
First part…
Sexual orientation was created
by God
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply
and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the
earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed
that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit.
You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every
bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that
has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was
so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Genesis 2: 15-25
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it
and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat
of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat[d] of it you shall surely
die.”
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone;
I will make him a helper fit for[e] him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God
had formed[f] every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and
brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man
called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all
livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But
for Adam[g] there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused
a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and
closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from
the man he made[h] into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man
said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of
Man.”[i]
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to
his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were
both naked and were not ashamed.
·
So here at the very start of all creation, God
set up the way things were to be. We have general understanding of sexuality
set within the broader context of God’s
grand purposes and design at creation.
·
God’s intent for human sexuality is imbedded in
the fact that he created gendered being who have the ability to become “One
Flesh”. This is irrespective of the globes population. It is beautiful
complimentary relationship.
·
People
ask why is homosexuality wrong? Because God had established a beautiful
relational context of complimentary sexual intimacy, companion ship and support
called marriage, between a man and woman… that was to reflect in a special way
the image of God. To try to do this any other way or context is a distortion of
what He set up even before the fall. If homosexual relations were to be
legitimate in God’s eyes, we’d have a different creation story.
·
It is
because of this foundational covenantal concept- that we will find throughout Scripture
that same sex intercourse is contrary to nature.
In fact let’s get into the second part of the thought
Sexual orientation
was created by God… but was broken at the Fall of man.
What do we know about
the fall of man? Sin came into the world
because Adam was passive and Eve was deceived.
They sinned- and what happened to the nature of
man? Right standing with God gone. Shame, despair, and guilt came in.
We have in our spiritual DNA what I call IG IC 2:
Inherited Guilt- Inherited Corruption (in 2 parts)
Inherited
Guilt: We Are Counted Guilty Because of Adam’s Sin.
Paul explains the effects of Adam’s sin in the
following way:
Rom 5:12-14
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through
one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men[e] because all
sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is
not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a
type of the one who was to come.
Inherited
Corruption: We Have a Sinful Nature
Because of Adam’s Sin
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin
did my mother conceive me. Ps 51:5
·
Therefore, our nature includes a disposition to
sin so that Paul can affirm that before we were Christians “we were by nature
children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Eph. 2:3).
This affects two area which is why the squared on my C
1. In Our Natures We Totally Lack Spiritual
Good Before God:
2. In Our Actions We Are Totally Unable to Do
Spiritual Good Before God
Now understand this:
It is not just that some parts of us are sinful
and others are pure. Rather, every part of our being is
affected by sin—our intellects, our emotions and
desires, our hearts (the center of
our desires and decision-making processes), our goals
and motives, and even our physical bodies
Even our sexuality! We are unable to use it for the very good that God
intended apart from God.
Paul says, “I know that nothing good
dwells within me, that is, in my flesh” (Rom. 7:18), and, “to the corrupt and
unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted”
(Titus 1:15). Moreover, Jeremiah tells us that “the heart is deceitful above
all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9)
Turn to Romans 1:21-30
For although they knew God, they did not honor him
as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their of thinking, and
their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
Broken!!!
23 and exchanged the glory the immortal God
for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of
their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped
and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to
dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for
those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural
relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men
committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty
for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge
God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29
They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness,
malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are
gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors
of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish,
faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that
those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give
approval to those who practice them.
·
There is a great exchange that happened at the
fall that includes the Great exchange of who we worship.
o
Note v 23 we exchanged the worship of the
Creator, for the worship of the created.
o
Note v 25 we exchanged the truth about God for a
lie. (echoed in the lie of Satan- “You will not die if you disobey”) So we
believe our selves more than we believe God’s word.”
o
Note v 26
we (both man and woman) exchange natural relations for what was contrary to
nature.
·
Finally note v 29-31 lived and behaved in
manners that show brokenness over all- not just sexual. The most sobering thing
is v 32- they know better yet did it and condoned it in others.
A Broken sexual orientation for
both male and females can result in what? Sexual passions, can be either
inhibited or perverted. Let’s be clear
on the word orientation- similar words to understand this is leaning, tendency,
emphasis.
So our sexual leaning or emphasis
as sinful human being are for what? Sin! We have desires to sin either by
denying altogether our sexuality, or embracing everything our sex drive burns
after.
People ask would it
still be wrong if they found a gene that proves you are predisposition that in
that manner? Would it be wrong if there was biological proof that you are
born that way? The answer is yes it
would be wrong. Because for those who struggle with SSA and those who practice
homosexuality ARE born with a sinful nature… they are corrupted.Nature itself
is disordered and needs redeeming.
Romans 8:20-23
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not
willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the
creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the
freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole
creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only
the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan
inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, xthe redemption
of our bodies.”
Let me say it this way. Is it wrong for
someone to be promiscuous before marriage and then get married and then still
have adulterous affairs with others because they found out that you have a
predisposition to have a strong sex drive? It’s called being a nymophomaniac.
Yes it would still be wrong and ultimately sinful. Why? Because it is a broken expression of what God intends
sex to be.
Yes it would harm others too. But what is at
the greatest stake here, is God’s honor
and intention for sex and what it represents in
marriage-
In other words, God created man male and female so that there might be a
one-flesh sexual union and covenantal cleaving with a view to multiplying the
human race, and displaying God’s covenant with his people, and eventually
Christ’s covenant with his church. This will glorify God
That is all the first thought we
need to rethink: Sexual orientation was
created by God, but it was broken at the Fall of Man. It’s lengthy, because we
need to have a better education and understanding in the church about sex than just the simple
message of don’t do it outside of marriage.
Let’s move forward…
2.
Homosexuality is not just a sin, it’s
a judgment.
Homosexuality
is a Sin.
Let’s establish its sinfulness.
Holiness Code of the
Old Testament
You
shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. Leviticus
18:22
If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have
committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is
upon them. Leviticus 20:13
·
What the word abomination mean? Something
repugnant, loathsome, utterly disgusting. The degree of revulsion associate
with the homosexual act is suggested by the specific attachment. In the
concluding summary (Lev 18:24-30) all
the practices mentioned in the chapter are described as abominations. Yet in
the specific list of commands, the word is only mentioned in conjunction with
same sex male intercourse.
·
Note the penalty what is it? Death for BOTH participants
How do those who want to
affirm homosexuality get around this verse?
It’s in the Old
Testament.- old covenant. Not relevant today Christ fulfilled, etc…
The Witness of Paul
Romans 1:26,27- just read
it…
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their
women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and
the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with
passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving
in themselves the due penalty for their error.
How do those who want to
affirm homosexuality get around this verse?
It’s talking about
heterosexuals that are experimenting with homosexuality
but don’t have SSA or
orientation. They imply that natural homosexuals are not sinning.
·
According to this text, both women and men who
abandon the “natural function” of sexuality to engage in same-sex acts are
committing sin. There are some who will tell you that “natural” refers to one’s
sexual orientation—that this verse only condemns people who participate in
same-sex activity that have a heterosexual orientation. In other words, it’s
not a sin for those who do so “naturally”—those who act in accordance with
their own homosexual orientation.
·
But that’s not what Paul is talking about, is
it? For Paul, “natural” is not defined by one’s personal orientation (whatever
that may be) but by God’s intention in creation. For Paul, what is “natural”
is defined by what we see in the garden
of Eden before the fall. One man and one woman in a covenanted heterosexual
union. Any other kind of union is “unnatural” and sinful in Paul’s way of
thinking.
·
Paul couldn’t be any clearer here. Homosexuality
goes against God’s design and is a sin.
Listen to what John Piper has to
say
What is "Natural"? The point of
all this is that, whatever the physical or social or personal origins of the
homosexual disordering of our sexuality, none of that would define it as good
or "natural" or "normal." In a world where God is the Creator and Designer of life,
"natural" means in sync with God's purpose and design, not just
anything that has physical causes. Having a physical root makes nothing
right. Physically-based, aggressive tendencies may lead to violent behavior,
but we don't condone it. Physically-based lethargic tendencies may lead to
laziness and neglect, but we don't condone it. Frenetic tendencies may lead to
disruption and workaholism. A gloomy bent may lead to suicidal thoughts. An
anxious bent may lead to paranoia. Addictive tendencies may lead to alcoholism
or bondage to gambling or deadly smoking. A low frustration threshold may lead
to outbursts of rage. Strong sexual desires may lead to lust or pornography or
fornication or adultery or polygamy.
In other words, in a world where the
effect of sin permeates to the roots of nature and disorders all of life, we
cannot define as good and natural whatever has physical roots. There must be a
higher norm than fallen nature. There are many physically-based abnormalities
in the world. Therefore having a physical base or root is not sufficient reason
for condoning anything as natural or good.
It is such a sin, that practicing
homosexuality will exclude you from the kingdom. That is in the end you are not
saved.
1 Cor 6:9-11
Or
do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do
not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified,
you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of
our God.
Three things to note:
1.
The unrighteous in excluded from God’s
kingdom.(9) Not everyone gets in. Those who die in their
sin will perish for eternity. They do not experience God’s redemptive reign
through Christ. Because they are unrighteous, they are excluded.
2.
Homosexuals are
excluded from God’s kingdom. Homosexuals are
named among those who are unrighteous and excluded. The terms translated
“effeminate” and “homosexual” refer to the active and passive partners in a
homosexual encounter. And these two are included in a long list of other kinds
of sinners: fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, the covetous people,
drunkards, revilers, swindlers. It’s a bad crew, and homosexuals are named
right there with them.
3.
The Gospel makes them
righteous and included. (11) God is
in the business of saving sinners, and homosexuals are included.
1 Timothy 1:8-11
Notice Paul labels homosexuals as sinners
“…understanding this, that the law is not
laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and
sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and
mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually
immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and
whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the
blessed God with which I have been entrusted.”
He includes homosexuals in a long list of sinners who are lawless, rebellious, ungodly,
unholy, and profane.
They are listed among a bad lot: those who kill their fathers or mothers,
murderers, kidnappers, liars, and perjurers. Is there any question about the moral
status of homosexuality?
Ok Part 2
Homosexuality is not just a sin, it’s a judgment
Not just a sin, it’s a judgment.
Homosexuality as Judgment (1:26a)
“For
this reason God gave them over to degrading passions (Rom 1:26a).”
The
sin of idolatry is mentioned in verse 25. Paul says because humans were
idolaters, God judged them by giving them over to “degrading passions.” We
don’t desire the sexual ideal given in the garden of Eden. All of us are
inclined (to one extent or another) toward perversions. We have degrading
passions. In verse 26, the specific “degrading passion” is homosexual desire.
This text teaches that God’s judgment often
consists in giving us what we want. When God gives you over, you are in a scary
place.
In God’s passive judgment disorder destruction and
death came
Piper…
The sexual disordering of the human race is a
judgment of God for our exchanging him for the creature - all of us.
The sexual disordering of the human race,
especially homosexuality (but not only homosexuality) is a judgment of God for
our exchanging the truth of God for a lie.
The sexual disordering of our lives, most vividly
seen in homosexuality (though not only there), is the judgment of God upon the
human race because we have exchanged the glory of God for other things.
Sometimes people ask, "Is AIDS the judgment of God on homosexuality?"
The answer from this text is: homosexuality itself is a judgment on the human race,
because we have exchanged the glory of God for the creature - and so is AIDS
and cancer and arthritis and Alzheimer's and every other disease and every
other futility and misery in the world, including death.
That
is the result of the Fall Broken and cursed- We Need Jesus to redeem THIS.
3.
Homosexual marriages are not honored
by God.
OK Here I’m going to borrow quite a bit of thought from Piper again
1.
Marriage is created and defined by God in the Scriptures as the sexual and
covenantal union of a man and a woman in life-long allegiance to each other
alone, as husband and wife, with a view to displaying Christ’s covenant
relationship to his blood-bought church.
God made man male and female with
their distinctive feminine and masculine natures and their distinctive roles so
that in marriage as husband and wife they could display Christ and the church.
Which means that the basic roles of
wife and husband are not interchangeable. The husband displays the sacrificial
love of Christ’s headship, and the wife displays the submissive role of
Christ’s body. The mystery of marriage is that God had this double (of wife and
husband) display in mind when he created man as male and female. Therefore, the
profoundest reality in the universe underlies marriage as a covenantal union
between a man and a woman.
Does God honor heterosexual marriages of unbelievers done by
a judge? Yes Why? Because the marriage set up is being
fulfilled the way God intended male/ female.
2.
There is no such thing as so-called same-sex marriage, and it would be wise not
to call it that.
The point here is not only that
so-called same-sex marriage shouldn’t exist, but that it doesn’t
and it can’t. Those who believe that God has spoken to us truthfully in
the Bible should not concede that the committed, life-long partnership and
sexual relations of two men or two women is marriage. It isn’t. God has created
and defined marriage. And what he has joined together in that creation and that
definition, cannot be separated, and still called marriage in God’s eyes.
Here’s
the practical truth: Through
coming decades God is going to save people who are in same sex unions. Then
they are going to be faced with a dilemma. How do I repent? Do I divorce? The
Bible says no divorce…
What would you say?
I would say…Go through the legal hoops you need to get out of the
binding relationship. God doesn’t view your union as marriage. Before God’s
eyes, you’re marriage never existed. He doesn’t honor your homosexual marriage.
Why, because he set it up male/female.
The next three thoughts are more about ministry- I
come into this as a pastor, dealing with people in light of the truths we just
mentioned,.
3 Stands to
Take Boldly
4.
Homosexual temptations and behavior
are to be resisted and/or repented of or you will risk eternal salvation.
This is the bold stand those who struggle with same sex attraction and
homosexual desire need to take.
Acknowledgment
a)
We need to acknowledge homosexual orientation is
a result of the fall of humanity. People
in our lives will struggle with homosexual lust, just like people in our will struggle with heterosexual lust… Just as
people in our midst will struggle with any temptation. Whatever biological or
familial roots of homosexuality may be discovered, we do not believe that these
would sanction or excuse homosexual behavior, though they would deepen our
compassion and patience for those who are struggling to be free from sexual
temptations.
b)
We need to acknowledge that repentance and dying
to yourself daily is never easy…for any Christian… for any sin.
We believe there is
hope for the person with a homosexual orientation and that Jesus Christ offers
a healing alternative in which the power of sin is broken and the person is
freed to know and experience his or her true identity in Christ and in the
fellowship of his Church.
That freedom is attained through a process which includes
recognizing homosexual behavior as sin, renouncing the practice of homosexual
behavior, rediscovering healthy, non-erotic friendships with people of the same
sex, embracing a moral sexual lifestyle, and in the age to come, rising from
the dead with a new body free from every sinful impulse. This process parallels
the similar process of sanctification needed in dealing with heterosexual
temptations as well. We believe that this freedom comes through faith in Jesus
Christ, by the power of his Spirit.
Small point of clarity…
1 Cor 6:9-11 Paul is saying practicing a lifestyle of
homosexual intercourse is what is condemned here and you will not be saved. He
is NOT saying those who struggle with homosexual orientation or desire will not
be saved. WE ALL STRUGGLE with sinful desires. But as believers we fight them,
resist them.
5.
People who practice homosexuality are
to be graciously confronted.
This is the bold stand Christians, need to wisely handle
Two cases to consider
PROFESSING BELIEVER
2 Thessalonians3:14,15
If anyone does not obey our
instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not
associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. 15 Yet do not regard him
as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
·
The whole matter of confronting sin in a
believer is a class all of its own.
·
It is not easy and will require wisdom.
Guidelines for confronting:
He is not your enemy-Any
professing believer that is living in rebellious, unrepentant sin needs to be
warned lovingly. Believers practicing
homosexuality are to be lovingly set apart from the body. Why? So they may know
the seriousness and weight of their sin. You care for their eternal status
Speak humbly- speak as one who has
experience the grace of God’s forgiveness and healing Has God’s grace to you
made you gracious with others?
UNBELIEVER
Practicing homosexuals are to be
lovingly evangelized. They need Jesus. Be a light in their world. Pray for
them. God can change them- you’ll never be able to condemn them enough to be
saved. Let the Holy Spirit do his work and be available to share the gospel.
Simple
restatement:
The
door of connectedness is much wider for an unbeliever as opposed to a believer
6.
Churches need to be more welcoming
with those who struggle with homosexual orientation or same sex attraction.
Christians
have often sinned against homosexuals by arguing that homosexuality is simply a
“chosen” form of behavior and lifestyle. Clearly, participation in homosexual
behavior is a matter of choice, but the underlying desire is often not
experienced by homosexuals as a matter of choice at all. The biblical
understanding of sin helps us to understand that every human being is a sexual
sinner and every profile of individual desire is corrupted by sin’s effects.
Even as our bodies show the effects of sin as we age, decay, and die, our
affections show the corruption of sin because we desire what should not be
desired. Christians must stand before the world and acknowledge that we often
do not even understand our own desires and inclinations.
Let me
read this…
All
persons have been created in the image of God and should be accorded human
dignity. Therefore that hateful, fearful, unconcerned harassment of persons
with a homosexual orientation should be rejected. Respect for persons with a
homosexual orientation involves honest, reasoned, nonviolent sharing of facts
concerning the immorality and liability of homosexual behavior. On the other
hand, endorsing behavior which the Bible disapproves endangers persons and
dishonors God.
Christian churches should reach out in love and truth
to minister to people touched by homosexuality, and that those who contend
Biblically against their own sexual temptation should be patiently assisted in
their battle, not ostracized or disdained. We affirm that both heterosexual and
homosexual persons should find help in the church to engage in the Biblical
battle against all improper sexual thoughts and behaviors.
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