IT’S NOT ADAM AND STEVE
Romans 1:26-27
S: Homosexuality
C: God’s design of sexuality
Pr: MAN AND WOMAN ARE MADE FOR EACH OTHER.
?: What? What are the issues for the church?
KW: Issues
TS: We will find in our study of Scripture, three issues that the church should consider when dealing with the topic of homosexuality.
Type: Proposition, Clarification
The ____ issues is the…
I. MYTHS
II. MOTIVES
III. MINISTRY
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Affirm the truth of God’s design of sexuality.
• Confess any departure from God’s purposes.
• Love everyone equally.
Version: ESV
RMBC 13 November 05 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Design: Nails
There were two friends who weren’t very handy but decided to put siding on their house. The one who was nailing down siding would reach into his nail pouch, pull out a nail and either toss it over his shoulder or nail it in. The other, figuring this was worth looking into, asked, "Why are you throwing those nails away?"
The first explained, "If I pull a nail out of my pouch and it’s pointed toward me, I throw it away ’cause it’s defective. If it’s pointed toward the house, then I nail it in!"
My second friend got completely upset and yelled, "You moron! The nails pointed toward you aren’t defective! They’re for the other side of the house!"
Well, have you ever noticed that…
1. Sometimes, it is the obvious that escapes us.
There are things that, when you look at them, they just make sense.
They fit together.
Yet, so often it is missed.
ILL Design – continents
I was thinking of this concept the other day, when I remembered my first reaction to the theory of continental drift. I thought that it was crazy.
And then I looked at a map. The continents do look like they are pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle that fit together to make one giant super-continent. The bulge of Africa fits the shape of the coast of North America while Brazil fits along the coast of Africa beneath the bulge.
It seems rather obvious when you look at the evidence.
I think the same is true when it comes to our sexuality.
There has been much discussion over the last year and a half in our country over the definition of marriage, of whether it should include same-sex relationships along with opposite-sex ones.
To this, I want to say…
2. There is a clear and evident design in sexuality. (Genesis 2:18, 21-25)
We are not to miss this!
Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."
…
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. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 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."
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
There is something that we are not to miss here, because it is obvious.
God made woman for man.
She was made to be an equal partner that was a helper that complemented him – emotionally, spiritually…and most obviously, physically.
Woman is for man.
Man is for woman.
It is so obvious, all you have to do is look.
TRANSITION:
But, today…
1. Our culture increasingly challenges us to be tolerant of relationships outside the biblical norm.
ILL Homosexuality – Newsweek, May 24, 2004 [note the source]
For Richard and Jeanine Benanti, opposing same-sex marriage was an easy call. "It’s against nature, it’s against society and it’s against the Bible," says 49-year-old Richard, who works for the Boys and Girls Club in Springfield, Ill. His wife, Jeanine, a 46-year-old stay-at-home mom, shared his feelings. "The way I was raised, as a Catholic, marriage was always between one man and one woman," she says. "I don’t see how you could make it anything else."
The Benantis took their three children to church regularly and sent them to Catholic school. So it was a shock when their 18-year-old daughter, Diana, recently announced her support for gay marriage. Diana says her views solidified after she saw a just-married gay couple on TV. "I just thought how sweet it was that they finally got what they wanted," she says. "Allowing them to be married is something that America is all about."
Though it is not the sole cause, there is no doubt that television is like sensitivity training.
When Hollywood can get us to laugh or cry over situations that are morally wrong, it is like they have gone undercover to infiltrate our minds.
And, they know, that when we see likable gay characters on TV, we are more likely to be persuaded that being gay is fine.
ILL Homosexuality – Television
Take for example, the popular comedy series, Will and Grace.
Eric McCormick, who plays Will on the series, said, “When little old women say, ‘I hope he finds a nice man,’ the show will be successful.”
Make no mistake. They have an agenda.
As the acceptability grows, so does the agenda, as A Queer Eye for the Straight Guy demonstrates. As their producers put it, this show is about how five gay men transform a style-deficient and culture-deprived straight man from drab to fab. Now it is the gay community that is instructing the straight on how to live.
This has made a tremendous impact.
According to Newsweek last year, 41% of 18-29 year olds back gay marriage, compared with 28% of Americans overall.
Interestingly, Scripture describes this phenomena, in the passage that was read previously this morning.
According to the apostle Paul in Romans 1…
2. Culture hits rock bottom when it celebrates homosexuality (Romans 1:26-27).
Culture doesn’t hit a new low when it celebrates the gay life.
Culture has come to its lowest point.
It is the obvious sign that a culture has become wicked.
This is what Paul is describing when he says…
(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.
As this moral shift happens within our culture, the homosexual agenda becomes more pronounced.
For…
3. There is an agenda to silence the church.
If you have been paying attention to the events in Canada over this past year, you know that they have passed a law criminalizing speech against homosexuality.
ILL Homosexuality – Canada
Left-wing parliamentarian, Svend Robinson, drew up a bill that passed with the goal that the measure would not only criminalize violence, but speech per se, making the current uses of (as he said it) “homophobic pejoratives in public schools and in public places socially and criminally reprehensible.”
At first glance, you might say maybe that’s not so bad, but the problem is that it has already been applied to churches and pastors who have been fined for speaking the truth of God’s Word.
Earlier this year in February, Moody Church in Chicago, and their pastor, Erwin Lutzer, were greeted by protestors.
They carried signs like, “Keep your religion off our rights” and chanting “Hey hey, ho ho, homophobia’s got to go” and “Moody is a house of hate.”
The homosexual agenda is clear on this point.
They want to silence churches that believe in the authority of Scripture.
And they have made tremendous progress in doing so.
But, as believers, I think we need to realize this.
It is our responsibility to speak the truth, and to speak the truth in love.
The church is often much better at doing the former rather than the latter.
But, we must also realize that the Gospel does not keep you safe.
If we follow Jesus, we must realize that when He spoke the truth in love, He was still nailed to the cross.
So, let us boldly affirm today that…
4. MAN AND WOMAN ARE MADE FOR EACH OTHER.
The design is obvious.
Scripture is clear.
So what are we to do?
What are the issues for the church?
5. We will find in our study of Scripture, three issues that the church should consider when dealing with the topic of homosexuality.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first issue is the MYTHS.
The first myth is…
1. There are so many!
For years now, the homosexual organizations have been promoting that 10% of the population is gay.
But, by a study just published this September by the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, demonstrates that only 4% of men and women consider themselves to be homosexual or bisexual.
The figure of 10% is a myth, that continues to be propagated with the intention to establish a sense of normalcy for the gay community.
The second myth is that…
2. It can’t be helped.
The homosexual agenda wants us to accept that certain individuals are born this way.
They have a gay gene, and since God made them this way, we are to accept them as they are.
This view became popular back in the early nineties when Newsweek ran the cover story, “Is This Child Gay?” (Feb. 24, 1992).
The story was based on research done by a Michael Bailey.
What is ironic about this (and sad) is that in 1999, Michael Bailey refuted his own findings by saying his earlier study was flawed.
The damage, though, had been done, because in seven years, it was ingrained into our culture as true.
The headlines win.
ILL Homosexuality – CMDA
The Christian Medical and Dental Association has taken this position:
The causes of same-sex attraction appear to be multi-factorial and may include developmental, psychosocial, environmental and biological factors. There is no credible evidence at this time that same-sex attraction is genetically determined.
We could speak a great deal more on this topic, but let it suffice to say, that even if there are propensities toward gayness, it is still a matter of choice.
And we must take responsibilities for our choices.
The third myth is…
3. There should be the same rights for everybody.
In other words, the gay community ought to have the right to get married because they are in loving and committed relationships.
Now, don’t misunderstand me, I absolutely believe in the right of every individual’s civil rights.
But I don’t believe that those rights extend to the right of marriage.
This will not stabilize our society.
For if the only criterion for marriage is mutual consent or commitment, the grounds to prohibit polygamy (having more than one wife), polyandry (having more than one husband) or incestuous unions disintegrates.
The fourth myth is…
4. It is love that is the important thing.
There is no greater love in this world than the love that comes from God.
Note what it says in the familiar verse of John 3:16:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Jesus did not come into the world because everything was right.
He came into the world to save the world from its sin.
He came into the world because there is right and wrong.
He loved us so much He refused to allow our destiny to go unchallenged.
Love cares about right and wrong.
Love does not say there is no right and wrong.
That is not love.
That is pride and selfishness.
That is doing what I want to do, regardless.
Now we come to the fifth myth…
5. Christians are not supposed to judge.
People are frequently heard saying, “Judge not, so that you won’t be judged.”
Christians are to be loving and compassionate, not judgmental.
And this is true.
We are to be this way, and if we are not, we have failed miserably.
But when it comes to homosexuality, we don’t have to judge.
God has already done so.
Note these verses from Leviticus:
You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. (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. (20:13)
So why is there so much interest in propagating these myths?
That brings us to…
II. The second issue is the MOTIVES (Romans 1:18-25).
1. We declare our independence from God.
(18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (19) For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. (20) For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
It is God who has put us together.
It is God that sustains us, holds us together.
It is God that gives us purpose.
But we all share this same weakness.
We attempt to deny this Creator-creature relationship and cast off any obligation that comes with it.
We suppress the truth.
It is a personal rebellion and alienation from God.
The problem is that when we do so, it is a matter of self-deception and self-frustrating.
Why?
Because, as people made in the image of God, we are not inherently independent.
This means, then, that if we don’t worship God, we will still worship…
2. We practice idolatry because we will worship something.
(21) For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (22) Claiming to be wise, they became fools, (23) and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
ILL Idolatry: Narcissistic behavior of TO
For those of you who watched the sports news this week, saw the unfolding of the narcissistic behavior of Terrell Owens, now the former wide receiver of the Philadelphia Eagles. He was so wrapped up in himself and his own self-importance, he could not understand how what he said and how he behaved affected those around him. It is a shame. TO is an extremely talented young man. But his worship of self is destructive.
We all worship.
If it is not God, it is work, money, relationships, noble causes, and even religion.
We do it to get what we want.
We do it to find what we need.
You see, it is as John Calvin put it, our heart is an “idol factory.”
But unfortunately, idolatry inevitably leads to immoral behavior.
You see…
3. Our failure to properly worship, leads to a life of immorality.
When we lose the true God as our center, we are in trouble.
(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.
Life without God is inherently unfulfilling, for we are not designed that way.
But instead of humbly coming to Him, we continue to distort creation in a vain effort to satisfy self.
Since, sexuality directly mirrors the human relationship with God, when we declare our independence from Him, we will distort our sexuality.
And it finds its forms in adultery, incest, rape, and bestiality.
But there is a hardly more conspicuous distortion than homosexuality, for it reverses the creational paring of man and woman.
Therefore, homosexuality becomes the most obvious example of defiance and desperation.
Which now brings us to…
III. The third issue is the MINISTRY.
Let us fully understand and embrace this…
1. There is hope (I Corinthians 6:9-11).
(9) 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.
Paul notes that among the Corinthians that there had been some that struggled with homosexuality.
But that was not the end of the story.
Note that he says, “And such were some of you…”
But now they were washed, sanctified and justified.
In other words, because Jesus came, they were now right with God.
So, we must remember this…no one is beyond God’s grace.
We must live this.
We need a compassion that refuses to write off anybody.
You see…
2. God wants to fulfill the needs of every person.
When Jesus was on earth, it is the people that most needed His help that Jesus was with.
It wasn’t the people that looked good.
It was the sinners.
And we have to believe that Jesus would have us doing the same thing.
Jesus would have us loving people into the kingdom.
So when Pastor Fred Phelps promotes his hate of the gay community with his “God hates fags” placards, it is ineffective, hurtful and ungodly.
His pronouncements and His methods are, essentially, a lie.
We do not, however, refrain from imitating our Lord Jesus when he confronted the woman who was caught in adultery.
He gently said to her, “Go and sin no more.”
If we truly love others, then we humbly lead people out of darkness rather than encouraging them to stay in it.
APPLICATION:
So, how are we going to see change on this issue?
Well, no matter who we are, or what sin we are struggling with, I think the following principles will be helpful.
First…
1. Affirm the truth of God’s design of sexuality.
We are sexual creatures.
We are made male and female.
Our sexuality is not to be ignored, but rather celebrated.
At the same time, the sexuality of our mind and body is to be brought under the subjection of our Creator.
For God has been purposeful in our creation.
He has made us sexual for our enjoyment and to be fruitful.
Even more, He has made us sexual so that we might understand better our relationship with Him.
Second…
2. Confess any departure from God’s purposes.
We are to confess sin.
All sin!
All sin is an offense to God.
This is not just a homosexual issue.
It is the issue of every person in this room, right?
Third…
3. Love everyone equally.
As believers in the Lord Jesus, we are to reflect His grace, civility, and love.
We should be characterized by concern, compassion, help, and understanding.
To do so, we must help individuals understand the grave spiritual, emotional, physical and cultural consequences of sin, without condemnation and hatred.
After all, it is our purpose to see people become committed followers of Jesus.
So, let’s reach out and show the way to Christ.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Let’s affirm the truth of God’s design of sexuality…it is apparent enough; so let’s enjoy it; let us be fruitful; and let us be responsible to uphold it in the image of God.
Let’s confess our sin…no matter what it is; for sin is making choices that are contrary to His being; they break His heart because we put up a wall, preventing Him from fulfilling our deepest needs.
And let us be lovers of people…no matter who they are, what they have done, or what they are doing; for our purpose is clear…to lead people to Jesus, so that they may know Him and love Him as well.
Now may the God of peace equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
RESOURCES:
Articles:
“Remaining Silent,” World, May 8, 2004
“The ‘Will & Grace’ Effect,” Newsweek, May 24, 2004
“Just Saying ‘No’ Is Not Enough,” Christianity Today, October 4, 1999
“Homosexuality,” Christian Medical & Dental Associations,
www.cmdahome.org/index.cgi?CONTEXT=art&art=2553, 3/21/2005
“New Book Says Homosexual Agenda Is to Silence the Church,” Agape Press, http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/7/232003d.asp, 7/23/2003
“Intolerant Homosexual Protests Continue,” religionjournal.com, www.religionjournal.com/id=1910, 2/18/2005
“Unity Statement from National Gay Groups,” PFLAG, www.pflag.org/index.php?id=307, 3/21/2005
“Surprising Numbers,” BreakPoint with Charles Colson, September 19, 2005
John Freeman, “The Challenge of Maintaining a Biblical Perspective on Homosexuality,” Harvest News, Summer 1995
Jonathan D. Inman, “Romans 1: Homosexuality and the Modern World,” Harvest News
SermonCentral:
“Being Gay Is Not Okay,” Tim Richards
“Sexual Identity: Have We Taken a Wrong Turn? Kevin Higgins
“Abandoned to Depravity,” Ed Vasicek
“Does the Evidence on Homosexuality Match the Media Portrayal?” Jim Butcher
“Homosexuality – The Solemnisation of Sodomy,” David Legge
“Homosexuality and the Gospel,” Rick Gillespie-Mobley
“Homosexuality and the Church,” Ray Scott
“Homosexuality,” Robert Robinson
“God’s Eye for the Queer Guy,” Gary Cox
