Abandoned To Depravity Series

Abandoned to Depravity

(Romans 1:24-32)

1. In Indianapolis, the House is deadlocked because the parties cannot agree on passing an amendment that defines marriage as a union only between a man and a woman.

2. President Bush is advocating an amendment at the national level.

3. Television programs are filled with homosexuality, including, “A Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” where homosexuals become mentors to teach straight men manners.

4. In 1992, we wrote our new constitution which was a revision of our 1986 constitution, and both carried this statement, “We believe that the family is a God-ordained institution, consisting of an exclusive heterosexual relationship between husband and wife.” Particularly back in the mid 1980’s, when I suggested we put that item in our constitution, some people thought it absurd. Who would challenge that marriage is between a man and a woman? Anyone who knew the times, even back then, knew that the time would come when we would have the challenges regarding gay marriage that we now face.

5. We hear of friends marriages breaking up…a man leaves his wife for another man….a woman leaves her husband for another woman…

6. But homosexuality is nothing new.

“Homosexuality was commonly practiced in Greek society, where friendship between men was considered to be the noblest form of love; it was engaged in regularly, particularly by young men in their teens and early twenties. Although the Emperor Augustus passed legislation in 18/19 BCE, under which a man could be charged for homosexual activities, some scholars suggest that his purpose was to bring family life under the laws of the state in order to increase the birth rate rather than for political or moral considerations.” (Joseph Shullam, A Commentary on the Jewish Roots of Romans).

MAIN IDEA: How do we as Christians respond to the push to accept the Gay Lifestyle as an equal alternative lifestyle? With wisdom, intelligence, compassion, and clarity, that’s how.

First, let’s lay a Biblical foundation as to how a society becomes so messed up. Then let’s answer some questions Christians need to ask.

I. The Biblical Foundation: How Did Things Become Such a Mess? (Romans 1:24-32)

A. Sexual Perversion is A Consequence of Rejecting God’s Right to Rule (24-25)

1. What did they reject? The priorites of the Covenenant of Noah, which refer to the time when men “knew” God (see Genesis 9 and the understanding of the Covenant in Acts 15—no immorality, blood)

(1) God fearing, pro-family, pro-justice

(2) This passage comes to light when you understand that Covenanat is still in effect; it explains why decent lost people can raise decent families…

it is not necessarily salvation…

2. God made an active decision not to restrain them…(24-25)

(1) moral and sexual perversion (24)

(2) religious perversion (25)

B. Sexual Perversion Unraveled further Into Homosexuality (26-27)

1. lesbianisim (26)

2. gay men (27)

(1) some “gayness” temporary…jails (monasteries?)

(2) other cases more firmly rooted…

3. the physical and psychological fallout (27b)

- Thomas E. Schmidt, Straight and Narrow?: “It appears that at least 75% of homosexuals are

currently carrying one or more pathogens. . ..”

- Human Papillomavirus (HPV): According to the homosexual newspaper The Washington

Blade, “A San Francisco study of gay and bisexual men revealed that HPV infection was almost

universal among HIV-positive men, and that 60% of HIV-negative [homosexual] men carried

HPV.” [December 8, 2000]

- Hepatitis: The Centers for Disease Control reports, “Outbreaks of hepatitus A among men who

have sex with me are a recurring problem in many large cities in the industrialized world.”

[Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report, Sept. 4, 1998]

- Syphilis: The Archives of Internal Medicine found that homosexuals acquired syphilis at a rate

ten times that of heterosexuals. [Issue 151; 1991]

- HIV/AIDS: The Centers for Disease Control reports that, as of Dec. 1999, “men who have sex

with men” and “men who have sex with men and inject drugs” together accounted for 64% of the

cumulative total of male AIDS cases. (source: Sermon Central)

C. With the Acceptance of Homosexuality Comes A Whole Load of Depraved Behavior flowing from Depraved Minds (26-32)

1. It begins with rejecting knowledge of the TRUE God (28)

2. It works itself out in relational, moral, and social depravity

Truth About Families Will Come Out

"The Family: Discovering the Obvious" by Mary Eberstadt. First Things, Feb 2004 (Vol 140). Pages 10-12.

These are some of the reports and facts concerning homosexuals:

Homosexuals are plagued by addictions to drugs and alcohol. Gay Community News reports, "The statistics do point to the gay community, particularly gay men, as being most at risk of becoming alcoholics." Gay Alcoholics Anonymous grou ps proliferate. The Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy recently provided an issue on gay and lesbian addictions.

• Homosexuals disproportionately suffer from depression. In a recent article in Archives of Sexual Behavior, it is stated, "The levels of depression and anxiety in our homosexual subjects, whether HIV positive or HIV negative, are substantially higher than those found in representative general population samples."