We
certainly are living during some interesting times is American culture today.
There seems to be two paradoxical stories dominating much of the media’s
attention. On the one hand there is the renewed awareness, zeal, and debate
surrounding the movie “The Passion of the Christ”; on the other hand there is
the civil disobedience of many who seek to redefine marriage and family. There
are many so called religious experts who are weighting in on both sides of this
gay marriage debate. In the next few minutes we will seek to discover the
biblical view of this whole issue. Secular education, the media, and various
forms of popular entertainment has had much to do with the forming of opinions
and the shaping of our culture. Let us come away from our human pre-conceptions
and discover what God’s word has to say about the corrupters.
I.
Corrupters
call evil good and good evil. Corrupters change what is morally right
Isaiah 5:20
20
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light,
and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
The
prophet Isaiah cries out an exclamation of warning: WOE! God’s wrath is
directly aimed at those who take God’s absolute standard of truth and change
it. Let us read what God says about homosexuality in the Bible, God’s
unchanging standard of absolute truth.
Leviticus 18:22-30
22
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to
defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie
down thereto: it is confusion.
24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the
nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 25 And the land is defiled:
therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth
out her inhabitants. 26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments,
and shall not commit any of
these abominations; neither any
of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: 27 (For all
these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) 28 That the land spue
not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. 29 For whosoever
shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among
their people. 30 Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before
you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.
The
homosexual crowd would have us believe that same sex marriage is just as pure
as heterosexual marriage. God’s word calls it an abomination- that means that
it makes God sick. As you continue to read the passage, it is clear God will
stand against a land, people, nation, or culture that embraces such vile and wicked sins. We as Christians do not
even feel like we used to. Thirty years ago a T.V. show like Will and Grace,
that promotes homosexuality as a quirky and funny matter of fact, would shock
most of us into outrage! The corrupters have successfully called evil good.
If
one has the biblical opinion that homosexuality is a sin, he is branded a
bigot. The corrupters have successfully called good evil in the eyes of many
Americans. As we will see in a moment, homosexuality is a behavior that is a
result of one’s conscious choice. It is an insult to the millions of
African-Americans and other minorities, who fought for freedom and equality, to
have their cry against racism compared to the homosexual’s cry for social
normalcy. The corruptors have called good evil.
II.
Corrupters put darkness for light and light
for darkness. Absolute truth is rejected.
As we
consider the matter, it is important that we understand the reason for
homosexual behavior. What would cause human beings to change a powerful,
natural desire for sexual relations and procreation to a relationship for which
our bodies are not even designed? We will find the answer in Romans 1.
Romans
1:18,24,26-28
18 For the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the
truth in unrighteousness;
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to
uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own
bodies between themselves:
26 For this cause God gave them up
unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that
which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use
of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working
that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their
error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over
to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Notice
in verse 18, God’s wrath is revealed against a certain group of people, these
are those who “hold the truth in unrighteousness.” This literally means those
who hold down and suppress the truth. God’s absolute truth is revealed in God’s
perfect word, the Bible. There are men and women who reject God’s truth and
replace it with their own corrupt ideas. They have successfully put darkness
for light and light for darkness.
Let
us see how God’s judgment shows up in these truth suppressors. Verse 24 tells
us that God “…gave them up to uncleanness through lusts of their own hearts…”.
God simply steps out of the way and lets our corrupt ideas completely take over
our lives. One sign of this judgment is complete sexual deviation from
heterosexual marital fidelity.
Verse
26 shows us the next step of judgment against truth suppressers. “God gave them
up to vice affections…” God allowed truth suppressers to go as far as to twist
the very function of sex and love into a corruption that turns against the very
design of our bodies. Homosexuality is a judgment against truth suppressers.
Now I
want you to notice the end of verse 27. I am not trying to be mean, but the
truth must be proclaimed in this age of lies. The men receive in their bodies
the recompense or pay back for their error. This seems to indicate that God
will judge this sin by disease. In the light of the epidemic of STD’s out
there, this should cause some to be very sober about this behavior.
III.
Corrupters
put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. True love has been redefined.
34 Jesus answered them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
It
must be understood that all sin brings slavery to that sin. Homosexuals have
called themselves “Gay”- or happy. The truth is that many suffer from deep
depression, guilt, and suicidal tendencies. Certainly what should be a sweet, a
love relationship, has become bitter.
So
how are we as born-again Christians to react to those who are enslaved to the
homosexual lifestyles?
16 For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
To
love a sinner is not to condone the sin! Jesus loved the woman at the well in
John 4, but he exposed her sin and her need for the savior.
2.
Win
them to Jesus Christ
Proverbs
11:30
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that
winneth souls is wise.
35 Say not
ye, There are yet four months, and then
cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the
fields; for they are white already to harvest.
2
Corinthians 5:11
11 Knowing therefore the terror of
the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also
are made manifest in your consciences.
Homosexuals
first need salvation. Just as we must reach heterosexual sinners with the good
news of salvation, so must gays be reached. The blood of Jesus Christ can wash
away the vilest of sins and the Holy Spirit can transform anyone who believes
into a child of the king.
3.
Stand
for the sanctity of Biblical marriage.
4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers
and adulterers God will judge.
1
Corinthians 4:1-4
Let a man so account of us, as of the
ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a
man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be
judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not
hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
We are
stewards of God’s perfect truth, the Bible. We are also stewards of the freedom
we can enjoy in America. The freedom to proclaim and embrace our beliefs was
purchased with the blood of our American soldiers over the past 200 years. Do
not allow the lies of the corrupters to
go unchallenged. Let us reach out in love to a fallen world and reach people
for Jesus, one soul at a time.
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