STATE OF THE UNION Session 2

STATE OF THE UNION

Session 2

Let’s remember our two texts from Session 1:

Colossians 2:8 (NKJV) Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

Psalm 119:89 (NKJV) Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.

Review of ground rules:

1.  You may not agree with me.  That is OK.

2.  The Scripture says “Let every man be fully convinced in his own conscience”.

3.  Let’s show grace to each other. 

I want to speak today out of compassion and experience. Alba and I have had a ministry to homosexuals since our freshman year of college. We didn't hang out a shingle or anything; they sought us out!  I know what Jesus can do!  We have seen many set free and walk in newness of life. But we have seen some heartbreaks along the way.

Our goal is be redemptive, not confrontational. We believe that God’s best is experienced by living according to His Word. “What the world says will set you free will enslave you; what the world says will enslave you will set you free!”

Today we want to consider some pertinent questions…

1.     What does the Bible say about morals in general and homosexuality in particular? 

2.     What does the Bible say about marriage in general and same-sex marriage in particular?

3.     What is the relationship of Jesus to the Law of Moses in the Old Testament?

4.     Did God make me this way?

5.     Is Homosexuality even mentioned in the Bible?

Before we look at the Bible today, allow me to talk about some basic rules of Scripture interpretation.

1.     Read the Bible like you would any other book. What is written is a straight forward expression of what is meant.

The exceptions would be if the passage or book is a genre that is clearly symbolic, such as prophecy, dreams, visions, poetry, and songs. We must also pay attention to various literary devices such as similes, metaphors, allusions, and figurative language.

2.     The Bible was written to be understood as it was read aloud. Not everyone had their own copy. The massage had to be clear and plain.

3.     The Bible was written for us but not to us. It helps to know the historical setting and the Biblical background for each book. Caution must be used here to not contradict the clear meaning of the text.

4.     We must understand the context. “A text without a context is a pretext”!

Let’s begin by looking at what the Bible has to say about morals and marriage in general.

The first general statement of morality in the Bible comes in Genesis 1.

Genesis 1:26-28 (NKJV) Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

            27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

This is magnified in Genesis 2.

Genesis 2:18-25 (NKJV) And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”     

            19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

            21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

There are many principles given here:

1. Man is both male and female.

2. Sexuality and procreation are part of the Edenic Covenant.

3. The companion was female; their union brings fullness.

4. Marriage is established between male and female.

5. Sex in marriage is not shameful.

These principles are repeated in the New Testament by Jesus himself and the Apostle Paul.

Matthew 19:4-5 (NKJV) And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female,” 5 and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”?

Ephesians 5:31 (NKJV) “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

The verses listed above talk about marriage being the union of one man and one woman for life.

Listen to Jesus’ words.

Matthew 19:1–12 (NKJV) Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. ² And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there. ³ The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” ⁴ And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶ So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” ⁷ They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” ⁸ He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. ⁹ And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” ¹⁰ His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” ¹¹ But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: ¹² For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”

The next general statement is part of the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 20:14 (NKJV) “You shall not commit adultery.”

Deuteronomy 5:18 (NKJV) “You shall not commit adultery.”

Jesus enlarged on this statement.

Matthew 5:27-28 (NKJV) “You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not commit adultery.” 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Adultery now includes lustful thoughts.

Matthew 5:32 (NKJV) But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Sexual immorality now means several things.

Greek word is ‘Porneia’, illicit sexual intercourse: adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals, sexual intercourse with close relatives, sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman. Most of the time when you see the word ‘fornication’ in the Bible it is ‘porneia’ or one of its derivatives.

Specific instructions about sexual behavior are codified in the Law of Moses.

Leviticus 18:1–23 (NKJV) Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. ³ According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. ⁴ You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God. ⁵ You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord. ⁶ ‘None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord. ⁷ The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. ⁸ The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness. ⁹ The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover. ¹⁰ The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness. ¹¹ The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten by your father—she is your sister—you shall not uncover her nakedness. ¹² You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is near of kin to your father. ¹³ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is near of kin to your mother. ¹⁴ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. ¹⁵ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law—she is your son’s wife—you shall not uncover her nakedness. ¹⁶ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. ¹⁷ You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is wickedness. ¹⁸ Nor shall you take a woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive. ¹⁹ ‘Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is in her customary impurity. ²⁰ Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her. ²¹ And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. ²² You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. ²³ Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion.

What were the penalties?

Leviticus 20:10–21 (NKJV) ‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death. ¹¹ The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. ¹² If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death. They have committed perversion. Their blood shall be upon them. ¹³ If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. ¹⁴ If a man marries a woman and her mother, it is wickedness. They shall be burned with fire, both he and they, that there may be no wickedness among you. ¹⁵ If a man mates with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. ¹⁶ If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them. ¹⁷ ‘If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a wicked thing. And they shall be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his guilt. ¹⁸ If a man lies with a woman during her sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has exposed her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from their people. ¹⁹ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister nor of your father’s sister, for that would uncover his near of kin. They shall bear their guilt. ²⁰ If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness. They shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. ²¹ If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.

Now what about homosexuality in particular?

The word ‘homosexual’ only appears once in the Bible:

I Corinthians 6:9 (NKJV) Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,

However, at least fifteen words are used to describe homosexuality in the Scriptures. The most descriptive is sodomite. See verse above. See also:

I Timothy 1:10 (NKJV) for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,

This Greek word is very specific. It means one who lies with a male as with a female. It is Paul’s direct testimony to the OT.

Leviticus 18:22 (NKJV) You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.

Leviticus 20:13 (NKJV) If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.

The very ordinary reading of Scripture makes it crystal clear what God thinks of homosexual behavior!

Same-sex marriage is never mentioned in the Bible. Some would say that because it is not mentioned, it is therefore allowed.  This is an argument from non-reason.  The rule of non-mention is not exclusionary.  In the mind of the Biblical writers, homosexuality was not even considered a possibility because it was completely forbidden under the terms of the Covenant!  When it is mentioned, it is always in a negative light.

Some say, “I was born this way!”  I would not disagree. We are all born in sin. We are sinners by birth and practice. We are all born with a ‘bent’ toward some particular depravity. Not everyone becomes addicted to chemicals, not everyone is immoral, not everyone cheats or steals. We make choices to ask on our depravity.

However, often when someone says “I was born this way” they are really saying “God made me this way”. This is a lie. Scripture is clear that God does not tempt us to do evil.

James 1:13-16 (NKJV) Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

Some say Jesus never addressed the issue. Listen to Jesus speaking in The Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:17-19 (NKJV) “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus here speaks of His relationship to the Law of Moses: He came to fulfill it. What does this mean?

The Law of Moses had three parts: the moral law, the ceremonial laws, and the civil laws. Jesus fulfilled the moral law by living a sinless life. Jesus fulfilled all the ceremonial laws by shedding His blood ‘once for all’. Jesus fulfilled the civil laws by establishing a Kingdom based on true justice that is not of this world.

Does this mean we do not have to keep the law?

All the laws serve as a revelation of God’s nature and function as types and shadows that find full expression in the New Testament. 

First of all, Jesus raised the standard on the Law.

Matthew 5:20-22 (NKJV) For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

21  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, a and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'

22  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a causeb shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.

Second, Jesus reduced the law to two commandments:

Matthew 22:34-40 (NKJV) But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,

36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"

37 Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

How do we show love?

John 14:15 (NKJV)“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

I John 5:2-3 (NKJV) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

The law is the reflection of God’s character. Even in its simplest form, The Ten Commandments, we find essentials for life and living. To reject one is to reject all!

James 2:8-10 (NKJV) If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

Now listen to Paul:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV) Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

See the Good News?  Such were some of you!  Just like the woman caught in adultery in John 8.

John 8:10–11 (NKJV) When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹ She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Go and sin no more!  I believe this is the critical teaching about all sinful behavior and homosexuality, in particular. 

Sin is sin; there is no doubt about that.  Homosexual behavior is no different than any other sin.  The difference comes in the proponents’ expectations.  People who are caught in sin all agree that their behavior is sinful and needs to stop. Homosexual advocates are not that way.  They believe their behavior is not sinful; they should get a pass to continue in that behavior without recompense!  This is a lie of the enemy!

Jesus died for all sinners.  He became sin; all sin!  He was tempted in all ways!

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Hebrews 2:17–18 (NKJV) Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

Hebrews 4:14–16 (NKJV) Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 7:24–25 (NKJV) But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

I have had some in the past express difficulty accepting that Jesus was tempted to be homosexual. My response is “Do they have no hope? Are they beyond His help? I pray not!  If He was not tempted, He cannot help!”

We are all sinners!  We are not better than anyone.  Our attitude needs to be that of Jesus: Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more!  This should be our attitude with any sinner and with any sin.  No condemnation, but hope for change!

This hope leads us to reach out and embrace immoral people in the world!

1 Corinthians 5:9–13 (NKJV) I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. ¹⁰ Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. ¹¹ But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. ¹² For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? ¹³ But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

We are commanded to judge each other as believers!

Hebrews 3:12–14 (NKJV) Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; ¹³ but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,

This verse has been tossed around a lot lately.

Matthew 7:1 (NKJV) “Judge not, that you be not judged.”

But we instructed to judge.

1 Corinthians 2:15 (NKJV) But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.

What is the difference?

Let’s look at the meanings of the words and the context of each word.

Matthew 7:1–5 (NKJV) “Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³ And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Judge here means to condemn or pass judgment.  The context speaks about condemning someone when I have the same or similar sin in my life.  It is hypocrisy!

I have experienced this; ACE story...

Romans 2:1 (NKJV) Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

Many comments from the world are directed at this principle.  The church is quick to condemn homosexuality, but other sins are considered socially acceptable!  Churches that would never ordain a homosexual, ordain men and women who are guilty of other sins. 

This recently became very real to me.  

I was listening to two very Conservative Afro-American pastors discuss the church response to homosexual acceptance. One was asked if he would ordain a homosexual. The pastor replied, “No.”  The other said, “You are obese and yet you are ordained. Gluttony is a sin. What’s the difference?”

That hit me hard, right in the belly!  I am giving opportunity for people outside the church to ridicule and reject.

I Corinthians 9:27 (NKJV) But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

This duplicity is causing many to reject the church in droves!  What is the answer?  We must judge ourselves!

1 Corinthians 11:31–32 (NKJV) For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. ³² But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

1 Peter 4:17 (NKJV) For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God…

How do we judge correctly? Spiritual discernment.

1 Corinthians 2:13–16 (NKJV) But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. ¹⁶ For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Judge here means to investigate, discern, understand.

Discernment vs Judgment

1. One who discerns examines his life. One who judges overlooks his own similar faults.

2. One who discerns checks out all the facts. One who judges forms opinions and then looks for supporting evidence.

3. One who discerns deals privately with another person’s failure. One who judges condemns publicly.

It’s all about the Gospel!

I Corinthians 9:18-22 (NKJV) What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel. 19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law,c that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

This does not mean we have to taste of the sin in order to reach the sinner, Jesus didn't!  But we must identify with the sinner!

Brothers and Sisters, pray for me that I will follow through on my desire to remove any cause to reject the Gospel. Hold me accountable; exhort me. I know I have been here before; you have watched me. But this the first time I have seen my life as a barrier to people coming to Jesus.

I challenge all of us to remove any cause from our church. Let's be honest, brothers and sisters, the problem here at Restoration and most of the church is not homosexuality or same sex marriage.

Let's deal with the elephants in our room. Many in our congregations are addicted to pornography. Men have always struggled here, but recent research show now that half of women view porn regularly. The recent success of ‘Fifty Shades of Gray’ gives mute testimony to this fact. Others may be captive to other addictive behaviors or forms of sexual perversion; Christian marriages divorce at the same rate as the world; some Christian couples choose to not marry because of the problem of divorce. Many of us are prayerless; many of us do not share our faith; the love of many have grown cold.

Let’s fight the good fight. Let’s remove the cause. Let’s go on to all God has for us. Let’s deal with our planks and boulders before we take on splinters and pebbles.

Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

I Corinthians 9:23 (NKJV) Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.