May 23, 2010
Key Passage: Romans 1:21-32
“God Loves the Homosexual…and the Pornographer…and the Adulterer!”
John MacArthur rightly points out that when man deserts the Author of nature, he will inevitably abandon the order of nature. Even now, “Christians” are embracing the gay lifestyle and claiming homosexuality isn’t a sin. So is it? Before we address that, consider this: when you introduce yourself as a Christian to a friend, neighbor, or business associate who isn’t, you might as well have it tattooed on your arm: anti-homosexual; gay-hater; homophobic. You may not think of yourself in those terms, but the outside world sure does…and rightfully so! When most of us engage homosexuals, we come across as arrogant, self-righteous, and uncaring – the complete opposite of how Jesus engaged outsiders. Finally, never forget our ultimate goal – to point people to the love of the one person who can change their desires, their life, and their eternity. Today’s aim is to arm ourselves with a ready defense through the Word of God regarding ALL sexual sin, while making sure we address the subject with humility that can only come from a full realization that we are ALL sinners saved by grace!
1. First, let’s cover several of the “see….see….there it is!” verses that Christians reference and homosexuals dismiss through rationalization: Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; 1 Timothy 1:9-11;
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
2. Let’s take a look at some jaw-dropping stats about homosexuals….70% admit to having sex only one time with 50% of their partners…79% admitted that these persons were often total strangers…74% of male homosexuals have more than 100 partners in a lifetime…43% had more than 500 partners…28% had more than 1000 partners (the average hetero has 8 partners in a lifetime)…78% at any given time are affected by a sexually transmitted disease…89% have used marijuana…50% have used coke or LSD…42% have experienced severe depression…which led to 35% considering suicide…the median age of death of male homosexuals is 42 (with only 9% living past 65)….for lesbians, it’s 45…
3. Isaiah 5:20 – when God’s boundaries are consistently crossed, sexual sin will soon be embraced. When that happens the community will break down. Truth becomes “relative.” What’s right is called wrong and what’s wrong is actually celebrated and said to make us “free”..........which brings us to……..
Romans 1:21-32 The root of all our disorders – (homo)sexual and social and physical and emotional – is the exchange of the glory of God for other things. And we’re ALL guilty in regards to this; now, in defense of the fact that homosexuality is a sin and not a birth-defect, consider: “That which is unnatural” (ten para phusin) is a stock phrase in Greek literature that specifically defines homosexuality – not hetero lusts that transform themselves into homosexual behavior as gays suggest.
I want you to notice 3 steps about these verses in Romans – they’re repeated 3 times…
* Step 1 – humans exchange God for what God has made; we prefer the creature to the Creator
* Step 2 – God hands us over to what we prefer
*Step 3 – We act out externally and bodily in our sexual relations a rendering of the fallen human soul
Again, they’re repeated 3 times!!! Vv. 23-24; vv 25-27; v. 28 (think God is serious about this subject!?!)
Bottom Line: Folks, first and foremost, can we all agree that the way to win the homosexual to Christ is NOT by ramming Scripture down their throat? Take a look at those statistics again – can you see the pain they’ve experienced, are experiencing, or will experience? Listen, God has not called us to win elections, but to win souls and hearts and minds; he hasn’t called us to control Congress, but to live the Gospel in a real way; he hasn’t called us to be safe, but to tell the truth; he hasn’t called us to avoid conflict, but to love everyone the way He first loved us. So speak the truth in love, entrust your cause to God, and remember that He calls us to trust His love and to stand on His Word. The wrath of God is much worse than the wrath of men – and it should be our goal to help all who struggle with sexual sin avoid that wrath!
