Theology of Sex+ Week 4: Homosexuality Part 1
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
My name is Spencer I'm one of the pastors here we are in week four of our Theology of sex plus series and this uh week and next week we're taking a look at the topic of homosexuality so and approaching this and trying to teach on this it feels like a little bit of a game of operation if you remember the kids game you've got the tweezers and you got the guy that's got all the body parts you got to get in there and get his rib out without touching the sides.
If you touch the Sid it buzzes and as a kid I was terrible at that game I would make a terrible surgeon and you just at any given point you move left right front center if you move around too far you're going to actually hit something and it's going to buzz and that's kind of what this feels like because there's a few different things that play into this that make this difficult to teach on the the first is is what Chad was walking us through last week that uh sexuality has become identity and that this is uh been uh has risen to the place of idolatry.
So much so that we worship this in the place of God and if anyone uh speaks about something that's at the core of your being at the core of your identity that's considered harmful or destructive and that makes that difficult to talk about what's also difficult here is that many of us have family members friends co-workers neighbors people we love that identifies as lgbtq plus and many of them are wonderful kind loving hardworking people so it's not a neutral subject that we talk about another thing makes this difficult is that there's whole denominations in the west that have shifted on truth in this area that have failed to speak the truth I came out of.
The United Methodist Church that's where I became a Christian and that denomination has shifted so has the ELCA Luther Church so has the Episcopalian Church so has the pcusa Church and that also makes this difficult what also makes this difficult is that there are a lot of people who claim to be Christians but there all are actual genuine Jesus-loving Christians who have spoken harshly about this so we don't approach this subject neutrally and it feels like wherever you move in this you're going to hit the edges and you're going to hit the buzzer.
So because all of that is true we want to take two weeks to be able to walk through this together in this first sermon we're just going to ask the question what does the Bible say about this what does the Bible have to say about the subject matter of homosexuality and we're going to dive deep into the text a lot of this is going to be super laborious it's going to be in deep into the text to see what does the Bible have to say about this especially.
Because in the west there's been a shift amongst some denominations that have tried to reinterpret the Bible to say something that I would argue it doesn't say and I want to take those arguments seriously and look at what the Bible has to say about this next week will be far more practical be far more applicational but I want us to look deeply into the text this week and I want to end with showing why I believe that our Church can be a a wonderful and safe place to be able to figure this out be able to discuss this to be able to work through any type of sexual identity and Brokenness.
So let me pray and then we'll walk through this together Heavenly Father we thank you for the good word that we have for the Scriptures for your kindness and for the work of the Holy Spirit no doubt there's lots of things swirling in our souls this morning as we approach your word may you help us be present may you help us listen may we respond as you desire in Jesus name amen all right so we've been in Genesis 1 and 2 pretty much every week and this week is no different we won't be in it very long.
But Genesis 1 and 2 kind of establish what is the biblical idea for gender and for sex and then on Genesis 2 24-25 it says 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 are both naked and were not ashamed so we've looked at this multip weeks but it's important to read that out the gate because that is the establishment of biblical romantic love and romantic sex one man one woman and the confines of marriage and the rest of the Bible upholds this picture from Genesis to Revelation throughout the Old Testament.
Jesus in multiple places in Mark 10 and Matthew 19 highlights this as the biblical reality for marriage romantic love and sexual Union so that's the first picture we get out of the gate in the Scriptures and then when you flip a few pages you'll inevitably get to Genesis 19 and that is going to be the first mentioning of homosexuality in the Bible so in Genesis 19 God has determined to bring judgment upon two cities Sodom and Gomorrah he sends two angels to really inspect the City to.
See if it's worth redeeming and not worth judgment he gets there Abraham's nephew lot is there lot takes him into his house really quickly because he knows what this city is like and these two foreigners he doesn't want them to be harmed so he takes them to his house and at nightfall the men of the city surround the house and you pick up in verse four it says but before they laid down the men of the city the men of Sodom both young and old all the people to the last man surrounded the house and they called to lot where are the men who came to you tonight bring them out to us that we.
May know them now that know them is a Biblical euphemism throughout the Bible for sex that we may know them sexually this happens the angels strike the men with blindness tell lot and his family get out of the city now we're going to destroy it they leave and the city is destroyed and these Infamous cities Sodom and Gomorrah become really the prime examples of both wickedness and judgment throughout the Bible you can't read the rest of the Bible and not see that it happens in Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Lamentations Amos Zephaniah.
Jesus in multiple places mentions Sodom and Gomorrah bringing that type of judgment to mind that these cities are synonimous with sin and judgment so the question is why are these cities known for sin and judgment and we get a few biblical reasons I'll point the first one Ezekiel 16 49 it says behold this was the guilt of your sister Sodom she and her daughters had Pride excess of food and prosperous ease but did not Aid the poor and needy and what we.
See there is that like most depraved cities and most depraved cultures there was excess the pride of life enjoying the riches getting fat and not caring for the poor and maybe even building your wealth off of the poor which is wickedness I mean you cannot read the prophets you cannot read the gospels without seeing that the God despises that type of disregard for the poor and the needy now in an attempt to legitimize same-sex relationships some have attempted to say that that's all was wrong with Sodom and Gomorrah that Genesis 19 and the picture of judgment there is only.
For this that social justice is the only reason that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed now it's certainly clear from the text that Injustice was a major part of their depravity and that is true but what's been understood for thousands thousand of years from Jews into Christianity what has been understood for thousands of years is that these cities were not only destroyed for the prideful greedy life that they lived but also for the promiscuity and specifically the homosexuality that was prevalent that these cities were known.
For that's clear when you read the text that's clear outside of the text there are extra biblical resources extra biblical historical documents in second temple Judaism so the period of time between when the last Scriptures were written around 500 BC to the time when Jesus came you can look at second temple Judaism and see some of the writings that describe this as as a universally understood truth that Jews understood one of those is The Testament of naftali it says do not become like Sodom which departed from the order of Nature and the Order of nature there is the design.
For sex with men and women they departed from that referencing the Judgment that fell upon them in the Testament of Benjamin another extra biblical historical document it says from the words of Enoch the righteous I tell you that you will be sexually promiscuous like the promiscuity of the sodomites and will perish again in the book of jubile it says and in this month the Lord carried out the judgments of Sodom and Gomorrah and go say they were terrible and very sinful and have defiled themselves and committed fornication and uncleanness over the earth.
Now we don't look at those sources as authoritative like the Scriptures they don't have an authority but what they helped describe was it was universally understood that these cities were known for that type of sexual promiscuity I mean you get to the some of the Contemporary writers of the Bible so some of contemporaries alongside the Bible Josephus a Jewish historian and Pho a philosopher you can even go into their writings and see that at the time of Jesus it was universally understood that this was a part of sodom's downfall.
Now that's important because what also happens with Genesis 19 is people seek to reinterpret this and say that what was really happening with what we read is not the type of consensual loving same-sex relationships we have now that what was actually being articulated was rape and that's the real problem and while that that seems to be the logical conclusion of what was going to happen if those angels did not step in those cities were known for this it was universally understood at the time and that's important to articulate and that's helpful to understand especially.
When the book of Jude at the end of the Bible comes along and references Sodom and gomorah in the same way that a lot of other writings do in the book of Jude near the end of the Bible in verse 7 it says just as Sodom and Gomorrah in the surrounding cities which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of Eternal fire so Jude is doing what some of those other resources outside the Bible are doing judee's made argument in the book of JW we were in this book about a year ago his main argument is against false teachers and the Judgment of heretical false.
Teachers that had come into the Church but in his writing against false teachers he uses something that was obvious to Jews for centuries and was also OB obious to the Christians who were receiving this letter and he mentions just like Sodom and Gomorrah which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire and what he's getting at there is that there is a natural design for sex that we see very clearly in Genesis 1 and 2 and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah rejected that.
For an unnatural desire and it ended up in their judgment and he categorizes that with sexual immorality and that's also very important because sexual immorality is really a broad term in the Scriptures it's kind of a a bucket for all types of sexual sin and sexual Brokenness and it's important to understand that because a lot of times what you'll hear and rebuttal to some of this is that Skeptics will say but Jesus never spoke about homosexuality he never talked about this once why do you talk about it and what's important to understand is that.
Jesus Jesus did speak about sexual immorality in multiple places which absolutely biblically and theologically includes homosexuality and the reason why Jesus doesn't explicitly name homosexuality has to do with his ministry context Jesus ministered the majority of his time in Galilee and Galilee was not a region that was known for homosexuality at all historically now the reason why it shows up more as impos letters is because Paul is writing to GRE Roman cities all over Asia Minor and Rome and those cities were known.
For homosexuality but it wouldn't make sense for Jesus to address something that wasn't in his immediate Ministry context but he does address sexual immorality and that absolutely includes homosexuality so Jude is making a bigger point about judgment but he references something that was obvious obvious to the Christians at the time and that is the pursuing same-sex attraction is sin and next week we'll get more into this there's a difference between same-sex attractions samesex desires and pursuing those one is in the Temptation Arena the other one is pursuing rebellious sin.
But we'll get into more of that next week the Church needed to understand this but also the people of Israel needed to understand the morality of this which is what is clear when you get to the Book of Leviticus in chapter 18 and chapter 20 and there are two verses in 1822 and 2013 that show this to be prohibited in verse 22 of 18 it says you shall not lie with a male as with a woman it is an Abomination an Abomination is just a it's a it's a aggressive word.
For God despises this sin he finds it attestable to him it's often applied to idolatry it's often applied to corrupt money practices and greed but it's also applied to homosexuality in the Book of Leviticus and then in verse 13 chap 20 it says if a man Man Lies with a male as with a woman both of them have committed an Abomination now the language here is intentional if you read all Leviticus 18 and all of Leviticus 20 and you read those chapters you're going to.
See man the word man show up over and over and over again but in these two verses another word shows up male and that's the Hebrew word zakar and when that word shows up it draws the reader's mind back to Genesis 1 because that's creation distinction language male and female showing this goes against the very design for sex now a common objection to even using the Book of Leviticus Leviticus 18 Leviticus 20 to show that this prohibits pursuing same-sex relations Is that the New Testament clearly teaches we don't follow the law.
So a popular rebuttal that I've heard over and over again is okay well if you think that's true then why are you wearing a shirt with two types of fabric in it and why do you eat pork you're a hypocrite read your Bible now I've always actually found that rort pretty clever if I was not a Christian I would probably use it because it ends an argument pretty quickly because I'll be honest a lot of Christians don't know their Bibles like they should.
But you got to do something with that that's that's a fair critique they are correct we don't look to the Book of Leviticus for our understanding we don't follow the law that's we didn't do this like we don't do this like the Jews do so why even mention it when clearly as you walk through ex we walk through Exodus of the last year we said over and over again we live in the New Covenant of Christ we're not under the law it's helpful to mention these two verses.
For three reasons first it clearly shows the Jewish people believe this was sin it's unmistakable even even Scholars that that seek to legitimize samesex relationship ship will say no it's very clear that in Judaism they understood this to be sinful second the text is talking about consensual homosexual sex this is not rape this is not power and balance this is talking about consensual homosexual relations third the Hebrew word used in these passages in Leviticus 1820 becomes Central to interpreting two passages in the New Testament and we're we're going to go there.
Now 1 Corinthians 6 1 Timothy 1 now these like other writings of Paul other parts of the Scripture it's a it's got a big list of sins and the middle of this is homosexuality so First Corinthians 6 or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God do not be deceived neither the sexually immoral nor idolators nor adulterers nor men who practice homosexuality nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor reelers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of.
God then in 1 Timothy again now we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully understand this the law is not laid down for the just but for the Lawless and disobedient for the ungodly and sinners for the Unholy and profane for those who strike their fathers and mothers for murderers the sexually immoral men who practice homosexuality enslavers liars perjurers and whatever else is contrary to sound Doctrine so in 1 Corinthians 6 homosexuality is translated from two Greek words Maloy and our syoy time.
So two Greek words in 1 Timothy 1 it just uses our syoy time now this is why this is really important I know we're in the weeds you guys but this is it's really important to understand this when you're trying to understand Greek and Hebrew and how it's used you have to look at the immediate context of the bi the Bible book that it's written in the context of its use in other books of the Bible and then you look outside the Bible at other Greek and Hebrew historical documents.
See how that word is being used and when you do a Greek word study on our Senai what you will see is there's not one single use outside the Bible you cannot find one Greek historical document that uses this word nowhere which begs the question okay then what does it mean when you break it apart you have arson and qu it literally means betters of men but more importantly when you look at Leviticus 18 and Leviticus 20 and you look at what's called the septu which is the Greek translation of the original Hebrew.
If you look at that you're going to see that in Leviticus and the Greek translation when it talks about homosexuality the word for it is arenos and cotin which means Paul made up a word that's what he did he took the language of Leviticus brought it into 1 Corinthians and Timothy put it together our syy time and anyone who is familiar with the Old Testament who was receiving those letters would have immediately understood what he was doing that he was bringing in the morality of the Holy that part of the Holiness code in The Book of Leviticus to show this is something that should not be practiced.
Listen even even the scholars that believe that homosexuality is is legitimate form of love and sex they're going to agree on that point and say yeah you can't get around it it's very clear that's what Paul is doing and some of them will go on to say but we know better now and they appeal to an authority of our own authority not the authority of the Scriptures but it's almost universally understood that's exactly what Paul's doing now that brings us to what I think is the most definitive text in the Bible on homosexuality and that is the Book of Romans chapter 1 we were here last week and we're going to be here again starting.
In verse 24 it says therefore God gave them up in the lust of their heart to impurity to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves because they exchange the truth about God for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever amen so we looked at this last week that we as Humanity exchange the truth about God for a lie that we worship created things we worship idols and the place of God and when we reject.
God for created things God says continue in your rebellion and it gives us in and we pursue that all the way to an exchange of the natural design of sex for the unnatural use of sex and homosexuality and that's clear starting at verse 26 for this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions for their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to Nature see that that when you follow idolatry and are given into to your sexual Pursuits it will ultimate result in this women exchanging the natural design of sex.
For unnatural contrary to Nature sex verse 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 themselves the due penalty for their error now the the reason why this text is so important especially in this current context is because one of the most popular arguments that tries to legitimize homosexuality from the Bible is an argument that says that what's really happening in the New Testament what's really happening in the New Testament is not a condemnation of the committed and loving same-sex relationships that we.
See nowadays what's being condemned is pasty and pasty which is very prevalent and the Roman Empire men sleeping with teenage boys it's all over the GRE or Roman Empire it was a common practice and what's argued is is that what's really being condemned is that type of abuse but not the loving committed same sex relationships we have now and that argument is indefensible in light of Romans 1 first off it's indefensible for other reasons that I won't get into but Romans 1 is clear.
Because there is not one history historical example of pasty being practiced by women you cannot find it in the Roman Empire older women did not sleep with teenage girls that did not happen so that's not what's being condemned here at all it's a broad condemnation of homosexuality not a specific condemnation of a type of homosexuality so it's clear from the Old Testament to the New Testament the teaching is consistent that homosexuality is against the very design for sex which is man woman in the confines of marriage biblically there are no same-sex relationships that honor.
God and there's not one example of a samesex relationship in the Bible That's seen as honorable now if you want to argue that there is no God if you if you want to be an atheist and argue that that there is no God and that there's no purpose there's no such thing as meaning that this is all the result of cosmic chance and we're all creating what we want in front of us and nothing really matters so yeah homosexuality should be fair game it happens in nature right like what.
If you if you want to make that argument that because there's no purpose and no meaning and there's no God I think you can be intellectually consistent and do that I would want to argue with you about some other things this will be one of the last things I want to talk about I want to walk you through theological argument to help you see that it's mathematically impossible to believe that this is all the result of cosmic chance but you can be intellectually consistent and be an atheist and argue.
For this but you cannot argue that there is a Christian God that condones homosexuality it is impossible you cannot do it it is intellectually inconsistent to do so and that's very important to establish I know it took a lot to get here but I that's very important to establish out the gate so that we can understand and engage with some of the different arguments that are made in our culture the Bible does not condone this so that's a lot and I I hear the critique of those who don't follow Christ.
For those don't I I I hear the critique when they say that what you're saying is too much to tell someone that they would have to abstain from their desires to pursue chasti to not give in to what feels normal and right to them that's wrong like I've heard the arguments sexual desire is too strong and to tell someone that they can't engage in this is harmful I had a psychology professor in college who called out all the Christians in the room and he called all the Christians in the room and he just he said y'all don't get it sexual drive is too strong of a psychological drive to tell someone that they can't pursue.
This is wrong I've heard that argument that if you understood if you understood what they were going through if you understood the experience if you understood this and how hard it is you wouldn't tell someone not to pursue this said you certainly wouldn't speak so harshly about them that critique has weighed heavily upon me for years and that critique has weighed heavily upon me the last couple of months and that's when God started to lead me to tell you a bit of my own story I became a Christian.
When I was 17 years old and about a year after following Christ I came to grips with the reality that I didn't just struggle with sinful heterosexual lust but that I also struggle with sinful same-sex attraction and at 18 years old as a new Christian I didn't know what to do with that I I didn't know what to to do with this reality that I could no longer deny now when I say that I struggle with same seex attraction that a lot of people have theories on about how all this comes about some will say.
Well they must have been the result of abuse growing up or this must have been uh you must have had an overbearing mother which is not true or that maybe you you were born this way I'll get into more of the Nuance of that next week but I can speak very practically from my own experience where I think this began cuz it's not something I knew when I was seven it began and it kind of formed through years of Internet pornography.
So I came of age probably at the worst time to come of age so when I was uh in the fourth grade we got our first computer in the house when I was in the fifth grade we got dialup internet when I was in the sixth grade we got broadband internet it happened so quickly and if you're around my age I'm 35 if you're around my age 30 to 40 years old and you're a guy you probably have the exact same story story I've hardly met any guy that doesn't have this story.
But at 10 years old I started to look at pornography until I was 18 years old when God freed me from it and in that time period something just shifted in my sinful nature and in high school I started to notice this this creeping desire and I was confused this was in the mid early 2000s and I didn't know to I mean back then South in South Carolina no one was talking about LGBT stuff that wasn't even a phrase that was thrown around in this area and I was confused I didn't know what to do with this that I had this heterosexual Temptations and I like girls.
But also had the same sex attraction attraction that was lingering and I didn't know what to do with that then I became a Christian and I started to understand what the Bible says on this and I started to understand sin and I was like okay by the time I was about a freshman in college I was like I can't deny this anymore this is a reality but I'm never going to talk about it at that point I felt called to Ministry felt called to be a pastor and I I was had some maybe had some unbiblical ideas of what that would mean.
If people found out about this but I'll say very clearly there's a difference between samesex attraction and pursuing it one is Temptation one is disqualifying but I didn't know what to do with it and I was scared and to be honest I've been around Christians long enough to hear some very harsh language I heard the word so many times that I was like I'm not talking to anyone about this ever and that was my goal and for the next few years I continued to just stay quiet to never say anything.
And then going into my senior year the summer before my senior year I was a part of a college Ministry and in this college Ministry I was leading discipling a room full of guys and we were I was teaching them the Bible and I taught them 1 John 1: 7 but if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of his son Jesus cleanses us of all sin same thing I've taught here and I taught them that and I watched each one of them confess sin and it was beautiful and I felt like a hypocrite and I could not live under the weight.
Of that hypocrisy any longer I could not preach and not practice I couldn't do it and I said if I'm going to believe the Gospel and I'm going to believe this I'm I'm actually going to believe what I'm saying and that is when I began to finally walk in the light and I found a dear brother and I I told him it's the first person I talked to I told him and he just he said thank you so much for telling me and he gave me the Gospel and he gave me Grace he pointed me to.
Jesus and then later that summer I talked to two other guys two brothers in Christ and I listened to one of them after I done telling me this telling him this listen to one of them articulate almost the exact same story that I have and I realized I'm not alone and I continue to walk in the light I contined to walk with other Christians I saw God use this I got the disciple guys where this is exclusively was their struggle and as I started to walk with other brothers in Christ I was talking with my mentor back home Andy told him this he acted like a Christian in fact I just go on to say.
This everyone I've ever talked about this has acted like a Christian the Church is a wonderful place to figure this out I talked to Andy and Andy said hey man I I'm proud of you but you're getting serious with Anna and you're going to have to tell her before you get engaged and I was like what I don't like that but I I listen to his counsel and obeyed it and I it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do in.
First semester towards the end of senior year I sat Anna down and I looked at her and for 20 minutes through tears stumbling all over my words I just said I I've begged God to take this and he hasn't and that might be the case for the rest of my life I may struggle with samex attaction for the rest of my life and if you marry me you need to know that and they had been preparing me for this and and talking like.
Listen she might need some time she might need a couple of weeks that's fine it's a lot to absorb and she was patient she let me finish and when I got done she looked at me and she said I love you and I want to marry you this does not keep me from wanting to marry you and we'll have to talk about it but I love you and I'm man and I put a ring on it two weeks later find you someone whom you can bear your soul to who doesn't Flinch who acts like a Christian that's and that's that's.
For romantic love that's also for Christian friendship that where you can bear your soul and they don't Flinch for a moment that's what Christian supposed to do and over the years I've continued to walk in the light never publicly moved to Louisville went to Seminary was part of a Church up there walked with other Christians there had accountability had pastors who knew about this came back down here same thing here with our pastors people I've been in community group with people I've been recovery groups with have continued to walk in the light and the Church is a wonderful place to do that.
But when people say if you only knew what it was like I do I do know what it's like I know what it's like to beg God to take it away to plead with God to take it away Theus that is the that that was the Genesis that was the beginning of why I wrote I Trust You Lord that came right out that first verse comes directly out of this when I wrote I feel the stain of darkness and my sin a headd in voice recounting all my shame I know what it's like to feel that shame I know what it's like to have the enemy come in and Whisper things recounting it I've confessed.
His work and Glory the power of His name but the path of life seems like it has no end I've confessed the Gospel I pray in the name of Jesus take it and he said no and the path to Eternity just feels so long I know what that's like you know who else knew what you know who else knew what that was like if Apostle Paul Paul for different reasons understood this he knew what it was like to beg God to beg.
Jesus to take something away when you get to 2 Corinthians CH 12 there's a thorn and the flesh we don't know what that thorn is for Paul we don't know if it's something physical or it's something spiritual if it's sin we don't know what it is but it's afflicting him and in 2 Corinthians 12 he says so to keep me from being conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations a thorn was given me in the flesh a messenger of Satan to harass me to keep me from being from becoming conceited three times I pleaded with the.
Lord about this that it should leave me he pleads I know what that's like I know it's like to plead and ask God Jesus this is sin will you take it will you take it will you take it and Paul is pleading with the Lord he's pleading with Christ and this is what Jesus says that in verse 9 but he said to me my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness I've pleaded with Jesus you know what he said my grace is enough my grace is sufficient and my power is made perfect in your weakness and Paul responds.
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ May rest upon me and that's why I'm doing this today this isn't walking in the light I've done that for over a decade but a couple of months ago I was in a doctoral class and I just started to God started to just press into this and what he was saying was it's time it's time for my power to make perfect in your weakness and I was like I I went home and told Anna she's like.
But we prayed for weeks and realized this is exactly what God wants to do that it is time we had fears wrapped in all of this some of them completely irrational some of them more based in reality some of our biggest fears was our kids this is not something they need to know about and we certainly didn't want anyone saying anything harsh or ugly or we didn't want any other kids in the Church to might go up and say something to them we'll have the conversations one day.
When they're ready but we were obedient to the Lord we just said it's time and I think it's time for a few reasons the first is that some of you struggle with same sex sex attraction and you aren't walking in the light some of you struggle with same-sex desires and and you're living in darkness and you're not alone you're not alone some of you are struggling with this maybe you're looking at pornography maybe you're even thinking about engaging in same-sex relationships and I want to tell you that my door is open my door is open to talk you're not alone and there are other Christians in our Church that struggle with this and a few.
Of them have given me their names and taken a brave step so that you can go and talk to them too but Katie Freeman my sister Jordan Sarat my brother also know what it's like to struggle with same seex attraction and choose Jesus is better you're not alone and we're ready for you we're ready to talk to cry but you got to take a leap of faith and you got to step into the light the second reason is that there are people in this city that are pursuing same-sex desires and it is never going to satisfy them it's never going to satisfy them I don't know what's going to happen with the sermon it's going.
To go online I have no idea about a month ago brother of mine said just you need to stop worrying about this and I made a decision right then and there that I was going to stop worrying about it I don't know what's going to happen let me tell you something we're in Casey I don't know if you noticed that Casey is becoming a more gay friendly part of town you can go up and down the Avenues you can see pride flags.
And if this Church gets to be a hospital for the broken which is what Jesus wants his Church to be if it gets to be a hospital for those who are working through sexual Brokenness and they want to come in here and figure this out together Praise Jesus that's what our Church should be and that's what our Church is doesn't matter what you struggle with this Church is a safe place to be able to figure this out together to be able to expose sin and experience the goodness of his grace and his mercy and his kindness and forgiveness this Church is a wonderful place to be to figure that out together no matter what you.
Are struggling with but if you are struggling with same seex attraction I want you to hear something very clearly the most important truth I can say to you today is that if you belong to Jesus your same seex attraction does not define you if you belong to Jesus your same seex attraction does not define you your sin does not define you your savior does I left out a very important part of 1 Corinthians 6 for a reason so let me finish it.
So you can hear this in verse 9 it says or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God do not be deceived neither the sexually immoral nor idolators nor adulterers nor men who practice homosexuality nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor revelers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God verse 11 and such were some of you such were some of you such were some of us that if you belong to Christ you are defined by him that is not who you are that is who you were and he goes on to say.
But you were washed you were Sanctified you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God that when you come to Christ you bring your sin and your Brokenness and even your disordered desires and you lay them before the cross and he washes Us by the renewal of his blood that he puts the Holy Spirit in our lives and sanctifies US putting the old person to death and renewing us every day he justifies us which means that.
When God the Father looks upon me he doesn't see my disordered desires he sees the perfect righteousness spotlessness perfect record of Christ that's the truth of the Gospel and if you are a Christian you're not defined by your sin you defined by your savior and if you don't know Christ you can be you can be defined by the goodness of the Gospel and you don't have to be defined by your sin but that means you've got to come to him in faith and you got to submit all of your desires before him I'll close with this Rosaria Butterfield who I think is one of the biggest gifts to the Church in this Arena she was.
A professor at Syracuse she taught feminist queer Theory and she was a lesbian and she met Jesus and left that lifestyle behind you'll hear more about her next week but she says Temptation patterns linger but they do not rule your life anymore and they do not define you Temptation patterns are Outsiders to your true nature in Christ they don't co- with Christ even as they remain I've asked God and I'll continue to ask God to take it and for the rest of my life his answer may be no that my grace is sufficient and my power is made perfect in your weakness.
But that's not my true nature Christ is and though they linger Christ remains and that truth will continue into eternity so brothers and sisters some of you need to take a leap of faith maybe that's talking to me maybe that's talking to someone else in your group some of you need to take a leap and experience the goodness of fellowship and freedom that's found in the Gospel and some of you need to believe in Jesus and need to see that our savior is better than anything this world has to offer and that includes disordered desires we pray Heavenly.
Father we thank you for the good news of the Gospel that saves us that saved me that sets us apart to worship and Delight in you I'm thankful that your grace is sufficient your power is made perfect in our weaknesses we will boast all the more in our weaknesses because that is where your wonderful Gospel is made beautiful so Heavenly Father there are undoubtedly people in this room that are scared there are undoubtedly people in this room that are afraid to talk may you lift that fear and give them Faith to step forward in Freedom and in faith and in trusting you and I pray.
If there's anyone here that is not convinced I pray there's anyone here that does not believe what the Scriptures has to say on this God I pray that you would soften their heart towards truth even when it is difficult Lord help us we love you in Jesus name amen.