How to Respond to the LGBTQ

Introduction: Our society’s shift on gender issues and its redefining of marriage has dramatically changed the way people see the world—and themselves. Satan, in direct opposition to God’s created plan, has chosen to attack both gender and marriage throughout the course of history.

Although the truths presented today are foreign and even offensive to the cultural moment in which we live, they are essential to our lives and our ability to help others experience God’s design for their lives.

Before we look at this topic more deeply, I want to be clear on a couple of important truths:

•     God loves everyone—including those who disagree with Bible truth on the topics we’ll look at in this lesson.

•     As the people of God, we too are to love everyone and to welcome those with questions and struggles regarding their gender or the topics of gender and marriage.

•     If what the Bible says about these topics is the truth, then believing it and teaching it is not promoting hate or hurt, but help and healing. The goal is not to disrespect others but to help anyone who will find the truth of who God created

Our culture right now is confused… They are confused, they are searching, and they are hurting… It’s easy for us to look around in this generation and see people who are transgender, who are transitioning, maybe living an effeminate lifestyle or looking some way that is obviously different than the way God made them… (It’s Easy to want to get angry.)

Nobody is won over to a truth because you were angry about it… We understand as believers we are all sinners...

The movement that we are addressing this morning is confused, searching, and they are hurting...The bible is very clear. Hurting people hurt people...

What I don’t want is for us as believers to wall ourselves off from them in a stance of hate and bigotry, but rather be an extended hand that will help bring Jesus into their lives...

There are a couple of things I want us to understand before we go any further...

The LGBTQ movement in our society is advancing… A survey in 2021 stated that 75.5 percent of high school students identify as heterosexual… In 2015 it was stated that only 11% of High school students identified as a member of the LGBTQ… In just six years… For some of you could go back to when you were in High school and these numbers would be even more minimized and that’s because it is being learned not in born.

“The church of Jesus Christ faces an unprecedented challenge: the collision between it and a new sexual ethic, a collision between revelation and revolution. The revolution is a sexual one, and it is indeed a revolution, demanding a complete reordering of society and civilization.”—Albert Mohler

The agenda is growing rapidly and as we talk about that this morning I want to give three cautions to begin this message...

The Bible not Emotions must be our guide

Everybody sitting in here right now you know somebody… Chances are you know somebody that you have good feelings about, somebody who is a kind person, somebody that you would say nice things about. We all know somebody, but I want you to know that even though it can become easy sometimes to say I know somebody and their not bad people and therefore it can make us become a little more sympathetic to the cause.

2. Love not Hate must be our Response

Nobody has ever won because we put the hammer down and won and argument. Nobody is won to Jesus because we refused them and turned our back on them, nobody is won because we saw their disgusting behavior and mocked and ridiculed that person.

No one is won to Jesus that. Jesus was full of Grace and truth and we are instructed by Paul to speak the truth in love… The posture we have the response we have towards a group of people who see this issue very differently than we do, we have got to have a heart of love...

3. Truth not lies or opinions has got to be our Message

Not what I say… We have got to get down to the truth of the scriptures...

I) The Bible’s never condemns homosexuality, it’s just been misinterpreted.

Leviticus 18:22 “22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”

Aren’t there a lot of things in Leviticus that we wouldn’t follow?

We use some fabrics today that Leviticus had outlawed, we eat some foods today that it would have outlawed.

Leviticus does give us a violation on God’s natural order understand it’s not all the Bible speaks to.

Genesis 19:5–7 KJV 1900

5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. 6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

The remainder of Genesis 19 is God’s judgement upon them because of Sodomy.

So, how can anyone make the case that God doesn’t condemn homosexuality or that the Bible doesn’t speak out against it...

An entire city was destroyed over this! Many times what the sceptic will do or the pro lgbt person will do is they will take this passage and they will say, “The problem is not homosexuality the problem was a lack of hospitality.”

Genesis 19:5 KJV 1900

5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

The argument that is often given is that what these men are looking for is just to offer a relationship...

There are problems with this interpretation...

The meaning of the word, “Know”

Matthew 1:18 “18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”

Matthew 1:25 “25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”

What is the word “Know” here… Physically intimate. To say they were just looking for a hospitable relationship is contextually inaccurate...

If that’s all they wanted then Lot response makes no sense

Genesis 19:7 KJV 1900

7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

Lot is speaking in their vernacular… Lot is living in a generation where he understands where they are trying to get to here...

What Lot does with his daughters

Genesis 19:8 KJV 1900

8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

Obviously the Bible is talking sexual relations here. So to say that the Bible never condemns homosexuality would not be true...

Paul was just as consistent about talking of Homosexuality in the New Testament...

Romans 1:26-27

Romans 1:26–27 KJV 1900

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.

(talk about God’s natural order)

The Bible's moral teachings are not culturally bound but rooted in God's unchanging nature (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8). Passages like Romans 1:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 clearly address sexual immorality, including same-sex behavior, as contrary to God's will. These teachings transcend cultural contexts and are consistent throughout Scripture…

II) Jesus Never Mentioned Homosexuality

We don’t decide what’s right or wrong based off of whether Jesus said it or not… Just because Jesus didn’t address something doesn’t mean that everything else is fair game...

Jesus never… There is not an honest person or believer that would say, “Then it must be okay!”

Here is what we do know. The entire Bible has been written for your instruction. Certainly when Jesus said something… You can take that to the bank...

We have a need for the entirety of the scriptures...

While he never specifically mentioned it… Jesus did comment on the natural order that God intended...

Matthew 19:5 KJV 1900

5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

Jesus never did say… But what He did say is, “I’ll tell you what God designed...”

According to Matthew 19:4-5 God intended for marriage to be monogamous, permanent, and heterosexual in nature.

The O.T. condemns Homosexuality, Paul condemns Homosexuality. From Genesis to Jesus we find God’s ordained institution...

III) I was Born this Way

They say that, “Because I was born this way, God put this in me I was created this way and this is just who I am, therefore it’s not my fault.”

“It made me feel good about my self and less like a sinner.” - Unknown

“If a genetic component says this is not a fault than this is not your fault.” - Mother of a Homosexual

Here is what happens, If homosexuality can be in born than you begin to put it into a category like race and gender. In kind of their own minority group… If you don’t accept them it’s just like...

Therefore if I was born this way you have to accept me.

Heres the problem… While I personally do not believe they are born that way… every single person on this planet was born into sin...

(Ex. Troy Merrit...)

Genetic experts are telling us right now that there are people who are predisposed to alcoholism...

Predisposed to obesity...

Predisposed to violence...

“According to a meta-analysis on 24 genetically informative studies, up to 50% of the total variance in aggressive behavior is explained by genetic influences.” - The Jackson Laboratory

In other words they found that half of the reason that people act aggressively it can be linked to their genes… According to this study it can be linked back ultimately to their nature, but let me ask you something if someone is automatically predisposed to anger do we just live with that?

(Anger Management.) What was it like growing up?

At the end of the day we have to align our practices and submit them to the authority of the scripture...

The Bible acknowledges that all people are born with a sinful nature due to the Fall (

David laments over his sin, but He does not ask God to excuse it.

Psalm 51:1–5 KJV 1900

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: And my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done this evil in thy sight: That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.

Regardless of him being born that way… He had a bend toward rebellion from the beginning, but it was no excuse.

It doesn’t matter how you were born Jesus says you got to be born again… You have got to submit your desires...

Doing what feels natural is almost never what God expects of you...

Desires, including sexual ones, can be distorted by sin. God's call is not to follow our natural inclinations but to seek renewal through Christ (Ephesians 4:22-24). Through His grace, believers are empowered to align their lives with His will.

IV) My Homosexual Friend/Family member is a good person

We are not good people standing for God’s approval. We are broken people in need of God’s grace.

How did God handle “good people”? Ex. David… When David sinned, what did God do? He lost his son, lost his peace, lost his reign, did David not go through serious consequences because of his sin?

God handles sin the same way he always does…

How do we respond to someone who is a loving person?

With loving concern

With reasoned arguments

With fervent prayer that culture would repent and reconsider

V) We’re not hurting anyone

25 years ago the mantra of the homosexual movement was, “Just let us get married we’re not asking you to approve of it were just simply asking for us to be us and you to be you.”

This movement has moved from just wanting acceptance to aggressively forcing indoctrination.

“The transgender indoctrination in our nations schools.” - Parents need to take back their children’s education - - before it’s too late.

“IF YOUR PARENTS AREN’T ACCEPTING OF YOUR IDENTITY I’M YOUR MOM NOW”

...

“My breaking point this year was when I had a female student tell a guidance counselor that she now wanted to go by a boy’s name. There were THIRTY other staff members that were included on that email, and we were told to not tell the parents. Act like nothing happened if we needed to contact home. Could you imagine being a parent and finding out that thirty teachers are calling your girl a boy’s name, and you knew nothing about it?” - A former teacher in the Eau Claire Area School District, Washington Times

It’s not just school...

Just doing a basic search through Chat gpt as to why anyone would think it was a good idea for a drag queen to do a story hour at a library...

Promoting literacy and engagement

Encouraging acceptance and diversity

Representation and role models

While opinions about these events vary, proponents often see them as a way to blend entertainment, education, and social awareness in a way that benefits children and the broader community.

What the world is saying is we will have them teach, we will have them instruct… It’s harmless...

Do you remember talking about the growth of this movement? That’s because it is a learned behavior… There are people searching for answers that their gender could never answer, that their sexual relationships could never answer… There is a hole and the answer can only come from or that hole can only be filled with the scriptures...

Romans 1:32 KJV 1900

32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

VI) Christians are Homophobic

It’s not homophobic to give the truth.

Christians are not ignorant on the subject

Christians hold the same view that western culture use to hold.

Conviction and prejudice are not the same

Christians do not deny the value of any pro- LGBTQ person

Christian beliefs do not constitute a phobia

Grouping conservatives with racists is disingenuous

Let me just remind you before you get high and mighty, we all have our sins were dealing with.

Conclusion:

Christians must know what they believe

Go home study out that word of God and come to His conclusions… Don’t believe something just because I said it… Know what you believe.

2. Christians must engage the culture

It’s been said that the church isn’t the master of the state, nor is it the servant of the state, but rather it’s the conscience of the state.

God help our Church to never abdicate it’s role of being the conscience.

We have got to engage. Family, friends, Co-workers… Maybe stop bringing it up, and love that person, invest in that person in special ways, and ask God that maybe he would bring some circumstances into their life to remind them...

We got to be wise about how to engage our culture...

3. Christians must Love People