Christ Over Culture (4)
Notes
Transcript
The Gospel and Sex Slavery (The War On Women)
The Gospel and Sex Slavery (The War On Women)
This is a discussion and topic that needs to be seen and taken seriously with an open mind.
The title makes it seem as though it is something that we don’t have to worry about in America, when in fact, we live in one of the worst areas in the United States.
When i first started researching this, I’ll admit, i knew very little and i figured it was something that wasn’t close to us.
I was wrong.
I knew it was in other countries, but i didn’t realize how open they were about it.
Countries like South Korea and Nepal, it is in the open, people don’t even try to hide it.
People go to other parts of the world, promise these girls (or guys) things they cannot pass up, and then take them with us, where they quickly realize none of those promises are going to come true.
Their identity is stripped from them, all their documents are taken, and they are forced to ‘work’ to pay off their debts.
For me, it has always been out of sight and out of mind because I have hasd the mindset that it is always somewhere else.
Reality - it is all around us - it is ‘modern day slavery.’
According to the Gospel Coalition - there are more ‘modern day slaves’ of human trafficking today than slaves that were seized from Africa in 4 centuries of the transatlantic slave trade.
Human trafficking in the US is a 150 billion $ industry.
2nd only to drug trafficking.
40% of ALL human trafficking occurs in the S.E. U.S.
Tennessee
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
Alabama
Mississippi
Florida
The average age of entry is between 14-17 years old.
83% of all victims of Human trafficking are US citizens.
Show sex/human trafficking survivor video. www.the-wellhouse.org
As Christians, what do we do about it.
As Christians, what do we do about it.
I believe we could all likely agree that it is wrong biblically, so we dont have to dive into that conversation.
Understand the Gospel.
It sounds cliche, the gospel is always the answer.
2. Believe we are all created equal.
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Everyone has a master - the same master - HE OWNS US ALL!
The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it.
Ultimate ownership fully belongs to the Lord.
And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
Job shows us this when he implies everyone is created equal when he refused to mistreat his servants.
“Did not He who made me in the womb make him,
And the same one fashion us in the womb?
Paul shares the same thing.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Every single person has equal dignity before the Lord.
James mentions this as some were showing favoritism within the church.
My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.
For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,
and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,”
have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?
Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
God sees this as complete sin.
God denounces abuse as it comes to slavery.
“If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies at his hand, he shall be punished.
“If, however, he survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; for he is his property.
“If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide.
“But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life,
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
“If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye.
“And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.
God also condemn human trafficking, even though we see it in the Bible.
Kidnapping a person is punishable by death. This penalty applies not only to the one making the sale, but also the one purchasing the slave.
“He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.
Paul talks about the sin of human trafficking in tthe same passage of murder and sexual immorality.
and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,
The word translated ‘enslaver’ or ‘kidnapper’ literally translates as ‘man-stealer’ or ‘slave-dealer.’
realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers
According to 1 Tim 1:9, anyone who kidnaps, steals and sells people are ‘…lawless, rebellious, ungodly, sinful, unholy, irreverent.’
The Reality Is That Many Cultures Don’t Believe The Gospel.
The Reality Is That Many Cultures Don’t Believe The Gospel.
And beyond that - they don’t believe that God created ALL people with equal dignity.
American culture is definitely NOT immune to this view.
The worship of sex in American Culture has led to the devaluation of women.
All you have to do is look at the pornography & prostitution industry.
This is true, not just for the culture around us, but also for the church among us.
Instead of putting Christ over culture, we are imitating culture.
According to www.mind-armor.com —> over 50% of men and an increasing # of women inside the church actively view pornography.
Sadly, the numbers are not much different for pastors.
Please do NOT fall victim to the fact that culture tells you pornography is ‘harmless.’
Research shows that 1/3 of all sex trafficking victims are forced into pornography industry.
Men and women who view pornography are literally fueling the demand for prostration, which only increases the demand for human trafficking.
The Only Way To Fight This Is With The Gospel
The Only Way To Fight This Is With The Gospel
God Owns ALL people.
Christians MUST live out the gospel.
Christians MUST proclaim the gospel
We must tell the hopeless that true hope is found in Jesus Christ.
God takes slavery (sin) and turns it into a powerful image of HIS slavation for the world.
The center of the gospel is Jesus, who willingly took on the form of a slave.
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Jesus washed feet as a servant.
John 13.
The Son of Man came to serve.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
This is the same gospel the victims of human trafficking and sex slavery need, along with their captors.
At the end of the day, the answer can only be Jesus - He is the only one who can change people from the inside out.
