A0370_Woe To The Mardi Gras
Date: 2nd March 2008 (Sunday AM) Ref: A0370
Place: Kambah P.S.
Title: Woe To The Mardi Gras
Text: & Isaiah 5:18-24
Illust: Speaking with my neighbour who works in a Government department, he was mentioning that Friday afternoon the place was empty, like everyone had evacuated the building en-masse – He mentioned to someone else ‘where is everybody?’ – ‘It’s Mardi Gras tomorrow they’ve taken the afternoon off to head to Sydney.’ – A somewhat large % of homosexuals
I. Woe to Them
A. Draw Iniquity
i. Mardi Gras a perverse, lewd, immoral parade in Sydney, Not just homosexuals marching down the street in an orderly protest march with some signs & banners – NO. Men and Women (& everything in between) dressed in costumes and in some cases not much at all of anything –cavorting and indulging in their sensual passions in a carnal display of base human behaviour.
Crowds of up to 300,000 people are expected to line the central city route to watch the procession of themed floats, drag queens and many more costumed and flesh-revealing revellers.
ii. There they were last night following their floats along the street, & vs. 18 – Not secret sin, not hidden, but paraded for all to see. On the TV news, Newspapers those who attended. (More like between 50,000 – 100,000)
iii. Openly defying God– Many floats/ marchers have an anti-God / church / ministers theme - Dressing up as Nun’s / Priests / Angels / Devil. – In mockery of God & those who will make a stand for righteousness – Almost like they are daring God to respond. ~ & vs. 19
B. Evil Good
i. A mark of our culture, our society, that this is acceptable. One young male was talking about how proud he is to take part & how people need to realise that it is 2008. There should be even more acceptance of their lifestyle.
ii. At the same time we have increasingly violent films – new Genre of horror film – torture porn. – Protected under “Freedom of expression” – Computer games that are too violent to be classified in Australia & thus banned
Sth Australian Att Gen; "He will vigorously resist any attempts to see the classification changed to allow what he views as computer-generated pornography and depictions of extreme violence."
Praise God, but not everyone is happy about this
Adam J of Ryde writes: I dont care really give a stuff what some fuddy-duddy politician thinks. I'm 27 years old and I'll play whatever game I want to play and at the end of the day, he can't stop me.
iii. A culture that has lost all bearing as to what is wrong & what is right. – Worse still we defend evil, lift it up as being somehow protected speech – We call evil good. & vs. 20
II. Law of the Lord of Hosts
A. It is Sin
i. Where is our Moral compass, as a culture gradually we are becoming more & more numbed to the continual blatant presentation as “normal” of behaviour that God calls Sin. – And if God call’s it Sin then it is. – Even Mardi Gras not all glitz & glamour
IN the past 30 years Mardi Gras has come to celebrate the vast pageantry of sexual identity. But for some young members of the community who are exploring their sexuality openly for the first time all the exuberance hides a darker underbelly. Exploitative sex, drug and alcohol abuse and isolation put another colour on the rosy glow painted by the party crowd each year.
ii. Witnessing, speak to people about their sin, they maybe sleep with their girlfriend/boyfriend – that’s ‘normal’. – Common response it is the 21st Century. Things change. – God’s laws don’t change
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (NKJV)
Malachi 3:6 “For I am the Lord, I do not change; (NKJV)
iii. We are a nation, a people that are increasingly casting off the moral restraints of God’s laws – Not seen as relevant – despised
& Isaiah 5:24 ....they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
B. Not Homophobic
i. Just want to make a point in this very clear, Many of those marching would claim that for standing in opposition to their sinful lifestyle, indeed for calling it sin, that I am uncompassionate, have no understanding, am not accepting of others, that I am homophobic. ~ phobic - suffering from irrational fears.
"Mardi Gras is all about the festival and it's all about telling Australia our stories, our lives, and showing Australia that our love is not a second-class love and shouldn't be treated as such,'' he said. "So it's all about compassion, understanding and acceptance, so I think they're universal values.
ii. I am not afraid of Homosexuals, the same way I am not afraid of fornicators / liars, adulterers / covetous, unforgiving people / those that drink to excess & think they are great & vs. 22 – Sin is sin – Needs to be confessed & repented of. ~ Forsaken, turned away from.
iii. The very term homophobic is designed to shift the basis of disagreement & serves as a useful slur to avoid having to debate / deal with the real issue. – Sin. – Homosexuals aren’t alone in this. – Confront people about their sinfulness & they will try to divert it to you. Your imperfection – sin. – Yep I am a sinner – so are you.
Romans 3:10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; (NKJV)
However what separate’s the saved from the sinner, is not our own righteousness it is our faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ & our commitment to follow Him, even when we may fall short & stumble
Romans 10:9-10 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (NKJV)
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV)
III. Woe
A. Coming Fire
i. Truth this AM that compassion is what we demonstrate when we will confront sin and call it as it is. – Why? Because God will judge sin. – In our text 5 Woe’s -
Woe: Deep distress or misery, as from grief; wretchedness. Misfortune; calamity
ii. Pronouncements of calamitous judgement, severe misfortune to come upon those who indulge in this sin. - & vs. 24
iii. In His Holiness God must & will judge sin, the deliberate flaunting & disobedience of His commandments. – They will be consumed.
B. Pray
i. I don’t want that to happen to anybody & neither should you. Jesus said that we are to be Salt & Light
After the trawler Sea Rogue sank off the NSW coast deckhand Michael Williams swam for shore and 12 hours later was washed up on a beach near Byron Bay, sparking the search for the other two crewmembers. His father Don Williams said his son had seen the light from the Byron Bay lighthouse and swam for that. Sharks were on his mind but he kept on swimming.
ii. Salt that we irritate, protect, season the culture and a true light that will shine as a beacon, for all those who want to reach the safety of the forgiveness of God can reach. – A true light in a world that has confused light & darkness.
iii. Pray for sinners, pray for our nation. A sense of urgency – 30 years of Mardi Gras, God must judge. Pray.
Habakkuk 3:2 O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy. (NKJV)
iv. Possibly something that you haven’t thought of before, when God judges the sin; You & I will be held accountable for our part. Our involvement or lack thereof in intercessory prayer on behalf of the nation, in speaking out for righteousness in warning the lost of the wrath to come.
Ezekiel 22:30-31 30 So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. 31 Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God. (NKJV)