Faithful Living

Introduction to the introduction

last week our family had the privilege of visiting a beach among other things. One of our favorite things to do at the beach is simply to run into the waves again and again and again. It's surprisingly fun to get clobbered by the waves. One of our favorite memories is a story of all of us running into the beach and Isabel with her typical bravado saying “bring it on!” and then she said as we all marched into the waves together “I've got this one!“ after I heard her say this I turned around to walk into the wave and then look back and she was gone. I was confused for a second and then I saw her little head pop up about 10 feet back. The last wave had absolutely clobbered her and taking her out. It was hilarious!

I feel like proposing to preach on such a difficult topic as this this kind of like Isabelle marching into the wave saying “I've got this one!” I'm ready at any point to be clobbered and knocked back about 10 feet as I tried to approach this wave of a topic.

But if Christianity is going to be relevant to this age. If we are going to be faithful to Christ in today's culture. We must talk about and come to grips with our faith and the topic of homosexuality. We must talk about and understand the bible's teaching here.

But before I get into this topic I want to remind you of what this series is all about. I've been asked this week weather this series came out of reading some book. It did not. We wanted to ... We the elders ... wanted to draw the church into discussing and wrestling with controversial current topics so we can be stronger in our faith. We hope that these messages will spark conversation.

But more than that we hope that these messages will renew your confidence that our faith and God's word is like an anchor and a sure foundation in a stormy sea of ideas. Neither you nor I may be the brightest and best defendants of what the Bible teaches but we can take confidence in the bible's teachings.

I also want to remind you of this concept of the Jenga tower of life. What aspects of your identity are unremovable? Following Christ calls us to have him at the heart , at the bottom of that tower. All the rest of our identity's , R politics , and more come out of our identity as a follower of Jesus Christ.

So this message is intended to serve believers in Jesus Christ to help you understand what your Bible teaches. I really don't want to present a sermon of opinions but too talk about what the Bible teaches and ask good questions. If you listen to this sermon and you're not a follower of Jesus Christ I hope you can see God's love shining through my clumsy words. I hope the challenges that I lay out for our church at the end of this sermon show those who follow Christ and those who reject him that our church is serious about loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Moreover, if you hear this sermon and you disagree with the conclusions I've made , I hope you will wrestle with whether your disagreement is with me or God's word.

Alright, that's probably the longest introduction to an introduction I've ever made.

Introduction:

“By the time I started at high school, two things had become clear to me. One was that I was a Christian. my parents had raised me to be a believer in Jesus, and as I moved towards independence from my family, I knew that I wanted to remain one--that I wanted to trust, love, and obey Christ, who had been crucified and raised from the dead “for us and for our Salvation,” as the Creed puts it.

The second thing was that I was gay. For as long as I could remember, I had been drawn, even as a child, two other males in some vaguely confusing way, and after puberty, had come to realize that I had a steady, strong, unremitting, exclusive sexual attraction to persons of the same sex.”—Washed and Waiting, p 21-22

What the Bible teaches about Homosexuality and other sexualities.

First of all what does the Bible teach about everything?

The Bible teaches that God created everything and he created mankind in his image. Mankind wanted to be like God and send and so a curse entered the world. From the moment of the curse onward God has been working to bring humankind into a perfect relationship restored with him. He started that work through the people of Israel and teaching them about sacrifices and the cost of sin. He finished his work of saving humankind through what Jesus did in the New Testament. And now we look forward to Jesus returning to judge humanity for what they did with what he did. The Bible is the story of God showing us that holiness matters. We have to figure out how to be or become holy in order to exist in relationship with our creator.

so, that's what the Bible teaches about kind of everything.

Really, the Bible is not about homosexuality.

There are only a few passages that even mention it. It's not the thing that we've been singing about in churches for thousands of years.

And yet in some ways it is.

For 2000 years the church has focused on worshipping a savior who challenges, changes, and judges. The Bible has harsh judgment language for those who embrace sin in opposition to God.

Revelation 21:8 ESV

8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Revelation 21:27 ESV

27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

So, if the Bible is about holiness and us coming into a right relationship with God then understanding what constitutes sexual sin in God's eyes has everything to do with a story line of scripture.

So this being said let's simply take a look at what the Bible teaches on this topic.

The Model of Marriage

First of all in the very beginning of the Bible in Genesis God creates a world with one man and one woman. He creates a complementary relationship and he commands them to be fruitful and multiply. Part of the purpose of their union was procreation. This idea of a union between one man and one woman is carried throughout the pages of the scripture. From the account in Genesis to the teachings of Jesus and Paul and others. It's been said that the case for what the Bible teaches on homosexuality is actually easier to make without the passages that specifically mention the topic.

if you read through the Bible an exam in marriage and the relationship between man and woman you see from the beginning of the Bible to the end that is the model is that the Bible pre scribes for marriage.

Sodom and Gomorrah

There probably aren't any cities in the Bible more infamous then Sodom and Gomorrah. In Genesis 19 God literally rains fire and brimstone down on them. And then throughout the rest of the Old Testament the names of those cities are synonymous with extreme sinfulness.

Everyone agrees that the story in Genesis 19 is terrible. What they disagree about is what's terrible about it. In short, two men , strangers meet lot at the entrance of the city . Lot welcomes them into his home to protect them. During the night all the men of the city gather around asking for them to come out so they can sleep with them. Lott refuses 2 send out the two men and sadly offers his two daughters instead.

What exactly is the sin in this account? Is it the in hospitality of the men of the city trying to force themselves on the strangers? Is the problem a lack of hospitality and abusive relationships?

The reality is through the rest of the Old Testament in Jewish literature Saddam had a reputation for egregious ****** sin. More importantly in Jude 7 we read:

Jude 7 ESV

7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Throughout the Bible these two cities held a special reputation for extraordinary sexual immorality.

What about the strange book of Leviticus?

2 verses mentioned specifically Homosexuality

Leviticus 18:22 ESV

22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.

Leviticus 20:13 ESV

13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

Leviticus is about holiness

First of all we need to understand that the book of leviticus is all about holiness , it's all about right living before God.

And some people try to parse these verses to say it's about one sort of relationship or another but if you spend time reading leviticus it spends tons of time talking about specific relationships that are inappropriate in ones that aren't inappropriate. But when it comes to this topic of homosexuality it is decisive and absolute. The writing of leviticus allows for no qualifying of the type of homosexual relationship, it simply defines it as sin.

Is Leviticus Relevant?

The second question that asked about leviticus is whether it is still relevant?

You could probably easily find quite a few laws in leviticus that we don't still follow today.

First of all, we need to remember that if we are a disciple of Jesus then it is wrong for us to presum that the commands of Moses are irrelevant Jesus himself said

Matthew 5:17–18 ESV

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Secondly throughout the New Testament Jesus refers to leviticus. Jesus does not dismiss this book. I don't have time here today for an in depth examination of all the reasons we need to take this passage seriously but we must understand that leviticus uses some pretty absolute terminology when it talks about this topic.

What about the Romans Rd

Not the Romans Rd leading to Salvation but the one leading the opposite direction>

Romans 1:18–20 ESV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Romans 1:21–27 ESV

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 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 in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Romans chapter one holds on to this idea that God's righteousness is revealed throughout creation but mankind in his corruption turns away from that righteousness. Paul is clear in this passage and the language used here is not about some abusive relationship it is simple language used to describe homosexuality. This entire passage is about how mankind turns from God's righteous revelation. This topic is treated right alongside everything else.

The Bible consistently condemns sexual behavior outside of a heterosexual marriage.

There are movements inside the church to revise and reinterpret these texts I've just shown you. Yet, for thousands of years the church has consistently interpreted these passages in the way I have done so today.

I do not share these passages because I have any disdain for men and women in this community. in fact, I almost shared them apologetically and in escapably.

There are others who look at these passages and admit the Bible is pretty consistent in what it says on this topic and their choice is to dismiss the Bible in its entirety. Anyone is welcome to do that. But if you follow Jesus Christ, you cannot dismiss the Bible.

The reality of Homosexuality/transgenderism/sexual spectrum

For most of my life in the church I've found it easy to dismiss people who feel differently than I do. I am a heterosexual male. And so when I heard or thought of people who talked about homosexual experiences and desires I thought of their experiences as passing desires or struggles with sin which could be overcome.

Yet the longer I live the longer I hear story after story of sincere men and women who confessed these desires are fundamental and unchanging in their identity. It's like the account I shared at the beginning of my sermon of this man who grew up knowing that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ and yet he was also very attracted to other men.

I think as a church we need to be willing to admit and recognize there is a spectrum of desires. We need to recognize that there are men and women with same sex attraction. And this attraction is something that was not inflicted by abuse or something which will pass in a short while. Or passed ever.

If you struggle with the idea that men and women in our world truly struggle with these feelings on a permanent basis then I ask you to consider my story.

My struggle as a man with lust.........

I don't know if any of the rest of you guys can resonate with any of my struggle to be completely faithful to my wife with every thought and glance of my eyes. Or perhaps you have your own struggles that will not go away no matter how much you prayed for them to.

The reality is that we accept in the church that men will struggle a lifetime with controlling their eyes. We recognize gluttony or gossip as sin and we accept that we struggle with those sins.

The problem for someone who struggles with homosexual desires and who also wants to remain faithful as a Christian and a participant in the local church ... Their problem is this. If they share their struggle with others in the church ... Most people won't understand and will see them dramatically differently and less. If they share their choice outside the church that they've chosen celibacy because of Christianity ... They are misunderstood by the LGBTQ community.

I think as a church community we must except the reality of a spectrum of desires . We must accept the reality that men and women inside and outside our church exists at many different points on this spectrum. And we will hear more and more about people feeling these feelings in the years to come because of how much our culture wants to have this conversation.

Please hear one thing as well. I'm not making a scientific case for whether someone is born homosexual or not. I'm actually not concerned about how permanent these desires are scientifically. I am simply stating that more and more we will encounter men and women who honestly and truly and deeply hold these desires.

How we live out the Great Commission with the LGTBQ community

so we know that Jesus called us to reach the World with his message and to make disciples.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

And yet there is a growing community of men and women who wouldn't dream of darkening the door of a church because of how we've treated and reacted to the LG BT Q community in the past. In fact, for those of you who know people in this community if you were to suggest they come visit the church they would probably be pretty surprised at the very thought of darkening the door of a church.

It would be sad if by holding on to biblical teachings on this topic we erect a wall that keeps many from hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Obviously we cannot abandon the bible's teaching and remained faithful to Jesus. We must somehow remain faithful to Jesus and obedient to him in going and making disciples while still holding on to biblical teachings which offend men and women in our world.

you know, I actually don't have an answer for how we reach out to this community. But perhaps we can find an answer focusing inward a bit.

Where is the place we're human love is best expressed and experienced?

You might biblically say well, I experienced the most human love in marriage.

Genesis 2:18 ESV

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Genesis 2:24 ESV

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

You might say the answer to loneliness is marriage. And if you stopped at reading the Old Testament this was true. But Jesus creates something new in the New Testament. He creates a community.

Jesus said there is no greater love then the sacrificial love of a friend for another

John 15:13 ESV

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

This sacrificial giving love is actually the model for marriage . Marriage is not the model for friendship love. It's not the model for the best kind of love. Marriage is a place for expressing love which perhaps in its truest form exists outside of marriage. Perhaps it is that through sacrificial love we find the greatest joys an experiences. And perhaps the greatest things God wants to give us are not found in marriage at all.

Think about it we all know marriages that are very life draining. And I imagine many of you have friends that truly give you life and sustain you and bring joy to you. I would even say that Ashley and the girls bring extraordinary joy to me but they're only three of a handful of other relationships that truly pour life into me.

I'm saying that God wants his church to be a place where men and women can find deep and committed friendships . God wants men and women to experience this sacrificial giving love inside the church community. To find healing and hope.

The reality is for the vast majority of man with gay desires who choose to live celibate lives as Christians, they are choosing single lives. They're choosing lonely lives. The same goes for to a lesser extent lesbian women and many others on the spectrum.

One of the most challenging things I read recently from an individual who is a Christian and struggles with these desires. He said to summarize , the biblical teaching on homosexuality is actually rather clear but it's unconvincing. It's unsustainable.

If we as a church call anyone to live faithfully to biblical teachings on this topic we must own our responsibility for building community around them.

I think the way that we're going to make disciples and care for this community is by figuring out how to build deep lasting friendships inside the church community and outside it. We need to invest in each other in the church.

We need to make sure though we are hearing and caring for each other in the church. We need to figure out how to do life with single people without trying to force them into some marriage mold. We need to allow God to work in and through each other.

Conclusion

What in the world have I said today?

First, I hope that I have shown love for those in the LGBTQ community by how I have said my words today.

Every day I grow in understanding how hard the experience of living as a faithful Christian with these desires truly is.

Second, I hope I have shown you that the biblical witness on this topic is clear and consistent.

From the beginning to the end you can't escape the bible's model of a marriage and relationships being between a man and a woman. The only way to come to a different conclusion is either too seriously revise thousands of years of biblical interpretation or dismiss the Bible.

If what the Bible teaches on this topic offends you, that's OK. The Bible has been offending and changing lives for thousands of years. I hope I haven't offended you but it's OK if the Bible does.

Third, I hope I've helped you realize that many men and women live with these feelings and desires and God has not seemed fit to take them away.

They are a permanent reality in the lives of thousands of men and women.

Fourth, finally, I have built a case to say that in order for us to reach in this community we must figure out how to pour into deep, meaningful relationships throughout the church.

We must build deep and lasting friendships inside our church. We must every one of us take responsibility for making sure others are plugged into the church community. If we call someone to love faithful celibate Christian lives we must provide a truly meaningful community to belong to.

Pray with me,

Father, I thank you for your word and the opportunity to gather with men and women in your church. I prayed that you would help us as a church community to love our neighbor as ourselves. I pray that you would give us the grit to hold onto what your word teaches and to remain faithful to you no matter what. I pray that you would teach us to develop deep and meaningful friendships throughout our community so that we can give hope and home to others in the church.