Sermon Tone Analysis
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One of the scariest things for a church to do is open itself up to questions.
There are so many different opinions, even among other churches, that it is hard to navigate with hurting feelings, being on the wrong side of politics, or even appearing to be judgmental toward others.
So typically, churches avoid hot topics like the plague.
I believe these hot topics are the very issues that we need to discuss to bring hope and healing through the gospel.
We are in the middle of our series called "You Asked for It," where we field questions given anonymously and presenting a Biblical worldview answer.
The Word of God reveals God’s Heart and Truth.
The first core value we hold at Reliant is we are Bible Believers: "The Bible is our final authority for all life and practice."
We live in a society that no longer believes the Bible holds absolute truth for our lives.
Most people, including Christians, choose what they want to believe out of the Bible, if they believe it at all.
But God is not molded or shaped by popular opinion.
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
God has revealed his heart and mind through the Bible and His Son Jesus Christ.
Therefore, the Bible is the authority for all life and practice.
How would we ever know the heart and mind of God if He had not revealed it to us through His Word?
But he has revealed it so we might be saved from sin and walk with Him in righteousness.
God teaches us his truth through His Word.
Knowing the truth of God is the first step toward freedom.
So, what is sin?
Sin is any transgression against the nature and character of God.
There is no sin greater than any other sin, and therefore, we are all in need of the redemptive work of Jesus.
We started the series with a panel discussion about the gospel's saving power and our eternal security in Christ Jesus.
Jesus is the justifier of those that have placed their faith in him.
Last week we discussed some questions about Christian liberty.
Is it ok for me to drink, smoke, and go to rated R movies?
The right question is, does it draw me to God, and is it controlling me?
In the midst of all the grey area, God gives us some absolutes in the scriptures.
The Bible gives us boundaries to know when we are offending God.
God will take out his wrath on the unrighteous.
He always has.
The death of Adam and Eve.
The Flood of Noah
The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
The Destruction of the Land of Cannon
The Crucifixion of Jesus
The coming Tribulation
The Final Judgement
Today I'm tackling the question, "Why am I going to hell for being Gay?" which is undoubtedly a loaded question.
I need to unpack so many facets of this question that I know we don't have time to hit them all today, but there are some essential things we need to discuss.
What causes someone to go to hell?
My heart broke for the person asking the question (and I don't know who it is) because someone or some church told them that being gay sends you to hell.
Maybe they saw someone holding a sign saying, "God hates Gay people."
I don't know, but I'm confident they didn't make it up alone.
Being Gay doesn't send you to hell any more than any other sin.
Living a homosexual lifestyle is well defined as a sin against God's nature and character.
In every list of sins you find in the Bible, sexual immorality is listed.
Fornication or promiscuity
Adultery
Homosexuality
and pornography (Matthew 5:27-28)
Salvation comes through faith in Jesus, not the works of the Law.
Every person that rejects the gospel of Jesus suffers the penalty of separation from God in hell which was prepared for the devil and his angels.
Can someone be struggling with homosexuality and be a Christian?
Let me say first that the feelings of a homosexual person are genuine.
But just because the emotions are real doesn't make it acceptable to God.
Jesus tackled these types of questions by going back to the original design of the Father.
One man with one woman for a lifetime.
In every aspect of life, the redemptive work of Christ is to bring us back to a proper place with God, not to give us the license to keep sinning.
A Question of Identity
The technical answer is yes; a person can be struggling with homosexuality and be a Christian because salvation is based on faith and not works.
Homosexuality has become an identity and not just a sin.
It's no longer something you do but who you are.
The LGBTQ community will say this is my authentic self.
We are all born in sin.
Authentically we are all abominations to God born in sin and deserving of death and hell.
God didn't make us this way; sin has made us this way, no matter what your way is.
Imagine a world where everyone was encouraged to live out their authentic self.
The murderer would say I was born to kill.
The pedophile would say I was born to abuse children.
The Adulterer would say I was born to cheat.
The thief would say I was born to steal.
The drunkard would say I was born to drink even if it kills people.
The reviler would say, I’m just a “B”
The Swidler would say I was born to take people for all they got.
In all these cases, people do say that!
But it doesn't make it acceptable to God.
For these very reasons, God sent his Son Jesus to redeem us from our authentic sin-cursed self and make us a new creature.
A Christian finds their identity in Christ, not their authentic sin-cursed self.
God calls us to put off the old man with his deeds and put on the new man in Christ.
The struggle of our flesh is real.
You don't get a pass from the fight because your struggle is homosexuality.
A genuine Christian, a follower of Christ, desires to put off the old man and walk in the new.
How do you deal with same-sex attraction?
Find your identity in the eternal and not in the temporal.
Receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior today.
Sexual orientation or attraction is not a forever thing.
Jesus made it very clear that there is no marriage in heaven.
There is no procreation or sex in heaven.
Fall in love with Jesus more than anything in this world.
Find out the heart of God from the Word he has given.
“The truth will set you free.”
Let the words of Christ dwell in you as you walk in the Spirit.
Abstain from sexual immorality of all kinds for the glory of God.
This might mean celibacy.
This might mean God works in your life to change your feelings toward the opposite sex.
(Warning: Getting married to the opposite sex with same-sex attraction does not fix your dilemma any more than fixing pornagraphy)
Seek out good counsel and support.
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