Grace and Truth

 I'm guessing you're aware that we're coming to the end of "Pride Month". The rainbow imagery is everywhere in our stores and TV's. When a preacher mentions this subject, some are quick to accuse, "Why are you singling out this topic?" I've seen people on social media complain, "Why do hateful Christians have to start a culture war!" Our society speaks loudly and frequently about the subject, I'm simply responding to the culture. They have a right to speak their beliefs - I have a responsibility to share what God's Word says on the subject.

I understand that this is a very emotionally charged issue and is a rather... 'adult' subject. As I speak this morning, I want to be very precise in my message and would like to ask something of you. Please listen patiently and with open hearts as we discern what God's Word says and as we seek our Biblical response.

Recently, a politician in the House of Representatives, who says he's a Christian, told fellow members of Congress - "I just thought I would now recite for you what Jesus Christ said about homosexuality,". He then remained silent for about 20 seconds before saying, "I yield back," ending his speech. That same politician weighed in when some baseball players didn't want to wear 'rainbow logos' on their uniforms in honor of pride month. He tweeted, "(They) should read the New Testament. Jesus is about love, not about hating people who are different from you."

Here's the problem - on the first part, he may be somewhat correct because we don't have anything recorded in the Bible where Jesus specifically addressed the subject of homosexuality. But that's as close as he gets to the truth. We do know Jesus did honor the sacred marriage relationship between a man and a woman as established by God. And I would ask that politician to follow his own advice and read the New Testament - because you will find that God's Word does have something to say about it. AND, not wanting to embrace and celebrate something the Bible calls sin is NOT being hateful.

I'm going to handle my outline a little differently than usual. I'm going to share it in chunks and go back and fill things in rather than just 'reveal' one point at a time. And it might appear that I'm saying two different things - but hopefully it will be clear by the end. I want to start by asking the question - is homosexuality...

I. Different than any other sin?

There is a difference between same sex attraction and acting on that attraction - but the question is: is homosexuality different than any other sin?

I know some would prefer we don't talk about divisive issues, and some would even suggest that this is more of a political issue. But it is an issue where the Bible clearly speaks even though it's not culturally acceptable to call homosexuality sin. And as much as I'd rather talk about different things - I can't ignore it when the issue loudly comes to the forefront as it has this past month.

Bob Russell the former Preacher at Southeast Christian Church authored an article entitled, "Should we surrender the Culture War?" He wrote, "We speak of Jesus as a healer and leader, but not Lord and King. We shout grace, whisper repentance... We retreat into silence in the face of horrendous evil and hope it will all go away. Will we explain our failure to get involved by saying, "We didn't want the church to have a negative image in the community, so we emphasized only what we're for"? If John the Baptist had that philosophy, he would never have confronted King Herod's immorality and got himself beheaded."

You cannot, with any intellectual integrity, argue that the Bible does not place homosexuality squarely in the category of sin. But - is homosexuality different than any other sin? And Biblically speaking -

A. It isn't

And it is - which is my next sub point. I'm not trying to talk out of both sides of my mouth - but this is where I'm asking for patience. The first passage I want to look at is from the Apostle Paul - from one whom Jesus hand picked to represent Him and His message. Paul wrote, in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV)...

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders (10) nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (11) And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Paul gives a list of things that are sin - that go against God's Will - and among this list is homosexuality. But Paul didn't place them in an order of - these are the worst and these others are little sins. Sure, there are some sins that have greater visible or more obvious consequences than others - but the Bible says that sin separates us from God. It doesn't say that little sins separate us a little and big ones separate us a lot - it says sin separates us from God.

God takes sin seriously - big sins and 'little sins'.... And notice that Paul wrote, 'that is what some of you were'. We have all been called out of our sin. Again the Apostle Paul was answering questions about sin and those outside the Church and he wrote in Romans 3:9-12 (NIV)...

What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. (10) As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; (11) there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. (12) All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."

So according to God's Word - sin is sin - all have sinned - and homosexuality is no different than any other sin. It's not the one big sin that we're to single out as the worst of the worst. And we're certainly not supposed to treat those who commit that sin as worse than anyone else. But here's where it gets complicated. Homosexuality is Biblically no different than any other sin - but, in another sense...

B. It is

And there are several things here. Any sexual sin, according to scripture, has a seriousness all its own. We see this in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NIV)...

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. (19) Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; (20) you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

And notice this covers all sexual sins - adultery, fornication (which is any sex outside of the context of marriage), pornography. There is a seriousness associated with sexual sin over and above the seriousness of other sins. But then in addition to that - our current culture has made homosexuality different than other sin.

One preacher wrote, "At this moment in history, contrary to all the other sins... homosexuality is celebrated by our larger society with pioneering excitement. It's seen as a good thing, as the new hallmark of progress."

It's not any different, but it is in the sense of how it's being treated in our society. No other sin has such a protected and celebrated status. In fact, Chicago's 'Pride Parade' is scheduled for today at noon. - You won't find any passage in scripture where hatred or violence towards any gay person is promoted or condoned - but you also can't deny that sin is sin. Anything that God says is sin shouldn't be celebrated or encouraged. All sin should be confessed and 'turned away from' - repented of...

1 John 1:8-10 (NIV)

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Homosexuality is no different from any other sin and we should respond in the same grace filled manner to all sin. But any unrepentant sin IS different. - And there are many, even many in our Churches who ask...

II. Does it matter?

'Why make people angry, why be controversial? If we're so vocal on this issue, they'll never want to hear the message of Jesus which is what we're supposed to be about in the first place.'

This is the message of Jesus - He came to die for sin, all sin, everyone's sin. We're called to repentance and to accept Jesus as both Savior and Lord. Are we willing to submit to God's authority in everything, or only where it's culturally acceptable...? - No matter the cost? Men may say it's a matter of 'celebrating pride' or about 'marriage equality' - but Jesus taught, in Matthew 19:4-6 (NIV)...

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' (5) and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? (6) So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Does it matter? There's a growing number of people who feel that Churches should be legally required to perform same sex marriages. A time is coming when I will be requested to perform a 'same sex ceremony' at Deep River. The church must be prepared to answer from a faithful understanding of, and a deep commitment to, the authority of God's Word. And we need to be prepared to respond with love, humility, and respect for both individuals AND God's Word. - Does it matter?

A. It does

And (letter B) it doesn't. But let's stick with 'it does' first. We understand - people matter to God. Gay people are not our enemies - but they, along with every other lost person must be our mission. And if we believe God's Word - this is an eternal matter. The Apostle John wrote this in John 3:36 (NIV)...

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.

One Christian writer communicated it this way - "As Christians, we believe with deepest sincerity that the embrace of homosexual practice, along with other sins, keeps people out of the kingdom of God. And if our society celebrates it, we can't both be caring and not say anything. Too much is at stake. This means it is an oversimplification to say that Christians are simply against homosexuality. We are against any sin that restrains people from everlasting joy in God, and homosexual practice just gets all the press because, at this cultural moment, it's the main sin that is so freshly endorsed in our context by the powers that be."

"We speak good news, with those sweetest, deepest, most glorious words of the cross - the same words that God spoke to us - "You're wrong, and you're loved." God tells us we're wrong, that the wages of sin is death, that unrepentant rebellion means judgment, that our rescue required the cursed death of his Son. And God tells us we're loved, that even while we were sinners, Jesus died for us, that while we were unrighteous, Jesus suffered in our place, that though we were destined for wrath, Jesus welcomes us into glory."

It does matter because if people don't hear God's truth from us - they may never hear it at all. And they will be lost forever. We cannot be silent simply out of fear of being labeled as bigoted or hateful. The most gracious thing you can do for a lost soul is to lovingly share the truth of Jesus' message of hope. So in a very real sense, all of this matters very greatly. But in another sense...

B. It doesn't

What I mean is - yes, it matters greatly in the grand picture - but as far as how I treat people different than me - it doesn't matter. A few years back I was asked out to lunch to plan a funeral for a woman's mother who had passed. She and her 'partner' - a woman - we all had a very nice lunch, and I did a nice funeral where I honored her mother and preached the truth of scripture.

Yes - this issue matters greatly - but in that situation, it didn't - because we're people - and Jesus loves people! Speaking the truth on the issue matters - but it doesn't change how we are to treat people. We are still called to the 'love our neighbor'. And we are still called to the Great Commission from Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)...

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Culture will change and people's views and morality will change - our mission does not. We're still supposed to teach God's truth; we're supposed to boldly but graciously call people to repentance and obedience to Jesus. And one final reminder that I think is vital in carrying out that mission...

Jesus, as God's Word in the flesh - as God incarnate - Jesus knew 'the law'. Jesus knew what was sin and called it out as such. But He also clearly told His followers to be very careful not to focus solely on other's sins without first paying attention to your own. We can't help anyone else with the 'sawdust in their eye' if we have a 'plank' in our own. Are we honoring the sanctity of marriage, as established by God, through our own personal actions in our lives?

It's very easy to spot sin in other's lives. It's very easy to get righteously angry at 'sinners' whose sin may be different than our own. We are to call sin for what it is - sin. But we also need to make sure we are honoring God with our own lives first.

So What?

We're living in a time when Godly values are being maligned and attacked. Christians are being vilified and called names and having their reputations and even their livelihoods assaulted - all for standing for God's Truth.

How will we respond? Will we respond with anger towards those who oppose Biblical values? Will we respond with apathy, or in silence - trading the truth for acceptance by men? Or will we boldly respond in love, answering the high calling that we have been given?

Statistically speaking - those in the "LGBTIQA+" crowd are a very small percentage of the population. But look at the massive influence that small group has achieved. What if, as Christians we were as passionate, proactive and vocal about following Jesus with everything we have? How would our nation look differently if we were as tireless about spreading the Gospel message? What would our Churches look like if we were as zealous and committed to our cause as those in the gay community are committed to theirs?

We always need to stand firm on the truth of God's Word - and we need to speak it boldly, compassionately and lovingly - the same way in which Jesus touched our hearts and changed our eternal destinies.