Homosexuality
Hot Potatoes that Make People HOT!!, Part 2
It goes without saying that this is not the easiest topic to talk about. For most people, just hearing the word homosexual makes them very uncomfortable. Not only is this an uncomfortable issue, but is also highly emotionally charged. Today, let’s think biblically and honestly, and sift through our own biases and opinions and prejudice we have in this area.
When we’re uncomfortable with a topic, we tend to gravitate towards extremes. One extreme is to treat a topic too lightly. That is why so many people today, the only thing you hear out of their mouths when
it comes to homosexuality is jokes. On the other end are people who talk about it with broad generalizations.
Why Do We Need to Talk About This?
And, so, I think a good way to begin is to answer the question and explain why I think it’s necessary for us to talk about that … with “that” being the issue of homosexuality.
Right up front, I should say that one of the reasons to talk about it is not that I enjoy standing in front of oncoming freight trains … which is what I’ve felt like all week as I’ve prepared for this message. In the culture in which we live these days, unless you come down on the side of the pro-gay and lesbian political agenda (which I do not) or on the side of radical religious fundamentalism (which I also do not), you feel like you’re pretty much tying yourself to the track!
Here are some of the reasons why I think it is important to talk about this issue:
1. First of all, there is an unprecedented cultural pressure to approve of the homosexual lifestyle.
Never in the history of our nation has homosexuality been as front and center as it is right now. It seems as if you can’t turn on the television anymore without coming across the issue in some form or another.
It’s been part of the presidential and vice-presidential debates. We’ve heard the governor of NJ announce “I am a gay American.” We’ve seen gay marriages approved and then overturned in California. Many states have constitutional amendments on the ballot to define marriage as excluding homosexual partnerships; hate crimes legislation is being rewritten to shield gays and lesbians from discriminatory speech and practice; and that’s to say nothing of the explosion of sitcoms and reality TV featuring homosexual lifestyles.
In all of this, the overwhelming message is “this lifestyle is Okay. The only people against it are backward-thinking, sexually-repressed, homophobic Neanderthals … and you don’t want to be one of them, now do you?”
Of course, that leads to another reason why we need to look at this issue.
2. Growing debate over what the Bible does say about homosexuality.
20 years ago, there was very little debate at all on this issue. Most pastors and churches believed and taught that “what the Bible says” is that “homosexual practices are wrong and sinful.”
But times have changed. Many churches and entire denominations have concluded that the Bible really doesn’t say that, or if it does say that, it no longer applies. Many churches today “marry” homosexual couples and some have even gone as far as ordaining gay and lesbian clergy.
And if you’re a person who has any level of interest in church, you’ve got to wonder - what about that? Where does my church stand on this issue?
Another reason I think this is an important issue is that societal factors are contributing to an…
3. Increase in identity confusion among young men and women.
More and more kids come from dysfunctional family backgrounds, have premature sexual experiences, are exposed to pornography, and have suffered sexual abuse than ever before. These kids are walking wounded and they are confused over the conflicting desires and attractions they feel towards members of the same sex. Even kids in the church are struggling with it.
And the message most of them hear in our culture is “You’re born this way. Learn to embrace it. And, by the way, nobody else will understand and love you. Come be part of our community … the homosexual community.”
What disturbs me is that this seems to be the only culturally acceptable answer these days. It’s a terrible thing these days to say, “Hey, this isn’t the only answer.” I don’t think it should be that way, and I think kids and grownups need to hear about other alternatives to the gay and lesbian lifestyle.
I have 5 areas I want to talk about today.
Conviction or Compassion?
The first one is about the question of approach. It applies to us as a church. Should we have conviction or compassion?
Let’s begin right up front talking about the most unacceptable ways to approach those who struggle
with homosexuality. The first is…
1. Thinking of the homosexual as inferior.
In Genesis 19, the Bible tells us that God destroyed the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their many sins, including homosexuality. But Jesus takes this Old Testament story in the book of Luke and
applies it in a different kind of way. He is speaking to His disciples when He says…
Did you have any idea that God’s kingdom was right on your doorstep?’ Sodom will have it better on Judgment Day than the town that rejects you.
Luke 10:11-12
Jesus is talking about a time when he sent His disciples out to preach the kingdom of God. “Go and tell the Good News to all of the surrounding communities.” Jesus makes it very clear that there will come a time that everyone will stand before the judgment seat of God. On that day, those cities that were destroyed for their homosexuality, they will fare better in the eyes of God than those people who heard the message of God, the Gospel clearly preached to them, and rejected it.
The tendency among believers is to think of homosexuality as the worst sin. I have heard people say that, I have read pastor’s sermons who have pontificated that. But I want to tell you that if you are making a list, beginning with the worst sins and going down from there, the very top sin, the #1 worst sin in Jesus’ mind is unbelief. It is unbelief that will keep you out of heaven. It is unbelief that will keep you from the one way to know God, which is Jesus Christ.
When we look at homosexuality as the worst sin, forgetting that ‘If we know clearly the message of
the Gospel and you say no to God’, that ranks us in Jesus’ eyes as a far worse sinner.
2. Thinking of yourself as superior.
“Why are we so quick to condemn homosexuals? I think the answer is partly that homosexual acts are the rarest of sins. The sins that 9 out of 10 of us can honestly say that we have never been tempted by or committed. That situation tempts us who feel righteous in that regard to spiritual pride that has us praying the prayer of the Pharisee in Luke 18, “God, I thank you that I am not like these people.” In
the meantime we fail to pray the prayer that really counts, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
Joe Dallas is the former president of Exodus International, which is a nationally known ministry that helps people get out of the homosexual lifestyle. Joe Dallas was involved in the pro-gay church movement, and he was a homosexual rights activists, a student minister at the Metropolitan Community Church in Southern California. Dallas says this:
The gay churches are full of men and women who know better, but they feel they have no where else to go. Nobody has ever shown them that there is a way out of this particular sin. Few evangelical
Christians are willing to stop and listen a moment to a homosexual’s pain.
What Dallas was talking about is the fact that in the average church most heterosexual believers have no sympathy whatsoever for what it would take for a homosexual person to come out of that life and join their church. The attitude of the average church is “Just repent and get over it.”
What is a more Christ-honoring approach?
As the Lord’s servant, you must not quarrel. You must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher, who is gentle as you correct your opponents, for it may be that God will give them the opportunity to repent and come to know the truth. And then they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the Devil, who had caught them and made them obey his will.
2 Timothy 2:24-26
Speak the truth in love… Ephesians 4:15
Conviction is living my life according to God’s standard and God’s truth.
Compassion is the awareness that I need to love sinners, always remembering that I am one, too.
Conviction must always be combined with compassion. If they ever get out of balance in your life, you will be an out of balance person, and your decisions will be skewed by it.
A person who is all conviction is a person who will eventually become a heartless Pharisee. You will harden your heart to your own sin and you will push people away from God if you are all conviction.
If you are all compassion, you will loose your moral compass. You will degenerate to a person with mere sentimentality, a person who lives off of sound bytes, a person who is not thoughtful, and person who really does not help people because you’re not committed to truth.
We have to be people of conviction and compassion. Today as I share with you about this hot topic of homosexuality, I want talk about it clearly, wisely, and compassionately. I want to hold up God’s truth with one hand, and God’s grace with the other hand.
Bottom Line is this: If a sinner cannot see and feel the love of Christ in us, then our witness is not Christian. People who practice homosexuality are not enemies of the church; they are victims of the enemy and they need God’s love. We must always speak the truth in love.
Hugh Downs was on 20/20 interviewing Billy Graham years back, and the subject turned to homosexuality. Hugh Downs looked at Graham and asked this question: “If you had a son who was a homosexual, would you love him?” Billy Graham, without hesitation, said, “Why, I would love that one even
more.”
Homosexuality is Unbiblical and Illogical
As I talk about homosexuality today, let’s suppose that you don’t believe the Bible. Not only will I present the homosexual arguments, but I will refute them from a biblical standpoint as well as a logical standpoint. It is illogical to consider homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle. Let’s look at the logical case against
homosexuality, and then the biblical case against homosexuality. Here’s the first argument:
Argument #1:
“I did not choose to be a homosexual. My genetics have predisposed me to be a homosexual.”
Many homosexuals believe it is inherited and studies conducted in recent years indicate it is in the genes and
is therefore involuntary.
Answer: Even though there may be some people who have specific chromosomes that make
them prone to homosexuality, homosexuality is still a choice.
A lot has been written over the past decade about the possible root causes of homosexuality. Is it heredity, or is it environment? In other words, are there actual biological factors that determine sexual orientation, or predispose someone towards homosexuality, or is it just a matter of how we are parented and the environment that surrounds us.
Almost all homosexuals feel that they were born homosexual. The implication is, ‘Because I was born this way, it is not my fault and I cannot change.’ Many times they compare it to people who are born with blue eyes, or people who are born left-handed. The idea is that ‘It is not a disorder to be treated, it is just something that you have to accept.’
Let me quote to you what Joe Dallas says.
“We have been told that studies have shown conclusively that homosexuality is genetic in origin—that people are born gay. It is an unchangeable condition and should be accepted therefore as skin color or left-handedness are accepted as different but entirely normal. Now we know from the admissions of people who have done the studies, such as Simon Levay, Pillard, and Bailey that these
studies are not conclusive. These scientists have admitted that.”
Dr. Charles Sicartti of the Albert Einstein College of New York says this:
“There is no possibility of someone developing homosexuality from hereditary or organic causes; it is
just impossible.”
I am certain that homosexuality does not result from irresistible genetic influences, as some would have us believe.
First, if it were specifically a genetic trait, then all identical twins would either have it or not have it. Their genes are exact duplicates, so anything deriving specifically from their DNA would express itself identically in the two individuals. Such is not the case. There are thousands of identical twins with whom one is gay and the other is straight.
Second, inherited characteristics that are not passed on to the next generation are eliminated from the gene pool. Since homosexuals and lesbians reproduce less frequently than heterosexuals, there should be a steadily decreasing number of people in the population with homosexual tendencies -- especially over the many thousands of years mankind has been on the earth. There is, however, no indication that its numbers are in decline.
Third, Scripture refers to epidemics of homosexuality and lesbianism that occurred in specific
cultures. For example, in Romans 1:26-27 the apostle Paul describes such a time in Corinth:
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. (That final sentence sounds like the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, doesn’t it?)
Romans 1:26-27
Again, if homosexuality were inherited within the human family, it would be constant over time and within cultures. There would not be surges and epidemics as the apostle Paul referred to and as we appear to be seeing today.
Fourth, God is infinitely just. and He would not speak of homosexuality as a sin if men and women bore no responsibility for engaging in it (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). That is not how He does business.
So what is the answer from the Bible? Are men and women born homosexuals?
I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. Psalms 51:5
We are all born with a sin nature, with a propensity to do wrong. We are born sinners. Even though we are
born this way, we also choose to sin.
But they choose their own ways, delighting in their sins. Isaiah 66:3
You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval.
Romans 6:16
Our desires do not define us, our choices do.
What we do, not what we desire, defines who we are. The Bible doesn’t necessarily condemn homosexual desire, it condemns homosexual behavior. Like any other desire that is outside the will of God, the Bible teaches us to resist it.
In the Bible, you will never find a single example where God tells people not to do what they have no control over. It is not in there. The Bible does not say, “Thou Shalt Not Have Sexual Desires.” That would be an absurd command. Why? You can’t help but having sexual desires; you were created as a sexual being. The Bible does not tell us not to do what we have no control over. What it does tell us to do is to take those desires that we have and channel them in ways that honor Christ. When it comes to sexual desire, it is a married, heterosexual relationship.
We all have desires. Desires are not bad or good. They don’t become right or wrong until we act upon those desires. The moment I make a choice, that’s when it becomes right or wrong. Our desires do not define us, our choices do.
Argument #2: “This lifestyle is healthy and normal.”
Answer: No, this lifestyle is not healthy nor normal.
The media tells us that 10% of the population is gay. Those numbers have been proven to be false. The correct numbers is about 1%..
What we see portrayed in Primetime Television is that this lifestyle is portrayed as an alternative lifestyle that is every bit as healthy and normal and natural as heterosexual relationships. Is that scenario that is portrayed on our TV’s honest? Is it true of most homosexuals? The numbers don’t lie.
Sexually transmitted diseases are one of the biggest consequences of homosexual behavior. Listen to these studies.
According to the American Medical Association, homosexuals are 23% more likely to contact STD’s than are heterosexuals. Lesbians are 6 times more likely to be substance abusers than are heterosexual women. Gay teenagers are 9 times more likely of using alcohol on a daily basis, 19 times more likely of using cocaine, 7 times more likely to have injected an illegal drug, and 50% more likely to commit suicide.
He is the most startling statistic I have found. The average young man dying of AIDs today is 39. The average age of a homosexual dying of all other causes today is 41. 1% of homosexuals die of old age. Less than 3% of homosexuals reach the age of 55.
My question for you is this: Is that healthy? Is that normal? Here is rampant disease that is plaguing the homosexual community.
Argument #3: “There are many people in monogamous homosexual lifestyles.”
Answer: No, there’s not.
If you set aside infidelity, and you’re very generous with the definition of long-term relationships (a relationship that lasts 4 years), Do you know how many homosexual relationships fit into that pattern? Less than 8%. The fact is that the homosexual community is extremely promiscuous. Better than a third of all
male homosexuals have had more than a 1,000 sexual partners in their lifetime.
Argument #4: “The Bible does not condemn the homosexual lifestyles.”
Answer: The Bible is very clear. Homosexuality is a choice and is a sin.
I know in this message I could have gone through all of the key Bible passages. I choose not to do that. Instead, I want to list 5 key passages in your notes. I will make this simple observation. It is striking to know that every time homosexual behavior is mentioned in scripture it is condemned. There are only 2 ways to get around that reality. One is through gross misinterpretation of the Bible. The other is to throw out the Bible entirely.
If you believe this book, if you believe that it is the Word of God, God calls this sinful behavior.
Don’t you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers—none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God. That’s what some of you were, but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous man, 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 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,
1 Timothy 1:9
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
Romans 1:26-27
Before we all get to cocky and smug with our position right now, let’s look at the list of sins that Paul
mentions in Romans. Yes, he starts with homosexuality, but look where he goes from here…
Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving.
Romans 1:29-31
Any people who are greedy? Always wanting more? What about any murderers? Anyone ever executed someone with your tongue? Any people who are angry? Any gossips? Anybody ever want what other people have? Any people envious? Any one proud. Anyone ever disobedient to their parents? Anyone unforgiving? Anyone heartless? Then you are no better than people who struggle with homosexuality.
You see, we rate and categorize sins, but they are all the same to God. He died for the pervert as well
as the person who is a gossip. Don’t deceive yourself. You are no better. We are all broken.
Is their hope, or is it hopeless? The Question of Change
In the past 20 years, the official stance of the Medical Psychiatric Association has gone from the
belief that this is…
1. A mental disorder
2. It is a mental disorder if somebody doesn’t want it, to
3. Today, the official stance is ‘It is no longer a disorder.’
The bulk of literature and education in today’s psychiatric field is trying to teach people how to get comfortable with their homosexuality and how to avoid homophobia.
Here me church, we have to be compassionate with homosexuals but we also have to talk about the truth. Conviction and compassion—it takes both.
The truth that homosexual activists do not want to accept is that it is possible to be delivered from homosexuality. Literally thousands upon thousands of people have found this to be true.
According to Bill Consiglio who is the director of Hope ministries, 40% of homosexuals who seek change move to becoming full heterosexuals, with many entering marriage and having children. An additional 40% are able to live fulfilling lives as celibate Christian singles.
The conversion rate from homosexuality has been amazingly successful. There has been 80 years of documented research that demonstrates they have the same degree of success of treating homosexuality as they do depression.
Now if you want to say that we’re not making any headways on depression and we should just give up treating people because we’re not being effective at all, then I don’t know what to do with that. The fact is that it has been very successful. You’re not hearing about this in the evening news, you’re not hearing about
this in the press or our culture, but there is hope from getting out of this sin.
How do you Minister to People who are Struggling with Homosexuality?
1. You have to see a person, not a homosexual.
How would you deal with anybody who needed the love of Jesus in their life? That is the way you approach a homosexual, too. Remember, the Gospel means Good News. We are presenting a Savior who saves, not a code of ethics. God wants to redeem the entire person, not just that person’s sexuality.
The message that the church sends to the homosexual community is this: “Change, and then come to church and get saved.” That is the message that we send. My question to everybody who is a believer here is this: “How can anybody change without Jesus?” How can we change? Do you have power to change your life? I don’t! The only power that has ever been available to me is the power of Christ working in my redemption in my life.
Yes, people come into this place who have issues, and have problems, and have brokenness. No, they
cannot change that on their own; it takes the power of God at work in their life to change.
Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, (that is the bad news—these people will not inherit the Kingdom of God), and that’s what some of you were (circle were), but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God has done for you.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
This is a place of hope. As he looked back on the church at Corinth, he says, “I know that there are some of you who have come out of this homosexual lifestyle and have found Christ. That’s what you were, but now you have been washed and redeemed. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
We have to examine our own heart. The fact is, all of us are strugglers here. We are all struggling with our secret sins, and we have more in common with people who struggle with this sin than you realize, because all of us our broken. None of us can claim the moral high ground. All of us have sinned.
This place is for everyone who is broken. If you are struggling with this sin, or just struggling with any other, no that this church is for imperfect people. If you don’t have it all together, you are welcome. But if you have all the answers, if you don’t struggle with anything, if you think you are perfect, then there is a church right across the street where you’ll be welcome with people of your kind. People who are oblivious to their sin, who are Pharisaical, and who are hypocrites.
This church if for broken people. Know that we will accept you and Jesus accepts you just as you are,
but when you come to Him, He will change you.
Resources
Exodus International: www.exodus-international.org
Dallas, Joe. Desires in Conflict. Harvest House, 1991.
Schmidt, Thomas E. Straight & Narrow? Compassion & Clarity in the Homosexuality Debate. Intervarsity, 1995.
