“The men set out from [the oaks of Mamre], and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. The LORD said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.’ Then the LORD said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.’” [1]
Society has been transformed with astonishing rapidity during my lifetime. Change is inevitable, I understand, but the transformation experienced in my lifetime can only be described as breathtaking. It is difficult for my grandchildren, and perhaps even for my children, to understand that the way things are is not how things have always been. In my father’s lifetime, travel moved from horse and carriage to rockets transporting men to the moon. In my lifetime, so much has changed that it is difficult to actually describe all that has taken place in a few short years. I can only imagine what shall yet be as I read the words which God’s angel spoke to Daniel, “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” [DANIEL 12:4b].
Think about the transformation that has already occurred. Children born after 1981 never knew what it was to sit in front of the television for hours on end—there were no computers in the home. There were a limited number of television networks—three major networks in the United States. Canadians could watch CBC, CTV, or a relatively new system identified as Global. Perhaps your family received as many as twelve television channels if you lived in a metropolitan area, but it was just as likely that you received three or fewer channels. You stood up and walked to the television to change channels, to adjust the volume, or even to turn the television on and off.
You carried maps to know where to go as you travelled into unfamiliar areas. Social media was nonexistent; if you wanted to know something about a subject, you found a book, or you consulted an encyclopaedia. There was no Email, so you wrote letters and sent the stamped envelope courtesy of the post office. You read a newspaper rather than an online news source. Entertainment was delivered according to a schedule rather than being at your disposal. Your photos couldn’t be hacked—in fact, you waited until they were developed to see whether your photos were acceptable and worth printing.
Those younger than thirty years of age never worked on a mainframe computer. They never used a slide rule to calculate a mathematical problem. They never worked on a Commodore computer. They never had to use a floppy disc and they likely have never been to a drive-in movie. Most millennials don’t know how to use a rotary phone and they never made a call from a pay phone. Calling cards would be a mystery to them!
During this same time period, major changes were taking place in the realm of morality, and the faithful were unprepared to address the issues that were being foisted on them—church leaders could not have anticipated what would happen. The churches permitted themselves to become spiritually flabby, preaching a message that had become insipid; religious leaders were uncertain how to respond, so they often blustered and resorted to polemics that convinced no one. By this date late in the Church Age, the voice of the faithful has been mostly silenced through threats and intimidation. Preachers hesitate to speak out against the bent of society to exalt as normal what was recognised as perverse only a few short years past.
The Word of God has never changed, though we who aver that this Word is authoritative are no longer trained to employ the Word as the Sword the Spirit intended it should be. The glare of Sodom and Gomorrah still casts garish shadows that dance across every page of the Word. Yes, the call of God is for all to look to Christ and be saved, but the dark side of God’s love reminds us that the Son of God presented His life as a sacrifice because of our broken condition. If we reject that sacrifice, nothing remains except that we should be rejected by the Holy One! And if we persist living in a manner that the Living God identifies as sinful, nothing remains for us but judgement—and that judgement may well be more immediate than we could ever imagine.
I came of age during the sixties. It was an era that witnessed dramatic societal changes. My parents grew up during the dirty thirties, experiencing the depth of the Great Depression. During that time, families did without, and despite the representation on television programmes, it was an era in which people demonstrated courtesy and consideration for one another. The sixties changed that. Wealth spread throughout society, and suddenly, excess seemed to mark every facet of life. Among the excesses that began to be increasingly noted was what has been referred to as a sexual revolution.
I understand that the subject under consideration in the message this day may cause discomfort for some. It is practically an invitation for outsiders to attack without considering what is said. There are people who will not be able to get beyond the title. They will react with rage because they assume that their ox is about to be gored.
However, the subject of homosexuality cannot be ignored. The reasons for this should be obvious, but because we are so uncomfortable speaking about homosexuality, the sin still needs to be stated. First, we must speak about this sin, and it is a sin, because the Bible addresses the matter. If we will honour the Word that has been delivered, we must know what has been said.
A second reason for addressing the subject of homosexuality is that it is constantly raised as an issue in the press. George Orwell said, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” There is considerable truth in that quote supposed to have come from Orwell. We live in a time when society has been turned upside down and the media promotes the topsy-turvy view of matters, especially sexual issues. We’ve witnessed a world that has been cowed into silence on the issue of homosexuality. If a pastor should speak out, whether with compassion or by presenting a polemic against the practise, what is said can become a major news item. Views approving of homosexuality voiced by people in the entertainment industry, in sports and even in religion are displayed prominently on news casts. Our youth are encouraged to explore their own sexuality, because they might just be disposed to take up this particular lifestyle; thus indoctrinated it is hoped they will not discriminate against homosexuals.
Yet another reason we must address the subject is that some who listen, perhaps even some who share our services today, struggle with their own sexual orientation, or they know a family member who struggles with these sexual desires. People have spoken to me at times of their personal struggles, and they want to know what the Bible says about their struggles. That should be reason enough to speak of the struggles they have.
Another reason to speak of homosexuality is that the AIDS epidemic has destroyed too many lives. Even in our own community are people who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, people who want to live a normal, productive life. The threat of death hangs over their lives, and they need to know what lies ahead when they are at last called to meet God.
Some years past, a woman approached me to ask if I would be willing to speak with her brother. He was a noted actor who had received a diagnosis of AIDS. He had come back to northern British Columbia to live out his final days. His sister wondered if I would be willing to meet him, speaking with him and perhaps offering him consolation in his final days.
I readily agreed to meet Jim, and we were able to speak quite frankly. It was my privilege to minister to him, telling him of Christ the Lord who died because of our sin, but Who was raised to life for our justification. In time, Jim did ask the Son of God to forgive him and to become Master of his life.
I recall with deep humility the final conversations Jim and I shared. He was in hospital; it would be his final stay. As we spoke on that morning before he died, Jim asked me what was next. I told him a story of a man who had asked that same question of his physician. He wasn’t asking about the physical aspects of dying; he was asking what lay beyond this moment we call “Now.”
As the physician pondered how to respond, the man’s little dog on the other side of the bedroom door began to scratch the door. “Please open the door and let my pup in,” he requested of the doctor. The doctor used what had just taken place to tell that man this. “Dying is something like what just happened. Your dog couldn’t see you. He knew you were here, and he wanted to be with you. However, until the door was opened, he couldn’t come to you. When I opened the door, he immediately came in and jumped up on the bed with you. Death is something like that. We stand on this side, unable to see what lies beyond, but we are confident in the One we will soon meet. When He opens the door, we pass through and are received by Him.” Jim was greatly relieved by that account of the process of dying and what lies beyond this life.
I had an urgent call that evening from Jim’s sister. She asked that I go to the hospital immediately as Jim was dying and had asked that I come. When I walked into the room, Jim was almost radiant. “Mike,” he said with conviction, “I’m not concerned. I know who is on the other side waiting to receive me. I’m ready to go home.”
I am confident that one day I will meet Jim again. I will not be in Heaven because I am better than him—I am a sinner who deserves condemnation. However, the Lord was gracious to me and received me because of the death of Christ the Lord. Nor is Jim in Heaven because of who he was—he is in Heaven because he received Christ as Master over his life. Jim came to faith late in the days of this life; I came to faith somewhat earlier. However, each of us came to faith in Jesus as Lord of life. We both deserved judgement, but we received mercy by God’s grace. And you, if you are saved, you came to Christ to receive mercy, though you knew that you deserved judgement.
Scripture cautions, “As it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” [HEBREWS 9:27-28]. I could hope that all people would have such peace when the time comes to exit this present life and make the transition of entering into the world beyond. And I would that all who hear me would have just such confidence in Christ the Lord, for it is only as we are given confidence by Him that we will be permitted to walk through this life with certainty.
However, I consider that the major reason to speak of this issue of homosexuality is that the faithful appear to have entered into a spiral of shame. The churches are fearful of speaking out, pastors are hesitant to declare what is written in the Word of God. Because of our failure to declare the whole counsel of God, our youth are left unequipped to respond to the assaults they experience because they are reluctant to give allegiance to the idea that this particular sin is somehow acceptable simply because society has decided that it is normal. It almost seems that followers of the Christ value the plaudits of this dying world more than they esteem God’s glory, and our youth pick up on our cowardice. We Christians have permitted ourselves to be silenced out of fear that we may have to pay a price for opposing what God has condemned. Such silence cannot be permitted—not if we will know and do the will of the Living God.
GOD CONDEMNS SIN — It almost seems as if it is necessary to qualify whatever may be said whenever one addresses any form of moral dissipation. This is especially true whenever the speaker addresses the issue of sexual immorality. Though true for many sexually deviant practises, this certainly holds true for homosexuality during the past several decades. For some decades before homosexuality came out of the dark recesses of broken humanity, moral turpitude appeared to have insinuated itself into every facet of western society. Had marital fidelity not been in such a tattered state, it is doubtful that homosexuality could have ever gained traction in our contemporary world.
There were multiple currents pressing against the stability of the family, and each of these currents has combined to weaken the fabric of society as it was once known. The most vocal elements of modern culture effectively redefined the meaning of “family.” This redefinition followed hard on the heels of a general weakening of the social compact of marriage. The rise of the welfare state led to government becoming the primary provider for a growing number of families, making the concept of a man bearing responsibility to provide for his family outdated and even detrimental in some instances. The concept of family planning became generally accepted throughout society, leading to the concept that we control our destiny. The general acceptance of abortion as a right meant that children no longer needed to be received as God’s gift to grace the home. Tragically, children are too often seen as an encumbrance upon personal happiness.
Consequently, many people who would have never approved of the gay lifestyle even a few years ago, tolerate, if not advocate, for the practise of homosexuality today. Perhaps these individuals have a family member who has announced that he or she is gay, or perhaps they are driven by what they believe is a sense of fairness, or perhaps they are simply unaware of what is entailed in the homosexual lifestyle. It is likely that they are not convinced of the fact that acceptance of that which is condemned in the Word of God saps the strength of the society that tolerates that particular sin.
Society is weakened when the unborn is devalued because we tolerate abortion. No one can estimate the number of blessings that would have otherwise graced society because we became quiescent in the face of the spurious claim that a woman’s control over her own body gives her the right to kill off the child she carries. We further drain the moral strength of society when we treat marriage vows as optional, promoting easy dissolution of the marriage union by exalting our personal desire over commitment to one another. We sap the cultural vitality of western society when we no longer exalt courage and honour by allowing people to flee responsibility to face up to daily pressures. Promoting escapism through ready access to recreational drugs, we enervate society. We undermine society when we depreciate personal responsibility by promoting same-sex marriage. There is a dreadful cost to any culture that depreciates God’s holy standards.
The Word of God speaks candidly about deviant sexual behaviour. We are assured that any sexual activity outside of the marriage relationship is condemned. It is true that some of those in a covenant relationship with the Lord GOD did engage in sexual activity on occasion that brought divine censure. Among the sexual sins that are recorded of people who were in a relationship with the LORD include such repugnant activities as incest and prostitution. Moreover, God has acknowledged that His people have engaged in activities such as divorce and polygamy; however, God never approved of such actions. Still, it should be apparent from even a casual reading of GENESIS 2:20-24 and from the undeniable witness presented throughout the New Testament that sexual activity is to be restricted to the marriage relationship—and marriage is always and ever defined as the voluntary union of one man and one woman, committed to one another for life.
Because this is true, fornication, adultery, and homosexual activity are always opposed to the will of God. Culture may change in an attempt to gain approval of these practises, but God Who has given us His Word does not change. Though pornography is ubiquitous today with gratuitous displays of sexual activity through the Internet and via television and music, pornography is opposed to righteousness. Even permitting the mind to drift to speculation of sexual activity outside of marriage dishonours the covenant relationship the believer has with the Living God.
Let’s begin, then, with a rather basic, incontrovertible truth with which I should imagine that all Christians accept, and I certainly hope it is true that all Christians are in agreement with the fact that God condemns sin! There is no such thing as a little bit of sin. It was sin that required the Son of God to give His life as a sacrifice. It was our fallen condition that necessitated the death of the Son of God. It is humbling for any of us to read Paul’s words penned to the faithful living in Rome. The Apostle wrote, “While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” [ROMANS 5:6-8]. Christ Jesus didn’t die for good people—He died for sinners. It was not after we had cleaned up our lives that Christ died for us, it was while we were weak, while we were ungodly.
Sin has marred our character, making us unlovely in the sight of God. Every facet of life has been contaminated by sin, ensuring that the warning God delivered to our first parents has been carried out: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” [GENESIS 2:16-17].
Our first parents did eat some of the fruit from that tree although God had warned them not to eat the fruit that grew on the tree. As consequence of their rebellion against the divine command, they fell from their position of innocence, and at that same precise moment intimacy with the LORD that they had enjoyed to that point was ruptured. Ever after and to this day, each human is born dying. Energy may be supplied for a time to ensure that the person can grow and even appear to thrive, but ultimately all the input of energy is insufficient to give life. And we cannot know intimacy with God who is life until we accept our dead condition and look to Him for life we do not otherwise possess. And that brings us to sexual sin—sex outside of marriage between one man and one woman committed to one another for life.
GOD CONDEMNS SEXUAL SIN — The writer of the Letter to Hebrew Christians admonished all who follow the Lord of Glory, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous” [HEBREWS 13:4]. Sex outside of marriage is sinful, inviting divine judgement. A short time ago in this message, I stated that God condemns sin. What needs to be said in the context of the message this day is that in condemning sin, Holy God condemns sexual sin, and any sex outside of marriage is sinful. Sex outside of marriage is an offence against Holy God. Therefore, know that God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Let that cautionary statement guide your life—“God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”
We’ve come to a day when our culture has taken leave of its senses and imagined we can redefine marriage. Churches have been largely cowed into silence about such redefinition because we don’t want to be ridiculed by the majority of society, or we don’t want to be censured as backward, as regressive. However, there is no question but that the Word of God defines marriage as the voluntary union of a man and a woman. Marriage is the commitment of a male and a female to live in voluntary and permanent union as husband and wife. Within that union, the man and the woman will have sexual relations for personal pleasure, in order to console one another in times of sorrow, and to provide for children who will grace the home. The union of the man and the woman reflects in a measure the union of Christ with His Bride, the church of the Living God.
However, as with all things touched by man’s hands, mankind tends to distort the beauty and the purity of the marriage bed. Because this is the case, God teaches His people that whatever their past life may have included, they are henceforth to seek to honour Him with their lives. We begin to honour God with a pure life when we come to faith, and we continue to walk in purity until we are taken home.
The Word of God admonishes Christians, “We ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you” [1 THESSALONIANS 4:1-8].
Our culture has become quite casual about sexual purity. Even among the churches, purity seems to be depreciated. As long as one keeps his lust hidden, it is almost as though it is approved. I recall an incident in a church I briefly pastored in the Lower Mainland. In the course of one message, I imagined an illustration of the son of a deacon sexually abusing the daughter of a pastor in the precincts of the church building. I never suspected that such a thing had actually occurred in that church only a short while prior to my arrival. My illustration, chosen because I could not imagine such a thing happening, caused an uproar. One of the deacon’s wives demanded a congregational meeting, in which she charged, “This pastor has aired our dirty laundry in public!”
Of course, I was innocent, having never suspected that such a thing had occurred. However, I said during the course of that meeting, “If such a thing happened, then it needs to be confronted and the sinning parties held to account. If there is dirty laundry, then the best disinfectant is sunlight.” The demand was met with outrage as people sought to hide the sin because the former pastor and the deacon father were still present in the congregation. They thought they were honouring God when they attempted to shield their children. “We can’t just destroy lives,” some whined. Would it surprise you to learn that the church is no longer in existence? The leadership of that congregation made the choice that they would rather live with a lie that walk in the light of the truth.
Something similar happened in a former congregation here in the north. A young man began living with a young woman who was still married to another man. I and my associate pastor visited the couple seeking to call them to account. We informed them that they must separate. Since the young woman was no longer living with her husband, I suggested that she needed to seek a formal divorce before she took up living with another man. After we had confronted them, the deacons of that congregation were incensed that I had done so, charging that I had driven the young couple from the church, that I had attempted to compel them to come ‘crawling on their bellies’ before the church. The young couple produced a child and separated within a couple of months of the birth of the child. The congregation that attempted to cover for them has paid an awful price for their spiritual duplicity. The deacons chose to live a lie rather than to walk in the light.
The purpose of focusing first on sexual purity in such broad terms is to emphasize the reality that it is our failure as Christians to emphasize sexual purity among our own members that has permitted the society in which we live to become susceptible to ever more dangerous sexual sin. We are the reason for the descent into moral dissipation. And if people imagine that practises that are condemned as impure now are the end of the descent, they deceive themselves. We will witness even steeper descent into moral dissolution in the days ahead. Dark days lie ahead of us now.
GOD CONDEMNS HOMOSEXUALITY — Even a casual acquaintance with the growth of homosexuality in contemporary culture convinces us that this is a difficult problem. There are no easy answers for why people choose to engage in the homosexual lifestyle. We don’t fully understand its causes, and there are no easy formulas for its solution. We know that homosexuality can be rooted in early life, emerging from a culturally-conditioned set of interpersonal relationships. There are some persons more vulnerable to this than others. Nevertheless, for some, there is a moment in which this orientation shifts into practise. A decision is made. An act of the will is involved in practicing that which, up to a given point, is a matter of orientation.
We also know that this practise is somewhat triggered by a sensate existence. A person without this particular orientation can involve himself or herself in a quest for thrills stemming from boredom. Not all persons who have a homosexual orientation go on to flesh it out. Some who have a lesser orientation in this direction than others, out of curiosity or sexual stimulation, determine to experiment.
What we can say with confidence is that the homosexual lifestyle is not a happy existence. There is nothing “gay” about being a homosexual. We read of marriages broken as one of the partners practises homosexuality on the side and finally leaves the marriage for partners of the same sex. When this happens, children can be confused, unable to understand what is breaking up their family.
What must be seen is that those grappling with homosexual desires are persons. We must deal with them fairly. Discrimination is wrong wherein a person is seriously grappling with the problem in a way that is not seductive of others. In the midst of this debate, the Bible does have something to say. Fortunately, the Word does speak clearly. One would have to force unnatural exegesis on the Scriptures to come up with a biblical rationalization for homosexual practise. There is no biblical excuse for those who practise homosexuality.
Pastor John Huffman cites Dr. Thomas Gillespie, the former esteemed president of Princeton Theological Seminary, who notes the efforts of some scholars to reinterpret the biblical texts differently from their historical interpretation in very strong language. Doctor Gillespie refers to these efforts as “intellectually bogus.” They endeavor to make the Bible say what they want it to say, not what it actually does say. [2] Let’s be clear at this point—professed Christians who filter the Bible through a contemporary cultural lens tend to accept homosexual activity as normal; Christians who filter culture through a biblical lens see the same activity as sinful. Your view exposes your commitment, either to contemporary culture or to the will of the Living God.
If you and I are truly believers in Jesus Christ, and if we take Scripture seriously, all scientific research, all medical and psychological data, and all contemporary thought must be subject to the ultimate standard provided by biblical authority. We cannot deny that the Bible is clear in condemning the practise of homosexual activity as a sin, a sin which stands judged by God as an abomination. Not one single passage in the Word of God endorses homosexual conduct as acceptable to God’s will.
The unnatural practise of homosexuality caused the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Old Testament highlights the rebellious practise that caused the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah—and make no mistake, the act is unnatural and therefore perverted. The Hebrew word that is translated “to know” in GENESIS 19:5 is used throughout the Scriptures as a euphemism for sexual intercourse. Bible readers are informed, “Before [the angels] lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them’” [GENESIS 19:4-5]. This passage and the events that followed do not permit anyone to argue that the men of Sodom only sought an introduction to the men who were received as guests by Lot. These men were not seeking a “meet and greet,” they wanted to rape the men who came into the city and to whom Lot showed hospitality.
Numerous Old Testament passages in the Levitical code condemn homosexual behavior, just as other sexual sins are condemned. Homosexuality is not more detestable to God than are other sins, but homosexuality is no less detestable to the Lord. Severe penalties are prescribed against these practises, all of which are identified as “an abomination.” In Leviticus, after condemning incestuous acts—whether with one’s stepmother, with one’s sister, one’s daughter or stepdaughter, or with one’s sister-in-law—and after condemning adultery, the LORD warns, “You must not have sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman; it is a detestable act. You must not have sexual intercourse with any animal to become defiled with it, and a woman must not stand before an animal to have sexual intercourse with it; it is a perversion” [LEVITICUS 18:22-23 NET BIBLE ].
Some say that the New Testament doctrine has declared independence from the Old Testament Law. It is significant that the Apostles did not lower the barriers to accommodate the early Christians to pagan sexual mores—sexual attitudes which tolerated fornication, adultery, and homosexual activity with little public stigma. Paul indicates that one major evidence of paganism’s religious bankruptcy is the helpless tendency of its intellectuals towards sexual inversion.
As Paul builds his list of evidence of wickedness and rebellion against God, he lists homosexuality and lesbianism first after adultery. Paul writes: “God delivered [culture] to sexual impurity as they followed the lusts of their hearts and dishonored their bodies with one another. They exchanged God’s truth for a lie and worshipped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
“For this reason, God delivered them to degrading passions as their females exchanged their natural sexual function for one that is unnatural. In the same way, their males also abandoned their natural sexual function toward females and burned with lust toward one another. Males committed indecent acts with males, and received within themselves the appropriate penalty for their perversion” [ROMANS 1:24-27 ISV]. These particular sins are mentioned, not because they are the most serious category of sins, but because they are warning signs that a violation of reason and nature has occurred.
Dr. Richard Lovelace of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary compared this to a blinking red light on an automobile dashboard to show that something is functioning improperly. Those who would plead that the Bible condemns only lustful and unloving homosexual behavior have to face the reality of this passage. The Apostle says that such activities cry out against nature itself. Such widespread practise is a signal that a culture is in deep spiritual trouble! [3]
Of course, you believe the Word of God. And since you believe what is written, how shall you interpret what the Apostle has written in his First Letter to the Church of God in Corinth? There, Paul writes, “You know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, don’t you? Stop deceiving yourselves! Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunks, slanderers, and robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God” [1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-10 ISV]. To be certain, homosexuality is not worse than other sins, but homosexuality is sinful. What is written makes it abundantly clear that unrepentant acts of homosexuality are simply not compatible with Christianity.
What is written in this Corinthian Letter is echoed elsewhere. For instance, writing Timothy, Paul cautions “[The] Law is not intended for a righteous person, but for lawless and rebellious people, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, sexually immoral people, practicing homosexuals, kidnappers, liars, perjurers—in fact, for any who live contrary to sound teaching” [1 TIMOTHY 1:9-10 NET BIBLE].
It seems important to note that this censure of homosexuality continues in the Word. Jude, the brother of our Lord, writes, “Some people, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into sensuality and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.
“Now I want to remind you, although you came to know all these things once and for all, that Jesus saved a people out of Egypt and later destroyed those who did not believe; and the angels who did not keep their own position but abandoned their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deep darkness for the judgment on the great day. Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns committed sexual immorality and perversions, and serve as an example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire” [JUDE 4-7 CSB].
Jude echoes what the Apostle Peter has written in his Second Letter. Listen to this somewhat extended passage found in 2 PETER 2:1-10 ISV. Peter has written, “There were false prophets among the people [in the days of the Old Testament], just as there also will be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many people will follow their immoral ways, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned. In their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. The ancient verdict against them is still in force, and their destruction is not delayed.
“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but threw them into the lowest hell and imprisoned them in chains of deepest darkness, holding them for judgment; and if he did not spare the ancient world but protected Noah, a righteous preacher, along with seven others when he brought the flood on the world of ungodly people; and if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them by burning them to ashes, making them an example to ungodly people of what is going to happen to them; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man who was greatly distressed by the immoral conduct of lawless people—for as long as that righteous man lived among them, day after day he was being tortured in his righteous soul by what he saw and heard in their lawless actions—then the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and to hold unrighteous people for punishment on the day of judgment, especially those who satisfy their flesh by indulging in its passions and who despise authority.
“Being bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to slander glorious beings.”
Imagine! False teachers who will promote wickedness! False teachers that will use deceptive words to deceive the people of God, providing an apologia for sinful practises and justifying acts that dishonour God. Not only has that day arrived, but the consequences of such acts still stand. God will judge evil; and those who promote wickedness will suffer divine wrath. The evidence that this is true are the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah. Those ancient cities of the plain that were burned to ash are remembered for one great reason—God wants us to know that He will judge sin. God wants all people to know with certainty that He is holy, and that that which is unholy must be judged.
I am not condemning homosexuals. However, I must be very clear that God does condemn homosexual acts. Because that judgement is real, my purpose is to tell all who hear that there is freedom from condemnation. There is freedom from judgement. There is deliverance from sin. That deliverance and that freedom is found in Christ Jesus as Master over life. The message is intended to encourage Christians to declare this truth.
Have you heard this message, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” [1 TIMOTHY 1:15b]? And with the Apostle, I confess that I number myself among the foremost of sinners. However, “I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life” [1 TIMOTHY 1:16]. The offer I bring is for all who are willing to receive it. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:13]. Be saved today. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] https://www.preaching.com/sermons/like-it-or-not-we-just-cant-avoid-addressing-homosexuality/, accessed 10 February 2020
[3] Cited by Huffman, op. cit.
