Homosexuality and the Believer

Thank you, John.

I'm going to ask you in advance to give a report to me.

Judith and I are going away for a brief vacation.

We're leaving after the morning service.

We're going down to, where is it?

Sevierville, Tennessee, okay?

Down near Gatlinburg, et cetera,

and we're going to have a wonderful time there.

Be back Thursday evening.

But I am not going to be here for the youth missions team report tonight,

and here's what I am looking for in particular.

I want to know whether or not the person who speaks, that's Caleb Gibbs,

if he asks you to pray for him, will you report on that?

You let me know.

You can email me.

This is one of those times that you can email me.

I want the inbox with lots of people saying, yes, he asked for prayer.

Three or four times, he stopped and did it specifically so that you had adequate emails in your inbox.

You got it?

Okay.

Do we believe in praying for those who preach the Word of God?

What's the answer?

Yes.

Yes.

I am looking forward to the reports I hear.

I know that our missions team has been working diligently.

I'm very thankful for what they have been doing and for what all of those who are working with our young people have been doing.

It's a great blessing to watch them at work and to see the details that God is bringing together.

Well, if I'm going to ask you to pray for me, then let's do it together,

and then you can kind of at least three times during the service, and you may sense when it's necessary.

You just say, oh, Lord, help them.

I don't care if you do it out loud.

It won't bother me.

I believe it more than you do.

That was wrong.

But I depend on your prayer, and so I don't care if you say it out loud.

Now, some of you are going to do that just because you're perverse, and it won't bother me.

There you go.

More, more often.

Okay.

Precious Father, my heart can't help but think about the truth of Zechariah where it said,

not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord.

Preaching is a terrifying business in that while it is the sweet savor of salvation to those who are being saved,

it is the odor of death to those who turn away from Christ.

And I would ask your power this morning to preach the word with clarity and with the enabling of the Spirit of God,

that those who are here today and know Christ would have their hearts strengthened,

their resolve increased,

their passion for holy living amplified,

and their desire to see people come to the Savior strengthened.

And pray for those who are here today that do not know Christ,

some that are completely deceived,

believing that church attendance or something they said decades ago

that really has never made any difference in their life

is the same as having a personal relationship with the living God and Savior of this universe.

And I pray that this morning your Spirit would bring them to conviction,

that they would see their need for the Lord Jesus Christ,

and they would cry out and be saved.

Now help me.

I ask it for your glory.

Amen.

Well, you who know me, I think over 26 years,

know that topical messages are not my favorite.

I'll just tell you that right up front in case you didn't know it.

I would much rather start in chapter 1, verse 1 of Ephesians

and work my way through to the end of Ephesians,

and then after that, I can tell you I'm already beginning to pray

about what I'm going to preach next, Lord willing.

And I'll tell you ahead of time that I'm beginning to think real seriously

about the book of John.

And I don't know, I can't promise that yet,

but it's beginning to become a thematic focus

in my own private devotions and study.

And I love preaching expositionally.

Take our time and work our way through the book.

That's my preference.

But there are times that I believe it is right, it is important,

it is responsibility of a person who ministers the Word of God

to speak to those matters that are contemporary to where we are.

And I don't think there's a one of you here in the room

that is not aware of the fact that the Supreme Court,

the Supreme Court, the Supreme Justices,

are in the process of considering the Defense of Marriage Act

that California passed.

And there is a high probability that the court is going to,

in some way or another,

diminish the significance of that law

and pose some challenges to the traditional view of marriage.

And that being the case,

I believed that it was right for me,

as a preacher of the gospel,

to stand before you

and address the issue of homosexuality and the believer.

So let me speak, first of all, in broad terms,

in terms of where we are and what's going on,

bring it down a little more specifically

to what's happening with the issue of homosexuality,

and then bring it down to what I believe

is the most important part for us.

What is it that Christ wants us to do

as His witnesses and representatives

in this world that He has placed us in?

So let's think about it in broad terms.

Where are we?

First, let's kind of look at the broad state of our nation

and what is happening with social norms.

Recognize that you may take pleasure

in realizing that divorce rates are dropping.

How many of you picked up on that?

The divorce rates are dropping.

Good news, good news.

The fact of the matter is,

the reason divorce rates are dropping

is because people are just not marrying.

And so I wouldn't go around touting the statistics

that says,

whoo, we're having some kind of modest revival

because fewer people are getting divorced.

The truth of the matter is,

fewer people are getting married.

And more and more people are just cohabiting,

living together,

and just kind of leaving it out there.

Let me give you some very startling statistics.

41% of the children in the United States of America

live in single-parent homes.

41% of children in America

live in single-parent homes.

I was doing some research on the web,

and I was really struck that

one of the primary factors in poverty

is single-parent homes.

You look at the statistics

and recognize that 29% of Eurasian people,

white community,

they come from single-parent homes.

53% in the Latino community,

and 73% in the black community

live in single-parent homes.

It is devastating to stop and realize

how many people grow up

without a daddy and a mommy

in the same home.

It's unbelievable.

We are growing into a culture

in which entitlement is a way of life

and a perceived right.

And if you want to see people

really get animated and really angry,

just suggest to them

that you're going to take away

any of their entitlements,

any at all.

Our rate of narcissism,

that's a fancy little word

for self-focus,

has grown by incredible leaps and bounds

in the last two decades,

and it is at the point

where people are culturally consumed

with themselves

and their own preferences and interests.

Our culture's drug use

and criminal behavior

is up significantly.

I sat in here

about a week ago

when our homeowners association here,

Trebu Woods,

we host them once a year,

and they had a police officer

come in and talk to them

about just common safety

and block watch issues

because there's so much crime going on.

It is going on

because of heroin in particular,

and they were just giving little tips

on what not to do

to make your house a ready target.

Let's speak a little more specifically

to what we see happening

in the area of homosexuality.

We see there is an aggressive agenda

that has sought to unseat truth

and to suppress it

in news,

in entertainment,

in classrooms,

and in every manifestation

of the public square.

Make no mistake about it.

Those who oppose our God and Savior

will never be happy

so long as any believer

is capable of standing up for the truth

and calling people to repentance.

Don't be surprised

because we realize

that what is really going on,

there are two kingdoms in conflict.

Do you understand that?

There are two kingdoms in conflict,

and don't be surprised

at the adversity

that is coming for those

who will at any point

and any juncture say,

hey, that's not right.

I am stunned

to realize that there's been

a significant shift

in public opinion

on many fronts,

but particularly

in the area of human sexuality

and self-gratification.

There's been a huge shift

in the last 20 years.

I remember when I was going

to seminary

in the mid-70s,

and the predominant focus

of my seminary education

was on learning the languages

and the discipline of exposition

and study

and pastoral theology,

and nobody ever thought

to say to me,

pastor, before you retire,

you are going to be dealing

with the devolution

of American culture,

and you are going to see

the church of the living God

become progressively

colder and colder,

both to holiness

and to moral purity.

We see a futile attempt

by social conservatives

trying to argue

a theological truth

without relying on the authority

and the sufficiency

of Scripture.

And when you turn away

from arguing

a theological truth

without relying upon

the theology of truth,

guess what happens?

It doesn't work.

I don't know

if you're actually aware of it,

and some of you perhaps are,

but in, let's see,

what is it, 2003,

the law against sodomy

in the state of Texas

was ruled against

by the Supreme Courts.

when that was,

when that happened,

the reality of the fact

is this,

is that there was removed

all rational basis

for insisting on any kind

of moral behavior

in our culture.

And be certain of this,

that once that has passed

by the wayside,

the door is open

for every kind

of imaginable perversion

as men can imagine.

It's very interesting.

I did some research

last several weeks.

I've been studying

and praying about this subject.

But one of the things

that I went back

and began researching

is the vocabulary

of acceptance

that has worked its way in.

You may not realize this,

but first of all,

there was a time

when homosexuality

was called a perversion,

even in secular fields.

Then it was recognized

as a psychological difficulty.

And then it was recognized

as an alternative lifestyle

and a preference

that everybody should have

the right to choose

simply because,

hey, that's what I want

and why should I not

be given what I want?

Listen to me carefully.

The same logic

is being played out today

in the area of pedophilia.

And any of you

who don't know

what the word means,

you can ask your mother

or daddy at home

later on.

The vocabulary

of teaching our culture

to be acceptable

to that form

of misbehavior

is in play

and is being advanced

aggressively in our day.

I have to look out

on our congregation

and recognize

that there are some

of you probably.

I think it probably

will take longer

than the next 10, 15 years.

But I would not be surprised

if we saw

the same argument

play out

and the same consequence

take place

in the area of pedophilia

that we have seen

taking place

in the area of homosexuality.

And if you think I'm wrong,

ask yourself

historical questions

as to what's going on

and where it has gone

and how quickly it has gone.

I recognize

that as we think

about what is going on today,

we also recognize

the building pressure

on professing believers

and the probability

of wholesale compromise

on many fronts.

I would not be surprised

if in the next decade

it's not just liberal churches

that quietly

and tacitly

agree with homosexuality,

but a great deal

of accommodation

is going on

in churches

all over our country.

And I'm not just talking

about those

who are liberal

and would tell you

that really

Jesus did not come

to die for our sins,

but He came

to be a good example.

I anticipate

that many churches

will compromise

because they simply

will not want

to face the pressure

that goes with

the issues

that are on hand.

So let's come

to a second question

and that is

what is going on

here in America now?

And I want you

to turn in your Bibles

to Romans chapter 1.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

What is going on

here in America now?

Romans chapter 1

Romans 1 · chapter mention

beginning in verse 18

through 28

and I'm not going

to take care

of an exposition

of the entire passage

but kind of follow

the broad sweep

of what is in view.

But pick up,

if you will,

in verse 18.

It says,

For the wrath of God

is revealed from heaven

against all ungodliness

and unrighteousness

of men

who by their unrighteousness

suppress the truth.

I want you to recognize

that what I believe

is taking place

is God is in the process

of displaying His wrath

against those

who are ungodly

and are intent

on suppressing the truth.

Now, do you follow

what I'm saying?

Ungodly

but also intentional

in their energetic

attempt

to suppress the truth.

Hey,

all you have to do

is say,

I don't believe

homosexuality

is an acceptable

alternative lifestyle

and what happens

to you in your workplace?

Unless you're a mother

at home

or you run

your own business,

guess what?

You're going to face pressure.

And everybody else

is wandering around

with these two equal signs

that are made out of pink.

Do you follow me?

It's the way it is.

I recognize

when we think about

God's wrath

that we have to identify

there are different ways

in which God's wrath

is or has been expressed

and eventually

will be expressed.

For one,

we do see illustrations

in the Bible

occasionally

of God's wrath

being directly displayed

as is

or as was the case

against Sodom and Gomorrah.

You look back there

in Sodom and Gomorrah

and you recognize

that God reached the point

with their sexual perversion

and wickedness

that He finally brought fire

from heaven

and destroyed them.

If you're a student

of Scripture,

you also realize

that one of the reasons

that the Amorites

and the Canaanites

were driven out

of the land

was because

of their sexual perversion

and their murderous treatment

of other people,

their shedding

of innocent blood.

In fact,

remember,

Abraham was told,

you are eventually

going to receive this land

and you're not going

to get it now

because the iniquity

of the Amorites

has not filled up

to the point

that I am going

to put judgment on them.

I want you to understand

also that God's wrath

generally

is something

that is released

only on occasion.

We don't see

many illustrations

of God's wrath

in this day and age

and if you were

to think back

on that subject,

you realize

in Romans chapter 2

Romans 2 · chapter mention

it says that God delays.

Why does He delay

His judgment?

What's His reason?

His desire is

that no one should perish.

He's patient,

patient, patient

and in His patience

He is giving men

opportunity to repent.

However,

when men

disrespect His patience

and temperance,

I want you to understand

that the day of judgment

is coming

and judgment

will be amplified

by the amount

of patience

and forbearance

He has displayed.

Ultimately,

we do need to understand

that God's wrath

will be displayed

against unrepentant sinners

for all of eternity.

And that is a terrifying prospect

to stop and realize

that individuals

who rebel against God

and refuse the grace of Christ

will spend all of eternity

in hell.

That's important

for us to realize.

Remember I said

that we are watching

God turn His back

on America

and He's releasing

this nation

to the devolution

and the unintended consequences

of rebellion

against God's will.

And I bring this

to your attention

for several reasons

in the text.

First,

let's look at what we find

there in Romans chapter 1.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

Mark what we see

in verse 24,

26 and 28.

And let me just draw

attention to you.

It says here,

therefore God gave them up.

God gave them up.

God gave them up.

And that little statement,

that little phrase,

identifies the judicial act

of God whereby

He steps aside

to allow sin

to produce

its horrible

and unintended consequences.

How many realize

that when God says

don't do this,

there's a little subtext

that says,

this is going to hurt you.

I was reading

another interesting article

about the coming

certain economic difficulty

in America.

And that coming

economic difficulty

has nothing to do

with our national debt.

Ooh,

what is going to cause

our economic difficulty?

Guess what it is?

How many of you know

it is the birth rate?

Japan today

has more people

in adult pampers

than in nappies

for babies.

And as you get older,

guess what happens

to your creativity

and your productivity

upon which a culture

depends for economic stability?

How many of you heard

that we had too much population

going around?

You remember hearing

all that kind of stuff?

The unintended consequences

of not following God's Word

plays out eventually

and catches people

in their foolishness.

Same thing happening

in China, by the way.

Well, you look here

and it says that

God gave them up.

Second,

notice that in each

of these three instances,

God's act of giving men

up to their sin

results in them

doing things

that are unnatural.

Look at verse 24.

He gave them up

in the lusts

of their hearts

to impurity,

to the dishonoring

of their bodies

among themselves.

In verse 26,

God gave them up

to dishonorable passions

for their women

exchanged natural relationships

with those

that are contrary

to nature.

Now, what does it mean

to be contrary

to nature?

Here,

my son called me

the other day

asking me a plumbing question.

I am an informal plumber.

I'm a plumbing pastor.

And it happens

on a regular basis.

People call me

with plumbing problems

and I will tell them

it should run downhill.

Keep it going that way

and you want it

to go towards the curb.

You want it to go away

from where you are.

But there's something else

about plumbing.

How many of you know

when you go to buy fittings,

they are called male fittings

and female fittings?

Duh.

There's a reason

for that vocabulary.

It has to do

with biology.

And when it says

that they are doing things

contrary to nature,

it's saying

they're doing things

contrary

to the biological structure

that God has provided

to the male body

and to the female body.

Look at what it says

there in verse 28.

And since they do not

see fit to acknowledge God,

God gave them up

to a debased mind

to do what ought not

to be done.

Now when it says

ought not to be done,

it's not just talking

about what is not

morally correct,

but it's something

that is destructive

to the person

who engages in it.

Third, notice something else

in our text.

The characteristics

that bring judgment

are not only rebellion

against God's order

and the law,

but I want you to notice

something else

in verse 32.

And ask yourself

this question,

does this not describe

what we see happening

in our culture?

for though they know

God's decree

that those who practice

such things deserve to die,

they not only do them

but give approval

to those who practice them.

Hey, you want to get

acceptability in our culture today?

Just let everybody know

how tolerant you are

and accepting you are

of homosexuality

and every other perversion

out there.

Well, everybody's doing it,

you know,

I was going to say

picking their nose

and chewing it,

but I didn't think

I should say that.

So, we'll take that off the,

scratch that from the tape.

Okay.

I've been praying a lot

that I don't say things

I don't need to.

That was one of them.

Okay, here we go.

You cannot miss the fact

in this passage

that God calls homosexuality

and its behavior sin.

In one sense,

it is no more offensive

to God's holiness

than any other sin.

In another sense,

it profoundly violates

God's greater plan

and has more lasting consequences

like the sin of lying

or covetousness.

It causes destruction

to the foundational relationship

of the home

and marriage

and procurativity.

It harms people.

And so,

I want you to understand

that the Bible

is explicit,

undeniable,

and clear on the matter

of that homosexuality is sin.

Now, I've heard people argue

and I've listened

to some of those arguments

and also read them

that homosexuality

was really something

that was only

an Old Testament edict.

It was a problem.

The Old Testament,

there was a lot of problems

with male prostitution,

cultic prostitution,

and so,

it really didn't get carried over

into the New Testament.

Well, Romans,

I would advise you,

is in the New Testament.

But I want you to look

at another passage,

if you will.

Turn in your Bible

to 1 Corinthians 6.

1 Corinthians 6,

and I want you to look

at verse 9.

In fact,

this is a good passage

to underline,

particularly verse 11.

Do you not know

that the unrighteous

will not inherit

the kingdom of God?

Guess what that means.

Listen to me carefully.

People who do not know Christ

will go to hell.

Do you not know

that the unrighteous

will not inherit

the kingdom of God?

Do not be deceived.

Neither sexually immoral,

nor idolaters,

nor adulterers,

nor men who practice

homosexuality,

nor thieves,

nor greedy,

nor drunkards,

nor revelers,

nor swindlers,

will inherit

the kingdom of God.

Now, look at verse 11,

and that's the one

I like the most.

And such were some of you.

Isn't that encouraging?

Guess what?

There's not a single one

of us in here

that was not born

with perversity

woven into our heart.

Agreed?

Now, could we have

gotten worse,

left to our own devices?

That's undeniably true.

The grace of God

delivered us

from the devolution

that sin brings

into an individual's life.

But understand this.

The Scriptures make it clear

that homosexuality is sin.

And let me explain something

I already touched on,

but just mark it down.

Homosexuality contradicts biology

and by its nature

is part of Satan's attacks

on the foundations of culture

and its home.

I think it's very interesting

that when you think about

the matter of homosexuality,

you recognize

that it's a very attack

on the relationship

that God ordained

between a man and a woman.

And God thought

that that relationship

between a man and a woman

was so important

that He actually

kind of changed,

didn't forget,

but He tweaked

the normal flow

of His creative process

so that men

didn't miss the issue.

Now, what am I explaining?

I mean,

everything else

that He created,

how did He do it?

Shazam?

I mean, you know,

I mean, bang.

He said it,

it happened,

and it all came out,

what, male and female.

But with man,

how did it happen?

Man alone.

And then in order

to amplify man's identity

of his difficulty

in his alone state,

He had him name

all the creatures,

and as He was naming them,

guess what He kept

on looking for?

He was looking for a partner,

and then God

helped him realize

it wasn't there.

And then God created

woman out of man

and brought that woman

to man,

and Adam responded with,

I mean,

it's probably one of the

most expressive

little statements

in the early parts

of Genesis.

In essence,

it says,

wow,

bone of my bone

and flesh of my,

do you know what

He was saying?

He was saying,

this is it.

This is what I need.

This is right.

And Satan has put

his energy

into attacking

the glory

and the wisdom

and the kingdom

of God,

and he attacks

the foundation

when he attacks

the issue

of the relationship

that God has ordained

between a man

and a woman.

And I have to tell you

that I watch our culture

here in America

lunging towards

a futile confrontation

with the God

of this universe,

and I tell you

that it will not be good.

I'm reminded

of what it says

in Psalm chapter 2.

Psalms 2 · chapter mention

Why do the nations rage

and the heathen

imagine a vain thing?

Do you know what vain is?

Stupid.

I remember,

and the image

kind of stands out

in my mind,

out in the southwest,

there was a large

pile of roadkill

been hit by a previous semi,

and this buzzard

had landed down

in the roadway

and was enjoying dinner

early morning,

dinner,

and just kind of

picking at the guts

and pulling them out

and eating them,

and out in the middle

of nowhere,

and along comes this semi

just kind of tooling

along the highway,

and the buzzard thought,

you know,

who is this to take my lunch?

And instead of flying away,

kind of puffed himself out

and stood out

in the middle of the road

right in front of that semi,

and guess what the outcome was?

New roadkill.

And so I got to tell you

what I see happening

in America

is we see a culture

that is standing out,

puffed up,

in front of God,

and the consequences

are going to be undeniable.

And let me tell you something.

Unto whom much is given,

much is what?

Say it with me.

Much is required.

There are lands

all around the world

that have not received

the blessings

that America has received.

And I believe

those blessings

have come to a large degree

because of the humility

and godliness

of our forefathers.

And this generation

is squandering it

in its violation

and rebellion against God.

Let's come to

the most important part.

What's the believer to do?

What's the believer to do?

Turn over in your Bible

if you will

to Matthew chapter 5

Matthew 5:10–16

verse 10 through 16.

Matthew chapter 5.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Be salt and light.

I tell you,

we live in a day and age

that is no more wicked

than what the Roman Empire

was like.

Do you understand that?

I see people sometimes

wringing their hands

in kind of absolute despair

and just broken hearted.

No, that's understandable.

But the level of anxiety

among professing believers

is unfitting.

When Jesus said

what He did

in Matthew chapter 5,

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

look there in verse 13.

You are the salt of the earth,

but if salt has lost its taste,

how shall it be salted?

How will it be restored?

How will it be turned around?

And the imagery of Scripture

is clear.

When Christ saved us,

He did more to us

and for us

than just deliver us

from future judgment.

He appointed me,

He appointed you

to be His ambassadors

and He also appointed us

to be His representatives

in a broken

and despairing world.

Being His ambassador,

beloved,

involves godly living.

Mark that down.

Godly living.

Let me just touch on a few texts

to make this undeniably clear.

In Matthew chapter 5,

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

as I recited here,

being salt and light

refers to living a godly life

that lifts up the character

and truth of God

in a dark and desperate world.

Titus chapter 2,

Titus 2:10–14

verse 10 through 14,

says this,

that we are to adorn

the doctrine of God

by living godly lives.

We are to adorn.

We're to make it look good.

And over in 1 Corinthians chapter 15,

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

I want you to look at this passage

just for a moment.

1 Corinthians chapter 15,

1 Corinthians 15:34

verse 34,

wake up from your drunken stupor.

Now,

I don't believe

the primary focus of this passage

is talking about drunkenness

in the church at Corinth.

I think it is talking about

carnality and ungodliness

that had become so pervasive

in the body of Christ there

that they were completely missing

their calling.

Wake up from your drunken stupor

as it is right

and do not go on,

what's the next word?

Sinning.

Why?

Why?

Because some have no knowledge of God.

Can you live a sinful life

and have a significant testimony?

No.

Can God use you in your sinfulness?

Yes.

But is your testimony compromised

by your impurity

and your failure

to be a living representative

of Christ

in humility

and tenderness

and an affection for godliness?

And what's the answer?

When you drift away

from what He wants you to be,

you lose effectiveness.

Now,

look at that passage again.

He says,

stop acting that way.

Don't keep sinning

because there are people

that don't know Christ.

Let me have you think also

of another factor.

As you think about

what is happening today,

and remember,

salt and light,

Titus passage

and this passage,

I got to tell you,

I think the moral impurity

that we see going on

in our culture

has some roots back

in the misbehavior

of the church today.

The moral impurity

that's crept into the church

of the living God

is unbelievable.

Rampant pornography

is an undeniable fact

in the congregation

of God's saints.

Heterosexuality

and immorality,

heterosexual immorality

is something

that goes on all the time.

I remember reading

an article

in Christianity Today

where there were

some young people

that were writing

and saying,

listen,

you old fogies

need to get with it

and just realize

that young people

are going to have intercourse.

Just don't get upset

about it

and just be hopeful

that we don't get pregnant.

These are Christians.

I remember talking

with a pastor

who explained to me

that he no longer

asked young couples

who came into his office

if they were living together.

It just was too embarrassing

for him.

Listen,

that's not being

a faithful shepherd.

And when the salt

loses its saltiness,

it is ineffective

and as a result

it gets trodden underfoot.

Let's go on

and recognize something else.

We are to be loving

and telling the truth.

I make a sad prediction

that you're going to see

more and more believers

just go quiet

on this subject

and the sinfulness of it.

I think it's somewhere in May.

No, maybe it's April 19th.

I think it is April 19th.

There is going to be

a silent day

in public schools.

Do you hear me?

Thousands of schools

and I would venture to say

many of them

in our community

will have a day of silence.

Do you know what the day of silence

is to recognize

and celebrate?

Homosexuality.

And many, many Christians

will just be quiet

and acquiesce

and not make any stink

because do you want to seem

to be out of sorts

in that environment?

When people that have been

called by God

to declare His truth

sit by quietly

in the face of sinfulness,

they are invariably

or invariably

also quiet on the gospel.

Let me explain something here.

People who do not know

about sin

do not need a Savior.

Does that make sense?

Can I say that again slowly?

People who do not understand

the sinfulness of their heart

don't need a Savior.

Let me put it in a frame

so you can understand

what Jesus meant.

He said,

hey listen,

those who are well

do not need the doctor,

only those who are sick.

And in Galatians

it tells us

that the purpose of the law

is to bring conviction.

The law doesn't save us

but the law lets us know

that we're desperately sick

and we can't save ourselves.

And beloved,

I want you to understand

that we have a responsibility

of telling the truth.

It is an unloving thing

to watch people

going about

intentionally preparing

for their own

eternal suicide

and just sit there quietly

because you don't want

to offend anybody

in our culture.

Do you understand that?

Expect adversity

if you're faithful for Christ.

Expect adversity

if you're faithful for Christ.

Let me have you look

at a passage

that I think just

rings the bell on this one.

Over in 2 Corinthians 2

2 Corinthians 2:14–16

verse 14 through 16.

Paul makes a very

interesting statement

about what it means

to be a believer

in contemporary culture.

In verse 14 he says,

but thanks be to God

who in Christ

always makes us,

who leads us

in triumphal possession

and through us

spreads the fragrance

of the knowledge

of Him everywhere.

For we are the aroma

of Christ to God

among those

who are being saved

and among those

who are perishing.

We smell like God

to people

who are saved

and dying.

And then he goes on

and says in verse 16,

to one a fragrance

of death to death,

to the other a fragrance

of life to life.

And who's sufficient

for these things?

Beloved,

if you are faithful

to your calling,

people will pick up

on the aroma

of your life.

and the aroma

of your life

becomes hope-filled

to those who are desperate

and despairing

in their condition

and it becomes

supremely offensive

to those who don't want

to hear anything

about Christ.

Now am I suggesting

that you'll go around

putting sharp sticks

in people's eyes?

No.

But when someone

says to you,

hey,

why are you so happy?

Well you have

an opportunity to say,

because Jesus forgave me

for all of my sins

and granted me salvation

through his finished work.

And I'd like to have

you know him too.

And you offer them

the hope of the gospel.

If you don't have confidence

that he can save you

from your sin,

I guarantee you,

you won't advertise it

to anybody else.

There's another thing

that I want you to realize

that believers

should be doing.

We ought to grieve

as we watch

the growing effect of sin.

Don't kid yourself.

Probably one of the most

inaccurate statements

in our culture today

is the term gay.

It's not.

Homosexuality is a perversion

against nature.

By the way,

I don't want to get

into genetics

and breeding

and all that kind of stuff,

but if,

how many of you realize

that maybe 1.4,

1.6% homosexual,

apart from the Kinsey report,

and if really

this genetic disposition

could be carried on

genetically,

guess what would happen

when 1.4 of them

carry forward the genes?

Leave that to your

own entertainment.

What is he talking about?

Let's go back.

Grieve as you watch

for the effects of sin.

It says in Psalm 119,

136,

my eyes weep

when I consider people

not following your law.

Let me add two more

and close.

Rejoice that you're

an ambassador

to rescue sinners

from the pit.

Do you know what?

Life's short.

It really is.

When I was about 20,

I didn't think life

was short,

but it is.

And you know what

I'm learning?

The older I get,

the faster it goes.

And here's the deal.

In the time I got left,

I want to talk about

things that count.

I like the fact

that in our prayer bulletin,

when you look at it

Wednesday night,

when we're praying

for people that are sick,

how many of you know

there's always a little

point out to the side?

If the person's unsaved,

we put that there.

Do you know why?

People that are saved,

be careful here,

I know,

get in trouble,

don't need to be healed

as desperately as people

who aren't saved.

Because when people

are saved,

die,

where do they go?

Hey, come on,

say it with me,

absent in the body,

present with the Lord.

Now, do I pray for people

that are sick,

that are my brothers

and sisters?

Absolutely.

There are a lot of

Dorcas's out here,

and I want to keep them alive.

But on the other side,

if they die,

it's okay.

When people do not know Christ

and they die,

they spend the rest

of all of eternity

in hell.

Look at your passage

in 2 Corinthians 5,

2 Corinthians 5:11

verse 11,

plead with those

you love

and do so

with tears.

I really like

2 Corinthians 5.

Therefore,

knowing the fear

or terror of the Lord,

we persuade others.

you know,

there was a time

in my life

where the pendulum

swished over

to the side

where I had done

some training

in sales

and I could

pretty much

coerce people

into saying yes

even when they

didn't want to say yes.

Now,

in selling used cars

and vacuum sweepers,

you have a

reversionary clause,

am I right?

Well,

when you coerce people

into making a

provisional

profession of faith,

guess what happens

as soon as you leave?

If it ain't real,

it ain't real.

But on the other part,

I recognize

that what it says here,

it says,

look at what it says,

read it with me.

2 Corinthians 5,

therefore,

knowing the terror

of the Lord,

we persuade men

and let me tell you

something,

your affection

for the heart

of lost mankind

ought to lead you

to be more passionate

about people

who are on their way

to hell

than any other

thing in life.

Look at verse 20,

therefore,

we are ambassadors

for Christ,

God making

His appeal.

I understand

election

by faith,

but I understand

appealing

to God

making His appeal

through us.

We implore you.

Do you know

what that word means?

We're down on our knee

begging with you,

please don't

destroy your life

with sinfulness.

Come to Christ

and discover

the complete forgiveness

that is in Him.

Where are we at?

Our culture

is going downhill.

Where are you at?

If you're a believer,

you were left behind

to be His living,

visible representative

of the glory

of God

that saves sinners.

He saved you.

And He wants you

to be like

the woman

at the well.

Do you remember

what she did?

When she discovered

the sweetness

of complete forgiveness,

she ran into town

and she told

other people

about,

come see

the man.

and if you're

not all about that,

if you're not

all about that,

sadly enough,

you've lost

some of the affection

and joy you had

in Christ Jesus.

and I would plead

with you this morning,

humble yourself

before God

and say,

it is not to be

that way.

I am not

trudging my way

towards my day

of death

or retirement

or vacation.

I am on point

for Jesus

and people

who need Him.

Is that

for you?

Let's bow our heads.

Without anybody

looking around

this morning,

I want to ask you

real quietly

and quickly,

if you're a believer

this morning

and you recognize

the Spirit of God

is addressing

an issue in your life

and you realize

that there is

lukewarmness

and there's

spiritual indifference

and you are there

this morning saying,

I don't want to

stay this way.

I would challenge

you to put yourself

on notice.

Slip your hand up

and say,

Pastor,

I'm convicted

but here I am.

Yes,

yes,

yes.

I want to change

and I'm willing

to let God

do whatever it takes.

I just don't

want to stay this way.

Is there anybody else?

Anybody else?

Yes.

I wonder

if there's someone

here that does

not know Christ.

This morning,

your life is,

it's a mess.

But Jesus died

and rose again

and he did that

that you might

have everlasting life

and what the scriptures

say is true.

Whosoever calls

upon the name

of the Lord

shall be saved.

And like it says

in 2 Corinthians,

we plead with you

in Christ's stead,

be reconciled to God.

And if you need

Christ as your Savior,

slip your hand up

and say,

that's me.

I need complete

forgiveness for all

of my sins.

I need Christ

to save me.

Father,

work in us

that Christ

might be glorified.

In your precious name,

amen.

As our band

sings together,

would you stand together

and if God lays

a matter on your heart

you need to care

for publicly,

you come forward.

Lord,

it might be

that he's calling

to be part

of our fellowship.

It might be

that you need

to be obedient

to the Lord

in the matter

of baptism.

You know Christ,

but baptism

is a public declaration

of your relationship.

It might be

that you need

someone to counsel

with you

and pray with you

and make the issues

of salvation clear.

You come forward

as we sing this song

loudly and enthusiastically

as we close.

You come forward

to ending

of a

ending

of a

of a

ending

of a

ending