October 20, 2024
Dave Stephens
Today we’re gonna look at Human Sexuality through the lens of scripture.
Different People groups Here today:
1st Group: you’ve already made up your mind on this topic…there’s nothing I can say, or the Word of God can say that’s gonna make you change your mind
2nd Group…the people who feel torn…and you don’t want to make a decision…don’t wanna choose a side…the reason is that there’s a friend, colleague or a loved-one that you care about alot…and they’re on one side and the Bible’s on the other.
3rd Group…you’ve made a determination that the LGBTQ community is gross and disgusting. You don’t make that judgment from a Christian worldview…you make it from a bigoted, non-loving stance.
- “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof (disapproval of), for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
- All scripture is profitable for us to understand what God disapproves of.
John 3:17
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”I Corinthians 6:9-11 (HCSB)
“Do not be deceived; No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
2 Timothy 3:16
Does God say homosexuality is wrong?
There are 6 passages in the Bible that talk specifically about homosexuality. In every scripture, unanimously…they are given in a negative connotation.
The 2 words that make up this homosexual practice in the original language:
- 1. Malakoi: This means soft or effeminate.
2. Arsenokoitai: This means male-on-male sex
You will hear alot of push-back from the affirming community that will say “Paul did not mean the same type of gay relationships we have today. He’s talking about something different.”
They try to say that these 2 words mean sex between a male and a male prostitute. In other words, consensual or being paid for.
Leviticus 18 and 20 (which give us sections of the OT law) both talk about homosexual practice…Lev 20:13 (NLT) says,
- “If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act.”
“Why are Christians so obsessed with telling us we are wrong?”
When you look at the teachings of Jesus, he continually, in the Gospels, affirmed the Mosaic law, and He upheld the creation narrative that God made them male and female. He designed them in His image…He said things like…you should leave your father and mother and become one flesh.
If you are a Christian, you cannot be for something that God hates…
A Person’s Sexual Identity is a Biological Fact.
Anywhere in scripture that human sexuality is addressed, you’ll find scripture only supports 2 genders. You will not find scriptural support for any other type of relationship.
This has been God’s setup from the beginning of creation.
OVERSEXUALIZATION OF CHILDREN
The agenda is a dark one. The enemy of your children’s soul isn’t playing games. He will do whatever he can to distort God’s perfect creation. Why? Because we are made in the image of God, whom he hates. If Satan can’t abort you…he will confuse you…then he will disfigure you to make you look nothing like the original you…he knows it wounds the heart of God and causes chaos on the earth.
These surgeries or transitions are purposefully named “gender-affirming healthcare.” Just put the word healthcare at the end of anything and it makes it right.
- These sorts of depictions will continue to seep into the content our children and families consume. At their earliest ages, children are being led to believe that what is wrong is admirable.
Mark 9:36
- “He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in His arms, He said to them, whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the Father who sent me.”
Mark 9:42
- “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.”
Jesus continues:
Mark 10:13-16
- “People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.”
Innocence is being stolen from our children…
In 2012, researchers did a study to identify self sexualization in young girls and identify factors that protect girls from objectifying themselves. Also psychologists at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois assessed self sexualization in girls, ages 6-9 through the use of paper dolls. The assessment goes on to say that, “Across-the-board, girls chose the ‘sexy’ doll most often. The results were significant in two categories: 68 percent of the girls said the doll looked how she wanted to look, and 72 percent said she was more popular than the non-sexy doll.”
Most girls as young as 6 are already beginning to think of themselves as sex objects, according to a new study of elementary school-age kids in the Midwest.
- -Sexiness and sex acts are being taught in elementary schools. There are vulgar books that make grown men blush…there are sickening books (required reading) in public schools that talk about things that I don’t even want to say.
Parents…you better know for yourself what the Bible says about marriage, gender, and sexuality and why— and then be able to articulate these truths clearly. You still are the most influential person in your Child’s life.
How should we as parents think, and what should we do in response?
1. Be
For some time we may have lived under the delusion that children’s spaces were morally neutral.
Morally neutral spaces do not exist anymore. Our Christian faith and the kind of lifestyle it urges us to live is increasingly strange to a secular world, and we can expect that secular media will continue to depict secular values. We should be honest with ourselves about this fact.
2. Be
If your children see something relating to homosexuality, for example, in pop culture, would you be able to explain to them why Christians think differently about marriage and sexuality?
- You can’t just tell them, “It’s just wrong.”
Your children can see through those simple dismissals. We need to know for ourselves what the Bible says about marriage, gender, and sexuality and why — and then be able to articulate these truths clearly.
Parents, prepare yourself now for those conversations.
3. Be
Once we are realistic about the world’s perspective on various issues like abortion, sexuality, and marriage, and once we are knowledgeable about what God teaches on these topics, we need to be proactive in training our children.
Proverbs 22:6
- “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Interestingly, Solomon wrote later in Proverbs 22:15 that “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child.”
They Need You!!!
Parents: We cannot outsource moral formation to someone else, such as a church or the grandparents. The church is here to help you…to partner with you…but it’s your responsibility to ensure your children are armed with the scriptures.
We have to model for them how to love people, even those with whom they disagree. Most of all, let’s remind them of the gospel—the good news that though we are all sinners, God can save and redeem us through the blood of Jesus.
Let’s give them the tools—and the heart—to know the truth before they stumble upon these messages.
Jesus calls all of us to the exact same thing…Repentance…and Lordship…and he will give you a new identity. Your Identity is not wrapped only in your sexuality. You are so much more than that.
Winn, Marie. “THE LOSS OF CHILDHOOD.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 May 1983. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/08/magazine/the-loss-of-childhood.htmlhttps://www.livescience.com/21609-self-sexualization-young-girls.html
List of sexual books allowed in public schools:
https://www.ratedbooks.org/wcasd?page=2
Study Helps:
• What the Bible teaches about two sexes, male and female (Gen. 1:27),
• Purpose of marriage for one man and one woman for life (Gen. 2:18-24)
• Sexual activity outside of that God-ordained marriage is contrary to his will (Matt. 19:3-6; Mark 7:20-23).
Why the Bible teaches these truths:
• Remember how the oneness of marriage (Gen. 2:24) reflects the oneness of God’s nature (Deut. 6:4).
• Recall how marriage provides God’s means for filling the earth (Gen. 1:28).
• Most importantly, understand how marriage is a portrait of Christ’s love for the church (Eph. 5:22-33).