As we continue our talk on homosexuality this week,
I'd like to read to you from the book of Matthew.
Matthew, chapter nine,
a day from Jesus' ministry.
Like sheep without a shepherd.
I want you to picture a sheep that doesn't have a shepherd.
So, they've gotten lost,
they've walked away, they've wandered.
Sheep are really good at wandering.
They really can't defend themselves.
They can't protect themselves,
They have poor eyesight
so they really don't know where they're going.
Imagine that the sheep wanders off
and it gets stuck in a thorn bush.
And the more it struggles,
the more, the more deep into the thorn bush,
the deeper into the thorn bush it continues to go.
And it keeps struggling and keeps struggling
but it gets deeper and deeper and more entwined
and more entwined and more entwined.
Until finally
it stops struggling.
What does it mean that it stops struggling?
It means that something very important was missing
from its life.
It meant the sheep no longer had hope.
It meant the sheep had given up.
It meant the sheep had thought,
it came to the conclusion that there's no way that I can possibly
get out of this,
and so I might as well stop trying.
But as long as the sheep was struggling,
it was an indication of hope.
Hope was alive.
Hope was there.
There was a belief that maybe this will turn out well for me.
It doesn't feel very good in the moment but it might someday.
And I want you to think about that because it relates,
it relates to our struggles with homosexuality,
our struggles with
any, really any type of sin.
If there is a sin that you personally struggle with
or that you see somebody struggling with,
a struggle is actually a good thing.
If you see them struggling.
If they have stopped struggling,
you know, then,
then that means that
they've lost hope.
It means that
there is little to no faith
that anything good or anything different might ever happen.
But if a person is struggling,
it means that they're wrestling
in some really, really good ways
believing that
they might get out of this.
And hope is exactly what Jesus came to give us
as he came to struggle on the cross.
As he wrestled with his own life and wrestled with his own thoughts.
As he wrestled with the temptations that assaulted him,
with the constant balance of, constantly
asking himself the question, "Is it worth it?"
Is it worth it to keep struggling?
Is is worth it to keep going?
And the answer that he came to
over and over again and again was yes.
You're worth it.
He sees your struggles.
He see our weakness.
He sees that we are harassed
and helpless
in so many ways, like that crowd that he saw that day.
And in particular, when it comes to the topic of homosexuality,
I don't know if there's a topic that assaults us and,
and harasses us and,
and just overwhelms, it overwhelms us.
It is just so much in front of our faces
and so much in front of our eyes.
And for somebody who struggles with this in their own heart,
it can be as if it's the only thing that they struggle with day by day.
But Jesus sees that.
And he has compassion.
And so if you are somebody who is struggling with this,
just see your struggle as a sign of faith.
It is.
Because that's exactly what it is.
It's a sign of faith.
It means that your faith is active.
It might be a struggle that you will struggle
with for your entire life on earth
until you are set free from the struggle in heaven.
So don't give up.
Keep struggling.
And if you're somebody who
sees someone you love struggling with this,
don't give up on them.
See the positive thing that's working in their life.
See the faith
and encourage it.
Be positive with them.
Show them Jesus.
Show them how Jesus responds
whenever he sees any of his sheep
being harassed,
any of his sheep feeling helpless
against a weakness, against any type of temptation.
Just like it said in the Gospel of Matthew,
"He had compassion."
His heart went out to them.
Just like it goes out to you.
When you're in the middle of a struggle
and the more you point at the person who is struggling,
the weaker you will feel
because all you will see is a struggle.
The more you point to the person and say,
"You are weak, you are struggling, you should do more"
the weaker and more discouraged they will feel
because they will always see a struggle.
In some way, they will always see their weakness.
But if you point to Jesus
and say, "Did he die for that sin?
Did he rise from the dead and guarantee us that there's a place
reserved for that person in heaven?"
Is he sitting at the right hand of God right now,
overseeing all of creation,
guaranteeing that there is nothing in all creation
that's going to keep us from one day being
completely refreshed and relieved from
everything that weighs us down?"
The answer is always yes.
Shine the spotlight on him
and everything that he did
and everything that he does
and his great compassionate love,
and you will always find
the strength
to keep struggling.
We talked today about the struggle,
of what that looks like, why a struggle is a good thing.
It's actually a sign of faith.
Just one practical tip.
If you see somebody who is struggling with this,
just recognize they're not always going to get it right.
They're not always going to make the right decisions.
They're not always going to do the most Godly thing
for the same reason that we can't count on any of us
to do that with any struggle, with any particular sin.
And just know that.
Also know that it is possible to struggle with a sin
without practicing the sin.
And certainly with homosexuality,
there are many individuals throughout the world
who have very strong homosexual feelings.
That this is the way they feel,
but they know that it's something, they know it's a path
that they should not pursue.
And so they don't.
And that's a struggle,
but it's a Godly struggle.
And those are Godly individuals
who are practicing their faith in some really, really strong ways.
And if you know of somebody who needs that, who needs that encouragement,
share this video with them
and give them some strength in their struggle
by pointing them, again, to Jesus.
We'll see you tomorrow.