This week we're talking about the topic of homosexuality.
And thanks for joining us for this very important, very timely
and very personal topic.
Yesterday we said that,
you know, homosexuality is one of many sins
that the Bible condemns
as something that will separate a person from God
and keep a person out of heaven.
It has everything in common with greed
and with anger and with getting drunk and
anything else that the Bible condemns as sin.
But there is one way that homosexuality is different
than many of the other sins of the Bible.
And it's different in this way, especially in today's world,
is that there are many groups in the world today
that actively promote homosexuality,
that call something the Bible says is sinful as not sinful,
and that want others to believe the same thing.
And that makes it unique.
For example, you don't have many groups in the world today, or any groups
who are politicking for
"We need more laws that allow us to be greedy."
Or "We need more laws that allow people to get more drunk."
You know, those things don't happen.
There's pretty wide recognition that those are sinful, that those are bad.
And so you don't have groups who are celebrating those things.
But for homosexuality, it's different.
It is celebrated.
There are parades and there are festivals.
And you see it celebrated at awards shows
and in movies and on television
and in pop culture and in music and
lots of different places.
And you might ask,
"Why does that happen?"
The Bible gives at least one explanation as to why,
as to why that happens.
In 2 Timothy, chapter four, it says:
And it's just common sense that
it's easier to believe something when other people are saying the same thing.
And if this is, if this is a topic where somebody believes,
"I want to believe this" for any number of reasons,
it's just a little bit easier to do so when
other people are saying the same thing.
Of course, the Bible doesn't.
And that doesn't mean that the Bible doesn't talk positively
about any number of different relationships.
It does.
The Bible, for example, speaks very positively
about the blessings of companionship
in any number of different relationships,
blessings of being single,
the blessings of strong male friendships,
the blessings of strong female friendships,
the blessings of good relationships with a boss
and an employee and co-workers and the government
and having good relationships with strangers
and good relationships even with your enemies.
So it speaks very positively about all those.
It also speaks very positively about sexual intimacy
between one man and one woman in marriage.
And even uses that as a picture of God's great love for us in Christ
and the relationship that we have,
that we have with God, through our Savior.
But the Bible does not speak positively at all
about homosexuality, and yet, there are
many, there are many who do.
There is an army that is building in the world today,
that is becoming louder and louder and louder.
And if,
if you, or someone you know, is surrounding yourself with that army,
in order to feel better about something that the Bible identifies as a sin,
then there's a very simple principle
that the Bible talks about very often that you need to remember.
And that is this.
The majority doesn't win.
Jesus talked about this with his disciples,
with the Apostle Peter in Matthew, chapter 16,
when he said,
Peter had just confessed that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of the Living God.
And Jesus looked at Peter and said,
"What you just said
is the rock-solid foundation
that will keep a person standing for eternity."
And he said, not even the gates of Hades,
not even the full army of hell,
is going to be able to overcome the Jesus,
who eventually came out of his grave alive
after the world and Satan
and all of his armies
tried to take him down.
The majority doesn't win.
Jesus does.
And that's an important thing to keep in mind if
you are somebody who is feeling surrounded
by the armies and overwhelmed by the large number of people and
the strength of the voices
who are coming, who are coming at you on this particular topic.
It can feel
overwhelming when there are many voices
who are saying, who are saying,
"This is okay and this is good and you should celebrate it.
And you are a really mean person if you don't."
When you know what the Bible says,
when you know what the Bible says and about what it,
what it does to a person if they continue to hold onto this sin.
And you need to hear these words
if you're feeling surrounded.
Also from 2 Timothy,
when Paul wrote to Timothy and said,
you know, people will gather around them,
people will just tell them what they want to hear so that it's easier to believe.
The verse before that said this.
So, when it's convenient and when it's not convenient.
So, those two things.
Great patience, keep going.
And careful instruction.
Look for opportunities to share the Word.
And then, if you go after,
a few verses later,
it gives you some context as to when the Apostle Paul
was writing this to his young friend Timothy.
He said,
The Apostle Paul was in a fight too.
And he was very familiar with what it was like to be surrounded by
armies and armies and armies of individuals
who wanted nothing to do with God.
It was a fight.
But he knew that it was a fight that had already been won.
It had already been won by Jesus.
And he was looking forward to the day
when there would be no more fight.
Where he would just be in the safety and security of Heaven.
And he would see it with his own eyes,
as the rest of the world would,
that Jesus really does win.
Jesus wins.
And so do those who are with him.
And if you have live by faith right now,
and we all do,
trusting that Jesus is living,
trusting that Jesus wins,
trusting that in end, our eyes will see that
and trusting that in the end,
God will make good on all of his promises
related to every precious lamb
that he called to be his own.
Just know that you're not alone.
We all live by faith.
But keep that faith focused on Jesus,
who in the end
wins, along with you.
Even beginning to talk on the topic of homosexuality
with anyone can seem incredibly overwhelming
because of the overwhelming number of voices
in the world that are,
well, that are just saying it's okay.
There's nothing wrong with it.
That there's nothing that needs to be talked about,
that there's no concern here.
It's easy to feel overwhelmed
if you are an individual who is trying to speak the truth
of God's Word in a very, very loving way.
If you know somebody who is really struggling
with feeling overwhelmed and feeling like
there's not much hope and why do I keep going,
please share this video with them.
Give them some encouragement to remind them that Jesus is with them
and that as long as Jesus is with them,
we're going to be okay.
And also as a way,
well, to remind them that,
remember, Jesus's goal isn't just that Jesus wins,
it's that all of us do.
All of us.
And the only way that all of us will
is if we keep showing Jesus to the world.
God's blessings as you do that.
We'll see you tomorrow.