Let's pray. Father, we ask that You will empower me by Your Spirit to proclaim the truth with love. Father, I pray for all the men who are standing in pulpits all around the world saying what You say. Lord, we pray that there would be a mass revival from this, that You would glorify Yourself, that You would strengthen the church, and that You would bring the sinner home. In Jesus' name, Amen. I've entitled the sermon, what the Bible actually says about homosexuality. We're going to be going to several, to multiple passages of scripture, but I want to start in Jude verse three. Jude is right before Revelation. He says this, Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. And Jude captures the heart of why I am doing what I am doing, why I am preaching this sermon today. Brothers and sisters, I would love to continue speaking of our common salvation from Romans. I wanted to continue to behold the gospel of Jesus Christ, and yet the truth of the matter is, war is all around us. The battle is raging, the casualties are many, and the truth is being blurred behind the curtain of tolerance and so-called love. And that would be enough, but it's not all, it gets worse. Not only is the wickedness of the sin of sodomy The unnatural affections between women and permanent body mutilation rename transgenderism rampant in our world. Not only is the government persecuting anyone who dares to say what God says about these sins, but many professing Christians are affirming, justifying, and defending this evil as well. Therefore, For the sake of the glory of God, I'm going to preach what God says about these sins. For the sake of the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, I'm going to preach against the narrative of this generation. For the sake of the millions and millions of souls who are headed to eternal destruction, I'm going to preach what the Bible actually says about homosexuality, lesbianism, and transgenderism. So what is the first reason to stand against the tide of this wickedness? What's the primary reason to oppose this evil? Is it because it breaks down the family? No. Is it because it spreads disease? No. Is it because homosexuals, lesbians, transgender sinners will spend an eternity in hell? While all of that is true, there is something more pressing, there is something more important, there is something higher than the breakdown of Western civilization and the suffering, both temporary and eternal, of human beings. It is the glory and the name of the holy, holy, holy God of all creation. For the sake of His name primarily, this must be said. Isaiah 48, 11 says, God says, for my own sake, for my own sake I do it. How should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. This is a common reality throughout Scripture. God acts on behalf of His name. Ezekiel 20 verse 9, But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, and whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. The Lord acts first and foremost for the sake of his great name, and so we must start there. Homosexuality blasphemes the name and glory of God. How so? We start with marriage. Marriage and sexuality are God's ideas. They are His creation. And Jesus laid down the truth, once for all, regarding this issue. Now you may be thinking, where? In fact, I don't know if you're aware of this, but one of the most common objections against speaking out against this is, Jesus never said anything against this. So who are you to? Hillsong mega church pastor Carl Lentz famously said on CNN years ago, he said, when it comes to homosexuality, I refuse to let another human being or media moment dictate how we approach it. Jesus was in the thick of an era where homosexuality, just like it is today, was widely prevalent. And I'm still waiting for someone to show me the quote where Jesus addressed it on the record in front of people. You won't find it because he never did. And he's not the only one who makes this claim. It is common. Jesus never said one word against homosexuality. This is from the website American Progress. In all of his teachings, Jesus uplifted actions and attitudes of justice, love, humility, mercy, and compassion. He condemned violence, oppression, cold-heartedness, and social injustice. Never once did Jesus refer to what we call homosexuality as a sin. How would you respond if someone said that to you? What verse or verses would you go to? We'll turn to Matthew 19. As I said, we begin with the glory of God as a primary reason and the foundation for why everything else is said. Matthew 19, 4. He is responding to the questions regarding divorce, dealing with marriage, and he says this, Matthew 19, four, he answered, have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female? Jesus is referring to Genesis 1, 27, which says, so God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. This means that one, Jesus believed Genesis as a fact. He didn't think it was an allegory. He didn't think it was an illustration. This was thousands of years after the words were spoken and written. He didn't think they were outdated. He didn't think they were irrelevant. No, he believed that Genesis was fact. And he went back to the beginning as a necessary thing to understand the mind and the will of God regarding human sexuality. Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female? In other words, God made men, God made women. He did not make a third category. He did not create a hybrid of the two. He didn't make men and women who can change into something else. Now remember, this is before the Mosaic law. And you can see clearly that God established only boys and girls, men and women, males and females. And yet what have you and I been told for years now? Sexuality is fluid. Children, you remember in school, maybe you're still learning it, that you would learn about the three states of matter, right? Solid, gas, and what's the other one? Liquid. Liquid or fluid. If you put a fluid into a cup, let's say you have a liquid in a bowl, you pour it into a cup, the fluid, the liquid takes on the shape of the vessel that it has. But a solid, for example, a rock, if you put a rock into a cup, it's not going to change. It's going to stay the same shape because it's solid. So when it comes to the question of sexuality, maleness and femaleness, you and I have been told that human sexuality is like liquid, it's fluid. And we're not just talking about some random guy in a corner that no one's heard about. This is being said by the most powerful and influential people of our time. According to the President of the United States and the godless media, men can become women, women can become men, it's fluid. Even the dictionary is untrustworthy. The dictionary says transgenderism is the condition of someone feeling that they are not the same gender or sex as the one they had or were said to have at birth. In other words, you can be born in the wrong body. Even though you're born in the body of a boy or born in the body of a girl, what you really are is something different and you can change that with surgery. But what does Jesus say? Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female? Well, why does that matter? Marriage and human sexuality has to do with the image of God. Genesis 5.1, this is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female, he created them and he blessed them and named them man or Adam when they were created. So to seek to mutilate or change or transform What God has made you is to spit into the very face of God. It is to seek to mar His image. And right from the beginning, God created only two groups. And it's sad that that even needs to be said, such an obvious thing, and yet Jesus addressed it. From the beginning, He made them male and female. Those are the only two options. There is no middle ground. But He goes on. and said, therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. Jesus goes from quoting Genesis 1.27 to Genesis 2.23-25, summarizing it. which says, Then the man said, This is at last bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Did you notice the language? A man shall hold fast to who? His wife. Right from the beginning, Not only does the Lord make it clear that there's only males and females, but he connects it directly to marriage. Did you get the connecting word? Therefore, have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female and said, therefore, because there's only men and because there's only women, therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife. God creates them in His image, in His likeness. We are, as human beings, reflections of the glory of God. We are to show off His splendor, His value, His worth, His preciousness, His attributes. That's why we were made. And the distinction between men and women glorifies God. And the fact that He made us men and women is so that we can join together in holy matrimony. Why? Is it to bring forth children, procreation? Well, you say, what about people like Sarah or Hannah or Elizabeth who were barren? Are they not fulfilling the purpose of marriage? What is the main point of marriage? Here is why I said this begins with the glory and name of God himself. It starts with the image of God, the distinctions that he's made, therefore this is to connect to marriage, and then we are told the explanation behind all of this in Ephesians 5 31. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother, this is the same quotation, and hold fast to his wife." Jesus used this very language, this very verse, and the two shall become one flesh, this mystery is profound. Question, did Jesus understand the mystery? Did he know what he was talking about? Absolutely. What is the mystery of marriage? What is the mystery of a man and a woman being made distinct, coming together in one flesh? What is the point of it all? And I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. The point of marriage is not merely human happiness or procreation. It's not even mainly sanctification. The main purpose and point of God making man and woman, putting them together as husband and wife is so that they could proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and to come against that, to seek to mar the image, to blur the distinction, to say that a man can marry a man or a woman can marry a woman is to spit in the face of the gospel itself. This is where we begin and this is why it is so outrageous. Because it comes against the very thing that our Lord Jesus Christ came to do. And that is to redeem us. Marriage is about the gospel. A man plays the position, the role of Christ as the head, as a loving, forgiving, protecting husband. It points to the fact that Christ is a greater loving, forgiving, and protecting husband. And the wife as the respectful, submissive, helpful wife points to the fact that the church is to be respectful and submissive and helping as we are the hands and feet of the Lord Jesus himself on this earth. This is the point of marriage. Every marriage is meant to remind people the gospel. As I said earlier, we were made to glorify God so that when people look at us, how we live, how we respond, how we think, how we talk. It's supposed to bring people's mind to God. This is how God talks. This is how God lives. This is how God reacts. This is how God responds. That's why you were made. That is a high and noble calling. Every single human being, you were made for the highest purpose in all the world, higher even than angels' purposes. For they were not created in the image and likeness of God, but you were. And to seek to blur that and distort that for the sake of human pleasure or feelings or anything else is to mar the face, the image of Almighty God Himself. Anything that goes against this picture is wicked and distorts the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that includes polygamy, adultery, incest, fornication, and the topic of today, homosexuality, and every other sexual sin. You know what it says? It says that Jesus Christ is not faithful to his bride. He is not an adulterer. He is not perverted. Jesus is not a bride. He is not a wife. He does not have a husband. It blasphemes Christ himself. And therefore, we must have holy and righteous indignation against this because of what it does to our Lord and what it does to the gospel. Secondly, not only Is homosexuality sinful? Because it distorts the gospel by distorting marriage, which is an illustration of the gospel, but it disgusts God. It disgusts God. There has been an intentional strategy to take what is vile, wicked, sinful, and repackage it. give it a softer name, a more attractive appearance, a more affirming acceptance. In Texas, as you're driving, you see a lot of roadkill, raccoons, armadillos, possums. And if you were to take one of those rotting corpses, bring it into your home, wash it off, comb its hair, Spray perfume on it. Will that solve the problem, children? No, it's still what? A rotting, nasty, disgusting, maggot-filled corpse. That is what they are seeking to do with this sin. And should we be surprised, 2 Corinthians 11, 14 says, and no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as what? as an angel of light, so it is no surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. Homosexuality went from being called a sin, being called sodomy, to being called gay and LGBTQ. It's much more soft, much more pleasant. It went from being a vile and wicked thing to being an orientation, even an honor for the President of the United States. It makes a national monument of a place of rioting and murderous violence and vile wickedness, speaking of the Stonewall Inn and the Stonewall riots and what Barack Obama did when he was in the office. Bodhi Bakkam often talks about a book called After the Ball, How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 90s. And it really is an amazing book. It speaks prophetically. It was published in 1989 about homosexual rights in the United States. It was written by a neuropsychologist and an advertising, social marketing executive. And what they do is they lay out this plan of how to get Americans to feel less offended and more affirming about homosexuality. And it reads like 1984. It's amazing. And they talk about something called desensitization, which means subjecting the public to a continuous flood of gay-related advertising presented in the least offensive fashion possible. If straights can't shut off the water, they may at least eventually get used to being wet. And as you think about the education, I've worked in the public schools going on 11 years. And it's amazing how glamorized and normalized homosexuality is in the public schools and in the higher education, and that is not accidental, it is by design, to take it and give it a more pleasing face. Hollywood has been one of the most proactive and successful advocates of giving a new appearance to this vile thing. It's not just putting characters in films and TV. No, when this is the subject matter of film, it wins the highest awards. Bohemian Rhapsody, the favorite, Green Book, Fantastic Woman, Moonlight, Dallas Buyers Club, Milk, a film about a pedophile who was seen as a hero, Brokeback Mountain, Philadelphia, on and on. These are Oscar-winning films. The highest award that can be achieved. And what is it all doing? It's presenting this perversion as pleasant, as heroic, as honorable, as noble. What is my point here? To quote concerned women of America, reality is replaced with fantasy. Gone are references to or images of the millions of homosexual men wasting away in hospice due to behaviorally related diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis, and syphilis. And gone are references to or images of men and women trapped in the homosexual lifestyle who aimlessly seek to fill a spiritual an emotional void through promiscuous and meaningless sexual encounters. You think of it, when was the last time they showed that reality? Oh no, the homosexual is the smartest, he's the most fashionable, he's the wisest, he's the one you go to, he's the pleasant, he's funny. That's not accidental. It's intentional because even Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It's been repackaged to look sweet and noble, but the warning in scripture is severe about doing this. What does Isaiah 520 say? Woe to those who do what? Who call evil good, and good evil. Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness. Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. So we say, what does the Bible say? Always ask yourself the question, but what does the Bible say? Forget about what Hollywood and education and the culture and the president and everyone else says. What does God have to say? And as I said earlier, it disgusts God. Leviticus 18, 22. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. God doesn't call it pleasant, he doesn't call it noble, he doesn't call it honorable, he calls it an abomination. And notice what comes immediately after, what's in the same breath, and you shall not lie with any animal, and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it, it is perversion. Do you notice, the Lord puts homosexuality in the same category with animals. And he uses the words abomination. It's repeated in Leviticus 20 verse 13. If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them. Well, the question is, what does abomination mean? And I didn't know. But it was eye-opening to be sure. Abomination means to emit a foul odor, to turn away from something or someone on account of the stench, a loathing or disgust, hate in turn to stink, which describes something foul, that which is extremely hated, disgusted, detested, or abhorred. I did a search. What is the foulest smelling thing in the world? Do y'all know? I didn't. It's called thiocetone. It has an intensely foul odor. The smell is potent and can be detected even when highly diluted. In 1889, an attempt to distill the chemical was followed by cases of vomiting, nausea, and unconsciousness half a mile away. Yeah. an 1890 report that dilution seemed to make the smell worse. In other words, to try to mask the smell, to try to lessen the smell, it just made it worse and they described the smell as fearful. Fearful. People thought they were going to die. It's worse than anything you can think of. It's so bad that it causes men to fear. It causes people to be knocked unconscious. That is what abomination means. Homosexuality And every other sin, it's not the only sin that's called an abomination, but it is called an abomination, is so evil to God, it's so disgusting and vile and putrid to him that it's like standing directly over a thiocetone and inhaling as deeply as possible. The world may call this good and noble and heroic, But the Lord God says it is the most terrible stench imaginable to him. Now what happens to you when you smell things that are so foul that you just can't take it anymore? Something happens to you whether you want it to happen or not. Something begins to occur. You want to throw up. You want to vomit. And I know that's not very pleasant language, but that is a direct quotation from this verse. After he directly calls sodomy, An abomination, he goes on to say this, do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean and the land became unclean so that I punished its iniquity and the land vomited out its inhabitants. Now obviously he's not talking about the dirt and the grass and the stones. He is the one who was disgusted by the stench and vomited them out. But did you catch that? Not only does it provoke vomiting, the nations before them did these things. In other words, Homosexuality was rampant and common in the days of the Israelites. It was common and rampant in Paul's day, and look around, what do we see? The same thing. It was stark to me, as history records, the dark reality that this abomination was everywhere. I didn't know that. Babylon, for example, the Babylonians saw homosexuality as something normal and attached no social stigma to men taking the female role. Did y'all know that? Think of the Israelites being taken to Babylon to live among that. Mesopotamia, which the world says is the cradle of civilization, same-sex relationships were so common based on evidence from artwork as well as literature that they are depicted equally with those of the opposite sex. China. Records referencing same-sex male relationships in China date back at least to 600 BC. And same-sex couples are mentioned in poems, anecdotes, and histories with more frequency, starting with the Han Dynasty. Japan. Same-sex relationships in Japan. Even notice how they're phrasing that. This is obviously a quotation from these historical scholars. Same-sex relationships. It was also considered ennobling during the pre-Mehi period and were not only blessed but encouraged by the great Buddhist sage Kukai. You can look at Egypt and see the same thing. And not just the people, but their very gods. John MacArthur notes Socrates was a homosexual. Plato penned an entire section in his Symposium on Homosexual Love. Alexander the Great, as well as the soldiers in his army. Julius Caesar. In fact, 14 out of the first 15 Caesars were all practicing homosexuals. In fact, I've told you all this before, that Nero, who was the Caesar, who was the emperor when Paul wrote, when Paul was alive, he took a young boy named Sporus, had him castrated, and made him his wife. And after Nero committed suicide, the next two emperors took that same boy and made him their wife. Why am I telling you this? Again, as we just saw, God vomited out the nations before them. This was everywhere. It wasn't a new thing. And when we look around, we shouldn't think this is a new thing. This is in the very history of our world, sadly. Now, I've been quoting Leviticus here, and some homosexual advocates try to get away from these passages by saying, but wait a minute, that's the law. That's Leviticus. That's the Old Testament. And then they say things like, well, eating bacon and shrimp is also against the law. Do you do that? I don't know what we're gonna have for fellowship meal, but if there's any pork, they definitely point that out. Mixing fabrics, have y'all checked the polyester cotton blends? Scripture says something against that, doesn't it? Do you still stone disobedient children? Do you still stone adulterers? No? Then hypocrite, leave the homosexual alone. What will you say when they make these statements? But remember what we just read. What did he do to the nations who engaged in these abominations? He vomited them out of the land. Did they have the law? Did they have the Mosaic law? No, these were pagan nations and yet it didn't matter because the reality of Romans 2 that the work of the law is written on their hearts and conscience to either justify or condemn them for their behavior. He vomited them out of the land even though they did not have the law. It doesn't matter that they didn't have Leviticus or Deuteronomy or Numbers. They had the law on their conscience. They had the image of God upon their very being and God expected them to not indulge in these things. It's amazing. As Romans 1 says, no one is without excuse. He continues, but you shall keep my statues and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For the people of the land who were before you did all these abominations so that the land became unclean. It's amazing. God is holding these people accountable. Lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. For everyone who does any of these abominations, do you notice how often he keeps repeating the stench, the stench, the person who does them shall be cut off from among their people. So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs. that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them. I am the Lord your God." The nations before you, the pagan, godless, biblically illiterate nations were still vomited out. So this is a word game. And it doesn't take anything away because the fact of the matter is what? God is still disgusted. This sin makes him sick to his stomach whether you know the Bible or not. What do we think is gonna happen to America? as we see this rampant everywhere. Canada, the very reason why this is being done, these laws being passed, what do we think is gonna happen in Europe? What do we think is going to take place? Do we somehow think that we're gonna be spared? It still disgusts him to these very days that we are in. What does the New Testament call these actions? 1 Timothy 8 through 11. 1 Timothy 1, 8-11, sorry. Now we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners. He says, lawless, disobedient, ungodly sinners for the unholy. These are the terms that God uses to describe these practices. for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else, and here else, More description is contrary to sound doctrine in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. The world calls it good. God calls it an abomination, unholy, sinful. It's disgusting to him. It's a stench. It causes him to vomit people out of the land. It's unholy. What are you calling it? Are you saying what God says or do we fear losing friends? But God doesn't just call it an abomination. Here is the third heading. The third sobering reality, not only does homosexuality blaspheme the name of God by distorting the illustration of marriage, not only is it something that disgusts God, but it's also something that brings His wrath. Homosexuality angers God and brings His wrath. People wanna go back and forth about shellfish, about fabric, but before the law was ever given, you know what you find in Genesis 19? The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Long before there was ever a Moses or Mosaic law, before there was a Sinai and a tablet on stone, two angels came to Sodom in the evening. And Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, my lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way. They said, no, we will spend the night in the town square. But he pressed them strongly. Why? Because he knew what would happen to them. So they turned aside to him and entered his house and he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread and they ate. But before they lay down, notice the language here, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man surrounded the house. This uncontrollable lust consumes those who engage in it. It does not find itself being quenched. It is insatiable, and it's spread to every single man in the town, young and old. They surrounded the house, they called to Lot, where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them. Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Sadly, Lot acted wickedly along with them. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you and do to them as you please. That is evil. That is wicked. That is vile. And the Bible says that righteous lot was grieved. It started to stain him where he would even conceive of such a vile and evil and wicked thing to give his daughters to these literal Sodomites. Only do nothing to these men for they have come under the shelter of my roof. But they said, stand back. And they said, this fellow came to sojourn and he has become the judge. Now we will deal worse with you than with them. By the way, some people say the sin of sodomy was a lack of hospitality because of a reference in Ezekiel 18 that talked about the other sins of Sodom and doesn't mention homosexuality. Clearly, that is a lie. Then they pressed hard against the man, La, and drew near to break the door down. But the men reached out their hands and brought La into the house with them and shut the door. And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out, groping for the door. This is the behavior. How does God respond? They are struck blind and they're not stopped. They're not convicted. They're not afraid. They are so controlled by this lust that all they want to do is get to these men. God responds. The sun had arisen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the cities and what grew on the ground. This is the only time in history God has ever done this. Some people say all sin is the same. In one way, yes, every sin will bring you to destruction. But this sin is unique. It's unlike anything else. God has never done this at any other time in history. Jude 7 says, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, served as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. It brings the wrath of God, literally. Romans 1 talks about the wrath of God in another way, that he turns people over to this. Verse 25 in Romans 1, they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever, amen. For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions, for their women exchanged natural relations with those who are contrary to nature. And the men likewise gave up natural relations. It's unnatural. with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." Do you see? What is this? The mercy of God is extended. The kindness of God is extended. Turn from this. The truth that can be known about God is presented to them, but they desire to continue to suppress the truth that they can enjoy their lust, and God says, fine. I turn you over, and not just to the things you're doing, but to go even further and farther than you ever imagined. Beware if you are suppressing the truth. He may turn you over to homosexual sin too. But it's not just a historical thing, and it's not just a temporary thing and being turned over to sin. Ephesians 5, verse 5 says, for you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure or is covetous, that is an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not become partakers with them. The wrath of God is coming. The end of this sermon may never come, but the wrath of God is coming. Tomorrow may never come, but the wrath of God He hates this sin. He's disgusted by this sin. He pours out his wrath upon this sin. And 1 Corinthians 6 says, or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Those who practice homosexuality, whether passive or aggressive, whether the dominant role or the passive role, will not inherit the kingdom of God. And you know what? There are many people who are saying they will. Just like in Jeremiah's day, they're saying, peace, peace. Tim Keller, he said, you don't go to hell for being a homosexual. J.D. Greer, former president of the SBC, He says the Bible seems to whisper when it comes to sexual sin. He was speaking of homosexuality. He wasn't speaking of pedophiles or rape or incest. He had one sin in mind. The Bible seems to whisper when it comes to sexual sin. When you understand that, what it means is that you stand up and be among the fiercest advocates for preservation and the dignity and the rights of the LGBTQ people. And the Scripture says clearly, the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. And they're saying, yes, you will. And they're liars. To any homosexual who is listening to this, please hear me. Do not let people deceive you. Don't let them lie to you. Don't let them tell you that it's okay, that it's safe, that the wrath of God will not come upon you. I know that the feeling is intense. I know that the emotions can be wrapped into it, and all of that may be true and a lot more, but none of that changes this fact. God pours out his righteous indignation upon this sin. It's a lie, it's demonic, it's devilish. So Christians, stand firm. Don't bow. So many so-called Christians are asked direct questions. Is this a sin? And you know what so many of them have done? They've danced. They've compromised. They've bowed down to the spirit of the age. Focus on the family, for example, in an article entitled, In Interacting with the Gay Identified Friend. Whether this is a professing Christian or not, they said, in either case, we suggest you begin by listening very carefully to what the other person has to say. Instead of launching straight into a discussion of Bible doctrine, try to get a sense of what your friend or family member is going through. Bear in mind that this experience is very real and deeply personal for him or her. Be empathetic and understanding. Remain in this mode for as long as it takes to establish a relationship of mutual fidelity and trust. Don't tell them that they're sinning. Don't tell them what God says. Don't tell them that he calls them an abomination. Don't tell them that they won't inherit the kingdom of God. Just listen to their story. Try to get their perspective. Try to understand. God has spoken. He's spoken. So-called Christian music artist Lauren Daigle asked a direct question, is homosexuality sinful? I can't answer that honestly. In a sense, I have too many people that I love that are homosexual. I don't know. I actually had a conversation with someone last night about it. I can't say one way or the other, I'm not God. Some of y'all know the name Lecrae. He was asked a direct question by DJ Vlad. What did he say? Well, you know, My brother's gay. I don't condemn him. I don't look down on him for being attracted to the same sex. If anything, we'll dialogue so that I can have a better understanding because I don't profess to be like, I got this all figured out and I know the way this should be. God has spoken. Revelation 21.8 says, but as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. Brothers and sisters, do not let cowardice cause us to bow. They may remove you from social media. We may not be allowed to rent in this hotel anymore after this service. But this is the narrow path. This is the narrow way. This is the glory of God. This is the soul of men. This is the church. Do not cower. Stand firm. Be watchful. Stand firm in the faith. Act like men. Be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. And love rejoices with the truth. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing. It is not loving to tell homosexuals, you're OK. No, it's not loving at all. In fact, as the scripture says that the one who spares the rod hates his son, I would say the principle applies. The one who spares the gospel hates his friend, hates his brother, hates his neighbor. Stand. Don't bend to the bullies. Don't buckle. Don't let them pressure you to compromise. Stand firm in Christ and His truth. Stand on the gospel. Look to Christ. Draw near to the cross. Think of eternity and stand firm. They need to know the truth. They need to hear the gospel. They're not gonna hear it from Hollywood. They're not gonna hear it from the news. They're not gonna hear it from Christian musicians. They need to hear it from genuine believers who stand firm and who love God and love them. No matter the pressure, don't bow. Do not bow. This guy wrote a book called Gay Single Christian, saying, you know what, it's possible for you to be a gay Christian, just don't practice the behavior, but inside you can lust all you want to. What does Jesus say? You have heard that it was said you shall not commit adultery, but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Jesus points to the heart. And so my final statement, the only hope for homosexuals is the only hope for all of us. 1 Corinthians 6, 9, or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God, and such were some of you. For years, people are saying that there's a gay gene. Well, they just put out research. We knew it was true that it's not true, but they just did research that discovered there is no single gene responsible for a person being gay or lesbian. That means there's nothing physiological, there's nothing medical. You cannot open up someone, do surgery, and find here's the gay gene. No, there is none of that. And I don't want to make light of the reality of what is going on inside of people, but this is a matter of the heart. This is a matter, like every other sin, it is a matter of the heart. It's not genetic. It is a choice. It is a decision. It is a sinful condition because of the fall. And those passions can be powerful. But so is the passion and the sin of adultery and greed and idolatry and pride and murder. There's good news for every single man, woman, and child that struggles with these unnatural feelings and attractions, those six words that change everything, such were some of you in this church where people who had been converted by the power of the gospel, by the power of the Holy Spirit, they looked to Christ, they believed in Him, and they were changed. That doesn't mean they didn't struggle. That didn't mean that they didn't have to wrestle. But what Christian doesn't? Every sin that you've been delivered from, you still wrestle with and battle with to this day. And so it is with the homosexual. 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. The past tense, such were some of you. You know why there's such good news? It's because it means you can change. You can be changed. You can be free. So many of these people, oh, they force you to try to affirm it. Why? Because of the guilt and the shame. They know it's wrong, and they want everyone to say it's right because they're trying to quiet their conscience. They say they're gay. They're not gay. They're not happy. They are depressed and in prison, but there's freedom in Christ. He breaks those chains. Such were some of you. You can be free. And I know there are many who want to be free, and they've tried everything else, and they feel like they can't be free, but such were some of you. You can be forgiven. Oh, the sin is dark, and the shame is great, and there are things that these people have done, some of you have done, who are watching this, listening to this, that you're so ashamed of. You don't want anyone to know the secret places, the dark rooms going here and there. You don't want anyone to know. God knows, and He will still forgive you. He will still have mercy on you. He will still love you and wash you and cleanse you. He will bring you to Himself. He will make you new. He will give you a new heart. He will give you new desires. He will give you a new mind. He will deliver you from this debased way of thinking. You don't have to remain in your lust, in your shame, in your guilt. Jesus Christ went to the cross and bore in his body our sins, both heterosexual and homosexual. There are people who don't know that, and you need to know that, that in his body he bore our sins so that you could be free, so that you could be free. and rescued from the wrath of God, that when He looks at you, He doesn't see disgust, He doesn't see the stain, He doesn't see the shame, He doesn't see the wickedness. No, when you trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and are washed, you bear His garment. This is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. And no matter how dark your sin has been, and how great your shame has been, and how large your secrets are, you can be free and washed and pleasing in the sight of God. that you need to call your lifestyle what God calls it, not an orientation, not an alternate lifestyle. Why? As Jesus said, those who are well have no need of a physician. If you're good, you're noble, you're fine, and you're happy, you have no need of a physician because you're not sick. Only those who see their sickness, only those who see their need will cry out to him. You must call it sin, and you must see yourself as a hell-bound sinner. Those are the only people who can be saved. And I know it's not just, the gospel goes out to all people. And if you're sick, call upon the great physician. Are you lost? Call upon the one who is the way. Are you enslaved? Call upon the great liberator of the captive. Are you in darkness of sexual sin and shame? Call upon the light of the world. Are you dead in your sins? Call upon the resurrection and the life. Call upon the name of the Lord and he will save you. He will not push you away. I know maybe your family has when they discovered the darkness of your sin. I know the culture may in certain circles, even sadly in Christian circles, when someone says, this is what I am dealing with, but I don't want to. Even Christians may. give you the stiff arm and say, stay over there. But the Lord God, Jesus Christ, will never do that. Come to Him. Run to Him. He will wash you. He knows the depths. He knows the secrets. He knows your heart. He knows your life. He knows it all. And He still wants you. He still calls you. Repent and believe the gospel. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we sang, though Satan may tempt you with the guilt within, there is hope because you can look to Him You can look to Him and there is your rest, there is your assurance. Brothers and sisters, if the Lord is pleased to bring among us those who live this life, who struggled with these things, who came from that, may we receive them as brothers and sisters in Christ and not look at them strange. May we embrace them as receivers of the same grace that we have received. May we not put them in a different category or class, but know if they come in through the narrow gate, their brother, their sister, if they come in through the same way we did, with faith. Those who will live must live by faith. May we as Christians truly show grace to those who do repent and come from this sinful, abominable life. Amen. Your Son came to this world for sinners. He suffered your infinite wrath for our sake. And we have 2,000-year-old evidence that that includes those who practice homosexuality. We pray we would see these same realities in our day and not just read about them in history. And may we be truly gracious, loving, godly people when those people come in, because we were with them. In Jesus' name, amen.