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Jul 19, 2015

Freedoms in Conflict, Part 3

Freedoms in Conflict, Part 3

Passage: Genesis 19:1-11

Series: God's Heart for a Sexualized World

Keywords: homosexuality, marriage, romans 1, sodom

Summary:

This is the last in a three-part series on homosexuality and what the Bible teaches. It deals with Genesis 19 & Romans 1.

Detail:

Freedoms In Conflict, Pt. 3

Genesis 19 & Romans 1

 

Complement: How will homosexuality lifestyle affect the Christian culture?

Homiletical Idea: Homosexuality was always viewed a sin since the beginning of time, God does not condone man with man, or woman with woman sex. God condemned such sexual relations in the beginning of time, and He still condemns it now.

Purpose:  As a result of hearing this sermon, I want my listeners to… To study Scripture in a way that no one would lead them in falsehood, but will rather stand for truth. 

Mosaic is in a short series on freedoms in conflict. The last couple of Sundays Pastor John has been addressing how our freedoms are to apply to human sexuality and our culture. We all know about the recent Supreme Court decision on “gay marriage.”  Now we, churches that hold to both traditional marriage and the historic interpretation of Scripture regarding marriage, are in direct conflict with our culture and with the laws of the land.

However, the question we are trying to address here is, What does Scripture actually teach? What does the Bible say specifically about homosexuality and homosexual marriage? Is this a belief we need to hold because scripture teaches it? Or could we interpret Scripture differently in our social context? Do Christians have the wrong interpretation of scripture? We are going to look at a couple of passage for this morning from the Old and the New Testament.

Just so you know how self-declared “Gay Christians” and many a church in America are reinterpreting biblical passages on this topic, take a look at this short video by one self-proclaimed homosexual man who is calling Christian churches to a “reformation” on marriage that will include homosexual marriage.

Show the Video:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmp6lLct-fQ

My friends, my brothers and sisters, this is reality as it is unfolding in our nation right now.  The world approves of same sex marriage.  In addition, there are many Christians who support homosexuality. There are scholars who are trying to use Scripture to support same sex marriage. But I believe Scriptures clearly do not support the practice of same-sex unions or sexual practices. In fact, God condemns it as well as any sexual relations outside of marriage between a man and a woman.   

Yet, the real struggle I see in our culture today is parents and grandparents attempting to explain to their children and young people why homosexuality (and other sexual sin) is a practice God condemns in both the Old and New Testaments. I am hoping that you learn to interpret, understand and defend what Scripture is really teaching.  Our children are looking for answers and we must be ready to explain changeless truth, God’s truth, to them. 

I want to make this clear…again: WE are  not “homophobic”, “anti-gay” “trans-phobic” or “hetero-centric”…really! We just want to show the truth through Scriptures regarding homosexuality.  By doing so, we are not attacking homosexuals; we are calling them to the only truth that will bring ultimate happiness and satisfaction.

This morning we would like to show you how to combat what some like Matthew Vines who you just heard do in an attempt to make the Bible say what it does not say.   

By the way, who is Matthew Vine? He is the co-author of God and the Gay Christian.  His own website says, “As a young Christian man, Matthew Vines harbored the same basic hopes as most young people: to someday share his life with someone, to build a family of his own. But when he realized he was gay, those hopes were called into question.”

Before we dive into the texts, we need to introduce ourselves. 

  • My Name is Arturo David Morales, but you call me Arty.
  • And I am Seamus Roberts and I am going to be up here presenting the views of Matthew Vines.

Matthew Vine and others reinterpretation of Genesis 19

Before diving in Genesis 19, I shall give a brief history of Abraham conversation with God. God was going to destroy the city of Sodom and Gomorrah, after talking to Abraham; he told God if He found fifty righteous people, would God destroy the city? God said He wouldn't destroy the city if He found fifty righteous people. The conversation went on until it went down to ten righteous people. But I want you to focus on Genesis 18:20 which mentioned, “The LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave.”” This is the reason for God wanting to destroy the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Now let’s turn to Genesis 19:1-5

Genesis 19:1-5-- The 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; 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, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”

Matthew Vine has seven viewpoints on Genesis 19.

  1. His first point is that, “A vicious mob surrounded a house, demanding that its guest be delivered for their sexual use. In hope that he could spare his guests, the man living in the house offered his virgin daughters to the Mob instead.” [Page 60]  In other words, Matthew Vines focuses on the hospitality and the vicious mob wanting sexual intentions.
    1. Abraham was a model host. As John Calvin puts it in his commentary on the passage, Genesis 18 highlights “the hospitality of the holy man.” Hebrew 13:2 recalls Abraham’s actions when it instructs, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” [Page 61. Read all of the scripture, which we will discuss on the second part of this sermon. “Context is King.”]
    2. To further his argument, Vine mentioned John Calvin’s commentary as the base of the “bad hospitality” interpretation for Genesis 19, since Hebrew 13:2 mentions to show good hospitality to your guest.
    3. The views of the Old Testament in regard to Sodom and Gomorrah. Isaiah, for example, castigated Judah as a sinful nation, comparing it to the rulers of Sodom and the people of Gomorrah (Isaiah 1:4; 10). But the sins that Isaiah highlighted were not of a sexual nature. They were sins of oppressing marginalized groups murder, and theft. Isaiah later prophesied that the pride and glory of the Babylonians…will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah (13:19) [Page 63]

Matthew is keying on the facts that Isaiah compared Judah to Sodom and Gomorrah, but Isaiah never once mentioned homosexuality as a struggle for Judah, only theft and murder was there sins.

  1. The men of Sodom demanded that Lot bring out his guests so that the men could have sex with them. But this was not an expression of sexual desire. It was a threat of gang rape. In the ancient world for a man to be raped was considered the ultimate degradation [aggression and dominance]. [Page 65]
    1. The real issue was gang rape, not homosexuality
  2. Inns were rare in those days, so most travelers depended on the hospitality of strangers for food, lodging, and basic protection [p. 65].
    1. Vine believed people relayed on hospitality, therefore Sodom and Gomorrah didn’t show good hospitality and that angered God.
    2. Judge 20:5

To sum up Vine’s arguments, Sodom and Gomorrah’s real problem was that God was angry at the bob for wanting to do gang rape the visitors and ruin Lot’s hospitality.  Furthermore, Genesis is not keying in on homosexuality.

Now, get into a small groups of 5-8 people and discuss on one of these 4 topic on how you would handle this situation.

Group discussion

So how do we answer this interpretation? 

Let me introduce you to Kevin DeYoung.  Kevin DeYoung (born 1977) is an American Christian Reformed Evangelical theologian and author of What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality?  Here is his reply.

To the idea that  God was angry at Sodom because the cause was only gang rape and that other O.T. passages support this, there are these replies:

  • If we carefully look at Ezekiel 16:47-50 it shows a picture more then gang rape. [Page 34] Ezek 16:47-50 emphasizes that their sins were great, an abomination [page 35].
  • The word abomination translates the Hebrew word ‘ebah’. The abomination in verse 50 is a separate, specific sin that the Lord has in mind, but it is also one of the several abominations referenced in verse 47. [Page 35]
  • The same word is used in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. Where a man lying with a male as with a woman is called an abomination. Several sins in the Holiness code Leviticus are describe as abomination, but only this one is singled out by itself as an abomination. [Page 35]
  • Sodom’s sins echo through the Leviticus passages. Leviticus describes their sins as abomination in the eyes of God. (Sodom’s sins were pride, social injustice, and pursing homosexual behavior.) Page 36
  • Let’s go to Hebrew 13, but notice the Verse 4—“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

The Greek word for immoral is pornos, which means “impurity.” It would also mean fornicator. However, the writer for Hebrews was focusing on holy marriage, marriage between man and wife, not same sex.

Isaiah mentioned to Judah, “If you keep going in the wrong direction, you will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah.” Your right Matthew Vines, Isaiah never mentioned homosexuality. However, Isaiah never mentioned what sins they were doing. Let’s look at verse 4--The problem Isaiah is trying to mentioned to Judah is that if they did not repeat, they would be destroyed, be extinct from the face of the earth.  Isaiah is not comparing sins  

Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, Sodom and Gomorrah are synonymous with extreme sinfulness (Isa 1:9-10; 3:9; Jer. 23:14; Ezek. 16:44-58) and Divine Judgment (Deut. 29: 23; Isa 13:19; Jeremiah 49:18; 50:40; Lam 4:6 Amos 4:11 Zeph. 2:9) [p.33]

Gomorrah is less mentioned in the New Testament.  However, Jesus mentioned Sodom to compare the upcoming wrath to the people from God, also the hardness of heart. [page 33]. 

Jude 1:7 also describe Sodom and Gomorrah practicing sexual sin and unnatural things

The Greek, sarkos heteras, could also be describe “other flesh” but means “unnatural things” [Page 38].

In other words, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because they murdered, they were hardhearted, but

they also did unnatural things in the sight of God (which is what the Sodomites wanted to do when they sought to sleep with the two male visitors/angels). Yes, it was bad hospitality but it wasn't just gang rape but desiring to engage in homosexuality 

Now let’s go to one New Testament passage for today.

Roman 1:26-27--For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations 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.

Let’s focus on the objections of Scripture according to Matthew Vines .

Matthew titles this “The heart of Roman 1.”

  1. Paul’s message in Romans 1-3 is that no one is righteous. All people have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (roman 3:23) p97
    1. Vine says that Paul is trying to show how we are all sinful, not just those engaging in sexual sin
  2. Now, it's is true that Paul immediately pivoted in Romans 2 to condemn the hypocritical self-righteousness of those who pass judgment even on the degenerated Gentiles
    1. Not only is Vine trying to use common ground, he also uses “I am not perfect, but you not perfect as well, so don't judge” argument.
  3. The reason for Paul’s condemnation—says it wasn’t homosexuality as we know it today.
  4. Paul description of same sex behavior in this passage is indisputably negative. But he also explicitly described the behavior he condemned as lustful. He made no mention of love, fidelity, monogamy or commitment in homosexual relationships. So how should we understand Paul’s word? Do they apply to all same-sex relationship? Or only to lustful, fleeting ones?
    1. Vine is trying to say Paul isn’t mentioning love-based homosexuality, only lustful homosexuality.
  5. Vine contends that Paul is speaking against straight people who are acting like gay people. Boswell contends that Paul might have taken a different view of same-sex behavior if he was thinking of what is practiced by those who were naturally attracted to those of the same sex, not heterosexuals who became bi-sexual or homosexual [Page 101].  Matthew is clearly trying to say its O.K. for a committed homosexual relationship, but not for a heterosexual to desire the same-sex relations.

Group Discuss

Get into a small group of 4-5 people and discuss on one of these topics on how you would handle this situation

Rebuttal

Let’s look at verse 18-20 first. The Wrath of God is revealed to the ungodliness and unrighteousness  (18-20).

Kevin Deyoung calls 21- 22 the three exchanges.

The first exchange is mentioned in verse 21-23

They exchanged God for images that resembled humans and animals

The Second exchange is verse 24-25

Ungodly people exchanged the truth of God for a lie.  Not only did they exchange the truth of God, but also focus on a particular word even deeper.  The word impurity in the Greek word (akatharsia) which is used in the New Testament relating with sexual immorality (Rom. 6:19, 2 Cor.12:21; Gal. 5:19; Eph 4:19; 5:3; Col. 3:5; 1 Thess, 2:3; 4:7)

Third Exchange 26-27

In Paul’s mind, same sex sexual intimacy is an especially clear illustration of the idolatrous human impulse to turn away from God’s order and design. Those who suppress the truth about God as revealed in nature suppress the truth about themselves written in nature. Homosexual practice is an example on a horizontal plane of our vertical rebellion against God.

The issue cannot be pederasty because there is no record of adult-youth sexual intimacy among women in the ancient world. Likewise, the issue cannot be master slaves relationship or other sexual abuse more generically because Paul speaks of both parties being consumed with passion for another (27). Gender is the point, not orientation or exploitation or domination. The issue is exchanging the natural relationship between a man and a woman for unnatural same sex relationship.

No doubt, much of homosexual practices in the ancient world was by men who also had sex with women, but this does not mean Paul had no concept of orientation or that the category would have altered his final conclusion. Even if Paul did not use our modern vocabulary, his judgment is still the same. Homosexual behavior is a sin, not according to who practices it or by what motivation they seek it, but because that act itself, as a truth-suppressing exchange, is contrary to God’s good design. Every passion directed toward illegitimate ends was considered excessive and lacking in self-control.

The phrase “contrary to nature” translates the Greek word para physin. The phrase was commonly used in the ancient world to speak of different forms of sexual activity, especially homosexual behavior

  • The creation of the world is mentioned in verse 20
  • The Creator is mentioned in verse 25
  • The language of animals, bird, and creeping things in verse 23 echoes Genesis 1:30
  • The Greek in verse 23 mirrors the Septuagint (Greek) version of Genesis 1:26, with both passages using identical words for image, likeness, man, birds, four footed animals, and creeping things.
  • The language of a lie (v25), and shame (27) and the sentence of death (32) are allusions to the fall in Genesis 3.

In conclusion, Roman 1:26-27 is not just speaking against only lustful and heterosexual sins, but generally speaking to people who practice homosexuality. 

Conclusion: 

  • Hopefully, this has brought you conviction that we are not holding on to old ancient idea. We are holding to what God lead out as sexual purity and sexual truth in our culture.
  • We shouldn't be afraid to speak the truth, to actually say to another person that what I hold on to is truth for anyone that believes in Jesus. God’s words has been clear since Genesis to Revelation
  • We should love people who are gay, to love transgender, we as Christian should love all sinners, but not to be afraid that what they are doing is not Biblical.
  • But what about your friend who have same sex attraction? For 60 seconds let pray for them silently. To pray for blessing of God truth in your life. To pray for them, just like all of us would realize that we are sinner needing a Savior and that they won’t be deceived in life.