Great Sermon

Last week we had our last message in the “Front Page Series” I’ve mentioned, and the topic was Same-Sex Marriage. I think it’s the best message on homosexuality I have ever heard to date (although I have heard very few messages on the topic – but even if I had, it would still rank as a great one!). I highly recommend checking it out.

I really like the way my pastor approached the topic. He starts by emphasizing God’s love for all humanity – including people who identify as gay. As he notes, many Christians ostracize people for their sexual orientation, but God calls us to love everyone.

At the same time, he also notes the reality from Scripture that God does not support everything His creations do – including homosexuality. He says that long before we were ever born or thought of, God categorized it as sin – not because He doesn’t love us, but because it was not in His design for romantic relationships. The message looks through Scripture – from the Old Testament to the New – to highlight that God, at no point, changed His mind on this issue.

I know this topic can be very challenging to address for many Christians – as also pointed out in the message, Christians have so many conflicting views on the topic. But as Christians, our standard for every issue has to be what God says – not our personal feelings.

In His Word, God lays out His standard for relationships that glorify Him. I’ve heard the arguments that some people try to make from Scripture that God is not actually against homosexuality – that He is only against it for the people for whom it is not their “nature” – but such “interpretation” defies the cannons of biblical construction (yes, I am part referencing legal statutory interpretation, but I am fascinated at how the maxims of construction are similar- I think the law borrowed from biblical hermeneutics)! As tough as it can be to swallow for even some followers of Christ, it is not in His will.

So what do we do as Christians in a world where being against the practice seems to be increasingly unpopular? We show love to everyone – because every single person, regardless of orientation, is valuable to God – but also recognize that our identity first has to be in Christ. I believe it is more than possible for a born-again Christian to struggle with homosexuality. But I also believe that is where victory through Christ comes in – through His Spirit in us we can overcome any struggle despite what the world says.

I think the message also presents a beautiful picture of the purpose of marriage to glorify God. A marriage - between a man and a woman – gives a couple the divine enablement to be even more empowered, united – to live for Christ. Marriage joins a couple in body and spirit, as One.Flesh. That is all the more reason to remember that our bodies are temples – houses of God – that just can’t be handled by any old “date” in the heat of passion. Before we let someone else that is not our spouse in a divinely orchestrated marriage touch us here or there, we have to think about how God views not just sex – but any romantic touch. He has designed intimate physical contact for a purpose, in marriage, that is meant to be so fulfilling, freeing and illustrative of His sacrificial love for us. How beautiful even that thought is – and so worth the wait!

Regardless of what you think about homosexuality, I think this message is worth a listen to hear what God thinks. And anytime we look to God’s Word, we should pray that God opens our eyes to see all the wonderful, liberating truths in His law. That’s what I pray for in this case, too.

Check out the message here. Note you can also get it on iTunes – The Bridge DC > Front Page > Same Sex Marriage. Let’s take the Creator at His Word that His thoughts and ways are always higher than our own – perfect.