Good to see you. If you’ve got a Bible, go ahead and get it out, you’re going to need it. We’d like for you to be able to look for yourself to see that I’m not making this up. We’re going to open wide the Word of God in a final sermon of Romans chapter one. And the title of this sermon is “The Biblical Understanding of Homosexuality”. Why am I doing this? Well, because if you’ve ever read Romans chapter one, and you try to avoid the topic, you have a reason for wanting to avoid that. As your pastor, I would be remiss if I did not cover this specifically, given the fact that it’s in the Word, obviously, we need to talk about it, and the nature of the way our nation is right now and the way our culture is headed. And so that is all the motivation you’re going to need there in the first component, the second just drives it up to a little more urgent. So, when I say this title, I want you to see it for what it actually says, “The BIBLICAL Understanding of Homosexuality.” This is not the Stephen’s version. I don’t need your version. You don’t need my version. We certainly don’t need some talking head from our culture’s version. We want to know, we always wanted to know, what does the Bible say? What does it mean by what it says? And what are its implications on my life in light of the finished work of Jesus Christ? And so that’s what we’re going to do. Now the layout in this is a little bit different. I won’t be getting to Romans one until the very end of the message and you’ll see, hopefully, why the message is laid out that way. What we’re going to do is we’re going to answer a series of questions, there’s five total, and the first four go by rather quickly. And then the final one is where we will land with an understanding from the first four, we’ll be able to have a real understanding of why homosexuality is featured, if you will, in Romans chapter one. You will understand it and therefore be able to rightly apply it. So, let’s get to it.
1. Is Homosexuality A Sin?
Here is question number one, “Is Homosexuality A Sin?” “Is Homosexuality A Sin?” Now when we say a “sin”, what do we mean? We mean something that violates the known will of God. That’s what a sin is. Literally, the word means to miss the mark or to fall short. And so, when we say is homosexuality a sin, we’re not asking do we have a dislike or hate. What we’re saying is what does God’s Word say? The answer is, yes, homosexuality in the Bible, according to the Bible, is a sin. Both Old and New Testament. I’m not going to read exhaustively on this. I want to give you an Old Testament example. That’s quite clear. I’m gonna give you a New Testament example. That’s quite clear to drive home the point that this is from Scripture. Here’s the Old Testament example. This is Leviticus 18:22. It says, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” And an “abomination means that it’s something that makes God sick. It’s sickening to God. It’s an abomination. Yes, that absolutely falls in the category of a sin. And when you read this verse in the context of all of Leviticus 18, this verse is sandwiched between two other verses. The verse before it talks about offering your children, burning them alive to a false god demon named Moloch. And that verse following it is the forbidding of bestiality. Both of those are sins. So is this.
Here’s the New Testament example. This is 1 Corinthians 6:9. It says, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? (Now there is a list of sins here. And itemized so we get to see it clearly.) Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality.” So, it is on that list. That list does go on, we’re actually coming back to that verse here in a moment but I just want you to have the question answered, biblically speaking, there’s no way around it. If anyone tries to teach it, the Bible does not say that they have an agenda for wanting to leave that out as a sin.
2. What Causes Homosexuality?
Okay, here’s question number two: “What Causes Homosexuality?” What causes it? You may think that’s a strange thing. Well, if it is a sin then it has the same cause as every other sin. It has been inherited down the line the bloodline from our forefather Adam. That’s where all sin comes from. It is inherited. What causes it? Adam caused it and it’s been carried down in the bloodline. You say wait, Adam was a homosexual? Didn’t say that. But all sin is given in tendency and iniquity at birth. Every single person is born a sinner. In fact, Romans 5:12 says it this way, “Therefore just as sin came into the world through one man (who’s that one man? That’s Adam. That’s original sin.), and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” You sin because you’re a sinner; you’re not a sinner because you sin. And iniquity comes through the bloodline. That’s why Jesus Christ had to be conceived in the womb of the virgin by the Holy Spirit. Joseph was not His father, if He had an earthly father, He would have had indwelling sin. And so where does homosexuality come from? Listen to me, at birth. I was discussing this with someone a homosexual. This is years ago, I worked in the hotel industry back when I was in college. I’ve had many, many, many conversations with homosexuals face to face, one-on-one, and in groups. I am not intimidated by them. And they somehow don’t seem to really get infuriated at me. Watch this message, and change all that. But this man was being very sincere. And I believe he was being very sincere. And he said, “Stephen, this is the thing I truly believe I was born this way.” Now he was used to evangelicals telling him, “No, you weren’t. This is a product of molestation. This is a product of your environment.” And but I am my answer to him was this: “I completely agree. Completely agree.” He said, “You do? You agree with that?” I said, “Absolutely. But you understand that doesn’t alleviate the problem. That is the problem.” All of us are born with sin specifically certain sin tendencies. Does that mean a baby’s homosexual? No, it doesn’t mean that at all. No, no, they have to take that up and the environment does play into it. The nurturer. I mean, that oftentimes people are molested. Oftentimes, people experience abuse, and that kind of tilts them in that direction. But that’s the same case with any other sin, isn’t it? You’re born with certain tendencies. Those of you who have raised children, you know, this is true. Different children have different tendencies toward different sins even when they’re very young. You may have one child raised in the same household born from the same parents, but one child is kind of reserved, introverted, and can tend to be lazy. And then maybe your other child is just absolutely outgoing, high power, you know, into everything you wish they were a little more lazy because they’re rebellious, right? And they come from the same environment, they were that way they had a predisposition. That’s called an iniquity. It’s a tendency toward that. Generations have that. People who come from certain family lines tend toward certain addictions. Is it caused at birth? The seeds of it are. And so indwelling sin passed down from our forefather Adam dating all the way back. So, when someone says, “I was born with that”, I can agree with it. But that’s not the solution. It’s the problem. There are genetic, hormonal, and environmental experience factors that produce certain sins which are prevalent in certain individuals. That’s just the way it is. You have some that you struggle with. Others have others that they struggle with. We’re all different. This is one of them. That’s what is causative.
3. Is Homosexuality An Unforgivable Sin?
Here’s number three: “Is Homosexuality An Unforgivable Sin?” The answer is no. Homosexuality is NOT an unforgivable sin. And maybe you’re here and you say, “Well, there is no such thing as an unforgivable sin.” Absolutely there is. Jesus makes it very clear in Matthew chapter 12. He talks about what the unpardonable sin is, it is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. That is it. And the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is to give the devil credit for what God is doing. It’s what they were doing. They were calling Jesus. They were saying that Jesus cast out demons by Beelzebub, the devil, and Jesus said that would not be forgiven. You say, “So what if I’ve committed that?” Well, if you have, you’re not worried about it. Somebody who’s done that has a seared conscience. They’re gone. They will never repent because they will never allow the Holy Spirit to minister to their conscience any longer. Homosexuality is NOT unforgivable. Let’s go back to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 because I want to drive this point home. You’ll see it clearly. You remember this? It 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. (Watch verse 11) And such were some of you (he’s talking to Christians) such were some of you…” That means there are Christians who were homosexual. Christians who were revilers, idolaters, greedy, thieves, adulterers. Yes, “such were.” If they were, that means they’re no longer, that means it’s not unpardonable. “…Such were some of you. 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.” This is not something that the hand of the Lord cannot reach to and forgive and rescue from. In that sense, it’s right in the middle of a big list of sins if you notice that. It’s not the unpardonable sin. And so, what do we do with those who are homosexual and come into the church? It’s not the unpardonable sin. What do we do? Obviously, we walk with them as brothers and sisters in Christ and we stand with them in their battle against that sinful tendency and that iniquity.
4. Does Salvation “Cure” Homosexuality?
Which brings us to number four: “Does Salvation “Cure” Homosexuality?” “Does Salvation “Cure” Homosexuality?” Here’s the answer, wrong question. That is a wrong question. Let me ask you this, “Does salvation “cure” heterosexual iniquity?” No, it does not. You say, “Wait a minute, things change when you become a Christian?” Yes, they do. They do. You are forgiven. You are immediately given a mind that has been raised from the dead, you’re given a clear conscience, you’re given a new mind. But that mind has to be renewed. It’s a process called sanctification. You’re going to battle some things now that may not be the same sins that you would see in someone else. But each of us has a battle, you are aware of the tendency that you have to fall into a certain iniquity. The same is true with homosexuals. That does not mean that they get a pass on acting that out. No, any more than a murderer, an ex-murderer, an ex-adulterer would, or an ex-thief. No, no, that behavior cannot be tolerated. Anyone that walks in that headlong unrepentant, not confessing, not depending upon the grace of Jesus and the conviction of the Holy Spirit is not a real Christian. That’s for sure. That’s bad fruit that’s from a bad root. But it doesn’t cure it. That’s a wrong question. Hebrews 12:1 says it this way, “Therefore, since we (this is speaking to Christians), since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (talking about the saints gone by that he listed in Hebrews chapter 11), let us also lay aside every weight (and watch this) and sin which (what?) clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” This is talking about particular tendencies that each of us has towards certain sins. Now, look, there are some sins you’re probably not tempted with. Some sins maybe I am and you’re not. I don’t recall ever being tempted to rob a bank but maybe your ex-bank robber and maybe you’re low on cash, and you’re thinking it through. Pastor says, “Don’t.” Okay? Right. But this is talking about a sin that’s kind of special to you, and that still holds some power in your life. You know what it is as I’m saying it. The King James Version calls it a besetting sin, it easily besets you. Or New American Standard, this is the sin that easily untangles is the language. It’s the one that you’re used to. It’s the one that God delivered you from. Are you forgiven? Yes. Do you have victory? Yes. Do you have to walk in it? No. But is it a temptation? Is it a battle? Yes. It’s not a cure. But it is a redemption.
In fact, we have this promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13. And this applies to each and every believer. The word “No” in the Greek is “No”. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not (what?) common to man…” That doesn’t mean that you have every temptation that’s common to man. But that means every temptation that man has, others have had as well including homosexuality. No temptation that you’ve had is not common to man. But “…God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted (what?) beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” There’s no excuse for a blood-bought child of God. You can always raise the shield of faith, draw the sword of the Spirit, wear spiritual armor, call your spiritual community, confess your temptations, and walk in the light of freedom. You need not yield to anything. Does that mean you’re always going to get it perfect? No, especially in thoughts. But we can say without a doubt, that people can walk morally pure. This is a guarantee. In fact, maybe it’s those of you and in your past, there’s homosexuality, oftentimes people have a hard time breaking from the identity of that and calling themselves what they really should be calling themselves.
Let me show you this. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a (what?) a new creation. The old has passed away. The new has come.” Let me say it to you this way. There is no such thing as a “Christian homosexual”. There is no such thing as a “Christian homosexual”. There are Christian former homosexuals. That’s right, former homosexuals. And they are now called “saints”. Not homosexuals. There’s no such thing as a Christian murderer. If you’re going out and doing murder, claiming to be a Christian, you’re not a Christian. Christians don’t go murder. Now you might still be tempted in your heart. Traffic anyone? Right? You know. I’m being real. It doesn’t mean that and what do we do? We confess when we repent but we don’t go walk that out. Why? Because we can stand against the temptation. We are a “new creation”. And if you’re here, and homosexuality is in your past, and you’ve come to Jesus Christ, let me encourage you to refer to yourself as a “saint”. You can go boldly to the throne of heaven because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. You’re not any different. Now, those are the first four. Lest you be deceived, we are not almost done. We have one more and we’re going to camp here. Because of this, we now have a foundation for you to understand why is homosexuality featured in Romans chapter one.
5. Is Homosexuality A Unique Sin?
Here’s question number five: “Is Homosexuality A Unique Sin?” The answer is yes, it is a unique sin. It is a very specific sin, born of a very specific problem, I want to show you what it is. And when you see what it is, you’ll never unsee it. You can’t unsee this once you see it. And you’ll understand why Paul features it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Romans chapter one. Let me start off with a couple of statements. First of all, manhood and womanhood in marriage. Manhood and womanhood in marriage existed from the beginning of creation for the glorious purpose of representing the relationship between God and His people. That’s the Old Testament. And in the New Testament, between Jesus Christ and His church, I’m gonna prove this to you with text. I just want you to hear it. Let me say it again, manhood and womanhood in marriage. The marriage covenant. It literally exists from the beginning of creation for the purpose of representing the relationship between God and His people. That’s Old Testament and shadow. And fulfilled in the relationship between Christ and His church. That’s the New Testament substance. Now there are many places we can go to demonstrate this but this is why marriage literally exists. God made it that way, listen to me, to be an outward dramatization of an inward spiritual reality. I’ll prove it to you.
Here’s the Old Testament just a few references. About 70% of this message is on the cutting room floor in my office. It’s just, there was no way to bring it all to bear. You’re welcome. Here’s the first. This is Isaiah 54:5, very clear, it says, “For your Maker is your husband…” I mean that should be enough right there. He’s speaking to Israel. And He’s saying you are as it were, the wife, and I am as it were, the husband. So, when people look at marriage, they’re seeing a picture of God’s relationship with His people or at least how it should be. “…The Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.” Here’s another reference, Jeremiah 3:6-8. “The Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah (here’s the quote from God): “Have you seen what she did (this is the voice of a jealous husband), that faithless one, Israel (this is covenantal language. This is a jealous God. Same as a husband will be jealous for his wife), how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore?” What does that mean? It’s a reference to sexual immorality because sexuality itself is meant to bring glory to God by being an outward picture of an inward intimacy. That’s why this is worded this way. Look, He goes on and look at the next verse. He’s referring to adultery obviously. He says, “And I thought, ‘After she has done all this, she will return to me,’ (now that’s God being anthropomorphic. It’s not meaning He’s like stumped) but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. She saw that for all the adulteries (Look at the word. There’s no adultery outside a covenant of marriage. This is a picture we’re learning it) all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of (what?) a divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore.” See this through Scripture. One more Old Testament reference. I really want us to be able to own this truth. This is in the book of Hosea, which if you read Hosea, you’ll pick this up very clearly. Let me show you a couple of verses. Here’s Hosea 2:16. He says “And in that day, declares the Lord, (look), you will call me, ‘My Husband,’ (very clear) and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal’”. You’re gonna call me “My Husband” as in the picture. Go to Hosea 2:19-20. He says, “And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, and steadfast love and in mercy.” Verse 20, “I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.” That was Old Covenant.
Here’s the new covenant. This is in the New Testament. Now remember, the Old Testament is what? Type and shadow. New Testament fulfilled in Christ is what? The actual substance. It’s the same thing. Marriage represents the union between Jesus and His church, not the other way around. The marriage is literally for that purpose. For some of you are the lights coming on, you’re starting to see how this fits into Romans one. Let’s look at the New Testament. You know where I’m going. Go to Ephesians 5:22, this is the verse probably that will get me the most hate mail. It’s the Bible, it’s not me. “Wives, submit to your own husbands (watch this), as to the Lord.” Now, why does that say, “as to the Lord”? Well, we’re gonna tease it out. We’re gonna unpack and understand it through the next verses. But here’s why. Because it’s a picture. Again, it’s an outward picture of a spiritual reality. He goes on, “For the husband is the head of the wife even as (what?) Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.” Again, he’s showing us, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that marriage when it’s looked at in proper order is a picture of the union between Jesus and His church, not the other way around. He goes on, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” If you’re a believer in Jesus, you want to love your wife that way so that others will look and see that image of God and His love for us in Christ. Verse 26, “That he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by washing of water with the word.” Look at the language in verse 27, “So that he might present the church to himself in splendor…” What’s that talking about? That’s the betrothal that we saw in the Old Testament. This is the fulfillment of it. This is referring to the consummation of the age where the marriage supper of the Lamb takes place. The bride having been made ready. That’s what it’s about. Our marriages are pictures of spiritual realities. “…So that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church. (This is just again it’s driving it home) Because we are members of his body.” Now watch these next two verses. This is where the plane will land. The apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is about to quote Genesis 2:24. You’re going to see the verse, this is where marriage was instituted. He’s going to quote it and then he’s going to teach you what it means. Here it is, verse 31, “‘Therefore (this is the quote) a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, (watch this), and the two shall become one flesh.’” Now I’ll prove this to you here in a moment in another passage but I want you to know what this is. This “one flesh” is referring to sexual intimacy. He’s literally quoting the verse that says the “two will become one flesh”. That is what happens in sexual intimacy. No graphics needed. That’s what happens. That’s what he’s referring to. And then he makes this statement, he’s going to teach us Genesis 2:24. Look at his very next statement. He says, “This mystery is profound (what mystery? That marriage represents the covenant between God and His people, and between Jesus and His Church), and I am saying that it (what? Genesis 2:24) refers to (who?) Christ and the church.” Marriage was instituted to be a picture of intimacy, listen to me, of oneness. Of oneness between us and Jesus Christ. Now that it is “a spiritual mystery”. It’s nothing like sexual intimacy. But the outward picture is what demonstrates the inward reality.
Let me give you this. 1 Corinthians 6:15-17 just to kind of give it a good shape to our understanding. Paul writes, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and (look) make them members of a prostitute?” What’s that referring to? That’s a referring to a joining together. That’s referring to sexual intimacy. What does he say? “Never!” “Never! Or do you not know (verse 16) that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes (what?) one body with her? For, as it is written (what?), ‘The two will become one flesh.’” That context is where it’s in terms of sexual intimacy. Now that’s disorderly but he’s still quoting where? Genesis 2:24. Why? Because sexual intimacy is a picture of Christ loving His church, and to do it disorderly, perverts that image outwardly. There you go, look at verse 17, “But he who is joined to the Lord (here’s the spiritual reality), becomes (what?) one spirit with him.” Are you getting it? Sexual intimacy within the confines of marriage is rightly glorifying to God because it is a demonstration. Any perversion of that is an outward demonstration of an inward something’s broken. Okay, now we’re getting it. Sexual intercourse is an outward natural picture of an inward spiritual reality.
This is what Jesus prayed for in the positive that we would demonstrate this. This is John 17:20-23. In His High Priestly prayer, He’s praying for His 11 disciples right there, Judas is gone. He says, “‘I do not ask for these only, but also for those (that’s us, who will believe in me through their word. (Watch the language here, look at verse 21), That they all may be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (Verse 22) The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, (look at verse 23) I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.’” You can’t miss it. If you see it, you can’t unsee it. Sexual intimacy is an outward picture of an inward spiritual reality. It was made that way. It’s what it’s for.
Therefore, now you can understand Romans one. Why? Because it’s an inverse perverted relationship to God that’s now being demonstrated outwardly. So, God shows up and says, “I am God. Here, I’m demonstrating My power, My wisdom, My attributes.” And the man says what in Romans one? “I don’t want You. I suppress the truth in unrighteousness. I don’t want that. In fact, I’m going to exchange You for something else. (Listen), I’m going to exchange You for something (listen) same as me.” You know what “same” in the Latin is? “Homo”. “Hetero” is different. God is saying, “Have union with Me, I’m different than you. You will be as the wife and I will be as the Husband. I will be the Head and you will be the one that is in submission.” And when man says “No, we won’t have God’s glory.” Then what happens is there is an inversion. There is a perversion that refuses the other and chooses the same. And homosexuality is the dramatization of that played out.
That’s why it’s featured in Romans chapter one. Let me show it to you. Let’s start in verse 21. “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (So, they’re going to reject the glory of God) Claiming to be wise, they became fools (We don’t want You. We won’t have You. And look at the next verse and here’s the key word) and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and (mortal) birds and (mortal) animals and (mortal) creeping things.” Mortal. They “exchanged” the “immortal” for the “mortal”. This is the rejection of that relationship and it plays itself out in one specific perversion that demonstrates itself in society. It doesn’t mean everybody does that. But it means it does play itself out. This is the progenitor of it. They exchanged the glory of immortal God for images. And look at verse 24, “Therefore, (God did what?) God gave them up (what?) in the lusts of their hearts to impurity…” What does that mean? He gives them what they want. Okay? You demand that so I’m gonna give you what you want. And what does it lead to? “…To the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves.” It’s an inordinate internal relationship and it results in an inordinate external relationship. The drama played out if you will. He turns them over to that why? Verse 25, “Because (here’s the word again) they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the (what?) the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” There is the problem. It’s an exchange. The perversion of that relationship results in a perverted relationship that’s completely opposite of the way marriage was structured. Then we see it. This is where we see homosexuality in Romans one. And now you know why, here it is, verse 26, “For this reason, God (He does this), God gave them up to dishonorable passions. (And what? Here they are) For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up (that’s another way of saying “exchanged”) 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.” That’s what we see. So, in Romans 1:21-27, we have the exchange of the glory of God for the creature, then God hands us over, as it were, to that which we prefer. We therefore having been handed over to that which we prefer, we act out externally and bodily in our sexual relations. A dramatization of what has happened internally and spiritually in the horrendous exchange of the glory of God for His creatures.
That’s why homosexuality is featured in Romans chapter one. Thus, the greatest dramatization of man rejecting and exchanging God for something like himself is for man to reject and exchange the woman, for one like himself, or for the woman to reject and exchange the man, for one like herself, in the most intimate of ways and that is sexually in the disordered, perversion of becoming one with one like himself. This is why it’s there. Once the inward has been disordered, that’s man rejecting God for something like himself, the outward dramatization, thus is decreed and ordained to be similarly disordered. Thus, in homosexuality, there is an outward testimony of the perversion that has occurred inwardly as the glory of God has been rejected and exchanged for something lesser.
What’s the solution? You say, “Well, it’s Jesus Christ.” Absolutely it is Jesus Christ. And it’s not just for the homosexual, it’s for the heterosexual and every single iniquity we could be battled in. And it’s this, it is to get the prioritization of the glory of God back where it belongs. The “healing” of the homosexual soul, heart, and mind is the same as the “healing” of the heterosexual soul, heart, and mind. It is found in the restoration of the recognition, prioritization, and right reverence of the eternally precious, all-worthy value of the glory of God. When God is rightly prioritized inwardly, the outward dramatizations in our lives begin to reflect that which is right in order. Will that certainly result in the complete eradication of an inclination or even a desire toward a particular sin that easily besets us? Perhaps. But it will most certainly result in the vicious and eventual victorious battle against that sin under the banner that is raised over the life that reads “Soli Deo Gloria”. All Glory to God. It is the solution. Changing what created the perversion is what reverses it. All of my disordered affections are the result of my disordered priorities. When in fact the way back is what He is to be most valuable. He is to be most appreciated. He is to be most prized. He is to be most cherished. He is to be most revered, most feared, most desired, most yearned for, most sought after. He is to be most pursued. He is to be most praised. He used to be most lauded and captivating, consuming and intimate. He is to be seen as most worthy. He is to be most loved. He is to be the center of each and every life of His creation. And when He is the center, when He is first, everything else comes into orbit correctly around it. And this is the solution to the homosexual perversion. That is the solution to the heterosexual iniquity. That is the solution to the idolatrous tendencies. That is the solution to every single easily besetting sin. That is the solution to the lukewarm, compromised, weak, and wayward church and that is the solution to the lost, rebellious, perverted, and insane nation. It is to put God back where God belongs.
I’ll finish with this and I actually mean it. This is 1 Corinthians 6:17-20 says, “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him. (We read that before but look at the rest) Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
SPEAKER
Steve LeBlanc
KEYWORDS
God, Sin, Original sin, Unforgivable Sin, Besetting Sin, Iniquity, Abomination, Homosexuality, Homosexual, Homo, Hetero, Heterosexual, Marriage, Covenant, Temptation, Glory, Saint, Sanctification, Christ, Romans, Church, Bible church, Grayson County, Audio Sermon