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If I had to choose one word to
describe homosexual activity, one word in addition, not in exclusion to
those given to us by God through His holy Scriptures, that word would be
narcissism. Narcissism is self-love; the excessive, all-consuming interest
in one's own comfort, feelings, pleasure, and importance. At the heart of
homosexual rebellion is narcissism.
It is difficult for the homosexual to give up his sin
for at least four reasons. First, it is a sin which goes beyond the
natural laws God has instituted for His creation. Sexual sin involving a
man and a woman is natural acts wrongfully and unlawfully used. Homosexual
sex acts are unnatural acts for which there is no right or lawful use. To
commit a homosexual act one must not only disobey the Lord, but one must
also determine to engage in activity which does not come natural to even
an unregenerate man.
That is why the Scriptures say sodomites "change
the natural use into that which is against nature." While certain
forces, spiritual and social, may certainly encourage that decision, it is
still a decision to do that which does not come natural to a man. Once
caught up in a life of such sexual perversion, it is very difficult for an
individual to renounce it; for to do so means admitting to having
committed acts which lower men and women below the level of beasts.
The second reason that it is very hard for a homosexual
to give up his sin is the spiritual forces involved. The Bible tells us
that the devil is a roaring lion seeking to devour people. Homosexuality
is a behavior which devours individuals; nations; and everything which is
good, decent, and holy. It is a behavior which by its very nature is a
repudiation of God the Creator and a mockery of God the Lawgiver and
Judge. The devil certainly does not let homosexuals go without a fight.
The third reason that it is hard for homosexuals to
give up their sin is that many—not all, but many—homosexuals have a
reprobate mind. This is what the Bible clearly tells us in Romans 1:28. If
you are listening to this broadcast today and you are involved in
homosexual acts, flee from that sin now before it is too late. Flee to
Christ, repent, be washed by the blood of Jesus, and be born again.
There is nothing which can save you or justify you
before God save Christ alone. Humble yourself today; enter into an eternal
covenant with God sealed by the blood of the Lamb. Determine to live by
God's way, not your own. Do it today; tomorrow may be too late.
The fourth thing that makes it hard for homosexuals to
give up their sin is the reason with which I began this program.
Homosexuals are narcissistic. They are an incredibly self-centered lot.
Their god is their lust; they live to appease their own perverse wants,
needs, and desires, regardless of how they affect others.
I said earlier that is hard for homosexuals to be
saved; and so it is. Yet it is not impossible, and we do see sodomites
come to Christ and become new creatures. For this we praise the Lord, but
I would like to share a warning with you. In a desire to respond to the
relentless forward momentum of the sodomite juggernaut, many Christian
ministries are turning to former homosexuals, "ex-gays" as they
are called, to be spokesmen on this issue, this grievous sin.
That is all well and good to a point; but yet we must
listen carefully to the message such individuals preach. Sadly, many,
reflecting the life they have come out of, are preaching a narcissistic
gospel, which quite frankly is no gospel at all. Let me give you an
example.
I recently heard a former homosexual, now a professing
Christian, speak on a nationwide Christian radio program hosted by a man
for whom I have the greatest respect. The ex-homosexual, now a married
man, was on the program to offer insight into the sodomite life and how to
minister to individuals involved in that life.
What he preached was a narcissistic gospel which
perhaps reflected his tragic personal background but which also does
damage to the cause of Christ and which certainly could be a stumbling
block and a deception to many as well as an aid to the enemy.
Because the gospel that individual preached is
representative of a false teaching which many ex-homosexuals, and perhaps
not-so-ex-homosexuals, are teaching, I felt compelled to speak very
briefly about the issue today by sharing some of the remarks made by the
individual.
Regarding homosexuals in the church, he said, "So
many gay people will say, 'I just felt like I was on the outside looking
into life.' And everybody, Christian or not, needs to feel like they fit
into somewhere; and if we won't feel welcome within the walls of the
church, we'll go looking elsewhere to belong."
While this sort of blackmail may work with modern
seeker-sensitive churches, it is wrong and a violation of God's definition
of the Body of Christ to welcome homosexuals into the church. The
Scriptures are clear that those involved in sexual sin are to be
confronted (1 Corinthians 5 is just one case in point); and if they will
not repent, they are to be removed from fellowship in the Body.
We are to go out and seek the lost, lead them to
Christ, and then bring them into the church for disciplining. Can you
imagine someone preaching that the church should welcome child molesters
or murderers into the church so that they do not go looking elsewhere for
fellowship? Then why do we do so with regard to open homosexuals?
The man I am speaking about also said that when he was
a homosexual marching in gay pride parades, he was confronted by
Christians who held signs which told him he was going to hell, which in
turn made him turn away from God. He also told of being friends with two
Christians who never told him homosexuality is a sin or shared Scripture
verses dealing with homosexuality but only shared verses dealing with
God's love. This person insisted that any reference to hell made him
distance himself from God; and any airing of Scripture verses dealing with
homosexual sin turned him off, as he put it.
Such pontifications are an affront to our Lord and
Savior. Jesus Himself often and graphically warned sinners of hell, saying
it was a place where the worm does not die and the smoke is not quenched.
A place where the smoke of the torment of the unsaved goes up forever and
ever. As far as preaching on sin to sinners, Christ used some very strong
language and warned, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish."
Peter, the prophets, John the Baptist, Paul, the
Christian evangelists who sparked the great awakenings in this country all
preached strongly and graphically of sin, death, judgment, and hell along
with grace, forgiveness, love, mercy, and hope.
I wonder how the two Christians who managed to chum
around with an open sodomite for six months without once warning him that
he was engaged in abominable behavior which God hates would have felt if
he would have died and gone to hell without being warned of his perilous
position?
The ex-homosexual we are talking about also opined that
at the heart of homosexual activity is "a tremendous amount of
rejection." This man is wrong. At the heart of homosexual activity,
as at the heart of all activity which violates God's dictated and revealed
law is sin and self, rebellion and flesh. While rejection clearly could
have been a contributing factor in this man's case, not all homosexuals
have the same story; that is a bunch of psychological mumble jumble.
Not all drunks have the same background, nor do
adulterers, fornicators, liars, or murderers. The only universal attribute
which ties all sinners together is their sin nature. Certainly Satan uses
life situations to his advantage, but we must get off this kick that there
is one environmental or psychological excuse which is the root of all
homosexual acts. That plays into a victim mentality which retards
spiritual growth and even inhibits people from taking responsibility for
their actions.
The "ex-gay" also held that "many
Christians have handled this issue inappropriately even if their heart is
in the right place; and I think it's because the church, by and large, has
a difficult time dealing with sexuality in general." He went on to
say, "Sexual sin is rampant in our society in general. And I think
because we have a difficult time, we pick on our weakest link,"
meaning homosexuality.
I would ask this person, Why must the church deal with
"sexuality"? Alfred Kinsey worked overtime to get the world to
deal with "sexuality" to the point that the world is now
obsessed with "sexuality." Now we see the church headed down the
same primrose path to the same obsession, with a Biblical twist, of
course. There is no benefit in turning the church into a sexual therapy
clinic; the church is to be the pillar and support of God's clearly stated
Word, including what it says about homosexuality.
I assume the allegation that Christians have handled
the issue of homosexuality inappropriately comes from the fact that some
preachers and teachers do not molly coddle a certain category of sinners
and instead speak of the sin in implicitly Biblical terms. I would hardly
call this picking on the weakest link. The sodomite nation in our midst is
becoming every bit as aggressive as Lot's neighbors. It is a movement
which threatens life, liberty, and the weakest among us. It is
cold-hearted and selfish, narcissistic, in fact. For persons saved out of
Sodom to insist that Christians focus exclusively on the feelings, needs,
hurts, wants, and desires of homosexuals while brushing aside fidelity to
God's Word along with the welfare of children and the survival of a nation
is the world's way, to pander to the guilty at the price of the innocent.
The perhaps well-meaning person who was preaching this
sort of unbiblical nonsense also said, "Christians need to lay their
armor down." I disagree. I would say we need to put on the full armor
of God, especially in these times of seducing spirits and doctrines of
devils.
While there are ex-homosexuals with great testimonies
who preach the whole counsel of the Word of God, there are also many
individuals who are being used by the enemies of our souls to erode the
authority of Scriptures and promote an ungodly, narcissistic, man-centered
gospel. Just because a former homosexual claims he was won to the Lord
without the godly sorrow that leads to repentance; without the conviction
of the law which calls homosexual acts vile, abominable, filthy, and
lawless, does this mean he is now truly free from the sin which once
enslaved him? Exodus International leaders preach such a gospel, and
several of that group's leaders have fallen back into homosexual sin.
I would just warn against judging the veracity of a
person's Biblical teaching by the sin in which he was once engaged. There
is an inherent danger in according expert status regarding a certain sin
based solely on experience practicing that sin.
The sin of homosexuality is a consuming, devouring,
unbelievably vile sin. It is a sin which literally deforms people's minds,
spirits, bodies, and visages. While it is wonderful to be able to point to
persons who have been set free from that scourge, we must be very careful
about which of them we make into spokesmen for the church of Jesus Christ.
The sin which we engaged in before we are saved can
have residual influence on our lives after we are saved. The man I heard
speak the other day was a witness to the narcissistic life homosexuals
live. The gospel he preached was a me-centered gospel devoid of respect
for the immutable Word of God and the ability of the Holy Spirit to
convict men of sin by graphically showing them they have fallen short of
God's righteous precepts. How he may or may not have gotten saved is not
the point.
The preaching of the Word of God is not a subjective,
experientially-based abstract. While we may approach different people
different ways, any gospel which cannot be personally applied to the
condition of the sinner is no gospel at all. The drunkard must hear what
the Lord says about drunkenness; the adulterer must hear what the Lord
says about adultery; the murderer must hear what the Lord says about
murder; and the homosexual must hear what the Lord says about
homosexuality.
Do not be seduced by emotional stories recounted by
persons who may or may not be mature Christians or, quite frankly,
Christians at all. Do not fall for the deception that any way a person
claims to have been saved or any message he claims to have been saved by
justifies the method or the message.
In our earnestness to see the false gospel of the
sodomite movement refuted, let us be careful not to preach a false gospel
of our own. In our desire to see homosexuals saved and brought into the
kingdom of God, let us be careful that we do not fall into a false
compassion which encourages sin.
Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free." The truth is, men are saved by the
conviction of the Holy Spirit that the Word of God is true. It is not for
us to decide who will or will not be saved. It is not for us to rewrite
the Word of God to suit modern ears or to conform with a poll taken of a
professing group of ex-sinners. Ours is merely to preach the whole counsel
of the Word of God and leave the results in the hands of the Author of
that Word. When we do that, we see true conversions. We see new creatures
in Christ who increasingly manifest the fruits of the Spirit rather than
the habits and hallmarks of a past life in slavery to Satan.
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