The House is Burning
Romans 1:25-32
In this section of scripture, Paul lays out some hard truths, but we need to understand up front that Paul is coming from the perspective that people who practice the things he lists are terrible people that need to be judged and condemned. He see's Rome as a city full of people who are lost, the house is on fire, and Paul wants to get out as many as he can.
1.
Last week we posed the question: What does
God do when a person disregards the clear evidence of God, and they make the
choice to worship something other than Him?
a.
Answer: He lets them. God doesn’t
force us to worship Him, we are free!
b.
But once a person makes the decision to reject
God, a progression is set in motion.
c.
And one of the most sobering statements in the
bible become a reality: God “gives them up”
24 Therefore God also gave them up
to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among
themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and
served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
2.
This is the first step in rejecting God - following
the lust of your heart.
a.
It’s the beginning of sin, you see something, it
looks good, and you think “Maybe I should check that out…”
b.
“I’ll only try it this once…” – anyone ever said
that? Was that how it turned out?
3.
I remember being twelve years old and telling
myself “I’m not going to do drugs.”
a.
But when the opportunity came up, I was curious,
so I tried it, but I was only going to do it a little bit…
b.
But then it was kind of fun, so I did it more!
c.
Here’s the rub:
it always took me further than I
intended.
Sin will take you further
than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you
more than you wanted to pay.
4.
That’s the catch: For a while it sin feels
good, it’s fun. Sin is always pleasurable, for a season.
a.
But season’s change...
26 For this reason God gave them
up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is
against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman,
burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful,
and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
5.
Step Two in the progression of sin is that a
person becomes passionate in the practice of their sin.
a.
It moves from experimentation, to becoming a way
of life, a lifestyle.
b.
You become good at your sin!
c.
And the example that Paul uses is the sin of
homosexuality.
A can of worms
6.
I don’t know if you realize it, but Paul is
opening up a can of worms here.
a.
Some of you are thinking, “I know, that’s a
sensitive subject, you better be careful pastor Clay!”
b.
Fact is, it won’t be long before I could be arrested
and charged with committing a “hate crime” just for reading these words!
c.
But understand, I don’t mean that Paul is opening
a can of worm for our culture,
I’m speaking of the culture of Paul’s day.
7.
See Paul wrote this letter from the city of Corinth,
which was a city where homosexuality was openly practiced, even celebrated!
a.
In Roman society, homosexuality was widely
accepted as being perfectly normal.
b.
Same-sex marriages were recognized.
c.
Sexual relations between men and boys were seen
as normal, there was even a Roman holiday established for boy prostitutes.
d.
Matter of fact, the Emperor of Rome, Nero, took
a young boy named Sporus, had him castrated, and was married to the boy in a
huge public ceremony, followed by a massive procession to the palace with his
new bride.
e.
In other words, Paul was writing this letter to
a culture that would have completely and violently disagreed with him on the
topic of human sexual behavior.
8.
Why did Paul use this particular sin as an
example? Is it because this sin any worse in God’s eyes than say,
adultery?
a.
No, to God sin is sin, but this sin does have profoundly
negative effect on a population and a culture. Just to name a few:
Homosexuality Damages a person Psychologically
9.
Studies have shown that gays and lesbians have
much higher rates of depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicide.
a.
One study by the Journal of Consulting and
Clinical Psychology found that 75 percent of the nearly 2,000 respondents had
pursued psychological counseling of some kind, many for treatment of long-term
depression or sadness
10. The
argument is made that the cause for these mental health issues is because
society doesn’t fully accept and celebrate homosexuality; it’s because of Homophobia
that these people are having problems.
a.
But the word of God is telling us the opposite
is true: When a person knowingly enters into a lifestyle that is clearly out of
bounds of God’s word, it changes who they are, and who they could be.
For as he thinks in his
heart, so is he. Prov 23:7
b.
In other words, the practice of sin literally
changes how a person thinks, it affects their mind.
Homosexuality Damages Physiologically
11. Several
studies have been conducted that point out that there are physiological
differences in the brain of a person who is gay, verses a person who is
straight.
a.
There are studies that show that a gay men and
women actually have different chemical makeups in their brains.
b.
I don’t disagree with that, but I don’t believe
that they were born with those differences, but rather those changes occurred
AFTER they began practicing a lifestyle that goes against the natural design of
a human being.
c.
Verse 27 seems to indicate that a change does
take place BECAUSE of the practice of sin:
and receiving in themselves
the penalty of their error which was due (v27)
12. What
is the main argument that is made that says society should not only accept
homosexuality, but approve of it as well?
a.
They say “We were born that way”
b.
You know what? I AGREE with that statement.
They were born that way… we were ALL born that way.
c.
I don’t mean we were born to be gay, but we were
all born with a sin nature. We all have an inherited propensity to sin -
We got it from our father Adam.
13. We
could really say that about any sin, couldn’t we? The pedophile could say
“I was born that way” (actually they do)
a.
What about the person that loves to steal?
The murderer.
b.
In other words, I agree that a person can be
born with a propensity towards a particular sin.
c.
But being born with a propensity to a certain
behavior doesn’t mean we accept the behavior and call it normal.
d.
That is happening today, homosexuality is moving
towards becoming normal.
Homosexuality
Damages Culturally
14. In
his book “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire,” Edward Gibbon notes that
fourteen of the last fifteen emperors were homosexual.
a.
Not only were they homosexual, they appointed homosexual
generals and commanders in the Roman Army.
b.
According to Gibbons, this was a main reason the
strength of the Roman army broke down, and they lost the will to fight.
c.
Result? The army began to deteriorate, the
Visigoth’s moved in, defeated the Romans at the Battle of Adrianople in 378,
then invaded Italy and sacked Rome in 410;
d.
Gibbon argues that homosexuality was a major
factor in the deterioration and ultimate fall of the Roman Empire.
15. Here’s
the interesting thing: Paul wrote this in 56 AD, 320 years before the
empire finally fell.
a.
At the time Paul wrote this, the reaction of
society would have been the same as what we hear in our culture today:
“There’s nothing wrong with being gay, it won’t harm our culture, or our
institutions, we’ll be just fine.”
b.
But history paints a different picture, and we
know those that ignore history are doomed to repeat it.
c.
The negative consequences of sin often take years,
decades, even hundreds of years to take effect, which is why we can’t judge
whether something is good or bad based on the immediate results.
d.
God’s word, on the other hand, is eternal, His
truth never changes. What was bad for society 2000 years ago, is still bad for
society today!
16. Some
of you might be thinking this through for the first time, and perhaps coming to
the conclusion that homosexuality isn’t good for a society,
a.
But there is another reason even more compelling
reason...
Homosexuality Damages Theologically
17. When
God created Adam, there was nothing missing from that man (yes ladies, he was
the “perfect man”)
a.
He might have been perfect, but he was also
lonely. I can see God parading the animals in front of Adam to name, and Adam
saying:
b.
“There goes Mr & Mrs giraffe, Mr & Mrs
Rhino, Mr & Mrs gorilla….
c.
“Well there’s two things that have just become
apparent to me Lord: 1) There is no “Mrs Adam” and 2) None of these are
going to work!”
18. So
God created Eve, removing part of Adam – and creating the perfect mate for him.
a.
But - God didn’t just remove a rib, He removed other
things from Adam, things which He placed into the woman, so that she is not
only unique from Adam, she has the missing parts so that she completes him.
b.
For instance: Emotional and spiritual
sensitivity, a nurturing nature,
c.
That’s why men and women are so different;
For example, a woman will make sure she smells good ALL the time, while a
man will be like “Hey, does this stink too bad to get one more wear?”
19. OK
back to my point - God made Adam, He formed Eve, with the specific design
intent that they would come together in a holy union and become one.
a.
Together man and woman complete one another; through
this union they are designed to bring life into this world, fulfilling God’s
plan and purpose.
b.
That’s why God blessed the joining of a man and
woman in marriage, and blessed the sexual union that would consummate the
marriage.
“Have you not read that He
who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this
reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and
the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matt 19:4-6
20. Marriage
is also a picture of mankind, separated from God, then reunited to be once
again complete through the holy union of salvation.
a.
That’s why the bible consistently paints a
picture of the church, the believer, as being the bride of Christ.
For I am jealous for you
with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one
husband—Christ. 2 Cor 11:2
21. POINT:
Think of this, Christians are often quick to judge homosexuals, but what about
Christians that aren’t willing to treat their marriage as the holy union that
it is,
a.
To love one another in such a way that the world
will look at our marriages and say “wow, that is something…”
b.
Husbands loving their wives like Christ loves
the church
c.
Wives loving and submitting to their husbands in
a way that honors the Lord.
22. Here’s
my point: Homosexuality distorts that image.
a.
It distorts the marriage covenant; men don’t
need women, women don’t need men.
b.
It distorts the creation of life through the
union of a man and woman; A gay couple cannot conceive without medical
intervention (which also distorts the plan God put in place for procreation)
c.
Homosexuality blurs the image of the passion of
Christ. What is the passion of Christ? His bride”
Husbands, love your wives,
just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might
sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might
present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any
such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Eph 5:25-27
23. Homosexuality
follows the classic strategy of the enemy of God, Satan, to take something
beautiful that God has ordained, and corrupt it.
a.
That’s why God specifically forbid this
practice, because it corrupts the images God has given us to reveal Himself to
us: mankind, life, salvation, and His Son Jesus Christ.
24. Paul
is warning us that when a person, and worse a culture, fully embraces this
lifestyle, the next step is full immersion,
The final stage...
28 And even as they did not like
to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do
those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness,
sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy,
murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters,
haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient
to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such
things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those
who practice them.
25. So
here we see final stage in the de-evolution of a person, and a culture, that
has rejected God: the Greek “adokimos,” A debased mind.
a.
Used in the context of describing a human being,
it basically means a person or a culture has lost their humanity;
b.
Their actions and practices run counter to human
behavior.
26. Reading
through this list, it sounds a lot like the evening news broadcast.
a.
I don’t see any point in walking through this
list and describing each sin, they pretty much speak for themselves.
b.
What I will point out is that Paul is painting a
picture of a person, and a culture, that has rejected God.
c.
He is describing what happens to human beings
when they refuse to acknowledge the God that created them.
d.
Humanity becomes corrupted to the point that
they are no longer recognizable as humans.
A Sign of the
Times
27. We
need to recognize that this isn’t just a list of bad things that we need to
stay away from,
a.
These are the inevitable signs of the end times
28. When
the disciples asked what the end times would look like, Jesus replied:
Likewise as it was also in
the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted,
they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and
brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day
when the Son of Man is revealed. Luke 17:28-30
29. What
was it like in the days of Lot? In the account found in Genesis 19, God
sent angels to Sodom to warn Lot,
a.
When they arrived at Lot’s house, the men of the
town marched through the streets, gathered in front of Lot’s house, and
demanded to have carnal knowledge with the angels.
b.
Hmm, marching through the streets, loud and
proud. Does that sound familiar? Sounds like a gay pride parade.
c.
My wife and I used to live in San Francisco.
We’ve witnessed it. It’s unbelievable.
30. Jesus
warned that one of the signs that the end times are near would be that homosexuality
would be celebrated in the culture.
a.
Well, we’ve arrived there.
31. But
the problem isn’t that particular sin...
a.
Often people think the reason God destroyed
Sodom was because they were homosexual rapists, but that isn’t entirely
correct.
b.
The root of Sodom’s sin is explained in Ezekiel
16:
Look, this was the iniquity
of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and
abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and
needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I
took them away as I saw fit.
Ezekiel 16:49-50
32. Apparently
the people of Sodom apparently had it really good: plenty of food, they
didn’t have to work hard, they had a high standard of living that came easy.
a.
They became proud, lazy, and indifferent to the
needs of others.
b.
You could say they had it so good, they spent
all their time noodling around in Facebook, watching Netflix, playing Grand
Theft Auto, and listening to gangster rap.
c.
The easy life, coupled with a refusal to
acknowledge God, led to sexual experimentation, moral looseness, and sexual
promiscuity.
d.
In other words, the culture of open
homosexuality wasn't the root, it was the signal that the culture had reached
it’s bottom, and there was no return.
33. I
believe that is a message to us today; in that we need to be careful how we
respond to the increased practice and acceptance of homosexuality, or any sin
for that matter, that is prevalent in our culture.
a.
I don’t believe our goal should be to fight
homosexuality, or enact legislation against it (personally I don’t believe we
can stop it, or any of the other sin’s Paul lists; The bible clearly teaches us
that in the end times these things will increase)
b.
Homosexuality isn’t the problem, gays aren’t the
problem, the other sins Paul listed aren’t the problem, all of these things are
simply the indicators of the underlying
problem.
34. The
underlying problem isn’t that people
sin; the problem is that people
are lost.
a.
Our purpose, our mission, isn’t to clean up the
world: It’s to bring to gospel message to those who practice these things,
because the gospel is the only solution.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (vs 18)
35. I
don’t see these words as coming from the hand of God with malice or
condemnation.
a.
I see them coming from a God that has watched
His creation, His masterpiece, the human race, fall so far from his ideal that
His heart is breaking.
b.
Have you ever watched someone you care about
fall into a lifestyle of immorality, and you watch as they fall further and
further, it is heartbreaking.
c.
It’s like watching someone burn to death in a
fire.
36. Listen
to me when I tell you, we are in a burning house, it’s filling with smoke, and
the rooms are filled with people that don’t even know that the house is on
fire.
a.
Our job is not to run in with a list of rules;
our calling is to get them out - one at a time – with the life-changing gospel
message of Jesus Christ.
Copyright © 2013 Clay Ritter. This data file is the sole property
of Clay Ritter. It may be copied only in its entirety for circulation freely
without charge. All copies of this data file must contain this copyright
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Pastor Clay Ritter, c/o Calvary Chapel of Wilmington, 2831 Carolina Beach Rd,
Wilmington NC, 28412.
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