Saturday, April 6, 2013

America Is Heading Back to The Practices of Pagan Rome: Homosexuality & Same-Sex Marriage


America Is Heading Back To
The Practices of Pagan Rome!
Homosexuality and Same-Sex Marriage
by Pastor David L. Brown, Ph.D.
First Baptist Church of Oak Creek Wisconsin
SameSexMarriage.04072013
Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell, wrote - “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” It seems our culture is at this point today.

Dr. Don Boys writes – “The efforts of the media, academia, Hollywood, and politicians have accomplished an amazing feat: they have changed the culture in a generation by being deceptive, disingenuous, and dishonest. Most people now believe right is now wrong and wrong is now right. Godly living is considered divisive, derisive, and deranged while perversion is no longer reprehensible, repugnant, and repulsive, but is thought (by non-thinkers) to be commendable, courageous, and even cultured!”(http://donboys.cstnews.com/homosexuals-want-special-rights-not-equal-rights)

We see Isaish 5:20-21 being lived out before our eyes – “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”

The little word “woe” indicates judgment, God’s judgment. Let me ask you two questions.

·       Do you have any doubt in your mind that the hand of judgment is on our country?

·       Do you have any doubt why God’s hand of judgment is on our nation today?

Here is the forthright truth why we are in the predicament our culture is in today. We are moving quickly away from an absolute standard of truth in this nation! As I have often told you, our nations legal system was founded upon the Judeo-Christian Ethic, that is the principles of Old Testament New Testament.  

By and large our nation is given over to relativism! Right and wrong are being decided by “the powers that be” or by majority vote. Or, you make up your own values! But this is an ever changing standards and bring instability! It ultimately leads to cultural breakdown, anarchy and chaos.

I want to focus upon one Key Biblical ethic today and that is Marriage! We read in Genesis 1:27-28a “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it…”

From the very beginning marriage was between a man and a woman!

Genesis 2:18-25 “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.   21  And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

God made Eve for Adam and brought her to him. Moses, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul affirm this.

·       Moses - Genesis 2:24 “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

·       Christ - Mark 10:7 “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;”

·       Paul - Ephesians 5:31 “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.”

The Biblical family has always been, is and will continue to be the backbone of society! When the family, as biblically defined, is destroyed the culture is doomed. In fact, this was a key contributing factor in the demise of Rome. The Roman culture had become morally reprobate.

The first-century A.D. catechetical manual, the Didache, makes refreshingly clear what pagans will have to give up, in regard to Roman sexuality, once they joined the Church. It begins with the ominous words –

“There are two ways: one of life and one of death—and there is a great difference between the two ways.”

The pagan converts are then confronted with a list of commands. Some of which would have been quite familiar and reasonable to Romans, such as, “You will not murder” and, “You will not commit adultery” (although for Romans, abortion wasn’t murder, and a husband having sex with slaves or prostitutes was not considered adulterous).

But then followed strange commands (at least to the Romans), “You will not corrupt boys”; “You will not have illicit sex” (ou porneuseis); “You will not murder offspring by means of abortion [and] you will not kill one having been born.”

Against the norm in Rome, Christians must reject pedophilia, fornication and homosexuality, abortion, and infanticide. The list also commands, “You will not make potions” (ou pharmakeuseis), a prohibition against widespread practices in the Roman Empire which included potions that stopped conception or caused abortion.

I include the prohibitions against sexual practices heartily affirmed by the Romans alongside prohibitions against contraception, abortion, and infanticide for a very important reason. Christians defined the goal of sexuality in terms of the natural ability to procreate. What was different, again, was not recognizing the obvious need for a man and a woman to make a child—Stoics argued along the same lines. What was peculiar to Christianity was removing all other expressions of sexuality from legitimacy (many Stoic men had male paramours). The Roman elevation of sexual pleasure above procreation, and hence outside this tightly-defined area of sexual legitimacy defined by Christianity, led to the desire for contraceptive potions, abortifacients, and infanticide.” (From: Gay marriage and homosexuality were part of the moral landscape in Ancient Rome by Benjamin Wiker; June 26, 2012; CatholicWorldReport.com - www.lifesitenews.com/news/gay-marriage-and-homosexuality-were-part-of-moral-landscape-in-ancient-rome)

Our culture is in trouble today. We are going BACK TO THE PRACTICES OF PAGAN ROME! What is even more alarming is what I read in an article written by Julaine Appling, Director of Wisconsin Family Action this week. Below are some of the comments she is hearing from Christians!

“I just don’t think the Bible condemns homosexuality. As long as two people love each other, I think they should be able to get married. Same-sex marriage is going to happen. There’s nothing we can do to stop it.”

“In the early days of the Bible, God needed everyone to populate the earth; we don’t need that anymore. Children just aren’t the issue. Plus the Bible isn’t meant to be taken literally. So, I see nothing wrong with people of the same sex who love each other and are committed to each getting married. Who are we to tell people who they can love?”

“Well, even if the government legalizes same-sex marriage—which is pretty much inevitable—so deal with it, that doesn’t mean pastors will be forced to marry anyone they don’t want to.”

Appling writes, and I fully agree – “Tragically I have heard all of these and more very recently from people who say they are Christians—some from people I personally know to be born-again, Bible-believing saints of God and even from some recent Bible-college graduates.”

She goes on to say, “This commentary is an urgent appeal to all Christians to get back to the Bible—and not some liberal translation or paraphrase. Use a version that is considered by conservative scholars to be a solid word-for-word translation.”

Why is she saying that? Because many of the modern translations are changing words and phraseology that addresses the issue of sodomy!

While I can excuse biblical illiteracy among the unsaved, biblical illiteracy is rapidly becoming a serious problem among true believers. If it isn’t illiteracy among believers, then it is an even more serious problem—an unwillingness to believe what we read in the Bible and to obey its clear teachings about what marriage is and God’s clear teaching about men with men and women with women.

Homosexuality is SIN. So called “same sex marriage” is NOT marriage and saying so does not make it so!

In fact, God destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah because of their sin. We read the account in Genesis 19:1-29.

Consider what the Apostle Paul said about it in Romans 1:25-28 & 32. In fact in verse 26 homosexuality is called “vile affections” and “against nature.” Verse 27 says men “burned in their lust one toward another” and their acts were “unseemly.” In verse 28 they do things that are not convenient. The word used in the Greek means not fit; unbecoming; hence abominable. In point of fact, because they chose to reject God’s principle of man+woman, verse 18 says “God gave them over to a reprobate mind,” that is, a depraved mind.

Verse 32 explains why there is such a push by homosexuals for same sex marriage. Romans 1:32 “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in [approve of; are pleased with] them that do them.” They know it is perversion. They this lifestyle is under the judgment of God but they “have pleasure” in it themselves, they are pleased with others being involved, and rejoice when others are forced to accept it!

This is the spirit of Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert’s lesbian cousin Jean Podrasky. She says that perversion should be legal because “society is becoming more accepting of the humanity of same-sex couples and the simple truth that we deserve to be treated with dignity, respect and equality under the law.”

Ohio Republican Senator has recently endorsed same-sex marriage after his son will “came out of the closet” revealing that he is a homosexual!

My Christian friends: Homosexuality is perversion. It is sin. It is wrong!  Same-sex marriage is perversion, sin and wrong. It has always been sin, and always will be sin no matter what anyone, any politician, any activist, or any court decides. Why? Because God says it is sin!

These sinful perverts want formal acceptability. They want so to speak “The Good Housekeeping Seal of approval on their evil activities. Why, because they want their vile affection treated normal. They want to be accepted, applauded and they want to advocate their lifestyles because they, as Romans 1:32 says, “take pleasure” in every single person who they can convince what they are doing is normal, natural and loving when it is not. As Dr. Boys says, “It is incredible that homosexuals, with a straight face, can demand respect and recognition for their dignity.” Homosexuality is debauched, filthy, degenerate and under the judgment of God.

Shame on any Christian who does not stand against this vile perversion. We must stand for Biblical truth! I see my more and more who claim to be Christians caving in to accepting homosexuality and same-sex marriage under the cover of “love.” When your compromise God’s Word you commit Treason against Christ!

If you love the Lord and care about homosexual, you will tell him or her the truth. Homosexuality is SIN. But there is forgiveness in Christ if they will turn from their sins and turn to Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 6:9 talks of “effeminate” and “asbusers of themselves with manking,” which refer to homosexuals as being able to be saved and free from their filthy lifestyle. We see that in 1 Corinthians 6:11  “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

The most loving thing you can do for a homosexual it to share the Gospel with them.