“Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet” (Romans 1:24-26).
This was sent to me in an email, “Don’t toot too long on your duck calls” concerning the win for the right against homosexuality by the likes of Phil Robertson on Duck Dynasty, as the culture war rages on. If you tuned into the abomination that was displayed all over your TV set during the New Year’s Tournament of Roses Parade, or hopefully just read about it (as all men of righteous behavior should have boycotted that display of depravity), then you would have seen or heard of a float of two homosexual men being “united in marriage” or the California definition of marriage, thrown in the faces of the majority of the population who view this as an abomination. How many little children are today confused by this tragic display of sinful behavior?
In all of man’s history, nothing is more of an abomination in God’s sight than the sin of homosexuality. Men and women have sinned against God with their bodies and engaged in immoral acts that are outside of the institution of marriage defined since the beginning of time from the Garden of Eden. Marriage is a covenant relationship that depicts what God will do when Jesus returns for His bride and is joined to her as a man would take a virgin bride. God ordained marriage as a holy act of total surrender of one person’s life to another under God’s blessing. Ephesians chapter 5:25-31 talks about this relationship that is a picture of what God plans for His people:
“The husbands! love your own wives, as also the Christ did love the assembly, and did give himself for it, that he might sanctify it, having cleansed `it’ with the bathing of the water in the saying that he might present it to himself the assembly in glory, not having spot or wrinkle, or any of such things, but that it may be holy and unblemished because members we are of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones ‘for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.”
But man is a sinful creature by nature and has through the workings of Satan perverted and violated something so sacred that it was patterned after Jesus Christ loving the church. In the Bible we have Scripture after Scripture, story after story that speaks quite frankly of what God abhors in a sexual relationship. He hates fornication. He hates adultery and even more He hates the degrading of the body through sexual relations between people of the same sex.
That may anger some of you, but not many, as I would be surprised if any but a minority of the people who read this commentary are engaged in the practice of homosexuality, but many of you have the belief that “live and let live” and to accept the lifestyle of gay people as normal. Some believe that God is a loving God and loves all men and somehow overlooks this sin. I have known people in my life and ministry that talked of Christian values and believed in a loving God that would never send a person to an everlasting hell, just because they “were born gay.” Why would you not? It’s been engrained into society for over a generation that it’s an “alternative lifestyle”….meaning entirely normal and healthy. Is it? Let’s see what the bible has to say about this perversion, for a lack of a better term. But fits it well and how it is dealt with in the final judgment by Almighty God.
Let’s start near the beginning.
In the beginning God gave mankind, through His people Israel, definitions of what was proper conduct concerning the sexual relations between two people. In the 20th chapter of Leviticus, our righteous God spoke to Moses concerning what was lawful, clean and good, but also what was an abomination before Him. He forbade sexual practices between two people who are close relatives (incest), or adultery with another person’s spouse, sins of fornication outside marriage’ And then he comes down to what is an abomination to Him in His sight and the focus of this sermon. Leviticus 20:13: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”
Note that from the beginning of mankind receiving God’s commandments, that sexual perversion was addressed and sexual sins were identified. So has God changed His mind for our modern era?
Malachi 3:6: “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”
In the Old Testament, God told the descendents of Jacob, which by inference means us as well, that He has changed not. Then in the New Testament, Paul spoke of our Lord and Savior and His unchangeable nature.
Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
So the question again is, has God changed His mind concerning what He handed down even to Moses as forbidden by mankind to engage in? We can clearly see that He has not changed His mind throughout all the ages. If it was sin then, it is sin still today.
Further on the Bible we see a man called Abraham who walked with God, as Abraham was a friend of God. One day this friend of God looked and behold three strangers were coming up to his tent. You can find the account in Genesis, chapter 18. When Abraham inquired of these men who were obviously messengers from God, (or God sent from above in fleshly form, as many times, a messenger thought to be the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ made Himself known to men), they spoke of the evil that was coming from Sodom and her sister city, Gomorrah:
“Then the LORD said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave. I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know’” (Genesis 18:20-21).
If you are a student of the Bible, you know what happened to these cities and the end result. What was the sin that was so great in these cities? Of course, we know idolatry was rampant. There was also violence and theft. I’m sure they broke every commandment of God. But the one that stands out the most in these pages of your Bible is the sin of homosexuality. Some may differ with me on that, but what was the verse that caused the messengers of God to remove Lot and his family out of the city quickly? These messengers were in Lot’s home when they were surrounded.
Genesis 19:4-5: “But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”
A biblical account of deviate men wanting to have their way with other men is written here. And what was the result? God destroyed the city with brimstone and fire leveling it.
NAMBLA
How is that relevant to our times you say? Have you ever heard of an organization called NAMBLA? It is an organization that desires the legalization of sex with underage children. (North American Men/Boy Love Association, Look it up on Google). Have we gone mad as a nation? It’s not legal yet, but the Gay Lobby is focused on making all forms of their lifestyle legal in the eyes of the law. No one would have dreamed while I was a young man, that this country would be steeped in the grotesque display we see even in our streets. Ever see anything on Gay Pride parades? They revel in their sinful ways by displaying their bodies in what appears unseemly and ungodly.
These groups of gay people have a powerful lobby that spends millions on militantly and aggressively seeking special rights, privileges and designations for all things gay. California and other states voted down gay marriage and defined it as a union between a man and a woman, twice. That didn’t stop the Gay Lobby. They petitioned the courts that ultimately overturned the will of the people by judicial dictate and legislated from the bench.
IT’S THE CHILDREN
We look at civilizations before us that had their zenith and then a downfall. Some of these civilizations crashed quickly, some slowly, like the Roman Empire did. But they had all one thing in common. They each became embroiled in every sexual sin known to man, and homosexuality was rampant. It eventually destroyed each civilization as the building block of a healthy society was slowly destroyed, known as the family. Family meaning one man, one woman, and their offspring is the God ordained family building block of society. And why only this way, you ask? Aren’t same sex marriages with adopted kids, or kids from other marriages forced to live with the choice of their parent the same healthy lifestyle, as heterosexual unions? Are they not families? No, and for one reason only, and for their ultimate emotional welfare… for the children. The children are our future and a perversion away from a solid building block of society will lead us down the road of ancient Rome, and many other similar civilizations that neither obeyed nor feared the living God. Our God plainly condemns anything that destroys the most innocent of mankind, the children and will render harsh judgment for doing so.
IS IT TOO LATE FOR AMERICA?
Only God knows that answer to that question. America is going down a slippery slope and is headed for destruction. It is all around us in our news sources, in print and on the TV, and whatever mobile device you use. BUT:
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:7-8).
Are we coming to the reaping of our idolatry for worshiping at the altar of political correctness? How long will God hold off passing out judgment on this sinful world, and especially the United States. Why do I say especially the USA? We were founded under godly principles. Our founding fathers fashioned a nation based on what works, the Ten Commandments. As Israel was in ancient times, we were a beacon of hope and salvation to untold masses. We were a light unto the rest of the world and a shining city sitting on a hill. Like Israel, we were a blessed people. We have prospered and have within our border more wealth than has ever been witnessed in all of the history of mankind.
But as was judged of ancient Israel, who were supposed to be a land of priest, a holy nation before the rest of the world, America has squandered the blessing and depleted it’s standing in the world as a God fearing nation. God has been at our side from the very beginning, because we honored Him and feared Him. We put God first, then family and country in that order. No longer can we say that is true in America. And sadly, no longer can we be sure that God is on our side. And who have we to blame? Look in the mirror. If you, like so many lukewarm, so called Christians sit there in your easy chair and pray that the sins and the judgment coming to this world will just pass over you as you hunker down in your fox-hole and stay silent, then you are in for a very horrible surprise. God will not be mocked.
To see what is happening all over this country of ours, the country we grew up in with freedom, and the right to choose our own lifestyle, be it Godly or not, then that freedom can be erased just as easily as Israel was sent into captivity the first go around by Babylon, and finally destroyed as a nation and scattered to the four winds by Rome. If you do not speak out and focus on the evil in our land, then you are guilty by your silence. At this point, I would like to introduce a comment from one of my brethren who wrote:
At the rate our society is racing full speed along the road of certain destruction, dangerously slippery curves lie directly ahead. We have precious little tire traction, and judging by the way we’re being steered; only the left hand turn signal is working. Probable pot-holes, potential ruts and other road hazards in the near future may not be clearly marked, but I believe a few of the oil slicks destined to slide us into one disastrous ditch after another includes the following:
• The LGBT coalition will no doubt fasten onto the unfolding drama of the “Timothy to Tammy” travesty as a landmark trophy case for their cause, not to mention a precedent to be sited in future judicial rulings. His story (among others) will be employed in the effort of broadening the depth, range and scope of legal terms used to describe posts like this as hate speech and encompass things like non-approving comments left on articles or blogs as “bullying”. Free speech will only apply to them, not us at a time when things are divided more than ever into a “Them vs. Us” proposition.
• Surgical mutilations performed on these so-called “transgender” children could soon be legally sanctioned, financed by taxpayers regardless of our views (religious, moral or common sense) to the contrary. Likewise, we will be forced to contribute to programs designed to provide any number of special “post-transition” accommodations for them (such as life-long counseling) in the same way we are currently required to fund abortion whether we approve of it or not: All in the name of fairness, equality, tolerance, anti-defamation and the prevention of transgender child suicides, of course.
• Since the LGBT community can’t add to their numbers by reproduction, they will continue to use federal and state funded and enforced indoctrination, mutilation or other methods to add to their ranks. Anyone who speaks out against this will be branded a bully, a hater—or worse.
• To the detriment of society, they will continue to live as enemies of the cross of Christ, adding to the books ever more laws aimed at enabling new ways to bring charges against virtually anyone for any offense, real or imagined. Everyone who does not wholeheartedly accept, embrace and endorse the equality [if not superiority] of sexual deviants or allow them unfettered access to the nation’s children via mandatory educational curriculum will be fair game in the coming tsunami of discrimination lawsuits.
• Churches with pastors who courageously preach the Scriptures will be targeted for harassment, fines, arrests and/or possible convictions resulting in incarceration based on expanded definitions of hate crimes, hate speech, discrimination and so forth. Bible teaching churches and ministries will be denied non-profit status if they fail to comply, or they may be shut down altogether. That’s already in the works, and if things don’t change drastically, it’s only a matter of time.
It pains me deeply to see otherwise nice or “good” people enthusiastically embracing those things God has made clear He considers to be abominable, it pains me far more to watch in disbelief as the LGBT task force succeed in leapfrogging through the court system, one persistent step after another. Having gone from demanding unquestioning acceptance of their aberrant lifestyle to forcing their way into the educational systems at every level, they are now demanding gay marriage and the right to adopt innocent, vulnerable children to be used as pawns in forwarding their agenda. And it is happening as I type.
Is it any mystery why our society is rapidly falling apart at the seams? What was once spiritually shocking and rightfully revolting is now declared a badge of honor to be worn with pride, a distinction meriting everything from special treatment via legal provisions to a collective nod of approval from anyone who wishes to be seen as “progressive” and by everyone who wishes to remain inside the politically correct safety zone lest they be accused of intolerance and forever branded a bulling bigoted homophobe.
Between the increasingly rampant practice of open homosexuality and the continuing use of abortion on demand as a form of birth control (both in the name of “choice”), I fear deeply for America. Perhaps for the moment our Lord has found enough prayerful, God-fearing people still earnestly seeking Him to spare us for now. Yet with these things not only becoming more common place, endorsed by our government, promoted by our culture and celebrated by modern day clergy in ever increasing increments, how much longer will the Lord Almighty tarry with America?
WHAT MUST WE DO?
You who profess Jesus Christ in word, do you do it in actions every day? Do you stand up for Godly principles and speak out in love, but with firm conviction that evil in this land will not stand? You who love this country and see the cesspool that we now call home becoming more of a stench with each passing day, do you speak up, or do you stay silent? Do you cry out to God for wisdom and in tears and agonizing sobs plead with God for mercy and a return to what this nation was founded on?
If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people” (2 Chronicles 7:13). (Can you say environmental disasters, economic woes, and the political climate we live in?)
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Is it too late? Has the handwriting on the wall already been written? Have we been weighed and found wanting? Are we to see this country go down in flames and our nation reduced to a third world country, or enslaved by an invading army while we are too weak to resist?
It may well be too late. Only our Heavenly Father knows for sure and I submit to His will. But this I do know. God expects each and every one of us that call ourselves “Christians” to be something besides Christians in name only. Have you stood up and have been counted on God’s side? Have you reached out to your fellow man and spoken of what our Lord did for each of us on Calvary and point the person you’re speaking to toward the Cross? Do you stand for righteousness and the glory that was once our nation? Or do you just warm a pew and pray that your pastor, your priest, or your minister can get you to heaven? Why do you leave your salvation in other men’s hands? Notice that I speak of silence several times in the preceding paragraphs. Silence is the death blow to saving what can be saved, be it the individual witness, or this nation as a whole.
WHAT IS THE END RESULT OF GOD’S JUDGMENT IN ALL OF THIS?
God in His infinite righteousness and judgment has passed down to us who/what will be cast away from His sight and be forever thrown into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Is the sin of homosexuality amongst them? Let us look at 1 Corinthians chapter 6 as Paul puts it rather bluntly about who will not inherit the Kingdom of God…note the following verses:
1 Corinthians 6:9-10: “Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (translated homosexual), nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
That’s to prove that God has not changed during all of the history when the Bible was written under Holy Spirit guidance. God will deal with the sins of mankind and amongst many, singles out homosexuality as being the right in there amongst the sins that will be denied access to His Glory and His eternal Kingdom. Now ask yourself one question.
ARE YOU AN ABOMINATION BEFORE GOD?
That’s a strong word to use, isn’t it? But if you are doing what Paul said in Romans of the ills of this world, and especially this nation, then yes, you might just be an abomination. Those who consider themselves wise, either by education, science, or intellect God says that you are a fool (Romans 1: 22) .You who deny God when evidence is all around you, so that you have no excuse, are you an abomination? You who embrace diversity of homosexuality, free love, political correctness, and every evil device known to man…OR… you see it and say NOTHING are you an abomination, or just guilty? I call upon you who straddle the fence on political correctness, or are engaged in any of these practices that are bringing this nation down, to repent while you still can.
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days” (Deuteronomy 30: 19-20).
As it was so true in the time that God spoke these Words to the children of Israel, it is no truer than it is today than it was then. Choose life, for the reward of standing with God and His Son Jesus Christ, is life everlasting. To be an abomination before God is to choose death and being cast out of God’s sight eternally. Again, I say today, choose life.
This is Pastor Mike Taylor wishing you God’s love and happiness on each one of you. If I can help you with anything, pray for you, counsel you on biblical subjects, or just listen, drop me a line at realteam1999@sbcglobal.net. Or visit me online at www.churchofgod.usa.org. God bless each and every one of you,
Until we meet at Jesus feet.