Sermon Tone Analysis

*A Biblical Response To Homosexuality and Gay Marriage* \\ *Pastor Keith Hassell*

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September 19, 2004

 

 

Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV) /“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”/

*I.

*God is looking for a man

A.               Today is “Protect Marriage Sunday”

B.                I do not address this issue with my own agenda, but with God’s agenda.

C.               I address this issue out of sympathy because I know that many families have lost family members to the homosexual lifestyle.

Some have said that it would have been easier to lose them in death than to lose them to homosexuality.

D.               I speak out because God loves the homosexual and desires for them to be saved and delivered.

Many involved in this lifestyle do not believe that there is a way out.

Therefore, they feel that they have no other option but to embrace and defend it.

They need hope that Jesus Christ can set them free.

E.                I speak out because for the most part, Christians have shunned homosexuals and failed to respond to them in the love of Christ.

In reality, the homosexual and lesbian want affirmation and will do whatever it takes to receive it.

The love and acceptance they often find in the homosexual community is what lured them there and will keep them there until God intervenes.

*II.

*First, what I am NOT saying

A.               I am not saying that homosexuality is unforgivable.

God can forgive.

B.                I am not saying that God does not love the homosexual or lesbian.

C.               I am not saying that the homosexual be shunned by Christians.

D.               I am not saying that the homosexual is not welcome to attend our services

E.                I am not saying that homosexuality is the only sexual sin against God.

*III.

*What I AM saying:  It is time for America and the Church to repent of our wicked ways

A.               2 Chronicles 7:14 /“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”/

B.                This includes every kind of sin, but today I address the sin of homosexuality and gay marriage

 

*IV.

*The term “gay”

A.               The root of the word can be traced back all the way to the 12th century in Germany.

Its root meant "hurried or imperious."

B.                In the 13th or 14th century, the German root of the word then evolved and eventually came to mean “full of joy or mirth” in the Old French language.

C.               In the 13th and 14th centuries, it began to be used around the French city of Provence in reference to courtly love.

Provence was an area that was apparently known for its homosexual activity.

D.               Ken Cage writes in a master’s dissertation at Rand Afrikaans University, /“gay people throughout the Western world have, for a long time, used a secret form of language to communicate among themselves.”/

E.                So the term, “gay,” came into use by the homosexual community in reference to themselves long before the word came into common usage.

F.                In 1938, a very public use of the word occurred in a movie starring Cary Grant.

In this movie he was dressed in a woman's lace nightgown and he was asked if he always dressed this way.

His reply is, /“No, I've just gone gay all of a sudden.”/

G.

In 1941, the term "gay" was used as a slang term for a homosexual in a book entitled, Sexual Variations.

H.

In 1969, New York City police raided a bar at Greenwich Village that was frequented by homosexuals.

Through that ordeal and the ensuing protests, the word, “gay,” took on its modern usage in our world.

I.                   It appears now that everywhere you look, everything you read and everything you hear is about the gay lifestyle.

*V.

*The gay agenda is beginning to win some major battles.

A.               Legal Arena

1.

In the court case, Lawrence v. Texas, John Geddes Lawrence and Tyron Garner were engaging in homosexual acts in Houston, and were, therefore, fined due to a Texas sodomy law.

This occurred six years ago.

After legal battles, it ended up in the United States Supreme Court.

On June 26, 2003, a legal and moral earthquake occurred when the United States Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Texas' law against private consensual sex between adults of the same sex is unconstitutional.

Some believe this case is as profound as Roe v. Wade that permitted abortion in this nation.

Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in sharp dissent of the decision.

He accused the court (of which he is a part) of having “largely signed on to the so-called homosexual agenda,” forecasting that “same-sex marriage” would be the logical next step.

How accurate he was!

2.          Four years ago the state of Vermont became the first state to enact a law allowing same-sex civil unions.

3.          In May of this year the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to limit marriage to a man and a woman and opened the door for the first time to the legalization of gay marriage.

4.          Other states are expected to rule on cases of like manner very soon.

5.          The Netherlands and Belgium already extend marriage rights to gay couples.

Germany, France, Sweden and Denmark also have "civil union" laws.

Canada is in the middle of it right now.

The Canadian government appears to be heading for a showdown on this issue as they are leading the way to same-sex marriage.

However, the opposition is ferocious.

One of the members of the Parliament stated, “I've never seen an issue like this.” Pray for Canada.

6.          Already Canada has passed hate-crime legislation making any speech against homosexuals to be regarded as hate speech.

One incident has already occurred where a Canadian pastor in his own church was preaching about what the Bible had to say about homosexuality.

A group of homosexuals disrupted the meeting and the police were called in to stop the disturbance.

The pastor was arrested!

B.

Political Arena

1.          Politicians are all over the map on this issue, not certain where they will land.

Homosexuality and gay marriage are political hot potatoes that no politician wants on record come Election Day.

My question is where do you want the record to stand on Judgment Day?

2.          USA Today reported on July 28th, 2003 that something interesting occurred after the Supreme court’s ruling on the Lawrence vs.

Texas case making sodomy legal.

In early May prior to the case, the polls showed that support for legal relations between gay couples was as high as 60 percent favoring that action.

At the same time, only 35 percent of Americans said no.

However, since the Supreme Court made their decision, this has changed dramatically.

Now the polls are showing many less people in favor of it and the opposition to it has risen to almost 60 percent.

What has happened now is people are seeing the reality of this gay agenda about to take over our culture and they are just now becoming aware of the issue.

It takes time for the American public to wake up on these issues.

3.          President George W. Bush has been caught in a major challenge in this issue.

Yet, he stated courageously on July 30, 2003 to the American people, “I believe in the sanctity of marriage.

I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, and I think we need to codify that one way or the other.”

The President has said that if Congress approved the Marriage Amendment, he would sign it.

4.          The first step toward a Marriage Amendment to our constitution forever protecting the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman was presented before the Senate this summer.

Unfortunately, liberal senators did not allow this amendment to even be brought up for a vote!

Unlike George W. Bush, Senator John Kerry made a point to say that if the Marriage Amendment did come up for a vote, he would come in from the campaign trail specifically for the purpose to vote against it!

5.

Many U.S. Senators claim that there is no need for a Marriage Amendment.

They say that previous legislation passed by Congress called “DOMA” (Defense of Marriage Act) is already in place and therefore there is no need for an amendment.

However, it is only a matter of time before our courts strike down this legislation.

Activists who oppose DOMA such as the mayor in California who illegally issued marriage licenses to homosexual couples are pushing the envelope.

They want this issue of gay marriage be decided in the liberal activist courts rather than by the people of America.

But who trusts the activist judges to make a decision that is consistent with the wishes and values of American citizens?

Lawsuits have already been filed against DOMA in some states challenging its constitutionality.

Some have already deemed it is unconstitutional.

So much for DOMA!

6.          Personally, I do not see any way to keep marriage sanctified between a man and woman only in this nation unless major spiritual revival occurs or a constitutional amendment is adopted limiting marriage as being between a man and a woman.