Devotional for Thursday December 4th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Pornography is a sin”

 

I remember when I was a young boy in the late 50s and early 60s that women’s underwear ads were rare and a bit controversial. I have to admit that I did look for them in the Sunday ads in the newspaper (but I always felt a little guilty if I found one).

 

Today naked women adorn the covers of magazines at the check-out counters in most stores; steamy love scenes are regular fare on television shows during the “family” hour; and sexy models in Victoria’s Secret lingerie sell everything from beer to bacon.

 

Journalist Pamela Paul says that we now live in a “pornified” culture. I think she’s right. The glorification of sex has overwhelmed us. It’s everywhere. We are over-sexed. You would think that when something becomes so overdone, so pervasive, we would become desensitized to it. Apparently the exact opposite is true. As a nation we seemed to be obsessed with sex and our appetite for evermore explicit sexual images seems to be continually increasing.

 

The stuff that previous generations considered “hardcore”, such as Playboy magazine, is considered pretty tame by today’s standards. Today the hardcore stuff comes to us over the internet and it is seriously hardcore. We’re talking about gay-porn, child-porn, group sex, bestiality, and more.

 

Statistics vary but they suggest that somewhere around 60% of men view pornography on a regular basis. One study I saw recently said that perhaps 50% of men “in the church” view pornography at least once a month and 20% of pastors admitted to it!  And women are not exempt. Those same studies tell us that 20-25% of women admit to viewing pornography once or more a month.

 

Pornography is not innocent. Jesus taught in Matthew 5:28 that imagining yourself in the commission of a sinful act is effectively no different than actually committing the sinful act. As far as He is concerned, if you imagined yourself doing it then you did do it.

 

As the people of God we are exhorted to be holy because God is holy. We are to strive for purity in thought, word, and deed. Paul wrote, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise – dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (HCSB).

 

Pornography pollutes the mind, diminishes purity, and corrupts character. As Christians we must be intentional about safeguarding our mind and heart from the pornographic images and suggestions that have become so much a part of the culture we live in.
 
Tomorrow, as we begin to draw our study to a close, we will consider some actions and strategies we can all take to honor God and to effectively engage our culture in this area of sexual ethics.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday November 3rd

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For you have had five husbands, and the man you have now is not your husband.” John 4:18 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Cohabitation is not an acceptable alternative to marriage.”

 

Cohabitation simply means “to live together as spouses when not legally married.” When a man and woman live together sharing a home and a bed, but without being legally married, they are cohabitating. This is also sometimes referred to as a “common-law marriage.”

 

In John 4:18 Jesus was in a conversation with a Samaritan woman. As the verse indicates, she had been married and divorced numerous times and was at that time living with a man she was not married to. The implication of Jesus’ words was that it was wrong for her to be doing so. In the “MacArthur Study Bible” pastor John MacArthur explains:

 

“She was living conjugally with a man whom Jesus said was not her husband. By such an explicit statement, our Lord rejected the notion that when two people live together it constitutes marriage. Biblically, marriage is always restricted to a public, formal, official, and recognized covenant.”

 

In our sexually liberated society cohabitation has become increasingly common. Estimates vary widely but it is generally agreed that as many as 30% of young couples these days will live together for some period of time prior to marrying. There are many reasons for it. Sometimes they believe that living together will help them gauge whether or not a marriage will be successful. Interestingly however, studies show that couples who live together first and then marry, end up divorcing at a higher rate than those who don’t cohabitate first.

 

Sometimes people cohabitate because the woman has children already and she is receiving various forms of public assistance such as food stamps and subsidized housing. The concern is that if she were to marry, some or all of the public assistance would stop. We sometimes find older couples cohabiting for a similar reason. A widow or widower may be receiving survivor’s benefits from the retirement plan of a deceased spouse and often there is provision that if the person remarries, the benefits are reduced or stopped.

 

There can be many rationalizations for cohabiting but a Christian cannot escape the fact that the Bible does not allow for it. Even in those cases where there are very real financial considerations, we must make a decision to honor the Lord and then trust Him to take care of us. In Matthew 6:25-33 Jesus made it clear that our Father is fully aware of all our needs and He will provide for us. Our part is to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:33

 

Tomorrow we will consider the problem of pornography. Then we will spend several days concluding our study of sexual ethics by discussing strategies and actions Christians and the Church can take as we continue to live-out our faith amidst the seismic shift that is occurring in our society.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday December 2nd

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Why, my son, would you be infatuated with a forbidden woman or embrace the breast of a stranger?” Proverbs 5:20 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Sex outside of marriage is sin.”

 

As a teenager I grew-up during the height of the hippie movement. That was the “free love” generation. The idea was that love was the answer to the world’s problems and if we would all just be more intentional and less inhibited about expressing love, the problems of the world would magically melt away.

 

Although lip service was paid to the value of kindness and compassion, the primary expression of “free love” was “free sex”. There was a popular Rock and Roll group by the name of “Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young” who had a hit song with the chorus, “If you can’t be with the one you love then love the one you’re with.” And so we did.

 

Eventually the hippies grew-up, got jobs and had kids, and the hippie movement faded away. But the free love movement did not. Instead it morphed into a culture of casual sex which is still very much alive and well in our society today. Among young people it’s known as “hooking up”. This is the notion that guys and girls who have an attraction to each other can “hook up” for a sexual encounter without being encumbered by any commitments which extend beyond the moment. 

 

There is another mindset which exists among adults across age groups which is known as “friends with benefits”. These are men and women who are close friends and who have no romantic feelings for each other, but who come together from time to time to meet each other’s sexual needs. Once the encounter is over their friendship continues as before, but still with no romantic feelings and certainly no commitments.

 

All of the sexual relationships just described are clearly outside the Biblical sexual ethic established by God of one man and one woman in a committed lifelong marriage. They are unbiblical and therefore sinful. Beyond that, casual sex is destructive. The sex act was intended by God to be a holy moment of intimacy shared by a husband and wife. Casual sex cheapens the sex act and undermines the sanctity of traditional marriage. Additionally, casual sex transmits disease. Sexually transmitted disease (STD) is a major health issue today. But it’s easy to avoid contracting a STD – simply marry a person who doesn’t have one and then never have sex with anyone else.

 

As the Church we must boldly and confidently preach, teach, and promote the Biblical model. Then we must practice it ourselves. We must be the champions of traditional Biblical marriage. The culture should be able to look to the church to see examples of healthy married couples and celibate singles who honor God in their sexual lives.

 

Tomorrow we will consider the issue of cohabitation. Is living together without being married ok?

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday December 1st

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

Our Bible verse for today: “A woman is not to wear male clothing, and a man is not to put on a woman’s garment, for everyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 22:5 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “We are to present ourselves as the gender God created us to be.”

Although Deuteronomy 22:5 is an Old Testament prohibition given to the nation of Israel, and although it is included in a long list of other prohibitions which no longer pertain to the people of God in this day, this one does. It still applies today because it is consistent with the Biblical sexual ethic that God created us as male and female and He intends for us to conduct ourselves within the boundaries of those gender identities.

The editors of the Holman Christian Standard Study Bible are helpful: “For a woman to wear male clothing and a man a woman’s garment (cross-dressing or transvestitism) is wrong because, among other things, it violates the principle of separation that God has built into the created order.”

For the sake of clarity some definitions are needed here. The terms “transgender” and “transsexual” are often used interchangeably and mean, “Appearing as or having undergone surgery to become a member of the opposite sex.”

An important note here is that a person’s decision to present themselves as a member of the opposite sex, either by means of clothing or surgery, is based on feelings not biology. The individual has a desire to present themselves as a member of the opposite sex and then takes steps to do so. There is no medical evidence proving such desires and feelings are biologically driven.

There is a very rare biological condition known as “intersex” whereby an individual is born with a mix of both male and female biological characteristics. These could include mixed genitalia, a mix of both male and female chromosomes, or internal reproductive anatomy that doesn’t match external features. These conditions are rare. Typically parents and doctors make a sex assignment at birth and the individual is then raised with that gender identity. Interestingly though, in the vast majority of these cases there is no gender confusion experienced and the individual goes through life comfortable with their assigned gender identity. Therefore such cases rarely enter into the transgender / transsexual debate.

Culturally, transgender issues are being lumped right in with the rest of the Gay Rights Agenda. Many municipalities and school districts are considering legislation to allow transgender people to utilize the dressing rooms, locker rooms, and rest rooms for the gender they identify as. Conceivably this could mean that a 14 year old boy (with all the sexual equipment of a 14 year old boy) who is feeling pretty today and therefore decides to wear a dress to school, would be allowed to use the girls locker room and the girls rest room – right alongside your 14 year old granddaughter. Folks his stuff is real, it’s actually happening.

Transgender issues are similar to same-sex attraction in that the desires are real and they run deep. As Christians our response needs to be the same. With respect and kindness, but also with confidence and boldness, we must insist that transgender desires, along with all other unbiblical desires human beings experience, can and should be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit.

We have two more “sexual ethics” issues to consider – cohabitation and casual sex, and then we will conclude our study by considering strategies and actions the Christian community can and must take. Take heart – all is not lost!

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Saturday and Sunday November 29-30

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “They are a nation without sense; there is no discernment in them. If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be!” Deuteronomy 32:28-29 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “The long-term impact of same-sex marriage on society cannot be good.”

 

In some respects it’s impossible to accurately forecast what the long-term impact of legalized same-sex marriage will have on our society. However since it’s obviously contrary to the expressed will of God we have to conclude that the impact will be bad. But how bad and in what ways remains to be seen.

 

Historically virtually all societies have recognized the value and importance of the traditional family structure. When a father, mother, and children constitute a stable family unit it creates a safe and nurturing environment for children to grow; the more of those family units that exist in a society, the stronger and more stable that society tends to be. That’s simple, observable, and well documented history and the vast majority of sociological studies conducted on the issue have confirmed it.

 

Dr. Glenn Stanton, the director of Global Family Formation Studies at Focus on the Family, writes that despite the high divorce rate among heterosexual couples in America, marriage between a man and a woman is still by far the most stable home environment for children. He notes that in Scandinavia, perhaps the most gay-friendly place in the world, studies have revealed that relationships between same-sex male’s break- up at twice the rate of heterosexual marriages, and same-sex female relationships break-up at twice the rate of male/male pairings. Although everyone can point to some same-sex relationships which have endured, the research is conclusive that overall, same-sex relationships break-up at a rate far higher than heterosexual relationships. Therefore same-sex family structures in general provide an unstable environment in which to raise children.

 

It will probably be another fifty years before accurate assessments can be conducted to determine what impact the legalization of same-sex marriage ultimately had on our society. But of course by then it will be too late, the impact will have already occurred. Because legalized same-sex marriage is something entirely new in the history of the human race, there simply is no historical precedent we can study which can be used to help us gauge where this is likely to lead or what effect it will have on society.

 

What we do know is that same-sex marriage is contrary to God’s design and therefore the outcome cannot be good. Tomorrow we will consider the transgender / transsexual issue.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim  

Devotional for Friday November 28th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie …” Romans 1:24-25 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Gay marriage is a cultural trend which is contrary to the Word of God and to the history of the human race.”

 

Perhaps what’s most frustrating about the current cultural trend to propagate and normalize same-sex marriage is the dishonest way in which it is being promoted. Advocates for gay marriage portray it as benign, harmless, and even natural. They express bewilderment that any right-minded and reasonable person would object to it.

 

What is left unsaid is that no society ever, at any point in human history, has even suggested that same-sex pairings are the same as marriage between a man and a woman. Never mind legalizing such couplings and establishing them as a cultural norm, in the history of the human race no society has ever even considered equating homosexual relationships on par with a marriage between a man and a woman.

 

This is an important point. What’s being promoted in our day as normal, natural, benign, and harmless – and the inevitable next step in the evolution of the human race, is actually something entirely new in the history of mankind. Legalized and normalized “marriage” between two people of the same sex is a seismic cultural shift unlike anything that has ever happened before.

 

The proponents of gay marriage should at least be honest in the way they portray it. This is not an updated version of the Walden’s. This is not Norman Rockwell for 2014. This is more like “A Brave New World”. If people of previous generations could have gazed into a crystal ball and seen our cultural condition today they would have been shocked.

 

There can be no question that a marriage between two people of the same sex is contrary to God’s design. The Bible could not be clearer on the subject. So why is God allowing this to occur? Romans 1:24-25 explains it well. God made Himself clear on the issue. If society is going to forge ahead anyway with something that is obviously contrary to His expressed will, He will allow it to happen and He will then allow that society to suffer the consequences of its choices.

 

Tomorrow we will consider what some of those consequences could be.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday November 26th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” Ephesians 5:31 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Same-sex marriage cannot be Biblically justified.”

 

In Ephesians 5:31 Paul quoted and therefore affirmed the words of Moses in Genesis 2:24. These identical words also appear in Matthew 19:5 and Mark 10:7-8. Additionally, Malachi 2:15 and 1 Corinthians 6:16 express the exact same thought using only slightly different words. The same point made six times. Do you think God might have been trying to tell us something?

 

As noted yesterday, there simply is no verse or passage in the Bible which can in any way be made to imply that a marriage between two people of the same gender is ok with God. It is not. Six passages specifically state the God-ordained Biblical model of marriage as being between one man and one woman for a lifetime. Six other passages directly forbid same-sex sexual relations of any type under any circumstances.

 

In the book, “God and the Gay Christian? – A response to Matthew Vines”, Professor of Biblical studies at Boyce College Denny Burk contributed an essay which addressed this issue. In his essay Professor Burk wrote that Biblical marriage must be reflective and symbolic of the gospel (as described by Paul in Ephesians 5:22-31.) The imagery is clearly and intentionally male/female, husband/wife. But there is no way same-sex marriage can be made to fit that model. Burk also notes that:

 

“Jesus defines the marriage covenant in Matthew 19 as a monogamous heterosexual union.”

 

Since there clearly is no Biblical sanction for a marriage between two people of the same gender, and since the Bible is the foundation and guide for all of Christian thought, belief, and practice, it becomes unthinkable for a Bible-believing Christian to endorse or promote gay marriage. To do so would be to disregard the clear teaching of Scripture.

 

Therefore, since we now know there is no Biblical justification for same-sex marriage we realize that if there is any rationale for it at all, that rationale would have to be cultural. Are there good cultural reasons to endorse, encourage, promote, and even legalize gay marriage?  We will discuss the cultural dimensions of it tomorrow.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday November 25th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Haven’t you read,” He replied, “that He who created them in the beginning made them male and female,” and He also said: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become on flesh?” Matthew 19:4-5 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “The Bible makes no provision for same-sex marriage”

 

Gay marriage is one of the most contentious and difficult cultural issues facing Christians today. It is already legal in many states and the speculation is that in 2015 it may become the law of the land nationwide. How should a Bible-believing Christian think about and respond to this issue?

 

First, at this point in our study it should be abundantly clear that the Bible makes no provision for same-sex marriage. As has already been clearly demonstrated, the Biblical standard for all expressions of human sexuality is the pre-sin standard established by God in Genesis chapter two and reaffirmed by Jesus in Matthew chapter nineteen. The standard is one man and one woman committed to each other in a lifelong marriage. This was also affirmed by both Paul and Peter in Ephesians 5:22-33 and 1 Peter 3:1-7.

 

In an effort to weaken the argument that the Biblical standard is limited to only one man and one woman, some advocates of gay marriage point to the fact that polygamy was practiced by some of the Old Testament patriarchs such as Abraham and Jacob. Therefore since polygamy involves more than just one man and one woman, other combinations must be ok too.

 

But nowhere in the Bible is polygamy endorsed. And in every case (especially with Jacob), we read that it produced numerous family problems. In the Old Testament, polygamy was a practice some of the Jews engaged in for a brief period in their history, but it was never God’s original design. Beyond that, there is no evidence of it in the New Testament at all.  Also, in Ephesians 4:21-31 the Apostle Paul writes in a critical manner regarding the results of Abraham’s polygamy.

 

There can be no question that the Biblical standard for marriage involves one man and one woman in a committed relationship for life. That was God’s original design and it is affirmed in the New Testament. That means there cannot be a Biblical justification for gay marriage and that should answer the question for Bible-believing Christians. That then reduces the question to a cultural one.  

 

We will discuss the cultural dimensions of gay marriage but before we do, tomorrow we need to think a little more about the Biblical case for traditional marriage. This is an important issue which needs a little further exploration because in our day more and more Christians, especially young ones, are coming to the unbiblical conclusion that gay marriage might just be ok. But it isn’t and the Bible is clear on that point.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday November 24th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, no thieves, greedy people, or swindlers, will inherit God’s kingdom.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Can a person be gay and be a Christian?”

 

Can a person be gay and be a Christian? I must be nuts to tackle this question. Some of you are probably going to end up on my front lawn tonight with torches and pitchforks.

 

Oh well, here it goes: The answer is, “maybe”; “possibly”; and “it all depends”.

 

In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Paul tells us that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. But he also says the same about immoral people in general, and about those who commit heterosexual adultery, and those who treat anything as an idol, and of people who steal, and of people who are greedy, and of people who are deceitful and who swindle others.

 

Also, this list was not all-inclusive. Paul intended it to be representative of sins in general. You can go ahead and assume that even if your personal sins are not on that list, Paul intended for you to understand that he includes them as well. Look at the passage again: the phrase “the unrighteous” covers any sins he happened to leave off his list.

 

So with that understanding we realize that if homosexuals are excluded from heaven, then we all are. And yet we know that even though we do still sometimes commit sins, if we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins then we are saved and we are going to heaven, therefore we will in fact inherit God’s kingdom. So what could Paul mean?

 

He was writing about unrepentant sin. He was illustrating that people who live in a perpetual pattern of unrepentant sin, be it adultery or greed or homosexuality or idolatry, are probably not really saved. We know that one of the Holy Spirit’s jobs is to convict us of sin. If a person really does have the Holy Spirit of God in their heart then that person should at least be sorry for the sin they have committed and have a genuine desire to do it no more. If we don’t feel sorry and convicted about sinful behavior, we have to wonder where the Spirit is. Evidently He’s not in our heart or we would feel convicted.

 

Is it possible to be gay and to be a Christian? Yes. Just as it’s possible to be a greedy businessman and be a Christian; just as it’s possible to be an alcoholic and be a Christian; just as it’s possible to be a glutton and be a Christian. But if you are a Christian, you should feel convicted of such behavior and if you don’t feel convicted, you have to wonder about whether or not you are really a Christian.

 

Tomorrow we will consider the issue of gay marriage.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim
 

Devotional for Friday November 21st

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord – how he may please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the things of the world – how he may please his wife – and his interests are divided.” 1 Corinthians 7:32-34 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Being single is ok.”

 

I read an article in the newspaper the other day which reported that the U.S. Census Bureau has discovered that more than half of all the adults in the USA today are not married. Some have never married, others have married and divorced, others are widows or widowers, but more than half of the adults in our country are not married.

 

Being single is often viewed as an unfortunate condition that we need to help the single person correct. This can be especially true in Christian circles. But that’s not an accurate description of singleness and it’s also not Biblical. Certainly there are some singles who are lonely and who long for a partner to go through life with, but many others do not feel that way.

 

Years ago I was speaking about this very thing with a middle-aged single woman in our church in California. She was an attractive professional woman who had a rewarding and fulfilling career in public service. She was active in civic organizations, and she was also very involved in the life of our church. Her relationship with the Lord was deep, she had a circle of close friends, and she had hobbies and interests such as music and reading and sports. In short, she had a good life. The comment she made to me which has stuck with me all these years was, “Pastor, I live alone but I am not lonely. I love my life. It is rich and full and rewarding and I’m very happy.”

 

A false assumption many of us make is that people have to be married or in a meaningful romantic relationship in order to be happy. That argument is frequently made when it comes to the subject of same-sex relationships. It is often said that it would be unfair and perhaps even cruel to suggest that the individual with a same-sex attraction should opt for a single and celibate life rather than a homosexual relationship.

 

But it is not cruel or unfair – it is Biblical. Same-sex attraction is real and it does require discipline and intentionality to control, but it can be done and it can be done well. And, such a life can be happy, rich, and fulfilling. In 1 Corinthians 7:32-34 the Apostle Paul recommended the single life for the sake of deeper spirituality and greater service to the Lord.

 

Same-sex attraction is undeniably real, but so are many other attractions and desires which the Bible forbids us to act on. It is possible to bring all such desires under the control of the Holy Spirit and to then live a life within Biblical boundaries. Tomorrow we will consider the stories of several Christians with same-sex attraction who have chosen and are very happy with the single life.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim