How do you respond to the sexual revolution?

While “the sexual revolution” is widely regarded to have already taken place (beginning in the 1960s), you could certainly make a strong case that it continues today. Really, though, I would argue that, while the “revolution” of such things by cultural standards and societal norms took place then and continue to take place today, the very ideas of “the sexual revolution” have been happening since the days of Noah, the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, etc.

Regardless of the terms and the times, the revolution of sexual activity has been ongoing for thousands of years and will continue until Jesus Christ returns.

Any practice of sex outside of God’s perfect design, however, is sinful. Sex is a beautiful gift from God but is, per His perfect plan for humanity, meant to be practiced, enjoyed, and celebrated only between a man and his wife. Anything less (or more) will not satisfy and more importantly, will result in God’s judgment.

How many marriages, families, communities, churches, friendships, etc. have been destroyed by sexual sin (pornography, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, masturbation, pedophilia, rape, incest, etc.)? On the other hand, how many marriages, families, communities, churches, friendships, etc. have been destroyed by sexual fidelity? No genius is necessary to accurately answer those two questions (sexual infidelity destroys lives; sexual fidelity promotes and advances life).

THE GRACIOUS WARNING

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching from 2 Peter 2 on the “Grace to Know” God according to the truth of His Word. Unfortunately, the world is full of deception that seeks to push us away from God. By His grace, though, He has preserved and given us His Word to protect us and to teach us how to discern Truth from evil.

In the Bible, we are warned of the very things “the sexual revolution” has promoted and celebrated. Thus, the distortions and abominations should not surprise us, even though we should be saddened and prayerful. God help us!

In His grace, God has warned us not only that the world would be consumed by sexual sin, greed, idolatry, etc., but also what will happen if we turn to those things rather than to Him. Eternal destruction and damnation are the results of giving in to any sin, including sexual sin.

Since we are all sinners, this is really bad news. Praise God, though, that He has provided a solution.

THE WAY OUT

If you are trapped in the snares of sexual sin (or any other sinful lifestyle), please do not lose hope. Please do not give up. Please do not believe the lie that it is too late for your life to matter and for hope to be restored.

The Good News of the gospel is that God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. He took the punishment that you and I deserve, and then He rose from the grave and defeated sin and death for all of eternity. If we simply turn away from sin and trust in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection for our salvation, we receive forgiveness and a right relationship with God. And, that is more than just our eternal life; our life is different now.

Does that mean we will never struggle with sexual sin (or any other sin) again? Of course not. Rather, that means we will never be content to live in sexual sin (or any other sin) again. As the Holy Spirit of God changes our hearts and our lives, we will continue to grow in our desire to know and follow and obey God according to His Word. We will grow in our ability to discern Truth from evil. We will long to obey God’s Word and heed the advice of the Apostle Paul…

“Run from sexual immorality! “Every sin a person can commit is outside the body.” On the contrary, the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body. Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

What is your response to “the sexual revolution” and the destructive perversion of God’s plan for your life? Will you respond by fleeing from sin and turning to God? Seek Him through His Word. Depend on Him in prayer. Serve Him through His church. Declare Him to the world.

There is a way out from the trap of sin and death. Jesus is the Way. Turn to Him before it is too late. Plead with others to do the same.

The Story explains how we can be delivered from sin and death now and forever.

Faith Requires Truth

Despite what some might claim, “blind faith” is not what Christianity requires. Sure, no one can see God on this side of eternity. We did not see the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. So, in regards to seeing, there is indeed a blind aspect to our faith because there are some things we just will not see in this life. Still, Christian faith is not blind.

THERE ARE THINGS TO SEE

Namely, we can see and experience Truth – biblical Truth. In fact, if an understanding and belief in this Truth are missing, real Christian faith is impossible. While you can claim to have faith apart from eternal Truth, that kind of faith will not last. Rather, it will crumble when your temporary security crumbles.

Faith that endures requires Truth, the Truth of God’s Word. After all, what is your faith actually in, if not in eternal Truth? And, how can you see and experience eternal Truth apart from the perfect Word of God?

JESUS IS THE TRUTH

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The way we see and experience Truth is by seeing and experiencing Jesus. The way we see and experience Jesus is through the Word of God.

For this reason, I am shocked and saddened to hear of so many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ and yet do not seek Him through His Word each day. If you want to see Jesus, learn about Jesus and know Jesus, seek Him through His Word and call on His name in faith and humility. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it” (Acts 4:12).

TRUTH HAS PROOF

Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching through 2 John and talking about the proof of Christian faith that comes from the Truth of Christian faith. Going through this short letter, I will talk about three things Christian Truth promotes “because of the truth that remains in us and will be with us forever” (2 John 2).

That message will be available Sunday afternoon, along with previous messages from this series, HERE. Do you know and follow Jesus? If so, there will be ongoing proof in your life from the Truth ruling your life. If not, will you seek Him and surrender to Him today?

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When Honesty Requires Courage

If you believe something to be true and important, courage might be necessary for you to speak honestly. Sure, there are plenty of times when honesty is simple. Basic questions like, “What’s your name?”, “Where do you live?”, “Where are you from?”, etc. do not require much courage to answer with honesty.

What about when honesty is overwhelming, intimidating, or even dangerous, though?

The Example of Micaiah

When evil, ruthless Ahab was king of Israel nearly 2,900 years ago, he sent a messenger to get Micaiah, a prophet of God. The messenger demanded of Micaiah, “Look, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable for the king. So let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably” (1 Kings 22:13).

But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, I will say whatever the Lord says to me” (1 Kings 22:14).

While Micaiah did actually struggle initially to be truthful to the king, he quickly corrected his counsel, sharing the truth of Israel’s coming disaster, according to the word of the Lord. The result? King Ahab’s wrath and judgment: “Put this guy in prison and feed him only bread and water until I come back safely” (1 Kings 22:27).

But Micaiah said, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he said, “Listen, all you people!” (1 Kings 22:28)

Talk about courageous honesty! All the other prophets were saying what the king wanted to hear – what was favorable and pleasing to him. Micaiah spoke the truth and did not waver, though, even when being sent to prison as a result.

Oh, and for the record, things did indeed happen as Micaiah said they would, or more specifically, as God promised they would.

The Call of God

“Lying lips are detestable to the Lord, but faithful people are His delight” (Proverbs 12:22). The Bible never says something like, “Be honest unless it is dangerous, difficult or uncomfortable.”

Like every other call of God on our lives, there are no conditions for obedience based on our preferences, comfort levels or safety. You are either for God, or you are against Him. You are either walking in obedience, or you are living in disobedience. You either submit to Him, or you submit to the evil one.

How can you make sure you are on the right side, then?

The Source of Courageous Truth

No matter how hard we try, we can never muster up enough strength, courage and integrity to honor God on our own. There is absolutely nothing we can do to fix our problems – our problems like weakness, fear, and dishonesty, and our eternal problem of sin against our perfect Creator.

“But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8)

The amazing news, then, is that if we repent of our sins and trust in what Jesus Christ did for our salvation, we not only experience eternal life; we experience His provision and power in a way that enables us to live the life He has called us to live. Only then does the courageous honesty come.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment” (2 Timothy 1:7). This statement of power and promise, though, is only for those who know and follow Jesus Christ. Do you? How can you be sure?

Perhaps better than any book in the Bible, 1 John tells us how we can be sure we have come to know and follow God. To listen to recent messages from 1 John in our church’s PROVE IT sermon series, click HERE.