It is almost inconceivable that any Christian person would debate the will of God on same sex marriage – on the issue of homosexuality at all. But as is the case with most everything today in the church, it does not matter how clearly things are stated in the Word of God, there are always those who find a way around it. The Word of God reveals the mind of God in written form. But by the time some folks are done with it, the Word of God reveals THEIR mind. And the fact that their mind is often the exact opposite of the mind of God doesn’t seem to matter.

I have heard the reasoning of many of try to rationalize away the Truth on this matter of homosexuality. I have heard the argument that states that the Greek words – or the Hebrew words of the OT -- do not mean what the English translation states. This is a lie. I have also heard the common argument – one that is used on so many matters today – that the Bible is all tied up in the cultural mind of that time. Times have changed. And we are today more, "enlightened." Apparently, this means that the Truth has changed as well. This argument is nothing but a denial that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is just that simple.

I have even heard an argument that states that the Bible forbids that heterosexuals have a homosexual relationship, but that it is ok if homosexuals have a homosexual relationship. I have heard the plea, "What could be wrong with love?" Well, it isn’t love. And I have heard all the arguments, and I have listened to the way in which scripture is twisted. But in the end, sin remains sin. The Truth remains the Truth – no matter how corrupt the mind of modern man becomes.

God has clearly defined marriage as a life long oneness between one man and one woman. Same sex marriage is a denial of this, and thus, a denial of a basic truth that finds its root in God’s creation of man himself. Any homosexual relationship – sex between members of the same gender – is sin. But when a person, or a nation, makes same sex marriage LEGAL – this is an open proclamation that it is NOT sin, but legitimate. This is a direct rejection of the Word of God, and rebellion against the One who judges all.

There is no question that this nation has crossed a moral line from which there is no return.  Homosexuality, transgenderism, same sex marriage, and even the indoctrination of children has become more and more the NORM.  It is not only tolerated -- but celebrated.  And this is likewise happening more and more within the churches.  This has never before happened in our history.  It is of Satan.

Satan has always wanted to destroy what a human being IS.  That is why we are seeing the destruction of GENDER.  This is a sure sign that we are approaching the end of this age.  God will NOT tolerate this -- it is the point at which He has always intervened.  And thank God He will.

According to scripture – most notably, Romans 1 – we are witnessing, not just the sin of affirming homosexuality, but the outcome of the greater sin of rejecting God. This darkness is the outcome of rejecting the Truth.

It is one thing to be caught in a sin and to cry out for help. It is another to deal with sin by calling it RIGHT. This is the outcome of refusing Truth. It is what people do when they have rejecting redemption in Christ, and the Word of God. When a person or a nation deals with sin by calling it, "right," they have crossed the moral line and shut out God. This is what America is doing. Right now. In our time. And we are going to pay for it.

The homosexual agenda is not about constitutional RIGHTS. Those issues are secondary. The homosexual agenda has one goal: To get homosexuality accepted AS MORALLY RIGHT. If that happens, then everything else falls into place for that agenda. And this is exactly what happens when people reject God – it is what America is now doing in so many ways, along so many lines. We have rejected God and His Word to the point where we easily proclaim that which is evil as RIGHT and GOOD.

In this world today, all that seems to matter is whether we have the right to do what we please – we want every person to have the, "freedom," to do what is right in their own eyes. This issue of same sex marriage is merely the outcome and evidence of this moral degradation – it is the outcome of a decades-long journey by America of rejecting God Himself.

Homosexuality is sin. But because it is sin, the solution is provided in the Savior. Yet the moment we begin to say it is NOT sin, we remove the need for a Savior – and we leave the sinner at ease in his sin. We leave them to DIE – even if they don’t believe they will. This is the ultimate lie of Satan – "You shall not surely die." You are no one’s friend if you tell them they are well when they are sick. You are denying the Truth in Christ. You are not loving them. And you are not loving God.

Paul asked the Galatians, "Have I become your enemy by telling you the Truth?" There it is. You will become the enemy of many people by telling them the Truth. You will become the friend of many by lying to them and telling them they are healthy when they are sick. But if you do lie to them you are just as spiritually sick as they are sick – in the eyes of God you may be worse.

Most people who affirm homosexuality do so because they have accepted the notion that people are, "born that way." This question needs to be addressed. It is at the heart and core of the issue.

First of all, it is absurd to think that every person who is caught in the sin of homosexuality sat down one day and decided to be gay. No. There are certainly some who fell into that sin through their own choice and efforts. But many persons bound by this sin will tell you that they had inclinations and desires along that line as far back as they can remember. They will tell you they did NOT choose these inclinations -- although they are guilty of yielding to them. They will tell you that these feelings arose through no conscious choice. Some of them will even tell you that they wish they were free – some will tell you that they have tried to get free, even through Christ, but have failed. Many, having run out of answers, have surrendered. Others are in despair because they don’t know what else to do. I believe them.

So what am I saying? That homosexuals are BORN that way? What I’m saying is that we are ALL born as a product of a fallen RACE. Thus, we are at the mercy of the sin nature, the spirit of this world, and the darkness that belongs to the fallen creation. And because we are, we are all going to be subject to the flesh – we are going to be governed by the flesh – in one way or another. That is what we ARE, and it is ALL that can happen to someone who is born in Adam. Thus, my manifestation of the flesh may be sin along one line, and your manifestation may be sin along another line. But it is all SIN. It is all the product of a fallen race.

You and I did not sit up the night before we were conceived and decide to be born with a sin nature. We did not choose to be born at all – we didn’t exist before we were born of this world. We were born as the product of a spiritually dead race – the Adam race. And because of the nature of that race, we were doomed to be in bondage to the sin nature – along SOME manifestation. Then, because of the various forces in our lives – temperament, environment, upbringing, family -- we developed a particular way to manifest the sin nature. There are human beings who have a terrible time with temper. Some have an inclination towards alcohol or drugs. Others are addicted to heterosexual desires. Some are in bondage to homosexuality. I could go on. But the thing to realize is that ALL of this goes back to the SAME ROOT: The sin nature. We are born of a fallen race. That is the root cause and the root problem.

Now what are we supposed to do about this terrible condition? Are we to excuse ourselves by saying, "I was born this way. I cannot help it. God made me this way. So I am free to indulge myself."? If we were talking about someone who likes to murder people we would recognize the absurdity of such an excuse. We would say, "You must get help. You must be locked up!" But what about other sin?

Because we did not choose to be born with a sin nature God does not hold us responsible for it. And because we were not responsible for the family into which we were born, nor our environment as a child, nor the culture that influenced us, God does not blame us for the baggage we have accumulated as a child. We did not choose those things. We did not decide to be born in Adam.

But again – if God does not blame us for being born in Adam, then what is the answer to being born in Adam? The answer, and our point of accountability, is that God has offered a deliverance from the Adam race through Jesus Christ. In short, we are NOT to blame for the condition, and for the inclinations, into which we were born. But once we see the Truth of Jesus Christ, we ARE fully accountable to God for turning to Him for deliverance.

The issue for each human being on this earth – once God shows them the Truth – is faith in Christ, or the unbelief of turning away and embracing sin. But you see, if I turn away and embrace my sin, then I am no longer blameless for being in sin. No. I am fully accountable and to blame for remaining in Adam. I have rejected deliverance through Christ. In short, the debate of whether any of us are born a certain way is moot. The issue is what we will do with ourselves once God brings light. Will we possess ourselves and follow our desires? Or will we turn to Christ and be born anew?

Here we see the Truth regarding ANY sin. Are you in bondage to drugs? The ONLY solution is Christ – but that solution is freely offered. Are you in bondage to heterosexual lust – pornography, fornication, or adultery? The ONLY solution is Christ and what He did at the Cross – and that solution is freely offered. The same goes for ANY sin – and it certainly applies to homosexuality. Are you in bondage to this terrible sin? The ONLY solution is Christ. And that solution is freely offered.

Can we see the evil in telling anyone who is in bondage to sin that their sin is NOT sin? Can we see the evil in saying that we are, "born that way," and therefore, we need not feel a need for deliverance? We are denying the very Truth of Jesus Christ. We are denying TRUTH. And the result will be DARKNESS.

This is what is taught in Romans 1. God has shown people the Truth. He has shown it to them many different ways. But they have suppressed the Truth in favor of unrighteousness. They have embraced the sin nature – they may not admit this, but it is what they have done. The outcome is worse and worse darkness and worse and worse corruption. One of the manifestations of such a rejection of God is that homosexuality is proclaimed as RIGHT. (So are many other sins!) This is all evidence of a person, or of a nation, that has fully rejected the Truth of God in Jesus Christ.

Actually, those who demand that homosexuals are, "born that way," betray their own conscience by that very demand. How? Well, why are they making such a claim? They are making this claim to make homosexuality RIGHT. Sure. They would say, "We don't care if it is right," otherwise. No, they are trying to make it RIGHT. Thus, they know there IS a right. They know there is truth. And because they do, they are guilty of suppressing that Truth and exchanging it for a lie. (see Rom. 1:18-19)

Today even many churches are refusing to preach the Cross. They are refusing to tell people they are sinners in need of deliverance through Christ. Why? Is this merely a problem with theology? No. It is a problem with God. This is evidence that they have rejected the Truth, neglected the Truth, or are so deceived that they don’t know the Truth. Regardless, many of these churches are likewise affirming homosexuality and same sex marriage. They are affirming all kinds of immorality. It is all from the same cause: They have refused the light. Now they are in darkness.

And so we have this fact: God has never blamed you and I for being born in Adam. That is why Jesus said He came to save the LOST. But once we see the Truth of deliverance in Christ and refuse His deliverance -- we are to blame. Once we see the Truth – once we know the right and the wrong – we are to blame if we continue in sin. God has given us the free gift of His Son. It is all by His grace. There is no excuse for rejecting the free gift of God in Jesus Christ.

The affirmation – indeed, the celebration – of same sex marriage in this country, and by the current President, is an affirmation of that which God calls sin. It is a rejection of the Word of God, and a rejection of God Himself.  Does Obama KNOW that the Word of God condemns homosexuality and same sex marriage.  He absolutely does know it.   Thus, his announcement is a direct rebellion against the Word of God.

Sinful Conduct

     Am I saying that because we are not to blame for being born with the sin nature, that we are not responsible for our conduct?  No.  Rather, we are fully responsible for it.  We are fully responsible for turning the inclinations of the sin nature into outward conduct.  It is one thing to have inward problems.  It is another to cross the line and begin living those sinful desires in an outward way.  For this we are to blame – for a number of reasons. 

      As I’ve noted, we are not to blame for being born with a sin nature, and perhaps not to blame for the specific outworking of that sin nature that we acquired as we grew up.  But this does not excuse us for yielding to our sinful inclinations – through deliberate conduct -- instead of yielding to God.  We are responsible for choosing wrong instead of choosing right.  How do people, for example, become addicted to drugs?  At some point they crossed a line and took their first drug.  How do people become addicted to pornography?  At some point, they crossed a line and starting looking at it.  Their inner inclinations were there and they chose to translate it into outward conduct.  There was a starting point – a point at which they ignored conscience and did what they knew was wrong.  And then, in each case, despite knowing that it was wrong to do, they KEPT doing it.  There was a repetitive choice to give oneself over to a sinful inclination – and it resulted in addiction.  So, in effect, we are responsible for the particular bondage we are in because we yielded to those inclinations instead of turning to God.

       Someone might answer this by saying, “Many people don’t know to turn to God.  They don’t even have enough knowledge to realize that is possible.  What about them?”  The Bible says that we have a conscience.  Now, it is true that the conscience cannot, of itself, define right and wrong – the conscience is not the source of truth.  But the conscience does tell us that we should to right and that we should tell the truth.  In other words, the conscience at least suggests that there IS a standard, and that there is a right, and that we ought to do it.  This alone won’t convert us to Christ.  Clearly, this alone doesn’t set us free from the sin nature.  But the point is, even when an unregenerate person does wrong, they know it.  An unregenerate person knows a lot more about right and wrong than most admit – as the Bible says, their conscience is as an internal LAW that is written in them.  Does someone who steals know it is wrong?  You bet they do.  They might have some kind of inward inclination towards stealing.  But at some point, they crossed a moral line and outwardly STOLE.  We are accountable for this.  Conscience and even our failures are supposed to lead us to God – expose our need.  But if I ignore conscience I am ignoring the Truth – as imperfect as conscience might be.

      Let’s apply this to homosexuality.  Suppose as I grow up I have sensual inclinations along that line.  Maybe I don’t know where they came from.  They are just there.  There will come a day – there will come multiple instances – where I will be caught between those inclinations and what my conscience is telling me.  There may come a point at which I will either choose to act out these inclinations in outward conduct or refuse to do so.  The question at that point is this:  How will I respond?  If I yield to the flesh I am going to enter into greater darkness – I am going to simply increase the power of sin over me.  All of this, of course, finds its root in the sin nature.  But despite not being to blame for being born with a sin nature, can we see that once we begin to yield to it, with outward conduct, instead of seeking help from God – can we see that we become fully responsible for the course we take, and the consequences that come with that course?  Especially since we can, at ANY time during that course, turn to God?

      So we ARE born with sinful inclinations.  But we do not have to act them out.  Much civil law is intended to prohibit that we do.  We do have a choice.

      Again – we may not be to blame for the particular inclinations we have that stem from the sin nature.  But we are responsible for choosing to yield to them, especially in outward conduct.  We are.  We are responsible for the conduct and life style.  We are responsible, not for being born with a sin nature, but for continually affirming it through choice, and through UNBELIEF.

      How about adultery?  Or fornication?  If I am a heterosexual person who has strong inclinations and leanings – should I just say that I was born that way and yield to sexual immorality?  If I commit adultery against my spouse do I tell them that I was born that way and that they are doing to have to take it or leave it?  Ridiculous.  You and I cannot set ourselves free from the sin nature through works.  You and I may not have chosen to have our particular inclinations and lusts.  But we are responsible for affirming those through our choices – we are responsible for violating conscience, and our knowledge of right and wrong.  We are ultimately responsible for NOT turning to God.

      I once know a man who had all kinds of homosexual desires – he was a Christian man, and hated the fact that he had these desires.  He did not know why he had them.  He did not know where they came from.  He would have told you that he did not choose to have them.  But rather than say that he was born that way, and demand that his desires were right, he recognized that DESPITE the desires being there – they were wrong and he could NOT yield to them.  He could not make outward choices along that line.  No.  He knew there was help and deliverance possible through Christ.  At the time of his death, he still had some of those inclinations and desires.  But he did NOT yield to them.  He did not act upon them.  He yielded to God.  And that is the point. 

      God has never said that in this age the flesh is ever going to function correctly.  We are delivered – in CHRIST – from the power of sin, but not from its presence or possibility.  Thus, there might arise in our flesh a particular manifestation – temper, sexual immorality, self-righteousness – you name it.  But that does not mean we MUST yield.  It does not mean we MUST act.  It does not mean it is RIGHT.  No.  It means we need Jesus Christ.  Even if it requires a life-long battle with some of these tendencies of the flesh, and involves even some failures, the question is whether, despite any failures, we are going to keep turning to, coming back to, and putting our faith in Christ.

      This speaks to the attitude the church ought to have towards those caught in sin, including the sin of homosexuality.  What are we to say to such folks – that they need to go somewhere and get free before we will help them?  No.  The church is supposed to do what Christ did – we are supposed to help them in Christ.  In other words, rather than affirm homosexuality or any other sin – rather than give anyone license to sin – we are to be vessels that God uses to show people the way OUT through Christ.  So the bottom line is this:  The church must never be a place where people can come for affirmation in sin.  That is not love and it is a lie.  But the church should embrace anyone who truly wants to be free from their sin.

      I recently saw a sign outside of a church that said, “All our welcome here.  Regardless of sexual preference and regardless of religion.”  How foolish and how destructive.  God does not welcome us as sinners in order to affirm our sin and leave us in sin!  God accepts us JUST AS WE ARE – but not to leave us that way!  We can come to Jesus Christ as the worst human being that ever lived.  But the whole point in coming to Christ is for deliverance from sin.  We come to Christ because we WANT HIM – not because we want sin!  Any other presentation of the gospel is an outright lie and will eventually destroy those who embrace it.

      So we are not responsible for being born sinners by nature.  But we are responsible for what we do with ourselves – we are responsible for yielding to our nature instead of surrendering to God.  We are to blame turning ungodly desires into conduct and for all that results because of it.  Thankfully, God offers Christ as the solution for all.

I am not going to take the time or space to go through the many Bible verses that call homosexuality a sin. Again -- read Romans 1. If people have any reverence for the Word of God, and actually want the Truth, that chapter alone will convince them. If not, then there is no need for any further discussion. In addition, I might also add that even if we did not have a Bible at all, any person with the smallest amount of discernment or sense of moral decency will know that homosexuality is wrong – as they would know that fornication, adultery, and other moral violations are wrong. We know. The fact that we can sear conscience and harden ourselves to the point of NOT knowing doesn’t matter. We could know.

Of course, any time you demand the Truth on such things you will be branded a, "hate-monger," or in the case of homosexuality, "homophobic." You will be labeled, "judgmental," or, "mean-spirited." Whatever. None of that changes the Truth. In the end, all of us are going to personally answer to God for the Truth. God will never ask us whether someone was judgmental towards us. He will ask us to account for ourselves.

But I do want to go back to one or two passages from the book of Genesis:

If I refuse to consider that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, without error, and applicable for today, then none of these verses are going to matter to me. But if I do believe that God inspired His Word, then I will have to come to terms with what is written in it. In these verses we do not have any reference to homosexuality at all. But what we do find is God’s will. What we find here, in God’s eyes, is good. It is His pattern for humanity.

God created them male and female and told them to procreate. When Adam was alone and God wanted to find him a companion, God created a FEMALE. And not only that, but He created her from out of Adam. How much clearer could it be?

But just as importantly, what does the plain fact that procreation is possible only through one male and one female tell us about God’s creation and intention for humanity? It is simply NOT possible for a same sex marriage to biologically procreate a child. They can only adopt, or if one partner already has a child, the other must adopt them. What does this tell us about God’s will? Is a same sex marriage God’s design for a family – according to Genesis 1:27 the answer is NO.

Let me take this a step further – and I’ll try to avoid being graphic. The anatomy of two males, and the anatomy of two females do NOT compliment each other – not for the physical relationship in marriage. Does that tell us anything about what is NATURAL – according to God’s design? It tells us plenty.

Look at the animal kingdom. Do you find any same sex sexual relationships? Why not if God made human beings that way – He would have surely made some animals that way? Again – homosexual relationships go against nature. They go against the very fundament of God’s design.

Read again the above verse from Genesis 5:2. You will note that God not only created two people – male and female He created them – but He called THEM by the name of Adam. It was only after the sin that Adam called his wife by the name of Eve. God considered these two human beings to be as ONE – they so complimented each other. In fact, this is used in the NT as a picture of Christ and the church. Again – all of these things show God’s mind on this matter. It is not maybe. One male compliments one female. That is the pattern. It is built into creation. There is no other option.

The bondage of homosexuality is not merely a sin against God in the sense of violating His Word and His law. It also violates nature – human nature. And because it does, it destroys. All sin destroys. But this particular sin destroys in another dimension because it runs against the very nature of male and female that God has built into each gender. Note what Paul wrote in Romans 1:

Here we see that homosexuality is not only sin, but it is against nature – it is against the nature of each gender. It is against the nature that God Himself created and built into human gender. And because it is, there is a, "recompense," that is going to be received INTO THE PERSON of the one sinning in such a way. In other words, yes, God will judge all of us. But here we find that there is a penalty for sin that sin itself exacts – sin destroys. Sin damages. We receive in ourselves the damage from our sin – and this is the case without God needing to life a finger. Why? Because these sins are against the very nature that God put in a human being. It is a violation of the essence of something that is built into us – and it is going to take its toll.

So from these few passages of scripture, and from God’s design itself, we see that His definition of marriage is the union between one man and one woman. There is no other possibility. This is His definition and His only will – it is the core definition even if a marriage has been dissolved through divorce or death. Those things happen, but the definition of marriage as it pertains to gender remains the same. God’s will is one man and one woman. All other good versions of family that are within the will of God also emerge from that basic definition and do not contradict it.

Same sex marriage is not only a violation of marriage and family, but it is, in fact, a full and complete legitimization of homosexuality. It will destroy the building block of society – replacing it with that which God has condemned. Indeed, if a marriage can be defined as a union between ANY two people, rather than only one man and one woman, then why restrict it to simply TWO people? For that matter, why have age limitations? Why not legalize and define marriage as any legal union – regardless of gender, age, or number? It might seem like this could never happen. But history has proven that unless God intervenes that it is always the course that is taken once this moral line is crossed.

Now, of course, God did not inspire Romans 1 to unmercifully condemn anyone, including those who are in bondage to homosexuality. As always, He is pointing out the terrible facts about sin – telling us how horrible this sin is – so that those trapped in it may realize that they must turn to Jesus Christ.

This is what the church must do. The church must not affirm sin. But the church must not cut off the sinner from the Savior. The church must echo the same message as is revealed in scripture. Jesus Christ died for every sin every committed by every human being – He died so that we might be forgiven – but He died so that we could be DELIVERED. This is the Truth no matter the sin.

One of the snappy comebacks that you often hear, when someone calls sin by its name, is that we should not judge. This is a bogus argument, based on a complete misunderstanding of the Bible, and really, of the heart of God.

In scripture, the word translated JUDGE is usually translated from a Greek word that really means CONDEMN. So, "to judge," in the sense that God forbids, means that we essentially PLAY GOD and pass sentence on a person – we condemn them. We close the case on them, and they are, at least in our minds, cut off from redemption. To discern, on the other hand, is to see the Truth about something in the light of Christ. We then confess that Truth.

So to tell the Truth about something or someone is NOT the same as JUDGING them – according to the Bible. "To judge," is to play God and pass sentence. "To discern," is to see the Truth and tell the Truth.

This is vital to understand. When God said, "Do not judge," He did not forbid us to see the difference between right and wrong. No. For if He did, then how could we ever so much as discern sin in ourselves? How could we confess it? But even more, Jesus Christ said, "I am the Light." It is simply not possible to know Jesus Christ and NOT discern. We will discern what is OF Christ, and what is NOT of Christ. We must discern.

The whole point is moot anyway. A human being is a moral creature. You and I are built to BE moral, and to discern what is right and wrong. We are built to choose. We do it all the time on a continual basis whether we want to admit that or not. But we will not do it according to the Truth unless we know Christ.

So to judge is to pass sentence against. To discern is to see the Truth. So, if I say, homosexuality is wrong, I am NOT judging. I am stating the Truth. In fact, if I say, unless you repent, you will perish, I am also stating the Truth. But if I were to cross the line and say to someone, "You are going to hell no matter what!," I have passed sentence. I have left no room for redemption.

Now, God says, "Speak the Truth in love." This does NOT omit the possibility of telling someone they are sinning. But to speak the Truth in love always carries a redemptive purpose – we tell them the Truth, not to condemn them, but to show them that Jesus Christ wants to deliver them.

It is because professing Christian people have not come to terms with their OWN sin that they condemn others. But having said that, this exonerates NO ONE. In other words, if I condemn you for your sin, and you condemn me for mine, we are both guilty of condemning each other. But it may still be a fact that the sins of each of us that provoked the condemnation are TRUE. Is getting caught up in all of this going to save anyone?

I say this for one reason: Many who are caught in homosexuality have been condemned and treated terribly by those who profess to know Christ. In reaction, many who are in this sin have rejected Christ. But doing so will not help you. Christ has not rejected you. He loves you and died for you just as He died for all. Thus, leave that terrible treatment to God. Seek Christ for yourself. Do not allow the hate and fear of that person to cause you to stumble on your path to freedom in Christ.

There is no sin so deep that the Redemption has not already reached it. Nothing can change this – not even the judgmental attitude of professing Christian people. God is never going to affirm your sin, or the sin of those who condemn you. But for all Jesus died and will continue to offer deliverance. That is the issue here, and that is the Truth we must always remember.

The church today spends a lot of energy pointing out, and condemning, the actions and thinking of the world. But God has never told us to do so. What God has told us to do is get the HOUSE OF GOD in order. There is nothing worse, and nothing more hypocritical, than a bunch of religious, judgmental fools, running around pointing fingers at the world, all the while their own church is in spiritual disarray.

It is an absolute fact that the reason that the United States of America has fallen into such a moral and spiritual decline is because of the moral and spiritual decline of those who profess Christ. Christianity in the USA and in other countries has become a laughing stock. Why?

The first reason is because of Christian television. It is all about money. And what part of it isn’t about money is usually about a bunch of people jumping around and acting foolish. This isn’t the Holy Spirit. It is, at best, emotionalism. At worse, it is another spirit. The scary part is that the former will eventually lead to the later. There is very little of Jesus Christ in any of it.

If you ask the average unconverted person what they think of Christianity, they will often refer to those they see on Christian TV. Indeed, many CONVERTED people have become turned off and embittered because of it. What a terrible irony it is that many of these TV preachers are expecting a big reward from God when they meet Him. They ought to read Matthew 7:21-27.

Christians are to be a living testimony to Christ. Instead, we take our cue from the world. Whatever fad the world comes up with, in a year it will be on Christian TV with the name of Jesus pasted on it. Instead of being a true witness to Christ, we are, in large part, a false witness.

Even more important as the effect of Christian TV is the cumulative effect of the lives of those who profess Christ. The Truth is NOT being preached today in the churches. The Truth is NOT being practiced. In fact, no one cares about the Truth, and in most cases, no one KNOWS to care.

All of this has made room for the spirit of the world – the spirit of Satan – to invade this world on greater and greater levels. It has gotten to where the President of the United States has affirmed same sex marriage.

Those who think that this doesn’t matter need to understand its ramifications. Once same sex marriage is accepted and legal, it will be portrayed as such on prime time television. It will be advertised. It will slowly be accepted as NORMAL – and thus – will be taught as such in all of our schools. Children will grow up not knowing of a time when it was considered to be sin. I’m just barely touching the surface of the damage this matter will cause. The real issue here is the darkness and unbelief that is BEHIND it all. As I stated earlier, these things are merely manifestations of a nation having rejected God.

Today many churches and denominations are approving homosexual ministers. They have fully surrendered to this darkness in every way. Others are arguing about it – as if the Truth can be arrived at through debate. This is remarkable seeing that a relatively small percentage of people, and a smaller percentage of Christians, clam to be homosexual. How did things get this far? It is Satan. And because the churches have lost much fellowship with Christ evil has come in without restraint.

The solution is repentance by GOD’S PEOPLE, and an embracing of the Truth. But let’s be honest – it is not going to happen. It is not prophesied to happen. But that does not mean that individuals cannot repent. Any one of us still have that option.

In my personal opinion, this recent pronouncement by the President is the outcome of a decent into darkness by the USA that has continued for decades, and will continue. But this particular announcement signals a set course. It crosses a line that was not officially crossed before. And because of that, this nation has crossed a line that had never been crossed before. And God is going to judge.

Now, someone is liable to ask, "How will God judge the USA?" Will He send, war, calamity, financial crisis, disease, and other terrible events? That is possible. But here I must again point to Romans 1. If you read Romans 1, you will discover what is stated other places in the Bible – read also Matt. 6:22-23. We read there something that is rarely pointed out when people speak of the judgment of God. We usually think that if we sin, God will judge. That is completely true. But WHAT sin brings the judgment of God? And what IS that judgment?

THE SIN – as stated in Romans 1 – is the suppressing of the Truth. It is a shutting out of God in favor of unrighteousness. THE SIN is that people KNOW enough to at least turn to God. They know enough to at least ASK GOD FOR HELP. But they will not. They suppress that Truth – they suppress it IN THEMSELVES. They push it away; close their heart. That is the sin.

But what is the JUDGMENT for this sin of pushing away God? If a person, or a nation, shuts out God, then the judgment is that God is shut out. In other words, if you refuse light you will get darkness within. If you refuse the Truth you will get error. It will be a moral and spiritual condition. It will happen, not some of the time, but all of the time. In short, the judgment of God will be that He will give you over to exactly what you have chosen. You will reap what you sow. And you will be subject to everything that grows out of it.

Once people refuse God and become dark within, this darkness will begin to govern everything. They will have little or no discernment of right and wrong. God will not only give them up to the darkness they have chosen, but He will give them up to all that comes along with it – including their own evil inclinations. All of this is the result of the root sin of shutting out God, rejecting His Word, and choosing what I demand.

Do you want to be subject to all of the lusts of the flesh? Turn away from God. Refuse the Cross. You will be subject to these – and because you have made your choice, God will give you over to them. This is not only the case with homosexuality, but with most any sin.

We don’t often think of that as judgment, but it is judgment. The sin is a refusal of the Truth. The judgment is that you get what you have chosen – darkness and error. But we are not talking about book knowledge. This is a moral and spiritual darkness that is the result of refusing God. It becomes a terrible bondage because once I reject God there is NOTHING in me to restrain evil.

This judgment is actually perfect justice. God gives people exactly what they choose – darkness -- if they could have known to choose Truth. But again – even that has a redemptive purpose built into it. For when people begin to drink fully from the cup of iniquity that have chosen, God may allow them to suffer for it. This is His tool to draw them back to repentance. But if they will not heed God – despite all of these terrible consequences – then God will continue to allow them to reap what they have sowed when they rejected the Truth. In the end, God will have to take even more drastic action, which may include many outward judgments. This all concludes, of course, at the last judgment, where God judges all by Christ – He calls us exactly what we are in relationship to Him through His Son.

So the usual first judgment of God upon those who suppress the Truth and exchange it for a lie is to give them exactly what they choose – darkness, a lie, and delusion. And this can lead to terrible bondage to sin. You want to reject God? You won’t have God. You love darkness rather than light? You get darkness – and that darkness will translate into a terrible condition. When a person, or a nation, rejects God in favor of their own will, they will get their own will, and all the consequences that come with it. But you see, they won’t know what is happening to them, and they won’t really care. That is hardness.

This has already happened to a great extent. In fact, what is going on in this country is that judgment. Why are people able to so easily accept immorality? What are they able to affirm that which God rejects? Because they have already rejected God. Thus, there is nothing in them to resist evil. This affirmation of homosexuality is one of the outcomes. People like the President accept it without blinking. Why? There is NO Truth in them. Only darkness.

What we MUST see here is that THE SIN is that people suppress or reject or neglect the Truth of God. That is THE SIN that brings darkness. Then, once darkness is our state, we are subject to all that comes with that darkness. Thus, the solution is not so much to fight and try to fix the darkness or what it brings. The solution is to repent and turn back to God. That, and that alone, will rid us of the darkness, because God is light.

Over the last 100 years something has happened that has never happened before in the history of the world. People haven’t merely rejected Jesus Christ. They have fallen away from Jesus Christ. Note that: People have HAD Truth – and rejected it. Originally, in the beginning, when the gospel was preached, it was preached to those who never heard the Truth. Some embraced it and some rejected it. But in today’s world it is different. In the USA and in Europe, the gospel that had once has been embraced is now rejected. This is apostasy. And it has never happened on a scale such as this before.

This nation has rejected God and it has brought darkness. We see it everywhere – in our courts, in our schools, on television, -- there is really no place where this darkness has not invaded. Much of it is moral insanity. When God is refused we get what fills the void – moral insanity and darkness. And since we live in a realm that is governed by Satan – his spirit fills the void. You wonder why things are so bad. Well there it is. God has been rejected. Satan has moved in.

Now that is the world. Even though, "the world," is not Christian, there is accountability because the gospel has been preached. The accountability is to hear and open to Christ. But if that is the case with the world, what might we say about the body of Christ? God holds the church responsible for being a true witness to the world. But in large part, the church has been a false witness. God also says, "Judgment begins with the household of God."

People pray for revival. Some deluded souls think that we are in the middle of revival. We are not. We are in the middle of apostasy. I speak generally, of course, for there are always souls saved during apostasy, and there are always those who reject Christ during revival. But Christian people who pray for revival need to understand that they are praying for JUDGMENT.

Revival is JUDGMENT. Sure. The very term, "revival," infers the need to be brought to life again; infers the need for restoration. Well, then God must JUDGE all that has brought things into this state that God finds unacceptable. Do you and I want revival? Then it starts with US personally. God must deal IN US with all that hinders the life of His Son. Then He must start with our church. Do want revival? Expect upheaval. But most people won’t stand for this kind of revival. What they want is for people to get excited and join their church. That is not revival. The same thing happens during apostasy.

What are the chances, for example, that the churches that have already approved the ordination of openly homosexual ministers will issue a public confession of that sin, and then take steps to reverse that decision? Not a chance. What are the chances that somewhere down the road that even one of the hucksters and con men that populate Christian television will get on the air and publicly confess their sin? Not a chance. What are the chances that many local churches – we might settle for ONE – will gather together and ask the Lord to do, "whatever it takes," to judge them in such a way that will put Jesus Christ at the center of their lives where He belongs? Not much chance.

Actually, I’ve witnessed a couple of instances in my lifetime where God actually took such drastic steps. Most of the professing Christians involved refused to allow God His way, and many others were not close enough to Christ to even realize what was happening. They acted as if there was no way God would have any cause to deal with THEM. This is a hardness. And it is everywhere.

If you read I Corinthians 11, you will encounter a verse that says, "If we judge ourselves, we would not be judged." In other words, if we open ourselves to the Lord NOW, and ask Him to do, "whatever it takes," then there is no need for further judgment THEN. When, then? Ultimately, at the last judgment. Make no question about it. You and I are going to be judged. Push it back and side step the issue all you want, but it is going to happen. The Truth is going to be revealed in the Light of Christ, and then, according to that Truth, eternal assignments will be issued.

As the Bible so often expresses, even the judgments of God in this life are intended to chastise us back to Himself. America has taken a terrible step in these days away from God. But it is never too late to turn back to Him.

Same sex marriage is an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. It is an affirmation of the sin of homosexuality. But the Truth is, those who are in bondage to homosexuality – no matter how you got that way – have been given the same solution to this sin as God has given to all sinners: Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ crucified and risen. This is not merely a solution. It is the ONLY solution for any sin. Nothing else will work.

Christian people struggle to overcome sin and find that they cannot. So they try harder. And they fail. But we aren’t reading scripture. We have already been told that there is no possible way in which any of us can overcome sin. We cannot do it through law-keeping, and we cannot do it through will power. Only by confessing our sin, and coming to Christ can we be set free.

Many of us have been told that, "God has given us the power to overcome sin through Christ." This sounds right, and it IS right – if we know what it really means. For most of us, it means that we are supposed to use will power to overcome sin – and God will help us. So we try and fail.

The problem is often that we are trying to turn in upon sin and overcome it. You cannot do so. You have to come to terms with THE sin. THE sin is that we have belonged to ourselves – we have sought to possess ourselves. Confess and repent of THAT sin – come to Christ crucified with THAT sin – and you are on redemption ground. Take your place on the Cross in Christ, not just for sin, but for SELF – and you will discover that the power of sin has indeed been broken. Then it won’t matter what your particular manifestation of the flesh happens to be, for, "you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Over the course of time and trial, freedom will be yours.

In short, if you want to walk in newness of life, free from sin, you have TO DIE. That starts by relinquishing your entire self to Christ – not as a religious exercise – but because you see you are a lost sinner without any hope of helping himself. You take your place in His death. And you will be raised in Him.

It is important for each individual to know that no matter what condition they are in, and no matter what they have done, God has never closed the door on them. He continues to offer freedom in Christ. The only question is whether we will walk through the door – not on the basis of anything about ourselves, but on the basis of His grace. And anyone that says otherwise is a liar. God bids all to come to Christ – not to receive a license to sin – but to receive freedom FROM sin.

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