Notes – Deal Breakers

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Print Sermon Notes (Adobe Acrobat)

(Large Print)

(Small Print)

So if you remember, before the holidays we had begun the first of the pastoral epistles 1st Timothy. There are four of them. 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus and Philemon. So let’s review quickly what we talked about in the first installment. Turn if you would to 1st Timothy chapter 1.

1 Timothy 1:1-7 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. 5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

So Paul begins by establishing his apostolic authority which was being challenged by the men verses 3-7 addresses. Paul says look I am an apostle by the command of God, I didn’t appoint myself. With this command to apostleship came an infusion of revelatory knowledge, it was the knowledge and understanding that salvation comes by grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

The contrast is in these men that Paul is warning Timothy about. Verse 7 says they desired to be teachers of the law. Who better to correct this than Paul who had been the staunchest and most dedicated practitioner and defender of the law prior to his salvation.

Philippians 3:4-11 If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Yeah Paul was the one, uniquely qualified to address this issue. Look again at verse 7.

1 Timothy 1:7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

These men wanted to enforce the law and they appointed themselves to the job. Paul wanted to share the love of Christ and he was appointed by God.

James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

You are treading on dangerous ground when you try to enforce religion when what God wants us to do is promote relationship. When you use the Word of God to bring judgment on others you are getting in the way of the Holy Spirit’s desire to convict others of their sin from the inside, at the heart level.

Romans 2:1-4 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who do such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

It is that cliché of the finger pointing thing, one out three back at ya! The next portion of scripture we will look at is a perfect example of areas of scripture that religious men have used to drive people away from God. You see Paul wants to establish the purpose of the law as being for those who have not yet entered into a relationship with Christ by grace. Let’s move on the the passage that prompted the title for this message which is DEAL BREAKERS? With a question mark.

1 Timothy 1:8-11 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

The purpose of the law is to show us our need for conversion. The false teachers wanted to become famous as teachers of God’s law, but they misunderstood the law’s purpose. The law was not meant to give believers a list of commands for every occasion, but to show unbelievers their sin and bring them to God. It does not mean that the Law has no relation to the righteous; for him, it is a righteous rule which he joyfully obeys in the Spirit. Sixteenth Century theologian George Downame said, The law does not make us more sinful, but reveals those sins unto us which before we discerned not; as the sun shining upon some filthy place does not make it so filthy, but only makes it manifest which was not seen in the dark. The law is designed to show us our true nature. One need only to look at the ten commandments with honest self-appraisal to see that even in these we have been unable to be obedient. “God did not give the Law to save people,” he points out, “but to show people how much they need to be saved.” The law has three important functions in our lives as believers. First the law guards us from sin by giving us standards for behavior. Secondly the law convicts us of sin, leaving us the opportunity to ask God’s forgiveness. And thirdly the law drives us to trust in the sufficiency of Christ and the strength of the Holy Spirit, because we can never keep the law perfectly. So having established all of that let’s look at the list of sinners Paul gives us.

1 Timothy 1:8-11 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine.

The first six of these are self- evident, not many are going to argue that to be lawless and disobedient is a good quality even outside the scope of religion. The ungodly and sinners, the unholy and profane. We’ve all been around this guy, he’s rude and disrespectful has no regard for politeness or civility. There was a guy like this in my gym. A constant stream of vulgarity flowed from his mouth and he thought the most disgusting things were funny and he shared them loudly at all times. He spoke very crudely to women and no aspect of life, or family, or chivalry was beyond his ridicule. We finally threw him out. He was unholy and profane to the extreme. His antics are still vivid memories to me and whenever I read this passage or one like it his picture immediately pops up in my brain. Paul goes on to condemn those who strike their fathers and mothers, and murderers. You are probably not going to find many who will justify that kind of behavior, right? Next he lists the sexually immoral. Let’s see, pedophiles, porn stars, prostitutes just plain promiscuous folks and while in today’s culture a whole lot of sexual stuff that is immoral has become accepted still deep inside people know it is immoral and so they are not going to try to defend it and justify it before God. So then enslavers, or kidnappers, human trafficking comes to mind, liars and perjurers and in case he missed anything he says, “And whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine.” All of these conditions are clearly outside the scope of God’s desire for man and are therefore sinful in nature and really nobody is going to try to argue it. Oh but wait I left one out. Men who practice homosexuality. This is the deal breaker. Why do I say that? Well because scripture is more than clear on God’s position concerning homosexuality.

Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.

Romans 1:26-28 God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

So here is the problem. There is a whole lot of stuff going on in the homosexual culture that can fit in the sexually immoral category. Promiscuity, perversion, cruelty, I saw a film clip from a gay parade and it was really disgusting in the flamboyant display of perversion done in public for I suppose shock value. But what about the same sex couple who deeply love each other and are completely monogamous and want to raise a family and be committed to that union for life? They believe with all of their hearts that what they are doing is right. How do you convince them that what they are doing is wrong in God’s eyes? Not just that but convince them to abandon their lifestyle and get saved rather than just say well to hell with God then! You see when I was in sin I had no doubt that I was in sin I chose to live a sinful life and if you told me I was living outside God’s will I would have agreed. See I have to be honest, Dawn and I have a number of gay friends and they are wonderful and we love them deeply. And if the truth were told they probably live more uprightly than some so called Christians I have known.

My heart breaks when I am around my gay friends because they believe they are living a totally normal and viable lifestyle. I must confess if I did not know that God declared the gay lifestyle is an abomination, if I didn’t have the theology and the knowledge of God that I do I probably wouldn’t see anything wrong with the way they live. Not for me bro , but cool for you. It is the single most controversial and potentially volatile topic that the church faces today. If the world (and too often, even the church) can be convinced that we can ignore what the Bible teaches about homosexuality, then every other teaching of Scripture can be rationalized. I have a dear friend, we’ve been working out in the same gym for over twenty years, he was a psychologist then became interested in Christianity and joined a church that practices gay theology. He later was ordained as a pastor in this denomination and has a church in Palm Springs. So many times I have shared with him the truth about what the Bible says and he gives me this tolerant smile and calls me outdated and overly conservative. Do I rebuke him and then abandon him as a friend? No way! But I do tell him that his view is eating away at the Word of God and then I just love on him. Those who take seriously the authority of God’s Word should be aware that perhaps no subject poses a greater threat to the place of Scripture in our world today as homosexualtiy. Rejecting the Word’s teachings means confidence in the Bible as the inspired Word of God will be seriously eroded. “Gay Theology” is a term commonly used to describe the belief that homosexuality and Christianity are compatible, and that the Bible does not condemn homosexual behavior. Gay Theology is often referred to as “Revisionist Theology,” since it in essence reinterprets the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which have traditionally been viewed as condemnations of homosexuality, and revises them with a different, pro-homosexual interpretation. That’s why it’s critical to understand, confront and refute so-called “pro-gay theology,” which alleges that Scripture has been mistranslated and misinterpreted when it comes to the issue of homosexuality. All prohibitions against homosexual behavior are explained away. Sometimes, same-sex friendships between Bible characters (Jonathan and David; Ruth and Naomi) are said to be model homosexual relationships. This deceptive, seductive, self-justifying theology constitutes Scripture twisting.

2 Corinthians 4:2-4 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Many people who experience same-sex attraction come to believe and adamantly claim that they were “born that way.” That would mean God intended for them to accept their homosexual orientation and adopt a gay identity, right? The short answer is “No!” But clearly the reigning sentiment in our society is that homosexuality – attractions, orientation, identity and behavior – is genetic. In both news and entertainment programs this idea is often stated as fact, as something that all intelligent people believe. But the truth is that while genes may be predictive of behavior, environment and choice determine behavior.  This is in one sense a weak argument or statement in that I knew I was in sin and my gay friends don’t agree that they are in sin but I used to feel very strongly that I needed heroin to live. I had to make a choice to unlearn that mind set and learn to live a real life and do it clean. Today I never even think about getting high, it is an absolutely foreign notion whereas at one time the idea of living without heroin was the foreign notion.

Ephesians 2:1-5 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved

In other words, each of us may have certain sins to which we are more inclined than others. That is why the Bible is so clear that we need to be born again. Temptation will not automatically disappear when we place our trust in Christ, but we will have a new nature and a new power within to deal with the power of sin. Those who want to insist on genetic determination are perpetuating a tragic myth and robbing those who genuinely want to turn from what they believe to be sin. While the world may argue and debate this issue, there are thousands among us today who can say as the blind man healed by Jesus said.

John 9:25 One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.

I am going to read this entire passage again and then I am going to close with about an hour of final thoughts. Kidding, I think…

1 Timothy 1:8-11 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

I think the key lies in this final verse where Paul says, “In accordance with the glorious gospel of the blessed God.” Most gays or gay couples would never set foot in an orthodox Christian church because they know they would be judged and made a spectacle of. What I am about to say holds true for anyone not just the gay community. We as the church need to learn how to convey this glorious gospel and not the law or our judgmental religious opinions. The gospel is good news. Whoever hears it is given the opportunity to be completely transformed into God’s design for them. After years of trying to design ourselves, listening to our appetites and the popular cultural stances on our preferences we can throw up our hands and say, “Here I am God, make me as you see me!” How do we create an atmosphere that is so attractive that even someone who is deeply invested in a lifestyle that is in conflict with the Word? How do we create an atmosphere that is so attractive that that person is willing to stay long enough for the truth to take root?

1 Peter 1:22-23 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

You see what we must convey is that the Word and by extension the church while it does put forth correction the driving force behind it is love. There has to be so much love that the correction becomes desirable.

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:23-24 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

The gay community is probably the most resistant of all demographics to orthodox Christianity because we have not been successful in demonstrating God’s matchless love in such a way that it outweighs their misgivings about change. But the same is true of a whole lot of people who are bitter about this glorious gospel because of our inability to accurately reflect the love of God. Earlier I said I love my gay friends and I truly do. This may sound cliché and like a bandaid on a gaping chest wound but the thing I see in them is a powerful hunger for love. We have to be the vessel of that love of God which is the truest and deepest love, the purest and most selfless love. It is a love unmatched and unassailable.

1 John 4:7-12 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

People let’s put some love on!