Love is not Love

   We have got to learn to reject the lie that says there is no love that is out of bounds because ultimately that's a lie that says there is no truth in God. 

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." 

   You see what's happening here? This "do not love the world" is not God saying listen there's good stuff out there that I want to keep from you. That's the LIE of the serpent this "do not love" says that what might look good to you and may even feel good to you, but in the end, you will perish...I'm calling you away from it because I actually do love you and in loving you, I want you to abide in God to remain in God and to not perish. Love can be sinful. Remember this, it's an important word for our day "love can be sinful" we live in the midst of a culture that needs to hear that from us because it's coming at us with this whole Love Is Love mentality...and how can you be against love? Nobody can be against love, certainly Christians can't be against love because God is love and we are called To Love. Therefore, how can you stand in the way of any two people who love one another, but our text today makes it very clear that there are instances when love can be sinful in other words, this is more than just a theoretical theological discussion for us to have. This is a very practical rubber meets the road issue, this issue of love being sinful. The question is what makes love sinful? What could possibly make love sinful? Under what circumstances would love be considered sinful? Well first of all love becomes sinful when it is directed at the wrong object look at 1 John 2:15 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Do not love the world... now it's very important to note that this word world especially in Johannine literature is used in at least three different ways first of all the world can refer to all creation you see this in John 1, John 3, John 4, John 6, John 7, and John 8 over and over again this word Cosmos refers to all the world to all the created Universe. John is not saying here that we should not love this universe, this world, this Earth that God created that's not what's being said here. Secondly the term World refers to the people that inhabit this world that God created, and God is not saying do not love people, do not love mankind, absolutely not. We know that it doesn't mean that because the love that we're called to give even to our enemies because the what the great commandment says..."love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself" so John can't be talking about that first world here and he can't be talking about that second world here that would be a contradiction, however there is a third use of the term world and that third use refers to the spiritual realm that is in opposition to God and in Rebellion against his kingdom. It is that third sense of world that is being discussed here so when John says do not love the world, he's saying your love becomes sinful when it's directed at that system that is anti- God. That system that is anti-Kingdom. That system that is satanic. Love becomes sinful when it arises from the wrong source. Not only when it's when it's pointed in the wrong direction, pointed toward the wrong object, but when it arises from the wrong source 1 John 2:16 "For all that is in the world the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the father but is from the world."  So, there's a problem, first with the object and now here there's a problem with the source but finally and ultimately and most importantly our love becomes sinful when it produces the wrong fruit. When it leads to the wrong ends look at 1 John 2:17 "the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." Here you have these two opposite ends, on the one hand you have this world that is passing away and on the other hand you have our God who abides forever. Love becomes sinful when it leads to wrong ends and produces wrong fruit, our passions become sinful when they are pointed in directions that lead to death and destruction as opposed to leading to life the poignant way in which this is so pertinent to our times. Because of the Love Is Love crowd particularly in the area of same-sex marriage. How can you be opposed to same-sex marriage when same-sex marriage is just about people who love each other being allowed to express that love, but that's a love that's pointed at the wrong object. That is not a love that comes from God or that brings glory and honor to God. It is pointed at the wrong object. It is a love that arises from the wrong Source. Look at Romans chapter 1 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 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."

   If a man comes to me talking about a desire for a woman who is not his wife, I'm not going to tell him to just go ahead and embrace the desire because the desire in and of itself is okay...IT'S NOT. 

   Love is not Love. Love is not telling a person to do what makes them happy or makes them feel good. Love is being truthful and trying to keep them from an eternal damnation...sometimes it tough and hard to say and hard to hear, but it truly is love. 

I just don't believe it

I don't automatically agree with people when they say that they're homosexual because there is no evidence that there is such a thing. There's evidence that there are people who engage in the practice of what the Bible calls sodomy but there is no evidence that there are people who have a permanent orientation toward homosexuality, in fact there's 2,000-year-old evidence that there are people who practiced homosexuality who called themselves homosexuals who according to 1 Corinthians chapter 6 were not that anymore. Now this might shock you, but the next time somebody asks you "why did God make me gay?"...say He didn't, being homosexual is not the same thing as being black or white or being male or female. It's not the same thing, it's not an unchangeable characteristic and nobody has proven otherwise there is zero biological evidence that there is an immutable characteristic if there was biological evidence then you could prove that somebody was homosexual after they died all you have to do is do an autopsy you just do a postmortem go into the brain and find that area in the brain that homosexuals have oh wait what nothing in the brain. Okay, well go into the genes and find that Gene to oh wait nothing in the genes either?  Well, I heard about a pheromone study where you go into the pH, oh really that was not...huh there's absolutely nothing? Nothing that proves that there is such a thing as a person who is a homosexual. There are people who practice homosexuality but there is nothing in the world, nothing that demonstrates that there is a class or category of people who are immutably and unchangeably homosexuals just like I'm immutably and unchangeably a white person, it doesn't exist although the majority out there believe that it does because you've been told the lie over and over and over and over again. You hear so many stories of "I've known all my life, I knew it when I was a little boy, or I knew it when I was a little girl. No, you didn't...you didn't even have sexual thoughts of those kind when you were a little boy or a little girl you didn't even develop sexually back then. How could you possibly have known about your sexual orientation? That's a ridiculous lie that they've told themselves and us and we let people get away with it all the time and we shouldn't. The other problem with this line of argumentation of course is that Paul in Romans chapter 1 also addresses women who engage in unnatural practices with other women. So, if all Paul was dealing with was the practice of pederasty in the Pagan Greco Roman world where men used boys for sex...then please somebody tell me why he also addressed women who engaged in that practice with other women when that wasn't the same as pederasty in the Greco Roman world. You see people are just hoping that we just sort of look over that. They may bring up some ancient Greek literature and they use this, and they use that, and we're supposed to go "WOW, I didn't know that" maybe that was what Paul was talking about. No afraid not it's not the only literature in existence. Paul wouldn't have been ignorant of what they're talking about and that doesn't address the issue of the women. Here's the other problem, if we make the argument that this practice is acceptable because of an orientation then what do we do with the pedophile who says..."this is my orientation I've known it forever. I as an adult man am oriented toward young boys or young girls it's just my orientation and since it's my orientation and we're accepting orientations then you have to accept it." What if I'm just oriented toward violence toward women, I beat my wife you get upset with me and I say "whoa...whoa this is my orientation. I've known since I was little boy that I was oriented toward violence and particularly against females so how can you judge me for this violence against my wife when obviously it's my orientation." Promiscuity? I run around with all different kinds of women, but hey it's my orientation I've known it for a long time. So now all of a sudden if we accept this argument, there are a whole lot of other things where we have to say okay it's a sin unless of course you feel deeply because remember there's no biological evidence whatsoever right? It's a sin unless you feel deeply that you're oriented in this way and of course if you feel deeply that you're oriented in this way then all bets are off. You don't have to pay attention to what the Bible says in regard to sexual sin...do you see how complicated this becomes? By the way even if we do ever have biological evidence that doesn't change things. Why? Well, if we find a gay gene and we say well here ya go, okay now this person has it. Genetically we know that this person is predisposed to homosexuality okay so it's not a sin anymore. So, if I'm genetically predisposed to alcoholism and by the way there's more evidence for that than there is for homosexuality. Anyhow, I'm genetically predisposed to alcoholism, do I get a pass y'all because I have a genetic predisposition therefore it's not sin. I'm genetically predisposed to be violent particularly against women. Do I get a pass? Do you follow what I'm saying? So, this is the problem with that line of argumentation...but know this it's absolutely run amuck among young Christians in the Western World especially in America where it seems everyone has elevated self above Christ.

Understanding Your Role as a Warrior of God

     As Believers in Jesus, each of us is a warrior of God. But what characteristics are found in a warrior of God? What actions do we, as warriors, need to take? And how can we grow in that role?

We are warriors of God, this is an important and life changing realization, but for us to know how to walk in that role, we need to understand what it means to be a warrior of God. Now, Matthew 5:9, says “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” This Scripture is entirely true, but once we better understand what a warrior of God does, we realize that this Scripture does not nullify that position. For a warrior of God is not a person who seeks out conflict, nor do they fight every battle they see. They listen to the Holy Spirit, so that they know when they are to fight and when they are not. Spiritual positioning is their center of operations. 

“‘You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

2 Chronicles 20:17

A warrior of God has many of the characteristics of God, because each of God’s warriors is made in His image. What does that mean in terms of how we are to fight our battles? Remember when Jesus was tempted in the desert? He resisted the devil, fought him with the Word of God—with Truth—and the enemy had no way of winning against Him. But it is also important to remember that the enemy attempted to battle Jesus WITH the Word. Yet, because Jesus is the Word and because He battled as a warrior of God, with Godly wisdom, nothing the enemy tried to do to twist God’s word worked. A true warrior of God has the Holy Spirit inside of them, guiding them in His word, so that they can battle with God’s word as Jesus did…

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

Godly characteristics and behaviors stand deep in the heart of God’s warriors. But how can we break that down? What makes a warrior of God? What things should we see in His warriors? What behaviors? What actions? 

A few of the habits and characteristics that warriors of God ought to have include:

• Prayer life
• Understanding and use of intercession
• Love of justice, truth, and righteousness
• Strengthening of faith through God’s Word
• Peace found through God
• Worship and praise
• Heavenly direction regarding which battles to engage or ignore
• Unity with the Body of Christ
• Fellowship with Believers
• Relationship with God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• Heart knowledge that they are heirs of God
• The full armor of God
• Godly wisdom
• The fruit of the Spirit
• Kingdom view
• Kingdom based goals

These things are vital, however, the list, while long, should not intimidate. Each of us is a work in progress. What is more, God does not choose us because we are perfect. He chooses us because He sees something in us. The Lord is like a sculptor selecting marble. He understands not only the process and hours it will take to transform the raw material into something spectacular, but He envisions what is hidden inside the marble. He sees not only who we are now, but who we will become when He is allowed to take His tools and shape us. At this moment maybe we are great at maintaining a spirit of praise within us. Or perhaps we realize deep within our spirit that God is a God of justice and therefore we too love justice… yet other areas might be lacking. We might have a spirit of praise within us, but perhaps we do not understand that we are sons and daughters of God? We may love justice, but perhaps we forsake fellowship with Believers? We may not be “finished products” yet, but God stands ready and willing to shape us. Following God is the first step. Building relationship with Him the next. Because, as relationship and understanding of who He is develops, our character shifts. We begin to behave more like Him, because we spend time with Him.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

Galatians 2:20 

Being a work in progress does not mean we are not to press onward and upward toward our call in God. It does not mean that we will not have battles or victories because we have not ‘arrived.’ By the time Jesus was tested in the desert, He was hardly in prime physical condition. He had been 40 days without food, He was hungry, He was not at home where He could have a fire at night or shelter in the day… it was in that place where the attack came. It was there He was tested.  Just like Jesus experienced, our battles may not come when everything is just right. Sometimes we might be hungry, tired, and not wanting to fight when the battle arises. Sometimes we may feel as bold as lions. Yet, as so many Scriptures state at the time of battles, the battle belongs to the Lord…doing as David did, going to face the giant when we are led to do so, even if in the nature of the weapons we carry, and our own size seems inadequate, that is the obedience and faith that leads to victory! It is where God moves with power and receives all the glory… because the battle is His!

Listening to the Holy Spirit is key to achieving victory. It is He who tells us what battles we are to engage in, how we are to fight, and what we need to do. Battles, even those that happen in the natural, are spiritually driven. We do not battle against flesh and blood, and the weapons we typically use need to be chosen accordingly.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Ephesians 6:12

The battles we fight can often be accomplished on our knees in prayer and intercession. But some require additional weapons, such as praise and worship. Or even taking territory in the mountain of influence that God has put us in!  Yet, in all these, we need to remember that the battle belongs to the Lord. We need to seek Him and His will first and foremost. He needs to be the one who chooses what battles we are to face, and which weapons we are to use. The Lord is our admiral, our general, and choosing to follow His commands is the surest way to achieve victory! After all, God sees the whole picture, He has the maps, information, and vision to see us safely through any challenge…when the Lord tells us to face our giants, we are to be like David, stepping forward in obedience and faith, trusting God to do the rest. To do the big thing. 

It is time for us to stand as a warrior of God; to pray, to listen, and to battle as God directs.

It is time for us to realize that victory comes not through us, but through our Great God!

Let us therefore boast in the Lord, for it is He who gives us victory…

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God

Psalm 20:7 

Subject of homosexuality

Let's talk about the subject of homosexuality. There are a number of things for us to look at and what I want to do is I want us to examine the arguments that people make in support of this practice and in particular the arguments people make in support of Christians lowering their defenses and being open to same-sex marriage there are a number of arguments being used out there. I'll refer to what seems to be the most popular one and that's the argument that Jesus never addressed homosexuality they'll say well you're a Christian which means you're a follower of Christ right?

Well yeah, I'm a follower of Christ well as a follower of Christ it seems very strange to me that you're making a big deal out of something that Jesus never mentioned one time in the gospels not one time, and for most Christians they hear that and we're just sort of taken aback and you know our response is usually something along the lines of uh, what, um and so what...we just don't know what to say right?

Well, here's what you say. In fact, Jesus did address homosexuality. He addressed it in Matthew 5 and in Matthew 19, because in Matthew 5 and 19 he addressed the issue of marriage. Moreover, He rooted his understanding of marriage in the teaching in Genesis 2. The teaching in Genesis 2 gives us the message that marriage between a man and a woman for the purposes of procreation, illustration and sanctification. He also made it very clear that what god has joined together man cannot separate. In other words, God is the author of marriage not man therefore God is the one who defines marriage not man...therefore man does not have the right to introduce the concept of same-sex marriage.

Number one, because by definition it's not marriage it's another thing and number two because by definition it goes against what was created in Genesis 2. So, Jesus did address homosexuality...but there's a bigger issue here Jesus is a member of the godhead you see we believe the one God who has existed eternally in three persons the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit you cannot separate Jesus from the Father and the Holy Spirit on the issue of homosexuality. Jesus was there in Sodom and Gomorrah he was raining down fire and brimstone. Jesus is the author of Leviticus. So, you can say that Jesus never addressed the issue of homosexuality unless you're going to argue that Jesus has a different opinion on the issue than the Father and the Holy Spirit. This is hugely problematic because that would mean a breach in the trinity. Thirdly the bible is one story not many, you can no more separate Jesus from Paul or Peter then you can separate Jesus from the Father or the Holy Spirit. The bible is one story not many and what do the apostles teach?

The apostles are whose apostles?

They are Christ's apostles, so the teaching that they give us is the authoritative teaching of the church from the lord Jesus Christ himself. So again, for these three reasons we don't have to panic when someone says well Jesus never addressed the issue of homosexuality because here's another thing Jesus never addressed the issue of pedophilia either. So, now we can point out to the person first of all you're wrong...because he did address it in Matthew 5 and Matthew 19. Second of all Jesus is a member of the godhead you can't separate the Father, from the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, the bible's one story not many you can't separate the teaching of Jesus from the teaching of his apostles and finally if you take that line of argumentation you would have to eventually be okay with pedophilia because Jesus never said anything about that.

Reference scripture

Genesis 2:22-24

Leviticus 18:22-23

Matthew 5:17-20

Matthew 19:3-6

The Gospel of Jesus Christ pt.3

 The character of humanity...

     I think to grasp and appreciate the gospel, we must not only understand the character of God...but also our own character. Generally, what the bible has to say about us in often not flattering or pleasant...but it's accurate. Humanity is morally corrupt, but before man fell into sin our original state was noble however that present state is desperate. The bible teaches us that although humankind was created good (Genesis 1:26,31) all humans have fallen into spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1). We are by nature morally corrupt, inclined toward evil and hostile toward the righteous God. The bible teaches us that our inward moral corruption leads us to commit acts against the righteous standard of a holy, just and loving God. All of us without exception are sinners, both by nature and deeds that with have done. All of us stand guilty and condemned without excuse before God...prove of this lies in Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". It is comforting to know that God is holy and righteous, because it would be terrifying if the omnipotent ruler of the universe were evil. To most men however the absolute goodness of God may be disturbing...If God is good, what will he do with those of who are not? What will a good and righteous God with a people who are self-centered, inclined to evil and disobedient? If the judge of all the earth deals with us on the basis of justice, shouldn't He condemn us all? How can God be just, yet pardon those who should be justly condemned is probably the greatest of all religious dilemmas. The answer. That's the greatest of dilemmas that can only be found in the gospel. If God acts according to His justice, then the sinner must be condemned. If God pardons the sinner, then His justice is compromised. In justice, God condemned humanity and demanded complete satisfaction for our crimes against Him. In love, God took humanity upon Himself through the Son Jesus Christ...bore our sin, suffered the penalty we deserved and died in our place. The same God whose justice demanded satisfaction for our sin made satisfaction by offering Himself in our place...this is what makes the gospel truly good news. 

     Jesus Christ was our substitute. Upon the cross, Jesus Christ, the Son of God offered Himself as a sacrifice for His people's sin. On the cross our sins were put upon Christ for Him to bear...He suffered our curse and was forsaken by God and suffered the wrath of God and died in our place. Not only did Christ die for the sins of His people, but He raised (The Resurrection) on the third day. If he had not been raised then the gospel would have been proven a myth and our faith useless, but since Christ's resurrection is a historical fact, it validates everything that He both claimed to be and to do on our behalf. 

The resurrection is proof that Jesus is the son of God. John 2:18-19

The resurrection is proof that God accepted Christ's death as full payment for our sin. Romans 4:25

The resurrection is proof of the believer's future resurrection. John 11:25

The resurrection is proof that the world has a Lord and a Judge. Acts 2:36 and Acts 17:30-31

     Our response to this good news should be repentance. What is true repentance? It's the spiritual about-face and is an essential piece of saving faith that without Christ we are lost.  It means we must make changes in our thinking (Psalm 51:3-4) It means we must make changes in our emotions (2 Corinthians 7:9) We must make changes in our actions. (Acts 26:20) 

    With repentance comes saving faith. The bible defines faith as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1) Faith is more than a belief in the existence of God...it involves a trust, confidence or reliance upon His character and the truthfulness of His word. (James 2:19).  With regard to the gospel, genuine faith involves believing in and relying on what God has revealed about Himself, about us and about His work of salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To believe is to be fully assured that what God has promised through Jesus Christ, He is really willing and able to perform. The following verses are a good representation of what God has promised...

John 3:16

John 1:12

John 5:24