 Natural, normal, and neutral. Natural, normal, or neutral is the homosexual agenda, or is homosexuality any of those? Is it natural, normal, or neutral? This is unmasking the myths of homosexuality. Unmasking the myths of homosexuality. And from that, we wanna take a look as we work through these issues. We're gonna examine some of those myths that are perpetrated by the movement. Some of those things are very pervasive in the homosexual agenda, the homosexual community. We're gonna take a look at whether homosexuality is natural, normal, or neutral. And then we're gonna take a look at what the Bible has to say from Romans chapter one, verses 18 through 32. If you will, please turn there with me. Let's read that text together. So as we talk, you'll have that text in your mind as we listen to some of the things that are going on in the movement, some of the things that are happening. You can relate those in your own thinking to Romans chapter one, and what the word of God has to say about that. So Romans chapter one, verses 18 through 32. Let's read this text and then we'll pray. So Paul says at the beginning in verse 18, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Because what may be known of God is manifest in them for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power in Godhead so that they are without excuse. Because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God nor were thankful but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever, amen. For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions for even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise, also the men leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lusts for one another, men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting, being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness. They are whispers, backbiders, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who, knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them, let's pray. Father in heaven, Lord, we acknowledge, we are under the authority of your word, Lord, we joyfully acknowledge that your word directs us and guides us and gives us a true and perfect and pure rule by which we obey you, by which we demonstrate loving faith and love toward you, God, in keeping your commandments. And Lord, an accurate reflection of who you are and what you intend for us, and we're so grateful to you, God, for your word. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to dig into your word with respect to this homosexual agenda. I pray that it be helpful. We need your understanding, God. We need our minds, our hearts to be illumined. We need the understanding that comes only from your spirit as we read the word of God together. Please give that to us, Lord, so that we might faithfully serve you, might faithfully preach the gospel. That's all for your glory. Thank you, Lord, for this time in Jesus' name, amen. So the title of our session, Natural, Normal, or Neutral. Natural is the homosexual agenda. Natural is homosexuality neutral. Some say that it simply doesn't harm anyone. How bad can it be? Is it normal? Besides, they say, I was born this way. Is it normal? Is it natural? We're gonna take a look at these questions in unmasking the myths of homosexuality. Then we're gonna take a look at how that relates to our texts in Romans chapter one verses 18 through 32. So as we get into our session, I wanna give you some background as we did the session this morning so you can provide for yourself a framework that we're working with here, a context in which we're working. So listen to some of these facts. Former Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont governor, Howard Dean, I don't know if you remember that name, Howard Dean signed a bill legalizing civil unions for homosexuals in Vermont. In defending his comments, his actions, he said, the overwhelming evidence, listen to that statement, the overwhelming evidence is that there is a very significant, substantial genetic component to it, speaking of homosexuality. From a religious point of view, if God had thought homosexuality is a sin, he would not have created gay people. Well, thank you, Howard Dean, for enlightening our understanding. We're grateful for his wisdom, aren't we, that he taught us that valuable lesson. Interesting, all the suppositions, presuppositions assumptions that are made in that statement. Overwhelming evidence, a very significant, a very substantial genetic component to it. And from a religious point of view, if God had thought homosexuality is a sin, he would not have created gay people. Remember now from our first session, a fundamental precept of the homosexual agenda, and the goal of that movement is to present homosexuality, to present a sodomite lifestyle, sodomite practice, as a perfectly normal and legitimate equal to heterosexuality, so that it is completely approved and even applauded in our day and age. This has been, this movement has been extremely effective over the last 20 years, once seen again as predominantly a perversion or a pathological disorder, is by and large today seen as unquestionably acceptable. In fact, there is overwhelming evidence, right? How can you argue it? It's a very significant, there's a very substantial genetic component to it. Homosexuals are just like everybody else. Homosexual unions are just like the marriage that everyone else has. They just have a different orientation. Now much of this has been done using a really powerful propaganda machine. Much of this has been spread through propaganda that includes media, includes celebrities, includes for the kids, MTV or VH1, all the kids shows. I was just told recently that a Disney show, if I remember the title of it, Good Luck Charlie, you guys familiar with that one, was for a while, a period of time, taken off the air because they thought it appropriate to introduce a lesbian marriage on a Disney show targeting single digit kids, single digit years of old. Disney has even gotten into pushing the agenda. And that's not to be unexpected. We see that all over the media, all over the news, all over TV, books, radio, print, celebrities, politicians like Howard Dean and many, many others just infiltrated. It's very pervasive and it continues to infiltrate into every nook and cranny of our society. The propaganda is largely based on a very single and very untenable claim. And the claim is this, I was born this way. The entirety of the movement for the large part of its existence is based on that claim that from a genetic standpoint, I was born this way. This is the way that God, quote unquote, made me. The presupposition is that homosexuality, like skin color, is genetically determined and therefore immutable. If a leopard can't change its spots or an Ethiopian is skin, then I can't change the way that God made me. I am a homosexual. That's the argument that's basically presented. So whether you're tall or short, whether you're left-handed or right-handed, red or yellow, black or white, how could anyone be discriminated against because they were lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender? It's genetics. It's not up to us. It's not a choice. It's the way the argument is presented. That seems that these days, there is likely a genetic component to all kinds of sin. You wanna think about it in this way? Genetic reasons for all kinds of immorality. Listen to this. In what is being called a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York, have discovered that about half of all people have a gene that makes them more vulnerable to promiscuity and cheating. Yeah, those with a certain variant of the dopamine receptor D4 polymorphism or the DRD4 gene were more likely to have a history of uncommitted sex, including one-night stands and acts of infidelity, according to lead investigator Justin Garcia. Certain people, according to Jen Berman, a psychotherapist, certain people are vulnerable to affairs, but in the end, gene, Jen, at least have some basic common sense, in the end, it's about personal choice. In a University of Bond study on anger, another sin, right? Isolation of a gene called DARPP32 helps explain why some people fly into a rage at the slightest provocation, while others can remain calm. More than 800 people were asked to fill in a questionnaire designed to study how they handle anger. The German researchers also administered a DNA test to determine which of these versions of the DARPP32 gene people were carrying. The gene affects levels of dopamine, a brain chemical linked to anger and aggression. Those who had the TT or TC versions of the gene portrayed significantly more anger than those with the CC version. Research has shown that alcohol addiction is a complex disease with both genetics and a tendency toward anxiety playing crucial roles, writes researcher, SUPASHC Pandy, PhD, a psychiatrist with the University of Illinois at Chicago. WebMD health news reports, Pandy's newest study puts it all together. It's the first direct evidence that a deficiency of the CREB gene is associated with anxiety and alcohol drinking behavior, Pandy writes. So if you're a drunkard, you now have an excuse for your drunkenness. Harvard Business Review, with respect to lying, a twin study led by Peter J. Lowen of the University of Toronto reveals that attitudes about everyday dishonest behavior have a largely genetic component. According to researchers, gene, get this now, according to researchers, genes are responsible for 26% of their subject's views on avoiding taxes. This is a Harvard study, Peter J. Lowen, University of Toronto. This gene affects 42% of their views on taking unnecessary sick leave. So you call into work sick, you lied about it, it's not you, it's your genes. It's not your fault, right? Listen to this, according to the Washington Times, an American molecular geneticist has concluded after comparing more than 2,000 DNA samples that a person's capacity to believe in God is linked to brain chemicals. Dean Hammer, the director of gene structure and regulation unit at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, asks volunteers 226 questions in order to determine how spiritually connected they felt to the universe. The higher their score, these aren't abnormal research activities that go on, these aren't unusual out of the ordinary. These types of studies are funded and propagated and done continuously by those in very highly well-respected scholastic circles by those that are determined to be the academics and scholars in our society, those that influence thinking. If you think about the influence that they have in our colleges and universities as curricula are put together, as studies and textbooks are put together, they have tremendous influence, tremendous influence. He asked them 226 questions in order to determine how spiritually connected they felt to the universe. The higher their score, the greater the person's ability to believe in a greater spiritual force and, Mr. Hammer found, the more likely they were to share the gene, VMAT2. Studies on twins showed that those with this gene of vesicular monoamine that transports and regulates the flow of mood-altering chemicals in the brain were more likely to develop a spiritual belief. So it's not only that you're uneducated, ignorant and backwards, it's not the only explanation for religion, you also have this gene, VMAT2. So listen, folks, if you're a fornicator, if you're an adulterer, if you're a liar, a drunkard, even if you're a Christian, it's not your fault. You have no choice in the matter, you were quote unquote born that way. Make sense? So honey, why are you mad at me for cheating on you? Why are you giving me such a hard time? The overwhelming evidence, honey, is that there is a very significant, substantial genetic component to it. From a religious point of view, if God had thought that adultery is a sin, he wouldn't have created adulterous people, right? The foolishness of the logic goes both ways. You can't have one without the other. That's the logical conclusion of that kind of thinking and in any other circumstance, clearly absurd, right? Clearly ignorant, clearly ridiculous. Listen to this from the heavily homosexual infiltrated and sodomite supporting APA. APA is the American Psychological Association. It is the largest association of psychologists worldwide. Tremendous impact with the government, tremendous impact in legislation and in political circles. They have tremendous influence. Usually the way that the APA goes, so goes most of the other organizations that are like them, they tend to follow suit. So this is the APA, the largest association of psychologists worldwide. In 1998, the APA, American Psychological Association, released a brochure titled, Answers to Your Questions About Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality, that contained the following statement. There is considerable recent evidence to suggest that biology, including genetic or inborn hormonal factors play a significant role in a person's sexuality. I think about that statement for a moment. If you've looked at any of the science, quote, unquote, around this topic, around this subject, it's excessively questionable. You have the APA, which is largely infiltrated by sodomites, homosexuals. And to give you an example, APA did a study on reparative therapy, we talked about that a little bit this morning, what reparative therapy is. The APA wanting to sort of settle that issue said, look, there's a lot of debate over reparative therapy. We're gonna settle this issue. We're gonna appoint a six-member research team of scientists, that's what they call them, to research reparative therapy and settle the issue of whether reparative therapy is something that is useful in psychology or something that is harmful and not useful in talking to those who are claiming homosexual tendencies. So what do they do? They put together a six-member team of scientists to research the issue. And so you know how this works? This is what the APA did. All six scientists were homosexuals. Every single one of them. All six APA scientists investigating reparative therapy, whether that was something that was useful to psychology or not, all six of them had written public statements against reparative therapy in the past. That's the way this tends to work. It's more about politics than it is about truth. More certainly about politics than it is about good science. That statement made by the APA in 1998 challenged by many in the APA who said, listen, the science that you're basing on this is pseudoscience. If you look at just a couple of studies, a couple of studies that study the size of the hypothalamus gland. And that there was a presupposition made that for the heterosexual male, that gland might be larger or smaller than quote-unquote heterosexual men. Or various genes that they were looking at. The science at the time was to say sparse is a grotesque understatement. It was virtually non-existent. And the science that was being done was so highly questioned, even among those inside the APA that they were flabbergasted a statement like that would ever be made. So let's fast forward now a little bit. They've just released the APA has a new brochure. On the heels of recent research, and this is something that should be encouraging. On the heels of recent research that now denies the existence of a gay gene. So we understand what we're talking about here. There's been new research that denies the existence of a gay gene. Since they have mapped the genetic code, there are genes for all kinds of things. There is a gene that affects whether asparagus is bitter tasting to you or not. There are genes obviously that affect eye color. Hair, your propensity for skinny or to have a figure like mine. Genes that affect many, many things. But new research has found that they can't find a quote unquote gay gene. And it appears that they've backed off that 1998 statement a little bit. The new statement says this. There is no consensus. Whether you can imagine this is a big breakthrough for the APA. There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay, or lesbian orientation. Wow, no consensus. Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social, and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permits scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles. In other words, your environment and your upbringing play complex roles in whether you become homosexual or not. A difficulty with a statement like that, or with the progress in the science, so to speak, is that in large part the damage has been done. I mean, there is such a pervasive thought on the part of anyone associated with the movement or frankly anyone on the outside of the movement that this is natural. It was in the beginning in a former study that 13% of Americans believed that homosexuality was inborn, that it was just a natural 13%. Today, that percentage is upward of 70%. Believe it is just natural that people are born that way or there's some genetic component to it. The thing that is encouraging is that there is science, good, credible science going on right now by those associated with organizations like the APA that attest to the fact there is no gay gene or some genetic component to it. In essence, or inevitably, does that even matter? They seem to have linked in some cases genetics with alcoholism, genetics with lying, genetics with unfaithfulness in your marriage, genetics with any number of things, but does that mean that you have to do it? Because you have a gene that makes you more susceptible to lying, does that then in any way, shape, or form excuse your lying? No, any common sense, rational argument I would understand that. So what does this mean to me? If I'm looking for a genetic silver bullet to get me off the hook for my lying, my anger, my adultery, my homosexuality, I'm not guilty. It's my genes that make me cheat. Being a drunkard is hereditary. I'm a sodomite because that was the way I was born. It's just not going to get you there. Neil Whitehead, a PhD in biochemistry after having reviewed more than 10,000 scholarly papers the findings on this particular subject said this. He said geneticists, anthropologists, sociologists, endocrinologists, neuroanatomists, medical research and agenda, twin study researchers are all in broad agreement about the role of genetics and homosexuality. I think about that statement for a minute before we go on to his next. All of them, among 10,000 scholarly studies done on this particular subject, all of them are in broad agreement about the role of genetics and homosexuality. Genes don't make you do it. How clear can we be, right? There is no genetic determinism and genetic influence at most is minor. Genetics at most, he says, present a risk for certain destructive behaviors but you don't have to act on them. Today, it's entirely politics and homosexuals themselves and the movement that drive the gene discussion, not science. Science doesn't drive this discussion. It is politics. So where does that leave us? You can't say that my brain made me do it. That's not gonna fly. You can't say that my physiology made me do it. You certainly can't say that the devil made me do it. So one, just because something may or may not have a biological basis does not make it morally acceptable or physically unavoidable. We all have a sin nature that we have to contend with, right? The idea that homosexuals are born that way is absurd. We're all born with a sin nature. In one sense, you can call it natural because it's from the scripture. We know we're all born with a sin nature. Number three, all sin is natural in that sense because it's what the Bible teaches. All people are born with an orientation towards sin. Ephesians chapter two, beginning in verse one, the Bible says, and you, he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins in which he once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were what? By nature, children of wrath just as the others. We're born with a sin nature. In Psalm chapter 51, verse five, David says, behold, I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin, my mother conceived me. Now, according to David in Psalm 51, all of us were born sinful. It wasn't after David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah the Hittite killed that he became sinful. David and all of us are born sinful because we are born with a sinful nature. His sin, our sin, everyone's sin, flows out of, out from that sinful nature that we're born with. It's out of a sinful heart. We act in accord with a sinful nature and we sin. We don't sin and therefore become sinners. We sin because we are sinners, make sense? For a homosexual to claim that he was born that way says absolutely nothing about the moral acceptability or sinlessness of homosexuality. As other sin, homosexuality is the fruit of a depraved nature. As Paul says there in Ephesians, they conduct themselves in the lusts of their flesh. In that sense it's no different than any other sinner. We simply conduct ourselves outside of Christ, outside of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and a new heart, new creation. We all conduct ourselves in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of our mind and we're by nature children of wrath just like everybody else. Well you may say then, they may argue that may not be important in that sense but what about nature? It happens in nature so it must be natural. So if it happens in nature it must be natural. It's a complete abnormality in nature. In fact species as we talked about last night species would die off if it were natural in nature. You think about most of the folks you're gonna talk to? We understand there are certain elements like micro evolution that do take place. You'll see birds that go through certain evolutionary changes based on their environment, based on time. You see certain breeds of dogs that come into existence based on micro evolution. There's also some truth to natural selection that those species that have this bent on just killing themselves off are going to go extinct after a period of time. And so there is some truth in experience to natural selection even. All of that obviously is governed in the sovereignty of God and yet to someone thinking about natural selection if you've got a species that is normally acting with homosexual behaviors within the species that is gonna, they're gonna die off. There's not gonna be any of them left. Procreation is created by God to perpetuate the species and you can't apply that kind of logic. I've heard that it is natural in some species of spider that when the male spider and the female spider get done mating, the female spider turns around and eats the male spider. So because that's natural in nature, does that make that natural? Honey, what are you doing? Not natural, I've heard. We've seen that it is natural in nature for some hippo daddies to attack and attempt to kill their newborn hippo sons because somehow intrinsically the dad thinks that the hippo, the newly born hippo son is gonna be a threat to the harem when he grows up. So hippo fathers are often predisposed, I guess, naturally to kill off their own firstborn sons. Not natural for us. It's overwhelmingly obvious what is intended in nature. That very clearly described for us in scripture. In fact, if homosexuality were natural, then why wouldn't that also apply to a whole host of other perversions? If homosexuality is natural, then what about the pedophile, a pederist? What about the rapist? Listen, I'm predisposed. There's a genetic component to it. You know, just that's the way that I am. I can't control it. How many of you here today, Christians would raise your hand in agreement with the fact that before Christ, you couldn't control your sin? Yeah, right. Well, I'll experience that. I can't, I'm powerless against it. Yes, you need Christ. You need to be transformed. You need a new heart. You need a new nature. The sadomasochist, incest. So answering the question about whether or not homosexuality is natural goes a long way then toward answering our remaining two questions. Is it normal and is it neutral? Is it normal and is it neutral? Reverend Dr. Giles Frazier of St. Mary's Anglican Church in London says this in response to some discussions and letters that came in to his church. Reverend Giles Frazier had a speak at his church in London there, Gene Robinson. Eugene Robinson was the first openly sodomite ordained bishop in the Anglican church, Episcopal church here in America. And Giles Frazier had him speak at his church in London and got some flak from that. So he says, what's so stupid about these people, homophobes, right, that's you and I, what's so stupid about these people is that when I went through the list of all these practices that they list as what homosexual people do and isn't it disgusting and all that, he says I went through and I thought actually I could do all of that with my wife. It really does show that these hate filled nasty letters, right, it's not disagreement, it's hate. Really does show that all these hate filled nasty letters really are just about prejudice. This is a huge big injustice issue, the reverend says. What is wrong is people's disgusting imaginations. They imagine to make something dirty which as Christians we should all be celebrating which is love between two people. You see how the argument is presented? The argument for the fact that it is normal is presented in the film of the fact that it's just love between two people. What could be more normal? What could be more reason for celebration than just love between two people? What can be more normal than what you do in bed with your own wife? What can be more normal than that? According to the Department of Health and Human Services 43% of homosexuals report to have had 500 or more sexual partners. 15.7% report having between 501 and 1000 sexual partners. Only 1% of sodomites report to have had between one and four homosexual partners. 77 meet their partners in a city park. 62% in a gay bar, 31% in a public restroom. Only 28% of sodomites can claim to have known someone for longer than a week prior to sex. According to the gay report, a gay publication. 23% of homosexual men reported sex with boys under the age of 16. 7% of sodomite men reported sex with boys under the age of 13. 18% of sodomite parents, think about this now, 18% of sodomite parents reported sex with their own children. 18% compared to 0.6% of heterosexual parents. Although homosexuals only account for about two to 3% of the population, they account for over one third of child molestations. According to a new United Kingdom UK study, homosexuals face a 200% higher risk for suicide. 200% higher risk for suicide. Sodomite lifespan is 24 years on the average, shorter. For homosexual men, the median age of death is 42, compared to 72 for heterosexual men. About 2% of the population, 3% is homosexual, and yet they are responsible for 61% of all new HIV cases. They are upwards of 86 times more likely to contract HIV. Homosexual domestic violence rates double that of heterosexual men. Let me ask you, is this normal? Is it natural? Is it neutral? Right, it strong-nosed every one of those questions. It is ghastly, the statistics within that movement. Unbelievable what is being done, what they're faced with, what's happening, the results, the fruits of it all? And yet you don't get that all the time in the news, do you? Is this the kind of lifestyle that we want to present to our children as equally viable and equally as legitimate? As heterosexuality? Is there anything normal about that at all? No. You think about it, we warn people don't, we have drug use. Because of the effects of drug use. The health concerns and health issues that are associated with it. The dangers associated with it. And we warn people vocally, loudly, publicly against drug use. We warn people against the dangers of smoking. Think about that one for a second. We warn people against smoking because of the health hazards associated with smoking. Because of what it has purportedly done to our economy. The costs on our economy of smoking related diseases and issues. If you try to go and get a life insurance policy and you're a smoker, your rate's gonna be through the roof if you can get a policy at all. Health insurance policies are heavily, heavily taxed, sometimes double, triple the rates if you're a smoker. If you can get a policy at all. Not only does the government and the health industry ignore the costs involved related to homosexuality. They will pay for your sex change operation when you want one. It's a ridiculous double standard. It's a ridiculous hidden agenda to silence the truth about all this. It is ridiculous. Another aspect to this question. Not just what we see as fruits of it, and frankly the judgment of God involved with that. Not just those fruits, but the further direction that the movement is taking. The continued progression of the agenda, the continued agenda they still want to accomplish. This thing again doesn't just stop here, stagnate here. It is aggressive. It continues to move down the road in accomplishing its agenda. And there are things that they would consider normal. I want to ask you if you consider them normal. Do you consider them natural? Do you consider them neutral? The removal of the age of consent laws to facilitate consensual sex between children and adults. Under the guise that it helps children explore their sexuality at early ages so they have opportunity to determine them for themselves which direction they're going to head. As if sexuality or orientation or any of those things should be anything that any child should be dealing with. Right? And the argument goes besides, where would you rather that take place with loving parents that can guide you? And so the argument goes for incest for pedophilia. Pedophilia and incest are winning right now in the courts. The removal of gender identity with the current transgender revolution getting started. Right now the discussion is to take gender off bathroom doors. Take gender out of schools. It's no longer male or female or father or mother. It's now progenitor A and progenitor B. Increase allowance for children of all ages to explore options of choice. The complete destruction of anything normal related to the family. This is the direction this is headed. This is tearing at the fabric of what it means to be a family. Tearing at the fabric of what God intends for the family. It in its current trajectory is for the destruction of anything understandable or normal with respect to the biblical family. Increasing sex change surgery. Sex reassignment surgery or sex transitioning surgery they call it. Sex change procedures and the consequent pregnant man problem. If you thought about that one. In increasing numbers you have women who are coming out as transgendered men feeling they're a man trapped inside a woman's body who then begin the process of sex transitioning surgery or sex transitioning hormones to become a man who then gets pregnant. We have pictures of bearded men with breasts having babies. Doing away with categories all together like male and female. They're out for what one purported was. A genderless future. Something that is growing in alarm is a potomnophilia. A potomnophilia. What that is is if you're not happy with your body type as in you have male plumbing and you believe that you're a woman or want to be a woman. You can have male plumbing removed and through hormones and surgery. Female plumbing put in. Because of your sexual orientation or sexual understanding or whatever that is. Again the perversion just doesn't stop it progresses. And so now the idea is that because of a personal erotic understanding or a personal sexual preference or something associated with your understanding of body type you don't feel as though it is normal or natural for you to have one of your limbs. So a potomnophilia goes beyond sex transitioning surgery now into looking for the availability or the viability of having your arm amputated below the elbow because you feel like that's the body type you're more comfortable being associated with. Having your leg amputated below the knee mutilating yourself. Mutilating yourself for sensual socio erotic desires or preferences. A potomnophilia. Already happening across the world. Currently especially with a primary advocate at Johns Hopkins University. Beginning to become more interesting or people interested in that here in the United States. They're petitioning for the ability to do that here. And in addition to all that the attempt at the complete silencing of Christians as the opposition. Leading to a horrendous double standard of prosecution and persecution. Normal, no. Natural, no. Neutral, no. A far, far from it. One passage of scripture that answers all three of these questions plus one. The question that needs to be asked is is it right? No, it's not. God has already established his law. But one passage of scripture that answers all three of these questions is Romans chapter one. So turn there with me. Romans chapter one, verse 18. Think to yourself as we go through this passage, is it normal, is it natural, is it neutral, is it right? In Romans chapter one, Paul's setting out to prove that the only righteousness available to man is the righteousness of God obtained through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul's primarily addressing here the Gentiles and he's basically answering the question of why are the Gentiles held responsible for their sin when they weren't given the law of God? Why are they held accountable for breaking the law when they weren't given the law? All right, so Paul begins in Romans chapter one, verse 18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. So his wrath, God says in verse 18, has been revealed from heaven. All who are charged with ungodliness, charged with unrighteousness, are rightly under his wrath and they cannot be accepted by God because of their sin. So all of those unrighteous, ungodly men, all men outside of Christ are under the wrath of God and cannot be accepted by God because of their sin. Verse 19, because what may be known of God is manifest in them for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. All people, okay? All people, especially here, specifically here, the Gentiles are guilty and have absolutely no excuse for sin and wipes out anything to do with genetics, anything to do with any of that scientific garbage and sewage about excuses for your behavior. You're guilty. You're guilty because of your sin. You're guilty before God. You are under God's judgment. They're without excuse here because they have been given a revelation of God. And again here, specifically, a revelation of God's eternal power in creation and his deity, his Godhead. The evidence for God is everywhere such that men have no excuse. It is undeniably clear and everything that we see, the presence of God, the power of God, the deity of God, his rule and right to reign, all exceptionally clear. But because of the fall, because of man's depravity, we're blind. We are sinful. We are dead in our trespasses and sins. And all men outside of Christ have rejected the truth of God. Consequently, they reject God. What this is talking about here, beginning in verse 18, is that then they would rather have for themselves the creation rather than the Creator. They would rather have God's stuff that God made for his glory. They'd rather have that than have anything to do at all with God. Think about it now. Everything that God has created, everything God created was created for ultimately for his glory. We look at the passage of Genesis this morning. Our brother went through that. God created creation to point to his glory, ultimately, to point to his power, to point to his goodness and loving kindness and care of us. Design created for man's good so that man would respond to God with thankfulness in his heart, with joy in his heart, with love for God in his heart, and would point man, raise his affections, raise his heart toward God to glorify praise and worship. God for all that God has created, all that God has done. It's to point us, to point man, to the heavens, to the creation. The heavens declare the majesty of God, right? The glory of God. We're to look at the heavens, we're to see them in awe and wonder for what God has done, all that God has created, and we're to glorify God because of his power, because of his goodness, because of his beauty, because of just his infinite creativity, because of who God is. Marriage created by God to reflect the love and care and compassion and kindness of God for his people, to direct man's hearts, to direct man's affections, to direct man to worship and praise and thank God who created marriage, in other words, to glorify him for his goodness to his people in instituting marriage. Food. Created food. To bless us. I love food. There's a variety of food, all the different kinds of foods that are made, particular favorite lasagna, but other than that, all of them come in a close second, you know? But God did all of that, right? To care for man, to show man goodness, kindness, love, compassion, so that he would direct man's hearts and affections and thankfulness and love and worship and praise to God in order that God would be glorified, that all of that creation, everything that God has created, finds its end in the glory of God in the worship and praise of his people, in the thankful hearts of his people. God says so that you will worship me and think of me, retain me in your knowledge. You'll depend upon me, that you'll trust me, that you'll worship me, you'll exalt me. These are good gifts. All of them good gifts that should draw our eyes upward in thanksgiving to glorify God. The gifts that God gives you specifically, if you're a singer, you have a voice, praise to God, where did that gift come from? It came from God. Think to yourself, you sing this great song and you're doing backflips and turning around in circles because you did so good. No? One person talking about Shaquille O'Neal. Shaquille O'Neal, after having dunked the ball, running down the court, celebrating the fact that he can dunk the ball. This guy said, Shaquille O'Neal is seven foot three. All he has to do is lift his hands to dunk the ball. And he's gonna run down the court, celebrating that. He said, make a free throw. Then you have something to celebrate. These are gifts that God created that God gives us and God gives them to us so that they would end in the worship and glory of God. They're not to be consumed upon our own lusts, right? They're not to be, they're not to be for our own self-indulgence, for our own worship. And that's what happens here. Listen to this, verse 21. Because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were they thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. This is man's idolatry of creation. Man's idolatry of man. Apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, giving us new life in Christ, man is entirely and hopelessly caught in idolatry, idolatry of self, idolatry here specifically of creation. Our situation can't ever get any better without the Lord granting us new life, without being born again, without the spirit of God. Man outside of Christ, it says here, aren't truly thankful. They don't seek to glorify God. In fact, man is set on glorifying himself. Although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful. The end of that, the fruit of that is they become futile in their thoughts, their foolish hearts were darkened. Sinners become futile in their thinking, unable to reason, unable to apply wisdom to help themselves, all because their nature is darkened. Darkened, they are blind to truth, blind to wisdom. They cannot discern spiritual things, right? Full of iniquity. And imagining themselves to have a corner on the truth, they become absolute fools. Now that is the objective description of the gay Christian movement today. Themselves thinking that they have a corner on the truth become absolute, unquestionably, undeniably fools. Twisting the scripture to their own destruction, as Peter says, we take what was meant by God, what was meant by God for our good and for his glory, what was meant to generate in us thanksgiving and worship and praise and exaltation and affections toward God. We take what should have led to our glorifying God and enjoying him forever. And instead we consume it upon our own lusts for the end of our own worship of self and creation. Rather than take the creator and worship him, we would rather have the creation. We let our affections, our joy, our worship, our thankfulness all rest not on God, but our joy, our thankfulness, our worship rests on what God has made. This ends in idolatry, a worship of self. It ends in man, ends in creation. That is, every man, every woman on the planet since the fall, is full of this rebelliousness and treason against God, rebellious to the court. I don't want God, just give me what you made. Let me consume your creation on my own lusts. So what does God then to do? How does God respond? God responds with divine wrath. God responds with divine justice, divine retribution, divine judgment, divine vengeance against traitorous rebels. So therefore the Bible says, in light of the wicked rebellion that we've just seen, in light of that sin, that rebellion, that treason, God brings about divine judgment. And many people have a problem with this. But man's sin is rebellion against God. If you're here today, you've never turned from your sin, you've never put your faith and trust in Christ alone, then you are rebellious against Him. You are an enemy of God's by your wicked works. You're a traitor. What has our country for 200 years traditionally done with traitors? They put them to death. God is patient. He has long suffering. He extends grace to you and mercy and goodness and kindness and compassion in His creation. But He eventually says, when you have rejected all that and you pursue idolatry in the way that's described here, God basically says, listen, you want it? You can have it. You want it? You can have it. This is the wrath of God's abandonment. We know what cataclysmic wrath looks like, right? You look at the tsunami place in Indonesia several years ago, we still continue to see clips of that. Horrendous. I mean, just in awe of that, the destructive power of that circumstance. We know that there is one day coming a cataclysmic judgment in the end times in the last days. God's eschatological judgment wrath is coming and is gonna be poured out. Here, this is the wrath of God's abandonment. You know that. In Christ, outside of Christ, you know. You know that there's responsibility coming for your sin. All have been given a conscience. You know that judgment is coming, but you keep living in a particular sin. You just keep living, keep living it, keep living in it. Thinking somehow you're gonna get away with it, right? You think in your mind somehow it's all gonna work. Maybe you just silence the warning bells going off. You just silence your conscience and you stick with it. Stick with that sin. You're just habitually in it. You're really not expecting or experiencing judgment because of it. Everything seems to be going okay. Your conscience becoming more and more seared. You're becoming more and more okay with it. You keep doing it, knowing that it is disobedient and somehow you think you're getting away with it. Then comes the passive judgment of God. A judgment of God's abandonment. A judicial act on the part of God. A judicial abandonment on the part of God. When you can just sin and sin and sin and it's just not leading to conviction anymore, you don't experience shame or guilt or conviction. God gives you up in a judicial act of retribution. A judicial act of judgment. Gives you over to more intensified and aggressive relationship with your sin, with your own lusts so that you may reap for yourself God's vengeance against your sin before the final day of vengeance. Why? Because God is holy. God is holy. Moral depravity is the result of the judgment of God. In our country, moral depravity by and large is the result of the judgment of God. You can ask the question, is God judging America? Look around. It's already begun. Look at the depravity that we see, particularly homosexuality. Is God judging America? Yes, absolutely. There is a judgment coming. Verse 24 explains this. Verse 24 says, therefore, why? Because of all this stuff we've just talked about. The way that man is, the way that they are behaving and conducting themselves, the sinful idolatry that they're involved in, this complete neglect of God in lieu of worship of the stuff that God has made, desiring to consume that on man's own lusts, all of that. Therefore, verse 24, God also gave them up to uncleanness. Gave them over, delivered them over. Gave them up to uncleanness. Listen, you want it? Go for it, you can have it. Gave them up to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves. Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie. We talked about earlier today in Isaiah how they are attached to their wagon of witness by cords of deception, cords of lies, cords of falsehood. Exchange the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature, the creation, rather than the creator who is blessed forever, amen. The lie is, you can govern yourself without God. The lie is whatever you tell yourself that allows you to indulge yourself rather than looking to God and glorifying God for those glorious and precious gifts that he gives us, worshiping him as the creator. Verse 26, for this reason, God gave them up. That word, that passage is used three times here. That word, God gave them up, gave them up, gave them up. This is the second in verse 26. He gave them up to vile passions. This is a divine retribution, a divine judgment of God. That, for those reasons, he gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature, is that natural? No, God says it is against nature. Likewise, verse 27, also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. The Bible says, for this reason, for what reason? Because man says, I don't need you, God. I don't need you, I don't want you. I want my own way. You know what, I'm wise in my own eyes. I can determine what's best for me. I don't want you, I just want to indulge myself on what you have created. So what does God do? God curses humanity with homosexuality. God curses humanity with homosexuality. Gives them up to vile passions. God creates everything for his glory that he might be worshiped. Man sees that creation not as a way to glorify God, but to indulge himself. And so man ends up worshiping what God has created rather than worshiping God. God created man for the woman, woman for the man. That we might worship and glorify God. So that we would see how good God is. How wonderful, how lovely, how compassionate, how loving God is. How we are to love him, how he loves his people. We're to see this as a glorious gift from God. Paul says in Ephesians chapter five that this is a picture of Christ and his bride, the church, and the most perverted extent to which you can go to reject God in favor of simply self-indulgence with his creation is to say, forget you God and your lousy gift, I'll take the man. I'll take myself. The woman says I'll take another woman. Therefore, homosexuality not only is it a divine retribution against the immorality, the idolatry that men are capable of that they associate with and perform, homosexuality is the greatest act of rebellion against God's love for us, his desire to dwell with us, his desire to walk with us. So in the same way that heterosexual marriage is a picture of Christ having drawn us to himself, having died for us, sacrificed for us, we heard just an awesome explanation of that earlier today that he purchased with his own blood, homosexuality is a picture of the perverted and corrupted extent to which we rebel against Christ having us as his bride. And this isn't just simply a first century cultural argument this is an argument from creation, verse 28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God again, he gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting. Everything you are, everything you've been given has been given to you by God for God. Everything is a gift to glorify God. You should retain God's in your thoughts, should be thankful to him. You should live to glorify him with whatever he has given you. Verse 29, being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness, they are whisperers, backbiter, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, the same heart that is full of envy and murder and strife is the same heart and a child that disobeys his parents, who knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same, but approve of those who practice them. So this is the extent to which man goes. But the very fearful truth of scripture is this is the extent to which God goes. If you will remain in your sin, God will give you over. He'll give you over. You just continuously in your sin saying, God, I don't want you. I want to indulge myself on what you've created. I want to indulge myself on what you've given me. I am most important, God, not you. God's judgment of abandonment, God's wrath of abandonment. You know, God abandoned his own son on the cross. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? For those who turned to him, turning from this wicked idolatry, this wicked sin, to put their faith and trust in him that he wouldn't abandon them. If you're here today and you've never put your faith and trust in Christ, you've got to ask yourself where you are. What's the condition of your heart? If there's any conviction, any shame, any guilt in your heart over the sin that you're involved in, and there is hope in Christ, that that is God working on your heart, that you might be saved if you'll respond to him in faith, turning from that wicked sin. The more that you reject that, the more that you reject it, the more that you reject it, there will come a point in time. Well, God will turn to you and they'll say, how about it? But Christ went to the cross and there is hope for you in Christ. There is hope for the homosexual. Those enslaved to this wicked perverted sin believe on him that he might not abandon you, right? Turn to Christ in faith, let's pray. Father in heaven, Lord, we look at you, Lord, in awe. You are holy, you are righteous, you are good. We look at all that you've created, God, and we just give you glory, we worship you and praise you for just the majesty of your creation, the provision that you give us through your creation, how it declares your majesty, how it declares your greatness, your eternal power and Godhead. And we thank you, we worship you, we praise you. God, we acknowledge our own ignorance, how apart from Christ, how futile we are in our understanding, how darkened we are in our thinking and our reasoning, and we acknowledge and express, God, with gratefulness in our hearts for you, how desperately we need you and how, Lord, we just are doomed and hopeless apart from you. And I pray, God, that we would persevere in faithfulness to acknowledge you in all things, to pray unceasingly, to be faithful to you in all things, to obey your commandments, to live for you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, to be walking testimonies of the gospel to that end that you are good, that you are patient, long suffering with us, that you are our provision, our strength, our portion forever. And I pray, God, that if there's anyone here that hasn't turned to you in faith, that continues to live life for themselves, consuming your creation on their own lusts, indulging themselves, God, I pray that would open their eyes to display before them the ignorance of that, the foolishness of that, that they might turn from living life for themselves and live to the end for which you created them, which is to glorify you and enjoy you forever. You, God, are our supreme enjoyment. We praise you and worship you in this. God, I pray that you'd help us as we think through these issues involved with this agenda, with this movement, with this particular sin, help us to see the devices and schemes of Satan clearly. We're gonna help us to be able to compassionately, lovingly share this truth with those entrapped in the movement. God, I know that it would be effective by the grace that your spirit supplies and according to your will, God, that it would be effective in bringing many to saving faith in Christ for their good, God, but ultimately for your glory. Pray all these things in the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen.