Eve not Steve

God established marriage for the purpose of companionship. The word helper means ally or friend.
God knew that His creation would not usually function well on its own.
Ladies, I know that men are accused of being thickheaded. Here we might see God agreeing with that notion. Notice how God paraded the animals before Adam, each having its partner.
Adam realized there was no partner for him. A desire for companionship cannot be forced.
A show of unique closeness
God chose a rib from Adam’s side
Not from his head that she would be over him
Or his foot that she would be under him
But his side that she would be next to him
From under his arm, that he might protect her
Next to his heart, that he might love her
A marriage relationship has the highest potential for companionship because it was designed for companionship.

Man and woman were the crowning achievements of Almighty God’s creative work! In Genesis 1:26 (NLT), we read: "Then God said, ’Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life - the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals.’" As free moral beings, bearing the image of Almighty God, people were assigned mastery over the natural world. They alone - among all of the living creatures of the world - are equipped for fellowship with their Creator - Almighty God! We are creative, intelligent, and rational beings because we were created in Almighty God’s image; and, what’s more, we are a reflection of His glory! Every time we reach out in love - every time we perform a deed of kindness - every time we soften our hearts in forgiveness - every time we show a little extra patience - every time we follow through in faithfulness - other people around us experience the character of Almighty God through us!

And God blessed them, and said to them, "Be fruitful, and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it."
Genesis 1:28

Now for Adam and Eve to go out and multiply, God made them in a way where tweo people can come together to produce babies, not man to man or woman to woman but man to woman.

" 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. " Leviticus 18:22

"’If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. Leviticus 20:13

9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. …

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Romans 1:21, 26-27

There is nowhere in Scripture that homosexuality is referred to in a positive or even a neutral way. It is always sin.

It is sin because
Homosexuality is Against God’s Design…
Slide
God is the designer of all creation including humans and homosexuality is not how God has designed things to work.

First, It is against God’s design for the Family.

Sex between people of the same gender is unnatural.
God has designed sex so that it would not only be enjoyable, but also for procreation.

The design of the bodies of men and women, show naturally that they are the perfect, God created compliment to one another because it is only with a male and female that procreation can occur.

So How should we treat homosexuals?
We need to treat homosexuals with Love
Slide
When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, he said it is to
Mark 12:30-31
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."

We need to treat homosexuals as people with the love of Jesus.
Yes, homosexuals who are acting on those feelings are sinning just as you and I do when we act on inappropriate feelings.
We get mad at someone and lash out, we sin.
We lust after someone, Jesus tells us that we have sinned.

We too have a sin nature, like a homosexual, but even in spite of our sin nature, we have all been created in the image of God, even if that image has been distorted by sin.

Now we do not love them or anyone else, by affirming there sinful choices which will only keep them in bondage and prevent them from a life of fulfillment.

We love them by speaking the truth, but in a way that
shows love and
respects them as a person created in the image of God.

As an example of how Jesus loved and respected someone in sin we can look at how he treated the woman caught in adultery in John 8.

He did not condemn her nor did he affirm her choices.

Instead he spoke the truth in love saying,
John 8:11
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

He recognized her sin and called it such and told her to leave her sin.
That is love.
Jesus doesn’t want us living in sin and suffering the consequences of that sin.
He wants us to turn from sin.

And In Christ, we have the hope of leaving our lives of sin
Homosexuals can, by the strength of Jesus Christ, leave their lives of sin.

Dear Heavenly Father, from the beginning you created us male and female, and through the gift of marriage, founded the basis for human community. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, open our hearts and minds to your Word, and give us courage to embrace your will for our lives, that we might embrace and uplift your gift of marriage, that the joy of the family might be renewed. This we ask in Christ’s holy name. Amen.

0 members like this