Jesus Loves Homosexuals - Part 1 - Part A

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. If God loved the world, then we should love the people that are in that world as well. Jesus loves people, that's the theme of this whole series.

He loves gay people, straight people, prostitutes, thieves, drunks, atheists, agnostics, religious people, and even you and I. A prayer attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi goes, O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. That's the mindset to have when you're reaching out to others. Today on Connect with Skip Heitzig, Skip turns his attention to the topic of homosexuality and how you can cultivate Christ's heart for that community in yourself. Then at the end of today's program, Skip and his wife Lanya share vital insight on how you can grow in your compassion for others. Whenever I've spent time with or spoken to those who have a gay lifestyle and I've demonstrated love and interest in their backgrounds and stuff, it takes them off guard.

I've had them say, gosh, no pastor's ever done this before and seem to really, really care. So here's the bottom line. We are nothing, all of us. We are nothing but forgiven sinners.

You don't believe that you're not a realist. Thank you, Skip. If you want to hear more, please stay tuned after the teaching. Now we want to tell you about a great resource that will help you know God's love more intimately. People everywhere have a deep God-given need to be loved. But sadly, sometimes the people who need love the most are the most rejected.

Here's Skip Heitzig. We all crave love. We will do sometimes almost anything to get it, to know that we are loved by somebody else unconditionally. No one did that better than Jesus. He loved the worst of sinners. He loved the best of saints. Jesus showed the love of God in human flesh. We want to give you a glimpse of God's relentless love for all people, including you, by sending you the Jesus Loves People four booklet collection by Skip Heitzig. All four Jesus Loves People titles, including Jesus Loves the Broken, are our thanks for your gift of $25 or more today to help connect more people to God's love through His Word.

Visit connectwithskip.com slash offer to give online securely or call 800-922-1888. Okay. We're in John chapter eight as Skip Heitzig starts today's study. You'll be happy to know that at last a perfect preacher has been found. I don't know the person, but here's the description. He preaches exactly 15 minutes.

So I'm out. He preaches exactly 15 minutes against sin in such a gentle way that he never hurts anyone's feelings. He works from six in the morning till 10 every night in every kind of work possible. He can clean the church if necessary. He helps overhaul the cars of the congregation and is an expert in almost every field. He always dresses in the best clothes, buys the latest books on every subject, has a well-dressed and well-behaved family, drives a late model car at all times, gives to every charitable fund and gives $40 to the church from his $100 a week salary. He is 20 years old and has been preaching for 30 years. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and he spends all of his time with older folks. He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a good sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work.

He has a glowing personality with deadened feelings and iron nerves. The reason I preface my study this morning with that little quip is because I have a feeling that no matter what I say on the subject, I'm going to speak on that I'm going to offend someone. It is not my desire to do so.

I speak to you not as anything but a pastor with love in my heart knowing that I'm dealing with a very delicate subject. A few years ago one of our previous vice presidents named Al Gore put out a film called An Inconvenient Truth. I'm not here to talk about it.

I never saw it. I'm not here to discuss politics except to say this. There are some truths that are inconvenient truths to hear and people don't want to hear them. One of them, especially among church folks, is the topic of homosexuality. According to one study, homosexuality is one of the top 10 issues facing the church today.

The Barna Research Group has noted that few pastors will speak on such controversial issues because they worry about losing members and about diminishing tithes. Frankly, I've never done a message by this title, Jesus Loves Homosexuals. It's not that I haven't dealt with the text before. We've gone through the entire scripture and at appropriate times we have dealt with those biblical passages.

But I've never done one as blatantly as what is the title of this message today and I want you to know that I do this message, I preach this message, I teach this message with a little bit of fear, with a lot of respect, and with all of the love of Jesus Christ in my heart. You know, one of the reasons that you don't hear messages such as this one is because frankly it's a difficult subject and it is made more complicated in this day and age because of the heightened rhetoric in the political arena, because of the media spin that goes on whenever this issue is tackled, and because voices on both sides have been raised and people are very animated about what they believe in regarding this. Some don't like to talk about it frankly because some don't like to think about it. They just sort of want to not deal with it and they move on.

They can't even fathom thinking about such things. For other people it's just too painful. They've had a son or a daughter approach them and that son or daughter is announced, I'm gay, I'm homosexual, I'm lesbian, and immediately thoughts of I'm a failure as a parent, all of that is dealt with.

It's just painful to go there. For other people it's painful because of all of the bashing they have heard throughout the years by a number of preachers. They've had Bible verses flung in their faces without an iota of love or concern for the individual. I've asked you to turn to John chapter 8 which might seem like a strange passage at first because it is not about Jesus encountering a homosexual. You will not find such a passage in all of the New Testament.

There isn't one. That's because it wasn't the issue then that it is today. It was assumed in that culture of Judaism that heterosexuality was the pervasive norm. However, what you find in John chapter 8 is a woman being brought before Jesus because of a sexual act that she committed, sexual sin that she was involved with, and we are going to understand and see as we read how Jesus dealt with her.

Let's look at our text. In John chapter 8 the first verse actually begins to the previous chapter. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. The thought begins in verse 2. Now early in the morning he came again into the temple and all the people came to him and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman caught in adultery and when they had set her in the midst they said to him, teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery in the very act.

Now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned but what do you say? This they said testing him that they might have something of which to accuse him but Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger as though he did not hear. So when they continued asking him he raised himself up and said to them, he who is without sin among you let him throw a stone at her first.

And again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it being convicted by their conscience went out one by one beginning with the oldest even to the last and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised himself up and saw no one but the woman he said to her woman where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said no one Lord. Jesus said to her neither do I condemn you go and sin no more. The first thing I want to consider with you is just how candid Jesus was with all people.

He was always honest. In verse 2 we are told that Jesus was in the temple and he was teaching. Now in case you don't know this and I'm sure most of you do that is the activity that we find Jesus doing most of in the New Testament teaching people. Yes he was healing and yes he was doing other things but by and large the four gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have a whole chunk of red words in them.

Those are the words of Jesus. He taught people on virtually every needful subject for them to hear. He told them about God. He told them about creation. He taught them about divorce and marriage. He taught them about love and peace and joy and how to get to heaven and when he taught he was always honest. He was always candid.

How do we know this? Well because many times when Jesus taught things people didn't like what they heard. He was so honest it actually offended people. There are what theologians refer to as the hard sayings of Jesus or the difficult statements. Things like if you're going to come after me deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me. In John chapter 6 when Jesus was giving one message the crowd reacted and some of them said this is a hard saying.

Who can hear it? It doesn't mean it was too hard to understand. It means it was too hard for them to tolerate.

Let me translate it another way. I don't like this preacher. He just offended me. It was hard because Jesus was always honest.

Here's one. You remember when our Lord was at the well of Samaria with the woman and they're dialoguing and he finally says go call your husband and she says in a very kind of smart curt way I don't have a husband and Jesus said you're right you don't have a husband you've had five of them and now you're just living with a man and cohabitating with somebody who's not your husband. You think she'd love to hear that?

That just cut her to the heart. Well he was always honest. He's teaching people in all honesty and notice how honest he is with this woman. In verse 11 he says just the last part go and sin no more. Now he just used a word there a term the term sin and he is referring to her behavior of adultery as something that is sinful.

Notice that Jesus didn't say your mistake, your hang-up, your propensity, your alternate life style. He called it a sin. What he did in using the term was frame for her how God views her action of adultery. He's not condemning her sexuality. In fact he's not even referring to her preference. He's referring to her practice the sin that she committed. Now this is important because instead of condemning her as a sexual being what Jesus is doing is denouncing the way in which she chose to express her sexuality i.e.

committing adultery with some man. Let me be candid. According to Statista.com a statistical research website two in every 100 males in America claim to be gay. One out of every 100 females claim to be lesbian.

Now some will dispute those facts say more or less but the Williams Institute translates this into about eight million adults in the United States that consider themselves to be gay or lesbian. Question, how do we respond to that? How do we respond to that?

Short answer before I give you the long answer. The short answer is we should respond to them at least in the way that the God we say we follow does. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life. If God loved the world then we should love the people that are in that world as well. Jesus loves people that's the theme of this whole series. He loves gay people, straight people, prostitutes, thieves, drunks, atheists, agnostics, religious people, and even you and I. It doesn't mean he loves adulterer, he loves adulterers. It doesn't mean he loves prostitution, he loves prostitutes. It doesn't mean he loves homosexuality, it means he loves homosexuals.

But in loving them please notice because Jesus was honest, he was candid, that one of the most loving things you can do is to tell people the truth and Jesus did that. There are some inconvenient truths in scripture. Now I say without shame that I believe in the authority of scripture.

I make no apologies for it. I believe that God has spoken through his word and he has spoken on issues of morality and sexuality, sexual practice. Homosexuality isn't mentioned a whole lot in the bible but it is mentioned seven times.

Seven different passages. Genesis 19, Leviticus 18 and 20, Judges chapter 19, Romans chapter 1, 1st Corinthians chapter 6, and 1st Timothy chapter 1 all have something to do either directly or tangentially with the practice of homosexuality. And the bible's teaching on it is clear.

According to the bible homosexuality is sin and it is contrary to God's plan and God's design for humanity. Now I hope you will not switch me off at this point. Hold on. There's more to this message. I realize that in making the statement that I just made that I am considered by the vast majority of our public to be narrow-minded.

I'm not dumb. I understand that. In fact not only am I considered narrow-minded by my view, I am considered to be intolerant by my view and after all we live in a culture now that worships tolerance. You have to be tolerant. There's only one group you don't have to be tolerant with and that's Christians in this culture. I also understand something else that in saying what I just said one day I could end up in jail for saying that in our culture.

That could be labeled as something that would imprison a person. But I sort of feel like what the apostles felt as they stood before the council in Acts chapter 6 and Peter said whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than God you judge. But we must obey God rather than men. You see we can't just simply handle biblical prohibitions irresponsibly. We can't shape them around our we can't shape them around our personal or cultural preferences.

We can never think that God will bless what God denounces. No matter what culture tells you. No matter what your body chemistry or a genetic study will tell you. No matter how you feel.

The Bible I believe trumps it all. Because you know what I've had all sorts of feelings in my past and was predisposed toward a number of behaviors that if I acted on them all I would be not alive or be in jail. It wouldn't be right. Just because someone has a preference for something doesn't make it morally correct in and of itself. But I want you to differentiate between something here. I keep talking about practice.

Jesus said go and sin no more. He was talking about her practice not her preference. There's one thing to note that somebody has a preference or an orientation or a propensity or a proclivity.

There's another thing to practice it. This woman in our story had a preference. Had a preference. She was attracted to a man outside of her marriage and she yielded to that temptation. That urge and it became an act.

Thus it became sinful. A few months ago I was in a restaurant and it was just a remarkable time. I was seated by a waitress. She introduced herself to me. She said you don't remember me do you? You invited me to one of your Easter services some years ago and she said I did not go.

But I did come to your church after that and I gave my life to Jesus Christ and he's changed my life. But then she said something my whole family was there it was quite remarkable how candid she was. She said you can probably tell by looking at me that I'm a stereotypical lesbian. I'm just going okay.

I'm all ears. And she said you know I have lots of people around me or who tell me either change the way you look or just hook up with someone. And then she said something that was so profound I wrote it down. She said I'd rather struggle with my desires and remain single than to give in to those desires.

She goes I trust that God will change the rest as time goes. But I have chosen to make a decision my choice to remain celibate rather than give in to those urges. She admitted that she had a homosexual preference but she no longer was practicing it.

And here's the point I want to make. A sexual orientation does not have to define you when a spiritual orientation can define you. And that is the choice that she made. That she would be defined by her submission to God no matter how she felt.

I know it's cliche. I almost shunned to even say this. However it is true and we must demonstrate it that that God loves the sinner. He may hate the sin but God loves the sinner. Romans chapter 2 verse 4 tells us it's the goodness of God that leads a person to repentance.

And you know what? Jesus came to remove the debt of sin from all people. From all unbelievers.

All undeserving people. And he condemns all forms of sin including hypocrisy which is what I want you to notice next. So first Jesus was candid with all people. The second thing I want to make note of is Jesus was confrontational with all hypocrites. You see that throughout the New Testament. Whenever Jesus encounters people like these scribes and Pharisees look at verse 3. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought to him a woman caught in adultery and when they had set her in the midst. Set her in the midst.

I just want you to picture that. The scribes and the Pharisees brought to this woman. Set her in the midst and said to him, teacher this woman was caught in adultery in the very act. I can see him smiling almost when they said that. Now Moses in the law commanded that such should be stoned. But what do you say? This they said testing him that he might have something of they might have something to accuse him but Jesus stooped down wrote on the ground with his finger as though he didn't hear.

I love that. When they continued asking him he raised himself up and said to them he who is without sin among you let him throw a stone at her first. And again he stooped down and he wrote on the ground.

Then those who heard it being convicted by their conscience went out one by one beginning with the oldest even to the last and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst. That's Skip Heiting with a message from the series Jesus Loves People. Now let's head into the studio with Skip and Lenya as they share vital insight on how you can grow in your compassion for others. Skip it's important for us to demonstrate that demonstrate compassion rather than contempt with those struggling with homosexuality.

How does being in touch with our own fallen nature help us to act more compassionately toward others? This is a tough subject and I'll just say that as believers in one sense the odds are stacked against us maybe in some for some of the reasons because the way the church has handled it in the past but also the gay community thinks the church has written them off completely. So, we're sort of at a disadvantage whenever we engage and they find out we're Christians. So, whenever I've spent time with or spoken to those who have a gay lifestyle and I've demonstrated love and interest in their backgrounds and stuff, it takes them off guard.

I've had them say, gosh, no pastor's ever done this before and seem to really, really care. So, here's the bottom line. We are nothing, all of us, we are nothing but forgiven sinners.

If you don't believe that, you're not a realist. And Paul said, here's a trustworthy saying and worthy of all acceptance that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. Paul said, I'm the worst of them all because I at one time persecuted the church of God. So, you know, we're all batting with the disadvantage when it comes to sin and therefore we should look at people through that lens of our own failures and that will breathe compassion. Thank you, Skip and Lenya.

From cover to cover, the Bible proclaims God's radical love for you. And at Connect with Skip Heitzig, we want to take that powerful message to more listeners around the world. So, please give now to help keep the teachings you love from Skip on the air and online and make it possible for more people to experience God's life-changing love. Call 800-922-1888. That's 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. That's connectwithskip.com slash donate.

Thank you. Tune in again tomorrow as Skip Heitzig shares practical insight to help you show Christ-like love to those who are different from you. Make a connection. Make a connection at the foot of the cross. Cast all burdens on His word. Make a connection. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.