Welcome, welcome to the Line of Fire. Michael Brown, so pleased to spend this time with you.
Not discouraged, not beaten down, not hanging my head, not ready to throw in the towel. Because Jesus is Lord. Because Jesus is risen from the dead.
Because all authority in heaven and earth is given to him. And whom the Son sets free is free indeed. I live every day of my life in between the resurrection of Jesus and his second coming. Meaning the victory. The victory of the resurrection. His death on the cross to pay for our sins. The victory of the resurrection.
Knowing that in him there is life. That we die to sin with him and rise in newness of life. And because he is risen there is hope. Because he is risen therefore light will come out of darkness.
Therefore after evening there will be morning. And then he will return one day and establish his kingdom on the earth. You know the final outcome will be blessed and wonderful. I feel bad for those who mock God. I feel bad for those who don't know God. I feel bad for those whose values are contrary to the standards of God and the word of God.
I feel bad for them because I know the final end. And that's why friends we are here five days a week to infuse you with faith and truth and courage. You need a lift based on the word. Come here. Every day. You need encouragement based on the word. Come here. Every day. You need courage to stand.
This is the place to go. As I've told my listeners for years we will not get your blood boiling unless we also get your faith rising. Come on. Together we can do it. I want to give you a holy injection every single month. Just something to look forward to. Something to go back to.
Something to be encouraged and strengthened by. It's our frontline newsletter. It's absolutely free. It comes your way in digital form. So you can read it on your phone.
It's beautifully formatted on your computer, your tablet. Frontline newsletter absolutely free. Go now to TheLineOfFire.org. TheLineOfFire.org and sign up today as we continue our discussion of the various questions concerning homosexual practice, how the church should relate, what the Bible really says. We've been talking about the ministry of Jesus. We emphasized yesterday that as a first century Jewish teacher, no one needed to ask him his views on homosexual practice because the scriptures were so plain and Jewish tradition was so strong that no one needed to ask him whatsoever.
That was an absolute given. Nonetheless, in three different ways, he made clear that homosexual practice was contrary to God's will and plan. In Matthew 5 beginning in verse 17, he states that he does not come to abolish the law of the prophets but fulfills the law of the prophets. So when it comes to the moral commandments of the Torah, he brings them to a higher level, thus fulfilling them.
Brings them to their highest level. If it was forbidden for a man to sleep with a man, meant to have sex with a man under the Torah, Jesus is saying, how much more am I saying these things are wrong? Matthew 15 beginning in verse 19, Jesus tells us that what comes out of the heart defiles us mentioning sexual immorality which in Greek is porneia in the plural meaning all sexual acts. Outside of marriage defile the human being. And then Matthew 19 verses 4 through 6, Jesus tells us that marriage is the union of one man and one woman from the beginning.
So it's quite explicit. It's quite clear what Jesus is saying. Marriage is the union of one man and one woman.
All sexual acts committed outside of marriage are defiling. Some have said, Dr. Brown, you're quoting all these scriptures and maybe you know the Hebrew and the Greek and all this stuff but you're missing the heart of it. You just sound like a legalist yourself. You sound like one of those New Testament Pharisees yourself.
You're just so rigid. You're not getting the heart of this. You're not understanding the deeper spiritual elements here.
You see, this is all about heart. It's not about the letter of the law. You're just hitting us over the head with the Bible.
And the letter kills but the spirit gives life. You see, Jesus hung out with the sinners of his day. Jesus hung out with the tax collectors. Jesus hung out with the prostitutes. You might say it's religious people like you, Dr. Brown, that you just condemn these people. You condemn them to hell as the worst of sinners.
You don't want to get your hands dirty touching the really bad sinners. You better believe Jesus did. That's what he hung out with. That's why the people loved him. That's why he had all these strong words for the religious leaders like you, Dr. Brown. That's how some would feel. I've interacted with folks like that over the years, seen the endless posts on social media about us, had public debates. These are the kind of things we'd hear.
He'd be watching the thief of trans-identified people and queer activists and things like that. That's the Jesus of the Bible. Okay, so what do I say to that? Let me give you a very simple principle. Jesus did not practice affirmational inclusion. He practiced transnational inclusion. Can I say that again? Jesus did not practice affirmational inclusion.
He practiced transformational inclusion. In other words, he didn't hang out with the tax collectors and say to the tax collectors, hey, I know you guys are making a lot of money in corrupt ways. I know you're dishonest. You're extortionist.
Let me give you some keys that will help you make more money still and rob the people even more. No! He didn't do that. He didn't sit with the prostitutes and say, hey, ladies, I know you don't make a lot of money.
Let me just tell you, if you could dress a certain one like this, it would be more seductive for the guys and you could have more rich clients and you could make more money. No! He didn't tell sinners how to sin better. And he didn't affirm sinners in their sin. In fact, let's go to this account in Luke chapter 19. Luke chapter 19.
Let's see what happens with the tax collector. So it says this, Luke 19, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus.
He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd, he could not because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down.
For I must stay at your house today. So we hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled. He's gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor.
And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restored fourfold. And Jesus said to him, today's salvation has come to his house, to this house, since he is also a son of Abraham. He came to seek and save the lost. So yes, Jesus went to the lost. Jesus went to the outcast. Jesus went and ate with the sinners of his day.
I have no doubt that he would sit with gay couples and lesbian couples and people who identify as trans might even sit with drag queens and talk, not to affirm, not to encourage, but to transform. Here, let me read you something else from the Teach of Jesus. See, when he was with these people, they repented. That's why he was with them. So here we have in Matthew chapter 21, Jesus is having a dispute with the religious leaders.
All right? So Matthew 21, beginning in verse 28. Jesus said to them, truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the religious leaders said to them, truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him.
And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. So, that's the whole thing, that when the tax collectors and the prostitutes heard John the Immerser, John the Baptist preaching, they repented. When they heard Jesus preaching, they repented. To say it again, Jesus did not, and does not, practice affirmational inclusion, but rather transformational inclusion.
And I want to park here for a moment. The American gospel largely says, this is who I am, this is how I feel, and God is here to please me. The biblical gospel says, this is who God is, this is how he feels, and we are here to please him. The American gospel talks about how special we are.
The biblical gospel talks about how special he is. The American gospel tells a sinner, you're amazing. The biblical gospel tells a sinner, you're lost, and God's grace is amazing.
We've turned things upside down. The gospel that's largely preached in the pop gospel of America tells someone, whoever you are, however you live, that's just fine, because Jesus understands. Jesus knows who you are, he gets it, he understands your sin.
Jesus, he understands your sin enough to die for it, he understands my sin enough to die for it, he understands our sin enough to call us to repent. That's the Jesus of the Bible, not the Jesus of so much contemporary pop American preaching. I flipped on TV once and didn't know what channel it was initially, and literally, as I heard the person speaking, I couldn't tell, are you a life coach? Like Tony Robbins, right, famous life coach, are you a life coach?
Or are you one of these real estate agents that has gotten rich and you've got an infomercial where you teach people how to get rich? Or are you a contemporary American preacher? I couldn't tell. Turned out to be a preacher. But listening initially, I wasn't sure.
It's a massive difference from the biblical gospel that starts with the word repent, get right with God. All right, I'm on a roll here, we'll be right back, listen to this important announcement. Staying active is essential for your well-being, whether you're at the gym, strolling in the park or enjoying hobbies, every step counts because movement is life. I'm Paul, a board certified doctor of holistic health, and I want to introduce you to TriVita's beetroot gummies. Packed with nitrates, these gummies enhance vasodilation, giving you the boost you need to stay active. The natural power of beetroot supports energy, stamina and healthy blood pressure. So whether you're gardening, dancing or enjoying time outdoors, TriVita's beetroot gummies keep you energized.
Don't let fatigue hold you back. Experience the energy boosting on-the-go benefits of TriVita's beetroot gummies today. Embrace life's opportunities to move and thrive with TriVita's beetroot gummies. Order today and use promo code BROWN25 to receive 25% off your order. As a new customer, 100% of the proceeds from your first order will go to support the Line of Fire radio broadcasts.
So call now 1-800-771-5584, 1-800-771-5584 or online at trivita.com. Packed with you here on the Line of Fire, ready to infuse you with faith, truth and courage. Friends, we want to see you standing strong on the front lines. We want to see you so infused, so confident with what the Word says, that you can stand strong.
You know, I wanted to talk to you totally openly. When I was in college, I taught myself Biblical Hebrew because the classes were all in Modern Hebrew. I wanted to learn Biblical, so I wasn't interested in Modern Hebrew. I took it, I took the classes, but I never went to the language lab. We were supposed to go every week. It wasn't like a requirement that you'd be tested on it, right? But you were expected to go regularly and listen to these tapes.
In those days, actual tapes that went around that are real. Listen to these tapes and hear Hebrew and repeat words. I never did that. The Hebrew accent, it sounded funny to me. And I wasn't concerned to learn how to speak Hebrew.
I wanted to read it. So I taught myself Biblical Hebrew. And to this day, my Biblical Hebrew is five, ten times better than my Modern Hebrew. And then when I got to the last two years of college and I switched to become a Hebrew major, in this new college that I'd switched over to, all the classes were taught in Hebrew. And so the Hebrew classes were taught in Hebrew, not all the classes of the university, just the Hebrew classes.
So I always was missing something. I mean, I did well. I got an honors degree for my Hebrew studies and ended up towards the top of the class.
But I didn't hear as well. To this day, I don't hear Hebrew as well as I read it. And I don't speak it as well as I read it and understand it. And I understand ancient much better than modern.
So what does that mean? If I'm around an Israeli and they want to speak to me in Hebrew, I kind of avoid it because I know I'm going to miss something. It's one thing if they say, hey, let's talk slowly. And they make sure I understand and it's going to sharpen my Hebrew.
Okay, I'll do that all day. But you know, maybe it's a taxi driver in Israel and he doesn't speak much English. Maybe it's in northern Israel, doesn't speak much English and is picking me up and driving me. And we're having a conversation, it's like, I think I'm going to avoid the conversation because I'm missing a lot of what he's saying. Or he's going to ask me a question and I'm going to say yes.
That was not a yes or no question, but I misunderstood it. So I avoid it sometimes. I keep telling myself, I got to get my modern Hebrew better and just relearn what I used to have. But I avoid it because I'm not confident. If you wanted to debate me on a subject that I'm really not strong in, you know, science and the Bible, and now we're going to debate deep aspects of science and biology and physiology and chemistry and the cosmos and everything else and cosmology and I'm not good at that. It's not my specialty.
You know, there are a whole lot of really solid Christian apologists there who can answer all those questions, but not me. So I would avoid it because I'm insecure there. I'm not insecure that there's no contradiction between what the Bible intends to teach on science and science.
I don't doubt there for a split second. I'm just not the one to do it, okay? So when you're not confident, you're not secure, you avoid things. A lot of times we don't have the confidence as to how to answer someone about what the Bible says because they, we give our answer, they throw out their objection or like, uh, I never thought of that. So we avoid it. Maybe you're a pastor.
It's like, yeah, there's so much controversy. I don't have time to study all of it. So we avoid the subject.
So that's why I want to equip you so that you'll be confident. And even if you don't remember everything we taught on the radio and you don't remember everything you read and can you began Christian, you know the answers are there. For example, I don't, I don't worry about an argument about the Bible and science and the cosmos. I was referring to Dr. U. Ross or, you know, philosophical arguments for the existence of God or refer them to William Lane Craig or, you know, scientific challenges or refer them to John Lennox. I mean, there are these guys who are experts, just like I'm an expert in Jewish apologetics, answering Jewish objections to Jesus.
Refer those people to me. All I need to know is that someone has the answers. So be assured the answers are all there. Be assured it's the myth. It's a myth that the Bible is just a translation of translations and that we can't really rely on it. It's a myth. Be assured. It's a myth that the Bible was mistranslated and misused when it comes to homosexual practice. Myth. And that's what we're opening up lesson by lesson here on the Line of Fire broadcast.
Okay. I want to address one more thing about Jesus and then next broadcast, we're going to look at what Paul had to say about homosexual practice. So there are people who say, look, Jesus actually affirmed a same sex couple. And you know, the account Matthew eight in parallels in Mark and Luke, especially in Luke. So Matthew eight, Luke seven, you have the parallel and there's the, the, the centurion. And he says, look, my servant, he's very valuable to me.
He's really sick. And you know, could you, could you heal him? And Jesus goes ahead and heals him.
Great is your faith. And he heals him. Well, what we're told is, is the Greek word that's used there is actually, it's the word for servant, or it can be the word for son, but it's actually another context.
It means boy, like you're a boy toy. And Jesus knew exactly what this was, the centurions and the guy, especially valuable to me. I was, he's, it's my young male lover and Jesus understood that.
So we, so he healed him. And this was Jesus saying, Hey, you see, I got you guys covered. There was actually a campaign billboard campaign in conservative parts of America, Bible belt saying, you know, Jesus affirmed same sex relations. I mean, that is one of the most perverse teaching. I've read it from ordained gay ministers who believe this. It is one of the most perverse, imaginable arguments. Number one, the Greek word used in the entire New Testament and in the Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint, the Greek word used there, never once a single time means anything other than servant or son. It never refers to a sex slave, a boy toy, never once.
That's number one. So there's no possible way that's going to be the case there. And then there wouldn't have been an equivalent word if he was speaking through a translator in Hebrew or if he knew Aramaic. All right. But if he's speaking in Greek to Jesus, let's just say the whole thing took place in Greek.
Okay. Let's just say that happened. The bottom line, bottom line is the word was not used anywhere in the Bible in the sense of sex slave or boy toy, it's number one. Number two, you're telling me that Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, our savior, our Lord, that Jesus sanctioned man, boy, love that Jesus sanctioned pederasty, that Jesus sanctioned sexual slavery?
Are you, are you, are you out of your mind to say that? And on top of it, the woman caught in adultery, what does Jesus tell her? He forgives her and says, go and sin no more.
That's the worst thing. Go and sin no more in that context. Another context in a different setting, go and sin no more, the worst come on you. Obviously something wrong in the man's heart, but here with, with, with adultery in John eight, go and sin no more. So he tells the woman caught in adultery, go and sin no more, but, but heals the sex slave so that the guy can keep having sex with a sex slave. What kind of perversion is that?
But see friends, this is what happens. Oh, and then can you be gang Christian? I list a bunch of other really sick interpretations to say, and thereby gay theologians, gay activists and their allies. I mean, really crazy interpretations. This is what happens when you interpret the Bible through the lens of your sexuality rather than interpreting your sexuality through the lens of the Bible.
It's that simple. So this book, can you be gang Christian will help you interpret your sexuality through the lens of scripture with compassion, with grace, kindness, but telling you the truth as it stands pulling no punches, but with grace and truth. Remember hearts of compassion, backbones of steel. That's who we are. Hearts of compassion, backbones of steel. This is dr. Michael Brown. Thank you so much for tuning in, just a reminder that we are listener supported. If we have been a blessing to you, if you're being enriched in the word and prayer and your own walk with God through this broadcast, then stand with us so that we can reach many, many more and bless many, many more together, friends, we're making a difference. So go to the line of fire.org, the line of fire.org and click donate.
