Foundations of Faith: God's Judgment on Lies

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Ministries. Again, false teachers blending self-exalting school of thought with biblical truth.

Okay. Now let's talk about another author, a former lesbian, college professor, Rosaria Butterfield. Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert is her very well-known book. Highly recommend that, if you're experiencing or encountering anyone with this kind of lifestyle dilemma.

Rosaria Butterfield responded and reproved Hatmaker for this and here it is. This is the first warning, number one, tenderness that leaves people in sin. This is a huge temptation for many who call themselves Christian today. They want to be tender, they want to be caring, they want to be loving and we should, but not to the point where we tell people it's okay for them to remain in their sin. And I'm not just talking about sexual sin and sexual orientation. You name the sin. It's not okay for me to be tender to someone who is an alcoholic and say it's okay for you to be drunk. Okay.

So let's not take a particular sin and put a hierarchy up there. We say often, come as you are, but what? Don't stay that way. And it could be, you know, for me, it's impatience and anger. It's not okay for me to claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ and then on the other hand say, well, I'm an angry person. It's just the way I am.

It's not okay to do that. Listen to what Rosaria Butterfield said. If this were 19, she wrote this, I'm sorry. If this were 1999, the year that I was converted and walked away from the woman and lesbian community I loved, Jen Hatmaker's words about the holiness of LGBT relationships would have flooded my world like a balm of Gilead. I would have thought, yes, I can have Jesus and my girlfriend.

Yes, I can flourish both in my tenured academic discipline, queer theory and English literature and in my church. Maybe I wouldn't need to lose everything to have Jesus. Maybe the gospel wouldn't ruin me while I waited, waited, waited for the Lord to build me back up after he convicted me of my sin and I suffered the consequences. Today I hear Jen's words and a thin trickle of sweat creeps down my back.

If I were still in the thick of the battle over the indwelling sin of lesbian desire, Jen's words would have put a millstone around my neck. To be clear, listen to this please, to be clear, I was not converted out of homosexuality. I was converted out of unbelief.

Church, do you see where the need is? Let's not turn this into culture wars. This is not about culture wars. This is about the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ.

He came to reconcile enemies. I was converted out of unbelief. I didn't swap out a lifestyle.

I died to a life I loved. Conversion to Christ made me face the question squarely. Did my lesbianism reflect who I am, which is what I believed in 1999, or did my lesbianism distort who I am through the fall of Adam?

It's good perspective isn't it? I learned through conversion that when something feels right and good and real and necessary but stands against God's word, this reveals the particular way Adam's sin marks my life. Our sin natures deceive us. Sin's deception isn't just out there.

It's also deep in the cavern of our hearts. That's a whole sermon right there. So that's the first warning this morning. As we read what Peter writes, the assurance of God's justice, the assurance of God's deliverance, let's make sure we're not just going to us versus them mentality. But let's also not capitulate and say well you know we just need to be kind and loving and leave people in their sin and tell them it's okay.

Here's the last warning. Beware of the Pharisee syndrome. Beware of the Pharisee syndrome.

What do I mean by that? Do you remember the parable that Jesus said? Pharisee and a publican, a tax collector, not a Republican but a publican.

He could have been a Republican. So what did the Pharisee pray? Remember what the Pharisee prayed?

Lord I thank you what? That I am not like these filthy disgusting sinners. Christian listen to me. To the degree that you have that attitude you ruin the gospel and any opportunity you have to share it. We should not contemplate or communicate God's holy wrath with delight. God is not, listen, God is not in heaven ringing his hands saying you just wait I'm going to get you. You listen to some Christians today and even many popular preachers and you might think God's doing that. It's not what he's doing. I'm going to share with you a verse from Ezekiel 18 23.

Look at this. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked declares the Lord God and not rather that he should turn from his way and live. We're called to hearts of compassion. So yes we have the assurance, the assurance of God's justice and we have historic examples of it and we have the promise of it in the future. The bill is coming due unless there's forgiveness.

So we have the assurance of that deliverance. There is forgiveness available. God is a forgiving God.

Let's not ever forget that because you know why I can't forget that? Because guess who needed forgiveness? Guess who still needs forgiveness? We are ambassadors for Jesus Christ. That's why Paul says that I implore you on Christ's behalf be reconciled to God. Be reconciled to God. That's what that's what our world needs to see from us as followers of Jesus Christ that we are following God. We march to his drumbeat.

It's his opinion alone that counts. And as we are engaging or confronted by those of unbelief, we don't look at them with disdain and contempt. We look at them with compassion and invitation. Come be reconciled to God because the bill is coming due.

Stand with me please. Father we are challenged by this scripture today. We are comforted knowing that there is an assurance of justice. You are a good and holy God. We also thank you Father that there is an assurance of deliverance. You are a gracious and forgiving God.

And that forgiveness is based on the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. So Father we thank you for that. We thank you that the Lord Jesus is the one who said I make all things new. And we long for that Father as we continue our trek through this groaning fallen creation. Father I ask that you would rescue us from disdain from contempt.

Rescue us from simply wanting to escape. But Father find us to be engaging our world with truth and grace. Fill our hearts with compassion Father. For we acknowledge that we are rescued POWs and we do not look back in disdain at those that are still in bondage. But we seek their rescue as well. So Father we hear your call upon our lives today to be your ambassadors.

To make the appeal to those still in bondage the bondage of unbelief. Be reconciled to God. May our delight in you, may our satisfaction in you proclaim that message clearly. We thank you for what you have done and for what you will do. In Jesus name. Amen. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in him. The one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.