NewDayvotional

From the pastor for the people

Jesus and Homosexuality, Part 1 of 2

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I received an email this week that stated the following:

“Although in your eyes, it may not be right to be gay…in God’s and Jesus’s eyes, they are accepting and loving of it.” 

If you received such an email…or if a family member, friend or co-worker said something along these lines…how would you respond? I’d like to share what I believe is a biblical response and would encourage you, as God provides the opportunity, to share this response “…with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

1. Jesus forbid “sexual immorality” which included homosexual behavior. 

Jesus said in Mark 7:21-23, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” [that is, morally unclean] “Sexual immorality” in this context refers to “sexual acts that are morally objectionable.” Since Jesus said these things to his disciples, who were Jews, we must look to the Mosaic Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy) as the standard for right and wrong. In the law of Moses, forbidden sexual sins include (but are not limited to) incest, adultery, homosexuality and bestiality (see Leviticus 18:6,20,22,23).

So: 1) Jesus said that “sexual immorality,” a catchphrase for all sexual sin forbidden in the Mosaic law, was evil and made a person morally unclean. 2) Homosexuality is listed as a forbidden sexual practice within the Mosaic law. 3) Therefore, it is grossly misleading to imply in anyway that Jesus supported the homosexual lifestyle. He wasn’t silent on the subject and what he said explicitly categorized homosexual behavior as immoral. 

Imagine with me a parent grounding his kid from “technology” for a week. Within that time frame the kid is caught using his phone. He tries to justify his actions saying “You never said anything specifically about using my phone!” Would the parent accept his justification? Of course not! The punishment was “no technology.” Technology is a catchall phrase that encompasses phone usage. 

In the same way, Jesus forbid “sexual immorality.” For the homosexual to try and justify homosexual acts saying “Jesus never said anything specifically about homosexuality” is just as dishonest as the kid saying to his parents “You never said anything specifically about my phone.” It doesn’t matter if it’s mentioned specifically or not. “Sexual immorality” is a catchall phrase for all sexual sin that encompasses the homosexual lifestyle. 

2. Jesus taught that God’s created intent for human sexuality was heterosexuality.  

Jesus said in Mark 10:6-9, “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Jesus makes clear here that God’s created intent for human sexuality is heterosexuality. By explicitly pointing to heterosexuality as God’s standard, Jesus implicitly condemns any lifestyle that falls short of that standard – which includes, but is not limited to, the homosexual lifestyle. 

It may be helpful to think of it this way…If the speed limit says 35mph, then 35mph is the standard. Any speed over that standard is breaking the law.

3. Jesus affirmed the Old Testament law, which clearly does not affirm the homosexual lifestyle.  

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-18, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

Jesus accepted and affirmed the law – the law that forbids homosexual practice (see Leviticus 18:22, 20:13). One of the reasons why proponents of same-sex intercourse think that they can enlist Jesus in their cause is that they labor under a popular misconception; namely, that Jesus was far more tolerant on sexual matters than his Jewish contemporaries. But precisely the opposite is true. On matters relating to sexual ethics Jesus adopted stricter, not more lenient, demands that most other Jews of his time. For example, in Matthew 5:27-28 Jesus said “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Jesus here takes the baseline standard of the Mosaic Law (don’t commit adultery) and then raises it (don’t even lust). So we see that Jesus’ expectations regarding sexual purity exceeded the expectations both of the Mosaic Law and of the traditions prevailing in Jesus’ day. And so we see that Jesus did not overturn any prohibitions against immoral sexual behavior in Leviticus or anywhere else in the Mosaic Law. 

CONCLUSION: The idea that Jesus was, or might have been, personally neutral or even affirming of homosexual conduct is revisionist history at its worst. The portrayal of a Jesus as a first-century Palestinian Jew who was open to homosexual practice is simply ahistorical. All the evidence leads in the opposite direction. In light of the clear teaching of Jesus we can only conclude that those who find in the Gospels a Jesus who is a prophet of tolerance, who forgives and accepts all, regardless of behavioral change, have distorted the historical reality of what Jesus actually taught.

Answering Objections to the Tithe

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This past Sunday I preached on the tithe. Here’s are some extra “goodies” I didn’t have time to elaborate on in the message…

Some people say “Tithing is legalistic. The laws on tithing are right up there with the laws about not eating pork or having to sacrifice animals. They’ve been done away with! The tithe was for Old Testament Jews, not New Testament believers. They were under law but we are under grace.” Some people say this because they sincerely believe it, while others say things like this to excuse themselves from any obligation to tithe. Either way, let me shoot some holes in this erroneous way of thinking.

1. Tithing is not legalistic. Legalism is when you try to earn your salvation by keeping the law. That’s what legalism is. The Bible condemns legalism because no one will ever be justified by the law. One can only be justified by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:20-22). When we tithe, it’s not to earn our way to heaven. It’s to honor God, it’s to show Him that He’s first place in our lives and it’s to fund the work of the local church which is to help people come to know Jesus. That’s not legalism. That’s investing in God’s work on the earth.

2. Tithing has not been repealed. To repeal something is to annul it – to do away with it. And in the New Testament, several Old Testament laws are repealed:

  • The dietary laws were repealed (see Acts 15)- praise the Lord – I wasn’t sinning the other week when I smoked some pork in my smoker!
  • The sacrificial laws have also been repealed – we no longer have to bring lambs to church and have them slaughtered for our sins (see Hebrews 8). Jesus, the Lamb of God was slain to once and for all take away the sins of the world.

Yes, certain laws in the Old Testament have been repealed in the New Testament. But other laws of the Old Testament have been repeated in the New Testament. The laws that have been specifically repealed are no longer binding, but the ones that have been repeated continue to be binding. And as see from Scripture, Jesus doesn’t repeal the practice of tithing, he repeats it “You should tithe, yes” he says in Matthew 23:23, NLT. Therefore, since it’s repeated, it’s still binding.

3. The standard of grace is higher, not lower than the standard of law. Some people say “We’re not under law” and then interpret that to mean that the standard of grace is lower than the standard of law, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible reminds us repeatedly that we, who live after Jesus died, are no longer living in the era of law, rather in the era of grace. Law came through Moses, grace came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). But this in no way means that the bar has been lowered. Jesus could not have been more clear that his standard (the standard of grace ) is HIGHER, not lower, than the standard of the law given through Moses. For example,

  • In Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus said: Never mind murder (the standard of law)! Don’t even be angry with someone (the standard of grace)!
  • And in Matthew 5:27-28 Jesus said: Forget adultery (the standard of law)! I’m telling you don’t even lust (the standard of grace)!

In both these instances Jesus took the base line standard set by the law of Moses and raised the bar. So According to Jesus, God set the foundation of the law for us to build on, not shrink back from. We’re to move forward in our giving, not backwards. We’re to look at the example set in the law of the tithe and raise the bar, not lower it.

4. To say “Tithing isn’t for today” is the same as saying “God was concerned in the Old Testament that his children worship him and honor him by putting him first, but God doesn’t care whether or not New Testament Christians do the same.” To say such a thing would be absurd. Here’s why:

  • God told the Israelites that their firstborn children and animals belonged to him (Exodus 13:1-2).
  • God told them that the first week of their religious year belonged to him (Exodus 13:3-7).
  • When they moved into the land of Canaan God told them that the first city they conquered, Jericho, belonged to him (Joshua 6:17-19).
  • God also said the firstfruits of their crops belonged to him. Now “firstfruits” is simply another word for tithe (see Leviticus 27:30) which means 10%. God gave specific instructions that the first 10% of their income belonged to him (Exodus 23:19).
  • And God rebuked the Israelites in the book of Haggai (see chapters 1-2) for not prioritizing his work first over their own.

It sounds to me like it was pretty important to God that his children put him first. So how can anyone argue that this somehow, magically, has stopped being important to God in the New Testament? Especially when Jesus reinforces this Old Testament “Principle of First” in Matthew 6:33 when he said “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…” The truth is that putting God first (in every area of our lives, including our finances, is just as important to God today as it was back then.

5. To say “Tithing isn’t for today” is the same as saying “In the Old Testament God cared about lost people learning about Jesus but he doesn’t care about that anymore in the New Testament.” I would remind you that it was the tithe that allowed the priests of the Old Testament Temple to proclaim that God’s promised Messiah was coming into the world. And it’s the tithe that allows the pastors of New Testaments churches to proclaim that God’s promised Messiah has now come into the world. How could it be possible for God to no longer care about the lost? Especially when 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is “…not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

So we see that tithing isn’t legalistic. Tithing hasn’t been repealed. If anything the standard of grace is higher, not lower than the standard of law. So if anything has changed, it’s that we ought to give more than the tithe, not less. God continues to use the tithe as a test to see if we’ll honor and worship him and trust him by returning to him the first part of our income. And He uses it to then fund the ministry of the local church, whose mission it is to preach Jesus.

I hope this helps clear up any confusion you might of had on the tithe. But if not, feel free to email any questions you might still have to me at [email protected]

If you’d like to start tithing you can do so by setting up your recurring gift at www.newdaychurch.cc/giving

If you’d like to start tithing but you first need to position your finances to be able to, you can attend our Money Wise Seminar this Sunday from 11am to 12:30pm where we’ll teach you how to get out of debt and get on a budget. Once you do this, you’ll have positioned your finances to be able to handle the tithe. To register simply email Peter, our groups pastor, at [email protected]

Church Discipline

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What happens when a “sheep” (a believer) in our “flock” (our church) finds himself or herself ensnared by sin, whether unintentionally or through willful disobedience? It’s going to happen from time to time for as 1 Timothy 4:1-2 says, “…in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits…” And the question begs: What do we do when it happens? Well, the Bible is very clear that when this happens it is the duty of every believer within the sinning person’s sphere of influence to use their influence to try and steer their friend to repentance. This happens through something we call “church discipline.” This is simply the name given to a process (aimed at repentance and restoration) that Jesus lays out for us in Matthew 18:15-17. In these verses, Jesus explains to us how to respond when a fellow believer finds himself in a state of unrepentant sin. I’m going to outline this process in just a minute but before getting into the process of church discipline, let’s first look into the precedent and purpose of church discipline.

I. THE PRECEDENT OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE

We read in 1 Corinthians 5:1-12, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?…I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

When we encounter open, outright, blatant, unrepentant sin, it becomes necessary to remove the unrepentant sinner from our fellowship. Believers who remain true to the faith are to pass the following “judgment” (yes, it’s ok for believers to judge other believers – see vv.3,12) on the unrepentant sinner:

  1. They are to excommunicate him from the church (v.2, “…put out of your fellowship the man who did this…”)
  2. They are to shun him (v.11, “…you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.”).

This judgment is to stand until repentance takes place. Upon repentance, the individual is to be welcomed back into the church and to regular Christian fellowship. This may at first appear to be harsh, but it’s actually an act of love (as you’ll discover as you keep reading).

Now that we’ve looked at the precedent of church discipline, let’s move on to…

II. THE PURPOSE OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE

Why must we take such extreme measures when someone who claims to be a believer is living in unrepentant sin? The apostle Paul gives us the answer in 1 Corinthians 5:5-6 where he explains that we take such extreme measures “…so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.” Paul couldn’t be more clear – the excommunication and shunning are intended to bring about repentance that leads to salvation. When someone claims to be a believer yet lives in unrepentant sin, they show themselves not to be true believers and show themselves to be in need of repentance that leads to salvation.

So as I mentioned earlier, excommunication and shunning are actually acts of love. When someone through willful disobedience walks away from God and loses their salvation (or proves by their actions that they were never actually saved in the first place), the most loving thing the community of believers can do is take action that encourages repentance that leads to salvation.

So we see that church discipline is always an act of love in that it’s done in the hope of restoring a straying brother/sister and never out of anger or revenge.

Ok, now that we’ve looked at the precedent and purpose of church discipline, let’s now look at…

III. THE PROCESS OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE 

Through a series of grace-filled, compassionate confrontations, we are to make every effort to rescue the straying brother/sister from their self-deception and the snare of the devil. And in Matthew 18:15-17 Jesus tells us what each step of these grace-filled, compassionate confrontations ought to look like. If at any step along the way, the sinning individual repents, he/she is to be welcomed back into the community of faith.

Step One. The process of church discipline begins one on one. Jesus said in Matthew 18:15, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” Each person within the sinning party’s sphere of influence ought to reach out to them, encouraging them towards repentance.

Step Two. If the sinning brother refuses to listen to the one who has rebuked him privately, the next step is to take one or two more believers along to confront him again. Jesus said in Matthew 18:16, “But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'” Sometimes the sinning person might feel you’re just picking on them or that it’s not that they’re wrong, it’s just that you don’t like them and are giving them a hard time. That’s when it’s helpful to bring others along to share the same thing you shared (i.e. that what they are doing is sinful, and that repentance is the appropriate road to travel down). Ideally, their added rebuke will be sufficient to bring about a change of heart in the offending brother that the initial rebuke did not accomplish. If this change of heart does occur, that brother is forgiven and restored to fellowship with the community of faith and then the restoration process begins (if applicable).

Step Three. But if the sinning party refuses to listen even to the confrontation of the two or three witnesses, those witnesses are to then share the news of what’s going on with the leadership of the church. Jesus said in Matthew 18:17a, “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church…” The leadership of the church (i.e. the pastoral staff) can then communicate this news in an appropriate way to those in this person’s sphere of influence. The point of sharing this news with others is not to get other church attendees to “shun” the sinning individual, rather precisely the opposite. They are told so that they too can now reach out in love to the sinning individual, trying to steer him/her towards repentance.

Step Four. The final step in the process of church discipline is banishment from the community of faith. Jesus said in Matthew 18:17b, “…and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.” Pastor, theologian and Bible commentator John MacArthur writes:

“The term “Gentile” was primarily used of non-Jews who held to their traditional paganism and had no part in the covenant, worship, or social life of the Jews. On the other hand, a “tax-collector” was an outcast from the Jews by choice, having become a traitor to his own people. Jesus’ use of these terms doesn’t mean that the church is to treat these people badly. It simply means that when a professing believer refuses to repent, the church is to treat him as if he were outside of the fellowship. They are not to let him associate and participate in the blessings and benefits of the Christian assembly.” 

That ostracism is what Jesus was getting at here can be clearly seen from the example previously mentioned from 1 Corinthians 5:1-13. When the man who was sleeping with his step-mother refused to repent of his sin, he was thrown out of the community of faith until he repented. Other believers were not even allowed to share a meal with him (1 Corinthians 5:11) – although I’m guessing that if the sinning individual ever wanted to go out for a meal to discuss his repentance, I’m certain that sharing a meal in those circumstances would be permitted. But the point is this: The one who is sinful yet unrepentant is to be totally excommunicated from the fellowship of the community of faith. When the people in the sinning individual’s sphere of influence have done everything within their power to turn the person to repentance, but they refuse, there is nothing left to be done except to leave that person to their sin and shame.

Maybe you’re wondering “Mike, why is this such a big deal?” Good question! That leads me nicely to my last point, which deals with…

IV. THE PRIORITY OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE

Why must we prioritize dealing with sin vs sweeping it under the rug? Two reasons:

  1. Not confronting unrepentant sinful behavior is disobedience to the command of Christ (Matthew 18:15-20) and will ensure God’s displeasure (Revelation 2:20).
  2. Not confronting unrepentant sinful behavior is devastating to the spiritual health of the local church. Scripture is clear…sin is like leaven and left alone its evil effects will eventually permeate and negatively affect the whole church (1 Corinthians 5:6).

CONCLUSION

So there you have it:

  1. The precedent of church discipline
  2. The purpose of church discipline
  3. The process of church discipline
  4. The priority of church discipline

I close with this…

Engaging in the process of church discipline is never fun and is usually very uncomfortable. But that can’t become an excuse for us to turn a blind eye to sin. If we ignore Christ’s process for dealing with sin (shared above) then we become just as guilty of sin as the person who needs our loving rebuke. So if you find yourself in a situation where you need to lovingly confront someone who is living in unrepentant sin – go ahead and say a prayer, muster your courage and give them a call to set up a meeting. As Paul wrote in Galatians 6:1, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should [try your best to] restore him gently…” 

The Biblical Record of the Nativity

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The shepherds were definitely at the manger with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. We read in Luke 2:15-16, When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

So the shepherds were there for sure, but what about the Magi? If you were to buy a nativity set for your shelf or your lawn, the Magi would be included in the set, but is this the biblical portrait of that night? Here’s why I believe they were not present with the shepherds.

  1. Matthew 2:1-2, After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When did the Magi arrive in Jerusalem? It says “After Jesus was born.” On the night Jesus was born they were some 900 miles away in the east. The star prophesied in Numbers 24:17 appeared once Jesus was born. Once the Magi saw his star they knew he had been born and they set out to worship him. And they certainly didn’t fly those 900 miles. When Ezra the priest returned from Babylonian captivity to Jerusalem, it took them four months to complete the 900 mile journey. The Magi may have made better time since they would’ve been traveling on horses, but we’re still talking a minimum of a couple months. And this is why Matthew 2:1 records that “After Jesus was born…Magi from the east came to Jerusalem…”
  2. Matthew 2:7-9 says …Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. Though Herod told them to go to Bethlehem, the star guided them to where the child actually was, which was back in Nazareth.
  3. This is why Matthew 2:11 says of the Magi “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him…” It doesn’t say “On coming to the manger” rather “On coming to the house…” Joseph and Mary left their home in Nazareth to participate in the census (Luke 2:1-4). Since they were from the tribe of Judah, they had to go to Bethlehem some 80 miles to the south. But after Jesus was born and after they participated in the census, they would’ve returned home.
  4. Additionally, we read in Matthew 2:13 that right after the Magi presented their gifts to Jesus and then returned east, “…an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So that’s just what Joseph did. But once the danger had passed Matthew 2:23 tells us that he led his family back to Nazareth. So the picture painted in Matthew 2 is that the Magi visit Jesus in Nazareth. Right after their visit, Joseph and family flee from Nazareth to Egypt. Then, once the danger had passed, they returned to Nazareth.

I’m not saying you should return your navitity scenes or anything 🙂 I just want you to know the biblical record of the navity 🙂

 

Anti-Social Media: Using Facebook to Protect the Reputation of Christ

Anti-Social Media: Using Facebook to Protect the Reputation of Christ

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“You need to go back to Born Again 101” – reads a Facebook posting in response to a Christian article.

Have you ever signed on to Facebook to see your friends arguing over something silly? These (very public) disagreements rarely end well, embarrassing every person involved. I understand that Facebook has made sharing our opinions and memories with each other easier than ever. However, as Christians, we need to be extra careful that we don’t bring shame on the name of Christ when we argue about trivial or political matters that don’t advance the gospel.

Unrestrained gut reactions can change others’ perceptions of Christ, painting Him and His amazing sacrifice in a negative light. You are a representative of Christ online and your voice has more power than you can imagine. Converse with others with the aim of building the Kingdom of God; it is what He has called us to do! Take care to avoid petty arguments that everyone can see. This is especially true of sharing political views, which are often divisive to many people. Romans 12:18 says “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Sometimes disagreeing Christians publicly argue with each other on Facebook. The Bible says we must always prove our point and try to convince people of our viewpoints…oh wait, that’s not right.  God commands  that we are to be known by our love for one another (John 13:35), but when believers publicly rip each other, Jesus’ instruction to us is clearly violated. If a brother/sister posts something that is biblically wrong or misrepresentative of Christ, call them and have a conversation with them, privately. Encourage them, in love, to delete their post as it is controversial (don’t even address whether it is correct or not). If this does not work, prayerfully consider a peaceful way to correct that misinformation publicly or seek wise counsel. However, keep in mind that the apostle Paul said “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.” If you must correct it, be very cautious on how you approach it and avoid further knee jerk reactions. For more advice on disagreements, Jesus provides some solid action steps in Matthew 18: 15-22.

To conclude, ask God to guide all of your Facebook posts before posting. Never post based off your emotions at the moment, always carefully and prayerfully consider what you say online. While you may not care what others think of you, if you’re a Christian you have a bigger responsibility to the faith to consider. Preview your posts in the most critical of lenses, especially if you plan on making a statement about Christianity or are known as a Christian. While these suggestions are only meant to serve as general guidelines, please take it to heart and remember to do all things for the glory of God!