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THINGS CHRISTIANS MUST STAND AGAINST (2)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.    Christians are soldiers in the Lord’s army (II Tim. 2:3).

 

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

 

B.      As soldiers, we must stand against the evils of this world (Eph. 6:11).

 

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

 

C.     Others have stood against evil.

1.      Jesus stood against the traditions of the Jewish leaders (Matt. 15:1-9).

2.      Jesus stood against the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders (Matt. 23:1-39).

3.      Jesus stood against the mercenary efforts of the Jewish leaders (John 2:13-16).

4.      Paul stood against the false brethren of his day (Gal. 2:4-5).

5.      Jude stood against the false teachers of his day (Jude 1-25)

 

D.    There are many evils against which we as Christians must stand today.

1.      In a previous lesson, we looked at three:

a.      Disrespect of Authority

b.      Lawlessness

c.       Prejudice/Racism

2.      In this lesson, we want to look at two more things against which we must stand.

 

I.                   ABORTION

 

A.    Definition

1.      Abort:  to cease or stop at a premature time

a.      Those who have abortions usually have the mindset that they are ceasing a pregnancy.

b.      They do not like to think about the fact that they are stopping a life.

a)      The heart quits beating.

b)      The blood quits flowing.

c)      The brain ceases to be active.

d)     The body quits moving.

2.      Abortion: 

a.      It comes from a Latin word which means “to disappear.”

b.      Dictionary.com:  To bring forth a fetus from the uterus before the fetus is viable

1)      Bring forth

2)      Fetus/Pregnancy tissue

3)      Uterus

4)      Viable

c.       What if the definition was:  “to kill an unborn child in the womb of the mother by one of several different processes:  medication, saline solution, suction, knife, or forceps”

 

B.      Why have abortions?

1.      The health of the mother

2.      The baby has health problems

3.      A mother’s right to choose

a.      Not ready to be a mother

b.      Not financially able to care for a child

c.       Do not want more children

4.      Do not want others to know about sexual practices

5.      Others encourage the individual to have an abortion:  significant other, family

6.      A victim of rape

 

C.     Why we MUST stand against abortion?

1.      It is the taking of human life.

a.      Common sense: 

1)      There is only one way for a baby to come into the world.

2)      The egg of a female must come into contact with the fertilizer of the male.

3)      When they unite, there is conception.  What is it that begins to form within the womb?

a)      It is called by three names scientifically:  zygote, embryo, and fetus.

b)      It is called by one name by mothers and fathers:  their baby.

4)      If this is not a baby, what is it?  Flesh?  Tissue?  A Mass?

5)      The only difference between the child at conception and the child at birth is nine months of growth in the mother’s womb.

6)      A woman will not usually know she is pregnant until she is six or seven weeks into the pregnancy.  Here is a picture of the child at seven weeks of age.  (NOTE:  By this time, there is usually a heartbeat that can be detected).

 

7 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms - Baby at 7 Weeks

 

b.      God’s word reveals that a baby is a baby whether in the womb or out of the womb.

1)      Jesus was referred to as a babe (Greek – brephos) in Luke 2:12.

 

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

 

2)      John the Baptist was referred to as a babe (Greek – brephos) while he was in the womb in Luke 1:41.

 

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.

 

3)      NOTE:  If it is a baby in the womb and not just a glob of cells, then the taking of that life is murder. 

a)      Murder is condemned by God (Exo. 20:13).

 

Thou shalt not kill.

 

b)      Murder is listed among the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21).

 

…of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

2.      It opens the door for the destruction of more human life.

a.      If we are willing to take one human life, we will be willing to take other life.

1)      Babies to whom mothers have given birth

2)      Elderly people who are not considered profitable to society

3)      Sickly individuals

4)      People considered inferior due to their race

5)      Individuals who refuse to support a certain political viewpoint

b.      II Timothy 3:13

 

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

 

II.                THE LGBTQ AGENDA

 

A.    The LGBTQ agenda dates back to November, 1987.  An article was written in Guide, a magazine for homosexuals, entitled:  “The Overhauling of Straight America,” by Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen.  In that article, they laid out a blueprint to change the attitudes the American public has toward homosexuals and homosexuality.

1.      In 1989, that blueprint was expanded into a 398 page book entitled:  After the Ball:  How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 90s

2.      The LGBTQ began with desensitization, then moved to acceptance.  From there, they sought to proselytize others, especially our children, into their movement.

3.      In the article, six steps were laid out to accomplish their agenda:

a)      Talk about gays and gayness as loudly and as often as possible.

b)      Portray gays as “victims,” not aggressive challengers.

c)      Give protectors a just cause.

d)     Make gays look good.

e)      Make the victimizers look bad.

f)       Solicit funds:  The buck stops here.

 

B.      They have been very successful in achieving their agenda.

1.      Most of us know one or more associated with the LGTBQ community.  It may be someone from our family.

2.      The media presents the LGBTQ community in a positive light.  They also present those who oppose those lifestyles as intolerant, unloving, haters, and evil.

3.      Multitudes of commercials feature gays.

4.      Children’s books have been written that approve of the gay lifestyle:  Mommy, Moma, and Me, Daddy, Papa, and Me, Keesha and Her Two Moms Go Swimming, and The Different Dragon.

5.      Movies:

a.      Gay movies:  Portrait of A Lady on Fire, Moonlight, A Fantastic Woman (transgender)

b.      Children movies: Disney’s “Onward” has a character, Officer Specter who is gay, and Valkyrie in the movie, Thor:  Love and Thunder, is bi-sexual.

6.      On many TV programs, especially the talent programs, gays tell their stories of fear, ridicule, and rejection.

7.      June is Gay Pride month.  October is LGBTQ History Month

8.      The LGBTQ community is supported heavily by large corporations:  Starbucks, Target, Ben & Jerry’s, Disney, Hallmark, and Apple.

 

C.     Christians must stand against the lifestyles of the LGBTQ community because of the plain teachings of God’s Word.

1.      God showed His contempt for these lifestyles when He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18 & 19. 

a.      Some say that the reason God believed they were evil is because they aggressively forced themselves on others.

b.      Not so.  The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are described evil from the time Lot moved into their vicinity (Gen. 13:13).

 

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before God exceedingly.

 

2.      The Old Law condemned homosexuality with the death penalty (Lev. 18:22; 20:13)

 

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind:  it is abomination….If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination:  they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

 

3.      The New Testament is also clear that homosexuality is sinful (Rom. 1:26-27).

 

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections:  for even the women did change the natural use in that which is against nature:  and likewise the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.

 

a.      Vile affections

b.      Change the natural use

c.       Against nature

d.      Burned in their lust

e.       That which is unseemly

f.        Their error

4.      NOTE:  We should never hate the people who are caught up in these sins.  However, we can never approve of the sin in which they are engaged.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.    In this lesson, we have looked at two huge moral issues:  abortion and homosexuality.

 

B.      Both of these practices violate the clear teachings of God’s Word.

 

C.     They are spiritual issues, but they have been cast into the realm of politics. 

1.      Because of this some scream:  “Separation of church and State.” 

2.      What they fail to understand is that it is the State that has tried to highjack these issues away from religion.

3.      Christians will not let this happen.  They will not allow the State to determine what is sin and what is not sin.  God’s Word makes those determinations.

 

D.    Christians have been told to stand against all sin (Eph. 5:11).  Since abortion and the LGBTQ practices are sinful, we will oppose them with every fiber of our being.