Secret Church 11 Live-Blog: Session 4

11:21 pm – David is getting started this last session with the issue of homosexuality. He talks about certain ways the world thinks about this issue (innate, fixed, loving, Christian, and biblical).

Now, he is showing how that is counter what Scripture says. Remember that sin disorders our worship and belief.

Those who argue for the legitimacy of homosexuality have to conclude that the Bible is either irrelevant or inaccurate.

Americans advocate tolerance but are intolerant when others respectfully disagree. We exchange truth for tolerance.

We have exchanged sexual responsibility for supposed rights. Likewise, we’ve exchanged what Scriptures says about our desires with what science says. Improper sexual desire is immoral, not inevitable. Causation does not imply justification. We don’t always choose our temptation, but we do choose our reactions.

How does the gospel speak to this issue? It reorders our worship. It renews our belief. It refreshes our desire and redeems our behavior.

Homosexuality and the church: Look in (avoid “selective moral outrage”). Look out (express humble compassion and conviction). Look up: It’s not about winning arguments but winning souls. Exalt God’s glory and proclaim His gospel.

Abortion

11:40pm – What does abortion say about God? It’s an attack on His authority as Creator and an assault on His work in creation. He is going through several reasons typically offered in justification of abortion and he is showing their flaws in light of Scripture.

A modern day holocaust is abortion as it happens almost every second of everyday. Abortion is primarily a God issue. Abortion is an assault on the beauty that God is forming. The womb destroys what God is creating in His image.

Government has the right to establish morality. It is cultural suicide to allow people to do whatever they want to do. It is a good thing for us to oppose evil. To be neutral about killing innocent children is to be guilty of sin.

Abortion and the Gospel: God is the Judge of sin, but He is the Savior of sinners! He is encouraging the church to step up and speak out. He forgives entirely and heals deeply. God redeems fully and redeems evil for good.

The Gospel and Polygamy

12:01am (The timeline is just a guide) – What does polygamy have to do with God? Remember the divine pattern for marriage is one man and one woman. There is also the divine prohibition of polygamy. Why? It breeds idolatry (Solomon), brings disharmony (Jacob). But there is a divine provision for polygamy in the Old Testament that is not an endorsement.

What about polygamy in the church? It disqualifies from church leadership, but a polygamist can be a church member (1 Cor. 6:9-11). The gospel calls us to avoid polygamy but to encourage polygamists regarding salvation in Christ.

Now we’re on to the issue of pornography. Here are his gospel exhortations grounded in the truth of Scripture.

First, the character of God. (Be zealous for God’s name. Acknowledge your sexual drive is a good gift from God.)

Second, the sinfulness of man. (Run from temptation. Even one sin merits infinite damnation. Guard yourself with gospel friendships and accountability.)

Third, the character of Christ. (Fight tempting images with the image of Christ dying for your sin. Consider Christ’s compassion for people. Don’t exploit or abuse them.

Fourth, the necessity of faith. (Believe that God is for you. Memorize Scripture.)

Fifth, the urgency of eternity. (Ponder the destruction of sexual sin. Ponder the eternal delight of future joy.)

The Gospel & Pornography

12:08am (Moving a little faster) – The goal is to abstain from the passions of the flesh 1 Peter 2:11

10 Gospel Exhortations

1 – Cultivate zeal for God. – 1 Cor. 10:31

2 – Acknowledge your sexual drive as good. – Gen 2:24-25

3- Run from every temptation – Romans 5:12-21

4 – Guard yourself with godly friendships – Heb 3:12-13

5 – Contemplate the price Christ paid for your purity – 1 Peter 1:13-19

6 – Consider the compassion Christ has for souls of men and women. Pray for them and don’t exploit them. – Mat 9:36

7 – Believe that God is for you. – Psalm 84:11-12

8 – Memorize and meditate on Scripture – Pslam 119:9-11

9 – Ponder the eternal danger and destruction – Matthew 5:27-30

10- Ponder the eternal delight and joy associated with future salvation. – Psalm 16:11

Special Issues

Sexual Distinction &  Sexual Sin in the Church to be covered later online. Skipping straight to Satisfaction in Marriage.

12:15am - What does sexual satisfaction in marriage look like? It’s relational, exclusive, and intimate. He’s quoting from Song of Solomon. It’s not just a union of bodies, but of souls. It’s selfless, complex, and complementary.

Sex is about serving the other not about self service. The goal is to be complementary of your spouse.

We should pursue a Biblical modesty. No touching allowed in any situation and circumstance outside God’s design in sex. We should guard our mouth as well. Anything otherwise is a pursuit of selfish gratification.

There are gospel prohibitions on sex. No sex outside of marriage. Worshipping sex is prohibited. (It’s good, but not God.) Other prohibitions: no homosexuality, no sex with animals, relatives or children. No sexual violence. In matters of the heart, sexual lust is forbidden, as well as immodesty.

What about self-stimulated sex? The reasons it’s wrong parallel and contrast with the picture of sexual satisfaction in marriage: individual, lustful, superficial, fruitless, self-centered, not complex and not complementary.

12:28am – Song of Solomon provides a picture of gospel celebration. It’s a demonstration of the goodness and beauty of sexual love. It also shows the cautions of sexual love.

David is showing the parallel of the King and His Bride in Ephesians. Humble devotion (He has sought us) and historic expectation. Sacrificial consummation (He gave Himself for us) leads to total satisfaction. Now, we live in continuous expectation.

Now, he’s wrapping up with the vision of the Bride and King in Revelation. There, we see continual devotion, hopeful expectation, and glorious consummation. We live in consuming anticipation for Christ’s coming.