Tuesday, February 26, 2019

The Nazarite Vow and the Christian Life Numbers 6:1-8


The Nazarite Vow and the Christian Life

Text: Numbers 6:1-8

Audio Link 

Introduction:  Marines in paratroops training.


A detachment of marines were assigned to the Army for paratroops training.  On the first day. they were called to assemble for a description of the assignment.   Before them stood the instructor and he began to describe the first jump.

"Men, you will fly over the target at 20,000 ft.  On my command the door will be opened and one by one you will be given the jump command.  Are there any questions?"

Several of the marines huddled together for a moment and seemed to be discussing something very intently.

"You, men what's the problem?  If you have a question speak up."  the instructor ordered.

One of the men stepped forward, "Sir, we were wondering if the pilot could fly over the target just a little bit lower.

"If, the plane is any lower the parachutes won't have time to open and deploy, marine."

"Oh! We're wearing parachutes, sir!"

Let's talk this morning about the Nazarites, kind of the Old Testament Marines, spiritually speaking.    Let's read...

Numbers 6:1-8
 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:  He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.  All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.  All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.  All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.  He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.  All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.

Denial of Self 

Numbers 6:3-4
He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.  All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.

The Nazarite was to abstain from anything from the vine.


The word Nazarite means a consecrated or separated one. The Nazarite in the Old Testament was one who for a certain period of time dedicated his life and body completely to the Lord. The vow of the Nazarite was usually undertaken spontaneously, and only for time period chosen by the one taking the vow. Some Jewish writings mention periods of 30, 60 or 100 days, but the Bible has no set time, it was left up to the individual. The term nāzîr, which gives us the title Nazarite, means "to separate," and in this context it means to separate to the Lord. Further the Nazarite was to separate from some physical things as he separated himself to his God. The Nazarite, while he kept his vow, was a physical symbol of spiritual dedication and separation from the people of Israel to see. He would symbolize what they all should be a "kingdom of priests and an holy nation" (Ex 19:6) dedicated to Jehovah.

There seem to be three lifetime Nazarites mentioned in the Bible, Samson, Samuel and John the Baptist. Samson is very obvious the other two are a pretty good guess.

Samson in Judges 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

Samuel in 1 Samuel 1:11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

John the Baptist in Luke 1:13-15 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.  And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.  For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

Jesus was not a Nazarite and you don’t want to confuse the place he was raised, Nazareth, with the vow of a Nazarite. Jesus was not a Nazarite because he touched the dead and drank wine. He was a Nazarene but not a Nazarite. And though a Nazarite could come from Nazareth, just because you might be a Nazarene, that does not make you a Nazarite. (Not to be nitpicky but nothing and nobody necessitates the need of never neglecting the nomenclature more than the niceties and nuances of Nazarite and Nazareth.)

It is fairly easy to that the Nazarite was to separate to God but why the separation from all things pertaining to the grapevine? Again, if this was just a separation from intoxicating drink, then it would be easy to understand since a Nazarite dedicating themselves to the Lord should only be under the control and direction of the Lord. He should be elevated by His God not debased by drunkenness and without self-control.  

But there is a greater symbol here, the grapevine and all that came from it, represented Israel safe and prosperous. Grapevines could not be grown, or cultivated when a nation was at war, or when times were difficult. Viticulture was a yearlong process, and to raise up a vineyard took years from the time of planting to the time grapes could be harvested enough to make a good crop. Each season the vinedresser would have to prune, cultivate, and replant. Processing the grapes into juice or raisins took even more time. To have a vineyard able to produce grapes meant you had stability, and a nation that had flourishing vineyards was a nation at peace and prospering. The Bible speaks of such peace and prosperity as “every man under his vine and under his fig tree.”

Scripture
1Kings 4:25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

In the Nazarite Vow, God took away that sense of stability and prosperity. Took it away from one physical thing that represented those values and made the man or woman taking the vow realize that they would trust not in things, but in their God. They were to deny themselves, their possessions, their land, their crops and instead trust only in God. To the Nazarite the denial of everything from the grapevine showed their denial of self and their reliance on God.

Sole Means of Support


So what can I learn or apply to my Christian life from the Nazarite vow? Well first it should remind me that as New Testament believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we even more than a Nazarite should be separated unto God and separated from our dependence upon this world and its possessions.

Should we as Christians today, separate ourselves from alcohol? Yes, because it can be a deadly poison to your health and a cancer to your family, but even more than that it is something that represents the world and its sin. Also, we should understand that before you can separate yourself from this world you must separate yourself to God. If you get this backwards you will fail in both. Nor is it just alcohol I should be aware of if I am to be dedicated in service to God. What other things are my means of support, the things that control me, the things that make me feel at peace and prosperous in my life? Does my job, my education, my talent, my creativity, my intelligence, my ability, my bank account, my home, my retirement funds make me feel like I’m dwelling under my grape vine and sitting under my fig tree?

(Somehow, I don’t think that saying is going to catch on again. “Hey, Jack. How are things going for you? Well pretty good. I’m dwelling under my grapevine and sitting under my fig tree.” I like it but I just don’t think its going to catch on.)

The saying may not catch on, but the idea behind it should be remembered, our prosperity, our safety is not based upon what we have or own but upon the One who owns us, the one we have separated ourselves to.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:24. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 

“Let him deny himself, Jesus said. The Christian should know, just as the Nazarite came to know through his vow, that our peace, our support, our prosperity must come from God before it comes from anything He might bless us with. It must be understood that God makes it possible to dwell under your grape vine and sit under your fig tree. (yeah, not going to catch on, but it sounds so good.)
How many of us would be willing to pray, "Lord knock the props, the supports out from under my life that I may learn that you and you only are my sole means of support, that you and you only control me.” I don’t blame you that not praying that prayer, I’m not comfortable with it either, but that’s okay because it’s probably going to happen anyway and probably more than once. This world has a way of knocking us to our knees and from that position its very easy to look up and know, “God you are my hope, and my strength. You only are my foundation and the rock I stand on.”

Illustration:  Livingstone wouldn't go back with Stanley.


David Livingstone was a famous Scotts missionary, explorer and national hero of Britain in 1864 he returned to Africa to continue to explore find the source of the Nile and try to use his influence to stop the slave trade. Months turned into years and all news from the missionary stopped. No one knew where he was, or if he was alive or now a prisoner of those he had tried to free with the Gospel of Christ.

Henry Stanley was a Welshman who had come to America at 15, fought in the Civil War and as a journalist reported on the Indian wars of the west. When he returned from the West his editor sent him to Africa to try and find the missing Livingstone. He left in 1871 and after almost 8 months of searching found Livingstone in a small African village, in bad health and desperate to hear news from home. Stanley tried to get Livingstone to go home with him, but he refused for he did not feel his work was done.

In his dairy that night he wrote. "My Jesus, my King, My Life, my all, I again dedicate my whole self to Thee. Accept me and grant O gracious Father, that ere the year is done I may finish my work.  In Jesus name, Amen."  A year later he was found beside his cot, on his knees dead. It appeared he had died in the midst praying to the God he had trusted and served for all his life.
Here was a Christian who had separated himself from the world and was relying only upon God.

Transition:
Let’s look at the second requirement of a Nazarite in vs. 5 of Numbers 6

Dedication of the Body 


Numbers 6:5
 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.

The Nazarite Would look Different


They were not to cut their hair or if a man not to cut his hair nor beard during their vow. (If this was true in our church today, some in our membership have taken on a very long vow, stretching to a few years by now.)

The Nazarite at the end of the vow would shave their head and then burn the hair upon the altar under the other offerings they would bring at the end of the vow.

The long hair and long, untrimmed beards would be an outward sign of their consecration and dedication to God.

According to Amos 2:11, where God says, “And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites.” it appears that in times of spiritual or national need that God would rise up the Nazarites as physical reminders of their need of God or perhaps even as warriors to act as champions fighting for God.

Their long hair and beards marked them as special, dedicated and unique people serving their God.
Outstanding Christians Stand Out

Now I am not going to advocate that we all start growing our hair and beards long to stand out. I for one would have a serious handicap in the hair category, but what we can apply from this part of the Nazarite vow is that God’s people should stand out. In other words, Christians should look and act differently than the sinful world around us. In everything we do, act and even in our dress we are to show the one we are dedicated to. We should outwardly show Jesus Christ.

Scripture; Lets do a quick survey of this truth in 1 Peter starting at 1 Peter 2:9

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of  darkness into his marvellous light:  (I know what you’re thinking, there is nobody more peculiar than Independent Baptists. Well don’t be ashamed of that, own it.)    We are to know that we are unique, peculiar to our God.

Stand out by a lifestyle of good works. - 1 Peter 2:11  Dearly beloved, I beseech you as  strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they  may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

We should standout through inner beauty - 1 Peter 3:1. Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. 3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of  putting on of apparel; 4 But let it be the hidden man  of the heart, in that  which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in  the sight of God of great price.

Standout by our Unity - 1Peter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
In other words, this is our overriding concern, that we show God is in our life by the way we live our life, by the way others see our outward life.

Does this affect the way you talk, the way you dress, the way you act, the way you live? Yes, it truly does, it truly must. If we are talking, dressing, acting or living like the world, then we are not showing God in our lives and through our lives. Christians should not be afraid to stand out as Christians.

 Illustration:  Christian and Faithful in Vanity Fair


Then I saw in my dream, that when they were got out of the wilderness, they presently saw a town before them, and the name of that town is Vanity; and at the town there is a fair kept, called Vanity Fair. It is kept all the year long. It beareth the name of Vanity Fair, because the town where it is kept is lighter than vanity, and also because all that is there sold, or that cometh thither, is vanity;  ..at this fair are all such merchandise sold as houses, lands, trades, places, honors, preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures; and delights of all sorts, as harlots, wives, husbands, children, masters, servants, lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, precious stones, and what not. And moreover, at this fair there is at all times to be seen jugglings, cheats, games, plays, fools, apes, knaves, and rogues, and that of every kind. Here are to be seen, too, and that for nothing, thefts, murders, adulteries, false-swearers, and that of a blood-red color.

Now, these pilgrims, as I said, must needs go through this fair. Well, so they did; but behold, even as they entered into the fair, all the people in the fair were moved; and the town itself, as it were, in a hubbub about them, and that for several reasons: for,

First, The Pilgrims were clothed with such kind of raiment as was diverse from the raiment of any that traded in that fair. The people, therefore, of the fair made a great gazing upon them: some said they were fools; some, they were bedlams; and some, they were outlandish men.
Secondly, And as they wondered at their apparel, so they did likewise at their speech; for few could understand what they said. They naturally spoke the language of Heaven; but they that kept the fair were the men of this world: so that from one end of the fair to the other, they seemed barbarians each to the other.

Thirdly, But that which did not a little amuse the merchandisers was, that these pilgrims set very light by all their wares. They cared not so much as to look upon them; and if they called upon them to buy, they would put their fingers in their ears, and cry, "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity," and look upward, signifying that their trade and traffic was in heaven.

At last, things came to an hubbub and great stir in the fair, insomuch that all order was confounded. So the men were brought to examination; and they that sat upon them asked them whence they came, whither they went, and what they did there in such an unusual garb. The men told them they were pilgrims and strangers in the world, and that they were going to their own country, which was the heavenly Jerusalem, and that they had given no occasion to the men of the town, to abuse them, and to let them in their journey…. But they did not believe them to be any other than crazy and mad. Therefore they took them and beat them, and smeared them with dirt, and then put them into a cage, that they might be made a spectacle to all the men of the fair. There, they lay for some time, and were made the objects of any man's sport, or malice, or revenge; ….Then were these two poor men brought before their examiners and were charged as being guilty of the riot that had been in the fair. So they beat them pitifully, and hanged irons upon them, and led them in chains up and down the fair, for an example and terror to others, lest any should speak in their behalf, or join themselves unto them. But Christian and Faithful behaved themselves yet more wisely and received the ignominy and shame that was cast upon them with so much meekness and patience, that it won to their side several of the men in the fair. This put the others into a greater rage, insomuch that they planned the death of these two men. Wherefore they threatened that they should die for the abuse they had done, and for deluding the men of the fair.

... When the time was come, they were brought before their enemies and arraigned. The judge's name was Lord Hate-good; their indictment was …this: "That they were enemies to, and disturbers of, the trade; that they had made commotions and divisions in the town and had won a party to their own dangerous opinions, in contempt of the law of their prince."

Then Faithful began to answer, “I have only set myself against that which had set itself against Him that is higher than the highest. And, …as for disturbance, I make none, being myself a man of peace: the parties that were won to us, were won by beholding our truth and innocence, and they are only turned from the worse to the better. And as to the king you talk of, since he is Beelzebub, the enemy of our Lord, I defy him and all his angels! - The Pilgrim's Progress.

Transition:
Faithful and Christian did nothing except standout because they were different from Vanity fair, but in this sinful world that will be enough. Finally, lets look at verses 6-8.

Designation of Life 


Numbers 6:6-8
 All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.  He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.  All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.

The Nazarite Was to Avoid The Dead


The Nazarite, was a representation of the living God of Israel, therefore, he could not be associated with death while he was under the Nazarite vow.
He could not attend funerals even if they were his own family. If he accidentally came in contact with a dead body, he was to cut his hair and begin the vow anew.

He was to be holy and represent the living God and nothing could interfere with that message and symbol.

Let The Dead Bury The Dead


 We as Christians are also separated ones in this world. The word Holy means separated and the word saint comes from that some root meaning. As an holy people, as saints we should not let the death of sin and this world obscure the image of God we represent.

No Contamination - 2 Corinthians 7:1. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

No fellowship. - Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

No love - 1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

No entanglements – 2 Timothy 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

Christians are not to be associated with this dead world but instead be yoked, joined to, Christ.

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  30 For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.
In case you don’t realize it, there is only room for one other in our yoke. We cannot be be joined to this world and joined to the Lord Jesus Christ at the same time.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; …

 Illustration:  My Grandfather calls about going to Bible College.


"Let the Dead bury the dead." It was the most direct challenge I had ever had about surrendering and serving God. Do you know what happened? Well you should because I’m standing here and not in Yuma, Arizona cleaning swimming pools. This year is LeeOra’s and my 40th year serving the Lord as pastor and wife. We let the dead bury the dead and separated ourselves to the Lord and his service.

Conclusion:        

 Completion of the Vow


The Nazirite who came to the end of the time of their vow, would come to the high priest with offerings and sacrifices. First a year-old ewe lamb was offered for a sin offering, because even though he was separated to the Lord, the Nazirite was not sinless. Then a year-old male lamb was offered as a burnt offering, this was a symbol of complete dedication God. Then with a basket of unleavened bread, a ram was given for a peace offering, which represented fellowship, also was given a meal offering and the drink offering.  The bread and the peace offering would be part of a fellowship meal that the now finished Nazarite would share with others. The priest and his family would also take their share of the offerings, as God had appointed that this was how the workers of the tabernacle and temple were supported.

I believe that the Christian, in a sense should see themselves as lifelong Nazarites, no not through the physical things, like abstaining from grapes, the growing of hair and beards or the prohibition against contact with the dead, but a lifelong commitment to being dedicated to God and separated from this world as those who are a holy priesthood as a people. To hold to that application then, at the end of our life we also would come before our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ and there we would give our sacrifices our offerings to him. But what could we give, not a ram or bread, those things were but symbols. We now at the end of our life must present something real, to the one who we have served with our life. I thin we see a picture of this final offering to the Lord in …

Revelation 4:8-11
 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.  And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,  The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

At the completion of our vow, the end of our time on earth, the only thing we can offering is the crown of life, laid at the feet of our Savior. That crown which was the reward of all that we did, in this life, all that we sacrificed, all that we gave all that we suffered, the very life we lived and the death we died will be laid at the feet of our Savior who gave all for us.

For some the crown will be forged in a moment of great sacrifice and martyrdom, others from a long life lived faithfully and humbly in obscure service. Some crowns will be but a golden circlet while others will surpass the most elaborate crowns of any monarch on earth. But no matter the leanness or the greatness, every crown will be laid at the feet of Jesus. That will be my sacrifice, my offering at the end of my life. I pray that in God’s grace and strength I will have live that life dedicated to Him.

Friday, February 22, 2019

I Know Its a Sin, but is it really that bad? #2 Homosexuality


I Know Its a Sin, but is it really that bad? 

Lesson 2 Homosexuality

The Sin

God’s command and plan for the physical union of men and women.
Genesis 1:27-28
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Genesis 9:1 
And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

From the very beginning, the command of God was for man and woman to be married and have children. There is no other type of sexual union hinted at or allowed in these commands.

Biblical Passages dealing with Homosexuality


Leviticus 18:20-30
Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her.  And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.  Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. (Heb. to’ebah, something morally disgusting) Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion (perversion).  Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:  And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.  Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:  (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)  That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.  For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.  Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.

Commentary

The perversions mentioned here and in verse 23 can not produce offspring, and thus they defeat the purpose for which mankind was given such responsibility and capability. This, therefore, is rebellion both against God and against a God-ordered society. - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
The sexual sin of homosexuality is in the same section that prohibits incest, bestiality and child sacrifice. If we would not accept the other sexual sins then why would we accept homosexuality? All these sexual sins are considered a perversion to God and the reason He drove the inhabitants of the land of Canaan out before the Israelite. These sins bring God’s judgment upon the entire nation, not just the individual.

The implication of these verses is also that violation of the sexual code pollutes both the people and the land, requiring a cleansing process that will drive them out and allow resettlement by the Israelites. - The IVP Bible Background Commentary – Old Testament.

"Detestable" (Leviticus 18:22). The word used here to describe homosexual acts is ʿebah. It expresses strong revulsion, and is used of practices that are morally rather than ritually disgusting to God. Prov. 6:17-19 lists seven other ʿebahs, including "hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes," and "feet that are quick to rush into evil." To God, homosexuality is hardly an "alternative lifestyle." - Bible Reader's Companion.

Jude 1:7
 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Romans 1:24-28
 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness (dishonorable, degrading passions) through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:  And likewise also 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 recompence of their error which was meet.  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate (depraved, debased) mind, to do those things which are not convenient (not fitting, should not be done, not proper);

Commentary:

Romans 1:26-27. Also God gave them over to shameful lusts (lit., "passions of disgrace"). This involved, as the text states, both sexes engaging in homosexual instead of heterosexual relationships. Women deliberately exchanged natural relations (with men in marriage) for unnatural ones (with other women). This is the second "exchange" the unregenerate made (cf. v. 25). Men... were inflamed with lust (orexei, "sexual lust," used only here in the NT and differing from the more common word for lust in v. 26).

The words translated women and men in these verses are the sexual words "females" and "males." Contemporary homosexuals insist that these verses mean that it is perverse for a heterosexual male or female to engage in homosexual relations but it is not perverse for a homosexual male or female to do so since homosexuality is such a person's natural preference. This is strained exegesis unsupported by the Bible. The only natural sexual relationship the Bible recognizes is a heterosexual one (Gen. 2:21-24; Matt. 19:4-6) within marriage. All homosexual relations constitute sexual perversion and are subject to God's judgment. Such lustful and indecent acts have within them the seeds of punishment (due penalty). - The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (men dressing and acting like women), nor abusers of themselves with mankind (Grk. arsenokoitēs – from two words male and bed, homosexuals), Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Timothy 1:8-11
 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind (homosexuals), for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;  According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

The Bad


Homosexuals molest children at far higher rates than heterosexuals.
Homosexuals comprise perhaps two to three percent of the population, yet according to the Journal of Sex Research, homosexual pedophiles are responsible for 33% of all child sex offenses. Homosexuals molest children at 10 times the rate of heterosexuals, and that’s at a minimum.

Homosexual May Be Made but not by God


People become homosexual because they were sexually abused as children or there was a deficiency in sex-role modeling by their parents. Initial sexual experiences have a powerful imprinting affect on the psyche of young children. Being abused by a same-sex adult leaves a child enormously confused and conflicted about his own sexuality. And counselors have long observed a connection between distant fathers, overbearing mothers, and homosexual tendencies in males who grow up in such households.  One study has found that 70% of all gay men were sexually abused as boys.

Homosexuals don’t live nearly as long as heterosexuals.

According to an extensive study of the homosexual community in Vancouver, B.C. published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, active participation in the homosexual lifestyle will rob an individual of a significant portion of his life span. Say the researchers, “[L]ife expectancy at age 20 years for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men.” In fact, they observe that participation in the homosexual lifestyle knocks life expectancy for a Canadian male back to what it was in 1871.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that homosexuals are 50 to 60 times more likely to become infected with AIDS than other groups.
The FDA will not allow a male to donate blood if he has had sex even one time with another male in the last 33 years. The risk of contaminating the nation’s blood supply is simply too great. The FDA cannot afford to be politically correct when it comes to the nation’s health.

And the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has found that of all the males who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the history of the epidemic, 91% of them got it either through having sex with other males or through injection drug abuse.

Citing a 1999 report released by the Institute of Medicine, the homosexual newspaper The Washington Blade notes that "various studies on Lesbian health suggest that certain cancer risk factors occur with greater frequency in this population. These factors include higher rates of smoking, alcohol use, poor diet, and being overweight." Elsewhere the Blade also reports: "Some experts believe Lesbians might be more likely than women in general to develop breast or cervical cancer because a disproportionate number of them fall into high-risk categories."

In a study of the medical records of 1,408 lesbians, the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections found that women who have sexual relations with womenare at significantly higher risk for certain sexually transmitted diseases: "We demonstrated a higher prevalence of bv (bacterial vaginosis), hepatitis C, and HIV risk behaviors in WSW as compared with controls."

Homosexuals are more prone to be mentally ill and to abuse drugs and alcohol.


Even the pro-homosexual Gay and Lesbian Medical Association admits that homosexuals “use substances at a higher rate than the general population,” have “higher rates of alcohol dependence and abuse,” and are subject to higher rates of “depression and anxiety.” Homosexual activists attempt to blame homophobia for this, but the same trends are evident even in Scandinavian countries where homosexuality has received virtually unanimous societal approval  for decades.

The Journal of the American Medical Association concluded as follows: “The findings support the assumption that people with same-sex sexual behavior are at greater risk for psychiatric disorders," which include “mood disorders” and “anxiety disorders.”

The New York Times declared, “Studies have indicated that gay men are more likely than the general population to have health problems like substance abuse, depression and some infectious diseases.” The Times added that a study published in the American Journal of Public Health “found higher rates of substance abuse and major depression among men with male sexual partners than among heterosexual men.”

The Massachusetts’ Department of Public Health, probably the most pro-homosexual health department in the country, published what it called a “look at health disparities based on sexual orientation.” The report revealed significant disparities among people who identified as homosexual or bisexual in the areas of access to care, self-reported health status, anxiety, depression, suicide ideation, smoking, binge drinking, illicit drug use, sexual assault victimization, intimate partner violence, disability, obesity, asthma and heart disease.” Who is the AFA to argue with the Massachusetts’ Department of Public Health?

The pro-gay website PrideSource referred to the LGBT community as “a community that has higher rates of mental health and substance abuse problems.” And the website gaywired.com, in its list of “Ten things gay men need to know,” says, “Gay men use substances at a higher rate than the general population,” and adds, “Depression and anxiety appear to affect gay men at a higher rate than in the general population.”

A study published in Nursing Research found that lesbians are three times more likely to abuse alcohol and to suffer from other compulsive behaviors: "Like most problem drinkers, 32 (91 percent) of the participants had abused other drugs as well as alcohol, and many reported compulsive difficulties with food (34 percent), codependency (29 percent), sex (11 percent), and money (6 percent)." In addition, "Forty-six percent had been heavy drinkers with frequent drunkenness."
The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychologists reports that lesbian women consume alcohol more frequently, and in larger amounts, than heterosexual women.[65] Lesbians were at significantly greater risk than heterosexual women for both binge drinking (19.4 percent compared to 11.7 percent), and for heavy drinking (7 percent compared to 2.7 percent).

Although the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychologists article found no significant connection between male homosexuals and alcohol abuse, a study in Family Planning Perspective concluded that male homosexuals were at greatly increased risk for alcoholism: "Among men, by far the most important risk group consisted of homosexual and bisexual men, who were more than nine times as likely as heterosexual men to have a history of problem drinking." The study noted that problem drinking may contribute to the "significantly higher STD rates among gay and bisexual men."

Violence in Lesbian and Homosexual Relationships.

A study in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence examined conflict and violence in lesbian relationships. The researchers found that 90 percent of the lesbians surveyed had been recipients of one or more acts of verbal aggression from their intimate partners during the year prior to this study, with 31 percent reporting one or more incidents of physical abuse.
In a survey of 1,099 lesbians, the Journal of Social Service Research found that "slightly more than half of the [lesbians] reported that they had been abused by a female lover/partner. The most frequently indicated forms of abuse were verbal/emotional/psychological abuse and combined physical-psychological abuse."

In their book Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them: Battered Gay Men and Domestic Violence,D. Island and P. Letellier report that "the incidence of domestic violence among gay men is nearly double that in the heterosexual population."

Compare the Low Rate of Intimate Partner Violence within Marriage. Homosexual and lesbian relationships are far more violent than are traditional married households:
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (U.S. Department of Justice) reports that married women in traditional families experience the lowest rate of violence compared with women in other types of relationships.

A report by the Medical Institute for Sexual Health concurred, It should be noted that most studies of family violence do not differentiate between married and unmarried partner status. Studies that do make these distinctions have found that marriage relationships tend to have the least intimate partner violence when compared to cohabiting or dating relationships.

No one is born a homosexual.

No researcher has ever even claimed to have discovered the “gay gene.”

It is not a “normal” love or lifestyle.
Studies indicate that the average male homosexual has hundreds of sex partners in his lifetime:
A.P. Bell and M.S. Weinberg, in their classic study of male and female homosexuality, found that 43 percent of white male homosexuals had sex with 500 or more partners, with 28 percent having 1,000 or more sex partners.

In their study of the sexual profiles of 2,583 older homosexuals published in Journal of Sex Research, Paul Van de Ven et al., found that only 2.7 percent claimed to have had sex with one partner only. The most common response, given by 21.6 percent of the respondents, was of having a hundred-one to five hundred lifetime sex partners.

A survey conducted by the homosexual magazine Genre found that 24 percent of the respondents said they had had more than a hundred sexual partners in their lifetime. The magazine noted that several respondents suggested including a category of those who had more than a thousand sexual partners.
In his study of male homosexuality in Western Sexuality: Practice and Precept in Past and Present Times, M. Pollak found that "few homosexual relationships last longer than two years, with many men reporting hundreds of lifetime partners."

Promiscuity among Homosexual Couples. Even in those homosexual relationships in which the partners consider themselves to be in a committed relationship, the meaning of "committed" typically means something radically different from marriage.

In The Male Couple, authors David P. McWhirter and Andrew M. Mattison reported that in a study of a hundred-fifty-six males in homosexual relationships lasting from one to thirty-seven years,
Only seven couples have a totally exclusive sexual relationship, and these men all have been together for less than five years. Stated another way, all couples with a relationship lasting more than five years have incorporated some provision for outside sexual activity in their relationships.

Conclusion

In 1947, Sociologist and historian Dr. Carle Zimmerman, in his book Family and Civilization, noted eight factors that have preceded the downfall of EVERY major civilization:
1. Marriage lost its sacredness; it was frequently broken by divorce.
2. Traditional meaning of the marriage ceremony was lost. Alternate forms and definitions of marriage arose, and traditional marriage vows were replaced by individual marriage contracts.
3. Feminist movements appeared, and women lost interest in child bearing and mothering, preferring to pursue power and influence.
4. Public disrespect for parents and authority in general increased.
5. Juvenile delinquency, promiscuity, and rebellion accelerated.
6. People with traditional marriages refused to accept family responsibilities.
7. Desire for and acceptance of adultery grew.
8. Increased tolerance for sexual perversions of all kinds, particularly homosexuality, with a resultant increase in sex-related crimes.

Few, except the most radical or ignorant, would argue that the Bible condones sexual perversion of any kind. The Bible standard established by God is a man and a woman joined in marriage bring children into this world. It seems to be the right and natural thing simply because it is. Upon this foundation all institutions have been built and the stronger the family, the strong the institutions built upon it. Without a strong family foundation no society, civilization or nation will long stand. Homosexuality is a sin but it is also a form of suicide by a person, or a nation.