INTRODUCTION

1. The words of Jesus in John 3:19-20 explain much of what happens in the world every day.  He said,

   ¹⁹"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  ²⁰For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."

2. Those who stand in the light and shine it on the evil of sin can expect to receive the hatred of those who love darkness.  Are you ready for the harsh consequences of standing for the truth?

    

THE DARKNESS OF SIN, THE LIGHT OF TRUTH

1. Christians have a mandate from God to hold up the light of truth and expose the darkness of sin.

   1. We have the word of God as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps.  119:105). God has given His word to illuminate our path and reveal the stumbling blocks in this dark world.

   2. This light is not only to keep us from darkness but also to expose the evil deeds that are done in darkness.  Notice Ephesians 5:11-13:

      ¹¹Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; ¹²for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.  ¹³But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

   3. This mandate from God does not give us the option of ignoring the evil deeds of darkness and simply leaving alone those who love such deeds. Our Lord expects us to "bother" sinners by shining the light of His word directly in their eyes.

   4. The purpose of exposing the evil deeds of darkness is not merely to keep ourselves from them, but it is also to save sinners and turn them from darkness to light.  Jesus stated this purpose when he sent Paul "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me" (Acts 26:18).

2. No sin can be omitted from this mandate, including the sin of homosexuality.

   1. Man does not have the authority to alter God's word to suit his own will, and Christians do not have prerogative to preach only the parts of the truth that the world accepts.  We must not shrink back from declaring "the whole purpose of God" (Acts 20:27).

   2. According to God's own immutable word, homosexuality is a sin. Like any other sin, it must be exposed to the light of God's truth.

      1. The Old Testament reveals God's view of homosexuality (Lev. 18:22; 20:13), but the New Testament gives an even clearer view.

      2. The origin of homosexuality is explained as rooted in the rejection of God in Romans 1:18-32. After declaring the Gentiles' rejection of God in verses 18-23, Paul showed that homosexuality was one of the consequences in verses 24-27:

         ²⁴Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.  ²⁵For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.  Amen.  ²⁶For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, ²⁷and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

      3. Homosexual apologists say this passage condemns only homosexuality that was practiced in conjunction with the worship of idols (ref. 1Ki. 14: 24), but they are wrong.  This is a clear condemnation of homosexuality as a violation of the natural order created by God.

      4. Unrepentant sinners, including homosexuals, are warned in 1Corinthians 6:9-10:

         ⁹Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

      5. Homosexuality is "contrary to sound teaching according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God" (1Tim. 1:8-11).  As we teach sound doctrine, we must expose this sin.

LOVING THE DARKNESS, HATING THE LIGHT

1. Lovers of darkness have always hated the light and sought to destroy those who expose their evil deeds.

   1. Cain killed Abel only because his deeds were evil and Abel's deeds were righteous (1John 3:12).

   2. The Old Testament prophets of God were persecuted and killed by those who did evil and hated the light of God's word (Matt. 5:12; Heb. 11:37-38).

   3. John the baptizer was imprisoned and killed for exposing the evil deeds of Herod (Matt. 14:3-12).

   4. The Lord Himself was hated by the world because He testified that its deeds were evil (John 7:7).  For this, His own people nailed Him to a cross and put Him to death (John 1:9-11; Acts 2:22-23).

   5. The New Testament prophets and apostles of Christ were also persecuted by those who hated the truth of Christ's gospel (Matt. 23:29-36; example after example in Acts).  As in the case of Jesus, they were often falsely accused before authorities of breaking laws or instigating rebellion.

   6. Throughout history, lovers of darkness have used the same tactics.  When they cannot defend their deeds against the light of truth, they seek to destroy those who are shining the light on them.

2. The advocates of homosexuality are seeking to destroy their opponents now.

   1. The issue at the forefront is the legalization of marriage between homosexuals.

      1. Concerning the merits of this issue, there are none.  From the beginning, marriage has been between a man and a woman (Gen. 2:24) as confirmed by Jesus in Matthew 19:4-6:

         ⁴And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, ⁵and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?  ⁶So they are no longer two, but one flesh.  What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

      2. The national legality of the issue will be settled soon by the U.S. Supreme Court.

   2. Christians need to understand that this issue has nothing to do with gaining equal rights for homosexuals, but rather it is about stopping us from exposing their evil deeds.

      1. This legal maneuvering is intended to force opponents of homosexuality to accept, endorse, and even participate in the darkness of this sin.

      2. Already in our nation, many individuals have lost jobs and income and many businesses have been sued and sanctioned simply for opposing homosexuality or refusing to participate in a homosexual wedding event.  This intimidation coerces others to comply.

      3. Our nation should heed the lessons from Canada, where homosexual marriage was legalized in 2005.

         1. Canadians now have legal restrictions concerning anything they speak or write.  Anything considered to be discriminatory towards homosexuals or opposed to homosexual marriage can be ruled as "hate speech" and can result in justifiable termination of employment or prosecution by the government.

         2. In Canada, anyone who is offended by the words of another on this issue can file a complaint to the Human Rights Commissions and Tribunals. This board has authority to issue fines and mandate sensitivity training.

         3. Parenting has now been redefined in Canada to accommodate homosexuals so that there are no natural parents but only legal parents.  All parents are affected by this, for it means that their rights over their biological children can be denied and are subject to government recognition, approval, and oversight.

      4. Such leverage can be used as a weapon by homosexual advocates to destroy their enemies. Those who shine the light of truth to expose the dark deeds of homosexuality may lose their livelihood and their liberty.  They may even lose the rights of parenthood.

   3. Many advocates of the homosexual agenda are not homosexuals themselves, but they have allied themselves with this agenda to destroy their mutual enemies.  Thus, they "give hearty approval to those who practice" such evil deeds (Rom. 1:32) and celebrate the darkness together.

       

CONCLUSION

1. This issue is not going away, but rather it will almost certainly get worse.  We must resolve now to remain in the light of truth and suffer the consequences, come what may.  Are you ready for this?

2. As we watch these things unfold, keep in mind the judgment of God and the words of Isaiah 5:20:

   Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!