God Already Defined Marriage!

Bible Text: Topical | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Topical Study

God Already Defined Marriage!
(I guess the Supreme Court missed that memo…)
This past Friday morning, June 26, the Supreme Court ruled that Same Sex Marriages will be legally officiated, licensed, filed, and held binding in all of the 50 sates of the United States of America.
So how are we, as Christians, and members of the true Church of God in America, to respond to this “legal” mandate by the highest court in the land?
First of all, let’s define marriage – God created marriage and ordained that one man and one woman be committed to each other in a faithful monogamous relationship,seeking to honor God.
Secondly, any sexual relationship outside of “marriage” (as God defines it) is sinful in God’s eyes, and cannot be accepted or condoned by God’s people.
Proponents of gay rights, since Same Sex Marriage has been made legal in all 50 states, say Christians should not speak out against same-sex marriages, after all, they say, “Jesus never spoke against homosexuality or judged anyone based on their sexual behavior, the important thing is that we just love one another, and whether we are homosexual, bisexual, transexual, or transgender makes no difference to God, since He made us that way, love is what is important; and so, to speak against same sex relationships or same sex marriages is to express hate.”
To say that Jesus never spoke about sexual behaviors, is simply not true, in fact it is a blatant lie. Jesus is God, and God is the author of the whole Bible, all 66 Books.
2Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed [originating from God] and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Hebrews 12:2 commands us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” Jesus said (John 14:6), ”I am the way and the truth and the life,” He then said (John 14:26), “the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
2Peter 1:20-21, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were
carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Christ: (Matthew 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; 1 Peter 1:11); the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2); the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17; 16:13).

John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” 14, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” 18, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,
who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.”
Clearly, all of God’s Word (not just the red letter portion) is from God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; and the Word of God speaks very specifically and clearly about homosexual behavior, and about marriage.
What does God’s Word say about homosexuality? Well, in a nut shell, it tells us that those who practice this sin will not inherit eternal life, but will instead be condemned to eternal punishment in hell. Not pleasant thought!
Genesis 19:1-29 records that God totally destroyed the cities and surrounding communities of Sodom & Gomorrah with fire, because of the sin of homosexuality. Leviticus 18:22; 20:13 call homosexuality a detestable act, punishable by death. Romans 1:24-32 declares homosexuality to be sinful, indecent, unnatural, depraved, and deserving of death.
1Corinthians 6:9-10 calls homosexuality wicked, declaring that all those who “practice” this sin will not enter heaven.
1Timothy 1:9-10 teaches that homosexuality is unholy, ungodly, perverse, and contrary to God’s Will.
Jude 7 reiterates that Sodom, Gomorrah, and the surrounding towns, were destroyed by God because of the sin of homosexuality; it says “they serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.”
Revelation 21:8; 22:15 declare that those engaging in homosexual behavior will not enter heaven, but will go to the fiery lake of burning sulphur [eternal hell].
What does God’s Word say about SIN?
First of all, we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), and we all deserve the death penalty from God (6:23), even so, God has granted eternal life through Jesus Christ to all who believe in Him, receiving forgiveness, resulting in (8:1) no condemnation for all those who repent and follow God’s Son.
We are ll sinners, but God’s Word is very specific in its condemnation of homosexuality, along with all sexual behavior outside of a God-ordained marriage.
What does God’s Word say about being changed?
In 1Corinthians 6, Paul, speaking to Christians (vv. 9-11) says, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
This is important, the use of the imperfect tense “were” (v. 11) signifies something that was continuously true in the past, but is no longer true.”
Case in point (2Corinthians 5:17), “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.” Although we are all born in sin, no one is born a homosexual. Homosexuality is a sinful sexual preference and practice, and as God’s people we can never accept or condone such behavior.
Homosexuality leads to despair, all who engage in it, and all who approve of it, are at odds with God’s Word, and therefore, with God Himself!
What does God’s Word say about marriage? In a nut shell, God’s design is that a man and a woman, i.e., one male and one female (with NO other options) commit to one another in Christ, to become one in marriage.
Genesis 1:27-28, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female (Adam & Eve) he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” God declared (Genesis 2:24), that a “man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”
Genesis 1-2 declares the qualifications for marriage and then records the very first marriage,with God officiating. This honored union was established by God and ordained by God (not by the Supreme Court, not by legislators, not by governments, and not by popular vote). God’s qualification for marriage is also stated in the New Testament (Matthew 19:4-6), “’Haven’t you read,’ he replied, ‘that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female,’ and said, ‘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.’”
Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

It is God’s expressed will that one man be married to one woman, i.e., a heterosexual monogamous relationship, and any sexual activity outside of a God ordained marriage, is clearly sinful, forbidden, and condemned.
Jesus said (John 8:31-32), “If you continue in My Word [the Bible], then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free,” (John 14:6), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” (Mark 1:15, 17), He commanded, “Repent, believe,” and “follow Me.”
Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 both say, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord” [Jesus means, “God’s Salvation” or “Savior”], for the forgiveness of sins [pardoned from sin’s penalty], “will be saved” [made acceptable to God through the righteousness of Christ] i.e., granted eternal life.
How should we respond to Same Sex Marriage?
Can we accept or condone the ruling of the Supreme Court concerning Same Sex Marriage? No, of course we can’t, and I definitely won’t!
Should we not expect some backlash or persecution because we won’t get on the bandwagon, join the diversity parade, become politically correct, or a member of the rainbow coalition?
2Timothy 3:12-13, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived,” (Romans 1:32) “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
We must remain kind and courteous, as we are able, whenever we engage in conversations or discussions about this issue (Romans 12:18), “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
As God’s dearly loved children, we must know and speak the Truth of God, in love, unlike those who tell these folks their behavior is acceptable because, after all, it is now legal. But legal isn’t moral or good [abortion].
Those who practice such behavior, and those who condone it, show that they are void of any relationship with God, and are in fact enemies of God; they are in dire need of God’s loving and righteous forgiveness.
Listen, when you disguise, alter, or withhold God’s Truth from someone who is in need of God’s forgiveness and salvation, you aren’t loving them, you are showing hatred towards them, for you are keeping from them the one thing that can save them, and how loving is that?
1Corinthians 13:4-8, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s One and Only Son.”
Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we
must be saved.”
We must continue to live out and to share the message of God’s Son: crucified, resurrected, and coming again; for everyone who repents and believes in Jesus Christ will be forgiven and they will be changed, no matter what kind of life they lived up to that point.
2Corinthians 5:17-21, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
People who engage in Same-Sex relationships, people who believe it is somehow acceptable for two men or two women to be married, are displaying just how desperately they need the Lord, and God may very well use some of us to bring His message to them.
Are you up to the task?