1. Romans 1:26-31 (NKJV)
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in

2. Romans 1:26-31 (NKJV)
their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;

4. Defending The Faith
To keep us on our theme, today we want to look at the subject of marriage
One of the reasons why is because there has been such a push in the world today away from the Biblical model of marriage
If people are going to conform to God’s will, they must understand what it is

5. Defending The Faith
We spoke a couple of months ago about the world’s idea that marriage is “evolving”
They say that people are moving away from the “traditional” model of marriage and it just looks different today
One of those things we mentioned was same sex marriage

6. Defending The Faith
We hear the arguments in favor of same sex marriage
It is made to seem innocent and even by some, good
Remember the words of Isaiah (5:20), “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil…”

7. Defending The Faith
It always goes back to one thing…what does the Bible say about this subject?
Is God silent on the matter?
Was Jesus silent on the matter?
Let’s see if God gives us a definitive answer…

8. In The Beginning…
From the very beginning, God had a specific plan in mind for marriage
Genesis 1:27-28
God made male and female for a reason
“Be fruitful and multiply” – Only accomplished through God’s will

9. In The Beginning…
Genesis 2 gives us a closer look into God’s decision to create Eve specifically for Adam Vs
God made Adam a helper, so He created Eve for that purpose as well

10. In The Beginning… Notice the specific language…
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (v. 24)
God always intended for marriage to be between a man and a woman

11. Sodom and Gomorrah
We do not have to go very far to see this perversion acted out
God told Abraham in Genesis 18 that he would destroy Sodom & Gomorrah “because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave” (Gen. 18:20)

12. Sodom and Gomorrah
Two angels traveled to Sodom and wished to stay in the open square
Lot “insisted strongly” that they instead stay with him (vs. 2-3)
The men of the city surrounded Lot’s house demanding that the angels come out that they might “know them” (vs. 4-5)

13. Sodom and Gomorrah Lot urges them not to “do so wickedly!” (v. 7)
Some say that the sin here was not homosexuality, but gang rape
Lot then offers his 2 virgin daughters (v. 8) which proves the sin was not gang rape

14. Sodom and Gomorrah
Others argue that the sin was perhaps the inhospitality of the Sodomites
Wouldn’t “getting to know them” be a hospitable action?
Jude 1:7 – “…having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh…”

15. Law of Moses
God further states His displeasure of this sin by speaking of it in the law He gave to Moses and the COI
Leviticus 18:22 – “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination”
This sin was punished by death (v. 29)

16. Law of Moses
Leviticus 20:13 – “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death”
This was part of the moral law God had given which is repeated in the NT (as we will see later)

17. Sin of the Benjamites
Judges 19 reveals a situation similar to what took place in Genesis 19 in Sodom
A man and his concubine traveled to Gibeah to spend the night on their journey
He was taken in by a citizen of that city

18. Sin of the Benjamites Vs. 22-25
“do not act so wickedly”
“do not commit this outrage”
“do not do such a vile thing”
“No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt”

19. Jesus Speaks
One of the arguments for same-sex marriage for those who wish to use the Bible is their argument that Jesus never spoke about it
In other words, if it was that bad of a sin, then why did Jesus not address it while here on earth

20. Jesus Speaks
The fact is that Jesus did speak about marriage in this regard
Matthew 19:4-6
Jesus first speaks of God creating them male and female
There is significance in that statement!

21. Jesus Speaks
What Jesus is doing in this passage is upholding that which was made from creation
Jesus also speaks about the truth contained in the Pentateuch (Jn. 5:46-47)
That included Sodom/Gomorrah & the Law

22. Jesus Speaks
Jesus addressed Sodom & Gomorrah multiple times in the Gospels (Matt. 10:15; 11:24; Mk. 6:11; Lk. 17:28-32)
He issued warnings in looking back at the wickedness of those cities, which included the sin of homosexuality
Jesus did in fact address this issue

23. Romans 1
Paul also addressed this issue in the opening chapter of the book of Romans
In chapter 1, Paul addresses the sins of the Gentiles
In chapter 2, he goes after the Jews
Chapter 3 says we all sin (v. 23)

24. Romans 1 Back in chapter 1 Paul addresses this very sin Vs. 18-28
Paul describes this sin in a way that is unmistakable and undeniable
This has been admittedly the toughest obstacle for homosexuals

25. Romans 1
This idea of what is against nature goes all the way back to creation
What God created us for is what is natural to us
That’s why it’s not natural for us to walk on our hands or stand on our heads

26. NT Passages
This condemnation of homosexuality also is spoken elsewhere in the NT, mainly by Paul
Paul states that neither the effeminate nor sodomites would inherit the kingdom of God (I Cor. 6:9-10)
Paul speaks again in the next chapter (7:2)

27. NT Passages Paul speaks again regarding this matter in I Timothy 1:10
He calls those things “contrary (opposed) to sound doctrine”
There really should be no question of how God feels towards these sins of mankind