A recent report from the Church of England caused outrage and scoffing.
The statement from the House of Bishops says the church’s teaching on marriage “remains unchanged”, claiming sex outside of marriage is “falling short of God’s purpose for human beings”.
It adds: “For Christians, marriage – that is the lifelong union between a man and a woman, contracted with the making of vows – remains the proper context for sexual activity.”
However the church seeks to “uphold that standard” in its approach to civil partnerships and to “affirm the value of committed, sexually abstinent friendships”.
Those in mixed- or same-sex civil partnerships can still be ordained – but only if they abstain from sex, the bishops added.
But members of the clergy are also instructed not to provide a blessing for couples registering a civil partnership.
In the face of furious backlash, their bold stance didn’t last very long. The Archbishop apologised a few days later.
John McEnroe, the famous tennis player recently joined forces with Martina Navratilova another former great, in calling for the Margaret Court Arena at the Melbourne Tennis Open named after the former player turned Pentecostal minister to be renamed. “There’s only one thing longer than the list of Margaret Court’s tennis achievements: it’s her list of offensive and homophobic statements,” he said on Eurosport. He called for Serena Williams to "Please win two more Grand Slams so we can leave Margaret Court and her offensive views in the past where she belongs".
Serena was knocked out in the first week.
We have arrived in 2020, this is the sentiment in general society today. If you say you’re a Christian, your view is outdated and offensive, you’re immediately shut down. Where is the world headed in the next 10 years ? There has been a monumental shift in society in our generation and we are fast reaching the tipping point of anger turning into violence.
People get ready.
Paul once wrote to Timothy
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come
2 Timothy 3:1
Don’t forget, Paul was living in perilous times. Christians were being killed daily for their faith. But Paul wasn’t really talking about that, he was talking about spiritual danger from a great final rebellion against God and rejection of truth. Paul was primarily focussed on instructing Timothy on how to pastor the Church and to remain strong in the truth in perilous times. It’s like a message for us washed up in a bottle on our shores from 2000 years ago.
But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:14-17
It is a primary role of the Church leadership to defend the Truth of the Bible. It is one thing for the World to reject the words of great leaders like Moses and Paul, that’s always been the case. When a message is from God, John said, it is not accepted by the world. It is quite something else for the Church to reject the Word of God as well. Never forget that these great Men of God were transformed by their encounters with God and they suffered far more than anyone in leadership today. The other great leaders of the Church, Peter, James and John also had an encounter with holiness on the mountain when they saw Jesus transfigured talking with Moses and Elijah.
I’ll read from the Gospel Of Mark, Peter’s Son.
Six days later Jesus took Peter, James and John to the top of a mountain. No one else was there. Suddenly his face began to shine with glory, and his clothing became dazzling white, far more glorious than any earthly process could ever make it! Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus! “Teacher, this is wonderful!” Peter exclaimed. “We will make three shelters here, one for each of you.. . . ” He said this just to be talking, for he didn’t know what else to say and they were all terribly frightened. But while he was still speaking these words, a cloud covered them, blotting out the sun, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Then suddenly they looked around and Moses and Elijah were gone, and only Jesus was with them.
Mark 9:2-8
Why Moses and Elijah ? Why not Abraham and David for example ? Or Daniel and Isaiah ? Or Adam and Eve for that matter.
Moses and Elijah both had end of life experiences that are unique in history.
So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day.
Deuteronomy 34:5-6
As they were walking along, talking, suddenly a chariot of fire, drawn by horses of fire, appeared and drove between them, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariot of Israel and the charioteers!” As they disappeared from sight he tore his robe.
2 Kings 2:11-12
Moses and Elijah were central characters of the Old Testament who above all, represented the Law and the Prophets which Jesus came to fulfil. I their lifetimes, they had encountered the holiness of the Lord and experienced its effect. Moses met with God on Mt Sinai to receive the law in terrifying darkness where the ordinary people were not allowed to approach and Elijah announced God’s judgement of drought and of fire coming down from heaven on the idol worshipping prophets of Baal. If you had been stood on that mountain with Jesus, Moses and Elijah, how would you have felt in that moment. I think I too would have been terribly frightened. In such light as what those guys experienced, the dark and even grey areas in our lives get exposed. Sheep look white in the green fields but dirty grey in the snow. Sin has already been defined by God, we don’t have an excuse for being deceived. This was Eve’s excuse in the Garden of Eden - "the serpent tricked me". Did this prevent God’s judgement - NO !
What do you think Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, John and Paul would make of our preaching today ?
When Shane spoke last week, he recalled John’s words. Remember John was also on the mountain with Peter and he also encountered the holiness of the Lord.
This is the message God has given us to pass on to you: that God is Light and in him is no darkness at all. So if we say we are his friends but go on living in spiritual darkness and sin, we are lying. But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins. If we claim we have not sinned, we are lying and calling God a liar, for he says we have sinned.
1 John 1:5-10
It’s the Bible that tells us what is sin, there is no other authority - no government, no scientist, no newspaper not even what I tell you. You need to go back to Scripture to find the truth.
Peter wrote about the end times saying
Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
2 Peter 3:3-10
Peter was far ahead of Greta Thunberg in preaching about "climate change". There is a thing now called "climate anxiety". They should read what Peter said.
The first judgement on the Earth was by water, remember in the beginning
And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning —the second day.
Genesis 1:6-8
God reserved part of his creation for the first judgement on the Earth by water.
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.
Genesis 7:11-12
I read an article some time back which explained what the Earth was like pre-flood with like an aqua shell above it, which broke and the mass of water fell from above. This combined with the water breaking from the deep would’ve put tremendous on the Earth’s crust This explanation satisfies me in terms of;
1. Why there were no rainbows before the flood
2. Why the continents of the Earth look like they once fitted together
3. Why there are layers of fossils that scientists say represent different periods of time but could have been formed quickly by creatures from the deep sea coming up with the water from below and creatures from the Earth been pushed down by the water from above.
Though God has promised never to destroy the Earth with a flood again, Peter tells us that a second judgement is coming by fire. What Peter describes is exactly what happens if our star, the sun dies. « Stars are born, they live, and they die. The sun is no different, and when it goes, the Earth goes with it. But our planet won't go quietly into the night. Rather, when the sun expands into a red giant during the throes of death, it will vaporize the Earth. »
Peter prophesied
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:11-13
But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Matthew 24:36-39
Similar to Noah’s time, the world is in a great rebellion against God and that will bring judgement.
Similar to Noah being saved in a boat from the flood of water, there is only one boat that can save you from the coming judgment of fire - and that is Jesus Christ. I don’t mean to trigger any climate anxiety but there is nothing on the earth that won’t be burned up, therefore you need the good ship from Heaven that cannot burn up. Noah spent 120 years building his boat but our Carpenter has been preparing our one for 2000 years. Make sure you have the ticket for that coming day, it’s the only guarantee of safety.
Paul prophesied that there would be a great falling away just before Jesus returns.
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
Sadly, this falling away is what we are witnessing. The Archbishop should not be apologising for what is plainly written in Scripture.
Jesus said;
Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-19
Don’t be deceived.
I hope you will listen to Peter not Greta. I hope you have already decided that truth matters and you will stick with the one who says he is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
