Think for a moment about a beautiful, majestic place on the earth. I think about Yosemite National Park. Think of the wonder and creativity of such a beautiful place. Think about how God’s good design is on display with such beauty.
Now, imagine that someone were to bulldoze all those beautiful trees, use dynamite to level those mighty mountains, and use trucks full of dirt to fill in those majestic lakes. Imagine they did this to put in a retail store, parking lot, or solar farm. That would be tragic, wouldn’t it? That would be an irresponsible way for humans to treat the creation of God.
Brothers and sisters, this is what has happened to God’s good design for gender and sexuality. God has given us something good and beautiful, and we have mishandled and twisted it. However, all hope is not lost. God is a God of grace and restoration.
Today’s sermon is part 2 in our series called “Difficult Topics for Our Day.” Today’s subject is Gender and Sexuality.
Let’s go to God in prayer before we handle this difficult topic.
(prayer)
As we journey through this topic, let us examine what the Bible says as we identify four biblical truths.
We don’t need ourselves to be our guides. We don’t need culture to be our guide. We need the Lord God, through His Word, to be our guide.
So, first, let’s see . . .
Biblical Truth #1 – God designed gender and sexuality.
God had a specific purpose and plan when He created humans.
We did not evolve into becoming male and female; God created us that way.
Genesis 2:18 says:
“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.’”
Essentially, God made the first man and thought to Himself, “Well, this creature is not quite complete.” So, God made another human being who was a female.
Genesis 1:27 says:
“So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.”
God not only created humans; He created male and female humans.
Now, I want to be sensitive to acknowledge that there are a very few people in this world who are born with mixed-up chromosomes.
Chromosomal abnormalities create serious challenges for those born with them.
However, when it comes to gender related chromosomal issues, these complications only affect 1-2% of humanity. In other words, for 98-99% of every human alive, they are clearly born as a male or a female.
Not only did God create gender, He also created sexuality.
Genesis 2:24 says:
“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.”
Notice the components here of the very first physically intimate relationship: a man, a woman, a marriage, and a bond.
So, God’s design for sexuality is a man and a woman, bonded in a marriage relationship, and there is no exception (we’ll get to that more in a moment).
There’s more to biblical sexuality than just this passage, but there is certainly nothing less than this passage.
Listen, brothers and sisters: God created sexuality. It was His plan and His design.
Now, some might think, “Well, that was the Old Testament. What did Jesus say on the subject?”
Funny you should ask. In Matthew 19:4-6, Jesus says:
“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female, and he also said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Jesus did not say anything to undo what God established in the Book of Genesis. Jesus could have said, “You have heard it said, but I say . . . ” but He didn’t do that, did He?
Rather, Jesus affirmed the Word of God; Jesus affirmed God’s design for sexuality.
Church, God’s design for gender is male and female. God’s design for sexuality is one man and one woman bonded in marriage.
God has a design.
Next, . . .
Biblical Truth #2 – What God designed is good.
Genesis 1:31 says:
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed . . . ”
Did you catch that? God’s design is not bad; it is good. Indeed, it is very good.
Listen, young people: God has a good design for you.
Listen, adults: God has a good design for you.
Psalm 104:24 says of God:
“How countless are your works, Lord! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.”
Psalm 18:30 says:
“God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him.”
James 1:17 says:
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights . . . ”
God’s design is done with wisdom. God’s ways are perfect. The things that come from God are good and perfect.
Let me be really clear:
Boys and men are designed by God, and they are good.
Girls and women are designed by God, and they are good.
The sexual relationship between a man and woman bonded in marriage is designed by God, and it is good.
The Bible affirms these realities over and over and over again.
The way that God designed you is good. God’s design for your life is good.
That leads to the third biblical truth:
Biblical Truth #3 – Departing from God’s design is sinful.
The word sin really means to miss the mark. Specifically, when it comes to sinning against God, it means to miss God’s mark, God’s design, or God’s standard.
When we depart from God’s ways for our lives, it’s a sin. When we depart from God’s good design, it’s a sin.
So, God’s design is good, but going away from God’s design is bad; it’s sinful.
So, if we pretend that this oval represents God’s design, we can say that it is good.
But every time we break away from God’s design, it is bad and sinful:
Gender reassignment is bad and sinful.
Transgenderism is bad and sinful.
A premartial sexual relationship is bad and sinful.
An extramartial sexual relationship is bad and sinful.
A homosexual sexual relationship is bad and sinful.
Sexual abuse is bad and sinful.
Pornography is bad and sinful.
Having multiple partners is bad and sinful.
Pansexuality is bad and sinful.
These departures from God’s design are sins against a holy God, and they are bad for you.
It’s not about breaking a list of rules that God has for you; it’s about missing out on God’s good design for your happiness and flourishing.
Now, some of you might think, “Yeah, but does the Bible really say these types of things are sinful?”
Well, listen to what God said to us in the Bible:
Leviticus 18:22 says:
“You are not to sleep with a man as with a woman; it is detestable.”
Romans 1:26–27 says:
“For this reason God delivered them over to disgraceful passions. Their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. The men in the same way also left natural relations with women and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty of their error.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says:
“ . . . Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or males who have sex with males, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom.”
Listen, church: I know that we live in a shifting culture.
Our media and our politicians seek to sense how the wind is blowing and adjust their morality to whatever is popular.
What is acceptable at one point is not acceptable at another.
Trends come and go.
What one culture accepts is different than what another culture accepts.
However, the people of God do not base their lives on shifting cultural trends.
Also, I want you to know that we’re not trying to be hateful to any particular group of people.
The Bible does not single out one particular group of people to pick on because of their preferences or temptations.
The Bible condemns any type of twisting of God’s good design for gender and sexuality.
We’re not being hateful, we’re trying to be faithful; faithful to God’s Word and God’s good design for His creation. We’re trying to lean into what is good.
If you are giving in to any of these sexual sins or twisting the understanding of gender, you are missing out on what is good.
However, there is hope for you. That takes us to our final biblical truth:
Biblical Truth #4 – The gospel helps us recover God’s design.
I want to go back to that passage in 1 Corinthians 6, but I want to read through verse 11 this time:
“ . . . Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or males who have sex with males, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. And some of you used to be like this. 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.”
Brothers and sisters, we do not have to stay in our sin. We don’t have to stay separated from God’s good design.
Also, listen to this: Jesus did not come to condemn those in sexual sin; He came to set them free.
Listen to the most famous verse in all the Bible, then listen to the one that comes after it. John 3:16-17 says:
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will 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.”
God does not want to condemn you; He wants to save you through Jesus.
I want to share one more passage with you. You may recall the moment in John 8 when a woman was caught in adultery.
The law said that this woman should have been stoned to death. So, the scribes and Pharisees tried to get Jesus to approve of the woman being stoned.
Do you remember the response of Jesus? Jesus said in verse 7:
“The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.”
None of us is without sin. Whether it’s sexual and gender related sin, we have sin in our lives.
However, we should not stay in our sin, should we?
Listen to what Jesus said to the woman in verses 10 and 11:
“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
The Gospel of Jesus Christ can rescue us from sin and bring us back to God’s good design.
That takes us to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: God has a good design for gender and sexuality.
Let us not base the standards for our lives on the cultural confusion of our day. Let us not base our standards on trends. Let us not base our standards on our temptations or preferences.
Let us base our standards on God’s good design.
I also want to say that there is a special calling for some to a life of singleness.
This was the case for both Jesus and the Apostle Paul.
This calling is referred to as celibacy. It’s a unique and special calling. These people are incredible.
If God has called you to singleness, take joy in that. That is God’s good design for you.
Statistically, for most people, they are not called to celibacy. So, pursue God’s good design in your life for gender and sexuality.
Challenge yourself this week in this one way:
Weekly Challenge: Help recover God’s good design.
In your own life, turn from sin and turn to God’s good design for you. Discover it through God’s Word. Discover it through learning from God’s people. Discover it by being led by God’s Holy Spirit.
Also, in the lives of others, help them recover God’s good design. Pray for them. Love them. Share with them the truth of God’s design. Model a healthy view of gender, sexuality, marriage, family, and singleness.
Give them a picture of something that’s worth pursuing.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.
