Why Do We Get So Mad at Homosexuals?

Probably most guys have seen the movie THE GODFATHER. If you haven’t, watch the cleaned up version on AMC. Anyway, it has lot of catchphrases we use today.

Remember Sonny? The hotheaded son played by James Caan? Sonny would always want to take personal revenge. Marlon Brando, the Godfather, would try to teach him, "It's nothing personal, its just business." The business may be knocking off a couple of guys because of the competition, but that's fair. However, remember, it wasn't personal.

           

One of the reasons why Christians are shooting themselves in the foot is because the sin of homosexuality has become personal. It's not an offense against God; it's become an offense against Christians.

It may be because it's something a Christian struggles with. It may be because a homosexual in a Christian family has hurt them. It may be because the Christian is concerned about the direction the country's going in. But, at some point, the line has been crossed and the major thing in the mind of the Christian is not “This is an offense against God.” It is “This is an offense against me."

           

Be careful, this is not a good place to be. At least in God's eyes. Can I give you an example? I want you to look at one of the great heroes of the Jewish faith. His name is Moses.

In Numbers 20, the people were quarreling. They were thirsty. They were mad at Moses.

God met with Moses and said, 8 "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."

Moses did this, but then he began to preach. Uh, oh, Moses is starting a sermon God did not tell him to preach. Maybe that was okay with God, but listen to what Moses says, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

 12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."

           

A lot of people have taught that the problem was Moses struck the rock. This could be a part of it, but scholars, preachers, and teachers offer sufficient reasons for why there is another issue here.

According to verse 11, Moses is aligning himself with God. “Must we….” Look out, Moses; you are a tool of God. This is God’s work. And because of this, Moses is taking the sin of Israel personally.

           

Consequently, Moses lashes out. He loses his temper. “Listen you rebels” is not a term of endearment. Moses is not trusting God’s results. He is going beyond what is written. He is not being meek here. He is expressing a lack of belief in God.

           

Any time we, as God’s people, get angry and lash out, we are proclaiming our lack of belief in God. We have made the holy, human. God’s work has become personal.

Rarely, do we practice righteous indignation. Rather, we express frustration over a goal we are not reaching. And if anybody gets in our way, WATCH OUT!

That is why our critics from outside Christianity are at times doing us a favor. They are calling our hand.

Here is a quote from a friend of mine I first heard almost thirty years ago. It is about this story of Moses: “You don’t find the Lord by focusing on the land; you find the land by focusing on the Lord.”

           

If I might amend that statement: You don’t find the Lord by focusing on the better nation; you find the better nation by focusing on the Lord.

           

Homosexuality is not first and foremost a sin against us. It is a sin against God. Do we, when pressed, share our views? Absolutely, but with the love of the Lord. If we don’t see the results we want, that is God’s issue.

           

I wonder if some of us, in our anger, are not lashing out at the homosexual. I wonder if we are really lashing out against God.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. GETTYSBURG! Where have you been all my life? Last week I watched GODS AND GENERALS. It was a good movie. I had bought it in a package from Wal-Mart containing the movie GETTYSBURG as well. As soon as I heard the familiar music, I was hooked. I really liked how they did the opening. They showed original photographs of the battle’s participants followed by photographs of the actors, in character, portraying them.

2. I caught a snippet the other night of 30 ROCK on TV. I have read through the years that the writing was sharp and the acting is so good. Indeed, the series has won a number of awards. The scene I saw the other night showed the character, Liz Lemon, reading a passage of scripture at a friend’s wedding. She gets a text asking her to stall. She instinctively concludes the easiest way to stall would be to read passages from the Bible. Not knowing Scripture, she randomly begins to read passages from the Old Testament that were totally inappropriate for the occasion. Laugh out loud funny.

3. I have really come to enjoy our office’s coffee-grinding coffee maker. I like grinding the beans early on Sunday morning, and making a big pot. The coffee is good all day. We just finished the vanilla beans; maybe this week I’ll buy cinnamon-flavored beans.

4. We finished our series on sexuality yesterday morning. Now, I’m beginning a series on the joy of our salvation. We need this, but I will miss the previous series. I liked the tension that went with it. It was sort of like walking a tight rope over burning coals. You knew the fall would not kill you, but it would hurt. And if you made it across the tightrope, you would feel really excited. We made it across the tightrope. I will always be grateful to the prime timers for consistently encouraging me to preach this series.

5. Well-done ETCA baseball team. We’re proud of you for making it to the state semis!