Who Are You?

Text: I Timothy 4:1-2

 

I.         The news has been filled with people who claim to be something different than what they are.

            A.        Bruce Jenners, claims he always felt he was a woman. Yet, he married three times and has six children (two from each marriage). His words and his action are not consistent.

            B.        Rachel Dolezal, claims to feel she is African-American since she was a child, even though she is Caucasian and of European lineage. She used her “black” claim to get a scholarship, but she also once sued Howard University because she was discriminated against for being white.

            C.        There is a core problem: These people’s claims do not match the facts of who they are. Feelings are claimed to triumph facts

            D.        This has been going on for a while. After all, the homosexual movement is also a denial of obvious facts - Romans 1:26-27

                        1.         The natural design of the body is denied because some individuals insist that they feel differently.

II.        Denying the truth

            A.        Think about it. If feelings trump facts, then there are no mental illnesses

                        1.         A woman suffering from anoxeria (thinking she is too fat when she is not) could not be called misguided by this line of thinking.

                        2.         If a person thinks he can fly, then no one should stop him from jumping.

            B.        The fact is that if you examine Bruce Jenner’s DNA, you will see that he is a male.

                        1.         All his medications and surgeries have done is put on a sophisticated disguise. It doesn’t change who he is, only how he appears.

            C.        Paul warned that in chasing after lust, people will reject truth and prefer myths - II Timothy 4:2-4

            D.        People not only deceive others, but they also deceive themselves - II Timothy 3:13

            E.        This is nothing more than hypocrisy – the putting on of an act - I Timothy 4:1-2

                        1.         A disguising of their true state - Matthew 23:27-28

III.       Twisted Sympathy

            A.        It is more than just denial of truth for the individual, There is also an insistence that all of society affirm and celebrate these personal lies.

                        1.         Each group is portrayed as a helpless minority.

                        2.         Helpless because we are told these people cannot help feeling as they do. Something has gone wrong. Exactly what has never been found: Environment, culture, genetics – all have been blamed and all disproved, but still we are repeatedly told it can’t be helped.

                        3.         And since they are a minority, then the “right” thing to do is advocate for the helpless minority.

                        4.         Morality is pushed aside in what is claimed to be a greater good - Isaiah 5:20

            B.        People feel good standing up for what seems to be an oppressed group, but what we really have is people who are defining sin as their right and gaining sympathy as a result.

                        1.         A form of godliness that denies the power of God - II Timothy 3:5

            C.        Israel had a tendency to prefer lies when they liked the lies - Micah 2:11

                        1.         They preferred being told things that made them feel good - Isaiah 30:10

            D.        One oft stated lie is that to point out the obvious – that sin is involved – is called “hate speech.” Love we are told demands that everyone be accepted, even while in a sinful state!

                        1.         People claiming “love” while chasing gain and entertainment - Ezekiel 33:31-32

                        2.         Therein is a clue. Behind these movements are people profiting from sin - Romans 16:17-18

IV.      Denying Change

            A.        Laws have been passed in several states that you can’t help a transgender return to recognize his gender.

                        1.         The conclusion then is that it is wrong to teach someone to recognize the truth about themselves.

                        2.         But then for years we’ve been told that is supposedly harmful for a homosexual to be lead back to a heterosexual life.

                        3.         But then, to allow people to change would deny that they are helpless in their current beliefs.

                        4.         “When children who reported transgender feelings were tracked without medical or surgical treatment at both Vanderbilt University and London’s Portman Clinic, 70%-80% of them spontaneously lost those feelings.” [Paul McHugh, “Transgender Surgery Isn’t the Solution,” Wall Street Journal, 6/12/2014]

            B.        John Hopkins University stopped doing sexual reassignment surgeries because they found that it did not fix the underlying problems.

                        1.         For example, those who have surgery are 20 times more likely to commit suicide

            C.        The philosophy of men is often wrong - Colossians 2:8

            D.        Christianity is about change, a deep, vibrant soul shaking change - Acts 3:19

                        1.         It is a conversion that comes by the Word of God - Psalms 19:7

                        2.         People do change - I Corinthians 6:9-11

V.        What doesn’t change is God

            A.        God doesn’t bend to human culture. The flood tells us that - Genesis 6:11-13

            B.        In Sodom, homosexuality was common - Genesis 19:4-5

                        1.         But commonly accepted by men does not translate to accepted by God - Jude 7

            C.        God’s word stands - I Peter 1:22-25