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August 29, 2022 8:00 am
So how do we trust God in the transgender world we come back to Christ.
We remember that he can be trusted. He's been leading his people.
Since the creation of the world defending God's truth transgender a and responding to a transgender accepting the world with Scripture is not always looked on with favor is sometimes that's even true with family members and friends. Hello there on Bill right today on the truth. Pulpit pastor Don Greene continues in a series called the Bible, and transgender is as he continues teaching God's people. God's word and gone with people we know are dealing with gender confusion while it is really tough to know whether to love and affirm them or preach to them about their sin. Well, it really is Bill and this is a serious pastoral issue and I hope I can have a word of encouragement.
I have had multiple conversations with people dealing with these issues in their families and with their loved ones and it is so difficult for them to know just what to say in any particular given conversation. Let me just encourage you that we can go to God in prayer and ask for his help that he is abundantly given us his Holy Spirit, who is able to give us wisdom in conversations and to help us know how to speak a word in the right circumstances so as you're struggling with these issues day to day, and how to help someone make it a day-to-day matter of prayer. God help me, give me wisdom direct my tongue so that I could say the words of truth in love, that would be profitable for this person that I care about. Thanks Don and Fred. Let's join our teacher now for more biblical insight from the truth. What I want to do is give some practical advice related to Christians, and transgender is this is kind of a practical Q&A question and answer on transgender-ism.
How do we as Christians live in a transgender world where everything that we believe and have taught over the past few weeks is viewed as secular heresy and an assault on on well-intentioned people as the case could be pejoratively made against us. So let me just walk through some questions very very quickly. We ask this question. How do we help the families of transgender people.
How do we help the families of transgender people. This is not mean the whole. This whole thing is just enormously complex because there are just so many different dimensions to the issue. There's a relationship with a transgender person themselves. There is the understanding of the ideologies we've looked Pat looked at an in recent weeks. There are the biblical issues or subcultural issues, there's issues you know houses going to maybe affect my job and and now you know we just realize that there are just so many complexities to it. So I spent six messages talking about it.
Trying to sort things things through one step at a time. Now how do we help the families of transgender people in here we enter into that where my pastoral affections and compassions are specially kindled. Why would encourage you. First of all to tell them that they are not crazy for not going along with it to tell them the things that we've talked about here at truth community church that God made everyone in the world either a man or woman and to reassure them that it's not their responsibility to accept and endorse someone else who is rejecting what God made them to be and to just simply be a strength and encouragement to them and this will probably take a good bit of time as you are dealing with that.
And as you are talking with that to sympathize with them to weep with them and in that I would take you to a passage in Romans chapter 9 if you will, and to affirm the grief and the sorrow that they feel in Romans chapter 9 verse one. This is obviously not a transgender passage but to help them see that in Scripture we have examples of godly people grieving deeply over the way that others are rejecting Christ.
Paul says about the Jews in Romans chapter 9 verse one he says I'm telling the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me and the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart for I could wish that I myself were accursed separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsman according to the flesh, and if I had opportunity to sit down with a family like this I would take them to this passage and say you see we have loved ones who break our hearts and even the apostle Paul knew what that was like that there is great sorrow and unceasing grief in his heart to remind them that Jesus himself wept over Jerusalem and their rejection of their king, and that the heart of a godly person knows what it's like to grieve when they watch their loved ones rebel against God and turn away from him. It is grievous to watch people reject their creator. It is grievous when people reject Christ, and we want to come alongside and be a friend of those who may not have many other friends. In this situation. Now I've said about all I know that can get me into trouble. So why stop now. Right. It is often the nature of the LGBT Q community to act like a cult and to separate and isolate people from those who have always loved them. This is often the way that it is donning and relationships are broken off for the sake of pursuing this lifestyle and I would tell these dear families that look you may not be able to prevent it and to encourage them to lean on Christ and to look to Christ to look to the word of God to look to the one who said come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest and to point them to Christ is the only one who can be there, loyal, omnipotent sufficient friend in this time you can offer this series on transgender is into them if they'll take it, but preeminently point them to Christ and and be a sympathetic friend to them. One other little thing that all mention here again the fingers of this just go in so many different directions, let me just mention a book to you that I've alluded to in the past. There is a book written by an author whose father left her for the transgender lifestyle when she was a very young child. The woman's name the author's name is Denise Schick SH I CK she has written a children's book that is age-appropriate on gone through what I've read it myself. It's age-appropriate to help children think through these issues in the title of the book. It's very sad that this is even necessary in the thing in our world, but the title of the book is when daddy leaves to be a girl when daddy leaves to be a girl for families who are dealing with this.
This is a resource that might be helpful to help young children process that kind of change in their in their family life. Look for dealing with raw reality here dealing with the way these things play out and what we want to do what were trying to do here in the series is to just meet the challenges head-on and directly and compassionately as we possibly can. And so we have answered four questions so for how do we trust God, and transgender world how we raise children in a transgender world. How do we respond to transgender people and how do we help the families of transgender people. While that's a lot that's answer for the question.
Shall we.
How do we respond to the pressure of a transgender world.
How do we respond to the pressure of a transgender world. What do we do when transgendered people tell us to use different names than those by which we have known them do use different pronouns than we have ever called them and to just insist on and to tell us that these are the words that you must used to address me now and increasingly they are able to say these things with legislative support and penalties attached to the way that you respond will this is a difficult question I've heard different Christians give different answers to the question. This is my opinion and the reasons for it. Generally speaking, we want to love these people we want to communicate the love of Christ to them.
But, beloved day if if Scripture teaches us anything, it it is that we must speak the truth in love. That truth is not sacrificed on the altar of so-called love, love must be based on the truth and as I see it the most important thing that we can do is to help them see that much more than their personal identity is at stake in this discussion that God is the one who assigned sex and the mother's womb, and that nothing that we say to each other change is that reality nothing that we do to our bodies. None of the hormones that we take putting on dresses when we have male anatomy. None of that changes the reality what God made us out to be. And so I think that we say. I will treat you with love and respect, but I cannot accept your desire to put words in my mouth, my friend, my conscience answers to a higher authority than that now. Some people some Christian writers, and some of the books that I read about this as they're dealing with their Q&A's about it. Some people say that you should play along and honor their wishes and call them by the name that they want to be called by use of pronouns that they ask what I'm not going to presume to define it for every person in every situation here were speaking in the realm of matters that go beyond the four corners of Scripture but for me personally. I want to be the guys was telling them. Truth all along. If down the road. They have a change of heart about this if down the road. The spirit of God works repentance in their hearts. If down the road based have a different perspective on it. I don't want to be in a position where I have to apologize for having agreed with that which they are now rejecting themselves, because then you compromise you compromise your testimony in my opinion you compromise your testimony for the sake of momentary false harmony and hidden the truth in the process and so however you personally work out the application of this.
I think that somewhere at the core of your response to those kinds of demands is somehow we have to communicate to people that I am not accepting the transgender worldview and I don't recognize you as the opposite sex of that into which you were born, however, that plays out from there. However, you communicate that I think that somewhere that needs to be in the mix of how we respond and not just give them the impression that this is okay that there's no problem here, and as I hope to do in two or three weeks on a Sunday to urge them to come to Christ, and rather than finding their identity in their personal feelings inside about who they are to find their identity in the Lord Jesus Christ to come to him for salvation and find their identity in him and their meaning in life and who they are defined through repentance of sin and faith in Christ and to be identified with him and his life, death, burial and resurrection and ascension on high and to tell them this is a far better identity than anything you could create in the contours of your own mind now I realize that in saying these things.
One of the things made me cautious and to hesitate. As I entered into the series, kinda counting the cost of series like this and saying these things that I felt like needed to be said. I realize that faithfulness to Christ for some of you either hearing this in this room are on subsequent media.
I realize that faithfulness to Christ in this realm may come at a personal cost of relationships and for some even a threat to their careers and employment.
That's especially true in in Canada and Britain and other places that are further down the road even than America is on this, the province of British Columbia is just a cesspool of of despair and in the way that they given themselves over to these things. I realize that that there are life consequences that are at stake and what we are saying here this evening.
Let me just encourage you and as we think about those things. What I've been saying throughout this message to come back to Christ to never view these things to never view the situations, the people are the consequences of it never view them apart from Christ come back to Christ again and again and again. Now, how would that apply to responding to the pressure of a transgender world. Look at the in the Gospel of John chapter 15. If you would John chapter 15 John chapter 15 verse 18 Jesus told his disciples if the world hates you, you know that it is hated me before it hated you. If you are the world. The world would love its own because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world.
Because of this, the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a slave is not greater than his master.
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also look Christ was crucified. Let me say that again Christ was crucified by world that hated him if we are followers of his. It should not surprise us that some kind of lesser persecution comes to us in the mere fact that we are threatened with persecution is not a reason or an excuse to change things to distort the truth to hide the truth in order to avoid it. This is part and parcel of what it means to be a Christian that sometimes there is a price to be paid for following Christ and sometimes the price in the Providence in the design of God for your life is very high.
The price is not how we determine whether we will be faithful or not, we must recognize the truth and be loyal to the truth and what the consequences of that fall where they may. And Jesus promised a particular blessing on those who suffer for his sake. Listen as I read the familiar passage from Matthew chapter 5 verse 10, where Jesus said to his disciples.
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The idea is theirs and theirs alone.
It's only people that suffer that are somehow persecuted for the sake of righteousness who belong the kingdom of heaven, and he goes on to say in verse 11. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
If it comes to one of us to suffer loss for the sake of loyalty to Christ in this room, Jesus would say your blessed to be persecuted for the sake of my name, because your reward in heaven is great and were not living for what happens in this life were living in our eyes are set on the WorldCom and so we come back to Christ and loyalty to Christ makes us willing to pay the price. If it happens to someone in our church.
We need to be committed in advance to be there for them to support them through whatever that means.
Final question question number six here. How should the church respond to a transgender world bond about the state some pretty important policy for truth, community church and this is the direction of our church and gives you a sense of how seriously we take these matters within the walls of truth, community church, I trust our position is clear. We believe we teach the transgender ideology as opposed to the truth and cannot be reconciled with the truth.
The Christianity biblical truth, and transgender ideology are two mutually exclusive realms that has consequences. If a transgender person came into our church. We would welcome them to this extent, we would welcome them to come and learn and to sit under the teaching and the sound of the gospel, but we would not affirm them in their transgender identity. In that sense, it's no different than any other kind of center that comes into the room. Whether it's a drop or whether it's an adulterer, or a liar or a thief if they come in to hear the teaching of God's word and they said in a respectful way and we welcome them and we would pray that God would use his word in their life to perhaps convert them and cause them to be born again we make the gospel to priority.
We give them our time as we are able to do so, but practicing transgender people are not eligible for membership. They would not be recognized as Christians in any way shape or form.
No matter what their verbal profession might be the lines. There are clear beyond that and I'm so grateful to the Lord were able to say these things and as friend told me last night to plant a flag on these issues in advance. Furthermore, we would say in advance and we all need to hear this that members of truth, community church cannot defend transgender identity to others. They cannot affirm transgender identity, and others, especially in family members. This is not an option. This is not an option, to affirm and defendant. It's one thing to love the person to try to walk through these issues to suffer under the weight of it. That's one thing to to a ferment into defendant and to recognize their transgender identity that's a different realm and that's what's not allowed transgender-ism is an assault on the truth and I say it clearly, even though I say it with compassion. Beloved that members who would affirm transgender identity in the way that I've been describing would be subject to church discipline. It is just as immoral to betray the truth as it is to betray a spouse in adultery. And we have made very clear our reasons for our positions on transgender-ism and this is the position of our church on these matters. This is part of us defending truth in a transgender age and responding to a transgender world so to the best of my knowledge, there are none of those issues in our congregation right now so this is aimed at anyone that's dealing with anything in their immediate families were just stating principles here so that there is an awareness in our church life about what is accepted and what is not so those are our practical Q&A on transgender-ism. Let me just close by. By saying this. This message tonight. This Q&A has it has necessarily had somewhat of a defensive posture in terms of defending ourselves from possibly intrusions of transgender-ism upon our our teaching upon our church life and upon our personal lives. It's necessarily had a defensive posture. But remember that the whole message throughout here has been framed in remembering Christ in remembering who he is, that we trust him and therefore we are not afraid we trust him and want to obey him, and therefore we are willing to uphold truth even if it is unpopular and we want to be faithful and loyal to the truth even if it comes in a personal cost to us. That is not a defensive reactive posture. This is the positive highest and noblest aspect of being a Christian is our opportunity. This is just one application of the greater reality that a Christian has, to be loyal to Christ in response to his saving grace in our lives because we are so grateful that he's redeemed us from our sins were so grateful that he gave his life on the cross to save us from the eternal torments of hell that he suffered those in our stead and in our place. We are so grateful to him for that, that any kind of cost that living for him in this life may bring is inconsequential by comparison, and our love for Christ is what motivates us to uphold his truth. Our love for Christ is what motivates us not to accept transgender ideology and deceive people into thinking that there okay when they're not in our love for Christ calls us to support one another and to proclaim the gospel in this very dark and dying world. Let's pray father. We do humble ourselves here before you. We ask you for your wisdom and your protection as we go forward and supremely father we come back to Christ, we thank you that he is with us always, even to the end of the age and we corporately proclaim to you and to one another that we trust you in this world in which we live throughout the ages. Oh God, you have protected your people from difficulties from assaults from persecutions you've preserved them through them sometimes letting them spill their blood for the sake of Christ. Other times, delivering them from the worldly danger. But whatever the case may be. Father, we know that we are in your hands. We love to be there and we know that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. So father with. From that position of strength security and serenity.
We commit all of these things to you in Jesus name we pray.
Amen God has placed believers on earth to be lights in a dark world. That means carrying his word as a torch of truth to those who desperately need eternal hope, our love for Christ must always motivate us to do that so we hope this teaching is helpful to you and join us on our next program is pastor Don Greene teaches about what to say to those who identify as transgender as he continues the series, the Bible, and transgender-ism here on the truth pulpit right now. Here again is done with a special message friend, I invite you to our website.
The truth pulpit.com to request your free CD album or find audio downloads of all of the messages that I did on this matter.
Transgender-ism again. Look for the series, the Bible, and transgender-ism at our website.
The truth pulpit.com thanks Don and friend that's all the time we have for today. I built like will see you next time is gone green continues teaching God's people. God's word here on the truthful