In our era of confusion regarding gender and human sexuality, there is a great need for Christians to understand what Scripture says about these core matters of human identity. In this message, Dr. Harry Reeder expounds on the Bible’s teaching about these ethical issues, emphasizing the truth of the gender binary, proper sexual desire and its right expression, and other related topics. [Ligonier YouTube site narrative.]
The following points are HIGHLIGHTS of Harry Reeder’s 45-minute sermon [bracketed statements, emboldening and underscoring are mine]:
- The culture shapers of our progressive secular-humanist age are big business, big government, media, journalism and the academy
- Are you going to respond? How are you going to respond?
- 3 Choices: isolate, ignore it, accomodate
- Progressive ‘Christianity,’ like liberal Christianity of the 20th century, are also very concerned with cultural relevance and believe that the mission of the church is cultural transformation
- The 5 big cultural shapers plan that we capitulate; therefore, this changes are part of a cultural revolution, and accommodation and toleration are not acceptable
- For your own future study, here are some resources:
- Reeder mention Dr. Peter Jones initially: Jones has numerous books on worldview and Neo Paganism, but there is no blog site or anything. [I read one of his books and my series on Paganism is based on that book, see CATEGORIES, Paganism]
- Harvest Ministries: for biblical curriculum aimed at ministering to LGBTQ+ in our current culture
- Johnny Gibson, Prof of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary – his writings on Genesis
- And Ligonier Ministries, who stays current via their many fellows
- Reeder read Genesis 1:1,2: Genesis is the most hated book of the Bible by the kingdom of darkness, particularly Gen. 1-11, as therein are found all the foundational elements of our society as established by God the Creator
- This Neo Pagan revolution in our culture has brought what former Pagan cultures had: insanity; absurdity (59 genders and still going…); immorality; and lethality, all rooted in profitability
- Lethality: the killing of the unwanted (in the womb and the old folks homes); the imperfect and the inconvenient
- Immorality: sexual anarchy is everywhere around us, we can’t ignore it
- In Leviticus 18-20, God explained to Israel, as He brought them into the wilderness, what all the Pagan cultures were like and He warned them not to let those elements in among them
- To biblically deal with the Neo Pagan aspects of our culture, we need to understand what the Bible says, particularly, in Genesis
- Harry Reeder (HR) read Genesis1:26-31 and Gen. 2 on the creation of Eve and the institution of marriage
- Preaching on Genesis 1-11 ought to be happening periodically in all churches, as Christians need to be knowledgeable of the foundational elements of God’s creation: He formed it in 3 days and filled in the following 3 days
- The binaries of God’s creation are under attack: male-female, and marriage, heterosexuality; light-darkness… these binaries were established by God when He created this world
- Male and female each bear His Image which is manifested when they unite and become one flesh: 1+1=1
- Rebels in history strike out against the Creator, saying to others, “don’t you want to be free,” or “what’s wrong with two consenting adults…”
- HR said, Why 2? Why Consenting? Why adults? The above statement is an entry point in a progression that will certainly obliterate those limitations too [Disney and others are busy raising up a generation that will likely realize limitless ‘free’ sex]
- Christian freedom is ordered liberty wherein one is set free from enslavement to sin and to do what God would have him do via thankfulness for salvation
- The sexual industry in this country rakes in billions of dollars yearly: mono-sexuality; transgender medical industry… are rooted in profitability
- The trans industry is highly lucrative and is based on child abuse via surgery…using drugs designed to chemically castrate sexual predators…
- We should speak carefully when witnessing to the victims of these movements; we cannot be silent because the Bible is not silent
- This world is coming for your children; Christ can redeem them
- Gender dysphoria is a real condition; in the past, 3-5% of the population may have experienced it, of that population, 95% would come through it without problems and the others were dealt with in counseling, not via surgery…
- Inventions of man: mono-sexuality; bi-sexuality; homosexuality; trans-sexuality and bestiality
- Heterosexuality, within the covenant of marriage, is a divine decree; good; holy; shameless; created by God – every other kind of sexuality is unnatural
- Marriage = 1 man and 1 woman = 1 life; this was ordained by God for His entire creation, not just Christians
- Sex outside marriage brings judgment from God; Romans 1 judgment increased those sexual perversions by removing spiritual restraints from those involved
- It is possible that God made man and woman to manifest His image in their union and to bring about the creation mandate – via their union, the creation could be populated; that is, Adam could not fill the earth alone, he needed his wife to do that
- The answer to this problem in our culture is the double cure, from sins power and shame
- Via the gospel, the penalty of one’s sin is removed; the power of sin is broken; one gets a new heart; a new record; a new life; a new family; a new home; and a new mind via God’s word / Spirit – that you might live unto Him, for Him and through Him
Reeder’s message was subdivided into 6 parts at Ligonier’s YouTube site:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN-Cy62gP1Q&list=LL&index=1
Harry Reeder: Gender & Sexuality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN-Cy62gP1Q
93,441 views Mar 25, 2022
This message is from Upholding Christian Ethics, our 2022 National Conference: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
All 25 messages:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL30acyfm60fUAXeGG6aPAWkqAiFyFImKC
- Stephen Nichols – The Image of God
- Michael Kruger – The truth about marriage
- Michael Reeves – The Bible and ethics
- Q&A with Ferguson, Godfrey, Kruger, Lawson and Thomas
- Steve Lawson – Total Depravity
- Harry Reeder: Gender & Sexuality
- Robert Godfrey: Statism & Socialism
- Michael Reeves: Standing Firm in the Truth
- Q&A with Nichols, Parsons, Reeder and Reeves
- Derek Thomas: Showing No Partiality
- Burk Parsons: The Sanctity of Life
- Robert Godfrey: The End of Ethics
- Q&A with Ferguson, Godfrey, Lawson, Nichols, Parsons and Thomas
- Sinclair Ferguson: A Holy City
- Parsons and Thomas: Suffering, Assurance, and the Sovereignty of God (seminar)
- Michael Kruger: How Did We Get the Bible?
- Ferguson and Godfrey: The Christian Sabbath (seminar)
- Ferguson and Thomas: The Signifance of Union with Christ (seminar)
- Michael Reeves: A Continuing Reformation (seminar)
- Steven Lawson: The Importance of the Word of God (seminar)
- Michael Reeves: Fearing God (seminar)
- Harry Reeder: Leading Well (seminar)
- Godfrey and Nichols: Standing Firm (seminar)
- Steven Lawson: Pressing On (seminar)
- Ferguson and Thomas: The Pilgrim’s Progress (seminar)