A sermon by Pastor Gary Hamrick, Cornerstone Chapel, Leesburg, Virginia

June 4, 2023

Based on Romans 1

 

SERMON NOTES:

Introduction

• “When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.” –C.S. Lewis.
• We are a culture in chaos— rife with gender confusion, social perversion, woke agenda.
• This is a Biblical response to the madness of the culture with a heart to rescue those who have been swept away by the madness of the culture.
• We must never lose the mission of the church because of our outrage over the madness in the world.
• You should feel a sense outrage over the cultural chaos but directed towards Satan. He is the liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).
• Your outrage should never blind you to the lost and hurting around you.
• You will not be able to help them find Jesus if you are so angry. But neither will you be able to help them if you are so affirming.
• If you are affirming the delusion, if you are condoning the lies, you will never help them understand the truth and the freedom that is found in Jesus.

I. We must hold the line on truth.

1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV, emphasis added)

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

II. Offering the right cure requires, first, the right diagnosis.

The Madness of the culture:

• Target selling “Tuck-Friendly” bathing suits, recruiting a self-identified Satanist who posted:

“Being called a demon is something I can cope with, and the idea of a trans demon is pretty d**n cool, most of my work focusses [sic] on gothic or dark and satanic imagery juxtaposed with bright colours and LGBT+ positive messages.” – Eric Carnell, Satanist and Founder of Abprallen

• The North Face releasing an ad for its “Summer of Pride” featuring a guy with a mustache wearing a rainbow dress as their spokesman inviting people to explore the outdoors where there will be “hiking, community, art, lesbians, and lesbians making art …”
• Disney has a guy wearing a dress welcoming little girls into the “Enchanted Chamber.”
• Kohl’s targets children with “pride” onesies.
• The approved reading material in schools is so pornographic that when parents read the approved reading material at public school board meetings they are told to stop reading because it is inappropriate.
• Biological man and boys are allowed to compete in women and girls sports and rob women of their accomplishments, and use their bathrooms. When young girls speak out they are cancelled and even assaulted.
• There are “churches” flying the rainbow flag and affirming sexual sin. Emmaus United Church of Christ in Vienna is hosting “Drag Story Hour” on Sunday, June 4, at 12 Noon. They ought to take the word church out of their name.
• The LA Dodgers honor the anti-Christian hate group Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence whose motto is, “Go forth and sin more.”

  Thank goodness for Christian Pitcher Blake Training who wrote a letter in protest. He said:

“I am disappointed to see the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence being honored as heroes at Dodger’s Stadium. Many of their performances are blasphemous, and their work only displays hate and mockery of Catholics and the Christian faith. …

“I believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. I believe the word of God is true, and in Galatians 6:7 it says, ‘Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked; a man reaps what he sows.’ This group openly mocks Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of my faith, and I want to make it clear that I do not agree with nor support the decision of the Dodger’s to ‘honor’ the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.”

None of this should surprise us.

III. This is what happens when a society rejects, removes, or replaces God.

Romans 1:18-28 (NIV, emphasis added)

¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

When a society rejects, removes, or replaces God:

1. God gives them over to a “depraved” or “debased” mind.

   “Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.”   Romans 1:28 (NIV)

2. People become deceived and delusional.

   “⁹ The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, ¹⁰ and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹ For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie …” – Thessalonians 2:9-11 (NIV, emphasis added)

3. It unleashes the demonic.

   “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” 1 Timothy 4:1 (NIV)

Depraved, Deceived, Delusional, Demonic

IV. Satan’s attempt to pervert and curse what God has blessed.

He goes after God’s design:

1. Biological sex
2. Marriage
3. Children

There is great evil and deception.

Adolf Hitler was committed to indoctrination. He said, “I want to raise a generation of young people devoid of conscience — imperious, relentless, and cruel.”

Why would companies go along with this? They are willing to suffer short-term financial losses for long-term cultural gains.

Christians understand this for we hold something as more valuable than money— Christ, our God. The world will now do it for its god.

They are more interested in a high CEI Score than customer satisfaction.

• CEI = “Corporate Equality Index” – a rating system for how diverse and inclusive a company is and how well it supports the alphabet+/woke agenda.

TARGET’s largest stockholders are Vanguard, State Street, and BlackRock; these corporations support the CEI.

• CEI scoring system was setup by the radical pro-LGBTQ+ Human Rights Campaign (HRC) who has spent millions lobbying Congress for this.
• The HRC is owned by the Open Society Foundation, funded by George Sorors.

V. Consequences—what can we do?

2 Peter 3:10-12 (NIV, emphasis added)

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

Four things we must do:

1. Live a holy life.
   “You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” – 2 Peter 3:11b-12.
2. Have a Healthy Home.
   “Impress them [God’s law] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” – Deuteronomy 6:7 (NIV)
3. Have a Strong Stance.
   “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” – (2 Timothy 1:12 NKJV, emphasis added)

• • It is not loving to affirm a lie.

• • Saturate your heart and mind with the Word of God.

• • We need the Truth.

• • We need our identity to be rooted in Christ.

Six truths from God’s Word that counter the most current lies of the culture:

• • • God’s Word is truth and the standard of all that is right and wrong (1 John 17:17).
    • God designed us male and female (Genesis 1:27).
    • God designed each person with beauty and purpose, being “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).
    • God designed sex within the confines of marriage between a man and a woman (Genesis 1:28).
    • God designed all races with equal value and worth (Acts 10:34-35).
    • God loves all and died for all in order to save all who would call upon the Name of the Lord (Romans 10:9-13).

     4. Have a Tender Heart

• Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. (Jude 22-23 NIV)
• A study published recently in the Journal of Sexual Medicine shows that “trans” kids are prescribed more antipsychotic drugs after beginning gender transition than before.
• Anywhere from 8 to 13 percent of those who transition are detransitioning.
• Charles Spurgeon said, “In order to be winners of souls, we must first be weepers of souls.”

Conclusion

Though cut out from the broadcast, Pastor Hamrick closed with Ephesians 6:10-15 (NIV):

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 

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Pastor Hamrick is the Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia. For more information on his ministry and church, visit: CornerstoneChapel.net.