Last night, I preached as a guest speaker at Rocky Branch Independent Holiness Church of God in Walland, TN. My sermons aren't usually a commentary on current events, but probably like in most churches yesterday, the subject of my sermon was connected to the Supreme Court decision about same-sex marriage. Probably unlike most sermons yesterday, mine was not filled with messages of wrath, doom, or hateful speech. There were my three main points:
First, just because Washington says same-sex marriage is permitted in the U.S., that does not mean it is okay for Christians. We are just like the Christians who lived in first-century Corinth, who lived in a Roman culture that embraced idolatry and sexual immorality. While this goes on around us, the command to Christians is "touch not," and "flee from" these activities. People who sin sexually are doing harm to themselves.
Second, Paul corrected a misunderstanding that the Christians in Corinth held. He had previously instructed them "not to associate with sexually immoral people," but he was talking about hypocritical people inside the church! Christians were never supposed to disassociate themselves from people outside the church. Jesus ate with and ministered to the publicans, who were the "religious rejects" of his day, and we should also love and minister to people who are rejected by many churches today. My favorite quote of the evening was in this section, "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?" (1 Corinthians 5:12).
Third, God's message to Christians who are uneasy with the changes that are happening in our country is "do not lose heart". Christians are "being renewed day by day" by God's love and faithfulness.