Week of Monday, August 2-Sunday, August 8
Instruction Manual – Man as Defender
They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” – Mark 10:4-9
Instruction Manuals. They come with everything from home appliances, lawn equipment, and even put-it-together-yourself stuff like shelving shipped to your door. I know a lot of guys who simply throw away those instruction manuals, thinking: “How hard could this be?” But sometimes we end up with a mess, then have to fish those instructions out of the trash or try to find an online video and start over. You know how I know that? Well I digress… Obviously, the Bible is God’s Instruction Manual, but most people try to do life without consulting it, and predictably, they end up with a mess. That is especially true with sexuality and marriage.
Interestingly, when the religious leaders tried to trap Jesus with a question about divorce, Jesus essentially pointed out that they were focused on the “Troubleshooting” section, but they needed to start with the “Before You Begin” section of the Manual. They wanted to focus on what happens when marriage doesn’t work, but Jesus pointed them back to God’s plan for how it will work. Instead of dwelling on Moses’ attempt to troubleshoot a mess, Jesus took them all the way back to the beginning, back to Creation, back to the first pages of the Manual.
The first major point Jesus makes from Genesis is that God made human beings male and female (v. 6; Gen. 1:27). Contrary to popular opinion, God did not make females trapped in male bodies and vice versa. A ton of people are confused about that today, just like they are about marriage, which is the second major point our Lord made from Genesis: God’s plan for marriage is for it to be only between one man and one woman (v. 7-8; Gen. 2:24), and He adds that it is intended for life (v. 9).
Yet poll after poll shows that a majority of Americans would disagree, including some who claim to be Christians, saying that transgender behavior and same-sex marriage are just fine by them. Yet, deviation from God’s design has led to a bunch of brokenness. Many individuals who have attempted to “change” their sex medically and surgically have come to regret it, but the damage is done. Especially heartbreaking are all the kids who are being sucked into this insanity. Then there are the children of same-sex parents who detail the emotional and psychological damage done by being raised in that environment. Kids need to affirm the sex God gave them at birth and they need a dad and a mom and not the pretend kind. Bottom line: We ditch the Manual at our peril.
By Jesus affirming God’s design for human sexuality as a male or female and man-woman marriage, He disqualified all LGBTQ behavior and identities. There are plenty of other scriptures in the Manual, Old Testament and New, to back Him up. To be clear: Assuming a LGBTQ identity or engaging in that sort of behavior is not only harmful, it is sinful.
By now, some guys reading this may be thinking: “Thanks a lot Captain Obvious… we know all that.” True, but a lot of broken people don’t know it. Others reject it. Still others are maliciously deceiving people about it. Men, that’s why we need to stand as Defenders of God’s truth regarding human sexuality and marriage. We must defend our sons and daughters, our nieces and nephews, our grandsons and granddaughters against the pervasive deception in the culture. We must point people back to God’s Instruction Manual.
Instruction Manual – Man as Defender
They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” – Mark 10:4-9
Instruction Manuals. They come with everything from home appliances, lawn equipment, and even put-it-together-yourself stuff like shelving shipped to your door. I know a lot of guys who simply throw away those instruction manuals, thinking: “How hard could this be?” But sometimes we end up with a mess, then have to fish those instructions out of the trash or try to find an online video and start over. You know how I know that? Well I digress… Obviously, the Bible is God’s Instruction Manual, but most people try to do life without consulting it, and predictably, they end up with a mess. That is especially true with sexuality and marriage.
Interestingly, when the religious leaders tried to trap Jesus with a question about divorce, Jesus essentially pointed out that they were focused on the “Troubleshooting” section, but they needed to start with the “Before You Begin” section of the Manual. They wanted to focus on what happens when marriage doesn’t work, but Jesus pointed them back to God’s plan for how it will work. Instead of dwelling on Moses’ attempt to troubleshoot a mess, Jesus took them all the way back to the beginning, back to Creation, back to the first pages of the Manual.
The first major point Jesus makes from Genesis is that God made human beings male and female (v. 6; Gen. 1:27). Contrary to popular opinion, God did not make females trapped in male bodies and vice versa. A ton of people are confused about that today, just like they are about marriage, which is the second major point our Lord made from Genesis: God’s plan for marriage is for it to be only between one man and one woman (v. 7-8; Gen. 2:24), and He adds that it is intended for life (v. 9).
Yet poll after poll shows that a majority of Americans would disagree, including some who claim to be Christians, saying that transgender behavior and same-sex marriage are just fine by them. Yet, deviation from God’s design has led to a bunch of brokenness. Many individuals who have attempted to “change” their sex medically and surgically have come to regret it, but the damage is done. Especially heartbreaking are all the kids who are being sucked into this insanity. Then there are the children of same-sex parents who detail the emotional and psychological damage done by being raised in that environment. Kids need to affirm the sex God gave them at birth and they need a dad and a mom and not the pretend kind. Bottom line: We ditch the Manual at our peril.
By Jesus affirming God’s design for human sexuality as a male or female and man-woman marriage, He disqualified all LGBTQ behavior and identities. There are plenty of other scriptures in the Manual, Old Testament and New, to back Him up. To be clear: Assuming a LGBTQ identity or engaging in that sort of behavior is not only harmful, it is sinful.
By now, some guys reading this may be thinking: “Thanks a lot Captain Obvious… we know all that.” True, but a lot of broken people don’t know it. Others reject it. Still others are maliciously deceiving people about it. Men, that’s why we need to stand as Defenders of God’s truth regarding human sexuality and marriage. We must defend our sons and daughters, our nieces and nephews, our grandsons and granddaughters against the pervasive deception in the culture. We must point people back to God’s Instruction Manual.
- When it comes to deception about human sexuality and marriage, it is literally everywhere you turn. What practical steps can you take to defend your family against it and point them to the Manual?
- Beyond defending your family, don’t overlook opportunities to defend others. Attend your local school board meeting and ask questions about what is being taught about human sexuality.
- Ask God to help you defend against deception and stand firm for God’s good plan and design.