Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO Protecting marriage Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA October 12, 2003 Main Scripture texts: Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 2:18-25. From the beginning God used marriage -- the union of one man and one woman -- to establish the family as the foundational unit of human society. In June of 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Texas sodomy law, meaning that acts of sodomy are now constitutionally protected. Many analysts believe the next step will be the legitimization of same-sex marriage. Why should we care? Why not let people do whatever they want? Our texts from Genesis teach that heterosexual marriage and family is part of God's plan and purpose for creation. Romans 1:18-32 makes it abundantly clear that deviating from God's plan is inviting disaster. The sexual revolution, radical feminism, and no-fault divorce have already wreaked havoc on the family in America. Only 56 percent of our children live with both biological parents. Studies have shown that 85 percent of youths in prison or juvenile detention come from fatherless homes. The strength and stability of a nation is directly related to the strength and stability of its people. The heterosexual, two-parent family is God's plan for the nurture, growth and development of children into stable productive adults. The church blesses marriage because the bond of marriage not only reflects the created order, it reflects the love that Jesus has for His bride, the Church. This is a love characterized by sacrifice, commitment, and fidelity. Speaking last year to a gathering of Episcopalian leaders, Dr. Peter Moore, president of Trinity Episcopal School of Ministry in Pittsburgh, made this important point: Judaism and Christianity brought erotic love, marriage and procreation together.... [W]hen you totally separate sex from procreation, or the possibility of procreation [as would be the case in homosexual marriage], it no longer exists for the sake of others.... Married couples sacrifice time, money, sometimes careers, health, and many good things in life in order to provide for children. This sacrifice channels the sexual drive, especially the marauding male sexual drive, into long-term goals that benefit the species and fulfill the creation mandate to "be fruitful and multiply." Many today are arguing that if we love homosexuals, we must endorse homosexual marriage. Dr. Moore says exactly the opposite is true: What we find is that true love forbids us to bless homosexual relationships. The church can never bless what God has not blessed. Rather our task is much more difficult and much more costly. We must labor alongside those with unruly emotions, who believe that sexual restraint and healing are impossible, and who put themselves and others at grave risk. We seek to do this with all the sensitivity of Our Lord himself; and we seek to do this by demonstrating, that it really is possible to live a new life in Christ. This is our proclamation as followers of Jesus: by the power of the Holy Spirit it really is possible to say "no" to ungodly passions and live a new life because of what Christ has done through his life, death, and resurrection. What can we do to protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman? There are ideas on your handout. In the 60s the Church sat quietly by as prayer and Bible reading were removed from our schools -- and we're suffering the consequences. In the 70s she sat quietly by as abortion-on-demand became the law of the land -- and we're suffering the consequences. God forbid that 30 years from now we will have to look at a society in total chaos and wish we had done something in 2003 to protect the institution of marriage from those who would seek to destroy it. Supporting text: Romans 1:18-32 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (36:00). (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio tape of this sermon is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 031012a: Protecting Marriage. © 2003 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us