Daily Archives: June 20, 2008
God has Drawn a Demarcative Line Between the Two Genders
Introduction
Ever since God created man and ushered him into a relationship with Himself, he has drawn lines which were never meant to be crossed. He drew a line in the Garden of Eden [Gen. 2:16: …“You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; Gen. 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,….”]. He drew lines on the peak of Mt Sinai [Ex. 20:13: You shall not murder, Ex. 20:14 ¶ You shall not commit adultery]. He drew lines on the mountain on which he stood as he delivered the great beatitudes [Matt. 5:32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery].
Sermon Thesis
God has drawn a demarcative line between the two genders. He desires that we not cross the line; Also He wills that the genders show consideration one for the other in light of their differences
God has drawn a demarcative line between the two genders; He desires that we not cross the line.
God has drawn a demarcative line between the two genders. Here is a Bible trivia for you. From which Book of the Bible has this statement been coined? Genesis. What chapter? Chapter 1 What verse? Verse 27: (Gen. 1:27: So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.) God has drawn a demarcative line between the two genders. His desire is that we not cross the line.
What are some of the manifestation of gender line crossing?
1. Gayism
I can sense some of you saying this in you heart, “time out preacher-man, drop it guy, don’t even go there, unless, of course, you are confused about who we are, in which case we would be more than glad to remind you: “We are not Americans who (a) are the chief exporters of the gay rights movement (b) have among them a exclusively gay church (Metropolitan Community Church) (c) have plans underway this fall an exclusively gay and lesbian school in New York and (d) a few weeks ago produced the first publicly gay Anglican bishop—bishop-elect Gene Robinson of New Hampshire,” a decision, by the way, that is threatening to split the Anglican church worldwide. Bishop Nzimbi and his team are meeting even as we speak to decide on whether to dis-fellowship the American sector of the Anglican communion, a move that I personally would support without hesitation. “We are not even Canadians in whose land gay marriages are legally recognized in at least two provinces. We need to remind you that we are Africans. If it is vices you want to talk to us about, you know our vices. Speak to us about tribalism, for instance. But please don’t speak to us about homosexuality. Homosexuality is not just our vice.“
If that is you stance towards the subject of homosexuality, deservedly, you have every reason to pat yourself in the back because you follow in the very footsteps of our late beloved president.
Back in the 60’s, the late President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta is said to have once confidently declared (and I quote) “there is no african word for homosexuality…the practice is totally unknown to the black man” As it turns out Mzee was speaking contemporaneously, not timelessly. If Hayati were to rise from the dead this very second, he would have no choice but to swallow his words. Why? Because
(i) There exists today an indigenous term for gayism, any one knows the term? Shoga. (ii)There are Kenyan homosexual practitioners; we even know the names of some of them. Daily Nation, June 24th, 1998 makes mention of 42-year old Odongo. The same issue named Amin,a 54 year old primary school headmaster. If you jog your memory, you might be able recall an estatemate, someone you grew up with of whom it was rumoured that he was gay. I recall someone who I grew up with who was gay. His name was Thuo. Kenyan homosexuals are now emerging from the closet. A good example is our fellow Kenyan diasporean Kerugo Macharia. Believe it or Macharia has posted his confession on the web for all to read. The confession reads in part: “In 1995, my first year in America, I began to question my sexual identity and to look for positive affirmations of it. I found my first positive affirmations of it in literature written by white gay men. Their voices helped me identify one aspect of my nature and to explore it”
(iii)There exists in our motherland a local chapter of an international advocacy group known as the LGBT advocacy group? LGBT stands for Lesbian Gays Bisexual and Transgender. The local chapter goes by the acronym Galebitra. I could not find the meaning of Galebitra; but I would not be surprised if the term is an acronym for Gay Lesbian Transgender. The coordinator of Galebitra is Jeremy Mirie.
(iv) There is talk out there that the new constitution is homosexuality-tolerant. And that may just be true based on an interview conducted by an East African Newspaper correspondent featuring Prof. Makau Mutua who used to be the Kenya Human Commission Chairman, is a current delegate to the new constitution referendum, and law professor at the Buffalo Law school in New York. Prof. Mutua had this say about homosexuality and the draft constitution: “there is misunderstanding about the view of African culture and African tradition, vis-à-vis homosexuality. My understanding is that before the advent of Christianity in the pre-colonial era, Africans never punished, discriminated against or looked down upon individuals who are today referred to as homosexuals…. It is in fact Christianity and its strict sexual moral code that introduced the hatred, discrimination, and exclusion of homosexuals from society. So the fact that the draft bill seeks to tolerate … homosexuals … is a very welcome development.”
If when I first mentioned the term homosexual, you, for a moment, thought the topic was irrelevant, I hope you now realize your naivete. Homosexuality in Kenya is no longer a myth, it’s a reality and it’s high time we talked about it from the pulpit.
The gay movement poses a two-pronged threat.
–The first threat has to do with the way in which pro-homosexual theologians seek to dilute the forcefulness with which the Bible condemns homosexuality. Let’s look at these passages: Lev. 18:22 reads, You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. Lev. 20:l3 says, If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them. Rom 1, 18,26 and 27 says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth (18). For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural (26), and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.,(27). Pro-homosexual theologians read these texts and then argue that what is being condemned here is the homosexual act itself (act of lying with a male as with a woman or vice versa), not the homosexual relationship or desire per se. In other words, a homosexual is fine as long as the relationship stays platonic.
–The second threat posed by the homosexual movement is the kinds of scientific arguments it advances on its own behalf. An often-quoted psychoanalytical theory states that a father’s detachment or nonparticipation in a child’s upbringing causes a son to develop a compromised sense of secure-maleness because of lack of opportunity for the son to pattern his developing personality after that of his father. Then there is the genetic hypothesis which purports that homosexuality is determined from the word “go,” i.e., at the moment of conception due the presence of the so called “gay” gene
To the extent that you buy into these theological and scientific arguments or reject them totally is to the same extent that you will either grant or deny homosexuality a foothold in your life.
Speaking to the proposed distinction between the homosexual act and the homosexual relationship, I, personally, find this proposed dichotomization to be quite cosmetic and superficial. A Homosexual relationship, just like a heterosexual relationship, sooner or later culminates in the sex act. So spare me the platonic love nonsense.
As regards the psychoanalytical theory, the environment that I grow up in may influence my behaviour but ultimately the buck stops with me. I am ultimately responsible for my behaviour.
As regards the genetic hypothesis, namely the “gay” gene theory, if the hypothesis is true and if the psalmist’s assertion is also true that we owe our conception and uterine development to God, then the only logical conclusion that can be made is that God is responsible for the creation of the gay gene. But why would a God who created the gay gene turn around and then condemn homosexuality?
2. Transvestism.
Due to time I will not dwell much on this particular manifestation. There is one thing that I would like to pint out, though.
Any males in the house that have earing or plaited hair? Some are of the opinion that earing wearing or hair plaiting by the male gender should be categorized as transvestism. I cannot disagree enough. You have to see a real transvestite—I never sone myself until I came to this country- to realize that the male earing wearers or hair plaiters in our midst are nowhere close to passing themselves as females. They are simply being fashionable. Having said that, though, male earing wearers and hair plaiters, the burden is on you make sure you are not violating the Rom. 14 principle about not stumbling the weaker brethren.
God has drawn a demarcative line between the two genders. He wills that the genders show consideration one for the other in light of their differences
Let’s look at 1 Pet. 3:7 [Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for your wives in your life together, paying honor to the woman as the weaker sex, since they too are also heirs of the gracious gift of life — so that nothing may hinder your prayers]
The gender difference that Peter spotlights here is the relative weakness of the female gender. To this end he calls on the male gender to show consideration, to pay honour. I suggest to us that there exists several other gender differences, viz., biological/physiological differences. And for each of these other gender differences, Peter’s appeal still stands: show consideration! show consideration!
Due to time limitation we will only look at two. Besides citing these differences I will also suggest ways in which we can show consideration one for another
(a) Physical strength
Facts:
(i) The male has a BMR (Basal metabolic rate) 10% higher
(ii) the male converts 50% more energy into muscle
(iii) the male has larger windpipes and branching bronchi
(iv) the male has a larger heart which is able to pump larger volume of blood
Bottom line: The male is stronger, he can handle heavy work and is more energetic
Ways of showing consideration
(i) Be willing to take care of household chores that are physical taxing like let’s say scrubbing the bath-tub
(ii) Groceries can be pretty heavy; if there is any single reason why the male should go shopping with the female is so as to handle the heavy grocery
(iii) Since the male is stronger, the last thing you want to do is hit the female. Being the stronger one, males who beat females engage in a mismatch. There is no better expression of cowardice than a stronger person punching a weaker person. If you want to hit someone, males, find your match. I hear Don King Promotions is signing up new recruits. Sign up with Don King. He is bound to find you a good match, like Tyson. Then show us how good a fighter you are.
(b) Sexual Arousal
Facts
(i) The testosterone in the male produces neurotransmitters in the hypothalamus which then lowers the threshold of responses so that it takes less stimulation to attain arousal
(ii) The estrogen in the female causes the inhibition of synaptic firing in the brain leading to need for more sensory and cognitive stimulation
Bottom line: The male is not only easily aroused but is aroused by what they see; the female not only requires more stimulation but is aroused by touch and by words
Ways of showing consideration
(i) Single males, since the female gender is turned on by words, there is a three-word phrase that you should never utter unless you really really really mean it. You may not, should not, cannot, loosely, casually blurt out the words “I love you” unless you are willing to facilitate the fulfillment of the fantasy that this three-word phrase triggers in the female psyche. You see gentlemen, those words fling the female into fantasy land—fantasy land filled with possible wedding colour themes ; fantasy land filled with bridesmaids, wedding bells and pastor Ruto. The female’s expectation of you, Mr. Man, is that when she finally makes her way back from fantasy land to reality you see to it that her fantasy matches reality . Failure to convert her fantasy into reality results in a broken heart, broken pieces.
(ii) Females, since the male is aroused by sight, you show consideration by seriously thinking through your dress-code. For our sake, you may want to set aside the sphaghetti sleeves, the sleevless blouse, the tight miniskirts, the see-throughs. We are not asking that you put on a buibui—as in make it your noble goal to always underexpose yourself, not overexpose yourself. If you did that, you will be fulfilling the biblical principle of modest dressing.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we started out by pointing out that ever since God created mans and ushered him into a relationship with himself, he has drawn lines that were never meant to be crossed. Gender demarcation is an example of such line drawing.
God Has the Alien’s Agenda at Heart
WHETHER IT BE PHYSICAL OR SPIRITUAL ALIENISM, GOD HAS THE ALIEN’S AGENDA AT HEART
Introduction
The exact date I cannot recall; the event itself, however, I cannot forget. I was northbound on Abram’s Rd on a drizzling afternoon of spring 2000. As I was approaching the Abrams-Forest crossroad, the lights turned red. Naturally I hit my brakes. In a split second, my stationary Isuzu had been rear-ended and tossed into the middle of the Abrams-Forest junction. Realizing that I had not given up the Ghost after all, I slowly opened the driver’s door and with paper and pen in hand headed straight towards the driver’s window of the car that had just rammed into me. The first sentence that leapt out of my mouth was “let me have your insurance information.” The African American teenager behind the wheel told me she did not know where the insurance information was since the car belonged to her uncle. I had her check the glove compartment. She claimed it wasn’t there. In the absence of the insurance information, I thought it wise to involve the police. But lest the lady move her car and tamper with the evidence I ordered her to freeze as I made my way to a nearby booth to make a call. As I headed for the booth a police car showed up. Apparently the officer had noticed the accident. So I abandoned my calling plans, raced back to the accident scene and I identified myself to the officer as the owner of the rammed vehicle. He asked us to both move our cars to the adjacent shopping center. We did that and then approached the officer. The officer instructed us to exchange insurance information. I pulled my information out. Already aware that the African American teenager had no insurance on her, I let the officer know.
What did the officer do? Did he write her a ticket since driving a car without an insurance is a “ticketable” offense? No! Did he at least reprimand the girl for driving without insurance? No! All he said was, “let her give you her uncle’s phone number; you call the uncle for the insurance information.” That treatment puzzled me. Later on I narrated this treatment to one of the seminary police, and he too thought the officer’s handling of the incident was un-procedural.
To this day I am convinced that this officer treated me unfairly because I spoke with an accent. He was unwilling to allow the Law to take its full course because he suspected I was an alien. He was unwilling to take the alien’s agenda at heart. As I have reflected on this officer’s unjust dealing with me, I am comforted by one precious, priceless thought, which is, God is so unlike this officer. To borrow the phraseology of Num. 23:19 which reads (Num. 23:19: “God is not a human being, that he should lie, …”), God is not this police officer that He should dismiss, disregard, ignore the alien’s agenda.
Physical and spiritual alienism: Three demonstration of how God has the alien’s agenda at heart
Demonstration#1: When it comes to physical alienism, GOD’S LAW reveals that He has the alien’s agenda at heart
When it comes to physical alienism… Let’s define “physical alienism”. “Physical” we understand. In the context of this sermon, physical is the opposite of spiritual. How about alienism/alien? Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the term alien as “a person of another place.” I would like to modify that definition a little bit to fit our context. Let’s define “alien” as “one who is away from home.” “Alienism would thus refer to the “state of being away from home.” “Physical alienism” would refer to the experience of being physically away from home.
When it comes to physical alienism, God’s Law reveals that He has the alien’s agenda at heart. If you want to know whether a system has your agenda at heart, look at the system’s legislature or the system’s constitution. We have heard some commentaries emerge from behind this pulpit—commentaries on Kenya’s new constitution. So far we have heard negative commentaries. Now I am not questioning the veracity of those negative comments. All I wish to highlight is that there are positive aspects of the new constitution. Those of us who have read the draft form of the new constitution would attest with me that the new constitution, in as far as the treatment of the Kenyan in Diaspora is concerned, does have our agenda at heart. Here are 2 articles of the constitution for your consideration.
Article #23: Dual citizenship is permitted under the laws of Kenya. A person who as a result of acquiring the citizenship of another country lost the citizenship of Kenya at any time before the coming into operation of the constitution, is entitled on application to be registered as a citizen of Kenya.
Question: Has it not been the agenda of the Kenyan in Diaspora to acquire dual citizenship? Well, article #23 of the new constitution addresses that agenda. Does this article then reveal that the framers of the constitution have the agenda of the Kenyan in Diaspora at heart? The answer would have to be “Yes.”
Article #77 reads: Subject to any provision in the constitution, Parliament shall enact a law to provide for the registration of, and voting by, citizens who are outside Kenya
Question: Has it not been the agenda of the Kenyan in Diaspora to be able to participate in the elections at home? Well, article #77 of the new constitution addresses this very agenda. Does article # 77 then reveal that the framers of the new constitution have the agenda of the Kenyan in Diaspora at heart? The answer would have to be “Yes.”
In the same manner that the new constitution reveals the extent to which the framers have the agenda of the Kenyan in Diaspora at heart so does the Law of God reveal the extent to which He has the alien’s agenda at heart.
What does the law of God say about aliens? Time does not allow us to take a peek at all the alien-related laws. But here are just two among the many.
Cognizant of the vulnerability of the alien to oppression or maltreatment God’s jurisprudence categorically restrains the natives from mistreating the alien: (Ex. 22:21 ¶ You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; Lev. 19:33 ¶ When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.).
Cognizant of the vulnerability of the alien to injustice, God’s jurisprudence categorically restrains the natives from denying the alien justice: (Deut. 24:17 ¶ You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; … Deut. 27:19 ¶ “Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice)
Beyond promulgating pro-alien legislature, God himself poses as the alien’s watchman ( Psa. 146:9 The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin). God also poses as the lover of the alien (Deut. 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, Deut. 10:18 who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing.)
So what are the implications of the biblical truth that, when it comes to physical alienism, God has the alien’s agenda at heart?
1. As an alien, have you been a victim of maltreatment? Maybe an officer let a native off the hook at your expense or a teacher graded you down because you have an accent or you were strip-searched at the airport because you looked different. I can imagine the bitterness or the vexation that the mistreatment brought to you. You probably felt helpless, unable to bring the mistreater to book. I encourage you, in the name of the Lord to let go the bitterness or the vexation. God took note of the mistreatment. His requirements still stand (Ex. 22:21 ¶ You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien,; Deut. 24:17 ¶ You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice;). To maltreat an alien is to break God’s commandment. And in His justice He will not overlook such an infraction.
2. When we arrive in a foreign the land, we should not be duped into thinking that God would be such an inconvenience that He has to be left at the airport. Who leaves the scene without the bodyguard? So how would you even contemplate leaving without one one who watches over the alien? Who voluntarily leaves behind a loved one? So how would you even contemplated leaving behind the one who loves the alien? My advice to you, then, is if you left God at DFW, make you way back there and get Him.
ere and get Him
Demonstration #2: When it comes to sin-engendered spiritual alienism, God’s measure to ensure its sweet cancellation demonstrates that He has the alien’s agenda at heart.
When it comes to “spiritual alienism … . “ Alienism,” we have already defined. It’s the state of being away from home. “Spiritual alienism” would thus be referring to the state of being spiritually away from home.
Home for you and me, spiritually speaking is relationally being with God. The state of man upon birth, however, is one of relational separation from God. The cause of the separation is sin. That you and I have sinned, Romans 3:23 makes clear: (Rom. 3:23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God). That sin is the cause of the separation between God and man Rom. 6:23 clearly attests to (Rom. 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.); (the wages of sin is death) death here refers to the rift or the valley or the separation between God and man since death in its essence means separation. Left to our selves this rift between God and man would forever remain unbridged becausing nothing in and of ourselves can bring about the bridging of the rift–no works however good or impressive or laudable, no church attendance however frequent, no tithing however high, no baptism; nothing. Eph 2:9 says (Eph. 2:9: not the result of works, so that no one may boast.)
The good news, though, is that God has supplied the bridge that forever cancels the rift between Himself and man.
During the colonial era, when the British wanted to establish a road between Kirinyaga and Embu in the Mt Kenya region to fight Mau Mau insurgence, there was one snag. The Nyamindi river that flows from Mt Kenya into RiverTana required a bridge. However there was neither time nor resources for that kind of project during the state of emergency. Unknown to the mbeberu but known to the locals was the existence of a bridge somewhere in the woods of Murinduko. It was a strong bridge almost 20 metres long. The bridge exists even today–about a Kilometer from Mururi trading center off the Embu-Nairobi Rd. The locals would use the bridge to cross the Nyamindi Brook. As much as the locals utilized the bridge, no one knew how this bridge came into being. So the the residents of Murinduko and the Mt Kenya region came up with a name for the bridge. They named the bridge “Ndaraca ya Ngai” (which means “God’s bridge”)
God has supplied a Ndaraca that forever cancels the rift between Deity and mankind. That Ndaraca is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Ndaraca ya Ngai.
If you were to repent of your sins and receive Christ, you would become a believer. Once a believer this description would be true of you as it was for the Ephesians believers (Eph. 2:12: Remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world; Eph. 2:19: So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God). When it comes to sin-engendered spiritual alienism, God has put in place a measure to ensure its sweet cancellation. That God has such a measure in place demonstrates that He has the alien’s agenda at heart.
Demonstration #3 When it comes to Heaven-associated spiritual alienism, God’s measure to ensure its glorious termination demonstrates that He has the alien’s agenda at heart.
No sooner is an individual transfered from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingom of God’s beloved son, upon belief, and of that new believer it is said “you are no longer strangers and aliens but you are citizens with the saints and members of the household of God–no sooner is all these true of a believer than the believer is branded an alien yet again. This time the alienism is not the sin-engendered spiritual alienism. That type of spiritual alienism is cancelled upon belief. This time the status of the believer is the heaven-associated spiritual alienism.
Philippians chapter 3 verses 18-21 reads (Phil. 3:18: For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Phil. 3:19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. Phil. 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, Phil. 3:21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. ). If our citizenship is in heaven, then as long as we out here we remain aliens. But not for long. Soon and very soon we are going to see the King. Soon and very soon the roll will be called. In the words of the hymnist James M Black:
(When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound,
And time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright, and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, we believers, we will be there.
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, we believers, we will be there.
On that bright and cloudless morning
When the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of his resurrection share;
When his chosen ones shall gather
To their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, we believers , we will be there.
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there…)
Challenge
God is pro-alien through and through. He is pro-alien when it comes to physical alienism. He is pro-alien when it comes to spiritual alienism. The question is whether you are pro-God? He is already pro-you; are you pro-Him?
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