E3 2017 | GS 3 | "Expository Apologetics: Part II" | Voddie Baucham

as we look at this issue of expository apologetics this morning we defined apologetics first and then looked at what we meant by expository apologetics tonight I want to do that and then give you an example of it apologetics quite simply means knowing what we believe knowing why we believe it and being able to communicate that to others in a winsome and effective manner that's all it doesn't mean knowing everything about every other religion and philosophy out there it doesn't mean necessarily being a skilled debater it doesn't mean having the answer to any conceivable question that someone would ask it means quite simply as Peter would say in 1st Peter chapter 3 verse 15 always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you and we do it with gentleness and with reverence know what you believe know why you believe it and be ready and willing and able to communicate that in a winsome and effective way that's it in expository apologetics we go a step further and essentially what we want to be able to do is we want to be able to formulate our answers from Scripture on tomorrow Lord willing we'll look at how the Apostle Paul did that he did that in a couple of different ways a great example of that is in Romans chapter 3 where he asks these questions that seem like rhetorical questions right what then should we go on sinning so that grace may abound and it's amazing because if you go through that series of questions in Romans chapter 3 and if you've spent any time engaging with people in the culture they asked the exact same questions today it may be formulated a little differently but you will get those same questions today that Paul interacted with there sometimes the answers with book chapter and verse sometimes he answers with a theological principle sometimes he answers with a logical response and then sometimes he doesn't answer at all I love it when he says who are you oh man like literally who do you think you are yet even he doesn't bother to answer the question he turns around and he says really who do you think you are God doesn't have to answer you and sometimes that's the right answer amen sometimes that's the right answer okay because sometimes people don't really want an answer they just want to hear themselves ask the question you know who you are right so today what we want to do is we want to deal with that in a very specific way and I want to apply it to what I believe is arguably the most important contemporary cultural apologetic issue and that is this issue of homosexuality same-sex marriage I this is an incredibly important issue I've been writing and talking about this issue for more than a decade now warning about this issue for more than a decade now and and the warning is not over because a lot of people think that well since now they they got same-sex marriage right they got what they wanted it's done actually it's not this movement is a 900-pound gorilla that will not be satisfied until the church is beaten into submission on this issue it is not enough listen homosexual was especially homosexual men do not care about being married it's the most promiscuous group of people in the world they do not care about being married that is not the issue the issue is marriage is under the purview of the church and the church is opposed to homosexuality and the church must be beaten into submission or driven out of existence and until that happens this hangover and for those who believe you know we're if we're just nicer it's what they said about Hitler how did the pees mat work there they didn't and it won't work here not by a long shot and so because of that the tactics have changed because of that and because of the fact that overwhelmingly young people you know under the age of thirty overwhelmingly even in the church young people in the church under the age of thirty are overwhelmingly pro homosexual oh the overwhelmingly convinced that it is a legitimate completely acceptable loving alternative to heterosexuality I mean overwhelmingly and some of you who have teenagers in your house you know this because you've had discussions with him he almost passed out when you came to realize the indoctrination that has happened with your children and what they actually believe on this subject we have been bombarded for decades now television films you can't watch a television series today without the promotion of homosexuality and same-sex marriage you just you can't it's not going to happen they're going to be gay characters in it and the gay character is going to be the smartest wittiest best-dressed right they're gonna have it all together you you're never going to see homosexuals that are anything like homosexuality out there in culture you're never going to see on television the homosexuals with the drinking problem and the drug problem although alcoholism and drug addiction are higher far higher among homosexuals didn't among the population at large you're not going to see domestic violence although domestic violence in same-sex relationships is several times higher than in heterosexual relationships especially among women in that interesting women need to be prepared protected from scary men and because domestic violence is all about scary men beating up women it's far more dangerous in terms of domestic violence to be in a same-sex relationship with another woman but no ice telling you that are they and you'll never see that television movies or anywhere else and so the indoctrination is almost complete so rare is the argument that tries to come to the scriptures and say you know this used to be the tact that's not really what the Bible says Matthew vines and his book God and the gay Christian was the last real effort at that very successful book and Matthew vines basically argued that when the Bible talks about homosexuality it was talking about these very negative domineering relationships between mature older married men and boys pederasty is what the Scriptures were talking about he he's wrong and I think Kevin too young Kevin too young pastor from right here in Michigan in his book what the Bible has to say about homosexuality has done a very effective job of demonstrating Matthew Vaughn's sleight of and misuse of scripture in that regard but the other thing that binds us arguing is that basically Paul didn't know anything of homosexual orientation right now we know that it is an actual orientation it was interesting about Matthew vines book and about everyone else who talks about homosexual orientation nobody's nobody's offering any proof it's just spoken right like it's just a fad like the Sun rises in the east and there is a such thing as a homosexual orientation right and everybody just kind of goes oh yeah and I'm going really prove it prove it because nobody's proving it nobody has proven it they sit there and argue against the new black right being a homosexual is just like you know somebody being a black person you know what you take my blood you don't even have to have me you can take my blood somewhere and go is this a black person and they'll come back and tell you yep that's a black person don't even have to see my skin don't even have to see my I can be burned up in a fire you look at my skeleton and look at the features of my skeleton wow that's a black person right there where's the evidence of somebody's sexual orientation other than their work it's non-existent and yet we talk about it like it's fact because if you repeat a lie enough and it goes unchallenged and especially if you call the people who challenged it nasty names that no one wants to be called then eventually it gets to masquerade as the truth and go unchecked and that's where we are that's where we are well we have respect Christian leaders now talking about sexual orientation and homosexuality as an orientation as though it's just fact and so because of all of this people aren't coming at it that way anymore they become a lot more bold now and now the most popular argument is what I call it the shellfish argument right you're a hypocrite you pick and choose you go to the Bible and you point out what the Bible says about laying with a man like laying with a woman and then it's an abomination but then in the same breath you ignore passages about eating shellfish or cutting the edge of your beard or a whole host of other things you hypocrite and it's quite effective that's why it's used so often because you know to the end you go to the average Christian and you throw that at the average Christian you hypocrite you pick and choose you know you believe this from Leviticus but not that from Leviticus and the best response the average Christian can give you is will because well so we have absolutely no idea what to do with that none whatsoever you will after tonight amen I I think this is an opportunity I really do the fact that this has been so effective that now it is sort of a go-to attack on us people can't wait for you to mention Leviticus 18:22 it's almost like the new you know John 3:16 the old John 3:16 was Matthew 7:1 and of course before that it was John 3:16 but you know Matthew 7:1 judge not lest you be judged right used to be everybody knew John 3:16 right Christian non-christian people just knew John 3:16 they might not even know where it is right but they would know John 3:16 then and the last generation right this this these 11th commandment Christians we talked about that earlier right the 11th commandment thou shalt be nice and we don't believe the other 10 right so Matthew 7:1 judge not lest you be judged that became the new John 3:16 now it's Leviticus 18:22 which reads you shall not lie with a male as with a woman it is an abomination and the other side knows this verse not because they want to embrace it and believe it but they know this verse because when they hear anything like it they bounce with thee oh yeah well why do you eat shrimp argument what do you have mixed fabric and your clothes sir ma'am because the Bible has something to say about that why do you pick and choose so tonight I want to look at how we respond to that first here's the first thing that we need to do when people come with the why do you pick and choose knock them off their moral high now I'm not advocating violence morale high horses the figure of speech before you run out there I think you just said we should punch people it's not what I said all right not to mock their moral high horse what I mean by that well the accusation is you're a hypocrite you're actually immoral knock them off their moral high horse first of all here's the first thing that we want to do we want to acknowledge the fact that they have just pointed to an absolute morality morality and an absolute moral standard hey I appreciate the fact that you think hypocrisy is wrong and sinful I actually agree with you and I think we've just found common ground that there are some things that are absolutely wrong and unacceptable now they'll already start looking at you like as we say down in Texas like a calf staring at a Newgate isn't that what yeah that wasn't supposed to be your response right and actually I don't believe in moral absolutes but I guess I do cuz I just yeah I don't I don't know that I like what you just said to me you're supposed to be cowering in fear and saying ah ba ba ba ba no first I want to acknowledge the fact that we've just found common ground you just pointed to an absolute moral standard and I agree with you that there is an absolute moral standard we may not agree on where we find it but at least we now know that we both agree on an absolute moral standard there are things that are right and there are things that are wrong but here's the second thing for you to get down off your moral high horse you pick and choose huh yeah you pick and choose I mean even if we keep reading verse 23 Leviticus 18:23 and you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it it is perversion do you agree that bestiality is perversion because if you do and you're arguing against me for holding to verse 22 you are you smelling one with stepping in right because you hold to verse 23 in the videos 18 but you don't hold to verse 22 which means you my friend also pick and choose or how about other passages look at Leviticus 19:17 it's a couple of pages later you shall not hate your brother in your heart but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor lest you incur sin because of him you shall not take vengeance or bear grudge a bear grudge against the of your own people but you shall love your neighbor as yourself I am the Lord you you gonna throw that away you go throw away you love your neighbor as yourself nope no you're not so again there are things in Leviticus that you hold to and other things live in Leviticus that you don't Leviticus says that we actually shall not steal verse 11 you shall not deal falsely you shall not lie to one another you shall not swear by my name falsely and profane the name of your God I am the Lord you believe people should steal really shouldn't you believe they shouldn't right so again there's all these principles in Leviticus 18 in Leviticus 19 that you agree with but you reject Leviticus 18:22 so first thank you for acknowledging that there are moral absolutes thank you for acknowledging that we ought to be held tomorrow absolutes thank you for also acknowledging that it is not wrong or sinful to condemn someone for hypocrisy because that's what you were doing to me by the way you were condemning me for hypocrisy so we both agree that hypocrisy ought to be condemned so I mean we're here we are man we're right here you and me were seeing eye to eye on stuff but you also need to acknowledge the fact that we see eye to eye on picking and choosing from Leviticus I do that and you do that the difference is I know why I do that you don't even know that you do that well well no actually I don't because I don't believe those things because they're in Leviticus liar liar you mean to tell me that you believe that you grew up in this culture that is rooted and grounded in biblical morality and has been since its founding this culture will you go to court and put your hand on the Bible and swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth this culture where you've been swimming in biblical morality your entire life and somehow you made those things up on your own come on you may not have known that you were holding two principles from Leviticus but you were you did not invent those things on your own they came from somewhere and I'm showing you where they came from ah well you know how this theory you know the Bible wait a minute 18:22 you were happy to talk about the Bible and call me a hypocrite because of my use of the Bible now I point to the fact that you did the same thing that you condemned you don't want to talk about the Bible anymore one of us is willing to have his hypocrisy judged the other is not not gonna say who but it's you so there step number one I'm off their moral high horse your step number two step number two is to demonstrate that it's right to pick and choose this is very important you can do this in a couple of different ways let me give you one way there's this one way where you can do this by giving them the theological principle right and sometimes that may be all you have time to do there's another way you can do this by actually pointing to that principle in action throughout the history of the Bible and theology as we know it there's been an understanding that we have in the Old Testament three different types of law there are people who've addressed this in different ways but basically from just about every theological perspective has acknowledged a three-fold division of the law Roman Catholics Protestants Calvinists Armenians were four I mean across the board it has been acknowledged that there is a three-fold division of the law that there is moral law civil law and ceremonial law in the Old Testament there may not always be agreement as we look at something in Leviticus and say this is civil this is moral this is everyone so on and so forth there may not always be agreement but there has been across-the-board agreement that when we look at the law the Mosaic law that we have laws that are civil in nature and they have to do with the way that Israel was to conduct itself as a nation in the ancient Near East those laws are not binding on us except for the principle of what the reform is called general equity we see that for example in the New Testament where in the Old Testament you know you you remove the leaven from among you by stoning someone to death but in the New Testament you remove the from among you by excommunicating someone that's the principle of general equity and so we find that all over the New Testament so we do not bring Israel civil laws over on a one-for-one basis but there are moral principles that we find in the civil law there is moral law more laws summarized in the Decalogue in the Ten Commandments these things are forever binding on all people everywhere adultery is wrong it was wrong it is wrong it will always be wrong murders wrong it is wrong it was wrong and law ways be wrong it's the moral law and then there are ceremonial laws now the ceremonial laws pointed to and prefigured Christ and his finished work here's where it gets good y'all because now this person is like well why do you pick and choose and I'm going you realize that in the Mosaic law there were rules for sacrifices that pointed forward to the once for all sacrifice of Christ so if I was actually to obey those laws in Leviticus I would actually be in sin because it would be blasphemy against the finished work of Christ which means as a Christian I'm obligated to pick and choose that means one of us is not a hypocrite okay let's be honest we're both hypocrites but one of us is not a hypocrite on this a man I'm sure we can find something where I've been hypocritical some of you're sitting there going yeah we'll talk after right focus do you see this so now all of a sudden because we point to the threefold division of the law and you don't have to take as much time as to do it as I did it right but because we point the threefold division is law you actually don't even have to point to the threefold division of the law for example we can go to nineteen five when you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord you shall offer it so that you may be accepted hmm you just read that verse right there and go you know as Christians there's another offering that has been made which nullifies that offering it's offering the Christ made of himself now here's the beauty of this because this gets you to number three number one get them down off their moral high horse that's step number one okay how do we get them off their moral high horse number one we point to the fact that they are agreeing with us that there's moral standard hypocrisy is wrong it ought to be condemned secondly we can show them right here in verses all around the one that they pointed to asking the first right after it point to the fact that they pick and choose whether they know it or not or whether they'd want to admit it or not there are some things in Leviticus that they would agree with and other things in Leviticus that they wouldn't agree with they pick and choose right so that's step number one get off your moral high horse step number two there is a refold the vision of the law and as a Christian this actually obligates me to pick and choose in Leviticus because there's some things in Leviticus that if I did them it would be blasphemy it would be blasphemy and by the way as a bonus here's a bonus the bonus is by the way you know some people who don't like our position on homosexuality like to run to Leviticus and say actually if they believe this then they would want to stone homosexuals to death well if you believe in the threefold division of the law you don't have to take that position so you guys are actually misrepresenting us just in case you wanted to know because by the way this actually gets us out of another whim that they like to tangle us up in well if you actually believe what the Bible says about that then doesn't that mean that you also have to believe that people have to be stoned to death before a principle of general equity and I didn't make this up we find this in all the reformed confessions step number three and you've probably already seen it this is what we want to do listen I do not want to win political arguments with people for the sake of winning political arguments with people unlike political arguments I really do I mean I can talk politics all day I love politics I do I love politics love the law before God saved me I was studying international business and pre-law he was like oh you want to be a lawyer no my goal before I became a Christian was to be the most powerful black man in America the law was just a tool I'm just being honest y'all right I just wanted power that was it now what had powered through studying the law that was also we can talk law I love to talk law but if that's all we do it's useless we've got to get to the gospel if all I do is just demonstrate that you are wrong on this issue I've accomplished virtually nothing we've got to get to the gospel because the gospel is where the hope is and here's the beauty once I've gotten on this issue of the ceremonial law and why it is that we can't you know just go to the ceremony of the law and pull it out like that guess what we're talking about now the gospel the person and work of Christ and perhaps you have a time to read this passage but maybe you don't Hebrews chapter 10 Hebrews chapter 10 you can just read any portion of what we're about to read but we just need to we just need to read some of this amen because it brings the point home Hebrews chapter 10 beginning of verse one for since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities it can never buy the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year make perfect those who draw near otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered since the worshipers having once been cleansed would no longer have any consciousness of sin but in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins consequently when Christ came into the world he said sacrifices and offerings you have not desired but a body have you prepared for me in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure then I said behold I have come to do your Will O God as it is written of me in the scroll of the book when he said above you have neither desired or taking pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings these are offered according to the law then he added behold I've come to do your will he does away with the first in order to establish the second and by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all it's done it's finished Christ died for sin once for all the just for the unjust in order to bring us back to God so you better believe we pick and choose and one of the reasons we pick and choose is because those ceremonial laws were meant to open our eyes so that we could see Christ can you imagine if there were no sacrificial system and God sends his only begotten Son and Jesus dies on the cross and everybody just looks and goes what's that about I don't know but year after year after year lambs without spot or blemish are offered year after year after year the high priest goes into the Holy of Holies to spread blood on the mercy seat year after year after year over and over and over again God's people are reminded that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin over and over and over again they're reminded your sin requires the death of another and one day John sees in coming and says behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world Isaiah foresaw this when he said all we like sheep had gone astray each of us had turned to his own way but God hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all Paul understood this God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him God demonstrated his love for us in this and that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us why oh why would I go back to a sacrificial system when it was screaming one thing and one thing only the Son of God the Lamb of God is coming and he will be slain for the sins of the people yes I pick and choose I absolutely pick and choose there are things in Leviticus that I'll never go back to amen why would I why would I that'd be like getting married and continuing to kiss my wife through a veil come on now why would I you see this is where we want to get to this is not just about shaming people or winning arguments spot pointing to Christ and finally here's the final piece if I believe this then you answer me one last question in which instance am i a terrible person if I see someone and believe with every fiber of my being that they are running headlong toward a cliff and they are going to land in hell and I decide for the sake of political correctness not to say anything or to even cheer them along or if I do everything I can to put every obstacle in their way to get in just a moment if they will give it to me so that I can plead with them to turn around and run in the other direction which one's the horrible person because I'm trying to do the ladder and it seems like you're accusing me of being a horrible person for doing the ladder you don't even have to agree with me to see that what I'm doing is the loving thing if this is what I believe but you are actually standing there with a straight face and saying listen on the one hand I respect your right to believe this but on the other hand I demand that you do the horrible thing that's what the culture is saying to us right now it's the stupidest thing in the world on the one hand we respect your religious freedom we respect your right to worship God the way that you see fit we respect your right to believe what you believe so you respect my right to believe that these people are running headlong toward a cliff and they're going to end up in hell yes we respect your right but we demand that in order for you to be considered decent people who ought to have the right to live in civilized society you stand along the side of the road and cheer them on while they run to hell that's what the 900-pound gorilla is demanding of us and sadly more and more Christian ministries Christian ministers and Christian movements everyday are putting their lawn chairs along the route and waving pom-poms because we'd rather be liked than to warn people on their way to hell god help us god help us its sheer falling step 1 off the moral high horse you just agreed with me that hypocrisy is a terrible thing and not to be condemned and you agree with me that we ought to pick and choose I can prove that to you step two you don't even know that you pick and choose I know why I pick and choose let me tell you why I pick and choose and it's not just my reason this is the way Christians have seen the Bible always step three by the way while we're talking about the ceremonial law here's Jesus in all his glory amen and number four are you still willing to say that I'm a horrible person if I believe this and do the only thing that makes sense oops this is a spout as possible expository apologetics okay this is taking a contemporary issue opening our Bible and addressing this issue now here's what I also want you to see because here's what many believe and I get people who ask me this all the time because we have a culture out there that doesn't believe the Bible they say well you know can do you think you can give me some arguments against same-sex marriage that don't rely on Scripture because if people don't believe the Bible then that's where we have to talk to them right we have to get away from the scriptures can I ask you a question did I get away from the scriptures at all not at all and be honest with me is this not a realistic representation of a conversation with a person who wants to use though why do you eat your fish argument they've invited us to talk about the mob remember when I started I said I think this is an opportunity these people are inviting us by setting this trap for us they're inviting us to talk to them about the Bible and not bad I'm not beating anybody over the head with the Bible here right it's ah you've accused me of being a hypocrite can I explain to you why I'm not do do you see this because this is what we have to learn how to do never never give up your sword never never the grass will wither in the flower will fade but the Word of God will stand forever amen by the way there's nothing more powerful than this huh oh my words my philosophy no the Word of God and I'm telling you I've had conversations with people just like this and it's amazing how willing people are to listen especially if we do this in a winsome and effective manner and in that step one I'm telling you well you just when you start this thing off with man you know what I appreciate the fact that we just found some common ground all of a sudden you know they go from this to that's what I want put your hands down but knock you out right and you won't even do it but it happens because now all of a sudden it's like okay wait we're engaging and I'm having to think about this because I really did just do that didn't I yep you did now let me show you something else next verse next verses against bestiality you and I both agree with Leviticus there but you don't agree with Leviticus in the first before which means you pick and choose just like I pick and choose command it's just where are you gonna go now we're having a conversation and you're the one who brought the Bible into it I'm telling you it is an amazing opportunity and we have to take advantage of it we have to it is an open door and we don't know how many of those we are going to experience there are people all over the world we're going to jail now for preaching from Romans 1 it's happening it's happening there was a woman who went to jail here for refusing to you know validate marriage licenses for same-sex couples it's happening there are people losing their businesses for refusing to make wedding cakes it's happening right here right now it's happening it's happening it's amazing I forget which of the states I think it was in Colorado you know it's amazing these people got these people were sued for not making a wedding cake in a state where same-sex marriage was not yet legal so here's the same-sex couple of violating the law and a Christian gets sued for not making a cake to celebrate their violation of the law what if one of them had been 40 in the other one 12 you make that cake we've gone insane people we've gone absolutely insane so I want you all to run over to Zambia just yet there's still some fighting to do but with the gospel there is an opportunity here to put the glorious gospel for four people and and that's all we can do amen the rest of it is up to the Lord but praise God for the opportunity that is now being presented to us in the midst of this cultural upheaval and my prayer is that God uses this to bring revival amen my prayer is that eventually people realize we've gone crazy and then God just shakes us awake but that might not happen but whether it does or it doesn't our only hope is the gospel let's pray father we thank you for your powerful and all-sufficient word and even in the midst of cultural upheaval we thank you for opportunities that are being presented to us whereby we can point people to your word grant by your grace that we would do so with boldness but also with gentleness and with reverence grant that we would be wise as serpents and innocent as doves and that our passion would be more aimed at winning Souls than winning arguments our desires that Christ indeed might have the fullness of the reward for which he died make that our driving passion our yearning desire for we asked this in Christ's name

Channel: Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary

Views: 36,224

Keywords: dbts, seminary, Detroit, theology, e3conference, pastors, apologetics, evangelism

Id: EA-dzrXnPpY

Length: 49min 0sec (2940 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 07 2017