The Sex Society Part I

The Days of Lot

Lot paid dearly for the choice he made to dwell among the wicked. “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere…even as the garden of the Lord…Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan and Lot dwelled in the cities…and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.” Gen. 13:10, 12, 13 KJV Abraham and Lot were near kinsmen who dwelt with each other along with their entire families and herds. Both were rich and prosperous. The time came when each grew such in wealth and possessions that they had to make a decision to separate. Abraham gave Lot first choice. Lot chose the beautiful and rich plain of the Jordan near the idolatrous city of Sodom. Abraham waited on God’s choice. Lot had his own personal interest in mind – Abraham had God’s. “For he (Abraham) looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Heb. 11:10 KJV
In the days of Lot, among the pagan nations, gods and goddesses were worshipped and sex was idolized. Sex was a very important part of early ancient religions. Ancient cuneiform inscriptions revealed descriptions of sexual intercourse between gods and goddesses. This was their carnal knowledge of the origin of life. The early Babylonian goddess, Ishtar, deified sex passion. Licentiousness was a part of her worship along with sacred prostitution. Hence, sexual rites were a common religious practice among heathen people!
Abraham and Lot were surrounded by these immoral and idolatrous cultures. Abraham not only had faith in the one true God but a personal relationship as well. His decision was a result of his communion with God. Gen. 13:4, 18 Lot had personal faith without personal communion therefore his decision came from the posture of self. Lot’s sin of the “lust of the eyes” caused him to compromise and tolerate the wickedness of his culture. He loved the garden of God more than the God of the garden! He placed his personal desires above personal holiness thinking that his faith could sustain him safely among the heathen. It proved to be his down fall. “When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, ‘I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.’ This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.” Deu. 29:19 NIV
Soon, Lot was so vexed by his godless neighbors that his moral sensibilities were dulled. His compromise rendered him ineffective for the kingdom, yet God miraculously stepped in and rescued him. “And He rescued righteous Lot, greatly worn out and distressed by the wanton ways of the ungodly and lawless. For that just man, living [there] among them, tortured his righteous soul everyday with what he saw and heard…” II Pet. 2:7, 8 Amp Lot’s deliverance came at a great price. In the end, Sodom had taken such a toll on him that he was willing to sacrifice his own daughters to militant homosexuals. He was so numb to his sinful surroundings that he hesitated to leave the city when the angels tried to rescue him. Sadly, he lost his wife to the culture. And his own daughters – engrossed by the sexual mores of their day – committed incest with him. Gen. 19:30-36 How tragic! Yet, in an environment conducive as this – of unspeakable wickedness and gross immorality – the Lord will return. “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” Luke 17:28-30 KJV
Like Lot, how many parents have left the door wide open for the devil to enter their homes? How many fathers leave their families as uncovered prey to the godless times? How many women, like Lot’s wife, are not willing to forsake the enticements of the world for the sake of their families? Lot’s wife looked back at what she might miss. Jesus said, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Luke 17:32 KJV To remember Lot’s wife is a reminder of the danger of getting swallowed up in our surrounding, sinful culture. Like Lot’s daughters, America’s youth have so imbibed the spirit of the age that they are being desensitized to sexual sin. On a popular trash oriented TV talk show, the theme was, “My Teen Is Out Of Control.” Teenage girls, as young as fifteen years old, spoke in the most vile language and dressed like veteran street whores. They unashamedly bragged about drugs and multiple sex partners. They proudly showed pictures of themselves posing whorishly in family style photos.
I believe the stench of America’s filthy conduct has reached heaven, but because of the prayers of the righteous, God is holding back His hand from total destruction. Gen. 18:22-33 This nation is heading down the road to ruin, thus America lies in great despair. “And He condemned to ruin and extinction the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing them to ashes [and thus] set them forth as an example to those who would be ungodly.” II Pet. 2:6 Amp
In the last few decades, satan has tried to “dumb down” the American people in order to set the godless in authority over the righteous. In most recent years, he has attempted to “numb up” or inoculate citizens to the wickedness of their practices. In other words, our society has been spoon-fed trash for so long that it has grown immune to the stench! The movie media has glamorized it. The music media has glorified it. The spoken and printed media has inundated the culture with sweet buzzwords such as “tolerance” and “acceptance”. This is like spraying a sweet, artificial fragrance to cover up a foul odor. What was once considered bitter has been given a sweet, new palate. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Is. 5:20 KJV The devil’s next move will be to insure compliancy. The pattern of his destruction looks like this: Tolerance – Acceptance – Compliance. Lot, by tolerating his evil neighbors, accepted them and then foolishly complied with their standards…all to the ruin of him and his family!

Ancient Corinth and the American Church

There is little difference between Corinth 2000 years ago and America today. The Corinthian church was founded by Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey. The city of Corinth was a worldwide center of commerce, amusements, vice and degradation. People from around the world came purposely for its freedom of thought – to take a break from morals. Gambling, temple prostitution, and the Isthmian games were big attractions for seekers of ease and luxury. The name Corinthian became synonymous for licentiousness – “anything goes!” Yet, the greatest corrupting influence of the city was its idolatrous religion. The principal deity worshipped was Venus. Also known as Aphrodite, her temple was constructed high above those of the other gods. The city of Corinth was devoted to the goddess of love. One thousand priestesses or public prostitutes served at her altar. Corinth, although distinguished also for its refinement and learning, was “the sex society” surrounding the early church.
Distinguished modern America is no different. Prosperity, luxury, and intellectualism have deluded the American mind. We excel in every vice imaginable. Yet, they are no longer vices but choices. Sexual lust has become the principal deity and the most corrupting influence. The gods of Corinth are the same as the gods of America…they are just called by different names. The title bar of a magazine sporting a scantly clad woman read: SEX – SPORTS – BEER – GADGETS – CLOTHES. These accurately name what Americans truly venerate. Today, “Gentleman Clubs” are the modern day pagan temples of worship. Many of these temples are lined with palm trees giving them a pleasure island “paradise” effect. Lewd dancers have become the new temple prostitutes and priestesses that serve at the altar of lust and perversion. Instead of the extravagant orgies of the ancients, today they are called “All Nude Parties!” America’s corners are laced with sex parlors labeled “modeling studios.” Young men, Christian and non-Christian alike, are falling prey to its luring traps.
A pagan doing what pagans do is one thing, but their idolatrous and lax lifestyles are influencing many Christians. “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.” I Cor. 5:1 NIV The Apostle Paul was appalled that the Corinthian church would even tolerate such a heinous sexual sin. Because of their past lifestyles and the corrupting influence of their surrounding society, they didn’t regard it such a terrible sin! In contrast to their culture, it didn’t seem so serious. Yet, the Apostle brought stern correction – for which he had to defend his apostleship – to maintain the purity of the true gospel and the holiness of the church.
It would alarm the average Christian to know the number of pastors and ministry leaders that are falling prey to sexual sins: adulterous affairs, fornication, internet pornography, and homosexuality are all too common. Some are helped; some never recover. A few years ago, the family of a ministry leader called me. They had suspicions of the pastor’s impropriety. I took along another minister and confronted him. The suspicions were true. He had admitted in tears to having an ongoing affair with a young prostitute who had come to him for counseling. I pleaded with him from the scripture, “None who go to her return, nor do they regain the paths of life.” Prov. 2:19 NKJV He wouldn’t listen. Sadly, he lost his family and ministry…and he never recovered.
God holds sexual sin most dangerous. Sins such as: drinking, drugs, lying, cheating, and stealing are dangerous, but sexual sins are most destructive because it blights one’s inner nature – the spirit. “Now is why I say to run from sex sin. No other sin affects the body as this one does.” I Cor. 6:18 LB The Apostle Paul had to suffer being labeled too harsh in his day and time for his stance on personal holiness and righteousness. In confronting immorality in the church as a new believer, one would think that I would be encouraged for standing for righteousness, instead I was labeled as being too hard. A dear pastor friend recently told me he was accused as being legalistic for counseling a couple to adhere to the Biblical standards of sexuality. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” II Tim. 3:12-13 KJV
Sexual sin in the church is a serious plague! Many believers are not willing to face the real issues. About ten years ago I was preaching in a small Texas town in a church that had come out of a legalistic denomination. With a sense of urgency and with fear and trembling, I prophesied about “the sex society” coming to America. I described in tears the fertility “sex garden” that I learned of on my first mission trip to Bangkok, Thailand. I discretely used the word “penis” to describe the idols of gross male organs women actually worshipped. I described how these worshippers wore small genitalia sex amulets as necklace ornaments due to their religious beliefs; prostitution was even offered as a course in Bangkok’s university. Later, I had learned that I was no longer welcomed back because a woman of the church accused me of having an unclean spirit. It is easier to accuse than to deal with the present truth. Today in Thailand, according to a recent article, sex is a billion-dollar business. Now in America, the University of California has instituted pornography as a curriculum in the study of Film and Arts. Porn stars are used as guest speakers.

The Church in the Midst of Apostasy

The signs are evident and the facts corroborate the final stages of apostasy. One reliable source estimated that there are approximately 20 million sex addicts in the United States. We have now become number one in the world in the rate of divorce. Number one in the Western world in teenage pregnancies. Number one in the world in voluntary abortions.
In modern, post-Christian America, the church is in the age of apostasy. There is a battle raging against accepted standards. In this environment of declining morals, false teachers are increasing. Many main line denominations have defected from Biblical doctrine. The apostates, those false teachers within the churches, are here! Peter describes them as, “Having eyes full of adultery.” II Pet. 2:14 KJV
Today, it is up to the true church – the pillar and ground of truth – to uphold the standards of God’s Holy word. We are living in the last days preceding a great falling away before the coming of the Lord. II Thes. 2:1-12 We, the church, and every minister of the Lord Jesus Christ need to guard ourselves against the spirit of the age. By prayer and obedience to God’s word, every believer needs to have sanctions to live a disciplined life in the midst of a permissive society. “Away then with sinful, earthly things; deaden the evil desires lurking within you; have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust and shameful desires; don’t worship the good things of life, for that is idolatry.” Col. 3:5 LB It is the time that we should earnestly contend for the faith. Jude 4
The Lord Jesus Christ stands against churches and spiritual leaders who tolerate sexual immorality. “Yet I have this against you: You are permitting that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach my servants that sex sin is not a serious matter.” Rev. 2:20 LB The cowardly – those who cave into the pressure of popular sentiment, false doctrines, or political correctness rather than the word of God – will find themselves among the unbelievers in the lake of fire. Rev. 21:8 Any pastor, man or woman of God who does not condone yet tolerates – not willing to confront and deal with sexual immorality within the church – stands guilty before a Holy God.
If you have fallen prey to the godless times, God is merciful to restore you through sincere repentance. His grace is sufficient for us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Tit. 2:11-12 There are godly men and women with high moral backbones who are standing strong during this great spiritual decline. They are keeping themselves pure and holy with their eyes focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. So take courage, although we are living in troubled times, He is coming soon! “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” II Pet. 3:17-18 KJV