Megachurch Pastor Perry Noble on 'What's the Big Deal About Homosexuality?

sermonindex Nov 28, 2013

Senior Pastor Perry Noble of NewSpring Church in South Carolina dealt with the question, "What is the big deal about homosexuality/gay marriage?" as part of a sermon series called "You Asked For It" on Sunday. This was the most asked question the megachurch received.

The multi-campus church pastor recalled having a discussion with "a well-meaning Christian, who is adamant" that the Bible says that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. When the pastor asked for a reference, the Christian said 1 Corinthians 6.

"I went home that night, and I started reading that passage… about the people that the Bible says will not inherit the kingdom of God," Noble told the congregation Sunday, asking them to carefully see "if we can find ourselves in this passage."

"Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?" The pastor began reading 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11. He then paused, and said, "Stop. Got us all? Got us all. Right?"

"Do not be deceived," Noble continued to read, and paused again to remark, "I'll say, do not be self-deceived… Self-deception is one of the greatest types of deception."

Noble then read the rest of the passage: "Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

The Bible just nailed us all, the pastor pointed out. "Every one of us fall into at least one of those categories… I think the focus is not on what we are doing, but on what Jesus has done."

What Paul is saying is, that is what some of you were, but now you are washed, sanctified and justified in the names of Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. "Jesus Christ paid for sin, even the sins that we seem to be obsessed with but we don't think we are committing it."

After focusing on the fact that homosexuals are not the only ones mentioned in the passage, Noble went on to explain that the book of James says the Bible is like a mirror, and we are supposed to open it and see what is going on in our own lives, judge our own lives and reflect.

"But what the Christian community has done, is they have taken the Bible… and turned it into a window to look through and see what everyone else is doing," the pastor continued. "And we spend so much time looking through the window that we don't have time to look in the mirror."

P

PQ Nov 28, 2013

Good teaching.
It is looking in the mirror that will change the world, not looking through it. We are the light of the world, the salt of the earth. Glory!

pq*

sermonindex Nov 28, 2013

This article only serves to prove that the foundations of truth are being dismantled. At some point in the relatively near future it will be commonly taught , in mega churches and elsewhere, that there are many roads to heaven and that Jesus appears in many cultures just under different names. The focus will be on the fact that we all worship the same God. The name of Jesus will be dropped as it will increasingly be seen as a name that promotes divisiveness. ...........bro Frank

sermonindex Nov 28, 2013

It is looking in the mirror that will change the world, not looking through it. We are the light of the world, the salt of the earth. Glory!

Brother,

I was actually showing this article to show how popular pastors and denying the Scriptures and the truth of God. As the people of God who should be holy we are judged stricter then the world. So pride, selfishness, idolatry of any kind and other sins are important to not be spotting our garments with.

But for the world God will judge them for clear sins that are against His laws. Outside of Christ men have no chance to redeem themselves to God no matter how many good things they do to try and wash away their wrongs. One sin against an eternal God will never be cleaned. The offence has been done.

Homosexuality is a vile sin that perverts the actual order of God in mankind. It is no wonder famous pastors such as Mark Driscoll defend in their books every type of sex within marriage including the same things homosexuals do. These things should not even be on the mind of those who are called holy and saints to God. The enemy is perverting everything that is pure.

This article only serves to prove that the foundations of truth are being dismantled.

Sadly this is true. But God has His people who will follow His ways fully in the midst of great compromise.

D

dolfan Nov 28, 2013

A key to the subtlety of Noble's lie, and key to so many others who say what he does here, is the use of the word "focus". We see it phrased otherwise as "Jesus is about XYZ" or "God is about XYZ" or "Being a Christian is about this or that".

The deception is inserting into the biblical text a feature that does not exist.....an isolation of meaning or significance to the exclusion of all other meaningfulness or significance. So, when Noble examines 1 Cor. 6, he says what the Scripture is "about" or what its "focus" is, and in doing so, instructs that the proffered focus or "aboutness" of the passage is the lodestar of applying it.

There are two major tactics here. One is that proper reading of biblical text, like proper reading of all text, involves whole reading and not selective restatement of meaning. So many agendas are served in this method and no one blinks at it, it seems.

Secondly, the proffered meaning is substituted as a shorthand for the whole reading in such a way and extent that, in practice, the shorthand replaces the text. This is nothing other than false gospels by false prophets. And is anathema.

Listen carefully to remarks people make. When they use words like focus, "about this" or "about that", immediately tell your heart that the speaker or writer is engaged in deceit and subterfuge. Run the other way, or if you are sufficiently equipped, stay and listen and call it out.

H

hulsey Nov 29, 2013

After 500 years with the Protestant Evangelical teaching that erroneously pits faith against works (Paul did not oppose works in Romans, he opposed works OF LAW) we have come to the logical conclusion that: If we're not required to repent from our socially acceptable sins then why should we require repentance from those whose sins are more shocking?

Perry Noble was correct in pointing out that the passage of Scripture he quoted put us all in sin. What he left out was that forgotten word REPENT.

Z

ZekeO Nov 29, 2013

Having read the whole article, in context, I agree with him, you could throw Galatians 5 in to the mix and it really gets ugly. Cultural Christianity, doing the devils work since 33 AD.

Z

ZekeO Nov 29, 2013

It is no wonder famous pastors such as Mark Driscoll defend in their books every type of sex within marriage including the same things homosexuals do. These things should not even be on the mind of those who are called holy and saints to God.

Again, the context of what is written and to whom he is addressing gives a far better picture of what goes on here.

Taking your line of reasoning here is dangerous and could lead to a performance based gospel.

To carry this line of thinking on if young marrieds who have never been exposed to the gospel get saved, what happens then? This is the context of this book!!!

Being in this polluted world system for that amount of time will produce people who engage in this kind of behavior and who may still practice such things. But they are born again believers who love Jesus.

So what do you do as a pastor who has these kinds of people in your church? Do you keep quiet and let the devil beat them up with accusations that 'holy saints of God' would never do such things or do you address it.

He addresses it to keep the believers free from condemnation and keep them believing in the grace of God. If they hang with Jesus his love will make those things fall away as with any unholy behavior.