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Removing The Ancient Landmarks Introduction: We are living in times of change, but every generation has probably felt the same way. The change in technology, in going from a rural to urban country, in relationships. Many of those changes have been good but some have not been. We have to be careful of the change in values and attitudes toward God and His word. Four events occurred last month that I want to take a look at. A) Current Events A) Gender Neutral? A school in Stockholm has decided to not use gender terms such as boy or girl, him or her. 1. They don't want children falling into gender stereotypes. a. they foster an environment tolerant of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. b. A story about two male giraffes who are sad to be childless -- until they come across an abandoned crocodile egg. c. Nearly all the children's books deal with homosexual couples, single parents or adopted children. There are no "Snow White," "Cinderella" or other classic fairly tales as seen as cementing stereotypes. 2. Masculine and feminine references from their speech, including the pronouns him or her -- "han" or "hon" in Swdeish. Instead, they've have adopted the genderless "hen" a word that doesn't exist in Swedish but is used in some feminist and gay circles. B) Say What? Houston Veterans Claim Censorship of Prayers, Including Ban on 'God' and 'Jesus' 1. Veterans in Houston say the Department of Veterans Affairs is consistently censoring their prayers by banning them from saying the word "God and "Jesus" during funeral services at Houston National Cemetery. 2. According to court documents filed this week in federal court, the cemetery's director, Arleen Ocasio, has banned saying "God" at funerals and requires prayers be submitted in advance for government approval. C) You Gotta Be Kidding! Judge to mom: 'You don't spank children' 1. In Texas a judged gave a mom 5 years probation for spanking her child. This despite she used only her hand and there were no bruises on the child. 2. "In this country, children are not children of the state. They're children of the parents and the parents do have a right to reasonable discipline including spanking," says the attorney. "So this is a pretty clear abuse of authority and is something that people need to be aware of -- that government officials don't have the right to this kind of bullying of parents and families." D) Since When? Gay Marriage in New York 1. Just a week ago the legislature of New York passed a bill allowing "gay marriage." 2. Almost every state has laws that either forbid same sex marriages or defines marriage as between a man and a woman. 3. The bill passed as a compromised was reached in which religious organizations would be exempt from lawsuits due to not performing or accepting gay marriages. 4. Often "gay marriage' has been linked to civil rights. June 12, 1967 in Loving vs. Virginia the courts threw out Virginia's law with forbid interracial marriages. Therefore, many have tried to link same sex marriage to this principle of equal rights. 5. This goes along with the Obama Administration announcing earlier this year that it will not defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). a. The Obama administration said it will no longer oppose court challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages for purposes of taxes. b. DOMA defined marriage as between a man and a woman. c. No state had to recognize a same sex marriage performed in another state. II) Removing The Ancient Landmarks A) God forbid the removing of ancient landmarks, Deut. 19.14; 27.17; Proverbs 22.28; 23.10 1. To change the landmark would in essence steal from your neighbor. 2. It would remove established standards. God had given the tribes their land and such land was to remain in those tribes. B) An uncertain sound, 1 Corinthians 14.8 1. The trumpet was used for various purposes in the Old Testament. a. Call to battle, Joshua 6.20, Judges 7.;18 b. Time to stand still, 2 Samuel 2.28; 18.16 c. Time to rally, Neh. 4.20 d. As a warning, Ezekiel 33.5,6. 2. Uncertain sounds today are morality is constantly being redefined to suit man's purpose. a. Marriage is a meaningless institution until it comes to gay marriage. b. Boys and girls are equal but not if we use those terms. c. Believing in God is ok but you just can't talk about him in public. d. Parents are to teach their children but don't share your values with them. C) Landmarks being moved 1. Often occurs incrementally over time. a. Same sex marriages have been in the forefront for about 10 years now. b. Started with the acceptance of homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle and equal rights. c. This is a battle that has been lost in our society because God's word has been left out. 2. Often starts with promises that nothing will change a. The promise of each state having the freedom to decide for itself about homosexual marriage is now being broken. b. All 50 states will be forced to accept homosexual marriage. c. While the example of being gender neutral was in another country there are places here with the same attitudes and desires. 3. Often done with the intention of showing tolerance while being intolerant. a. God cannot be mentioned in funerals at National Cemeteries! b. Due to the separation of church and state and not wanting to offend anyone. c. Children are being taught that gay marriage is good. What about heterosexual marriages? D) Man cannot remove God's landmarks, Isaiah 5.20 1. Marriage is defined by God and not society, Genesis 2.24; Matthew 19.4-6. 2. Parents have a God given responsibility to teach and train their children, Proverbs 29.15; 22.15, Eph. 6.2-3. a. The fact is many want the state to take over all responsibilities of parenting. b. But no state can teach your child like you can. 3. There is a difference between boys and girls. We should recognize the difference in roles each can have. A woman can be a doctor, lawyer, mechanic; a man can be a cook, nurse, etc. But that is not the same as saying a man is a woman and a woman is a man. Each is different and God made us that way. 3. A nation that forgets God is doomed to start on a downward spiral, Romans 1. Proverbs 14.34. Conclusion: As Christians we are being asked to not be dogmatic and be more open minded. Being open minded is ok as long as we consider God's word.
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