DOES GOD WELCOME ALL? 

Copied from the sermon notes of Pastor Don Elmore

June 29, 2019

Scripture Reading: Genesis 19:24-25:

24) “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

25) And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.”

What happened right before the word “Then” in verse 24? That is right before the rain of brimstone and fire fell on those four cities and almost instantly turned them into ash:

1. Sodom,

2. Gomorrah,

3. Admah, and

4. Zeboiim

The answer is found in Genesis 19:23.

Genesis 19:23, 24a:

23) “The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

24a) Then…”

Zoar was the smallest of the five cities that were on the same very fertile plain of the Jordan River. It was there where Lot begged the two angels that his family could go instead of into the mountains. As soon as they entered the city (minus his wife because she died when she disobeyed God’s command and looked back, and his two married daughters who remained in Sodom) the destruction quickly followed. The smoke from this fire and brimstone was so great that Abraham could see the smoke from where he was living which was in Hebron (Mamre).

Maybe Zoar had 10 or more righteous people living in the city? Maybe the 10 or more righteous individuals referred to each city separately not collectively? If it had, then it could have been spared by Abraham’s intercession given in Genesis 18:23-33. Anyway, Zoar continued for many centuries, not because of Abraham’s request only, but no-doubt also because it was not as ripe for judgment as the other cities. But Lot and his two remaining daughters did not stay in this small city very long. They very quickly left town and went to the mountains. All their cattle were destroyed—they were homeless and desolate.

Questions:

• Does God love everyone, without exception, who has ever lived on this earth?

• Did God love the inhabitants of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim?

• Did God love the inhabitants of Zoar?

• Did God love Lot?

• Did God love Lot’s wife?

• Did God love Lot’s two virgin daughters?

• Did God love Lot’s two married daughters?

• Did God love Abram?

• Did God love the New Guinea natives?

The last question doesn’t really belong in this list of questions, because the history of the New Guinea natives is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. If all you had was the Bible to read, you would not know that there are any New Guinea natives. But there are.

The Bible is a book that tells the history of the inheritance of one man from the race of God’s people. It gives a short history that tells what happened before and why he was chosen to be the father of the people that the LORD God became the king and ruler over. It gives their laws and commandments that the LORD God gave them to obey in their kingdom of God. The story in the Bible traces their history from the covenant that He made with their father, Abraham, and to whom the promises were given:

1. To Isaac, and then

2. To Jacob. and then

3. To Jacob’s holy pure seed.

Why wouldn’t God love His covenant people, the people that He married, more than a tribe in the Amazon River valley that hasn’t know anyone else for thousands of years? Why wouldn’t God love His covenant people more than individuals who hated and still hate Him today? Do you love your wife/husband more than anyone else?

• So, if it is a true statement that God does love everyone, shouldn’t we love everyone too?

• What if God doesn’t love everyone? Shouldn’t we not love the individuals that He doesn’t love?

• Should we not love the ones that our God does not love, if we are to be like Him?

• Should we hate the ones that hate our LORD God, or should we love them?

“God is love” and 'He loves everyone' is the basic argument that the leaders of the LGBTQ+ movement are using to convince the so-called “Christians” who are not familiar with what the Bible says. They say that these month-long events, like National Pride Month, are a chance to be supportive and respect people. It’s a good way to learn about communities. The goal of these events is to invite the community to “celebrate with our neighbors and friends.” It’s also a chance for parents to discuss different life-styles with their children.

The hidden message is that if God loves everyone, then He loves the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and other perverts too. And if He does, then you, if you are a good Christian, should also love and respect them. They could be pastors, deacons, choir member, ushers, and church members. They should experience no negative treatment.

The USA soccer team is trying to win the World Cup in soccer once again.  But I saw an article in the USA Today newspaper, on Friday, June 28, 2019, on page 3C, entitled, “Rapinoe doesn’t back down to president after tweet storm.”  Who is Rapinoe?

She is the star of the team. She scored both goals in their 2-1 victory over France a couple of days ago. She has stated publicly, that if the girls team wins the tournament, she will not go to the White House. Why?

The article told why. “The issues that prompted her protest in the first place persisted (she kneels when the National Anthem is played in support of Colin Kaepernick), so she would too. Rapinoe is a __________.” What is the missing word? Look at how short her hair is; it is as short as a man’s. “Rapinoe is a lesbian, and Trump and his administration have made a point of trying to strip back rights of the LGTBQ community.” So, I hope that they lose!

These “luke-warm Christians” do not read the Bible very much or not at all or have a twisted interpretation of the words. Is it okay to celebrate with individuals in our communities who are sodomites, who transmit gonorrhea, and are transgendered, pedophiles, and/or bisexual? Are these just alternate life-styles are they a form of sexual perversion. Is it a sin or is it okay?

Look at the official website of one of the pro-LGBTQ+ churches in our area:

Hello!  We are a welcoming and affirming Christian community of faith, serving as a witness to God's inclusive love for people of all origins, sexual orientations, gender identities, and faith traditions.

(Emphases is mine)

Look what else I found on their website:  a poster for Jewish, Muslim, Christian and other faiths all united for PRIDEMultifaith Celebration

This pro-LGBTQ+ church? is not only supportive of sexual perversion but is also supportive of all kinds of different religious perversion. They support all kinds of diverse religions views, but they are not tolerant of true Christianity. The New Spirit in their name must signify a different spirit than the Holy Spirit, as it is leading this church into false doctrine.

Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church is another pro-LGBTQ+ church. But it didn’t start out that way. Presbyterians were known to be “Calvinists.” That is, they preached the TULIP doctrine. T is for Total Depravity; U is for Unconditional Election; L is for Limited Atonement; I is for Irresistible Grace; and P is for Preservation of the Saints.

A Calvinist says that God only loves those whom He chose out of their total depravity. He died for only those whom He has chosen, and the Holy Spirit only works in these people for their salvation. But the Calvinists had a big fatal mistake—God’s election was based on who He would choose, but they taught that it could be any one in the world, as opposed to a particular family’s seed. But a Calvinist taught very strongly that God did not love everyone and did not die for everyone!

During the 1980s and 90s, Mt. Auburn moved against existing orthodoxy towards broader inclusion in worship and communion. The church—under Reverend Harold Porter who was installed in 1983—adopted a policy of open communion called “A Table Set for All”. The Session in 1989 asked through the Presbytery of Cincinnati to amend the PCUSA constitution to adopt open communion in place of existing rules that welcomed only baptized believers, which move the Presbytery narrowly defeated. Mt. Auburn persisted in welcoming all to communion nevertheless. Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church further adopted a policy called “The Inclusion of Gays and Lesbians” in 1991—despite formal ruling by the denomination in 1978 prohibiting gays and lesbians from leadership.

In 1994, the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union honored Dr. Porter for his long career of dedication to peace and justice, and the City of Cincinnati recognized “Hal Porter Day.” Mount Auburn, under his leadership, had adopted a policy of inclusion, for which the church has received national notice.  Dr. Porter’s tenure of 15 years is the second longest at Mount Auburn after Dr. Curtis and Dr. Rogers, each with 21 years.  He retired July 31, 1998 and was elected Pastor Emeritus. On June 7, 1998, Hal preached his last sermon suggesting if Mount Auburn ever needed an epitaph it would be a “door stopper” keeping the church doors wide open to all persons.

In later years, the church has gained prominence because of its role in the controversy over gay marriage and the ordination of gay elders within the Presbyterian Church. While serving as minister of the church, the Reverend Stephen van Kuiken carried out the church’s policy of performing gay marriages for three years, before being kicked out of the Presbyterian Church by a vote of the Cincinnati Presbytery in 2003.  Mt. Auburn fired Van Kuiken and changed its policy on gay marriage. Van Kuiken later appealed the ruling of the presbytery and was reinstated as a minister of the Presbyterian Church.

So, 15 years later, who is the pastor now of Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church? Here is their website:

“Hello and welcome! I currently serve as the Pastor of the Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. We are a loving, inclusive, and justice-minded congregation that seeks to nurture deep community internally and follow the example of Christ in caring for the needs of the world beyond our walls and membership.”

Their pastor is a double abomination of God—she is not the “husband of one wife”!

“I graduated from Western Theological Seminary and was ordained in 2003, and have spent the last fifteen years preaching, teaching, and writing on practical theology, liturgical practice, community engagement, and individual and collective faith and spiritual practice. In my free time, I’m a singer, guitar player, and sometime songwriter, rabid Red Wings fan, food and beverage nerd, and frequent traveler.”

It was at this church, the rebellious Presbyterian church, this past month (June) that they duplicated what some libraries were sponsoring: A Drag-Queen Storytime.

Libraries around the country in recent years have come under harsh criticism for abandoning their objective to serve the community by staging “Drag Queen” events. One of the first to draw attention was held in 2017 at the Michelle Obama public library in Long Beach, California.

Now the libraries have some competition—with some churches.  Drag queen Sparkle Leigh brought an “LGBT Storytime” to the Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati.

Last week I did a sermon on the Drag Queen Storytime controversy at the Louisville Public Library. I thought that I was finished with this topic. But the articles just came pouring in.

The Friday, June 21, 2019 Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper had another pro-LGBTQ+ article entitled: “Embracing Drag Queen Storytime.” It was on page 4A.

“Dan Davidson can usually be seen around Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church sweeping the floors and getting the building ready for worship services. On Sunday, June 16, [two weeks ago] though, church caretaker Davidson woke up before the sun to get ready for a new role at the church that morning. He spent hours applying layers and layers of makeup and glitter to transform himself into Sparkle Leigh.

Sparkle stood at the church door, greeting members as they came in and gawked at her outfit, exclaiming how good it was to see her [him] and kissing her [him] on the cheek.

‘I don’t think I could walk in those,’ one woman said, pointing at Sparkle’s high heels.

The church service began with a hymn, as the choir sang, ‘God welcomes all.’ When it was time for the ‘moment with youngest disciples,’ out came Sparkle wearing a pink, flowing dress, with green curls adorning her head.

Sparkle then read a book telling the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician to be elected in California.” [The San Francisco city official fought against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Milk was born in the New York City suburb of Woodmere, to William Milk and Minerva Karns. He was the younger son of Lithuanian Jewish parents and the grandson of Morris Milk, a department store owner who helped to organize the first synagogue in the area.

As a child, Harvey was teased for his protruding ears, big nose, and oversized feet, and tended to grab attention as a class clown. Sparkle explained how Milk’s legacy lived on after he was assassinated.  Milk was accused in biographies of preying on young boys, and he was a huge supporter of Jim Jones, who took nearly 1,000 individuals to Jonestown, where they all died in a mass cyanide murder-suicide.]

“While Sparkle’s story was directed toward children sitting at the speaker’s feet, some teenagers also joined them in the front, and the whole congregation, young and old, clapped at the exciting parts of the tale.

Mount Auburn Presbyterian is celebrating Pride month throughout June, and the sanctuary is decorated to match the occasion, with pride flags covering the front walls and rainbow candles adorning the stage.

During the service, a man gave his personal testimony, telling his coming out story.  Stacey Midge, the pastor of Mount Auburn, said Sparkle’s Storytime fits perfectly with the church’s beliefs – that GOD LOVES EVERYONE.”

Does God Love Everyone?

Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church, New Spirit Metropolitan Community Church, and about 13 other churches in the area are pro-LGBTQ+ churches. At least the church says that it has a “New Spirit”, I wonder what spirit that is? What do these new churches, that our grandfathers and, for some of us, our fathers, didn’t have to deal with, do with these verses?

1 Kings 15:11, 12:

11) “And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.

12) And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his father had made.”

King Asa [of the kingdom of Judah] “took away the sodomites out of the land.” He didn’t keep them. He did not have a parade celebrating their lifestyle. He didn’t reward them by saying that they were equal with everyone else in the land. He didn’t say that they should be the priests of the land. It says that the King, the highest political official in the land of Judea, “took away the sodomites out of the land and he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.” The LORD God of Israel approved of what the king had done.

1 Kings 22:43, 46:

43) “And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.

46) And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.”

Like father, like son. Asa had taken the bulk of the sodomites out of the land, and his son, Jehoshaphat, did the same. He too, did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. He removed the sodomites out of the territory of Judah; he did not have a parade celebrating their evil life-style.

2 Kings 23:7:  “And he [King Josiah] brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hanging for the grove.”

Josiah, king of Judah, “broke down the houses of the sodomites…” and he also “slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars, and burned men’s bones upon them and returned to Jerusalem.”

Josiah was another of the few good kings of the house of Judah. He also was negative toward the sodomites and slew all the depraved priests and burned their bones on the altars to pollute them. What would the pro-LGBTQ+ say about king Josiah. The LORD God of Israel approved of what king Josiah had done.

So, the kings that got rid of the sodomites out of their land, were approved by their LORD God. Then, the kings that approved of the sodomites, were disapproved by their LORD God. Why do you think that just a few short years ago it was against the law in this country (USA) that any person guilty of any of these sexual perversions would be arrested? America is getting farther and farther away from the teachings of the Bible.

Does God love everyone? If there are verses that teach that God doesn’t love everyone, then their doctrine comes crashing down. There are a host of them.

Does God love Esau the twin brother of Jacob? What does the Bible tell us?

Malachi 1:2, 3:

2) “I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? Saith the LORD: yet I love Jacob.

3) And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.”

Romans 9:13:   “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”

Both in the Old and New Testaments we have the same view, i.e. God hated Esau. But as President Clinton said about his sexual affair, “It all is determined by what the word ‘is’ means.” In this case, what does the word “hated” mean?

Does the word “hated” mean:

1. Loved less or is it not a term expressing personal malice or jealousy in the sense that we now use it, or

2. Does it mean the same thing that it meant in John 15:24.

John 15:24:  “If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father.”

The Dake Bible, which says the Malachi 1:3 means choice number “1” above, says about this verse in John that “If I had not come and proved to them beyond a doubt that I was the Messiah they would not have had the sin of rejecting Me, but now they have no excuse for this sin. They willfully hate both Me and My Father.” The Drake Bible is double-minded on these two places of Scripture where the same word “hate” is used.

But the word “hate” used here of Esau, whether it be in Malachi chapter 1 or Romans chapter 9¸ in Hebrew or in Greek, is the same word used in the Scriptures to describe Yahweh’s hatred for His enemies, His hatred for wicked, and the hatred which the enemies of God have for both Christ and His Father (i.e. John 15:24). Ostensibly, Esau’s sin was that he was a profane man and a fornicator, as Paul described him in Hebrews chapter 12. So, Esau was a race-mixer as Paul used the word, and as we see in Genesis chapter 26 through 28, the only thing that Esau did for which his parents were troubled was to marry outside of his race.

Genesis 26:34, 35:

34) “And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

35) Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.”

Esau never properly remedied his parents’ grief, and therefore Isaac ultimately turned to Jacob, for whom his mother procured the blessing, where we read in:

Genesis 28:1-4:

1) “And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

2) Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father: and take a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother.

3) And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people.

4) And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.”

[Taken from Bill Finck’s book, Malachi.]

What do these “God loves everyone” churches say about the following verses?

• What do they teach about the Words of Jesus the Christ in Mathew 23? He says over and over, “The Scribes and the Pharisees are hypocrites. Woe unto them.” Jesus didn’t say to love them, but to beware of them.

• What do they teach about the enemies of the LORD God of Israel and the enemies against His people who are in a confederacy against God’s nation who have said that they will cut them off from being a nation? These are the Edomites, Ishmaelites, Moabites, Hagarenes, Gebal, Philistines, inhabitants of Tyre, and Assyrians. Does the LORD God say that we are to help those who are His enemies and ours?

• What do they teach about the Amalekites, the descendants of Esau?

  Deuteronomy 25:17-19:

  17) “Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way when ye were come forth out of Egypt;

  18) How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

  19) Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven: thou shalt not forget it.”

  Did the LORD God of Israel instruct His people to “blot out the remembrance of Amalek”?

• What do they teach about what the LORD God said to His covenant people about the Canaanites?

  Deuteronomy 7:2, 3:

  2) “And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them,

  3) Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.”

  The LORD God gave no instructions to send their priests in first and try to convert them for He knew that they would not hear His Word. Did God love these individuals that He told His people to totally annihilate?

• What do they teach about what Jesus the Christ did right before He was crucified?

  John 2:15: “And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;”

  Jesus the Christ drove the bankers out of His temple with a whip that He had made. He drove out all the sheep and oxen and deposited all the banker’s money all over the temple floor? He was making quite a ruckus—would the “God loves everyone” churches follow this example that He gave us?

• What do they teach about what Jesus said to the Scribes and Pharisees?

  Matthew 23:33-36:

  33) “Ye serpents, ye generation [race] of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

  34) Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

  35) That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

  36) Verily I say unto you, All these thing shall come upon this generation [race].”

  The priests who opposed Jesus the Christ at Jerusalem had no opportunity to repent, for Jesus laid on them the blood of Abel, something which only the descendants of Cain could be accused of.

So, what we are witnessing is not new. The priest or in today’s language preachers, are corrupt and very misleading. And do you know that the priests under the Old Covenant were held to a different standard in regards to who they could marry?

“Not all the Levites were priests, but the priests were the Levites of the descendants of Aaron, and the balance of the tribe of Levi were given other administrative duties in the kingdom outside of the service of rituals in the temple. So none of the Levites had land of their own, and all of the Levites served the community in its administration, therefore they all lived from tithes. However, the priests were held to the highest standards in the law and lived specifically off of the sacrifices, tithes offerings and other gifts which were made to the temple.”

[The Prophecy of Malachi, William Finck, page 34]

The Levites were:

• Prohibited from marrying a divorced woman of any tribe of Israel,

• Prohibited from marrying a whore,

• Prohibited from marrying a widow,

• Prohibited from marrying a profane woman,

• Only allowed to marry a virgin from the tribe of Levi.

These restrictions were to ensure the sanctity of the priesthood, and especially the office of high priest. But what happened to the priesthood in the Old Testament. Did they obey all these laws on marriage? Or did they ignore what the LORD God had instructed them? Ezra, Nehemiah and Malachi point to the fact that they even married, not only outside of their own tribe, but outside of their own race. And as a result, the priesthood was soon taken over by other races. It had been corrupted.

What would the LORD God say about the preachers, deacons, and other officers of the church today? Would He say that same thing that Jeremiah the prophet said about the pastors in his day?

Jeremiah 23:1, 14:

1) “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture? Saith the LORD.

14) I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.”

CONCLUSION

1. The sins of the Sodomites are of the vilest nature. God’s hatred of their abominations is revealed in their incurable disease that strikes with near 100% mortality--AIDS!

2. Sodomy is not an alternate life style. It is a sin. It is a style of death!

3. There is no such thing as sodomite rights found in God’s Word.

4. There is one hope for America--Do as the kings of Judah did; i.e. Asa, Jehoshaphat and Josiah. Remove the sodomites out of the land.

5. False church leaders are the main leaders in the rebellion. They are trying to make the kingdom of God just like the multi-racial country that we have become. Everyone is welcome!

6. Christians need to know that they are in a war. It is a war that will only end in death—either to one side or the other. It is the six-thousand plus years of the “holy seed” vs. the “unholy seed.”

To be Continued.

Blessed be the LORD God of Israel.