Mac Brunson gave one of his best sermons Sunday night July 27th. He dealt with the subject of the sin of homosexuality. Certainly not a topic that many preachers today want to deal with, but he took it head on, preaching out of Romans 2.
I won't comment much on it, other than to say it is definitely worth listening to. He will likely have it posted on his 501(c)3 website www.inlight.org by Tuesday.
Mac didn't waiver one bit on the sin of homosexuality, describing how we arrived at the position we are today where the society is embracing this sin as normal, what this says about our nation's relationship to God. I had never heard this said before, but Mac said that throughout the bible homosexuality is a "signal sin" - that when this sin becomes prevalent and accepted in a culture it shows just how depraved the society has gotten, and that God has to some degree removed his hands from the situation.
But Mac at the end of the sermon, did an incredible job of preaching about man's response should be to the sin itself - that is what a person who struggles in this area should do. It really was a classic - a preacher trying to encourage his people to fight, to wage war against all sin in their lives through the Holy Spirit.
Excellent sermon Mac. Keep 'em coming.
WD- I think it is a sad commentary that when you compliment Dr Brunson, like you have here, all is quiet. I guess you've not given any red meat for those who have a dis-taste for Dr. Brunson, so they have decided not to partake of this "feast".
ReplyDeleteI must admit WD- that it is actually the fact that you write articles like this that I keep coming and checking your blog. I do not agree with your tactics, I like others that come here, believe that family issues and disagreements should remain in the family, and not for the outside world to view.
Do I think you have some legitimate gripes? According to what I've read on here, yes. But I will add Dr. Adrian Rogers used to say, "It's a mighty thin pancake that only has one side."
Let me further commend you that I think that this article shows that you truly want to like Dr. Brunson and that you want to love him as your pastor. That speaks volumes for you that I honestly don't see in some who comment on here. I hope you will keep looking you might find other areas in which you can agree and like Dr. Brunson.
No Kool-Aid for me I'm a sweet tea guy.
ILWDDB: thanks for the comments.
ReplyDeleteDon't read too much into the silence. It appears that requiring people to get a screen name has caused people to not want to post. Posters can still stay anonymous with a screen name, but I thought it was time for us to be able to tie comments to a particular screen name, instead of 100 posts to all undifferntiable anonymous posters. It was important to me, as I was getting quite a number of intimidating and threatening posts that I couldn't tell if it were one person or many people. The readership of this blog is still sky-high, with over 600 visits and 1400 page views per day from all over the world. I don't say this to boast, but to say that make no mistake: people are interested in what is going on right now at our church.
I have said from day 1 on this blog, that I was on Brunson's side from the beginning. I voted for him, shed a tear at the moving service where we voted for him...I knew change was coming and was glad to have him. But it didn't take long to see the pattern develop...the steady pattern of what I call abusive behavior on the part of Brunson from the VERY START of his tenure even to this day....that caused me to desire to highlight on this blog the abuses. To try to get people at FBC Jax to see what is happening, and to perhaps prompt lay leaders to be more proactive in holding Mac's feet to the fire to stop the abuses. I've chronicled them all along on this blog, and they are still available for viewing. I urge all members of our church, however distasteful this forum may be to you...to read with an open mind the posts I've made here since last fall.
I do still believe for Mac to have a successful, long tenure at FBC Jax, he will have to humble himself, and address many of the abuses on this blog - with his congregation. He needs to take a hard look at what has happened to Jerry Sutton at Two Rivers Baptist Church. He was given "early retirement" (very likely it was the trustees who decided it was time for him to go) after a long, nasty battle with loyal church members who perceived he was abusing the church financially, leading to a lawsuit, and the church menbers being "disciplined" and thrown out of the church. Now its he who finally, after the attendance has dropped and giving has plummetted, who is out the door.
So Mac in my estimation has a long way to go and if he continues on his current course still could suffer the fate of Jerry Sutton...but when he preaches an awesome sermon...one by the way that will be VERY, VERY helpful to the members of the church who have young people and teenagers who are watching this culture embrace the gay lifestyle...Mac's sermon is one of the best I've ever heard on this subject dealing with it truthfully, biblically, yet even in a loving way. So kudos to Mac are deserved, and those of you who did not hear it need to go to his 501(c)3 website to hear it - and listen to it with your teens.
I too think it is a sad commentary that it's so quiet. But it's not the first time WD has complimented Dr. Brunson, and once again WD's detractors have nothing to rant about this time either. The usual hecklers have not shown up for this party, and I think that says much about them. Why haven't they praised him for his honesty? I admire him, because he is honest in his convictions, and is willing to give criticism when criticism is due, and give credit when credit is due.
ReplyDeleteFunny. Now the self righteous remain quiet. Yep, people are watching.
oc.
Watchdog, you are showing much grace at this point. I know you love your pastor. But to be honest with you Watchdog...
ReplyDeleteIt is certainly easier to preach about a sin that does not afflict one's self. Homosexuality is easy for most pastors to preach against. As is adultery. Murder also.
But opulence above the general congregation, arrogance, and nepotism may be a little tougher to address.
Let's wait for those sermons.
Just sayin'.
oc.
It was a great sermon.
ReplyDeleteInteresting thread Watchdog. Shocking, at the least, for you to make a whole thread with nothing but positive feedback about pastor Brunson. Very rare coming from you. But at least there are signs of some good left in you. Let's hope that good will blossom into something great.
ReplyDeleteI also think our pastor did a wonderful job this past Sunday. The issue of homosexuality is a difficult topic to preach on these days as our society has accepted this "preference" as normal and mainstream. But as usual, our pastor delivered and he did it well.
Speaking of great sermons, I am looking forward to the August nights of Apologetics in particular. Those upcoming sermons should provide some answers to those tough questions about Christianity.
Where are all the Watchdog defenders? It seems that the only people getting Google blogger accounts and posting on this blog are those of the Brunson supportive breed. Isn't this saying something....I think so.
Robert - spare me your pseudo-compliment...you've made it very clear in private emails to me and here on this blog what your true feelings are about the watchdog. You have nothing but contempt for me...which doesn't bother me one bit, but please don't come here and write otherwise.
ReplyDelete"Some signs of good left in me"? I'm so glad that someone as skilled in you in assessing the true character of anonymous bloggers can let me know that there is some good left in me. I was beginning to think I am as evil as you think me to be. How splendid, I feel so much better now to know that according to Robert, there is some small measure of "good" in me.
I too am looking forward to the Sunday nights in August. Should be a very helpful series of speakers.
Watchdog,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the positive post. I look forward to hearing the sermon.
oc...understood, but you're selling Mac short on this one. This was no run of the mill sermon on homosexuality. Mac's sermon is more than a sermon railing about the evils of the sin of homosexuality. And I have to tell you: most of the "feel good", "purpose driven" pastors who are hell bent on drawing a crowd at all costs wouldn't touch this subject with a 10 foot pole. And some preachers these days as you know don't even want to call it a sin for fear of being labeled a homophobe. So for Mac to preach this sermon and put it out on the Internet is no small matter. Again, great job Mac...and his inclusion of the fact that the #1 pop song on the charts is "I Kissed a Girl" and to tell the parents this as an example of how our culture is going over the edge in embracing the homosexual lifestyle, was great preaching on Mac's part.
ReplyDeleteThe sermon was a masterful piece of preaching putting the sin of homosexuality into a historical context of how we arrived at this point...it describes it in a biblical context of what it means when a culture embraces this particular sin as "normal"...he describes the continual degredation process that leads a culture into this sin...and he does a great job of explaining the response to the sin in the life of a person who might be tempted by such a sin. One of the quotes that Mac said that I thought was brilliant was when he said "we as humans don't have a choice in selecting what sins tempt us." His point being that for each Christian there are different temptations that might be primary in our lives that we struggle with, that aren't a problem for some other Christians. The point is that we all must wage war against the temptations that plague us...not a sin to be tempted, but that we must avoid the sin of giving into the temptations. You have to hear the sermon to appreciate it.
You are right. Excellent sermon, and well delivered!
ReplyDelete