Foundations of Truth

Dallas Reese: Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the biblical teaching ministry of Dr. Timothy Mann. Our mission is to help you build your life on the unshakable foundation of God's word, rooted in scripture and anchored in the grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As our culture continues to wrestle with questions surrounding identity, sexuality, and marriage, many Christians are asking an important question: what does God's word actually say? Yesterday, Dr. Timothy Mann began a new series called Divine Design: Gender, Sexuality, Marriage, and the Bible. Today, he continues laying the biblical foundation for understanding these important issues, not through the lens of politics or popular opinion, but through the authority of scripture. Let's return now to part two of the introductory message on Divine Design and Dr. Timothy Mann.

Dr. Timothy Mann: Every single day, we are tempted and our children are tempted to allow the world to shape the way we see God's word, rather than allowing God's word to shape the way we see the world. We're tempted with that every single day. It is crucial that the ever-changing views of the world are not allowed to affect the way we understand the everlasting truth of God's word.

There is just too much at stake, ladies and gentlemen. There is too much at stake. The future of your children, the future of your grandchildren, is at stake. The danger is not just that we might get gender wrong or be on the wrong side of history. I am going to talk about that in the future, by the way.

The danger is not just that someone we love might become gender confused or practice homosexuality, even though those are dangers. The danger is that a wedge might be placed between our lives and God's word. That is the danger. Because if we choose not to believe what God's word says about marriage, if we choose not to believe what God's word says about sexuality, or what God's word says about gender or about homosexuality, then we should not be surprised at all when we choose not to believe God's word at all.

When we start to pick and choose when to accept the authority of God's word, then we're standing on a slippery slope. If one part is rejected, you know what is going to happen: we will struggle then to hold on to any of it. How we think and how we talk about these issues, and a lot of other issues in truth, is connected to our view of God's word as a whole.

How do you view God's word? To you, what is this Bible? What is your understanding of what this collection of 66 books is? We are living in a world that is not only vying for our attention, but also for our allegiance. It wants our allegiance. You know what that does? This sets Christians up, especially children, teenagers, and college students, but even adults too, for an inevitable collision with the world.

The world vying for our allegiance sets us up for a collision. I am not a scientist. I do not know a lot about physics and things like that. I got a C in science. But here is what I do know: when two objects collide, the stronger prevails over the weaker. I do know that.

In a very real way, we, our children, our grandchildren, and our churches need to be trained to handle the strongest assault the world can bring and yet remain committed to God's word. That is what we need. That is the need of the hour. We need these subjects to be discussed biblically. We need these subjects to be talked about without fear, biblically.

You and your family will have to decide who you stand with on the questions of gender, homosexuality, marriage, sexuality, and ultimately on the question of authority. There are only two options: either you stand with God or you stand against Him. That is your choice. If we do not address these things more often with regularity from the pulpit, in small groups, and in our homes, we leave open the wide-open danger for our children and our grandchildren to have an unrecognized authority. The Bible will be ultimately meaningless as it relates to the authority over their life.

The other danger that we face is not only the danger of an unrecognized authority but the danger of misplaced identity. The danger of misplaced identity. Have you noticed, maybe you have picked this up, that our culture today discusses hot-button issues differently than it did 10 to 15 years ago? You have noticed that? I notice it.

Today, people are very quick to label disagreement as hatred or disagreement as bigotry. Failing to affirm what someone believes or failing to affirm what someone does is taken as failing to love them at all. That is just not true, but that is how it is taken. While there are many reasons for this, a lot of reasons for that theologically, I think one reason is that society now has bought into the idea that people are what they feel. People are what they do.

Think about it. If this is true and let's say your neighbor critiques your beliefs, they criticize your beliefs. You, even as a Christian today, are much more likely to consider a mere rejection of ideas as a rejection of you personally. That is the climate we are in. For example, someone who is a homosexual can easily interpret the condemnation of homosexual activity as a rejection of themselves as a human.

In all of this, and we can play that out other ways, this happens all of this happens when our identity is based on anything: our desires, our attractions, our skin color, our feelings, or our actions. When our identity is based on any of that, when our identity is based on anything other than what God's word says, it is not just children who want to fit in with their peers. We all do.

We have a longing to be loved. We have a longing to be accepted. Often our fallenness, remember our problem that we're dealing with is sin, often our fallenness as humans leads us to want to be accepted for our brokenness, not in spite of it. Because that is what defines me.

When that happens, our identity can become based on things that are directly opposed to God's design. Because I feel this way, I must be this. The antidote to this problem is the Gospel of Jesus. The Gospel of Jesus, where we find acceptance in the midst of our brokenness, not because of it. We actually find fulfillment in the Gospel of Jesus that was elusive when we tried to locate our identity and self-worth internally.

Dallas Reese: Thank you for listening to Foundations of Truth with Dr. Timothy Mann. Every day, believers face increasing pressure to conform to the values of a culture that often rejects biblical authority. That is why ministries like Foundations of Truth are so important. Through your prayers and financial support, this teaching ministry continues proclaiming God's truth with clarity and conviction.

Would you help us continue this ministry? To give securely online, visit firm-foundations.org. That's firm-foundations.org. Thank you so much for helping us stand for truth in a world desperately searching for answers. Now, let's get back to today's message from the Divine Design series. Here is Dr. Timothy Mann.

Dr. Timothy Mann: In case you are wondering what the Gospel is, this is the good news. Listen, this is the good news. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God.

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more now that we are reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. That is Romans chapter 5, verses 6 through 11.

More Gospel, more good news. Listen. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air. That is Satan, by the way. The spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.

But God, I love the "but Gods" in the Bible, don't you? When all hope was lost, but God. When you didn't think you had a chance, but God. When it looked like there was not going to be no light, it was only going to be darkness, but God. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, He made us alive together with Christ.

By grace you have been saved and raised up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the biblical Gospel. I want to tell you that when we place our identity, when our identity is based on anything, anything other than being an adopted, ransomed, redeemed child of God, we stand awaiting an inevitable fall. We need to understand, and this is where we have dropped the ball in the church through the years, we need to understand what it means to have been intentionally designed by God.

We need to understand what it means to have been intentionally designed by God and saved by God according to His word. Or what will happen is we will let our striving, our working, our angst to find self-worth anywhere else push us away from our Creator and put us on a destructive path. A lot of Christians are still trying to do that. They are pushing and striving to find self-worth anywhere else.

The Gospel, the good news about Jesus's work on the cross and His resurrection to give new power and new life, that is what gives us a new identity. The Bible says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Second Corinthians 5:17. You know what that means? It means anyone who belongs to Christ, anyone who belongs to Jesus, has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.

Belonging to Jesus, in case you are wondering, belonging to Jesus means that repentance and faith is real in your life. Repentance and faith is real in your life. Repentance meaning change is happening in you. You are changing your mind about your sin, you are changing your mind about your old desires, and you actually want Jesus as your Lord. That is repentance.

The first time I went to Eastern Europe many years ago to Romania, and then since then I have noticed some of the other Eastern European countries, but particularly in Romania, it was intriguing as we went to churches and I preached and I got to hear how they do things. One of the things they would do is they had a, especially in the evangelical church, they did not throw around the term Christian.

"Are you a Christian?" They would not ask that because they made themselves they wanted to be distinct from the Russian Orthodox Church. So, what they would do is they would ask, "Are you a repenter? Are you a repenter?" Meaning, have you repented and are you repenting? Is there genuine change happening in your life? Is there something different there that is taking place?

Because belonging to Jesus means repentance and faith is real in your life. It is not that I repented once; it is that I am repenting every day. I am constantly, by God's grace and by the power of the Holy Spirit in me, I am constantly changing my mind about my sin. I am constantly changing my mind about my old desires and I am constantly wanting Jesus as my Lord.

It also means you are trusting God. Faith. You are trusting God. It means you are trusting what God's word says and you are trusting what Jesus did in dying as your substitute, paying the debt of your sin and being raised from the dead to give you new life. You are trusting God's will and His plan for your life. The Gospel, ladies and gentlemen, I am grateful for this, the Gospel not only gives us a new identity but it also gives us a new community.

Within the community, with this community of a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church, we actually can find clarity about some of life's most important issues, as well as help and support if we will connect. If we will know others and be known, there is help. No matter what is happening in this world, we can find comfort in knowing that as a people who have been purchased by the work of Christ, we always have a home in His church and we should make our home there.

I need to give you a disclaimer up front: churches are imperfect because they are made up of people. That is the issue. As the old saying goes, if you are looking for a perfect church, do not join it because you will mess it up immediately. Because you're imperfect too, right? Churches unfortunately, here is another news flash if you didn't know this, churches unfortunately even have some people who aren't really even followers of Jesus. They aren't saved. Did you know that? There's probably one sitting in this crowd today, maybe one watching by video today.

But God's plan is for you to get around people who do love Jesus, who do love His word, and who want to help and support one another in following Jesus. You will find some in a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church that preaches truth and grace. You will find some. Why discuss these topics? Because we, our children, and our grandchildren, we need the recognized authority of God's word over our lives.

You do know, surely, we can't just live and do however we feel. You do know that, right? You can't just live and do however you feel. Well, you can, but not without consequences and not without accountability before the Creator. We can't just believe whatever we want to believe. Somebody will say, "Well, here's what I believe. My God does XYZ." Well, there's a problem first of all to begin with because I want to know: is your God the God of the Bible?

"Well, why do you believe that?" "Well, that's just my opinion. That's my beliefs I hold." Well, big whoop. What's your source? If your source is you, you're in trouble. If my source is me, I'm in trouble. You can't just believe whatever you want to believe. There is absolute truth from the maker of the universe and we must believe it and submit to that truth.

We need a rightly placed identity, and that is only found in who God says I am. Not in what I feel, not in what the world says. Apart from God's saving grace found in Jesus and His saving work, apart from that, God says I am lost. God says I am blind. God says I am spiritually dead. God says I am condemned. God says I am hostile toward Him and I am on a wide path headed for destruction.

But when the Father mercifully brings the news of the Gospel into my life and I hear of His good grace toward me in what He has done on my behalf, and when He begins to woo me with His goodness and He places faith in my heart and I respond in genuine trust and repentance, He gives me spiritual life and He gives me eternal life. He then says that I am found. He says I belong to Him. He says I am a new creation. He says I've been adopted into His family and I'm born again.

He says I am forever loved. He says that I have purpose. He says I have power. He says I am His ambassador. He says that I am His witness. He says that I am a joint heir with Jesus to the kingdom. And hey, He says I have a future and I have a home with Him forever. It's all because of what He says I am, not what I feel, not what the world says, but because of who He is and what He said.

You don't try to find your identity in who this world says you are or even, listen to me, even in your old sinful fallen nature that says you are something. Because it will. The advice of the world says, "Well, you just need to follow your heart." That's the last thing you need to do. You need to follow Jesus. You need to follow His word because the Bible says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?

Do not follow your heart. You follow the spirit of God, the word of God, and follow Jesus. Your heart will lie to you and the world says, "Well, because you feel this way, that must mean that's who you really are. So just run with it because that's who you really are." No, it's not. That's not who God says you are.

You can find your rightly placed identity as a saved, Holy Spirit-filled, sanctified follower of the Son of God who died to save your soul. That's your identity. I'm not who the world said I am. I'm not who the world wanted me to be. I'm who Jesus says I am. I'm not an orphan; I'm an adopted son, born again into the family. I'm not illegitimate; I'm legit. I'm bonafide. I'm all the way, 100 percent, because of who God says I am.

Stop listening to the world. Stop listening to your feelings. Stop listening to your sinful attractions. Seek the word. Seek the spirit. Have Jesus as your Lord. It won't always be easy. It will put you at odds with this world and there will be a collision. But I'm reminded: the devil, he's got some power. This world has some power. They'll do everything they can to get you in their mold and hedge you down their path. But I'm reminded this morning that the word of God says greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. The spirit of God is bigger and more powerful than anything you're going to face, than anything your children are going to face, or anything this world is going to bring your way. But there has to be a recognized authority over your life, over your children's lives, and over your grandchildren's lives. That will change a lot of things.

Dallas Reese: Throughout this introduction, we've seen that God's design for gender, sexuality, and marriage begins with God's authority. If we misunderstand the Creator, we'll inevitably misunderstand His creation. Next time, Dr. Mann will continue building a biblical foundation for these critical issues and help us see how God's design reflects both His wisdom and His love.

Until then, remember that truth is not determined by culture, opinion, or personal preference. Truth is revealed by God in His word, the Bible. For Dr. Timothy Mann and all of us here at Foundations of Truth, I'm Dallas Reese. Thank you for joining us today and remember, when God's truth becomes the foundation of your life, you'll always have a place to stand. If you'd like to hear this message again or get more biblical resources, visit us online at firm-foundations.org. That's firm-foundations.org.

Dr. Timothy Mann: This is Dr. Timothy Mann. I want to mention a resource that I believe will strengthen your walk with the Lord. My new book, Saved: Understanding God's Work in Us, is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Xulon bookstore, just about anywhere you buy books. It is a careful, biblical walk through what salvation means, written to deepen your understanding, strengthen your assurance, and equip you to share the Gospel. Just search Saved: Understanding God's Work in Us by Dr. Timothy Mann. I pray that it is a blessing to you.