Reimagining Love & Sexuality (Sex and Gender Identity)
Sermon Series
Sermon Study Guide
Scripture
Genesis 2:24-25
Speaker
Pastor Joey
Sermon Study Guide
Q1: Icebreaker: Who, if anyone, gave you the “birds and the bees” spiel when you were growing up? How old were you? What do you remember about it? If not, where did you learn about love and sexuality?
Q2: Ground rules: Pastor Joey says his three big ground rules for talking about sex-related questions are: 1) focus on people, not topics/issues, 2) speak the truth in love, and 3) no targeting of only one group. Do you agree with these ground rules? Why or why not?
Q3: Love & Relationships: In mainstream media, romantic relationships have taken precedence over other relationships. Erotic love has taken precedence over familial love or love between friends. And agape love (selfless love) is powerful but not well-understood. How do you live out your life in fullness of your many relationships? And what does agape love look like in your life?
Q4: Sex: Pastor Joey describes the downfall of sex from God’s original creation design. Sex itself has been gradually disconnected from marriage, commitment, relationship, procreation, even from love, emotions, and dignity. It is now just a physical act of pleasure, and is ok as long as it’s legal and consensual. What is the meaning of sex to you, and how did you come to this definition?
Q5: Pornography: 1 John 2:16 describes the “lust of the flesh” and the “lust of the eyes.” Pastor Joey adds that pornography is not just a matter of temptation for the flesh and the eyes, but also a matter of the heart. Due to the addictive aspect of pornography, it is similar to understanding a drug addict’s triggers and causes, rather than just condemning the drug itself and denouncing its harmful effects. Does this align with your own understanding of pornography usage? Why or why not?
Q6: Sex and Gender: Biological Sex (male/female/intersex) and Gender Identity (e.g. masculine/man or feminine/woman or other) can be confusing, because they are purported to be different, yet have many inter-related aspects. Since “gender” is ever-changing both in a person and in society, some countries like the UK have recently passed laws clarifying that they will base everything around biological sex. Pastor Joey calls this “let sex be sex, and gender be gender.” How would you support someone struggling with their gender identity, while also upholding the facts of biological sex?
Q7: Transgender Dysphoria: The transgender ideology has one major challenge: If we cannot externally verify another person’s identity, we cannot build society around every person’s internal identifications, e.g. the pilot analogy. This pushback is not against transgender people, but against this impossible act of catering to everyone’s sense of identity where feelings are the ultimate authority. How do you think Jesus would’ve treated people in the LGBTQ+ community?
Q8: Take-Home: What part of this sermon on sex and gender identity was most helpful? And how will you apply this to your life? How will this help you not win more arguments, but win more people to Christ?
