Foundations of Truth
This is the podcast of Firm Foundations ministries. 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. Each episode is designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding, and encourage you to stand firm in a shifting world.
Foundations of Truth
Divine Design: Navigating Gender Identity
Where do we turn for truth in a world that constantly shifts its moral landscape? Pastor Timothy Mann tackles this pivotal question in his thought-provoking message on gender identity and Biblical authority.
Beginning with the cultural earthquake of Bruce Jenner's transformation to Caitlyn in 2015, Pastor Mann illustrates how rapidly transgender issues have moved from the periphery to the center of public discourse. This seismic shift forces Christians to grapple with profound questions that go far beyond gender alone: What is reality? What does it mean to be human? How do we know what's right and wrong?
At the heart of these questions lies the concept of worldview—those deep-seated beliefs that guide our decisions, whether we recognize them or not. Pastor Mann brilliantly dissects how we all seek three fundamental elements when making moral choices: a source of authority (who has the right to tell me what to do), knowledge (who knows what's best for me), and trustworthiness (who loves me and wants what's best for me).
The world increasingly answers these questions with "me, myself, and I." But as Pastor Mann points out, we've all made feeling-based decisions we later regretted. Self proves to be shaky ground for life's biggest questions. Instead, the biblical narrative offers a crucified Creator who not only has the authority to direct our lives but has demonstrated His trustworthiness through the ultimate sacrifice of love.
This message isn't just intellectual exercise—it's an invitation to place our trust in the One who created us, knows us completely, and loves us perfectly. When Scripture and self conflict, will you trust the God whose ways lead not to restriction but to what James calls "the perfect law of liberty"?
Join us next week as we continue our Divine Design series exploring God's blueprint for gender, sexuality, and marriage in a confused culture.
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the Bible teaching ministry of Pastor Timothy Mann and Providence Church, ormond Beach, florida. Providence Church is a local assembly of followers of Jesus Christ dedicated to helping people become committed and mature followers of Jesus Christ. Today's message is from the Divine Design series on gender, sexuality, marriage and the Bible. Now here's Pastor Tim Mann with today's message.
Speaker 2:Amen. Turn your Bibles to Genesis, chapter 1. Then we'll go to the New Testament, then back to the Old Testament and then back to the New Testament. All right. Genesis, chapter 1, verse 1. The Bible says in the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth. Turn now to the Gospel of John. John, chapter 3, verse 16. John, chapter 3, verse 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Speaker 2:Go with me back in the old Testament again, to the book of Proverbs. Proverbs, chapter three. Proverbs, chapter three, verse five and six. Proverbs three, five and six. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths To the New Testament. James, chapter 1.
Speaker 2:James is toward the latter part of the New Testament after the big book of Hebrews. James, chapter 1, verse 25. James, chapter one, verse 25, james, chapter one, verse 25,. The Bible says but he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. And we'll stop here this morning, and all of these verses I've read this morning are God's word. Let's pray one more time. Father, in the name of Jesus, we come before you and we ask for your help by the power of the Holy Spirit today, that you will teach us and lead us as we consider these issues that are facing our culture today, that are facing many of the families in the life of Providence Church, the people we know, our neighbors, our co-workers. God, I pray you'll give us guidance and leadership. Help us to understand and help us, lord, to apply the truths that we learn throughout these messages. And may, lord, we not forget to speak the truth, to speak the gospel and to speak humbly as your people. Help me now by the power of your Spirit to be clear. May there be no ambiguity, and I pray that, god, you will use this time to make us, lord, more conformed in the image of Jesus and following your will. It's in the wonderful name of our Lord and Savior we pray and all God's people said amen, amen, amen.
Speaker 2:You might remember the first time that you heard that Bruce Jenner didn't want to be Bruce anymore. You might remember that it was 2015, as a matter of fact, 2015, when Jenner an Olympic champion, an American hero and a stepfather to the famous Kardashians, he was interviewed by Diane Sawyer about his experience as a man who lived with a deep secret Through much of his life. Although he was revered as a model of athleticism and masculinity, bruce Jenner believed he was really a woman. He defined himself. He defined himself as transgender. Now, if you've seen any of the interview and I have, I've watched the entire interview If you've seen any of the interview, you see someone who is desperately unable to find peace, someone still seeking self-acceptance and attention, despite possessing great wealth and great celebrity.
Speaker 2:Fast forward a few months and Bruce Jenner made a surprise appearance on the front cover of Vanity Fair. He was posing provocatively and copying what you see on the cover of magazines at the checkout in the grocery store. You know what I'm talking about. The magazine cover was an act of self-revelation. He was signaling a transition to fully identify as and live as a woman. The cover proclaimed and maybe you remember this the cover proclaimed call me Caitlyn. The picture really is now famous. This man, who had been married three times and fathered six children, was now a super celebrity and cultural icon. Again, caitlyn Jenner was created and the message to the world was clear Men can just become women if they feel or perceive themselves to be women, or vice versa, and the media could not get enough. You remember that? The media could not get enough, and Jenner then starred in a new reality TV show.
Speaker 2:The question of being transgender has moved to the front of culture at an incredibly fast pace. It was a topic that barely registered on most people's radars. It was a topic that barely registered on most people's radars just 10 years ago Now, and suddenly gender identity has become the most fashionable so-called social justice issue of our day. I don't know about you, but I think 2015 now seems like eons ago. I don't know about you, but I think 2015 now seems like eons ago. Social media accounts offer multiple gender options for members. States like New York are fining citizens who fail to use preferred pronouns of transgender citizens. Teachers are reading first graders books in school that promote transgenderism. Transgender individuals are now holding church denominational leadership positions. Transgender individuals are appointed to cabinet positions in presidential administrations, and it's happened fast, so fast.
Speaker 2:There has to be answers to questions like can a man become a woman? Can a woman become a man? How and when should children be confronted with the debates about gender. What are we to do with children and teenagers who are a member of one biological sex but think and feel and maybe have been convinced as though they were born in the wrong body? What are we to say to someone experiencing these feelings and desires? Where do these feelings and desires even come from? Where do these feelings and desires even come from? No-transcript.
Speaker 2:These ladies and gentlemen, these questions go deeper than just simply what we understand by gender. They go to what we understand by humanity who we are, how we got here, what it means to be a human and what role, if any, God plays in that. We have to reach deep enough to understand what authority is, how you understand what is true and why the source of what you believe is trustworthy. I mean, do you really believe what you believe is really real? I'm going to say that again Do you really believe what you believe is really real?
Speaker 2:That's a question that leads to other big questions, questions like what is reality? What is the nature of the world around us? What is a human being? What happens to a person at death? Why is it possible to know anything at all? How do we know what is right? How do we know what is right? How do we know what is wrong? And we all answer these questions. You do know that, right? We all answer these questions. We may do it with great, a great deal of angst and a great deal of heart-searching, or we may do it unconsciously, without even realizing it, but we do it. We answer these questions. And these questions require us to evaluate our worldview. They require us to unearth our deepest convictions about the world, require us to unearth our deepest convictions about the world, about our purpose and about morality. See a worldview.
Speaker 2:If you don't know what a worldview is, I could give you a long scholarly definition. I've read several this week but let me just make it clear this way A worldview is the sum of beliefs that we hold at the deepest level of our being. That's really what it is. It's the sum of beliefs that we hold at the deepest level of our being, and that's either consciously or unconsciously, and it's usually about where the ultimate meaning of reality is found. Every single person on this planet has a worldview, all of us. You don't have the luxury of not having a worldview. You have a worldview, and our worldview comes to the surface, it shows itself, it pops up. Our worldview comes to the surface whenever we need to decide how to live in some way. That's when it shows itself, when we have to make a decision about how to live in some way. Ah, there's the worldview guiding us.
Speaker 2:I mean the question, and it's a fair question how do you and I work out what is right and what is wrong in terms of our actions and our beliefs, especially when we're faced with big decisions that we might only get one shot at making? See, ultimately, in finding the answer, you are looking for a source of three things. You're looking for a source of authority. In other words, let me put it this way who has the right to tell me what to do? You're looking for that. Who has the right to tell me what to do? The other thing you're looking for is knowledge. Let me put it this way who knows what's best for me? Who knows what's best for me? And then, the third thing you're looking for is trustworthiness. Trustworthiness who loves me and wants what's best for me. That's what we're interested in. We're interested in who has the right to tell me what to do, who knows what's best for me, and who loves me and actually wants what's best for me.
Speaker 2:And here's what I notice a lot. I notice that if you find a person, or if you find an institution or you find a book that offers you those three, that's usually where you'll turn to make decisions. I can't tell you how many times over the years I know pastor Josh uh, you would agree with this I've had church members come into my office in every single church I've pastored and they have a question. They have a questionable decision that they're about to make, and they come and they ask me what I think about it. Bob, you've experienced this, probably, and what I found out most of the time, many, many times, is they're not actually looking for what I think about it, they're not actually looking for what the Bible says about it. They're actually looking for permission, permission. They want the green light, they want the thumbs up, they want to hear, yeah, that's exactly what you need to do, even though they may have a question in their mind about it.
Speaker 2:And the truth is today, there's a lot of options today for how people will answer those questions. Many answer those questions by appealing to their family, by appealing to their political association, by appealing to entertainment, or their friends, or their feelings, or their religion, or a particular religious leader which is not always good, by the way science, or even some idol or hero they have. I mean, think of everyday choices we make all the time. Let's use a familiar example, at least to me, and that is how do I decide whether to have ice cream? That's a familiar example to me.
Speaker 2:How do I decide whether to have ice cream? Well, number one, I could choose to listen to my feelings, which are telling me almost on every day it would be great to taste ice cream, I would like it. Or I could listen to my reason I'm wanting to lose a few pounds and shouldn't have any ice cream. Or I could place the basis for my decision maybe in the way my parents brought me up, or even the pressure of culture today, which says too much sugar is bad for me, so I will pass on eating ice cream. Or maybe it's even a religious thing. Maybe I'm fasting in a particular season or holiday based on my religion. And my religion would say you can't have it today because it's not that time of year. You got to fast today Because it's not that time of year. You got to fast today. And see, in that decision there are a host of different sources of authority that I could choose to listen to, Feelings, reason, my family, tradition, culture, religion, and that's just whether to eat ice cream, just that I mean.
Speaker 2:Now, what does any of this have to do with, you might be thinking, pastor, what does any of this have to do with sexuality and gender issues? Well, here it is. Folks, if we differ in our answer to the source of authority, to the source of knowledge, to the source of trust in our decision making, then we shouldn't be surprised if we are miles apart once we reach our destination, our decision on a particular issue, a particular belief or a particular action. If we differ, if we differ on the source of authority, the source of knowledge and the source of trust. There's been a crisis of authority building over the last 60 years, and it has reached a crescendo. Abuse, scandal and rebellion have been the order of the day for the last several decades, and so where are we to look for a trustworthy, knowledgeable authority?
Speaker 2:So the answer is me myself, myself. I mean, it seems so obvious. I mean, who has more right to tell me how to live than me, right? Who knows me better than me? Who can I trust to? To? Who can I trust more to want what's best for me than me? And it's shocking to me today that even many professing christians think this way. Many professing christians think exactly like this, and the world system agrees with it.
Speaker 2:The sexual revolution tells me that the highest goal is self-fulfillment. Through following my feelings, and relativism makes it possible for me to pursue these goals without anyone being allowed to say no, that's wrong. Are you tracking with me? So what do we do? Well, we decide according to our reason or, more normally, our feelings, or both. I mean, think about how often you hear others say, of a decision or an opinion, I feel like, fill in the blank. I feel like, or I think that, and maybe you catch yourself saying this all the time too. You catch yourself saying that, and maybe you catch yourself saying this all the time too. You catch yourself saying that it's so much a part of the prevailing culture that we don't hardly even notice it. The problem is is that we've all acted on our feelings in a way that we later regretted. Can I get a witness? Or we can all. When we think about it, when we're honest about it, we can all point to moments when we did something that not only did not improve or fulfill us, but it actually did the reverse. We've all reasoned something out, acted on logic, something out acted on logic, and then found out that what seemed so reasonable wasn't. So it turns out that self is not such a good place to look for authority, that self is not such a good place to look for knowledge, that self is not such a good place to look for trustworthiness.
Speaker 2:This message isn't going to be particularly long this morning. I'm going to get to the point, and the point is this the Bible tells of a different story, for it gives a different script on which to understand where to look for perfect authority're to look for perfect authority. We're to look for perfect knowledge. We're to look for perfect trustworthiness. The very first line of the Bible is familiar to most, but it is no less fundamental than In the beginning.
Speaker 2:God created the heavens and the earth. Ladies and gentlemen, this world has a creator, and what is made belongs to its maker. So the creator has authority, and what is made is best known by its maker. And so the creator has knowledge is best known by its maker, and so the creator has knowledge. And since I am part of the creation and since I am alive within creation, the creator, god, has the right to tell me what to do, and he has the. He has the knowledge. He has the knowledge necessary always to understand what I should do, what is best for me and what is best for the world.
Speaker 2:Hey, there's a creator and he is all-powerful, he is all-knowing and he is all-wise, but alone. That does not mean that he is good. So the question is, why should you and I trust our creator to tell us what is really best for us? It's because of what he has done for his world, for God so loved the world that he created. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Speaker 2:There's a look. There's a creator who can be trusted to want what is truly best for you. He wants what's? He wants your best, so much that he came in the person of his son, jesus, and he died for you to pay the debt of your sin.
Speaker 2:See, the bible tells of a crucified creator. God loves you much more than your mama does. God loves you much more than your daddy does. God loves you much more than your spouse. God loves you much more than your daddy does. God loves you much more than your spouse. God loves you much more than your children. God loves you much more than that person you love. God loves you much more than you love you. God loves you and you can trust him.
Speaker 2:So, that said, a passage such as Proverbs 3, 5, and 6, that's not only a command which it is, by the way. It's not good advice. It's a command, but it's also a promise. Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 says Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. Well, that takes self out of the picture again. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths.
Speaker 2:See, a crucified creator is God who has the authority to tell us what to do. He has the wisdom to know what's best for us, and who has proved that he can be trusted to tell us what is best for us. And so the Bible reveals to us a God, a creator, who has the authority to demand your obedience, but he not only has the authority to demand your obedience, but he not only has the authority to demand your obedience. He has the character that deserves your respect, that deserves your worship. This God really does know what's best for me and he really does know what's best for you. He has provided for my salvation in the death and the burial and the resurrection of Jesus, the Christ. And so when the creator, god, who has authority, who has knowledge and who has trustworthiness, tells us to do something, that something is actually what gives us liberty, because its source is the crucified creator, who has proven that he knows and wants what's best for us.
Speaker 2:Look at James 1.25. It says but he who looks into the perfect law of liberty that's this and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does, will be blessed in what he does. So when we say to ourselves or, as preachers, we say to others you should obey God, what we mean is we want what God deserves, which is your obedience, which is your obedience, and we want what is best for you, which is your obedience. That's what that means. This is why, look, this is why Bible-believing Christians hold views or believe things that go against what might come to us naturally or instinctively. What might come to us naturally or instinctively.
Speaker 2:See, jesus' followers have found a better source for authority. Jesus' followers have found a better source for knowledge and trust than our own reason, than our own feelings or our own traditions or our own assumptions. You know, I think because that's the way I've always thought, or that's the way we've always thought, or it's just wrong, isn't it? Those are no better answers than because that's the way I feel, or how can something that feels so right be wrong? It's crucial, listen to me, it's imperative. In truth, it's a matter of life and death. It's crucial, especially when self and Scripture disagree. It's crucial to know why we are thinking and deciding what we are thinking. Or, to put it another way, it's crucial to know what's our source of authority, what's our source of knowledge, what's our source of trust. That is the Basis for that decision or that opinion. And this holds true For all issues In our life, every single issue, but particularly those that are most controversial, including issues of sexual morality and the discussion about transgender identity.
Speaker 2:I mean, after all, when all the noise is stripped away, what is driving our culture's ideas about sexuality and gender and these issues, when all the noise is stripped away. Well, fundamentally, I believe the biggest issue that drives a wedge between an increasingly secularized culture and the genuine Christian worldview and what drives an issue between individuals who place themselves in those camps, there is the question of where we locate authority, knowledge and trustworthiness. That's the issue. Knowledge and trustworthiness. That's the issue. See, the biblical Christian answer Is to locate authority, locate knowledge and locate trust when it can find a firm, stable, fulfilling foundation, and that is in the crucified creator and his word. Now, he may not always agree with our feelings, he may not always agree with our reason, he may not always agree with our reason, but I'm telling you this morning he can be trusted and he knows what he's talking about and he has the right to tell us how to live and his words are good to listen to and to obey.
Speaker 2:I don't know what the prevailing questions of your life are right now. Maybe in your heart you are living far from God. Maybe in your practice you are living far from God. Maybe you are trying to straddle the fence and have one foot in the world and one foot with the Lord. Maybe you're caught up in something that you don't know if you can walk away from. Maybe you have burdens and decisions to make and you don't know what to do. I want to remind you this morning that the Creator, almighty God, has all authority, he is all-knowing and you can absolutely trust Him.
Speaker 1:Join us next week, at this same time, on this same station, for Part 3 in the Divine Design series on Gender, sexuality, marriage and the Bible. For more information on Providence, church service times, bible, fellowship groups, kids programs and more, go online to theprovidencechurchorg.
