Celebrating A New Life Series

Title: Celebrating A New Life

Series: New Beginnings for the New Year

Text: Psalm 139:13-16

Introduction: A Pro-Life President

President George W. Bush signed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act into law November 5, 2003, vowing that his administration would “vigorously defend this law against any who would try to overturn it in the courts.” He is quoted as saying:

“America stands for liberty, for the pursuit of happiness and for the unalienable right of life. And the most basic duty of government is to defend the life of the innocent. Every person, however frail or vulnerable, has a place and a purpose in this world. Every person has a special dignity. This right to life cannot be granted or denied by government, because is does not come from government, it comes from the Creator of Life.” (Cited in a letter from Jacki Ragan, State Organizational Development Department, National Right To Life Committee, Inc., January 2005.)

I. LIFE BEGINS AT THE MOMENT OF CONCEPTION. (Jeremiah 1:5)

5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;

Before you were born I sanctified you;

I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

Illustration: Alive Or Not?

Medical authorities determine a person to be "alive" if there is either a detectable heartbeat or brain-wave activity. With that in mind, it is eye-opening for some to realize that unborn children have detectable heartbeats at eighteen days (two and one-half weeks) after conception and detectable brain-wave activity forty days (a little over five and one-half weeks) after conception. What is so shocking is that essentially 100 percent of all abortions occur after the seventh week of pregnancy. (Sanctity of Life, C. Swindoll, Word, 1990, p. 11-12.)

Illustration: How Valuable Is An Unborn Child?

A leading abortionist was interviewed by a newsman about an event which took place. A man shot a woman who was carrying her unborn child. Both the lady and the child died. The question was, “Should the man be found guilty of two murders?”

The response was, “Only if she wanted her baby.” (Chris Gowen, http://SermonCentral.com.)

A. There Is No Biblical Distinction Between A Child And A Fetus.

1. Webster defines a fetus as a young animal.

fetus – a young animal while in the body of its mother or in the egg especially in the later stages of development. (Webster’s New Encyclopedic Dictionary, © 1993, Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers: New York, p. 371.)

2. God defines a fetus as a person, and sometimes as a nation. (Genesis 25:21-23)

B. An Unborn Child Is Just As Valuable And Precious As The Child Who Has Been Born. (Exodus 21:22-25)

Illustration: Laci And Conner’s Law

In 2004, the United States Congress passed and president Bush signed the Unborn Victim’s of Violence Act, also known as “Laci and Conner’s Law,” protecting the life of the unborn, and determining that life to be just as valuable as any other. (Cited in a letter from Jacki Ragan, State Organizational Development Department, National Right To Life Committee, Inc., January 2005.)

II. IT’S NOT A CHOICE, IT’S A CHILD.

Illustration: Would You Choose Abortion?

Would you consider abortion in the following four situations?

(1) There’s a preacher and wife who are very, very, poor. They already have 14 kids. Now she finds out she’s pregnant with number 15. They’re living in tremendous poverty. Considering their poverty and the excessive world population, would you consider recommending she get an abortion? Then you have killed John Wesley, one of the great evangelists in the 19th century.

(2) The father is sick with syphilis, the mother has TB. They have four children. The first is blind, the second is dead, the third is deaf, and the fourth has TB. She finds she’s pregnant again. Given the extreme situation, would you consider recommending abortion? You have killed the great musician and composer Ludwig Van Beethoven.

(3) A white man raped a 13-year-old black girl, and she got pregnant. If you were her parents, would you considering recommending abortion? You have just pronounced death on the great black gospel singer, Ethel Waters.

(4) A teenage girl is pregnant. She’s not married. Her fiancé is not the father of the baby, and he’s very upset. Would you consider recommending abortion? You have declared the murder of Jesus Christ. (http://www.bible.org, Source unknown.)

A. Sexual Intimacy Was Never Intended For Unmarried Partners. (1 Corinthians 7:1-2)

1. The world’s attempt to legitimize abortion is primarily a back-door effort to allow sexual relationships outside of the marriage union.

2. By eliminating the consequence of an unwanted pregnancy, the world gains more “freedom” to engage in immoral behavior.

3. Women, of course, have always had the right to choose – to choose not to risk the consequences of immoral behavior by remaining pure until marriage.

B. The Control Of A Person’s Body Belongs To Their Spouse. (1 Corinthians 7:3-4)