Made In His Image

Made in His Image

TEXT: Psa 139:13-16

INTRODUCTION

· What is the value of a human life?

· Important question – your answer to it influences your opinion about some hot topics in today’s society – physician assisted suicide, euthanasia (mercy killing), abortion

· Today talk about biblical principles regarding the sanctity of human life

I. WHY TALK ABOUT IT?

A. Churches across the country have set aside the 3rd Sunday in January as Sanctity of Human Life Sunday

1. January 22, 1973 the United States Supreme Court gave states the authority to legalize abortion

2. Since then, over 35-40 million legal abortions have taken place

3. More statistical info is available on abortion since physician assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal & abortion is legal

B. Why children are aborted? (from Alan Guttmacher Institute: the research arm of Planned Parenthood, a Pro Choice Org)

1. 75% - a baby would interfere with their work, school, or other responsibilities

2. 2/3 say they cannot afford a child

3. 50% say they don’t want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner

4. 1% are victims of incest or rape

C. What does the Bible say about all this?

II. BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES REGARDING SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE

A. Remember that these principles apply to all of life – more than just abortion

B. Psa 139:13-16 – turn in your Bibles

C. God is creator of life & everything that makes up that life

1. Vs 13: You created my inmost being

You knit me together in my mother’s womb

2. Vs 15: (David speaking)

I was made

I was woven together

a. God is the creator; David has done nothing

b. He gave no input to God; no information paper

c. David didn’t request certain personality traits

d. David was totally passive in creation

3. Vs 13 - "You created my inmost being" – literally - ‘kidney’

a. Hebrew idiom - the part of me that is the center of my emotions and conscience

(1) Like we use the word “heart”

b. Speaks of moral aspect, spiritual capacity, my will

c. More than just genes, chromosomes, various chemicals, arms, legs, muscles, etc

d. Created all of us, including the moral & spiritual aspects

e. He knew us before we were born - our personality, gifts, hang- ups, our potential, His plans for us

4. Jer 1:4-5: The word of the Lord came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

a. God knew us even before He formed us in the womb

III. HE CREATED US IN HIS OWN IMAGE

A. Gen 1:26-27: Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, & let them rule over the fish of the sea & the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, & over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male & female he created them."

B. Every life is significant, important, and has dignity because we are created in the image of God

1. Child of a President of child of prostitute – are created in the image of God

2. Child of 40 yr old couple trying to have a baby for 15 yrs or the child of a 15 yr old who had sex one time - are created in the image of God

C. Have dignity, significance, importance because you were created in the image of God

1. Feel joy, disappointment, anger, love: because you were created in image of God

(IL) Mary became pregnant with Jesus, she went to tell her

cousin, Elizabeth, who was 6 months pregnant w/ Jn B,

Jn B “leaped with joy” within his mother’s womb when Mary

announced the news

The infant, Jn B, even before birth experienced joy – he

was created in the image of God

2. Make decision to come to chapel today because you were created in image of God

3. Ability to reason thru a problem because you were created in image of God

4. Have your own unique personality because you were created in the image of God

5. Can bear witness to HS & have a capacity for spiritual things because you were created in image of G

D. Image of God is marred & defaced because of sin, but it is still there

1. God’s sanctifying work in the lives of His people is a restoration process of the image of God in us

IV. IF WE EVER FORGET PEOPLE ARE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, THEN DEPERSONALIZATION AND DEHUMANIZATION REIGN & IT BECOMES OPEN SEASON ON HUMAN BEINGS BECAUSE HUMAN BEINGS ARE NO LONGER LOOKED AT AS BEING UNIQUE AND SPECIAL.