Our Creator God Series

Our Creator God

The people who started college this past fall…

Have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan era

They were 11 when the Soviet Union broke apart and do not remember the Cold War

They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up

Their lifetime has always included AIDS

Bottle caps have always been screw-off and plastic

The expression, “you sound like a broken record” means nothing to them

They have always had an answering machine

Most have never seen a TV with only 13 channels, much less a black and white one

There have always been VCRs, but they have no idea what BETA is

They cannot fathom not having a remote control

Food from McDonald’s never came in Styrofoam containers

Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show

Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave

And, here’s another one: abortion has always been legal and accepted by our culture.

Today, along with thousands of churches in America, we are honoring the sanctity and beauty of God’s greatest creative act ­ people who are made in His image. Last week we focused on “Our Holy God,” where we learned that we are to see Him as majestic so that we can experience His mercy, which will propel us to be actively involved in His mission. This morning we’re focusing on God as our Creator.

Not since the controversial issue of slavery ripped America apart at the seams has one subject so polarized our nation like abortion. The heat is rising and there is every reason to believe that the debate will only increase.

Having said that, there is some good news to report. According to the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control, the number of abortions performed in the U.S. continues to decline. In 1997, they dropped to their lowest level in 2 decades! The CDC even admitted that one of the contributing factors for the decline is the changing attitudes about the moral implications of abortion! This is good news. Christians are making a difference ­ and churches that have the courage to speak the truth in love are positively affecting our culture.

I have three purposes this morning:

1. To declare a biblical basis for our God as the Creator.

2. To help you gain courage to do what is right.

3. To motivate you to be involved.

Life is Sacred

Before we get to our main text this morning, I want to establish this central truth: Life is Sacred Because God made it. We see this fleshed out in three ways in Scripture:

1. Life is created by God. Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female He created them.”

2. Life is protected by God. Job 10:12: “You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.”

3. Life is valued by God. Isaiah 49:16: “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…”

The Heart of the Issue

At the heart of the abortion issue rests one single, overarching question: Is abortion a form of murder?

According to abortion proponents, a preborn baby is not considered a living human person. Almost universally, those who favor abortion rights believe that what is aborted is something less than a human. Most advocates do not ground their position on some kind of claim for an inalienable right to murder. Most would agree that murder is wrong. They just don’t think that the destruction and removal of a fetus is murder.

As Chuck Swindoll has said, “…the most dangerous place to be in America is not in the inner city…but in the womb of a mother…” (Sanctity of Life, page 3).

I’m convinced that if somehow it could be proven conclusively that the destruction of preborn babies is in fact the willful murder of human beings, the debate on abortion would be over, and the law of the land would as clearly prohibit abortion as it does all other forms of homicide.

I don’t have the expertise or the time to go into the medical arguments for the existence of life in the womb, but I wanted to show you a 2-minute clip which Dr. Wong let me borrow.

à Show medical video

In an effort to help you think through what the Bible teaches about the sanctity of human life, here’s a brief survey of 8 Scriptural arguments for viewing the fetus as fully human.

Biblical Arguments for Viewing the Fetus as Fully Human

Preborn babies are called “children.” “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb…blessed is the child you will bear…as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped with joy.” (Luke 1:41-44).