Sermon: “Why choose life?"
Series: Why?
Today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday: Jan. 24, 2010
Thesis: My message today is not given to support any political party but to challenge this congregation to look at what the Bible says about abortion and why we must choose life over death.
As I study the Bible I have discovered that “Life is Sacred:”
God's heart aches today over the 50 million abortions done in this country according to The Alan Gutmacher Institute, a leading proponent of abortion on demand, claims that there have been more than 50 million abortions in the U.S. since Roe Vs. Wade.
God sighs at this injustice, "My thoughts are higher than your thoughts, and My ways than your ways" (Isaiah 55:9).
Handout to Congregation to fill in:
All human life is sacred - outline (Adapted from focus on the family)
I. Life is sacred . . . because God made it.
A. Life was and is created by God.
1. Psalm 139:13-16: 13For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.15My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
2. Ecclesiastes 11:5: 5As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
3. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” — Genesis 1:27
4. “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” — Colossians 1:16
B. Life is protected by God.
1. “You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.” — Job 10:12
2. “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” — Psalms 91:11
C. Life is valued by God.
1. Behold I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands. — Isaiah 49:16
2. I have loved you with an everlasting love. — Jeremiah 31:3
3. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. — Jeremiah 1:5
4. I am come that they might have life and have it to the full. — John 10:10
Video Illustrations from Focus on the family – ultrasounds – 3 of them. These three clips show why we are to choose life – that fetus is not a mass of tissue but a very young baby!
I have a dream that this nation will choose life over death:
I am happy to present to you this day, a Pro-life message and a vision for tomorrow. Let us remember that 37 years ago a luminous cloud of darkness descended on our great nation.
We today, face the tragic fact that approximately 50 million babies have been slain by this dark luminous cloud of death. The unborn child lays mangled and lifeless in the waste basket of a clinic. The nation rolls on in its selfish quest but heaven anguishes and cries out in pain, "Stop the insanity".
America refuses to believe that a commandment has been broken. America refuses to believe that an injustice has occurred and that a life lies motionless.
America refuses to acknowledge its own Declaration of Independence which states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
America refuses to hear the words of a former President, "Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just for His justice cannot sleep forever."
I am here today at this hallowed place to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in apathy.
Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all God's children. Now is the time to cast off this cloud of darkness and death. Now is the time to join hands across America and repent and cry out to God for mercy. Now is the time to gather together in brotherhood and stand on the solid rock.
It would be fatal for this nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the justice of the Lord God Almighty.
I believe that 2010 is not an end, but a beginning. There will be neither rest or peace in America until the unborn child is granted his right to life and citizenship to this nation.
I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the past 37 years, I still have a vision. It is a vision deeply rooted in the Creator of the Universe.
I have a vision that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: " . .. that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
I have a vision that one day on the hills of San Francisco there will be life and not death. That there will be cries of life and not death all across our nation.
I have a vision that one day even the city of Chicago, a desert city sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice, embracing the tiny hands of life.
I have a vision that my children and grandchildren will one day live in a nation where they will not hear or see the holocaust of abortion.
I have a vision today.
I have a vision that one day the city of New York will be transformed into a place where all the tiny hands of life will embrace and walk together as brothers and sisters of life.
I have a vision for today.
I have a vision that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain be made low, the rough places will be made plains of righteousness and the crooked places of death will made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is our faith. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of love and respect for life. With this faith we will be able to work together, pray together, struggle together to stand up for freedom together, to stand up for the right to life together, knowing that they will be free one day to be born.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, "My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father’s died, land of the pilgrims pride, land where life is right, from every mountainside, let freedom of life ring."
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom of life ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom of life ring from the lake country of Minnesota. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York, let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom of life ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the desert land of the Southwest. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from the state of Massachusetts. Let freedom ring from the Cascade Mountains of Washington. Let freedom of life ring from the White House.
Let freedom of life ring from the Senate. Let Freedom of life ring from the House of Representatives. Let freedom of life ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside and plains of America, let freedom of life ring!
When we let freedom of life ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of that old Gospel song. "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, they are free at last!"
T.S. - This speech that I have shared with you this morning is a parallel to Martin Luther King's speech. "I have a dream." But I too have a dream for this nation to choose life over death for the unborn babies of this nation.
I. We see the similarity of themes of Pro-life and Racial equality for all.
1. The struggle against slavery and equality for the African American is still going on to a degree. But we see that history is once again repeating itself.
2. Mankind's evil is still the same in the battle over abortion and in the battle over equality. There is much parallelism.
3. The Word tells us about the world's blindness in II Cor. 4:1-18:
1. 1Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”£ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all–surpassing power is from God and not from us.
8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”£ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,
14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.
15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2. Note especially 2 Cor. 4:4:”The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
4. The world is once again blinded in seeing the truth about what is right and wrong when it comes to what is a life: For Example: Note the comparison charts of the two dark struggles.
1. Information from charts taken from J.C. Willke's book: ABORTION AND SLAVERY
2. Comparison of Slavery and Abortion
1. Dred vs Scott 1857 7-2 Decision
2. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that black people were not legal persons. They were the property of the owner.
3. Roe vs. Wade 1973 7-2 Decision
4. The US Supreme Court ruled that the unborn fetuses were not legal persons.Result of decision was they had no rights. They were henceforth, to be legally the property of the owner, the mother.
3. RESPONSE TO DECISIONS:
1. The response of the Abolitionists was, "The ruling was outrageous", they said it was immoral and discriminated against an entire class of living Americans solely on the basis of skin color.
2. The response of Pro-lifers was "The ruling was outrageous," they said. It was immoral and discriminated against an entire class of living Americans solely on the basis of age (too young) and place of residence (still living in the womb).
4. DEHUMANIZATION:
1. Courts ruled that a slave was biologically inferior and only considered three-fifths of a person.
2. Courts ruled an unborn baby is a fetus or mass of tissue, an embryo.
5. ECONOMICS:
1. Why keep slaves? Money is the bottom line. Slaves' worth - money on plantation and also tax revenue for government.
2. Why keep doing abortions? Money is the bottom line. Reduce social costs. Profitable business. Creates tax revenue for government
6. RESPO NSES BY CHURCH:
1. "It is shocking public policy to permit men to commit adultery and then enslave their own children, and a strange doctrine of the Christian Church that forbids ministries to condemn sin simply because it is authorized by the government." (Barrow).
2. It is shocking public policy to permit men and women to commit adultery and then kill their own children, and a strange doctrine of some churches that forbids ministers to condemn sin simply because it is authorized by the government."
7. REVIVAL THE KEY: To overturning abortion in America!
1. In 1825, a great Revival in western New York took place. Charles Gradison Finney blazed a path with a message of salvation, repentance, and forgiveness of sins.This Christian revival gave the anti-slavery movement an uncounted number of devoted apostles.
2. The first major group to come, came from converts of Finney and his college in Oberline.
1. These leaders emerged - Tappan, Levitt, Wright, Berney, Stanton - devoted Christians, and men and women of exemplary character.
2. This Revival in the late 1990's help produce people who fought and won the battle against slavery.
T.S. - I have a vision for the right to life for all people whether to young or too old!
Public opinion on “health care reform” and abortion
National Right to Life Committee www.nrlc.org/ahc 202-626-8820
January 6, 2010
Polls For
Abortion
Against
Abortion
“Say someone buys private health insurance using government assistance to
help pay for it. Do you think insurance sold that way should or should not
be allowed to include coverage for abortions?”
35% Should
61% Should not
4% No opinion
Washington Post-ABC News Poll, November 12-15, 2009
(1,001 adults, margin of error: +/- 3%)
35% 61%
“Generally speaking, are you in favor of using public funds for abortions
when the woman cannot afford it, or are you opposed to that?”
37% Favor
61% Oppose
2% Indifferent (vol.)
1% No opinion
CNN Opinion Research Corporation, November 13-15, 2009
(1,014 adults, margin of error: +/- 3%)
37% 61%
“If the choice were up to you, would you want your own insurance policy to
include abortion?”
24% Yes
68% No
6% Don’t know / Unsure
2% Refused
International Communications Research, September 16-20, 2009.
(1,043 adults, margin of error: +/- 3%)
24% 68%
“Do you support or oppose allowing abortions to be paid for by public
funds under a health care reform bill?”
23% Support
72% Oppose
5% DK/NA
Quinnipiac University Poll, December 15-20, 2009.
(1,616 registered voters, margin of error: +/- 2.4%)
23% 72%
Here are some other statistics on abortion that you may not know:
Why women choose abortions from National Right to Life:
Social Reasons (given as primary reason)
25% - Feels unready for child/responsibility
23% - Feels she can't afford baby
19% - Has all the children she wants
8% - Relationship problems/Single
7% - Feels she isn't mature enough
4% - Interference with education/career plans
<1% - Parents/Partner wants abortion
<6.5% - Other reasons
TOTAL: 93% (Approx.)
"Hard Cases" (given as primary reason)
4% - Mother's Health
3% - Baby may have health problem
<0.5% - Rape or Incest
TOTAL: 7% (Approx.)
Other statistics on abortion:
There have been over 50 million abortions since 1973.
The annual number of abortions went from 744,600 in the first year of legalization, to a high of over 1.6 million in 1990. In 2003, there were 1,287,000.
There were over 3,500 abortions per day in 2003, 146 per hour, about one every 25 seconds.
(fromhttp://www.nrlc.org/)
II. The charts and poles that we have observed are enlightening when we learn that some of the reasons for justifying abortion and slavery were and are rooted in selfishness.
A. Today, many vote or make decisions based on how it affects them, but the Word makes it clear not to do anything out of selfish ambition;
1. Phi. 2:3: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."
2. James 3:16: "For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
3. Prov. 18:1: "An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defiles all sound judgment."
4. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; but you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
B. The Word clearly reveals how we should act and I also believe how we should vote:
1. Ps. 119:36: "Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain."
C. The sad fact is that most abortions are done for selfish reasons.
1. The excuses given to justify abortion are:
a. It will interfere with my career!
b. I'm too young!
c. I have a bad marriage and I don't need another problem!
d. I'm poor and the child will be too expensive to keep!
e. My mate does not want a baby at this time!
2. 90% of abortions are done for selfish excuses and the sad statistics are:
a. There are 1.5 million abortions a year in the U.S.
b. There are 60,000 abortions a year in Illinois.
c. Since legalization of abortion child abuse has risen 1,000%
d. Illegitimacy has risen 400% since the onset of legalized abortions.
(from http://www.nrlc.org/)
T.S. - What is wrong with this picture?
Conclusion
ALL human life is valuable and sacred: - God creates life and sustains life. It is made in His own image and for His purpose — All humans are made in His sacred image, and for His sacred purpose. Those are His "ways," (The way life developing in the womb) which Isaiah tells us are so much higher than our "ways." Deliberately violating God's "ways" is the Bible's definition of sin and rebellion toward God’s will.
Everyone has the right to life whether to young or to old.
And there's only one effective way to deal with sin: The Bible tells us to confess and repent of sin – don’t ignore it. God is calling us to confess that we have not followed His "ways" in this nation in regards to life and we need to repent from following our "ways" — individually, as a church, and as a nation. And we must commit to following His way!
The Question is “How will you respond to God's call?”
Story: By Rick Ligthart from sermon “Why Christians Speak up on Abortion”
A few years ago in a small church on the east coast a guest preacher made strong comments about abortion. After the worship service an elderly man approached the guest pastor and from his heart in broken English and a strong German accent said, “I lived in Germany during the Nazi holocaust. I considered myself a Christian and attended church since I was a small boy. We heard stories about what was happening to the Jews. But like most people today in this country we tried to distance ourselves from the reality of what was happening. A railroad truck ran behind our church and each Sunday morning we would hear the whistle from a distance and hear whales and cries coming from the train cars as they passed our church windows. We grimly realized the trains were filled with Jews like cattle in those cars on the way to the death camps. Week after week that train whistle blew and we dreaded the sound of those voices. We could do nothing to help those poor people, yet their screams tormented us.
We knew exactly what time that whistle would blow. And we decided the only way to keep from being disturbed by that whistle, those clunky wheels, and those screams was to start singing our hymns. By the time the train would come around the bend as it approached our church yard we were singing at the top of our voices. And if some of the screams were heard above our voices, we just sang louder until we could hear them no more.
Years have passed and no one talks about it much anymore, but I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. I can still hear them crying out for help. God forgive me. God forgive me. God forgive all of us who call ourselves Christians yet did nothing to intervene. Now so many years later I see it happening all over again here in America. God forgive us as Americans for we have blocked out the screams of millions of our own children. The holocaust is here. The response is the same as it was in my home country.”
Video Illustration: From Blue Fish Tv – Danny Boy - Is a baby trash?
People of Christian Hills – Let’s make a difference for the Kingdom of God – let’s be a healing church and stand up for the unborn babies of this nation. Let’s not ignore the cry but respond with compassion, love and action.
Put up picture of the babies in the garbage can at an abortion clinic! This picture shows that many consider their babies to be trash in America
They are screaming for our help will you join with me to stop the insanity in this nation? Will you stand up for the right to life? Will you save a baby’s life?
Will you decide to make a difference in 2010? To change or impact another persons life?
