On September 11, 2001, two planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and extinguished more than 3500 lives. Among the lost were future leaders of this nation, doctors who could have saved many, scientists who may have found a cure for cancer and an evangelist who may have lead thousands to the Lord – above all, they were loved; and on September 11, 2001, evildoers murdered them.
On that same day another 4000 lives were extinguished; and again on September 13, 14 and 15. The fact is, every day in America the lives of more than 4000 unborn babies are extinguished in the name of choice. That is 4000 each day, 28,000 each week, 112,000 each month and 1,460,000 each year.
On September 11, 2001 terrorist killed over 3500 people, and the outcry for justice was great; the cry of pain heard through out our Nation. We rendered swift and accurate justice. 4000 unborn babies are being taken everyday, but we see no weeping, no anger and no outcry for justice. It would seem that no one cares.
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, the beginning of SOHL week. On this day, we celebrate life: designed by God, in the image of God, and valuable to God. This morning, in churches all across the nation, pastors and priests enter the pulpit and proclaim the evils of abortion.
A. Some will expound the gruesome clinical details of the procedure, horrifying their parishioners with vivid mental pictures that shock and frighten. A “scared straight” approach…
B. Others will share national statistics, hopelessly addicted to the awareness side of the equation, without a glimmer of hope – merely separating the good “church people” from the evil “world”.
C. Both means will be effective for today – some for tomorrow. But by Wednesday or Thursday, the church will have grown silent – see you next year.
2. Our goal this morning is to consider life as God does; its design, purpose and value from His point of view. From there, we will develop a Biblical response to this terrible atrocity. TWM to Psalm 139.
II. LIFE’S DESIGN: GOD KNOWS US
1. Who can know us better than our Creator? David marvels at the life that God designed. You know me perfectly, far beyond my imagination, my thoughts, words and actions before they materialize!
A. That means that before I was born, God knew I would be standing right here this morning, in this very place: that I would be a husband, father, pastor, etc. He knew you would be here, too!
B. He knows what I am thinking (sobering thought), what I will say before I say it, and what I am capable of – and not capable of.
2. God creates life in his own image (Gen 1:27-28) and knows us before we are born
A. Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. (Isa 49:1)
3. God told Jeremiah that he knew who he was before he was in the womb
A. 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. (Jer. 1:5)
4. God does nothing by accident. The world calls it an “unwanted pregnancy”; God calls it a miracle…even when initiated by sin. Has God not worked his miracles through sin before? What about Joseph being sold by his brothers into slavery?
III. LIFE’S PURPOSE: GOD CALLS US
1. God’s knowledge of Isaiah and Jeremiah was not merely acquaintance; he knew them by the task he already appointed to them. Life’s purpose begins before birth, manifests itself in life and completes in death.
A. When David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. (Acts 13:36)
B. The Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.) (Luke 7:30)
2. Every life has a purpose. No one that ever lived did so by accident or against God’s purpose. Including unborn children – even when their existence came about through tragedy (rape, incest, etc.). Consider these tragic stories:
A. A preacher and wife are very, very, poor. They already have 14 kids. Now she finds out she’s pregnant with number 15. They live in unimaginable poverty. Considering their poverty and the excessive world population, should they abort this child? (John Wesley)
B. The father is sick with syphilis and 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 is pregnant again. Given the extreme situation, would you consider recommending abortion? (Beethoven)
C. A white man raped a 13-year-old black girl, and she got pregnant. If you were her parents, would you considering recommending abortion? (Ethel Waters, black gospel singer)
D. A teenage girl is pregnant. She is not married. Her fiancé is not the father of the baby, and he is very upset. Would you consider recommending abortion? (Jesus)
3. Every life has a purpose. There are no accidents.
IV. LIFE’S VALUE: GOD LOVES US
1. God smiles just thinking about you; did you know that? Every time you enter his thoughts he smiles.
A. The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zeph 3:17)
B. The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. (Jer. 31:3)
C. Does that sound like God values life? It does to me.
V. CONCLUSION: GOD’S EXAMPLE DEMANDS OUR RESPONSE
1. Don’t accept the lies about abortion; statistics reveal that the overwhelming majority of those murdering children are doing it as a means of birth control – cases of rape, incest and endangerment of mother’s life collectively amount to 7%.
2. Call it what it is; premeditated murder of an unborn human being. It’s not a choice, a procedure, a termination or even abortion (a term we now accept as a medical procedure).
3. Speak for the rights of the unborn: you may not be a demonstrator, but you can speak – in your community, your circle of friends (influence), to unwed mothers, etc. You can speak with your vote, with your finances, and with your service to a shelter or organization that offers alternatives to murder.
4. Share God’s love with someone who has committed (or is considering committing) this sin. Perhaps the time you spend talking with them will cause them to reconsider.
VI. SUMMARY
1. If you and I do not speak out – if the church remains silent – who will represent God on behalf of those he designed, purposed and loves?
A. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8)
First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up, because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.
