Sanctity Of Life - A Time To Be Born And A Time To Die

A Time To Be Born A Time To Die

Please stand as we read our newest memory Scripture together …

1 Peter 4:10

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

And our memory refresher verse(s) for today is(are) …

2 Timothy 4:3-4

“The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

Please open your Bibles to Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Pastor Karenlee and I like to watch courtroom dramas like the old Matlock or Law and Order TV shows.

In the courtroom there is a sequence of events:

- Opening statements are made by the attorneys

- Witnesses questioned and cross examined

- Objections are made if something is out of order

- Evidence is introduced

- Closing arguments are made by the attorneys

- Judge or Jury deliberates

- Verdict is pronounced

- Sentencing (if necessary)

What happens if order is not maintained? Chaos ensues!

Instead of justice being served there is injustice.

With that in mind let’s read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

(Prayer for help)

Today has been chosen as Sanctity of Human life Sunday.

I am not sure who or what group chose the third Sunday of January to be Sanctity of Life Sunday each year but sometimes we need reminders to help us remember important issues.

Often sanctity of life focuses only on the abortion issue which is epidemic around the world and in the USA.

But we cannot forget the sanctity of all human life at any stage and at any age.

Let’s look at a couple of phrases from today’s Scripture that deal with life.

Ecclesiastes 3:2a, 3a, 8b

“a time to be born and a time to die”, “a time to kill and a time to heal”, and, “a time for war and a time for peace.”

All of these have to do with life and death …

- We are born into life

- Healing maintains life

- Peace preserves life that would be lost in war

- Dying is the natural end of what begins at birth

- Killing eliminates the option of healing

- War in inevitably takes lives that would not have been taken in peace

Birth, healing, peace is God’s plan

Natural death is in place because of sin and will remain until we are raised in the great resurrection

Killing and murder are the results of the chaos that comes from not following the Lord’s plan.

So let’s look at, “A Time To Be Born and A Time To Die”

These are things that should happen naturally and should be under the watchful eyes of the Lord.

What is the Lord’s plan for “A Time To Be Born”?

Man and woman meet, fall in love, get married and have children.

That is God’s order. That is His plan.

In His perfect plan …

A man gives his life to love and serve Jesus as Lord and Savior

A woman gives her life to love and serve Jesus as her Lord and Savior

The life of the man is sacred in God’s sight

The life of the woman is sacred in God’s sight

The marriage of the man and the woman is sacred in God’s sight

The sexual union of the man and his wife is sacred in God’s sight

The children who are a product of that union are sacred in God’s sight

It is natural

It is directed with and in harmony with God

It is God’s plan and it works because it is ordered by God

What happens when you take that order and mix it up? Chaos!

What is it that pressures people into seeking abortions?

There are a lot of reasons and I was doing some research to find what the most often used reasons are but they were too saddening to list.

Inevitably, though, the reasons ultimately were because God’s order and God’s plan for godly marriage and the procreation of children was not being followed.

The sadness of this makes me feel like weeping. I was watching a video on how to use an over the counter abortion pill that can be used up to the tenth week of pregnancy. As the woman narrated the video in a gentle, caring voice she spoke about “your early options for abortion and asked the question, “what’s involved in ending an early pregnancy?” Later they asked, “Not ready to be pregnant? There are two ways to end your early pregnancy.”

Do you see the confusion? Do you hear the double-speak?