Abortion? Sanctity Of Life? or... Soverignty Of God

Psalm 139:13-16 – HCSB

For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.

This weekend churches all over America are addressing the subject of ‘the sanctity of life’. Why this weekend? It is the 40^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which was the famous court case that legalized abortion in 1973.

Whenever ‘abortion’ is brought up, whether in private conversations or in public meetings such as this, it can be something of a ‘hot button’ for some… because people have such adamant opinions and beliefs concerning it. It has come to be a very political discussion, as people on both sides shout their views and feel the opposing view is completely wrong. Some are shouting “PRO-LIFE… life begins at conception!”, while others scream “PRO-CHOICE… a woman’s body is her own, and she has the right to do with it whatever she wants!”

I’m not really going to go there.

In all honesty, I approach this subject with much fear and trembling – understanding my audience. You see, there is a wide-array of opinions… and experiences:

·        Some are staunch PRO-LIFE and believe abortion is always wrong.

·        Some are PRO-LIFE, unless the mother’s life is in danger… or in the case of rape.

·        Some are PRO-CHOICE and firmly believe that a woman should be in charge of her body.

·        Some who want to find fault with Christians and scream how ‘judgemental’ we all are.

·        Some have had an abortion.

·        Some have had an abortion and bringing it up… is very painful for them.

·        Some are listening, who one day will be faced with a choice of their own… or know a loved one who will be staring at abortion as an option.

So… let me up-front with my agenda… my goal. It is two-fold:

1.      That we leave here totally aware of our own short-comings, but challenged to make Jesus the Lord of all.

2.     That we all leave here, regardless of our past and the things we’ve done, totally understanding God’s forgiveness and redemption.

Many sermon today will focus on what is called ‘imago Dei’ – ‘image of God’. We get this term from the very first chapter in the Bible:

Genesis 1:26-27 – HCSB

For it Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. ...”So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.

To attack another human being in any way whatsoever is seen as attacking the very image of God.

Genesis 9:6 – HCSB

Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made 

man in His image.

For this reason, ‘LIFE’… all ‘LIFE’… is precious. It should be ‘sanctified’ – ‘set apart’ as something special. Whether that life be someone who is our national ‘enemy’… a young teenage girl from the United Kingdom who has been taken from her family and forced through human-trafficking into the sex-trade, or even the unborn child in its mother’s womb. All life is seen as special, simply because of ‘imago Dei’… it is a life that bears the ‘image of God’.

The idea that God created and breathed humanity into existence and that He, literally, knit us together in the womb is absolutely a Biblical worldview and so, passages as the Psalm 139 passage are going to be preached on and read aloud this weekend in tens of thousands of churches.

Now, there will be critics who will say that these churches are simply advancing a political agenda and using their pulpits and influence to disseminate their conservative perspective. They may say, “How can you Christians preach ‘sanctity of life’ when you have so many instances in your Bible where God snuffed out human life?”

·        Noah’s neighbors

·        Pharaoh’s eldest son and all the first-born children of the Egyptians

·        Elisha’s 42

2 Kings 2:23-24 – HCSB

“From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking up the path, some small boys came out of the city and harassed him, chanting, “Go up, baldy! Go up, baldy!” He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled 42 of the children.”

·        Goliath

·        and on… and on…

“So wait a minute Mister Pastor-Man, are you really gonna preach that God thinks human life is so special… that it’s really that important?”

Then the other side might say, “Whoah… YOU wait a second! What we mean… is the ‘Sanctity of INNOCENT Life” – all the people that God took out… were guilty!”

Then the other side says, “Yeah, but don’t you also preach that after ‘the Fall’… after ‘sin’ entered into the world… we’re ALL guilty? You are always quoting that one verse, even WE have it memorized:  Romans 3:23 – HCSB

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

If that’s really true, then aren’t those babies guilty too?”

                       

And maybe you are starting to get a glimpse of how truly difficult it is to talk about subjects like this?  

Let’s take a few steps back for a minute…

James tells us that the reason we ‘kill’ is because ‘we desire and do not have’. Think about that.

James 4:1-2 – HCSB

“What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings that are at war within you? You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask."

In the beginning of time, back in Genesis chapter 3, we see Satan tempt mankind and one of the things he says is: “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5). You see, Satan is playing to this very basic desire within the heart of men to ‘be like God’… to be our own bosses. We don’t want others to rule over us… we don’t want that power taken from us. We never have:

We just celebrated Christmas and spent a lot of time reading and thinking about the Christmas story. Why do you think Herod, when he heard that a new king had been born in the city of Bethlehem, had all the children under the age of two murdered? Wasn’t it because he wanted to be the only king? Wasn’t he, in fact, securing his power and his future?

Back in the Old Testament, why did Pharaoh, in the time of Moses’ birth, have all the children murdered by throwing them into the Nile River? The end of Exodus chapter 1 we’re told that Pharaoh commanded all the mid-wives to kill the Hebrew babies immediately as they were born if they were boys. When the mid-wives refused, Pharaoh commanded that they Hebrew boys be thrown into the Nile. Why? He saw how fast the Hebrew people were growing in relation to his Egyptian people, and he wanted to assure himself military stability… authority… power!

I was reading this week about a Southern Baptist who’s lust for his own reputation was so great, that although he often preached against pre-marital sex and especially abortion, when his own daughter came up pregnant he was caught sneaking her to a far away town in order to have an abortion. Why? Because he didn’t want to lose his position at the church… He didn’t want to lose his authority.

Gang, as a radical follower of Jesus Christ, Who is to be our King? Who is to call the shots? Think about the term, “PRO-CHOICE”. Who, in fact, is supposed to be the one who has the power of life and death in their hands?

1 Samuel 2:6 – HCSB

“The Lord brings death and gives life; He sends some to Sheol, and He raises 

others up.”

Deuteronomy 32:39 – HCSB

“See now that I alone am He; there is no God but Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal. No one can rescue anyone from My hand.”

God is the One who has that kind of authority. When you think of all the life in the Bible, that I mentioned earlier, that was snuffed out – In every single case, wasn’t it God who gave the okay for it to happen? Wasn’t it God who brought the rain on Noah’s neighbors? Wasn’t it God who sent the Passover Angel? Wasn’t it God who guided David’s stone? Wasn’t it God who caused the water-walls of the Red Sea that had been held back for the Hebrews, to then come crashing in and drown the Egyptians and their chariots?

The answer is ‘yes’… to all that.

You see, maybe the issue is not really “Sanctity of Life”, but rather it is the “Sovereignty of God”.

[‘Sovereign’ is an adjective that means ‘having supreme rank, power, or authority’]

I’m against abortion. I’m of the opinion that it is never okay… ever. But that is because I believe God is in control… of everything. I believe that He should choose life and death. Many people have sex and no babies are created. Many good people try and try to have a baby but can’t have kids for some reason or another. I don’t always understand it… but I’m reminded that we have very little to do with creating ‘LIFE’.

            But we can sure END it.

·        We can walk into a crowded movie theater in Colorado or an elementary school in Connecticut… and choose ‘DEATH’.

·        We can go into a doctor’s office and pay a small fee… and choose ‘DEATH’.

We can actually usurp the power and authority that is meant only for the true King… and we can play boss… we can do exactly what Satan said we’d be able to do… we can ‘be like God’. And guess what? That’s not something we are supposed to be doing.

So no… I don’t think abortion is okay. I don’t think we should ‘play God’. The argument, “Well… it’s a woman’s body and she has the right to do with it what she wants” just doesn’t fly when you are talking about a person who is a radical, submitted follower of Jesus Christ. Our bodies are not our own. Paul said it this way, “Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Unfortunately, when a person makes decisions that they were never meant to make… ‘death’ decisions… there are serious consequences. Why are there an unbelievably large amount of men and women who come back from war, and deal with “post-war-traumatic-syndrome” and police officers that when they un-holster their guns and take a life in the line of duty, are given a certain amount of time off? It’s because taking a life… is serious… and it has consequences.

I have known many people who have had abortions. One particular lady, when I lived in California, would sink into deep depression once a year… around the time of her baby’s ‘death-day’ as she called it. It affected her greatly. I’ve seen the hurt and agony that abortion causes.

This is why I am on the Liberty Women’s Clinic board of directors. I see the good they do in helping young women who are at a critical point in their lives. I see them practically loving them and sharing options with them… and helping them from a lifetime of agony and hurt.

If you are listening to me right now…or reading these words... and you have ended a life. I want you to know that God still loves you very, very much. He doesn’t want you to be in agony… and He wants you to know that you can be forgiven. He has a plan for YOUR life, from this point on... right now. 

How do I know? 

Because ALL life is precious... and God can make something very, very beautiful out of the mess that is… us.

ADDED NOTES [stuff I studied and wanted to share, but didn't have time to share in the weekend sermon]:

The Jews have a profound way of expressing the idea of the preciousness of life that comes from the first case of shedding of innocent blood, Cain’s murder of Abel. God said to Cain, “What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground!” (Genesis 4:10). The Hebrew word used here for blood is ‘dam’, and the plural is ‘damim’. When the Bible talks about murder, or ‘bloodguilt’, it uses the plural form, ‘damim’. That's pretty interesting because they believed strongly that the life of a creature was in the blood, because when ever somebody was bleeding or an animal was wounded and bleeding a lot, as soon as enough blood left their bodies they always died. Makes sense, right? Understanding that the blood contains the life of a person, to speak of blood in the plural implies that a murder doesn’t just take the life of one person, it takes the lives of many. Jews therefore have a tradition that the voice of the ‘bloods’ crying out from the ground in this verse was actually the voices of all of the future descendants of Abel that would have ever lived. From this they have a saying, ‘To take the life of one person is like taking the life of the whole world, and to save the life of one person is like saving the whole world’.