Preached by Gregory W. Lee
20 January 2008
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Psalm 139
13. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15. My 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,
16. your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
-- the title of my message this morning is, "I have a friend who is considering an abortion" -- as you probably know, today is Sanctity of Life Sunday -- the one Sunday out of the year when we take time to consider and to pray for the sanctity of life, especially the life of our unborn children -- children whose very existence is threatened through the twin horrors of abortion and embryonic stem cell research
-- normally, when we talk about this issue, all you hear from the pulpit is gloom and and doom
-- however, this morning, I am very excited to be able to stand up here today and give you some good news -- while we still have a long way to go, public opinion polls conducted over the past several years have clearly and consistently shown that that the overwhelming majority of Americans do not believe that abortion should be legal except in extreme circumstances, such as when the mother's life would be threatened by the pregnancy or if the child is the result of rape or incest
-- this is a vast change from similar opinion polls conducted during the last three decades
-- part of this change in thought about abortion is due to technological advances, such as the 4-D ultrasounds being used in crisis pregnancy centers across the country -- part of this is due to increased awareness among teens and young mothers concerning the effects of abortion on themselves and their unborn children -- but part of this is due to a prevailing political climate of life
-- regardless of what you think about President Bush and his policies, you have to admit that he has been the most pro-life president that we have ever had -- and his staunch support of the unborn has influenced a generation for life
-- just this past week, our newspapers reported that we are seeing big declines in abortion rates throughout the United States -- since 1990, the numbers of abortions in this country have declined by about 25% -- in the 1980's, 1 out of every 3 pregnant women chose to abort their baby -- now, only 1 out of every 5 pregnant women choose to abort their baby -- and the number of abortion providers has dropped by about 12% since 1992
-- and we have seen a pro-life movie -- the movie "Juno" -- make a lot of money at the box office and receive rave reviews from movie critics -- for the first time in a long time, a movie that is unabashedly pro-life -- a movie that supports adoption over abortion -- has been nominated for the best picture award at the Golden Globes
-- so, as we prepare to remember the 35th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade on January 22nd, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S., there is good news to report
-- however, there is still much to do -- we are still seeing over 1,300,000 abortions in this country ever year -- that is about 3,735 babies per day -- just to put that in perspective, on September 11, 2001, about 3,000 Americans lost their lives -- this means that every day, more innocent babies are killed than were killed on 9/11
-- you know, when we hear numbers like that -- when someone tells us that 1,300,000 babies are being killed every year in America -- it really doesn't register
-- it bears out what the Russian dictator Stalin once said -- "A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic"
-- so, in order to better understand the tragedy of abortion, let's refocus again on the topic of this message -- lets forget for the moment the 1,300,000 and let's instead focus on the single individual
-- what would you do -- what would you say -- if a friend came to you and told you that they were considering having an abortion? -- what would you do if a family member came to you and told you that they were considering an abortion?
-- given the current statistics on abortion, this is not an unlikely scenario -- in all likelihood, you either know someone who has had an abortion or who will consider having an abortion within their lifetime
-- so, what would you tell a friend who came to you and told you that they were considering an abortion?
II. Life is Sacred Because God Made It
-- the first thing we need to tell them is that every life -- even the life of an unborn child in the womb -- every life is sacred because God made it -- Colossians 1:16 says, "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." -- all life on earth was made by God and for God and is sacred in His eyes -- especially human life
-- out of everything that God made, only man was made in the image of God -- only man is recorded as having received the breath of life from God -- and regardless of what you might hear from evolutionists, mankind is special to God
-- in Isaiah 49, God tells us that He has engraved us on the palms of His hand and that He will never forget us -- in Psalm 8, we read that God has crowned us with glory and honor -- and in Jeremiah 31:3, God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love"
-- life is sacred because God created life -- and human life is sacred because God made us special -- He created us to be His image-bearers to the world -- to glorify Him through our lives and through our worship and through our service to Him
III. Life Begins at Conception
-- I think all people who believe in God would agree with what I have just said -- they would agree that life is sacred -- but then you have to answer the question, "When does life begin?"
-- this is the sticking point for a lot of people -- Christians, non-Christians, pro-lifers, pro-choicers -- the whole abortion issue stands on this question -- "When does life begin?"
-- those in favor of legalized abortion contend that life does not begin until birth -- they say that until a baby is born, it is just a fetus -- an embryo -- certainly not a human baby -- that is how they can justify late-term abortions
-- but, look what the Word of God says on this issue -- look at back at Psalm 139
13. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15. My 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,
16. your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
-- this passage clearly tells us that life begins even before we are conceived -- when God creates us -- even while we are still within our mothers -- He knows us -- He knows our names -- He knows our characters -- He knows what we will do -- He knows what we will be -- even before we were born, God ordains our life and numbers our days
-- we see the same thing in Jeremiah 1:5 -- in this verse, the Lord tells Jeremiah, ""Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart" and in Isaiah 49:1, Isaiah writes, "Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name."
-- I think it is obvious from these passages that God views life as beginning before birth -- in fact, Ephesians 1:4 says that God chose us in Him before the creation of the world -- our lives existed in the mind of God before we were ever conceived
-- life does not begin when we are born -- life begins when we are created by God -- when we are knit together in the secret places
-- no where is this shown more clearly than in the life of Gianna Jessen -- Gianna is a survivor of abortion -- when her mother was 17, she went into a clinic and underwent an abortion procedure -- a toxic saline solution was injected into her womb to kill her baby
-- this solution is designed to burn a baby inside and out -- killing it in the womb -- and then the mother will deliver a still-born baby within 24 hours
-- for 18 hours, Gianna's body was ravaged by this toxic solution -- but she was born alive -- for three months she lived in an incubator in a hospital -- until she was strong enough to be placed with a foster family
-- the doctors told her foster family that she would never walk -- never crawl -- never even be able to hold her head up -- because of the lack of oxygen she suffered during the abortion procedure
-- but today, Gianna is a survivor -- she not only walks, but she runs and is preparing for a marathon in Nashville, TN -- but more than that, she is an outspoken proponent of life -- she has traveled all over this country -- speaking with presidents and people in the pews -- telling them and showing them that life does not begin at birth -- but at conception
-- the second thing we should tell our friend is that, not only is life sacred, but that the child they are carrying is not a blob of tissue -- it is not a lump of cells -- it is a baby -- created and called by God for a purpose
IV. Pro-Choice is not an option
-- the third thing we need to tell our friend that pro-choice is not an option -- those in favor of abortion contend that it is the women's right to choose whether to have or abort the child -- for that reason they call themselves "pro-choice" -- but, do we really have the right to choose?
-- the thing we need to remember as we address this question is that we do not own anything -- we are merely stewards for God -- this means that we have been put here to take care of God's creation -- including our very lives and the lives of our family
-- if you would, turn over to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19. 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;
20. you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
-- we are not our own -- our bodies -- our lives -- are owned by God -- therefore, we do not have the right to take our own life, much less the life of another whom God has created
-- I have a friend who believes this with all their heart -- when he and his wife struggled to conceive, they started taking fertility drugs -- and, as you may know, when you take these drugs, the likelihood of multiple births goes up
-- shortly after they began taking this medication, my friend and his wife found out they were expecting triplets -- as the doctor began his tests, he became worried over the health of my friend's wife -- she was over 40 years old, and there was a good chance that they might see some form of birth defects in at least one of the triplets if they carried them to term
-- so the doctor recommended that they abort all but one of the embryos -- but my friend refused -- after trying for so long to get pregnant, they felt that each of their unborn babies was a gift from God -- and they believed that they did not have the right to make the decision to kill even one of these babies
-- and several months later, my friend and his wife celebrated the birth of their triplets -- two boys and one girl -- and just as the doctor said, one of the triplets -- the little girl -- had a birth defect -- in fact, she is on our prayer list right now
-- but, if you were to ask my friend today if he would do things differently knowing that Mackenzie would have these problems, he would still tell you, "No" -- the choice was not his to make -- he put it in the hands of God and trusted God's will -- and he has told me on several occasions that he just cannot imagine life without his daughter, even with all of her problems
-- God tells us in Ezekiel 18:4, "Every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son--both alike belong to me"
-- do we have the right to choose whether to kill an unborn child? I think God answers that quite clearly in Exodus 20:13 "You shall not murder" and in Deuteronomy 30:19, which reads, "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."
-- the third thing we must tell our friend is that we do not have the right to choose life or death for our unborn children
V. Final Steps
-- finally, we need to do more than just talk -- if we have a friend who comes to us and tells us that they are considering an abortion, then we need to put our faith into action -- our friend needs more than words -- our friends needs support, encouragement, and help
-- offer to carry your friend to a crisis pregnancy support clinic -- make sure they know of options instead of abortion -- help them find a pro-life counselor -- but, more importantly, just be there for them
-- this is going to be a difficult time in their lives -- they may face alienation from their family and friends -- they may question their faith -- they suffer from doubts -- be there with them -- hold their hands through the hard times -- cry when they cry -- laugh when they laugh -- listen when they speak -- the important thing is that you are there for them
-- but, what if your friend has the abortion anyway? -- what if your friend doesn't come to you and say, "I am considering an abortion" but instead says, "I just had an abortion" -- what then?
-- the answer is, we just love them -- a mistake may have been made -- a sin might have been committed -- but grace demands our loving presence -- Christ demands our loving presence
-- as Christians, we should never, ever condemn anyone for any sin they may have committed -- we are all sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God and whose hope only lies in His grace -- we should show them the love of Christ and we should point them to the cross and to the forgiveness that comes through the blood of Christ
-- regardless of what the pro-abortion crowd says, we know that there is a lasting impact of abortion on both the mothers and the fathers -- studies have shown that both women and men whose lives have been touched by abortion suffer elevated rates of suicide, death from other causes, substance abuse, depression, and hospitalization
-- also, as Rev. H.B. London from Focus on the Family points out, tens of thousands of women wake up every morning thinking that their son or daughter would be a certain age had it not been for their abortion -- for most of those women, and for the men who participated with them, there is no doubt a great deal of sadness and guilt
-- there is a lasting impact of abortion that we need to recognize -- these men and women need our support, not our judgment
-- 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 reads, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
-- we can say something similar on the issue of abortion -- "If I proclaim the righteousness of God and point out the sin of abortion, but have not love, I am not obeying Christ's holy example."
-- if our friend has had an abortion, then we must offer them our love -- instead of just raising our voice to speak about the evils of abortion, we must speak with quiet compassion to those who have been damaged by sin -- we have to let our friends know that there is healing, forgiveness and mercy.
-- "Tell them that God loves them and cares for them -- Tell them about God's pardon for sin -- Tell them that coming to God is the answer to the crushing anguish they carry -- Tell them that they do not need to carry this burden any longer" (Rev. H.B. London)
-- I hope that the message this morning has helped you think through the issue of abortion -- and that if a friend or a family member comes to you and says, "I am thinking about having an abortion" -- that you will know how to answer them and how to love them through this time
-- I want to close this morning by sharing with you the words of Mother Teresa from her 1994 address at the National Prayer Breakfast -- Mother Teresa was one of the strongest, most persuasive opponents of abortion this world has ever seen -- and in these closing remarks, you can see the heart of Christ -- the heart of love -- that she had for the unborn baby -- she said it better than I could ever hope to say it and I want to leave you with her words
"Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion."
-- "If we remember that God loves us, and that we can love others as He loves us, then America can become a sign of peace for the world.
-- From here, a sign of care for the weakest of the weak -- the unborn child -- must go out to the world.
-- If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world, then you will be really true to what the founders of this country stood for. God bless you!"
-- Let us pray
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