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INTRODUCTION: Our message this morning is called “Love Life” and ties in, of course, with our adoption week with the Love Life ministry. As we spend this coming week praying for and considering various items relating to life, I thought it would be good for us to go right to the source and see what God’s Word tells us about life, how God views life and what our responsibilities are when it comes to life.

Abortion is a sad reality of life here in the United States and around the world. Thousands of helpless children in our country are killed in the womb every day. We have an abortion clinic right down the street from our church where every week the lives of little children are ended before they are born. What does God’s word tell us about how we should respond to this? What responsibilities do we have as a church, as individuals and as citizens when it comes to the problem of abortion in our midst?

Our message this morning has two simple points: 1) God loves life, and 2) he calls us to love life, too. And although they are simple points, they are essential to helping us understand both God’s view of abortion and our responsibilities in light of these truths. So, let’s look at these two vital truths from God’s word together.

I. God loves life

First and most importantly, God loves life. We always need to start with God. God is the creator of this world and the one who gives it meaning. When you lose sight of God in a discussion, you lose sight of God’s purpose and design for things. You always need to start with God, and God loves life.

   A. God is the giver and sustainer of life
      – Nehemiah 9:6; John 1:3-4; Colossians 1:16-17

First the Bible tells us that God is the giver and sustainer of life. We read in Nehemiah 9:6: “You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.” (Nehemiah 9:6) God is the creator. He is the source. He gives life to everything. There is no life apart from him.

God created all things through Jesus his Son. The gospel of John says about Jesus: “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” (John 1:3-4) The life that God gives to us is found in his Son Jesus. Without God there is no life, and without Jesus there is no life, because Jesus is the Son of God.

We read in the book of Colossians about Jesus: “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth … all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17) Not only are all things created by Jesus. All things are sustained by him as well. God is the giver and sustainer of life. All life comes from him, and all life is sustained by his mighty power.

   B. God loves all his creation
      – Psalm 104:24-28; Psalm 145:17; Matthew 6:26

And then secondly, the Bible tells us that God loves all his creation. God delights in his creation – all of it, all the time. We read in Psalm 104: “How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25 There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number – living things both large and small. 26 There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. 27 These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. 28 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.” (Psalm 104:24-28)

Psalm 145:17 says: “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.” (Psalm 145:17) This love of God towards all he has made extends from the highest creatures down to the very smallest and least significant. Jesus said in Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

God loves all the life that he created in this world. He created all things in wisdom and delights in all that he has created. He feeds all the animals at their appointed times. He is righteous in all his ways and loving towards all he has made. He takes care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. God loves life. He loves all his creation.

   C. Human life is sacred (from womb to tomb)
      – Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7, 9:6; Psalm 22:9-10; Psalm 139:13-14

God loves all life, but he especially loves human life. This is because human life is sacred. Human life is sacred at all stages of life, from womb to tomb, and so God makes a distinction between human life and all other forms of life.

We read in Genesis 1: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27) Human life is sacred, because human beings are made in God’s image.

The Bible tells us that human beings are God’s special creation. We read in Genesis 2:7: “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7) God not only created us in his image. He personally fashioned us and breathed the breath of life into us.

Human life is sacred. We see this again in Genesis 9:6 where God says: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” (Genesis 9:6) This verse is especially significant because it comes just three verses after God gives the animals of the earth as food to man. In other words, it is okay to take the life of an animal for food. But whoever takes the life of a human being is guilty of murder, for in the image of God has God made man.

The Bible tells us that this sacred quality of human life begins even in the womb. David writes in Psalm 22: “You brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast. 10 From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.” (Psalm 22:9-10) Later David writes in Psalm 139: “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.” (Psalm 139:13-14)

Human beings alone out of all God’s creation are created in his image. God breathed the breath of life into us at creation. God gave special commands and protections concerning human life because we are created in his image. God knows us from the womb and is personally involved in fashioning our bodies in the womb.

So, that’s the first thing we need to understand. We start with God, and God loves life. He is the giver and sustainer of life. He loves all his creation. But he especially loves human life, because human life is sacred – at all stages of life from the womb to the tomb. God loves life.

II. God calls us to love life, too

God loves life, and God calls us to love life, too. God is our standard. He is our example. We are called to be imitators of God. So, if God loves life, we are to love life, too.

   A. God calls us to love one another
      – Matthew 7:12; Romans 13:8-10; 1 John 4:11

We see this in a number of ways in Scripture. First, God calls us to love one another. We read in Matthew 7:12: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) We often call this the Golden Rule, and it’s an easy way to teach our children how to treat each other. But we need to be careful we don’t forget it as adults! Jesus says we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us. None of us would want to be aborted in the womb. Therefore, we should not want anyone else to be aborted either.

The Bible says something similar when it tells you to love your neighbor as yourself. We read in Romans 13: “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments … are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10)

None of us want to be harmed by another person. So, when you love your neighbor as yourself, you will be careful not to do them any harm. Sadly, abortion does irreparable harm to the unborn child. Advocating for abortion is the very opposite of loving your neighbor as yourself. We need to love both the mother and child as we would ourselves and provide better alternatives for both of them – alternatives that lead to life.

1 John 4:11 tells us why we should love each other in this way: “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:11) God loved us so much he sent his Son Jesus to die for us. That’s our ultimate motivation to love. God isn’t asking you to do anything that he didn’t do first. God loves us, and he calls us to love one another.

   B. God calls us to help the helpless
      – Psalm 41:1; Psalm 82:3-4; Matthew 19:14

God also calls us to help the helpless. We are to put our love into action, especially for those who are not able to help themselves. We are not only to help those who can help us back, but we are especially called to help the helpless.

Psalm 41:1 pronounces a blessing on the person who helps the weak and helpless: “Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble.” (Psalm 41:1)

The Bible says we are especially to speak up and defend the rights of those who are oppressed. Psalm 82 says: “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. 4 Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 82:3-4)

Jesus pronounced a special blessing on the little children and those who are like them. Jesus said in Matthew 19:14: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14) Little children are especially helpless, and there are none so helpless as the little ones in the womb.

Phil Keaggy is a Christian songwriter and an amazing guitarist. He also has a heart for children in the womb and our need to protect them. Listen to a portion of his song, “Little Ones.”

 

“Who will speak up for the little ones? Helpless and half-abandoned. They’ve got a right to choose life they don’t want to lose, I’ve got to speak up, won’t you?

“Equal rights, equal time, for the unborn children. Their precious lives are on the line, O how can we be rid of them? Little hands, little feet, tears for Him who made you. Should all on earth forsake you now, yet He’ll never forsake you.

“Who will speak up for the little ones? Helpless and half-abandoned. They’ve got a right to choose life they don’t want to lose, I’ve got to speak up, won’t you?” (Phil Keaggy, “Little Ones”)

 
   C. God calls us to rescue the perishing
      – Proverbs 24:11-12; Jeremiah 22:3

God calls us to love one another. God calls us to help the helpless. And then finally, God calls us to rescue the perishing. We are to help anyone in need, but we are especially obligated when it is a matter of life and death.

Proverbs 24 tells us: “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. 12 If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?” (Proverbs 24:11-12) How can we stand silent when precious human lives are being violently taken every day? We have no excuses. We can’t say we knew nothing about this. God says to rescue those being led away to death.

We read in Jeremiah 22: “This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.” (Jeremiah 22:3) Jeremiah specifically mentions the alien, the fatherless and the widow in this verse, but surely God’s command extends to the unborn as well. There is no one more innocent than the child in the womb. God says: “Do no wrong or violence … and do not shed innocent blood in this place.”

Applications: God loves life, and he calls us to love life, too. So, what can you do practically, this week, to obey God and put these teachings into practice? Here are three applications from today’s message.:

   1) Pray – First of all, you can pray. Pray for mothers in crisis pregnancy situations. Pray for the safety of the unborn. Pray for just laws and a compassionate society. Take home the prayer sheet that is in your worship guide this morning. Pray for these items throughout the week. And consider fasting and praying with us on Wednesday as we plead with God for the lives of the unborn. You can fast for one or more meals and use that time to pray for the various items on your prayer sheet.

   2) Walk – Secondly, you can walk. You can put “feet” to your prayers. We walk for many other reasons. We walk for exercise, we walk to the refrigerator for a snack, we walk around the grocery store to pick up food items for the week. And you can walk for life. It’s not a long walk; it’s only a couple blocks. I encourage you to join us for our prayer walk this Saturday as we walk to our local abortion clinic and present a loving presence of prayer and support for women and their unborn children.

   3) Vote – And then finally, you can vote. These are all matters of the heart, but so much of this comes down to public policy as well. Do we really want to be a nation that enshrines abortion into law and takes away the rights of innocent children in the womb? Commit to vote for leaders who view human life as sacred at all stages from womb to tomb. Commit to vote for leaders who will take a stand for life and protecting the unborn.

So, there you have it, three simple things you can do to apply the truths from today’s message: 1) pray, 2) walk, 3) vote.

CONCLUSION: God loves life. And he calls us to love life, too. What will you do to answer his call? What will you do to speak up and defend the rights of the little ones in the womb?

© Ray Fowler

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By Ray Fowler. © Ray Fowler. Website: https://www.rayfowler.org

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