Sanctity of Human Life Sunday Message

January 22, 2006

 

I do not like the way society has a tendency to redefine words to fit their particular cause or need.

 

A web is no longer something your sweep out of corners.

Gay no longer means happy and carefree

Choice is now a political landmine instead of an option or a biblical precept

 

Maybe it depends on who your master is – where you give your allegiance – it may all depend on whose hand you are in.

 

** I am a pro-choice pastor

 

** I am a pro-choice pastor because I believe that God is a pro-choice God.

 

Today our world is divided on the issue of life to the point we have labeled ourselves into two camps – we have defined the word to fit our political or ideological message

 

Pro Choice … those who favor abortion and euthanasia.

 

Pro Life … those who oppose the taking the life of the unborn and the terminally ill.

 

Who you choose to place your allegiance in will define these words for you.

 

How can I say that Life is Special then proclaim that God is pro choice!

 

Do I have your attention now?  Is there a little tension gathering up in your spine as your neck stiffens up and your muscles begin to tighten?  Good.

 

Because today I will not speak for either the pro-life group or the pro-choice group.

 

Today I choose to speak from the group of 3 – God’s group!

 

God is a pro-choice God!

***Joshua 24:14-15 “So honor the LORD and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD alone.   But if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD." NLT

 

Choose who you will serve.  There are only two real choices:

1.      God

2.      Everything/everyone else

Your choice will show whose hand you are in.

 

***Psalm 25:11-13 “For the honor of your name, O LORD,

forgive my many, many sins.  Who are those who fear the LORD?  He will show them the path they should choose. They will live in prosperity, and their children will inherit the Promised Land.”

 

Choose the path you will follow.  There are only two real paths to choose from:

1.      God

2.      Everyone else

Your choice will show whose hand you are in.

 

***Romans 6:16 “Don't you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master? You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval.”   NLT

 

Choose your fate – your eternity.  There are really only 2 real choices:

1.      God – eternal life

2.      Everything or every one besides God – eternal death

Your choice will show whose hand you are in.

 

God made man a "free moral agent" … that is, one who would have to make his own choices.  God desires for man to make choices … thus He is pro-choice.

 

God wants us to choose Him, but allows us to make the mistake of choosing anything or anyone else.

 

God did not create preprogrammed robots that automatically answer yes to Him regardless of the question or assignment.

 

God knew that He could not develop a real and vital relationship with a cold and emotionless robot.

 

He gave us choice so we could choose Him

 

I believe strongly in our right to make choices for our own lives.

 

In the context of today - sanctity of human life Sunday I believe in a woman's right to make choices concerning her own individual life.

 

  • She can choose to work or not
  • She can choose to be married or not
  • She can choose her faith and her morals
  • She can choose to perform the human activity that leads to procreation of our species - or not.
    • This is where the sticky part comes into play.
    • If she CHOOSES to participate in this activity and she reaps the fruit of that activity and becomes pregnant she DOES NOT have the right to choose death for new individual that is living inside of her.

 

I would never try to take away the free moral authority of a woman (or man) to make life altering choices for their own lives:

 

BUT

  • Pro-choice does not mean pro-death
  • We should choose life

 

God not only encourages us to choose life … for God is both PRO-CHOICE and PRO-LIFE.

 

Life is special

 

God warns us that in not choosing life, we have made a bad choice.

 

***Deuteronomy 30:19-20 "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live!  Choose to love the LORD your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life. Then you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." NLT

 

 Choose your life position.  There are really only two choices:

-          Life – Jesus is Life.

-          Death – Satan is death

 

Your choice will show whose hand you are in.

 

Life is Special

 

Thankfully, when God made the decision to allow man to make his own choices He gave us three confident truths we can use to guide our choices:

  1. His Word
  2. His Love
  3. His Son

 

All three agree that we should choose love.

All three agree that we should choose God.

All three agree that we should choose life.

 

Life is special

 

***Who will you serve?  What is your path? What is your eternity?

 

Who is your Life?

 

But the choice is yours.  Have you made your choice?

 

Whose hand are you in?  God’s is the only one that can hold you for all eternity!

 

READ “It depends on whose hand you are in”