"I never saw the members of my father's church enjoying themselves."
- Friedrich Nietzsche, when asked why he rejected Christianity. He's the father of modern atheism who is considered by many to be the greatest philosopher of all time. He is the man who coined the concept of "nihilism" ... the idea that life has no real purpose, therefore, life however you want to live.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, January 23, 2011
On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in support of abortion; Roe v. Wade changed the course of American history. While some celebrate, those who cherish life, we look at that day as a tragedy, as we seek to build a culture of life.
The Alabama Baptist reported this week that “sometime in 2010 a doctor in the U.S. performed the nation’s 53 millionth legal abortion.” That is the size of a medium-sized country.
“Imagine the outcry if the people of Spain (46.1 million) were destroyed by another nation,” C. Ben Mitchell, professor of moral philosophy at Union University in Jackson, TN., said.
As believers, we must not be in a moral fog about this number one, highest ranking issue in the U.S. It is not the economy, jobs, the national debt or health care - but the multiplied million of deaths of unborn children.
Sanctity of Life Scriptures
Job 33:4 - ...the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Psalm 119:73 - Your hands made me and formed me; ....
Genesis 1:27; Psalm 95:6; Acts 17:24-25
God Creates and Fashions Life within the Womb
Job 10:8-12 - Your hands shaped me and made me. ...You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.
Psalm 139:13-16 - For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 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, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. God is the creator of life. God creates and fashions life within the womb.
Jeremiah 1:5 - Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.
Genesis 25:21; 29:31; Job 31:15; Isaiah 44:2, 24; 49:1-5
Since God is Life and the only source of Life; who else can give it?
The Incarnation of Jesus Begins with Conception
Luke 1:31 - You will be with child and give birth to a son, ....
Matthew 1:20 - .."Joseph ..do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Ghost."
The Unborn are Treated as Persons in the Bible
Psalm 51:5 - ..I have been a sinner from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Luke 1:41-44 - When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, " . . . As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy."
Psalm 139: 13-16
Conception and Children are a Gift from God
Exodus 23:25-26 - Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life-span.
Psalm 127:3-5 - Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
The incarnation of Jesus begins with conception.
Genesis 25:21; 29:31; 33:5; I Samuel 1:1-20; Psalm 51:5
God Forbids the Taking of Human Life
Genesis 9:6 - Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
Exodus 20:13 - You shall not murder.
Exodus 21:22-25 and remember the moral law of God does not change
We are to Defend and Protect Life
Psalm 10:17-18 - You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
Psalm 41:1 - Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble.
Proverbs 31:8-9 - Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.
God Forgives the Sin of Abortion
Roman 5:20-21 - The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 John 1:9
These Bible verses were compiled by: Christian Life Resources
2949 N. Mayfair Road, Suite 309, Milwaukee, WI 53222-4304
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Sanctity of Human Life Resources
January 22, 1973 is the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court case. I have written an article for our church that I will post tomorrow. Below are several links to some good articles concerning abortion in our nation.
Dr. Albert Mohler's blog "What About the Twins? The Deadly Logic of Abortion"
Bill to stop any federal dollars used for abortions presented this week in the House of Representatives.
unPlanned - the story of Abby Johnson, a former Director of Planned Parenthood.
Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention resources
Focus on the Family resources - excellent PDF file
The foreword of R. C. Sproul's book Abortion: The Great Debate.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
What Made David Great?
And yet everyone familiar with the Bible will also recognize that David did a lot of not-so-great things. Of course, there was the sin with Bathsheba, the murder of her husband Uriah, and the subsequent cover-up. That was not exactly delighting in the law of the Lord (Psalm 1:2). But there was also the ill-advised census motivated by David’s pride, not to mention a series of lessons in how not to manage your household well. For being a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), David managed to follow his own heart quite a bit.
So with all these flaws, what made David great? One could easily mention David’s courage, his loyalty, his faith, his success as a leader, musician, and warrior. But he was great in other lesser-known ways as well. In particular, David was a great man because he was willing to overlook others’ sin but unwilling to overlook his own.
David was a gracious man, bearing with the failings of others, eager to give his enemies a second chance. Twice, while his friends advised him to strike down their enemy, David spared Saul’s life, (1 Samuel 24; 26). Though Saul opposed him at every turn, David did not rejoice at his death, but wept for the king and his son Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:17-27). David welcomed Abner when he defected from the phony king Ish-bosheth and mourned for him when distrusting Joab stuck him down (2 Sam. 3). David was unnecessarily kind to Mephiboseth (2 Sam. 9) and uncommonly patient with Shimei’s spiteful cursing. Later David would pardon those who rebelled against him during Absalom’s insurrection (2 Sam. 19:16-23). Time after time David showed himself to be unlike the sons of Zeruiah who lived to hold grudges and settle scores. David knew how to forgive. More than anyone prior to Jesus, David loved his enemies. Like no other Old Testament king, David was willing to welcome rebels back to the fold and overlook the sins of those who had opposed him.
But amazingly, David’s kind-hearted attitude toward his enemies did not translate into a soft attitude toward his own sins. Usually, people who are soft with others are soft with themselves, and those hardest on themselves are even harder on others. But David was different. He was gracious with others and honest with himself. I believe David’s greatness was simply this: for as much as he sinned he never failed to own up to his sin. I can’t find a single instance where David was rightly rebuked for his failings where he then failed to heed the rebuke. When Nathan confronts David for his adultery and murder, David, after he sees what Nathan is up to, quickly laments, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13). When Joab sends the woman of Tekoa to change David’s mind about Absalom, he listens. When Joab rebukes David for loving his treacherous son more than his loyal servants, David does what Joab tells him to do (2 Sam. 19:1-8). Joab was often wrong in his advice to David, but when he was right David saw it and changed course. Likewise, after his foolish census, David’s heart struck him and he confessed, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done” (2 Sam. 24:10).
David knew how to forgive, and he knew how to repent too. He never blamed others for his mistakes. He did not make excuses based on family history, peer pressure, or the demands of leadership. He did not use passive language, referring to his sin as a dysfunction or a growth edge. He did not lament over his sins simply because of the negative effects they could have over his kingdom and his relationships. He saw his transgressions primarily in their vertical dimension, as an offense against almighty God (Psalm 51:4). He never ran from the light when it exposed his darkness. Instead, he squinted hard, admitted his iniquity and worked to make things right. When we consider how rare it is in our day for athletes, movie stars, and politicians to candidly and clearly take responsibility for their public sins, we should be all the more amazed that the king of Israel, arguably the most famous man in the history of God’s old covenant people, was humble enough to listen to the chastisement of those who were beneath him and change accordingly.
David was a man after God’s own heart because he hated sin but loved to forgive it. What better example of God could there be? God doesn’t just welcome his enemies in, he dies in their stead (Rom. 5:6-11). He is always eager to show mercy, always willing to give traitors a second chance. And yet, God is not soft on sin. He exposes it and calls on us to exterminate it (John 16:8-11; Col. 3:5). But of course, God, unlike David, is never guilty of his own sin. God showed his condescension not by humbling himself before a needed rebuke, but by humbling himself to take on human flesh and take up a cross (Phil. 2:5-8). David was great, but not nearly as much as great David’s greater Son.
This article also appears in the January issue of Tabletalk.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Sermon Notes from Sunday, January 16, 2011
I am nearing the end of this series "Three Cords of a Disciple." We have dealt previously with giving and praying, this month we are dealing with fasting. Our church is going through our second annual "21 Days of Fasting." The sermon this past Sunday was "The Discipline of Fasting." January 9 I encouraged the church in the area of fasting with some practical advice. There are no notes from that.
This is the first message with notes on the topic of fasting.
Click here to get the notes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)