The Value Of A Life
Psalm 139:13-18
Today we observe “Sanctity of Human Life Day”. This is a day that we reflect on the sacredness of human life. The child in the womb, the elderly, the weak, the mentally challenged, and those with physical limitations are all precious in God's sight.
Our Heavenly Father is the giver of life. God said in - Genesis 1:26 "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Human life is a gift that should be celebrated and protected. Unfortunately that is not always the case. The right to life is an issue that sparks heated and sometimes hostile debate. The issue of abortion is one that divides families and friends. Some people are pro-choice while others are pro-life. Different people have different beliefs as to when life begins.
I believe with all that is in me that life begins at conception, you may disagree... but the reality is, my opinion does not matter and your opinion does not either! In fact, it doesn't matter what the congress says, it doesn't matter what the President says, it doesn't matter what Planned Parenthood says, it doesn't even matter what the Supreme Court has to say on the subject... what really matters is what God has to say about the value of human life.
- I would like to look to God's Word today and see what He says about "The Value Of A Human Life".
Before we go any further let me say this, there may be someone here who has had an abortion in the past. If that is the case, I want you to know that God hates abortion but He loves you! There is nothing He wants more than for you to experience His forgiveness today. Scripture tells us that forgiveness is available. (1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.) I encourage you to look to God for that cleansing today.
Though God forgives, it does not change the fact that abortion is a serious sin. One of the darkest days in our nation's history was January 22, 1973. On that day the United States Supreme Court ruled in Roe V. Wade that during the first six months of pregnancy the decision of whether to abort a baby should be left to the mother and her physician. Since that time nearly 61,000,000 babies have been "legally" murdered in the United States. Every year American doctors kill at least 1.5 million unborn children. Nearly one of every three babies conceived in the United States is aborted. One of the most staggering statistics is that over 90% of women seeking abortions do so strictly as a matter of convenience. The prospective mother does not want a child to interfere with careers, education, finances or family lives so she terminates the pregnancy. Abortion has essentially become the ultimate form of birth control.
Rick Ezell said - "It has come to the time where the most dangerous place to be in America is not in the inner city where gangs threaten innocent lives or in angry prisons where only the fit survive. The most dangerous place to live is in the womb of a mother who is being told if she doesn't really want the baby, an abortion is the solution." (Source:https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/sermon-taking-a-stand-for-life-proverbs-24)
Note: We cannot put all of the blame on the mother. In many cases it is the Father who encourages and in some cases forces a mother to terminate a pregnancy. The man is just as much involved in this is situation as the woman. Men, you should have rights concerning your children, but you also have a responsibility to that child and its mother!
We have been deceived into believing that being "pro-life" is a political issue. We often see this battle as one between Republicans & Democrats and Conservatives & and liberals. The truth is this is not a political issue, it is a moral issue! The decision to end an innocent life in the mother’s womb really is a choice between life and death. The term "pro-choice" is merely a politically correct way of saying that it is ok to kill an unborn child.
Abortion, euthanasia, suicide or any other kind of murder is the ultimate form of rebellion against God. If you commit adultery you rebel against God's standard for marriage. If you are living a homosexual lifestyle you are rebelling against God's design for human sexuality. But if you take a human life, you have rebelled against God's own creation!
Many women will say "my body my choice", well, it may be your body, but that child in your womb was designed, created and formed by God almighty. You may look at that unborn child as a burden, but it is precious to God! David said that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made". That baby in the womb the object of God's love and concern. The picture of God knitting a child together in the womb is such a great picture of the intimate interest that God takes in our lives. Each and every human life is valuable to God.
Sermon illustration: (not sure who to give credit to but this is not original to me) (I pulled a $20 out my wallet) If I would offer it to you today… who would take it? (I tore it)… who would take it now? (I crumpled it) who would take it now? (I threw it to the ground and stomped on it) – who would take it now? (Each time most people raised their hands) I then asked: “Why would you want it this torn, crumpled, dirty piece of paper? (ANSWER: because it still is valuable) BUT why is it valuable? Why is this piece of paper worth $20?
BECAUSE, the government of the United States (which created it) says it’s worth $20.
And that is the ONLY reason this bill has any kind of value.
In the same way, human life is valuable because God created it and He has placed a great value upon it. We will see this fact illustrated in Psalm 139. Let's walk though this passage and consider "The Value Of A Human Life".
The first truth I would like to consider is the fact that:
I. YOUR LIFE WAS PLANNED BY GOD - v15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
God is our Creator. We were literally fashioned by His hands. Before He created you, He had a plan for you! He said to Jeremiah "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee..." (Jeremiah 1:5). Before we were even conceived, God had a plan for our lives. He created us to become what He desired.
Often you will hear the term, "he was an accident" or "she was not planned". Well, your parents may not have planned you, you may have been a surprise, but you were not an accident! You were planned by God before the foundation of the world, and He places great value on your life! Every single child that has ever been aborted was planned by God. He had a purpose for their life. However, they never fulfilled His desire for them because someone robbed them of the opportunity to live. God is grieved over the death of every one of His children who are aborted.
- Human life is valuable because it was planned by God and as we move farther we will see that not only was your life planned by God:
II. YOUR LIFE WAS PRODUCED BY GOD.
Every person who has ever lived was created in God's image. (Genesis 1:26 "God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...")
Just as God was intimately involved in the creation of Adam and Eve, He was involved in creating you! He knows all there is to know about you... past, present and future! Scripture tells us that He even knows the number of hairs on your head. This shows us that:
A. THIS IS A PERSONAL WORK - v13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
You did not evolve from some monkey, you were personally fashioned in the womb as beautiful work of God. God made you just the way He wanted you to be.
- Not only is the creation of a human life a personal work...
B. THIS IS A PRECISE WORK - v14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
David speaks of being "curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth". The literal translation of this passage is that God skillfully knit us together in the womb. The idea here is that God lovingly and skillfully weaves together various parts to make a beautiful product. The "lowest parts of the earth" is a poetic term that describes the mother's womb. This speaks of the womb as being a place of protection.
God made you just the way He wanted you. There is no one else on earth who is just like you. Even scientists and doctors tell us that we all have our own unique DNA and fingerprints. This are just physical reminders that we are special to God. The people of this world may look at you as being worthless, but God places great value on your life! He is the Creator, this means that He has the rights of ownership. And since He is the One Who gives life, He is the only One with the authority to take life.
- Your Life Was Planned By God, Your Life Was Produced By God and finally we will see that:
III. YOUR LIFE IS PRECIOUS TO GOD - V16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
In this Psalm, David rejoices because of God's intimate interest in His life. He was in awe of the fact that God had been so good to him. He stated that it was impossible to count God's blessings in his life because they outnumber the grains of sand upon the earth. There is no way for us to comprehend all the thoughts that God has for us. He is constantly mindful of us and He never ceases to provide for us. God blesses us abundantly and He is with us continuously! These are just a few truths that prove that we are precious to God.
"Of all creation's treasures rare,
Not one compares in worth with man;
In God's own image he was made
To fill a place in His great plan." —DJD
Unfortunately we live in a day and age where people do not realize just how precious life is. Our own government allows and in many cases supports the destruction of human life on many levels. None is any more grievous than the detestable practice of abortion on demand. There is no denying the fact that abortion is murder! The Bible clearly teaches that life begins at conception. ("The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life" - Job. 33:4) (Then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being" - Genesis 2:7
A baby's heart starts to beat at around 6 weeks. Sadly, it is reported that almost 100% of all abortions occur after the 7th week of pregnancy.
Adrian Rogers said that "Pharaoh and Hitler must now take second place to America. Pharaoh, who murdered the little babies, and Hitler, who slaughtered millions in his gas chambers, are going to have to take a back seat; they’ve fallen back into the shadows."
This is only the 20th day of this year and there have been 49,000 babies aborted in America in 2019. There have been over 2,000 murdered worldwide since I began this sermon. It seems that humanity doesn't place much value on human life, but God does!
Not only does He value your life, He values your soul. In fact, the value that God places on your soul is immeasurable. Jesus said that your soul is worth more than the rest of the world put together. He asked, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).
Your soul is so valuable to God that He was willing to do what was necessary to save that soul. Scripture says that "God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Romans 5:8 tells us that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” .
God sees your soul as the most valuable thing in the world. In fact, you are so valuable to God that He sent His only Son to the cross to suffer and die so that you can be saved. Therefore, the value of your soul is seen in the price that was paid for its redemption. The Bible says, in - 1 Peter 1:18 ...ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
My friend, you are valuable to God. If you do not know Him, I would love to introduce you to Him today.
Before we close I want us to examine what we can do as Christians to support and promote the sanctity of human life.
1) We must be informed. We can no longer pretend that this issue does not affect us. Children are being aborted right here in Talladega County.
2) We must vote for pro-life candidates. Stop putting all of the blame on Washington! Every 2 years we have the opportunity to vote. Study the candidates and vote for those who are Pro-Life! (Note: Just because they have an (R) beside their name and claim to be Pro-Life that is no guarantee that they are really concerned with ending the murder of unborn children.) The Republicans had control of the House, the Senate and the White House yet they continued to fund Planned Parenthood. We can do better than this!!!
3) We must teach sexual morality at home and in the church.
4) We must show love and compassion to the unwed mothers. They should not be afraid to come to the church or individual Christians for help!
5) We must show love and compassion to those who have had an abortion. God offers mercy, forgiveness and grace, we should do the same.
6) We must show love and compassion to those who are contemplating having an abortion. Share with them the love of Jesus. Show them that there is a better way. Do what you can to assist them throughout their pregnancy and beyond.
7) We should support Pro-life initiatives. We can give money to support Crisis Pregnancy centers. We can seek to foster and adopt unwanted children. Support homes for unwed mothers to be able to have their babies. Support and volunteer at our local Pregnancy Crisis center.
8) Speak for the Unborn. They are unable to speak for themselves.
Let us speak out boldly against the taking of any innocent life. It has been profoundly said, and how true it is, that "the only thing necessary for evil to exist is for good people to remain silent". For far too long the people of God have been silent on the issue of abortion. Let us take a stand for the most innocent among us! God places great value on each and every life. May we come to understand and appreciate "The Value Of A Life".
