Loving the Life
of the Not Yet Born
Applying Loving Thy Neighbour Beyond the Norm!
Psalm 139:13-18
Loving the Life
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MP3 Audio Podcast |
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Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
July 31, 2016 AM BBC
Ballincollig
I.
Introduction
(Galatians 5:14)
A.
The Bible
commands us to love people in the same way that we love ourselves
B.
Yet there
are many people that we find hard to love, and treat equal to ourselves:
1.
The unlovely
– not worth loving
2.
The hard to
love – not easy to love
3.
And…
The Not Yet Born
C.
If the truth
be told…
1.
Most people
believe pregnancy is an accident that needs to be controlled
2.
Believe that
children should only be born if they are wanted!
3.
Believe that
there are way too many children and people today – the planet is way too
full!
4.
There is
very little popular support for protecting the life of
the Not Yet Born anymore
5.
Ireland will
probably go the way of the rest of this world, and will bring on the
slaughter of thousands and thousands of innocent lives – lives that just
weren’t wanted
6.
It’s a pity
that so many Christians don’t know what the Bible says, and won’t fight
to protect the life of the unborn
D.
Your and my
view of the Unborn reflects on our view of life, of ourselves, and
ultimately of God!
E.
This
morning, you need to see from the Bible what is at stake, and start to
speak up and stand in defence of THE most vulnerable in Ireland
II.
Background -
How we got here
A.
Creation
versus Evolution was Fought without a Fight
1.
Today, there
are so many illiterate Christians – What I mean by that is, they don’t
know their Bible and they don’t know science. They just float along by
their feelings, and make decisions based on how they feel at the moment.
2.
If only you
knew that there are more than 10,000 rock solid, fully degreed
scientists all over the world who firmly believe the Bible’s statements
about Creation, and are not evolutionists!
3.
The reason
why you rarely hear about THEM is because they are treated like the
plague and often hounded out of universities and government positions. I
personally know of TWO here in Cork at UCC
4.
Pseudo-scientists like Richard Dawkins and Bill Nye the “Science Guy”
spout off evolutionary dogma on every TV channel like it is proven!
Which it isn’t!
5.
The actual
debate on God and Evolution was settled before it really began, years
ago by people’s desire, not to know the truth, but to find a way to live
without God
6.
If there is
no God
a.
Then there
are no limits
b.
We ARE all
only animals
c.
And we all
deserve the right to do as we please
d.
Those that
are strongest and most popular decide what is right and wrong
e.
And that is
exactly what Hitler decided – “might makes right”
(a)
So he
conquered the lesser humans like Polish and the Jews
(b)
Slaughtered
9 million Russians
(c)
Slaughtered
6 million Jews
(d)
He got rid
of the lame, the mentally retarded, the down syndrome children, and the
unwanted children
(e)
Because he
firmly believed in evolution and HE was capable of running things
7.
If there IS
a God, who actually DID create everything in 6 days, and gave us His
Laws…
a.
Then there
are precise limits to what people can and cannot do without consequences
b.
Human
beings, all of them, are more than just animals, but are in the image of
God!
c.
None of us
deserve to live and so as we please
d.
And we will
ALL answer to Him one day for how we lived by those laws
B.
No Need for
a Creator, or a Moral Lawgiver?
1.
When people
believe we can figure everything out on our own, the world falls apart
2.
Marriages
are on the way out
a.
Less than
half of the people living together will ever get married
b.
The number
of people even getting married in Ireland is on the way down
3.
Divorce and
separation is rampant amongst those that attempt marriage
4.
Genders and
differences are no longer respected and protected
5.
Drugs are
rampant
6.
Drink is
selling at an all time high
7.
Suicides are
at an all time high
8.
Governments
only operate to please the people – laws are written and rewritten
faster than ever
9.
Murders get
7 years in prison now! Brian Hennesy killed his sister and her two young
daughters Zsara (7) and Nadia (2) in 2008 and was sentenced to only 7
years!
10.
And abortion
on demand becomes enshrined in the laws of almost every Western Nation
a.
Today, 56
million unborn babies have died at the hand of the “Me First” Philosophy
in the US
b.
And over 20
million in the UK since the 1960’s
c.
Russia
murders a million a year
(a)
In 2001,
1.31 million children were born in Russia, while 2.11 million abortions
were performed.
(b)
in 1965, 5.5
million abortions were performed, the highest number in Russia’s
history.
(c)
In total
since 1920 when the USSR legalised abortion on demand (the first country
to do so), almost 100 million Not Yet Born babies were terminated!
d.
China does
not even report their count of abortions!!!
e.
Someone
worked through all the statistics and came to a colossal number for the
total number of abortions for the last 60 years and put it at almost 1
billion babies!!!
f.
THAT is the
fruit living without God!
g.
Listen to
the words of Barak Obama! At a town hall meeting in Johnstown,
Pennsylvania on a Saturday afternoon in 2008, Barack Obama told the
crowd that he didn't want his daughters, "punished with a baby." Listen:
"Look, I've got two daughters... I am going to teach them first of all
about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them
punished with a baby."
C.
Everyone
wants their rights – except when it comes to the Not Yet Born.
1.
They can’t
speak, so they can’t be heard!
2.
Funny how
Blacks weren’t allowed to speak in their own defence
3.
Folks, you
had better get to know what is at stake
D.
The only
reason why you aren’t upset about the state of things is because it
hasn’t really affected you yet!
E.
All that to
say this, no wonder the life of the Not Yet Born is at risk!
III.
Message
A.
Made In the
Image of the Creator
1.
Genesis
1:26,27
And God said, 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. So God created man in his
own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created
he them.
2.
Genesis
5:1,2
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created
man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he
them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they
were created.
3.
Genesis 9:6
Whoso sheddeth man's blood,
by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
God takes murder VERY seriously!
4.
What it
means:
a.
Man is
different than all of the rest of creation
b.
Man was
designed by God with attributes, characteristics just like God
(a)
We speak and
communicate
(b)
We write and
express ourselves
(c)
We create
and design new things
(d)
We live
forever – just like God – but not all WITH God!
c.
Mankind has
been given dominion over everything else. Gen 1:28
And God blessed them, and
God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,
and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
5.
So, When God
wanted to save the human race, He came into our world as a HUMAN, and
died for all men everywhere! Not for animals, or birds, or bugs.
B.
Marvellously
Made (Psalm 139:13-16)
1.
A Mommy and
Daddy have been given the gift of giving life (Genesis 4:1) – conception
is a miracle!
a.
Nothing is
more marvellous than grasping how a new life is formed!
b.
It all
starts with two very different single cells, that come from two very
opposite kinds of people, in a way that make marriage wonderful!
c.
From those
two cells, and against all odds, a new life is formed!
d.
It is no
accident, and it doesn’t JUST happen!
2.
At
conception, everything is settled about the Not Yet Born Child
a.
His or her
gender
b.
The colour
of their hair
c.
How tall
they will get
d.
The colour
of their skin
e.
The shape of
their ears
f.
Their
initial temperament – calm, loud, cuddly, stiff, compliant, rebellious…
3.
What is it
like in the womb?
a.
By day 25,
(not even a month from conception) the heart is pumping, the brain has
formed, the eyes have appeared, and the face is distinctly human!
b.
All the
fingers and toes are fully formed and growing after just 6 weeks!
c.
At 7 weeks,
not even 2 months from conception, the Not Yet Born child can HEAR!
d.
At 9 weeks,
the Not Yet Born Child starts moving and kicking and swimming!
e.
At 10 weeks,
they feel and respond to pain
f.
At 21 weeks
(4 months from conception), they can survive outside of the womb!
g.
James Elgin
Gill (born on 20 May 1987 in Ottawa, Canada) was the earliest premature
baby in the world. He was 128 days premature (21 weeks and 5 days
gestation) and weighed 1 pound 6 ounces (624 g). He survived and is
quite healthy.
4.
Obviously
people are amazed at the life of a baby when they hold him or her at
birth
5.
But we all
need to be educated that the Not Yet Born Child is just as awesome!
C.
The question
arises… when is a child a child?
D.
This is how
God describes the mother of an unborn child…
1.
The Bible
uses a wonderful phrase to describe pregnancy (Gen 16:8-11; 1Sam 4:19).
2.
Even in
incest and rape, the unborn baby is said to be a CHILD (Gen 19:36)
3.
A child
conceived by Adultery, and harlotry is still a CHILD! (Gen 38:24)
4.
Adultery
again! 2Sa 11:3-5
5.
From the
moment of CONCEPTION, Jesus was a child
a.
Mat 1:18
Now the birth of Jesus
Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph,
before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
b.
Mat 1:23
Behold, a virgin shall be
with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name
Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
c.
Isa 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself
shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel.
E.
We are quite
human and have been given absolute rights by our creator from conception
1.
The growth
and development of a Not Yet Born Child is the work of God, not just
nature! Ecc 11:5 As thou
knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in
the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works
of God who maketh all.
2.
God knew us
and purposed us BEFORE we were ever born!
a.
Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed thee in the
belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I
sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
b.
Galatians
1:15
But when it pleased God, who
separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace.
3.
John the
Baptist was a BABY before birth, and was able to hear and understand
things going on around him, and was even filled with the Holy Ghost –
all before birth
a.
Luke 1:13-15
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is
heard; and thy wife Elisabeth
shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name
John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice
at his birth. For he shall be
great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor
strong drink; and he shall be
filled with the Holy Ghost,
even from his mother's womb.
b.
Luke 1:41
And it came to pass, that,
when Elisabeth heard the
salutation of Mary, the babe
leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
4.
I think the
Not Yet Born Baby is a BABY! Just not born yet!
F.
‘Not Yet
Born’ Does NOT Mean…
1.
Not yet
alive
2.
Not less
human than those of us who were allowed to exit the womb alive
3.
Not just a
“blob of human tissue”
4.
Only a
foetus
5.
Not viable
6.
Really?
a.
In the first
week of July, 2012, in Longmont, Colo., a drunk six-time driving while
intoxicated offender ran a red light and struck another car before
fleeing the scene.
b.
Heather
Surovik, the pregnant driver of the second car, was critically injured;
her nearly full-term fetus/baby, already named Brady Paul, died.
c.
The local
media differed in reporting the story, some referring to a “fetus,” some
to a “baby.”
d.
A Denver
Post story said “unborn child” in the headline and referred several
times to the “baby.”
e.
So one
frustrated reader commented: So if it’s an unborn [thing] that a woman
WANTS to keep, it’s a baby … if she wishes to have an abortion it’s a
fetus. Geez, people, make up your mind.
f.
Truer words
were never spoken!
g.
By the way.
The driver, Gary Sheets was only charged with assault (because the
mother lived), and was not charged in any way at all, even though the
near term Not Yet Born child was killed!
G.
What ‘Not
Yet Born’ DOES Mean is
1.
It cannot
defend itself
2.
It DEPENDS
solely upon their mother for their protection
3.
It naturally
WANTS to live and be given a CHANCE to live!
4.
He/she has
the equal right to life as much as the Mother does!
H.
So many ways
and reasons to justify the killing of a Not Yet Born Child
1.
Popular
Reasons Include:
a.
Fear of
pregnancy
b.
Financial
hardships relating to having children
c.
Suspected
foetal complications in the womb – 90% of them are disproven at birth
d.
Down
syndrome children
e.
Threat of
suicide – as dealt with by the X case
f.
Danger to
the life of the mother – extremely rare
g.
Being forced
to carry a pregnancy to term
h.
Risk to
health… people believe that when a woman has heart and vascular
diseases, pulmonary diseases, kidney diseases, extensive hernias,
abdominal and pelvic and benign tumours, urological problems,
orthopaedic problems, breathing problems and many other problems, then
the not yet born child bring undue burdens on the health of the mother.
i.
Rape and
incest
j.
Lack of a
committed father
k.
Inconvenience, and disruption to the mother’s or the father’s lifestyles
– plenty of men want their pregnant girlfriends to get rid of the thing!
l.
Women
already are travelling to get an abortion
2.
Oh yeah.
Never expect anybody to take responsibility – just kill the baby!
a.
I believe if
anybody should be killed, it is the rapist, or the incestuous father or
uncle!
b.
It’s awful,
that today people have forced the removal of the death penalty, yet
demand the ability for any woman, anywhere to MURDER a not yet born
child on a whim! THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MONTH OR TWO!
I.
Example of
woman writing her Mom in 2023
January 22,
2023
Dear Mom:
Can you
believe it is already the year 2023? I’m still writing ’22 on
everything! It seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in my first
class and celebrating the change to a new century.
I know we
really haven’t chatted since Christmas, Mom, and I’m sorry. Anyway, I
have some difficult news to share with you and, to be honest, I really
didn’t want to call or talk about this face to face.
But before I
get to that, let me report that Ted just got a big promotion, and I
should be up for a hefty raise this year if I keep putting in all those
crazy hours. You know how I work at it. (Yes, we’re still struggling to
pay the bills.)
Little
Timmy’s been okay at kindergarten, although he complains about going.
But then, he wasn’t happy about the day-care centre either. So what can
we do?
He’s been a
real problem, Mom. He’s a good kid, but quite honestly, he’s an unfair
burden on us at this time in our lives. Ted and I have talked this
through, and we have finally made a choice. Plenty of other families
have made the same choice and are really better off today. Our pastor is
supportive of our choice. He pointed out the family is a system, and the
demands of one member shouldn’t be allowed to ruin the whole. The pastor
told us to be prayerful and to consider all the factors as to what is
right to make our family work. He says that even though he probably
wouldn’t do it himself, the choice really is ours. He was kind enough to
refer us to a children’s clinic near here, so at least that part is
easy. Don’t get me wrong, Mom. I’m not an uncaring mother. I do feel
sorry for the little guy. I think he heard Ted and me talking about this
the other night. I turned and saw him standing at the bottom of the
stairs in his PJ’s with his little teddy bear that you gave him under
his arm, and his eyes were sort of welled up with tears.
Mom, the way
he looked at me just about broke my heart, but I honestly believe this
is better for Timmy, too. It’s just not fair to force him to live in a
family that can’t give him the time and attention he deserves.
And please,
Mom, don’t give me the kind of grief that grandma gave you over your
abortions. It’s the same thing, you know. There’s really no difference.
We’ve told
Timmy he’s just going in for a “vaccination.” Anyway, they say the
termination procedure is painless. I guess it’s just as well that you
haven’t seen that much of little Timmy lately.
Please give
my love to Dad.
Signed, Your
daughter
(Author
unknown)
1.
Don’t you
like that? Why is 5 minutes BEFORE birth different than 5 minutes AFTER
birth?
J.
So many
different opinions, so many stigmas, so many needs to satisfy
1.
Stigmas are
now attached to…
a.
Down
Syndrome Children – they are sub-human (yet are the sweetest humans you
could ever meet)
b.
Adoption –
so no one wants to even think of putting an Irish baby up for adoption!
Unthinkable!
c.
Having so
many children are looked down upon
d.
The abuses
of the past – forced adoptions, Mother and baby homes for the unmarried
e.
Anti-abortion has been too dominated by religions
2.
So abortion
has been made the best answer for “problem pregnancies”
3.
I wonder if
anybody thought of asking JESUS? (Matthew 24:15-19)
a.
He
considered a woman with an unborn child as carrying a child! Not a blob
of tissue!
b.
And He
warned of a day when the majority of people would think it were better
to never have children (Luke 23:29)
IV.
Conclusion
A.
The move is
on to replace one of the most marvellous works of law in the Irish
Constitution – the 8th Amendment
1.
Approved and
came into law September 1983
2.
Recognized
the right to life of an unborn child.
3.
Article
40.3.3° reads: The State
acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the
equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect,
and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that
right.
B.
Never let it
be said that a Bible Believing Christian would ever choose to murder the
life of the Not Yet Born in the name of personal freedom
C.
It has never
been easy to carry a baby, give birth, and raise that child to adulthood
D.
Your view of
the Unborn reflects on your view of life, of yourselves, and ultimately
of God!
1.
Believe what
God says about the Not Yet Born
2.
Start to
Love thy neighbour (no matter how small) as much as you love yourself!
If YOU love being alive, then protect those who cannot speak for
themselves
3.
Begin to
intercede in prayer first for the Not Yet Born, and for our nation as a
people about to make ANOTHER decision without God or Right!
4.
Contact your
TD and let them know you are for KEEPING the EIGTH Amendment and
protecting the life of the Unborn!
E.
There are
two deaths to focus on right now – both are murders, but only one
actually brought good!
1.
One death
may save a career or a reputation.
The other death occurred to save mankind.
2.
One death
was to make life easier. The
other was to make life holy.
3.
One death
only brought death. The
other death brought Life, both now and forever.
4.
One death
makes one kind of doctor richer.
The other death made all men richer.
5.
One death
brings regret. The other
death brings forgiveness, even extended to those who abort.
F.
Remember,
God could have aborted US when WE became a problem, and a burden, and
ruined everything!
G.
Yet He
self-sacrificed Himself, so that by simple, child-like faith we could
live forever, forgiven, and accepted! (Romans 5:6,8)
For when we
were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. But
God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. |
