Sanctity of life

Psalm 139 has both head and heart. It is strongly theological, dealing with such important doctrines as God’s omniscience (it is probably the weightiest part of the Bible for discussing God’s omniscience), omnipresence, and omnipotence; but it is also wonderfully personal, because it speaks of these attributes of God in ways that impact the psalmist and ourselves.

Note-the word “know”

Psalms, Volume 3: (Psalms 107–150): An Expositional Commentary Theology for Worship

Although Psalm 139 deals with some of the highest and most important of all theological concepts, the omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence of God, it nevertheless has two practical aims that become clear at its close (vv. 19–24). First, the writer wants to separate himself from all who deliberately practice evil. Second, he wants God to search him out thoroughly and purge him of anything that might be offensive to God so that he might walk in the way everlasting. It is hard to think of any more practical reasons for theology than those.

We are dealing with a most serious subject- the killing of the unborn.

Example: New York state just signed legislation that makes it legal to kill a baby up to the point of birth. They call it abortion, God calls it murder!!

Our society/culture has pulled many Bible Believing Christians into a trap…the trap is one that has been set for the last 49+ years….Abortion is wrong(they say) except in the case of rape, incest, or health of the mother…

Sad truth is that Christians have bought into this lie!!!

10,000 Sermon Illustrations C. Everett Koop, M.D.

Everett Koop, M.D., formerly the Surgeon General, states that during his 35-plus years of practicing medicine, “Never once did a case come across my practice where abortion was necessary to save a mother’s life.”

Abortion is a horrible thing. Since 1973 over 70 million babies have been put to death in America alone. That is more than TEN times the number of Jews that Adolf Hitler killed in his concentration camps.

For every two babies born in America, another baby dies in an abortion. That is 1.4 MILLION every year, 4,000 every day, one baby every 20 SECONDS!

Every year in America, over 700,000 abortions are performed AFTER nine weeks into the pregnancy.

What is wrong with this country?

In Psalm 139 we note that God knows the person before they are even created in the womb of the mother.

All life is precious and important to God; after all He is the One that sent His own Son to die so that we may live!

The word sanctity carries with it the thought of that which is sacred to God.

I. The sanctity of all human life.

When we discuss the “sanctity of life” what we mean is the inherent worth of a human being. This inherent worth of all humanity is based on what God was willing to sacrifice so that the soul of human beings may be redeemed for ever.

What makes an object valuable is based on what someone is willing to pay for it: example-an old stamp, an old car, an old lamp, a mold to make bullets with, a goat....or whatever the object it is only valuable if someone is willing to invest in it!!

God looked at you and decided you were worth His most costly possession (His own Son) and He sent Him to die for you. Jesus Looked at you and decided you were worth His most costly possession (His Life) and He gave Himself for you!!!

Let’s say this together- “Jesus died for me”; “Jesus loves me Just as I am.”

No one should ever feel as though they are worthless, because God highly values every human being!!

A. It proceeds from God-vs. 14

“I am fearfully and Wonderfully made”

Genesis 2:7 KJV 1900

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Acts 17:25 KJV 1900

Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

The Treasury of David, Volume 6: Psalms 120–150 Exposition

Who can gaze even upon a model of our anatomy without wonder and awe? Who could dissect a portion of the human frame without marvelling at its delicacy, and trembling at its frailty?

B. It is precious to God-vs. 14

“Marvelous are thy works”

An American Dictionary of the English Language PRECIOUS

PRE´´CIOUS, a. [Fr. precieux; L. pretiosus, from pretium, price. See Praise.]

1. Of great price; costly; as a precious stone.

2. Of great value or worth; very valuable.

She is more precious than rubies. Prov. 3.

3. Highly valued; much esteemed.

The word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. 1 Sam. 3.

Genesis 1:26–27 KJV 1900

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.

Matthew 6:25–26 KJV 1900

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Man is a creature like His Creator, this makes man truly unique among all of God’s creation. The animals and plants were created after “their kind”, but man was made in the image of God.

C. It is protected by God.

Deuteronomy 22:8 KJV 1900

8 When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.

Jeremiah 22:3 KJV 1900

Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.

Throughout the Bible we see examples of God protecting people, whenever they were in times of danger. Noah, Lot, Daniel, three Hebrew young men, Joseph, Jesus, various disciples including the apostle Paul.

How many times have you and I escaped probable death because God intervened in a very special way?

D. Death is by God’s appointment

Just because God protects us doesn’t mean that we will live forever. What it means is that we will die on his schedule and not on ours.

Hebrews 9:27 KJV 1900

27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

2 Corinthians 5:10 KJV 1900

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Every one of us will die one day and we will have to give an account before God concerning our reaction/response to the events of our lives.

The question isn’t when we will die, but the question is: where will we go when we die?

I. The sanctity of all human life

II. The sanctity of a child’s life.

10,000 Sermon Illustrations God’s Opinion

A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.

Carl Sandburg in Remembrance Rock

10,000 Sermon Illustrations Babies are More

Babies are always more trouble than you thought—and more wonderful.

Charles Osgood, CBS Morning News

A. Children are planned by God

Abraham/Sarah-90+years old and God is telling them to prepare for a child.

Genesis 18:10 KJV 1900

And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

Hannah prayed for God to send her a son: God sent Samuel the who would become a great priest for the nation of Israel.

1 Samuel 1:27–28 KJV 1900

For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there.

Jeremiah 1:5 KJV 1900

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.

Zacharias was told by an angel that his wife Elizabeth would have a child and they were the name that child John. This John would become John the Baptist who would later prepare the way for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 1:13–17 KJV 1900

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. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Joseph and Mary were both told by an angel that they were to have a child and this child would be named Jesus.

Luke 1:31–33 KJV 1900

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

The parents may not have always planned a child, but God always knows what he is doing.

B. Children are precious and to be treasured

Psalm 127:3–4 KJV 1900

3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: And the fruit of the womb is his reward. 4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; So are children of the youth.

Jesus many times had children around him and he often use them in illustrations particularly illustrations concerning great faith.

Matthew 19:13–14 KJV 1900

Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 18:16 KJV 1900

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

Matthew 18:1–4 KJV 1900

At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

While we believe the children are precious and to be treasured, one of the concerns of the day is parents tend to make children an idol.

Jesus loved children, and yet, in order to stress the importance of our commitment to Him as His disciples He stated this:

Luke 14:26 KJV 1900

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Think with me for a moment, the tremendous love that you have for a child or for another loved one. Our love for Jesus should be so strong, so life-changing, so devoted that it makes our love for a child seem like hate in comparison to our love for Jesus.

C. Child sacrifice is opposed

One of the strangest examples in the Bible of perfect obedience is when Abraham took his son Isaac to the top of the mountain, build an altar, laid his son upon that altar and prepared to sacrifice him to God. Abraham knew full well that God was in complete control of the situation and he trusted God totally.

Before Abraham could plunge the knife into the chest of Isaac got stopped him. God was not after a human blood sacrifice, he was after Abraham’s heart. And I believe he got it.

Genesis 22:10–12 KJV 1900

And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

In pagan cultures child sacrifice is usually part of their perverted form of worship. I am glad that I serve a God that gave Himself as a sacrifice for me and doesn’t command me to literally sacrifice my children in order to worship Him.

The kind of worship that demands a child or human sacrifice can only have its roots in some form of satanic worship.

God’s Word is emphatic in his statements against child sacrifice.

Leviticus 18:21 KJV 1900

And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.

Deuteronomy 12:31 KJV 1900

Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

Jeremiah 7:30–31 KJV 1900

For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the Lord: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.

While we would be completely repulsed at the idea of taking a living newborn and tossing them into a fire in order to appease a God, don’t you find it rather troubling that parents often sacrifice their children to other gods.

Some of the some of these gods include:

sports and activities

financial gain

popularity

or any other thing that devours a parent time with their children.

Child sacrifice is abominable whether some pagan in front of a stone altar or a Christian parent that has decided activities and events are more important than the spiritual growth of a child.

The sanctity of all human life.

The sanctity of a child’s life.

III. The sanctity of old age.

Euthanasia in our culture is on the rise, it is often discussed as an attempt to prevent painful or a prolonged death. But often times when we cross lines like these… We move from granting or encouraging the use of the “right” to die to its soon becoming a person’s “duty” to die.

Bibliotheca Sacra Volume 144 Euthanasia: A Biblical Appraisal

The term “euthanasia” was coined (in its currently prominent sense) by historian W. E. H. Lecky in 1869. Derived from the Greek for “happy death” or “good death,” the term “euthanasia” traditionally conveyed the idea of keeping terminally ill patients free from pain in their last days. Unfortunately in recent years it has come to mean a great deal more.

When we as a culture come to the place that we determine a person’s worth or value based on what they can give back to our community then we are walking on dangerous and in essence ungodly ground.

A. The old are to be respected.

Proverbs 23:22 KJV 1900

22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old.

Psalm 71:18 KJV 1900

18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; Until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, And thy power to every one that is to come.

1 Timothy 5:1–2 KJV 1900

1 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; 2 The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.

Psalm 78:4 KJV 1900

4 We will not hide them from their children, Shewing to the generation to come The praises of the Lord, and his strength, And his wonderful works that he hath done.

Philemon 9 KJV 1900

9 yet for love’s sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

B. The old are to be cherished.

Job 12:12 KJV 1900

12 With the ancient is wisdom; And in length of days understanding.

1 Timothy 5:4 KJV 1900

4 But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.

Titus 2:1–5 KJV 1900

1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: 2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. 3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Acts 2:17 KJV 1900

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

Aging Gracefully: Keeping the Joy in the Journey God’s Calling, Our Fruitfulness

Dale Gallagher recently wrote in a similar vein regarding our continuing effectiveness for the Lord. Her poem is called “Am I Too Old?”

Am I too old to serve my Lord?

Am I too old to sing His praise?

Am I too old to teach His Word

Or spread the Word in other ways?

If each day brings me closer to Him,

If each song lifts my heart in prayer,

If God’s own Spirit leads me onward,

How can age cause me despair?

Some saw Peter speak to others,

His confidence in Christ shined through.

They realized that he had been

With Jesus, and it had made him new.

May I so shine with Jesus’ power

So others look at me and say,

“She has truly seen the Savior,

She has been with Him today.”

Aging Gracefully: Keeping the Joy in the Journey God’s Calling, Our Fruitfulness

Be encouraged, fellow pilgrims, for you know that you are never too old to serve, to sing, to teach, to pray, to work for the Lord. He has called you to his work, not just to a position. Let us always inquire of the Lord (see 2 Sam. 5:19) and follow his leading. And let us all be “confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6).

Conclusion:

Is life sacred to you?

Have you had an abortion or have you been a party to giving consent to someone having an abortion? God can and will forgive you if you will confess it as sin and ask for forgiveness!!!

Isaiah 55:6–7 KJV 1900

6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, Call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts: And let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Since your life is sacred, how are you living the days that God has given you?

You and I are “fearfully and wonderfully” made for a purpose, and that purpose is to serve God.