Sermon Tone Analysis

TEEN SUNDAY SCHOOL

MAY 7, 1989

 

Ezekiel 16:21 You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols

 

Welcome to class today.

We are in the 3rd week of our study from Proverbs 6.  Seven Things that God Hates.

I have struggled this week with speaking on this subject because it seems so far removed from our group.

The last thing that I could imagine that you would need to hear me speak from is a portion of scripture that would seem to deal with among other things, the subject of abortion.

I trust however that you would listen openly to something that God may want to say to you today.

Without a doubt, we live in a mixed up world.

I remember the words from a song by Randy Stonehill:

 

 

I remember seeing an ad that was run in a local paper.

In bold letters it read, "What is the most dangerous place in the world to be?"  Below that it pictured a man-eating shark.

Then it questioned: Shark infested waters?

The jungle of the

Amazon?

etc.

The answer then was given.

A mother's womb.

This of course was based on the idea that abortion is so prevalent in today's society.

We know for sure that God is for the underdog.

He always has been and he always will be.

How many prayers have you read in the book of Psalms that ask God to execute vengeance upon someone who has unjustly used another.

The scripture says: "Vengeance is mine saith the Lord, I will repay."

I would not at all like the prospects of getting God mad at me.

There are some in this world who have no idea of the wrath of an angry God.

For one I plan never to find out what that is like.

Ladies and gentleman, I would like to remind you today that this is what awaits those of you today who stubbornly refuse to give your hearts to

Him.

Let me encourage you not to delay this most important matter.

At any rate, we know that one day, God will set the record books straight.

He detests the hands that shed innocent blood.

Let's concentrate today on this idea of abortion and consider what it is symptomatic of in our lives.

I use this word because abortion is the symptom of a far greater sickness.

This sickness becomes evident in many other ways as well.

This however seems to be just that much more detestable.

I.

ABORTION IS NO NEW THING - It is no more of a new idea than is any other sin in the world.

It is certainly more civilized than it may have been at any other time but no different in the final analysis.

Ezekiel 23:37 For they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands.

They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them

 

Ezekiel 23:39 On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it.

That is what they did in my house

They used to excuse it back then as a sacrifice to some god.

I guess we are guilty of the same thing today.

We offer the sacrifice to a different god.

a) For some it is the god of convenience.

We rationalize most everything according to the way that we can make it fit into our schedule or our priority list.

In a tract by Melody Green called, "Children, Things We Throw Away." she says:

 

"Non-therapeutic abortion has become the second most common surgical procedure after circumcision.

Non-therapeutic means that abortion is not performed to insure the life or health of the woman, but rather because of her desire for convenience, absence of distress, and her so-called happiness."

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT RIPLEY?

What a bunch of baloney!

Is this a legitimate reason to end the life of the unborn?

What would you do with your crippled grandmother if she came to live with you?

This desire for convenience runs rampant when left uncontrolled.

Surely there must be a better reason.

You know that life would be a miserable experience if everyone lived with this perspective.

b) For others it is a sacrifice to the god of pleasure without commitment.

Face it there are a number of people out there who like the pleasure of sexual relationships without the commitment that is the essence of true love.

Some young couples actually get married with pleasure as the basis.

When they open their eyes and recognize the commitment required between married people, they want out and fast.

These are the people who want all that is pleasant from life without putting anything into it.

This is not reasonable and certainly not desirable.

Make sure that you never marry anyone like this.

They won't be with you for a long time.

c) Some sacrifice to the god of accommodation.

I had one young lady walk up to me after a youth meeting one night and say, "I had an abortion this week and my boyfriend doesn't understand.

Could you please talk to him (and straighten him out.)?"

She went on to explain that it was her mother's idea.

Boy was that a great piece of advice!

Her mother just didn't want her own reputation tarnished by her daughter's mistake.

I wonder how many Christian mothers out there may

have found themselves in similar situations?

II.

WE CAN NEVER HAVE THE DESIRED IMPACT ON THE WORLD UNTIL WE ARE WILLING TO PUT OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTHS ARE.

It is easy to be against something especially if it demands nothing from us.

If we felt strongly enough about it then perhaps we all should make room in our own homes to house unwed mothers for the term of their pregnancies until they could find a suitable home for their babies or until they could find solid direction that would provide for them.

We as a church are many times manipulated by the world.

The best promotion for the mediocre film, "The Last Temptation of

Christ" came because someone knew that the church could get up in arms about the whole thing.

YES!

We need to take a stand but it must be something that costs more than the time to carry picket signs around some clinic somewhere.

Maybe we

need to purchase a n entire page in a paper and sign our names with telephone numbers to in order to tell our city that we stand opposed and that we are available to help mothers with children that they are unable to care for.

What do you think?

III.

WE MUST NEVER BECOME CONFUSED AS TO THE ENEMY THAT WE FIGHT.

Remember that God knows us all and loves us all so much that he shed his blood for us.

His forgiveness knows no limits.

He hates sin but he loves people and he sees sinners as those who are blind and held captive.

His love is the only thing that will ever set this world free.

He came into human history at a point where immorality was just as rampant as it is today.

He wrestled with sin 2000 years ago and dearly loved the people of his day.

Do we dare, in His name, do

differently?

I can't believe that we should.

Our job is not to legislate morality or Christianity.

You can't make people love God.

If we were to succeed at making non-Christian people act like Christians, would that be enough?

Not on your life.