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May I turn in your Bibles to 
Exodus chapter 21? Exodus chapter 21. This morning we're going to look at 
the evil of abortion and its gracious remedy through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Today is Sanctity of Life Sunday. By choosing to speak on abortion, 
I'm not trying to minimize euthanasia, drive-by shootings, or any other 
form of murder. but am seeking to focus upon 
those who are indeed most vulnerable in society. The proverb says, 
open your mouth for the speechless in the cause of all who are appointed 
to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, 
and plead the cause of the poor and needy. So I want to read 
Exodus 21, 21 to 27. I'm sorry, to 25, and then we'll 
pray. If men fight and hurt a woman 
with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm 
follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband 
imposes on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. 
But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, 
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 
burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
we ask now that you would guide us in our study of the scripture. 
We pray for the ministry and the aid of your Holy Spirit. 
We know that he is necessary to give us illumination. God, 
our hearts are naturally dark, our way is naturally bent toward 
those things which are sinful and lawless in your sight, so 
we pray that you would overcome that will, that you would overcome 
that natural inclination, that you would guide us by the Spirit 
of God. and that you would give us eyes 
to see and hearts to receive your truth on this most important 
matter. We ask that you would forgive 
us for all of our sins, forgive us for all of our unrighteousness, 
forgive us for all of our lawlessness, and we pray through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. Well, this message will 
be similar in terms of content to the message last January about 
this same time. and it will be similar in content 
to the message two years ago at about this time. I want you 
to trust me in this. This is material and information 
that every Christian needs to have in their minds and hearts. 
I don't speak this as your president, or as your king, or as your emperor, 
but as a friend, as one who is set apart to study the Word, 
as one who is set apart to preach the Word, and as one who, as 
an individual, stands out on street corners holding up signs, 
I urge you to pay attention to the material, because I think, 
as Christians, we honor God when we think His thoughts after Him. 
We dishonor God when we don't think His thoughts after Him. 
And so the content of the message this morning is similar to what 
you've heard in the past. Repetition is helpful. Repetition 
is good. Repetition hopefully will instill 
this information in your hearts and in your minds. And with that 
information you will then hopefully be prayerful. Hopefully, you 
will be like those men in Ezekiel 9, who sighed and cried over 
the abominations of the land. You'll be like that prophet when 
he considered hazael, ripping open the wombs and destroying 
babies. That man of God, Elisha, wept when he considered such 
a prospect. As well, hopefully, as individuals, 
you'll write letters, you'll speak up, you'll testify. and 
you will declare the truth of God's holy word on this instance 
or on this issue concerning abortion. John Murray, professor of systematic 
theology at Westminster Seminary in the earlier part of the 20th 
century said this, nothing shows the moral bankruptcy of a people 
or of a generation more than disregard for the sanctity of 
life. I often marvel when I hear people 
say, I wonder if God's going to judge us as a nation. I wonder 
if God is going to bring sanctions upon us as a nation. A nation 
that revels in blood guiltiness is already under the judgment 
of God. Make no mistake about it. Make 
no mistake about it whatsoever. As Murray says, nothing shows 
the moral bankruptcy of a people or of a generation more than 
disregard for the sanctity of life. Christ speaking as wisdom 
in Proverbs 8 said, but he who sins against me wrongs his own 
soul. All those who hate me love death. We live in a death culture in 
so many ways. And so this morning, I want to 
demonstrate three things from the scriptures concerning abortion. First, the sanctity of human 
life. And by sanctity, I mean its separateness, 
its sacred character, as seen in the fact that we are created 
in the image of God. There's something different about 
us and deer. There's something different about 
us and whales. There is something different 
about us in the Baltimore Oriole. We are image bearers of the living 
and the true God, and that's why abortion is an assault upon 
the divine image, and it must be called out. Secondly, we'll 
look at the personhood of the pre-born. In other words, when 
does life begin according to the Scripture? Now, science answers 
the same way. Philosophers answer the same 
way. My intent this morning is that 
you know what the Bible says. And then thirdly, the prohibition 
against abortion as seen in the Scripture vis-a-vis specifically 
what we find here in this case law in Exodus 21, 21 to 25. But 
let's first look at the sanctity of human life, the image of God 
stated. Genesis chapter 1 verses 26 to 
28. Please turn with me to these 
passages. I think as you involve more senses, 
hopefully these things will stick in your mind and in your heart. 
The sanctity of human life is seen in the fact that man is 
created in the image of God. This is displayed in the garden. 
Genesis 1.26, then God said, Let us make man in our image, 
according to our likeness. Let them have dominion over the 
fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, 
over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps 
on the earth. So God created man in his own 
image. In the image of God, he created 
him. Male and female, he created them. Then God blessed them and 
God said to them, be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth 
and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of 
the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing 
that moves on the earth. So in the creation week, when 
God gets to man, God creates man in his image. He doesn't 
do that with cattle. He doesn't do that with birds. 
He doesn't do that with water life. Rather, God has made man 
as the pinnacle of his creation. We are image bearers of God Most 
High. And we find here the mandate. 
Man, Adam specifically, was to multiply the image of God through 
Procreation. Adam was to multiply that image 
of God and to extend this garden temple that he operated in. A lot of times we come to Genesis 
1-3 and we see that Adam was a tiller of the ground and we 
think what is being taught there is that we ought to be farmers. 
That's the most noble way to work. We derive a work ethic 
from Genesis 1-3. What Genesis 1-3 demonstrates 
for us is that God creates a temple. God creates a place wherein he 
can dwell with man. And so Adam, the image-bearer, 
was to multiply and to extend that garden temple to encompass 
the entire earth so that God and man could commune with one 
another. Of course, Adam fails in that, 
so the last Adam comes, and when we get to Revelation 21 and 22, 
what do we see there? This garden temple comes down 
out of heaven, and paradise is restored. God has a plan for 
his image bearers. They were to expand vice regency 
through the earth by having men rule over the creation. We are 
image bearers. God did not give this task to 
the animals, but rather to man. Our Confession of Faith highlights 
this with reference to creation. It says that after God had made 
all other creatures, He created man, male and female, with reasonable 
and immortal souls, rendering them fit unto that life to God 
for which they were created, being made after the image of 
God in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness. I gotta tell 
you, the other day as I was thinking about this whole idea of the 
image of God that we possess, the very foundation upon which 
the sanctity of life is seen, I was thinking about a good Puritan 
quote. I'm sure one of those brothers 
had a way of depicting the image of God that man has, or the image 
of God that man is, rather. I'm sure that Watson or Owen 
or one of these brothers wrote some glowing terms concerning 
this concept of the image of God. David did it best in Psalm 
8. Look at what he says. We read this, when I consider 
your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars 
which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of 
him and the son of man that you visit him? For you have made 
him a little lower than the angels and you have crowned him with 
glory and honor. There's no better description 
or depiction of what it means to bear the image of God than 
what David records here in Psalm 8. You have made him to have 
dominion over the works of your hands. You have put all things 
under his feet, all sheep and oxen, even the beasts of the 
field, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea that pass 
through the paths of the seas. I think it's not necessarily 
a good idea to try to run animals over. In fact, oftentimes when 
I'm driving to the church in the morning, squirrels run across 
the street here. I try not to hit them. But you 
know, if I do hit them, there is something substantially different 
from that squirrel than from the neighbor girl next door. We're not dealing with a lump 
of undefined cells in the womb. We're dealing with the image 
of the living and true God. We'll see that clearly in just 
a moment. You see, for the humanist and 
for the evolutionist and for the Darwinist and for the non-theist, 
What do we have in man? Nothing so special. Nothing that 
good. Nothing but a bunch of random 
molecules and electrons and things that sort of stick together. 
But you see, from the biblical vantage point, we ought to marvel. 
We ought to say with David, when I consider your heavens, the 
work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have 
made, what is man that you are mindful of him? It's the reality 
that God breathed life into him. It's the reality that God made 
man in His own image. That is what the sanctity of 
life means. That is what the sanctity of 
life is all about. That is what we need to argue 
from. We need to be convinced of the 
truth of Holy Scripture. Remember that science can simply 
tell us what is. It never tells us what ought 
to be. This is where Christians fundamentally 
make mistakes. They appeal to science and to 
fact and to data and to empirical observation. Science tells us 
what is. Those pictures of the ultrasound 
demonstrate or affirm or tell us what is. It never tells us 
what ought to be. You see, there's people who, 
with all that empirical data, nevertheless engage in abortion. You see, if we understand the 
image of God, if we understand what's at stake, if our minds 
are rightly in tune with the scriptures, then we will always 
prohibit this act. The image of God is seen in man 
before the fall into sin. We see that in Genesis 1, 26 
to 28. But the image of God is still in man after the fall. Genesis 5 and verse 1. So we cannot say that after the 
fall of Adam, no more does man possess the image of God. We 
certainly do possess that image. It's just deformed, it's warped, 
and it's twisted. The image of God is seen in the 
pre-born. We'll detail this in just a moment. 
The image of God is seen in children. Leviticus 18, there's a prohibition 
by God through Moses to the children of Israel. They were told not 
to let their children pass through the fire. They were not to offer 
up their children as human sacrifice to Molech. Why is that? Because they bear the image of 
God. We see in the New Testament documents, fathers do not provoke 
your children to wrath. Why not? Because they're image 
bearers of the living God. You don't treat them that way. 
This image of God is seen in the handicapped. Leviticus 19, 
a curse is pronounced upon those who put a stumbling block before 
the blind, who make sport of those who are mentally handicapped. 
We see Jesus recognizing the image of God in blind Bartimaeus. Remember that instance or that 
scene. Jesus is passing through Jericho. Blind Bartimaeus gets word of 
it. And what does he say? He says, Jesus, thou son of David, 
have mercy on me. What do the crowd say to Bartimaeus? 
They say, be quiet. He doesn't have time for you. 
He's a busy man. He's Jesus. They try to silence 
blind Bartimaeus, this beggar. So what does Bartimaeus do? He 
raises his voice and he shouts out again, Jesus, thou son of 
David, have mercy on me. I love the text. It says that 
Jesus stopped. Jesus walks over to the man and 
he says, what would you have me to do? And Bartimaeus says, 
I want to see. So Jesus heals him. You see, 
the handicapped, the mentally handicapped, bear the image of 
God. Sick people, bear the image of 
God. The terminally ill, bear the 
image of God. Those who are in compromised 
situations, bear the image of God. You cannot miss that in 
the Scripture. It is true of the elderly. Leviticus 
19.32, what are young men told to do? rise in the presence of 
the gray-headed man. Why? It's respect, it's reverence, 
and it's esteem for one who has a gray head. When Paul comes 
to deal with Timothy in 1 Timothy 5, as Timothy is to deal with 
various persons in the church, he says, do not rebuke an older 
man. Do not rebuke him. Do not treat 
him like he's inferior. Do not treat him like he's a 
child, but rather esteem him and instruct him in a way that 
is consistent with his station and his place in life. The image 
of God is seen in man with relation to animals. We have dominion 
over the animals. Again, I believe that dominion 
ought to be exercised properly. It ought to be exercised responsibly. The proverb says that even a 
righteous man, a righteous man even has regard for his animal. 
You don't make sport of animals. You don't abuse animals just 
because you have this station or position of authority. But 
nevertheless, the scriptures are clear. Man, as the pinnacle 
of creation, man is the image-bearer of God, man is God's vice-regent 
on earth, is to exercise dominion over the animals. And then ultimately 
this image of God is seen in the last Adam. In fact, Jesus 
is described this way in the scripture. He is the image of 
the invisible God. He took on flesh and blood. He came to renew man so that 
we would be renewed in the image of God in knowledge and righteousness 
and true holiness. So, you see, the Bible sets forth 
the sanctity of life as primarily seen in this issue of image bearing. When we bear or as we bear the 
image of God Most High, this is wherein the sanctity of life 
is seen. Now, let's look at the personhood 
of the pre-born. The pre-born. That's those little 
babies in the womb before they're born. Let me just quote a couple 
of men who wrestled or who thought we didn't have information concerning 
this situation. Associate Justice Harry Blackman, 
the author of Roe versus Wade, the majority opinion. He says, 
we need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. 
Well, it seems to me that if you're going to sign into law 
something that results in over 50 million abortions since 1973 
in the United States of America. You ought to answer that fundamental 
question. It's almost like me being out 
in the bush with my 30-06 poised. I'm not sure if that's a man 
or a deer. I can't really be sure one way or the other. What's 
the answer? Go ahead and shoot. Go ahead 
and shoot? How about you verify that target 
before you go ahead and shoot? I gotta tell you, if I was the 
man being mistaken for a deer, I would want the person on the 
business or on the other end of that 30-odd-six to verify 
one way or the other. This is unconscionable. Absolutely 
unconscionable. Christians Anyone ought to err 
on the side of caution. If we're not sure if it's a human 
or not, let's not legislate this piece of law. Blackman says we 
need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. 
When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, 
and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary 
at this point in the development of man's knowledge is not in 
a position to speculate as to the answer. Then candidate Barack Obama, 
when asked, when does life begin, or does he agree that life begins 
at conception, says, this is something that I have not, I 
think, come to a firm resolution on. I think it's very hard to 
know what that means, when life begins. Is it when a cell separates? Is it when the soul stirs? So 
I don't presume to know the answer to that question. What I know, 
as I've said before, is that there is something extraordinarily 
powerful about potential life, and that that has a moral weight 
to it that we take into consideration when we're having these debates. 
So he'll go as far as to say there's potential life, but his 
voting record indicates that he does not give one rip about 
potential life. I'm more inclined to agree with 
the Christian philosopher-theologian Gordon Clark. who wrote this. One argument abortionists frequently 
use to defend themselves against the charge of murder is the claim 
that the baby is not a human being. But if the baby in the 
womb is not human, what is it? Is it canine? Is it feline? I think that some babies born 
30 or 40 years ago have turned out to be asinine. The youngest child sitting in 
this room can understand what the scriptures say. The youngest 
child can look at my backpack and see the little feet. The 
model of feet at 10 weeks old. No child in this room will say, 
those look like flippers. Those look like paws. They say 
they look like feet. I watched a video this past week. 
If you want the link, I'll send you the link. It's horrifying. It shows babies cut up. I don't 
know of any little child in this room that would say, that arm 
doesn't look human. That hand doesn't look human. 
This is politic speak. This is rhetoric. This is to 
hide the hideous truth that in these civilized societies we 
are murdering people. The scriptures are clear. When 
Rebecca's pregnant, it speaks of the children in her womb. Job makes two references, Job 
10, Job 31, to life knit together in the womb. When David is tracing 
his native depravity back, he goes to the womb. He says, in 
sin my mother conceived He doesn't say the conjugal relationship 
between his parents was sinful. He says that as soon as David 
was, he was an Adam. Psalm 139 speaks of the divine 
weaver knitting us together in our mother's wombs. Again, I 
want you to think through these passages. I want you to take 
them down. I want you to email me. I'll 
send you the notes. All of the texts are written 
on this page. Ecclesiastes 11.5 demonstrates 
this reality that God knits men together in their mother's wombs. The prophet Isaiah, speaking 
of the servant of the Lord, which we know to be Jesus Christ, in 
Isaiah 49 says that in my mother's womb he separated me. Jeremiah 
the prophet, according to Jeremiah chapter 1 and verse 5, where 
was he called to the prophetic ministry? Or where was he separated? From his mother's womb. Interestingly enough, in the 
Old Testament, it wasn't a product of conception. It wasn't an undefined 
lump of cells, but rather it was Jeremiah. Rather it was Jacob 
and Esau. Rather it was David. Rather it 
was Solomon. Rather it was what we know it 
to be, a human being that bears the image of the true and living 
God. The New Testament is no different. In Luke chapter 1, 
we learn that John the Baptist is filled with the Holy Spirit 
when? In his mother's womb. Interestingly enough, later in 
Luke's gospel, Luke chapter 1, 41 to 44, the Greek word applied 
to the baby in the womb, which is John and Jesus, is the same 
Greek word applied later in Luke chapter 18 to out-of-the-womb 
children. Everybody follow that? Everybody 
with me? We don't have one category identifier 
over here and then a different one over here. They are children, 
whether they are in the womb or they're out of the womb. They 
are little ones, whether they are in the womb or they are out 
of the womb. They are babies, whether they 
are in the womb or they are out of the womb. And interestingly 
enough, Luke 1, 41-44, what Elizabeth says to Mary, when Mary comes 
to visit Elizabeth, what does she say? She says, how is it 
that the mother of my Lord should come to see me? Where was her 
Lord at that time? Her Lord was in Mary's womb. 
That's what the text says. That's what the text specifies. That's what the text stipulates. Galatians 1.15, the apostle Paul 
says that it pleased God who separated me from my mother's 
womb to be an apostle to the Gentiles. You see, any child 
can understand this information. Any child can watch a 3D ultrasound 
and not sound like Blackman or Obama and say, we just don't 
know when life begins. Oh, yes, we do. We most certainly 
do. The personhood of the pre-born 
is established clearly throughout old and New Testaments. And we 
need to understand the grisly reality that if Rebecca, Job's 
mother, David's mother, Jeremiah's mother, Mary, and Paul's mother 
lived in the 21st century, and the pro-abortion advocates had 
their way, nations would not have been born, King David would 
have never ruled Israel, the Apostle Paul would have never 
preached the gospel to the Gentiles, and worst of all, we wouldn't 
be saved. I speak as a man. Jesus was Lord in the womb. Go back thirdly now to the prohibition 
against abortion in the Bible. We have looked and I hope you've 
seen the sanctity of human life. We have looked and I hope you 
have seen that the Bible teaches that the pre-born are human life. and therefore they are or they 
possess sanctity and therefore they possess or deserve protection 
from the law. But you see, not only those two 
things are taught in the scripture, but there is a positive prohibition 
against this act, against this atrocity. We see, generally speaking, 
in the Decalogue. shall not murder." That sixth 
word. If, as we've argued, the Bible 
recognizes that that little one in the womb is a human being, 
the sixth word forbids killing. The sixth commandment is the 
showstopper. If you followed the biblical 
logic up to this point, if you've been tracking, if you've seen 
the sanctity of life, if you've seen the personhood of the pre-born, 
if you've seen that it was David in his mother's womb, if you've 
seen that it was Job in his mother's womb, if you've seen that it 
was Paul and Jeremiah and Jesus in their mother's wombs, if you 
have corroborated this, if you have seen a 3D ultrasound or 
you've seen a 2D ultrasound, It's not an animal in the womb. It's a baby. Everybody knows 
that. You can't miss it. You can't 
deny it. You can't get away from it. Those 
little ones in the womb suck their thumbs. They respond to 
stimuli. They punch their mother's stomachs, 
not in a harmful way. They grow, they develop, they're 
nurtured. Sometimes the argument is, well, 
they can't survive on their own. Neither can someone that is severely 
handicapped. What's the answer? Well, if we're 
going to be consistent with the logic of abortion, then no one's 
safe. No one is safe. But there is a specific law. 
I read it here in our hearing in Exodus 21, 21 to 25. And there's several things we 
need to understand about this particular text. Remember that 
21 to 23 are the case law applications of the Decalogue. In other words, 
the 10 words are given in Exodus chapter 20. You shall have no 
other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself 
an idol. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in 
vain. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Honor your father 
and your mother. you shall not murder, you shall 
not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear 
false witness, and you shall not covet. That is the sum and 
substance of the law. Not just Israel's law, but the 
law that was written on Adam's heart at creation is codified 
and summarized in the giving of the law at Sinai. This is 
the moral law of God Most High. It reveals who He is. It is His 
unchanging standard It is the thing that all men everywhere 
in every instance and in every time is subject to. In old covenant 
Israel, they took that Decalogue and they applied it, or they 
put it into practice. Let's flesh it out. Let's make 
it concrete. How do we live in the land that 
the Lord our God is giving to us? Well, Exodus 21 to 23 answers 
to that. In the book of Deuteronomy, after the giving of the law in 
Deuteronomy 5, chapters 6 to 26 answer how we take this law 
and how we apply it in society. We take these general principles 
spoken by God through Moses on Sinai, and this is how we flesh 
them out in society. One scholar, one commentator 
says, well, these judgments speaking about the case laws deal mainly 
with temporal matters, they nevertheless are based on one or another expressed 
commandment in the Decalogue. Our studies in Deuteronomy, we've 
seen the necessity to build a parapet or build a fence on the roof. 
What does that flow out of? It flows out of the sixth word, 
you shall not murder. Not only are you not to kill 
people, you're to try and promote life. You're to build fences. 
You're to cover swimming pools. You're to do things that try 
and promote life rather than destroy life. So the case law 
are applications of those principles stipulated in the Decalogue. 
This man says, it is most appropriate, therefore, that these judicial 
and political regulations given by God to Moses when Moses approached 
the thick darkness where God was should be set alongside the 
Decalogue. The two belong together in time 
as well as in interpretation. Chapter 21, verses 12 to 32 deal 
specifically with murder, manslaughter, and bodily injury. And in chapter 
22, there will be property laws. How do we protect property with 
those 10 commandments in the land that the Lord our God is 
giving us? Everybody with me? Give me a nice nod. Yes, we're 
with you. You need to understand something 
about Exodus 21, 21 to 25. It deals with accidental abortion. So I'm led to imply that if accidental 
abortion angers God the way this text specifies, then what about 
intentional abortion? What about state or provincial 
or federal licensed abortion clinics where lots of money is transacted? Lots of people get rich. How 
much more does this infuriate the living and the true God? 
Let's look more closely at Exodus 21, 22 to 25. The text literally 
says, if men fight and hurt a woman with child and her children come 
out, yet no harm follows. The New King James is good as 
it translates, so that she gives birth prematurely. Some translations 
render it miscarriage. That's a miscarriage of translation. There is a Hebrew word for miscarriage 
or one untimely born that doesn't appear in this text. The New King James is right. 
It is a premature birth that is in view here. And I'll show 
you that in more detail as we move along. The text literally says, if men 
fight and hurt a woman with child and her children, it is plural. Why is it plural? Anticipating 
twins. Anticipating the possibility 
of triplets. Anticipating the possibility 
of, is it quadruplets? Quintuplets, sextuplets, however 
many children are in there, are protected by the law. The language 
comes out, again, the literal, the Hebrew text, is language 
used of Jacob and Esau. Remember, Esau came out and he 
was hairy. Very often in the Old Testament, 
that is the language for birth. They come out of the womb. We're not dealing with a miscarriage. 
You see, if we read the text in that light, then the law only 
protects the woman. You see, if the case is that 
these two men fight, and they accidentally strike a woman who 
is pregnant, and she miscarries, or the baby dies, yet no harm 
follows to the woman, then it's only a monetary fine. But if 
we translate the verse the way we ought to, if we translate 
the verse the way that God through Moses stipulated, and we see 
that the woman's children come out, yet no harm follows to the 
mother, to be sure, and to the child or the children that have 
come out. Does everybody get that? Yes, 
please, tell me you see that. The Message Bible is terrible. 
It says, when there's a fight, and in the fight, a pregnant 
woman is hit, so that she miscarries, but is not otherwise hurt. You see, the focus and the onus 
is simply on her. But this law, by God, through 
Moses, specifies protection under God's law to the child or the 
children that comes out. Again, it's important to understand 
the context. What you have in this verse are 
two fools. Two men that do not have self-control. And so they're going to fight 
in the city street. And in their fight in the city 
street, a woman gets hit. Presumably the wife of one of 
the two fools. I think this law would have stipulated, 
hopefully this law would have discouraged fighting in the street. 
You see, if when you're fighting in the street, you engage in 
some sort of activity like this, you will be held liable. You 
will be held responsible. But notice the context. Two men 
are fighting. Me and Howie. Go to blows. One 
of the pregnant women come up, and in the midst of our going 
to blows, we accidentally strike her. Look at what the law stipulates. The children or the child comes 
out, yet no harm follows to the woman or to the child or children 
who have come out. If that is the case, then a monetary 
fine is imposed. We have to pay. We've caused 
her grief. We've caused her hurt. We've caused her damage. We've 
caused her hardship. She hasn't had time to set up 
the nursery yet. She hasn't had time to get the 
changing table ready. Her little baby's here now. Because 
of this inconvenience in terms of these fools fighting in the 
street, we have to pay and make sure that she receives some compensation 
for this particular transaction. But if in the midst of our fight 
we strike her, her child or her children comes out, and either 
her or the child or children dies, it's not monetary compensation 
anymore. It's death. It's a capital offense 
to engage in murder. Whoever sheds man's blood, by 
man his blood will be shed, for in the image of God he made man. 
Previous in Exodus chapter 21, there is a differentiation made 
between murder and manslaughter. Accidental homicide. If I'm chopping 
wood in my backyard and my axe head flies off and hits my neighbor 
and he dies, that's accidental homicide. I've killed him, but 
I didn't mean to. I didn't premeditate it. I didn't 
have malice aforethought. Now, if I hide in my neighbor's 
bush, and I see him pull up his car, and I'm ready and waiting, 
and I bury my axe head in his head, then I am guilty of the 
crime of murder, because there was malice aforethought, there 
was premeditation, there was hatred in my heart. You see, 
the law stipulates in the case of accidental homicide, there's 
a city of refuge for me to flee to, and I can live there until 
the death of the high priest, and then I can return home. But 
you see, in this instance of accidental homicide, what is 
required? What is the retribution? What 
is the stipulation? But if any harm follows, verse 
23, to mother or to child, if any harm follows, then you shall 
give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, 
foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. That is called the lex talionis. 
That is simply the Latin term for the law of retribution. And that law bothers people. 
In fact, there are many Christians who go to this passage to argue 
against abortion, but they don't like the penalty that is attached. 
But you know, the lex talionis, or this law of retribution, is 
in operation today. We call it the punishment must 
fit the crime. That's all it means. And in the 
case of murder, according to the scripture, execution is mandated 
by God. It's about this time a lot of 
Christians say, well, you know, that's just too far. We can't 
be, you know, too minded on this. Either 
the law applies or it doesn't. Just a couple of observations 
here. If this text speaks of accidental 
abortion and the penal sanction, that means the punishment attached 
is execution, and it demonstrates or it highlights the offensiveness 
of this particular crime or sin in the sight of God, again I 
say, how much more in a so-called sanitized environment in a subsidized 
environment when this crime or this sin is perpetuated. Over 50 million in the United 
States since 1973. Just to kind of put that into 
some sort of perspective, every US war From 1775 all the way 
up to Iraq and Afghanistan, there's been less than 3 million casualties. Now, that's an atrocity. That 
is wretched. That is gut-wrenching as well. 
But just to give you some idea of what is in view here. And 
I'm just dealing with North America today. If I was in China, I'd go to 
google.com and look up the Chinese statistics. If I was in India, 
I would go to google.com and look up the statistics in India. 
Because I'm in North America, focusing on our particular area. The numbers hover in the United 
States around one million per year. Now, before you as a Canadian 
say, those wretched Americans, those bloodthirsty barbarians, 
consider that the numbers hover around 100,000 in Canada. I had 
to check from my son to get some mathematical help. But you take 
300 million population in America, and you say 100 million per year. I think he worked it out to 0.33%. 
I hope his math is accurate. Now scale that back down to 30 
million in Canada with 100,000. I think the math works out to 
be the same, percentage-wise. So before you look at those bloodthirsty, 
wretched Americans, realize that in Canada, it's just as bad. It's just as bad. Calvin said, 
if it seems more horrible to kill a man in his own house than 
in a field, because a man's house is his place of most secure refuge, 
it ought surely to be deemed more atrocious to destroy a fetus 
in the womb before it has come to light. Fetus simply means 
unborn baby. The commentary on the Decalogue 
illustrates God's antagonism to murder. The law, the prophets, 
and the writings all declare God's hatred for murder. When the prophets came to sue 
Israel, more often than not it was because of violence, it was 
because of murder. When God describes through the 
writings these six things Jehovah hates, yea, seven are an abomination 
to him, one of them is hands that shed innocent blood. And 
something I was thinking about in terms of this commentary on 
the Decalogue is our Lord's teaching in Matthew 5. You have heard 
that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder. But 
I say to you, if you say fool or raka to your neighbor, You 
are in danger of hellfire. What about abortion? What about the lawlessness of 
abortion? What about executing image bearers 
in the womb, in that place where they should be most safe? Do you think God's gonna judge 
us? I think the signs are everywhere 
that we're under judgment. What does Paul say in Romans 
chapter 1? God gave them up. God gave them up. God gave them 
up. I think the Apostle's logic is 
simple. When we reject God, when we refuse 
God, when we despise God's law, He gives us up. What we think 
is our freedom, what we think is our liberty, what we think 
is a sexual environment that I can really strut my stuff in, 
is a sign and signification that we, as a culture, are under God's 
judgment. It's terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. Well, that's our exposition. 
A couple of thoughts in conclusion. First of all, the Bible and murder. Something very shocking about 
the early chapters of Genesis. What happens? God makes man in 
his own image. Man then defies God, man rejects 
God, man refuses God, man says no to God, yes to Satan, and 
then the very next scene we see Cain kill Abel. But it's interesting, 
there's at least some sense of guilt in Cain. Remember when 
God comes to deal with him? Am I my brother's keeper? He's trying to hide the fact. He's trying to hide the reality. 
You get to the end of the chapter and Cain's great, great grandson, 
a man by the name of Lamech, is glorying in murder. I have 
killed a man for wounding me. He's celebrating it. You see, 
when sin enters the world, it doesn't take long for it to get 
going. What is one of the marks of the 
pre-flawed world? It is exceedingly corrupt and 
filled with violence, according to Genesis chapter 6. So much 
so that when Noah and his family come out of the ark, God stipulates, 
God says, there will be the sword given to the magistrate so that 
he can execute offenders. We live in a murderous world. 
We live in a corrupt world. We live in a sinful world. We 
don't do anybody any favors as a church by neglecting that reality. We don't do anybody any favors 
by saying, well, you know, we need to speak concerning righteousness 
and self-control and the judgment to come. Until people see themselves 
as sinners, they will never see the need for Jesus. We live in 
a culture where Lance Armstrong goes on TV to confess his sins 
to Oprah! We need to preach! Confess your 
sins to Jesus! What was the answer to that sin-cursed 
world? It was the answer of the Son 
of God's love. The remedy to man's guiltiness, 
the remedy to man's sinfulness, the remedy for a murderer is 
the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son. The cross alone is what 
the church has to offer. Yes, as families we ought to 
take people in. Yes, we ought to consider adoption. 
Yes, we ought to consider helping pro-life organizations. Yes, 
we can stand out there and preach the law through signs. Yes, we 
can do all things. But in the final analysis, the 
answer of God to guilty sinners has never changed. There is a 
fountain open for sin and uncleanness. And it's in Jesus' blood and 
righteousness. You see, that's the good news. There actually is some good news 
in terms of the pro-life movement. At least in the United States, 
several pieces of legislation have been enacted in 2012 that 
hopefully reduce the amount of abortion. Now, reducing a million 
to 900,000 is wonderful, but we ought not to rest content 
until it's unthinkable in a civilized society that we'll murder our 
babies. It's the cross that the church 
has. It's the cross that we preach. 
It's the cross that we have found salvation in. Klaus Bachmuel 
said in his book on the Ten Commandments, the church needs to preach the 
law, needs to preach against abortion, needs to do so sternly, 
needs to do so seriously, needs to do so earnestly. He didn't 
say it just like this, I'm amplifying a little bit. But the church 
also needs to speak graciously to those who have had abortions, 
to those who have engaged in abortion. There is a fountain 
open for sin and uncleanness. There is hope for sinners in 
the gospel. Martin Luther said it this way, 
Jesus Christ is not a sham Savior for sham sinners, but he is a 
real Savior who offers real atonement for real sin, for gross crimes, 
for shameless offenses, for transgressions of every sort and every size. Isn't that beautiful? Consider 
two men, one in the old, one in the new, King David of Israel. What was his claim to fame? Yes, 
the territory expanded under his rule. Yes, he was a man after 
God's own heart. Yes, he engaged in a righteous 
rule for the most part. Do you know what else he did? 
He committed adultery and murder. Guess who's going to be at the 
marriage supper of the Lamb? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. It's the blood. It's Jesus. What 
about the Apostle Paul? What was his job when Stephen, 
the martyr of God, was being stoned to death? Paul held the 
garments. He held the clothes. He held 
the robes of those who were throwing stones at this man, Stephen. 
Paul says he sought men out, he wanted to imprison men, he 
wanted to murder men. Paul later will describe himself 
in 1 Timothy 1.15, it is a worthy statement, it deserves all acceptation, 
that Christ Jesus came into the world, sinners to save, and then 
he says, of whom I am chief. What does an abortionist need 
to hear? He needs to hear the law. He needs to hear Proverbs 
6. He needs to hear that God hates 
those, or hands that shed innocent blood. He also needs to hear 
that Christ came, and lived, and died, and rose again, and 
that everyone who looks to Him in faith will have everlasting 
life. What does a woman need? What does a man need who is engaged 
in this particular sin? Any Christ. That's what we have. It's what the church preaches. 
That's what we're about. So the Bible and murder is very 
clear. Just a couple of thoughts on 
the state in abortion. It's always hard to preach a 
sermon like this, not only because of the subject matter. It's one 
of those weeks that you really don't, you know, I confess, this 
is probably the week that I don't like the most in the year. I 
feel constrained to speak on God's law concerning this particular 
issue. It's that week where you try 
to fill your head with the images, you try to look at the stuff, 
you reread stuff, you look at the stats, you look at the statistics. 
It's staggering. It is staggering. It is horrifying. The Criminal Law Amendment Act 
in 1968-69, introduced by Pierre Trudeau's liberal government, 
legalized abortion as long as a committee of doctors signed 
off that it was necessary for the physical or mental well-being 
of the mother. In 1988, the Supreme Court of 
Canada ruled in R v. Morgenthaler that the existing 
laws were unconstitutional and struck down the 1969 law. The then-governing progressive 
conservatives attempted but failed to pass a new abortion law, and 
since then, Canada has had no criminal laws governing the subject, 
and abortion is a decision made by a woman with her doctor. It's easier to have an abortion, 
in some instances, than to get a prescription for certain medications. 
I don't know how to be. Machen, in the early part of 
the 20th century, says the civil government is not intended to 
produce blessedness or happiness, but intended to prevent blessedness 
or happiness from being interfered with by wicked men. He said, 
the state exists for the repression of evildoers and the protection 
of individual liberty. I wonder what Machen would think 
if he got a tour of 21st century North America. Do you realize that that's what 
the Bible says concerning the limits and the function of the 
state? Christians sound just like humanists 
today. We have forgotten that the primary 
emphasis of the governing authorities is the repression of evildoers, 
not the financing of evildoing, not the propagation of murder, 
but the repression of evildoers and the protection of individual 
liberty. That's it. The church and abortion. These 
statistics are staggering. The prevalence among so-called 
born-again people, 20% have abortion. Six million evangelicals voted 
for President Barack Obama. I'm not here to debate fiscal 
policy, which is moral, by the way. Let's just focus on the murder. 
Fiscal policy is moral, too. The same god of the sixth is 
the god of the eighth. You shall not steal. Four times, 
as a senator in Illinois, he voted against the Born Alive 
Infant Protection Act. That is what it says. The law 
was written, or the act was proffered, so that if a child survived an 
abortion, medical staff would be required to assist that person. Then Senator Obama voted four 
times against that act. because he saw that it might 
hurt Roe versus Wade. He voted against the Partial 
Birth Abortion Act. If you don't know what that is, 
ask me after and I will tell you. These are things that radical 
democratic liberals voted against. I remember prior to the election, 
on the Sean Hannity show, he had a group of Democrats that 
were unhappy about President Obama. They were unhappy about 
a whole host of reasons. You say, what does this have 
to do with it? It has everything to do with it. When Christians 
go into the voting booth and vote for the most pro-abortion 
man that's ever served in the presidency, that's unconscionable. 
Anyways, this man was on there. He was a minister. He was complaining 
about the four years and the first term. I thought, how is 
a minister who should have voted in the first place? What's happened 
to us? What has become of us? How have 
we fallen? Why does this not matter? Why 
don't these things affect us in any substantial way? But not only the church with 
surgical abortion that happens, the church with the voting booth 
that happens, but the church with certain forms of birth control. I pointed this out last year. 
There is a mechanism in the birth control pill that is abortifacient. 
Again, it's the whole idea of, is it a deer or is it a man? 
Err on the side of caution. Look into these things. Investigate 
these things. Don't just be satisfied that 
it works. Ask the question, how does it 
work? The third particular mechanism 
in the birth control pill is stipulated as being something 
that irritates the uterine wall of the woman so that it cannot 
host the fertilized egg. In biblical parlance, a fertilized 
egg is a human being. Think. Ask. Consider. The information is 
there. All you gotta do is click birthcontrol.com. Kidshealth.com. We need to make sure that we 
think biblically about these issues. Why do you preach on 
this every year? So that the people will know 
what we need to think. The Bible is relevant. The Bible 
is practical. We have this idea that it's over 
here, and we're over here, and how do we bridge the gap? They 
were dealing with the same sorts of things, the same sorts of 
issues, the same sorts of challenges, the same sorts of evil. There's 
nothing new under the sun. The same Word of God applies. 
The same Word of God appeals to man and sin. We need to think, 
brethren. We need to be conscious of these 
realities. We need to understand what the 
scriptures declare concerning the truth of God's Holy Word. With reference to the church 
and abortion, it is unfortunately prevalent, but as well, the church 
and abortion has, or we have the remedy. I've already stipulated 
this. The cross of Jesus Christ is the remedy for sin and evil. 
And you may be in here this morning and say, well, I've never had 
an abortion. I've never known anyone who had an abortion. I 
never did anything like abortion. I must be okay." No, you're not. See, if it wasn't abortion, it 
was self-righteousness. It's not self-righteousness, 
it's this particular sin. All have sinned and fall short 
of the glory of God. There is no one who does what 
is righteous. There is no one who seeks after 
God. There is no one who has the fear of God in their heart. 
All of us are level. It's not abortion, it's this 
sin. If it's not this sin, it's this sin. If it's not this sin, 
it's this sin. All of us, dead, trespasses and transgressions 
and sin. Every single one in this room. We all need the same 
Savior. We all need the same blood. We 
all need the same gospel. We all need the same Jesus. That 
one whom Luther said is not a sham Savior for sham sinners. He is 
a real Savior for real sinners. And the Bible says that everyone 
who believes in Him will have everlasting life. You are not 
good enough to get yourself to heaven. You cannot just morally 
reform a little bit. You can't just clean up your 
act. You can't just try a bit harder. You need Christ to save 
you from your sins. You need Him, who God made to 
be sin for us, so that He may execute Him, so He may punish 
Him, so that we could have His righteousness, we could have 
forgiveness, in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. So the law 
says you shall not murder. The gospel says, come ye murderers 
to my son, the Lord Jesus, and in him you will find everlasting 
life. It's good news. Good news answers 
to a horrible topic. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your word. We thank you for its clarity 
on this crucial issue facing us in our own day. We do pray 
for governing authorities. We pray for those in high places. 
that they would consider their decisions, they would consider 
their ways. And Lord God, I pray for the church, I pray for Christians, 
I pray for your people, that we would, in fact, think your 
thoughts after you, that we would be those who give an answer, 
who give defense, who give testimony concerning the realities of law 
and gospel. Go with us now, we pray, in Jesus' 
name. Amen.