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good morning everyone welcome back to free Grace Baptist Church a special welcome if you happen to be visiting for the first time with us few announcements before we get started the first is that we're having a fellowship luncheon after the morning service this morning I think everyone's aware but if you're not you're welcome to come everyone's invited that we plenty of food so right after the morning service in the fellowship hall the evening service tonight again at 5:00 p.m. and Wednesday night bible study continues as usual 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday as we turn our our hearts to worship this morning please turn in your Bibles to Psalm 61 the 61 Psalm as our call to worship Psalm 61 to the chief musician on a stringed instrument A Psalm of David Hear My Cry Oh God attend to my prayer from the end of the Earth I will cry to you when my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher than I for you have been a shelter for me a strong tower from the enemy I will abide in your Tabernacle forever I will trust in the shelter of your wings sa La for you oh God have heard my vows you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name you will prolong the King's life his years as many generations he shall abide before God forever oh prepare mercy and Truth which may preserve him so I will sing praise to your name forever that I may daily perform my vows amen for our first hymn this morning we're going to sing from the Salter Himel Psalm 20b as in bravo 20 b and please stand with me as we sing this this is a tomb that's perhaps not that familiar with us we'll play it through once in entirety and sing [Music] together all all the all isly [Music] Andes seated let us turn to the Lord in prayer gracious Heavenly Father we thank you again that we have this privilege to to come before you we acknowledge that indeed it is a privilege as much as it is a duty to come together and to worship corporately we thank you for this great opportunity that we have as the psalmist said I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than to dwell in the tents of wickedness a thousand days in your a thou one day in the house of the Lord is better than a thousand elsewhere we thank you for this great opportunity that we have as we sing to you sing The Script scures as we pray the scriptures as we hear the scriptures preached I pray oh Lord that you would bless that to our hearts I pray that you would do the good work that you have been doing here for many years and we trust will continue to do not only here but all over the face of the Earth as Christ fulfills his promise to build his church Lord we pray that you would be in our midst this day and that the Holy Spirit would attend and pray Lord for our children for even The Babes in Arms that you would bless them as they come into your presence this day and as they are saturated with the word of God we pray oh God that this would bring forth fruit in their lives and in our lives in the young and old Lord even those who are not able to be with us this day because of infirmity or other uh reasons they can't be in our midst we pray that you'd bless them this day with the word of God and you would continue to build them up in their Most Holy Faith we thank you again for this opportunity Lord we pray that you would continue to build your church Church all across this land other churches in our city of chilak today where the gospel is being preached we pray your blessing would rest upon the Ministers of the gospel and upon the congregants as they attend to the word and Lord we pray for our sister churches that you would be gracious to them we pray for cam Porter who is in sui preaching today we pray that you would bless him as he brings the word there and bless that congregation continue to uh edify them and cause them to grow in unity and in in strength and in maturity in the faith bless the congregation in Armstrong as well and our Brethren out in Dryden Ontario we pray Lord that this would be a day of rejoicing in each of these houses of worship today and Lord we pray for our Brethren that we have fellowship with around the world our neighbors to the South uh the churches in Europe and in Africa and even in China where the gospel is being preached we pray oh God that you would do a good work this day continue to draw men to yourself make a thousand Hearts your own this day we pray oh God and Lord we pray that we would always continue to have this privilege to meet and to worship without a fear of reprisals we know this is not the case in many nations in Many Nations your people are being actively persecuted by the magistrates or by false religion and we pray oh God that you would be gracious to your people and continue to cause the church to go forward even in difficult circumstances bless your people this day oh God we pray for the m magistrates of our country we long to see righteousness reign in Ottawa and in the provincial capitals from the top to the bottom but Lord we pray that you would do that work of Revival and Awakening on the streets of this nation that the people of the nation might cry out for righteousness and not indulge and and uh long for wickedness Lord we pray the gospel would transform this country of Canada and we thank you for the good that you continue to do day on a daily basis we pray oh Lord For Your Grace today give us a a wonderful time of Fellowship together after the morning service I pray continue to build us in unity and in strength we ask this in Jesus name amen for our second hymn we'll turn to Psalm 82 in the alter Himel Psalm 82 again stand with me as we sing together how will you in GL the of Ro dark you are you son of you will all Earth for [Music] you for our morning scripture reading please turn with me to Matthew chapter 17 Matthew chap 17 beginning in verse one we'll read the entire chapter now after six days Jesus Took Peter James and John his brother LED them up them sorry LED them up on a high mountain by themselves and he was transfigured before them his face Shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light and behold Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him then Peter answered and said to Jesus Lord it is good for us to be here if you wish let us make here three Tabernacles one for you one for Moses and one for Elijah while he was still speaking Behold a bright Cloud overshadowed them and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud saying this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear him and when the disciples heard it they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid but Jesus came and touched them and said arise do not be afraid when they had lifted up their eyes they saw no one but Jesus only now as they came down from the mountain Jesus commanded them saying tell the vision to no one until the son of man is risen from the dead and his disciples asked him saying why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first Jesus answered and said to them indeed Elijah is coming first and will restore all things but I say to you that Elijah has come already and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished likewise the son of man is also about to suffer at their hands then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptist and when they had come to the multitude a man came to him kneeling down to him and saying Lord have mercy on my son for he is an epileptic and suffers severely for he often falls into the fire and often into the water so I brought him to your disciples but they could not cure him then Jesus answered and said oh faithless and perverse generation how long shall I be with you how long shall I bear with you bring him here to me and Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him and the child was cured from that very hour then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said why could we not cast it out so Jesus said to them because of your unbelief for assuredly I say to you if you have faith as a mustard seed you will say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you however this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting now while they were staying staying in Galilee Jesus said to them the son of man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men and they will kill him and the third day he he will be raised up and they were exceedingly sorrowful when they had come to Capernaum those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said does your teacher not pay the temple tax he said yes and when he had come into the house Jesus anticipated him saying what do you think Simon from whom do the kings of the Earth take Customs or taxes from their sons or from strangers Peter said to him from strangers Jesus said to him then the sons of free nevertheless lest we offend them go to the Sea cast in a hook and take the fish that comes up first and when you have opened its mouth you will find a piece of money take that and give it to them for me and you amen let us pray gracious Father in Heaven if your own disciples who had been with you these three years we're still of uh so little faith how much more we who have not seen you face to face but have known the work of the holy spirit in our hearts Lord I pray that you would increase our faith and that you would grant us a strong strong conviction that what you say is true and what we hear from the pulpit today Lord I pray that it would affect our hearts that you would send us from this place rejoicing encouraged those who need to be chastised or rebuked or convicted would also have that work done in their hearts and Lord I pray that you would forgive our sins this day and cleanse us in your blood and prepare us a new for the week ahead and I pray this in Jesus name amen for our final hymn we'll turn to number 440 440 we're not singing it to to the tune it's written to but to a familiar tune to all of us I'm sure 440 is he is he is he is to with to Jesus Christ you to your you will the right the right the right s for dream all the let Jus Jus Jesus you will you can turn with me in your Bibles to the Book of Exodus Exodus chapter 21 today is sanctity of Life Sunday you you've heard this sermon before I'd love to not ever have to preach it again but such is life in this present evil generation Our Focus will be on chapter 21: 22 to 2 as I speak specifically concerning abortion it's not to suggest that the other types of murder are acceptable but that's one that's really out of sight and out of mind unless you kind of keep up with pro-life issues or your paying attention to the news you don't really think much about it I see maid in the news quite a bit I think that's relevant too to what I'm going to preach on this morning but this is a a a crime and a sin that does display and reveal the fact that this is indeed a an evil generation so I want to read beginning in chapter 21 at verse 22 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 and stripe for stripe amen well let us pray our gracious God and Father this is a a serious and a sobering subject that we consider this morning it is a difficult thing to wrap our minds around we know that there is such lawlessness in the world there's lawlessness in our own Hearts there is that Prohibition in the sixth Commandment that certainly does apply to your people God we pray that you'd help us to think clearly concerning these things help us to understand the scripture so that we may give a a reasonable defense for the hope that is within us and God as we consider your law may we aresh appreciate the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf we know that his blood shed is for the remission of sin and that includes the sin of murder and in this we greatly Rejoice we pray now that your Holy Spirit would guide us we pray that you would give us Grace to receive these things and though again it may be difficult may you help us to think clearly concerning your word and its application with reference to such things and we ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well as I said you've heard this before hopefully it just seals the deal in terms of the things that you know concerning this from a sort of a scriptural vantage point now with reference to this particular sin it is an expression of the cruelty of man I read recently John Owen he's writing about the the Lord Jesus Christ and and the fact that he assumes our humanity and thus realizes the image of God in man and commenting on the virtue of compassion he says with reference to Christ's compassion he says concerning us hence the are justly esteemed to be fallen into the utmost of degeneracy from our first make frame and state and to be most arranged from our common original who have cast off this virtue of compassion where it may and ought to have its actual exercise he says nor are any more severely in the scripture reflected on than those who are unmerciful and without compassion Fierce cruel and implacable no man more evident def face the image of God than such persons and then John Murray writing a couple hundred years later makes this observation in his principles of conduct he says nothing shows the moral bankruptcy of a people or of a generation more than disregard for the sanctity of life and again when it comes to the arena or orbit of abortion it's already just accepted we we can't even question it we can't even make that a a part of the the platform and conservative politics it's it's Unthinkable that we would even challenge the thought that every woman has a right to choose to abort her baby it is Unthinkable and it does Express the cruelty of man it does Express the fact that we are indeed a de braved people Christ speaking as wisdom in Proverbs 8 he says in verse 36 but he who sins against me wrongs his own soul all those who hate me love death so the lovers of death Express an anti-christian sentiment they expressed anti-christian principle they are those opposed to God most high who spoke his law relative to the protection of human life now that does not mean we disregard animal life but animals are not created in the image of God man is and as a result there is a strict prohibition against taking the life of another human being so I want to look at at three things this morning first the sixth commandment of the decalogue secondly the sanctity of human life in the Bible and then thirdly the specific passage in the law of God that I read here in Exodus 2122 to2 but in terms of the Ten Commandments you can go back to chapter 20 and the basis of the Commandment or the Commandments is the fact that God made man the fact that God created the fact that God then governs and legislates the the fact that God is lawgiver he is perfectly righteous and just so he commands his creatures how they are to function in his world now with reference to the specific commandment in view notice verse 13 you shall not murder Now by implication we are taught that we should promote life we should promote Health we should take care of ourselves we should seek to take care of others but the Commandment comes from the hand of God specifically as a negative it's a Prohibition against murder now with reference to murder later legislation will make a distinction there's accidental homicide if I swing an Axe and the axe head falls off and and I was just Reckless and it finds its way into your head I am not a murderer murder includes malice of forethought malice includes premeditation malice or murder rather includes malice of forethought or premeditation murder would be me waiting in your book knowing that you're coming home jumping out and Swinging that the ax at your head so with reference to murder Webster 1828 gives it a very basic definition and a good working one to kill a human being with premeditated malice now there is a distinction made in God's law I've already alluded to the case of The Swinging axe if you do it accidentally that is homicide it's not good there is stipulation in the law for you to go to a City of Refuge you're going to have your life life a bit altered for a period of time again to teach that recklessness is frowned upon in the Civil potic but it's not murder but again it doesn't have malice of forethought so there's a distinction made in the law of God between homicide and and murder itself and then this commandment not only speaks to the external Act of burying an axe in somebody's head but it speaks to the internal heart disposition and you see that in Leviticus 1917 and 18 zechar IAH 79 and 10 Zechariah 8:17 and then most famously for our purposes is in Matthew 5: 22 the Lord Jesus is giving a series of antithesis there between what he teaches and what the scribes and the Pharisees taught youve heard that it was said to those of old you shall not murder but I say to you he's not pitting himself against Moses Moses makes the same argument in The Book of Leviticus in chapter 19 Jesus is pitting himself against scribal Miss interpretation cuz as far as they were concerned as long as you didn't bury an axe in somebody's head then you were perfectly innocent well Jesus says no if you hate your brother in your heart if you call him fool or Rocka if you engage in that inner disposition wherein you want to tear down the life of another person that is as equally heinous 1 John 3:15 same sort of an imp emphasis it is not righteous conduct for one to hate his brother in his heart that is prohibited that is forbidden by the six commandment and then with reference to the text itself you shall not murder that's a good translation the Old King James has kill but as I said the Bible makes a distinction between killing and murder all murder is killing but not all killing is murder and there are three instances that the Bible authorizes for killing the uh the the situation of capital punishment Genesis 9:6 Romans 13 1 to four God gave the civil magistrate The Sword in order to punish evildoers those who engage in evil works it's not been suspended it's not been abrogated and again this reflects our moral degeneracy the Bible demands the execution of those who murder other people the problem with our government isn't that they kill people the problem is is that they kill the wrong people they kill babies in the womb they kill the elderly they kill the sick all the while m murderers are scot-free engaging in the sorts of things that God most high has said you need to restrict them from doing that whoever sheds man's blood by man his blood will be shed for in the image of God he made man capital punishment is an instance of authorized homicide as well self-defense Exodus chapters uh 22 2 and 3 and then Jesus assumes this principle in his teaching in the gospel narratives it is not right for somebody to say you don't have the right to defend yourself that is innate that is ingrained that is a feature of our image bearing of God most high we are to protect ourselves and defend ourselves and to use that Force necessary includ including lethal Force should it come to that in order to stop a criminal offender and then the third instance of lawful homicide is just War just war is indicated in Deuteronomy chapter seven with reference to holy war God says to the children of Israel to go into the land of Canaan and dispossess the land of the Canaanites that wasn't By Invitation that wasn't by Facebook announcement that was by killing them and destroying things and then Romans 13 1:4 again the sword that the government ma uh the sword that the magistrate wields is for the punishment of criminal offenders within the Civil po but defense against foreign Invaders and so there is a just to war there is a time for war according to Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes now what looks like a just war is probably something you and I have not seen But the principle in and of itself is in fact biblical so with reference to the Commandment of God we see the definition the distinction made between accidental or or homicide and then murder the disposition of the heart is included and then the inter uh the translation of our text is specific you shall not murder murder and what is at the basis of this besides the fact that God is Creator and the fact that God is lawgiver but the fact that we are image bearers of God if you turn back to Genesis chapter 1 the opening chapters of Genesis as you know is the count account of creation and in Genesis chter 1 God makes all of the the creatures who fill the sky that fill the sea that fill the land but it's the creature called man that is the p of his creative activity it is man that alone Bears the image of God it is man that comes from the hand of God as a rational Soul as one that can communicate with God you'll notice in Genesis 1 there's not a stage or a progression where Adam sort of Grunts and he drags his knuckles and then he figures out how to you know make fire and and cook food he comes from the hand of God hardwired in the image of God he's able to communicate with God he's able to think about things around him well why is that were there scages of evolution that brought him to this place no he comes from the hand of God as the special creation of God and as I said the Pinnacle of God's creation notice in Genesis 1: 26-28 the Mandate for Adam and Eve was to multiply and to fill the Earth with additional image bearers to extend that Garden Sanctuary to Encompass the entirety of the earth so that God would be glorified through mankind Genesis 1:26 then God said let us make man in our image I believe that to be a reference to the Triune God this us and our speaks of the plurality of persons in the God Head 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 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 you see the anti-christian approach to passages like these is to preach depopulation as far as God's concerned babies in the womb is a good thing the multiplication of babies in the womb is a good thing the population of the Earth with image Bears is a good thing the depopulation is contrary it is anti it is against God and it seems to be those very things that our world is championing right now so that's basically the sixth commandment let's move now to the sanctity of human life in the Bible and I realize there's been a push to replace thus sayeth the Lord with well science says that's to put a contrary where it doesn't belong God according to the psalmist is the Lord God of truth that includes nature and revelation science simply means knowledge when you engage in science you'll learn that what the Bible says is in fact true now there's an antithesis between scripture and state sanctioned science when they twist science to make it fit what they have in terms of an agenda but we ought not to be afraid of science so-called we ought not to be afraid of knowledge we ought not to discountenance the fact that God is sovereign in nature light of nature General Revelation these things bespeak the glory of God we can move from the created effect to appreciate the glory of the Creator himself there's no antithesis between nature and Grace Grace takes nature and perfects it it's a wonderful thing that God does in terms of redemption so when we look at the sanctity of human life in the Bible we need to keep that image of God Concept in our mind we need to see that it applies at every stage it's not just sort of you know when a child is two well then they've arrived at the image of God when a child is two months he's arrived at the image of God when when he's in utero he's not the the image of God well the Bible says otherwise and we need to understand what the Bible says so with reference to the image of God displayed in man you have first the image of God displayed in preall man and you saw that in Genesis 1: 26-28 God makes man in a way that is different than the way that he makes the Beluga in the way that he makes the sparrow not in the way terms logistically he spoke and it came into being but the dignity that they possess man's is there because he's in the image of God he's a rational Soul he's a a body and a soul he's reasonable he's able to think he's able to communicate and that again doesn't denigrate the whales that are able to communicate to one another but they don't do math they don't parse verbs they don't cook cakes or bake cakes there's limitations in the animal kingdom there are limitations in man's Kingdom because we're creature but we're creature that bears the image of God and so the image is present preall the image secondly is present post fall notice in Genesis CH 5 genesis CH 5 after the fall of Man in Genesis 2 and 3 we have this state statement again reiterating the image of God present Genesis 51 this is the book of the genealogy of Adam and the day that God created man he made him in the likeness of God he created them male and female and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created and then it goes on to list a whole bunch of other people that descend from Adam by ordinary generation the implication seems to be that they possess the image of God James chapter 3 highlights this fact as well or highlights this this reality again the degree to which we possess that image as Fallen man uh Owen uses the language of defacing the image that's another argument or another discussion to be sure just giving you an overarching approach to what scripture says concerning this image of God and how it separates us from the animal notice in James 3:9 well verse uh 8 but no man can tame the tongue it is an unruly evil full of deadly poison with it we bless our God and Father and with it we curse men who have been made in the similitude OR likeness of God so you see the argument is don't use your tongue to bash men who are made in the likeness of God other words there's a dignity they possess there is a rightness that they possess they've come from the hand of God and therefore you're not supposed to curse them with it we bless men and then we uh uh and then we curse men uh thirdly the image of of God is present in children children now I do subscribe to the older model children are better seen than heard just kidding uh but I appreciate that they are image bearers there's a Prohibition in Leviticus 18:21 that you're not supposed to throw your seed to molok you're not supposed to let your descendants pass through the fire why is that because they're little image bearers they're not sacrifices they're not dis disposable they're not arbitrary you don't just chalk them in the fire to appease the Pagan God molok and then of course in Ephesians six we're going to come to that passage God willing next next Sunday night what does Paul tell children he says children obey your parents and the Lord for for this is right and he goes on to say honor your father and your mother so children are addressed as image bearers of the living and true God and then fathers are told very specifically do not provoke your children to WRA PA but bring them up in the training and admonition of the lord they're not for abuse they're not for perversion they're not for use they are image bearers of the living and true God therefore they have dignity intrinsic dignity and you're supposed to treat them as image bearers of the living and true God and then as well fourthly the Bible shows us that the image of God is in the handicap again Leviticus chap 19:14 don't put a stumbling block before a blind man that's absolutely positively wretched don't mock them don't engage in sport with them why because they are image bearers of the living and true God what about the case of Zach uh uh uh not zachus bmus the blind barus who is begging by the side of the road and he hears that Jesus is coming in the streets of Jericho and what does bmus do bmus says Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me and of of course all the crowd around him tells him to be quiet shh be quiet he he doesn't have time for you so what does barus do he lifts up his voice even louder and says Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me do you know what's absolutely positively glorious in that scene is that Christ stops in the midst of the hustle and bustle in the midst of the the the multitude and he comes over to barus and he says barus what would you have me to do why does he do that because bmus is an image Bearer Bame has dignity barus may not have his eyesight but barus is special in the sight of God most high and of course bmus says Lord I I want to see and so Jesus heals him so the image of God is present we don't we don't marginalize or we don't say well you know maid's probably the best option for you maid would be what we would recommend to you that is barbaric that is degeneracy that is cruelty that expresses our fallen from God most high we see fifthly the image of God in the sick turn to the book of J well you might be there James 514 and 15 James 5:14 and 15 there may be some perplexing things about this particular passage I can answer try to answer questions later but I just want you to see the point notice in John uh James 5 at verse well 13 is anyone among you suffering let him pray is anyone cheerful let him sing Psalms is anyone among you sick let him call for the Elders of the church and let them pray over him anointing him with the oil with oil in the name of the Lord and the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up and if he has committed sins he will be forgiven he's an image Bearer that's not forfeit that's not sacrifice that's not gone because the man is sick six you have the image of God in the elderly the image of God in the elderly again when we get to this discussion of medical assistance in dying you need to see how barbaric this is they're taking image bearers and saying you know what you're just not that important remember how offensive it was when Co first started and we were we were told that the churches were were not essential what why did so many people accept that why why do we okay yeah let's shut down the church but keep the bars open keep hockey open keep the movies going keep all that going but you know church it's not essential well isn't that what made is essentially you're not essential you have no value you have no worth there's nothing that you contribute now what does God through Moses tell us in Leviticus 19 rise in the presence of a gray-headed man how does Paul treat Timothy when it comes to treating old men in the context of the church don't rebuke them don't come in with bravado you're 30 and you know everything and that 70-year-old better get on on board no you treat him with love and respect and with dignity why he's an image bearer of God most high now the particular application is the image of God in the pre-born in the womb the image of God in the pre-born in the womb it's good for us to go through these text turn to the Book of Genesis Genesis chapter 25 Genesis chapter 25 notice specifically at verses 19 to 23 this is the genealogy of Isaac Abraham's son Abraham begot Isaac Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebecca as wife the daughter of bethuel the Syrian of P Pam Paden Aram the sister of Laban the Syrian now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife because she was Barren and the Lord granted his plea and Rebecca his wife conceived but notice the language the children keep that sort of in your mind right now the children in uh uh the children struggled together within her and she said it it is if all is well why am I like this so she went to inquire of the Lord and the Lord said to her two nations are in your womb two peoples shall be separated from your body one people shall be stronger than the other and the older Shall Serve the younger so when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth indeed there were twins in her womb and the first now this is language you need to consider as well the first came out red that's often times the language of the Bible in terms of the birth process babies come out makes perfect sense right they don't stay in after the gestation period they they come out now again keep that in your head for when we go back to Exodus 21 eventually so verse 25 and the first came out red he was like a hairy garment all over so they called his name Esau beautiful description H he's like a hairy garment here's your son he looks like a hairy garment afterward his brother came out and his hand took hold of Esau's heel so his name was called Jacob Isaac was 60 years old when she bore that so we've got children struggling in the womb according to verse 22 not a lump of cells a mass of cells a clump of things that we can just discard at will no the children in the womb turn over the Book of Job Job chapter 10 Job chapter 10 verses 10 uh uh 10 to 12 or 8 to 12 job 10 8-2 job 108 your your hands have made me and fashioned me an intricate Unity yet you would destroy me remember I pray that you have made me like clay and will will you turn me into dust again did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me with cheese clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and Senus you have granted me life and favor and your care has preserved my spirit Skinny's not saying what you did in the womb was to some product of conception or clump of cells but it was me it was job in his mother's womb turn over to Job 31 where he's rehearsing his righteousness and when I say that there's probably problems with it and certainly God upgrades him in some sense but he's basically rehearsing that you know as far as he's been able he's tried to be a lawful guy he's tried to you know done uh do what he's supposed to do but notice what he says in 3113 to15 if I have despised the cause of my male or female servant when they complained Against Me What then shall I do when God arises up when he punishes how shall I answer him did not he who made me job in the womb make them the servants did not the same one fashion Us in the womb again this idea that it's just a lump of cells or a product of conception that always is language designed to dehumanize and to separate and to make it okay because we're not really killing a person we're just kind kind of ridding this woman of some you know pesky cells and then Psalm 515 David traces his native depravity back to his mother's womb he is not saying that the conjugal relationship that obtained between his father and mother was sin God ordained sexual Union in the context of Covenant marriage what he is saying is that as soon as David was David there was the presence of sin David was a covenant Theologian he understood Federal theology he understood that Adam stood for man Christ the last Adam stood for man and that in Adam all died so notice in 515 behold I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me again the accent isn't on the ACT the accent is on David's depravity so while David is in the womb he's got this problem and then Psalm 139 probably the most read Psalm on sanctity of Life Sunday specifically the bit that deals with B babies in their mother's womb and how God puts them together Psalm 139: 13- 16 for you formed my inward Parts you covered me in my mother's womb I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous are your works and that my soul knows very well my frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed and in your book they all were written the days fashioned for me when as yet there were none of them so David is celebrating the attributes or Perfections of God he deals with Divine omniscience verses 1 to6 Divine Omni uh omnipresence in verses 7 to 12 and then Divine omnipotence in verses 13 to 18 what's a good place to Showcase God's absolute power the womb of a mother it displays God's power it displays his glory it displays his majesty you could write down and look at later Ecclesiastes 11 5 but one more Old Testament passage is in the Prophet Jeremiah Jeremiah chapter 1 Jeremiah chapter 1 he rehearses his call to the prophetic Ministry you see that in the prophets Isaiah 6 Isaiah rehearses his call to the prophetic Ministry in the in in in the year that King Uzziah died I I saw the Lord lofty and exalted and the train of his robe filled the whole Temple he's telling us how he came to the place of being the prophet of God well notice Jeremiah 1:4 then the word of the Lord came to me saying before I formed you in the womb I knew you before you were born I Sanctified you I ordained you a prophet to the Nations other words what God is saying is that in his sovereignty he had ordained the prophetic role of Jeremiah and that this was true Pro Jeremiah even from his mother's womb this was his his future this was his Destiny this was his mission in God's world turn over to the New Testament specifically Luke's gospel Luke chapter 1 Luke chap 1 we've often referred to the word as of poed baptism poed means children or infant child baptism there's a different Greek word employed here in chapter 1 breos which is the baby in the womb but it's applied to babies outside of the womb in Luke 18 so it's not like there's technical terminology for the pre or for the conceptus and and it differs radically no what you find outside the womb is a baby or a child or an infant what you find inside the womb is a baby or a child or an infant and if you notice specifically at Luke 1 verse 15 Luke 1:15 ver verse 14 and you will have joy and gladness and many Will Rejoice at his birth for he will be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink he will also be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb and again how that applies to poed baptism is a different story the kettle of fish I want you to see is that this is a baby in his mother's womb that is able to receive the presence and the power of the holy spirit of God so not a product of conception to depersonalize it's not a lump of cells to to create Prejudice but rather it is a baby in its mother's womb that is capable of receiving the Holy Spirit and then notice in Luke 1 specifically at verses 41 to 44 well verse 39 and Mary now Mary arose in those days and went into the Hill Country with a to a city of Judah and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth and it happened when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe not product of conception not lump of cells The Babe leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit then she spoke out with a loud voice and said blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb now note verse 43 but why is this granted to me that the mother of my my Lord should come to me the word became flesh and dwelt Among Us that was every much as true every much as real every much as present in the womb of Mary he's the Lord in the womb so there's no kind of concept or terminology that distinguishes between a real baby and a potential baby a baby sort of on the way no the product of conception if we're going to use that depersonalized language and Define it rightly it's called a baby just like fetus that's another thing to try to distance the listen that just means infant or unborn baby in in Latin so so this attempt to depersonalize is contrary to the Bible and then one final text is Galatians 1 something of a new testament Apostolic counterpart to the Old Testament prophetic Ministry remember we saw that Jeremiah Was separated from his mother's womb for the call of God to preach his word well Paul says the same thing concerning his Apostolic Ministry in Galatians 11:5 but when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through his grace when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through his grace so when we look at the Bible and we see this statement in Genesis 1: 26-28 about man bearing being the image of God most high and then we ask the question what about man at this day what about man at this day what about man at this day what about man who's handicapped what about man who's sick what about man who's old what about man who's young the Bible's answer is the same we are the image of God most high and so as a result you're not supposed to destroy it you're not supposed to murder it as uh gardis Voss says in his biblical theology he says in life slain it is the image of God I.E the Divine Majesty that is assaulted and then Gordon Clark responds respond to this this desire on the part of pro-abortionist to to Define away the humanity of a of a baby in its mother's womb he says one argument abortionists frequently used 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 he says I think that some babies born 30 or 40 years ago have turned out to be asinine it is an attempt attempt to evade the conscience that convicts this is not confined to the arena of abortion it's pretty much Universal we're going to do something nasty and horrible we got to have a reason for it we don't just go out and do nasty and horrible things we got to justify it we got to redefine it's not adultery it's you know playing around it's flirting it's not theft it's well you know I deserved it anyway is that idolatry well yeah I seek my comfort and safety and and everything that is special to me in a creature versus the Creator Brethren redefining things doesn't make it go away and when it comes to this particular situation there's a lot of redefinition that has come to pass now not only do we have the image of God displayed in man but we have the image of God displayed in the word of God in other words Jesus dignified Humanity by taking on Humanity the Apostle speaks to this in Hebrews 2:14 to18 he says in as much then as the children of partake in of Flesh and Blood he himself likewise shared in the same that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death that is the devil and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage and then in verse 16 he says for he do uh indeed he does not give Aid to Angels the better translation is he does not take on angels that means he doesn't assume assume Angelic nature to redeem the Angels but he continues but he does give Aid again a better rendering is take on to uh take on the Seed of Abraham what does that mean he assumed our Humanity for the work of redemption so he could live for us so he could die for us so he could be raised again for us as the father said whatever is not assumed is not healed Jesus dignifies Through the Incarnation man himself he shows us that this isn't to be disregarded we're not supposed to treat it cavalierly we're not supposed to just kill or murder at will now the Bible put puts a premium on man because man Bears the image of God now go back to the Book of Exodus where we see a specific passage in the law of God that speaks to this issue Exodus 21: 22- 25 now Exodus chapters 21 to 23 are something of concrete applications of Exodus 20 so in Exodus 20 you have What's called the decalog or the 10 words The Ten Commandments God gives those Ten Commandments in in Exodus chapter 20 the repeated on the plains of Moab in Deuteronomy chter 5 but those Ten Commandments give you proh ISS by implication they give you positive you know uh mandates and with reference to the sixth commandment you shall not murder well the question's going to naturally naturally arise how do we take that principle and put it into practice in a civil society how do we take that abstract principle you shall not murder and make it Concrete in the day in day out EB and flow rubbing shoulders with one another in so Society where we live well that's what Exodus 21-23 does it explains in detail how you're supposed to conduct yourself in the Civil realm and that is a PR or those are applications of the principle in Exodus CH 20 you see this very clearly if you look at Exodus 21:1 now these are the judgments which you shall set before them got these Ten Commandments you got these mandates from God these words from God now these are the judgments these are the concrete applications these are the specifications as to how you're supposed to deal with them in Civil Society so when you get to about verse 12 you have laws on homicide in verses 12 to 17 and again that distinction is made between murder and homicide now again all murder is homicide but not all homicide is murder so it makes that distinction between what is malice of forethought in your determination to rid the Earth of that person that you don't want around anymore and an accident so the laws on homicide in verses 12 to 17 and then you have laws on bodily injuries in verses 18-32 and so in this section you have the occasion of two men who fight I you know there is nothing new Under the Sun if you're on social media if you're on Twitter especially you'll see all these fights all over the world I mean you can't go to McDonald's anymore without fighting your way out you can't buy a doughnut without getting hooked from behind by somebody that wants to to do you harm so you know there's nothing new Under the Sun there there were guys back then that would fight and and that's what happened if you notice verse 21 if men fight that's the issue that's a a problem I think there's a good take-home message here don't don't fight don't go out to McDonald's and you know exchange blows with some guy in the line behind you because you're going too slow well let's fight no you're you're not supposed to do that and and here we notice that in the midst of this fight a woman who is pregnant is struck now probably she was a wife to one of the men that was fighting perhaps she was trying to get in the midst of them trying to break them up honey don't do this that's not a good thing he shouldn't fight in McDonald's not not wise you're going to be all over Twitter people are going to see you they're going to mock you they're going to say wow look at that look at that dummy just don't do that so let's look at the text a bit more carefully if men fight and hurt a woman with its plural with children this law envisages the possibility that she has more than one baby in her womb she could have had twins she could have had triplets she could have had four five six however many the Lord would give her if men fight and hurt a woman with children so that she gives birth prematurely you know what the language is literally so that her children come out just like Esau came out just like Jacob came out the uh the new King James here translates it well what's in view is a pre immature birth there are certain translations that use the language miscarriage now I'm going to tell you why that's a problem in just a moment but know for the moment that there is a Hebrew word for miscarriage there is a Hebrew word for one untimely born but those Hebrew words aren't used here it's the normal convention for child birth she gets struck and her child or children come out in other words she gives birth prematurely see if we adopt the reading miscarriage when the penalty comes it only covers her notice what the text says so that she gives birth prematurely let's just read it for a moment so that she miscarries yet no harm follows it tends to just cover her miscarriage is incidental as long as she's not hurt everything's okay but the premature birth the children coming out means that the law covers them as well so notice so that she gives birth prematurely yet no harm follows to her or to her child or children that came out prematurely if no harm fall follows any of the people that were potentially injured or potentially killed if no harm follows then notice the penalty he shall surely be punished as the woman's husband imposes on him and he shall pay as the judges determine right it was an accident there no preal uh premeditation No Malice of for thought but you're going to pay you're going to pay and you're going to learn that you shouldn't fight in McDonald's while there's a pregnant woman standing there there's going to be a negative sanction imposed upon you such that the next time you go to McDonald's and you get the desire to go toe-to-toe with some other guy you're going to think twice you're you're going to be discouraged from doing that so so that's if no harm follows to the mother or to the baby or babies but look what goes on verse 23 but if any harm follows to the mother or to the baby or babies see they're covered by God's law they're protected by Divine command they're protected by God's word 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 in Latin we call that the Lex talionis which is translated into English the law of Retribution or the law of retaliation and as we've had cause to consider this in our studies on Wednesday night through the pentat it doesn't necessarily envision that there was a squad of men in old Covenant Israel that carried pliers to pull out teeth or that carried pokers to gouge out eyes or carried lighters to return burn for burn the principle is the standard principle of justice that the punishment must fit the crime the punishment must fit the crime that's what that formula conveys that's what that formula communicates if no harm follows Financial penalty if harm follows death penalty if necessary so Theo uh the the the Old Testament envisages the Dignity of the baby in the womb and I want to just up the Annie one bit more here go back for just a moment to verses 12- 14 Exodus 21:12 he who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death however if he did not lie in weight but God delivered him into his hand then I will appoint for you a place where he may die uh flee so you see the distinction murder manslaughter murder accidental homicide he who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death that's murder however if he did not lie and wait but God delivered him into his hand through Providence then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee notice in verse 14 but if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor to kill him by treachery you shall take him from my alt that he may die in other words there's no Ransom accepted for the murderer and and in this particular instance it's you know there's a the the the the accidentalness what what happens when a guy accidentally kills somebody well there's Cities of Refuge that he can flee to when you drop down to 22 to 25 they're accidentally killing either the mother or the children it's a case of accidentalness but the penalty is stronger the penalty is more severe the penalty is up to and including the death penalty so the Bible not only dignifies the baby in the womb the Bible protects the baby in the womb the Bible cares about the the baby in the womb it doesn't disregard the baby in the womb when we consider the abomination of this particular practice there was an early Church manual called the diday it's early it's probably some Scholars put it like 8100 so just on the heels of the Apostles they basically whoever wrote the diday basically wrote you know taking the scriptures and applying them for a handy handbook for life in in in God's world God's Church God's you know Society diday 22 you shall not abort a child or commit infanticide that was very relevant in the Roman Empire very relevant in the Roman Empire when when girl babies were discarded with the trash trash day at my house is on Wednesday if you would have been in the Roman Empire and you had a baby girl on Tuesday night and you didn't want the baby girl you just put it out with trash well what do you think happens to baby girls that are put out with trash well the dogs of the street either eat them or somebody takes them and raises them up for a life of unsavory things this was a reality in the world that Paul preached this was a reality in the world where John and Peter preached we we look at our own generation we think there's never been any yeah there has I'm not justifying our present situation but there was all the kinds of stuff facing them that faces us now State sanctioned surgical instrument sort of abortion may not have been going on as rampantly but there was abortion and infanticide so how does the early church respond reflecting upon the the word of the living and Truth true God they make the Mandate you shall not abort a child or commit infanticide 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 Brethren that's true and it is out of sight out of mind it is something that you know it's hard to think about it's hard to preach about I mean it it is it's not like wow this is great I get to go speak about the worst or one of the worst things going on you know in in in massive numbers all around us it's horrific there is Judgment for those who engage unrepentant in this practice Proverbs 6:16 to9 these six things Yahweh hates ye seven are an Abomination to him a proud look a lying tongue hands that shed innocent blood hands that shed innocent blood that's a thing that God abominates Revelation 218 but the Cowardly unbelieving abominable murderers sexually immoral Sorcerers idolators and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death murderers again I say unrepentant because there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared and we're going to end on that high note but just a couple of thoughts by way of conclusion in terms of the origin of abortion we can bring it right back to the Devil Himself remember when Jesus is disputing with the religious leaders of his time John 8:44 he says you are of your father the devil and the desires of your father you want to do and then he goes on to express the problems with the devil he says he was a liar and what a murderer from the beginning the man manifestation of abortion the the devil is behind Planned Parenthood the devil is behind State sanctioned murder of of babies but it's ultimately a devilish thing Ephesians 6:12 we do not rest again uh uh wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities against Powers against the rulers of the darkness of this age against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the Heavenly places so we need to understand the spiritual battle involved D and be a prayerful people I'm not suggesting we don't protest I'm not suggesting we don't write I'm not suggesting We Don't Preach but I am suggesting we ought to pray about this subject secondly we we should consider the state and abortion and by state I don't mean Kentucky I mean the civil government with reference to the state and abortion I've heard it said that well what's the big deal the government doesn't make anyone have abortions the government doesn't make anyone have driveby shootings either but they don't encourage driveby shootings they don't encourage you know wholesale Slaughter of innocent people to say well they don't encourage it I'd argue they actually do with taxes and subsidies and all sorts of things legislation the criminality of abortion is a reality sin is one uh abortion is one of those things that both is both a sin sin against God and a crime it's always wrong to murder people in the Civil poity it it just is it it's just always wrong to murder people in the Civil policy not all crime is sin it's crime to preach Christ in Saudi Arabia it's not a sin not all sin is crime at least yet you shouldn't be punished by the Civil State because you covet but abortion is both sinful and offense against God and criminal in terms of the body politic and there's absolutely no reason why anybody should ever stop because there's no wherewithal in anyone to punish this particular criminal activity remember the purpose of civil government they were never intended by God to be a nanny to everyone from Cradle to grave civil government's uh uh Duties are very delimited in the in the scriptures and I think I think that Ma summarizes it well he says the State exists for the repression of evildoers and the protection of individual liberty and health care and abortion and drugs and education that's not what he says I I think he captures what the Bible emphasizes the state exists for the repression of evildoers and the protection of individual liberty he also said this civil government is not intended to produce blessedness or happiness I don't want anyone to have my back leave me alone that that's it he also said 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 your job isn't to make my life better your job is to leave me alone so I can pursue the better your job is to protect me from getting my throat cut in the streets or from being invaded by a foreign power that's your job you had one job they don't do that but they do everything else and may I suggest they do it very poorly ma says it is true the attack upon Liberty is nothing new always there have been tyrants in the world almost always tyranny has be has begun by being superficially beneficent we're here to help you we're here to serve you and always it is ended by being both superficially and radically cruel now whether you agree with that or not you may not and that's okay we can agree to disagree on certain things when it comes to tertiary issues in the Bible but I ask you to ponder it I ask you to think about it was God's appointment of the Civil St state to to to hold you from the Cradle to the Grave to restrict you from the cradle of the Grave to to to govern you every instance every issue every in your life can you make a move today without thinking government can you put a shed in your yard without thinking government can you do anything again you might say well that's exactly what the Bible envisages Well we can have that debate I would suggest thirdly and finally the church and abortion you got the Bible in abortion the origin of abortion Church in abortion or state in abortion and and the church it's prevalent even within the professing church it is prevalent with it even within the professing church Brethren these things ought not to be it's because we don't think clearly we don't think biblically we don't think with conviction this this is not something we ape the world in this is not something we follow after the people of God at times have a serious lack of knowledge that's not to offend you it's not to De you know disenfranchise you it's not to make you feel bad you've got to know what the Bible says you've got to know what scripture says the people of God in surgical abortion again that's something that happens or the professing people of God the the people of God in the voting Bo well just a one isue guy I can't imagine ever voting for a candidate that was outspokenly pro- rape or Pro pedophilia I I can't imagine that yeah I'm going to stand on a platform where we we not only permit but we encourage rape through our city streets who would vote for that probably the people that would vote for murderers that are okay with abortion it's disgusting I'm not telling you how to vote this isn't you know the gopa the conservatives I'm not saying that I'm not saying that but I'm asking you to think through the implications of the check mark as to who you are giving your tacit approval to in terms of governing our nation the people of God and sexual immorality why do you think a lot of people have abortions probably it's in the VIN of Proverbs 28 he who covers his transgression will not Prosper you don't want to be found out David didn't want to be found out that b Sheba was pregnant with his child so what does David do he tries to get Uriah to sleep with his wife when that doesn't work he sends Uriah to the hottest part of the battle so that he can die he tried to cover it up this happens this is not the way to cover up sexual immorality the way to cover up sexual immorality is through the blood of Jesus Christ the son of God who cleanses us from all sin the people of God in chemical abortion you you'll find now reporting where there's abortions coming down yeah cuz you can male order abortion pills you you can get them at your door you could do it in the privacy of your own house so so maybe the number of surgical abortions is coming down which I'm not convinced they're not lying but the chemical abortions are skyrocketing and then abortive patient birth control not all birth control is contraceptive in nature some of it is abor ofation that means when a baby is in the womb there are strap iies in place to stop the baby from growing to stop the baby from moving forward we have to know these things we have to understand these things not at the level of a PhD but at the level of a responsible Christian man or woman making decisions about things that are of life and death value and then I would suggest the preaching of the law and abortion see it's a blessing and a privilege to be a minister of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ but that doesn't mean we never preach the law you'll know if you're in our church there's a reformed use of the law you have the Civil use that restrains the wickedness of men there's the pedagogical use you preach the law so that Sinners see their sin and flee to Christ for justification and then there's the normative use of the law those who are saved by God's grace receive the Holy Spirit the holy spirit says this is how you're supposed to live according to the law of God you don't have to make it up you don't have to figure out what pleases he's already told you what pleases him by God's grace you seek to obey Carl FH Henry made this observation about the preaching of the law he says even when there is no saving Faith the law serves to restrain sin and to preserve the order of creation by proclaiming the will of God by its judgments and its threats of condemnation and Punishment the written law along with the law of conscience hinders sin among the unregenerate it has the role of a magistrate who is a terror to evildoers it fulfills a political function therefore by its constraining influence in the unregenerate world someone has once said the law does not change the heart but it can restrain the heart less churches that don't preach the law churches don't ever go to the Commandments of God Brethren we're supposed to we're supposed to preach the whole Council of God the the law of God is it's good it's wise it's it's holy it's a it's a wonderful thing it it it's it's it's wrong if we use it unlawfully but what's the implication in 1 Timothy 1:8 there are lawful ways to use the law civil pedagogical and normative we see examples of that throughout scripture on how we're supposed to use the law of God and then I would suggest the proclamation of the Gospel in light of the sin of abortion and here I want to consider Acts 2 what was Peter's target audience in the book of Acts in chapter 2 on the day of Pentecost well Jerusalem Sinners the Sinners that had crucified to use Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 2 The Lord Of Glory in fact Peter summarizes or ends his sermon on that note he says God has made this Christ whom you crucified both Lord and Christ and then on the heels of that he calls them to repent to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins John bunan famously preached a sermon with this theme in mind he called it the Jerusalem sinner saved good news for the viest of men or a help for despairing Souls the doctrine that Jesus Christ would have mercy offered to the biggest Sinners that Peter uses that to bring conviction to them under the spirit he doesn't just go after you know you got gossip in your heart which is bad and it's damnable or you've got you know this sort of petty theft again damning bad but he speaks of their their biggest sin you crucified the Lord Of Glory repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins in other words he says there's hope for Jerusalem Sinners the Jerusalem Sinners saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ as much as we vociferously condemn the ACT Visa the law of God we preach the remedy through the gospel of God namely the life and the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ we say with David or Point them to David if thou Lords should Mark iniquities oh Lord who could stand but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared what about the the the the the blessedness and the the goodness and the glory and the kindness of God in Saving the Apostle Paul what was Paul's before picture as Saul of tar say he was arresting both men and women taking them back to Jerusalem for their disposition which could have included death it could have included all manner of lawlessness this is why in 1 Timothy 1:15 the Apostle Paul says this is a faithful saying it's worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save Sinners and then he says of whom I am chief There's Hope for people who've had abortions men and women There's Hope for doctors who performed abortions There's Hope for legislators that have endorsed abortion There's Hope for people that have engaged in the act of murder There's Hope in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ preach testify Proclaim evangelize announce and declare There Is Power in the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to deal with sin this is the blessedness of which we preach sin is gross it is moral degeneracy it is an act of Cruelty it is a vile expression of the the the the godlessness of man but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared come to am by God's grace in faith to our Lord Jesus Christ and you will be forgiven you'll be cleansed from all unrighteousness you'll be washed clean not just some of it and then we're going to have to purge out that abortion thing once you get to Purgatory no the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin and not only are you cleansed but then you're clothed he gives you the righteousness of Christ Christ so that you can now be accepted in the Beloved you can enter into that Kingdom you will know eternal life and eternal Bliss that inheritance what he does is he keeps you from that Lake of Fire and brings you into emanuel's land preach the law make sure people know how odious this sin is but preach the gospel so they know how glorious Jesus is to forgive to the uttermost to save to the uttermost all draw nigh unto God through him well let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you for your word we thank you for its Clarity on this particular issue as well with reference to maid and the various other assaults on the image of God that we see all around us we pray that in your wrath you would remember Mercy that you would bless the preaching of the Gospel today that many would come out of Darkness into Marvelous Light confessing faith in our Lord Jesus Christ we do pray you'd put the fear of God in the hearts of those in high places put the fear of God in the hearts of those who engage in medical practice put the fear of God in the hearts of people contemplating this particular act and may they resist it may they run from it may you indeed be gracious and and glorious and wondrous to receive them and we ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen we'll stand and we'll sing the doxology in praise to God then I'll close our service with prayer and at that time I'll pray that God blesses the food and we can go upstairs to eat so 568 in your hym book PR praise andly oh Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is Mercy and with him is abundant Redemption and he shall rede Israel from all his iniquities God in heaven we thank you for the promise of the psalm we thank you for the promise of God throughout scripture concerning the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for so great a Salvation we thank you for your mercy and your grace we thank you as well for this time to Fellowship together with one another bless and strengthen us with this food and may we eat and drink for your Glory's sake and we ask through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen after a brief time of meditation please join us upstairs if you didn't get the email or announcement that we were having a lunch and don't let that keep you back please join with us I usually the case that people bring lots of extras so there should be food up there