LIFE

 LIFE

I. THE ORIGIN

1. Creation

Gen 1:1-2

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2  The earth was without

form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God

was hovering over the face of the waters.

Gen 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.

Make ‘śh (ahh – sah) - to do, labor, make, manufacture

Job 33:4

The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Evolution

II. THE VALUE

1. It’s fearful and wonderful

Psalm 139:13-16

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will

praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I

was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16

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.

Fearfully – yr’ (ya reah) reverence, frightening, afraid

Wonderfully – pl’ (pay la mi daliph) – separate, distinct, surpassing, extraordinary

2. The image and likeness of God is stamped on it

Gen 1:26-28

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…

1 Thess. 5:23

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your

whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord

Jesus Christ.

spirit – pneuma (pen ev ma) – Holy spirit, wind, spirit

soul – psuche (psu kay) – life, inner self, mind, thoughts, feelings

body – sōma (so máh) – body, corpse

3. Glory and Honor

Psalm 8:4

What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?

5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned

him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works

of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet

Glory kābod – weight, divine Presence, reputation, importance

Honor – hādār – ornament, adorning, decoration, splendor, majesty

III. THE PROTECTION OF LIFE

1. Life is in the blood

Lev 17:11

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood…”

Gen 9:4-6

But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5  Surely for your lifeblood

I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast, I will require it, and

from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the

life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in

the image of God He made man.

2. It defiles the land

Psalm 106:38

And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and daughters, Whom they

sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with blood.

Gen 4:9-10

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not

know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10  And He said, “What have you done? The

voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

3. God hates it

Prov 6:16-17

These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud

look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,

IV. ISSUES RELATING TO LIFE AND INDIVIDUALS

1. Individuals

a. Suicides

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports, in 2018:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml

 Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States,

claiming the lives of over 48,000 people.

 Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between

the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among

individuals between the ages of 35 and 54.

 There were more than two and a half times as many suicides (48,344) in the

United States as there were homicides (18,830).

b. Euthanasia

Life and death individually is in the hands of God

c. Murders

In 2019 there were 16,425 murders

https://www.statista.com/statistics/191134/reported-murder-and-

nonnegligent-manslaughter-cases-in-the-us-since-1990/

Most of time whites kill whites and blacks kill blacks..

Murders by Police

Statista.com

https://www.statista.com/statistics/585152/people-shot-to-death-by-us-police-by-race/

2017 - 452 white; 223 black; 179 Hispanic; 44 other; 84 unknown

2018. - 399, white; 209 Black; 148 Hispanic;

2019. - 370 White; 205 Black; 158 Hispanic

2020 – 432 White; 226 Black; 156 Hispanic

Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/

Black = 35 Per Million (2020)

Hispanic = 26 per million

White = 14 per million

V. Abortion

Not a political issue but a moral and religious issue

Easy to ignore

Two issues – Moral right and wrong issue. – Then hurting scared people in the

middle

There is pain on this issue. 

There is healing and forgiveness from God

Opposition to abortion does not mean opposition to those who have them

1. The unborn are people

a. Some say 40 weeks (Simply Location)

b. Viability (24-26 weeks) (Technology, As it gets better will you be ok with it)

c. Brain Function and sentience [aware of feelings and sensations] (6-14

weeks).

d. Agnostic Individualism – We don’t know when so we leave it to the woman

to choose.

Jer 1:5

“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.”

Luke 1:15

15  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.

Luke 1:41,44

And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe

leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit… 44  For

indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe

leaped in my womb for joy.

Every human should want to protect life in the womb.

 Woman’s right to her own body

o 50% are men

o It’s a person

o Different person and DNA – not really her body but developing in her

body.

 No Govt intrusion (Women should Choose)

It’s not God’s desire to take away a woman’s right to choose. He just

wants us to choose correctly

Deut. 30:19

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set

before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life,

that both you and your descendants may live;

Ex. George Floyd (We do want laws to protect this) we should also want

laws to protect the unborn

Unjust laws go against the moral fiber of our society. It’s legal but so are

slavery. MLK Jr.

 I am especially offended by the racist roots of abortion in America

Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood (the leading provider and

promoter in the country), wrote a historic and infamous letter to Dr.

Clarence Gamble (of the Proctor and Gamble empire) in 1939, concerning her

strategy to control and reduce the birth rate of Black Americans.

She wrote, “We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with

social-service backgrounds, and with engaging personalities. The most

successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal.

We don't want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the negro

population and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it

ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.

WHAT WE ARE DOING TO HELP

Government is set for punishment of evildoers

1 Peter 2:13-14

Therefore, submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake,

whether to the king as supreme, 14  or to governors, as to those who are sent by

him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

Rom 13:4

For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does

not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath

on him who practices evil.

As of February 6, 2020, the Registry has 2,754 known exonerations in the United

States since 1989. More than 24,960 years lost. The National Registry does not

include more than 1,800 defendants cleared in 15 large-scale police scandals

that came to light between 1989 and March 7, 2017, in which officers

systematically framed innocent defendants. 

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/about.aspx