Life Is Sacred (Part 1 of 2)

Scripture is clear that God value all life today on Truth for Life will find out why human life is considered particularly sacred distinct from the rest of God's creation were continuing our series pathway to freedom. Here's Alistair Begg turn with me if you would to Exodus chapter 20 and verse 13 where we find the sixth commandment. Therefore, words in English to in Hebrew, the two words in Hebrew simply say no murder, no murder in 1963 in Scotland, there were two convictions of murder. I remember I was 11 years old last year in Chicago.

There were 18. Every week the sixth commandment is phenomenally relevant in our world today.

The sixth commandment does not negate the death penalty. I'm not going to address that now the death penalty is actually found in Exodus 21 in verse 13 and Exodus 2113 which points out that anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death is clearly not contradicting Exodus chapter 20 verse 13, that's another matter for another time. I like to tackle this subject under four headings this morning. First of all, considering with you the master of authority, and then the problem of facility and then the issue of sanctity actually just three will be fine. First of all them the matter of authority. The matter of authority fundamental to the sixth commandment. As with all commandments, is the issue of the existence of a personal Creator God in Exodus chapter 20 in verse two.

You read. I am the Lord your God, and then in verse three. The phrase begins. You shall have no other gods before me and the ability of God to bring this divine pronouncement upon his creation is directly founded upon the fact that he himself is none other than the creator. I am therefore you shall. The Bible tells us that the universe exists and the reason that it is form and meaning is because it was created personally and purposefully by creator God. The very fact of all that we see around us is says the Bible as a result of the existence of a God personally and purposefully created each part, and each expect of all that is his own. The Bible goes on to say that mankind is being made in the image of God and that there is a continuity between our finite selves and our infinite creator and this infinite creator stands behind the universe, and provides for its final source of meaning. It is on account of God's creative handiwork that we have personality that we have morality that we have dignity and that we have value. There is no other basis for the personality, morality, dignity and value of man see then that it is founded in the find of this personal infinite creator God. Consequently, the Bible also teaches that there is a qualitative distinction between man and that his men and women I use men genetically and other organic life. We are not simply part of the animal kingdom. We are certainly not part of the flora kingdom our mannish nests. As Francis shaver put it years ago points out, the very fact of our distinction with the rest of created order. The machinations of man, what is shaver mean by that really means a number of things. For example, he points to the creativity of man. He points out that it is man rather than the animals who have created our you don't see chimpanzees doing flower arranging. You don't see gorillas flying Harrier jump jets, at least not I haven't seen them a tall and the very fact of our mannish this distinguishes us from the rest of the creative order in some strange way our fear of death is an indication of the difference between ourselves and the rest of creation.

The leaves on the trees have not been hanging out for the last month looking at one another and saying you know I'm so afraid to fall off. This branch here and get sucked up by that big thing I did I let prizefighter this is awesome to me. The leaves have no such notion tall there obviously inanimate.

They cannot think and there is no apparent indication in the animal kingdom of there being much difference there. The mannish this of man is revealed in our ability to verbalize. We are the ones who can speak in the minds of men and women are minds are able to conceive their able to recollect they are able to project and invite no honest philosophers going to deny this because from the dawn of history man has, by his apartment by his accomplishments distinguished himself from the rest of creation.

We are not to be in any doubt about this.

We are not to be confused about the Bible is very clear is very ordered and what it teaches. God created he is an infinite creator God he made man he distinguish man from the rest of the. The creative order man was made in the image of God. Unlike the rest man was given a never dying soul and no other view of the world gives an adequate explanation of what we see around us now view of the world is simply the answer to the question, who am I where did I come from, why am I here where my going and doesn't really matter if you write those questions down on a sheet of paper and then you write your answers to them the things that you write is an answer. Are your worldview. That's how you explain your existence. That's how you explain the universe.

That's how you explain your world and traditionally the humanistic perspective of the Western world has been left struck done before these issues, the pantheistic worldview that is coming from the east has also had little to say.

And at this point in the late 20th century here in our Western world. As men and women have recognized that this kind of agonistic scientific rationalism. No answers. They find themselves now on a quest for spirituality which will perhaps explain to them their reason for existence. So we have is the strange amalgamation of Western individualism and Eastern mysticism which produces some of the most unbelievably crazy nonsense that we have ever seen in the whole history of the nation. But the Bible is really clear. The Bible is very clear God.

It is an authoritative God.

God spoke in the world came into being. God is an infinite creator God is personally involved with that which he is create and behind this six commandment you shall not murder, lies the authority of the creator God.

Now the reaction to authority is one of facility that's our second point, the matter of authority. The problem of hostility. The problem of hostility is aptly summarized by Paul in Romans chapter 8 when in the course of a wider argument he makes it clear that the natural manner the mind of sinful man is hostile to God.

Romans chapter 8 verse six the mind of sinful man is death, but the mind control by the Spirit is life and peace, the sinful mind is hostile to God.

It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so was controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. So we know a number of things.

Then about men and women as created number one they have sinful minds and they don't like the idea that God is in control.

Therefore, they do not submit to God's law, nor are they able ultimately to do so, they are controlled by their sinful natures and therefore they cannot please God. So instead of acknowledging God's creative work man chooses to believe instead that the universe has existed forever in some form and that is present for just happened as a result of chance events way back in time saw John by the grandmother of all music says we are the orphans in an age of no tomorrows. We have no yesterday we got no tomorrow. We are lost in time.

What is she doing she's expressing her view of the world. The evolutionary concept of our existence starts with an impersonal beginning plus time plus chance that's the explanation.

There was always something around there was an impersonal force.

Then we have the passage of time and have a number of chance occurrences and then welcome to the world. Hey, good morning. Glad you arrive baby welcome to a meaningless absurd universe Urey arrival is significant.

So far only as it makes me feel certain emotions, but you have no reason to be tall and we might as well tell you that right front, if we were honest, we would tell them that right up front because the very that is that worldview which allows us to suck them out of the before they arrive. Because we believe them to have no reason to exist right front who expresses it best.

I think Woody Allen you know he's a guy who says now that I'm afraid to diocese that I don't want to be there when it happens the way he lives the things he says when he dies when he writes what he acts as an expression of who and what he is. He's honest in that respect in any and all innocent in a supposedly humorous line.

He says mankind is left with alienation, loneliness and emptiness verging on madness life he says is divided into the horrible and the miserable failure to road you can go all the horrible are we have the miserable road but the fact is that we are all living on the verge. The cliff edge of total madness you think about it, just turn your newspapers over and read them week. Some of the magazines and watch the news reports seem so far-fetched and I it actually seems like we are living on the verge of total madness.

So much of what goes on around us we see this is unbelievable.

This is insanity. Why because the law of God, the maker's instructions that are here for all of time been taken close shall stuck in a museum and we modern men and women will carry on, find by ourselves. Thank you very much. We will live with an impersonal beginning plus time plus chance I will make sense of it are so the problem of the rejection of God's authority is the problem of man's hostility. Paul Gauguin is it. Is that how you pronounce his name not good in the pronunciation of these names I I think that's him. The painter before you try to commit suicide after his final print painting. He scrawled on his painting when scum. We, what are we twitter do we go sis.

What's the point of all this stuff where I come from, why do I exist and where my going answer modern man to where I come from is nowhere why do you exist no reason where you going, no place PS have a nice life. Why do we labor this one 1910 to see this because, listen, love was this morning unless we understand that this is the essential difference between ourselves and our nonbelieving friends unless we understand the perspective of our neighbors and our colleagues who study with theirs and University walk the halls with his indeed business trips with his new play ball with us unless we understand where the discrepancy lies in our thinking and we are able to dialogue concerning that truth will will will ever be left with is sloganeering knee-jerk reaction is frankly conservative evangelicalism has gone sloganeering down to a fine art.

We know the slogans were supposed to shout because somebody on the radio told us what were supposed to shout the switchbox were supposed to take big game in the pre-group program material for what conservative evangelicalism believes will just take all that will make those phone calls and call those people. Why in the world necessarily.

We will but we will because what you're supposed to do.

Meanwhile our friends there getting their stuff sent to them take their box make their phone call.

Embrace their cause, and do their due until we recognize what underpins the convictions we can dialogue concerning know if you think about it. Neither pragmatism nor emotionalism is able to stand against the tide of the plate present evaluation of human life synergy against you in get that I know pragmatism on the one hand, we simply says I should kill anybody because of the utilitarian idea you don't don't don't kill them will have to what's up with them somewhere right to the utilitarian notion and everything should kill people is is not is not a nice idea or emotionalism by no I don't think so. Neither pragmatism nor emotionalism can stem the tide of the devaluation of human life.

There are a lot of pragmatists around Lord emotional sarong around a lot of radical still left over from the 60s.

The guys in the 60s. They were really radical about peace in life and love and everything right now. They couldn't do it because they have radicalism without roots. The program without principles so I was impossible then for this transformation to take place.

There needs to be the principles set of principles expressive of a biblical worldview, providing a reason for the unique value of all human life then provides the substance and the basis for is exalting the sanctity of life and seeking to correct those who would devalue human existence until we engage our friends and our neighbors in that kind of dialogue are agnostic friends and neighbors that we now have in any discussion with them. I told you know that the abortion debate is not a debate its own rabble is one group on one side, shouting their slogans and another group on the other side, shouting their slogan and we need to understand the reason this individual shouts this way I don't accept it. But I know why they do because they believe in the existence of man began in an impersonal way plus time plus chance they believe that Matt is simply the Social Security number.

He is a units significance is only in this spectrum of the utility of his life as long as it is going well, and as long as he's not sick and as long as he likes Betty will continue with it.

But if he grows sick or he doesn't like it, or he needs to curtail it.

Then you pull the plug on it or someone else will do it for that.

We've got to show them that the reason they believe that is because their perspective on the world is wrong.

They are logically logical. The logic within their close view by their close view is wrong. We need the same time to be able to articulate to agnostic friends that we are not simply about crusades for certain slogans and ideas, but the reason that we uphold the sixth Commandment and the sanctity of human life, is because unlike you, then we believe that there was a moment in time. Millie second in which a creator God who has always existed made creation and as a result of that established in the creation of man, morality, a sense of right and wrong dignity as having been made in his image personality is distinct from the rest and intrinsic value because of who he we then need to go on as they will say while the world that we get in the predicament in which we find ourselves then we will move from Genesis chapter 1 and chapter 2 into Genesis chapter 3 and we will show how the fall of man leaves men and women today in a world not the way that God created it not the way that the world that God intended by the world and the way in which man has spoiled see our neighbors. I drive back I drove behind a car used to be that is said fro family Pro kids pro-choice Right I'll start nodding your head like a bunch of major workers listen a minute lesson that was driven by a young couple now. Why do they say that they say that presumably if we can engage them in dialogue because of what their view of the world is now we know that that's biblically wrong, but we need to shut up long enough to allow them to talk about their notions which underpin it to Disney for them graciously and kindly. The silly non sequiturs in their arguments and to share with them the wonder of a personal creator God who revealed himself in Jesus because the only whole is the redemption of their life's not the instruction of their minds if we think to win by shouting louder crazy now if this is too philosophical for us this morning. This is a philosophical theology or theological philosophy. I want you to know that I'm looking forward to this afternoon to talking to some fourth and fifth grade children here in the church and the kind of questions that they have asked me I'm supposed to answer all these questions between four 3530 and 630 are questions like who created God who created God. How was why was Gordon never born. Did God really die. Does God love Satan. When Jesus died in Jesus is God, why did everything go crazy and out of control. So for those of you who want a Christian experience that can be reduced to seven little slogans to make you happy. Five versus the learned carry on your way.

But I'm going to tell you that the kids in your house are asking more sensible questions and many of us are even thinking about and they are more there are children there on the forefront of these issues. Now the authority matter.

The facility manager in the sanctity matter. Let's come to the issue, then of the sanctity of life, the sanctity of life is underpinned by this view of the world by the fact that God is Creator that he is personally involved. Man is hostile to that truth, but it doesn't alter the fact of the sanctity of life, human life is sacred, says the Bible.

First, because it is God's gift and secondly because man bears God's image.

We do this in Genesis 1 and Genesis 9 human life is the most precious and sacred thing in all the world and to end it, or to direct its ending is God's prerogative alone so we honor God by respecting his image in each other, which means consistently preserving and furthering the welfare of one another, especially as it relates to life. Each of our lives as meaning because each of us was personally and purposefully created and we bear the image of our creator listing to Truth for Life with Alastair big we've heard today. Part one of a message titled life is sacred. If you been benefiting from this in-depth study of the 10 Commandments. Maybe you'd like to own the entire series all 12 messages are available on a single USB drive for just five dollars. There's also an accompanying pathway to freedom study guide. It's a helpful way to explore how each of the commandments applies to your life. Look for the USB and the study guide. In our online store Truth for Life.org/store.

Now, how would you like to start every day being reminded of the gospel will if so, we've got just the book for you. Alistair's newest book is titled Truth for Life 365 daily devotions. This is a Scripture based devotional. Each day you will read a Bible passage followed by insights from Alastair explaining the passage in depth. The daily readings take maybe 2 to 3 minutes, but you'll find there's great benefit in reflecting on what Alastair has written this devotional is perfect for private or family Bible reading. It will help keep you in God's word each day. In the new year the truth like devotional also makes an excellent gift to great book to share if your church is looking for a resource to encourage new members or new believers can request a copy of the truth like daily devotional would make a donation today.

Just click the image for the book truth for like 365 daily devotions on our app or visit our website@truthforlife.org/donate Bob Lapine. Most of us assume we've The sixth commandment because we've never murdered anyone listen tomorrow.

This will hear part two of today's message and discover just how easy it is for any of us to break the sixth commandment to what Alastair calls hidden murder Bible teaching of Alastair big is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living