The Scourge of Abortion

Amen. The title of our message tonight, folks, is The Scourge of Abortion.

I have on the screen Matthew 5-13. You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It's then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. One of the benefits of salt is that it is a preservative from corruption. And if you're a Christian, you act as a preservative against sin in the culture.

At least we hope that we do. Abortion, gender issues, homosexuality, critical race theory, our society is being bombarded with issues that fly in the face of what the Bible teaches. And at the very least, we as Christians need to ask three questions when evaluating the impact we can have on our culture. The first question is, is it my conviction that the Bible reveals the principles by which God will judge mankind? Is it my conviction that the Bible reveals the principles by which God will judge mankind? Secondly, is it my conviction that the Bible is the template or the guide for the Christian worldview and the guide for evaluating and responding to culture? Is that what we follow in making our decisions as we interact with the culture of our day?

And then finally, is it my conviction that I cannot participate in, assist, or promote anything contrary to the Bible? Tonight we want to consider just one of these issues, as I said, and that's the growing scourge of abortion, especially in our country, since 1973. I want to tell you where we're going with the message, give you the points, and then we'll begin tonight. I'll start with an introductory set of remarks to set the context of abortion in American culture and give you several facts that astounded me. Some of them you will know.

Some of them will be new to you. I'll have four points that we're going to consider tonight. The first one is the slide from confusion to callousness as to when human life begins.

How did we get where we are today? I'm going to share some dreadful information that bodes potentially darker days ahead for unwanted babies, quite frankly. The second thing we'll consider tonight is the clear declaration in the scripture by the Creator as to when human life begins, and that is conception, and we're going to consider several verses at that point. Thirdly, we'll look at the condemnation of those who caused the death of the unborn, and then fourthly, the common grace that grants children.

I trust that this will be a challenge to you. I know as I studied for this and I read over information, I just felt like I was becoming more and more apathetic. Do I care about abortion? Yes, but what am I doing? Toward the end, we'll give you some things that you might consider applying.

First, though, we want to give you some introductory remarks that I think will be helpful. Answers in Genesis defines abortion as this. It's the killing of an unborn child in his or her mother's womb.

From both a biblical and scientific perspective, life begins at the moment of fertilization. Since abortion destroys a human being who is fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image, it's nothing less than murder. Listen to this quote from a former abortionist.

It's pretty jarring. Quote, keeping an emotional distance from our patients is essential to our work. You tell yourself in terms of abortion, I'm just doing a medical procedure. I'm just helping this woman. I'm not actually tearing babies apart. He goes on to say, but at the end of even a DNC abortion, you have to open the collection sack, empty it, and literally take inventory to make certain that you've got two arms, two legs, and all the pieces.

How calloused, how jarring that is. In 2019, the estimated number of human deaths by murder in our nation was 16,425. The year end death penalty report shows that seven states executed 22 murders. 16,425 people were killed. Only 22 murderers were executed. Ironically, in this article that I read, says this, states across the country will continue to debate capital punishment's fairness, reliability, and cost of implementation.

Let me read that again. States across the country will continue to debate capital punishment's fairness, reliability, and the cost of implementation. Now what I want us to do is to compare the numbers of those deserving death, because of choices they make, with the following facts. Approximately 889,000 human deaths to abortion took place in the United States in 2019. You have to ask yourself the question, what offense could result in the premeditated killing of a human inside the womb?

What offense could bring that about? Simply being an unwanted conception of human life. What's the result of abortion? The death of an innocent life, and I might add, it's also $1.6 billion in total revenue for Planned Parenthood in 2019. Again, we're giving this information to put the message in context.

From 1973 to 2019, the total number of babies killed in their mother's womb was 64,011,495. Now, bear with me on this, because I'm going to try to share something that I think will be very jarring and insightful. I want to make a statement before I play this, and he will repeat it, but I don't want you to miss this. For every sound of a BB hitting a tin can, for every one of those sounds, that represents 10,000 lives. 10,000 lives.

What you're about to hear are the sounds of metal BBs striking the side of a tin can. For every BB that strikes, it represents 10,000 lives lost in the wars of America's past. The American Revolution. The Civil War. World War I. World War II. The Korean Conflict. The conflict in Vietnam. September 11th and the war on terror.

Since 1973, the war of our volts has changed the world to its original. I don't know about you, but that's jarring to me. That represents, as I said earlier, 64,011,495 babies murdered in the womb. The first point that we want to consider tonight is a slide from confusion to callousness as to when human life begins. And what we're doing with these different stages that you see on the screen, and I think the bottom one is cut off, but I'll read it to you, but this describes a culture of death.

There's no doubt about it. You can see the implantation view. That states that in the 27th edition of Steadman's Medical Dictionary, conception begins with the implantation of the embryo in the wall of the womb at about eight days, eight days. The embryological view holds that human life begins 12 to 14 days after fertilization, the time period after which identical twins would not occur.

There's no individuality, therefore no humanness. The neurologic view poses that humanness is attained when the brain has matured to the point that the appropriate neural pathways have been developed. This is about 26 weeks after fertilization. The ecological view, proponents of the ecological view hold that the fetus is human when it reaches the level of maturation, when it can exist outside the mother's womb. Some 20 years ago, the age of viability for a premature-born fetus was about 28 weeks.

Today, it's 24 weeks. What is the significance? Thus, in this view, man himself, through his advances in technology, can grant humanness where it didn't previously exist. In other words, doctors and scientists playing God. The birthday view, the birthday view, some hold the position that the human life begins only at the point when the baby is born. The last part of that slide, I asked the question, what's next, legalizing partial birth abortion?

And folks, you will not believe what you're going to hear. I want to give you some information from a secular publication, the Des Moines Register, December 12th, 2018. And I think it's very important that you keep in mind as you listen to these excerpts that since 1981, the science says that life within the womb is a baby. But things have only gotten worse for the unborn over the years.

Listen to these excerpts. As Harvard University Medical School professor, Michelin Matthews Ross testified before a 1981 US Senate Judiciary Committee, quote, it's scientifically correct to say that an individual human life begins at conception and that this developing human always is a member of our species in all stages of life. In other words, Matthew Ross was saying, a baby is a baby, from fertilization to heartbeat to birth. Yes, the baby of five weeks in the womb differs from the newborn, but so does the toddler differ from the teen. Scientifically, we pass through different stages as we grow, but we don't pass from person to non-person and vice versa.

And as I read this, keep in mind this is a secular newspaper. It goes on to say at the same time, 1981 government hearing, Dr. Watson A. Bowes of the University of Colorado Medical School asserted, quote, the beginning of a single human life is from a biological point of view a simple and straightforward matter. The beginning is conception. This straightforward biological fact should not be distorted to serve sociological, political, or economic goals. After examining the evidence, the Senate subcommittee said the following, physicians, biologists, and other scientists agree that conception marks the beginning of the life of a human being, a being that is alive and is a member of the human species. There is overwhelming agreement on this point and countless medical, biological, and scientific writings. And yet, folks, all we hear on television now is follow the science, but they're not doing it.

The 37 years of scientific advancement since the subcommittee hearing have only confirmed its findings. Patients survive premature birth today at younger and younger ages, demonstrating how arbitrary it is to argue life doesn't begin until a baby is, quote, viable. Today's 3D ultrasounds give us astonishing, heartwarming pictures revealing that the little child in her womb is a baby. Dr. Bernard Nathanson is the co-founder of the National Abortion Rights Action League. He has personally presided over 60,000 abortions.

This is what he confessed in the film The Silent Scream, and that film was produced in 1984. He said, modern technologies have convinced us that beyond question, the unborn child is simply another human being, another member of the human community, indistinguishable in every way from any of us, and at a 2014 panel discussion presented by the National Abortion Federation, listen to this, Dr. Lisa Harris of Planned Parenthood put it even more plainly. She said, mothers are not stupid. They know what's in there. It's violence.

It's a person. It's killing. That's where we've come to. That's where we've come to. And some people that gave quotes in this article worked at abortion clinics. They basically sang, we have dehumanized the child in the womb. We ignore the science. Now, someone made the suggestion, why not make a woman who's going to get an abortion view an ultrasound?

That sounds good, and if it could be done properly, it would be effective, I'm sure, but the problem is abortionists can manipulate the ultrasound to show what they want to. Folks, these pro-abortion people are admitting that a human life inside the womb is being killed. I want to read two quotes from you, and this is really what prompted me to do this message. These are the final two quotes.

This is from a book that I just got. It's called The Secular Creed, Engaging Five Contemporary Claims, and this is going to shock you. In 2012, let me say that again, in 2012, medical ethicists Alberto Giblini and Francesca Minerva published a paper in the Journal of Medical Ethics arguing that, quote, both fetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as an actual person. So after birth abortion, killing a newborn should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled. They openly admit that you should be allowed to kill newborn babies.

The second one is by a Princeton professor, Peter Singer. Now let me back up and remind you, this first quote was in 2012, and they're continuing to kill babies yearly. If it digresses to what these people, the seeds that these people are planting, heaven help us. Princeton professor Peter Singer said this, in Singer's view, a weak old baby is not a rational and self-conscious being. There are many non-human animals whose rationality, self-consciousness, awareness, capacity, and so on exceed that of a human baby a week or a month old. Therefore, Singer concludes, the life of a newborn baby is of less value than the life of a pig, a dog, or a chimpanzee.

To translate that into practical terms, eating bacon might be more immoral than an infanticide. That might be shocking to you, and it should be shocking to you, but, beloved, in 2012 we wouldn't have dreamed that we were dealing with transgender the way we are today, homosexuality the way we are today, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. They have planted seeds as far back as 2012, and what will the future hold for the born who are unwanted?

It's jarring to me. Now let's look at what scripture says, and quite honestly, I think all of you are going to know what God's position is on this, but we're going to review it and give you some examples. The clear declaration in scripture by the creator as to when human life begins, and the key to this is the clear declaration of God, and if you would, turn to Psalm 139. Psalm 139, we'll just read a few verses out of that that you're very familiar with. The clear declaration in scripture by the creator as to when human life begins.

God ordains the details of every person's life before he forms him or her in the womb, and here the verses 13 through 16. David is speaking, and he says, for you form 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. Before I saw my substance, yet being unformed, and in your book they all were written, the day's fashion for me went as yet, there were none of them. And I want you, beloved, to notice the personal pronouns that David uses for himself prior to birth. In other words, he considered himself a person in the womb, and indeed he was.

We could exposit that. It's pretty straightforward, but I do want to read a quote by Spurgeon that I think says it better than I could ever dream of saying it. Concerning these four or five verses, listen to what Charles Spurgeon said.

While the vessel was upon the wheel, the potter saw it all. And in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned. When as yet there were none of them.

An architect draws his plans and makes out his specification. Just so did the great maker of our frame write down all our members in the book of his purposes. Their form and shape and everything about them were appointed of God long before they had any existence. God saw us when we could not be seen. And he wrote about us when there was nothing of us to write about. When as yet there were none of our members in existence. All those members were before the eye of God in the sketchbook of his foreknowledge and predestination.

Amen and amen. The last view of when a baby becomes human is the fertilization view. And this is the view that we would take. The simplest view is based on genetics. Those who hold this position argue that since a genetically unique individual is created at the time of fertilization, each human life begins at fertilization. Folks in this view, the terms fertilization and conception are interchangeable. Thus, in this view, life would be said to begin at conception. And a biblicist, a person who takes the word of God seriously, realizes that as soon as that baby is conceived, it's hands off.

It's a human being. I want to give other examples besides David. And I'll read these verses and make a comment or two.

You need not turn to them, but I would suggest that you write them down because I think they're good for you to be able to go to these verses when you're dealing with a Christian who is considering abortion. And I want to insert something here. I'm going to point out a couple things a bit later. John Kacevich has, I put together an information sheet from stuff that he gave me, and these will be on the usher station, some very valuable material. But this little booklet, we're talking about tiny hands that hold my heart. This would be an excellent booklet. And I intend to make some available for our church, an excellent booklet for a young girl who's pregnant or a woman who is in her first pregnancy. It goes through each month and shows how the baby develops from conception all the way through birth.

And I think it's excellent, and I would highly recommend every one of you to get one of these to have to be able to give to a girl who perhaps has become pregnant or a married lady who is pregnant for the first time. But we want to look at other examples. First of all, Moses, Exodus 4.11, so the Lord said to him, who has made man's mouth or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have night eye, the Lord. And the point we're making here, folks, every life is valuable just as God ordained it. An article from Answers in Genesis said this. It's entitled, Are Humans with Disabilities Facing Extinction? Are Humans with Disabilities Facing Extinction?

What an appalling truth. We legislate to protect endangered animals, but we callously allow the murder of babies in their mother's wombs because they'll be born with a disability. I think many of you are aware that Governor Cooper vetoed the Human Life Nondiscrimination Act, and that would prohibit abortions because the unborn child's actual or presumed race or sex or the presence or presumed presence of something like Down syndrome.

It passed the legislature, and he vetoed it. And as I'll say at the end of my message tonight, that's one thing that you can do. Pray that that gets overturned, and I'll share some other things as well. Folks, the bottom line is this. We have three, my wife and I, special needs grandsons, and love every one of them. They're an integral part of our family, and they are made exactly as God, a sovereign God, would have them. And they're meant for us to embrace as they are. And I can say this, those three boys in their own way have been used to touch a lot of lives, I believe many lives here at Beacon. Isaiah 49, 5, the prophet says, And now the Lord says, Who formed me from the womb to be his servant. It just reflects on the fact that Isaiah was formed by God from the womb. Jeremiah 1, 5, Jeremiah says this, 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. God chose Jeremiah even before he was conceived or formed in his mother's womb. Then God formed Jeremiah and gave him the genetic structure he wanted him to possess. This means Jeremiah was set apart by the Lord and for the Lord, even before he knew the Lord in a personal way.

That's tremendous thought to keep in mind. Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And that goes hand in glove, beloved, with texts like Ephesians 1, Ephesians 2. And then John the Baptist, Luke 1, 7, But Zacharias and Elizabeth had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years. Verse 13, the angel says, Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. Verse 24, Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived.

What did she conceive? A baby boy, John the Baptist, Jesus, Matthew 1, 18. He says this, Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found a child of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says in Luke 1, 31, Behold, you will conceive in your womb, it said of him, I should say, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and you will call his name Jesus, even our Lord in the womb.

And then finally, Paul, Galatians 1, 15 through 16a, It pleased the Lord, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me through his grace, to reveal his son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles. Beloved, the clear declaration of scripture by the Creator as to when human life begins is at conception, and there's no way around that. The third thing that we want to consider, sobering thought, the condemnation of those who caused the death of the unborn, the condemnation of those who caused the death of the unborn. Exodus chapter 21 verses 22 and 23 says, If men fight and hurt a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished according as the woman's husband imposes on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine.

Now listen to this. He goes on to say, But if any harm follows, either to the woman or to the unborn child, if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life. Verses 22 and 23 are basic to pro-life position on abortion, because they indicate that aborting of a fetus is equivalent to the murder of a child, and God's reaction to that is life for life.

The guilty party was punished as a murderer. The devaluation of life by mankind is nothing new. We can look at this, and we can think, You mean to tell me that there are some people that are actually considering it would be appropriate to kill a baby outside the womb? Listen to what Second Kings 17, 17 says of Israel, and it's appalling, and I'm sure many of you have read this. Second Kings 17, 17 reveals the hardness of the human heart. Israel, God's chosen people, caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire and worship of Moloch. In abortion, the baby is out of sight. Israel watched their children pass through the fire. That is mind-boggling to me. Talk about the hardness of the human heart.

They watched their children pass through the fire to an idol. What about babies who are conceived through the horrific sin of rape? Well, the following quote is from LifeSite News, and by the way, that organization is banned from YouTube, not a surprise, but they say this. What about the horrific sin of rape? Does the circumstance of conception determine human worth?

Let me say that again. Does the circumstance of conception determine human worth? When you think about it, the answer is no. That which has been conceived is a human being. Are children who could not control the manner of how they were brought into existence subhuman? And inferior to those who were conceived conventionally? Are we going to assume that abortion is the only solution? And being ignorant of adoption and dozens of other couples in line for every one baby? Someone mentioned to me this morning when I was talking about this message tonight that many young people have the attitude, I don't want to bring a baby into this world. I don't want to bring a baby into this world. Well, folks, that makes you God then, little G. You decide that you don't want to bring a human being into the world because of the status of the world. You're going to find out that the problem is this, children are a gift of the Lord.

That'll be our fourth point in a moment. We have no right to have killed or aborted any child, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the society in which they were born. Think of the society that Jesus was born into.

Think of the society that he came into. In John 16, 21, Jesus said, a woman when she's in labor has sorrow because her hour has come. But as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born into the world. And then this last sobering point that we want to consider tonight, the common grace that grants the gift of children.

Why do I say the common grace? Because saved and unsaved alike are given the gift of children. Psalm 127-3, Solomon wrote, behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. The Lord has ordained the human activities of begetting, conceiving, and bearing, yet the Bible insists it's not human but divine agency that opens the womb or indeed closes the womb for his purposes. Children are not our achievement but his gift.

J.I. Packer put it this way, where society is rightly ordered, children are regarded not as an encumbrance but as an inheritance, and they're received not with regret but as a reward. But think of this way, abortion is the willful rejection of God's gift of life. Abortion is the willful rejection of God's gift of life.

And let me say this. For those dear saints who have not been given the gift of a child, I implore you to offer up a sacrifice of praise to God's sovereign plan for you, as hard as that is. Those of us who have special needs children and grandchildren have had to choose to embrace the struggles and the opportunities that accompany the sometimes hard provenance of God. Doing so is a means to which God can be glorified and we can be used to encourage others. Don't take that statement lightly. Whether God does not give you children or he gives you special needs children, God is God.

He's sovereign and he has a purpose for this, and if you will bow the heart and the knee to that, he will use you in ways that you never dreamed. We've looked at the slide from confusion to callousness as to when human life begins. And my point in that is they know they're killing babies.

They've known this since 1981. They know they're killing babies. And they're even proposing the legitimacy of killing babies after birth. The second thing we considered the clear declaration in scripture by the creator as to when human life begins, conception at conception. We look thirdly, the condemnation of those who caused the death of the unborn. God's law is a life for a life. And then finally, we just considered the common grace that grants the life of children. Abortion is the willful rejection of God's gift. I have found in my own life, even though I'm appalled at abortion and I despise it, that I have not done all that I can do and all that I should do. And I'm going to offer five things that you can consider doing.

And the first two, there's no excuse for any of us not doing. Pray daily that God will have his will be done concerning the protection of the Hyde Amendment. Pray daily that God will have his will be done concerning the protection of the Hyde Amendment. And that limits federal funding of abortion. And you may have to contact your representatives, but at least pray, folks.

Listen to this. The Hyde Amendment is left out of the president's budget. It has saved over 2.4 million lives and continues to save nearly 60,000 babies a year.

The Hyde Amendment. Pray that that gets put into the budget. Pray daily that God will have his will. Any one of us can do that. And you may want to put a sticker on your computer screen or whatever.

Do whatever it takes to remind yourself. All of us can pray. Secondly, pray daily concerning the Supreme Court hearing.

They are going to be listening to a case arising from a Mississippi law that bans most abortion after 15 weeks. No. Advancing abortions after 15 weeks is not the goal. It isn't the goal. But it's a step in the right direction. And I would simply say this.

Wars are won a single battle at a time. We want to be instrumental, going before the throne of grace, to be used to God to save whatever babies can be saved. So pray daily for the Hyde Amendment.

Pray daily for the Supreme Court that they would do that which is right, that they would recognize what science has said since 1981, that inside the womb of a woman who is pregnant is a human being. Third, be knowledgeable about what the Bible says about life so that you can interact biblically when you're talking with other Christians about abortion. I mentioned the resource sheet that we'll have. I mentioned this little booklet. If you know a young lady or a woman who is even considering abortion, this will be very, very effective in their lives.

Be knowledgeable. And folks, if all you do is turn to Psalm 139, 13 through 16, and show that God knew David before he ever was formed, that's a step in the right direction. And you can give the illustrations of the biblical people that I shared with you. And then number four, get involved with a local ministry that offers help for pregnant women who cannot go it alone or that pleads with women to take alternatives to abortion. And again, we can give you information.

I want to, I'm not going to read this, but this sheet came from Erwin Lutzer. And it's a young lady who writes this, and Lutzer is quoting her. And she starts out with this. I agree with you 100 percent about abortion, but I had one. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. My mom said I had to have an abortion. And she goes on how the counselor at Planned Parenthood said nobody would want to adopt your baby.

She said this probing bit of information. She says, you, Christians, you are hurting girls who want their babies. I didn't have an alternative to having mine aborted.

I want to say it hurts. You people are against abortion, but are you willing to help young girls and women who don't have the money or a place to live? Her folks are basically saying get an abortion or get out. And she's saying are you willing to help young girls and women who don't have the money or a place to live? Some of us women and girls are not killers.

We're a human, too. And I can tell you that having an abortion is killing me, slowly. And Lutzer says this to his church. Let us as a church agree today that we stand with young women facing an unwanted pregnancy, and we say we're here for you.

We're here to help you dream of a new reality. We're here ready to accept, to support, to adopt, so that we might extend the grace of God to all the lives of those who need it most. Very probing information from a young lady that really didn't see any way out.

It was get the abortion or leave home with no place to go. So get involved with the local ministry. Against pregnancy services is an arm of the rescue mission. A heart's cry is another one.

And I will challenge you, most of you know John Kacevich, he's very involved in this stuff, to commendable agree, get up with John and he can point you in many directions. And then finally, consider the adoption of a baby who's allowed to live but whose mother will not or cannot raise him or her. Two of our grandsons fall in that category. And every time I see them, nearly every time, the thought goes through my mind, where might those two boys be if they were not adopted into our family?

Where might they be? And number one, kudos to their mothers for carrying those boys and having them. And I think that's a very important part of the story. Kudos to their mothers for carrying those boys and having them. And kudos to their mothers for putting them up for adoption when they realized they could not care for them.

Consider the adoption of a baby who was allowed to live but whose mother will not or cannot raise him or her. Folks, as I said at the start, all of you know the Bible's position when it comes to conception. I'm sure all of you have read Psalm 139. My purpose in this message tonight is aimed at myself and each of us.

Have you become apathetic? Can you have me read what I read out of here about it being more permissible to have a one-month-old killed? And this grotesque statement that the life of a newborn baby is of less value than the life of a pig, a dog, or a chimpanzee, translating into practical terms, eating bacon might be more immoral than infanticide, that should enrage us. That should get us off the couch, and at the very least, it should cause us to pray for a sovereign God to intervene. Let's close in prayer. Father, I do pray that you take what I've said tonight and challenge your people. Challenge me, Lord. Help us to understand that many times the unborn have no advocate, they have no crusader to stand in the gap for them. Lord, I pray that you'd help our church continue to support ministries that reach out to women. And Father, as a benediction, I share with our people now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which has loved us and given us an everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work and word. In Jesus' name, amen.