You Knit Me Together
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
This morning...
On Sanctity of Human Life Sunday...
I would like to share a few Myths you may hear from our secular and godless world...
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Myth #1 - "The fetus is just a clump of cells that's part of the mother's body"
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That is false...
An unborn child has their own genetic code from Day 1...
That is from conception...
And even scientists can’t argue for they themselves defined an unborn child as a distinct organism.
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Myth #2 - "The use of contraception decreases the abortion rate"
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Survey says that is false...
Contraception induces a rise in promiscuity...
Leading to a rise in sexual relations...
And “unintended” pregnancies...
Leading to an increase in abortion rates.
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Myth #3 - "Planned Parenthood often provides prenatal care and adoption referrals, and only some abortions"
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That is again...
A big fat lie!
97% of pregnant clients at Planned Parenthood get abortions...
And every day...
They make over $583,000 from those abortions.
That’s over half a million a day.
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They are slaughtering children...
Sacrificing them on the altar of Molech in the name of lust, convenience, and greed!
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So, please turn your Bibles to The Psalms.
We will be conducting our study in Psalm 139 and focusing on verses 13 through 16.
Our message this morning is called, “You Knit Me Together”
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As you are finding your place in God’s Word, I want to share...
That we will be focusing on God’s design for us...
And how all life is precious...
For it is God who forms us...
Wonderfully making us in His image...
And writing out all the days of our life.
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) God Formed Us
1) God Formed Us
Verse 13: For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
The term “inward parts” which is “kilyah” in the ancient Hebrew, was used to refer to organs like kidneys.
Additionally, like its use here, it was also used as a metaphor of one’s inner self and is often used in parallel to the heart...
That is because the kidneys were considered the seat of human emotions or moral character in the ancient Jewish world.
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That fact that God intricately put us together is mind blowing...
Especially when you consider all of creation.
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When you have time...
If you have never seen it...
Look at the size of the whole earth compared to a single human being.
Then look at the size of the earth in comparison to the size of the sun.
Then after seeing that...
Look at the sun in comparison to the whole solar system...
Pretty amazing right.
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Well, then look at the solar system in comparison to our galaxy called the Milky Way Galaxy...
And comprehend this if you can...
That our galaxy is only one of an estimated 200 billion in the whole universe.
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God’s creation is incredible...
And as technologies keep improving...
Don’t be surprised if we find out that the size of creation is greater than that still...
And that is only what can be seen with the human eye...
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In that context...
Now see what Psalm 8:3–8 says:
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
Despite the vast creation...
God cares so much for every single human life...
That He personally puts us together...
Knitting us together as a piece of fine art with the most intricate if details.
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As Isaiah 64:8 says:
8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
As the skillful potter patiently and skillfully crafts his masterpiece...
So too our God crafts human life in each mother’s womb.
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In comparison to all of creation we are nearly unnoticeable...
A spec of dust in an ocean...
Yet, He loves us still...
Being mindful of us...
Stitching our organs together...
Writing our complex DNA codes...
Forming our unique personalities and gifts...
Putting His signature on everyone of us with our one-of-a-kind fingerprints...
For we are fearfully and wonderfully made...
And this takes us to our next point.
2) We Are Wonderfully Made
2) We Are Wonderfully Made
Verses 14-16(a): I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance.
The phrase “fearfully” can also be better understood and rendered as “remarkably.”
So, the verse say in other words, “I am remarkably and wonderfully made.”
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The word “frame” in ancient Hebrew was a reference to ones bones.
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As the Fatihlife Study Bible notes:
“People in the ancient Near East considered bones to be particularly indicative of a person’s nature because they were the deepest and longest-lasting part of a person.”
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The words “secret” and “depth of the earth” are used figuratively as a metaphor of a mother’s womb.
The words “unformed substance” is an embryo.
So, we see that this passage reveals that God is sovereign over all events and insistence to the point that He is active even as a child is growing and developing in a mother’s womb.
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We as humans are unique in God’s creation...
We are set apart from everything else for we are created in the image of God.
Genesis 1:26–28 puts it this way:
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
From the very beginning God created us in His own image...
And He gave us the authority to have dominion over the rest of the earth...
Calling us to be good stewards of His creation.
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As much as the current society hates it...
God’s Word along with science for the matter...
Make it undebatable that God created humans as only male and female...
I don't care what society says...
I don’t care what some states say...
I don’t care what the federal government says...
I don’t care what some schools say...
God created them male and female!
And marriage is God ordained...
And it always has been...
Always is...
And will always be...
Between one man and one woman!
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To suggest otherwise is to claim that God made a mistake but God doesn’t do that...
For He is perfect...
And as we can see from our passage He is completely sovereign!
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As created beings in the image of God we are also instructed from the very beginning...
Never to take another life by our own hands...
Genesis 9:6 says:
6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.
Outside of war or capital punishment...
As even seen in this very verse...
We are never to shed the blood of another person.
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Again, as much as the current society hates it...
The Word of God is clear...
We are to never to take the life of someone...
Regardless of the fact that they are outside the womb or inside it!
Murder is murder regardless of the location of the victim.
Shedding blood is still shedding blood no matter the size of the victim.
Again...
Let me be clear...
And Youtube can take down or censor this message all they want but it doesn’t stop the truth from being the truth!
If you wan to put us believers in an orange jumpsuit know it won’t stop us...
Because...
We don't care what society says...
We don’t care what some states say...
We don’t care what the federal government says...
We don’t care what some schools say...
No one has the right to abort a baby!
For human life is precious to our God...
The One and Only God of all creation!
As Luke 12:7 says:
7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
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Now for those who are hearing this message and ended up making a horrible mistake in their past...
Maybe your sin from your past is haunting you...
Know this...
Their is always hope in Christ...
No sin is to great except the sin of all together rejecting Him until the very end.
Remember it was the Chief of Sinners, Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament...
It was the Chief of Sinners that God shattered his heart of stone and gave him one of flesh!
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If this is you...
Ashamed of your past sin...
Cry out to Him...
Repent of your sins...
All your sins...
And surrender to the only name that saves...
Jesus Christ!
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For as believers...
He has an even greater love and calling for us...
We also can’t forget the fact that He created us...
To be His personal workman.
Look at the profound truth found in Ephesians 2:10:
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
This is our greater purpose...
God didn’t create His elect just to sit around and do nothing until He comes back!
God created us to be His workman...
God created us for good works...
And all this was prepared before the foundation of the world meaning it was always part of the plan.
So, we as those called by Christ to serve Him, must walk in His ways!
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We can’t forget what Christ has done for us...
We can’t forget Ephesians 2:4–5 that says:
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
We have to thank God for our salvation...
For He is the Author of our salvation...
For He is the one who wrote our every one of our days...
And this takes us to our next and final point.
3) Everyday Already Written
3) Everyday Already Written
Verse 16(b): In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
This verse makes it clear that God sovereignly ordains one’s life before they are ever even conceived.
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This truth follows the pattern we see all throughout Scripture.
For example one only has to look to Jeremiah 1:5 to see this truth reiterated:
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
So, before Jeremiah was even in the womb...
Before conception...
God knew him and already wrote out the days of his life that included God’s plan for him to be a prophet of His.
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Isaiah has some very similar words to share in Isaiah 49:5 in which he says:
5 And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength—
Again, the narrative it the same over and over again...
God is the one who plans our days...
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God plans every day and every detail of our days...
Just loo at what it says in Psalm 56:8:
8 You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?
Every event God has wrote out in our book of life...
Even every tear we shed...
God’s perfect plan accounts for everything...
Meaning God even plans whom He will set apart for salvation as it was in Galatians 1:15:
15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,
Believers are only saved by the mercy and grace of God...
It is not our own doing or merit that saves us...
So, we can only have a humble and thankful heart to our merciful God!
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So, in our prayers...
Let us not forget who is the One who rules over all...
And let us not forget the only One we can make our appeals to...
When we seek protection from our persecutors...
Remember the words found in Psalm 31:15 which says:
15 My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
And when we seek to better know His Word...
Let us keep in put memory the truth found in Psalm 119:73:
73 Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
And finally...
Let us never loose heart...
For if we are followers of Christ...
Then the plans God has for our life always leads to good as it says in Romans 8:28:
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
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Our passage that we have looked at in Psalm 139 is a powerful message...
And the truth found in it fly's right in the face of the “morals” of his generation.
Especially on the topic of the sanctity of life.
So, please consider this note from the ESV Study Bible:
“Based on the consistent testimony of Scripture, the early Jewish and Christian tradition, and what can be known of God’s moral law through natural revelation, the unborn child should be protected as a person from the moment of conception.
A strong argument can in fact be made for this even apart from biblical revelation, for the only differences between babies in utero and babies that are born are:
(1) Their location;
(2) Their size;
(3) Their level of dependence; and
(4) Their level of development—
But these are not morally relevant factors that would allow death for one set of babies (the preborn) and life for the other (those who have been born).
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What then of the “hard cases” concerning pregnancy resulting from rape or incest?
Christians should give compassionate care to those affected by such sins—including both the mother and the unborn child.
But if it is wrong to put such a child to death after it is born (and surely this is wrong), then surely it is wrong to put that same child to death before it is born.
The preborn baby should be treated as a person in the image of God.
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For this reason, embryonic stem cell research, which involves the creation of human embryos in order to harvest their stem cells for medical uses, should be viewed as the intentional creation and destruction of distinct, individual, tiny human lives.
Other sources of stem cells should be used instead, where the removal of the cells does not harm a human being.
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The witness of Scripture, as confirmed by the testimony of the early church, is that every human being, from conception through natural death, is to be respected as a person created in the image of God, whose life has special dignity by virtue of his or her relationship to the Creator.
Like the early church, Christians should be known as a people who protect, nurture, and cherish children as gifts from the Lord.”
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
As this message comes to a close, I want to share...
About a wonderful ministry I currently serve at as a board member of...
That ministry is Care Net of Penn Yan...
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Care Net of Penn Yan is a Christian pregnancy and family resource center...
Although all board members, volunteers, and staff are believers...
We will serve whoever comes to our doors.
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Care Net comes along those facing an unplanned pregnancy and we present them with the absolute truth of the options available to them...
With the goal to empower them to make life-affirming choices...
For them to choose life.
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Additionally, Care Net provides many resources such as pregnancy tests, referrals for limited ultrasounds, parenting education classes, material aid, life skill lessons, and Christian discipleship programs.
Many members of our community live well below the poverty line.
So, we help bridge the gap for necessary baby care items:
Diapers, wipes, clothing, bath items, bottles, formula, and so much more.
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One of our clients receiving material aid shared this:
“I started going to Care Net when I was pregnant with my son.
Care Net has helped me so much with getting a car seat and tons of baby supplies.
Without the help from the videos and all the learning I have received through the first 6 months, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.
They are so friendly and helpful.
I would recommend their program to anyone I know that could use the help.
I will be going to visit them as much as I can.
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Living out the commands of Scripture to love others...
And provide for the needy in our community is an incredible honor and blessing to all in the ministry.
However, our number one goal remains the same...
To reach abortion-minded and abortion-leaning women and educate them to make a life affirming goal and hear the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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You see Church...
This year has been full of monumental victories and heartbreaking attacks...
We have seen the work of 50 years come to fruition in the overturning of Roe...
Something many thought they would never see in their lifetime.
However, our work does not stop there...
We must continue to press on and run the race well!
We must continue to offer hope through Jesus Christ to all who come through our doors!
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Sadly, we must acknowledge that absolutely nothing has changed in New York state with the overturn of Roe..
In fact, now the state is working harder than ever to discredit Christian pregnancy resource centers like ours.
Additionally, several Christian pregnancy centers have been the target of hate crimes, vandalism and defamation!
But Christ warned us...
The world hated Him first...
And that is why they hate us...
Because we proclaim His truth!
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So, what can we as the Body of Christ do?
What can we as the congregation of Bethel Baptist Church do?
I advise you to seek God’s direction.
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As a ministry that shares God’s truth along with being a pregnancy center means...
We are not funded by the state and are passed over for many grants due to the hope we share.
So if anyone is able see if God is leading you to support this ministry financially.
Many of our supports are monthly donors but other maker one-time gifts...
Consider taking one of the baby bottles in the back of the sanctuary home.
Fill it up with coins, dollars, or checks...
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In the back of the church there is an amazon wish list of office supplies the center needs...
Along with items need for the center’s bo-teek.
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Another way to help is by being a volunteer.
We need volunteers who can help at the center...
We need volunteers for special events...
We need volunteers to serve on our Fundraising Committee...
And we have an application for anyone considering joining the board and volunteering their time that way.
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As a board member myself I share the skills God developed in me to help the ministry...
Additionally, I share about my experience serving in churches and other ministries...
I am also able to share my previous experience, of marketing and graphic design.
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For example...
In order to reach abortion-minded women we have to to a lot of that battle online...
When a young girl says, “Hey Siri, show me abortion centers near me” or “show me abortion pill options”...
We would like to be her first call so she can have a chance to see the value in choosing life...
And not just a life for her baby but for her to come to a relationship with the one who gives eternal life.
So, Care Net for the first time has partnered up with a pro-life Christian marketing firm to reach these women.
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However, those laborers deserve their wages and Care Net is seeking anyone who is willing to partner with us in this battle.
Weather it is by your our resources, your finances, your time, your knowledge...
We ask first and foremost for prayer.
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Scripture commands us to be the light...
Reflecting God’s light to shine in the darkness of this world...
Well, one of our clients was in one of the darkest of places but came to see the true light...
She said this:
“I attended a seminar titled ‘Sexual Abuse in the Church.’
I knew I needed to be there, but it was painful and difficult.
Many things hit ‘too close to home.’
Staff members from Care Net were there and they brought printed material about their organization.
During a break one of the ladies mentioned a Bible Study I could participate in at their center.
I went and…the study was a perfect framework for what God wanted..for me.
In the beginning I was nervous, shy, bold, hopeful, and desperate.
God’s plan was something I never have anticipated.
Up to this point I had worked hard to deal with my past...
I tried to hide it, deny it, and protect myself from it.
I attended groups, counseling, and read Christian self-help books.
Some helped, but I needed to dig deeper.
The Bible study at Care Net was intense and personal; focusing totally on God...
My old defense mechanisms, my survival modes, were no longer appropriate.
Telling my story was hard, but I did it and completed the study!...
Thank you God for your love and desire to heal me...
To remove major roadblocks.
With the support of Care Net, I am certain I will continue to move forward and become the woman God designed me to be.
I am grateful for this ministry.
It has truly changed my life.”
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So, on this Sanctity of Human Life Sunday...
Seek God’s direction on what you can do to serve Him.
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Let me leave you with the words of a man of God I have a lot of love and respect for...
R. C. Sproul...
He said...
“If I know anything about the character of God after fifty years of ministry, I know that God hates abortion.”
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May we all have this same attitude...
May we all be used by God to share with others the love for all created in the image of God...
May we share with other the love of life...
Especially, the love for eternal life...
And that is found in on other name than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.