A Difficult Question: What Does it Mean to be Pro-Life?
Notes
Transcript
I’m going to ask you a very difficult question this morning. Difficult in that what I am about to ask means something different to everyone. Here goes:
What does it mean to be Pro-Life?
Notice I did not ask “What does it mean to you to be pro-life, but rather what does it mean?
What does a pro-life church look like? What does a pro-life church act like?
These are questions that I had to ask myself.
The simple answer is, “To be pro-life means to be against abortion.” Church, that answer is just not good enough. I wasn’t satisfied with that answer so I took a long look at the word, “pro-life” and do you know what I saw? The prefix “pro” means “for”. When you say you are “pro-life” you are really saying you are “for-life”.
Now, what does it mean to be “for-life”? Well, it means much more than just being against abortion. It means that you will not be satisfied with simply seeing the practice of abortion brought to an end. You will not be satisfied with seeing abortionists on the unemployment list.
It means that as a “for-life” Christian you are going to commit yourself to doing more than just speaking out against abortion, you are going speak up for the pre-born, and reach out to those mothers and fathers who are right now considering ending the life of their child.
Have you ever considered the fact that the mother who this very day is considering taking a trip to Greensboro this week, is not considering so lightly? Right now in Randolph county there is a young girl who finds herself pregnant, and she is scared, afraid. Her boyfriend, her father, her pimp, are pressuring her into a procedure she does not want.
She feels alone and helpless. She feels voiceless. She feels as if she has not hope. Church we know there is hope, we know where she can find hope. She needs us today to stand up for her and her child.
Church, the time has come for us to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves, to stand for those who cannot stand for themselves, and to walk with those who feel they must walk through life alone.
Are you ready?
I want to briefly share with you some reasons you should be “for-life”. First,
God is the Creator of Life
God is the Creator of Life
This reason alone should be enough for you and me!
God is the creator of life. Look with me in Jeremiah 1:5
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
You will notice some facts about life in this verse, first.
Life begins in the womb
Jeremiah was told directly by God that it was He that created Him in His mother’s womb.
The word “formed” means to be created, formed, or fashioned
I cannot help but think of a potter sitting at his wheel
Nothing in front of him but some wet clay
As he sets it to spinning, it is up to him what type of vessel it becomes
Church, the clay never tells the potter what it will be. The potter is in control.
Life comes from God
Not only did God create man in a special act of creation but he creates each infant in its mother’s womb
Life comes from God and because it comes from Him it belongs to Him!
I was struck with this thought: John 10:10 “10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
God created life, and God has granted eternal life to all who will believe
It is Satan that seeks to destroy life and its sanctity.
Church we must be pro-life, but we must be much more.
Our enemy is not:
the one seeking an abortion
the doctor or staff performing the abortion
the escorts, taunting us
the politicians passing the legislation
Our enemy is Satan!
Do not be deceived
This week will be a week of spiritual attack, you are on notice, be ready for it!
Remember what the Bible says, 1 John 4:4
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Church will you join me? Will your pray with me this week? Will you beg God to move in your heart? Will you pray God to move in the hearts of mothers and fathers? Will you pray for the Holy Spirit to change the hearts of the doctors and the staff? Will you pray? We MUST be for life because God is for life, and also because...
God Cares for the Life He Created
God Cares for the Life He Created
Listen to the words of Jesus:
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
I will echo what Jesus said, “If God cares for and provides for the birds of the air, then you better believe He cares for you!”
Church, God cares for the life of that pre-born baby as well! He cares for the life of that mother who right now feels as if no one cares, as if there is no hope, no choice. Church, you and I know there is hope, we know there is choice! We need to be the voice of hope today!
Do you believe that God cares for all life? Then we need to take a page out of Dr. McGee’s handbook and become shoe leather Christians. That is we need to practice what we preach.
Let’s go back to our theme verse: Jeremiah 1:5
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
God says “Before i formed thee in the belly I knew thee…”
That little baby growing in its mother’s womb right now, God knows it. God cares for that little child! He designed the means for protection and growth in the womb, for nourishment in the womb…God cares for that child.
God cares for the mother too! Don’t ever forget that!
Have you ever asked yourself “How many young ladies seeking an abortion are doing so because they feel they have no choice?” Many of them are being driven to this decision by their parents, by their boyfriends, by their fiancees, by their pimps.
Listen, they need you to stand up for them! They need you. Will you answer their call?
We MUST be “for-life” because God created life, because God cares for all life, and because...
God Calls us to be Bold in our Witness
God Calls us to be Bold in our Witness
Proverbs 31:8–9 (KJV 1900)
8 Open thy mouth for the dumb In the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. 9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
One who is dumb is one who cannot speak. God tells us to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Who is more voiceless than the pre-born?
Verse nine commands us to open our mouth and to plead the cause of the poor and needy - to plead means to contend for, to stand up for. The word poor here means afflicted, depressed. If that doesn’t sound like a mother facing the most difficult decision of her life, I do not know what does.
Church, God is calling us to be their voice, their friend, their beacon of hope in the darkest hour of their life. Will you stand with us this week as we pray, fast, and on Saturday will you go with us to stand and be bold, to show the enemy that the church will no longer be silent, we will no longer sit by and complain about it, we will stand, pray, and go!
Conclusion:
How many of you agree that it is past time someone spoke up?
How many of you agree that it is past time someone did something?
Let me ask, if you don’t go, who will? If you won’t speak who will?
Listen, God did not call us to sit idly by on the sidelines while millions of innocent children lose their life each week. The time has come for us to go. Will you go with me?
I’m going to show you one more video, then brother Dustin Wilson is going to come and close out the service, I ask only that you respond as the Spirit of God has moved in your heart today.