Do Not Hinder Them

Also got a chance to pray with a few people: Monae Johnson and Josh Haeder, and left notes of encouragement and a prayer for Marty Overweg, Erin Tobin, and Rocky Blare

Today there is the 51st Annual Hour of Reflection and Walk for Life at the capitol, and was asked to do a sermon on the sanctity of life in support of it.

But, I’m going to use a text that might not be your traditional sanctity of life text.

I get texts every day from pastor Gary Maas with a daily meditation and last Sunday, being the annual March for Life and Sanctity of Life weekend, sent a meditation based on Mark 10:13-16, and as I was talking with Dan Hargreaves on the bus to Pierre this past Tuesday, this meditation came up and it just struck a chord with me for today.

Read Mark 10.13-16

vs. 13 - Children

The Greek word is translated children, but can mean newborns and infants.

We see a different word used in Luke that reinforces this fact.

Remember, Luke was a historian and a doctor, so he would have been more precise in his wording.

Luke 18:15 NASB95

And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them.

vs. 13 - Disciples Rebuked the Parents

Among Jews, it was customary to bring children to great men to have them blessed.

But the disciples presumable didn’t think they were worthy of Jesus’ attention or time.

But in context, it might have been less “honorable” even.

vs. 34 - arguing over who is the greatest and taking authority. Maybe they were trying to be Master and taking authority in this situation rather than being a servant and serving the children.

vs. 38 - not wanting others to do miracles in Jesus’ name. Jealousy in wanting to keep Jesus to themselves and the attention it brought.

vs. 14 - Jesus was indignant about it - grieved, bothered

You just don’t get it do you? And he uses children as examples.

Not long ago, what did I do?

cast out a demon out of a boy.

Mark 9:25–26 NASB95

When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.” After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!”

What were you just arguing about?

who is the greatest in the kingdom.

Mark 9:37 NASB95

“Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”

What did you just get done trying to hinder?

someone else casting our demons in Jesus name.

Mark 9:42 NASB95

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.

To the point where I think he’s so frustrated with them that He calls them children in regards to their understanding.

Mark 10:24 NASB95

The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

Really, you’re going to forbid a child to come to me?

Positive: permit them to come to Me.

open invitation to receive the kingdom.

vs. 14 - The kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Caution: vs. 15 - Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.

Faith like a child...

In context, the lowly status of children.

Jesus came not for the healthy, but for the sick.

Jesus came not for the rich, but for the poor.

Jesus came not for the I’ve got it all figured out, but for the lost and confused.

Their dependence and openness to receive freely.

simple faith and dependency.

humility and child like trust.

children are needy and recognize they can’t meet their own needs.

vs. 16 - He took them and began blessing them. Laying His hands on them. Baby dedications...

Negative: Do not hinder them.

In what ways do we hinder children, babies from coming to Jesus?

Ideas?

Well, today, I want to highlight one area: Abortion

No condemnation

Forgiveness and healing in the name of Jesus.

story of Nadine Woodward - KREM 2 News anchor and current mayor of Spokane.

spoke at some function at my in-laws church and she opened up about her abortion.

first time ever speaking publically about it, and had not planned on sharing at that moment.

Before we look at abortion, we need to talk about the Sanctity of Life...

The Sanctity Of Life:

What Is It? (Broad Definition)

All human life at every stage or station of life has intrinsic value, regardless of health, wealth, potential, people group, gender, religion, etc. That life is sacred, precious and is to be respected because all human life is created in the Image of God (Imago Dei). Therefore, all human beings are to be treated with equality and dignity and considered of immeasurable worth that transcends our very existence.

Genesis 1:27 NASB95

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

This must be a moral conviction about how human beings are to be perceived and treated at all times. It is a universal worldview that guides us in our perceptions, decisions and how we behave.

The very word “sanctity,” means sacred or holy. It is certainly possible to argue that the idea of the sanctity of human life is essentially a conferring of God’s holiness or sanctity onto the pinnacle of God’s creation, human beings.

https://cbhd.org/content/sanctity-life

Biblical Implications of the Imago Dei

Mankind is different and separate (holy) from the rest of creation since they are created in the Image of God.

Genesis 1:26 NASB95

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

The Imago Dei is crowned with glory and majesty and are to have dominion over all of creation.

Psalm 8:3–8 NASB95

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

The universality of the Imago Dei is passed on to all humans.

Acts 17:26 NASB95

and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,

The Sanctity of the Imago Dei is passed onto the preborn

All preborn life is to be considered of intrinsic value, sacred and precious, and is to be treated as such.

That preborn life is just as much created in the Image of God as one which is born.

Therefore, the preborn life is to be treated with dignity and considered of immeasurable worth regardless of how she or he came to be.

Why Is Abortion Wrong?

It is the premeditated and intentional taking of an innocent Imago Dei.

Also known as murder.

Obviously murder is not an option.

Exodus 20:13 NASB95

“You shall not murder.

There are 7 words for killing in the OT.

Of the seven, this is the verb that represents premeditation and intentionality.

Therefore, by using this word, translating this word as murder is the primary meaning.

Genesis 9:5–6 NASB95

“Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.

God will call account for the shedding of the blood of another human being.

Why? Because we are all created in the Image of God, and therefore the shedding of blood is the taking of the Image of God.

A side note: There is a difference between premeditation and accidental taking of life, which we’ll see in a moment.

There is also a difference between taking life in a war time situation, and murder.

What Is The Consequence Of Murder?

This is the text that helps clarify murder vs. manslaughter. And also gives us the consequences.

Exodus 21:12–14 NASB95

“He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. “But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee. “If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My altar, that he may die.

Talking With The Unbeliever

One of the struggles we face is in talking to the unbeliever.

An unbeliever may remain unconvinced by biblical arguments since they don’t believe the Bible to hold any moral authority over them.

There are some good philosophical and scientific arguments that can be used.

And here is the link to an article: The Best Pro-Life Arguments for Secular Audiences from the Family Research Council.

https://www.frc.org/brochure/the-best-pro-life-arguments-for-secular-audiences

https://lifedefensefund.com/

https://lozierinstitute.org/qa-with-the-scholars-fetal-brain-development-and-pain-capability/

https://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/fetal-development/fetal-brain-nervous-system/

https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/when-does-the-fetuss-brain-begin-to-work

https://cbhd.org/content/sanctity-life

Philosophical Arguments:

The Hippocratic Oath proscribes (forbids) abortion, assisted suicide and euthanasia...

The Oath maintains that medicine is a covenantal relationship between a physician and his or her patient and that it is a physician's responsibility to pursue the patient's good and by no means to harm the patient.

Ask the questions:

When does life begin?

What’s the difference between 1 minute out of the birth canal and one minute before? What about 2 minutes? 1 hour? 1 day? 1 week?

Partial birth abortion: Is the child alive?

Some have tried to use the once the fetus is viable outside the womb.

Well with medical advances over the years that has changed to earlier and earlier.

So a fetus that survives outside the womb today at 20 weeks is human because of modern medicine, would not have been a human 50 years ago because it would not have been viable?

Then the argument changes to when it becomes viable outside the womb without medical assistance.

So all the preemies born today that would die without medical assistance aren’t human?

What Do We Also Know From Science?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2014, 91.5 percent of the abortions reported by gestational age – more than 400,000 of the 440,330 for which gestational age is known – were performed at or before 13 weeks of gestation / 11 weeks since conception

Show slide

How Should We Handle This Issue?

We remember for whom we are doing this for.

It is not to win an argument, but rather to present the hope and forgiveness we have in Jesus Christ, presenting it with gentleness and respect.

1 Peter 3:15 NASB95

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

We must speak the truth in love.

Ephesians 4:16 NASB95

from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

We must not be quarrelsome, but kind. With gentleness correct those in opposition with the purpose and goal of repentance, reconciliation, restoration, and redemption.

2 Timothy 2:24–26 NASB95

The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Check our hearts first. The purpose is to bring restoration in a spirit of gentleness, but in humility making sure we don’t get prideful. We want to come alongside others who have struggled with it and help bear their burdens.

Galatians 6:1 NASB95

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

Offer prayer and counsel and hope of healing.

James 5:19–20 NASB95

My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Tricounty Right to Life is bringing in ZoeCare founder Rachel Jones to speak at Dakota Christian on February 28th at 7pm. Zoecare is a pro-life Pregnancy Resource Center in Yankton. They will be opening up another clinic in Vermillion soon. Although targeted towards youth groups across the tricounty area - Aurora, Douglas and Charles Mix, all are welcome to come hear her presentation.

Closing Song: Jesus loves (died for all) the little children. Jesus loves me this I know. The Blessing.

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