L’CHAIM (TO LIFE!)

L’CHAIM (TO LIFE!) Genesis 9:4-7 Matthew 5:21-24 January 28, 2007 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction In the Fall of 1983, through a rare combination of engineering mishap and human error, the United States lost a satellite. One little slip-up and a $180 million aerospace toy quietly drifted from its planned orbit and into the enormous abyss of aimless space, gone forever. (In today’s dollars, that would be $370 million.) Critics screamed, watchdogs of government waste protested loudly, but all-in-all, it was no big deal. The whole thing ended up as a 2-column article on the 3rd page in the newspapers. Network news covered the story, but not as a main feature. Three years later, another NASA mistake occurred—this one was classified as a major catastrophe which news organizations rushed to cover and it occupied untold hours of television reports and made the front pages for weeks. Which of us didn’t watch in horror as the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded and 7 brave American astronauts died in an instant? Let me ask—who remembers the economic loss of that event? Who cares, right? When compared to the loss of human life, which is of inestimable value, what’s a few million dollars? Just yesterday another group of voyagers nested into their cozy places, ready for the countdown until take-off to a new world. A malfunction occurred, however, and the countdown was truncated. This was no accident, though. This time, other voyagers who had already made the trip, pre-meditatedly sabotaged the process. In fact, yesterday, more than 6,000 such missions were maliciously terminated in this way, and the lives of at least as many voyagers were eradicated. Furthermore, such malevolent behavior has gone on with legal immunity for 34 years now, sanctioned by the United States congress and courts, leaving a minimum of fifty million human souls murdered. Where are the headlines? But they’re only “potential” human lives. Nobody has proven they are human beings at that stage of development. I went out deer-hunting with a few friends not long ago. While in the woods I saw something moving in the brush about 50 yards away, so I raised my rifle and took aim. I wondered if it was a deer or not, but I thought I saw a brown furry coat and I shot. I killed my friend who was wearing a brown furry coat. I’m going to be tried for manslaughter, if not murder. Even if we are so ignorant as to doubt that fully formed fetuses with heartbeats, active brains and reactions to pain are human, even if we could reasonably question their status as human beings, we are playing recklessly with human life in abortion. [webmasters note: Pastor Rich really didn't shoot his friend...this is only a story] And we know that, even though those who honor convenience over life continually rationalize their wantonness with excuses and euphemisms like fetal matter and products of insemination, there is a human soul in the womb from conception forward. Planned Parenthood is the most aggressive pro-abortion organization in our country as far as most of us know. Do you know what their definition of abortion was in the 1960’s? “An abortion kills the life of the baby after it [its life] has begun.” Today: “Abortion [is a procedure] that ends a pregnancy before birth.” [webmasters note: PPH Website] From the official web site of Planned Parenthood: “Early in pregnancy, you have two options for ending a pregnancy — medication abortion or abortion by vacuum aspiration… Medication abortion is the use of medicine to end a pregnancy." [webmasters note: PPH Website] Shouldn’t that read “to end a life”? Vacuum aspiration is the use of gentle suction to end pregnancy.” What is gentle about being sucked from the only home you have ever known, with your organs being ripped apart as your body travels at 30 miles an hour down a vacuum hose? “Oh, I see, you mean gentle to the mother!” I wonder what Junior might say, if he had the chance to speak? Even more importantly, why don’t we let God speak? In Genesis 9, just after the waters of the worldwide flood abated the Lord God, Creator of all things including and especially human life, iterated His inviolable will to Noah: “…You must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.” (Genesis 9:4-7) “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13) “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:21-24) The God who made us, who through the death of His own Son has redeemed us, the God who loves us and places on each of us a supremely high value, having made us in His image, this God, the almighty, omnipotent and holy God, says it is precisely His will that human beings should not take the lives of other human beings. We are not even to call one another names, lest we be judged! Those who destroy life are guilty before the living God. God Values Human Beings Enormously Plato described the human being as “a biped without feathers.” Seneca defined humans as “social animals.” The physicist says people are “entropy decreasers.” Biochemists say we are “nucleic acid and enzyme interactions.” Biologists: “most recent specimen in the evolutionary process.” David said: What is man that you are mindful of him...? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings, crowned with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:4-5) And later: I praise you, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:14) There is no higher designation in all of creation than to be one who is made in the image of God. Every human being, of every race, color, size and age (whether 120 years or negative nine months) is of extreme importance in the eyes and heart of God. God’s commandment is simply this: value life like He values life. This world has ignored godly principles long enough that people’s values are absolutely warped. People will spend millions on saving the whales and protecting dolphins and spotted sparrows, but wink at snuffing out the life of a living child through abortion. The most dangerous place for a baby today is in her own mother’s uterus. Considering the threat of abortion alone, the survival rate for babies is 62%. You heard right—one in three pre-born children are executed through abortion in the United States. That statistic is so gruesome and alarming! No wonder our culture goes to such lengths to assuage its conscience by ignoring the problem or asserting such absurd reasoning as a woman has the right to choose. It is hard to face the guilt of willfully murdering with impunity ten times more human beings than did Hitler and his henchmen! Yet face it we must, and no matter how calloused our culture becomes to it, so that we can repent as a culture. We have a message to deliver. We are God’s prophetic voice into a culture of murder, disguised as choice. Not only are the pre-born babies at risk; now the twisted reasoning runs like this: since a fetus is reliant upon its mother’s body for life and is therefore not true human life and may be aborted at her will, then new-born children, who are also utterly dependent upon their mothers for life and sustenance may also be considered less than fully human and subject to the mother’s choice as to whether they will continue to enjoy life or not. Princeton philosopher Peter Singer, who is called upon for expert counsel by our judicial and legislative bodies of government comes to this chilling conclusion: “human babies…are not persons” and he concludes that infanticide can be justified. Somebody’s tax money is subsidizing this guy’s salary so he can teach our kids! And on the other end of life there are those who propose euthanizing elderly people who are no longer useful for society. Doctors not only will be able to legally help people commit suicide, as in the Netherlands now, but they will be given the right to decide for the patient should the patient become mentally impaired (!), and that is a slippery slope. How long before the right to die becomes the duty to die? From abortion to Kevorkian, the willful taking of human life is morally wrong. God has made it clear—no one but He holds the rights to life and death. 70 year old Dr. William Harrison of Fayetteville, Arkansas, estimates he has performed 20,000 abortions in the past 20 years. That compares unfavorably with the 6,000 babies he delivered as an obstetrician in his first few years of medicine. He acknowledges with alarming candor: “I am destroying life.” And that is precisely what God says He judges. We Should Prophetically Reflect Godly Values in Culture Jews use the Hebrew expression L’Chaim! when toasting and celebrating. It simply means “To Life!” May I suggest this morning that little phrase summarizes how we ought to live in a culture of death. Where there is everywhere around us a growing disregard for the value of life, may we sow God’s perspective. We should in every way we can speak godly life into our culture. We can do that in three simple ways: 1. Speak life with your voice. Never be shamed by the overwhelming pervasiveness of those who promote choice over life. The question to ask yourself of your beliefs isn’t Is it popular or acceptable to others, but Is it right? Testimony after testimony came out of Nazi Germany from people looking back who said I never felt comfortable with where things were going, but it all just snowballed and I was caught up in it. The culture of death is a cancer and it thrives on following the path of least resistance. It feeds on appeasing the wealthiest and most powerful, and preying on the weak and vulnerable—the poor, the outcast and the defenseless. The spirit of life and the Spirit of Christ war against such sub-human values. We who have tasted the kindness of the Lord are called to speak with a clarion voice against all forms of oppression, injustice and unrighteousness. That should at least include our speaking on behalf of the unborn. We must declare loudly L’Chaim! It is a proven fact that among those responding to surveys and polls, over 2/3’s of Americans oppose abortion on demand. It seems the 1/3 must occupy seats in congress and courts. It is so important in the United States, a country governed of the people, by the people and for the people, that we who believe in godly values should use our freedom of speech and press and declare the heart and will of God. But speak not only with your voice, 2. Speak with your Vote. Brothers and sisters, I feel it my duty to say it over and over again from this platform—the most patriotic thing you can do is pray. And the second most patriotic thing you can do is vote. Vote your Christian conscience, and trust God with the results. I know as you do that this month the number of pro-choice votes in the halls of congress has actually increased. But I’ve noticed something about the way God moves. He often delays working a miracle until it seems absolutely impossible. Let’s ask Him to bring His Right-to-Life will into our nation again. And let’s continue to vote like God’s people who believe in Him and His values. L’Chaim! Another way to speak: 3. Speak with Positive Action. It is simply not good enough to rail against the pro-choice mentality. There are very real women and girls with very real difficult pregnancies. And if all we do is condemn things like promiscuity & abortion for convenience, we’ve missed the real opportunity to minister to those Christ calls us to minister to. It is to these who, like us, are sinners, that we are called to speak life. We have right here in our neighborhood a golden opportunity to help them. The New Beginnings Pregnancy Care Centers [webmasters note: NBPCC Website] is a not-for-profit Christian organization dedicated to ministering to those facing unwanted pregnancies. Through trained, caring servants these women are being shown there is hope, understanding and love; and most of all there are answers to their dilemma without having to destroy the life that has been created within them. New Beginnings has all the latest equipment and resources now to give a full range of physical, social and spiritual help to those who need it. They give counsel on prenatal care, help through gestation and delivery, adoption help, and even room and board for girls whose families throw them out. You can get involved with that ministry as a counselor, a volunteer professional, a generous donor, a temporary home host and a prayer warrior. If you’ve taken one of their fundraiser baby bottles, fill it with your spare change and your big bills. And if we ran out before you got one, just write a check and get it to them. Many of the young women they serve come to a personal saving faith in Jesus through their crisis pregnancy, simply because they have found some Christians who move beyond clucking their tongues and shaking their heads, and are willing to enter into the struggle with them and be of real help. I strongly endorse your active support of this fine organization. They are a perfect channel for your faithful declaration of L’Chaim! We who have received the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ are now privileged to share with others the forgiveness and grace we have received. Jesus said, Freely you have received; freely give. (Matthew 10:8) Victor Hugo’s great novel Les Miserables opens by introducing the reader to a young man, Jean Valjean, who has just finished an unjust seven-year prison sentence resulting from a small crime. He leave prison with rage in his soul. There is no rage like that bitter response to being wronged. He tries to find a job, a place to fit in, but is continually shunned and mistreated because he is a parolee. His anger builds. One night he is invited into the home of a bishop, Father Welcome. He is given a meal, warmly treated and invited to stay the night. While everyone else sleeps, Valjean steal the silver cutlery from the kitchen of the rectory, and sneaks out the back door through the garden. He is caught on the street by the gendarmes who recognize the knives as belonging to the bishop. The gendarmes bring Valjean back to the rectory. When the bishop sees him he sees more than others do. He surprises everyone, especially Valjean, by telling the police that Valjean hadn’t stolen the cutlery, but he had given it to him. Then he asks Valjean in front of the policeman why he hadn’t taken the candlesticks he’d offered him, too. Hugo writes, “Jean Valjean was trembling in all his limbs; he took the two candlesticks mechanically, and with wandering looks. ‘Now,’ said the bishop, ‘go in peace. And when you return, my friend, it is unnecessary to pass through the garden, for you can always enter by the front door, day or night—it’s always unlocked.’ The bishop dismissed the gendarmes and they left. Jean Valjean looked as though he were on the point of fainting; the bishop walked up to him and said in a low voice, ‘Never forget that you have promised me to employ this money in becoming an honest man.’ Jean Valjean, who had no recollection of promising anything, stood silent. The bishop continued to speak solemnly: ‘Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil but to good. I have bought your soul . . . I withdraw it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and give it to God.’” It is in such a way God has treated us. Let us speak life and not judgment to those He is pleased to send us. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that gives life. He gave you life when He created you He gave you new life when He saved you He gave you the ministry of sharing new life with others. L’CHAIM!     [Back to Top]