Luke 5v27to32 calling the sinners

I) “Calling the Sinners”

A) File: Luke 5v27to32 calling the sinners.doc

B) Audio:

C) Series: Sanctity of Human Life

D) Preached: January 20, 2007

II) Introduction: Sanctity of Human Life:

A) Tuesday, 22nd, Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, 1973.

B) Normally – give the info, urge congregations to pray and vote

C) This time – the importance of personal action: The example of Jesus’ ministry, how he became involved. Luke 5:27-32.

II) Background:

A) Abortion was legalized in the U. S. in 1973, 35 years ago.

1) Since then, almost 50 million babies have been aborted.

2) One in four babies is aborted.

3) One third of women in the U. S. will have had an abortion by the time they are age 45.

4) The women who have abortions are 43% Protestant and 27% Catholic.

5) Only 1% of these abortions are done for cases of rape.

6) Only 0.5% of these abortions are done for cases of incest.

B) The Bible is clear about the fact that human life begins at conception:

1) Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

2) Isaiah 44:24, “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,””

3) Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you;”

4) Psalm 139:13, 16: “13For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 16Your 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 were none of them.”

5) Exodus 20:13, “You shall not murder,”

6) Exodus 21:22-25, “22When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”

C) But public opinion is changing:

1) 53% of women say abortion should be illegal.

2) The rate of abortion has been reduced by 20% since the high in 1990.

3) There are now over 2,500 Pregnancy Resource Centers in the U.S. offering assistance to women and providing alternatives.

4) The Supreme Court has upheld the Partial-Birth Abortion ban.

5) The Supreme Court has upheld State laws protecting unborn victims of crime.

D) So what shall we do?

1) Continue with political actions – We dare not rest!

2) Follow Jesus’ Example

III) Jesus’ Example: Luke 5:27-32

A) Pharisees:

1) Confronted sin

(a) Made laws

(b) Called a sinner a sinner

2) Considered themselves righteous

3) Offered no assistance other than declare the law

4) In Summary: They acted like firefighters with only sirens and lights

B) Jesus:

1) Met sinners where they were. v27

(a) Like the woman at the well

(b) the rich young ruler

(c) the Pharisees, Woe…hypocrites

2) Offered them assistance

(a) Healing the leper, the paralytic in previous passage

3) Asked them to follow Him. v27-28

4) Called them to repentance. v32

(a) He declared his ability to forgive sins in Luke 5:24.

IV) Our call:

A) Continue the political and social action

B) Become a personal force in our community:

1) Meet the victims of abortion (children and mothers) where they are.

2) Offer them assistance – like Jesus offered the opportunity to follow Him, healing, justice.

3) In the process, offer them the opportunity to follow Jesus.

C) This is offering a chance for repentance – after and BEFORE the act!

V) Objections: You might say: It is their choice, they have a right, you can’t legislate morality, etc. But Jesus makes it clear that it would be better to die than to be an enabler of sin.

A) Luke 17:1-2, “Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.””

1) Lit. stumbling blocks

2) Allowing abortion to continue when we have influence and power to stop it is a stumbling block.

3) Declaring abortion is wrong without pointing out the alternatives is a stumbling block

(a) Keeping the victims out of where they need most to be – the fellowship of Jesus Christ.

4) Firefighters with only sirens and lights

VI) A call to continue the fight

VII) A call to repentance – forgiveness is available

VIII) A call to action – Haven of Hope

A) Prayer – both for the action of God but also for guidance in your personal involvement.

B) Space

C) Material needs

D) Service

IX)

January 20, 2008,

“Sanctity of Human Life Sunday”

Background

Abortion was legalized in the U. S. in 1973, 35 years ago.
Since then, almost 50 million babies have been aborted.
One in four babies is aborted.
One third of women in the U. S. will have had an abortion by the time they are age 45.
The women who have abortions are 43% Protestant and 27% Catholic.
Only 1% of these abortions are done for cases of rape.
Only 0.5% of these abortions are done for cases of incest.

What the Bible Says

Genesis 1:27, Isaiah 44:24, Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13-16, Exodus 20:13, 21:22-25,

Progress

53% of women say abortion should be illegal.
The rate of abortion has been reduced by 20% since the high in 1990.
There are now over 2,500 Pregnancy Resource Centers in the U.S. offering assistance to women and providing alternatives.
The Supreme Court has upheld the Partial-Birth Abortion ban.
The Supreme Court has upheld State laws protecting unborn victims of crime.

So what shall we do?

There is still very far to go.
Jesus’ Example: Luke 5:27-32

Luke 5:27-32: After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Jesus’ example:

Met the sinners where they lived.
Offered assistance, “Follow Me”
Called them to repentance.

So what shall we do?

Objections? Luke 17:1-2, “Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin* are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.”” (NIV)

*Literally, “stumbling blocks”

Continue the fight to end abortion.
Pray for God to end abortion.
Pray for how you can be a part of it.
Consider Haven of Hope.

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