Is There Not A Cause

I would like you to turn in your Bibles this morning to Psalm 139 and follow with me as I begin reading

! Psalm 139, verse 13-17.

Psalms 139:13–17

For you form me, my inward parts. You knitted me together in my mother's womb. 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. In your book were written every one of them, the days

that were formed for me. When as yet there were, there was none of them. How precious to me are

your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more than the sand.

I awake, and I'm still with you. Let us pray.

Father, for us,

prayer is not a habit, but a glad expression of our complete confidence in you,

for an admission of our frailty and our necessity for your enabling, both in my preaching of the

Word of God and your dear people hearing it and applying it accurately and faithfully.

And so we ask that this morning, as we take your Word and we make it front and center in our thinking,

that would also govern the way in which we live and act in the world in which you've placed us.

We pray that we would be a people that do more than give lip service to the value of human life

on this single Sunday, that our concern for the well-being of others,

for the frail and the unborn,

and those who are alive and occupy the time that you have planned for them during their life,

would be marked by our sincere interest in seeing that not only do they enjoy the blessing of life,

but also that they come to know Christ as their Savior.

We pray, Lord, this morning that the Lord Jesus

is seen as the one and only hope that we have

and the delight of our souls.

We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

This is the Sunday that we as a fellowship have laid aside, set aside,

to think about the pro-life movement, in particular,

in the light of the decision that was made by the Supreme Court of the United States

back in 1973-74 to legalize abortion.

And in those years that have transpired from that time,

it is estimated, and it depends on whose statistics you're relying on,

that over 60 million babies have been murdered in their mother's wombs.

And in the days that have passed,

it's become not that uncommon for that murder to take place

not only in a mother's womb in the early stages of that child's development,

but even outside the womb, if necessary,

for the sake and preference of the woman who can claim that that is her decision,

and our government supports that.

The truth of the matter is,

is that our day and age is not the only age in which the small infant,

the frail, the innocent,

has been abused and misused.

I was doing some reading last week about the subject of the way in which unwanted children,

isn't that a horrible word to use, unwanted children?

But in the ancient world,

one of the very, very common ways of managing child size

prior to having the modern technology that we have in medicine,

to care for a child that was born that the family decided

was not going to be appropriate for them to raise,

one of the things that was common, very common,

was for the child to be exposed.

And the child was left,

in some cases,

in Roman culture,

left in the marketplace,

and it was picked up there,

or left to die.

It was picked up,

and that child was introduced to slavery or to prostitution

as a very common means.

In Roman law,

actually,

when a child was born,

it was not a person in one sense

until the father of the home

actually reached down

and picked the child up.

Do you understand that?

Had no name.

It was not viewed as a citizen

or a subject of the Roman government

until the father actually did that.

And if the father did not reach down

and pick up that child,

it was then abandoned

and left to die.

If you read the Scriptures,

you will find that child sacrifice

was not uncommon in the pagan world,

particularly in the Philistine culture.

And one of the things,

if you're reading your way through the Scriptures,

1 and 2 Kings,

1 and 2 Chronicles,

it talks about kings

who allowed their children

to be sacrificed to Molech.

I was curious as to

how else children were disposed of,

and I found out that

there were a number of natural herbs

and various toxic substance

that a woman could take

that could conceivably produce an abortion,

or it could also cause her life to be at risk.

The modern medical procedure

did not really come into popular use

until actually surgical instruments were designed.

You all wanted to know this, didn't you?

I'm trying to help you here.

Until modern surgical instruments

came into being

that allowed for a relatively safe

medical procedure

for destroying the unborn.

And we may not think of it

as often as we should

of how violent

and how wicked and cruel

the culture that we live in is.

The fact of the matter is

is that

the pro-life movement

went to great lengths

to secure some videos

that were played

throughout this last summer,

and it caused quite a dust-up,

didn't it?

I mean, Planned Parenthood

was exposed

as a murderous

group of people.

And yet,

do you realize

realize that most of the noise

of that event

has passed into the rearview mirror

and people don't even

think about it today?

I mean,

thankfully,

Powerball is over as well,

and so that's gone too.

But, you know,

given all the different things

that occupy

the buzz

in our culture,

what happened this summer

with those Planned Parenthood

videos

and the exposure,

it's gone.

It's gone.

A great deal of

insensitivity

has taken its place.

I read something

interesting about

World War II

when President,

when General Eisenhower

heard about Auschwitz

and Treblinka

and the other death camps

that put to death

some three million

or so Jews.

He insisted

that, number one,

that the army sent in

videographers,

cinematographers

that would take pictures

of all the detail

of what was happening

in the camps.

Here's why he said

they should do that.

He said,

within a generation,

many will deny

that it ever happened.

He made the citizens

of the German towns

and cities

close to those places

of murder,

he made them walk

through the camp

and he made them

bury the bodies.

And he said,

I want this generation

to remember

just how cruel

and indifferent

it has been

to the value of life.

And I will tell you

this morning

as I began studying

several weeks ago

regarding this matter,

I talked to Pastor Saul

earlier today.

I said,

you know what?

I think this is the first time

I've preached on the pro-life movement

for several years

because Pastor Saul,

somehow or another,

well, the truth is

I went deer hunting

during this time.

And so Pastor Saul

would preach.

And I have to tell you

that as I began studying

and praying about this,

I found my heart

convicted

convicted

for allowing this subject

to become less important

in my prayer

and my thinking

than it deserves to be.

And I would venture

to say that I am not

entirely atypical

in that

the sanctity of human life,

which is foundational,

can become something

of less significance

just because we allow

all other kinds of things

to occupy its space.

I remember a friend

from Emmanuel Baptist Church

calling me up

and saying,

we are having a great deal

of trouble

finding board members

for the pro-life movement.

So what I'd like us

to do this morning

is start at the beginning.

And I want you

to think with me

of some things

that I have no doubt

the vast majority

of you here

are in principle

fully persuaded of.

But here's the truth.

The things that we do not

consciously and deliberately

think about carefully

can become unimportant

and diminished

in their value

and less influential

in our behavior

than they should be.

And so when we start

thinking of our view of life

and framing it properly,

we have to begin with God.

And so allow me

to flesh this out for you

by saying,

first of all,

our view of God

governs our value of life.

Our view of God

governs our value of life.

What we sincerely believe

about God

ends up affecting

every part of our thinking

and ends up

determining the way

in which we behave.

Now, if you remember,

kind of don't go back

on the screen,

but there was a little phrase

I put as the title

of the sermon,

is there not a cause?

God's love.

That phrase actually

comes from a passage

in 1 Samuel 17,

1 Samuel 17:29

verse 29,

in the King James Version,

in which David,

as a young boy,

comes into the camp

of Israel,

who is engaged

in battle

with the Philistines,

and every day

there is this gargantuan

tower of a man

that comes out

and kind of

mocks Israel.

Remember that?

He's kind of

putting a smackdown

on these poor Israelites

who are scared to death

to go to battle with him.

And David hears

this guy ranting

and he's a little irritated.

And he says,

well, say,

hey, what's going to happen

to the guy

that trashes him

and kills him?

Oh, well,

he's going to get

tax-free benefits,

blah, blah, blah.

And so, you know,

David says,

well, I'll do it.

Right?

And in the ESV,

it talks about

his brothers get on him.

Well, actually,

in all translations,

it talks about his brothers.

You just came down here

because you wanted to see

blah, blah, blah.

And David,

I like the King James,

David says this,

is there not a cause?

In other words,

you guys are sitting here

listening to Goliath

smack our God around

and some of you

don't seem to care about it.

I care.

I'm going to go

do something about it.

And so,

this morning,

I want you to understand

that the way we see God

ends up influencing

the way we behave.

So when we think

about the pro-life movement,

let's start by recognizing

all human life

from conception

to old age

and the grave

is precious

because mankind

was created

by God

and for His glory.

I want you to look

at a passage,

if you will,

in Colossians 1,

Colossians 1:16

verse 16.

Go to Colossians 1,

Colossians 1:16

verse 16.

Why is it that we,

as believers,

put the value

that we do

on life?

Here's why.

For one,

it says,

For by Him

all things

were created

in heaven

and on earth,

visible and invisible,

whether thrones

or dominions

or rulers

or authorities,

all things

were created

through Him

and for Him.

The one

who created us

is the one

that we belong to.

Over in Revelation

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4,

it says something

very similar to that.

It says that

we,

you and I,

and all created beings

exist for His glory.

I was thinking

earlier this week

of the fact

that one of the things

that we find

in the book of Job

and connect it

with a passage

in Jeremiah,

in Job it refers

to the fact

that Job,

along with all

the others there,

were just a pinch

of clay

in the hand of God.

How many of you

ever did artwork

in school?

Remember?

the art,

I remember art,

and the art teacher

would say

he had mixed up

this mass of clay.

He'd say,

why don't you guys,

you go get a lump

of this

and make something

with it?

I've got to tell you,

when my lump

was finished,

it looked much like

what had come out

of the little pile there.

It really did,

it was still a lump.

But when God

takes the lump

or the pinch of clay,

as it says in Job,

it says,

He's the one

who frames it

and forms it.

He makes you

the way He made you

and He was the one

who created you.

I like what it says

in the passage

in Jeremiah

talking about

the potter's house

and then in the book

of Romans it says,

does not the potter

have authority

and power

over the clay?

He made me.

He has the right

to determine

the frame of my life,

the length of my days,

and the day

of my home going.

And so when we think

about how our view

of God influences

our value of life,

we start out

by recognizing,

hey, He's the one

who did it,

made me the way I am,

and I belong to Him.

Furthermore,

we understand

that all human life

from conception

to old age

in the grave

is precious

because God

made mankind

to be His image bearer

and the overseer

of His created world.

We are made

in the image of God

and as a result

of that,

we are here

to represent Him.

All human life

from old age,

conception,

the grave

is precious

and God reserves

the right of life

and death

to Himself alone.

He is the giver

and He's the taker

of life.

Over in Psalm 31,

Psalms 31:15

verse 15,

it says,

My times

are in your hands.

My times

are in your hands.

Let's look at

another passage,

if you will.

You're in Colossians,

but turn back

and we're going to

skip around

a little bit today

as we kind of look

at the broad frame

in which the Scriptures

lay the sanctity

of human life.

Turn to Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 32:39

chapter 32,

verse 39.

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 32:39

chapter 32,

verse 39.

See,

now that I,

even I,

am He,

and there is no

God beside me,

I kill

and I make alive,

I wound

and I heal,

and there is none

that can deliver

out of my hand.

God,

God alone,

is the giver

and taker

of life.

Ever since sin

entered the garden

and Satan

tempted Adam

and Eve

to think

that they could

usurp

God's rightful place,

men have committed

the most horrible

of crimes

against one another

and particularly

against the innocent

and the weak.

human history

is filled

with murder

and the horrible

abuse of power.

And I want to tell you

that in every case,

in any case,

when mankind

ultimately turns

its back

on God's moral law,

it invariably

begins the slow

descent into the pit

and suffers the

consequence

of its rebellion

against God's

value system

and structure.

I did not know

or I did not think

when I was younger

that I would live

long enough

to see

God's judgment

beginning to play out

on this nation.

But I think I am.

I think I am.

And I think

one of the principal

reasons why that

is playing out

has to do

with the value

that God places

on human life.

I remember

back in the 70s

when abortion

was legalized,

one of the statements

that was floating around

in the 70s and 80s

is that if God

did not judge America

for its attitude

towards abortion,

He would have to

apologize to Germany

for what He did

for the mistreatment

and slaughter

of the millions

of Jews.

I am

not at all

surprised

by the

diminution

that I see

in American culture

and I got to tell you

that the answer

is not in,

can I say it slowly

so you don't miss it,

it's not in Washington.

And I would make

an appeal to you

who become

quite irritated

with what's going on

in Washington,

let me encourage you

to understand

that the solution

will not be political,

it will be spiritual.

spiritual.

And you would be

well served

to put more energy

into the spiritual

well-being

of the people

around you

rather than

everything else.

Sixty million

plus

babies

slaughtered.

And the thing

that really

strikes me,

really strikes me

as I stop

and think

about how

quickly

the

Planned Parenthood

videos

came

and went

and how

little

they really

stirred

this country.

Another thing

that I want

you to understand

is that our

view of God

controls our

actions.

As we take up

this second point,

let me be clear

that actions

flow from

thinking and

values.

The way in

which you

act

ultimately

tells me

what you

value

and what

you think.

You got

that?

What you

value

and what

you think.

I lost

track

of the

number of

times I've

heard people

tell me that

they were

saved.

In fact,

I had a

conversation on

Thursday and

another conversation

on Saturday

in that same

vein of,

oh,

absolutely,

I'm saved.

In fact,

I believe the

teaching of the

Scripture is

this,

is that once

a person

comes to

faith,

they don't

lose their

salvation.

I agree.

But let me

tell you

something.

One of the

undeniable

blessings of

genuine

conversion is

that it

changes the

way you

are and

it changes

the way

you think.

And we

who are

here bear

testimony to

that.

Now,

we're not

where we

want to

be,

but anyone

who is

genuinely

converted can

look in the

rearview mirror

and say,

and I'm

not who I

used to

be.

And so

when a person

says to me,

oh,

I'm a

believer and

I'm saved

and I am

so very

thankful for

what Jesus

has done

in terms of

my eternal

destiny and

the certainty

I have in

heaven,

my question

also follows,

and what

difference is

he making

in your

life today?

The way

we act

does not

earn us a

right relationship

with God.

A right

relationship

with him

does drive

right actions.

in fact,

apart from

right actions,

there really

is good

reason to

question the

authenticity of

a person's

profession.

Does that

make sense?

If I don't

see,

hey,

if I don't

see in

my life

the evidence

of progressive

sanctification and

the power of the

Word of God

enabled by the

Spirit of God

bringing about

slow and

progressive change,

I'd like to

change quicker,

but I can

look back

and see

I'm not who

I used to

be.

And so when

we think about

this business

of the fact

that our

view of God

really does

control our

actions,

recognize Jesus

put us on

the spot with

something he

said over in

Matthew 7,

Matthew 7:21

verse 21.

Not everyone

that says to

me,

Lord,

Lord,

what?

It's going

to enter

the kingdom.

It is an

interesting thing

to recognize

how much

of the pro-life

movement is

driven by

people of

faith

across the

broad spectrum.

I read a

very interesting

comment by

Moore.

Pastor Andrew,

where are you?

You're out there

somewhere.

Raise your hand,

Pastor Andrew.

Russell Moore,

is that correct?

The Southern

Baptist theologian?

Thank you.

I was right.

Mark that down.

Russell Moore

said this.

He said,

I would like,

he put it

this way,

I would not

like to see

any fewer

rosaries at a

pro-life movement

rally,

but I would

like to see

more evangelicals

at one of

them.

Do you know

what he meant?

How many of you

understand?

Raise your hand

if you understand

what he said.

I'll say it

again slowly

so you

understand it.

In other

words,

he was saying

if more

evangelicals

took this

matter of

the pro-life

movement

more seriously,

it would

put their

profession of

faith into

evident

practice.

I was

convicted this

week.

as I

thought back

to how

my own

affection and

concern for

the pro-life

movement

has waned

to some

degree because

of focus on

other things.

It's a

shameful thing

for me to

say that.

And it's a

little frightening

for me to

admit that

moving forward

Tim Knoyer is

convicted by the

Spirit of God

that he

needs to be

more active.

When we

think about

the pro-life

movement,

we recognize

that most

of the

effect of

a right view

of God has

not been with

letters and

phone calls

and marches.

the greatest

effect has

been with

kindness and

evidence of

mercy and

interest in the

lives of those

that are deeply

afflicted by

sin's

unintended

consequences.

I was

humbled to

see the

crowd that was

here Saturday

doing blankets.

blankets.

But I would

appeal to you

don't make it a

once and done

deal.

How many of you

understood what I

said?

Your heart,

if it is

touched by the

value of human

life, engages

to do that.

it's not just a

matter of doing

blankets.

It's a matter of

volunteering at the

Maternity Resource

Center.

It's a matter of

offering to help

with prenatal

medical care.

It's a matter of

showing personal

interest in those

that are caught

in the snare.

It is a

willingness to

invite people

into your

home and invest

in their lives.

And can I tell

you something?

Everybody listen

carefully.

There is no

piece of ministry

that isn't

messy.

Even if you

limit your

ministry to

people in this

congregation,

the truth of

the matter is,

is once you

step past the

hellos in the

lobby, every

one of us has

baggage.

Ministry

means you're

going to be

involved in

carrying baggage.

And so I

would plead with

you that if

you are convicted

that your view

of God demands

action, that you

understand that

means that you

find ways to get

invested in what

is going on around

you and in the

lives of people

that are hurting

and you spend

some of your

energy doing

things that count

forever.

together.

I love what

James chapter 2

James 2:26

verse 26 says.

I'll just read it

to you.

It says,

for as the body

apart from the

spirit is dead,

so also faith from

works is dead.

Hey, if you have

the faith, it ends

up in a tangible

evidence that you

can kind of put your

finger on and say,

yeah, yeah, yeah,

this is why I'm doing

that, because of

what I believe.

It's our faith in

Christ that leads us

to care for the

unborn.

It's our faith in

Christ that leads us

to be invested in

the lives of other

people.

It's our faith in

Christ, listen to me

carefully, that makes

us willing to keep

on being spent in

doing things that

count forever.

So let me conclude

with some practical

ways to honor God

in the pro-life

picture.

Make the pro-life

issues part of your

personal prayer life.

Can I tell you

something?

One of the things

that I've learned is

that the things I pray

about consistently

invariably end up

kind of consuming

oxygen in my life.

Do you understand

that?

Say it again slowly.

The things I really

pray about pretty

consistently end up

consuming oxygen.

I do them.

All you have to do

is ask Tim Knoyer,

hey, are you

praying for

opportunities to

share the gospel?

And guess what?

When I'm doing it,

guess what happens?

Bada, bada, bing.

I have opportunities.

I don't go out

trolling West Broad

Street, but it

happens.

Okay?

When you're praying

about something,

over time, God

brings those prayers

into fruition.

You pray according to

the things that

Scripture instructs us

in and he brings

them about.

Maybe not as fast

as you'd like,

but they're there.

Secondly, recognize

that your life and

daily testimony

speak volumes.

Do you realize

that?

Your testimony and

your life speak

volumes.

And if you're,

I'm going to go

slow here so you

don't miss me.

If you're kind of

a bristly, prickly,

easily offended

person, people who

have lots of baggage

in their life don't

want to get anywhere

near you anyway,

right?

Do you follow that?

Do you know what I'm

talking about by a

person that's easily

offended?

The best place to

find out if a person's

easily offended is

here, right?

You follow what I'm

saying?

How many of you

know?

No, I won't go

there.

Okay.

You know, hey,

listen, if we can't

kind of suck it up

and be adults here,

why would we go

outside and decide

we're really going to

be kind and generous

and sympathetic and

invest our lives in

the well-being of

broken lives, right?

I mean, some of us

are once and done.

I did speak to them

once, and they did

not return the favor.

I guess I'm going

somewhere else.

Okay.

Yeah.

I wonder how that's

going to work with

other people with

broken lives.

So, your life and

daily testimony speak

volumes.

I'm reminded of what

it says in Titus

Titus 2:10

chapter 2, verse 10,

that our lives can

adorn the doctrine of

God.

When we act like Jesus

acts and like Jesus

treats us, do you

know that other people

figure it out?

Right?

Right?

If you're a grumpy,

frumpy person at work,

nobody's going to be

coming to you and

dumping their garbage

next to you and

asking you to help

clean it up.

On the other hand,

when we are not

living our lives for

the Lord Jesus Christ,

here's what it says in

Romans chapter 2.

Romans 2 · chapter mention

It says, we cause the

name of Christ to be

blasphemed.

Huh?

So, your life is a

daily testimony.

Another thing is let

your good works and

charitable spirit reflect

the heart of your

Savior.

Why do you act the way

you do?

Do you realize that

when the waitress gets

the order wrong, you

have an opportunity to

act like Jesus?

Do you understand

that?

I mean, do not have a

little meltdown because

they didn't get you

your hamburger done

just exactly the way

you want.

I'm not paid for it.

You know, it's like,

thank you, Jesus.

Okay?

Let your good works and

charitable spirit reflect

the heart of your

Savior.

Matthew chapter 5,

Matthew 5:16

verse 16, let your

good works so shine

before men.

Hey, you can all

recite the verse, but

do it out there.

Be supportive.

engage in the pro-life

movement.

Engage in the pro-life.

By the way, I don't

know the number over the

manual, but I guess you

could Google it or you

could go to PDHC.

What does that stand for?

PD.

Pregnancy distress.

Stand up and say that,

please, Margie.

Pregnancy

decision

health.

Thank you.

Okay?

Or you can go to the

Maternity Resource Center.

I hope that, here's the

deal.

If I preach and it doesn't

make a difference in your

life, then part of my

prayers have not been

answered.

Does that make sense?

Oh, really?

Really?

Okay.

It's hard being me.

It's messy, too.

Okay, here we go.

I got more points.

Be a supporter and

encourager of adoption.

Huh?

There are abandoned

babies all over the

world.

I don't care where you

get one from.

I really don't.

But we as a

congregation ought to be

supportive of that.

A lot.

Finally, look for gospel

opportunities to every

hand.

What I mean by that is

that, hey, listen, the

best thing that ever

happened to Tim

Knoyer is Jesus saved

me.

I haven't gotten over

that yet.

I wonder if you have.

Here's the deal.

The things that really

make a difference in our

life, we end up talking

about.

Do you realize that?

Isn't that true?

Huh?

I was into Giant Eagle

again and had to get a

Home Depot credit card or

gift card so I could get

gas in my truck.

You know how it goes.

And anyway, I go up and

without me participating,

the girl at the front desk

tells me about Powerball.

It's gone.

It's done.

Somebody else has got

their life trashed as a

result of it.

But the world is kind of

sucked up on this Powerball

thing, right?

You know?

Hey, listen, smile.

We talk about what we

think is important, right?

And Powerball is not it.

It's Jesus.

It's Jesus.

I had someone talk to me about

evangelism.

And I said, you know what?

One of the most encouraging

things about evangelism in

Maranatha is most of it

doesn't happen here.

I like that.

Most of it happens where

you're bumping into hurting

people, left and right.

They're all out there, right?

God hired you to go to

places to work where people

have broken hearts.

God put you in neighborhoods

where the wheels are coming

off.

God put you into environments

where people's lives are not

what they should be and they

know it.

And you have the privilege of

saying to them, guess what?

I want to introduce you to the

one who made all the difference

in the world for me.

That's Jesus.

I'm not in favor of evangelism

as a drive-by shooting event.

I am in favor of just living it.

And what I mean by that is not

kind of walking around with a

super silly grin on your face,

but praying about opportunity

to share the gospel and let

people know that, man, you know

what it's like to be hurting.

And you know who the answer is.

It's Jesus.

He came into the world to save

sinners.

He came into the world to satisfy

the debt that our sin

and the judgment that our sin

deserves.

He died on the cross in my place

and in your place and he offers

salvation to whosoever calls upon

the name of the Lord.

And so the pro-life issues,

abortion, broken homes,

abandonment, is just a window

through which we get to step

and say, come meet the one

who loves me and died for me

and rose again and in whose name

I have confidence forever.

Let's close in prayer.

Our Father,

we are thankful that you

delivered us from bondage

and darkness into light.

We're thankful that you have

called us to be your

on-site representatives

in a broken world.

And certainly, the area

of what is taking place

in the world today

in relationship to the unborn

deserves our conscious

and deliberate passion.

not as the single event of life

but as an evidence of the fact

that people need Jesus.

Let us be a people that are

marked by mercy

because we receive mercy.

Let us be a people that are

engaged in that which lifts up

the value of human life

because it is precious to you.

And let our lives speak volumes

to a broken world

that needs Christ.

And we pray this

in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Let's stand together as...