Is Ending My Life My Choice?

We thank you that you have given us health and strength to be here this morning,

to be able to hear from your word, to hear from your truth.

And Father, we want your word to speak into our lives, to bring us encouragement,

to bring us comfort, to bring us help as we face the reality of death itself.

Lord, help us, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Tom Curran cared lovingly for his partner, Marie Fleming, for 15 years.

She had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease which attacks the central nervous system.

Marie died on the 20th of December, 2013.

Tom, her partner, said this.

She knew that she faced the likelihood of a prolonged and possibly painful death.

And she, as a strong-willed person, was not prepared to let that happen.

Marie didn't want to die.

Far from it.

Marie wanted to live.

She was never suicidal.

But she didn't want a bad death.

Just over a year ago, Tom admitted that he had assisted Marie to die.

Assisted suicide, he said, is about providing a peaceful and painless death.

Euthanasia, sometimes referred to as assisted suicide or physician-assisted suicide,

is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma.

Others prefer to call it merciful release or easeful death.

Gail O'Rourke was a long-standing friend and carer of a lady called Bernadette Ford.

Bernadette also suffered with MS and wanted to die.

As the pain and disability increased, Bernadette asked for her trusted friend Gail to help her.

Bernadette died in 2011 after taking a lethal dose of barbiturates, which was ordered by Gail from Mexico.

She'd been suffering for a decade and decided to take her own life.

Gail was the first person in Ireland to be charged, but later acquitted, for helping someone to die.

Gail asked in an interview on the Late Late Show, asked if she felt any guilt, Gail said this,

The guilt I would feel is that if Bernadette was now confined to a nursing home or a care home,

where she was going through the indignities that she wanted to avoid so much.

The sad reality is we will all one day die.

And for some that's going to involve painful suffering.

For some it could be dementia, for another it could be disability.

The need of 24-hour care.

Unable to feed yourself.

Needing to be changed and taken to the toilet.

None of us wants a painful death.

And none of us wants to see our loved ones suffer.

And for some the most loving thing to do is to end their life.

Stephen Hawking, the renowned physicist, who himself is confined to a wheelchair and needing care, said this,

Those who have a terminal illness and are in great pain should have the right to choose to end their lives.

And those who help them should be free from prosecution.

You see, this is not an intellectual issue that we have to kind of get our heads around.

This is a deeply personal issue that every family will have to face.

At one level, it sounds a good and right thing to do.

It's presented as the simple choice between a quick ending to life or a long life of pain.

After all, who wants to suffer?

And it's arguments like this that has made assisted suicide legal in the Netherlands and Belgium.

But it's not that simple.

The Iona Institute for Religion and Society in Ireland noted,

here's the quote,

that in both the Netherlands and Belgium, assisted suicide was initially made available for terminal illnesses.

But soon, I'm going to have to read that again.

Sorry, I've got my wording wrong.

In both the Netherlands and Belgium, assisted suicide was initially made available for terminal illnesses only.

But soon the law was changed to include non-terminal conditions, including psychiatric illnesses.

I'm going to quote some of the findings.

So in the Netherlands, euthanasia was legalized in 2001.

The number of euthanasia and assisted suicide deaths went from 1,882 in 2002 to 6,091 in 2016.

That represents a 324% increase in just 14 years, despite the warnings that it would be very, very rare.

The grounds for assisted suicide and euthanasia have also widened so that they take in non-terminal conditions.

So in 2016, 141 people were killed because of dementia, 60 for psychiatric reasons and 244 for advanced age.

And if that's not bad enough, non-voluntary euthanasia is also permitted.

That is where a patient is euthanized without their explicit consent.

As a result, many elderly people are now carrying cards to say that they don't want to be euthanized.

In Belgium and Switzerland, mental illness can be a basis for euthanasia or assisted suicide.

A study published in 2015 in the British Medical Journal shows that of 100 patients who requested euthanasia for psychiatric reasons,

not one was terminally ill.

They suffered from mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, eating disorders.

The most frequent diagnosis was depression.

Belgium also allows children of all ages to choose euthanasia, provided parental consent is granted.

In Washington, one of the US states where euthanasia is legal, a report noted that 61% of those who chose assisted suicide

stated as one of the reasons for their decision, their feeling that they were a burden on family, friends and caregivers.

You see, what has started out as a personal choice to end your suffering is fast becoming a choice made by others,

whether you live or die.

And with growing costs in health care and long-term care, families are put under increasing financial pressure,

and governments are providing a way out by making the removal of life legal.

Euthanasia could be spelt by using the word Holocaust.

Euthanasia could be spelt by using the word Holocaust.

Euthanasia could be spelt by using the word Holocaust.

If we can make laws that end the life of the unborn,

then we can easily end the life of those we choose or deem to be a burden to society.

Euthanasia could be spelt by the word Holocaust.

Euthanasia could be spelt by the word Holocaust.

We are facing into a very real issue.

But there is another way.

Three things that I want us to be encouraged by through God.

First, life is God's right to give and to take.

Life is God's right to give and to take.

Right at the very beginning of the Bible where we've started all our talks in this series,

we see that God alone has authority over all life.

Go to Genesis chapter 1 with me.

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

We'll read some verses there together.

Genesis chapter 1.

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

You might remember some of these things from our study on Wednesday night.

That God speaks by his very word and brings life into existence.

Genesis 1 verse 27.

Genesis 1:27

The culmination of God's creation process.

Chapter 1 verse 27.

So God created mankind in his own image.

In the image of God he created them, male and female.

He created them.

And then when we get to Genesis 2, we get a more detailed account of the creation of mankind.

And here we have an account of how God created man in more detail.

So chapter 2 verse 7.

It says there,

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.

And the man became a living being.

So you remember in Genesis 1, there's a lot of forming that's going on.

God is forming creation.

Shaping it.

Designing it.

Ordering it.

And here in 2 verse 7,

we have the picture of God as it were,

picking up the earth, the dust from the ground

and forming it,

shaping it,

into a man,

into a being.

But it doesn't stop there.

For God must breathe into mankind the breath of life.

And man becomes a living being.

God gives life.

God sustains life.

And therefore God rules over life.

Of course the alternative is that we are simply here by chance.

That we're just a random collection of atoms and molecules

that have evolved over time.

We've come from nowhere

and we're headed nowhere.

We're simply the results of some impersonal scientific process.

And if that is true,

well then we're free to do what we want.

We are autonomous, independent beings

with no moral compass.

We decide who lives.

And who dies.

But if we are a special creation of God,

made in his likeness,

given the very breath of life,

then we are not free to choose whatever we want to do.

We are formed by God

and we are filled with life by God.

God gives us life

and so God rules over our life.

So God is the one who gives life.

And second,

God is the one who takes life.

In Genesis chapter 4,

Genesis 4 · chapter mention

we meet the first children of Adam and Eve,

Cain and Abel.

We pick up the story in chapter 4, verse 8.

It's the account,

there's jealousy between them.

Abel is accepted,

his sacrifice has been accepted by God.

Cain's attitude has been wrong.

And Cain comes up with a plan.

Chapter 4, verse 8.

Now Cain said to his brother Abel,

let's go out to the field.

And while they were in the field,

Cain attacked his brother Abel

and killed him.

Now because life was not Cain's to take,

God punished Cain

and he said you'll wander the wilderness.

And look how Cain responds.

Look at the end of verse 14.

He says to God,

he responds to him,

I will be a restless wanderer on the earth

and whoever finds me will kill me.

But the Lord said to him,

not so.

Anyone who kills Cain

will suffer vengeance seven times over.

Then the Lord put a mark on Cain

so that no one who found him

would kill him.

You see, life is precious.

Even those who have taken life,

their life is precious.

We do not have the right

to take life as we desire.

And what God said to Cain

was later written in law

for all God's people.

In the Ten Commandments,

you're familiar with this,

God said you shall not murder.

The Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter 6,

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

it's recorded for us there

in his Sermon on the Mount,

reiterated the same command.

You shall not murder.

The implication is

we are to protect life,

value life,

keep life.

In fact, God

alone has the authority

to take life.

Deuteronomy 32 says,

See now that I myself am he.

There is no God beside me.

I put to death

and I bring to life.

I have wounded

and I will heal.

And no one can deliver

out of my hand.

It's a very, very dangerous thing

for us to start playing God with life.

It is not our role.

Life is a gift from God.

And only God

has the right

to take that life.

So first,

life

is God's right

to give

and to take.

The second thing

is that

suffering

is used by God

for

our good.

Suffering is used

by God

for our good.

For many,

suffering

is a good reason

to help someone

end their life.

the patient

doesn't want

to suffer

and the carer

doesn't want

to see them suffer.

Now,

while God

never ever says

that suffering

is good,

on the other hand,

God uses

suffering

for our good.

Two things

we want to note

with this.

First,

God is over

suffering.

suffering.

Let's look at

the book of Job.

It's on page

507.

The book of Job

on page

507,

if you're using

a church

Bible.

Page 507.

Job 1

introduces us

to this man

who loved God.

But chapter 1

tells us

the account

of his life

that he was a man

who suffered greatly.

He lost

his entire wealth.

He lost

all his children

in a tornado.

And on top

of that,

he lost

his health.

He was

afflicted

with a

disabling

painful

skin disease

of which

there seems

to be

little relief.

They didn't

have the

medication

that we

have today.

And

understandably,

Job's wife

didn't like

and didn't

want to see

him suffer.

So we pick

it up in

Job chapter 2

Job 2:9

verse 9.

So Job

has been

suffering

greatly

physically

and his

wife comes

to him

chapter 2

verse 9

and says,

are you

still

maintaining

your

integrity?

Curse

God

and die.

The

suggestion

is,

Job,

why don't

you just

end your

life?

Why don't

you just

end the

suffering

that you're

going

through?

I remember

listening to

the testimony

of a family

friend

who suffers

with severe

crippling

back pain.

They

told how

one day

they sat

on the

edge of

the bed

with all

their pills

in their

hand,

ready to

overdose.

It's not

unthinkable

for any

one of us

in this

room to

want to

end the

pain

and

suffering.

That can

be a

real issue.

Look how

Job responds,

chapter 2

verse 10.

He replied

to his

wife,

you are

talking like

a foolish

woman.

Shall we

accept good

from God

and not

trouble?

In all

this,

Job did

not sin

in what

he said.

You see,

Job recognized

that all

of life,

whether it

was in

good health

or whether

he was

suffering,

was

completely

in God's

sovereign

control.

The

Apostle

Paul picks

up the

same

theme

in

Romans

8.

A

familiar

verse

to us.

Paul in

chapter 8

has been

talking about

the present

sufferings,

the struggles

that we

face in

life,

and then

he says

this towards

the end.

He says,

and we

know that

in all

things,

that all

things is

in all

kinds of

struggles,

in all

kinds of

pain,

in all

kinds of

things that

we go

through in

life,

God works

for the

good of

those who

love him,

who have

been called

according to

his purpose.

God takes

every illness,

every disease,

and every

struggle,

and says,

in the midst

of all of

that,

I work

good,

for those

who love

me,

and who

have been

called

according to

my purpose.

You see,

God is

over

suffering,

and while

he never

says suffering

is good,

God uses

suffering for

our good.

suffering,

it's never

easy,

and while we

never,

or perhaps

don't get

the answers

that we

always want,

God does

in his

word show

us how

he uses

it for

our good.

There's

many ways

it will be

a very

helpful study

for you

to think

about that.

in fact,

Desiring

God

this week

had a

little

article,

I think,

on that

very

subject.

You

could look

it up

when you

go home.

But I

want to

show us

three ways

that God

uses it

for our

good.

Have a

look at

2 Corinthians,

which is

on page

1159.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1,

which is

on page

1159.

9.

So let's

keep this

in mind.

God doesn't

say suffering

is good,

but in

God's

ways,

God uses

the suffering

that we

face,

and he

uses it

for our

good.

So three

ways he

does that.

first,

for our

comfort.

Chapter 1,

verse 3,

Praise be

to the

God and

Father of

our Lord

Jesus

Christ,

the

Father of

compassion

and the

God of

all comfort,

who comforts

us in

all our

troubles.

You see,

in our

suffering,

we're not

alone.

God is

not immune

to the

struggles

we face.

God

comforts

us,

he sustains

us,

he keeps

us,

he draws

near to

us,

he gives

us all

that we

need in

that

moment.

But it's

not just

for our

own

good that

God

comforts

us.

Look at

the rest

of verse

4.

He

comforts

us in

all our

troubles

so that

we can

comfort

those in

any

trouble

with the

comfort we

ourselves

receive

from God.

our

personal

sufferings

enable us

in the

midst of

suffering

to comfort

and strengthen

others.

Through the

pain that

we may

experience,

whether it's

the loss

of a

loved one

or watching

someone we

love dearly

go through

hard times,

as we go

through that

pain,

so we're

enabled to

feel and

understand the

pain of

others,

to simply

sit with

them.

To cry

with them,

to listen

to them,

to comfort

them.

Second,

dependence.

Look down

at chapter

1,

verse 8.

We do

not want

you to be

uninformed,

brothers and

sisters,

about the

troubles we

experienced in

the province

of Asia.

We were

under great

pressure,

far beyond

our ability

to endure,

so that we

despaired of

life itself.

We often

think of

Paul as

being this

strong man

facing anything.

but here

he tells

us that he

despaired of

life itself.

The pressures,

the intensity,

the suffering

that he was

going through,

partly his

own illness

because he

talked about

his own

illness,

partly because

of persecution

and opposition,

but all

these things,

the intensity

of it all

is that Paul

had reached

the point in

his life

where he

just wanted

to die.

He'd had

enough.

Verse 9,

indeed he

said,

we felt we

had received

the sentence

of death.

He couldn't

bear it or

take it

anymore.

But,

but this

happened that

we might not

rely on

ourselves,

but on

God who

raises the

dead.

God takes

the suffering

and uses

it so that

we can

depend on

the Lord

of life.

Our pain

that we go

through,

the struggles

that we go

through,

God moves

it so we

rest and

rely on

him who

gives us

strength.

The third

area is

the area

of salvation.

to help

us through

this,

I want

to give

us a

foundation,

and that

is first

to think

of the

sufferings

of Christ

on the

cross.

Because it

is through

the sufferings

of Christ

on the

cross that

salvation

flows to

the world.

Without

Christ

dying for

us,

there would

be no

salvation.

And as

we put

our faith

in Christ,

for him

who died

for us

and took

the blame

for us

through those

sufferings,

as Christ

suffered hell

itself,

we receive

the blessings

of life

and life

eternal.

So God

uses the

sufferings of

Christ to

bring salvation

to us,

to the

world.

Now that

foundation we

keep in mind

as we read

verse 5.

Go back to

verse 5.

For just

as we

share

abundantly

in the

sufferings

of Christ,

so also

our comfort

abounds

through Christ.

If we

are distressed,

it is for

your comfort

and salvation.

You see,

God works

through the

sufferings of

Christ to

bring salvation.

And now

he's saying

that for

those who

are in

Christ.

As we

are in

Christ,

we will

go through

sufferings

in different

ways,

but yet

through our

weakness,

through our

pains,

through our

struggles,

God is

bringing about

not just

the comfort

of people,

but he is

bringing about

the salvation

of people.

people.

A lot of

you will

know the

lady

Joni or

Joni

Erickson

Tada.

She's been

a quadriplegic

for over

50 years

now.

As a

teenager,

she suffered

a diving

accident,

and as a

young teen,

as she lay

in the

hospital unable

to be

moved,

she longed

for her

miserable life

to be

taken,

longing that

someone would

just literally

pull the

plug.

But through

her faith,

she found

purpose in

Christ.

Today,

she still

struggles,

she needs

24-7 care,

she has no

use of her

body below

her neck,

still suffering,

God has

used her to

reach and

comfort

thousands upon

thousands of

people through

her teaching

ministry and

through her

books.

And she

has led

many,

many people

to Christ,

pointing them

to the one

who can

save.

You see,

suffering in

the hands

of God

can be used

for great

and eternal

good.

Suffering is

never wasted

in God's

hands.

Third,

death is

determined and

conquered by

God.

It's

determined and

conquered by

God.

When people

seek out

euthanasia,

they simply

come to the

conclusion that

life is not

worth living

anymore.

They see no

value or

purpose in

living another

day or drawing

another breath.

But Scripture

has another

answer.

God provides

us with

something much

different,

that every

day of our

life, God

gives us

purpose.

First,

death, God

determines

death.

Job knew

that his

life was

in God's

control.

Just working

your way

through Job,

we pick up

how he

understands

this.

I've quoted

them here

for you.

Chapter 1,

verse 21,

he says,

as he

reflected on

the death

of his

own family,

his own

children,

he could

say,

the Lord

gave and

the Lord

has taken

away.

Blessed be

the name

of the

Lord.

Later on,

he will

say this,

in his

hands is

the life

of every

creature

and the

breath of

all mankind.

Our life

is in the

very hands

of God.

chapter 14,

verse 5,

a person's

days are

determined.

You,

that is God,

have decreed

the number

of his

months

and have

set limits

he cannot

exceed.

God alone

determines

how long

we live

and the

moment we

die.

Nobody

else.

God will

not let

us live

one minute

too long

or die

a second

too early.

Every day,

every moment,

every second

of our life,

God is

filled with

purpose

until he

decides we

no longer

breathe.

we see

the same

in Psalm

139.

For you

created my

inmost being,

you knit me

together in

my mother's

womb,

I praise you

because I

am fearfully

and wonderfully

made.

Your eyes

saw my

unformed

body,

and all

the days

ordained

for me

were written

in your

book before

one of them

came to

be.

every day

has purpose.

Every day

has been

ordained by

God from

eternity

past.

Your life

is known

by God.

He knows

what you

will face,

he knows

what you

will see,

he knows

what you

will endure,

and we

may struggle

to see the

significance

of our

suffering

life,

but God

has his

purpose.

and God

is working

things out

according to

his plan.

Every day

we draw

breath,

God is

using us

and working

through us

to achieve

his plan

and his

glory.

So death

is determined

by God

and wonderfully,

wonderfully,

death has

been conquered

by God.

Job

knew that

life and

death were

determined by

God,

but he also

knew that

death was

not the

end.

Have a look

with me in

Job chapter

Job 19:25

19,

verse 25,

Job chapter

Job 19 · chapter mention

19.

not only

incredible

because Job

is saying

this,

I don't

know how

many hundreds

of years

or thousands

of years

before the

coming of

Christ,

before the

resurrection,

but amazing

because this

is personal

testimony.

This is one

who lived in

the midst of

great suffering

and here's

his testimony.

Chapter 19,

verse 25.

I know

that my

Redeemer

lives and

that in the

end he

will stand

on the

earth,

literally,

he will

stand on

the grave.

That is,

he will

have power

and authority

over the

grave and

over death

itself.

and after

my skin

has been

destroyed,

so when

this disease,

when its

suffering has

taken its

full effect

and he

reaches into

later age

and he

dies,

yet in

my flesh

I will

see God.

I myself

will see

him with

my own

eyes,

I and

not another,

how my

heart yearns

within me.

Job could

look forward

in faith

to the

promised

resurrection.

He knew

that one

day God

would destroy

death and

conquer the

grave for

us and

the promise,

that promise

of God

became a

reality when

God became

man,

born into

this world

through his

mum,

lived this

life,

breathed

life as

God gave

him the

ability to

breathe and

died our

death and

was buried

and rose

again from

the grave

three days

later.

You see,

those who

ignore

Christ,

those who

turn away

from what

God has

to say,

not only

die but

have an

eternity

of

suffering.

It's

suffering away

from God,

separated from

God in

hell itself.

But for

those whose

hope is in

Christ,

there is a

glorious

resurrection.

And like

Job,

we can say

with absolute

confidence and

assurance,

look at these

words again,

verse 25,

this, if we

are trusting

in Christ,

is our

story,

is our

personal

testimony.

Can you

say these

words for

yourself?

I know

that my

Redeemer

lives,

and that in

the end he

will stand

on the

earth.

And after

my skin

has been

destroyed,

when I

die,

yet in

my flesh

I will

see

God.

I

myself

will see

him

with my

own eyes,

I and

not another.

How

incredible is

that?

One day

we will

see God.

We will be

with him.

And all

the pain

and all the

suffering will

be gone.

and there

will be no

more death

and no

more tears.

How my

heart yearns

within me.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

I read

the words

that we

read at

the very

beginning

this

morning

as a

prayer.

Brothers

and

sisters,

we do

not want

you to

be

uninformed

about

those

who

sleep

in

death,

so

that

you

do

not

grieve

like

the

rest

of

mankind

who

have

no

hope.

For

we

believe

that Jesus

died and

rose

again,

and so

we

believe

that God

will bring

with

Jesus

all those

who have

fallen asleep

in him,

and so

we will

be with

the Lord

forever.

Therefore,

encourage

one another

with these

words.

Amen.

we're

going to

sing

because

it's

good to

sing.

It's

good to

sing to

express

truths

that we

believe

because

as we

sing

it

drives

those

truths

deeper

into

our

heart.

It

helps

us

express

where

our

hope

is.

And as

we

sing,

we

want to

sing

not only

thanking

God,

but sing

to the

person

next to

you.

Sing to

the

person

in this

room.

Encourage

one another

with these

words as

we tell

the story

through song

of the

resurrection

of Jesus

and the

life that

is to

come.

Let's

sing

together.

This

finns

out there.

Here

he is

the

other

questions