Living In GodSpace

February 24, 2019                            NOTES NOT EDITED          

GodSpace: Living Within the Boundary Lines of Blessing

Psalm 16

SIS—Living within the boundary lines of God’s Word brings unimaginable blessings. I call this:  Living in God Space.

As most of you know, I spent my military career on a Nuclear Submarine.  Submarines sort of define the idea of “tight spaces.”  I worked in a space with three guys per shift that was smaller than most walk-in closets.  I slept in a space with a bunk six feet by two and a half feet.  All the space on a submarine is used—bulkhead to bulkhead, fore to aft.  My favorite space was a little section in the lower missile deck.  We carried 16 nuclear missiles and in between each four missiles was a space about 5 feet square.  The lower deck was quiet, so I’d crawl into this space and read my Bible and pray, in the rare moments I had free time.  It became my “GodSpace.”  It was my refuge from the activities of mundane life.  It was where I “dwelt in the shadow of the Almighty” (Ps. 91:1).  It is where I found security and purpose in life.  In GodSpace, I had the “boundaries that bring blessing.”

In GodSpace we learn not to live according to our own dictates and desires but according to the decrees of God as He has presented them in His Word, the Bible.  Living within the boundary lines of God’s Word brings unimaginable blessings.  It means living in obedience to God.

The Bible sets forth the idea of obedience by the strictest measure.  It’s always: black and white, cursing or blessing, pleasure or pain, light or dark, broad way or narrow way.  There are no multiple-choice questions in GodSpace.  Obedience is a “fill in the blank” with our devotion kind of test.

Most of us prefer a multiple choice test to a fill in the blank because we at least have some hope of a right answer based upon shear luck.  But not so with God’s Word.  It’s fill in the blank all the way.  It’s a choice between two options as I said above.  Living in God Space is a “black and white” issue.  Blessing is about knowing God’s fence lines.

God has always set boundaries upon the freedom of His children:  including His first children, Adam and Eve.  Adam and Eve had near free reign of the creation – but God established a clear boundary line for our ancient parents.  The Tree of Life was “out of bounds.”  All the misery in the world today stems from Adam and Eve stepping “out of bounds,” crossing God’s clear boundary lines.

Inside the lines was unimaginable pleasure—beyond, indescribable pain.

The Psalmist expounds upon the issue of “boundary lines” in a beautiful poem about the pleasures and blessing of obedience.  Let’s read that together:

1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You. 2 I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good besides You.” 3 As for the holy people who are in the land, they are the noble ones in whom is all my delight. 4 The sorrows of those who take another ⌊god⌋ for themselves multiply; I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, and I will not speak their names with my lips. 5 LORD, You are my portion and my cup ⌊of blessing⌋; You hold my future. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 7 I will praise the LORD who counsels me — even at night my conscience instructs me. 8 I keep the LORD in mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my spirit rejoices; my body also rests securely. 10 For You will not abandon me to •Sheol; You will not allow Your Faithful One to see the •Pit.   11 You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.

The phrase that seems to jump off the page at me in this passage is v. 6

6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

This passage and the Word in general, from Genesis through Revelation, teaches this important principle: “obedience to God’s Word brings blessing.”  The safest, most productive, indescribably beautiful place in the world to live is in what I call “God Space” – Living Within the Boundary Lines that Bring Blessing.

Most people think of any rules or boundaries of any type as being “restrictive upon our freedom.”  The opposite is actually the case.  The world is full of boundary lines. 

Like the boundary lines on a roadway with two-way traffic.  The center line marks each traveller’s lane clearly.  When someone crosses that boundary line, disaster and death often follow.

Think about the boundary lines, or fences of a gated community (for those who can afford such).  The fences do not “restrict”  one’s freedom, but actually insures it. 

Years ago a famous study investigated the affect of boundaries on the behavior of children.  A group of children were observed playing in a large area that had no fence.  They were observed without their knowledge over a period of several days.  They noticed that the children would congregate in the middle of the large open area.

A fence was added to the area that enclosed the wide open space.  The children again were observed.  At first, by force of habit, they huddled in the middle of the large area.  Then, gradually, as they discovered the fence, they began to spread out until they were enjoying the entire area from fence line to fence line.

Boundaries promote safety and exploration.  Boundaries give us the freedom to experiment, to explore, and to investigate our world.  Even the act of taking a risk can be calculated because there are boundaries.

God has established boundaries for our lives and had them recorded in His Word.  When we move out of the space God has outlined for us, we move into an area of danger, disaster, despair, defeat, and oftentimes even death.

Before I get to the “blessings” that come from Living In God Space, let me outline 3 prominent “boundaries” God has established for our lives.

1.  The Boundary of His Presence (1)—Daily, personal devotions

2.  His People (3)—Regular, enthusiastic fellowship and worship

3.  His Precepts (11)—Memorizing and meditating on His word

All throughout the Bible we watch the principle of God outlining the boundary lines between blessing and cursing.  History is littered with the broken lives, unfulfilled dreams, and horrible atrocities of those who leave the God Space to live in rebellion.  My hope this morning is we will all be inspired to stay within God’s boundary lines and enjoy the blessings of living in God Space.  These blessings are:

1.  In God Space, He Guards (1, 8)

1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You.

…………………….

          8 I keep the LORD in mind always. 
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 

In these two verses there are actually three different ways in which God’s care and protection over His children is described.

❶In verse 1 the word, “Protect,” is a word that means to preserve in a manner that one cares for and tends a garden.  This word first shows up in Genesis

2:15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden

to work it and watch over it.

God guards our lives by keeping the weeds of Satan’s influence from taking hold and growing out of control.

❷Another description of how God guards our lives comes in the second half of that verse:

1. . . for I take refuge in You.

This word provides a picture of shade (as shade of a tree) or as a roof or structure (as in a house, or even the temple).  The idea is that God guards us by protecting us from external attacks or circumstances.  Even though our circumstances may put us in the midst of very stormy weather, God will protect us from destruction.  We will “weather the storm” as long as we abide in God’s shelter.

❸The third word picture describing how God guards our lives is in verse 8:

8 He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

The idea expressed here is one of a “courtroom.”  The “right side” is where one’s defense attorney would stand to defend you against any accusation. 

Psalm 109  31For He stands at the right hand of the needy,
to save him from those who would condemn him.

As we will see in a minute, this is a Psalm which is quoted twice in the New Testament in reference to Jesus Christ, particularly His resurrection.  God guards us ultimately when Satan accuses us by bringing up our sin, Jesus Christ defends us by bringing up our salvation.

This Psalm, as many of David’s psalms, was written during a time when David was under pursuit and attack from his enemies. David realized that the only safe place for Him was in the God Space, where God would guard and protect him.

The safest place on earth is the center of God’s will.  In the God Space God will guard our hearts, minds, and souls.

The early American Indians had a unique practice of training young braves. On the night of a boy's thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test. He was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then, he had never been away from the security of the family and the tribe. But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles away.

When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of a thick woods and he was terrified! Every time a twig snapped, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. Night fell and there was only enough light to produce frightening shadows.  After what seemed like an eternity, dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was his father. He had been there all night long.

When we are in the God Space, we can count on God being near, armed and ready to guard us against any and all evil.

2.  In the God Space, He will GUIDE us (7)

7 I will praise the LORD who counsels me — even at night my conscience instructs me.

I don’t usually read long passages from books or articles I come across in my sermon study.  But, I’m going to make an exception this morning.  A great preacher by the name of John Phillips has described the terrible result of ignoring God’s boundaries in our modern culture.  Please listen closely,

“Nearly all the old guidelines have been broken down today.  Old restraints, old moral standards have been swept away and people are frightened, confused, lonely, and at their wits end.  They run to professional counselors for help as never before in history.  They turn to the dark world of the occult and devour the prognostications of [fortune tellers]. . . . They are looking to [other] religions hoping to find answers there, all in vain.  The Christian has [a great advantage] over them.  [A Christian] can know what it is to be guided by God.  In this life!”

Wow!  How true.  People are turning in every direction imaginable for guidance – accept the direction where they can actually get help.  In God Space, God not only guards us, but He guides us.

The word for “instructs me” in verse 7 is presented in a particular stem that gives a word intensity.  The idea here is more of giving a warning than just providing information.  God knows where all the pitfalls and dangers are for our lives and when we get too close, His Word – if we have hidden it in our hearts – sounds a strong warning to keep us within the boundary line.

This may sound odd or even crude, but God’s guidance is sort of like those “electronic” collars you can buy for your dog.  If they venture too close to the boundary line, it gives them a “shock” that will keep them in a safe space.   God’s Word, empowered by God’s Holy Spirit, reminds us when we get too close to the edge and “nudges” us back into the safety of God Space.

When we abide in God Space, God guards us, God guides us, and

3.  God GLADDENS us (9)

It’s a good thing to be glad.  Verse 9 says,

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my spirit rejoices;

Living in God Space brings us great joy and gladness.  And, the Bible says joy and gladness bring us health.

Prov 17:22  A cheerful heart is good medicine.

Laughter has been proven to have therapeutic effects—everything from lowering blood pressure to helping you lose weight.  It always amazes me how eventually science always catches up with what God has said.

Living in God Space will gladden your heart.

Consider the man who was driving down a secluded country road and his car breaks down.  A little ways up ahead he sees the lights of a monastery.  He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, "My car broke down. Do you think I could stay the night?" The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, even fix his car. As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound. The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was, but they say, "We can't tell you. You're not a monk." The man is disappointed but thanks them anyway and goes about his merry way. Some years later, the same man breaks down in front of the same monastery. The monks gain accept him, feed him, even fix his car. That night, he hears the same strange noise that he had heard years earlier.      The next morning, he asks what it is, but the monks reply, "We can't tell you. You're not a monk."

     The man says, "All right, all right. I'm dying to know. If the only way I can find out what that sound was is to become a monk, how do I become a monk?" The monks reply, "You must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of sand pebbles. When you find these numbers, you will become a monk."    The man sets about his task. Some forty-five years later, he returns and knocks on the door of the monastery. He says, "I have traveled the earth and have found what you have asked for. There are 145,236,284,232 blades of grass and 231,281,219,999,129,382 sand pebbles on the earth."  The monks reply, "Congratulations. You are now a monk. We shall now show you the way to the sound." The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says, "The sound is right behind that door."

     The man reaches for the knob, but the door is locked. He says, "Real funny. May I have the key?"  The monks give him the key, and he opens the door. Behind the wooden door is another door made of stone. The man demands the key to the stone door. The monks give him the key, and he opens it, only to find a door made of ruby. He demands another key from the monks, who provide it. Behind that door is another door, this one made of sapphire. So it went until the man had gone through doors of emerald, silver, topaz, amethyst.  Finally, the monks say, "This is the last key to the last door." The man is relieved to no end. He unlocks the door, turns the knob, and behind that door he is amazed to find the source of that strange sound. What he saw and heard was absolutely beyond anything a person could ever hope to experience.  Would you like to know what it was?  I can't tell you what it is because you're not a monk.

The point of that story is this: there’s no point.  I just wanted you to experience a little gladness of heart.  That’s one of the benefits of living the God Space:  He guards, he guides, and He gladdens.

But, the most important reason of all for staying within the boundary lines of blessing, or living in God Space is:

4.  God GATHERS (10-11)

For You will not abandon me to •Sheol; You will not allow Your Faithful One to see the •Pit. 11You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.

These are two of the most remarkable verses in the O.T.  They refer to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Peter quotes from this Psalm in his Pentecost sermon and Paul uses this text in Acts 13.  Both apply these verses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The Psalmist is declaring prophetically what we know now historically. 

just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,
we too may live a new life. (Rom. 6:4)

There are many reasons to live within boundary lines God has established:  God guards, God guides, God gladdens—but most importantly, God GATHERS! Those who abide in God Space will one day ultimately enjoy the eternal rewards of heaven.  Look at verse 11:

11 You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy;

in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.

Then verse 6,  “The boundary lines have fallen for me

in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

It is so sad that most people in our world never enter into the God Space—they never surrender their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ and so they will never experience eternal pleasures. 

Most people forfeit an eternity of bliss for a few earthly moments of fleshly gratification.  Most people sell out to cheap and settle for a few crumbs of happiness in this world, when they could experience the full loaf of God’s blessings in the next world. 

The Psalmist points out that one day God will “gather” His people to Himself and to His eternal home and we will experience what can only be described by the Ancient Poet as, “abundant joy and eternal pleasures.”

Will you be in that “gathering?” Are you committed to staying within God’s boundary lines?

Heartache, despair, disease, and even death can happen if one ignores the boundary lines of God Space.  But, living within the boundary lines of God’s Word brings unimaginable blessings.

The Psalmist declares for all who will listen:

“6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

February 17, 2019                     NOTES NOT EDITED

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Psalm 139; esp. v.14

SIS-- Combating the evil of abortion begins with knowledge but must end with action.

The great reformer, Martin Luther, said in regard to preaching, “The church that preaches the gospel in all of its fullness except as it applies to the great social ills of the day, is failing to preach the gospel.” Ronald Reagan, himself a great reformer, declared, “Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.”

Both Luther and Reagan shed light on the essence of Biblical truth: it presents the remedy for the human predicament in all its various forms. Biblical preaching presents the antidote, or cure, for human evils of every kind.  To preach the gospel in the abstract is to distort the very meaning of the gospel. In no area of human life in these United States is the need for a clear biblical remedy more acute than with the evil of abortion.

Abortion was catapulted into the mainstream of American conscience by the Supreme Court ruling commonly known as Roe v. Wade, in 1973. Since then the abortion industry has torturously ended the life of over 60 million babies in the U.S.  It is the single-most important issue in American life, especially in politics. It literally defines the two parties of our system: one for life; one for abortion. People want to complicate the issue, but it really is that simple. Killing a child is not a complicated idea, though it is often a very twisted and uncertain practice with a myriad of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual consequences--all of them negative.

Just recently, a Virginia governor blew the lid off of the ugly underbelly of the abortion industry. Himself a physician, Governor Northam supported a bill by Virginia delegate Kathy Tran that would allow abortion right up to the moment of birth--and beyond.

It is the "and beyond" part, called infanticide (killing of a child) that threw gasoline on the fire of a 46 years long controversy. According to Northam who gave a definitive answer from a physicians point of view of what happens should a baby be born alive. Northan explained, in summary, the baby's fate would be decided by the physician and the mother.

This is reminiscent of the "thumbs up, thumbs down" decision of the Emperor in regard to a slave's fate in the coliseum games. Life or death is literally at the whim of a physician and a mother who already decided she didn't love her child.

Abortion is an ugly topic. Any attempt to shed light on this dark, evil practice is met with the most horrible and vitriolic attacks from pro-abortion activists. I cannot be silent when babies are being snuffed out in the womb.

The immensity of this social ill compels me to speak about it. I won't solve all the problems associated with abortion. The clear, blunt language required to address this issue may even offend some of you.  I don't wish to offend people unnecessarily, but I am forced to make a choice: speak and risk offending man; or keep silent and offend Almighty God.  We cannot remain silent.  We are the voice of those who cannot speak for themselves.

I want to approach this issue from several different aspects hoping to achieve three objectives.  First, I want to Frame the Issue.  Second, I want to Focus Scripture on the Issue.  Finally, I want to Faith the Issue (Yes.  Faith from a biblical perspective can be a verb).

1.  Framing the Issue of Abortion.

There are many elements or perspectives on abortion.  It can be discussed from a myriad of angles.  I want to mention four primary areas that converge in the conversation of abortion.  These are broad concepts around which the picture of abortion in America may be framed.  I have chosen for my frame four aspects.  I will not go into depth on any of these.  Each element could, and has, generated hundreds of thousands of pages in both scholarly journals and everyday blogs, journals, news accounts and such.

A.  Abortion and Biology.  In regard to biology we confront scientifically the question, “when does life begin.”  In the early 1900’s, when abortion occurred but was very rare, the issue of when life began usually involved the idea of “quickening.”  Quickening is that time when a mother can perceive the movements of the baby inside her womb.  This usually occurs around the 13^th to 20^th week of gestation.  Scientifically, the study of embryology began in 1677 with the discovery of sperm by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek using a microscope.  He described them as being animalcules (little animals), probably due to his belief in preformationism, which thought that each sperm contained a fully formed but small human (Internet).  The discovery of the female egg (ovum) did not occur for another two and one-half centuries when Edgar Allen discovered the human ovum in 1928. The fusion of spermatozoa with ova (of a starfish) was observed by Oskar Hertwig in 1876 (Internet).  So, the understanding of life beginning at conception, as a scientific idea (not a religious one), had a slow development in science.  The old idea of “preformationalism” which Leeuwenhoek assigned to the male sperm, actually more accurately describes the male zygote, or embryo.  This is a symbol outline to show that the beginning of life can, and has, been established by the field of biology.  Issues of “quickening, implantation, viability” say nothing about when life begins scientifically.  Life, biologically, begins at the time of conception when the zygote (early embryo) contains all the DNA components necessary for human life.  I will say more about this later when discussing when life begins from a biblical perspective.

2.  Abortion and Philosophy.  Under this heading I want to discuss the simple answer to the question, “Is abortion murder?”  Webster’s dictionary gives this definition:  the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another.  It can be simplified for our discussion as, “killing an innocent human being.”  A simple logical analysis of abortion from a philosophical perspective would begin by asking, “Does abortion involve killing?”  The obvious answer to this is yes.  The second question to analyze would be, “Is the being that killed, in fact, innocent?”  I know of know court that has ever challenged the innocence of the being who is killed.  Finally, we must ask, “Is the being killed in an abortion, human?”  Scientifically, there can be no other conclusion but that the being killed is, in fact, human.  Therefore, unless we change the definition of murder to one that only applies to abortion, which would be philosophically dishonest, then we must conclude that abortion is murder.  This may insult the sensibilities of many in the culture, but it is the only philosophically defensible conclusion following from the commonly accepted definition of murder.  By definition, capital punishment is not murder for the person is not “innocent.”  By definition, the necessary or consequential delivery of an unviable child because of a medical condition of the mother, would also not be murder, for the intent and best effort is to save both the life of the child and the mother, though this may not be possible.  Abortion is “killing” not “healing.”

3.  Abortion and Politics.  In regard to “politics” I want to point to the various “vested” interests in the “abortion” industry.  Far beyond just the welfare and circumstances of the mother, many other persons have taken an interest in abortion for political reasons.  For example, recall the pro-abortion views of Governor Ralph Northam.  He is politically ties to Planned Parenthood, the major provider of abortion services in the United States.  That is just one example of how the issue of abortion intertwines with the issue of politics.  Abortion is deeply engrained in the foundation of a major political party, and opposition to abortion is identified with another. America’s Two-Party System can be identified summarily as:  one party for abortion, and one party against abortion.  This single issue more clearly defines Republicans and Democrats—according to formal party platforms—than any other issue.  Even among the general population this divide is easily identifiable.  About 55% support abortion to some degree and 45% oppose.  For those that oppose abortion, it is undoubtedly the single-most important issue in politics.  The news sources bombard the American populace with crisis and chaos of all political types from global warming to immigration issues, but the single-most important issue for the last 46 years has been “abortion.”  Since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, every subsequent Supreme Court appointment has focused on “abortion rights.”  To summarize my point about abortion and politics, I’d say it is THE life and death issue—literally and figuratively—in the political arena of our nation.

4.  Abortion and Economics.  On 11 August 2018, Chelsea Clinton was a featured speaker at the New York City stop on the Rise Up for Roe tour.  At that rally she claimed in her speech, “Abortion has been an important economic stimulus ever since it was legalized by the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.” You can imagine the uproar such a statement has caused.  Margaret Sanger,  who founded what would become Planned Parenthood in 1932, also spoke of the economic benefits for eliminating what she called, “undesirables,” from American society.  So, seeing abortion as an “economic” benefit to society was not a new concept with Chelsea Clinton.  It has always been a driving force in the movement.  But, what is the real economic cost/benefit analysis of abortion?  According to a lengthy study of the economic impact of abortion, the conclusion is that the sum total of lost GDP (Gross Domestic Product) from 1973 to 2007 due to surgical abortion was nearly $37 trillion.  It does not take a rocket scientist to understand that a loss of $37 trillion to our economy since 1973 has taken a big toll. Because of abortion, we have 52 million fewer taxpayers who would have provided a strong economic foundation for the nation (National Study: The Cost of Abortion, thecostofabortion.com).  As early as 1920, during the formulative years of Adolf Hitler, German authors, Karl Binding, a law professor,  and Alfred Hoche, a distinguished psychiatrist, wrote the most significant work on infanticide in our time in 1920.  They titled their work, “The Permit to Destroy Life Not Worth Living.”  They paved the way for an “economic test” for the right to live.

Put aside the “statistics” for a moment and just ask some common sense question about the economics of abortion?  How many inventors like Thomas Edison have been killed in the womb?  How many great innovators like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs have been killed in the womb?  How many great statesmen who have led the nation into periods of great economic booms like Eisenhower, Reagan, or even Donald Trump have been denied the opportunity to make great contributions to our economy, and indeed to the global economy?  To see killing human beings as a “boom to the economy” is as asinine as it is atrocious!

Now, that we have a “frame” around our discussion of abortion, let us

2.  Focus Scripture on the Issue.

I do not have time today to discuss all the issues in regard to life, or the life of an unborn child.  There are many issues in the Law that deal with such matters.  I want to focus on the primary issue—the issue of the “sanctity” of human life.

We read Psalm 139 earlier.  Verses 13 and 14 deal directly with life in the womb.  The sanctity of life within the womb rests dependently and absolutely upon the [1. Sovereignty of Almighty God.]  Life is sacred because God is sovereign and declares all life “fearful and wonderful, a holy product shaped by His own hand.”  The matter of abortion cannot be settled in the courts, but has already been settled in the Degree of a Sovereign, Fearful, Mighty God.  Let me read again verses 1-12 to show you the importance of the Sovereignty of God, both in general and in relation to life in the womb.  Verses 1-4 say,

¹ Lord, You have searched me and known me. ² You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. ³ You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways. ⁴ Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord.

Yahweh is the All-knowing, All-powerful God.  His knowledge and power are limitless and His Sovereignty is Absolute.  It is God and God alone that decrees the final judgment on any matter—including the matter of the sanctity of all human life.

And . . . what is God’s decree in regard to life in the womb?  The Psalmist declares, [2. The Unfolding Life]

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.  15 My ^aframe was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

This passage scientifically describes the nature of the embryo over 1200 years before scientists like Leeuwenhoek, Allen, Hertwig or other early biologists stumbled upon the truth in their labs.  Two words show the Sublime Genius of the Almighty.  I will deal with the second one first.  Verse 16 refers to, “my unformed substance.”  More literally, that means, “my embryo.”  The Hebrew word is golem (mlg), or “embryo.” This word gives the image of “an unfolding process.”  (golem comes from galam, meaning, folded together)  Like a folded piece of paper contains the entire sheet, so the embryo contains the entire person.  A better translation than “unformed” substance would be “unfolding essence.” An embryo is “essentially” a human person.  Gestation is a “developmental process.”  There is no fundamental difference between an embryo and an adult, except for time and size.  A two year-old is no more a person than an embryo, any more than a teenager is more of a person than a two-year old.

There is another important word demonstrating that a child in the womb, from conception, is a human being.  Notice the words, “My frame,” in verse 15.  “My frame . . . “  ‘osemi (fr., ‏עֶצֶם‎ ʿetsem)), literally bones and skeleton.  More generally, according to  Hebrew scholars, “the state of being as a sum-total of elements of being” (Keil, Delitzsche).  The embryo (golem) represents the “totality of being—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.”

So, the essence of what it means to be “fearfully and wonderfully made” is to be the “essence of human personhood gloriously unfolding at the direction of Almighty God, before the womb, in the womb, and beyond.”

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that a child in the womb is a unique, special, and sanctified creation of Almighty God.  This brings me to a summary point in regard to the sanctity, or holiness, of life.  When does life begin?  Biologically, it begins at the moment of conception, when the sperm fertilizes the egg.  Theologically, life begins much sooner—even eternally.  Notice verse 16 again, “

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

Your life did not begin in your mother’s womb.  Your life—all life—begins in the [3. “Mind of God!”]  God knows all our days, “before even one of them had passed.”  Jeremiah echoes the Psalmist’s declaration:

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jer. 1:5).

Personhood is not related to “size.”  The embryo does not become a person when it reaches a certain size.  If being and personhood were determined by size—Pastor Andrew would be more of a person than I am because he is bigger.  Neither is being and personhood dependent upon “time.”  In that case, I’d be more of a person than Pastor Andrew. 

The second the sperm unites with the egg, the human being begins unfolding. Everything the person will ever be is contained in that union—that two-cell embryo. Like the unfolding of a piece of paper that ultimately reveals what it has always been, so the unfolding of that embryonic human being will one day reveal what he or she has always been.  In a very real sense, a person—particularly a believer in Christ—never stops unfolding throughout all eternity.  If that don’t blow your mind, I’m not sure what could!

In order for us to rightly discern the issue of abortion, we must FOCUS the piercing Light of Scripture on the matter.  Life is not what scientists say it is.  Life is not what philosopher’s say it is.  Life is not what politicians say it is.  Life is what Yahweh, Almighty God, says it is—“human life from the inception in God’s Own Mind, through the conception in a woman’s womb, and beyond is unique, precious, fearful and wonderful.”  Abortion destroys the very “Handiwork of God” and is a gross, immoral, and unholy act.

Now that we have framed the issue, focused the Scripture on the issue, the final objective for me this morning is to get us to

3.  Faith the Issue! (v19)

O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.

The Psalmist did not merely present the Sovereignty of God and the Sanctity of Human life as intellectual seeds for impotent discussions.  His desire was not merely to flex and gyrate upon the various apparatuses in an intellectual gymnasium.  The Psalmist goal is not merely enlightenment, but obedience.  My objective is not that you would now “know” more about the abortion issue.  My objective is that you apply your faith in holy obedience to push back strongly against what has become a cultural norm.

The Psalmist prayed that God would  “slay . . . the men of bloodshed.”  How appropriate this is to describe the literal “butcher shops” the abortion clinics have become.  These place literal gorge their pocketbooks with the shedding of human blood.

The Psalmist saw evil not as a “quirk in the cosmic system,” but as “wickedness” to the highest degree.  In verses 20-21, the Psalmist speaks of “hating these wicked men of bloodshed.”  The Psalmist speaks of those who shed blood as “enemies of the Almighty.”

Faith demands we do something about such wickedness as abortion. When we “faith the issue” of abortion, we engage our total being in the fight against the most grotesque and unholy act in our culture—the murder of innocent human beings.
Proverbs 31:8-9 commands us to 8 Open your mouth for the mute, For the rights of all the unfortunate. 9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.

At the very least, faithing the issue of abortion means we must become much more vocal in the Christian community.  We must develop more sophisticate ways to plead the cause of the most innocent.  We must sacrifice more of our time and our resources to this issue.  Faith demands we DO MORE!  Anything and everything just short of violence.

I do not have time to go into all the rationale behind why it is not biblically warranted to confront the abortionists, abortion supporters, or politicians with violence.  In short, in the war against abortion, we must practice the principles best articulated by Augustine in regard to Just War Theory.  Taking up arms in any battle is only biblically justified, according to Just War Theory, when all three of the following conditions can be met:

1. The damage inflicted by the use of force must be lasting, grave, and certain.  2. All other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective.  3. There must be serious prospects of success.

Using force in the battle against abortion cannot meet any of these three conditions.  The use of coercive force of any kind is NOT WARRANTED in the battle to save the lives of the unborn. 

When the Bible says, “Believe,” it is the verb form of the word “Faith.”  To believe means, in a Biblical sense, “to do faith.”  James gives us guidance along these lines:

      ²²But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.  ²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.  ²⁵But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. (Jam. 1)

The words, “effectual (ergou, ergou) doer,” means a person who “demonstrates his beliefs with great energy and effectiveness.”
Politicians on the progressive side have stepped up their attacks on the unborn over the last few years, as evidenced by the brazen words of the current Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, and delegate Kathy Tran.  These are the most recent persons leading the charge, but they are by no means the only ones with contempt for the sanctity of human life.  The battle has heated up.  It’s time for God’s people to rise up even more.

I have great misgivings about the Catholic Church and Catholic doctrine.  I have no misgivings about giving praise where praise is due.  Great praise needs to be given to the Catholic nun, Mother Teresa.  She labored for the most poor of the poor in our world.  She sowed love where there was no love.  She shed light where there was much darkness.  Mother Teresa had great disdain for the very idea of abortion.  She once said, “If abortion isn’t wrong, then nothing is wrong.”

Will you make a commitment today to join me as a member of this church in renewing your efforts—personal and financial—in standing up for the Unborn, and giving a voice to those too young to cry?