Now I know that parents who tell their children about Santa Claus have no malicious intent, and they just want to promote wonder and awe for their children about Christmas. I also believe that pro-wrestling can be entertaining and I admire the athleticism of the wrestlers. But what these have taught me is that things aren’t always what they seem and that people you trust may not be honest with you.

Francis Bacon the 16th century philosopher and statesman said, "People prefer to believe what they prefer to be true." Adolf Hitler said, "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it."

Being a Christ follower, I believe that there is a God of truth and a book of truth called the Bible. I also believe that there is a liar and promoter of lies, whom we call Satan, that wants to undermine the truth so that people will not follow the truth, but prefer to embrace the lies because they prefer them to be true. My desire for this series of messages is for you to know the truth and to be able to show and tell the truth to your children, grandchildren, friends, and whoever may be tempted to embrace the lies. And to correct them with grace, and humility as you offer faith, hope and love in Jesus name.

This is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. The Sunday closest to January 22nd. It was on January 22nd, 1973 that the Supreme Court declared the Texas law concerning abortion to be unconstitutional. In 1970 Texas woman Norma McCorvey had gotten pregnant and took Texas District Attorney Henry Wade to court to challenge the state laws. McCorvey used the pseudonym Jane Roe. By a 7-2 vote the Supreme Court overturned the law and abortion was declared legal in the United States. Interestingly, in 1995 Norma McCorvey became a Christ-Follower. She didn’t have an abortion but gave her child up for adoption and has since spoken against abortion.

But since 1973 our nation has been divided over the issue of whether abortion is birth control or murder. Every major election has abortion as a major component. Since 1973 we have averaged 4000 abortions a day in this country, 42 million around the world annually. Nearly 60 million children have been aborted in the United States. We abort more children in one year than the total number of American deaths in all of the wars America has ever been involved in. Courts are still battling over free speech and how close Pro-life advocates can come to an abortion clinic. Last year we did a sermon on the Sanctity of Human Life that I would be glad to email to you and encourage you to re-read.

I know that this is a sensitive issue because there is a better than good chance that someone here has been impacted by abortion. You have had one, or have a child that has had one, or urged someone to have one or grieved over those who had one. Please believe me, I am not intending to condemn you. I just want you to know the truth and know that there is forgiveness, grace and hope in Jesus Christ.

Here are some of the lies associated with the one big lie:

• A Woman has the right to do with her body what she chooses. Since a baby, which she calls a fetus, is attached to her body she has the right to remove it.

• A Fetus isn’t a human being until some (and it is debated when) point of viability -3 months, 6 months, birth, 3 days after birth. Until then it is just a blob of tissue.

• Abortion is a good method of quantity control or contraception.

• Abortion is a good method of quality control as birth defected children can be eliminated and the parents and society un-burdened.

• This one belongs to those who under the term Christendom are supportive of Pro-Choice, the Bible doesn’t directly address abortion.

We could literally spend a month of Sunday’s on this subject but what I want to do is tell you the truth from two sources-The Bible, and Science. Both of which are ignored in the debates and courts.

The Bible

As Christians we begin with the premise that the Bible is God’s Word and therefore true and relevant for today. This is where we begin for our children and grandchildren. But we understand that many people don’t accept the Bible as truth and authoritative. Even in our previous church a woman approached me and said she disagreed on my position of women in leadership and said, "I know you use the Bible, but I don’t believe everything that is in the Bible."

Let’s remember that God gave us the Bible so that we might not only know Him but know how to have the best life, how not to mess up life, and how to clean up what we have messed up in life. Paul told Timothy in a world that has become savage, "You must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:14-17)

Without this foundation, life will never be what God intended for it to be. Consider this, from Dr. David Kim, called Button Theology. There is a God, The Bible is God’s Word for our Good, I am designed to trust and obey God, in my personal life, home, work, and society. When I skip over God and the Bible, my life will never what it was intended. The place to begin is to go back to God and the Bible.

Consider this:

1. The sexual union that results in pregnancy may be the choice of people but it is God who causes pregnancy to occur. Consider Sarah, Rachael, Hannah, Elizabeth, and Mary the mother of Jesus. 1 Samuel 1:5, 19-20 says, "But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb, Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. 20 So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked for him from the Lord."

Genesis 16:2 says that God withheld children from Sarah

Genesis 30:2 says that God withheld fruit from Rachel’s womb

2. It is God who creates the child in the womb. Consider these scriptures:

Psalm 100:3, "Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves

Isa. 44:24, "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb: "I am the Lord, who makes all things,

Job 31:15, "Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

Job 10:8-12, "Your hands have made me and fashioned me, An intricate unity; Yet You would destroy me. 9 Remember, I pray, that You have made me like clay. And will You turn me into dust again? 10 Did You not pour me out like milk, And curdle me like cheese, 11 Clothe me with skin and flesh, And knit me together with bones and sinews? 12 You have granted me life and favor, And Your care has preserved my spirit.

Psalm 139:13-16, "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. By the way, this is one of the greatest portions in the Bible about the uniqueness of every human being. Like a tapestry that is carefully weaved together with just the right colors and materials. It is God who crafts the bones, muscles, organs, and selects the DNA, the color of the eyes, the finger prints and lip prints, etc. The scriptures tell us that every baby is a special unique creation of God.

3. God has a special plan for every child even those in unplanned pregnancies

Genesis 1:28-29 reminds us that we made to reflect the image of God

Isaiah 43:7 reminds us that we were made to glorify God

Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

Isaiah 49:1, "The Lord has called Me from the womb;

From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.

Gal. 1:15, "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace."

4. God has declared Human life sanctified. Man is allowed to kill animals for food, and for sacrifice before Jesus came. Man is allowed to take life in a justifiable war, self-defense, and to protect society by way of police and capital punishment from a court of law. But man is not allowed to take life for convenience or anger. This is the meaning of the 6th commandment. "Thou shalt not kill is really. Thou shall not murder."

5. Does God speak directly to Abortion, the answer is both Yes and No. Exodus 21:22-25 tells us, "If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." Some argue that this is speaking about harm to the mother even if there is a miscarriage. But the passage is talking about harm to the baby. God considers the unborn – a child. A Baby whose life is as important as the mother’s. If a woman is harmed while pregnant, and there is harm or death to the baby, those responsible are accountable for that harm or death and must pay accordingly.

The Bible speaks clearly, that God is the author and creator of every baby and that He considers every pregnancy special, and that every unborn baby should be afforded the same rights as those born.

But shouldn’t a woman have the right to do with her body as she chooses? That question is just a little foolish. We would not allow a woman or anyone to deliberately shoot herself up with heroine, we would stop her from cutting herself for attention, or attempting suicide.

Shouldn’t a woman have the right to choose to have a baby or not? The answer is yes, but that is a decision to be made before a baby is conceived and not afterward. Contraception is to prevent pregnancy, abortion terminates a life.

What about children detected to be handicapped or with downs syndrome? Isn’t abortion better for the child and the parent? As much as I don’t understand. I know that God is still the creator of life, even that which we might consider a handicap. God told Moses in Exodus 4:11, "So the Lord said to him, "Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Through Isaiah 45:9-10 God tells us this, "Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!

Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’? 10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’ Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’" No one can decide the quality of life. It is Love that decides the quality of life. Spina Bifada, Cystic Fibrosis, Downs, blindness, deafness, and more do not decide the quality of life, neither does the use of hands or legs. There are people who love those with what we may perceive as handicaps. And that love determines the quality of that life.

Science

The Hippocratic Oath – in 400 B.C. Hippocrates formed an oath that has been taken by virtually every medical student since then. His oath gave importance to all human life. In the original form appeared these words, "I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art."

The Declaration of Geneva (1948), was crafted as a means of bringing the Hippocratic Oath up to date. Included in the original language of that declaration is the following:

"I WILL MAINTAIN the utmost respect for human life, from the time of conception; even under threat, I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity."

Sadly, this section of the oath appears to have been deleted from what current medical students must ascribe to.

When is an unborn child – a child? Is it not just a mass of tissue as long as it is in the womb?

In 1989, Dr. Jerome LeJeune--the world renown professor of genetics in Paris, France, who discovered the genetic cause of Downs Syndrome, testified at a trial in Tennessee, that no one can claim property rights on a frozen embryo because it is a human being. He said, and I quote in part:

"Each of us has a unique human beginning, the moment of conception. Inside the chromosomes is written the program and all the definitions, so to speak, of the table of the law of life...when this information carried by the sperm and by the ovum has encountered each other, then a new human being is defined because its own personal and human constitution is entirely spelled out...science has a very simple conception of man; as soon as he has been conceived, a man is a man. ...Around twelve days after fertilization, the beginning of [the neural tube is formed]. Then, within...three weeks, the cardiac tubes will begin to beat, so that the heart is beginning to beat after three weeks. ...[At] two months of age, he is two centimeters and a half from the crown to the rump, and if I had him in my fist, you would not see that I have something, but if I opened my hand you would see the tiny man with hands, fingers, and toes. Everything is there.

At this stage, we change the name from "embryo" to "fetus" because, now, the visible evidence clearly shows that we are looking at a man and not a chimpanzee or other primate. A cytogenetics student could easily tell if the original zygote was a human being."

Medical authorities determine a person to be alive if there is either a detectable heartbeat or brain wave activity. Unborn children have a detectable heartbeat at 18 days and detectable brain-wave activity around 40 days or just 5 ½ weeks after conception, and 100% of abortions are done after the 7th week. Watch this clip from 12 Biggest Lies hosted by Kevin Sorbo (35-41 minutes).

What about Rape, Incest, or danger to the Mother? These are tough questions for sure. And again, while I don’t understand I do believe God has a purpose for the child He forms, and it fits into a bigger picture that we can try to explain. But I do know this, Rape, Incest, or danger to the mother accounts for less than 5% of all abortions. Probably as little as 1-2%. 95-98% of all abortions are done for convenience. I say that not to condemn but as truth. Many don’t want to be a single parent. Many don’t want the embarrassment of a pregnancy. Many are frightened of the financial burden a pregnancy or a child will cause. Many don’t want a child that will alter one’s career or otherwise interfere with their lives.

And I believe with all my heart from the medical end, that it is more a financial decision than an ethical decision for abortionists. Other than plastic surgery, abortion is the only totally elective surgery.

Now, folks that is the truth. But what if you have had an abortion? Or what about family members or friends or associates that have had abortions? Teach your children and grandchildren while they are young these truths.

• Share the truth in love with grace. Please use last week’s notes as a guideline.

• Offer forgiveness. Remind them that there is nothing that God can’t forgive. He forgave prostitutes, thieves, and 3 of the most re-known God followers in the Bible were guilty of un-justifiable murder; being Moses, David, and Paul. God can forgive and give them peace.

• Show them how God can use their past to change someone’s future. Crisis pregnancy centers could use volunteers to help others who are struggling with their decisions.

• Give them hope. We believe that aborted and miscarried children are in the presence of God and they will see them again, if they will trust and follow Jesus. Remind them of what David said when his newborn son died in 2 Samuel 12:22-23, "And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." We will see what I believe the child would have been. And we will hold them and it will be well.

Whether you choose to march in Washington or Annapolis, or picket an abortion center, or write to law makers is your right and decision as an American citizen. But as Christ-Followers, God wants you to be the means of communicating His truth, and offering His grace to those who have believed the lies. Just make sure that you speak the truth in love. Because people are not the enemy they are victims of the enemy.

May God bless you as you speak the truth.

Next week –Lie #2. Same Sex Relationships are normal and should be accepted as good

If this has blessed you or you would like to know more, please write to me at pastorgarybuchman@gmail.com