THE VALUE OF LIFE
MATTHEW 12:9-14
INTRODUCTION
Because of the film we presented this morning on abortion I have decided to set aside the series of sermons I have been preaching from 1 Thessalonians in order to address this moral issue.
Abortion is an issue that has caused a great amount of unrest within our country and many of the Lord’s churches.
As recently as last Sunday a visitor told me that he would not be returning to church today because we were talking about abortion.
In 1973 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in the Roe v. Wade case that the termination of unborn life was a legal right.
On January 22, 1973, this Supreme Court ruled that a woman had “a right to privacy” broad enough to include abortion.
This fateful decision meant that: An unborn child was considered to be an indistinguishable part of a woman’s body, and not a separate, distinct human life. This decision means that a woman has a constitutional right to decide what to do with her body. The state has no compelling interest to protect the life of that which it has defined as a “non-person”.
Since that time abortions in the united states are performed approximately:
- 1 every 22 seconds
- Over 4,000 per day
- Over 120,000 per month
- Over 1,500,000 per year
- And more than 20,000,000 since 1973
This is more than ten times the number of people killed in all the national and civil wars since our country began.
Statistics from 1995 indicate that there were more than 55 million abortions performed world wide in that year.
Today abortion has become the second most common surgical procedure after circumcision.
Some may wonder why a person would want an abortion.
Some seek one due to rape or incest, or as an attempt to save the life of the mother, but approximately 97-99% of all abortions are out of convenience.
They are also used as a means of birth control to relieve distress and for self-satisfaction.
What sort of person would seek an abortion?
In the July 89 issue of the Los Angeles Times, it was reported that women in their 20’s obtain more than half of all reported abortions, about 55%. About 24% are obtained by teenagers and 14% by those 18—19 years old.
This same article stated that 42% of all abortions are obtained by Protestants; 31% by Catholics; 2% by Jews and 22% by those who have no religious affiliation.
This morning it is my prayer that we will come to realize the value that god places upon a human life and that we will see abortion for what it really is; the murdering of innocent children.
Today our text is found in Matthew 12:9-14 and the title of my message is, “The Value of Life.”
Matthew 12:9-14 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" 11He said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 13Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. (NIV)
EMPHASIZE VERSE 12 “HOW MUCH MORE VALUE THEN IS A MAN THAN A SHEEP”
This evening I’d like us to consider three reasons why abortion is not biblical.