1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,240 I need you to just turn with me to Ephesians Chapter 5 in our 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,480 Bibles together and Ephesians Chapter 5. 3 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:13,200 As many of you know, this upcoming Saturday we as a church 4 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:16,280 are preparing to head and make our way into the heart of the 5 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:20,160 city and partnership with Love Life Ministries with the purpose 6 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,880 of being the light of Christ in a very dark place. 7 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:27,560 And that dark place is just outside of one of the largest 8 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:32,980 abortion clinics in Chicago. And our hope and prayers, that 9 00:00:32,980 --> 00:00:39,300 our presence, our worship, our supplication, and the message of 10 00:00:39,300 --> 00:00:43,100 the gospel of Jesus Christ will penetrate whatever darkness 11 00:00:43,100 --> 00:00:50,020 abides and will even grip the hearts of those who are planning 12 00:00:50,020 --> 00:00:56,420 to head into that very clinic, to exterminate gifts of God. 13 00:00:57,540 --> 00:01:02,840 Those who bear His image, those who have been created for 14 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,840 purpose. And with that mission and view, 15 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:08,480 it seems appropriate for us to come under God's word this 16 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:13,320 afternoon and to hear a message that will hopefully awaken our 17 00:01:13,320 --> 00:01:18,120 hearts, awaken our hearts to not just realize the great 18 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:22,560 opportunity that we have before us, but to realize our mandate 19 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:26,520 as believers in Christ. So my my goal in this, my prayer 20 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:31,740 in this is not that you would be riled up or inspired for a 21 00:01:31,740 --> 00:01:35,860 single event, but that through the word you would be equipped, 22 00:01:36,500 --> 00:01:40,220 you'd be inspired. You'd be sharpened in your 23 00:01:40,220 --> 00:01:43,820 daytoday context, in your conversations and in your 24 00:01:43,820 --> 00:01:46,500 encounters, especially with those who believe it very 25 00:01:46,500 --> 00:01:50,100 differently than you and I do concerning this issue. 26 00:01:51,500 --> 00:01:54,660 And before we dive in, I want us to begin by pointing you to a 27 00:01:54,660 --> 00:01:58,020 verse that will serve as a reminder to what one of our 28 00:01:58,020 --> 00:02:02,700 duties are as followers of Jesus Christ Ephesians 5 down here in 29 00:02:02,700 --> 00:02:09,860 verse 11, take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, 30 00:02:10,380 --> 00:02:15,580 but instead expose them. Take no part in the unfruitful 31 00:02:15,580 --> 00:02:19,020 works of darkness, but instead expose them. 32 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:23,000 If you ask believers today what practically has changed in your 33 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,720 life after you have experienced the new birth, you might get a 34 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:31,200 summary like this, at least in the first part of verse 11. 35 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,600 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness they would 36 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,560 They would explain that they no longer participate in the deeds 37 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:40,560 of the flesh. They no longer associate with 38 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,200 ungodliness. They might even elaborate and 39 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:47,040 explain how their desires concerning sin and righteousness 40 00:02:47,430 --> 00:02:50,470 have been marvelously altered because of the indwelling work 41 00:02:50,470 --> 00:02:54,470 of the Holy Spirit. And all of that is right. 42 00:02:54,510 --> 00:02:57,510 That would be correct. That would be one of the signs 43 00:02:57,510 --> 00:03:00,550 that the Lord has indeed changed you and transformed you. 44 00:03:01,350 --> 00:03:03,510 But that's only half of what Paul has said. 45 00:03:04,910 --> 00:03:08,550 Paul says here in the second part, but instead expose them. 46 00:03:08,990 --> 00:03:13,030 He explains in this one verse how Christian responsibility is 47 00:03:13,030 --> 00:03:16,630 defined by much more than what you no longer do. 48 00:03:18,350 --> 00:03:22,470 He says that we are also known for what we actively engage in. 49 00:03:23,790 --> 00:03:26,710 And so, as a born again Christian, I not only testify 50 00:03:26,710 --> 00:03:30,510 and confess what I used to do, I now avoid. 51 00:03:31,590 --> 00:03:33,670 That's that's half of your reality. 52 00:03:34,550 --> 00:03:39,390 Moreover, you might equally it may must equally confessed what 53 00:03:39,390 --> 00:03:45,190 I used to ignore, I now do. And that's exactly what we see 54 00:03:45,190 --> 00:03:47,710 here. There is this holistic view of 55 00:03:47,710 --> 00:03:51,470 what the Christian is, and we see here that there is a work. 56 00:03:51,470 --> 00:03:55,990 One of the duties of the believer is to expose is to 57 00:03:55,990 --> 00:03:58,990 expose. And the word expose there is 58 00:03:58,990 --> 00:04:02,190 used in many ways in the New Testament, the ESV, it's the 59 00:04:02,190 --> 00:04:04,750 same word used for rebuke. It's the same word used for 60 00:04:04,750 --> 00:04:06,590 reprove. It's the same word used for 61 00:04:06,590 --> 00:04:12,110 convict. It denotes the call to point out 62 00:04:12,110 --> 00:04:16,110 fruits of darkness and to call it out for what it is. 63 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:19,000 And that can be done in two ways. 64 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:24,080 There is the direct approach and there is the indirect approach. 65 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:29,040 And you can argue that in Ephesians chapter 5, Paul is 66 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:34,440 making a case for exposing the works of darkness indirectly, 67 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:37,520 indirectly. Where do I get that from? 68 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:46,700 We'll look back here at verse 5 and it says here, let there be 69 00:04:46,700 --> 00:04:48,820 no filthiness. Excuse me, for you may be sure 70 00:04:48,820 --> 00:04:50,900 of this, that everyone who is sexually moral or impure, who is 71 00:04:50,900 --> 00:04:54,420 covetous, that is an idol that has no inheritance, has no 72 00:04:54,420 --> 00:04:55,860 inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ. 73 00:04:55,860 --> 00:04:57,300 And God. Let no one deceive you with 74 00:04:57,300 --> 00:04:58,780 empty words. For because of these things the 75 00:04:58,780 --> 00:05:01,500 wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 76 00:05:02,340 --> 00:05:04,780 Therefore do not become partakers with them. 77 00:05:04,780 --> 00:05:09,940 For at one time you were in darkness, but now you are light 78 00:05:09,940 --> 00:05:14,180 in the Lord walk as children of light. 79 00:05:15,770 --> 00:05:18,610 When the Scripture uses the word walk in your spirituality, it 80 00:05:18,610 --> 00:05:22,490 speaks of daily behavior, daily conduct. 81 00:05:24,170 --> 00:05:27,690 And here we see that with the backdrop of walking his children 82 00:05:27,690 --> 00:05:31,570 in light, he exhorts the people of God to expose darkness. 83 00:05:31,570 --> 00:05:34,690 You know what that means. It's very simple that your 84 00:05:34,690 --> 00:05:39,970 honesty, your purity, your generosity, your selflessness, 85 00:05:40,610 --> 00:05:45,150 your gracious speech contains convicting power. 86 00:05:46,630 --> 00:05:51,070 It is able to disturb the darkness around you. 87 00:05:53,310 --> 00:05:57,630 And that calls for us to be very mindful of how we walk. 88 00:05:58,590 --> 00:06:02,430 Because the less that my walk is in accordance with the character 89 00:06:02,430 --> 00:06:06,630 of Christ, the more of this indirect influence becomes 90 00:06:06,630 --> 00:06:10,510 muddied and dimmed. And that's why he says here it's 91 00:06:10,510 --> 00:06:16,980 confirmed in verse 13, he says. But when anything is exposed by 92 00:06:16,980 --> 00:06:19,060 light, it becomes visible. For anything that becomes 93 00:06:19,060 --> 00:06:21,940 visible as light, therefore it says a Waco sleeper and arise 94 00:06:22,020 --> 00:06:24,620 from the dead in Christ will shine on you. 95 00:06:24,980 --> 00:06:29,580 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as 96 00:06:29,580 --> 00:06:33,540 wise. Be careful, because there is an 97 00:06:33,540 --> 00:06:39,440 element indirectly of how your presence and your practice can 98 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,760 actually draw people away from darkness. 99 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:48,200 And so Paul's primary exposing work here, what he has in view, 100 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:52,200 is more what I just said, presence and practice more than 101 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:58,200 merely preaching and pleading. Nevertheless, you can take that 102 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,320 truth and it can lead you in the wrong direction. 103 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:07,600 And there are people who comfort themselves by by saying, well, 104 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:11,880 if if that has the power to actually cause darkness to 105 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:16,200 tremble, to cause people in darkness to see light, to be 106 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:19,800 convicted by the warmth of that light, then there is no need for 107 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:23,800 me to verbally deal with this. There is no there is no need for 108 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:28,400 me to speak out against these things directly and clearly. 109 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:30,560 And that would be terribly wrong. 110 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:36,560 Terribly wrong. Your silent testimony and mine, 111 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:42,800 though it is effective in many cases, can only go so far, can 112 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,040 only go so far. It can only do so much. 113 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:50,360 And there are times and many times we're exposing Includes 114 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:54,240 the open challenge and confrontation of evil. 115 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:59,760 Jesus said in John 77, the world cannot hate you, but it hates me 116 00:07:59,960 --> 00:08:03,960 because I testify about it that its works are evil. 117 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:11,280 I testify, I bear witness. I explicitly say about the works 118 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:15,040 of this world that it's evil, and that's why the world hates 119 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:17,520 me. A lot of people who are not 120 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:20,640 Christian are willing to tolerate with your niceness and 121 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:24,720 your gentleness and your holiness in terms of not 122 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:26,840 participating in what they participate in. 123 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:31,040 But the moment you say something, the moment you speak 124 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:35,669 out, the moment you address it, that's where persecution really, 125 00:08:35,669 --> 00:08:37,909 really, really takes on a new level. 126 00:08:39,429 --> 00:08:41,309 And yet it is still a responsibility. 127 00:08:42,150 --> 00:08:46,030 It's the duty of the believer. And one of the reasons why this 128 00:08:46,030 --> 00:08:49,430 is absolutely crucial for Christians to understand is 129 00:08:49,430 --> 00:08:54,230 because in this battle between truth and lie, in this war for 130 00:08:54,230 --> 00:08:59,390 souls, the devil is constantly attempting to keep sin in the 131 00:08:59,390 --> 00:09:02,390 dark from not coming to any light. 132 00:09:04,010 --> 00:09:06,010 And he has many clevers ways of doing this. 133 00:09:06,090 --> 00:09:08,530 And one of the most subtle things that he does concerning 134 00:09:08,530 --> 00:09:13,170 sin is he loves to and every generation repackage its label 135 00:09:14,210 --> 00:09:19,490 to give it new language to remove this sting of certain 136 00:09:19,490 --> 00:09:24,650 things so that it's it's more palatable and digestible for the 137 00:09:24,650 --> 00:09:28,160 Sinner. And so we're not, we're not 138 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:30,280 hearing about fornication anymore. 139 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:35,600 We hear about recreational sex. What we would consider adultery 140 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,720 is not really adultery for many. It's an open relationship. 141 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:46,640 You talk about pornography being shameful and disgusting. 142 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:48,120 No. No, it's not pornography. 143 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:52,680 It's adult entertainment. Abortion. 144 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:55,840 Is it murder? No. 145 00:09:56,240 --> 00:10:02,510 It's a woman's right to choose. And so there's a catalog of 146 00:10:02,510 --> 00:10:06,430 examples of how the enemy is constantly working around the 147 00:10:06,430 --> 00:10:13,230 clock to keep sin in the dark and to convince that sin is not 148 00:10:13,670 --> 00:10:17,670 unfruitful, that it's fruitful. And so he changes the language 149 00:10:17,670 --> 00:10:21,790 around it, he blurs the consequences of it, and he 150 00:10:21,790 --> 00:10:28,350 promises empty rewards with it. Always, and based on what Paul's 151 00:10:28,350 --> 00:10:32,310 words are here to the church, we are, according to the Spirit, 152 00:10:32,390 --> 00:10:36,910 somewhat the conscience of the culture, the conscience of the 153 00:10:36,910 --> 00:10:39,470 culture. And so when the culture 154 00:10:39,670 --> 00:10:42,350 constantly through its different means, attempts to justify 155 00:10:42,350 --> 00:10:46,670 wickedness and repackage it and falsely promise things with it, 156 00:10:46,870 --> 00:10:50,230 and dismisses the dangers of it, both in this life and then the 157 00:10:50,230 --> 00:10:55,220 life to come, it's the Church's duty to say no. 158 00:10:55,260 --> 00:11:00,460 This is what it really is, and This is why it is wrong and 159 00:11:00,460 --> 00:11:03,020 evil. And this is what will happen if 160 00:11:03,020 --> 00:11:07,580 you continue in it. We are the one who rings the 161 00:11:07,580 --> 00:11:11,140 alarm in society. And so if you silence the 162 00:11:11,140 --> 00:11:13,460 church, you silence the conscience of the culture. 163 00:11:14,580 --> 00:11:19,060 If you shut down the church, so many things will occur as a 164 00:11:19,060 --> 00:11:23,900 result because the very DNA of this amazing institution is to 165 00:11:23,900 --> 00:11:29,380 be a source of preservation, preservation and healing. 166 00:11:30,060 --> 00:11:32,380 And so there are so many angles. I know you can. 167 00:11:32,460 --> 00:11:34,620 There's so many ways of approaching the subject. 168 00:11:34,620 --> 00:11:37,540 In preparation for this Saturday, I I just want to maybe 169 00:11:37,540 --> 00:11:39,820 help you think about something that you haven't thought about 170 00:11:40,380 --> 00:11:43,780 because quite honestly, even among believers, not everybody 171 00:11:43,780 --> 00:11:45,860 is very passionate about this issue. 172 00:11:47,060 --> 00:11:52,060 Not everybody is on board with why this is absolutely vital to 173 00:11:52,060 --> 00:11:57,070 take on and to expose. And I want to change your mind 174 00:11:57,070 --> 00:11:59,550 according to the word of God. Not because of my personal 175 00:11:59,550 --> 00:12:03,270 passions and desires, not because what I am fired up about 176 00:12:03,270 --> 00:12:05,590 necessarily, but because of what God's heart is. 177 00:12:07,510 --> 00:12:10,390 And so I want to just separate our thoughts in a very brief 178 00:12:10,390 --> 00:12:12,310 time together in three ways. Very simple. 179 00:12:12,310 --> 00:12:14,030 I hope you won't forget it. We're just going to look at the 180 00:12:14,030 --> 00:12:16,590 problem, the cause, the solution. 181 00:12:17,070 --> 00:12:19,270 The problem, the cause and the solution. 182 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:24,720 Since 1973, more than 60 million. 183 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:28,200 I mean, we throw these numbers around and we don't just take a 184 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:30,600 breath and digest what that really entails. 185 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:36,720 Over 60 million abortions have taken place in this country 186 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:43,840 alone. In 2020, approximately 20% of 187 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:49,560 pregnancies in the United States ended in abortion. 20%, not 2 188 00:12:50,090 --> 00:13:00,610 201 Researcher calculated that 51.5% of pregnancies in the 189 00:13:00,610 --> 00:13:06,850 District of Columbia were terminated were terminated in 190 00:13:06,850 --> 00:13:11,490 the year of 2020. So a little over half of the 191 00:13:11,490 --> 00:13:14,930 pregnancies in DC ended up in abortion. 192 00:13:16,330 --> 00:13:23,600 A little over than half 961,000 abortions took place in the US 193 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:29,440 in the year of 2021. close to a million babies were slaughtered 194 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:33,920 just two years ago. And I can go on and on and on 195 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:37,600 with statistics from different angles on this and it will shock 196 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,040 you, I'm sure, and maybe even cause you to be appalled. 197 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:44,400 But I want you to think deeper. What makes this specific 198 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:48,620 Holocaust so diabolical? What is it about this bloodshed, 199 00:13:48,620 --> 00:13:53,380 apart from the obvious, that should cause our hearts to boil 200 00:13:53,380 --> 00:13:57,380 with righteous indignation? And there are many thoughts to 201 00:13:57,380 --> 00:13:59,380 consider. But allow me to give you just 202 00:13:59,380 --> 00:14:02,380 one that I don't think we hear enough in our discussion as 203 00:14:02,380 --> 00:14:06,460 believers. At the core of it all, beneath 204 00:14:06,460 --> 00:14:09,620 the layers of politics and science and medicine and 205 00:14:09,620 --> 00:14:16,420 philosophy, abortion is ultimately A vicious assault on 206 00:14:16,420 --> 00:14:20,580 the glory of God. It is an attack. 207 00:14:21,540 --> 00:14:27,740 It is an attempt to overthrow God's glory in many ways. 208 00:14:27,860 --> 00:14:30,780 And if you and I are a people, OK, you're not passionate about 209 00:14:30,780 --> 00:14:32,140 this issue. You're not as concerned about 210 00:14:32,140 --> 00:14:35,140 it, fine. But if you are a person who is 211 00:14:35,140 --> 00:14:39,580 passionate about the glory of God, then you will take this 212 00:14:39,580 --> 00:14:42,740 subject, this issue very seriously. 213 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,360 We will hate it because we love the glory of God. 214 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:52,000 We will denounce it because we are people who promote the glory 215 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,880 of God. We will seek its end because we 216 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:59,360 are people who seek to expand the glory of God. 217 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:05,640 But what's the connection? What's the connection between 218 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:10,400 the preborn being terminated and God's glory? 219 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:13,840 And the Bible says many things in connection to it. 220 00:15:14,990 --> 00:15:17,750 And one of the things that your heart and mind go to, I'm sure, 221 00:15:17,750 --> 00:15:22,710 is that how the Bible describes the Lord of the author of life 222 00:15:23,310 --> 00:15:26,350 and the canvas of his handiwork is the womb. 223 00:15:28,750 --> 00:15:32,710 In fact, that was the theme of David's praise, at least one of 224 00:15:32,710 --> 00:15:35,310 the themes in that masterpiece of Psalm 139 when he 225 00:15:35,310 --> 00:15:40,940 contemplated that nine month project that takes place 226 00:15:40,940 --> 00:15:44,500 thousands of times a day across this globe. 227 00:15:45,060 --> 00:15:49,300 The meditation of it caused explosive praise, and it should 228 00:15:49,300 --> 00:15:54,340 for you and I as well turn with me to Psalm 139, verse 1314. 229 00:15:58,940 --> 00:16:03,260 The Psalma says something that you know very well, for you 230 00:16:03,260 --> 00:16:07,580 formed my inward parts. You knitted me together in my 231 00:16:07,580 --> 00:16:13,130 mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully 232 00:16:13,130 --> 00:16:16,810 and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. 233 00:16:16,810 --> 00:16:23,370 My soul knows it very well. Listen, this is much bigger than 234 00:16:24,290 --> 00:16:26,570 fuzzy sentiments in a journal entry. 235 00:16:28,490 --> 00:16:33,490 There is massive implications about how mankind perceives who 236 00:16:33,490 --> 00:16:37,730 God is in light of the miracle that takes place in the womb 237 00:16:38,740 --> 00:16:43,140 every second of our day. Life in the womb is a means for 238 00:16:43,140 --> 00:16:48,060 God to receive glory. It testifies of His wisdom. 239 00:16:48,340 --> 00:16:52,620 It declares His power. It reveals His Majesty. 240 00:16:53,700 --> 00:16:57,900 It challenges the One who might deny intelligent design. 241 00:16:57,900 --> 00:17:01,060 And yet, at the same time, it comforts the heart of the 242 00:17:01,060 --> 00:17:05,380 believer who is reminded that he was created and she was created 243 00:17:05,500 --> 00:17:11,349 with and for purpose. It's manifold in its message. 244 00:17:11,630 --> 00:17:15,310 That one thing is manifold in its message. 245 00:17:16,190 --> 00:17:18,950 And here's another glorious snippet of this in another 246 00:17:18,950 --> 00:17:19,990 Psalm. You're there. 247 00:17:19,990 --> 00:17:22,310 And Psalms go to Psalm 71, verse 5. 248 00:17:25,270 --> 00:17:33,310 Psalm 71, verse five. What a beautiful sound this 249 00:17:33,310 --> 00:17:40,150 afternoon. For you, oh Lord, are my hope, 250 00:17:40,270 --> 00:17:45,950 my trust, Oh Lord, from my youth upon you I have leaned from 251 00:17:45,950 --> 00:17:50,710 before my birth. You are he who took me from my 252 00:17:50,710 --> 00:17:54,350 mother's womb. My praise is continually of you. 253 00:17:54,350 --> 00:17:58,550 Do you see this? Here's a psalmist now 254 00:17:58,550 --> 00:18:00,990 contemplating on God's faithfulness. 255 00:18:02,230 --> 00:18:05,270 And he is contemplating it because he needs to be reminded 256 00:18:05,270 --> 00:18:07,160 of it. And the very moments that he is 257 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,600 penning these words, he's rehearsing. 258 00:18:11,120 --> 00:18:15,720 And what does he look back to, to console his soul of God's 259 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:18,000 providential goodness in the Today? 260 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:21,920 Well, God's providential goodness at his most vulnerable 261 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:28,440 stages in life, He looks back And he says, even from my youth 262 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:33,760 you were my trust, and I leaned upon you from before my birth. 263 00:18:34,940 --> 00:18:36,980 What is the Holy Spirit conveying here? 264 00:18:37,620 --> 00:18:44,340 Here is this man expressing that he knew the hand of God's 265 00:18:44,340 --> 00:18:48,700 provision and protection before he even entered into this world, 266 00:18:48,700 --> 00:18:52,420 so to speak. And David says the same thing as 267 00:18:52,420 --> 00:18:57,540 Psalm 22, verse 9 and 10. He says it so clearly that from 268 00:18:57,540 --> 00:19:02,620 the womb God was his God, and that he trusted in his God even 269 00:19:02,620 --> 00:19:05,550 as he nursed at his mother's breasts. 270 00:19:07,550 --> 00:19:11,670 Think about the the just the amazing wisdom of that here. 271 00:19:11,670 --> 00:19:15,190 The Psalmist saying if I need to, if I need to bring relief to 272 00:19:15,190 --> 00:19:20,790 myself now, wondering where God is in his leadership of my days, 273 00:19:21,070 --> 00:19:24,350 oh, then I can just look back to when the days I was in my 274 00:19:24,350 --> 00:19:30,420 mother's womb and how I was totally depended upon everything 275 00:19:30,420 --> 00:19:32,900 for my survival and my growth and my nourishment. 276 00:19:33,060 --> 00:19:37,140 God was there. God was there then, and if he 277 00:19:37,140 --> 00:19:40,500 was there for me then surely he will be with me now. 278 00:19:42,060 --> 00:19:44,500 And Satan wants to destroy that message. 279 00:19:46,020 --> 00:19:50,900 He wants to erase that message. He wants people not just to see 280 00:19:50,900 --> 00:19:53,540 the glory of God in creation, but the faithful of God, 281 00:19:53,580 --> 00:19:56,300 faithfulness of God in creation, in the development of his 282 00:19:56,300 --> 00:19:59,260 creation. And so this is an all out 283 00:19:59,260 --> 00:20:02,100 assault and affront to God's character. 284 00:20:02,580 --> 00:20:08,140 In so many ways, the Bible makes the connection so clear between 285 00:20:08,140 --> 00:20:10,540 our development in the womb as a testimony of his loving 286 00:20:10,540 --> 00:20:13,620 faithfulness that we can trust throughout our lives. 287 00:20:13,900 --> 00:20:16,900 And when that thought is firmly fixed in your belief system, 288 00:20:16,900 --> 00:20:21,020 when it's there, you're able to recognize abortion as something 289 00:20:21,020 --> 00:20:24,540 more than the elimination of a human life, as grotesque as that 290 00:20:24,540 --> 00:20:26,800 is. You will also see it as an 291 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:33,000 attempt to delete God's fingerprint in our world beneath 292 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,440 all the layers. This is a Satanic plot. 293 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:39,600 Birth in hell. Birth out of a hatred for our 294 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:44,240 God that seeks to mute the glorious testimony that comes 295 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:48,520 through God's most prized and crowned creation, those who are 296 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:54,160 made in His image. And as I meditated on this, I 297 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:57,200 thought to myself, well, it's not only an assault on the glory 298 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:02,440 of God in his creative work through human life, but also in 299 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:04,720 his purposes that are performed through life. 300 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:10,560 How many times in the Bible are we told of destinies that were 301 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:13,840 determined in the womb? In the womb? 302 00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:21,480 How many times do we see both an old and new God establishing 303 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:26,460 callings while those babies are being woven together? 304 00:21:28,260 --> 00:21:30,980 And the one that came to mind is one of the earliest examples of 305 00:21:30,980 --> 00:21:38,620 that with Isaac and Rebecca. And in Genesis 2522, we're told 306 00:21:38,620 --> 00:21:41,260 the children struggled together within her. 307 00:21:41,780 --> 00:21:44,140 Notice how the Bible describes Jacob and ESA on the womb. 308 00:21:44,780 --> 00:21:49,180 The children. Not the tissue, not the clump of 309 00:21:49,180 --> 00:21:54,160 cells, the children. The children struggled together 310 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:57,280 within her. And she said, if it is thus, why 311 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:01,080 is this happening to me? So she went to inquire of the 312 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:04,440 Lord. She went to pray about this 313 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:06,640 jostling that was occurring in her belly. 314 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,760 And God hears her prayer because God cares about what's taking 315 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:14,960 place in that womb. And in verse 23 it says, And the 316 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:18,320 Lord said to her, two nations are in your womb and two peoples 317 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:21,120 from within you shall be divided, the one shall be 318 00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:24,880 stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger. 319 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:28,720 So you and I read verse 22 and we we confirm, we believe, yeah, 320 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:31,760 those are children in the womb. And God goes beyond that. 321 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,240 He says it's not just children, Those are nations. 322 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:42,450 Those are nations. Those children in the womb have 323 00:22:42,450 --> 00:22:48,170 a purpose beyond their own life. Generationally, I have a plan 324 00:22:48,170 --> 00:22:54,090 for these two, and it's already been set that their service unto 325 00:22:54,090 --> 00:22:57,010 God and their relationship to one another has been has been 326 00:22:57,010 --> 00:23:01,370 sealed in some sense. And so God's mind in the womb is 327 00:23:01,370 --> 00:23:04,970 is beyond just creating a masterpiece, right? 328 00:23:04,970 --> 00:23:08,170 Fearfully and wonderfully made. No, there's actual callings and 329 00:23:08,170 --> 00:23:10,130 destinies that are being developed as well. 330 00:23:12,310 --> 00:23:15,710 And these callings, these two nations in the womb played a 331 00:23:15,710 --> 00:23:21,110 role in God's grand redemptive plot and storyline in history. 332 00:23:21,190 --> 00:23:25,030 And Satan knows that. Satan knows that what takes 333 00:23:25,030 --> 00:23:29,070 place in the womb are potential agents and actors for the glory 334 00:23:29,070 --> 00:23:32,950 of God, and so he wants to destroy it before he even has a 335 00:23:32,950 --> 00:23:37,670 breath to give. He wants to hijack it. 336 00:23:38,550 --> 00:23:42,480 He wants to sabotage it because he knows not only in that womb 337 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:46,320 is God glorified in the creative act, but that God could 338 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:49,840 potentially be further glorified in the lives that come from that 339 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:55,280 womb and walk in his ways and trust in him and live for his 340 00:23:55,280 --> 00:24:00,080 namesake and so viciously Satan attacks. 341 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:01,720 What is this really all about? What? 342 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:03,800 Let's just get to the to the bottom of it. 343 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:08,680 It's about God's glory. The bloodshed is horrific. 344 00:24:09,120 --> 00:24:11,420 It's an atrocity. It's unjust. 345 00:24:11,540 --> 00:24:16,220 Yes, all of that is true. But God's glory, God's glory is 346 00:24:16,220 --> 00:24:22,340 at what stake here. And we see that God has a 347 00:24:22,340 --> 00:24:26,300 different attitude about what these babies are all about and 348 00:24:26,300 --> 00:24:29,980 what they are to him. I was was just looking over some 349 00:24:29,980 --> 00:24:34,460 verses and thinking about this. I I stumbled upon a verse in a 350 00:24:34,460 --> 00:24:39,460 book that is often ignored, and when I read two simple words, it 351 00:24:39,460 --> 00:24:44,260 struck my soul and moved me to the core. 352 00:24:45,300 --> 00:24:47,140 And I want you to see with your own eyes and your Bibles. 353 00:24:47,140 --> 00:24:50,740 And it's Ezekiel chapter 16. And I want you to go to verse 354 00:24:50,740 --> 00:25:02,820 20. Here's the Lord condemning his 355 00:25:02,820 --> 00:25:07,660 people for their own version of child sacrifice. 356 00:25:09,380 --> 00:25:14,480 And in Ezekiel 1620, look at this and his confrontation 357 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:17,400 through the prophet Ezekiel 1620. 358 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:26,760 And you took your sons and your daughters whom you had born to 359 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:29,960 me. And these you sacrificed to them 360 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:32,680 to be devoured where you're whoring. 361 00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:36,880 So small a matter that you slaughtered here the two words 362 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:45,240 my children, you slaughtered my children and delivered them up 363 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:50,720 as an offering by fire to them. My children could have said your 364 00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:52,080 children, and that would have been right. 365 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:53,800 But he wants to clarify something. 366 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:57,440 They're mine. Now, you can argue this from the 367 00:25:57,440 --> 00:25:59,880 covenantal standpoint that God had with Israel because there 368 00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:03,520 was a dedication of the first born, but I think it's beyond 369 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:08,400 that. Clearly, there was a disgusting 370 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:13,030 disregard for the innocence and the beauty of these little 371 00:26:13,030 --> 00:26:16,990 children. And though this generation had 372 00:26:16,990 --> 00:26:21,430 no ounce of conviction concerning the life and the 373 00:26:21,430 --> 00:26:25,870 sanctity of these babies, fine. You don't want to see them as 374 00:26:25,870 --> 00:26:27,550 your children. They're mine. 375 00:26:28,510 --> 00:26:35,430 They belong to me. And so all these people chanting 376 00:26:35,430 --> 00:26:40,720 and parading, it's my body. I can do what I want. 377 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:43,720 And you can obviously clearly debate that, right? 378 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:47,000 It's not your body. But even if you want to go with 379 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:51,200 that, even if you want to claim autonomy, here's what God says. 380 00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:53,720 You don't want them. They're mine. 381 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:57,880 They belong to me. Whether you regard it, whether 382 00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:01,400 you want to accept the gift that I've given you with them, they 383 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:08,020 belong to me. If that's true, then we're in a 384 00:27:08,020 --> 00:27:10,940 lot more trouble if we're dealing with God's children. 385 00:27:13,260 --> 00:27:16,300 I'm not talking about the the theological concept of becoming 386 00:27:16,300 --> 00:27:18,820 children of God through Christ and exclusively through Christ. 387 00:27:19,140 --> 00:27:21,540 This is speaking about God being the father of all spirits, 388 00:27:21,540 --> 00:27:23,980 right? That he has the creative 389 00:27:24,020 --> 00:27:28,020 authorship, overall creation, especially those created in his 390 00:27:28,020 --> 00:27:30,620 image. And So what we're seeing out 391 00:27:30,620 --> 00:27:37,990 there is not just women getting rid of their offspring, we're 392 00:27:38,030 --> 00:27:41,510 we're seeing the massacre of my children. 393 00:27:43,030 --> 00:27:47,430 That hasn't changed since Ezekiel's day, and Satan knows 394 00:27:47,430 --> 00:27:49,590 that. And Satan hates our God. 395 00:27:49,590 --> 00:27:52,950 He hates those who are Koreans and miss, so he wants to destroy 396 00:27:52,950 --> 00:27:55,150 them. This is this is the core problem 397 00:27:55,670 --> 00:27:59,470 here, and This is why we shouldn't be prayerfully 398 00:27:59,470 --> 00:28:04,230 passionate, because it deals with the glory of God in many 399 00:28:04,230 --> 00:28:05,910 ways. But what's the cause? 400 00:28:07,370 --> 00:28:09,170 If that's the problem, what's the cause? 401 00:28:09,370 --> 00:28:11,690 Do prochoice advocates really have this in mind when they 402 00:28:11,690 --> 00:28:14,250 perform and support the murder of children? 403 00:28:14,250 --> 00:28:16,690 Not necessarily. And even if they are informed, 404 00:28:16,690 --> 00:28:20,170 we wouldn't be surprised that though they are committing 405 00:28:20,170 --> 00:28:23,450 cosmic treason, that they would reconsider their ways and that 406 00:28:23,450 --> 00:28:26,090 they will continue to persist in their gross disobedience. 407 00:28:26,690 --> 00:28:29,290 That's unfortunately true. But why is that? 408 00:28:30,410 --> 00:28:32,810 Why the determination, Why the dedication? 409 00:28:32,810 --> 00:28:35,090 Why the argumentation? Why the debate? 410 00:28:35,090 --> 00:28:39,780 Why the protests For something that seems so obvious and clear 411 00:28:40,620 --> 00:28:43,340 and what we can say as the underlying motivation, the 412 00:28:43,340 --> 00:28:47,340 heartbeat, so to speak, behind this movement in our modern day 413 00:28:47,420 --> 00:28:49,140 is 1 simple word You ready for this? 414 00:28:49,140 --> 00:28:51,780 Idolatry? Idolatry. 415 00:28:53,740 --> 00:28:57,860 The mass murder of innocent children as a cultural practice 416 00:28:57,860 --> 00:29:00,380 is not a foreign concept to the Bible. 417 00:29:01,300 --> 00:29:03,220 The Bible is very familiar with it. 418 00:29:04,420 --> 00:29:08,820 Neighboring Pagan nations around the people of God Israel openly 419 00:29:08,820 --> 00:29:12,740 practice this and unfortunately at some point Israel adopted 420 00:29:12,740 --> 00:29:15,380 this for themselves and you read it in Ezekiel. 421 00:29:15,380 --> 00:29:17,780 God held them accountable for it. 422 00:29:19,820 --> 00:29:23,860 But why did they do that? Why did those neighboring 423 00:29:23,860 --> 00:29:27,820 nations recreationally almost give up their children to the 424 00:29:27,820 --> 00:29:31,420 flames? And I want to prove it to you in 425 00:29:31,420 --> 00:29:35,620 one verse. Endure on me. 1231 The Lord 426 00:29:35,620 --> 00:29:39,140 gives His Holiness code to His people before they enter into 427 00:29:39,140 --> 00:29:44,460 the promised Land, and He says, endure on me. 1231 You shall not 428 00:29:44,460 --> 00:29:47,340 worship the Lord your God in that way. 429 00:29:47,860 --> 00:29:52,980 For every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done 430 00:29:52,980 --> 00:29:56,540 for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their 431 00:29:56,540 --> 00:29:59,940 daughters in the fire to their gods. 432 00:30:00,820 --> 00:30:06,400 Notice with me how false worship is intertwined with child 433 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:14,160 sacrifice, that that is the essence of ancient children 434 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:17,160 being slaughtered. It's in the name of religion. 435 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:22,600 It was done with the false premise of false understanding 436 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:28,080 of how these deities worked. And so if you wanted something 437 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:31,990 to be done beyond your control, or if you wanted to prevent 438 00:30:31,990 --> 00:30:35,590 something to be done, you would show your desperation. 439 00:30:35,590 --> 00:30:38,310 You would show the extent of you wanting that to be realized by 440 00:30:38,310 --> 00:30:41,510 even giving up your offspring to these gods. 441 00:30:42,190 --> 00:30:45,270 The Lord says that's not how I'm worshiped, That's not how you 442 00:30:45,270 --> 00:30:46,790 get your prayers answered from me. 443 00:30:46,790 --> 00:30:48,470 That's not how you experience my grace. 444 00:30:48,470 --> 00:30:51,110 My blessings. Don't copy them. 445 00:30:51,670 --> 00:30:55,030 Don't demonstrate your desperation in such a gruesome 446 00:30:55,030 --> 00:31:01,690 way. This was an act of worship, and 447 00:31:01,690 --> 00:31:04,130 it was at the expense of the lives of precious little 448 00:31:04,130 --> 00:31:06,450 children. And I wholeheartedly believe 449 00:31:06,930 --> 00:31:11,890 that abortion in our day is a modern version of child 450 00:31:11,890 --> 00:31:15,130 sacrifice. Not because people are walking 451 00:31:15,130 --> 00:31:19,490 into Planned Parenthood to meet with Molech or any other strange 452 00:31:19,490 --> 00:31:24,050 demonic entity, but because the idol they are really worshipping 453 00:31:24,050 --> 00:31:28,650 itself. That is who is being worshipped 454 00:31:28,650 --> 00:31:33,220 in this act, That is, who is being acknowledged and praised 455 00:31:33,380 --> 00:31:37,820 self. Even secular statistics can't 456 00:31:37,820 --> 00:31:40,740 hide it. As much as they would want to, 457 00:31:40,740 --> 00:31:42,700 they can't. If you even just go and make a 458 00:31:42,700 --> 00:31:46,780 simple search, you'll realize that a majority of the pie of 459 00:31:46,780 --> 00:31:51,940 why it is that abortions are committed is purely for personal 460 00:31:51,940 --> 00:31:55,500 relief. You don't hear that on the 461 00:31:55,500 --> 00:31:57,180 media. You don't hear that on podcast. 462 00:31:57,180 --> 00:31:59,100 You don't hear that from the other side of the argument. 463 00:31:59,590 --> 00:32:02,670 No, it's always extreme, rare examples that are in the 464 00:32:02,670 --> 00:32:05,750 forefront of the conversation. But what about those who have 465 00:32:05,750 --> 00:32:07,230 been raped? And what about those who have 466 00:32:07,230 --> 00:32:09,990 been in since? Yes, they're horrible crimes and 467 00:32:09,990 --> 00:32:14,070 we don't deal with evil by committing more evil, but that's 468 00:32:14,070 --> 00:32:18,590 not even the main issue. You again, you look at that, you 469 00:32:18,590 --> 00:32:20,390 look at the charts and what you see. 470 00:32:20,390 --> 00:32:26,980 It's all about personal relief. I don't want this to interfere 471 00:32:26,980 --> 00:32:29,860 with my career. I am not emotionally or 472 00:32:29,860 --> 00:32:36,020 financially prepared to raise a child, and so I will put this 473 00:32:36,020 --> 00:32:44,860 gift on the altar of convenience because this is really all about 474 00:32:44,860 --> 00:32:49,460 me. And if there is something I want 475 00:32:49,460 --> 00:32:54,620 to see realize, or I want to prevent, then like the pagans of 476 00:32:54,620 --> 00:33:01,190 old, they will go to the extent of giving up the life of a 477 00:33:01,190 --> 00:33:08,870 child. The underlying drive for many 478 00:33:08,870 --> 00:33:11,310 prochoice advocates is that they want pleasure without 479 00:33:11,310 --> 00:33:16,070 responsibility, sex outside of covenant, and convenience rather 480 00:33:16,070 --> 00:33:20,590 than Christ like sacrifice. That's what it boils down to. 481 00:33:21,430 --> 00:33:25,560 When Roe V Wade was overturned 2 years ago, we saw the articles, 482 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:28,840 we saw the outcry. And one of the things that stood 483 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:31,680 out to me from The Insider was the title of one article. 484 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:35,280 And I couldn't even. I thought it was satire, thought 485 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:37,080 it was a joke. I honestly thought that this was 486 00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:40,920 just some kind of a a trick. And this was the title. 487 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:43,200 Woman on TikTok. That's where you're already 488 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:44,520 like, oh, OK, what's going on? TikTok. 489 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:50,080 Woman on TikTok Say hookup culture will be absolutely 490 00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:53,440 decimated if Roe V Wade is overturned. 491 00:33:54,370 --> 00:33:58,650 Hookup culture will be absolutely decimated if Roe V 492 00:33:58,650 --> 00:34:02,810 Wade is overturned. Oh, so that's what it's really 493 00:34:02,810 --> 00:34:06,610 about. What about the charge about rape 494 00:34:06,610 --> 00:34:11,530 and incense And said no, no, no. Hookup culture will be 495 00:34:11,530 --> 00:34:15,250 decimated. To which I said good when I read 496 00:34:15,250 --> 00:34:16,330 that article. Good. 497 00:34:18,210 --> 00:34:22,050 Think about that decision more. Reconsider it. 498 00:34:24,710 --> 00:34:27,030 It says a lot about what people are truly concerned about when 499 00:34:27,030 --> 00:34:30,590 it comes to this issue. It's not about people's 500 00:34:30,590 --> 00:34:32,110 suffering. It's not about complicated 501 00:34:32,110 --> 00:34:36,350 circumstances. It's about convenience. 502 00:34:38,030 --> 00:34:41,150 And that statement, among many other statements, shows not just 503 00:34:41,389 --> 00:34:43,790 what people believe about this issue, but what they believe 504 00:34:43,790 --> 00:34:49,150 about themselves. In this whole issue, a preacher 505 00:34:49,190 --> 00:34:54,469 made a brilliant observation. So simple but so brilliant at 506 00:34:54,469 --> 00:34:58,230 the same time. He said it is illegal to take 507 00:34:58,230 --> 00:35:03,190 the life of the unborn if the mother wants the baby, but it is 508 00:35:03,190 --> 00:35:05,950 legal to take the life of the unborn if she doesn't. 509 00:35:07,590 --> 00:35:10,670 In the first case, the law treats the fetus as a human with 510 00:35:10,670 --> 00:35:12,230 rights. In the second case, the law 511 00:35:12,230 --> 00:35:14,950 treats the fetus as non human with no rights. 512 00:35:16,590 --> 00:35:21,870 One secular physician said that this is a kind of schizophrenia. 513 00:35:23,090 --> 00:35:26,810 We're in the same hospital. You can kill a 21 week old baby, 514 00:35:26,970 --> 00:35:32,050 but in another room you're trying to save its cousin or his 515 00:35:32,050 --> 00:35:34,730 cousin in the womb of another woman. 516 00:35:37,130 --> 00:35:39,850 And so that same preacher says we know exactly what we're 517 00:35:39,850 --> 00:35:42,650 doing, we know exactly what we're doing. 518 00:35:43,050 --> 00:35:46,050 And so this is more than just this is what I really believe 519 00:35:46,050 --> 00:35:48,530 about this issue. Moreover, it's this is what I 520 00:35:48,530 --> 00:35:54,110 believe about myself and wanting this to be legal and wanting 521 00:35:54,110 --> 00:35:57,470 this to be championed. What people truly desire is the 522 00:35:57,470 --> 00:36:01,030 prerogative that belongs to God alone, and that is the 523 00:36:01,030 --> 00:36:03,910 prerogative of taking human life when he wills. 524 00:36:05,710 --> 00:36:08,070 No man has the right to do that, especially when it comes to 525 00:36:08,070 --> 00:36:11,870 innocent life. So the crime of all of this is 526 00:36:11,870 --> 00:36:17,030 not just stripping God's glory from him, but deifying yourself 527 00:36:17,030 --> 00:36:21,820 at the same time. So it's not just erasing God's 528 00:36:21,820 --> 00:36:24,860 glory, it's trying to glorify yourself. 529 00:36:25,940 --> 00:36:29,660 I have the right to do this. I deserve this. 530 00:36:30,580 --> 00:36:34,060 And so it's not before the hands of Malik or any other Canaanite 531 00:36:34,060 --> 00:36:35,860 deity. It's ultimately the worship of 532 00:36:35,860 --> 00:36:39,940 self that is the cause, and that is the root issue. 533 00:36:40,820 --> 00:36:44,100 You can, you can legalize it, make it illegal, whatever you 534 00:36:44,100 --> 00:36:45,580 want. Ultimately, if the heart doesn't 535 00:36:45,580 --> 00:36:48,460 change, if it doesn't, put God where he belongs and put us 536 00:36:48,460 --> 00:36:50,860 where we belong. You will find a way to worship 537 00:36:50,860 --> 00:36:54,660 yourself one way or another. And So what is the solution? 538 00:36:55,620 --> 00:36:59,100 I told you this would be short. The solution is very simple. 539 00:36:59,100 --> 00:37:00,420 Let me address first the believer. 540 00:37:00,460 --> 00:37:02,100 Let me make this a full circle thing. 541 00:37:03,820 --> 00:37:08,340 Speak up right You may not be a preacher, you may not be part of 542 00:37:08,340 --> 00:37:11,260 Love Life Ministries, but you're a believer who lives in this 543 00:37:11,260 --> 00:37:14,020 world, who comes into contact via social media and even in 544 00:37:14,340 --> 00:37:17,420 face to face dealings with people who believe very 545 00:37:17,420 --> 00:37:19,860 differently than you do. And when the conversation comes 546 00:37:20,500 --> 00:37:25,620 and when things take place in the media and things take place 547 00:37:25,620 --> 00:37:29,340 in a political sphere, don't be quiet. 548 00:37:29,980 --> 00:37:32,820 Don't be quiet. When your job is to expose. 549 00:37:32,820 --> 00:37:34,820 Now let me give you a disclaimer. 550 00:37:35,020 --> 00:37:37,660 Your job in exposing, According to Paul's words, it's not to dig 551 00:37:37,660 --> 00:37:41,100 up the dirt on non believers and to create blogs and podcasts. 552 00:37:41,100 --> 00:37:43,030 OK? You don't want that to be the 553 00:37:43,030 --> 00:37:45,310 the theme of your ministry or your witness. 554 00:37:45,310 --> 00:37:48,390 Just finding skeletons in people's closets and making them 555 00:37:48,390 --> 00:37:50,150 public, that's not what it means to expose. 556 00:37:51,350 --> 00:37:53,270 But there is a level of confrontation. 557 00:37:53,270 --> 00:37:57,430 There is a level of speaking out because God has designed the 558 00:37:57,430 --> 00:38:00,070 church to again be the conscience of the culture. 559 00:38:01,350 --> 00:38:03,030 And I'll show you a brief testimony. 560 00:38:03,830 --> 00:38:07,350 There's a young lady who doesn't attend here regularly, who comes 561 00:38:07,350 --> 00:38:10,470 once every few months, maybe years even. 562 00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:14,000 And this young lady came once and she sat with me after the 563 00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:16,560 service and just looked absolutely distraught, just 564 00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:22,960 broken because she fell into sin and out of fear. 565 00:38:23,240 --> 00:38:27,320 Fear in her family, fear for her reputation, fear for her 566 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:30,400 unpreparedness. She was ready to do exactly what 567 00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:33,960 we're talking about. And right there I just felt the 568 00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:36,600 intensity of the conversation. This is a matter of life and 569 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:39,640 death now. This is a matter of rescue now, 570 00:38:41,580 --> 00:38:43,420 and you have preachers today who would say, well, that's your 571 00:38:43,420 --> 00:38:45,660 personal thing and if you want to deal with it in your own, 572 00:38:45,660 --> 00:38:50,740 that's between you and God. And so just in that few 10 573 00:38:50,740 --> 00:38:55,300 minutes, just going back and forth, encouraging, promising, 574 00:38:55,300 --> 00:38:59,020 but also sternly warning, I did not get an answer. 575 00:38:59,340 --> 00:39:02,290 I wanted one. I I wanted the. 576 00:39:02,450 --> 00:39:05,210 You're right. I I can't believe I thought this 577 00:39:05,370 --> 00:39:08,090 and thank you and just and just even if I don't see you. 578 00:39:08,090 --> 00:39:10,970 At least I had that verbal confirmation and it wasn't 579 00:39:10,970 --> 00:39:15,050 there. All I saw was even what seemed 580 00:39:15,050 --> 00:39:19,690 to be more distress and realizing what God has to say 581 00:39:19,690 --> 00:39:26,850 about this and and there was a war for a life, and not just 582 00:39:26,850 --> 00:39:29,410 that baby's life, but this young lady's life. 583 00:39:32,310 --> 00:39:37,750 Weeks go by, months go by. And one day I see that person 584 00:39:37,750 --> 00:39:42,470 again and it's very sanctuary. But I see a different face while 585 00:39:42,470 --> 00:39:45,230 I'm on the pulpit. And I'm so curious, so curious 586 00:39:46,030 --> 00:39:49,430 what happened. And when I went to the door, as 587 00:39:49,430 --> 00:39:52,110 we usually do every single week, I didn't just see a face. 588 00:39:52,350 --> 00:40:05,640 I saw a big belly. And it wasn't the same face. 589 00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:09,360 A face full of hope and joy and life. 590 00:40:11,720 --> 00:40:13,960 Because you can never go wrong when you obey God. 591 00:40:15,240 --> 00:40:17,680 Never. Satan will tell you otherwise. 592 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:20,960 He'll tell you that there is fruit in darkness. 593 00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:26,960 And Paul says expose the unfruitful works of darkness. 594 00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:31,600 You say you're a pastor. What does that mean? 595 00:40:33,010 --> 00:40:34,770 You you know people that I don't know. 596 00:40:35,450 --> 00:40:38,130 You have a reach that none of the elders might have. 597 00:40:39,450 --> 00:40:41,370 You have your own world, your context. 598 00:40:42,890 --> 00:40:47,890 Say something, say it directly to a person that needs to be 599 00:40:48,050 --> 00:40:49,890 hearing it. Say it out loud if you have the 600 00:40:49,890 --> 00:40:51,570 chance to say it with grace and love. 601 00:40:51,970 --> 00:40:56,370 And who knows what your words, your stance, can do in the life 602 00:40:56,370 --> 00:40:57,650 of another. I'm sure Brother Juan has 603 00:40:58,610 --> 00:41:03,390 amazing testimonies of his ministry, of his presence in one 604 00:41:03,390 --> 00:41:07,470 place and how people have made a different turn because of his 605 00:41:07,830 --> 00:41:11,110 obedience to the Lord. So it's a simple exhortation, 606 00:41:11,110 --> 00:41:11,950 right? I'm not trying to make this 607 00:41:11,950 --> 00:41:14,230 complicated or trying to make this sophisticated. 608 00:41:14,230 --> 00:41:18,630 Just be freshly inspired to be bold, to be bold. 609 00:41:20,070 --> 00:41:24,310 But perhaps you're here today and your heart is not elated. 610 00:41:24,310 --> 00:41:26,870 It's extra heavy. And what I just shared is a 611 00:41:26,870 --> 00:41:29,470 testimony didn't really help much, because at some point in 612 00:41:29,470 --> 00:41:32,640 your life you made the opposite decision when you were in the 613 00:41:32,640 --> 00:41:37,200 same dilemma and you didn't listen to your conscience. 614 00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:40,680 And there was others who unfortunately didn't speak hope 615 00:41:40,680 --> 00:41:45,000 into your life but encourage you to to do what the Bible says not 616 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,840 to do. And when you hear messages like 617 00:41:47,840 --> 00:41:50,480 this, or when it comes to a certain time of the year, or 618 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:54,960 when you even see somebody else around your age holding a baby 619 00:41:54,960 --> 00:41:57,160 and you've made the internal calculation, would have been the 620 00:41:57,160 --> 00:42:02,540 same age of your potential baby, you fall apart and you try to 621 00:42:02,540 --> 00:42:06,420 keep yourself together. You are haunted by that sin. 622 00:42:07,660 --> 00:42:10,980 And that is frequently the case for many who have at some point 623 00:42:10,980 --> 00:42:15,820 committed abortion. It's not too late. 624 00:42:15,820 --> 00:42:18,380 Because I want to tell you in closing, there is hope and not 625 00:42:18,380 --> 00:42:22,540 just hope, massive hope, massive hope for you. 626 00:42:23,860 --> 00:42:27,660 And the nature of the sin is bloodshed, is it not? 627 00:42:28,080 --> 00:42:29,440 It's bloodshed. It is murder. 628 00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:33,280 We we can't dull it. We have to say it as it is. 629 00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:38,600 And God doesn't ask you to dismiss the severity of such a 630 00:42:38,600 --> 00:42:43,920 sin, but He does ask you to bring that severity to something 631 00:42:43,920 --> 00:42:46,960 so much more supreme and superior to it. 632 00:42:47,840 --> 00:42:59,440 Final text Hebrews 12, verse 24 Hebrews 12/24. 633 00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:06,360 There's a lot of blood in the book of Hebrews and the author 634 00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:09,880 by the Spirit is making a case of how the blood of Jesus is 635 00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:13,920 superior to the sacrificial blood of goats and bulls. 636 00:43:15,240 --> 00:43:19,440 And then interestingly he makes a turn in this contrast of blood 637 00:43:19,920 --> 00:43:24,080 as he as he preaches and writes about the blood of Jesus Christ. 638 00:43:24,080 --> 00:43:29,090 Hebrews 12/24 and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and 639 00:43:29,090 --> 00:43:32,370 to the sprinkle blood that speaks a better word than the 640 00:43:32,370 --> 00:43:35,490 blood of Abel. Now what does that mean? 641 00:43:35,490 --> 00:43:37,850 Well, this is what you need to know the Old Testament. 642 00:43:37,850 --> 00:43:39,490 Because when you look at the Old Testament, you look at the 643 00:43:39,490 --> 00:43:42,330 account of Abel, you realize that when his blood was shed, 644 00:43:42,330 --> 00:43:46,250 the first murder in human history in Genesis 410, the Lord 645 00:43:46,250 --> 00:43:49,570 said to Cain, what have you done? 646 00:43:49,930 --> 00:43:53,610 The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the 647 00:43:53,610 --> 00:44:00,480 ground. Blood speaks and and what the 648 00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:05,240 Lord is saying is I hear the cry of vengeance from your blood 649 00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:06,960 brother's blood. I hear it. 650 00:44:07,560 --> 00:44:11,760 It's calling on me to act injustice against you. 651 00:44:13,280 --> 00:44:14,560 And I thought I was sure. I thought about that. 652 00:44:14,560 --> 00:44:18,200 That was the blood of one man early in our world's history. 653 00:44:18,360 --> 00:44:23,960 What does the sound of 60 million babies sound like in the 654 00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:31,350 ears of our God and his throne? What does that sound like when 655 00:44:31,350 --> 00:44:36,870 60 million babies, through their blood, are crying out for 656 00:44:36,870 --> 00:44:46,150 vengeance? And yet, he says, as loud as 657 00:44:46,150 --> 00:44:50,030 that voice is, as strong as that voice is, there is blood that 658 00:44:50,030 --> 00:44:54,270 speaks. A better word, a more convincing 659 00:44:54,270 --> 00:44:59,270 word, a more persuasive word, a more compelling word. 660 00:44:59,630 --> 00:45:03,990 See, the blood of Abel cries. Vengeance. 661 00:45:04,470 --> 00:45:07,270 The blood of Christ, Christ, Mercy, right. 662 00:45:07,590 --> 00:45:10,310 The blood of Abel says, Repay him. 663 00:45:10,550 --> 00:45:12,270 The blood of Jesus says it's been paid. 664 00:45:13,470 --> 00:45:16,710 And so the understanding here is for the bloodshed that you might 665 00:45:16,710 --> 00:45:20,070 have committed. There is a blood that can 666 00:45:20,070 --> 00:45:23,030 cleanse that stain from your hands. 667 00:45:23,760 --> 00:45:27,040 There is a blood that, if applied, speaks a better word 668 00:45:27,040 --> 00:45:32,400 and secures your salvation. And not only that, cleans your 669 00:45:32,400 --> 00:45:36,560 conscience. In Hebrews 10/22, with the same 670 00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:40,400 language of sprinkling of blood, the author says let us draw near 671 00:45:40,400 --> 00:45:44,240 with a true heart and full assurance of faith, with our 672 00:45:44,240 --> 00:45:47,680 hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience. 673 00:45:48,400 --> 00:45:51,600 It's not theoretical. It's not merely theological. 674 00:45:51,980 --> 00:45:54,620 There is power in the blood of Jesus Christ. 675 00:45:55,380 --> 00:46:01,260 And when you call upon that fount, that fount that runs with 676 00:46:01,260 --> 00:46:05,460 the blood from Emmanuel's veins, and you plunge yourself in that 677 00:46:05,500 --> 00:46:09,180 act of mercy and grace, it not only gives you assurance of 678 00:46:09,180 --> 00:46:11,860 faith, it removes that burden of guilt. 679 00:46:12,820 --> 00:46:17,220 It frees you. It empowers you. 680 00:46:17,260 --> 00:46:20,460 It causes you to worship and love and trust in him, and to 681 00:46:20,460 --> 00:46:24,250 realize that even after such a thing there is still hope, 682 00:46:24,330 --> 00:46:30,690 purpose for your life. And so I call you not to look at 683 00:46:30,690 --> 00:46:32,450 the blood that you might have shed, but to the blood that was 684 00:46:32,450 --> 00:46:37,730 shed on that cross 2000 years ago that still runs with mercy 685 00:46:37,730 --> 00:46:40,570 and grace. You can know it for yourself. 686 00:46:41,250 --> 00:46:45,450 And so believers, speak up for the person who committed this, 687 00:46:46,210 --> 00:46:48,130 maybe even as a confessing believer. 688 00:46:48,850 --> 00:46:52,120 Speak up as well. Cry out to the Lord. 689 00:46:52,800 --> 00:46:56,520 Trust that He embraces you, He receives you, He calls on you, 690 00:46:56,760 --> 00:47:01,880 and He is ready to clean you and to secure a relationship with 691 00:47:01,880 --> 00:47:03,920 him that you might have not enjoyed for years. 692 00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:08,600 Because the same Satan who might have convinced you to do such a 693 00:47:08,600 --> 00:47:12,960 thing now convinces you that you're finished and it's long 694 00:47:12,960 --> 00:47:16,600 gone now, and you're in the peripheral of God's Kingdom. 695 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:21,460 And you just stay there and make sure that you impress God and 696 00:47:21,460 --> 00:47:22,820 that you make up for what you did. 697 00:47:22,820 --> 00:47:25,020 And all Christ is saying is, let me cleanse you. 698 00:47:26,020 --> 00:47:30,140 I will wash you and forgive you. And so, church, as we, as we 699 00:47:30,140 --> 00:47:33,220 prepare for the Saturday Saturday, have confidence in the 700 00:47:33,220 --> 00:47:38,580 powerful work of Christ's blood and trust that people, people 701 00:47:38,580 --> 00:47:42,060 are fighting their conscience every single time they enter 702 00:47:42,060 --> 00:47:43,860 into these places. It may not seem so. 703 00:47:44,340 --> 00:47:45,900 It may. It may seem like it's dead end. 704 00:47:45,900 --> 00:47:47,940 It may seem like they have no conscious for them to even 705 00:47:47,940 --> 00:47:50,420 consider that. But you don't know the wrestling 706 00:47:50,420 --> 00:47:54,100 that takes place within. And all it takes is for a bold 707 00:47:54,100 --> 00:47:57,100 Christian to make something of their Saturday morning, to say 708 00:47:57,860 --> 00:48:01,220 there's a hope for you and God is a plan for that baby. 709 00:48:01,620 --> 00:48:03,100 And even though it wasn't planned, even though it was 710 00:48:03,100 --> 00:48:05,020 accidental, even though it's through means that you did not 711 00:48:05,020 --> 00:48:09,380 hope or anticipate. For God is a master at taking 712 00:48:09,380 --> 00:48:13,340 messes and making glorious messages and masterpieces out of 713 00:48:14,160 --> 00:48:15,480 while. We thank you for this session, 714 00:48:16,160 --> 00:48:23,880 While we pray that if we are low in our energy, low in our 715 00:48:24,400 --> 00:48:29,280 understanding of what it means to be advocates for life, help 716 00:48:29,280 --> 00:48:31,600 us realize again it's about the glory of God. 717 00:48:32,640 --> 00:48:35,880 And help us realize the root cause ultimately is idolatry, 718 00:48:35,880 --> 00:48:38,320 the worship of self. And the only thing that can deal 719 00:48:38,320 --> 00:48:43,200 with the worship of self is not legislation, is not politicians, 720 00:48:43,720 --> 00:48:45,880 it's not philosophical arguments. 721 00:48:45,880 --> 00:48:49,680 It's the blood of Christ, the cross of Jesus Christ. 722 00:48:50,680 --> 00:48:53,160 And so thank you for the reminder of the simplicity of 723 00:48:53,160 --> 00:48:57,080 our mission. It's to bring the truth, the 724 00:48:57,080 --> 00:49:02,000 exaltation of Christ, and also as humiliation and coming into 725 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:06,600 this world to pay the price even for bloodshed and Lord. 726 00:49:06,600 --> 00:49:09,080 Even now, as we worship you in light of this word, help us be 727 00:49:09,080 --> 00:49:11,520 prepared to be equipped by our brother and may you be further 728 00:49:11,520 --> 00:49:14,380 glorified in our time, in Jesus name. 729 00:49:14,700 --> 00:49:17,140 Amen. We're going to sing. 730 00:49:17,900 --> 00:49:22,540 As we sing, you can sing about many things, how you are 731 00:49:22,540 --> 00:49:28,100 fearfully and wonderfully made. You can sing about how the fact 732 00:49:28,100 --> 00:49:30,980 that you've entered into this world because God has a purpose 733 00:49:30,980 --> 00:49:34,180 for you, purpose beyond what you might even know. 734 00:49:34,180 --> 00:49:39,260 You can sing about God's forgiveness and that there is a 735 00:49:39,260 --> 00:49:41,860 second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance, a fifth chance. 736 00:49:41,860 --> 00:49:45,500 No matter what sin you have made, you can sing that God has 737 00:49:45,500 --> 00:49:49,340 given us the opportunity to be a church with a voice. 738 00:49:49,860 --> 00:49:58,140 You can sing that God will be glorified this Saturday. 739 00:49:58,940 --> 00:50:00,700 And so let's stand together and sing.