The Battle Belongs To The Lord

 

The Battle Belongs To The Lord

Steve W. Reeves

steve@wschurch.net

stevereevesoutlines.blogspopt.com

 

 

INTRODUCTION:                                      

A. The teacher of the 4 year olds had spent several weeks teaching the story of Joshua

    and the walls of Jericho; A few weeks later she decided to see how much the children

    remembered. “Children,” she said. “Who brought down the walls of Jericho?” There

    was no answer. Again she asked, “Who can tell me who tore down the walls of

    Jericho?” There were only blank stares. She was so upset that no one remembered

    that she asked her assistant to take the class for a few moments while she stepped

    outside to regain her composure. The church treasurer happened to see her and

    asked “Can I help you?” The exasperated teacher said, “I’ve been asking my class

    who destroyed the walls of Jerisho and no one seems to know.” “Don’t worry,” said

    the treasurer. Find out how much the damages are and we will write them a check.”

B. Of all the events in the book of Joshua this one is probably the most familiar. It is

    uch more, however, than a Sunday school story. This is a dramatic demonstration     

    of God’s faithfulness, righteousness and strength as well as the trust and obedience

    of Joshua and the Israelites. .

    1. This event also has significant meaning for each of us.

    2. All of us face obstacles in life thqat are just as significant as the walls of Jericho. I

        may be a wall of poor health or disability. It may be a wall of fear or fqailure. It may

        be a wall of marital strife of family conflict. It may be an obstacle posed by your job.

        All of us face situations that appear just as daunting and discouraging to us as the

        Jericho walls were to Israel.

C. Background.

    1. The nation of Israel had been freed from slavery in Egypt by the miraqculous

        power of God. Under Moses’ leadership they had crossed the parted waters of the

        Red Sea, and been given God’s provision and protection in the desert. As they

        prepared to enter the promised land of Canaan at a place called Kadesh, Moses

        sent twelve spies into the land to investigate. In Numbers 13:28 ten of the twelve

        spies said, “The land where you sent us does indeed flow with milik and honey, but

        the cities are fortified and very large.”

        a. I believe it is likely that Jericho was one of the cities they saw.

        b. They were so intimidated by the size and strength of this city that they turned the

            entire nation against Moses.

    2. God was so displeased with their lack of faith that He pronounced judgment on that

        faithless generation and told them they would never enter the land of rest. Instead,

        they would die in the desert (Numbers 14:32-33).

    3. Now, in the book of Joshua a new generation has entered Canaan to receive

        God’s promise. God miraculously stopped the flooding flow of water in the Jordan

        so th people could cross on dry ground.  They set up camp at a place known as

        Gilgal and turned their attention towards the first great city they would face.

         Jericho.

        a. Jericho was a large city.

        b. Jericho was a strong city.  It is estimated that the city walls were six feet thick

            and fifteen feet high.

        c. The people of Jericho were hideously wicked.

D. Even with its great strength, Jericho was no match for the power of God. From

    Joshua 5 and 6 follow the events that led to the conquest of Jericho.

 

I. PREPARATION

    A  Public victory is always preceeded by private vigilance. Jericho’s defeat actually

        begin with the events described in Joshua 5. Without the evenets of Joshua 5

        there would have been no conquest in chapter 6.The principle is still valid.

        Consecration before conquest. Worship before warfare.

    B The events in chapter 5 fall into thee categories.

        1, Obedience

            a. Before Israel began itss conquest there was the need to renew the covenant

                God had made with their ancestors. This was done through the rite of

                circumcision of every male child on the eighth day (Genesis 17 and

                Deuteronomy 10:16).

            b. According to verses 2-7 Joshua was commanded to circumcise the men who

                had been born in the wilderness. Going all the way back to Abraham this had

                been the sign of the covenant.  It was a symbol of being cut off from

                wickedness. Under the New Testament circumcision is that of the heart

                (Romans 2:29).

        2. Observance

            a. The next item of preparation was the observance of the Passover. This was

                only the third time this feast had been observed. It was observed in exodus 12

                as Israel prepared to leave Egypt. It had been observed one year later

                according to Numbers 9.  However, during the 40 years of wilderness

                 wandering it was not observed.It is important to notice how God wanted to

                restore and remind Israel of their identity through these ancient rites before

                the conquest of the land.

            b. They ate a meal that came from the produce of the land (vs. 11).  Prior to this

                they had been eating manna. This was their first meal from the produce of the

                land of Canaan. Verse 12 says that the manna ceased the next day.

        3, Omnipotence

            a. In verse 13 Joshua saw a man standing nearby with a sword in his hand.

                What would you do if you saw a man standing with a sword in his hand?

                Joshua said, “Are you for uss or against us?”  The answer was surprising.

            b.Notice the word “MAN” is capitalized. It is the commander of the army of the

                 Lord. Joshua responded by calling Him LORD and fell and worshiopped

                much as Moses had worshipped at the buirning bish. The ANGEL OF THE

                LORD. This was a Theophany or appearance of Christ in the Old Testament.  

    C. Public victories of faith are preceded by private visits with God. John Knox was

        one of the great leaders of the reformation. On once occasion Mary, Queen of

        Scotts, reportedly said, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all of the

        aqrmies of Europe.” Remember, without the preparation of Joshua 5 there could

        have been no victory over Jericho in Joshua 6. .

 

II, PLANNING

    A. Have you ever made plans only to realize the God had a different idea? Have you

        ever said, “I will always…” or “I will never…” only to eat those words? It would be

        interesting to know what Joshua had in mind as he thought about the upcoming

        battle at Jericho.

        1. According to 6:1 the city was shut up tightly so no one could go in or go out.

            What was Joshua thinking?

        2. Have you ever faced a wall or an obstacle in your life and tried to face it with

            your own strength and straqtegy? How did that work for you?

    B. Whatever Joshua was thinking, God had a different idea.

        1. In verse 2 God said, “I have given Jericho to you along with its kings and valient

            warriors.” God said, “Joshua, I don’t wqant you to think that itis your strategy or

            Israel’s ability that will conquer the city. I have given it to you.

        2. If this seems strange, consider God’s instructions in vss. 3-5, “ You shall march

            around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six

            days. ⁴ Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the

            ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and

            the priests shall blow the trumpets. ⁵ It shall be that when they make a long blast

            with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people

            shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the

            people will go up every man straight ahead.”

    C. What do you do when God commands you to do something that makes no earthly

        sense? Do you demonstrate human reason or Divine respect?

        1. Some construction workers were trying to lift a large beam into place. It’s weight

            was so heavy pulled with all of their might but lacked abn inch having it high

            enough to fit into place. Their foreman instructed a bystander, “wet the ropes.”

            This made no sense to him but he did as told. The wet ropes chrank just enough

            to provide the extra inch needed.

        2. Does God know things we do not know? Can we trust Him? When He

            commands us to come to Christ through faith, repentance, confession and

            baptism so that the walls of sin and death might be toppled should we obey

            Him?

        3. What did walking around the city have to do with destroying the walls? It was

            God’s command. In an episode of the 1970’s TV series, “The Waltons,” there

            was a revival taking place at the little country church. People were being

            baptized. Olivia, the mother was urging her husband to be baptized. He replied

            by saying, “I just don’t see what being dunked in water has to do with it?”

    D. Israel had witnessed the power of God. They had crossed the Jordan on dry

           ground. When God told them to do this they obeyed with precision. They did not

          cut corners or add their own ideas. They did not grow discouraged when nothing

        happened after the second, third or fourth day. They didn’t let the jeers of the

        people deter them. They kept on marching. The respected the plan of God.    

 

CONCLUSION:

A. An old spiritual is entitled, “Joshua Fit The Battle of Jericho.”

    1. It wasn’t much of a battle because of God’s power. In Joshua 6:20 after the people

        had done as God commanded the walls fell flat.

    2. A documentary I watched about the history of Jericho described how evidence

        reveals how the thick walls of the city hat been destroyed and burned

        coincidentally about the same time as Israel entered the land. Really?

B. When you do things God’s way there are no coincidences and even the greatest

    walls and obstacles of life will fall before you.

     

 

 

As For Me and My House

 

“As For Me and My House”

Steve W. Reeves

steve@wschurch.net

stevereevesoutlines.blogspot.com

 
 
 
INTRODUCTION:                                      
A. In my library is a book entitled, Great Quotes From Great People. Among the notable
    sayings in the book are these.
    1. “Personally, I am always ready to learn although I ddo not always like being taught”
        (Winston Churchill).
    2. “Speak softly and carry a big stick” (Theoddore Roosevelt).
    3. “Nothing pains some people more than having to think” (Martin Luther King).   
    4. “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to
        excellence” (Vince Lombardi).
   5. “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” (Franklin Roosevelt).
    6. “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country”
         (John F. Kennedy).
     7. “Some battles must be fought more than once to be won” (Margaret Thatcher).
B. Although I have great appreciation for these statements I believe they pale in
    comparison to the one I want to share with you. This statement comes near the end
    of Joshua’s life during his final message to the people of Israel. 
    1. Beginning in Joshua 24:1-13, Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to
        Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and their judges
        and their officers; and they presented themselves before God. ² Joshua said to all
        the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘From ancient times your
        fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the
        father of Nahor, and they served other gods. ³ Then I took your father Abraham
        from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied
        his descendants and gave him Isaac. ⁴ To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau, and to
        Esau I gave Mount Seir to possess it; but Jacob and his sons went down to
        Egypt. ⁵ Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt by what I did in its
        midst; and afterward I brought you out. ⁶ I brought your fathers out of Egypt,
        and you came to the sea; and Egypt pursued your fathers with chariots and
        horsemen to the Red Sea. ⁷ But when they cried out to the Lord, He put darkness
        between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and covered
        them; and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness
        for a long time. ⁸ Then I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived beyond
        the Jordan, and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand, and you took
        possession of their land when I destroyed them before you. ⁹ Then Balak the son of
        Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned
        Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. ¹⁰ But I was not willing to listen to Balaam. So
        he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his hand. ¹¹ You crossed the Jordan
        and came to Jericho; and the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and the
        Amorite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Girgashite, the
        Hivite and the Jebusite. Thus I gave them into your hand. ¹² Then I sent the hornet
        before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not
        by your sword or your bow. ¹³ I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and
        cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of
        vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’”
    2. After reminding the people of all that God had done for them Joshua issed a
        challenge. “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth;
        and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in
        Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve
        the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods
        which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the
        Amorites in whose land you are living. but as for me and my house, we will
        serve the Lord.”   ”
    3. Here is the statement I want you to hear. “But as for me and my house, we
        will serve the Lord.”
C. There are many applications we can draw from Joshua’s challenge. In this message I
    want to focus on the last half of verse 15, “as for me and my house, we will serve the
    Lord.”
    1. Joshua took his responsibility seriously. 
    2. Each of us must address the three areas of responsibility set forth by Joshua in
        this verse.
 
I,.PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
    A. It is significant that Joshua began his statement, “as for me.”
        1. He did not say, “as for them,” or “as for my wife and children.”
        2. Joshua understood that first and foremost he was accountable to
            God for his own soul.
        3. Significantly, the book of Joshua ends as it began. In chapter 1 it was God \
            communicating to Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage.” At the end dit is
            Joshua communicating, “As for me I am going to serve God.” Whatever the rest
            of you choose make up yyour mind but I am serving God.”
    B. Dahiel Webster, thee great American legislator, asked, “What is the greatest
        thought that can occupy a person’s mind?” He answered, “Our personal
        accountability to God.”
        1. The Old Testament prophet Amos spoke to Israel 700 years before Christ. The
              people had become wicked, idolatrous and rebellious. According to Amos 4 a
            series of calamities fell upon the people. There was famine, drought, scorching
            wind, disease and war. At the end of each of these is the statement, “Yet you did
            not repent.: Finally in verse 12 God said, ““Therefore thus I will do to you, O
            Israel; Because I will do this to you,Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” A day
            of accountability was coming.
        2. In Matthew 25 Jesus told a story about a man with three servants. When the
            man went away on an extended journey he distributed a sum of money to each
            one according to his ability. To one he gave five talents, to another two and to a
            third one. While the man was gone the five talent man earned five more. The
            two tqalent man earned two more. The one talent man, however, buried his
            talent,. Notice the two :abilities” each man received.
            a. Responsibility. Each man was given a measure of responsibiolity. None were
                given more responsibility than thety could handle.
            b. Accountabiolity. When the ruler returned each one had to give account for
                what they had done with the resource they had been given. The one talent
                man was  rebuked as a “wicked,, lazy servant” and cast into outer darkness.
        3. Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:10 wrote, “For we must all appear before the judgment
            seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body,
            according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
        4. The Hebrew writer added, “It is appointed once to die and after this the
            judgment.”
    C. In our country today we have a government printing trillions of dollars without any
        accountability. There is lawlessness in our cities without any accountability.
        Everyone wants to hold someone else accountable without accepting any
        accountability themselves. Joshua was strong enough and courageous enough to
        say, “It starts with me. I cannot expect anyone else to serve God if I am not willing
        to do it myself.”
 
II. FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY
   A. Joshua was an important man of great authority.
        1. He had come out of Egypt with Moses.
        2. He had served as Moses’ military general. The leader of Israel’s army.
        3. Upon the death of Moses he had been appointed leader of Israel by God
            Himself.
        4. He commanded the people as they crossed the Jordan river, conquered the land
            and apportioned it to the tribes of Israel.
        5. Near the end of his life, however, his greatest concern was for his family to
            serve God.
        6. You may graduate with honors. You may graduate “Cum Laud,:” or “Mqagna   
            Cum Laud.” You may land a job with a prestigious title or a six figure salary. It   
            will mean nothing to you if your home life is in shambles.
        7. When Trey and Lea Morgan were with
            us for a Marriage workshop a couple of years ago he told the story of meeting a
            man in Florida who was a multi-illionaire. The man had several houses across
            the country, expensive cars and even a private jet. As Trey and the man ran
            along the beach the man asked Trey, “What do you do?” Trey told him he was a
            ministe for a church in a small Texas town. He told him that he had been
            married to Lea for over twenty five years and they had three boys. Suddenly the
            man stopped, looked Trey in the eye and said, “I would give everythiung I have
            for what you have.”
    B. In 1 Peter 5:8 the Bibble says, “Be sober. Be vigilant, for your adversary the devil
        walks around like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour.”
        1.  In his book,Victorious Christian Living, Doug Parsons tells the story of a young
            couple in Tennessee who somehow had adopted a lion bub as a pet. It was so
            furry, cute and cuddly. They thought they could train it and keep it. One day
            when their backs were turned the growing lion they thought was so cute bit three
            finge4rs off of their toddler. That is how Satan is. Some of you are trying to make
            a pet out of the devil. You qare playing with him. You think it’s fun and you have
            him under control. You cannot tame the devil. He will bite you every time and his
            bite is deadly.  
    C. We need spiritually minded young people who will become spiritually minded
        adults.This takes the same type of intentionality expressed by Joshua when he
        said, “As for me and my house.”
 
III. SPIRITUAL RESPONSIBIOLITY
    A. The phrase, “serve the Lord” is found nine times in Joshua 24 beginning in verse \
        14 and continuing through the remainder of the chapter. There are three
        characteristics of this phrase we need to notice.  
        1. It is easy to say we will serve the Lord. The people of Israel readily agreed with
            Joshua and said, “We will serve the Lord” (vs. 18). This was an emot5ional
            response fueled by the significance of the moment. They had heard a revival
            sermon. Their hearts had been touched by the realization of God’s bleassings.
            They had been challenged by Joshua. All of the people began saying, “we will
            se4rve the Lord.”
        2. It is difficult to serve the Lortd. In verse 19 Joshua said, “You will not be able to
            serve the Lord.” Joshua knew the holiness of God. He understood the fickleness
            of the people and the idolatry of the Canaanite people who still lived in the land.
            He knew it would be difficult for theem to maintain the integrity of their faith.
            Even today, as sincere as you and I may be, it is a difficult thing to maintain faith
            in a pagan culture.
        3. Serving the Lord requires strong leadership. As the book of Joshua concludes in
            verses 31-33 Israel continued to serve the Lord as long as Joshua and the
            elders of the people lived. That generation of leaders provided a strong example
            of faithfulness and spiritual leadership. Judges 2:10 states, “and there arose
            another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which
            He had done for Israel.”
    B. How long did it take for Israel it forsake its commitment to serve the Lord? One
        generation.
        1. Can tthat happen today? It already has. God is no longer welcomed in the public
            arena and in public discourse. We are told to keep our faith to ourselves and in
            our homes and church buildings.
        2. Notice the tragic results described in Juddges 21:25, “No there was no king in
            Israel. Every man did what was right in his own eyes.:”  
    C. May God help each of us to understand our spiritual re3sponsibility to “serve the
        Lortd.” 
 
CONCLUSION:
A. The story is told of two steamboats on the Mississippi river that left Memphis loqaded
    with cotton and supplies bound for New Orleans. Somewhere around Helena or
    Greenville the crew on the boats challenged each ofther to a race. They feveriously
    shved coal into their boilers to generate enough steam. Eventually they ran out of
    coal and began burning their cargo. By the time they reached New Orleans the
    victorious crew had burned all of their cargo. They won the race but at what sacrifice.
    1. Maybe you are racing through life trying to win the race of piopularity, prosperity or
        privilidge. At what cost?
    2. Are you sacrificing your family, your faith and your soul?
B. Hear Joshua. “As for me and my house. We will serve the Lortd!” Will you commit
    yourself to serving the Lord today for the res

Choose Life

 Choose Life

Steve W. Reeves

 

 I am unashamedly and wholeheartedly “pro-life.” I hold this view not because of political

partisanship but because I believe it is the will of God revealed in the Bible. Since Roe

vs. Wade there have been approximately 1,600,000 babies aborted every year in the United States. That's 4,383 per day. We have aborted more babies than the total number of American soldiers killed in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

 

How can anyone who values life not be alarmed by these startling facts? Keep in mind that we are talking about more than statistics and numbers. We are talking about individuals who never had the opportunity to experience life on this side of birth. Everyone who respects the message of the Bible should choose life.  

 

EVERY LIFE IS IMPORTANT TO GOD.

 

Throughout the book of Psalms God’s role in creating and sustaining life is a consistent theme. In Psalm 22:9-10, the psalmist says, “Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb. You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. Upon You I was cast from birth. You have been my God from my mother’s womb.”  In Psalm 127:3 we read, “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” Psalm 139:13-14 states, “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.” In these and many other verses in the Psalms, the creative power of God is praised both for the beauty of nature and the importance of life.

   

Under the Law of Moses if a pregnant woman was hit as two men struggled and the

baby died, the penalty was death (Exodus 21:22-25). Occasionally someone will ask why the Old Testament contains vivid accounts of bloody battles in which adults and children were slain. The answer is that these people, and those who would have descended from them, lived in blood-thirsty cultures where life was trivialized. Some of them even engaged in infant sacrifice to their pagan gods.

 

Sadly, our culture has devalued life and become desensitized to the violent act of abortion. Six hundred years before the coming of Christ, Isaiah said, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter  (Isaiah 5:20). Is this not the attitude of many people today?

 

Have we become spiritually blind to the degree that we do not recognize the terrible tragedy that is occurring? We use euphemistic terms such as “terminating a pregnancy” that mask the tragedy of the situation. The greatest impetus for abortion in the United States is called Planned Parenthood. This organization operates under a seemingly benign name but was actually founded on the principle of using abortion as a means of birth control.

 

Abortion advocates do not refer to the baby in its mother’s womb as a child. They often use the term “fetus” without realizing that “fetus” is a Latin word meaning  “baby child.” Many people refer to a “fetus” as if it were simply a blob of material that can be carelessly discarded rather than a “baby child” being woven together by the design of God.

 

The late Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, said, "There can be no

keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."

Every human being should be shocked and saddened that in many countries, including the United States, there are stricter laws protecting endangered species, such as the Northern Spotted Owl or the egg of a Bald Eagle, than there are protecting a baby in the womb of its mother.

 

EVERY LIFE IS A PLAN OF GOD.

   

In Jeremiah 1:5 God spoke to Jeremiah:  “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.” Who is the “I” in this passage? Is it not God? What did God say He had done? Had He not known Jeremiah and appointed him as a prophet before his birth? God had a plan for Jeremiah’s life before he was born.

 

 In Judges 13:5 God told Manoah and his wife of the impending birth of Samson and how he would be used to deliver Israel from the Philistines. Similarly, God told Zachariah and Elizabeth that they would become the parents of one who would prepare the way for the Christ. When Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was carrying him in her womb she was visited by Mary, the mother of Jesus. When Mary came near, Luke says the baby “leaped in his mother’s womb.” In this passage, Luke used the same Greek word, “blephos,” to refer to an unborn baby as he did in Luke 18:15 when he described those who were bringing their babies to Jesus.

 

 When the Word became flesh He was formed within the womb of the young virgin named Mary. By today’s standards Mary would have been a candidate for an abortion.  She was young, unmarried and poor. Aren’t you thankful she heeded the instructions of Gabriel and gave birth to the baby named “Jesus?”

  

Every life has the potential to accomplish good. A young, unmarried woman once gave birth to a baby boy in Arkansas. Although the country was in the midst of the great depression and the baby’s father had nothing to do with them, the young woman chose to keep the baby and with the help of her mother began to raise him. When he was still a youth the mother was killed in a train accident, leaving him to be raised by his impoverished grandmother. The boy worked in cotton fields and strawberry patches to help with expenses. He went on to high school and became an outstanding athlete. After a tour of duty in the United States Army, he enrolled In Harding College. Though he was not a Christian he was influenced by teachers and students and was soon baptized into Christ. In a short time he began preaching and over the next fifty years, he preached in over 1,700 Gospel meetings. It is estimated that 40,000 to 50,000 people responded to the Gospel preached by Jimmy Allen. More than 10,000 were baptized. We shudder to think how many people would have been lost for eternity if a young, single mother had not made the difficult choice to bring her baby into the world.

 

     

With over 55 million abortions in the past forty-four years, we must wonder how many lives have been lost that could have made a huge difference in the world. Perhaps someone who would have discovered a cure for cancer? Perhaps someone who would have grown up to be a president? An old proverb says, “Any fool can count the number of seeds in an apple but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.”

 

EVERY LIFE IS A PRODUCT OF CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCES.

   

None of us are here by “immaculate conception.” Our conception, pre-natal development and birth were the result of a plan designed by God when He created male and female (Genesis 1:27). God’s plan gave man the ability to make choices. In Genesis 2 we read how He created Adam and placed him in the garden with a variety of choices. There were many different trees from which to eat but there was also one that was to be strictly avoided. The consequence of touching or eating the fruit of that tree was clearly stated, “for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17).        The man and his wife made a deadly choice. The consequence is stated by Paul in         Romans 5:12. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and        death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

  

Though you are free to choose you are not free to choose the consequences of your        choice. You may choose to jump out of an airplane without a parachute. Once you have made that choice you cannot choose the consequences. The sexually immoral choices being made by many today have resulted in the rapidly increasing rate of pregnancies among unwed women as well as an alarming increase in sexually transmitted diseases. The large number of abortions is a direct result of such choices. According to Planned Parenthood’s own statistics, over 75% of abortions are performed because the mother, father, or both do not want a baby interfering with their lives. In other words, they do not want to live with the consequences of their action.

 

EVERY LIFE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEMONSTRATE LOVE.

  

Every life provides us with an opportunity to demonstrate love and concern. A young couple was told their unborn baby had a chromosomal disorder and would likely be still-born. Her doctors advised her to have an abortion. She refused and later gave birth to a little baby girl they named “Bailey.” This precious child was born blind and deaf. The doctors cautioned her parents that she would not survive long.  In spite of the incredible odds, Bailey astounded them all. She became a favorite among her family and friends who loved to hold her and feel her “snuggle” against them. Ladies in the church nursery longed for opportunities to care for her. For three years she provided people with the opportunity to demonstrate unconditional love. Today her picture continues to hang on the wall outside the church nursery. It is a reminder that every person, even those born with difficulties, provides us with an opportunity to demonstrate love.

 

In Matthew 7:12 Jesus said, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you.” Should this not apply to the lives of innocent, precious babies within their mother’s wombs?

 

As Moses spoke his final words to Israel before his death, he said in Deuteronomy     30:19-20:  “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set     before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, ²⁰ by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

 

You and I face similar choices between obedience, and disobedience; blessing and cursing; life and death. My hope is