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 Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 6:21 pm
Hello! Trying to get back into the swing of things. This church meetings for the next few weeks are going to cover some controversial issues within Christian beliefs. The series is from a Sunday School lesson I had called Honest to God: Real Questions People Ask." This session is going to be about whether or not every life if sacred, but let's go to the preface:
"Living the Christian life has been a challenge for believers in every century. Truth is seen by some as an outdated and irrelevant concept. What stood as truth for centuries is now dismissed as unreliable.
In fact, one of the most popular teachings today is that you can't know the truth about anything because truth is a relative term. Can we know the truth? do absolutes still exist? Christians believe that God Himself is true and is an unfailing source of truthfulness. He has given us His Word and in that Word we learn that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Christians in the 21st century need to know what they believe and why they believe it. The six sessions of 'Honest to God' will enable you to grow in your faith and equip you to be more effective in sharing that faith with others. These sessions address foundational issues like:
-The origin and significance of lie
-The existence and nature of God
-How God reveals Himself and relates to people"
The first session is below:
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Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 6:43 pm
What is the value of Human Life? For many, in our American culture, life is devalued at all stages from the unborn, to the disabled, to the elderly.
More than 25 years ago, former Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop lamented the devaluation of human life. "When I graduated from medical school the idea was, 'How can I save this life?' but for a great number of the medical students now it's not 'How can I save this life', but 'Should I save this life?' The Bible is clear about the true value of life.
God, who created us in His image, provides us with several insights into His perspective about the incalculable worth of human life. one example is found in Psalm 39 in which David celebrates God's intimate knowledge of us and intricate fashioning of us as His unique handiwork. As the Author and Sustainer of Human life, God values our existence. Because He values life, so should we.
THE PASSAGE
"O LORD, thou has searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my though afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.. For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou has covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid form thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest part of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in they book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee." Psalm 139:1-6,13-18 KJV
1. David was in awe of God's comprehensive knowledge and awareness of him. god is aware of our daily schedules, activities and thoughts. God knows our past, present, and future actions and thoughts. David couldn't wrap his finite mind around the reality that all-powerful and all-knowing God had taken such an intense and intimate interest in him.
We should live in the light of the fact that God values us. God's love and care for us is particularly amazing, given that He knows everything about us--the good, the bad, and the ugly. God knew the worst about David and he knows the worst about us. Yet, because of His grace, He values and loves us anyway. The ultimate demonstration of God's value of us is seen in the cross of Jesus Christ. The sacredness of human life is grounded in three key facts:
- GOD CREATED US IN HIS IMAGE
-GOD KNOWS EVERY DETAIL OF OUR EXISTENCE
-GOD HAS GIVEN HIS SON IN ORDER TO SAVE US FROM OUR SINS
2. The fact that God has developed a detailed plan for every aspect of our lives is further proof of our worth to Him. David recognized that he had been fearfully and wonderfully made
- GOD HIMSELF IS THE SOURCE OF OUR EXISTENCE
- HE FORMED AND KNIT US IN THE WOMB
If we take these verses seriously, we are left with no other option than the reality that human life begins at conception. We don't need a medical degree to understand that a life in embryonic form is just that: a life. It's not a meaningless mass of cells. Psalm 139:13-16 reveals the sharp contrast between God's view of human life and the view that fueled the Supreme Court to legalize abortion in 1973. Since that decision, more than 50 million abortions have been performed in the United States.
"But what about children born with disabilities or deformities?" These realities are part of humanity's fallen state. We live in a world tainted by sin in which Satan exerts his evil influence. Yet this truth in no way justifies the extermination of those society calls unfit or unproductive. History is filled with stories of people who make significant contributions even in the midst of disabilities.
3. God not only created us and has a plan for us, but He is also with us wherever we are. We never go anywhere, engage in any activity, or entertain any thought outside of the knowledge and presence of God.
The Bible presents God as One who actively intervenes in the lives of people. there are a couple of key demonstrations of God interacting with His people
- Moses' first encounter with God is described in Exodus 3
When God called him to be the deliverer of His people, Moses was overwhelmed. God reveled His presence to Moses at the burning bush, through the Red Sea, and on top of Mt. Sinai, demonstrating that he was always with His people
- In the nativity story, we see the focus on God's presence taken to an entirely new level
- Jesus is the Word made flesh who came to earth to save His people. Later, when Jesus told His disciples to go into the entire world with the good news of the gospel, He promised He would be with them always (Matt. 8:20). God will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5).
Human life is valuable to God and His desire to be wit His people shows just how much God values us.
Until Next Time,
Ohana
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 2:07 am
I say Amen to God himself and you.
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Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 5:22 pm
Glad you enjoyed! Part 2 is coming up now in the series.
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