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[0:00] Last night I went to my 50th high school reunion and I was reminded of my nickname Turtle.! I'm not going to go into that right now, I just wanted to say that. I've also been known as Pastor Dave for a number of years and it reminds me of when I was an under shepherd for about 35 years or so for two local congregations.

[0:19] I'm also known as a preacher. Usually I hear that from folks from down south. They don't say pastor or reverend, they say preacher. I've also been known as Father.

[0:31] And that's not for my kids, those are Catholic folks that are trying to show respect for me. They call me Father. I've been known as Honey, Dear, Sweetheart, and I love to hear that from my wife.

[0:42] I've also been known as Dad and Daddy. That's kind of exclusive to my three kids. I've also been known as Bumpa. And that's reserved for my 11 grandkids.

[0:55] I've also been called some other names that I can't repeat here this morning. But you know, our God, if you go through the Bible, has been known by a number of names.

[1:09] And he gives them to us so that we might refer to him with those names. And each name has a lot of weight behind it and explains who he is and what we come to him for.

[1:25] Today we're going to look at the very first name in the very first book of the Bible in chapter 1. And it's in verse 1. And that name is Elohim.

[1:40] I'd like you to look at Genesis right now, the first five verses. And I'll just read. And what I'm going to do is in place of the word God, I'm going to put the word Elohim.

[1:52] It says there, In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep.

[2:04] And the spirit of Elohim was hovering over the face of the waters. Then Elohim said, Let there be light. And there was light. And Elohim saw the light that it was good.

[2:17] And Elohim divided the light from the darkness. Elohim called the light day and the darkness night. So evening and morning were the first day.

[2:29] Now this name Elohim is used some 2,500 times in the Old Testament. Actually about 30 times in this particular chapter alone.

[2:42] Scholars look to that word and will tell you that it comes from the word El. Which is translated or comes from the meaning of it's the strong one.

[2:56] And so in many ways we have he is the creator God. And he is the one who is strongly able to create. Just speak things into existence.

[3:07] Can you imagine that? He let there be light and there was light throughout the universe. Because of who he was. When we pray to Elohim we ought to think in terms of the fact that he is the creative most powerful God.

[3:21] He's not just some hip pocket God. He's a God that is powerful and can do what he pleases to do. He's completely sovereign and gloriously great. The book of Genesis.

[3:34] We get that word Genesis from the Hebrew. Which means it's the book of beginnings. And this book here has been a battleground for decades. In terms of those that would like to tear apart those things that are in those opening particularly 11 chapters.

[3:51] Because quite frankly if you can destroy the things that are in Genesis. The rest of the Bible frankly doesn't have a whole lot of meaning. They're in there for a reason.

[4:01] It's become a battleground in many ways. Because many in our culture today would seek to reject the truths that are found in those chapters.

[4:15] Now because Elohim. Or I should say God calls himself Elohim. There are at least what I would say four foundational truths that we can pick up from this chapter today. We're not going to seek to be exhaustive in it.

[4:29] But the first one is Elohim is eternal. Take a look again there at verse 1.

[4:40] It says in the beginning God or Elohim. The interesting thing I find about this here is that it makes no attempt at all to prove that he was in the beginning.

[4:55] It just states it as fact. In the beginning Elohim. It's stated strongly in Deuteronomy 33.27. It says the eternal Elohim is your refuge.

[5:08] And underneath are the everlasting arms. If you notice again there in Genesis 1. It says in the beginning Elohim.

[5:21] Again it makes no attempt in any way to try to prove that he's there. That he's God. It just assumes his existence.

[5:31] He is God. And he is eternal. And he is here today. He was here yesterday. And he will be here tomorrow. And as such we can trust in him.

[5:43] He's not going anywhere. He is Elohim. Who is eternal. In fact the word of God tells us that those who don't believe in Elohim.

[5:55] Don't believe this eternal God. Are actually fools. It says in Psalm 14.1. It says the fool has said in his heart. There is no Elohim.

[6:06] Over and over again you have that name going in the Old Testament. And because of that. And because God is eternal. We will never be alone.

[6:18] If you're putting your trust and faith in him. He will be there. With all of his creative power. But because he is eternal. In the beginning God.

[6:31] He is also one that has shown us. That he does not. Just come alongside matter. And begin to work with it. Matter was created.

[6:44] By him. And with that thought in mind. It brings us to the second. What I say foundational truth. And that is creationism. Is correct. The last part of Genesis 1.1.

[6:57] Says Elohim. Created. The heavens and the earth. Now that word. Created. Has the meaning of. Created.

[7:09] Brought into being. Out of nothing. That's the meaning of that particular word. Someone has said that Elohim. Brings design. Out of disorder.

[7:21] He brings the cosmos. Out of chaos. And he brings beauty. Out of barrenness. And as you get to know him. You realize he does the same thing today.

[7:33] In individual lives. Let's look at a few more phrases in Genesis 1. If you look at verse 7. It says. Thus Elohim. Elohim. Made. The firmament.

[7:44] Verse 16. It says. He made the stars also. That we sang about. 21. It says. So Elohim. Created. The great sea creatures. Verse 25.

[7:55] And Elohim. Made. The beast. Of the earth. In verse 31. Elohim. Saw everything. That it was made. And indeed. It was very good. I don't believe it's any accident.

[8:06] That. The very first words. Coming. To us from God. Speak about the fact. That he is the great creator. And he wants us to know that. About him.

[8:18] He's revealed himself. As that. In many different places. Of scripture. Really from Genesis. To Revelation. For instance. In Psalm. 95. It says. Oh come. Let us worship.

[8:28] And bow down. Let us kneel. Before the Lord. Our maker. In Ecclesiastes 12. One. He says. Remember now. Your creator. In the days. Of your youth.

[8:40] Then in Isaiah 45. Nine. It says. Woe to him. Who strives. With his maker. Then going on. To the. New Testament. We read. In Acts.

[8:51] It says. Who. I'm sorry. God who made the world. And everything that is in it. Since he is the Lord. Of heaven and earth. He does not live in temples. Made by man. And then Revelation.

[9:05] When you have a picture. Of all the saints. Gathered around the throne. And the elders. Are casting their. Their crowns. Before him. You find them saying. You are worthy. Oh Lord. To receive glory.

[9:16] And honor. And power. For you created all things. And by your will. They existed. And were created. That theme goes all the way through. The Bible. God wants us to know him.

[9:27] As the great creator. The early church viewed the doctrine. Of creation. As the beginning point. Of their theology. And biblical bedrock.

[9:39] For them. Some of you might be familiar with. The. Apostles creed. It says. I believe in God. The father almighty. Creator. Of heaven.

[9:51] And earth. Former. Atheist. Lee Strobel. In his outstanding book. The case for the creator. Concludes. That. When he was doing his research.

[10:03] That. When he researched. The. The foundational pillars. Of evolution. He found. And I just quote him here. That they quickly rotted away. When exposed. To. Scrutinate.

[10:13] And we're not going to have time. To go through. All the things that he happens. To bring out in that book. But I wanted to highlight. A few of them along the way. The thing that. I want to stress.

[10:23] To begin with here. Is that the universe. Was made by. An intelligent. Designer. Okay. And we'll look at that. In a few minutes. And as such.

[10:35] We need to keep in mind. That evolution. Is a theory. One that's crumbling. In many ways. Let's look at a few.

[10:51] Flurries. That are out there right now. Things. Evidence that's there. That have us move away. From that. Which we have probably. Been taught in our schools. And universities. And various things like that.

[11:02] The first one. Is DNA. Evidence. Andrew Flew. Who was for about a half a century. Was a strong proponent. Leading champion of atheism.

[11:14] Wrote a book in 2007. Where he said that. A super intelligent being. Is the only explanation. For the origin. And the complexity. Of nature.

[11:26] Then they. In a more. I'm sorry. A more present. Not present. More. Recent. Thank you. If I'm.

[11:39] A little struggling. This morning. I didn't get a lot of sleep. Last night. I got too stimulated. At my reunion. I was up every. Every couple hours. So. Thank you. For helping me out. On that. But.

[11:51] In a. In a video. He was quoted. Saying this. He says. DNA has shown. By the almost. Unbelievable. Complexities. Of the arrangements. Which are needed. To produce life. That intelligence.

[12:02] Must. Be. Involved. It doesn't just. Happen by chance. Or random. Okay. Another evidence. Is what.

[12:13] Is sometimes. Referred to. As the. Anthropic. Principle. And that is. That the physical. Structure. Of our universe. Is exactly. The way. It's supposed to be. If anything.

[12:23] Is going to. Survive. Which blows. A hole. In the idea. Of chance. Over millions. And millions. Of years. Of course. Okay. There's also.

[12:35] The evidence. Of cosmology. And that points. To the fact. That. Everything. That. Exist. Has to. Have a cause. To make that exist.

[12:46] It doesn't just. Pop into existence. By itself. There has to be. A cause. For that. And there's the evidence. Of consciousness. And that refers.

[12:56] To our sensations. Our thoughts. Our emotions. Our belief system. Things like that. That's not something. That evolution. Is going to be able. To account for. In fact. One Darwinist.

[13:08] Philosopher. By the name. Of Michael. Roos. Said this. No one. Certainly not. The Darwinian. As such.

[13:19] Seems to have. Any answer. A little further on. In the. Paragraph. Was. With regards. To the consciousness. State. That just.

[13:29] Doesn't. Evolve. On. Christmas Eve. Back in. 1968. I remember.

[13:40] Most of you. Weren't. Around. Just yet. There were. Three astronauts. That. Went up. And circled. The moon. And when they came. Back around. From the dark side.

[13:51] What they saw. Was. An awesome. Picture. Before them. Of planet earth. And what do you. Think they did. When they saw that.

[14:02] Did they quote. Einstein. Einstein. Did they quote. Shakespeare. Did they quote. Darwin. No. They were so.

[14:12] Overwhelmed. With that look. That the only thing. That would seem. To fit. That magnificent scene. Was. A statement. From the word of God. And the astronaut.

[14:23] Bill Anders. Said this. In the beginning. God. Created the heavens. And earth. Of course.

[14:36] That's the testimony. Of scripture. Over and over again. We. Read in scripture. In Psalm 19. One. The heavens declare.

[14:47] The glory. Of El. It's a shortened form. Of Elohim. Your translation. In English. Would be God. And the firmament. Shows his handiwork. If you go.

[15:04] With an honest heart. And look around. Your universe. You begin to see. His fingerprints. Everywhere. That aren't explained. In any way. By pure chance.

[15:18] In other words. The evidence. Of Elohim. Creative power. Is evident. To all people. If. People. Are.

[15:29] Inclined. To honestly. Look at it. They will see. Because he's the creator. He has created. All things. In our universe. That means.

[15:39] We can trust him. There's absolutely. Nothing. In any way. That's going to come into your life. That he. Is not. Capable. Of handling. Excuse me. And you can.

[15:51] So. So. Whatever problems you have. Excuse me. If. You have faith in him. But that's important.

[16:03] Because it says in 11.6. Hebrews 11.6. Oops. I forgot to say. When I was talking about his fingerprints. It's like.

[16:14] A big sign. That's been. Placked onto the earth. That says. Made. By. God. Romans tells us.

[16:25] Excuse me. For since the creation of the world. His invisible attributes. Are clearly seen. By those. Are being understood. By the things that are made. Even as eternal power. And Godhead.

[16:36] So that. They're without excuse. That's in the first chapter of Romans. Where Paul. Drives home the fact that. No one is without excuse. Saying. Well. I don't believe in God. Or there's. I don't know if he can know.

[16:46] There's a God. He has proven himself. Within. The realm. Of the universe. Excuse me. We can trust him.

[17:00] Because of who he is. And as such. We need to go to him. That. But we need to go. In faith. Because it tells us there. In Hebrews 11.6. That without faith. Is. Impossible. To please him. That he who comes to God.

[17:11] Must believe that he is. And that he's a. Rewarder. Of those who. Diligently. Seek him. So he's there. And he leaves the door open. For us. The question is. Will we come through.

[17:22] The door. And put our trust. And faith in him. There's a third. Fundamental truth. And that is. That Elohim. Supports. And that is. It supports the doctrine. Of the Trinity.

[17:34] Wow. Where did we get that? Something. I'll. Be a little schoolish. For. For the moment. The word Elohim. Cherubim. You'll notice it has. It has an. I am.

[17:45] On the end of it. Much like. When we read about. Cherubs. In the plural. Are cherubim. And the plural. Seraph. Is seraphim. That's the.

[17:56] Hebrew ending. For a. Plural suffix. Some translations. Today. Don't put the. I am. On the end of it. Like for. Cherub. They simply say. Cherubs. They put our.

[18:06] Plural ending. Of s. Depending on the. Translation. You have. But. That's the. Plural in Hebrew. And. This God. Who has. Eternal nature.

[18:17] Has. Always. Existed. In. Three. Persons. He's. One. And. Yet. He's. Plural. And.

[18:28] Again. This just. Supports. It doesn't. Prove. The Trinity. But. As we go. Through the Bible. We realize. That there are. More and more. Verses. That speak. About. The three. Persons.

[18:39] In that one. God. You might. Remember. That. When Jesus. Was baptized. In Matthew. Chapter 3. That. We find. The son.

[18:51] In the water. Being baptized. You. Hear. From the father. Above. This is my. Beloved son. In whom. I'm well pleased. And you find. The Holy Spirit. Coming down.

[19:02] Upon him. All three. Members. Of the triune. God. Are there. Then Jesus. At the end. Of his ministry. Sent his disciples. Out. And he said this.

[19:13] In. Oh. Wait a minute. I'm sorry. I got ahead of myself. This is important. This is a reading.

[19:24] Of verses. 26 to 27. And what I want you. To look at. Is I want you. To look at. The peas. And the s's. Because what it's. Showing there. Is that. Elohim.

[19:35] Is a plural. Noun. That many times. Gets. Treated. As a. Singular. Noun. Okay. It says. Then Elohim.

[19:45] Which is plural. Said. That verb. Happens to be singular. Let us. Plural. Make man. In our. Plural. Image. According to. Our. Likeness. Let them have. Dominion.

[19:55] Over the. Over the fish. The sea. Over the birds. The air. Over the cattle. Over the earth. Every creeping thing. Creeps on the earth. So. Elohim. There's plural. Created man. In his.

[20:07] Singular. His. Own image. In the image. Of Elohim. Plural. He. Singular. Created him. Male and female. He created them. And so.

[20:18] What we have here. Is we have. Right from the very start. The very first chapter. Of the Bible. There is the. Hint. For those. That we're going to be having the Bible.

[20:29] That this God. Is one. Here. Oh Israel. The Lord is one God. The Lord is. One. And yet. At the same time. The interesting thing. That word for one. There's two in the Hebrew.

[20:40] Two words for. For one. One. Is. It speaks of singularity. The one that's used. In. In Deuteronomy 6. Is a one.

[20:51] Of. Multiplicity. It's like. One. Dozen. But there's more than one egg. In that. Dozen. And that's the word that's used there.

[21:01] And so. You see these hints. Along the way. But then. When we get to the New Testament. We're. Allowed to be able to see. Even more. We made mention of when Jesus was baptized.

[21:15] When he gave his great commission. He said. Go therefore. And make disciples of all nations. Baptizing them in the name. Which is singular. Of the Father. The Son.

[21:25] And the Holy Spirit. You're to baptize them in the name. Of three. Divine. Persons. Another clear passage.

[21:37] Is found. In a. Blessing that Paul gives. There. To the Corinthians. And we read this. The grace. Of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the love of God.

[21:48] And the communion. Of the Holy Spirit. Be with you all. He brings them all together. He would be the first one. To say there's only one God. But there are three divine persons.

[21:59] In that God. So in many ways. Because. It's the Father. That. Sent his son. To die for our sins. And it's the Holy Spirit.

[22:10] That draws us. And. Seals us. In our redemption. That. Our redemption. In many ways. Is. Leaning upon.

[22:21] The Trinity itself. It's the Trinity. That makes it even possible. By the way. Have you noticed. That all.

[22:31] Of the. Fundamental truths. That we've given so far. The first three. Tend to. Be something that. Are hot button issues. Elohim.

[22:45] Supports the fact that. One. How come. It's not working out. There. God exists.

[22:55] Eternally. It also supports. The fact. That. He is the creator. And it also supports. The fact that. He is three in one. And that can generate. A lot of controversy.

[23:06] Along the way. But the one that. Creates. A whole lot more. Controversy. Is this fourth one. And that is. Every person. Because of Elohim. Has worth.

[23:18] And purpose. Look again. At verse 27. He says there. So Elohim. Created man. In his own image. In the image of Elohim. He created male.

[23:29] And female. He created them. The word created there. Is used three times. In one verse. And two of the three times. It's. It's associated. With. Making. People. In his own image.

[23:41] That's very. Very significant. If you were to. Trace through. Even going up to. I think about. Chapter nine. Of Genesis. When. Capital punishment. Is introduced. You find that.

[23:52] The justification. For it. Is because. When you kill. A person. You have just. Struck out. Against God. Because that's a. God. Bearing.

[24:03] Image. Or bit. I should say. God. Image. Bearer. And so. As a result of that. This is very. Very important. To God. Each year.

[24:16] Many people. Perhaps some. Even here. Reflect on the. Sanctity. Of life. The sacredness of it. During. Sanctity.

[24:26] Of life. Week. Which commemorates. The. Awful. Terrible. Judgment. By the Supreme Court. Back in 1973. With Roe v. Way.

[24:40] God. As. Elohim. Leads us. To the. An uncompromising. Conclusion. That. He. Is the one.

[24:50] That created life. Not just the life. Of the animals. But. Of people. In his image. You know. It's interesting. If you go through. Genesis 1 again. It says. That God.

[25:01] Spoke the worlds. Into existence. He said. Let there be fish. In the sea. And animals. He just said. He just threw it all out there. When it comes to. The creation of man.

[25:12] It says. That he kind of got down. Took up some dirt. It. Shapened it. And. Blew into it. His own.

[25:22] Breath of life. Very special. Man is not just. Another animal. He is one that's made. In the image. And likeness. Of God.

[25:36] I like what. President. Or former president. George W. Bush said. On the topic. He said. I guess I was supposed to have that before.

[25:47] Let me go on. He says. We share a great goal. To work towards a day. When every child. Is welcomed in the life. And protected in law. To build a culture of life. Affirming that.

[25:58] Every person. At every stage. And season of life. Is created. Equal. In God's image. Ecclesiastes 11.

[26:08] 5 says. As you do not know. What is the way of the wind. Or. How the bones grow. In the womb. Of her. Who is with child. You do not know.

[26:19] The works of Elohim. Who makes. Everything. Well you know. In recent years. With the advent. Of the ultrasound.

[26:30] We have been able to. Get a sneak peek. It is like we have gotten a window. Into the womb. And I know. As I have talked with you. And seen him posted on.

[26:41] On Facebook. And different things like that. That we love those little pictures. There is his toe. There is his nose. Wow. He has got a big. Wide forehead.

[26:53] As we look at them. But we are realizing. That there is not just a clump of tissues. There. There is a little. Divine.

[27:04] Lee. Created. As well as a. Divine. Image bearer. That is beginning to grow. And develop. Within that womb. But you know.

[27:15] As great as the technology is today. If we believe. Scriptures. David. Inspired by the Holy Spirit. Gave us a picture. Of what is going on in the womb. Well before.

[27:26] Well. Thousands of years before. Today. In Psalm 39. He says this. For you formed my inward parts. You covered me. In my.

[27:37] Mother's womb. I will praise you. For I am fearfully. And wonderfully made. My frame was not hidden from you. When I was made. In secret. Your eyes saw my substance. Being yet unformed.

[27:49] And in your book. They were all written. The days fashioned for me. When there was. Still not. Any of them. David was given.

[28:00] That picture. Of the womb. As he was. Being led by the Holy Spirit. It was. He gave him a picture. Of what we might call. God's. Prenatal.

[28:11] Care unit. Looking in there. And seeing how God. Was putting. That one together. I'd have you notice. As well. That the you. Is emphasized.

[28:22] It's you. God. You formed me. You created it. You covered it. There's that emphasis there. Of God's. Intimate. Involvement.

[28:33] With what's going on. He didn't just. Kind of say. Okay. Let get going. Or whatever the case is. And just. We'll see how. It gets started. And how we'll end up. No. He's intimately involved.

[28:44] With us. Because. He is the creator. He's intimately involved. With you. In your life. Because you are. A special. I don't know if I want to call it. Product. But person.

[28:55] One that he has. Created. And has. A plan for you. For the future. So it's not. He's just not. A God that's sitting up there. Totally detached.

[29:07] From us. Some of you might be familiar. With Andy Alcorn. He wrote a book. Why Pro-Life. And he gives three stunning. Statistics. One. Abortion. Is the most frequently.

[29:18] Performed. Surgery. On women. Number two. More babies are aborted. Each day. In America. Than all that was lost. On 9-11. Seldom any reaction.

[29:32] Because. We couldn't see them. When we see them. All of a sudden. It begins to grab hold of us. And the third one. And this is good news. He says. There's more young people today.

[29:44] That are. More inclined. To decide. To be pro-life. Than their parents. Probably because. They're seeing the pictures. There's even.

[29:57] I'll say. Better news. In that. As. There are. A growing number. Of evolutionists. That. Are becoming. If not completely. Persuaded. Looking in the direction. Of an intelligent designer.

[30:07] There's more and more. People today. That are inclined. To believe. That yes. There is a creator God. And yes. That one. Within the womb. Is not just a clump of cells.

[30:19] Sometimes they call it. A POC. A product of conception. They sometimes call it. A fetus. Well fetus is Latin.

[30:33] For baby. But if we use a different language. It impersonalizes it. Along the way. It's also in addition to that.

[30:44] And this is great. In that we're moving in a direction. When Roe v. Way. In 1973. Was. Decided. The prevailing.

[30:55] Opinion at that time. Is we just cannot know. When. That. Clump of cells. Becomes a person. And they use that. As the basis.

[31:06] For. Therefore. Therefore you can terminate it. Because we really can't say that. Well that's not so anymore. March of 2017. Oh that was another point.

[31:25] I wanted to make. He's the owner. Of the pre-born. They belong to him. Get that clear in our minds. And as such.

[31:36] March. It's not the mother. Or the state. That should be deciding. Its fate. That little one that's forming.

[31:47] Within the womb of a mom. Belongs to God. This is where I thought.

[31:57] This is from the American College of Pediatricians. In March of 2017. These are doctors. These just aren't. Preachers or theologians.

[32:08] Says here. The predominance of human biological research. Confirms. Excuse me. That human life. Begins at conception. Fertilization. At fertilization.

[32:19] The human being. Emerges as a whole. Genetically distinct. Individualized. Zygotic. Living. Human organism. A member of the species. Of homo sapiens.

[32:30] Needing only. The proper environment. In order to grow. And develop. That's our medical. Scientific community. I believe.

[32:44] An honest survey. Of the evidence. That will lead us. To one. That. There is in fact. A God. A creator God.

[32:54] And that. This human life. Belongs to him. It begins at conception. Randy Elkhart. Also in his book. Said this.

[33:05] He says. It's an indisputable. Scientific fact. That. Every. Surgical. Abortion. In America. Stops. A beating.

[33:15] Heart. That heart. Is beating. Long. Before. The mother. Is even aware. That she's pregnant. I put this up.

[33:31] Because they say. A picture is worth. A thousand words. In 1999. There was an unborn child. Named Samuel. Little baby Samuel.

[33:42] That was being operated on. For spina bifida. This photograph. In Life magazine. Captured the world's attention. During the surgery.

[33:54] Baby Samuel. Reached out of the womb. And kind of grabbed. The surgeon's finger. The surgeon. Wow. What's also amazing. Is that the.

[34:05] Photo journalist. Michael Clancy. Was. A pro-abortionist. It's a woman's right. When he saw that. He became.

[34:16] Pro-life. He said this. He said. I was totally in shock. For two hours. After surgery. I know abortion is wrong.

[34:28] It's absolutely wrong. Friends. If wounds. Had windows. I believe.

[34:40] The vast. Majority of the people. Would see. God. As the creator. At work in there. And they would also. Be motivated. To preserve. Life.

[34:51] Of the unborn. Who's very special. In God's eyes. If God is the creator.

[35:03] Of young life. And that life. Should be. Preserved. There ought to be. Advocates. We thank God. That we just heard today.

[35:13] That. Some of our mission money. Is going to be going. For plan. I'm not. Planned Parenthood. Forgive me Lord. Care net. Where they seek.

[35:26] To minister. To young moms. That are pregnant. That don't know. What they do. They're getting pressures. On all sides. To abort. And they counsel them. They don't pressure them.

[35:38] But what they do today. Is they will show them. If they like. A. A. Ultrasound. Of their little one. And when that mom.

[35:48] Sees. That which is developing. Within her womb. Ninety percent. Choose. To go the rest of the way. And have their baby. Sometimes put them up.

[35:59] For adoption. But not go the direction. Of what Planned Parenthood. Would have them do. Proverbs.

[36:13] 31. There you go. Tells us that we ought to. Be advocates for life. We ought to speak up.

[36:23] It says there. For those who can't speak. For themselves. For the rights. Of all who are destitute. Speak up. And judge fairly. Defend the rights. Of the poor. And the needy. You know the.

[36:35] While the civil rights movement. Being led by Martin Luther King. Did much. For the promotion. Of human rights. We need to recognize.

[36:47] There is still a vast area. Where human rights. Are being violated daily. And that's the. Rights. Of the unborn.

[36:59] As I mentioned earlier. Over four million. I'm sorry. Four thousand a day. So it gets into the millions. By the year end. Let me summarize.

[37:12] What we've said today. About Elohim. Is this. He's a strong creator God. And he's eternal.

[37:23] He's the creator. He's the creator. He is three in one. And everyone.

[37:36] Has worth. He's eternal. And therefore. We can depend on him. He's going to be there. Now and forever. He's the creator. Of all things.

[37:47] And therefore. Evolution. Can not be correct. He's three in one. Father. Son. Holy Spirit. And therefore. Redemption.

[37:58] Can be received. Because of the Trinity. And every person. And that includes. Everyone here today. Every person. Has worth. And purpose. And therefore.

[38:08] All life. Human life. Is sacred. And the. Preborns. Life. Should be protected. I'm grateful. That Elohim. Continues.

[38:19] To. Create. If there's any of you. Here today. That don't. Know. Elohim. I want to encourage you.

[38:32] To know some things. About him. In that one. He's created you. He loves you. And he wants you. To know him. Not just know about him. He wants you. To know him.

[38:43] As your God. And savior. He wants to wipe away. All of your sins. He loves to forgive. Those with a repentant heart.

[38:55] He wants to give you. A fresh start. And become a whole new person. It's not a complicated thing. Children. My children. Came to Christ.

[39:06] In a saving way. At five. Four and four. Reason why. The oldest one. Came at five. Is that she was three years old. When Susan and I came to Christ. They can understand.

[39:17] The basics of the gospel. That we're sinners. And we need a savior. And Jesus died. For those sins. And he wants us. To simply open up our hearts. And say yes Lord. I want you to be my Lord. My savior.

[39:29] If that is where you might at. If you ever came to a saving knowledge. Of Jesus Christ. Or God. Through Jesus. I would encourage you. Pray that. Even now. Or perhaps.

[39:40] Sometime today. Because it will change your life. Because when you receive Jesus Christ. As your savior. You can claim God's promise. In 2nd Corinthians 5.17.

[39:52] It says. Therefore. As anyone's in Christ. You've made him your savior. He's a new. Creation. God's still at it. He's a new creation.

[40:02] Old things have passed away. Behold. New things have come. You put away your old life. And you begin to live a whole new life. As you listen to testimonies.

[40:13] Of people. How they come to Christ. Especially as adults. You see it. A before. How. And after. Often times. And it's often times. Stark. In the difference. When you come to faith.

[40:23] In the creator. By faith. He's going to recreate you. In the image of his son. We read. In Ephesians 2.8. To 10. It says. For by grace. That's unmerited favor.

[40:34] For by grace. You're saved. Through faith. And that's not even yourself. It's a gift. From God. That he wants to give you. Everyone who comes to him. And says. Lord. I'm a sinner. I need your forgiveness.

[40:45] It's a gift from God. Not of works. And I want them to score that. Because. Every religion in the world. Except biblical Christianity. Is working their way to heaven. Every religion. Eastern.

[40:55] Western. Whatever. Forever. Only biblical Christianity. Says. It's not by works. It's all of God. Not of works. The sending of men's or boast. But when we do that. Verse 10. Goes on. To tell us.

[41:06] For we. His workmanship. I put. Re. In. In. Parentheses. There. It really says. Created. But I wanted to. I wanted to emphasize. The fact. That we were created once. As.

[41:19] Physical beings. He recreates us. As a new man. A new person. In Christ. Created in Christ Jesus. For good works. Which God has prepared. Beforehand. That we should walk in them.

[41:31] Oh. Saints. We got. An awesome. God. Elohim. The creator God. God. The God. That's still at work. Today. In creation. Recreating us.

[41:42] To become. More. Like his son. Lord Jesus Christ. I'd like to encourage you. As we close. That. If you've never done that. That you would do.

[41:52] So today. Say. Jesus. I want you to come into my life. And. Make me the kind of person. You want me to be. Forgive me of my sins. Very simple. So simple.

[42:02] A child can understand it. Our problem is. Is our pride. Usually. Let's pray. Let's pray. Oh.

[42:15] Our dear God. Elohim. The one that is great and eternal. The creator God. We look forward to that day. When we.

[42:26] Along with. All of the saints. Are going to fall down. Before your throne. And cast our crowns. Before you. Saying. You are worthy. Oh Lord. To receive glory. And honor.

[42:37] And power. For you created all things. And by your will. They exist. And were created. Until then Lord. We trust that. You will continue.

[42:47] Your great work. Of transforming us. Into the image of your son. The Lord Jesus Christ. Christ. I pray that each of us. Might willingly cooperate. With your blessed spirit.

[42:59] To perform. The good works. That you prepared for us. To do. And oh God. If there are new believers. Here today. Having prayed that prayer. I ask that you might give them.

[43:09] A sense of a new. And awesome. Presence. Your loving. And forgiving presence. And that you would help them. To begin to grow. In the grace. And the knowledge. Of your son Jesus.

[43:21] If there are others. That are here. That are still resisting. The urging of your Holy Spirit. We ask that you might just. Come to them. And you might. Bind the enemy. That you might.

[43:33]  Soften their hearts. And that you might. Draw them to yourself. Into your everlasting arms. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.