Well, last week, we were talking about our relationship as Christians with our community,
with our province, with our country.
We looked together at what God had to say to the Israelites who were living in captivity
as exiles in Babylon.
God told them that they were to seek the welfare and the prosperity of the people in the cities
which they were living.
He told them to pray for them.
I ended last Sunday with a plea that we not think of our community like the Titanic,
like a sinking ship, but that we think of it as a foreign city in which we are exiles.
I urged us to seek the good of our community and to start doing that simply by regularly
praying for the people in our community.
We don't know when Jesus will return, but it may be that God means to do some wonderful things
yet in our community through us and in answer to our prayers.
One of the things I said at the end of my message last week was that there are social evils going on
in our country and in our province that God can do something about.
This morning we're going to be talking about what I think is the greatest of evils going on in our country today.
I'm talking about abortion.
If you've been watching the news at all south of the border, you may have noticed that this has been in the headlines.
There's a firestorm of debate going on down there right now.
Some of the comments which have been made, I find myself to be shocking.
It sparked all kinds of debate, all kinds of expression.
Some states have been working to remove restrictions and requirements for late-term abortions.
Well, some other states are almost doing the exact opposite,
and they're seeking to define fetal viability as early as six weeks by introducing heartbeat bills.
I'm not going to weigh in on that debate during my message this morning.
If you are interested in what's going on down there, I encourage you to go online.
You can find primary sources.
You can find copies of those legislation pieces and video clips of what people have said.
Kind of come to your own opinion on what's going on down there.
But all of this got me thinking again about our own country and province.
What's going on in Canada when it comes to the issue of abortion?
As far as the news goes here in Canada, things seem to be very quiet on this issue.
We hear about it here and there as part of the platform of political parties and political candidates.
But on the whole, it seems, at least to me, that things have just been really quiet on this issue.
And it got me thinking again, what's the state of affairs in our own country and here in our province, Saskatchewan, when it comes to abortion?
A bit of the legal landscape to refresh your memories.
Up until 1969, abortion was illegal in Canada.
A woman could be imprisoned for up to two years.
And a doctor could get a life sentence in prison for aborting a baby.
In 1969, under the government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, the criminal code was amended
so that women could get an abortion or have an abortion done in cases where the health or life of the mother was threatened.
In 1988, everything changed.
The Supreme Court of Canada decided that prohibiting abortion under the criminal code violates a woman's charter right to life, liberty, and the security of the person.
Chief Justice Brian Dixon said this,
Since 1988 and that ruling, we have been one of only a few countries in the whole world with no laws.
governing abortion.
One of the abortion rights groups here in Canada actually has right on their website that we're the only democratic country in the world with no laws governing abortion.
Since 1988, abortion has become a routine, publicly funded procedure that takes place in hospitals and clinics across our country.
According to the Canadian Encyclopedia Online, there was a Globe and Mail survey that was done in 2010.
And the results of that survey suggested that 52% of Canadians were pro-choice, while 27% were pro-life, and 21% would not affiliate with either.
On the whole, political parties have generally avoided this issue in Parliament.
It's a very hotly debated issue.
The most recent stats that we have on the number of abortions here in Canada come from 2017.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information collects data that's reported by provincial health ministries about abortions done in hospitals and clinics across the country.
But before I give you these numbers, you should know that there's a bit of an unknown factor in them.
It says right on the data sheets, reporting for clinics is voluntary.
It's not a requirement.
And so we can't be sure how accurately these numbers reflect what's going on here in Canada.
But what we do know is what has been reported.
According to the data gathered by the Canadian Institute for Health Information,
in Canada, over the past six years, there have been an average each year of 100,000 babies aborted.
In our own province here in Saskatchewan, in both 2016 and 2017,
just over 2,000 abortions happened here in Saskatchewan.
Those numbers may seem small to some,
especially compared to the 56 million estimated abortions
that happen each year globally, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
But every single human life is precious to God.
There are many in our world today who support abortion.
Their line of thinking goes like this.
What business do legislators and government have over what goes on inside my body?
They will tell you that an unwanted pregnancy can be devastating to women.
That there are many good reasons for a woman to want to end her pregnancy.
It could be a teenage pregnancy.
She could be a busy career woman.
A mother who already has children.
A person in an abusive relationship.
She could be a drug addict.
She could have financial difficulties.
Babies are expensive.
Pregnancy is not easy on the body.
And so, as the Morgenthaler Clinic here in Canada,
their website says,
we have been providing safe and compassionate abortion services in Canada
for over 40 years.
It's a simple procedure which only takes about 5 to 10 minutes
during which pregnancy tissue is removed from the uterus.
They will tell you that it's not a child or a person or a human being.
Yet, it's just a fetus.
It's just a ball of cells.
A blob of tissue.
So, of course, we're not going to force women to continue their own pregnancies
under the threat of criminal prosecution.
How absurd is that?
Why should we give preference to the rights and freedoms of a blob of tissue
over the rights of an actual person, the pregnant woman?
At the heart of all this is a very simple issue, a very simple question.
What is the unborn?
Because if it really is just a blob of tissue,
then they're right.
Everything they say is right.
If the unborn is just a blob of tissue and not a human being.
But the truth is that the unborn are not just a blob of tissue.
This is something that God tells us, and we're going to look at that in a moment.
But even before we get to that, this is something that's obvious from good observational science
and from just good logic and reasoning.
Modern science, you can look this up on any baby website online.
You could find it in a biology textbook.
Modern science will tell you that as early as 21 days after conception,
a baby's heart begins to beat.
That's five weeks pregnant by gestational weeks.
Only two weeks later, the baby's head and hands and eyes can be seen.
Only three weeks after that, the baby has all of his or her body parts in place.
Arms, legs, fingers, toes, eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.
Each of these parts still needs to grow and develop,
but they're all there.
Only eight weeks from the moment of conception.
Or ten weeks pregnant, according to gestational weeks.
The American College of Pediatricians said this in a paper on when human life begins.
The American College of Pediatricians concurs with the body of scientific evidence
that human life begins at conception, fertilization.
Scientific and medical discoveries over the past three decades have only verified this.
At the completion of the process of fertilization,
the human creature emerges as a whole, genetically distinct,
individuated, zygotic living human organism,
a member of the species Homo sapiens,
needing only the proper environment in order to grow and develop.
In other words, when you put the observations of science
together with good logic and reasoning,
you began at conception.
At the earliest moments of your existence,
you may not have looked anything like you do today.
You're more like something in a box,
just waiting to be unpacked and assembled.
The blueprints and the instructions were all there, though.
The living micro-building blocks were all there.
And even from the moment of conception,
you were already in the process of being put together and assembled.
And only eight weeks after that moment of conception,
you were unmistakably human
by outward appearances to anyone who could have seen you.
You had all the major parts that you do now.
You had a heart that was pumping blood throughout your little body.
This is at 10 weeks pregnant by gestational weeks.
And abortions are being done as late as 20 weeks pregnant here in Canada.
In fact, there are fully functioning toddlers alive today
who were born premature at 21 to 23 weeks.
And they survived.
The humanity of the unborn is not determined
by their size,
by their level of development,
by their environment,
or by their degree of dependency.
Just because you, when you began,
were very small
and were far less developed than you are today
and were tucked away in the darkness of your mother's womb
and were dependent on your mother's body
does not make you any less human.
An adult isn't any more human than the toddler
just because they're bigger
and more developed
or more intelligent.
A man in a coma
or on life support
isn't any less human
because he's dependent on others
for his survival
or on technology.
The only remaining factor is the location
or the environment of the unborn.
Does being inside the womb
or outside the womb
change whether or not you're a human being?
Because it's a difference of about seven inches
through the birth canal.
Does that make you more or less human?
Good observational science
and good logical thinking
is enough
to know
that the unborn baby
in the womb
is a human being
is one of us.
But this wouldn't be a sermon
without hearing
what God has to say
about this matter.
So let's go to the word.
If you have your Bibles with you
please open them up
to Psalm 139.
Psalm 139.
Verse 13.
This is David
under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit
praying to the Lord.
He said this
for you Lord
created my inmost being.
You knit me together
in my mother's womb.
I praise you
because I am fearfully
and wonderfully made.
Your works
are wonderful.
I know that full well.
My frame
was not hidden from you
when I was made
in the secret place.
When I was woven together
in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes
saw
my unformed body.
All the days
ordained for me
were written
in your book
before one of them
came to be.
Even David
3,000 years ago
knew that he was
a special creation
of God.
That as he grew
in his mother's womb
he wasn't just developing
he was actually
being made
woven
formed
by God.
Even today
with all our technology
it's difficult
to see a clear picture
of what a baby
looks like
at the earliest stages
in the first
weeks
of pregnancy.
We have
artists
renderings.
We have various
kinds of imaging.
We have 3D
ultrasound now
and all of these
give us
a better picture.
But even
with our tech
it's difficult
to see
exactly
what's going
on
at those
earliest stages.
Yet
David says
that God
sees us
your eyes
saw
my
unformed
body.
Even
before our
bodies
take
shape
and are
formed
we are
alive
in his
sight.
Not only
that but he
knows the
exact number
of days
that are
ordained
for us
to live.
Some
will say
well this
is poetry
David's
not writing
a science
textbook.
I agree.
But
often times
we reach
for
metaphor
and
poetic
words
because
to just
say it
in the
ordinary
way
doesn't
communicate
enough
of
what we
really
mean.
Often times
in
poetic
expression
it doesn't
really lessen
the point
that the
person's
making.
It
actually
intensifies
it and
I think
that's
the case
here.
What David
is saying
is that
we are a
special work
and creation
of God
from start
to finish.
His
overall
point,
one of the
things that
he's been
marveling at
in this
passage is
that there's
nowhere
that he
can hide
from God.
Not even
in the
womb.
That secret
place where
nobody can
get in
there and
see.
Not even
back to
the moment
that we
came to
be.
David's
point is
that he
was there.
He saw
us.
He had
his plan
for our
lives even
then.
Science and
good reasoning
and conscience
have their
place in this
discussion,
but at the
end of the
day they
only serve
to confirm
what God
has said
long ago.
God's
word speaks
consistently
of the
unborn,
not as a
blob of
tissue,
but as a
human being.
As not
just someone
who is
people who
are like
us,
but people
who are
us,
made in
the image
of God.
The
clearest
examples of
this are
found in
Luke's
gospel.
Would you
turn there
if you're
following along
in your
Bibles?
Luke 1.
Verse 15.
The angel
of the Lord
is talking
to Zachariah
and telling
him about
who his
son will
be.
And he
says this
in verse
15.
For he
will be
great in
the sight
of the
Lord.
He is
never to
take
wine
or
other
fermented
drink
and he
will be
filled
with the
Holy
Spirit
even
before
he
is
born.
How can
the Holy
Spirit
fill
a person
even before
they're born
if they're
not a
person?
If they're
just a
blob of
tissue?
The Holy
Spirit doesn't
fill and
indwell
blobs of
tissue.
He fills
and indwells
people.
Moving on
to verse
31.
The angel
is visiting
Mary and
the angel
says this
to her,
you will
conceive and
give birth
to a
son and
you are to
call him
Jesus.
Notice that
there's two
words used
there to
describe what
will happen.
You will
conceive and
you will
bear a
son.
You will
conceive a
son and
you will
bear a
son and
you are to
give him
the name
Jesus.
In other
words,
the male
child that
you will
name Jesus
your son,
you will
conceive
him and
give birth
to him.
These two
are linked
and in case
there's any
doubt about
that,
we can
continue on.
Mary says,
how will
this be?
I'm a
virgin.
How's
that even
possible?
And as
evidence of
how that's
possible,
the angel
tells Mary
about Elizabeth
in verse
36,
which I'm
going to
read in
the New
American
Standard.
And
behold,
even your
relative
Elizabeth has
also conceived
a son.
Same word,
conceived,
a son in
her old
age.
And she
who was
called
barren is
now in
her sixth
month.
The NIV,
the reason
why I
switched is
because it
does a bit
of a no-no
here.
The NIV
says,
Elizabeth,
your relative
is going
to have a
child.
First of
all,
child,
in the
original
Greek,
it's not
the word
child.
There's two
other words
for child.
It's the
word son.
In the
interest of
trying to
make the
Bible more
gender-neutral,
they've
taken away
some of
the
specificity
of what
the angel
actually
said.
And they
also,
in my
opinion,
messed up
on the
tense.
It's not
that she
is going
to have
a child.
It's the
same word
that they
used
earlier.
She
has
conceived,
past tense,
a son.
She's in
her sixth
month.
The baby
in her
womb,
right now,
is her
son,
a male
child.
This is
how the
Bible
consistently
talks about
the unborn
in the
womb,
as though
they are
people,
sons,
children.
But it
gets even
clearer than
this.
Let's
move down
to verse
39.
At that
time,
Mary got
ready and
hurried to
a town
in the
hill
country
of Judea
where she
entered
Zachariah's
home and
greeted
Elizabeth.
When
Elizabeth
heard Mary's
greeting,
the baby
leapt in
her womb
and Elizabeth
was filled
with the
Holy Spirit.
In a
loud voice,
Elizabeth
exclaimed,
blessed are
you among
women and
blessed is
the child
you will
bear.
But why
am I so
favored that
the mother
of my
Lord should
come to
me?
As soon
as the
sound of
your greeting
reached my
ears,
the baby
in my
womb
leapt for
joy.
How did
Elizabeth
know that
Mary was
pregnant?
At this
time,
she wouldn't
have even
probably been
showing.
Mary had
just walked
in the
door.
How did
Elizabeth
know that
Mary was
pregnant?
And beyond
that,
how did
she know
that she
was right
now the
mother of
her Lord?
There's two
things that
she gives
as reasons
that are
given as
reasons.
First of
all,
she was
filled with
the Holy
Spirit of
God.
As she
expressed
this so
that she
would
understand
what was
happening,
it was
with the
Spirit's
help that
she figured
out what
had happened
in this
moment.
I mean,
if we
heard just
any woman
say,
oh,
I think
that my
baby's
happy or
sad,
we'd
probably
be like,
well,
really?
Like,
we get
feelings all
the time
about the
baby,
what sex
it is,
all these
things.
How do
we know
that's
true?
But
Elizabeth
exclaimed
this as
she was
filled with
the Holy
Spirit of
God.
This is
something the
Spirit helped
her to
understand,
because I
don't think
she would
have
otherwise.
God's
Spirit made
it clear
to her
that even
at six
months
pregnant,
the baby
in her
womb was
capable
of joy.
Think
about that.
The baby
in her
womb was
aware,
somehow,
perhaps with
the enabling
of God's
Spirit,
that his
Lord was
present in
the room,
and not
only did
he respond,
but it
says he
leapt for
joy.
An inhuman
blob of
cells doesn't
have that
capacity,
that kind
of awareness.
How big
was John at
this time?
Six months
pregnant,
maybe like
that.
God.
But the
question that
really gets
me is how
big was
Jesus at
this moment
in Mary's
womb?
Probably
about the
size of a
poppy seed,
perhaps as
big as a
peppercorn.
God's
God.
And yet
John felt
the presence
of his
Lord,
and Elizabeth
recognized that
her Lord
was in the
room.
He wasn't
just a speck
of pregnancy
tissue,
even at the
earliest
moments.
God's word
speaks of the
child in the
womb as a
human being.
a person,
a he,
a him,
a her,
a special
creation of
God.
God's word
also very
clearly forbids
the killing
of innocent
human beings.
That's what
abortion is.
It's not a
service of
compassion.
It's an act
of destruction
which takes
the life of
an innocent
human being.
An estimated
56 million
people are
snuffed out
of existence
every year
around the
world like
this.
almost 100,000
children's lives
in Canada
were taken
last year
like this.
And our
government calls
it a medical
or a
surgical
procedure.
2,000
children
each year
right here
in our own
province of
Saskatchewan
are killed.
and the
vast majority
of these
are not
to save
the life
of a
mother.
As in
the case
of an
ectopic
pregnancy
or late
term
complications,
those are
very rare.
The vast
majority
are simply
unwanted
babies.
this is a
terrible
injustice
and it
grieves
the heart
of God.
I don't
say all
this to
further
crush
those who
already
feel
burdened
and guilty
for having
had an
abortion.
If you
or someone
that you
know has
had an
abortion,
let's
proclaim
again
today
that Jesus
came into
our world
on a
mission of
love.
to
save,
to
broker
forgiveness
for sins
like this
one.
And we
have all
sinned.
As we
talked about
in Sunday
school this
morning again,
every last
one of us
is guilty
of sinning
against God
just as
someone who
has aborted
their child
has.
But what
Christ
suffered on
the cross
was enough
to see
justice
done
for any
who are
guilty of
taking the
life of
their own
child.
What he
suffered on
the cross
was enough
to bring
forgiveness
even for
doctors who
have done
this thousands
of times.
Do you
believe that?
through
Christ
there is
true
forgiveness
from God
and there
is
cleansing
of the
conscience
such as
cannot be
found
anywhere
else.
Christ
took the
guilt
and the
shame
for all
of our
sins
for those
of us
who will
repent
and believe
in him.
This
truth of
God's
grace
should
always
go with
the truth
of what
abortion
really is.
God did
not send
his son
into the
world
to condemn
the world
but to
save the
world
through him
John 3
17
and so
as we
seek to
do something
about this
we must
do it in a
way that
shows clearly
that we are
not here
to condemn
the world.
We're here
to see
the lives
of any
who will
listen
saved.
forgiven
cleansed
and made
whole again
by God.
So what
do we do
with all
this?
I want to
stress this
morning that
this is a
very complex
issue in
our society
today.
Do not
think that
by simply
changing the
laws of
our nation
that the
problem will
go away.
Some of
the most
restrictive
countries
in our
world when
it comes
to abortion
law
have just
as many
abortions
happening
in them
today as
those that
are less
restrictive.
Better laws
would be
great.
We want
our justice
system to
reflect what
is good
and what
is right
to protect
the lives
of the
innocent,
but it's
not that
simple.
What we
need is
changed
hearts
and changed
minds,
and there
are so
many factors
that contribute
here.
Part of
the push
by people
who align
with the
pro-choice
side of
things,
part of
the reason
for why
they want
to have
easy access
and funding
so that
women can
have abortions
is because
they recognize
that women
are going
to have
them anyway.
That's what
they have
observed
around the
globe.
And if
they're going
to do
it anyway,
do we
want them
risking
their lives
to do
it?
Or should
we just
give them
what they
want and
provide them
with a
means that's
relatively
safe for
the mother?
I don't
agree with
that line
of thinking.
I think
it's
misguided.
But my
point here
is that the
change needs
to happen at
the level of
the heart.
Just changing
the laws
is not
going to
do it.
And there
are plenty
of other
social factors
as well.
We could
look at
all the
different
reasons why
mothers don't
want to
keep their
children and
we could
talk about
how do we
address those
things.
Abortion is
very much a
symptom kind
of issue.
It has all
kinds of
other factors
and issues
that are
root problems
which lead
to it.
It's not
something that
women like
to do
or to
have.
It's
something that
they choose
because of
all kinds
of other
factors in
their lives.
And so
with the
complexities of
this issue
what do we
do about
it?
When it
comes to
the unborn
how do we
seek the
welfare and
prosperity of
our country
of our
province?
us?
I think
that the
first thing
we need
to do
is humbly
admit that
silence and
doing absolutely
nothing is not
an option.
Does God
not expect
each one of
us to do
something here
when this is
happening in
our own
backyard,
in our own
community?
once we've
finally settled
that in our
hearts and
minds that
we must
act,
the next
question is
well what
do we do?
And I
think if we're
honest many
of us
maybe have
no idea
where to
start.
Maybe we've
done some
things in
the past,
we've gone
to a
March for
Life,
we've had
a membership
to an
advocacy
group.
But these
are difficult
questions.
Should we
partner with
and become
members of
advocacy
groups?
If so,
which ones?
What if
those groups
don't reflect
the commitment
that we
have to
Christ?
What if
they advocate
in some
ways that
we feel
are unhelpful
or wrong?
These are
not the
easiest
questions to
answer.
As elders
here in
the church
we're
beginning to
discuss
some of
this.
We
actually
have
someone
coming
from
Midlakes
Pro-Life
to talk
to us
as elders
on Tuesday
night.
I think
it would be
helpful for
us to
come up
with our
own
clear
convictions
and
strategy
as a
church
as to
how we
will
participate
in the
cause of
the
unborn.
And I
think it
would be
helpful for
those of
us who
serve as
elders
to hear
continually
from each
one of
you how
important
this issue
is to
you.
My hope
is that we
will continue
to have
conversations
about this
in the
months and
the years
ahead and
that those
conversations
will result
in clear
loving
action.
But in
the meantime
there is
one clear
and simple
way that
each one
of us
can
participate.
As God
said in
his letter
to the
exiles
that we
looked at
last week
seek the
peace and
the prosperity
of the
city to
which I
have carried
you into
exile.
Pray for
it.
Pray to
the Lord
for it.
Proverbs
29 verse
26.
Many
seek an
audience with
a ruler
but it is
from the
Lord that
one gets
justice.
God can
do something
about this
and one of
the things
that he
wants is
for us to
ask him
to intervene
and to
work and
to bring
change.
And so
what I've
done is
I've put
together a
list of
56 ways
to pray
about abortion
from all
different angles
and I
would encourage
you please
take a copy
of it.
It's at the
back table
here and
in the
foyer.
Make it
a part of
your regular
list to
pray about
this issue.
Whether you
put this into
your prayer
mate app or
you just
keep this in
your Bible
and work
through a
little bit
of it one
week at a
time kind
of thing.
as we
pray I
believe the
Lord will
answer our
prayers and
save the
lives of
children.
I believe
that he will
answer our
questions.
I think he
will give us
clarity for
each one of
us as to
how we
should participate
in this.
What our
role is in
the important
work of
saving lives
in our own
neighborhood,
our own
community.
I want to
conclude this
morning with
this reminder.
First John
5 verse
14 and
15.
This is the
confidence that
we have in
approaching God
that if we
ask anything
according to
his will he
hears us and
if we know
that he hears
us whatever we
ask we know
that we have
what we asked
of him.
And so
let's get
asking.
Thank you.