"But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head--Christ" (Ephesians 4:15, HCSB)
[This sermon was originally preached in January, 2009 on 'Sanctity of Human Life Sunday' which also was the Sunday closest to the inauguration of President Barak Obama]
Do you love reading the comics? That's one of the things I miss now that we no longer have delivery of a daily paper in our area. Yes, you can look up various cartoon features online, but it's definitely not the same as sitting down with the "funny papers" on Sunday afternoon.
One of my favorite features was by Bill Keane, The Family Circus. In the strip, his now-grown children are eternal grade-schoolers and preschool kids. But he often had some profound things to say, like this: "Life is a gift...that's why they call it 'the present'."
In this "Grow Up" segment, I want to talk about growing up in compassion. The prophet Jeremiah was called to speak for God because in his day, his nation was going "down the tubes" due to sin, corruption, and ungodliness. Since our nation seems to be in a similar situation, maybe we can learn some things from Jeremiah's experiences. (See Jeremiah 1:1-14)
God's word came to Jeremiah, informing him that God had planned his mission, even before Jeremiah was born. The prophet tried to protest due to his youth, but God wouldn't put up with that excuse...Jeremiah was to depend on God, who would be with him whenever he went about God's business.
God then gave Jeremiah two visions, both of which are plays on words in Hebrew...first He showed him an almond tree, which sounds very much like the word for "watch" or "look out." The almond was a sign that God was watching to see that His word was fulfilled. Then God showed Jeremiah a boiling pot, tilting away from the north...a sign that God would send disaster from that direction on His rebellious people.
I believe that God is still watching, and that a boiling pot of disaster awaits our own nation, if we fail to turn to God, confess our sins, and seek His forgiveness.
What does all this have to do with compassion? If God were interested only in punishing sin, why bother to call Jeremiah? It is God's intention to bring us back to Himself, to restore our fellowship with Him. But that can only come through repentance of our sin.
In Psalm 139, the Psalmist points out reasons for compassion...because of how we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Notice the points in this Psalm:
--God knows us
--God formed us in the womb
--God grows us
All this should form in us an 'echo' of God's compassion--compassion first of all for the unborn, who in our nation today are being slaughtered in untold numbers through abortion. And that compassion should grow into a compassion for all life, especially human life, as God's gift. No one created by God can be thought worthless.
We should also grow in compassion because we Christians have a job to do--1 Peter 2:1-5 and 11-17 and Romans 3:7b command us as Christians to submit to 'every human institution'. Included in this should be prayer for politicians, even for the President and other leaders...and this should be done even if (maybe especially if) we differ with them politically.
How might we pray for Presidents? Here are my suggestions:
For ex-Presidents, we might pray...
--thanks to God for having given them to our nation as leaders
--wisdom for them (because they are still public figures)
--to have a true relationship with God through Christ, and let Him be their highest consideration, not politics or their 'legacy'.
--that they may enjoy rest and safety.
For our current President, and future presidents, we might pray...
--Thanks
--Wisdom in great measure—that they would be guided by God’s word
--To have a true relationship with God, and let Him be their highest consideration, not politics
--Rest
--Safety—for them and their families
--That we would have courage to oppose measures that violate Christian conscience—and pray for God to change our leaders’ hearts…
On November 5, 2008, Richard Land, chair of the Ethics/Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote this letter to President-elect Obama:
Dear President-elect Obama,
First, congratulations on your successful campaign to become the 44th President of our beloved United States of America. This was a historic election in terms of the massive increase in voter participation as a percentage of the electorate.
I hope you know that there are tens of millions of Americans who did not vote for you who are still very, very pleased that an African-American has been elected President of the United States.
The fact that this could happen in a country with as tragic a racial past as America’s says something noble and fine about the American experiment and the glorious “opportunity democracy” it has spawned. After much struggle, we as a nation have chosen together to live up to the promises of our founding document, the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
For those of us who came of age during the Civil Rights Era and were inspired by Dr. King, it is very gratifying to watch our nation elect a person of color to the highest political office in the land, even someone for whom they may not have voted because of serious policy differences.
Mr. President-elect, the Bible exhorts us to pray for “kings and all who are in authority” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). We, therefore, covenant to pray for you, your family, and your administration. We will pray that God will grant you godly wisdom in all your decision-making. We pray with faith and confidence that “the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water; he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Prov. 21:1).
On issues which involve moral and ethical values, we will both pray for you and exhort you to apply biblical principles and values as you make policy decisions which will impact the families of America and the world. We will also pray that God will bless you with safety, health and all spiritual blessings.
On issues where we agree, such as standing against genocide in Darfur and protecting basic human rights around the world, we will support you.
On issues where we disagree with the approach your administration takes, we will do our best to persuade you to change your approach. When we are unsuccessful, we will stand by our convictions and will exercise our God-given responsibilities and Constitutionally-protected right to work for alternative solutions which are more in accord with our convictions.
Southern Baptists remain unalterably committed to the protection of unborn human life. The vast majority of Southern Baptists believe that a pre-born baby is a distinct human life, according to both science and the Bible (Ps. 51:5; Ps. 139-13-16; Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:41).
The euphemism of “choice” or “reproductive freedom” cannot disguise or justify killing a baby. Government has a proper role in protecting lives, including the lives of the unborn.
Southern Baptists, by national resolutions, have opposed abortion on demand, and have called for public policies which severely restrict abortion and which promote alternatives such as adoption.
Mr. President-elect, you have said you want to unite us as a nation. An excellent place to work for such unity and consensus on the life issue would be for you to put your full and vigorous support behind the Democrats for Life House Caucus initiative known as the Pregnant Women Support Act or the 95-10 Initiative (because its goal is to reduce abortion by 95% over a ten-year period) …(there followed a list of benefits given for HR 3192/S.2407)
All of these measures would help fulfill the pledge made in the 2008 Democratic Party platform, which “strongly supports a woman’s decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs.”
Mr. President-elect, America needs moral conviction, not moral neutrality. America’s children need a model of leadership committed both to excellence and to virtue. May God help you, Mr. President-elect, and make you that leader. And may God bless America!
Yours in His service,
Richard Land
Is it not strange that the Sunday closest to the Inauguration is the day Southern Baptists have set aside as a reminder of compassion for the unborn? Especially since this particular President's actions (as of 12-14-2009) have shown that he is determined to foster even more abortions, and at taxpayer expense, no matter the religious convictions or opinions of those taxpayers.
[This sermon was originally preached in January, 2009 on 'Sanctity of Human Life Sunday' which also was the Sunday closest to the inauguration of President Barak Obama]
Do you love reading the comics? That's one of the things I miss now that we no longer have delivery of a daily paper in our area. Yes, you can look up various cartoon features online, but it's definitely not the same as sitting down with the "funny papers" on Sunday afternoon.
One of my favorite features was by Bill Keane, The Family Circus. In the strip, his now-grown children are eternal grade-schoolers and preschool kids. But he often had some profound things to say, like this: "Life is a gift...that's why they call it 'the present'."
In this "Grow Up" segment, I want to talk about growing up in compassion. The prophet Jeremiah was called to speak for God because in his day, his nation was going "down the tubes" due to sin, corruption, and ungodliness. Since our nation seems to be in a similar situation, maybe we can learn some things from Jeremiah's experiences. (See Jeremiah 1:1-14)
God's word came to Jeremiah, informing him that God had planned his mission, even before Jeremiah was born. The prophet tried to protest due to his youth, but God wouldn't put up with that excuse...Jeremiah was to depend on God, who would be with him whenever he went about God's business.
God then gave Jeremiah two visions, both of which are plays on words in Hebrew...first He showed him an almond tree, which sounds very much like the word for "watch" or "look out." The almond was a sign that God was watching to see that His word was fulfilled. Then God showed Jeremiah a boiling pot, tilting away from the north...a sign that God would send disaster from that direction on His rebellious people.
I believe that God is still watching, and that a boiling pot of disaster awaits our own nation, if we fail to turn to God, confess our sins, and seek His forgiveness.
What does all this have to do with compassion? If God were interested only in punishing sin, why bother to call Jeremiah? It is God's intention to bring us back to Himself, to restore our fellowship with Him. But that can only come through repentance of our sin.
In Psalm 139, the Psalmist points out reasons for compassion...because of how we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Notice the points in this Psalm:
--God knows us
--God formed us in the womb
--God grows us
All this should form in us an 'echo' of God's compassion--compassion first of all for the unborn, who in our nation today are being slaughtered in untold numbers through abortion. And that compassion should grow into a compassion for all life, especially human life, as God's gift. No one created by God can be thought worthless.
We should also grow in compassion because we Christians have a job to do--1 Peter 2:1-5 and 11-17 and Romans 3:7b command us as Christians to submit to 'every human institution'. Included in this should be prayer for politicians, even for the President and other leaders...and this should be done even if (maybe especially if) we differ with them politically.
How might we pray for Presidents? Here are my suggestions:
For ex-Presidents, we might pray...
--thanks to God for having given them to our nation as leaders
--wisdom for them (because they are still public figures)
--to have a true relationship with God through Christ, and let Him be their highest consideration, not politics or their 'legacy'.
--that they may enjoy rest and safety.
For our current President, and future presidents, we might pray...
--Thanks
--Wisdom in great measure—that they would be guided by God’s word
--To have a true relationship with God, and let Him be their highest consideration, not politics
--Rest
--Safety—for them and their families
--That we would have courage to oppose measures that violate Christian conscience—and pray for God to change our leaders’ hearts…
On November 5, 2008, Richard Land, chair of the Ethics/Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote this letter to President-elect Obama:
Dear President-elect Obama,
First, congratulations on your successful campaign to become the 44th President of our beloved United States of America. This was a historic election in terms of the massive increase in voter participation as a percentage of the electorate.
I hope you know that there are tens of millions of Americans who did not vote for you who are still very, very pleased that an African-American has been elected President of the United States.
The fact that this could happen in a country with as tragic a racial past as America’s says something noble and fine about the American experiment and the glorious “opportunity democracy” it has spawned. After much struggle, we as a nation have chosen together to live up to the promises of our founding document, the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
For those of us who came of age during the Civil Rights Era and were inspired by Dr. King, it is very gratifying to watch our nation elect a person of color to the highest political office in the land, even someone for whom they may not have voted because of serious policy differences.
Mr. President-elect, the Bible exhorts us to pray for “kings and all who are in authority” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). We, therefore, covenant to pray for you, your family, and your administration. We will pray that God will grant you godly wisdom in all your decision-making. We pray with faith and confidence that “the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water; he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Prov. 21:1).
On issues which involve moral and ethical values, we will both pray for you and exhort you to apply biblical principles and values as you make policy decisions which will impact the families of America and the world. We will also pray that God will bless you with safety, health and all spiritual blessings.
On issues where we agree, such as standing against genocide in Darfur and protecting basic human rights around the world, we will support you.
On issues where we disagree with the approach your administration takes, we will do our best to persuade you to change your approach. When we are unsuccessful, we will stand by our convictions and will exercise our God-given responsibilities and Constitutionally-protected right to work for alternative solutions which are more in accord with our convictions.
Southern Baptists remain unalterably committed to the protection of unborn human life. The vast majority of Southern Baptists believe that a pre-born baby is a distinct human life, according to both science and the Bible (Ps. 51:5; Ps. 139-13-16; Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:41).
The euphemism of “choice” or “reproductive freedom” cannot disguise or justify killing a baby. Government has a proper role in protecting lives, including the lives of the unborn.
Southern Baptists, by national resolutions, have opposed abortion on demand, and have called for public policies which severely restrict abortion and which promote alternatives such as adoption.
Mr. President-elect, you have said you want to unite us as a nation. An excellent place to work for such unity and consensus on the life issue would be for you to put your full and vigorous support behind the Democrats for Life House Caucus initiative known as the Pregnant Women Support Act or the 95-10 Initiative (because its goal is to reduce abortion by 95% over a ten-year period) …(there followed a list of benefits given for HR 3192/S.2407)
All of these measures would help fulfill the pledge made in the 2008 Democratic Party platform, which “strongly supports a woman’s decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs.”
Mr. President-elect, America needs moral conviction, not moral neutrality. America’s children need a model of leadership committed both to excellence and to virtue. May God help you, Mr. President-elect, and make you that leader. And may God bless America!
Yours in His service,
Richard Land
Is it not strange that the Sunday closest to the Inauguration is the day Southern Baptists have set aside as a reminder of compassion for the unborn? Especially since this particular President's actions (as of 12-14-2009) have shown that he is determined to foster even more abortions, and at taxpayer expense, no matter the religious convictions or opinions of those taxpayers.
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