Bring the Little Children to Me: A Plea for Life

Today on Summit life with Judy Greer. Jesus said the children were first priority is a matter of fact children is one of the best pasta received my kingdom unless we grasp the role like children vulnerable and helpless, spiritually speaking. None of us will ever reach out for the kingdom of God to grasp that we are all like vulnerable and helpless children in God's eyes rose you have a special place in our hearts for the vulnerable and helpless around the Bible teaching ministry of pastor teacher religion Judy. I'm your host Molly benefits you ever thought about. One thing that all followers of Jesus have worked should have in common is the most diverse religion in the world what you say is our defining feature today. Pastor Judy points out what he thinks that characteristic as that they care for the vulnerable week the helpless and the forgotten followers of Jesus do this because before God. We are vulnerable and helpless to do you believe that if so, you want to share with others. This may be one of those messages that you want to come back to over and over.

So, as always, you can find it or share it from our website that JD Greer.com right now.

Let's join Pastor JD in the all right, open your Bible to Luke chapter 18 whichever agent we are continuing on in our series called instep which is basically a walk through the gospel of Luke in step with Jesus. Even if we are out of step with the world because those things will always go together which operating last year leading up to the election, preached a message from Luke chapter 10 on the good Samaritan in which Jesus explained that it is the duty of all Christians to care about any injustice around them. Whether it affects them directly or not. Jesus told a story to illustrate that about a Jewish man who had been beaten up and left bleeding on the side of the road to Jewish religious leaders walk right past and they were good and respectable men. No doubt, but but but that didn't know the bleeding man and they hadn't been the one to beat him up so they didn't feel obligated to stop and help you through this story with store the good Samaritan who didn't stop to help them even at great cost to himself. Jesus taught his followers that taking care of the vulnerable and the hurting around us is our responsibility, whether or not we had anything to do with the situation of injustice in front of us right injustice in the eyes of God.

You see, illicit injustice in the eyes of God is not just cheating somebody to be known for some abusers or pay attention injustice in God's eyes in both the old and the New Testament is not just cheating someone injustice is seeing someone in need, and being in a position to help them out of that need in failing to do that is overload that obligation of the strong to protect the week is a defining feature of following Jesus. That means that if your life Luke would say is not defined by caring for the vulnerable.

You can no more say you're a follower of Jesus any good. If you are openly sleeping around or refusing to read your Bible. That's the backdrop of what we come to chapter 8 verse 15 listen as I read people are bringing infants to him but he might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they rebuke those parents. Jesus, however, invited them and said, let the little children come to man don't stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never even entering the disciples like many in Jewish culture did not value children I would say that's true in most cultures. Sure, they're cute, but their needs were just not as important as the needs of adults in this moment. Adults needed Jesus and so the needs of the kids should be put to the side so that the needs of adults could be prioritized but Jesus said that children were his first priority.

As a matter of fact children he says are the ones the best pasta received my kingdom and unless we grasp that wall like children vulnerable and helpless, spiritually speaking. None of us will ever reach out for the kingdom of God to grasp that we are all like that I like like like vulnerable and helpless children in God's eyes. From that point on.

Once we realize that Rose you have a special place in our hearts for the vulnerable and helpless around us. There are lots of places where we can apply this what I want to focus today on the place that Jesus did. And that is with children and particularly children in their most vulnerable state right now in our country that is in the womb this past Friday March 48 years since the Supreme Court declared abortion to be a fundamental right now before you tense up, let me just acknowledge I'm always a little conflicted on this because I do not want to come off like a partisan culture warrior but here's the thing, this should not be a political issue regardless regardless of your approach to other political questions.

Christians should be absolutely united on this. What is been a long time since I've really dived into it like this. This is pretty unusual about what I'm doing this weekend but I know I know that if I never talk about some of these hard things and I am failing at my job to let me just say okay going into this if you had an abortion or you are considering it. Please do not hear me standing up here pointing the finger of judgment at you regarding one of the most painful chapters of your life. I know that some of you felt like you did not have a choice. I saw a study that 64% of women got abortion said they felt strong pressure from somebody else to do so. Maybe that was God who impregnated them or maybe was their parents or somebody I want you to know that Jesus's primary purpose in coming to earth was not to stop abortions Jesus primary purpose in coming to earth was to die for abortion committing sinners like you and me and that means the heartbeat of the message here. This church is not the legislation of a culture of life, the heartbeat of the message of this church is the offer of new life in Jesus. So let me be very clear if you had an abortion. The Lord Jesus stands before you this weekend, not a finger pointed in condemnation, but with arms open wide. In verse now one final elephant in the room and that is some of you may think that I as a man and as a white man to boot have no right to talk about this. You say no will know say, but I would just ask you gently to consider. Since when is speaking out for just a something only a few of us can do is speaking out for the vulnerable something only the vulnerable Hindu for speaking up against the unjust treatment of minorities something only minority should do the good Samaritan had an obligation to speak up for the man on the side of the road, even if he never been beaten up himself.

What I want to try to do today is present to you Scripture and reason and I want you to evaluate those things on the basis of their merit, not my gender truth doesn't have a gender truth doesn't have a race. Truth is truth regardless of whose methods it what is happening today and what ought to be happening every weekend is not that you gather to listen to the opinions of a white man or a black man or anybody else.

We gather to listen to what God has to say about things and I means if I say anything today that contradicts what is written in this book, I implore you disregard it. But if I say anything that is found in this book that I urge you cling to it because these are not idle words. They our our life. So to begin to look at the world with the eyes of the good Samaritan we can first be honest about the state of the victim is lie in front of us. Listen to this 2018. Abortion was the leading cause of death worldwide, with 42 million victims. That is roughly 7 Holocaust in a single year last year right at 900,000 babies were selectively aborted in our country which is more than the total amount of American casualties in both world wars and the Vietnam War combined every year in Iceland, which many consider to be a progressive Utopia, the abortion rate for children diagnosed with Down syndrome now approaches 100% in the United States, 90% of pre-born humans diagnosed with Down syndrome are terminated in Asia widespread sex selective abortions, which means you choose to have the abortion based on the fact that the gender of the baby wasn't what you wanted to be this sex selective abortions in Asia have led to 160 million missing women in Asia today, which is more than the entire female population of the United States right now. In recent studies suggest that selective abortions are baby girls are common in the United States now also in New York City. Each year more black children are aborted that are born. I agree with my African-American friend, pastor of the Beatty on the relay who says it is staggeringly clear that the largest scale injustice. The most morally outrageous thing happening in our society today is the killing of children in the womb. This are you committed to social justice. You want to defend the vulnerable. You want to fight systemic injustice. There are few places where dire urgency meets such moral clarity and clear opportunity. As with the cause of the protection of children in the womb. Now I know a lot of people say, well, Mennonites, a lot more complex than that.

The baby is a part of a woman's body and we need to respect your right to privacy and sovereignty over her body, and I agree that the right to privacy over our bodies is precious. But here's the thing that baby is not part of her body. That baby is intimately attached to her body for a period of time.

Yes, but it's not part of her body. Listen Thaddeus Williams, from whom to draw on a lot today. This is from the moment of conception that baby has its own DNA its own unique genetic code its own unique heart its own unique circular story system its own unique brain and more. If you're saying it as part of her body. Does that mean she herself has two brains to Art's forearms and forelegs. No course not.

It's a separate person even when intimately attached to her body. Scripture certainly presents the pre-born child is its own person. The psalmist of Psalm 139 glories and the fact that in the womb. God knew me by name as a person and there I was fearfully and wonderfully designed for the purposes of God had for me.

I was knit together according to his plan and all my days in all his purpose for me was already written down the boat before my mom even knew she was pregnant. Scripture tells us that John the Baptist left in Elizabeth's womb because his spirit in the womb was filled with the spirit, urge what met his wife with these are two different spirits going on there is still the spirit. When he came into the presence of Jesus. And I said yeah but it's still in my body yeah, but we all know that our rights over our bodies are not absolute historical losses are prostitution is illegal in most states, and I don't know of anywhere in the US that you can legally pour drugs in your body just because it's your body, your rights to your body. Stop precisely at that place were they begin to affect somebody else's.

That's exactly what's happening to the pre-born people say well say life begins at conception, as a matter of opinion.

You shouldn't force your opinion on others, but were not in the realm of opinion here in the realm of biology in Scripture, hear me out.

Let me get into the weeds for about five minutes just hang with me if you say life begins at birth, will the only difference between a baby five seconds prior to the birth and five seconds after birth is location and location seems like a really arbitrary foundation for personhood, don't you think scientifically what's the difference in the nature of the baby five seconds prior to birth and five seconds after certain out that way.

Scripture presents it.

If you say will life begins a brain function when the baby can experience pain when they are in a sin TN self conscious state.

That's when life begins. First, you should admit that that contradicts the position that abortion is a fundamental woman's right to all nine months of pregnancy simply because it's in her womb. The second does that mean that when we are not in a sin TN state that we have been lost all right to life hello and tell you if I go into a coma. But you know that I want to wake up from a non-much my strong preference would be that you not kill me. Is it when a life begins at viability. When the baby can live on his own again. That seems like a really strange criteria for when personhood begins good thing about it getting viability contingent on the advancement of technology every year doesn't newer and better technology push the length of viability back if viability determines personhood that means whether or not somebody is a person is dependent on how advanced the technology is of the society they live my that means that people who are in advanced societies have more personhood than people and less advanced societies and that doesn't make sense. Plus, I would argue to you that the more helpless a person is the more vulnerable the less viable the more we as a society are obligated to protect them. In the words of Cardinal Roger Mahoney is as we judge societies on how they treat their weakest members, not the strongest once how they treat the last how they treat the least, how they treat the littlest friend, even if you're unclear on this and you I want to document the personhood begins at conception. I would just say to you, wouldn't you shouldn't you err on the side of life.

This way you're out hunting in the woods with a friend of yours when you hear rustling in the bushes over there and you're not sure whether it's your friend or a deer morality and common sense dictate that you don't pull the trigger so you know that it's not your friend because you don't want to be guilty of accidentally murdering them. Even if you are unclear if they are on the side of life, you say well unabated that the promise of abortion were made illegal today than people to go back to pre-1973 with coat hangers and back alley butchers and things I would say here.

First, just to be clear stories about way exaggerated to look at it a total of 39 women died the year before Roe versus Wade illegal abortions and as tragic but compare that to 900,000 babies who die in state sanctioned abortions this year, and a second again, quoting the Christian philosopher Thaddeus Williams. The coathanger argument misses the point that the aunt that the pre-born are people and pointing out some negative side effects of restriction doesn't justify the sanctioning of murder was and what about the case of genetic disabilities. We should be bringing babies in the world of genetic disabilities whose lives are good just be reduced to hardship and on and unhappiness. When people say that the male as I will first you should know the people disabilities are vehemently opposed to that argument that there's not a single organization of disabled people in the world that I know of that is in favor of elective abortions of those who have disabilities. Second, you are making a false correlation. Make a false correlation between genetic deformities and unhappiness with in this no study no starting point of this Baltimore city going to Baltimore. No study has found that handicapped persons are more likely than non-handicapped persons to want to die or commit suicide.

In fact, of the 200 consecutive suicides in Baltimore last year. Nine had been committed by people with congenital deformities. None. That means if you're trying to say that we should be able to abort those whom we know in advance are the most likely to be unhappy.

If not, those with genetic deformities that you start with there on the happy end of the scale and the point is, who are we to determine when another life is worth living in this whole line of thinking just misses the point.

The pre-born baby is a person and what we think they might experience and whether it's going to be hardship whether side of you not like my life justify killing them does love introduce you to church members Anna Williamson is one friend of our family.

She's now the manager of the UBA basketball team when Anna was born when she was in her mother's womb. There diagnosis, spina bifida, the Dutch citizens of the really bad so we told her that she was in that category. That ought to seriously consider this harness ran and I dare you. I double dog dare you, just to make this argument to her. Daniel Ritchie is another one Chapel Hill campus will see him walk around the region, or you'll know it's him is because he was born without arms same conversation from the doctor and the mother now Danish graduated from seminary for southeastern and I guess around speaks high schools and colleges talk about how to discover God's purpose for you.

Even in hardship and I will tell you, but there's people you will find them into the happiest people that are the most full of life that I know her people say will abortion sometimes helps poor women escape crushing financial burdens banning abortion would then abortion would just cause overpopulation and leave the magic massive property from account statement confuses finding a solution with eliminating a problem is not the same thing. Anything of this with the neighbor's dog keeps pooping in your yard you out shoot the dog. You have eliminated the problem but you haven't come up with a solution in your elimination of the problem was not a moral one. I was Right away that the dog is like not good right. Don't confuse eliminating a problem with coming up with a solution.

Again, the point is that the pre-born are people you can't justify killing a person because it eliminates a problem. I mean it if it if you that reason there where does it stop you that same line of reasoning to justify eliminating other financially burdensome groups. Yes, poverty is a problem hardship. The problem, let's come up with solutions was all just eliminate the problem people to say what about in cases of rape or incest. Personally tell you that I cannot imagine the pain will be involved in something like like that it's unspeakable just to keep it in perspective, there is tragic and heartbreaking cases make up less than 1% of all abortions. So when somebody says that to me.

I always ask him like okay so let's be clear your green then that the other 99% of abortions are indeed immoral. But the bigger point. The consistent point is this is the fact that that baby got there by rape or incest change the fact that there still a person. The circumstances of somebody's breath take away from the personhood. If a grown adult somehow discovered that they had been conceived by rape. No be tragic for you to discover that about your past hope that somehow reduce your value as a person or lessen your right to life now is to keep your eye on the central question is the pre-born baby a person is it made in the image of God. Because if they are, and they are the image of God, and God knows them by name. Psalm 139 and they are an organism with their own life and how they became a person is irrelevant.

Was in that little human life that little person, regardless of how they got there when it's no bigger than a speck. The size of a period at the end of a sentence that little speck is made in the image of God and not spec therefore has more value then all the planets and all the stars and all the cosmos and all the wealth piled up in all the world because it's got a soul that is made in the image of God. That Jesus died for the soul but has an eternal future from getting into the weeds here little bit. I know, but it's because I want you to see that scientifically and scripturally. There's no question about how Jesus feels about these little children come to me.

He says bring them to me.

Their lives are precious and valuable. If you care about me you care about them not to dismiss them like the disciples do the children. This story negative dismiss them as an inconvenience to some humongous and they're saying, well it would sound like a pretty eloquent defense of life in my mind starting my mind made up on that was my responsibility known as a great question for the good Samaritan story is not that we nearly think the right things for the good Samaritan story that we do the right thing as well. Human life has more value than the pleadings and stars. Each cell is made in the image of God and has an eternal future. An eternal perspective. Today here on Senate life with JD Greer. If you miss any of today's mass. As you can listen again to this message titled bring the little children to me a plea for life by visiting JD Greer.com weaving a resource that we are excited to offer you this month and it's unlike anything that we've offered in quite some time.

It's a handy set at 50 Scripture memory verse cards we offered something similar. This time last year. If you want to carry God's promises in your heart. These new Senate life memory verse cards make it easy and convenient to memorize rapture.

The cards are a small 2.5 x 3.5" size for quick reference pending on the French or even sticking in your modeling pin into a bulletin board or mirror for extra encouragement to hide and in your heart. It's a whole new set of verses for 2022 that we are committing to our hearts and minds the discipline of memorizing Scripture can also allow us to share with unbelievers hair. We are urged in first Peter 315 to always be ready to give a defense for our hope in Christ, we should memory Scriptures that we can log unbelievers through the salvation message and help them understand there's a need for a Savior speaking God's words instead of our own can give us confidence in sharing.

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