On January 22nd, 1984, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation designating the third Sunday in January as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. National Sanctity of Human Life Day. It's celebrated mostly on the third Sunday, but whether it's the second or the fourth Sunday or the first Sunday in February, we still want to take that time to recognize how precious life is in the womb. And this day was created to be used by many life-promoting individuals and organizations to bring awareness to the attacks against the lives of the unborn throughout the abortion industry. It was a great day for this country. Why? Because life is precious. Life is precious. Not just because certain important men deemed life to be precious, but because God, the almighty God of heaven, deemed life to be precious. In Psalm 139 verses 13 to 16, we're told of the meticulous and intentional work of God that goes into creating every single human being. Beginning in verse 13, the psalmist wrote, For you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance. In your book were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Because God is fully behind the creation and function of every cell and tissue formed within us, we can be highly certain that life is precious to God, outside of the womb as well as inside the womb. Whether you're 109 years old or just conceived, your life is precious to God. This leads us to another reason that the National Sanctity of Human Life Day was created, to bring knowledge to the issue of when does life begin. If someone envisions the early stages of their pregnancy as having a non-living particle inside of them, and abortion is the elimination of that non-living particle, then they're more likely to respond with no emotion to the act of having and abortion. They're unaware that a life was just taken. However, when they realize that at conception, God is behind the conception and in the building performing the creative work that goes into that life, Now they begin to feel the effects of what's going on, what they're about to do, and God willing, they will stop. They will stop. But this comes from knowing, being taught these things early and often, if necessary. And on a larger scale, perhaps the widespread crime of taking lives will begin to subside. So I want to pray, then I want to unpack the holy words of scripture that share God's tender care in forming every single human being. Let us go before our Father. Lord, we thank you for this time. I thank you for using me, Lord God, to speak about this issue. My desire is to speak about this issue in a delicate manner. May I not treat it callously or without regard to the hurting. May the healing that Christ offers be received by those who need it the most. God my tongue, Lord, and move each one of us to do our part. to protect the lives of the innocents as much as we can within the power of our abilities and sphere of influence. In the name of your precious son we pray, amen. We begin with the formation, the formation. The psalmist said, for you formed my inward parts. The Hebrew word for formed means to create, to get, to possess. The first time we see it is in Genesis chapter 4, one, when Eve gave birth to Cain. And she says, with the help of the Lord, I have received a man. I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord. What Eve sees as life gotten after birth, the psalmist sees as life gotten while still being formed in the womb. In his mind, by the revelatory knowledge of God, it's the same thing. Inside the womb being formed and outside of the womb he uses the same word. David then gets into the details of what was being formed within him as he's being formed within another human being. He brings up his inward parts, and he's speaking about his organs. At this time, it is highly unlikely that he knew all the vital organs that were being formed within his body, and how many of them there were. But for him, it didn't matter. It didn't matter. All he knew is that it was God who was doing the work. It is God who specifically, and in a detailed way, put him together, and that's what mattered the most to him, and that's what should matter the most to us. With what we know in our day, we should be totally thrown away at the wisdom and knowledge that God displays in forming each and every one of us. The organs within man are so complex that the wisest of men and the wisest teams of men have never come to the point where they say, aha, I figured out everything about this organ. They're still learning, but not God. Whether it's the kidney, the stomach, the liver, the brain, the trachea thing we forget about, but we use them every day. No one in the history of mankind has exhausted all knowledge about it, but the psalmist knew, and God knew. As I was reading this, I just envisioned God. And I've read it before, but as you read, sometimes something will just come to you, and you'll be like, You could read it a hundred times, but it's a certain time that God says, okay, now you're ready for this. And as I'm reading this, it's like David is taking all of this knowledge in, and he shakes his head. In my mind, I'm looking at David, and he's just saying, Lord God, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Have we ever gotten to that point? Have we ever thought about our body? Sometimes it takes us getting sick to begin praying for health, when every day we should be thanking God for help, when things we can't see can take us out. Things that we've never heard of can have us laying in the bed for weeks or even months. But God, he holds you up. Not only does he form you, or did he form you in the womb, but he keeps you. He's the sustainer. If no other prayer, we should be just thanking God right out there. Just thank you, Lord. You don't have the words to say for anything else. Look in the mirror. Matter of fact, when you open your eyes, thank you, Lord. It would have been good to go the best way in my sleep. See, I'm not afraid of death, but it's how I'm going to go. I've seen death in the hospital and pain and cancer racking in someone's brain. I'm like, Lord God, have mercy, Lord. Any way you choose, Lord. But Lord, if I could just go in my sleep, oh, that would be so beautiful, right? Just wake up in the presence of the Lord, hallelujah, singing. But God's will be done. Right? So in verse 15, what David does, right? I don't want you to catch this because we've read this before. We've read Psalm 39 before. But in verse 15, what David does is he reveals even more of God's diligence informing him by saying that he was intricately woven. Intricately woven. And the word that he uses for woven not only referred to needlework and embroidery as a whole, but also refers to My wife is very good at using, not certain word, but she know what I'm saying. But she's so good at picking out colors and texture. To me, it's all the same. I'm like, what's wrong with this blue from that blue? But she has to feel the texture to make sure it's right in what she's creating. But she sees the finished project. That's the word for gold. God is looking at the fabric, the color, what he's going to use. He's seeing the finished. That's why we praise him. And he's going past the word knitted that we saw in verse, and we're gonna see it again in verse 13, right? In verse 13, knitted means to entwine as a screen. The implication is to interlock, to join together. But more than just being knitted together, he was intricately woven. We have to praise God for the thought into us. When it comes to creating human beings who are made in His image, God leaves nothing to chance. It's not like, well, I'll just, you know, just duplicate what I did in Pastor Bob into Pastor Mike. No, no. No, no. It's like, I need Bob to be here because here's what he's going to come across in his life. And he has to be prepared for that. And the people I'm going to bring into his life, he has to bless them with what he has. And for each and every one of us, that's what God has done. You are not in an accident. Where you are, it didn't happen by chance. The people you come across, it's not luck. God says, I need you to represent me in front of them. Take everything I've put into you so that there's no wasted pain. And tell about the glory of God. And tell about the goodness of God more than your pain, than what you went through. If you're gonna tell people what you went through, tell them how you came out. Tell them about the Lord, God, how good he is, in spite of how you felt while you were going through. God has form. and intricately woven each one of us from the moment we were conceived in our mother's womb. He has handcrafted every part of us. He is the master, designer, the foreman, the supplier, the skilled laborer, and builder of every single aspect of our being. within the womb is God's creative space. That's where he goes to work. And this brings us to section two, the location. Section one, the formation, section two, the location. Verse 13, once more, for you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together with, in my mother's womb. In David's day, the stages and activities of the unborn child during pregnancy were relatively unknown. They were unseen as physicians and midwives were left in the dark. David described the babies being in the womb similar to being in the depths of the earth. in verse 15. Very little is known about what's going on in the depths of the earth. And that's what it was like in David's day. However, he still rejoiced. Why? Because he knew he was never out of God's sight. Not for one fraction of a second. Verse 15, my frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret. Bless the Lord. The human frame, right? The human frame was basically being made in secret from man all the way up until the mid to late 1900s, believe it or not. Women had to rely on their doctor's examination skills and their own intuition as they felt the baby moving around. But ironically, it was an invention that was designed to help in war. The concept of ultrasound technology was first developed in the 1940s as a method to detect submarines during World War II. But it wasn't until the 50s that doctors started using ultrasound for medical purposes like cardiology and urology. And then it wasn't until the 70s that ultrasounds became more widely used to monitor the health of the child in the womb. The 70s. The 70s. Think about how recent that is. And then in the 80s, with the development of more sophisticated and portable, portable ultrasound machines, their use skyrocketed. And ultrasound became a normal part of the prenatal care process. And as time went on, women would be introduced to several different options to check on the growth of the child within. They had the Doppler ultrasound, the fetal stethoscope, the fetal monitor, the portable handheld Doppler, and the fetal electrocardiogram. And these advancements provided valuable information for hope, ultimately for the baby in the womb. That's why I do what I do. That's why I take the time to preach this sermon, so that we would be aware of what God is doing inside the mother's womb through his providence, through his power, and providentially on earth to save lives, to save lives. These things aren't an accident. right? These things help determine the age of the fetus. It confirmed the presence of multiple pregnancies, such as twin or triplets. They help to assess the baby's growth and detect potential complications in advance. Being able to see life forming right before their eyes, several doctors grew more and more aware about the baby's development and overall health, as well as the mother's. Now they were able to see more precisely what's going on in the womb. What this did is begin to change the heart behind abortions. It began to give these doctors an awareness of, that's a real life. The kicking, they should have known, but before the kicking, wow, look at that little heart. Look at that spine that's being formed. And many doctors began to move away, not just move away from abortion, but to fight against it. Dr. Nathan, sorry, Dr. Bernard Nathan said, was such a man, Dr. Bernard Nathanson. In 1996, he wrote an autobiography called The Hand of God. I would suggest you read it if you're interested. It's called The Hand of God by Dr. Bernard Nathanson. And he confessed to being a radical abortionist. He was on the board of NARAL, NARAL, the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws. And this organization fought tirelessly against any law that prevented doctors from having abortion on demand. And he had to confess later on that this was the beginning of the Barbaric Age. him and his colleagues would open a facility in New York City to meet the growing demand for abortions. And in his book, he admitted that he was responsible for roughly 75,000 abortions, whether his hand did it personally or he oversaw his colleagues and people in training to give abortions. by the sovereignty, providence, and mercy of God in saving lives. In the mid-'70s, Dr. Nathanson was hired to work in one of the largest hospitals in New York. Now, on the surface, this was seen as a severe blow to the pro-life movement. It was like, well, now we have Roe versus Wade. Abortions are increasing, and now this madman is given a position in one of the biggest hospitals in New York? On the surface, it seemed like time was getting darker. But here's what happened in the providence of God. By being one of the largest hospitals in the country, in New York, they received one of the best and first ultrasound machines. and he was able to witness firsthand what many still to this day choose to willfully deny, the unmistakable form of a child on the ultrasound screen and the unmistakable image of this innocent person shrinking away from the cold steel tools that are intended to destroy his or her life. What a sight! to shorten the way of the cutting. I'm not going to get too graphic, but imagine seeing that as a doctor for the first time. In his book, he wrote, fetology makes it undeniably evident that life begins at conception and requires all the protection and safeguards that any of us and all of us enjoy. The same way you expect laws to protect your life, we should expect laws to protect the life of the child in the womb. He also wrote, a favorite pro-abortion tactic is to insist that the definition of when life begins is impossible, that the question is a theological or moral or philosophical one, anything but a scientific one. Once again, the name of the book is The Hand of God. It's by Dr. Bernard Nathanson. From that moment on, Dr. Nathanson's mission changed. The entire trajectory of his life shifted from being a harbinger of death to a defender of the innocent. Now, earlier, I mentioned the sovereignty, providence, and mercy of God in saving lives, but according to David, I missed one. The predestination of God. The predestination of God. Let us look at verse 16 once again, Psalm 139. He said, your eyes saw my unformed substance. In your book were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me when as yet there was none of them. Once again, David confirms that even though man couldn't see what was going on within his mother's womb, the Lord saw his unformed substance. Literally he's saying, my substance yet being unperfect, you saw me. But then David goes back even further. In verse 16 he's basically saying, when there were no days of him being formed, none of them, in God's book were written, all of them, every day that would be formed for him was predestined, every day. So we see the formation, the location, and the predestination of man's total being by the mind and works of God. And I'm not even going to pretend to understand all the theological ramifications of that. But when Bible scholars look at Psalm 139 and the first 16 verses, they see the omniscience of God in verses one to six. They see the omnipresence of God in verses 7-12. But then they see the providence and predestination of God in verses 13-16. And so, after David opens this chapter with the omniscience of God in the first section, verses 1-6, in verse 6, he declares, such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high, I cannot attain it. I want to ask David, I might ask him when I see him, God willing. If that's too wonderful for you, David, what about this? Can you attain this in your book where written every one of them, the days that were formed for me when there was not one of them, when there was yet none of them? How do you get that? And I'm sure his answer would be the same. I can't attain that either. The arguments for God's sovereignty versus man's responsibility have been going on for centuries. There are too many, too numerous to count. The headaches that I myself have encountered in my younger years, fighting people, God is sovereign, God is sovereign, God is sovereign. But you read, man's responsible because God doesn't take part in sin. How do we reconcile that? Well, I'll put it one way, or the same way someone else did. They're like two truths that go straight to heaven. They never cross, but they're two truths. God is sovereign, but you will be held accountable because you are responsible for your actions. As you grow in faith, you realize that certain things are beyond human comprehension, and it's okay. It's okay. We don't understand everything. We look at it and we say that's irrational. No, it's supra-rational. It's beyond our understanding, and just be okay with that. The Bible teaches it, and keep it moving. we can't know everything about God, and that's the way it should be. Because if we know everything there is to know about God, then He's not God. So I'm going to leave the things we can't know alone. I'm just going to touch on one of the New Testament portions of Scripture that sheds some light on what David is speaking of. And if you can follow me to Ephesians 1, verse 11, you will be blessed. Ephesians 1, verse 11, because I need you to be able to go back and see this for yourself and get it into your heart of who God is, of who God is. I pray you would read the whole chapter, even the whole book of Ephesians, but Ephesians 1, 11 will bless you. in Ephesians chapter one and verse 11. After spending 10 and a half verses explaining God's work in number one, choosing us in Christ before the foundation of the world, number two, granting us redemption and forgiveness through the blood of Christ, and number three, making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose, Paul then writes, in him, Christ, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. The first part of the verse, if you missed it, addresses believers. In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of God. The last part of the verse addresses everybody else and everything that comes to pass, because it is God who works all things, all things, according to the purpose, according to the counsel of his will. Both David and Paul are saying the same thing. Human beings don't just show up on earth by accident and begin living this random life. The scriptures declare that God works all things according to the counsel of His will. All things. Not only salvation, but also the means to bring about our salvation. Not only spiritual things, but the day-to-day operation of everything that comes to pass. all people, good and bad, all occupations, good and bad, good health, bad health, your upbringing, my upbringing, whether good or bad, God sovereignly ruled over it. When Proverbs chapter 16, 33, that's another one you want to grab a hold onto and put it in your pocket. Proverbs chapter 16 in verse 3, when it tells me the lot is cast into the ladder, but its every decision is from the Lord, it's pointing to something about God's activity in the matter. Then when Proverbs chapter 20 and verse 24 tells me, a man's steps are from the Lord, it's pointing to something about God's activity in the man. Whether it's the matter or the man, God is working all things according to the counsel of his will. this should cause us to rejoice. Rejoice? Yes, rejoice! Because no matter how dark it seems, by God's design, He is still creating light in the midst of darkness. I don't care what's happening in your life. I don't care that point. You better hold on to God because God has decreed that day. And that means God has decreed the end. So I'm going to hold on to the Lord. I don't care what part of your life is falling apart. It is not out of God's power, realm, knowledge, and creativity to make you love Christ. If you love Him, on day 28, it's going to work out for you good. If you love self, bitterness, anger, depression, anxiety, because it's about you. Don't miss the key part of Romans 8, 28, because we love that. We love that. We even miss the first three words, for we know. We just go, all things work together for good. No, you better get that whole verse. You better get it. Paul is speaking to people who understood, because he says, for we know that all things work together to the good of those who love God. You better love it. If not, you're just going to be, ah, you're going to be the most grumpiest Christian you've ever seen. People are like, why are you a Christian? Why are you always upset? You come to church, your face is, what's the matter? Fix your face. Ah, you don't know my life. Do you know God? That's the question. Do you love the Lord? He says, do what I say. You love me, right? Why do you say you love me, but don't do what I say? Our problems come because we don't obey, we don't listen, we don't love Him. We don't know that this is true. My steps are ordered by the Lord. God is in control of my life. God is shaping me. Through this, I'm going to hold on to Him. His unchanging hand as they used to sing back in the days. I'm not that old, but I heard about it. So we look at this, right, and we see that God's decrees are still at work in the earth, no matter what age. And someone's sitting there thinking, what does this have to do with the baby in the womb? I'm glad you thought of that. Everything, everything. First, let's start with the mother who, quote unquote, lost. her baby in the womb. How comforting to know that the baby didn't just become someone who was thought of after he or she entered the womb. In God's book were written every one of them, the days that were formed for that child when as yet there was none of them. That child is, not was, that child is a human soul that God decreed would live even though he or she would spend just a short time on earth. Every day, every moment of that baby's short life was known to God on earth. And God sovereignly ruled over that child, even in heaven. That's what scripture teaches. That's what Psalm 139 teaches. That's what Jeremiah 1-5 teaches. God decreed to give them a better life with him through their death in the flesh. With that said, for the persons who went in and took that life, All I'll say is the Lord is able to forgive. Seek the Lord, run to the Lord, ask for salvation. But every sin is separated as far as the east is from the west. That's where mercy is found. Some of us have had enough of the constant attacks. Yes, the baby is with the Lord, but some of us see the violence. Some of us need to speak up, and we do speak up for those who have no voice and can't speak up. And for those among you who are tired of the attacks against the innocent, perhaps you're at the place where many of us were in the past, fed up enough to do something about it. That's where a couple of pastors and a few lay people were about 36 years ago. In 1989, after seeing the destruction of way too many babies in the womb, Pastor Ed Moore of North Shore Baptist Church and a handful of ordinary Christians like you and I banded together to form Borough Pregnancy Counseling Center. And this center would be a place where families could gather information concerning the child in the womb. This center would be a place where women who found themselves single and alone could receive guidance, supplies, encouragement, and assistance with prenatal care. Most importantly, the center would be a place where everyone, everyone who came for help would hear about the savior, creator, and sustainer of life, the Lord Jesus Christ, who guarantees eternal life for all who trust in him. Many of these women need to hear the gospel, the story of eternal redemption. They need to hear that no matter what they have done, faith in Jesus Christ alone brings eternal forgiveness. Over the years, God has used Borough Pregnancy Counseling Center to make an impact on many lives, but there's still a long road ahead. According to the Guttmacher Institute, the United States recorded its highest number of abortions in over a decade during 2023. You know what 2023 was? It was the first full year after the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Roe v. Wade. An estimated 1,026,690 women had an abortion in 2023. That's 10% more than in 2020, the last year for which there was comprehensive data. The Guttmacher Institute said a key factor in the rise was likely an increase in access to telehealth since the pandemic, allowing women to obtain the abortion pill online instead of visiting a clinic. This accounted for 63% of all abortions in 2023, up from 53% in 2020. 63% of all abortions. Telehealth. Click enter, you get an abortion bill. And it's over. It's just like that. So yes, on the surface, it appears to be a long, dark road ahead. But as I stated earlier, God still shines his light in the midst of darkness. How? Once more, through ordinary Christians like you and me. Volunteers made up of people from several like-minded churches planted throughout various communities. If some of you are wondering, is there anything I can do to help preserve the lives of the unborn, there are actually five ways, five ways you can help BPCC make a greater impact in this fight. Number one, number one, by committing to pray for us on a weekly basis, by committing to pray for us on a weekly basis, prayer is essential for everything we do. from handing out milk, food, hampers, and other necessities in a way that honors God, to sharing the message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, through Christ alone. We recognize having people receive the gospel is their greatest need. Most of the people who come to us have so many pressing needs that they can't see past today. Spending life eternally with Jesus is nowhere on their radar. We need people praying for us to ensure we stay Christ-focused. As much as we want to save the unborn child in their womb, we want to see them come into the kingdom even more. And here's why, here's why. Because if God should save their soul, they will be sure to care for the life he has placed within them with the utmost diligence. The second way you can help BPCC make a greater impact in this fight is by becoming a care client counselor. A care client counselor. And this requires training and a background check. If you speak Spanish, you are desperately needed. There's nothing like receiving help in your native dialect or tongue when you're in a desperate situation. You guys know if you're in a rush to get somewhere and you are in a place where people don't speak your language, how more desperate you become because they just don't understand you. Maybe they speak broken English and you really get lost, but when you have someone who's there to hear your concerns in your native tongue and even dialect and nuances of your tongue, oh, how comforting that is. How comforting that is. The third way you can help BPCC make a greater impact in this fight is by coming to our Woodside location once or twice a week to watch the babies and toddlers while the moms are engaged in learning how to care for their child in the womb, while they're receiving supplies, and while they're hearing the gospel. If they have one or two children, and you are able to just sit with the child while that mother doesn't have to worry about their other children, what a blessing. What a blessing that is. The fourth way you can help BPCC make a greater impact in this fight is becoming a board member. Some of us board members are getting up in age, not talking about me, talking about the mother board. And we could use a couple more, a couple more. It doesn't require a lot of your time. just a passion to help organize and strategize, providing avenues to those who need it most. If you're interested, You can let me know. You can let Pastor Bob know. And there's some information on the back table. About everything that I've spoken of, there's information on the back table that you can grab and learn more about the organization, learn more about what we're doing. Now, before we get to the fifth way that you can help BPCC make a greater impact in this fight, I want to share a video with you guys of Veronica's story. Veronica's story. Now, Veronica came to us several years ago confused. and under pressure to have an abortion. After the first part of her story, I want you to listen to the joy and delight in her voice as she tells of how grateful she was that she kept her child. Bless the Lord. Did you hear the change in her voice after the baby. It's amazing. God knows best. There's nothing better than a life. Finally, the fifth way you can help BPC make a greater impact in this fight is by partnering with us through consistent individual donations. Funds are needed to provide the things that will help keep this ministry going. We have two major fundraisers per year, our Walk for Life, which is scheduled in either May or June of every year, and our annual gala, which we hold sometime around mid-October. And God has used these two events to give us the jolt that we need, but there's nothing like the consistent monthly donations that allow us to plan better for the families that look to us for support. Perhaps this is the way you can use your gifts for the kingdom, preserving the lives of the unborn, the most vulnerable among us. If you have any questions, I'll be around. As I said, you can grab some more information on the tables in the back, but let us pray. Let's go to our Father. Lord, we thank you at your incredible work upon the earth, Lord. May we not grow discouraged when we hear the news or we read articles of these things that are against you, against life. Lord God, let us do what we can do. We want to pray for those like Veronica who have come through our doors, Lord God, or the doors of other pregnancy centers and have chosen life. Lord God, thank you for them. We pray for Veronica, Lord. We pray that she would walk with Christ, that she would grow in her knowledge of the Lord, that she would teach her child, and her child would also learn to love you. Father, I thank you. I praise you, Lord God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.