As I already mentioned, I wrote the sermon as I could not sleep on Friday night. Couldn't sleep because I had been righteously angry and sickened all week about the signing of a bill here in my own state. While abortion is evil, to make us more in this bill as I understand it allows for full term abortions. But if a precious baby survives an attempted abortion, It's perfectly legal to leave that baby without any medical care to die. Why could I not sleep in particular on Friday night? It's not because of despair, but actually because of this, because of hope. I want to share that hope with you today. I want to, as I already mentioned, as your pastor, teach and equip you on how to discuss this biblically with other people. I want to, as your pastor, teach and equip you to have hope despite great sorrow. And I do want to make a disclaimer before we start this morning. that we as followers of Jesus Christ need to be worked up about our own sin and struggles as we are all struggling with sin. If there is an unloving, ungracious attitude towards those who struggle in a certain area of life, and there's no battle and struggle against sin in our own lives, that's empty, right? As we seek right, and seek to declare truth and God's word, we in our lives need to be living right and fighting sin personally. So my encouragement for you this morning is as we look at this and consider the news of our state from this past week and God's word on the sanctity of life, we need to also be looking inward, considering the sin that we have in our own lives. This is not a message to bash those other people. This is a message to encourage us in our walk with Christ. Took this from LifeSite News, New York, the New York governor directed that the One World Trade Center spire be lit pink overnight on Tuesday to celebrate his signing of a law allowing abortions until birth in some cases and letting non-doctors commit abortions. The law, the Reproductive Health Act, also erases the state's recognition of pre-born babies older than 24 weeks as potential homicide victims. The governor called the bill an historic victory for New Yorkers and our progressive values. It was passed on the anniversary of Roe versus Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that brought abortion on demand to every state. Let's pray. Father, would you this morning help us to come away with a stronger understanding of your word, greater appreciation of life, which you have given stronger conviction to live for Christ, to live with love towards lost ones, rejoicing in your sovereignty, that you are glorious and at work. Though we may be confused and feel abandoned, you have not left our church. You have not left believers here in America who stand for the gospel and proclaim Christ. So Father, we ask that you would start something wonderful, start revival here. That we would be spurred on to share the gospel and love as Christ loved. Giving of ourselves for your honor and glory. In Jesus' name, Amen. If you want to, go ahead and open to Genesis chapter 1. I'm really just going to start working through some passages. Genesis chapter 1, verse 25. After God created the earth, and it begins, and it says this, verse 25, God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground. after its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, let us make man in our image. According to our likeness, let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. God created man in his own image. The image of God, he created him. male and female, he created them. God blessed them and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth. Understand that out of all creation, God has one special creation. And what would that be? What is that one special creation, that one special being which He created? Mankind. Why? Because as this text says, the text says this, they were created in His what? Image. There's a clear distinction between a fish and a human. There's a clear distinction between a dog and a human. There is a very clear distinction between a chimpanzee and a human. Humans have something inside of them that reflect God, as God's image bearers. He created them, or us, as his image bearers. We were to bear his image and have dominion, in a sense, as ambassadors. Maybe that word helps us in that understanding. We were told to be fruitful and multiply. This is, of course, in complete contrast to the killing of the blessing of multiplication, which God places in mother's wombs. Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and have dominion over as my image bearers. We understand murder is not new, don't we? We were just to turn a few pages over in Genesis. We understand very quickly, in fact, that the very first born people on this planet, one was murdered and the other murdered. That person. Cain and Abel. But here is what God had to say about murder early on. In Genesis chapter 9, he's speaking to Noah and he says, whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed. For in the image of God he made man. As for you, be fruitful and multiply. Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it. We see a very clear directive of protection over the life of mankind here. Why? Because we are God's image bearers. Ones whom eventually God himself would take on flesh to die for. We now live in a culture that not only places more protection on the egg of an eagle, than on a human life, but we live in a culture which seeks to glorify the taking of human life. Precious little beings who have been created in the image of God. I'm sure as you've talked with individuals, they've said, well, before they're born, are they really human? And do we consider that life? Let's consider what God's word has to say. Psalm 139 verse 13 through 17, God's word says this, for you formed my inward parts. You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to you for I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you. When I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth, your eyes have seen my unformed substance, and in your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with you. Let's consider that verse 13 again. You formed my inward parts, you wove me in my mother's womb. Romans chapter nine says this. Verse 8, that is, it is not the children of flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise. At this time it will come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this, but there was a Rebecca also. When she had conceived twins by one man, her father Isaac conceived twins, for though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand. Not because of works, but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, the older will serve the younger. Before their birth, God knew Jacob and Esau, and He chose Jacob as the one who would carry on the line of Israel. Psalm 51 verse five, behold, I was brought forth in iniquity and in my, and in sin, my mother conceived me. David is not saying that his mother was in sin in conceiving him. He's saying as his mother conceived him, he was conceived in what? Sin. So if we are conceived as sinners and sin is a part of human nature, then we are humans at what? At conception. The question is, what makes a human a human? Is it a heartbeat? Is it brain function? Is it simply life? Is it also a soul? There's something completely different about humans and all other creation, as we already considered. We are created in God's image. We now have that image as broken humans and sinners, but we are all, but we are human from the moment of conception, which God miraculously creates. When someone dies here on earth, I've witnessed the care for the body, which no longer has life in it. The respect given. Why are we outraged or sickened when we see mass death and the bodies of the dead ones left to rot or not given a proper burial? Because there is a special thing about God's image bearers. Yet our nation takes unborn image bearers, kills them and throws them in a trash can. Jeremiah 1.4 says this, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And before you were born, I consecrated you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. This is God speaking to Jeremiah. And he's saying, before you even existed in your mother's womb, I knew you. But then he says this, before I formed you in the womb, Who is the one who gives life? Is it simply science and a man and a woman coming together and conceiving a child? Yes. But is there something much greater going on? Yes. God as creator comes and he forms these precious babies himself and the womb of their mothers. God speaking, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I consecrated you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. John the Baptist in his mother's womb leaps for joy when Mary comes with Jesus in her womb. From the moment of conception, there is no break or line which is crossed to make that living organism into a human. It is human, it is life. In fact, if we found the equivalent of a conceived human on some planet in outer space, what would all the scientists be shouting? We found life. And yet they're ready to say that months and months after conception, It's clearly life is okay to be killed for the mental health of the mother. Life formed in a mother's womb here on planet Earth is something that God does, and it's wonderful, it's precious, and it's a miracle. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3 and 4, Blessed be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. God knows each of His humans which He would create before the world's foundations were ever laid. Simply because one has not passed through its mother's birth canal, it's okay to kill? That precious soul was known by God before the world's foundations were ever laid. According to the Alliance Defending Freedom Association, there have been over 57 million babies killed through abortion. here in the US. I come back to the original opening of this message. Why did I end up speaking on this today? Not simply because that bill was passed. Not because of despair on Friday night, but actually because of this hope. And I want to stand here and say we as believers who ought to be sickened by the murder of millions and millions of babies can stand here or sit here with hope. Because we have a wonderful, loving, and merciful God. Exodus chapter 1 says this. Verse 15, Exodus chapter one. Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of them was named Shipprah and the other one was named Puah. And he said, when you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death. But if it is a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives fear God. and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, why have you done this thing and let the boys live? The midwives said to Pharaoh, because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous, and they give birth before the midwife can get to them. So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very mighty, because the midwives feared God. He established households for them. Then Pharaoh commanded all of his people, saying, every son who is born, you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive. I have a similar story told for us in Matthew chapter two. Then Herod secretly called the Magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, go and search carefully for the child. And when you have found him, report to me so that I too may come and worship him. Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the Magi, he became very enraged, and he sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem, and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the Magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, a voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and she refused to be comforted because they were no more. We just read two accounts of awful massacre of young ones. Massacre against the will of the people. We live in the midst of a massacre of young ones according to the will of the people. But I want us to note something here. These incredible two stories from Exodus and from Genesis, what happens in the midst of those? Who is raised up in the midst of the massacre of babies in Egypt? What's the name? It's not a trick question. Who comes through the massacre of babies in Egypt and delivers Israel from their slavery? Moses. God spares the life of this little one, Moses. His mother sees that he's a beautiful child. She hides him and until she can hide him no longer, then she places him in a basket and he floats down the river and he ends up at the feet of Pharaoh's family. and his life is spared and he grows into a man and then he doesn't count the riches of Pharaoh as something to hold on to but rather he goes and he counts himself as one of God's children and then God raises him up and works mightily and he delivers Israel from their bondage amidst the murder of young ones. This should be a much easier question for you. In Matthew chapter two, where Herod goes and kills these young ones, all the boys, two years of age and younger, who is raised up in the midst of it? Jesus Christ. And how much more of a wonderful savior is he than Moses? Moses simply comes and delivers Israel physically from their slavery. Jesus Christ comes and he delivers all of mankind from their sin. And in the midst of human massacre, Jesus Christ comes and dies for the sins of the world. That anyone who would believe on Him would not perish but have everlasting life. That all who would call upon Him would be saved. So we see God's hand is at work. He raised up Moses, the greatest prophet other than Jesus, and the human deliverer of Israel from their bondage of slavery. The giver of the law. God's hand, he preserved and raised up Jesus, the one who would die at the appointed time for the sins of the world. You know, God's sparing of Jesus's life there as a baby. And then at other times, you know, it's nonchalantly mentioned in the gospels. There's a time where it says they take Jesus up to a cliff and they're ready to cast him off to kill him. Then it says he just passes through their midst. Why? Because Jesus was appointed. He had a time in which he was appointed to die, a way in which he was appointed to die, hanging upon the cross, taking the sins of the world upon his shoulders, fulfilling the law which Moses brought. It was God's hand at work. You think the Israelites during that time in Egypt wondered, what in the world is God doing? as they had their babies, their precious babies, ripped from their arms and thrown into the river to drown? You think all those poor ladies who had their two-year-old boys and younger ripped from them and massacred, they were wondering, what is God doing? That's what God was doing. In the midst of human's sin, God was sovereignly reigning to bring about deliverance. What was the man's part in this though? Maybe you missed it as we read, but in Egypt you have these two midwives. Maybe you didn't even notice them, but Pharaoh commands them to do what? To kill. And yet it says, they feared God. And because they fear God, they took what? Action. They allowed these young ones to live and they did what was in their power to allow these young ones to live. There's a massacre coming. And so God sends an angel to Joseph and the angel appears as a messenger on behalf of God to Joseph so that Jesus's life can be spared as a young baby. So that he would die at the appointed time. God in the midst of these awful circumstances actually used means to bring about change. The midwives in Egypt feared the Lord and they acted rightly. The messenger of the Lord, the angel, obeyed God and came and spoke truth and warned Joseph and Mary. So what is a part that we can have? We need to fear God. We need to fear God and be active in the deliverance of babies' lives. We need to act as the midwives. We need to fear God and take part through adoption, through foster care, loving support of those who feel as though they need to abort and encourage them away from it. We need to be willing to help those who do adopt and foster if we can't. We need to be messengers of the gospel. which is the only thing that can change people's hearts and change this situation. We need to continue on in our mission and be on fire even more. Go therefore and teach all nations. We need to consider the Great Commission, Matthew chapter 28. Jesus says, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. We have responsibilities as followers of Christ to go about and do Christ's work. And Christ's work, number one, is sharing the gospel. But as we share the gospel, we ought to be eager to do good. And let me submit to you, some of the best good we can do right now is to fight abortion. Do our part. If we can't adopt, enable others to adopt. If we can't foster care, help others who do foster care. Give, go, be used, babysit, give of your time. Take action. Trust in God's sovereignty. God raised up heathen kings to send Israel home and restore Jerusalem's walls and temples. You realize that? As you read Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, you have these kings rise up and it says they allowed Israel to go back and they even give of their wealth for Israel to go and restore Jerusalem and restore the temple and they declare, worship God. So all of a sudden in our minds sometimes we can slip into this mindset that these guys were followers of God, followers of Yahweh, that they had been converted to Judaism to follow and believe on the promises of God, when in reality they were doing this for all the nations. They were absolute heathens. And yet God used them to deliver Israel. What I'm not gonna do this morning is liken our nation to Israel. We are not God's nation. We're not. Maybe this will offend you. America is not a Christian nation. Were there some biblical truths upon which this foundation was laid for this nation? Yes, but Christian is a term used for somebody who follows Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. You can't have a nation that's a Christian nation. A Christian is an individual soul who's turned from their sin to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And we cannot sit back and expect and think, where is our nation gone? We used to be a Christian nation, and you almost have this idea that it's the nation's job to honor God and follow His moral will, and it's not. It is our job as followers of Christ. And maybe what the American church needs is things like this to wake us up to sharing the gospel and serving. Maybe one of the greatest things for the American church is for us to start facing persecution. Because then we'll be woken up to what true commitment to Christ is. Let me make a caveat there. Is it God's will for nations to govern the morality of people? Are they in place to do that? Yes. And we ought to fight for that. Just as if all of a sudden it became legal to just kill other human beings if they were... grown or born human beings if they were a hindrance to what you wanted. We would say what? That is wrong. It's unbiblical. And so likewise we ought to say that with abortion. That is wrong. That is unbiblical. And other morally awful sins which are contrary to God's Word. We can speak with authority given by Jesus the truth and the gospel. What I'm saying is this, we ought to be more concerned with the spread of gospel than the state of our government. We ought to be more concerned with the spread of the gospel than the state of our government. If you're more into political change than you are with spiritual change, in people's hearts, there's something wrong. Our greatest concern ought to be the gospel of Jesus Christ. God raised up Moses in the midst of Pharaoh's massacre. God raised up Jesus in the midst of Herod's massacre. Let us pray that God would raise up something miraculous for his glory here in the midst of America's massacre. But may it begin with us. A well-known pastor and author made this statement this week, as the church, we must not say of abortion, this is murder, Doesn't end there, don't worry. As the church, we must not say of abortion, this is murder, without saying to the pregnant woman, we will serve you. If we are doing the former without the latter, we aren't truly understanding the gospel. We must listen, love, foster, adopt, give money, babysit, donate supplies, mentor young women, and support in whatever ways God has equipped us. Yes, stand firm and say, this is wrong, but take part in changing it. There's one statement made this week. Abortion is the complete opposite of the gospel. Abortion says, you die for me. The gospel is Jesus saying, I die for you. So what are we willing to do? What will the Bible Church of Port Washington do? Pray that the Lord would work in our hearts, give us action to do what's right. Do we go and march on the Capitol and demand that the governor step down? Is that the change that we need? No. What New York needs is the gospel. New York needs to see the gospel lived out. I don't know how true this is. I mean, there's so many things floating around, but it's my understanding the governor made some comment along these lines. If you're pro-life and pro-guns, get out of New York. That's what he said. So hopefully everyone in this room would say, I am pro-life. You know what the governor wants? According to that statement, if it was actually made, he wants you to get out of his state. You know what I'm here to say? We are staying and we are preaching the gospel. We are staying and we are going to make a difference for God's glory. We're staying. We want to see little ones delivered. Have a life, have an opportunity to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Be accepted into our homes. Show them the love of Christ. I wanna give one last glimpse of hope. We do not know what God is doing. know that God is sovereign and in control. And I can stand confidently here this morning and say, by God's grace, those babies who are being murdered are with Jesus. Maybe you've wondered, what does the Bible say? Is there a verse in the Bible somewhere that says, anybody who dies under such an age is saved? There's no Bible verse. I wanna spend just a few minutes encouraging us with that truth, though. As we look at God's word, it is clear. There are a few passages that we can understand, and this will be a little bit technical. That's okay, and I hope it's an encouragement to you. All right? In Romans chapter one and two, there's something talked about called general revelation. Revelation is a word used to describe the communication of God to mankind. We have something called special revelation, such as what? Our Bibles. Such as God giving direct messages to a prophet back in the Old Testament times in the early beginning of the church with a direct message to share. Such as the angel of the Lord appearing. Christ, the pre-incarnate Christ coming to Abraham and speaking to him, giving him special revelation. There's also something called general revelation. General revelation is what can be seen and known about God through his creation. In other words, simply by looking at creation. Brother Dave, Dino Dave, talked about this a bit, right? Maybe you remember that. As you look at creation, it declares that there is a Creator. Psalm 19. The heavens declare the majesty of God. Romans 1 says, you look at creation and it points to the Creator. And yet mankind takes that general revelation and they suppress the truth. and they worship the creation rather than the creator. So have you ever had somebody ask you, what about all those people who lived in the middle of nowhere from birth till death and never even heard the name of Jesus? You ever have somebody bring that up? Have you ever wondered about that? The answer is this, God gave them general revelation to know about him and yet they suppress the truth and worship the creation rather than the creator. And in that sense, though they never even heard the name of Jesus, they rejected God. Then you have other people who do hear the name of Jesus. Maybe they grew up around here and there's gospel preaching churches and they heard the gospel over and over again and they rejected the gospel. But in the case of those who do not hear the gospel, what holds them accountable? General, what? General revelation. In the case of a baby, are they able to comprehend general revelation? No. In the case of a baby, are they able to hear the gospel and reject it? No. So it is my strong stand and firm belief that these little ones who are being massacred are going to their Savior. Under God's mercy and grace, under Jesus Christ's sacrifice, because they never had an opportunity even to reject general revelation, never mind the gospel, there is a special providential grace of Jesus Christ for these little ones. That ought to be the greatest hope that we have. Could it be part of God's sovereign will for America and the rest of the world to allow abortions all the way till kingdom come? It could be. But our encouragement is those little ones are going to be with the Lord. And you know what? We're going to get to meet them someday. We have King David, he's mourning and praying to the Lord, crying out that his baby's life would be delivered because of his sin. And then he notices that his servants are whispering amongst themselves and he asks them, he says, tell me plainly, did the baby die? And they say, yes, he died. And he gets up, he cleans up and he eats. And his servants are taken back and they say, why were you mourning before the child died? And now you're going about normal practice after he's died. And David says this, and it's an encouragement statement. I will go to be with my child. And many people will try to say, well, he means he's going to die at some point too. Would that be encouraging to David? He's clearly stating it as an encouragement. I will go to be with my child one day, understanding I believe from God. that that little one was in heaven and David would be joining him. We can be encouraged God raised up Moses in the midst of Pharaoh's massacre. We can be encouraged God raised up Jesus in the midst of Herod's massacre. And God is doing something here. Maybe he is raising up and calling to action the church for the spread of the gospel here in America. Maybe he uses this to awaken Christians to stop watching TV and stop wasting their life and getting on their feet and sharing the gospel and making a difference with their lives. May God do that in our church. May we go about making a difference. May we not waste our lives. would we live for the glory of God, valuing the glory of God that's revealed in his image bearers, fighting that which completely distorts the gospel, turns the gospel on its head. Instead of Jesus, Jesus says, I die for you. Our culture wants to say, you die for me. All our culture needs to hear is that Jesus died for them. Somebody already gave their life for them. They don't need their baby to give their life. Jesus, God's own son, already gave his life for them. Father, would you help us? Ask that today would not simply be an emotional day, where we come away having a pep talk, saying we're going to make a difference. But then as other emotions come or the emotion of today dies down, there's no difference. But Father, would today you work in our hearts by the Spirit, by the preaching of your word, that we would come away changed. That we would be doers of the word, not hearers only. that we would live for the gospel sake. And seek to take the opportunity of reaching out to those in need, to show them the love of Christ and declare to them, someone already died for you. His name is Jesus. He wants to give you life. So allow your baby to have life, so you can tell them about Jesus. Father, work in us. Start the revival here in us, in our hearts. We come away changed for your honor and glory. In Jesus' name.