A university student was seen with a large "K" printed on his T- shirt. When someone asked him what the "K" stood for, he said, "Confused." "But" the questioner replied, "you don't spell ‘confused’ with a "K." The student answered, "You don't know how confused I am." Source Unknown.
Are today’s believers confused about human life? On January 22, 1973, the US Supreme Court legalized abortion. On January 22, 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated that day as National Sanctity of Life Day. According to the “Care Net of Puget Sound: Pregnancy & Family Services” more than 59 million helpless babies have lost their lives -- since 1973’s Roe vs. Wade ruling – through the legal process of abortion. Today:
more than 1 in 5 pregnancies end in abortion…
1 in 10 American women will have an abortion by the age of 20…
1 in 4 American women will have an abortion by age 30…
3 in 10 American women will have an abortion by the age of 45.
Nationally, 30% of women obtaining abortions identify as Protestant and 24% identify as Catholic. These may not know the gospel; however, they do identify with denominations that understand the clarity of “Thou shalt not kill.” Do we truly understand this life God entrusted to us? We must return to THE right understanding of our lives before God. To do that, we need to remind ourselves about the character of God.
GOD IS LOVING - Ephesians 2:4-7
The story of is told of a girl who regretted breaking her engagement and wrote this letter:
Dearest Tommy, no words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking our engagement. Please say you’ll take me back. No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you, I love you, I love you! I love you!” Yours forever, Marie
PS: And congratulations on winning the state lottery.
We were a mess before we met God! We followed the lusts of our flesh, and we were disobedient before we met God! We did not and do not deserve God’s forgiveness. Take a moment right now and read Ephesians 2:4. Some of the greatest words ever written, “But God!” We did not and do not deserve an abundant, pleasing, fulfilling life – BUT GOD! We deserve judgment. Look at the beautiful hope that the character of God gives us! But God, who is…
o “rich in mercy” – 2:4 – not stingy. Generous. Abundant. We have a high demand for mercy, but God’s mercy is ever flowing.
o “dead in sins” – 2:5 – there are no secrets with God. He has seen you and me at our worst, but He still stirred our hearts to be drawn to Him.
o “raised us up…sit together in heavenly places” - 2:6 – God didn’t leave us where He found us. We come to Jesus just as we are, but we leave that meeting transformed like we have never been!
o “ages to come…His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” – 2:7 – this isn’t a Band-Aid or temporary solution for a devastating problem. God’s plan was to shower all of His creation with such grace “in the ages to come” so all would know the depth of the riches of His grace. How? God’s grace is seen through His kindness directed to you and me through Jesus.
GOD IS GIVING – Ephesians 2:8-9
An American Express survey about the worst Christmas gifts found that fruitcake was chosen most often (31%) from a list of possible “worst” holiday gifts. It even finished ahead of “no gift at all.” When asked how to dispose of a bad gift, 30% of those surveyed said they would hide it in the closet, 21% would return it, and 19% would give it away. (Source: Unknown)
Good news! God has given us all the best gift ever – this is how much He loves you! So, do not hide the gift, try to give it back or give it away! This is THE gift all of mankind desperately needs. God wants to save you. It’s all God’s doing. You and I had nothing to do with it.
Listen to the gospel, the good news of salvation…learn the gift of God (Rom. 6:23) and know it well.
Jesus lived on earth without sin…we all have sinned. Eccl. 7:20; Rom. 3:23
Jesus willingly yielded to God’s will.
We often fight God’s will. We often want the controls and are unwilling to yield to God’s will. For example,
Regular church attendance is God’s will (Heb. 10:25). Living the gospel means I run to the opportunity, the privilege, of worshipping the One who saved me with others whom He saved!
Being known by my love for others is God’s will (Jn. 13:34-35). Living the gospel is to love others as God has loved me!
Loving my wife with a sacrifice that is descriptive of Christ’s sacrifice for me is God’s will (Eph. 5:25). It is living the gospel to choose sacrifice over self!
Forgiving hurtful actions of others, like God forgives me, is God’s will (Eph. 4:32). Living the gospel forgives others because I know how much God has forgiven me!
Jesus modeled this path of yielding to God’s will in the most extreme circumstances as He approached His own crucifixion! Do you recall Christ’s prayer in Luke 22:42? He cried out to God approaching an excruciatingly painful death and said, “Not my will, but thine be done.” Living the gospel will bring me to choose God’s will over my own way, even in extreme circumstances…just like Jesus did for me.
Jesus endured the pain of the cross.
Jesus took on Himself all of my sin and the punishment I deserve. This is love. This is the gospel. This is the gift of salvation! (I Pet. 2:21)
Forgiveness of sin and a home in heaven is possible; however, it came at a great cost -- everything of great value requires a great cost. Jesus shed His blood to cover our sin! This gift holds so great a value that mankind cannot even comprehend its full value. With a gift of such great value, the cost was more than any of us could imagine. God gave up His only son to die in our place. But this is a gift, and like any gift, you must accept it as our own.
Sharpen your focus on the life God gave you by sharpening your focus on the character of God. This is where you find peace (Isaiah 26:3-4) and truth (Jn. 14:6; 17:17). The character trait we saw this week is simple, but incredibly powerful. God is loving and giving. Your life, the life of a child in the womb, the life of a handicapped person, and the life of an elderly human being all have struggles and imperfections – But God is rich in mercy.
…CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.