Trumpet 39
- Date: Sunday, January 22, 2012
- Speaker: Pastor Andy Tobin
1. Love for the Gospel ought to produce an active opposition towards abortion.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 | Holding fast to the gospel requires a rejection of false or anti-gospels. The values upholding abortion are contrary to the gospel. In the true gospel, Jesus came not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). The anti-gospel of abortion says, don't serve others but rather yourself, and take life as a ransom for your own.
James 4:1-4 | In fighting against abortion, our attitude and demeanor needs to be one of humility, recognizing that we may very well share some of the same idols that produce abortion. Maybe our service to our idols hasn't produced abortion, but we can't elevate ourselves as better since we've also been found guilty of spiritual adultery.
2. The Gospel necessarily produces the kind of people who fight to save the defenseless / the needy.
The fruit of a life transformed by the gospel is good works (see Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:14; James 2).
Among the good works that God calls us to is having compassion on the needy (see Luke 10:25-37; 14:12-14). For Old Testament examples of this see Job 29:14-17 and Proverbs 24:11-12
3. The Gospel necessarily produces the kind of people who labor to save the offensive / the guilty
The Sixth Commandment (Exodus 20:13) clearly means more than no actually committing murder. Jesus makes this clear in Matthew 5:21-26.
The Old Testament speaks of bloodguilt, which is the guilt associated with shedding innocent blood. These examples show that God takes life seriously, even when it isn't taken deliberately in the form of murder.
Exodus 21:28-29
Deuteronomy 22:8
Deuteronomy 21:1-9
The bloodguilt connected to abortion in our culture is absolutely staggering. People around us are both objectively (before God) and subjectively (feelings of shame) guilty. The only remedy for their genuine guilt is the gospel.
Andy mentioned a book that he used in preparation for this message. It is called Innocent Blood by John Ensor.
