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MESSAGES FROM GENESIS #1

LIFE FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE

THE BIBLICAL VIEW OF HUMAN LIFE

DATE: 9/26/10 am

TEXT: Genesis 1:26-28

INTRODUCTION

Ill. How many, recall the brain-damaged woman in Florida named Terri Schaivo? Because of what that poor woman had been forced to endure, people around the nation and around the world are thinking about the issues of life and death

Sadly, we are living in a world where human life has become a cheap commodity

It has become common place to throw human life away before it ever has a chance

And, it is becoming easier to discard those individuals that are seen as worthless

Ill. The Netherlands, has a policy of legalized euthanasia, and in 1990 there were 11,800 euthanasia deathsThese accounted for 9% of the total deaths in that country That means nearly 1 out of every 10 people who died in the Netherlands in 1990 died by euthanasia, at the hands of a doctor, a nurse, or a family memberOf these 11,800 deaths, some 5,491 were performed without the patient’s consent!

A Biblical View of Human Life –Genesis 1:26-28

Today, I want to look at what God has to say about Human Life

I think His perspective should be considered as we think about matters like -

The Right to Live, The Right to Die, Abortion and Euthanasia

In fact, not only should God’s perspective be considered,

It should be the final word in all matters

So, today, let’s examine Life from God’s Perspective

Let’s pray and examine this thought

~~~PRAYER~~~

There are three statements I would like to make regarding this topic

God is Sovereign in: (with Complete Power)

THE “CREATION” OF LIFE

THE “CONTINUATION” OF LIFE

THE “CONCLUSION” OF LIFE First, let’s look at -

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I. THE “CREATION” OF LIFE - Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 2:7

A. Every Human is a ‘Special’ Being –

The Primary Truth here, is the fact, that man is -

The Special Object of God’s Creative Power …

And not the Result of some Random Evolution

Man did not evolve from a single-celled organism over millions of years

He is the Special Creation of God

Notice that all the other animals were spoken into existence by the Word of God

v.24 – “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind”

However - 2:7 – “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul”

The fact that God singled man out for special care in the creation lets us know that there is a vast difference between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom

Now, here’s the biggest lie of evolution (really the devil)

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If people can be convinced that mankind is nothing more than the product of random chance,

Then, human life looses all its value

You see, if man simply evolved, then he is no different than a dog or a cat

You kill him and he simply ceases to exist

There is no God, no eternal soul

There is no heaven to be gained or a hell to be shunned

Man is nothing more than an animal

And he can be eliminated (if it becomes necessary)

Those who hold to this view, believe that man should live until his quality of life is over,

Then he should be “put out of his misery”

Once we start down this slippery slope, there will be no turning back

Today, it’s babies and brain-damaged people;

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Tomorrow, it will be the mentally and physically challenged as well as the old and the infirm

That is exactly where our world is headed!

However, this is the false view of Life, Death and Eternity

(We will talk about these matters more in a few minutes)

For now, we need to remember that Every Human is a Special Being;

He or she is here because they are the Special Creation of God Himself!

Secondly, when it comes to The “Creation” of Life

B. Every Human is a ‘Spiritual’ Being –

We are told that man was made “in the image” of God

This does not mean that man looks like God;

Nor that God has a body like we do

It does mean that man was created like God in that man is an eternal, tripartite (3) being

In the Godhead, there is the Father, the Son and the Spirit

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In a man, there is the Body, the Soul and the Spirit

God is a three part being; Man is a three part being

God has Intellect, Will and Emotions, and so does Mankind

God is Eternal, Man is Eternal

These are the primary ways mankind can be distinguished from the members of the animal kingdom

Every person who ever comes into this world has three parts

They have a Body, a Soul and a Spirit

Let’s take just a moment to examine each of these parts

1. The Body –

The Body is the Vehicle with which we move through and interact with our world

It is the Residence of the Senses (taste, touch, smell, sight,

sound)

The Body also provides a home for the Soul and the Spirit while in this world

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Both Humans and Animals have Bodies

When we die, our bodies return to the earth

Genesis 3:19 – “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out

of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”

Ecclesiastes 3:20 – “All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again”

Job 34:15 – “All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust”

2. The Soul –

The Soul is the Seat of the Will, the Character, the Intellect, the Thoughts, and the Emotions

The Soul is where we Reason, Love, Hate, Want, etc.

The Soul is what we refer to when we speak of the Mind

Your Soul animates your Body and allows you to interact with your world and with other people

In short, your Soul is that part of you that makes you who you are

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Your Soul makes you Self-Conscious

There is a sense in which it can be said that animals have souls

That is, they have life within them and they are self-conscious and able to interact with the world around them

3. The Spirit –

Here is where the Similarities between man and animals end

While the Soul makes us Self-Conscious;

The Spirit allows us to be God-Conscious

But every person born, is Stillborn Spiritually

Ephesians 2:1 – “And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;”

But, when the Spirit of God comes by and “quickens”, or brings life to us,

Man’s spirit then can reach out in faith toward God

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After salvation, the Holy Spirit begins to transform the Soul of man

These changes within the Spirit and the Soul demonstrate themselves in the Action of the Body

All of that may seem complicated, but think of it like this:

“The "Soul" and the "Spirit" are similar in the manner in which they are used in the spiritual life of the believer

They are different in their reference

The "Soul" is man's Horizontal view of the world

The "Spirit" is man's Vertical view of God

It is important to understand that both refer to the immaterial part of man, (not made of matter, or not of the physical)

But only the "Spirit" refers to man's walk with God

The "Soul" refers to man's walk in the world

When we leave this world, the Soul and Spirit return to God to be dealt with accordingly

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Ecclesiastes 12:7 – “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it”

The Redeemed go to Glory –

Turn to John 14:1-3

The Lost go to Hell -

Psalm 9:17 –“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God”

II Thessalonians 1:8, 9 – “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:” “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power;”

The fact that man is the Special Creation of God …

And that he is made in the Image of God …

And has the Capacity to Know God …

Proves that man is a Special Creature in the Eyes of God

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This establishes the fact that -

God is Sovereign over:

THE “CREATION” OF HUMAN LIFE

Second Thought:

God is Sovereign:

II. IN THE “CONTINUATION” OF LIFE

A. God Determines the ‘Dawn’ of Every Life –

God is in charge of when Life is created in the womb

God is in charge of when Life begins

Notice what the Bible says about this:

Psalm 113:9 – “He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD”

Sarah – Genesis 21:1, 2 – “And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as He had spoken” “For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him”

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Rebekah – Genesis 25:21 – “And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived”

Leah – Genesis 29:31 – “And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren”

Rachel – Genesis 30:22 – “And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb”

Samson’s Mother – Judges 13:2, 3

Hannah – I Samuel 1-2

Elizabeth and Mary

When we think of childbirth, we think of it being just the product of a physical union between a man and a woman

It is far more than that!

There is a Sovereign God behind the scenes that determines whether or not that egg is fertilized

He determines whether or not life begins

I realize that there are often physical issues involved

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Still, behind it all is the Sovereign Will of God

He Opens the womb and He Closes the womb according to His will

He and He alone Determines the ‘Dawn’ of Human Life

B. God Determines the ‘Design’ of Every Life –

Not only does God determine whether or not there will be life

He also determines what that life will become

He has a plan for every human that comes into this world

In Jeremiah 1:5, we read that God had his hand on Jeremiah and even had a plan for the prophet’s life before he was ever born

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” The same was true in the life of John the Baptist

The Bible tells us all about what he would be before he was ever born in Luke 1:13-17

We even read that God was active in John’s life while he was still in his mother’s womb

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Luke 1:44 – “For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy”

What you and I are in this life is not the product of random chance and hapless genetics

What we are in this life is the product of Divine Sovereignty

We are what we are, because God determined it to be the way that it is

→ This was the conviction of David

Turn to Psalm 139:13-16

→ Job also held this view

Turn to Job 10:9-12

Even modern science (which tries its hardest to destroy the very thought of God) confirms for us that we cannot be the product of mere chance

Ill. Notice these facts about our bodies:1. The average body contains some 7.5 trillion cells

It is far more complex than the most advanced computer2. Each cell has 200 trillion tiny groups of atoms called protein

molecules 3. The Largest molecule is called DNA

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DNA carries hereditary information from the parents to the offspring, it also carries genetic code It determines if you will be a man or a mammoth

4. DNA in one cell is 6 feet long Total DNA in body would fill a box the size of an ice cube, but if it were joined together, it would reach to the sun and back 400 times

5. All our cells contain the information found in all the other cells Each cell in your body carries all the necessary information for another you

6. If the coded DNA information and instructions of one human were translated into English, it would fill a 1000 volume set of encyclopedias

7. In cell division the cell forms a rotating double helix It rotates at 75 turns per second This is equal to straightening out a cathedral full of tangled microphone wire in under a split second

Yet, the cell’s duplication is so accurate that it is equivalent to a rate of less than one letter for an entire set of Encyclopedia Britannica

Note: What I am trying to get us to understand is the fact

that every human that is conceived in the womb is special!

Every person whether born or unborn is conceived with, and for a purpose

Every human life is precious and none are to be discarded

Life must be protected and preserved at all costs!

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→ the unborn child in that mother’s womb is precious!

→ the mentally incapacitated person in that institution is precious!

→ the terminally ill individual is precious!

Regardless of their condition, every human life is precious in the site of God

And it must be defended from those who look at it as something that can be thrown away!

Psalm 49:8 – “(For the redemption of their soul is precious, (for)and it ceaseth for ever:)”

God is Sovereign in:

THE “CREATION” OF LIFETHE “CONTINUATION” OF LIFE

And lastly God is Sovereign:

III. IN THE “CONCLUSION” OF LIFE

Just as surely as the Lord God Almighty is Sovereign in the Creation and the Continuation of Human Life,

He is also Sovereign in the Conclusion of Life 16


→ Neither man nor Satan has the power to Create Life

→ Neither has the ability to Continue Life apart from the Sovereign will of God

→ And, neither has the right to make the decision to End life

Look at what the Bible says about this

A. God Alone Appoints the ‘Time’ of Man’s Death –

This is the clear teaching of Scripture

Job 7:1 – “Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?”

Job 12:10 – “In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind”

Job 14:5 – “Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with Thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;”

Job 14:14 – “If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come”

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Psalm 39:4 – “LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am”

Hebrews 9:27 – “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

This is evidence from the Old Testament record

Daniel 5 (the story of Belshazzar)

Belshazzar was told when he would die

Jesus told a parable that illustrates this truth for us

Luke 12:16-20 (the story of the rich man that builds new barns)

Just as surely as the Lord has a plan regarding the Beginning and the Middle of your Life,

He also has a plan for the End of your Life

He knows the day, the hour, the minute, even the very second when you will breathe your last and you will go out into the eternity

(By the way, an eternity that you will have chosen)

The ‘Time’ of Man’s Death

B. God Alone Appoints the ‘Terms’ of Man’s Death –

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Not only does God decide when we die,

He also determines where we will breathe our last as well

Regardless of how you leave this world,

You will leave exactly when, where and how the Lord has determined it will happen

→ It was the Lord’s will that Moses die alone with God on a mountain

Deuteronomy 34:5-8

→ It was God’s will that Jacob die surrounded by his children

Genesis 49:3

→ It was God’s will that Paul die at the hands of Roman executioners

Sometimes people leave through tragedies

Sometimes people die because of disease

Sometimes they leave by way of old age

Sometimes they go suddenly in their youth

But, however they leave this world; 19


It is God’s will that must determine the when, the where and the how,

And not the will of men!

The only exception I think of, to that statement, is Capital Punishment

The Word of God is clear, when man murders his fellow man,

He is to pay for that crime with his own life

Genesis 9:6 – “Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man”

Romans 13:4 – “For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister

of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil”

Note: Whether we are talking about murder, suicide, euthanasia or abortion,

Man has assumed the place of God, when he take another human being’s life

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Each of these horrible sins ends life prematurely,

And each will be judged and punished harshly by God

Now, please don’t misunderstand me

There are times when it becomes necessary to withhold further medical treatment and just allow nature to take its course

If you have had to make those decisions, my heart goes out to you!

You have not committed murder, but you have simply placed the matter into God’s hands

However, to put a helpless, voiceless woman to death by withholding food and water is murder!

The courts of our nation failed Terri Schaivo,

But this matter will be taken up in a higher court one day!

CONCLUSION:

I hope you agree with me that human life is precious!

It is so precious that God sent His Son Jesus into this world to save life through His death on the cross

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John 3:16, 17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved”

We need to pray for our nation and for our world

We have taken the first steps down a slippery slope that will lead us farther and farther away from God

We have witnessed the dawn of a new day in our country where (in the long run) no one may be safe from the death merchants

We need to take our stand, cast our votes and lift our voices in favor of life

We can and we must make a difference!

God says that life is precious, I say “Amen!”

I wonder who will join me at this altar to call upon the Lord in intercession for our nation, our world and the helpless,

voiceless people who face death in the name of convenience, money and godless indifference

God is Sovereign in:

THE “CREATION” OF LIFETHE “CONTINUATION” OF LIFE

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THE “CONCLUSION” OF LIFE

“And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness:” “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them”

THAT’S LIFE FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE

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