Have you ever seen an apparently healthy driver pull into a parking space marked "Handicapped" at the grocery store? A feeling of indignation rises in your chest, doesn't it? "They shouldn't take advantage that way!" you comment to your companion.

Yet when you, yourself, or someone you know is pregnant with a child that the "experts" say may be less than perfect, you encourage eliminating it. Or when an elderly person has been partially incapacitated by illness, you advocate facilitating his demise.

Why is it that, in the first instance at the grocery store, being disabled engenders a desire to protect, to defend, to stand up for; and in the other two, there's only a desire to get rid of "the problem?"

The unborn, the elderly, the disabled, the terminally ill — if these are only "problems" to us and have no intrinsic value of their own, then we naturally become very lax about conveniently disposing of them at both ends of life's spectrum.

First it was the unborn, via abortion. Francis Schaeffer, that 20th century prophet and intellectual, warned us in the 70s that abortion was the beginning of a slippery slope of denigration of human life that would eventually lead to euthanasia and such things as physician-assisted suicides. People were incredulous then; now people in Oregon have voted to maintain the availability of that very "option." Why?

People think their answers, their solutions, their viewpoints are at least equal to, if not superior to, God's. We decide which unborn children should be given an opportunity at life. We decide when someone's life is no longer "useful" enough or of sufficient "quality" to be allowed to continue.

Meanwhile, God's heart aches as He sighs, "My thoughts are higher than your thoughts, and My ways than your ways" (Isaiah 55:9). All human life is sacred.

I. Life is sacred . . . because God made it.

A. It was created by God.

1. And God created man in His own image. — Genesis 1:27
2. For in Him all things were created. — Colossians 1:16

B. It is protected by God.

1. And Thy care has preserved my spirit. — Job 10:12
2. For He will give His angels charge concerning you. — Psalms 91:11

C. It is valued by God.

1. Behold I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands. — Isaiah 49:16
2. I have loved you with an everlasting love. — Jeremiah 31:3
3. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. — Jeremiah 1:5
4. I am come that they might have life and have it to the full. — John 10:10

D. Illustration.
Have you ever done a piece of needlework, or woodworking, or ceramics for someone special to you? Or for yourself? Or what about an organization, a ministry, a campaign that you founded? You always have a very special place in your heart for that which you had a primary role in creating, don't you? Imagine how God feels when He creates each one of us, and then we are simply "thrown away?"

A. Life is a challenge in a sin-tainted world.
It would be wonderful if God's original plan had materialized, but unfortunately sin came into our world and with it came pain, imperfection, injustice, etc. God warned us of these challenges and enables those who trust in Him to be victorious through Him.

1. Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. — I Peter 5:7
2. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials. — James 1:2
3. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world. — John 16:33

B. We must not overlook those who have challenges in this life
Jesus showed special concern for the lame, the blind, the woman with the issue of blood, the lepers. In our day we mustn't forget.

1. The woman in crisis confronted with an unplanned pregnancy or abnormal embryo development such as Down Syndrome.
   
   Some studies report that as many as 90% of couples faced with an amniocentesis report of probable Down Syndrome will choose to abort. Yet, do you know anyone with a Down's child that doesn't tell you that child is the light of their life, an absolute joy, the most loving person they've ever known?
2. The post-abortive woman who struggles with the reality that she consented to her baby's death.
3. The post-abortive father who walked away from the reality of his sin.
4. The terminally ill or aged who have been forgotten or who have outlived many of their family and friends.
5. The disabled, the disadvantaged.
1. Illustration.
   Pastor and author Max Lucado tells in his book, The Applause of Heaven, about a sweater that hangs in his closet. He says he seldom wears it — it's too small, the sleeves are too short, the shoulders too tight, some of the buttons are missing, the thread is frazzled. Logically, he says, he should throw out that sweater since he has no use for it and will never wear it again. It simply takes up space in his closet. That's what logic says.

   But love, he reports, won't let him.

   Why not? What's unusual about that sweater? To start with, it has no label, no tag telling you "Wash in cold water." That's because it wasn't made in a factory, produced on an assembly line as the product of a nameless employee earning a living. Rather, it was the creation of a devoted mother expressing her love — his mother. That sweater is unique, one of a kind, irreplaceable. Each strand was chosen with care, each thread selected with affection.

   And so, even though that sweater has lost all of its use, it has lost none of its value. It is valuable not because of its function, but because of its MAKER. So is each life.

6. The lonely and emotionally distraught.
   Jesus said, "…to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me." Matthew 25:40

C. Our Lord placed great value on those whom society has shuffled aside.

1. While on his knees, the leper begged Jesus to make him clean. The Bible says, "Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man." Mark 1:41
2. We are His hands and His heart to a desperate, searching humanity.
   Please use one or two illustrations of people you have pastored who will fit in here.

III. Life is sacred . . . because of its eternal nature.

A. Life exists before we enter the material world.
"My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place." — Psalm 139:15-16

B. There is life at new birth.
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." — John 3:3

C. Our earthly life is simply a prelude to eternity.

1. "Man is destined to die once and after that the judgment." — Hebrews 9:27
2. "In my father's house are many rooms; I am going there to prepare a place for you." — John 14:2
3. "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." — 1 John 5:13
   In other words, we can know and be assured of abundant life while on the earth, and everlasting life in eternity with Christ.

D. The steps to life eternal.

1. Acknowledge that you are a helpless sinner separated from God. — Romans 3:23
2. Agree that Jesus Christ is the only provision for your salvation. — John 1:12
3. Receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and ask Him to come into your heart. — Romans 10:9
   Share an illustration of someone you know who accepted Christ after a life of struggle and challenge.

IV. Conclusion

A. ALL human life is valuable, then, because God creates and sustains it, in His own image and for His purpose — His sacred image, and His sacred purpose. Those are His "ways," which Isaiah tells us are so much higher than our "ways." Deliberately violating God's "ways" is the Bible's definition of sin.

B. And there's only one effective way to deal with sin: confess and repent. God is calling us to do confess that we have not followed His "ways" and repent from only following our "ways" — individually, as a church, as a nation. How will you respond to God's call?

Related Resources

The Right Choice
Pro-Life Sermons
Powerful sermons and speeches by an outstanding array of advocates for the sanctity of human life will prove invaluable for anyone who needs to speak on the topic of abortion.

Can You Handle the Truth?
50 In-Your-Face Devotions for Teens
Phil Chalmers
Fifty devotions deliver impacting answers from God's word on today's hottest issues for teens. With a range of topics from sex, media, abortion and suicide, this book doesn't hide from the facts and what God has to say about them. Your teen will be challenged as they find solutions to the real problems they face.

Life is Sacred
DVD
This powerful, six-minute presentation will leave an indelible impression and no room to question the inestimable worth of every life—from cradle to grave.

Answering the Call
Saving Innocent Lives One Woman at a Time
John Ensor
The call to cherish and defend innocent human life is coupled with the invitation to become involved with a local crisis pregnancy center. It inspires a passion in fathers to protect and provide for their God-given children, especially those in the womb.

Difficult Issues
Pastor to Pastor, from Focus on the Family
CDs
Many people in your church may be burdened with life's most difficult issues, and they're hungry for compassion and understanding. Through this insightful discussion, you'll know how to address them with delicacy and tact.