January 18, 2015
Today is our recognition of the Sanctity of Human Life. Although we do not focus very much on special emphases for the Sundays of the year, this is one that I have followed for a long time. Those who are regular attendees of our church know that most years, I preach a message that focuses on the Sanctity of Life and its biblical foundation. Today I will do that again and even the music will follow that same theme. It is my prayer that this emphasis will help us fight the trend in our world to devalue life and miss the wonder of being God’s special creation, “made in His image.”
As I work on this message, I am struck by the affect of sin on the sanctity of life. It is not a correlation I have considered before. Yes, I know we are all sinners and that our sin has separated us from God and His holiness, but I am more attentive today to the fact that sin keeps us from accepting the wonder and beauty of our simple daily lives.
When we sin, it pushes us away from God and when we reject God, we lose the reason for seeing life as wonderful and special. Sin makes us think that life is what we make it, rather than a gift from our Creator. Sin convinces us that some lives are not worth as much as others and even that our lives may not be worth enough to keep on living. My sinfulness pushes God out of my life and when He is kicked out, I loose all reason to see life as valuable, significant and worth living.
However, when I repent of my sin, turn back to my Creator, I discover that life is valuable just because it is a gift from God. He is the author of life and when I give Him His rightful place of authority, I can receive His gift of life in its beauty and simplicity. The wonder of being God’s child is far reaching. It makes each day special. It gives me worth without the baggage of accomplish, peer pressure, wealth and even happiness. Even something as simple as happiness is tied to what I’ve done, what I have, or what I want. All of those are centered around ME, my sinful self-centeredness. When I release that sinfulness to the Savior, in return He gives me the simple job of just being His child. That relationship of trust brings our Creator great glory and brings us great satisfaction. I love John Piper’s insight, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
Psalm 8 says that God “made man a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” If we can believe that, it gives each one of us a reason to experience the joy and wonder of the Sanctity of Human Life. We need to turn away from our sin and receive the great gift of God, LIFE. Will you turn your face to the Creator and receive that gift?
Your pastor,
Dude Garrett
