God's Memorial To The Value Of Life

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>God's Memorial To The Value Of Life</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id372.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getting A Fresh Start With God"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id382.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Monument To Greatness"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"God's Memorial To The Value of Life" </B></div> <div> <B>May 25, 2003am, Berean Bible Church</B></div> <bR> <div> <I>     </I>People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had a display in Binghamton recently. They have a graphic display comparing the "abuse" of animals to the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were slaughtered. Someone said of the comparison, "It's misguided. These animals are not being killed for political reasons." Is the motivation, political or otherwise, what makes killing (of animals or humans) right or wrong?</div> <div>      Consider this story I found on PETA's website: "Graphic PETA Video Will Allow Parishioners to `Meet Their Meat'" (May 23, 2003). Little Rock, Ark. - "Waving signs that read, `Blessed Are the Merciful' and `For Christ's Sake, Go Vegetarian,' a PETA activist dressed as Jesus will greet parishioners of the St. Edward's Catholic Church as they leave services on Sunday, urging them not to eat God's creatures at the church's Helping Hand Barbecue planned for next week. Accompanied by PETA's "Reality TV" truck, which will air graphic factory farm and slaughterhouse footage on giant screens, "Jesus" will distribute a PETA booklet on Christianity and vegetarianism in the hopes of convincing members of the flock to adopt a kinder, more Christ-like diet."</div> <div>      My talk today is not on vegetarianism or the value of eating steak (I recommend Marco's for great steak, by the way). But Genesis 9 gives us some guidelines about several issues that are confronting our society and our personal lives. We discussed how God destroyed the world, and every creature in it (with the exception of 8 people) by a world-wide flood. We may ask the question, How does God look at his creation, especially since he destroyed it? And what affect does it have on how we view what God created? Does God care about people's lives? Since he took so many lives at once, is there any value to human existence? And if there is value to human existence, what affect should it have on our society? The bottom line is this: we must value life because God values life (especially human life). Consider three things that are true about God and what they mean for our lives and society.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. God values his creation, especially people.</B></div> <div> A. <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Gen+9:1-17" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Genesis 9:1-3, 7-17</U></A>. God gave Noah a new start, a new chance to fill the earth with people. And God made a promise, he established a covenant, that he would not again destroy the earth and everything in it, until the final judgment and re-creation of the heavens and earth. He even established a memorial - the rainbow (a warrior's bow, pointed away from the earth).</div> <div> B. God values his creation, especially people.</div> <div>      We should not abuse the environment, because it is God's creation. However, God created the earth <I>for people</I>, and animals are given for food. People and animals and trees are not equal in the eyes of God, as they are in the eyes of some environmentalists. God places the highest value on human beings, and he cares about all of his creation.</div> <div>      More personally, how should we see ourselves and other people? You are valuable to God, he cares about your life and circumstances. Quit looking at yourself as worthless. Don't think of yourself as worthless because you don't have what others have, or you don't look the way others look. Quit looking at other people as worthless.  Quit judging people based on their appearance or their social status. We are made in the image of God, regardless of what color we are, regardless of whether we can walk or speak or hear, or whether we are wealthy or beautiful or not</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. God demands the protection of human life.</B></div> <div> A. <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Gen+9:4-6" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Genesis 9:4-6</U></A>.The flood was God's violent retribution on a violent society. Human life is valuable to God and it must be protected.</div> <div> B. God demands the protection of human life.</div> <div>      God established human government, justice, and capital punishment. Human life is so valuable, that one who willfully takes the life of another must pay with his own life, under the guidance of human government.</div> <div>      Regarding abortion and end-of-life concerns: the beginning of life and ending of life are in the hands of God. We who think human life is valuable, whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether they are fully capable or incapacitated, we must stand up and defend life.</div> <bR> <div> <B>III. God requires obedience in our relationships with one another.</B></div> <div> A. <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Gen+9:18-29" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Genesis 9:18-29</U></A>. This section introduces us to the origin of the enemies of Israel (the Canaanites). At issue is Ham's lack of respect for his father. When his dad was in a vulnerable situation, Ham looked and then he told others. He might have said, "Dad is an idiot, you should see him in there . . ." His brothers respected their father enough to cover him, without looking. (Another possibility is that Ham looked with sexual intent upon his father. It should be noted that the Canaanites were well-known for their sexual perversions.)</div> <div> B. God requires obedience in our relationships with one another.</div> <div>      One lesson is that we are to treat one another with respect (this is an implication of the value God places on humans). Do you put the needs and desires of yourself ahead of others? Do you call attention to the mistakes of others in laughter? Respect for others means you are kind, you find ways to let other people benefit. The Bible says that love <I>covers over</I> a multitude of sins, it does not <I>call attention</I> to them. </div> <div>      Another clear lesson is that sin has consequences; children learn character traits from their parents, and a new culture is begun. Parents, do you build up or tear down your kids? Do you challenge your kids to build up one another, or do you allow them to tear each other down? They will develop the habit, for better or for worse, early in life.</div> <div>      Shem's blessing was in relationship to God. Life is best lived in relationship with God - it is the only possibility for eternal life, it is the abundant life Jesus talked about. We can help make this world a better place, but if people live a long life and then die without Christ, they will suffer eternal punishment. God values humans so much. John 3:16 says, "God loved the world to such an extent that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not die but have eternal life."</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2003, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>