Elephant in the Room: Week 3

Elephant in the Room: Week 3

REALITY#1:

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God

1 John 1:9 was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

o This is a conditional promise. We must confess it as sin, but then know that His forgiveness covers all our sin, even abortion!

REALITY#2: THERE ARE ISSUES WITH ABORTION.

For many, it’s a calloused, self-centered, or hard heart.
For many, it’s fear and shame.
For those pregnant outside of marriage, sexual sin will be compounded by the sin of abortion.

• God hates murder and holds us accountable for it. He is also a God of grace and forgiveness who calls us to repent.

REALITY#3: THE WORLD SAYS…

LIFE HAS INESTIMABLE VALUE.

Genesis 2:7 The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.

WE GET LIFE FROM GOD HIMSELF.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

GOD IS THE MAKER OF ALL THINGS—YOU ARE THE RESULT OF INTELLIGENT DESIGN.

Psalm 139:13-16 13

1. “Life has no value. We evolved. We don’t matter. There is no God.”

2. “Life doesn’t begin until birth; a fetus is not a human being.”

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14I praise you because

I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15My frame was not hidden from

you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16Your eyes saw my

unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

LIFE BEGINS AT CONCEPTION.

Professor Micheline Matthews-Roth of Harvard Medical School: “It is incorrect to say that biological data cannot be

decisive… It is scientifically correct to say that individual human life begins at conception.”

• Sperm + egg = embryo — That embryo has its own unique chromosomal structure, differing from the parents, with

its own internal development.

• By Week 3 of a baby’s life: the brain, spinal cord, heart, and gastrointestinal tract are developing.

• By Week 4 to 5: We can see arm and leg buds, and the baby’s heart is now beating at a steady rhythm.

• In spite of the overwhelming evidence from both cutting edge science and God’s documented Word…

o In the year 2015: 638,169 abortions in the U.S.

o One in 20 women in the U.S. will have an abortion by age 20.

o Almost one in five women will have an abortion by age 30.

o 24% of U.S. women will have an abortion by age 45.

o In the majority of abortions in the U.S., the men involved support the woman’s decision to abort.

SO HOW DO WE RESPOND? WHAT ARE WE TO DO?

Decide to be a part of the solution!
• Understand the person’s story, come with grace and truth—love not judge!
• Christians throughout history have been known for sacrificial love and service—during plagues, toward the

oppressed, widows and orphans, and single moms.
• Look into adoption and/or foster care.
• Volunteer with Open Arms Real Choices Clinic (realchoicesclinic.com / 208-667-5433)

DISCIPLE-MAKING & PERSONAL HEALING RESOURCES:

Books: Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments by Randy Alcorn | The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers | The Case for Life by Scott Klusendorf
Studies: Forgiven and Set Free by Linda Cochrane | Surrendering the Secret by Pat Layton
Groups: Post-Abortion Healing Class, Monday nights @ 6:15PM, starting Sept 23rd. | Open Arms Crisis Pregnancy
Center CDA recovery group starts Sept 26th. realchoicesclinic.com 208-667-5433
Website: abanon.org

• Watch the movie Unplanned.

• PRAY, understanding there is intense spiritual warfare behind the abortion agenda!

QUESTIONS TO REFLECT AND DISCUSS:

Passages to consider: Psalm 139:1-16, 1 John 1:9, Proverbs 31:8-9

What from the sermon was impactful to you?
Read Genesis 1 and Psalm 139:1-16. What is God saying about Himself and about humans?
In what ways does a biblical view of a Creator God and the value of human beings differ from the way the world
around you sees how life works?
Think about how you have experienced forgiveness. How has it changed you, and how has it changed how you
see others?
What are you discovering about hard topics, grace, love, and truth?
How could you be a part of having a voice for the voiceless and help for the hurting? Brainstorm and share
ideas. A) What role could you have in adoption, foster care, crisis pregnancy, or post abortion recovery? Take some time to prayerfully consider and listen to what God is showing you.