Reference

Psalm 139

Rules of engagement:

1. Honor the Lord (Jn. 13:35; Col. 4:6)

2. Commit to learning together (listen to understand, not respond)

3. Be respectful of one another

4. Believe the best in one another, not the worst

Sermon Notes

I. _____ design for life

A. God _____ us life (Psalm 139:13-16)

1. Life is about _________ God

2. Life is about ______ for God

B. ___ lives matter to God

II. The ______ view of life

A. ______ ourselves

1. Rejection of ___as our authority

2. __ have authority over life and death

B. __________ others

III. Hope: eternal life ____ through death

IV. Living for _____

A. ______ the vulnerable

B. Treat every person with _______

Going Deeper

God's Design for Life

  1. Read Psalm 139:13-16. What is the meaning of life? What does this passage say about God as our creator? If God created us what is the implication for how we live?
  2. Read Jeremiah 1:5; Job 12:10; Job 33:4; Deuteronomy 32:39. What do these verses teach us about God giving us life? Henry Hammond says: “The flesh and bones and skin and nerves and arteries are so [creatively and perfectly] weaved together, that no embroidery or carpet-work in the world can compare with it.”
  3. Read Genesis 1:27-31. What is God’s first command to the man and woman? How can we be obedient to this command today? We are viceregents of God – we are to subdue the earth and rule over it – with responsibility, care, stewarding what God has “given” (v. 29, 30). What does that look like in your life? How does this set the bar for treating creation humanely?
  4. The Westminster Shorter Catechism says: What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. How will you glorify God and enjoy Him this week?
  5. Read Romans 14:7-8. How will you apply these verses in your life this week?
  6. Read Exodus 22:21-24. How does God feel about the vulnerable? How does this passage show us that all lives matter to God?
  7. The secular view of life leads to deifying ourselves. When we make ourselves gods, we trample God’s sacred order. Sacred order is critical for the flourishing of society. Without order, chaos ensues. Philip Reiff says: “Culture and sacred order are inseparable…No culture has ever preserved itself where it is not a registration of sacred order. There, cultures have not survived…a culture that persists independent of all sacred orders is unprecedented in human history.”
  8. On Nov. 18, 2022 a paper by Anna Samjdor was published suggesting that women donate their whole bodies for gestation. We know about surrogate mothers, but the suggestion is even women who are brain-dead can donate their whole bodies for gestational purposes! It has been successfully done already! Read more here. link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11017-022-09599-8
  9. The secular view of life leads to dehumanizing others, which opens the door to abortion. C. S. Lewis said: “The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid “dens of crime”…[or] even in concentration camps and labor camps…It is conceived and ordered…in clean, carpeted, warmed and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices.”
  10. Gregory Koukl says: “If the unborn is not a human person, no justification for abortion is necessary…If the unborn is a human person, then no justification for abortion is adequate.”
  11. What are some ways you will protect the vulnerable?
  12. What are some ways you will treat every person with dignity?
  13. Read Luke 14:13-14. Why do you think Jesus would say this? Look at v. 1. Who is he speaking to? Why was this important?

Further reading: