Sermon Transcript
The following is a lightly edited transcript generated from the audio; it may contain small errors.
Good News and Bad News
So my sermon title today is Ora et Labora. Don’t Google it. You’ll find out what it means in a minute. Ora et Labora. As we look at the current landscape regarding life issues, we actually have good news and we have bad news. What do you want first? Yeah, let’s do the bad news first. OK, you ready? The bad news is that abortion is still legal in the United States. You can all groan. Thank you. You can start the chorus. The bad news is that Roe v. Wade is still law in the United States. The bad news is that approximately 3,000 abortions a day occur in the United States. The bad news is that Planned Parenthood is still operating 650 abortion clinics in the U.S. And the bad news is that Planned Parenthood is still receiving federal financial aid, your tax dollars at work. What’s the good news? Want to hear some good news? The good news is that actually the abortion rate in the U.S. is declining. The good news is that U.S. teens are engaging in premarital sex less than the previous generation. So the abstinence message is getting out there. The good news is that while there are 1,800 abortion clinics in the U.S., there are 2,300 CPCs in the U.S. There are more pro-life clinics than abortion clinics in the United States. The good news is that Planned Parenthood is actually being defunded in many states in the U.S. Missouri is one of them. The good news is that Planned Parenthood is now under investigation for the illegal sale of body parts. The good news is that for the first time in U.S. history, a sitting president personally addressed the annual March for Life on Friday. As well as the fact that the vice president and the Speaker of the House also personally addressed the March for Life. And if you understand how our government works, if the president is assassinated, which he could be, because he’s hated so much. Who’s next in line? The vice president. Well, if something happened to him, who’s next in line? The Speaker of the House. So the three most powerful politicians that are in the U.S. government are not only pro-life, [audio unclear] But here’s a few numbers for you that I wanted to share. One survey found that 76% of Americans are in favor of limiting abortion to at most the first three months of pregnancy, including 90% of Republicans, 78% of Independents, and 61% of Democrats. Additionally, while 51% of Americans identify as pro-choice, even 60% of those agree with substantial restrictions on abortion. So what we see in America is that people, a majority doesn’t really want it to be totally outlawed, but they also don’t like it being just open, on demand as it’s called, throughout nine months. They really, they want it there. I think many people who, I think the majority of people are kind of in the middle. I think the majority of people kind of want it there as a safety clause, if you will. Well, in the case of some crisis, we want that to be available. But it’s not something they would promote. And they definitely don’t think it should be promoted past the first three months. So they’re all in favor of restrictions, which is why in many states, the majority of states in the U.S. now, there are pretty significant restrictions on abortion. So that’s why some of the surveys, you’ll see the headline, a majority of Americans are pro-abortion. They say pro-choice. But actually when you begin to look through the numbers, what you see is they’re pro-choice in the sense that they want Roe v. Wade to stand, but they really are not morally in favor of abortion. They prefer that it not be there, but it’s there and they’ll tolerate it. This poll also found that 63% would prohibit abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, while 60% opposed the use of tax dollars to fund abortion. That’s all good news, amen.
So it’s interesting that 51% say they’re pro-choice, but 56% consider abortion to be morally wrong. Now think about that. You say, well, that can’t be. How can you be pro-choice but it’s morally wrong? It’s because they see it as on basic legal grounds. They want it there. They want it available. But they actually think it’s morally wrong. So these are probably the people that think of abortion as being there as a necessity. And so when you think about the subject of abortion, you can think of it as a positive good, you can think of it as a necessary evil, or you can think of it as a positive evil. And I think many people are in the middle. They don’t like it, they don’t think it’s morally right, but they don’t necessarily want it totally, totally banned. But these numbers show that the pro-life message is and has been gaining ground in the United States, which is a good sign. And I’m particularly encouraged to know that the millennials are probably more pro-life than their parents, which is a good sign. Amen. There’s a saying that politics is downstream from culture. You understand what that means? So, you know, we try to fix things politically, but they can’t hold if the culture at large is against what we’re trying to fix on the top. So what has to happen is you have to change people’s hearts. Right? The culture has to change, and then politics reflects the culture. So the reason you get liberal policies implemented is because the culture has become more liberal. It’s a simple fact. It’s really unavoidable. If you have a government that is functioning contrary to the majority, then what do you have? You have a tyranny. You don’t have a democratic government. So politics is downstream from culture. The good news of many surveys is that so many young people are moving toward an abstinence message, and they’re moving toward the pro-life message. That’s good news. Because that means their hearts are being won. And I think one of the reasons, there are many, but one of the reasons it’s happening is because of the widespread use of ultrasound machines. I mean, it’s undeniable. I mean, go to YouTube and type in ultrasound. And it’s astounding to see the ultrasound videos of the unborn children. And it’s undeniably a person. I mean, you see it moving and sucking its thumb and doing all of these things. So it’s getting harder and harder to say this is not human life or this is not a human person. And young people are seeing that. And this is really the first generation that was born into this technology, where this technology is now available, but also widely spread through the internet so they can see the evidence of life in the womb. So there’s bad news, but there’s good news. And the good news is that the life message is winning. That’s the good news. And I believe the life message will continue to win. Now, in light of the landscape on life issues, what can we do? What can we do? I think there’s two things that we can do. Now I say we, I mean we who care. We who care. Some people care, some people don’t. You learn as you get involved in these sorts of issues, you see that the majority of people are in the middle, but often those are the people that are apathetic. And then you have the true believers on the left and the true believers on the right, you know what I’m saying? The majority of people in the middle, they just want to live their lives, they want to raise their kids, they want a good career, they want to be able to pay their bills, they want lower taxes, they just want to live their life. They don’t want to have to fuss, right? But many, I believe many Christians do care. But they don’t know what to do. They’re not sure what to do, [audio unclear] The little [audio unclear] I’m just a little insignificant, you know, the government’s so big, and the corporations and everything’s so big. But when you think of the church, the reality is we are the Goliath. The church in America, in America, is the Goliath. And those who are, what I would say, are truly pro-abortion, pro-choice, they call it. The true believers, the true dedicated people are much, much, much smaller in number. But it’s our perspective of being small and impotent which keeps us from acting. We feel that we’re powerless, right? Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. So we can all do something, we can all do something, and it’s the unified effect of all Christians acting which changes things in our culture. So there’s two things that we can do that I want to mention briefly today. And those two things are Ora et Labora. Ora means pray and Labora means labor or work. So we are to pray and we are to labor.
Ora: Pray
Open your Bible if you would to 1 Timothy 2. Now there are many, many, many texts on prayer of course in the Bible, many. And when we think about the role of prayer in the Christian life, it is one of the most fundamental disciplines of the Christian life. But in 1 Timothy 2, Paul says this, he says, therefore, verse 1, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” So Paul is exhorting us to pray, but strikingly he tells us to pray for something specific. And I say this is striking because many of the exhortations of the Bible to pray, Paul just says pray. Pray always, pray vigilantly, pray, pray. But only in a couple places does he specifically say what to pray for, and this is one of them, which is striking. And he specifically tells us to pray for our, what we would today call politicians. So when he says to pray for kings and for all those in authority, it would be politicians. In those days, kings or rulers, governors, et cetera. And so this is a duty for the church, but clearly it’s a neglected duty. Because if I were to ask you, when’s the last time you prayed for the politicians of Washington or even in our state, it’s something we tend to neglect, right? And it’s ironic because we have a specific exhortation to do so. So the question is, do we believe that prayer changes things? Do we really believe that? And I think we do, or we say we do. But what we tend to do, I believe, is we tend to separate what we consider to be our spiritual life from our social and political life. In other words, in our mind, we have these compartments and we think, okay, I need to pray for my kids or I need to pray for my career or pray for my college or pray for this or that. Maybe I’ll pray for my church, maybe, maybe, maybe I’ll pray for my pastors. But what about anything beyond that? And so we have a very small circle, if you will, a small, what I call circle of concern. And when you look at your life, you actually have three circles of concern. You know what they are? They’re your family. That’s the most immediate. The second circle of concern is your church community, your brothers and sisters in Christ. And then the third circle of concern is the broader community. Would be your local community, state community, or even the national community. So we tend not to go outside the first circle. And so I believe that if we’re going to continue to see changes in the landscape, if we’re going to continue to get good news, if you will, not just about life issues, but other issues that Scripture addresses, then we must be a praying people. Amen? So Paul tells us here to pray for our politicians. And if some of you may keep a prayer list. If you do, then all you have to do is put a little note on there, 1 Timothy 2:1 to remind you. And so then you begin to pray for those in government that they would govern in a righteous manner that pleases God.
Another text on prayer I’d like to point out is Ephesians 6. You all know this, but let’s look at it again. And in Ephesians 6, starting in verse 10, Paul concludes his letter with an exhortation regarding spiritual warfare. He says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” So Paul in this text tells us that the battle, the Christian life is primarily and fundamentally a spiritual battle. A spiritual battle. When you’re in conflict with an individual, the primary enemy is not the person, it’s spiritual forces. In what’s called the culture war, the primary enemy isn’t people. We don’t hate people that are pro-abortion. We don’t hate people, or we shouldn’t. The real enemy, the real thing that’s operating, the god of this age he is called, is working in the sons of disobedience, Paul says, and they are the real enemy. And if they are the real enemy, then they are the ones that ought to be attacked. How do you attack a spiritual force? Do you write a sermon? Do you write a letter to the editor? How do you attack a spiritual force? Prayer. Prayer. Exactly. You attack a spiritual force in the spiritual realm. And Paul tells us in Ephesians 1 that the church, where are we? We are seated in the heavenlies in Jesus Christ. That we live in the spiritual realm because our life is hid with Christ. Where is He? He’s on the throne. And in the spiritual realm, we do battle through prayer. Through prayer. If I believe that the church labors, no matter what area, it can be evangelism, it can be the homeless, it can be poverty, it can be law, it can be abortion. If we labor without prayer, if we labora without ora, ultimately it will be a failure. Because the forces of evil are not just natural, that’s partly true because sin is in the world. But there are spiritual forces operating in the world which work against the will of God in the world. Amen? And the devil as he’s called is the enemy of God and the enemy of all that is good. All that is good. And so we must labor in prayer. One author said this. He said, prayer is political action. Prayer is social energy. Prayer is public good. Far more of our nation’s life is shaped by prayer than is formed by legislation. That we have not collapsed into anarchy is due more to prayer than to the police. Prayer is a sustained and intricate act of patriotism in the largest sense of that word. It’s good, isn’t it? The truth is all of us can only do a little. But let me tell you this. When you pray, you are talking to God. And God is the most powerful being in the universe. Imagine if you got a phone call and the voice said, we’d like you to come to the White House and meet with the president, vice president, and Speaker of the House. Would you come and give us your advice? Would you come and tell us what you care about? Would you go? I’d go. I’d tell them exactly what I think. Well, we have access to a political power much greater than the U.S. government, much greater than the U.S. Supreme Court. And that power is the Lord God Himself. And we access Him and that power through prayer. Prayer changes things. Prayer changes things. You may wonder, well, why doesn’t God just do it without us? Well, that’s one of the mysteries. God, sometimes I’m praying, I’m like, Lord, I’m sorry. I’m telling You what You already know. I’m sorry, I sound like I’m giving You advice when You know everything. But He’s ordained that we partner with Him. And I believe one of the reasons is because that way He increases the rewards that we receive. It’s a means of grace to us. It’s a means of blessing to us. So if you want to continue to see more good news, then we must pray individually and we must pray corporately. We must pray for those in authority. You must pray against all forms of evil. But I believe you also need to pray for the prosperity of the gospel. As I said earlier, politics is downstream from culture. If you want to change culture, you have to change hearts. And if you really want to see hearts change, people need to come to Jesus Christ, amen? What happens during a real revival is that in addition to the church being revived, is that you see people coming into the kingdom because they’re born again. And being born again, their hearts get transformed. And then, all of a sudden, their families begin to be transformed, and then their communities are transformed. But it begins with the heart changing, the human heart being transformed through the new birth. And we need to pray that God would raise up workers. We need to pray for the prosperity of the gospel in our culture. I believe that God is going to send us another revival. I believe that, and I believe it’s coming soon. We need to be working with God in His work on the earth, amen? And He wants to reach men and women with the gospel. If more and more people come to Christ, we’ll see the change in the culture. So we need to pray.
Labora: Labor
Secondly, we need to labor, we need to labor, which means we need to work, right? We need to work. As I said earlier, many people do nothing because they feel they cannot do much. But I think what we all need to do is we all need to do the little that God allows us to do, whatever that may be, whatever that may be. So as we pray, as you begin to pray, if we’re faithful about praying about life issues, what you’ll find is that your heart will change. You can’t pray about something consistently without it affecting your heart. It doesn’t work that way. And you won’t be happy with just praying. You’ll want to do something. You’ll want to concretely act out your convictions. So the question becomes, what can I do? Well there are many things you can do. In addition to praying, which is the most fundamental thing you can do, there are many ways that you can live out your convictions. You can support pro-life agencies. Most clinics in the U.S. are underfunded. There’s no question about it, actually most ministries in general are underfunded. It’s just a sad fact. But you can pray about giving and supporting financially. While you are praying in general, you can also adopt a local crisis pregnancy center or a medical clinic, and you can begin to pray specifically for that clinic, for the leadership and staff. You can also begin to pray for the women that actually come in, and the men that come into these clinics. Years ago, when I first got very concerned about this question of abortion in our culture, I had a misconception, and the misconception was that a vast majority of abortions were just women who, you know, it was just for them a form of birth control. But I don’t believe that’s true. I believe that many of the women that come into the clinics today ironically feel they have no other choice. And we hear story after story, as you know, my wife is a medical director of a clinic and she’ll be speaking next week. I hear story after story of women coming in the clinic and they’re being pressured by their parents, they’re being pressured by their boyfriend, sometimes being pressured by their husband, and they actually do not want to get an abortion. But they feel they have no choice. And that’s the irony of the pro-choice rhetoric. If we care about women, we want to give them as many options as possible, right? And so many women, if they had support, if they had financial support, if they had a network of support, like many of us have and take for granted, they would choose to keep their child. Because they feel they have no resources, they don’t have a network, they don’t have a choice. So we need to really, really be praying for the hearts of these women that come in the clinic. But we also need to be praying that the resources are made available and maybe we can provide them by our giving. Maybe you can even volunteer in a pro-life organization. There are clinics, there are many different, there are sidewalk counselors, there are people that do all sorts of things in different pro-life organizations. And you can be a part, and maybe you’re only a small part, but it’s the united effort of all of us that makes things change. You only have to do a little. And if every one of us would do a little, then we would see a big change.
John 13: A Life of Service
[audio unclear] And He gets down and you know the story, He washes their feet, right? Well, let’s just read it. It’s so good. John 13:1. “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. And supper being ended,” or some versions say during supper, “the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, are You washing my feet?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.’ Peter said to Him, ‘You shall never wash my feet!’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.’ Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.’” Meaning Judas, right? For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.” “So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.’” Blessed are you if you serve like Jesus served. The church is the only organization that exists for those outside of itself. And the Christian life is a life that exists not primarily for the individual Christian but for the benefit of others. The Christian life is a life of service and giving to others. It is a life of being like Jesus. [audio unclear] called to be and to do. And if we’d all lay it down for others, then we’d see really good news in our world, amen? Let’s stand and pray together.
Lord, we thank You that You are the perfect example. And that You are God and yet You would humble Yourself to get on Your knees in front of men and wash their feet. It’s just incomprehensible. Lord, give us that servant heart. And as Your apostle Paul said, Lord, to us, that we would have Your mind in us, the mind that was willing to lay down an entire life for the benefit of others. I pray our lives will be marked, Lord, by prayer, a spirit of prayer, and a devotion to service, and a commitment to the welfare of others. We thank You, Lord, that You have called us to be like You. What a privilege it is. And we do thank You, Lord, for the many, many, many lives we see You saving and transforming around us. We thank You for the good news of the gospel. We thank You for the good news we’ve mentioned today of how You are spreading the message of life. We ask, God, that we would be part of Your pro-life ministry in this world and we ask it for Your glory. We pray in Your name, in the name of Jesus, amen.