EXHORTATION
Today, many churches across the nation are observing “Sanctity of Life Sunday.” This observance began shortly after the establishment of the Roe decision in the Supreme Court, and now that Roe has been plowed under in God’s mercy, we still observe this day because abortion remains legal across our nation.
After Noah’s flood, in Genesis 9, God established a covenant with all creation. That covenant restated the command God gave to Adam and Eve in Eden: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” (Gen. 9:1) God intends, and even commands, that men and women come together in marriage, bear children and raise them in the nurture and admonition of Christ—so that the earth might be full of those who bear his image and praise his name. All creation, for all time, is under this covenant.
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. (Gen. 9:12, 13, ESV)
When God gave this covenant, he also granted the authority to punish those who undermine the command to be fruitful and multiply. Genesis 9:6 says:
6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed,
for God made man in his own image.
Sadly, instead of protecting life from those who would take it, our government and our nation has rebelled against God’s covenant. We’ve undermined the family with no-fault divorce laws and labeling as marriage that which can never be marriage. We’ve eroded the beauty of marital intimacy by flooding our nation with free porn online, and we’ve sought to protect it under the guise of free speech. And even though Roe has fallen, many in our nation daily work to pass legislation that would protect the murder of the unborn.
Our God is the author of life. He is also the author of mercy. He forgives even the greatest sins, and no sin is too great that the blood of Christ cannot cover it. No matter what you have done, confess your sins, look to Christ, and he will pardon and welcome you.
Church, we have to lead the way in confessing our sins if we ever want to see the nation do the same. Our witness to the world is totally compromised if we act as if we’re guiltless. So, let confession and humility begin with us, even now as we pray.
CONFESSION
Father Almighty,
You indeed are the author of life; the one who creates our souls from nothing. You form our fingers and toes in our mother’s wombs, and you know all our days before we take our first breath.
Father, your Word is clear, that you hate the taking of innocent life. And though our nation has often been warned by your Word against this great evil, still our nation has stiffened its neck. Though we pride ourselves in being loving, in truth, ours is a nation of hatred and indifference to those who are most vulnerable.
Father, we confess as well, that we in the church are not guiltless. Even if we’ve opposed abortion, none of us have loved our own families as we ought. We have not fought the temptation of pornography as we ought. We have not cared for mothers who are considering abortion as their only option as we ought.
Father, above all this, we’ve forgotten that we are a people under the covenant you made with all creation in Genesis 9. We’ve lived as if we have no obligations to our Maker. We’ve lived as if your commands are of no consequence. Father, we confess this is a great and foolish evil.
Father, we know that repentance in the nation must begin with repentance in the church, so hear us now as we confess our individual sins to you in silence.
Father, you are he who blots out transgressions and will not remember our sins. You have said that you are slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, so Lord, though our sins are as crimson—in your mercy make them white as snow. We trust that you made Christ to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God. And we know that having been cleansed and made new in Christ, nothing can separate us from your love.
So, once again, Father, we give you great praise. We thank you for looking on our helpless state, seeing all of our sin and misery, and lavishing love and mercy; forgiveness, and restoration. Father, we pray the same would be done across our nation that your name might be praised all the more.
And we ask all this in the strong and mighty name of Jesus, Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Rom. 5:8-9, ESV)