1. A careful study of Scripture leads us to conclude that God loves children. 2. Because God considers children to be so special, He: a. has given instructions for raising them (Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21) b. is deeply troubled when they are mistreated. 3. In our lesson we are examining passages that relate to 2 groups of children: those that have been born and the unborn. 4. We will see that God feels the same toward both groups of children.
Discussion:
I. GOD LOVES CHILDREN THAT HAVE BEEN BORN
A. According to Psalm 127:3, God considers children to be His "heritage" and His "reward." B. Also, Jesus showed how He felt toward little children in Mark 10:13-16. C. How does God feel when children are mistreated? 1. (Mark 10:14) Jesus was "much displeased" when His disciples rebuked those who brought the "young children" ["infants" -- Luke 18:15] to Him. 2. God was displeased with Pharaoh's actions. a. Pharaoh gave 2 commands for the male Israelite babies to be killed (Exodus 1:16, 22). b. Eventually, when God brought the 10th plague upon the Egyptians, Pharaoh was not spared (Exodus 12:29-30). 3. God was displeased with Herod's actions. a. (Matthew 2:16-18) He had the children 2 years old and under killed. b. Eventually, Herod died (Matthew 2:19), and he will be held accountable for his deeds at the judgment. 4. For a present day application, God was displeased when the tragedy occurred just over a month ago on December 14 (Proverbs 6:16-17). D. In addition to loving children that have been born, . . .
II. GOD LOVES UNBORN CHILDREN
A. To help us understand how God feels toward unborn children, let us consider several passages that tell us about 3 of His greatest servants. 1. Let us consider: a. how well God knew David (Psalm 139:13-16) b. who formed Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-5) c. what Luke called John (Luke 1:39-44). 2. God considered David, Jeremiah, and John to be children when they were in their mothers' wombs, and He was very concerned about them. B. How does God feel when unborn children are mistreated? 1. We learn from Exodus 21:22-25 how God feels when something happens to unborn children. 2. For a present day application, next Tuesday (January 22) will be the 40th anniversary of the Roe V. Wade Supreme Court decision that gave women the legal right to have an abortion. 3. Over the past 40 years, the lives of approximately 50 million children have been taken in our country [over 1 million each year]. 4. Unfortunately, some who are speaking out the loudest over the tragedy that occurred last month are the very ones who also speak out the loudest in favor of abortion. 5. According to Proverbs 6:16-17, God considers all "hands that shed innocent blood" to be "an abomination."
Conclusion:
1. In Mark 10:14 Jesus said concerning children, "of such is the kingdom of God." 2. In John 3:5 Jesus explained how we are born again so we can enter God's kingdom: "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
