Introduction:  I have recently come to realize in a stronger way that truths that same obvious and self-evident to me do not always seem so obvious to other people.  It is also true that what seemed obvious to former generations seems less obvious to modern society.  For example, the right to life.  Our American forefathers believe in the right to life, and enshrined it in the Declaration of Independence.  They issued that document on July 4, 1776, and said there:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men..."

Our forefathers thought it self-evident that we have a Creator.
Our forefathers thought it self-evident that He made us with equal rights.
Our forefathers thought it self-evident that every human being has a right to live.
Our forefathers thought it self-evident that the purpose of Government was to defend and secure your rights, one of which is the right to life.

But on January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court of the United States said that unborn babies have no right to live.  They made it legal for mothers and doctors to kill these defenseless children at any time from conception to the very moment of birth.  We now have what is called a "partial birth abortion," in which the baby is actually delivered, except for its head.  The doctor inserts a vacuum into the head of the baby, and suctions out its brains.  When it is dead, it is then fully delivered and thrown away.  The Senate and House of Representatives passed a law making this murder illegal, but the law was vetoed by President Clinton.  About 30 states have laws making it illegal, but the Supreme Court has decided to see if these State laws are unconstitutional, and will take up the case this Spring.

In our nation approximately 1.3 million babies are murdered in the womb every year.  Tennessee's share is about 345 babies killed per week, week after week.  We are outraged at Hitler's extermination of 6 million Jews in WW2.  Why are we not horrified by America's murder of 35 million babies since it became legal in 1973?  The reason is that we don't take our Christian Faith as seriously as we once did.  We no longer hold these truths to be self-evident.  The love of God does not fill our hearts, and we don't even know what the Bible says any more about the value of life, even the lives of children.  What does the Bible say?  Let's look at some verses and see:

I.  The Bible says that God loves children.
    A.  In Mark 10:13-16 we read how Jesus loved children.
    B.  In Psalm 127:3-5 and 128:3-4 we read how children are rewards from God.
    C.  Our society has become the "Me" generation.  Many individuals put off marriage and children in favor of their personal interests.  Unfortunately that often continues after marriage, and children are often not wanted, not appreciated, not loved and treasured.

II.  The Bible says that God loves children even before they are born.
    A.  Luke 1:15 and 1:39-44 tells us part of the story of John the Baptist.  He was filled with the Holy Spirit even before he was born, and he rejoiced, even before he was born, when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, came to visit her cousin Elizabeth, pregnant with John.
    B.  King David wrote movingly of God's interest in him even while he was in his mother's womb:  Psalm 139:13-16.   The literal translation of verse 13 is:  "You have possessed my kidneys."  The NKJV translates it as "inward parts,"  the old KJV as "reins."  What it means is your soul, your spirit.  The word to "possess" means literally "to purchase" or "to redeem."  David says to God, "You loved me and redeemed me, even when I was in my mother's womb."
    C.  Exodus 21:22-25 defends the legal rights of the child not yet born.  USA Today, October 1, 1999 reported that the House of Representatives passed a bill recognizing the unborn child as a person separate from its mother, setting criminal penalties for harming a fetus during the commission of federal crimes.  Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said he would like to see the bill pass the Senate by the end of the year 2000.  President Clinton has threatened to veto the bill, objecting to the unprecedented granting of fetal rights under federal law.  The Senate is 3,500 years behind Moses.

III.  God has spoken plainly in the Ten Commandments:  Thou shalt not commit murder.
    A.  The commandment is not against all killing, just murder.  God ordered the Israelites to exterminate the sinful Canaanites.  God ordered the execution of murderers.
    B.  What is murder?  I don't know what the American legal system says, but here is a plain definition:  Murder is the intentional, unauthorized killing of a human being.  There are three elements:  1)Intentional, not accidental; 2) Unauthorized (a soldier shooting the enemy during a battle is not murder); 3) Human being (it is not murder to slaughter a steer and make hamburgers out of it).  Human governments have trouble with number two and number three.  Instead of acknowledging God's authority over who may be killed, human governments what to set themselves up as the authority.  Instead of acknowledging that unborn babies are people, endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights,  human governmnents want to decide who is a person, and who isn't.

Conclusion:  We are at a crucial decade in our nation's history.  Will we stick with our forefathers, and acknowledge a God-given right to life?  Or will we slip further down the slope away from God, and give God's authority to the government, which will then become God and decide who is a human being and who isn't, and who has a right to live and who doesn't.  There are powerful forces at work on both sides.  As Christians we need to support the right side in a practical way, with our time and money.  Even more, we need to pray that God would save us from ourselves, and bring a revival to our nation.  The lives of millions more babies are at stake.