Grace and peace to you in Jesus Christ who fought for us and now expects you to stand firm against the devil’s schemes. Amen.

Almighty God, your Son came among us to serve, not to be served, and to give his life for the sins of the world. Lead us by his love to share this message with others. Give us the strength to proclaim the truth that you are the author of life, and that Christ is the source of forgiveness. Through us give hope to the hopeless, love to the unloved, peace to the troubled, and rest to the weary. Amen.

My fellow Christian soldiers:

I knew I was in trouble a number of years ago when we no longer had "garbage men" but "sanitation engineers." There are no "policemen" or "policewomen" any longer, they are all "police officers." People no longer have handicaps, but they are people with "physical disabilities." We no longer have the poor, but we have the "economically disadvantaged." People with glasses, like myself, no longer have "poor eyesight" but we are "optically impaired." Barbers are now "hair stylists." Housewives are called "domestic engineers."

This has become an age of political correctness that has certainly touched life issues and even us in the within the church. People will argue for "choice" because "abortion" is too harsh a term. They will use the term "fetus" to describe an unborn baby (even though fetus is Latin for baby). "Choosing to terminate a fetus" doesn’t sound as heartless as "murdering a baby." "Euthanasia" sounds more merciful than "actively or passively killing someone."

So it is within this politically correct climate that I or this church might receive some negative criticism for our worship theme and what will be said here today. Some people might say that our terminology is too negative or too combative. We might be termed "harsh," "unaccepting," "radically conservative," or just plain unpopular. Well, friends what is before us in this day and age is nothing less than full-scale war. War is unpopular. Battle isn’t pretty. And terms of war and battle are harsh. This morning we will use the same terms that are used in the inspired Word of God, such as where Paul writes to Timothy, "Fight the good fight of the faith (1 Timothy 6:12).

My dear battle weary soldiers, this is a spiritual battle that rages in the world, in our government, in our people and yes, even in our own hearts. And in this spiritual battle it is important that we understand who the enemy really is. Paul provides this answer: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

I want you to consider these sad facts:

In November 2003, President George W. Bush signed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban into law, the first president since Roe v. Wade to ban a specific type of abortion. I find that significantly sad because no other president in 30-year span either wanted to or was able to do anything to stem the tidal wave of infant murders.

Right now Congress is debating the use of federal funds to pay for embryonic stem cell research. In comments to LifeNews.com, Douglas Johnson made it clear that pro-life advocates who don’t want their money used to destroy human life need to speak up. Johnson said, "Citizens who do not want their tax dollars used to pay for research that kills human embryos had better convey their views to their congressional representatives, because those lawmakers are hearing plenty from the other side."

The other side is the pro-choice advocates who are also gearing up for a battle to stop Judge John Roberts being confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. They are afraid that he could be the swing vote to overturn abortion laws.

In a 1997 case, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that states could decide whether to allow assisted suicides to take place. Since 1998, 171 people have used their state’s assisted suicide law to end their lives in Oregon.

On March 31, 2005, Terri Schiavo, the disabled Florida woman died a slow, painful death from starvation after having her feeding tube removed thirteen days earlier. (When people say it wasn’t painful, tell them to try going thirteen days without food.) As one conservative radio host said the day Terri Schiavo died, "Today is a day that will go down in infamy. Today is the day we as a nation actively murdered an innocent person."

We are living in a culture of death. Death for the unborn to the elderly and incapacitated pervades our society. It flows from the voters to the state and federal courts to the state and federal politicians. They all reflect the spiritual bankruptcy promoted by Satan. Peter writes: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)

This spiritual bankruptcy even affects us. We find teenagers giving birth in bathrooms and leaving their newborn children in the garbage can or the toilet. It is astounding to know that a Canadian man was found guilty of killing his 12-year-old disabled daughter, but then sentenced to just one year in jail. Hitler’s holocaust during World War II pales in comparison to the legalized slaughter taking place in America today. More than 4,000 lives a day are being snuffed out mostly for reasons of convenience.

These events are appalling, disgusting, sickening. Yet what have you done to stem this tide of immoral and unethical behavior? What have I done? Not much.

These horrible acts have unfortunately become commonplace in society. The shock-value is gone. Our senses have been dulled. We’ve become accustomed to these practices. As Christians we know these practices are wrong. As Christians we should be upset and morally outraged. We know that life is precious to our God. God abhors the shedding of the blood of the crown of his creation. Yet, instead of taking the initiative and leading the way, we have had the tendency to take a passive role on these life issues. The pro-life movement in our country struggles because too many of us simply show little concern for it.

As I said last Sunday, the opposite of love is not hate. It is apathy, indifference. The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. Are you loving or are you indifferent? Love will find a way. Indifference will find an excuse.

A fair question at this point might be: "Isn’t it enough that I am pro-life? I’m a Christian and I hate abortion and euthanasia. Are you asking me to be an activist as well?" Yes. God has given you and me the precious gift of life – the gift of physical life and the gift of eternal life. For this we are truly thankful. And out of thanksgiving to our God we are moved to take action. We are moved to be obedient to our God who has saved us from the horrors of abortion and the horrors of eternal death. And obedience implies action. Act upon your faith in your gracious, Savior God. Act upon what God’s Word has to say about life issues.

But understand that we won’t beat abortion or euthanasia with words of hate or picketing signs that cry out "Murderers!" We won’t win with just an increase of pro-life leaders or pro-life agencies. We won’t effect real change with new politicians or judges or laws. Until we can effect change in the hearts of people, efforts to protect life will be shallow. We need pro-life leaders. We need courageous pro-life efforts. But to win the war we need to quit going after the leaders or the buildings of the pro-death movement and go for the heart.

Verse 13 of our text reads: "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that … you may be able to stand your ground." In the fight of faith and life we are to be fully equipped. You can’t play football with just a helmet. So also, you can’t conduct spiritual warfare with half a uniform.

First of all, we are to wear a special belt: "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist." Our battle is to be conducted with honesty. We don’t lie to young women who are afraid of their parents and terrified by their future because they found out that they are pregnant. We don’t portray ourselves as compassionate when we have no intention of really providing help. We must be honest. We must point out to people the truth that a fetus is not a blob of flesh, but it is a precious child that God has wonderfully made. This is a truth that medicine proves. For example, at 20 days old in the womb, the child has the foundations of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system. At 21 days old the child’s heart begins to beat. At 35 days old five fingers can be seen on the hand. At 40 days old brain waves can be detected. It is true that children are wonderfully made and it is also true that God has a plan for each child, as the prophet Jeremiah recorded: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart" (Jeremiah 1:5).

"With the breastplate of righteousness in place." God is always right. And if we are on God’s side, then we are right too. We don’t need to be ashamed that we’re right.

"With your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." We are to be prepared to witness with good news. Even if public opinion is against us, even if our state and federal governments support the killing of the unborn and elderly, even if the devil and all his forces are against us, we must be ready to talk about the God of eternal life and his plan of salvation for all souls – a plan of salvation that includes even the weak and the crippled.

When in battle and the enemy seeks to harm you, stand firm with your faith as your shield. "Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." It is that faith which enables us to counsel when we are normally scared to death to say anything. It is that faith which enables us to stand up to those who seek to force their liberal religious views of individual freedoms at the expense of human life on all of us. It is that faith in Christ that will deflect the disparaging remarks and the hatred. It is this faith in Christ that will protect and save us.

Protect your most vulnerable part of the body – your head, with the Word of God. "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." We can learn all we want about the effects of dehydration on the human body or the pain caused to an unborn child in abortion. But ultimately, it is the Word of God that changes the heart. God’s Word has converted confessed murderers. God’s Word has enlightened the darkened souls of abortion doctors and nurses. God’s Word has given the hope of the resurrection and the comfort of eternal life to those who are depressed and dying. God’s Word has given sight to those who were spiritually blind, given life to those who were spiritually dead, and given heaven to all those who really belong in hell. God’s Word works. Use it!

This is how you lower the abortion rate. This is how you find stamina to care for the dying patient. This is how you find the love to care for those who are mentally handicapped. This is how you face your own impending death while others are suggesting you should die rather than be a burden on your family. It is by truth, righteousness, gospel-readiness, faith and the Word of God that you can walk into this battle and walk away from it a winner.

Fellow warriors, every day we have the opportunity to prove ourselves brave and fearless. All around us are opportunities to show our valor as Christian soldiers. Every day we are confronted with the brutalities of abortion, euthanasia and abuse, and we must stand courageous. Dare to swim against the tide of public opinion. Respect the gift of life. Show honor for the crown of God’s creation. You cannot lose, despite the odds. You are children of God, objects of his love, instruments for his work and victors over all this is evil. This Fight for Life is really a Fight for Faith. Amen.

"Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Amen.