Sermon, Why We Must End Abortion NOW – And Who Is My Neighbor? Pastor Bryan Longworth, Covenant Tabernacle

Why We Must End Abortion NOW, And Who is My Neighbor? The Scribes and Pharacies were always trying to trick Jesus into saying something that would get Him in trouble. They laid such a trap for Jesus when a lawyer asked Him which is the most important commandment. Jesus answered the question with a question. The lawyer answered correctly that we are to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus affirmed the answer directing the man, “do this and you will live,” but the lawyer wanting to justify himself said and who is my neighbor? Jesus then shared one of the most powerful parables in the Bible, the parable of the good Samaritan. A Jewish man is robbed, beaten, and left for dead. A priest came by and walked right by, refusing to be neighbor to the injured man. A Levite did the same. Then came a Samaritan. you may recall that the Jews despised Samaritans and viewed them as half breeds which they were because they were from Jewish decent whose parents had intermarried with pagan nations. The Samaritan bandaged the man’s wounds, carried him on his donkey to an inn, cared for him, and paid the inn keeper additional money to care for the man until he could care for himself. The Samaritan,  was neighbor to the man in the ditch.

The lawyer asked, “and who is my neighbor”? In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus flips the question and asks who will you be neighbor to? The Priest wasn’t neighbor to the man lying in the ditch. The Levite wasn’t neighbor to the man lying in the ditch. But the despised Samaritan was neighbor him.

And how about you? Preborn baby girls and boys are lying in the ditch scheduled for slaughter by safe, legal abortion. Will you pass by on the other side of the street, or will you be neighbor to the preborn?

You can work to end abortion in Florida by supporting the FL Personhood Amendment and in other states by supporting thePersonhood Amendment in your state.

Opening Passage  Psalm 139.

<<For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.>> O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalms 139:1-24 NKJV)

And Who is My Neighbor?

Luke 10:25-37

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” So he answered and said,” ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.'” And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. “Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. “Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. “So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. “On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37 NKJV)

How Far Does Our Responsibility to Our Neighbor Extend?

Reference Deuteronomy 21:6-9, innocent blood.

“And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. “Then they shall answer and say, ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it. ‘Provide atonement, O LORD, for Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not lay innocent blood to the charge of Your people Israel.’ And atonement shall be provided on their behalf for the blood. “So you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you when you do what is right in the sight of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 21:6-9 NKJV)

Exodus 23:4-5 – “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.”

What Does God Think of Our Worship When We Ignore the PreBorn?

Psalm 82:1-4 – “God stands in the congregation of the mighty … How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?  Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy.  Deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked.”

Isaiah 1

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me; The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward. Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment. Your country is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire; Strangers devour your land in your presence; And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, As a hut in a garden of cucumbers, As a besieged city. Unless the LORD of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies-I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; Righteousness lodged in it, But now murderers. Your silver has become dross, Your wine mixed with water. Your princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them. Therefore the Lord says, The LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, “Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries, And take vengeance on My enemies. I will turn My hand against you, And thoroughly purge away your dross, And take away all your alloy. I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.” Zion shall be redeemed with justice, And her penitents with righteousness. The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed. For they shall be ashamed of the terebinth trees Which you have desired; And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens Which you have chosen. For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades, And as a garden that has no water. The strong shall be as tinder, And the work of it as a spark; Both will burn together, And no one shall quench them. (Isaiah 1:1-31 NKJV)

Proverbs 31:8&9 – “Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die.  Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.”

Proverbs 24:11-12 “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ Does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?” (NIV)

Pastor Bryan Longworth

Pastor Bryan Longworth serves as the associate pastor at Covenant Tabernacle in Port St. Lucie, FL, as the director of Personhood FL, a prolife organization working to pass the Florida Personhood Amendment that will end abortion in FL, and as the director of SOHL, Sanctity of Human Life of the Treasure Coast. Longworth is a Wall Builders new Black Robe Regiment Pastor and a Family Research Council Watchmen on the Wall Pastor. Longworth continues to be involved in the pro-life movement and in calling the church and our nation to repentance. The church and America needs revival and reformation like never before. The blood of over 55 million children cries from the ground for vengeance, and God will avenge! God send us a true move of God lest we perish in our iniquity!

Covenant Tabernacle

Covenant Tabernacle World Outreach Center in Port Saint Lucie Florida is a nondenominational, charismatic reformed church that believes the Pentecostal gifts of the Holy Spirit are available to believers today. We believe God has called us to worship, proclaim His word, and Disciple the nations in obedience to His commandments.

Vibrant Worship

At Covenant Tabernacle, we believe in worshipping God “with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30 – NKJV) As a part of our worship, we blow the Shofar as blown in ancient Jewish worship.

Powerful, Bible based Preaching

We believe that the word of God is true (2 Samuel 7:28) and that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV) We encourage all believers to develop a Biblical Worldview that shapes our view on not only our personal life but also our family, friends, loved ones, church, and civil government.

Discipleship

We believe in following Christ’s Great Commission to “‘go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV) As such, we believe in discipling individuals, families, communities, cities, states, and nations in obedience to God’s word.

Sermon, Why We Must End Abortion NOW – And Who Is My Neighbor? Pastor Bryan Longworth, Covenant Tabernacle.