INITIATION:

Cultural norms have a way of slipping into our minds and hearts. Left unchecked, this infiltration can turn our eyes from Scripture, close our minds to the Holy Spirit, and warp our worldview.

Though countercultural, the right perspective on the value of human life is revealed through the Bible's teachings and the Spirit's leading. When we rely on these and build our lives upon their foundation everything they say about the sanctity of life and the character of the One who created and sustains it, we can measure the world's ideas against the truth of God.
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BIBLE TEXT:

GENESIS 49:28-33; 50:1-26
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SUBJECT:

THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE
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MEMORY VERSE

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him: male and female created He them (Genesis 1:27 KJV).
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CENTRAL TRUTH

Because humans are created by God in His image, all human life must be valued.
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LEARNING TARGET

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Recognize God alone gives life.
2. Acknowledge every human being is made in God's image, such should be respected or valued.
3. Actively uphold the sanctity of life from the beginning of life at CONCEPTION until the end of life at DEATH.
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MAIN LESSON DISCOURSE

1. HUMANS CREATED IN GOD'S IMAGE (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:7,18-22)

A. The Value of Life (Gen.2:4-7, 18-22)

God called everything, into existence by the spoken word such as: plants, fish, birds, animals, all living and non-things. But God created human beings differently, showing the unique value He places on human. After carefully forming man from the dust, He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul"
(Genesis 2:7, KJV). Adam was different from other creatures, demonstrating the uniqueness of interaction God demands from human.

God's care for humans is evident, in His regular visitations to man in Eden.
One day, God determined to "make a helpmate suitable for Adam (v.18). Adam was frustrated after the assignment of naming all the animals without seeing a helpmate, Since Adam didn't see his choice of helpmate, God used one of Adam's ribs to create a woman, whom he later named Eve (2:21-22; 3:20). This is one of the examples where God's value of humanity manifests, by providing for their needs.
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Questions For Application
What is the significance of God's choice to form Adam from the dust and breathe life into him, rather than speaking him into existence like the rest of creations?

Why do you think God employed another unique method to create Eve, forming her from one of Adam's ribs?
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B. In His Image (Gen. 1:26-28):

Have you ever visited a museum and noticed a crowd of people gathered around a
surprisingly unremarkable painting?
It's likely the artwork was famous for the artist who created it rather than its own beauty. Likewise, every person on earth is a masterpiece regardless of appearance, intelligence, or wealth because of the One who created them (Ephesians 2:10).

Not only did God form Adam and Eve, but He made them in "His Own Image" (Genesis 1:27). Unlike other creations, human beings carry the very likeness of God, the creator.

LIKENESS OF GOD IN MAN

Humans don't resemble God physically in body, gender or colour, rather in the followings:

Natural Likeness of God
hearing, seeing, moving, etc.

Emotional Likeness of God feelings, joy, sorrow, angry etc.

Social Likeness of God
Association, Organization And Clubs. God always look for man wherever He will see him (Gen. 3:8).

Moral Likeness of God
God Almighty is Holy, so He made man initially without sin and in absolute holiness. The sinless nature of God is implanted in man initially.

There four likenesses of God remain in humans except "the moral Likeness" which was corrupted by their acceptance of Satan's suggestions.

The likeness of God in humans gives every person unique value and should affect how we treat one another.

God explains to Noah that His image in each person is the reason murder is prohibited (9:6). Our respect for God informs our respect for His image in others.

Bearing God's image establishes our identity, but it also gives us authority (Psalm 8:4-8). Like Adam and Eve, we work on God's behalf to care for the things and people He has made, coupling prayer with action so His will is "done in earth, as it is in heaven"
(Matthew 6:10, KJV).

When we recognize God's image in ourselves and each other, and begin to understand what that truly means, we treat one another with respect and value human life at every stage.
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Questions For Application
God chose to use himself as the template when He created humans. How does being created in God's image add value to your life and to others' lives?

In what ways has God given you authority as an image bearer?

How can you best reflect God's character as you carry out this responsibility?
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2. LIFE BEGINS AT CONCEPTION (PSALM 139:13-16; JEREMIAH 1:5; LUKE 1:39-44):

A. The Moment of Life (Psalm 139:13-16)

The miracle of life doesn't begin in the second trimester or when a baby descends the birth canal. Life begins when two living gametes, the sperm and the ovum met. Life begins
at the moment of fertilisation. The child has forty-six chromosomes immediately at conception, twenty-three from each parent. Fully alive and fully unique, the baby is instantaneously comprised of fifty thousand genes, two sex determining cells, hair, colour, body type, skin tone, and many other characteristics.

David wrote:

I will praise thee: for l am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works (v. 14, KJV).

In God's eyes, no human being is a surprise or mistake. Even a child conceived in horrific circumstances has a future according to God's plan.

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed (v. 16, NLT)

When we view a person from God's perspective, we see amazing creation, a valuable, sacred life for God's purpose.
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Questions For Application
How could you use Psalm 139:13–16 to explain to a friend that life begins at conception?
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B. The Person-hood of Life (Jeremiah 1:5; Luke 1:39-44).

Abortion goes beyond the evil of ending a child's life; it also thwarts God's purpose for them.

God said to prophet Jeremiah,

Before you were born set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5, NLT).

Clearly, God viewed this unborn child as a person, calling and appointing Jeremiah for a specific purpose before he was medically viable.

The New Testament also
reinforces the personhood of an unborn child. One example is found in Luke 1:26-38, where the angel Gabriel visited Mary and the Holy Spirit came upon her, conceiving the Messiah. A few days later, she travelled approximately seventy miles from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also expecting a child. Six months earlier, an angel of the Lord had appeared in the temple sanctuary and told Zechariah the priest, "God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son and you are to name him John.. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth" (Luke 1:13,15, NLT).

When Mary arrived at the house and spoke a greeting, "the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost" (verse 41, KJV). Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth declared, "The babe leaped in my womb for joy" (verse 44, KJV). This was no typical baby movement. Instead, Scripture assigns the motivation as the emotion of joy, a clear sign of John's personhood. Even in the womb, he had already begun his God-given mission of bringing attention to the Messiah.

More than thirty years later, John again recognised Jesus for who He was. "John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29, NLT). He echoed the gladness he had experienced in Elizabeth's womb, reacting to Jesus' growing ministry by saying, "I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less (3:29-30, NLT).

Miraculously conceived and set apart for a specific purpose, the unborn John may not have been medically viable, but he clearly exhibited personhood. Encountering the Messiah, John experienced the same reaction as an unborn child that he would as a grown man.

While not every baby is filled with the Holy Spirit before birth, every conception results in a person who has a purpose. Allowing the sinful world to define personhood gives the power of life and death to parents, doctors, and the government rather than leaving it in God's hands where it belongs. When we violate God's nature and His Word, we suffer the results- not only the eventual judgement against all sin but the dreadful consequences of abortion here and now.

Questions For Application
How do miscarriage grief and abortion regret demonstrate the personhood of unborn children?

When you truly understand God-given personhood- that every life is a miracle and every person has a purpose -how should it affect the way you view and treat people?
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3. GOD GIVES AND SUSTAINS LIFE (ISAIAH 42:5; JOB 33:4; JOB 34:10-15; ACTS 17:24-28):

A. The Breath of Life (ISAIAH 42:5; Job 33:4).

Through the ages, societies and cultures have justified taking life for various reasons. One of the most targeted and vulnerable demographics in our society is unborn children, but other groups are devalued as well, including the elderly, poor, and people with disabilities. Tragically, governments, some legal and medical professionals, and even families have attempted to wrest sovereignty away from God and decide for themselves who is worthy of life.

God breathed His breath of life into Adam, and as we see throughout Scripture, He did not stop with the first generation of humans. David declared, "You are the fountain of life" (Psalm 36:9, NLT). Isaiah added, [God] gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth" (Isaiah 42:5, NLT), The Book of Job says, "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life' (Job 33:4, NLT). Paul later wrote that God is the One who "gives life to all" (1 Timothy 6:13, NLT). Every living person-at every age and stage has received the gift from God alone.

A child's Worth is not determined by the details of conception, even in the tragic cases of rape and incest. The One who formed that child in the womb is the only One who can determine his or her value. The concept that death is an option when a child has been conceived in violence takes God, the omnipotent Creator of life, out of the equation. Not only is an innocent child's life taken, but additional trauma is heaped on a woman who has already been victimized.

Other times, an unborn child may be diagnosed with an incurable illness, and abortion is the course of action a doctor recommends, But who are we to play the role of an all-knowing God? Who are we to deem child unworthy of life or accuse God of making a mistake? When we start dealing out life and death, we cross into territory that only belongs to Him.
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Questions For Application
What are some of the potential consequences when human beings wield the power of life and death?

Read Isaiah 42:1-7 to better understand the context of verse 5.
What does this prophetic passage tell us about the character of the Lord and His chosen Servant (the Messiah) ? How should this knowledge affect our view of the sanctity of life?
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B. The Sustainer of Life:

(Job 34:10-15; Acts 17:24-28).
In Job 34, Elihu declares, "If God were to take back his spirit and withdraw his breath, all life would cease, and humanity would turn again to dust" (verses 14-15, NLT). Unlike Job's other three friends who were rebuked by God for speaking out of turn (see 42:7), Elihu speaks for God. His remarks carry weight.

What Elihu states in Job 34:10-15 reminds us that life itself is under God's control. We can rest in that knowledge and abide in His care.

There is not a moment when God is not sustaining our lives. As Paul explained to the people of Athens, "He is the God who made the world and everything in it. ,..He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need,..For in him we live and move and exist" (Acts 17:24-25,28, NLT). The same breath of God that created life in us continues to sustain us until the time God has appointed our lives to end (see Hebrews 9:27). This knowledge should forever inspire the way we use our own lives and the way we respect others' lives.
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Question For Application
Some day we will have
accomplished God's purpose, and He will with draw His breath and call us home. What importance does that place on our remaining time here on the Earth?
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Call to Discipleship
Human life is sacred, and only God has the ultimate authority and ability to give life, sustain life, and end ife. Working through the issues related to the sanctity of life can be daunting, but as in all things, God's Word is our source of truth. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can advocate for ife in a way that acknowledges His image in all people, honours their value, and treats each life as a sacred gift from the Father
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DISCLAIMER:

The original production and publication of this extract belong to Sunday School Department of Assemblies of God Nigeria, as shown on the front page. We teach in the church and social media available.