Speak the truth in love
27 January 2008
Questions for reflection and discussion.

1. Have you ever spoken the truth to someone and it went badly. Why do you think it went badly?

2. Have you ever spoken the truth to someone and it went well. Why do you think it went well?

3. Are we always called to speak the truth when we have an opportunity?

4. Jesus said in John 18: “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” How can you tell when someone is ready to listen?

5. What other topics do we need to be speaking the truth about? Why?

Speaking the Truth in Love
Pastor David Lenz
27 January 2008

Text: Ephesians 4:14-16
“But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way …….”

Back to that night……a tense dialogue about truth. John 18:37-38
Communion’s words of institution; “On the night on which he was betrayed…..”
Pilate: “Are you king of the Jews?”
……………….
Jesus: “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
Pilate: “What is truth?”

What is truth?
The world has struggled for centuries to answer this question.
“Truth is Stranger Than it Used to Be” by Middleton and Walsh
To declare truth in today’s culture seems; presumptuous, arrogant, and even offensive.

What is truth? Roe v. Wade 1973
None of David’s pastor friends are speaking on this topic.
Please don’t ask what I think. Because I will tell you and someone will be offended.
So Pilates question goes un-answered.

The way forward: Ephesians 4:15
Speak the truth. What does that mean?
Metanarrative or overriding principle around which we organize our lives.
How do we speak a (the) truth about abortion; 1) Turn to the Bible. 2) Commit to study. 3) Commit to pray. 4) Come together for discernment. 4) Acknowledge that the word “abortion” does not appear in the Bible. 5) God speaks about life being a gift, being precious, and valued by God in the womb.
Hope Church’s declaration on abortion from 1983
Know that not everyone comes from the same metanarrative. Not everyone agrees.

Call to Action: Speak the truth in love
Don’t clobber people with the truth or berate people with the truth. Don’t make them so uncomfortable they won’t hear a word you say. Not an information dump…..listen.
“The purpose of a sermon is not to get something said but to get something heard.” Craddock
Romans 8:1 – “There is no condemnation……
I Cor 13: - Love is patient, kind, not rude, not easily angered…..
Not just in word but in deed. Not just declared but demonstrated. (ARISE, Loaves & Fishes, Vines & Branches)

Does it make a difference?
Steve Chapman in 26Jan2008 Star Tribune
25% drop in abortions since peak in 1990. Lowest since 1976
2003 Gallup Poll: 72% of teenagers believe abortion is wrong.
Movie: Juno – A pregnant 16 year old changes her mind after hearing from a teenage protester.
The prevailing view used to be: Abortion may be evil but it is necessary. Increasingly the sentiment is: Abortion may be necessary but it is evil.

Life is Precious: Reflections on Pascal’s Wager
21 January 2007

Questions for Reflection and Discussion Focusing on Life is Precious to God.

What are some hot topics in addition to abortion you have been drawn into discussion on?

How can we respond to those topics consistent with the quotations on the wall of David’s office (James 3:1 and I Corinthians 13:1)?

Think of a recent interactions (inside or outside your family) with someone who is very different from you or difficult for you. How should the Biblical perspective that individuals are precious to God effect that interaction?

Life is Precious: Reflections on Pascal’s Wager
Pastor David Lenz
21 January 2007

Guiding principals for this sermon based on two quotations on the wall of David’s office
James 3:1
1 Corinthians 13:1

Americans to not have a common mind with respect to abortion.
All polls agree that Americans do not agree on abortion
All Democrats do not agree
All Republicans do not agree
We can expect that this is true of the people here today.
This difficult question has touched most of us.
We need to have a big heart for each other. Deep pain on both sides.

Biblical Perspective = Life is Precious
Inside the womb
Outside the womb

Life is precious because:
God created the heavens and the earth – Genesis 1:1
God created male and female – Genesis 1:27
Jesus was involved in creation – John 1:3
God knows us intimately – Matthew 10:30
We are so valuable that Christ died for us – Romans 5:8
Your Redeemer formed you in the womb – Isaiah 44:24
The baby in my womb leaped for joy – Luke 1:43-44
God chose us – Ephesians 1:4
God knew us even before he formed us in the womb – Jeremiah 1:4-5
God created my innermost being and knit us together in our mother’s womb – Psalms 139:13-16

Pascal’s Wager
If there is no God, we have not lost much by believing. But if there is a God and we don’t believe, then we have lost all.

Summary and Call to Action
“Carry each other’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galations 6:22