WEBVTT - Tony Evans - Oct 16 - 7:30 pm 0:00:00.660 --> 0:00:07.660 Whenever life is downgraded illegitimately, you have insulted and attacked God. 0:00:08.020 --> 0:00:08.299 Dr. 0:00:08.340 --> 0:00:11.540 Tony Evans says any discussion of life has to start 0:00:11.590 --> 0:00:13.770 with God's divine mark on life. 0:00:14.150 --> 0:00:17.050 And the job of government, the Bible says, is to 0:00:17.450 --> 0:00:18.630 protect that life. 0:00:19.730 --> 0:00:24.050 This is The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker, 0:00:24.230 --> 0:00:28.070 senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, 0:00:28.370 --> 0:00:33.159 and president of The Urban Alternative. Some of the decisions 0:00:33.200 --> 0:00:35.640 we make at the polls seem like a question of 0:00:35.780 --> 0:00:40.010 left versus right, red versus blue, this party or that party. 0:00:40.330 --> 0:00:43.070 But Dr. Evans says the real choices on our ballot 0:00:43.090 --> 0:00:46.550 can literally be matters of life and death. Let's join 0:00:46.590 --> 0:00:49.570 him now as he takes a bold biblical stand on 0:00:49.670 --> 0:00:52.860 one of the most controversial moral issues of our time. 0:00:53.380 --> 0:00:56.340 If you go to buy a box of checkers, you'll 0:00:56.380 --> 0:01:03.740 notice something. On each individual checker is a crown. That's 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:08.500 because it was created with a purpose. And that is 0:01:08.580 --> 0:01:13.910 to get to the end of the board and receive 0:01:15.050 --> 0:01:22.670 kingship or queenship. The checkers were created to reach a destiny. 0:01:24.730 --> 0:01:27.910 But there is an abortion process in the game of checkers. 0:01:29.630 --> 0:01:33.920 There are two teams, one team or one person is 0:01:33.980 --> 0:01:38.450 working hard to get their checkers to reach their destination 0:01:38.510 --> 0:01:46.300 while simultaneously being blocked and aborted by another side, another 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:52.900 person who's seeking to remove them from the game. Checkers 0:01:53.000 --> 0:02:01.950 is a process of aborting an intended destination indicated by 0:02:02.010 --> 0:02:07.620 the crown on top of each checker. Some of the 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:13.920 aborting of the checkers occurs early. Other aborting of the 0:02:13.980 --> 0:02:18.880 checkers occurs later. But the goal is the same, to 0:02:18.980 --> 0:02:25.460 not allow the crown to experience what the manufacturer made 0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:33.330 it to be. We're talking about kingdom voting. We're talking 0:02:33.389 --> 0:02:40.190 about the partnership that Christians have been allowed, encouraged, and 0:02:40.250 --> 0:02:47.020 are responsible to join God in with regard to expanding 0:02:47.060 --> 0:02:52.100 his rule in society through civil government. Civil government is 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:59.040 the role of the established government to reflect God by 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:07.710 maintaining safe, justice, righteous, and compassionately responsible environment for freedom 0:03:07.810 --> 0:03:11.990 to flourish. And at the core of what the government 0:03:12.750 --> 0:03:17.150 is supposed to be about is the safety and wellbeing 0:03:17.230 --> 0:03:20.560 of its citizens. We saw that that's why the government 0:03:20.600 --> 0:03:24.240 does not bear the sword in vain. To get rid 0:03:24.280 --> 0:03:29.250 of evil, to promote good, so that freedom can flourish. 0:03:30.850 --> 0:03:34.490 And so when we talk about voting, we have to 0:03:34.550 --> 0:03:38.090 deal with the issue of life because since that is 0:03:38.150 --> 0:03:42.500 the role of government to protect life, then when you 0:03:42.530 --> 0:03:47.760 consider your vote, you have to raise the question about 0:03:48.340 --> 0:03:56.880 what is life since that is its divinely ordained responsibility. Now, 0:03:56.910 --> 0:04:00.380 most discussions about the issue of life do not start 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:06.120 at the right place. That's because they unfortunately not enough 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:11.760 start with scripture. God is the creator of life. Therefore, 0:04:11.800 --> 0:04:16.710 we start with God. When God created mankind in Genesis 0:04:16.770 --> 0:04:20.710 chapter one, verses 26 to 28, he said, let us. 0:04:21.110 --> 0:04:24.890 Create man in our own image. 0:04:26.630 --> 0:04:31.099 So discussion of life in any human form it finds 0:04:31.180 --> 0:04:36.060 itself starts with the imago Dei, that is the image 0:04:36.700 --> 0:04:40.550 of God. When you don't start with the image of God, 0:04:40.589 --> 0:04:42.830 then you make life what you call it to be, 0:04:43.190 --> 0:04:46.710 not what God has created it and stamped it to be. 0:04:47.730 --> 0:04:51.890 The psalmist says in Psalm chapter 18, 8 verses 4 0:04:51.890 --> 0:04:55.170 to 6, what is man that thou art mindful of 0:04:55.230 --> 0:05:00.830 him and you have crowned him with majesty. Human beings 0:05:00.930 --> 0:05:05.440 are majestic in the created genius of almighty God. It's 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:09.920 not just another form of a general creation. It is 0:05:10.000 --> 0:05:14.479 a spectacular masterpiece in the hand of God. And what 0:05:14.620 --> 0:05:21.690 makes man spectacular or as the psalmist says, majestic. full 0:05:21.730 --> 0:05:27.070 of splendor, is that mankind, it says male and female, 0:05:28.010 --> 0:05:33.310 has the mark of God stamped on them by their creator, 0:05:33.550 --> 0:05:39.110 the imago Dei, the image of God. This means that 0:05:39.210 --> 0:05:44.100 every human being has a divine design. This means that 0:05:44.260 --> 0:05:47.919 every human being is sacred because they have the stamp 0:05:48.500 --> 0:05:52.860 of God on them. That means every person created was 0:05:52.940 --> 0:05:56.920 created for community since God is a triune being. One 0:05:56.980 --> 0:05:59.640 God composed of three co-equal persons is one in essence 0:05:59.760 --> 0:06:04.960 while distinct in personality. So we were created for one another. 0:06:06.260 --> 0:06:12.820 It means that every person matters. It's significant from womb 0:06:12.880 --> 0:06:19.400 to tomb. You will often see hear somebody say, you 0:06:19.460 --> 0:06:23.260 remind me of somebody. You've ever said that or had 0:06:23.420 --> 0:06:26.100 someone say that to you, you remind me of somebody. 0:06:26.700 --> 0:06:29.859 Guess what God did when he created mankind? He created 0:06:29.900 --> 0:06:34.779 mankind to remind creation of God. You and I were 0:06:34.839 --> 0:06:39.310 created to be divine reminders because we have the imago Dei, 0:06:39.610 --> 0:06:42.170 the image of God is on us. And do you 0:06:42.210 --> 0:06:45.029 know what value that gives to creation? 0:06:47.160 --> 0:06:48.380 Have you ever gone into a. 0:06:48.600 --> 0:06:53.320 Store and seen how expensive the clothes or the product 0:06:53.500 --> 0:06:57.640 is if it's a generic brand versus a name brand? 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:04.490 That generic brand, that's something for everybody, is different than 0:07:04.529 --> 0:07:06.770 the name brand in terms of its value. 0:07:06.810 --> 0:07:07.070 Why? 0:07:07.490 --> 0:07:11.890 Because that name gives it a greater value. See, you're 0:07:11.930 --> 0:07:12.450 not just a. 0:07:12.490 --> 0:07:14.990 Man or a woman. You are. 0:07:16.270 --> 0:07:21.650 a created being in the image of Almighty God. That means, bam, 0:07:21.710 --> 0:07:24.910 he's put his name on you. He's put his name 0:07:25.290 --> 0:07:28.540 on every man and every woman, every boy and every girl. 0:07:28.570 --> 0:07:32.000 That means that they come into this world full of 0:07:32.060 --> 0:07:39.680 dignity and splendor, uniqueness and glory. Now, granted, like a 0:07:39.740 --> 0:07:44.560 broken mirror, our humanity has been damaged. We were created 0:07:44.620 --> 0:07:49.880 to reflect God. and to represent God in all of life. 0:07:50.780 --> 0:07:54.560 That's what the kingdom is about, reflecting the image of 0:07:54.660 --> 0:07:57.980 Almighty God, which means the more you understand what he's like, 0:07:58.040 --> 0:08:01.540 the better reflection you can be, and to represent that 0:08:01.660 --> 0:08:04.520 image and who we are, how we function, and what 0:08:04.620 --> 0:08:09.370 we do. But like the checker game, there's an enemy 0:08:09.790 --> 0:08:12.650 on the other side of the board seeking to distort 0:08:12.710 --> 0:08:18.340 the image through sin, and evil so that God doesn't 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:23.590 look good by the way we carry our humanity. But 0:08:23.610 --> 0:08:27.330 if you want to start talking about life, you don't 0:08:27.350 --> 0:08:30.050 just start talking about the life. You start talking about 0:08:30.510 --> 0:08:34.950 the life giver, the manufacturer. You talk about the one 0:08:35.170 --> 0:08:40.770 who made it, the Imago Dei. When God created man, 0:08:42.150 --> 0:08:43.410 he created him with. 0:08:43.670 --> 0:08:48.050 A mind to reflect him in history. 0:08:49.570 --> 0:08:53.270 And that means that when we fail to give dignity 0:08:53.850 --> 0:08:57.929 to humanity in whatever way we fail to do it, 0:08:57.970 --> 0:09:01.050 we'll talk about that in a moment, we have insulted 0:09:01.150 --> 0:09:06.020 not only the person, we have insulted the creator of 0:09:06.240 --> 0:09:14.480 the person. Whenever life is destroyed illegitimately, whenever life is 0:09:15.760 --> 0:09:21.569 downgraded illegitimately. We have said to the creator, you are 0:09:21.610 --> 0:09:26.410 a bad manufacturer. You don't know how to produce human 0:09:26.470 --> 0:09:31.329 products and your image is not worth protecting and your 0:09:31.490 --> 0:09:35.390 image is not worth emulating and to show you God 0:09:35.720 --> 0:09:38.700 how we feel about you since we can't get to you, 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:40.959 we're going to get to them and what we do 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:44.320 to them will share how we feel about you because 0:09:44.400 --> 0:09:50.080 every time life is illegitimately removed or downgraded, you have 0:09:50.300 --> 0:09:55.890 insulted and attacked God. And until we see that this 0:09:55.950 --> 0:10:00.620 issue of life, as we've said, men are created by 0:10:00.660 --> 0:10:05.590 their creator with life. Until we see it through God's eyes, 0:10:06.730 --> 0:10:10.309 then we will not start in the right place. So 0:10:10.570 --> 0:10:13.490 over and over again, the Bible is clear. Thou shalt 0:10:13.610 --> 0:10:23.250 not kill. Whether it's Homicide, suicide, patricide, matricide, genocide, whether 0:10:23.350 --> 0:10:30.980 it's infanticide or fetricide, no matter what kind of side 0:10:31.020 --> 0:10:34.719 it is, it becomes an attack on God, which is 0:10:34.780 --> 0:10:39.059 why God says in Genesis chapter 9. 0:10:39.059 --> 0:10:40.660 He. 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:45.660 Says, when you take a person's life, You have removed 0:10:45.679 --> 0:10:51.069 your own life because you have attacked the image of God. See, 0:10:51.090 --> 0:10:54.990 God views it as a personal insult. When life is 0:10:55.050 --> 0:10:57.959 not given the value, he gives it to it because 0:10:57.980 --> 0:11:02.880 what you said is what God did is not worth protecting. 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:09.780 So any discussion of life has to start there. Any 0:11:09.830 --> 0:11:13.050 discussion of life has to start with the divine mark. 0:11:14.950 --> 0:11:18.170 And the job of government, the Bible says, is to 0:11:19.270 --> 0:11:25.490 protect that life. That's why safety is often called by 0:11:25.510 --> 0:11:30.320 a government the first responsibility that it has to deal 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:35.280 with enemies within and without because life is worth living. Why? 0:11:35.940 --> 0:11:41.650 Because the manufacturer's reputation is worth protecting. You leave God 0:11:41.710 --> 0:11:48.010 out of government and life and its value gets downgraded, reduced, dishonored, and. 0:11:50.140 --> 0:11:50.720 Attacked. 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:55.420 And so when you think about kingdom voting, you must 0:11:55.460 --> 0:11:57.839 think about the question of life. 0:11:58.800 --> 0:12:01.849 Dr. Evans will help us comprehend the big perspective of 0:12:01.929 --> 0:12:04.790 life when he continues our message in just a moment. 0:12:05.110 --> 0:12:05.540 Stay with us. 0:12:06.410 --> 0:12:06.709 Check. 0:12:07.809 --> 0:12:10.250 Check. Oh, our sample ballots came? 0:12:10.450 --> 0:12:11.670 Yeah, I'm marking mine now. 0:12:12.110 --> 0:12:15.610 Check and check. Wow, you're tearing right through that. 0:12:15.750 --> 0:12:18.209 Well, they make it easy. They list the political party 0:12:18.270 --> 0:12:19.250 right there under the name. 0:12:19.770 --> 0:12:23.939 Voting the straight party ticket. Following some family tradition. Doing 0:12:23.980 --> 0:12:27.020 what your friends do. All common ways to vote, but 0:12:27.179 --> 0:12:31.470 not necessarily godly ways. The Lord has an agenda for 0:12:31.550 --> 0:12:34.510 his kingdom, and Tony Evans says we need to back 0:12:34.570 --> 0:12:37.430 it with our ballots. That's the point of his book, 0:12:37.650 --> 0:12:38.730 Kingdom Politics. 0:12:39.010 --> 0:12:41.430 If you are a Christian and you name the name 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:44.160 of Jesus Christ, you don't get to leave God out 0:12:44.340 --> 0:12:44.900 of your vote. 0:12:45.220 --> 0:12:48.820 Kingdom Politics helps you cut through the campaign hype and 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:52.120 focus on the people and propositions that best. 0:12:51.940 --> 0:12:53.680 Reflect biblical values. 0:12:54.059 --> 0:12:57.360 You'll also discover how to defend your positions with grace 0:12:57.679 --> 0:13:04.450 and compassion. Kingdom Politics from Tony Evans, available now at TonyEvans.org. 0:13:05.610 --> 0:13:08.589 This book and brand new Bible study are Dr. Evans' 0:13:08.630 --> 0:13:12.530 challenge to focus on the people, principles, and platforms that 0:13:12.570 --> 0:13:15.970 best represent God's agenda. And we'd like you to have 0:13:16.010 --> 0:13:19.589 a copy of Kingdom Politics as our gift in appreciation 0:13:19.610 --> 0:13:23.390 for your contribution toward Tony's ministry. Along with it, you'll 0:13:23.410 --> 0:13:26.800 get special video streaming content from Dr. Evans and as 0:13:26.840 --> 0:13:29.540 well as the full-length versions of all 10 lessons in 0:13:29.580 --> 0:13:33.800 his current teaching series, Returning God to Government. Get the 0:13:33.850 --> 0:13:39.470 details and make the arrangements online at tonyevans.org. That's tonyevans.org. 0:13:39.490 --> 0:13:41.630 Or call our 24-hour Resource Center at 1-800-832-22. I'll repeat 0:13:41.650 --> 0:13:43.849 that contact information after Part 2 of today's lesson and this. 0:13:52.290 --> 0:13:55.130 Get ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. 0:13:55.530 --> 0:13:55.870 Dr. 0:13:55.929 --> 0:13:58.860 Tony Evans is taking you on a cruise from November 0:13:59.100 --> 0:14:03.280 9th through the 16th. Join Dr. Evans for inspirational insights, 0:14:03.620 --> 0:14:06.959 powerful sermons, and of course, the unmatched beauty of the 0:14:07.059 --> 0:14:12.230 Mexican Riviera. Visit TonyEvans.org to book your voyage. Cruise ship 0:14:12.250 --> 0:14:17.589 destinations include Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. 0:14:18.150 --> 0:14:19.490 Enjoy and explore. 0:14:22.430 --> 0:14:24.530 What do we mean by life? What are we including 0:14:24.590 --> 0:14:27.700 in this thing called life? Well, let me give you 0:14:27.720 --> 0:14:37.680 the big perspective. It includes preborn life and postborn life. 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:46.120 Abortion before birth and abortion after birth. See, the problem 0:14:46.140 --> 0:14:50.170 we get in with voting is that we choose a 0:14:50.250 --> 0:14:54.340 term insurance policy not a whole life insurance policy. 0:14:55.220 --> 0:14:57.720 We choose a pre-born insurance. 0:14:57.300 --> 0:15:04.060 Policy and not a post-born insurance policy because we do 0:15:04.120 --> 0:15:07.680 not view all of life in terms of the image 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:13.000 of God. And as a result, Christians take sides as 0:15:13.040 --> 0:15:16.660 though God has divided his creative genius between the two. 0:15:17.420 --> 0:15:17.960 No, he hasn't. 0:15:18.360 --> 0:15:21.890 Let me show you what I mean in Psalm 139. 0:15:21.890 --> 0:15:24.450 Verse 13 to 16. Let me read it to you. 0:15:25.030 --> 0:15:29.910 For you formed my inward parts. You wove me in 0:15:29.960 --> 0:15:34.740 my mother's womb. I will give thanks to you for 0:15:34.940 --> 0:15:40.440 I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:46.540 and my soul knows it very well. My frame was 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:49.920 not hidden from you when I was made in secret. 0:15:51.540 --> 0:15:54.490 and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. 0:15:55.910 --> 0:15:58.630 Your eyes have seen my unformed. 0:15:58.210 --> 0:16:03.330 Substance, and in your book were written the days that 0:16:03.370 --> 0:16:09.080 were ordained for me, when as yet there was not 0:16:09.620 --> 0:16:13.340 one of them. Okay, did you see that? That's a 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:17.220 whole life agenda. He says, you stitch me in my 0:16:17.260 --> 0:16:22.800 mama's womb, so I am a creation of God before 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:29.890 I was born. But you also wrote my days. You 0:16:29.930 --> 0:16:34.740 projected my life. You were taking care of me in 0:16:34.780 --> 0:16:38.530 the womb because you took intricate detail to stitch me. 0:16:38.630 --> 0:16:41.730 My heart began to beat after 18 days and my 0:16:41.770 --> 0:16:46.580 brain waves began to flow after 40 days. I was 0:16:46.660 --> 0:16:51.340 expressing my humanity as it expanded in my mama's womb. 0:16:51.640 --> 0:16:54.880 But that was because you had some days outlined for me. 0:16:56.030 --> 0:16:58.570 You had my life in the womb, but you had 0:16:58.610 --> 0:17:01.630 some stuff planned for me to the tomb and to 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:07.740 get rid of either side, either the existence or cutting 0:17:07.859 --> 0:17:14.629 short the extension is an attack on the creator. And 0:17:14.670 --> 0:17:19.270 unless you understand that on both sides of the maternity ward, 0:17:20.570 --> 0:17:25.050 on both sides of the created genius of God, you 0:17:25.070 --> 0:17:27.929 will not have a biblical view of the role of government. 0:17:28.810 --> 0:17:32.109 You'll just have a partisan view or a personal view, 0:17:32.580 --> 0:17:34.600 but you won't be dealing with life as God deals 0:17:34.630 --> 0:17:38.540 with it. Let me say a word about in the 0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:42.300 womb life. Because what is a major issue today is 0:17:42.340 --> 0:17:45.260 the issue of abortion. It shouldn't be a major issue. 0:17:45.280 --> 0:17:49.260 Not if God is involved with government because God has 0:17:49.300 --> 0:17:55.190 spoken on the issue of pre-birth abortions. In Job chapter 10, 0:17:55.190 --> 0:17:59.190 verses 8 to 12, and in Job chapter 31, verse 5, 0:17:59.190 --> 0:18:00.250 Job says. 0:18:01.450 --> 0:18:03.670 That you made me in the womb. 0:18:05.050 --> 0:18:08.150 And that I have the qualities of God in my 0:18:08.290 --> 0:18:13.750 unborn state. Psalm 22, verses 9 and 10 says God 0:18:13.850 --> 0:18:16.950 brings the child out of the womb. So he gets 0:18:17.050 --> 0:18:19.830 it started because he stitches it together and he brings 0:18:19.890 --> 0:18:25.320 it out. Matthew 1, verse 20, when Mary the Virgin 0:18:25.359 --> 0:18:29.740 was pregnant with our Lord Jesus Christ, the angel told 0:18:29.780 --> 0:18:35.320 Joseph that Mary is carrying a child, not an it, 0:18:35.420 --> 0:18:40.790 not a glob of something, not a non-person. What she's 0:18:40.880 --> 0:18:44.450 carrying is a baby, is a child. Can you imagine 0:18:45.030 --> 0:18:48.669 if Mary had the option of abortion and decided to 0:18:48.750 --> 0:18:51.619 take it? And we know that couldn't happen in the 0:18:51.940 --> 0:18:56.010 providence of God, but with some of the laws today, 0:18:56.030 --> 0:19:00.449 it would be okay to kill the Savior. The Bible 0:19:00.510 --> 0:19:04.310 is clear that in the womb is life. God is 0:19:04.390 --> 0:19:07.669 so committed to life in the womb that he prescribes 0:19:07.750 --> 0:19:11.620 its value before it ever gets into the womb. Jeremiah 0:19:11.619 --> 0:19:14.340 1 verses 4 and 5 says, you had a purpose 0:19:14.380 --> 0:19:18.810 for me prior to my entering in. Paul says in 0:19:18.830 --> 0:19:22.050 Galatians 1, 15 to 16, there is a plan. In 0:19:22.109 --> 0:19:25.129 other words, when God allows the baby to be in 0:19:25.170 --> 0:19:27.710 the womb, that's because he had a plan before it 0:19:27.750 --> 0:19:30.370 got to the womb so that when it entered the womb, 0:19:30.609 --> 0:19:34.710 it began the process of experiencing its destiny outside of 0:19:34.770 --> 0:19:38.530 the womb. So whenever you cut that short, you have 0:19:38.650 --> 0:19:44.100 interfered with the program and purposes of Almighty God. So 0:19:44.130 --> 0:19:49.310 when the government talks about It's okay to abort. It's 0:19:49.330 --> 0:19:54.199 saying it's okay to attack God. And you must protest 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:58.560 that because the scripture says when you shed innocent blood, 0:19:59.000 --> 0:20:00.340 more innocent blood. 0:20:00.140 --> 0:20:00.740 Will be shed. 0:20:00.800 --> 0:20:05.310 So expect crime to go up. Expect conflict to come 0:20:05.890 --> 0:20:09.260 because God doesn't like being attacked. So you want the 0:20:09.300 --> 0:20:11.439 government to keep you safe? Well, they better keep you 0:20:11.480 --> 0:20:15.940 safe by keeping God happy, by not legislating or legalizing 0:20:16.500 --> 0:20:19.439 death in the womb. When you buy a picture frame, 0:20:20.060 --> 0:20:22.480 it's a generic picture when you first buy that frame, right? 0:20:23.560 --> 0:20:26.200 You take that generic picture out, somebody you don't know, 0:20:26.300 --> 0:20:29.480 and you tear it and throw it away. Why? Because 0:20:29.510 --> 0:20:31.590 you're going to put another picture in there, a picture 0:20:31.609 --> 0:20:34.230 of yourself or your family, and now you hang it up. 0:20:34.330 --> 0:20:36.870 You don't hang it up with that generic picture. That 0:20:36.890 --> 0:20:39.670 generic picture has no value. You hang it up with 0:20:39.730 --> 0:20:44.310 this personal picture or this precious picture, something that you 0:20:44.369 --> 0:20:49.250 never want to lose sight of. Well, nobody created is 0:20:49.290 --> 0:20:53.609 a generic picture. No, they have the mark of God 0:20:53.890 --> 0:20:56.230 that is to go into the frame of life and 0:20:56.260 --> 0:20:58.899 to be held with the highest esteem because when they 0:20:58.940 --> 0:21:02.230 were created, they were created with a crown or tiara. 0:21:02.590 --> 0:21:08.180 They were created with a recognition of their divinely ordained dignity. 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:11.260 I know one of the arguments is, well, this is 0:21:11.340 --> 0:21:16.080 the lady's body. Well, first of all, if you're carrying 0:21:16.119 --> 0:21:19.720 a boy, there's parts in your body that don't belong 0:21:19.770 --> 0:21:24.350 to you, okay? You can't equate that with you. Secondly 0:21:24.369 --> 0:21:28.950 of all, we've established that it is the creation of God. 0:21:30.090 --> 0:21:32.369 Just because it's your body doesn't mean you get to 0:21:32.430 --> 0:21:33.570 do whatever you want with it. 0:21:33.590 --> 0:21:34.860 See, that's the problem. 0:21:35.650 --> 0:21:38.920 In fact, the government makes laws all the time that 0:21:38.940 --> 0:21:40.760 just because it's your body doesn't mean you can do 0:21:40.800 --> 0:21:44.300 what you want with it. You drive drunk, okay, you're 0:21:44.320 --> 0:21:45.860 gonna be in trouble. It's your body, you can drink 0:21:45.880 --> 0:21:49.520 what you wanna drink, but they're gonna create boundaries on 0:21:49.560 --> 0:21:52.600 your freedom and you can't argue that it's my body 0:21:52.640 --> 0:21:55.129 so I'm going to abuse somebody else, I'm going to 0:21:55.160 --> 0:21:56.980 rape somebody else, I'm going to do something. 0:21:57.030 --> 0:21:57.460 No, no, no. 0:21:57.609 --> 0:22:01.210 And secondly of all, we're talking about a different genetic code. 0:22:01.250 --> 0:22:03.870 We're not talking about your genetic code. We're talking about 0:22:03.910 --> 0:22:08.970 a brand new genetic code. So it's not just about you, 0:22:09.050 --> 0:22:14.189 but the selfishness of our world has reduced and dumbed 0:22:14.250 --> 0:22:18.379 down the dignity of life because it has dumbed down 0:22:18.840 --> 0:22:22.870 the imago Dei, the image of God that is involved 0:22:22.900 --> 0:22:29.310 in the process of birth. And so, you don't give 0:22:29.390 --> 0:22:33.109 people freedom to do wrong, even if they're doing wrong 0:22:33.530 --> 0:22:39.510 with their own bodies. No, you have laws that structure 0:22:40.070 --> 0:22:43.570 good and bad. And remember, God says, I'm the author 0:22:43.830 --> 0:22:47.149 of what's good and what's bad, what's right and what's wrong. 0:22:47.470 --> 0:22:49.409 You don't get to choose that, that is, if you 0:22:49.450 --> 0:22:51.290 want me involved. Now, if you want to get me 0:22:51.350 --> 0:22:54.119 out of the picture and see how chaotic your culture become, 0:22:54.450 --> 0:22:58.060 remove me. And then let's watch what happens. So now 0:22:58.100 --> 0:23:03.119 you have all manner of chaos because of the attack 0:23:03.200 --> 0:23:03.580 on God. 0:23:06.560 --> 0:23:09.860 Our Constitution calls for the separation of church and state. 0:23:10.380 --> 0:23:12.840 But as we've been learning, that doesn't mean there isn't 0:23:12.980 --> 0:23:16.810 and shouldn't be a relationship between God and government. And 0:23:16.850 --> 0:23:20.050 that's the subject of our current series, called Returning God 0:23:20.090 --> 0:23:23.189 to Government, available right now as our thank-you gift when 0:23:23.210 --> 0:23:25.810 you make a contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching 0:23:26.030 --> 0:23:28.670 on this station. It's a look at what Christians need 0:23:28.690 --> 0:23:32.510 to consider when they vote. containing 10 messages that include 0:23:32.550 --> 0:23:35.150 material we won't have time to present on the air. 0:23:35.390 --> 0:23:37.550 And it comes to you bundled with his book and 0:23:37.609 --> 0:23:40.590 brand new Bible study and streaming content I told you 0:23:40.630 --> 0:23:44.910 about earlier, Kingdom Politics. This special offer is the perfect 0:23:44.970 --> 0:23:47.590 resource to help you connect with the heart of God 0:23:47.650 --> 0:23:50.490 when you mark your ballot in November. But it's only 0:23:50.510 --> 0:23:55.350 available for a limited time, so don't wait. Visit TonyEvans.org 0:23:55.609 --> 0:23:57.810 where you'll find the details of this offer right on 0:23:57.830 --> 0:24:01.580 the homepage. Or call our resource request line any time 0:24:01.619 --> 0:24:03.960 of the day or night at 1-800-800-3222. Again, that's online 0:24:03.980 --> 0:24:05.580 at tonyevans.org or by phone at 1-800-800-3222. Many of the 0:24:05.600 --> 0:24:08.340 choices we'll make in the upcoming election will affect how 0:24:08.359 --> 0:24:08.840 people live. 0:24:08.859 --> 0:24:09.020 But Dr. 0:24:09.020 --> 0:24:26.740 Evans says some decisions will determine whether people live. Tomorrow, 0:24:26.900 --> 0:24:30.510 he'll take a look at issues that transcend political perspectives 0:24:30.609 --> 0:24:35.189 and party affiliations. I hope you'll be with us. The 0:24:35.230 --> 0:24:38.230 Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by 0:24:38.270 --> 0:24:41.490 The Urban Alternative and is made possible by the generous 0:24:41.560 --> 0:24:43.500 contributions of listeners like you. 0:24:55.950 --> 0:24:56.139 Thank you.