Rom 8-A Fallen and Broken World

| Living in a Fallen and Broken World! Romans 8:17-25

March 4, 2007 (New Living Translation) 17Since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. 18Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. 19For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God’s curse. 21All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. 24Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don’t need to hope for it. 25But if we look forward to something we don’t have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently.   PRAY Scripture Memory:We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28 Intro:Last week:We suffer because we are being prepared for glory.Therefore, suffering, especially suffering which is for righteousness sake, should not surprise us as Christians. I may have implied, although not intentionally, that other kinds of suffering are either of our own doing or, in some other way, a punishment for our own foolishness…Suffering is a reality we can all count on having to face in this life, in one form or another. It varies in intensity, and cause, but, in the sovereign loving hands of our Heavenly Father, it is always intended to move us closer to glory.This morning: The reality of living in a fallen and broken world, and God’s desire for His children in that world. 1. Our World2. Our Light3. Our Hope 1. Our World (vv. 20-23)We live in a fallen and broken world.Suffering is a by-product of living in a fallen and broken world.☞  We live in a fallen world (v. 20)20Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God’s curse. (NIV) the creation was subjected to frustrationCtr. w/ Eden / paradiseThis world has been subjected to God’s curse – to frustration – (NASB) futility – WHY?…Because those who were given Lordship over it rejected God.Because of this we find that we have an amazing propensity to corrupt every good thing God gives usØ  FamiliesØ  FoodØ  Sexual intimacyØ  Even worship!# 1 reason for suffering / evil in the world >           it is a fallen worldThe reason Christ had to come… ☞  We live in a broken world (vv. 21-23)21All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. The #2 reason for suffering in the world >           It is a broken world Murphy’s LawØ   Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Ø   Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse. Ø   If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something. Ø   It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious. Ø   Every solution breeds new problems.Laws Of The Natural Universe:Ø   Law of Mechanical Repair:After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch Ø   Law of Rugs/Carpets:The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.Ø   Wilson's Law:As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.Ø   Law of the Result:When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.CynicismThe 2nd law of thermodynamicsSickness / Weather / Accidents Point 1: As long as we live in a fallen and broken world, suffering should not surprise us, nor should we blame God for it.  2. Our Light   (v. 19-22)19For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God’s curse. 21All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. The problem is that we are living in darkness. Fallenness and brokenness both point to our need for illumination. The fact that we have fallen points to our need for restoration. In other words we need to find out way back on the right path. Like Luke Skywalker with his father…The fact that we are broken point to our need for healing. In other words we need to find the remedy for our brokenness, namely the light of the gospel…☞ Jesus is the light of the world.John 8:12 – (NLT) Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” If you do not yet know the light, then I would URGE you to come into the light. |   | (John 3:20-21) – There are those who hate the light and will not come into it. And then there are those who want to come into the light. This is a major dividing line between those who are God’s children and those who are not.The key question, then: Do you DESIRE to come into the light, understanding what the light does? ☞ We are the Light of the World.Because Jesus is the light of the world, and He dwells with and in His church, WE are called to be lights in this world.Matthew 5:14-16 – (NLT) 14You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. 15Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. 16In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. We, who know the light, should be beacons of hope to this dark world.Ø  The world looks to us to bring healing (v. 19)All creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.They are quick to point the finger when we fail to act and quick to look to us for strength when things are rough…Ø  All Creation longs for God’s children to be fully revealed. (v. 19)What this means, in life, is that we must always be alert to opportunities to bring healing and hope to those suffering from the brokenness and fallenness of this world, yet always with the light of the gospel clearly directing our paths.The gospel has many principles that, when properly applied will improve life in this world. However…Tim Keller…The whole gospel to the whole person…God’s people SHOULD be, and are on the front lines throughout history and throughout the world in establishing hospitals and schools…Amazing Grace, the movie…The danger: HumanismHumanism: viewing the comfort and well-being of humans as the highest goal, rather than the glory of God… Point 2: Light has come into the world in the Person of Jesus Christ to bring hope and healing to this fallen and broken world. We, who form His church, are His hands and His feet in making this a reality today.  3. Our Hope  (vv. 24-25)24Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don’t need to hope for it. 25But if we look forward to something we don’t have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently.There is hope, even in the midst of all this brokenness.That hope is both present and future.☞ A Future Hope:This is the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.We will not see the fallenness and brokenness gone until glory. This is our confident expectation and hope. We talked about this last week in terms of the incomparability of that glory which is to come with the hard times people have to deal with now.We are called upon to wait patiently and confidently for this.Patiently: not demanding now, what we will only see when we stand in Christ’s Presence…In this life there will be mysteries. There will be VERY difficult times of suffering and pain. We need to constantly re-focus on the greater need of knowing God more fully… ☞ A Present Hope:Confidently: CHOOSING to believe the promises of God’s Word…We can address the brokenness of this world with a confidence that those who do not know the gospel could never do…We can be agents of healing and hope, even when we do not have all the answers, sometimes just by BEING there…Faith is, and always will be, something which is more caught than taught… Point 3: The gospel gives us both a future hope, which will only be fully realized when we see Him face to face, and also a present hope which offers strength to us here and now. Communion – a reminder of our world, our light and our hope – A reminder that this world is fallen and brokenA reminder that the light has come into the world to bring redemption and healingA reminder that there is good reason to have hope even in the midst of unanswered questions and difficult circumstances. A Truth to Remember: Jesus died in our place so that we can have peace in this fallen and broken world, with a confident expectation of His sovereign watch-care over us. A Challenge to Consider:Jesus calls us to be lights to this dark world. This means being agents of healing and hope. In what way can you be this to someone over the next few days or weeks? One thing I heard this morning was…                                        |