God’s Love For A Fractured Society Series

What do we mean by ‘fractured society’?

Here’s a few words we might use or that others have used to describe a fractured society:

Deprivation, resignation, hopelessness, pain, suffering, division, hatred, bondage, separation, ideologically or religiously divided, tension-filled world.

There conflicts around the globe.

We’re killing our planet with Carbon emissions and using all it’s resources.

People are destitute and hope-less.

I guess we can all agree that we live in a fractured society.

Since mankind turned his back on God and said, I think I can do it better my way thank you very much, this world has been a fractured one.

Fractured essentially means ‘broken’. And after God had made something, with which he was well pleased, we broke it!

We fractured the relationship between God and his creation, therefore bringing all these other problems and hurts into the world.

One thing we couldn’t break though, one thing that it is impossible to fracture, is God’s love for the world, and that’s why we meet Jesus Christ.

He is God’s love in person.

So as we talk about God’s love for a fractured world, we turn to Jesus. ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son…’

Right at the very heart of God’s love for a fractured world, is what we remember here today.

It’s what was spoken about at the youth led service last Sunday evening.

Youth Drama – created, messed up life, tried to get back, Jesus steps in.

(seek ’Lifehouse Everything Skit’ on You Tube).

I think it’s interesting as we look through this passage that we see a journey from something to something! We see what and where we are, and I guess the world has been since it first turned from God, and what we’re waiting for and to become.

In the first few verse we see that we’re enduring present sufferings (v18), we’re subjected to frustration (v20), we’re in bondage (v21) and decay (v21). We’re groaning as in the pains of childbirth (v22) and as anyone who’s ever been through it or seen a loved one go through it, those groans aren’t whimpers but screams!!

And these are the signs of a fractured society, broken from its intended link with the creator. Because it’s groaning for what it’s lost – for what we’ve chosen to walk away from!

Kansas Prayer – Pastor opened a session of a Kansas State House with a prayer that caused uproar there, and then later in higher republican meetings in the US.

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that’s exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that: We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism. We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism. We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it a choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the airwaves with profanity and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the centre of Your will... Amen

We live in a Fractured society in a fractured world of our own making.

But also in those few verses we see God’s love at work because it shows us what we’re waiting for in eager expectation (v19), and hoping for liberation to (v20-21).

Because there is a time coming when we shall see glory revealed in us (v18), be liberated and have glorious freedom (v21), fully know the adoption as children of God (v23) and have redemption for our bodies (v23).

In those few verses we see the now and the not yet.

We see the fractured society we’re in now, but because of God’s love shown to us in Christ Jesus, we see where we will be.