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.
But while we wait and hope in eager expectation, there’s a few things that I also see God showing his love to us in.
Because it’s not that we’re just left in the dark place until that future day when God puts it all right. God is at work among us today, at work among our fractured lives – which gives us a greater hope for the future.
I read that a few years ago some researchers performed an experiment to see the affect hope has on those undergoing hardship. Two sets of laboratory rats were placed in separate tubs of water. The researchers left one set in the water, and found that within an hour they had all drowned. The other rats were periodically lifted out of the water and then returned. When that happened, the second set of rats swam for over 24 hours.
Why? Not because they were given a rest, but because they suddenly had hope! Those animals somehow hoped that if they could stay afloat just a little longer, someone would reach down and rescue them. If hope holds such power for unthinking rodents, how much greater should its effect be on our lives.
So God is at work today, not just waiting for the future – 1. Because he loves us and 2. to give us hope for the future blessings to come.
1. First fruits of the Spirit (v23)
• The beginning of the harvest and the pledge of more
• First instalment, down payment, pledge, guarantee
• Foretaste and promise of God’s blessings
• 2 Cor 1:21-22, ‘Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.’
2. Spirit’s help in prayer (v26)
• Helps in many areas of weakness
• Particularly in prayer!
• Ignorance – ‘do not know what to pray’
• Groans – unexpressed words. Deep longings of our heart.
• Intercede: ask on somebody’s behalf
3. God is at work (v28)
• Note in v28, 3 things:
1. God is at work!
2. God is at work for Good!
3. God is at work for Good in all things!
• Even in the tough times, God is at work.
• He hasn’t left us alone!
• People ask, why all the bad things if there’s a God at work – I say imagine how worse it would be if He wasn’t at work!
4. Jesus intercedes for us when accused (advocate) (v33)
• Second advocate on our behalf
• Hebrews 4:14-16, ‘Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.’
• Satan’s accusations about us before God are defended by Christ himself.
• Because Christ has died on our behalf, has risen again and stands before the father, he can speak on our behlaf and defend us.
5. We are inseparable from God’s love in Christ Jesus. (v35-39)
• Lloyd Jones calls this a ‘grand staircase’ with the questions leading up to this one – ‘who shall separate us from the love of Christ?’
• List of things people might think powerful enough to create a barrier:
o Trouble nor hardship nor persecution nor famine nor nakedness nor danger nor sword…
o Death nor life, Angels nor demons, Present nor future, Height nor depth, nor any powers.
• To round it up if you hadn’t quite got the message: ‘nor anything else in all creation…’
Stott, ‘Everything in creation is under the control of God the creator and of Jesus Christ the Lord. That is why nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (v39).’
It’s not talking about your salvation here, but the love that God has for you – and nothing can make him love you more or less.
Absolutely NOTHING can get in the way of God’s love for you shown in Jesus Christ. NOTHING!
HE LOVES YOU, HE LOVES YOU, HE LOVES YOU. PERIOD!
In our fractured society today, perhaps we could say…
Neither debt nor recession, adultery nor divorce, greed nor envy, tragedy nor heartache…. you could add many more.
But nothing when Paul was writing 2000 yrs ago, and nothing now will be able to separate us from the Love of God.
Stott writes again, ‘Christian people are not guaranteed immunity to temptation, tribulation or tragedy, but we are promised victory over them. God’s pledge is not that suffering will never affect us, but that it will never separate us from his love.’
God’s love for a fractured society!
Song to finish:
Don Francisco, I don’t care where you’ve been sleeping:
“I don’t care where you’ve been sleeping, I don’t who’s made your bed. I’ve already gave My life to set you free; There’s no sin you could imagine that is stronger than my love, and it’s all yours if you’ll come home again to Me.”
