An Active God
(Romans 8:26-28)
1. God’s providence and planet earth.
Our Earth, for instance, is perfectly designed for life. It’s the "just right" size for the atmosphere we need. Its size and corresponding gravity hold a thin, but not too thin, layer of gases to protect us and allow us to breathe. When astronaut John Glenn returned to space, one of the things that struck him was how thin and fragile our atmosphere is (only 50 miles above the Earth). If our planet were smaller it couldn’t support an atmosphere, like on Mercury. If it were larger, like Jupiter, the atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, which is poison for us.{2} Earth is the only planet we know of that contains an atmosphere that can support human, animal, and plant life.
The Earth is also placed at a "just right" distance from the sun and the other planets in our solar system. If we were closer to the sun, we’d burn up. If we were farther away, we’d freeze. Because Earth’s orbit is nearly circular, this slightly elliptical shape means that we enjoy a quite narrow range of temperatures, which is important to life. The speed of Earth’s rotation on its axis, completing one turn every 24 hours, means that the sun warms the planet evenly. Compare our world to the moon, where there are incredible temperature variations because it lacks sufficient atmosphere or water to retain or deflect the sun’s energy.
Speaking of the moon, it’s important that there is only one moon, not two or three or none, and it’s the "just right" size and distance from us. The moon’s gravity impacts the movement of ocean currents, keeping the water from becoming stagnant.{3}
Water itself is an important part of a "just right" world. Plants, animals and human beings are mostly made of water, and we need it to live. One of the things that makes Earth unique is the abundance of water in a liquid state.
Water has surface tension. This means that water can move upward, against gravity, to bring liquid nutrients to the tops of the tallest plants.
Everything else in the world freezes from the bottom up, but water freezes from the top down. Everything else contracts when it freezes, but water expands. This means that in winter, ponds and rivers and lakes can freeze at the surface, but allow fish and other marine creatures to live down below.
The fact that we live on a "just right" planet in a "just right" universe is evidence that it all was created by a loving God.
(from http://www.origins.org/articles/bohlin_evidenceforgod.html)
2. God has created an ideal planet for life to flourish, and it does. Yet how often do we really appreciate that? We just take it for granted.
3. We take almost everything God has done or does for granted. But we need to wake up and realize that God is actively involved in our lives daily and constantly!
MAIN IDEA: God is very active in the moment to moment lives of those Who know Him in ways in which we are rarely conscious.
I. The Holy Spirit Groans With and For Us in Prayer (26-27)
1. He understands and helps us with our weakness (26a)
(1) “in the same way” = as hope sustains, so the Spirit sustains us
(2) John Stott points out that God’s creation (verse 22) and God’s children (verse 23) groan inwardly; Is God like a machine without feelings? No, God the Holy Spirit also groans in sympathy and empathy for His creation and His children…
(3) this has nothing to do with the gift of tongues or a prayer language; the Greek word alaljtos means, “wordless”; not a strange language, but no verbal language
(4) It is perplexing to understand that God can allow horrible experiences in life and yet be truly empathetic with us….but such is the case…
· Hebrews 4: 15For 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. 16Let 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.
· He EMPATHIZES and SYMPATHIZES with us
· Did you ever feel like no one understands? Some ONE always does. God is always ready to share our sorrows, and feels with us…
2. One of our weaknesses is that we do not know what to pray for…
(1) we don’t know which end is up because we do not know how God is accomplishing His purposes
Example: Gospel singer blessed with a great voice. Becomes famous. Contracts, CD’s….leaves husband and kids to pursue career….was her voice a blessing or a curse?
Example: Free tickets to a ballgame; car accident on the way; good gift or not?
· We tend to think at the simplest level….
(2) you would think that the sin of Adam would have messed up God’s plan, not be part of a greater good that He is working…
(3) so how do you know what is and is not accomplishing God’s purposes?
(4) That’s why we model our prayers after those of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Father, not my will, but Your will be done.” We don’t know—not for sure.
(5) Yet “we have not because we ask not” (James 4:2)
3. All Three Persons of the Trinity are involved in prayer; we pray to the Father through the Son via the ministry of the Holy Spirit; the Father knows the mind of the Spirit.
(1) so the Spirit intercedes…
(2) How many of us pray for an hour a day? How do you know? The Holy Spirit may be praying for you and with your spirit right now!
4. There are things going on right now on your behalf you have not dreamed about: angels and demons battling it out, Jesus interceding for us before the Father’s throne…but one frequent thing God the Holy Spirit does is intercede for us…
God is very active in the moment to moment lives of those Who know Him in ways in which we are rarely conscious.
II. God Works for the Good in All Things (28)
1. We know. How do we know? His revelation, NOT life!
2. God works in all things…what does this mean?
· illustrated all over the Scriptures
Genesis 50
20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Isaiah 38
17 Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me
from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.
Acts 2
23This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[1] put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
· Jim Elliott and the Auca Indians
3. What good do trials and tragedies do?
(1) sometimes it relates to verse 29, conformity to the image of Christ
(2) sometimes it advances God’s kingdom or glorifies God
(3) often we just can’t understand; we have no definitive answer….and we should be honest about it….
(4) Job, for example, never knew why he went through the horrible trials he experienced….
(5) and this is one thing we do not usually enjoy about God!
(6) Yet Romans 8:18 implies we will be more than compensated for our present
sufferirngs….eternally so…
A farmer sent his nephew a crate of chickens, but the box burst open just as the boy started to take them out. The next day he wrote his uncle: "I chased them through my neighbor’s yard but I only got back eleven." Answered the uncle, "You did all right. I only sent six."
C. McDonald in The Christian Word.
(7) So is God too week to end suffering? Or does He not really love us?
4. Several answers:
(1) It is not about us; it is about His glory, and we are His creatures
(2) We must not define love by mere human sentiment; Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.”
(3) God’s love is at home with suffering, though He grieves and groans with us;
(4) A parent takes a child in for a shot…could not the parent prevent it? Doesn’t the parent love his child? The child might disagree at that point…
(5) So much of it is a matter of time…
2 Corinthians 4
18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
(6) Most suffering is connected to the Fall, and the nature of sin and the curse is such that it is not just, equal, or consistent….sin is disorderly….
(7) Although God may alter or restrict the haphazzard nature of tragedy, often He lets the consequences of a cursed universe work themselves out…
5. Philip Yancy, in his book, Disappointment with God, writes, “Knowledge is passive, intellectual; suffering is active, personal. No intellectual answer will solve suffering….A tiny creature on a tiny planet in a remote galaxy simply could not fathom the great design of the universe.”
Yancy goes on, “Saints become saints by somehow hanging on to the stubborn conviction that things are not as they appear, and that the unseen world is as solid and trustworthy as the visible world around them.”
6. We know God loves us not because life is easy or it goes well with this, though it may, but we know because Christ died for us! And after Christ’s death was a glorious resurrection. This is similar to God’s pattern for the believer: groaning and suffering, then triumph and glory…
7. For good to those who love Him…
· Further described as “those who are called according to His purpose.”
· This statement forms a link to the next few verses, and we’ll deal with this portion of the verse next week…
8. Did you know God cares about your life? Did you know God brings things into your life to train you, test you, develop you, or correct you?
God is very active in the moment to moment lives of those Who know Him in ways in which we are rarely conscious.
CONCLUSION
1. God takes our spiritual growth and well-being seriously.
2. Would that each of us would do the same. If we cared 10% as much as He did about the condition of our souls, we’d all be spiritual giants.
3. Let’s let that one sink in.
