| Romans 8:18-23 "Where Is God When I Hurt?" Pastor Don Baron |
| Sermons |
Romans 8:18-23 "Where Is God When I Hurt?"
Imagine that my fist represents your life on this planet.
Now imagine a bright red line going out from my fist
Coromendel…Pacific…Alaska…North Pole…Solar system…
Milky Way…distant galaxies…
…never stopping…
That's what the Bible says your life looks like.
(Transparency): Now let this spot take the place of my fist…
…the all-too-short red line represent the endless red line we just
imagined.
Now imagine that you are a microscopic germ living in the black spot.
The spot would loom enormous
Spend your life exploring it, knowing nothing of the rest of the line.
But you're not a germ - you're an intelligent human.
You can step back and view the entire scene in your mind.
Black spot represents the 80-90 years of your life on this planet.
You COULD spend your entire life focused on the spot alone.
Millions do.
You COULD develop a lot of theories about this black spot.
…How it came into existence
…What is the meaning of life on the black spot.
…If you believed in God, you might come up with some ideas
about how cruel and indifferent God appears to be in that
80-90-year period.
But wouldn't your opinions be all wrong, since you are only taking into
account the black spot and not the red line?
That's the main point of Paul's words in his letter to the Romans.
He wants them to think about life in terms of the whole picture.
(Read)
Paul describes life in the black spot pretty accurately, doesn't he.
(2nd transparency)
"present sufferings" - v. 18
"waits" 19 & 23 Longing for something better, for resolution of
life's contradictions & incompleteness.
"frustration" 20 failed efforts; lost dreams & goals; jilted love…
you never applied yourself when young and you're still paying the price
Regrets that you have not been a great model for your children.
"bondage to decay" 21 unavoidable death, the snuffing out of a
life, especially if precious to us.
aging with its loss of spouse, increasing dependency on others,
loneliness
Imagine that my fist represents your life on this planet.
Now imagine a bright red line going out from my fist
Coromendel…Pacific…Alaska…North Pole…Solar system…
Milky Way…distant galaxies…
…never stopping…
That's what the Bible says your life looks like.
(Transparency): Now let this spot take the place of my fist…
…the all-too-short red line represent the endless red line we just
imagined.
Now imagine that you are a microscopic germ living in the black spot.
The spot would loom enormous
Spend your life exploring it, knowing nothing of the rest of the line.
But you're not a germ - you're an intelligent human.
You can step back and view the entire scene in your mind.
Black spot represents the 80-90 years of your life on this planet.
You COULD spend your entire life focused on the spot alone.
Millions do.
You COULD develop a lot of theories about this black spot.
…How it came into existence
…What is the meaning of life on the black spot.
…If you believed in God, you might come up with some ideas
about how cruel and indifferent God appears to be in that
80-90-year period.
But wouldn't your opinions be all wrong, since you are only taking into
account the black spot and not the red line?
That's the main point of Paul's words in his letter to the Romans.
He wants them to think about life in terms of the whole picture.
(Read)
Paul describes life in the black spot pretty accurately, doesn't he.
(2nd transparency)
"present sufferings" - v. 18
"waits" 19 & 23 Longing for something better, for resolution of
life's contradictions & incompleteness.
"frustration" 20 failed efforts; lost dreams & goals; jilted love…
you never applied yourself when young and you're still paying the price
Regrets that you have not been a great model for your children.
"bondage to decay" 21 unavoidable death, the snuffing out of a
life, especially if precious to us.
aging with its loss of spouse, increasing dependency on others,
loneliness
"groaning" 22, 23 from the groans of physical pain to the
groaning of betrayed and wounded spirits
All of these things are common human experience within the black dot, within
bounds of the few decades of our lives.
If that were all there is…
If I had nothing more to look forward to but dying with a whimper…
what nonsense life would be.
and how unbearable the present sufferings.
BUT, says Paul, that black dot is but a paper-thin slice of eternity.
Put it all into perspective.
That red line out there, Paul calls Glory…the Glory to be revealed.
And what's out there awaiting us?
(transparency)
1. The sons & daughters of God will be revealed. v. 19
That is, our eyes will be opened and we'll fully grasp the glory
the power
the privileges
of being adopted sons and daughters of God Himself.
2. The creation will be liberated - v. 21
Our sin brought a curse on the whole world, and it's decaying,
running down, and being spoiled by man.
Our redemption will bring release from the curse to creation,
and it will spring to new and exciting life for us to explore
and to care for.
3. The redeeming - or restoring - of even our bodies.
"We believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting."
To be fully human is too have a body.
Christ's brought us full redemption.
Not forever as disembodied spirits, but as robust, vigorous
men and women now become what we were intended
to be.
And so Paul places the broken life in the black spot - our 80-90 years
in contrast to life on the red, eternal life and says (transparency)
NOT TO BE COMPARED!
Nothing in the black spot can be compared with life on the red line!
Now, with that full picture of life in mind, we can go on to ask:
"Why does God permit suffering?"
groaning of betrayed and wounded spirits
All of these things are common human experience within the black dot, within
bounds of the few decades of our lives.
If that were all there is…
If I had nothing more to look forward to but dying with a whimper…
what nonsense life would be.
and how unbearable the present sufferings.
BUT, says Paul, that black dot is but a paper-thin slice of eternity.
Put it all into perspective.
That red line out there, Paul calls Glory…the Glory to be revealed.
And what's out there awaiting us?
(transparency)
1. The sons & daughters of God will be revealed. v. 19
That is, our eyes will be opened and we'll fully grasp the glory
the power
the privileges
of being adopted sons and daughters of God Himself.
2. The creation will be liberated - v. 21
Our sin brought a curse on the whole world, and it's decaying,
running down, and being spoiled by man.
Our redemption will bring release from the curse to creation,
and it will spring to new and exciting life for us to explore
and to care for.
3. The redeeming - or restoring - of even our bodies.
"We believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting."
To be fully human is too have a body.
Christ's brought us full redemption.
Not forever as disembodied spirits, but as robust, vigorous
men and women now become what we were intended
to be.
And so Paul places the broken life in the black spot - our 80-90 years
in contrast to life on the red, eternal life and says (transparency)
NOT TO BE COMPARED!
Nothing in the black spot can be compared with life on the red line!
Now, with that full picture of life in mind, we can go on to ask:
"Why does God permit suffering?"
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