Upcoming Sermon

Sermon
NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM GOD’S LOVE
July 24, 2011

Romans 8:26-39
New International Version (NIV)

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

More Than Conquerors
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As the scripture reminds us, all of us suffer from time to time. In the day of the scripture, there was plenty of persecution from Rome and the Jewish Christians. But Paul reminds us that regardless of the circumstances of our lives, God’s Spirit is always with us and intercedes on our behalf. Since God’s Spirit is always with us, indeed within each of us, we can only feel disconnected if we choose to do so. Paul also reminds us that we tend to complicate our lives with poor decisions. But even as we do that, God is still with us and gives us the strength to endure whatever may come our way…but we must choose to recognize that Spirit. Paul’s theology was that even in our weakness, we have a role in cooperating with God to bring about good.

God’s love for us is deep and unconditional. Paul reiterates time and again that nothing can separate us from God’s unwavering love. There is only one thing that can separate us from God and that is our own choice to do so. That choice is ours. God does not force us to accept his love and direction. That choice is ours. Our pride, fear or guilt can cause us to turn from God. But God is always there, waiting to welcome us back into God’s presence.

Furthermore, since we each have God’s Spirit within us and to help us, God’s Spirit keeps us connected with one another. God uses us to minister to one another.

A couple of weeks ago, I met with the new officers of the Coffeyville Ministerial Alliance. One of our new officers has been rather standoffish with the rest of us. He has been very hard to get to know. We could not get him to join us on other occasions and for this meeting, we simply had to set up the meeting and invite him. At the last minute, he e-mailed me that he would be attending.

So we met. One of our number had had a bad experience with this minister but tried very hard to not let that influence his relationship even though it had been difficult.

After we had worked out the details of the meeting, he unexpectantly began to share with us his life story in testimony. After we heard his story of family rejection and a failed marriage, we understood him much better. No one was more surprised than he that he chose to share that. Afterward he apologized for doing so. We were all so impressed with what he had been able to overcome with the help of God’s Spirit, that we assured him that we were very pleased and honored that he had seen fit to share that with us.

His father had been an alcoholic and his mother a nagging wife and what he considered a whiner. As a teenager, he had married a dysfunctional woman and had a child with her. The woman continued to be unfaithful even when he attempted to forgive her and build a new life with her. At that time he had no vocation to be a minister. He was working as a carpenter and a number of other jobs. But because of the child, he was willing to try to make a go of the marriage.

Time and again, his wife would leave him and the child and go away with another man. Time and again he would try to help rebuild their lives together. His story reminded me very much of the story of Amos in the Bible.

Finally, he decided that it was not within her to be faithful to one man. He filed for divorce. He had a lovely singing voice and time and again was called upon by friends to share his music at their churches. He also tried time and again to get his college degree and after repeated tries and many years, finally got his bachelor’s degree. He decided to go into music ministry. He enrolled in seminary but made very poor grades and was not successful. But while he was attempting to build a new life for himself, he met his present wife at church. She was a very good woman. She was a music teacher so he also became a music teacher. She encouraged him to try again for the ministry. Even before he completed his seminary work, he became a music minister. Later he became a youth minister. His wife encouraged him to forgive his mother for her shortcomings and explained to him that if she had to deal with his father’s alcoholism, she probably was a nag and a whiner…with good reason.

After many a struggle and after finally being ordained, he became a senior pastor. He now has been one for 17 years. But now, because he has five children, he finds he cannot retire. His children have taken most of his resources and he feels he will have to work the rest of his life.

After he told us this story, he said, “I don’t know what possessed me to go into all of that with you folks. I’m sorry.” We all told him we felt God’s Spirit was using us as someone he could talk with to unburden himself. He was a whole lot more personable after that. It’s amazing what stands between us and others. But God’s Spirit is able to heal those breaches.

Most of us have experienced God’s generous gift of love in difficult times. It is important for us to know that we can trust others who have experienced difficult times to help us to understand.

God’s Spirit is something we all share and in our better moments, we can sense that in one another. God is infinitely patient and is always yearning to draw us close whenever we are ready to receive God’s love.