September 12, 2010
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 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.
– Romans 8:38-39
PART 1
Identify the Current Issue
Group activity. Divide into four groups.
1.) Separate the M&Ms by color.
2.) Separate the banana from the peel.
3.) Separate the egg white from the yolk.
4.) Separate the tea from the water.
Group member reports from each group as to their success, how did the go about separating the things, was it easy or hard? What did you do to separate the items?
In this exercise, we looked at separation in four ways:
1) the M&Ms were easily separated because they had nothing in common;
2) the banana and peel were less easily separated because they were connected but were distinct parts;
3) the egg white and yolk were harder because there were connected and less distinct; 4) the tea and water were impossible because there was no distinction. The two had become one.
[Q] What did you learn from this exercise about the one, big thing that protects against separation?
The two had become one.
In the above exercise, we used a physical example to get a better understanding of an emotional and spiritual truth. Jesus often used agricultural parables (seeds in soil) to get His bigger point across in a clear way. Now that we've looked at physical separation and some of its properties, let's think about other forms of separation, how they happen, and their impact.
[Q] When you hear the phrase “separation anxiety”, what do you think of?
[Q] How does separation anxiety or actually being separated from something or someone important to you effect your life, your well-being, your emotions?
PART 2
Discover the Eternal Principles
Teaching point one: Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.
Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 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.
[Q] What astounding claim does Paul make in these verses?
[Q] What kinds of struggles do you think the Romans were having they thought would separate them from God?
[Q] Are these the same things that people struggle with now or do you think Paul would write a different list to us?
No matter what life we live, where we live it, how planned and prepared we are, there will be trails and tribulations - struggles that seem like they may be able to separate us from the love of God. Paul makes an astounding claim that nothing - nothing - can separate us from the love of God. There are not degrees of things that may or may not separate us. Nothing will. Period. We can take comfort in that truth.
Teaching point two: God put everything under the authority of Christ. (God is great.)
Exercise: Go around the room. Finish this sentence. I am convinced that ________.
How did you decide how to finish that sentence? Were there conditions for certainty? My answer was "I am convinced that I am wearing a watch." My condition for certainty - for being convinced - was that I had solid evidence. I could see and feel the watch on my arm.
Paul begins these verses with "I am convinced" - not with "I think it might be that" or "Maybe" or "Perhaps" or "In an ideal world" or "If I have had to make a guess." It's great that Paul is convinced, but we may still be wondering why he's convinced of such a profound statement. Could he possibly have any evidence to prove it? Let's look at scripture.
Ephesians 1:22-23 And God placed all things under his [Jesus’] feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Hebrews 2:8-9 In putting everything under him [Jesus], God left nothing that is not subject to him.
Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God exalted him [Jesus] to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Daniel 7:14 And to him [Messiah] was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve him.
[Q] What do each one of these scriptures tell us that might serve as evidence for Paul?
These scriptures tell us that everything on earth and heaven are subject to Christ. Therefore, it is an impossibility that there is a power that can separate us from God. God wants us united with Him, and there's no adversary big enough to challenge Him. In Chuck's sermon this Sunday, he pointed out that God is great. This is another way saying what the scriptures above tell us and what Paul knew.
Teaching point three: Christ is on our (in)side. (God is good.)
Paul's certainty rests on the fact that God is great, but it also rests on the knowledge that God is good. He's on our side. You could even say He's on our inside - that the two have become one. Let's look at some scripture to back that up.
John 17:20-24 "My prayer is not for them [the disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.
[Q] How does Jesus describe our relationship to Him?
[Q] What does He indirectly say about our relationship to God?
In the passage above, Jesus is praying to God in the Garden of Gesthemane the night before His crucifixion. This is the very last part of His prayer. The final, most important, thing Jesus prays for us is that we will be one with Him through His death. That's pretty astounding! It would be a shame for us not to recognize and live into what Jesus specifically prayed for us.
This idea of two becoming one - us with Christ - is conveyed further by Paul through the metaphor of marriage. Let's look at some more scriptures.
Mark 10:7-9 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
Ephesians 5:29-32 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.
[Q] What do these verses say about our relationship to Christ?
Again, we hear Paul reiterating that the miracle accomplished in Christ's death and resurrection is that we have become one with Christ. The metaphor is extended to the church, which we call the Body of Christ which is also referred to as the Bride of Christ. In the book of Revelation, one of the culminating scenes is the Lamb (Christ) being united in a wedding with His Bride (the Church). This is not some small, sideline idea in the Bible. This is THE idea, THE purpose of Christ's sacrifice - to make us one, again as it was in the beginning, with Christ.
Teaching point four: Be expectant. Be excited. Be extravagant. (Don't be like The Miserables.)
So what do with do with that? Paul has laid a pretty heavy truth on us - one that is comforting and assuring, but also challenging. So if we believe what Paul is saying, then how does that effect the way we live? Certainly, if nothing can separate us from the love of God, then our lives should reflect this. Certainly, we shouldn't be moping around, leading mediocre lives of duty and drudgery like people who have no hope and no cause for joy.
Chuck talked this Sunday about a scene in the movie Amistad. Below is the dialogue:
[a band of abolitionists approach the outer gate of the prison where the Amistad refugees are being held for trial]
Fala: [in Mende] Who are they, do you think?
[the abolitionists kneel to pray]
Joseph Cinque: [in Mende] Looks like they are going to be sick.
Abolitionists: [singing] Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound...
Fala: [in Mende] They're entertainers!
Abolitionists: [singing] ... that saved a wretch like me...
Joseph Cinque: [in Mende] But why do they look so miserable?
Why do they look so miserable? A haunting question. Sometimes I look out on Sunday mornings during worship when the congregation is singing beautiful hymns, and I wonder the same thing. If someone peeked in the Sanctuary, they would surely thing we were performing a somber ritual based on some other truth besides nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Do you ever wonder we look so miserable if we believe Romans 8:38-39? Here's a better picture of how we should look.
1.) Be expectant.
to expect: to look forward to
This is not some namby-pamby, half-hope that occasionally God may show up and something good might happen. This is the kind of expectancy that goes along with pregnancy. There is commitment and certainty involved. Something IS going to happen one way or another.
Live each day committed to the expectation of God's presence and His work in and through you.
2.) Be excited.
to excite: to stimulate to activity
This is not some flash-in-the-pan emotional upsurge. Real excitement means something has been put into motion. If you excite a guitar string, you start it vibrating and making sound. If you excite an atom, you move it to an higher energy level. The point is that excitement is not about just a feeling, it's about action.
Live each day committed to responding with action to the manifestation of God's presence.
3.) Be extravagant.
extravagant: lacking in restraint, exceeding the limits of necessity or reason
This is not some indulgence of luxury, spending too much on shoes or dinner. This is an extravagance of response to God.
Live each day lacking restraint and being unreasonable in your generosity, your kindness, your patience, your faith, your perseverance, your pursuit of Christ and the work He has laid out for you since the beginning of time. When any, and I many any, opportunity is presented for you to meet a need, do so extravagantly!
PART 3
Apply Your Findings
Break up into small groups for discussion.
[Q] Has there been a time this week when you felt the love of God?
[Q] Why do you think Paul included “life” and “angels” in his list of things that we might worry about separating us from God? How can life separate you from the love of God?
[Q] Think about the exercise we did at the beginning of class with the M&Ms, banana, egg, and tea. Which one best describes how you view your relationship with the love of God?
[Q] How will Paul’s assurance that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ allow you to be expectant, excited, and extravagant this week?
Come back together as a big group for closing.
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