7-26-20 Sermon Notes “Freedom to Ask”
A few years ago there was a TV show called Early Edition. It was set in Chicago, and it was based on the adventures of a young man named Gary who mysterious received a newspaper one morning. It was the Chicago Sun-Times, but this one was different. This one was delivered by a cat…and it was the newspaper for the NEXT day. In other words, Gary was able to see stories of things that hadn’t happened yet. The plot of the show was that Gary would see some tragic event that was going to happen, and he would go out and try to stop this tragedy from occurring.
On one episode, the headline read, “150 DIE AS PLANE CRASHES ON TAKE OFF.” Then, at the very bottom of the page was a tiny story about a little girl who got hit by a car while riding her bicycle, and died on the street before the ambulance could get there. So…which tragedy will Gary try to stop? He decided he must help the 150 who would die in the plane crash rather than the one little girl.
Gary got in his car to head to the airport but became stuck in traffic on the highway. He was stressing out! Just then he saw the little girl riding the side of the highway…the one from the newspaper…the one who would get hit by a car. Agonizing over what to do, Gary decided to veer off the highway and follow the little girl, since he couldn’t make it to the airport in time. He found the girl, just after she had been hit by a car. He scooped her up in his arms and frantically drove her to the nearest hospital. The girl survived because of Gary’s heroic efforts.
Still… Gary sat in the waiting room with his head down, wishing he could have made it to the airport. Just then, the doors burst open and the little girl’s parents rushed in. The father was dressed (get this) in an airline pilot’s uniform. He had been pulled from his flight just before takeoff with the news of his daughter’s accident. Because of that, the tragedy of the 150 dying in the plane crash at takeoff was also averted. Happy ending…roll credits.
Wouldn’t it be great if life always worked out that way? Every tragedy averted? Is that what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose?” (Rom. 8: 28) This “famous” verse is part of the Scripture we will use for this coming Sunday when we look at “Freedom to Ask.”
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercede with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted 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, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8: 26-39 NRSV)
This Sunday, in our last message in the Let Freedom Ring series, we are going to look at how we are free to:
(1) Ask God for what we need, even if we don’t know what to say.
(2) Ask God the tough questions, like, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
Why are we free to ask? It has to do with the very character of God! You don’t want to miss this! So join us for one of our worship services: Thursday night at 5:30 pm (in-person, with masks and distancing), or online services at 9:00 or 11:00 am on Sundays.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Sam