God, Why Would You Want a Relationship with Me?
Romans 8:1-17
If God is real—and I believe he is—he's a big deal.
The God of the universe is the Creator of all things, ruler over everything he created. He's outside of time, all-knowing, all-powerful, everywhere at once. And this God wants a relationship with me? With you? A person?
The God Worthy of Reverent Fear
Look at the Old Testament and you'll find stories that should make us tremble. People were struck down for touching the Ark of the Covenant or trying to peek inside. There was a holy place in God's temple, the Holy of Holies, where priests would enter once a year behind a huge curtain. They'd wear bells on their robes so people outside would know if they died in God's presence.
Angels appear throughout Scripture, and almost every time they show up, their first words are: "Don't be afraid." because they're terrifying in their awesomeness, and they're just the messengers.
Moses famously received the Ten Commandments after chatting with God on the mountain. When he walked back down, he was literally glowing, radiating from the epicness of encountering God.
Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden, but as soon as sin entered, God said, "You can't be here anymore. This doesn't work like that."
Time and time again, the Bible talks about reverent fear of God. And so of course we ask: Why would that God want a relationship with me? Simple little me. Shouldn't I approach God with trembling fear? This shouldn't be a relationship at all.
The God Who Is Like a Father
When God looks at simple little people like ourselves, who He created, and He says, "Very good."
From the very beginning, God has loved us. We are offered a personal relationship with the God of the whole universe.
Sometimes people say the God of the New Testament is the "lovey-dovey one" while the God of the Old Testament is the "big scary one." But look at this beautiful passage from Hosea 11:
"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son... It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms... To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them."
The God of the Old Testament is as loving as the God in the New Testament. We see a Father tenderly caring for his children, even though they walked away from him. That's the God we follow.
Romans 8:15 tells us: "The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'"
Abba. Dad. Father. The God of the universe, who is big and powerful and everywhere and wonderful, comes to us little people and says, "I love you so much that you can call me Dad."
So we're left with this picture: a God we are awed by AND a God who loves his people tenderly like a father. In The Chronicles of Narnia, when a girl asks if the lion Aslan is safe, Mr. Beaver responds: "Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the king."
God is still the God of the universe. He isn't "safe" in our comfortable sense. But he's good. And in his goodness and awesomeness, he wants a relationship with us.
But What About Our Sin?
Here's the other reason someone might ask this question: Why would someone so good want someone so bad?
Romans 8 spells out our human condition pretty clearly:
"Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires... The mind governed by the flesh is death... The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God."
We are sinners. We live according to our sinful flesh. We are not not just unworthy of relationship with God, we are hostile to God. We cannot please Him.
So we ask: Why would God want a relationship with me if that's where I'm at with Him?
Think about how we approach relationships in everyday life. We put up the best version of ourselves, don't we? Our "friendship profile" is curated to show our likes, our great qualities, our best photos, our sense of humour. And we say, "This is me."
But we can't do that with God. We can't just show him our curated profile. We can't lie about our age or height or use photos of celebrities.
God knows us. Completely. Everything we've ever thought, everything we've ever done, everything we will do and will think.
And for many of us, we look at who we really are and think: Why would God want a relationship with that? I'm not worthy of this.
The Truth in Christ
God looks at the whole picture of you, looks past the image you show everyone else, sees the true sinner you are and yet, He still loves you.
Jesus himself demonstrated this when he went to eat dinner at Levi's house. When the religious leaders saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked, "Why does he eat with them?"
Jesus answered: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
This is the gospel. God's people were saved from Egypt and then turned to other gods, yet he still offered them his love. And with his love comes a gift like nothing else, a relationship like nothing else.
Romans 8:9-11 tells us: "You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you... And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you."
If we're with God, we are eternal. We are spiritual. We are heirs, offered an inheritance that will never fade. This is a relationship that transcends the physical, resulting in hanging with God for eternity.
We are people who, like Moses, will talk with God, but through Christ, we don't ever need to leave God's presence and come back down the mountain. Like Adam and Eve, we will walk with God, but through Christ, without sin. Like the priests in the temple, we can approach God, but in Christ, not fearing judgment or death, because we have been judged and given life.
The Real Question
God's answer to "Why would you want a relationship with me?" is clear: Because he loves you.
But here's my question for you:
Why don't YOU want a relationship with God?
Maybe you don't believe he's there. If that's you, I hope this helps you get closer to an answer.
Romans 8:5 says: "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires. But those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires."
The good news of salvation isn't just a truth, it's a relationship. Having our minds set on what God sets our minds on. When Jesus sat at Levi's table and then got up to go, Levi followed him.
Is it the desires of the flesh? Is that what's stopping you? Because it's not how big and awesome God is. And it's definitely not because God thinks you're too much of a sinner. No matter how much guilt or shame you feel, we know that's not true.
Sometimes it's not even about what God thinks. Usually, it's about what we think. What we want.
Do you give him your fears and anxieties? Are you worried you don't understand God? Is it the church or other Christians you're in conflict with? Is it your own sin? Are you standing against that sin with God right by your side helping you fight?
Even if you're limping in step with the Spirit, is that who you're walking with? Or is something else getting in the way of your relationship with God right now?
This sermon is the final part of our God, Why? series at Soul Revival Church in the Sutherland Shire, exploring life's biggest questions through the lens of Scripture. Watch the full message or listen to the podcast to dive deeper into this topic.
Soul Revival Church gathers across the Sutherland Shire and Ryde.