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Back to Sermons Index Back to Home Page 20th January 2008 AMOUR RIGHTEOUS GOD - HE DOES WHAT IS RIGHT ! Pastor Colin Meadows Revelation 15:1-8, 16:5-7, 19:1-2 Ø Justice today I from time to time hear people talking about how unfair life can be. There have been several recent cases here in Perth of people, previously convicted of crimes but now exonerated. Other people seem to get away with their crimes because of legal loopholes or through lack of evidence. This causes many people to wonder about justice in our world. In Illinois, USA in 1982, Anthony Porter was convicted of the murder of two people, and sentenced to death. He remained on death row for 16 years while appeals took place and his case was re-considered. Then in 1998, with just a few weeks remaining before his execution, a group of journalism students from a local university were told to do an assignment on his case. They were asked to find witnesses to the crime of 16 years ago and to interview people who could shed light on what really happened. The students then presented their findings to their lecturer. Their lecturer was stunned by what his students had discovered and passed this on to the courts. With just 48 hours remaining before his execution, Anthony Porter was acquitted of the crime and another man taken into custody after he had confessed to being responsible. This second man is now serving 37.5 years for the crime. Cases like the one described lead many people to question about justice and also whether there is a God or not. Is life just a case of what happens just happens, and there is there no personal accountability? For me, one of the strongest evidences that there is a God and that there is life after death revolves around this justice issue. Life to me makes no sense if we are here on this planet to live as we please, to do to others what ever we like and then to die and not be held accountable for our actions. We see at times that justice does not always happen here on earth and this directs me to believe that there will be a time of final justice after death. Saint Augustine noted that there is enough divine justice executed so that we may be convinced that God is a living God, moral and holy, and yet there is not full justice executed so that we may keep in mind that a final day of reckoning is coming. Let’s examine this vitally important issue of the justice of God as we continue our series on glimpses from the book of Revelation. At this time could I also give what I feel is the overall structure of the book. There is present in the book what is called progressive parallelism, with seven sections of material that run parallel to each other. The book covers the period of time from the first coming of Christ until his second coming. The book was thus relevant for the people at the time when it was written, around 90AD, and relevant to us today. The seven sections are the seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, Satan and the woman, seven bowls, the Fall of Babylon and then the final fall of Satan, the judgment and triumph of Christ and his church. Each of these sections I feel are parallel descriptions yet contains increasing detail of what will take place. The thousand year period is symbolic I feel of the complete period of time between the first and second coming of Christ, the period of time in which we now live. Let us thus listen, learn and live in the light of the teaching of this wonderful book! Ø Just what is justice? Before we go further we need to define what we are talking about. What is justice? In our communities, we speak of a just person as someone who lives in an honorable, upright way. People speak of human justice as the exercise of authority in the light of what is right and acceptable. It means to treat people fairly in the light of what they have done. Justice is to give to someone their just deserts. If they have lived in accordance with society’s norms and values then they should be given freedom to live at peace in that community. If they fail to live this way then they should be corrected or punished. In the Bible the concept of justice is linked to the revealed will of God and it is of a much deeper meaning. God has disclosed how he wants us to live, encapsulated in the Ten Commandments. If we live in obedience to these laws, living a just life, then we will enjoy his favour and care. Our lives will be holy and will bring pleasure to our God. If however we choose to ignore his law or to live in rebellion towards it then we face the consequences of our actions. Justice takes place when we are judged in the light of God’s Law. But why does God desire that we live in a just way? Because… Ø God is holy and just: God is just in the fullest sense of the word. He is totally righteous, upright and straight in character. One theologian noted that it is the righteousness of God that enables him to maintain his holiness. Rev 16:5 “You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One.” God always lives in conformity to his own character. Rev 15:3 “Great and marvellous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.” Because he is holy and just He desires that his creation be the same. He has created this universe and all that is within it so that it will bring honour and pleasure to Himself. He has set laws in place for us all to live in obedience to him. However right from the very beginning humanity has chosen a different pathway. We are not living that way. We have chosen a different pathway. Ø Humanity is not holy and just: From the beginning of our time on earth, we have chosen to turn our back on God and his ways. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose to say ‘no’ to God’s directions and we have been living that way ever since. Psalm 14:2-3 “The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” The core issue here is a strong biblical word that is not popular today, the word sin. We are all sinful people. What does this mean? The bible uses several words to describe sin. Sin is to lapse or blunder, to fail to reach the mark, to trespass over a boundary, to act in a lawless manner, to do that which is not good in God’s sight. All societies have their standards or codes for living. The Jews have the Law of Moses, Buddhists have the noble eightfold pathway, Muslims have the five pillars of conduct. Whatever the standards that individual societies have applied to themselves, there is one clear truth – we have all failed to observe these laws and standards. We all stand self-condemned and guilty. For many people, they find this hard to accept. The respond ‘Haven’t we really tried to live a good life? We are not really bad people, are we?’ In saying such things however we are really deceiving ourselves. 1 John 1:8 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” A cursory and superficial reading of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20 should be enough to bring us to our senses: 1. ‘You shall have no other gods before me’ – God should be the continual object of our worship and foremost in our thoughts at all times. Have we obeyed this commandment? 2. ‘You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything’ – God demands our sincere and spiritual worship. How do we rate here? 3. ‘You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God’ – Live in such a way to bring reverence to God’s name. Has that been our experience this past week? 4. ‘Remember the Sabbath day’ – Set aside one day in seven to rest and reflect on the greatness of God. 5. ‘Honor your father and mother’ – Continue to give due honor to your parents throughout your life. 6. ‘You shall not murder’ – Jesus said further that anyone who hates his brother is a murderer. We can kill by spite and jealousy, by neglect or cruelty, by gossip. We all stand guilty! 7. ‘You shall not commit adultery’ – Jesus applied this to adulterous thoughts of the heart. Which of us is not guilty? 8. ‘You shall not steal’ – Are we honest in filling in our tax returns or the use our time at work, etc? Who is not guilty here? 9. ‘You shall not give false testimony’ – Don’t stretch the truth, adjust the facts, and distort what has taken place. 10. ‘You shall not covet’ – Don’t seek after that which is not yours to have. To be just or righteous in a Biblical sense is to be upright and conforming to God’s standards. We are to live in obedience of his law. God’s Justice says we should be treated as we deserve in regard to this law, that we should get our just deserts. What will be the outcome? We will all be found guilty as charged and stand condemned before our just and holy God! Is there any way out? Ø God has the answer to the sin problem! The wonderful news of the gospel is that Christ is the solution to the sin issue. He came to take away our sins, to offer us a free and unconditional pardon. There is a way out for us all. John 1:29 “Look the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Christ lived a sinless life and perfectly fulfilled every part of the law of God. He took our sin upon himself, taking the punishment for sin that was due to us. Why did he choose to do this? It is all because of his incredible love. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Christ died for us, becoming our sacrificial lamb. 1 Corinthians 5:21 God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This is truly liberating news! We have been offered a free pardon! We can be set free of our sins by faith because of what Christ has achieved for us. What should we do? In a legal sense, a person convicted of a crime can only be pardoned if they confess to the crime and admit their guilt. I read recently the story of a king who went into a prison to pardon inmates. He asked, "Who is guilty?" All the prisoners, one after the other, said, "I am innocent. I am not guilty. It was a miscarriage of justice." The king replied, "Is there anyone here who is guilty?" Finally, one man said, "I am guilty. I have sinned, and I am sorry for my crime." The king said, "Well, I finally have someone to pardon because I cannot pardon innocent people. You are pardoned and free from your crime. Be on your way!" What we need to do to be pardoned unconditionally by God is to confess that we are guilty. 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Remember, only God has the power to pardon sin. The answer to the justice issue thus is to be found in Jesus and him alone. He lived a perfect life and took our sin upon himself. We by faith can be declared righteous because of what Christ has done. We can thus stand clean before our Lord because of the work of Christ on the cross. The sinless Lamb of God has been sacrificed as the final offering for sin. The bible calls this process of being made righteous before God as being ‘justified’. We are declared ‘not guilty’, just as if we had not sinned. . Once we have confessed and been pardoned we can never be charged for that crime again. We have been set free! Romans 8:1-3 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful men to be a sin offering.” We have been set free to serve Christ, liberated from the prison of sin, pardoned and declared not guilty in God’s court of justice. Our names are now written in the Lamb’s book of life. What should our response be to our just and holy God? How now should we live? Ø Submit to our just and holy God! The Apostle Paul gives us some very clear guidance in this regard. Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Yes, offer yourself to God, to live to please Him, empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Seek to live a life of influence as you go about your daily activities. Blaise Pascal noted “The serene beauty of a holy life is the most powerful influence in the world next to the power of God.” Let us seek to live that way. There is a strong warning that needs to be made at this point. For some people, having heard about God’s justice, say that they will take their chances concerning what lies ahead. They will try it alone, not looking to what Christ has done. They will go through life in their own strength, hoping that ‘good enough’ will do. God’s Word is very clear, that to go it alone, trusting in our own righteousness, is a lost cause and a choice doomed to failure. In Revelation 20, at the final judgment, all of us will be called to give an account of our lives. Rev 20:15 “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” This is a very serious issue here and we need to be very clear about our choices. Have you put your hand in the hand of Christ, trusting in what he has done for you? Have you accepted his free pardon as you confessed your sins and been declared righteous before God? Is your name in the book of life? In 1829, two men in the US robbed a mail van and were captured. They were convicted and sentenced to death. One man, James Porter, was executed on schedule but the other, George Wilson, was not. Due to the influence of his friends, a plea for mercy was directed to the President, Andrew Jackson. The President, after due consideration, issued a pardon, but Wilson refused to accept the pardon. The court attempted to ‘force’ the pardon on Wilson but this was deemed not possible. The attorney general explained that the court could not grant a convicted person a pardon unless the person themselves accepted it. A pardon is thus an act of grace that is not complete unless it has been accepted. Have you confessed your sin and accepted God’s unconditional pardon? The choice is in your hands. Yes, God is a just and holy God, who has acted in love by sending his son to die for our sins. He will one day judge the world. Where do you stand before him today?
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