God’s Justice — Sermon by Rev. Craig Stephans

let pray father we pray that you would

pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and

fill us with your presence granting us

wisdom and Revelation to know you better

and to be better known by you as you

conform us into the image of your

beloved Son Jesus in whose name we pray

amen am and please be

seated the Old Testament reading that we

have today from Isaiah

42: 1-9 is a text that speaks of Jesus

it is a prophetic text of the Messiah

God's servant the one on whom he will

pour out his holy spirit the one on whom

will fil fulfill his Covenant and we

know this because a text from 40 Isaiah

42 is quoted by Matthew in light of

Jesus's Ministry of healing and

deliverance and preaching the gospel and

Matthew says this fulfills what was

written by Isaiah the prophet and then

he quotes from our Isaiah text today we

also know that Jesus as we hear from the

gospels when he was baptized received

the Holy Spirit again in fulfillment of

Isaiah's prophecy I want to read Isaiah

42 1-9 again and listen for how Jesus

fulf fills this in some of the words

that the scripture

emphasizes behold my servant whom I

uphold my chosen in whom my soul

Delights I have put my spirit upon Him

He will bring forth Justice to the

Nations he will not cry aloud or lift up

his voice or make it heard in the street

a bruised Reed he will not break and a

faintly burning Wick he will not quench

he will Faithfully bring forth Justice

he will not grow faint or be discouraged

till he has established Justice in the

earth and the coastlands wait for his

law thus says God the Lord who created

the heavens and stretched them out who

spread out the Earth and what comes from

it who gives breath to the people on it

and spirit to those who walk on it I am

the Lord I have called you in

righteousness I will take you by the

hand and keep you I will give you as a c

for the people a light for the for the

Nations to open the eyes that are blind

and to bring out the prisoners from the

dungeon from the prison those who sit in

darkness I am the Lord that is my name

my glory I give to no other nor my

praise to carved Idols behold the former

things have come to pass and new things

I now declare before they spring forth I

tell you of

them Jesus fulfills that and you hear an

emphasis three times on Justice this is

something that Jesus has fulfilled and

is fulfilling and will fulfill

ultimately establishing God's justice in

the world God's justice is not like

worldly or human Justice we may try to

get it right but it's always a bit

biased a bit off but God's justice is

the establishment of his divine order of

his Sovereign will that is good and

loving and

merciful that is Equitable it is justice

that is just and

truthful and Jesus fulfills this and is

fulfilling it and will ultimately

fulfill God's justice over all things

there's two elements that stand out from

Isaiah's

reading there is the gentleness that

Jesus

fulfills in bringing freedom and

bringing healing and bringing

light it says a bruised Reed he will not

break and we all living in the Low

Country we know of the marsh Reed how

fragile it is Jesus wouldn't even break

one that is bent or he won't snuff out

of a wick that is bar barely flickering

like these candles sometimes we have a

hard time keeping them lit Jesus

wouldn't snuff one out that's how gentle

he is bringing God's justice

God has made him a covenant for us in

establishing

Justice on the

cross Jesus fulfilled the justice that

was required for

sin Paul teaches us in Romans that we've

all sinned we've all fallen short of

God's glory we've all fallen short of

his perfect law of his Holiness and Paul

tells us that the wages for those sin

sins of ours is death

Eternal death a separation from God

exiled from him from all that is good in

life into eternal

torment that would be Justice for us to

pay for our sins but Jesus Paid that

Justice and fulfilled the requirements

of the law on the cross so that he who

is just becomes our

justifier he paid the penalty for our

sin so that we Justice can receive the

Forgiveness of

sins that's the first expression of

justice that Jesus has fulfilled by

becoming a sacrifice for sin on behalf

of

Sinners he fulfilled God's requirement

for justice on the cross and he received

victory over sin in the

resurrection and this is confirmed when

he ascended into heaven and poured out

the Holy Spirit of upon his followers

confirming that their sins were forgiven

that they were acceptable by God and

they were restored to peace and

fellowship with the Lord through the

Holy

Spirit the gentleness of Jesus gives

salvation to all who come to

him to all who invite him into their

lives it is a Salvation based on justice

that is fulfilled in Mercy and Grace by

God even every Sunday and we'll say in a

little while the comfortable words of

scripture Matthew 11:28 where Jesus says

Matthew 11:28

come to me all who labor and are heavy

laden and I will give you rest take my

yoke upon you learn from me for I'm

gentle and lowly in heart and you will

find rest for your souls for my yoke is

easy and my burden is light because he

fulfilled the requirements for justice

on the cross now he can call us to

himself forgiving our sins cleansing us

from all unrighteousness and giving us

peace with God through

himself think about Jesus as we

mentioned earlier he calls little

children to himself and these little

children didn't come to them him on

their own they were carried by their

parents by their mothers or fathers

bringing them to Jesus that he may hold

them and bless them and you know parents

and grandparents you will not hand over

your infants your toddlers to someone

you don't trust someone who is not not

gentle and kind and good and

loving but they brought to the the

children to Jesus that he might bless

them that he might hold them which he

does there's a prayer that we pray each

morning uh in morning prayer it's one of

the optional prayers for Mission and

it's a prayer that expresses Jesus's

gentleness and kindness to all who come

this is the prayer taken from the book

of common prayer morning prayer service

Lord Jesus Christ you stretched out your

arms of Love on the hard wood of the

cross that everyone might come within

the reach of your saving Embrace so

clothe us in your spirit that we

reaching forth our hands in love may

bring those who do not know you to the

knowledge and love of you for the honor

of your name amen Jesus stretched out

his arms of Love on the hardwood of the

Cross where Justice was fulfilled

through the nails that nailed him there

but now being alive and overcoming death

being Lord of all he extends his hands

to embrace all who will come to him to

give salvation freely as a gift think

about some of the people that Jesus

saved in the

scriptures zakus the tax collector and

sinner Jesus saw him in a tree and said

come down zakus I must stay at your

house today and then once there he said

to all salvation has come to this house

because this man too is a child of

Abraham he became a child of God or to

the thief or the Terrorist on the cross

next to Jesus whichever he

was Jesus looked at him and said very

truly I tell you the truth today you'll

be with me in Paradise our Saul of

Tarsus in the book of Acts a man who was

going around dragging families of

Christians away throwing them in prison

approving of their death their

murder Jesus appeared to him and when he

appeared he said Saul Saul why are you

persecuting me and Saul responded who

are you Lord and Jesus said I am Jesus

whom you are

persecuting and Jesus brought him from

Darkness to light this man who was an

awful and cruel man no one is outside

the scope of Jesus's loving and

kindness expressed in his salvation in

his fulfillment of Justice on our behalf

PA he became sin for us that we might

become the righteousness of God no

longer condemned for sin but freely

given the righteousness of Christ that

we might live with God Forever Without

Fear John tells us in his first chapter

of his gospel in verses 12 and 13 to all

who believe in Jesus to all who receive

him he gives the right to become

children of God to all you think of the

most cruel malevolent person that you

can imagine you think of the most lost

souls the most Lawless

people Jesus's salvation reaches to them

and we see in scripture men like that

women like that being

saved and transformed through God's

grace and through the Holy

Spirit there's another side to this

Justice that Jesus

fulfills Jesus Took upon himself our

sins but the wages of sin is still death

if a person does not receive the

Salvation the Forgiveness of sins

through Jesus he or she will pay the

just penalty for his or her own

sins the wages of sin is death and

Justice involves true judgment true

punishment for sin

and God's justice will ultimately

destroy all sin it will rid all creation

of evil when God's kingdom come when

comes fully when Jesus

returns when Jesus was speaking to the

religious people that opposed him the

scribes and Pharisees the teachers of

the law he said to them you snakes you

brood of vipers how will you escape

being condemned to

Hell therefore I'm sending you prop

prophets and wise men and teachers

that's from Matthew

2333 and

34 if we resist if we reject Jesus how

can we escape being condemned to Hell

there is no other way there is no other

truth there is no other life there is no

other means of Salvation than Jesus and

Justice Demands a just penalty for sin

as was done on the cross but if we

reject and don't receive that we are

left to pay ourselves

we see this in the Book of Revelation in

ch 20: 15 this vision of God's

judgment it says if anyone's name was

not found written in the Book of Life he

or she was thrown into the Lake of

Fire that is God's justice for sin

outside of

Christ and Isaiah is telling us that

Jesus will fully establish that Justice

in creation

we see this when following the

resurrection following the Ascension

following Pentecost Peter full of the

Holy Spirit he is led by God to visit a

house of a man named Cornelius this is

what was read in Acts chapter 10

Acts 10 · chapter mention

Cornelius is a centurion in Rome's army

part of the machine that put Jesus to

death in Jerusalem and Peter is sent

there with the message of the

gospel and I want to read verses

34-38 or through

43 when Peter was there and he began to

preach and tell the story of Jesus he

said truly understand that God shows no

partiality but in every nation anyone

who fears him and does what is right is

acceptable to him as for the word that

he sent to Israel preaching good news of

peace through Jesus Christ he is Lord of

all you yourselves know what happened

throughout all Judea beginning From

Galilee after the baptism that John

proclaimed how God anointed Jesus of

Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with

power he went about doing good and

healing all who were oppressed by the

devil for God was with

him this is the the work of Jesus that

is fulfilling God's justice God anointed

him with power and the Holy Spirit and

he went around doing good healing all

oppressed by the devil he is by his own

righteousness freeing people from the

oppression of the devil and Peter goes

on in his ser and he says we Are

Witnesses of all that he did both in the

country of the Jews and in Jerusalem

they put him to death by hanging him on

a tree but God raised him on the third

day and made him to appear not to all

people but to us who had been chosen by

God as Witnesses who ate and drank with

him after he rose from the dead and he

commanded us to preach to the people and

to testify that he is the one appointed

by God to be judge of the living and the

dead to him all the prophets bear

witness that everyone who believes in

Him receives the forgiveness of sin you

see the two parts of his Justice in the

conclusion of sermon of Peter's sermon

Jesus has been appointed to judge the

living and the dead but to all who

receive him who call upon his name he

gives the Forgiveness of sins because as

they received the gift of Salvation

justice has been paid for their sins on

the cross but for those those who don't

receive that salvation they will be

judged on that last day and they will be

found guilty for their own sins and

condemned to Eternal separation of God

as the Bible says in the fires of

hell you know we've all been overwhelmed

I'm sure and so moved by the tragedies

we see in California of those wild fires

burning out of control well I'm sure

none of us had we been in the path of

those fires would stand and let them

consume us we would run and flee how

ever we could or if we saw a friend or

even a stranger in the way of those

fires we would warn them the fire's

coming you need to leave come this way

well how much more the fires of hell

should we avoid and should we warn

others to avoid and we have the way

marked out for us receiving the free

gift of salvation of Jesus and telling

others listen you don't have to pay for

your own sins Jesus has fulfilled God's

justice on the cross and he's received

victory in the resurrection receive

forgiveness of sins through Jesus and

avoid all of these

Flames I encourage you to invite God

into your life to set you free and to

save you but also invite him into your

life and ask him to help you be someone

who warns others who shares this good

news of forgiveness of sins but also who

emphasizes

the reality that Jesus is the judge and

he is bringing

Justice he's already working Justice in

the world and this is that's one portion

of your take-home work I want to give

you one other

portion I want to encourage you for the

next 40 days or so and around 40 days

from this Sunday is Sunday February 23rd

which is our annual meeting so we'll

have one joint meeting and we'll gather

together we'll have a joint service and

then a meeting after that I want to

encourage you by God's

grace between now and then each day to

pray for the children in this world from

conception let's say through teenage

years and pray for God's justice for

children who are abused children who are

exploited children who are enslaved or

trafficked pray for God's justice for

them even now

think about what God does for people he

calls children to himself he loves them

even the abusers of children even those

who traffic them even those who exploit

them the worst of the worst God is able

to teach them the fear of the Lord and

Grant them repentance but you know and I

know there are too many children in this

world who are facing Injustice of no

fault of their own they're being abused

they're being sexually exploited they're

being trafficked they're being left on

the streets to fend for themselves

children in the womb are under threat

from abortion at no fault of their

own God knows each and everyone each and

every child

conceived and older is known by him and

loved by him and Jesus came to bring

Justice for those children and God is

able to send Angels where you and I

can't even imagine exists into great

Darkness so I want to encourage you each

and every day just pray God help

children who are abused God help

children who are being trafficked God

help children who are being used for the

indulgences of others God help children

who have been neglected and cast off who

are in the foster care

system and father intervene against

those who hurt children teach them the

fear of the Lord teach them repentance

but one way or another bring Justice for

these children

pray that because you don't have to know

all the details you don't even have to

know the children but God will answer

our prayers and he will send his angels

He will send his light he'll transform

lives he'll rescue people he'll visit

people children in their

Darkness I heard a quote by Tim TBO who

you know is the famous football player

National Champion Heisman Trophy winner

he since retiring from football started

a foundation which focuses entirely on

saving children from Human

Trafficking he said I don't know if

we'll ever win the war against human

trafficking and child sexual

exploitation in this lifetime but I know

who wins one

day you know he could have said I don't

know if we'll ever achieve Justice for

every child in this world but I know

that one day Justice will be established

for each

child he get he said that this year

alone last year his group rescued 1,00

children from trafficking and sexual

exploitation imagine if we all pray how

many could be rescued how many could

experience Justice and mercy in this

world

so we have opportunities to pray every

day here at 8:00 morning prayer we have

prayer at the Whitfield Center every

Saturday at 8:30 you can pray with us

there but pray on your own just Lord

help these children so let me close and

pray for

us father we thank you that your justice

has been tempered by Mercy and

Grace and father by your grace and in

your mercy and through faith we receive

salvation through Jesus Christ we

receive the Forgiveness of

sins and Lord we pray that you help us

to be Witnesses of your Justice and

mercy and your salvation as Peter was in

the house of Cornelius and father we

pray for children everywhere children

who are under threat children who are

being abused children who are being

exploited trafficked enslaved

neglected tossed from one place to the

other Lord you know each and everyone

and we pray that you send your spirit

and your angels and your light to rescue

them Father we pray for any who are

abused using and using children we pray

that you come against that work teach

them the fear of the Lord grant them

repentance and

transformation if they persist in their

stubbornness God I pray for justice for

the children I pray that you intervene

and stop their

abuse Lord let your kingdom come

throughout the

world and I pray that you inspire and

discipline us to be prayer warriors on

behalf of children who are victims of

Injustice in this

world we ask in Jesus name amen