April 23, 2023 | Pastor Joel Christiansen
Passage: Matthew 4:16-21
Christ is Risen - He is Risen, Indeed! – Alleluia
What do we want? - Justice! - When do we want it? Now!
The Resurrection of Jesus is your hope for a future in Christ forever, and your power for life in Christ now!
The Resurrection of Jesus ushers in the “Now and Not Yet!”
But God has promised us a new heaven and a new earth, where justice will rule. We are really looking forward to this! 2 Peter 3:13 CEV
The demand for justice begins with God. God is just and God
desires justice.
God’s Justice has no favorites.
You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born. Leviticus 24:22
God’s Justice is outrageously generous.
God’s Justice speaks up for those with no voice.
Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless. Speak for them and be a righteous judge. Protect the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9
God’s Justice begins with us “Now” as we prepare for the “Not Yet.”
This is what the Lord Almighty said: “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot even against each other. Zechariah 7:9-10
By N.T. Wright - Easter means that in a world where injustice, violence, and degradation are endemic, God is not prepared to tolerate such things - and that we will work and plan, with all the energy of God, to implement victory of Jesus over them all. Take away Easter and Karl Marx was probably right to accuse Christianity of ignoring problems of the material world. Take away Easter and Freud was probably right to say Christianity is wish fulfillment. Take away Easter and Nietzsche probably was right to say Christianity was for wimps.
Christ is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia! God bring justice! And we will do justice now!