LOVE REVEALED: TO BRING JUSTICE

Sermon Notes, November 29, 2015

Rev. Garry McGlinchy

Rev. McGlinchy started his third sermon series based on 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”  He has spoken of Faith Redefined: Obedient; Miraculous; and Tested, and Hope Restored: Rest; Submit; and Acknowledge.  This series is titled Love Revealed, and this first sermon is Love Revealed: to Bring Justice.

            Advent is like Lent: a time of introspection, repentance and preparation; we’re preparing our hearts so God will feel welcome there.  While Lent focuses on the cross, Advent focuses on the manger.  God sent His only Son in order to reveal His love for the world.  It is through this love that God redeems, reconciles, transforms and makes all things new.

            Isaiah 42: 1-9 was written while the Jews had been in exile in Babylon for nearly 50 years.  They were suffering great injustice.  Injustice can stir up rage, anger, bitterness, helplessness and frustration, and can lead to a desire for vengeance and revenge.  There is an old adage that “revenge is a dish best served cold.”  In other words, don’t retaliate right away.  Wait patiently for the right moment.  Advent is a time of waiting, but not for revenge!  We’re not waiting for revenge, but for justice.  We wait for the second coming of the Lord; that will bring final justice.  Meanwhile we work for justice here, in a way that points people to Jesus.  Here are five pointers from Isaiah 42:1-9

1.    Loving justice is gentle (verses 1-3).  The promised servant in this passage is a strange combination of power and vulnerability.  He will bring justice to the nations, but not by screaming and shouting.  Being gentle in the pursuit of justice can de-escalate a situation.  Proverbs 15:1 says “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Remember the gentleness Jesus used when He was ministering to the broken and unjust and emulate that.  His anger was calculated—when He drove the money-changers from the temple He MADE the whip.

2.      Loving justice is global (verse 4).  The servant Jesus will bring justice for the entire world.  Even islands are mentioned.  Loving justice doesn’t draw boundaries such as color, age, etc.  Wherever we have been placed by the Lord, we are responsible to work for justice there.

3.       Loving justice is grounded in God (verses 5&9).  It is not in our own strength.  We are to serve the Servant—Jesus.  We work alongside Him, knowing God has already begun the work.

4.       Loving justice is gathering together (verses 6-7). We not only work to bring God’s loving justice to those around us, but it begins in the church, week after week.  Church is a place where sin is condemned but sinners are forgiven, where people from different backgrounds are brought together in unity.  How we treat each other is a witness to the community. 

5.      Loving justice is God’s glory (v. 8).  He has revealed His justice.  We can manifest this justice by proclaiming His lordship in our lives, and eradicating all idols in our lives (submit to Him).  The moment we allow something to get between us and God, injustice quickly follows.  When His glory is revealed (reflected) in us we become His agents.

All around us is injustice: we see it in the news, when someone is mistreated or being bullied, when we drive by the people that have been cast off by society, etc.  God sent His Son to bring justice to all these people.  He wants us to be part of Christ’s mission.  We must seek His righteousness before we demonstrate it to others.  We need to allow His light to shine in us before we shine it before others.  This season, let us be aware of the injustices that are all around us and allow God to use us in those moments!