The Big Three- Do Justice - Message Notes
August 20, 2022

Micah 6:8
“He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you?
But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”

WALK HUMBLY

Have a right view of GOD
Have a right view of YOURSELF
Have a right view of OTHERS

LOVE MERCY

World Vision “Chosen”

DO JUSTICE
Central Theme of the Bible - OT & NT

To go to the root of the problem and set things right.

This is what the Bible means whenever it talks about Justice.

Justice is (actually) a Central Theme of the entire Bible.

God asserts his authority over the chaotic darkness to create life that will flourish.

009-Creation.jpg

What does God do with His power and authority?

God brings Light and Life into Darkness and Chaos copy.jpg

God makes 1 thing that is unlike all the other.

He plants His image, He appoints the human species to do exactly the same thing on God’s behalf.

Genesis 1:26
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’”

Humans are physical representations of the original Architect.

Physical representations of God’s own self.
Physical embodiments of God’s authority.

This Fundamental Idea, that we cannot get right:

All humans are equal before God and have the right to be treated with dignity and fairness no matter who you are.

Genesis 3
Adam and Eve rejected the ways of God …
Then blamed one another and hid from one another and hid from God.
From that point on… HUMANS have Defined Good & Evil how they see fit!

Out of this whole mess God chose a man named Abraham to start a new kind of family.
Specifically Abraham was to teach his family to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice.

Justice (mishpat): Seeking out vulnerable people who are being taken advantage of and helping them.
-most often restorative justice… going a step further,
-sometimes also retributive justice… paying the consequences.

Proverbs 31:8-9
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.”“

Jeremiah 22:3
“This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.”“

Psalm 146:7-9
“He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he thwarts the ways of the wicked.”“

Wicked (rashá): “guilty” or “in the wrong”.

…Refers to a person who mistreats another human, ignoring their dignity as an image-bearer of God.

So Biblical Justice is a big deal to God?

The Israelites ended up as immigrant slaves being oppressed unjustly in Egypt.
So God confronted Egypt’s evil, declaring them to be guilty of injustice.
So He rescued Israel.
But the tragic irony of the story of Israel is that these redeemed people went on to commit the same acts of injustice against the vulnerable.
So God sent prophets who declared Israel “guilty”

History has shown that when the oppressed gain power, they often become oppressors themselves.

JESUS

God’s response to humanity’s legacy of injustice is to give us a gift–the life of Jesus.

Luke 4:18-20
“’The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”

Jesus spent His life doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly.
Woman in adultery
Tax collector as a Disciple
Feeding the “Other Side”
Casting out a demon from the enemy territory
Healing his oppressors and their kids
Touching the sick, contagious, maimed
Including Women in His Ministry
Bringing Dignity to Children

Jesus sought out vulnerable people.

2 Corinthinans 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

This compelled the first Jesus followers to act in a radical new way…

It is courageously making other people’s problems, my problems.

This is what Jesus meant by loving your neighbor as yourself.

Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly

What happened to a group of people who took Jesus at his word?
The Church was formed!

It (The Church) is what happens when His kingdom comes, His Will is done - through us - on earth; and we use our power, and authority, and resources and asserted it into chaotic darkness so that life will flourish.

We have gotten lazy and expect the Government to do our job.

The answer is not necessarily better legislation, the answer is ultimately people knowing Jesus… And taking Him at his Word.

Matt 6:9-10
“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’”

Ministry Partners:

4KIDS – Homes, Hope and Healing for kids in crisis. Providing training for foster care parents and free access to trauma-informed therapy for foster children and their families. https://www.4kids.us/4kidsswfl

Better Together – Dedicated to keeping families together and children out of the foster care system, and to helping people help themselves through connecting to better jobs to support their families. https://bettertogetherus.org

Churches on The Streets – Reaching out to the homeless in Cape Coral on Tuesday evenings, feeding them, providing basic supplies, encouraging them and sharing God’s love for them. Volunteers and supplies are needed. https://www.churchesonthestreets.com/other-cots-locations

Samaritan’s Health & Wellness Center – Years ago, Cape Christian birthed a medical center for providing holistic/Jesus-centered integrated medical and mental health care for the working uninsured/underinsured in our community. http://www.capesamaritan.com

Thrive – A safe haven for pregnant women, single mothers and their children to be empowered to reach their God-given potential and to move from surviving to thriving. Volunteers are needed. https://thriveswfl.org

Valerie’s House – No child should grieve alone. The mission is to help children and families work through the loss of a loved one together and go on to live fulfilling lives. Valerie’s House programs support parents and caregivers as they cope with the loss of a spouse or a child. Volunteers needed. https://valerieshouse.org

1 John 3:18
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

Pray
Ask God to open your eyes and see what’s in front of you.
Open my heart.
Look for the vulnerable.
Seek them out.