Politics & Justice are Vanity
Chasing the Wind • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 9 viewsGod calls His people to see injustice clearly, grieve it deeply, and live justly in a broken world.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Well, good morning! If you’d take your Bible and open it up with me to Ecclesiastes chapter 3. We’re gonna finish chapter 3, look at the first three verses in chapter 4, and then we’ll turn to chapter 5 to look at verses 8 and 9.
And so, if you’re there with me, in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, let’s stand together as we read God’s Word. It says this, starting verse 16:
Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?
Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.
If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.
Thank you, you can be seated.
Listen, if you’ve kept up with the news at all over the last decade or so…you’d know that we live in a time where people, they’re hungry for justice.
They march for what they believe in…they post about their opinions…they protest about what they think’s right or wrong! Some people put all their trust in political parties to fix what’s broken…while others look to activism or social movements to build a better world, convinced that with enough effort, they can fix the problems they see around ‘em.
And let me just say this before I move on…standing for justice, defending the vulnerable, holding leaders accountable…all those things, they’re not just good things, they’re biblical things.
But listen, Solomon, he confronts us with a very hard truth here in these verses: Just like everything else we’ve looked at, up to this point, justice, and activism, government…apart from God…all of it, its vanity. Apart from a biblical worldview, these things, they’re vapor…and ultimately all of it feels meaningless in the end, without trust and obedience in the author of life. None of it lasts…none of it goes deep enough to actually solve the problems we see around us. And sometimes, what Solomon shows us here, our desire to see justice done…or our desire to help the oppressed, sometimes even that becomes part of the problem.
If you remember, back in chapters 1 and 2, Solomon walked us through his search for meaning, right?…he tried wisdom and pleasure…he put all his effort into things like work and success. But yet, in the end, everything he chased after, he came to the same conclusion:
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
He says, “Nothing “under the sun” satisfied him…nothing endured in the end.
And then, in chapter 3, last week…he begins to pull back this curtain. He saw that there’s a time for everything. He saw that God’s sovereign over time. He even recognized that God’s “put eternity into man’s heart” (verse 11), giving man this longing for something more — something eternal, something lasting and just.
But then we get to verse 16, and reality hits him all over again.
Even in a world where God’s in control, Solomon looks around and he sees all this injustice in the courts, he sees oppression in the streets, he sees corruption in all these high places. And just when he begins to hope…he’s dragged back down into the mess of life under the sun. There is no justice, there’s always gonna be oppression, corruption will always exist.
And listen, Solomon’s not just whining about the problems he sees around him…He’s warning us. Its a moral warning…its a spiritual warning. Don’t put your hope in human systems…because no matter what…no matter how noble those things may seem…without God, they’ll all fail. In the end, when you look back on your life, like Solomon here, you’ll realize it was all vanity.
Listen, that’s the reason we’re in chapters 3, 4, and 5 this morning…because I wanna keep this theme together. I want you to see the point that Solomon’s bringing us to…I want you to examine your life…Where is your hope REALLY rooted?
Because if we pursue justice apart from God…we’ll end up just as broken as the world we’re trying to fix. But if we seek Him…the God who’s just…the God who’s eternal…the God who’s unshakeable…if we do that, our labor, it has meaning and purpose.
And so today, I just want this passage to speak for itself…And as we do that, I want us to examine 3 questions that I think cuts through the noise of politics and power…Number 1, Do we see the injustice around us?…Number 2, Do we care about the oppressed?…and then finally, number 3, Are we using power to serve others?
And so, if you’re there with me…let’s look at this first question together.
I. Do We See the Injustice Around us? (vv. 3:16-22)
I. Do We See the Injustice Around us? (vv. 3:16-22)
Do we see the injustice around us?
Listen, recently…Eli, my five year old…he discovered his new favorite phrase…If he loses a game, or if we don’t give him the toy he wants or the snack he asked for, if we tell him to stop playing because it’s time to go to bed…he’ll look at us and he’ll say, with all the seriousness of a Supreme Court judge, “That’s not fair!”
And you know part of us, we kind of laugh at that, right? Because in his little world, in his heart…all he sees are all these injustices.
But here’s the thing…his idea of fairness, its constantly changing. What’s “not fair” to him in one moment, it might be fine in the next. With age, and maturity…with experiences, our ideas of justice changes.
And listen, if we’re honest, we know that to be true about us, right? Our ideas of justice, its changed throughout our lives. We might all want justice, but our definition of what’s just, a lot of times, it depends on our own understanding and how those injustices impact us.
This childlike cry or this way of thinking of “thing’s aren’t fair!,” its a good place to start because Solomon confronts us with a much larger problem…justice, as finite humans may see it, what we think is right or wrong, that doesn’t fix the much deeper problem.
Look at verse 16 with me again. Solomon says:
Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.
He says the place of justice or the place of righteous here in this verse. Meaning, this place should’ve been a place of fairness…it should’ve been a place where people were treated rightly. But Solomon says, even there, wickedness ruled. This isn’t just a little injustice on the edges. Solomon’s talking about courts that were meant to judge fairly…he’s saying those courts, they’re corrupt. Leaders that were meant to protect the weak, they’re taking advantage of ‘em instead.
And what’s interesting here…Solomon, he’s the king in Jerusalem, right? He has all the power…why can’t he just solve these issues himself?
Listen to his words, no matter what he does…no matter the systems put in place…because of man’s problem, injustice will always rule in this fallen world.
Solomon’s perspective here, its sobering but at the same time, its honest. Even when we build and even when set up these systems designed for justice…wickedness, it’ll always persist…Why? Because apart from God, justice is human and fallible, its shaped by fallen hearts and our changing desires. Through our effort, justice is vanity because there is no stability.
He goes on in verse 17:
I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.
That’s the key here. Solomon recognizes that ultimate justice, it belongs to God. Human courts and human governments, those things are limited…those things are temporary.
But listen to Solomon here, while we can expect injustice in anything that man builds, God’s judgement is sure…even when it feels delayed.
God’s judgement, that’s where the believer’s hope is rooted. Remember last week, we have to see things beyond the moment. We have to trust that God is working all things together for good (Romans 8:28) even when we don’t understand it.
And then verses 18 through 20, he says something that’s very humbling:
I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.
Pay attention to what he’s saying here, don’t miss this. He’s saying that without God, mankind is no better than animals. We breathe, we live, we die…and listen, in the end, there’s no lasting advantage or meaning to our striving for anything, especially justice.
I mean think about that for just a moment. If justice is only about what we can agree upon…if its dependent on shifting powers, or our feelings…if that’s the case, its impossible for us to solve the problem of injustice, right? Because ideas about what’s fair and just, they’re always gonna be selfish and incomplete…It’s like my 5 year old saying, “That’s not fair,” when he doesn’t get his way! We’re just like everything else that’s created, we’re limited…and as a result, because we pursue eternal purpose in things that are vanity, what’s just in our minds, its always changing. And what happens, we consume ourselves with those opinions.
John Calvin said, “The human heart is a factory of idols.”
In other words, we create our own versions of justice to serve ourselves. We want fairness, but only when it benefits us…only when it shows we’re right.
R.C. Sproul said it like this, “The reason society can’t achieve true justice, its because man is fallen.”
And so hear me out…all the marches, the protests, the policies…all the movements we’ve seen, even in our time…they may achieve temporary gains…but guys, hear the words of Solomon, they’ll never fix the ultimate problem of man. The corruption, the injustice Solomon sees under the sun, it’ll remain because those things come from hearts that are separate from God.
Listen, I get criticized all the time, “Why aren’t you involved in things like the March for Life?” “Why aren’t you more outspoken about certain political parties?” “Why aren’t we standing on the streets holding up signs against Pro-Choicers?” Listen, if you’ve listened to any amount of my sermons, I think you know where it is I fall on any of these major issues, right?
I just see it the way Solomon sees it…me going out to speak against injustices, doesn’t actually solve the problem of injustice…I can spend 6 hours riding on a bus to DC to speak out against abortion…I can walk down some street holding up a sign…and in the end, I’ll probably impact zero people. God hasn’t called us to be the judge. He’s called us to recognize Him as the judge and He’s called us to simply communicate the good news.
We went through this earlier in the year, but do you believe God’s Word to be inspired?…That it’s authoritative? That it’s powerful? If we believe those things, then why aren’t we just spending that 12 hours at the local pregnancy center instead, pouring into young couples who are struggling through life changing decisions…Pouring the Word of God into them? Do we not believe that it can change ‘em? Do we not believe God Word’s powerful enough? Why are we willing to get on the bus but not willing to cross the street?…I’ll tell you why…Solomon’ll tell you why…because we care more about being right than we do about the mission we’ve been set apart for (we’re like animals)…which means we care more about our own glory than we do God’s glory.
And it’s not to say we’re wrong…the things some of us fight for, some of those things are righteous things…but what Solomon’s saying here, its that justice apart from God’s purpose, its vanity.
And so, for those reasons, Solomon asks a very difficult question. Verse 21:
Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?
He’s pointing out the limits of mankind’s understanding apart from divine revelation. If we don’t trust God’s justice beyond this life, we’re left grasping in the dark.
Again, just like last week…we’re limited. And this time, our limits, Solomon shows us it involves our knowledge…our understanding. Sometimes things just don’t make sense. They seem like injustices, right?
In my home group, this past week, we were talking about this on Sunday night…Romans chapter 9. It says:
As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
When we read that, if we’re honest with ourselves…it should cause us to struggle a little bit with that. God said this before Jacob or Esau had even done anything…it was before they had made any decisions to follow Him or not…To us, this statement, it seems unfair, right? But that’s only because we’re limited…we’re like the animals in this sense. We can’t say for sure why God allowed certain things…or why He did certain things. We can’t say for sure how everything’s gonna pan out…how God’ll use certain things. That’s why Paul continues:
What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
This passage, it calls us to humility…to realism. Yes, we should see the injustice around us. But more than that, we have to recognize that justice apart from God, is vanity…its like chasing the wind.
Another way to put it, justice separate from the gospel, is vanity. If all we do is communicate justice without pointing them to the One who is just, its vanity. Because its impossible for people separate from God to see righteousness without a heart of flesh…without a heart connected to God…If we give justice without the gospel, its vanity. And its vanity, because without God we’re limited in what we can understand.
And listen, that’s not to say we should just ignore injustices. Scripture’s clear, God loves justice.
Micah 6:8 says:
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
We’re called to act…we’re called to model…We should speak up for the voiceless…we should defend the weak…pursue righteousness in all areas of our lives. But listen to Solomon, the only meaningful way to do that, its to do it with a heart that’s anchored to the Word of God…not human pride, not some political ideology, not our constant changing emotions.
Verse 22:
So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?
Seeking justice isn’t wrong…but seeking it apart from God, it just turns it into idolatry…a way of trying to fix a fallen world without the One who made it. And that’ll always lead to more brokenness.
See Solomon’s point here…part of seeing the injustices around us…part of addressing those injustices…the way we rejoice while there’s all these injustices around us…its to trust and obey. It’s trusting that God is just…that He actually knows what He’s doing. That He’s leading all things together for good.
And listen, its obeying. As Christians, we’re called to acknowledge sin, the power it has in the world today…and guys, we’re called to communicate the solution to sin. We seek justice not as saviors, but as servants…bearing witness to the only One who can bring perfect justice in the end.
And so, how do we deal with injustice? We proclaim truth! We should be people who see the brokenness of the world. But not with hopelessness. We see it through the lens of faith in a just and sovereign God — one who will one day make all things right.
Which moves us into our next question.
II. Do We Care About the Oppressed? (vv. 4:1-3)
II. Do We Care About the Oppressed? (vv. 4:1-3)
Do we care about the oppressed?
Listen, it’s not enough to just see the injustice…we’ve gotta feel it. And more than that — we have to do something about it. Not just in word, but in deed. If all we ever do is proclaim truth…if we never live it out? Solomon says, it’s all vanity.
Look again at what he says in chapter 4, verse 1:
Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them!
This is one of those gut-punch kind of verses, right? Solomon, he looks at the world and he doesn’t see systems…he sees tears. He sees real pain. He sees suffering. Real people, caught up in a broken, fallen world. And he says, “there’s no one to comfort them.”
Listen, I read that statement this week, and it hit me hard…I gotta be honest. “No one to comfort them!”…That’s not just injustice, that’s neglect!
And listen, he’s not done there. He goes on, the end of verse 1:
On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them.
Power and oppression, those things always seem to go hand in hand. But the real tragedy here, isn’t just that the oppressors had control…pay attention to the verse, its that the oppressed had no comfort (NONE). Nobody was stepping in. Nobody was bringing light into the darkness. That’s what breaks Solomon here. And it should break us too!
Listen, caring for the oppressed, that’s not just a cultural virtue…its a biblical mandate. God’s heart, its always bent toward the weak…toward the voiceless…toward the downtrodden. Over and over again, throughout the Old Testament, He defends the widow…the orphan…the sojourner. In the New Testament, Jesus touches the untouchables, He sits down with sinners, He dies for His enemies. That’s the gospel lived out. That’s justice with a heart.
But here’s the warning Solomon’s giving…just like everything else we’ve seen in Ecclesiastes…if we try to care for the oppressed without God…if we do it in our own strength, with our own motives, for our own glory…it becomes vanity.
Let me just say that again…caring for the broken, it can actually be vanity…if it’s done apart from the heart of God.
Martin Lloyd-Jones said, “If your compassion is not rooted in God’s truth, it will become corrupted by the world’s ideas and consumed by your own pride.”
That’s what Solomon’s saying here. Just like we saw with justice…if we try to care for the hurting without a heart that’s anchored to God (a heart of flesh), it turns into self-righteousness. It turns into another way to prove we’re “good people.” Another way to make a name for ourselves. Another idol to serve.
Charles Spurgeon said it like this, “It’s possible to be so outwardly moral, so charitable in your works, and yet to be utterly graceless before God.”
You see, the world, it’ll always have its causes. It’ll always have its slogans and its hashtags, its campaigns. But if we’re not pointing people to the only true Comforter…if we’re not brining the gospel with our actions…we’re just dressing wounds that go far deeper than we can actually reach.
And here’s where this hits home for the church.
We fight hard for things like the unborn — and listen, we should. That’s a righteous cause. The sanctity of life is rooted in the very image of God. But while we post and protest for babies in the womb, we turn a blind eye to the children outside of it. The foster system’s flooded. Orphan care’s neglected. Families are overwhelmed and under-supported.
And here’s the stat — it’s not just opinion. If just one family out of every three churches in America adopted a child out of foster care, we’d have no more waiting children in the U.S. foster care system.
Let that sit.
One out of three. That’s all it would take. We could actually solve the orphan crisis in our nation in one generation…if the Church cared with gospel action, not just with gospel talk.
Think about the kids we could reach with the gospel. Think about the gospel impact we’d have…the evangelistic tool we’d have. If we took care of the orphan problem in Crawford County alone…If we discipled these kids and sent ‘em out…how much more would it actually impact things like justice or oppression?
But instead…we’ll ride the bus to DC, we’ll hold the signs, we’ll repost the quotes — we’ll do all those things…but let me tell what we won’t do…we won’t cross the street to sign up for that foster care training. We won’t mentor a teen aging out of the system. We won’t walk alongside a single mom. Why? Because it’s hard. Because it’s messy. Because it costs something.
And that’s the whole point. Justice without gospel action is vanity.
And I know, there are some families here that take this serious…that see the problem…that approach it with the heart of Christ. And its not just about this issue, its about the way we approach all issues…hunger, poverty, sex trafficking.
Justice without gospel action is vanity.
Verse 2:
And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.
That’s not just cynicism. That’s what realism without redemption looks like. He’s looking at the sheer weight of oppression…and without a view of God’s justice, he says, “It’s better not to have been born than to see this.”
And listen, that’s exactly where our culture’s heading when it pursues compassion apart from Christ. That’s where hopelessness takes you. We keep trying to heal the world with broken tools. We shout for justice while ignoring the Judge. We cry for healing but reject the Healer.
And so, here’s the question we have to ask: Do we care for the oppressed the way God cares?
Are we moved by compassion that leads to gospel action? Or are we just moved by guilt and emotion and a need to prove something to the world?
Because if we really believe the gospel…if we really believe that God sees every tear and hears every cry, then we have to do more than just care — we have to move.
Isaiah 1:17 says:
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.
That’s not a political slogan — that’s a spiritual command. But again — that command only has power when it flows from a heart that’s been transformed by grace.
Its why James says:
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
That means you can’t separate justice from holiness. You can’t separate action from submission. You can’t do God’s work without God’s Spirit.
So yes — see the oppression. And yes — care for the oppressed. But let that care drive you to the gospel, not away from it.
Because if our compassion isn’t soaked in the truth of Scripture, if our care for others isn’t fueled by the love of Christ, we’ll end up burned out, bitter, broken. And even worse — we’ll leave the people we’re trying to help with nothing lasting.
Because only the gospel can truly comfort the afflicted.
And so we press in. Not with pride. Not with empty slogans. But with the humility of Christ. With the authority of God’s Word. With the power of the Holy Spirit.
And that leads us into our final question.
III. Are We Using Power to Serve Others? (vv. 5:8-9)
III. Are We Using Power to Serve Others? (vv. 5:8-9)
Are we using power to serve others?
Turn with me over to chapter 5 and let’s read verses 8 and 9 again. It says this:
If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.
Solomon, he says, “Don’t be shocked when you see oppression and corruption at the highest levels?” Why? Because that’s what fallen power does. That’s what broken systems always produce…just more brokenness. He says, “Don’t be amazed at the matter”…and yet, if we’re honest, we’re constantly amazed by it, right?
Every election cycle…same story…different name…different slogan…same empty promises…We get caught up in the spin…the passion, the fight, the banners, the hope. And just like that, we start placing eternal expectations on temporary rulers.
Solomon says, “Don’t be amazed.” Because this is what life under the sun looks like. Corrupt systems, layered hierarchies of power, people just clawing their way to the top. Vanity of vanities, says the preacher. A cycle of political promises with no gospel power.
And listen, he’s not saying government’s useless. Look at the second part of verse 9:
But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.
And so, what’s that mean? When power’s rightly used…when its not used to dominate, when its used to cultivate…when authority’s used not for pride, but for provision…that’s a gift from God. That kind of leadership, its rare. It’s a blessing.
But if you’ve been paying attention to where Solomon’s taking us with all of these things…that kind of leadership can only come when the heart behind it is aligned with God’s purposes…not man’s ego.
And so the question we have to ask is this: Are we using whatever power we’ve been given to serve others?…Or are we just trying to secure our place in the system?
Because if we’re honest — a lot of us have more faith in politics than we do in prayer. We spend more time watching cable news than we do reading God’s Word. We’ve let Fox News and CNN disciple us more than Jesus has.
Again, John Calvin said: “Man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols.”
And in our culture, I’ll just say it — one of the biggest idols we've built is politics.
We put our hope in parties.
We defend our candidate like he’s our Messiah.
We demonize the other side like they’re the Antichrist.
And somewhere along the way — the gospel gets shoved to the margins, while our political loyalty takes center stage.
Listen, when we put our ultimate hope in elections and not in eternity — that’s idolatry.
When we spend more time defending our party than proclaiming the gospel — that’s idolatry.
When we get more angry over who sits in the White House than who’s going to hell — that’s idolatry.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said: “The state can restrain and punish evil, but it can’t produce good men. That is the work of the gospel alone.”
We’ve got to stop looking for gospel fruit in systems that don’t have gospel roots.
Politics can restrain some evil — praise God for that. Good policy matters. Righteous laws are a blessing. But guys, they can’t save souls. They can’t raise dead hearts. They can’t bring lasting justice.
Only Jesus does that.
And here’s the hard truth: Some of us care more about flipping a seat in Congress, or the school board for that matter…we care more about those things than we do about a neighbor’s salvation.
We’ll knock on doors to campaign, but we won’t knock on our neighbor’s door to share the gospel.
We’ll spend money on political signs, but not on ministry.
We’ll post bold opinions about policy, but stay silent when it comes to the cross.
Listen — I'm not saying don’t vote. I had a whole sermon about that. We should vote, and we should vote biblically. I’m not saying don’t care about our nation. I’m a proud veteran who’s served our country, and I’m grateful for the other men and women who have as well.
But what Solomon’ s saying — and what I’m saying: Don’t turn politics into your savior. Because the system can’t give you what only the Spirit can.
Charles Spurgeon said it like this: “To pursue a better world without Christ is to climb a ladder leaning on the wrong wall.”
Power is a tool. But it’s a tool that requires a transformed heart. And the only kind of power that brings lasting change… is the kind that looks like Jesus.
Philippians 2 — what did Jesus do with His power?
[Jesus] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Jesus used His power to serve. To wash feet. To suffer. To die. And guys, He calls us to do the same.
So — whatever authority you have, whatever influence you’ve been given — use it like Christ did. Not to build your name. Not to win the argument. But to serve. To bless. To cultivate. To point people to the King who’s already on the throne.
Because in the end, all of it — every party, every platform, every policy — all of it…it’ll fade.
But the kingdom of God? That lasts forever.
So Church — don’t put your hope in donkeys or elephants.
Put your hope in the Lamb who was slain — and the Lion who reigns.
And until He returns — use your power not for politics, but for people.
Use it not for glory, but for the gospel.
Closing
Closing
Do we see the injustice around us?
Do we care about the oppressed?
Are we using power to serve others?
Solomon, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he’s pulled back the curtain on all of it — justice, activism, politics, systems of power. And what’s he show us? All of that apart from God, even our best efforts become vanity. Vapor. Smoke in the wind.
You can cry out for justice, you can fight for the oppressed, you can organize, you can vote, protest, legislate — and hear me, again those things aren’t bad things — but without the gospel, they don’t solve the root problem. They may patch the surface, but they can't heal the heart.
And so here's where we land — let me frame it like this:
The Bad News:
We live in a world that’s unjust, it’s broken, it’s deeply fallen. Sin corrupts every corner — from our courts to our communities to our own hearts. Solomon saw it. You see it. I see it. And deep down, we all know — something’s wrong.
We’re not just victims of that brokenness — we’re part of the problem.
Romans 3:23 — “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
We’ve all turned our ideas of justice into idols. We’ve all used our influence for self.
We’ve all failed to love the oppressed like Jesus does. And the Bible says because of that, we deserve not fairness — but judgment.
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death.”
And The Worse News:
In our own power, the Bible shows us…there’s absolutely nothing you or I can do to fix that problem. We’ll never be good enough…we’ll never do enough good…we’ll never correct enough injustices. We’ll always fall short…and our world, it’ll always face the same things Solomon’s talking about here in our passage.
But the Good News is this:
But God — rich in mercy — didn’t leave us in the injustice.
He sent His Son — the only One truly just, the only One truly righteous — to bear the weight of our sin on the cross.
Isaiah 53:5 says “He was crushed for our iniquities… upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and by His wounds we are healed.”
Jesus took the ultimate injustice — the wrath of God poured out on the sinless One — so that you and I could be forgiven.
That’s the gospel — Justice and mercy meeting at the cross.
And the Best News?
He didn’t stay in the grave. He rose.
He conquered sin. He defeated death.
And now, for anyone who repents and believes — you’re not just forgiven… you’re made new.
You’re given a new heart — a heart of justice, and mercy, humility. A heart anchored not in this world, but in the kingdom to come.
And here’s the promise — one day, the King is coming back.
And when He does? No more tears. No more oppression. No more corruption.
Only righteousness. Only justice. Forever.
And all of that, its all a free gift by simply repenting…turning to Jesus and believing that He’s God and that He rose from the dead.
So, what do we do?
If you’re a believer here this morning — let me challenge you: Don’t just see the brokenness. Step into it. Not with pride. Not with politics. But with the power of the gospel. Let your compassion lead to action — let your action be soaked in Scripture. Don’t just talk about justice — show the world what gospel-centered justice looks like. Live humbly. Serve sacrificially. Speak boldly. And trust that God will make all things right.
And for those of you who may not yet know Christ — maybe today you're realizing you've put your hope in something that's crumbling.
Maybe it's politics… maybe it's your performance… maybe it's just your own definition of “being a good person.”
But listen to me — none of that can save you. Only Jesus can.
So hear this clearly: Repent. Believe. Trust in Christ.
There is a just Judge. And He’s coming. But there’s also a gracious Savior — and guys, He’s calling.
Run to Him. While there’s still time.
Let’s be a church marked not by noise — but by truth.
Not by sides — but by Scripture.
Not by earthly power — but by heavenly hope.
Let’s proclaim the gospel with our mouths… and prove it with our lives.
Because in a world full of vanity — Jesus is the only One who lasts.
Would you bow your head and close your eyes with me?
The praise team’s gonna come…you’ve heard the Word of God…And so, what do you need to do…how do you need to respond this morning? Would you do that? Run to the Father, place your faith and hope in Him…let Him direct your life.
You take this time.
[Prayer]
