Think

Main Idea

Only through the blood of Jesus Christ, is the stain of our sin is atoned, by our profession/confession of faith in Jesus Christ which leads us to works of justice.

Sermon Purpose

We sometimes follow along with tradition and do not take the time to make sure that we know God. Sometimes the church can get so caught up in worship inside the building that we forget to be obedient do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).

This passage should challenge our congregation (audience) to do more than just come to church to worship and give offerings. We should be convicted to turn to the LORD, with repentant hearts, knowing the LORD God will forgive us and that our sins have been atoned for by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Introduction

Illustration: “Think” by Aretha Franklin (Cameo appearance in Blues Brothers)

Amazing Grace

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Rock Steady

Mary Don’t You Weep

Respect

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman

Chain of Fools

According to Rolling-stone Magazine, The vocal achievements of Aretha Franklin have informed much of modern soul, gospel, R&B, dance music and especially rock. Beyoncé considers Franklin’s voice “one of God’s blessings.” Said Mary J. Blige, “When it comes to expressing yourself through song, there is no one who can touch her. She is the reason why women want to sing.” Patti Labelle described Franklin simply as “the best singer in the world.”

Franklin’s powerful instrument can be heard across a recording career that spans nearly 60 years. On the Columbia sides of the early Sixties, she laid into standards like then-current stars Sinatra or Nat King Cole, rivaling her backing orchestras for sheer power. Her classic Sixties and Seventies sides soundtracked the Civil Rights Movement, an object lesson in how a singer can embody and define her time. As poet Nikki Giovanni wrote, Franklin “lifted her voice in question and complaint and why not and we’re going to and voiced the needs of a generation.”

Then there was “Think”

This song was released on May 2, 1968, less than a month after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4. Franklin's family was close to King, and Aretha attended his funeral. The song's insistent refrain of "freedom" evoked one of King's famous quotes: "Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty we are free at last."

I think it's pretty obvious what this song it about.

Some guy made a big mistake, but she's willing to forgive him, if he is willing to think about what he did...

In Aretha’s hit single “Think”, she sings about women’s rights too. This became a feminist anthem because of the strong attitude in the lyrics, having men THINK twice about ever crossing a woman!

With its defiant lyrics and fervent vocals, this No. 1 R&B hit is a cousin of "Respect," Franklin's rallying cry for any woman who has felt mistreated. "You better think ... about what you're trying to do to me," she warns, and woe to the man who stands in her way.

You better think (think)

Think about what you're trying to do to me

Think (think, think)

Let your mind go, let yourself be free

Let's go back, let's go back

Let's go way on, way back when

I didn't even know you

You couldn't have been too much more than ten (just a child)

I ain't no psychiatrist, I ain't no doctor with degrees

But, it don't take too much high IQ's

To see what you're doing to me

You better think (think)

Think about what you're trying to do to me

Yeah, think (think, think)

Let your mind go, let yourself be free

Oh, freedom (freedom), freedom (freedom)

Oh, freedom, yeah, freedom

Freedom (freedom), oh, oh freedom (freedom)

Freedom, oh freedom

Hey, think about it, think about it

There ain't nothing you could ask

I could answer you but I won't (I won't)

But I was gonna change, but I'm not

If you keep doing things I don't

You better think (think)

Think about what you're trying to do to me

Oh Lord, think (think)

Let your mind go, let yourself be free

People walking around everyday

Playing games, taking scores

Trying to make other people lose their minds

Ah, be careful you don't lose yours, oh

Think (think)

Think about what you're trying to do to me, ooh

Think (think)

Let your mind go, let yourself be free

You need me (need me)

And I need you (don't you know)

Without each other there ain't nothing people can do, oh

Oh, hey, think about it, baby (What are you trying to do me)

Yeah, oh baby, think about it now, yeah

(Think about forgiveness, dream about forgiveness)

Think about forgiveness

Think about it, baby, baby

Think about forgiveness

Think about forgiveness

Think about forgiveness

Transition To Body- The Scene of the Heavenly & Earthly Court

The scene remains in the court room. But the prosecutor, the LORD God, weaves in imagery as he makes his case against the people of God. This weaving, helps make the case because the imagery, such as the totally bruised whole body, is so vivid.

Isaiah 1:2–3 ESV

2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. 3 The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”

People who are continually struck down

Isaiah 1:5–6 ESV

5 Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6 From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds; they are not pressed out or bound up or softened with oil.

The people of God do not understand and are not aware (or have considered) the holy ways of God versus their wicked (unholy) ways.

Body

The LORD's Surprising Revelation Regarding Sacrifices (Isaiah 1:10-11)

Isaiah 1:10–11 ESV

10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.

Uninspiring Sacrifices Of Irreverent Worshipers

Ritual infractions called for sin and guilt offerings (Lv 4:14, 16; 5:2, 3; 22:14; Nm 15:22–29). Ritual acts in the OT were expressions of faith and devotion, reflecting a universal human tendency to substitute the outward act for the proper heart attitude (Hos 6:6). All sins committed “inadvertently” could be atoned for by sacrifice (Lv 4:2, 13, 22, 27; 5:14) but only after the offender had realized his guilt (Lv 4:13, 14; cf. 5:17; 14:23, 28; Nm 15:24).

Challenging The Unfaithful Congregants' Hollow Religiosity (Isaiah 1:12-17)

Isaiah 1:12–17 ESV

12 “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? 13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

Powerless Prayers Of Unrepentant People

Sociologists of religion have observed that an individual's experience, beliefs, sense of belonging, and behavior often are not congruent with their actual religious behavior, since there is much diversity in how one can be religious or not

Social Justice Issues of Isaiah’s time:

oppression, justice for the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause

Social Justice Issues of Our Time:

Pro-Police & Pro Racial Profiling of Black Males

Pro Life in the womb but not Pro Life out of the womb

Pro Gun Rights but not Pro Mental Health

Pro January 6 Rioting but not Pro Truth if January 6

Pro Pray for gun shooting victims but not pro protect children with reasonable gun restrictions legislation

John 9:31 ESV

31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.

James 4:8 ESV

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

1 Samuel 15:22 ESV

22 And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

Hosea 6:6 ESV

6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Micah 6:8 ESV

8 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?

Accept The LORD's Assured Gracious Settlement (Isaiah 1:18-20)

Isaiah 1:18–20 ESV

18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Graciousness And Generosity Of God

The LORD presents evidence beyond a shadow of a doubt that his people are guilty. What do you do?

Illustration: Plea Bargain from Prosecutor vs. Cop a plea vs. Plea Bargain

Colloquially, a plea has come to mean the assertion by a defendant at arraignment, or otherwise in response to a criminal charge, whether that person pleaded or pled guilty, not guilty, nolo contendere (a.k.a. no contest)

The concept of the plea is one of the major differences between criminal procedure under common law and procedure under the civil law system. Under common law, a defendant who pleads guilty is automatically convicted and the remainder of the trial is used to determine the sentence. This produces a system known as plea bargaining, in which defendants may plead guilty in exchange for a more lenient punishment. In civil law jurisdictions, a confession by the defendant is treated like any other piece of evidence, and a full confession does not prevent a full trial from occurring or relieve the prosecutor from having to present a case to the court

Pleading guilty typically results in a more lenient punishment for the defendant; it is thus a type of mitigating factor in sentencing. In a plea bargain, a defendant makes a deal with the prosecution or court to plead guilty in exchange for a more lenient punishment, or for related charges against them to be dropped. A "blind plea" is a guilty plea entered with no plea agreement in place. Plea bargains are particularly common in the United States.

Transition To Close- Hear & Listen to the LORD’s Word

Hear the word and obey the word of God. Don't let your mistakes and messups continue to destroy you, turn to God.

Now that the Jesus has saved and redeemed you- help the oppressed, advocate for orphans and widows- anyone on the margins of society. Be a voice to the voiceless. Don't buy into the culture and be afraid to stand up for justice. The people of God are to just in our dealings in the world and with our brother and sister in Christ

Illustration: MANY people have a GPS system in their car. The Global Positioning System has the ability to tell a driver where they are or give them directions to where they want to go. It has a voice so it’s audible and it has a screen so it is visible. It displays a red dot on the screen to show your current location and allows the driver to watch their progress toward their intended destination. The voice comes on and gives direction, telling the driver where to turn, merge, or stop and provides clear instruction of how the driver can get to their intended destination. I was in the car one day with a guy who had a GPS and he had punched in his intended destination. We’re riding along and he was following the word. The word said turn right and he’d turn right. The word said turn left and he’d turn left. He brought his driving in line with the word and therefore was making progress to his intended destination. After awhile, he decided to try a little experiment. He decided to see what happened if he didn’t pay attention and if he disregarded the instructions from his GPS. So he decided to “lean to his own understanding.” He decided to try the way of man rather than the way of the system. So when the GPS system said turn right, he didn’t slow down. He kept going straight and totally disregarded the word that had been spoken and the word from the visual display. After he passed the exit that the GPS told him to take, the screen popped off. There was no longer any picture and no longer any word. There was no longer any direction because he was now doing things his way. After we had driven for a while in rebellion to the system, the picture came back on with the red dot showing our errant ways and how we had wandered from the path. Then the voice came on and said, “If you would like to return to your previous location, then get off at the next exit, go under the expressway, get back up on the expressway, and I will lead you back to where you went wrong.” God wants us to know that if we realize the error of our ways and simply pay attention to His direction via the Global Positioning System already in us, He will lead us in the way that we should go. We just have to be willing to follow His directions and stop leaning to our own understanding

Isaiah 1:2 ESV

2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.

Isaiah 1:3 ESV

3 The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”

Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Close- In the beginning Was the Word

Isaiah 1:18 ESV

18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Isaiah 1:10 ESV

10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

Isaiah 1:15 ESV

15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.

Revelation 11:8 ESV

8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.

Illustration: William Cowper would right later

1 There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Immanuel's veins; And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains: Lose all their guilty stains, Lose all their guilty stains; And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains.

John 1:1–5 ESV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:10–13 ESV

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.