Sermon Tone Analysis

Homiletical Idea: in the midst of this world’s injustice, God’s promise of judgment day shows himself to be perfect in his justice

Prayer: Oh God, you are incomprehensibly good.

I ask you to make our hearts and minds understand your greatness even more through this sermon about your justice.

Through the music, once again, I was again reminded of God’s greatness, amen?

David said that he desired one thing only: to dwell in the house of the lord and to behold the beauty of God.

Our whole lives should be to this end, to see God in every blessing and promise so that we see the Creator and we are amazed.

One of the main attributes of God is his justice.

God’s Justice

Justice is often well-portrayed in superhero movies.

This is a typical scenario you might find.

Imagine a few of the terrorists taking notice of a family with a father, a mother, and two young children.

The terrorists then approach the family, grab the father, and they start dragging him away.

The children are screaming for the men to let their father go, and the father escapes the hold of the men to attempt to say goodbye to the children and to reassure them that everything is going, but on his way, the men catch up and beat the father to the ground and start stomp on him, while the children look on in horror while crying as they themselves are being dragged away by other terrorists and the children crying in fear.

This is injustice.

This family did nothing wrong and yet they are being oppressed by evil men.

And just as bad is that these evil men are doing what they want and gaining power and wealth by exploiting the people in this village.

Then, unexpectedly, poovvff down comes Iron man, he throws the terrorists against a wall immobilizing them, freeing the fathers and the children so that they would be reunited and safe, just as the innocent should be.

Psalm 146 1 Praise ye the Lord.

Praise the Lord, O my soul. 2 He executeth judgment for the oppressed: Which giveth food to the hungry.

The Lord looseth the prisoners: 8 The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind:

The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: The Lord loveth the righteous: 9 The Lord preserveth the strangers; He relieveth the fatherless and widow: But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.

10… Praise ye the Lord.

KJV Ps 146:1,2, 7-10.

God’s justice, or his judgment, is the fact that God loves the innocent among us and desires to protect and to bless them, but he punishes those who would dare try to oppress or take advantage of the innocent.

This is how God is described in the Bible, the savior of the innocent, protector of the weak, but the punisher of the oppressors.

This is God’s justice, this is what it means for God to be a God of judgment.

Injustice in the World

But right now, this view of God is blurred.

It's hard to see the justice of God because of the death or suffering of the innocent and the vulnerable?

World hunger, disease, wars, and natural disaster, death, disappointment, depression, anxiety all oppress the innocent.

We also see that the oppressors of the poor and those who start unjust wars, those who love wickedness, thrive in this world.

Some see the world today and say to God, “if you are good, someone worthy of worship(sarcastic), a God who is perfect and just, how could you do nothing!

Thesis: Thankfully not only does the bible identifies this problem, but God himself also gives a solution to this problem in the Bible.

And when we see the solution to this problem, our lives are changed.

First, the bible shows that people have a problem with seeing God as a just hero because of the suffering they see in the world.

Malachi 3:13-15 KJV 13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord.

Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: And what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, And that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?

15 And now we call the proud happy; Yea, they that work wickedness are set up; Yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

Injustice in the World

The Israelites are reported in Malachi three to have called God unjust.

Far from being perfect, without iniquity, far from being just and having all his ways being with exact judgment like Deuteronomy 32:4 claimed.

They say that first, people who are good walk about mournfully in verse 14, and God is not saving like any hero of justice would.

If God were perfect, he would save those who are righteous and cause them to prosper.

Also, there are wicked people who are set up, not cast down as they should be, so that go oppress and exploit the innocent for their own gain!

The fact is that we all have seen injustice on one level or another.

We see injustice on the big scale and low scale.

But it is mostly the case that the stories of injustice that affect us the most are injustices against children, and this is because of our instincts to preserve the next generation but also because we know the child is innocent, and not typically worthy of any sort of serious punishment.

But the fact is that children are hurt emotionally and physically every day whether it be in school or in home.

I once was driving home from work when I saw a child who was walking without bending her knees, so this little girl, about 10 years old, is hobbing while her parents are nearby.

And I think to myself, that though she may be in a loving family, I know that children her age are nasty, just like I was when I was that age.

The child has most likely been left out of friend groups, has been treated like charity projects, and was probably on the receiving end of harassment, I know I was when I was that age as well.

When I thought about this I was angry, I wanted to destroy anyone who would ever dare to bother this kid.

And one could feel angry toward the one who allows this to happen every day in this world and does nothing, namely God.

Some may say where are you, God?

You better do something about this.

Are you even listening?

This is what the objector in Malachi was wondering in their hearts.

Resuming in the Malachi 3:16 KJV Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: And the Lord hearkened, and heard it

This is significant.

In other places in Malachi, an objection is given to God, and God answers by saying that the objector is wrong in the present.

For example, in the beginning of Malachi, the Israelites tell God that he does not live with them, and God says, yes I do you are wrong.

Or they will say that they are doing nothing sinful, but then God will give them 10 ways they are being evil.

But here at the end of Malachi 3, and at the end of Malachi 2 they ask, where is your care for the innocent God?

Why do the innocent suffer and the evil prosper?

And instead of denying this fact, God listens and does not say they are wrong in response.

In response to the problem of innocent suffering and evil prospering, God responds both times in this way

16 the Lord hearkened, and heard it.

And a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, In that day when I make up my jewels;

And I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, Between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

4 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;

And all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: And the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, That it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise With

healing in his wings; And ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet In the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

Mal 3:13–4:3.

God’s Response to Injustice: Judgement Day

This day is the response of God to the problem of injustice in this world.

I once worked as a delivery driver for a food company and I went out with two orders of food for two different houses.

I delivered one to one house, then I drove off to another and as I got to the house I thought to check the receipt to make sure I had the right address, and as I look down at the receipt, I realized that I had the right address, but I had the wrong order!

I went back to the previous house to see if they realized that they were given the wrong order, and they should have known because they ordered one item and I gave them four, but I get there and they say, oh we didn't know we ate all of it.

Well now I need to go back to the store and have them remake it which takes a lot of time, I felt horrible.

I called the person who would have the order very late, and they tore into me, really letting me know how they were feeling about the situation.

I then asked what I could do, and management said I could only give them a free pizza on their next order.

But that was not enough, this woman kept lighting me up, and I realized that it was not enough but it was all I could offer.

But I listened to this person, really listened, and I ended up giving her 20 dollars out of my own pocket to make the situation right.

I listened to the injustice, and then I gave a plan that would make the wrong situation right.

And this is what God did, he listened to mankind's complaints, and he made something that would make everything right, he made a day where all things would be balanced, and he calls it judgment day.

We know this day did not happen yet.

Malachi says at the end of chapter 4

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

KJV Mal 4:5.

Now Jesus identified this Elijah to be John the Baptist (Matt 11:14).. John that baptist put this day after himself in Matthew 3:7-10.

And Jesus put this day of wrath in which the wicked are destroyed and the righteous are saved at the last day (John 12:48).

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God’s response to the injustice today is to deal with this problem in the future on a day (verse 4) in which the wicked will perish and the righteous will live.

God's exact judgment, but in the future.

One can compare the day of future judgment with how we take out loans today.

They are people today that pull out tens of thousands of dollars in loans.