Living the Gospel in All of Life - Week 7

Living the Gospel in All of Life - Week 7
"Do Justice and Love Kindness"
Micah 6:6-8

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:6-8 NIV)

1. Justice and compassion reflect the character of God
This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23, 24 NIV)

Righteousness is being in right relationship with God and others.
Justice often involves making wrongs right: rectifying justice.
Compassion means assistance and care for those in need.

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; (Psalm 103:1-13 NIV)

Special emphasis is placed on widows, orphans, and immigrants...

"Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. "Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. "If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. (Exodus 22:21-23, 25-27 NIV)

Sacrifices without right living means nothing to The Lord.

"The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?" says the Lord. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. (Isaiah 1:11, 15-17 NIV)

2. Justice and compassion witness to God as good.

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' (Matthew 25:31-40 NIV)

When we serve "them" we serve Jesus, when we minister to "them" we minister to Him.

We are God's eyes, hands and feet here on this earth.

3. Justice and compassion flow from our experience of God's grace.

Our experience of God's grace allows us to serve others out of gratitude for what God has done for us, not out of religious obligation.

We need to be gospel people.
Actions of relief, development, reform.
Types of ministries: proclamation, compassion, justice, reconciliation, education.

Our first missional community is our family.
How might we bring justice and compassion to our community.
How can we use our time, treasure, and talent to serve my community?

NEXT STEPS
1. Read Isaiah 12.
2. Affirm you are in Christ and in His Kingdom.
3. Devote yourself and your day to Christ.
4. Ask God to join you in your day.