December 6, 2009

Mr. Jim Stein

 

6:00 pm Worship Service

Covenant Christian Reformed Church

Winnipeg, Canada

Call to Worship:  Psalm 33:1-5

 

Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous.

      Praise befits the upright.

2  Praise the LORD with the lyre;

      make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.

3  Sing to him a new song;

      play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

4  For the word of the LORD is upright,

      and all his work is done in faithfulness.

5  He loves righteousness and justice;

      the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

 

Opening Prayer

Hymn:  253 – Praise to the Lord, The Almighty 

Greeting:     To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:  2May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  2 Peter 1:1-2

Confession of  Faith  -  Our World Belongs to God #10  p.1022

Hymn:  501 – O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing  

Prayer

Scripture:  Micah 6:8     1Timothy 6:11-19

Sermon:   What is meant by “God is Just?”   Deuteronomy 22:20-24  Is this justice?

                  Are Fair & Just the same?

Prayer

Hymn:    495 - I Know Not Why God’s Wondrous Grace 

Offering:   Benevolence Ministry

God's Blessing      Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. 14Let all that you do be done in love.  23The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.      I Corinthians 16:13, 14, 24 

 

Hymn:  452 - Now Thank We All Our God  


Readings

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O mortal, 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?

 

1Timothy 6:11-19

But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made£ the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

17As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, 19thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

HUMAN JUSTICE

 

Definition of Justice Merriam-Webster

Main Entry: jus·tice Pronunciation: \ˈjəs-təs\

Function: noun   Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French justise, from Latin justitia, from justus

Date: 12th century

1 a : the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments b : judge c : the administration of law; especially : the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity
2 a : the quality of being just, impartial, or fair b (1) : the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action (2) : conformity to this principle or ideal : righteousness c : the quality of conforming to law
3 : conformity to truth, fact, or reason : correctness

 

Nature of justice Justice has two major aspects. First, it is the standard by which penalties are assigned for breaking the obligations of the society.

    Second, justice is the standard by which the advantages of social life are handed out, including material goods, rights of participation, opportunities, and liberties. It is the standard for both punishment and benefits and thus can be spoken of as a plumb line. “I shall use justice as a plumb-line, and righteousness as a plummet” (Isa. 28:17, Revised English Bible).

 

Hebrew Meaning of Justice   NAS Hebrew and reek Dictionaries

shaphat (1047a); a prim. root; to judge, govern:—acting like a judge (1), already he is acting (1), argue our case (1), decide (1), defend (3), deliver (1), Dispense (1), enter into judgment (6), entered into judgment (1), entering into
judgment (1), execute judgment (1), executing judgment (1), freed (2), handed down (1), has a controversy (1), Judge (5), judge (93), judged (22), judges (36), judges decide (1), judges governed (1), judges...judged (1), judging (5), plead (1), pleads (1), pronounce judgment (1), rule (2), rulers (1), rulers...ruled (1), vindicate (6).

  

Justice

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

GOD”S JUSTICE

The source of justice As the sovereign Creator of the universe, God is just (Ps. 99:1-4; Gen. 18:25; Deut. 32:4; Jer. 9:24), particularly as the defender of all the oppressed of the earth (Ps. 76:9; 103:6; Jer. 49:11).  Thus justice is universal (Ps. 9:7-9).

 

    Jesus affirmed for His day the centrality of the Old Testament demand for justice (Matt. 23:23). Justice is the work of the New Testament people of God (Jas. 1:27).

 

    God’s justice is not a distant external standard. It is the source of all human justice (Prov. 29:26; 2 Chron. 19:6, 9).

 

Justice is grace received and grace shared (2 Cor. 9:8-10).

 

    To “seek justice” means to “relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow” (Isa 1:17; compare 11:4; Jer 22:15, 16; Ps 82:2-4). The same idea appears in Dt 24:12, 13; Ps 37:21, 26; 112:4-6, where the translation is “righteous” instead of “just.”

 

    The words “justice” and “just” do not occur in the New Testament.  (It is translated as “righteous” in contemporary translations.  My notes

 

The idea of justice or righteousness (remembering that these are essentially the same) becomes more spiritual and ethical in the New Testament. It is a matter of character, and God’s own spirit is the standard (1 Jn 3:7; Mt 5:48). The mere give-and-take justice is not enough. We are to be merciful, and that is to all. The ideal is righteousness, not rights.

 


                                             Mercy

   Justice                 Forgiveness

Righteousness       Grace

                                       Reconciliation


Quotations on Justice

 

If we do justice to our brother even though we may not like him, we will come to love him; but if we do injustice to him because we do not love him, we will come to hate him.

John Ruskin (1819–1900)

 

Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971)

 

 

Truth is justice’s handmaid; freedom is its child, peace is its

companion; safety walks in its steps; victory follows in its

train; it is the brightest emanation from the gospel; it is an

attribute of God.

      Sydney Smith (1771–1845)

 

We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters,

and righteousness like a mighty stream.

      Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968)