Thank you for taking the time to read the Weekend Sermon. I am once again thankful to the Lord for providing me with the opportunity to post this message. I hope and pray that you are all having a very good week.
This week, we will be starting a new series of messages that I am calling the Bible and social justice. The Lord has a lot to say in His Word about justice for the poor and the oppressed. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will look at what the Scriptures tell us concerning our obligations to the poor and the vulnerable in society. We will examine what the Bible has to say about what the government's role is in helping its citizens. We will also explore what the Bible has to say about our obligations as far as environmental justice is concerned.
In today's message, I want us to focus our attention on the verses that speak about God's desire for justice and God's care for the poor and the oppressed in society. One of the first verses that came to my mind when I was first thinking about this series of messages was Micah 6:8 which states, "He has shown you, O mortal what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and love mercy and to walk humbly with you God." This verse clearly shows us that the Lord expects His people to be merciful and to seek justice in the world.
Another verse that came instantly into my mind when considering this series is James 1:27 which reads, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." The Lord expects us to look after those who are considered the most vulnerable in society.
There are other verses that I want to make you aware of that speaks about what the Lord expects of His followers in regard to helping the poor and standing up for justice. One important verse is Isaiah 1:17 which states, "Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 58:6-7 gives us this word, "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and provide the poor wanderer with shelter, when you see the naked to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
When the Lord led His people out of bondage in the land of Egypt, He provided them with instructions on how they were to deal with vulnerable people in society. We read in Exodus 22:21-23, "Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. Do not take advantage of the widow of the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry."
One other verse that I want to point out from the Old Testament is Malachi 3:5 that gives us these words, "So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear Me, says the Lord Almighty." This verse is very clear. The Lord will judge those who oppress the weak and the powerless. The Lord demands that His people stand up for justice and what is right.
These verses tell us that the Lord cares about what happens to those who are poor and in need. However, the passage of Scripture that I believe tells us what our obligations are to those who are in need come from Jesus Himself. In Matthew 25, Jesus judges the sheep and the goats. Jesus said that those who did good to the least among them will enter into His kingdom. Jesus said that when you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me. Those who rejected the poor, hungry and naked where in essence rejecting Jesus Himself.
I believe that there can be no doubt that everyone who is a follower of the Lord Jesus has an obligation to stand up for justice for the oppressed. There is an obligation of the follower of Jesus to help the poor, the hungry and those who are sick.
In the week's to come, I want to look at some of the specifics that the Bible gives us for how the poor are to be treated. I want to look at what the Bible says about how immigrants are to be treated. I will also look into what the Bible says about taking care of the environment, and what the Bible says about the government's responsibility in caring for its most vulnerable citizens. I hope that you will read the Weekend Sermon and find out more about these things in the weeks ahead, Amen.
Prayer Requests and Other Matters
This has been a good week for me. I have been feeling well, and the Lord has provided me with a lot of writing work. I am trying to find a part time job to get a little extra money, and I would ask that you pray for me in this matter.
In prayer this week, please pray for those in Japan who were in the path of the storm. Pray that those who were affected by the storm will receive the aid and the help that they need.
Let us all pray for those in the Philippines. There was an earthquake in that country this week, and we need to pray for those who need help.
Continue to pray for those in the Bahamas who are recovering from the hurricane. There are people in Texas who still need help from the flooding that occurred there.
Please continue to pray for an end to the Ebola outbreak in Congo. Pray for those who are trying to help in that situation.
Remember to keep praying for peace. There is a terrible crisis in Syria, and that country really needs our prayers. Let us also pray for peace in Afghanistan, Yemen and Libya.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those who live in Lebanon and Malaysia. Pray that many will hear about the love that Jesus has for them.
Next week, I will post the sermon on Saturday. I will post the verses on Monday. On Wednesday, I will post a review or a poem. May God bless you all. Amen.
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