Sermons on Public Justice

Sermons on Public Justice

Smyrna – Suffering Well | Revelation 2:8-11

Sermon Revelation 2:8-11 | Letters From Jesus: Smyrna – Suffering Well To the Church in Smyrna 8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do…

Does God Care? | Malachi 2:17 – 3:6

Our view of justice may not always align with God’s justice. Listen to this message as Pastor Ron continues his series in Malachi. Watch here Discussion Questions 1. Are there ways and times when we “project” our attitudes and viewpoint upon God?  How can we avoid this? 2. Do we sometimes confuse satisfaction with justice? 3. How do we know from this passage that God’s love for us precedes His exacting justice for breaking covenant with Him?

The Highest Court | Acts 25:1-22 (When we face injustice)

Have you ever faced injustice? Have you ever been treated unfairly? Maybe a boss mistreated you at work, or a family member or friend did not treat you right. Maybe you can think of a family member or friend who has experienced injustice. My dad told me the story of how he was let go from his job for something he had not done, and it was painful for him. Maybe you’ve faced something similar. As we look at the…

Part 9. “H” – Help the Needy | Zechariah 7:8-12 & Matthew 25:31-46

We’ve been working through the word “F.L.O.U.R.I.S.H.” in our Faith & Flourishing in Politics sermon series. Today we’re finishing our acronym. Let’s review: F – Faith, Not Fear (or “faithful presence”) L – Love God & Neighbor (enemies too) O – Other Peoples’ Good (shalom/common good) U – Understanding & Wisdom R – Reign of Christ I – Image of God (Imago Dei) S – Speak Prophetically H – Help the Needy Last week we talked about speaking prophetically. We…

Part 8. “S” – Speak Prophetically | Amos 5:21-24

On the morning of Thursday, February 3rd, 1994, a room of political and religious elite gathered in the ballroom of a swanky hotel in downtown Washington DC. Members of Congress were there, as was the President and Vice President, Bill Clinton and Al Gore, Hilary too. But there was also someone there you might not expect, Mother Teresa. An 83-year-old nun from India, Mother Teresa had spent a lifetime caring for the poor and needy in the slums of Calcutta,…

Part 7. “I” – Image of God (Imago Dei) | Mark 12:13-17

I want to start today’s sermon with a quiz. By a show of hands, I want you to guess whether the following portion of tweets are about a sports team or politics. These are actual selections from tweets: His biggest win yet. Let’s hear it for your [blank] champion[1] Sports or politics? “Let’s hear it for your 2021 #NASCAR Cup Series champion. . . ” Sports! Heads, we win. Tails, you cheated. Give me a break man.[2] Sports or politics?…

Part 6. “R” – Reign of Christ | Romans 13:1-7 & Philippians 3:20-21

I loved going to Awana club every week when I was a kid. If you’re not familiar with this part of the Christian subculture, Awana is a weekly after-school program where once a week, kids gathered at church to eat snacks, play games, memorize Bible verses, and sing worship songs. And I loved it! One week when I thought I wasn’t going to get to go, I had a major meltdown. I memorized so many verses I got my Sparky…

Homelessness: The Nightmare that can lead to Redemption | Mark 10:17-23

Listen to Pastor Brian Gearin preach on homelessness and what the Bible has to say in Mark 10:17-23, John 4:13-18, 5:1-9, Luke 19:1-10, and Matthew 18:1-5. Brian has served the homeless and trained those working with this population for many years. He has lots of stories and wisdom to share. You can review slides from our service below.

Homeless Lazarus | Luke 16:19-31 (the rich man and Lazarus)

I always feel conflicted when I drive up to an intersection, and someone is holding a sign asking for money. Most of the time, what do we do? We look straight ahead and try not to make eye contact. I guess I don’t know if that’s what you do, but I know I’ve done that many times. Sometimes I’ve given money, Bibles, snacks. Recently, I’ve started carrying snack packs with Bibles and pamphlets in my car. But if I hold…

Bridges to Multiethnic Reconciliation | Acts 10:34-11:18

Last week I talked about Barriers to Multiethnic Reconciliation (i.e., personal & systemic racism, group pressure and personal vulnerability). This week I want to talk about how we can overcome those barriers by building bridges, so my sermon title this week is Bridges to Multiethnic Reconciliation. My big idea is this… Be bridge builders in a world of walls. In March 1965 several of Martin Luther King Junior’s associates, one of them Representative John Lewis who died this past summer,…

Barriers to Multiethnic Reconciliation | Acts 10:23b-43

Last week we talked about the Bible’s vision of churches working towards becoming diverse multiethnic congregations that reflects his church family in Revelation 7:9-10. Today I want to talk about the things that hinder us from doing that, barriers to unity in diversity.  When we look at the New Testament, we find one of the most commonly reoccurring themes is racial tensions between Jew and Gentile. The church had to call a council in Acts 15 to deal with the…