Community & Discipleship

When Faith Comes Alive (Jam. 1:19~27)

2013.09.29Rev. Eddie Byun

God calls every believer to be a champion of justice, which means restoring his right order in creation. We can take up this cause because Jesus, God's chosen servant, is the first and ultimate champion who saved us and now sends us out.

Justice means restoring God's right order

Justice in the Bible is not mainly about courts or laws. The Hebrew word means the opposite of chaos and points to right order, with right relationship to God at its center. The first injustice was Adam and Eve disobeying their Creator in Eden, and sin and death spread from there to all creation. Romans 1 shows the same pattern: people refuse to honor God, suppress the truth, and worship created things. Justice is the restoration of God's right order, and it begins in our own lives.

Judges of Israel were champions who restored order

The Israelites were gradually becoming like the Canaanites, so God raised up judges to deliver them and restore the life he intended. Deborah, Gideon, and Samson are named among these judges, though none of them fit our usual picture of a judge. Their role was to save people from their enemies and to model godly living. Christians and the church face the same danger today, as we are constantly bombarded with ideals that oppose God. In such times, God still raises up champions.

Our champion is God's chosen and upheld servant

Isaiah describes the champion as God's servant whom God upholds and in whom his soul delights. At Jesus' baptism the Spirit of God rested on him, and the voice from heaven declared him beloved. This champion does not cry out or become a victim, and he will not break the bruised reed or snuff out the dying wick. He is not a destroyer but a restorer, the author and object of faith, who overcomes the world. Jesus came to open blind eyes and bring out those who sit in darkness.

Jesus commissions us to continue his work

Jesus declared his followers to be the light of the world, and that light shines through our Christ-likeness as we live, love, and serve as he did. In Matthew 28:18-20 he gave his authority to his followers and commanded them to make disciples of all nations. His champions are sent to save people kept in the dark and to bring them into the light of God's right order. Jesus is the general of this army, and we fight in his name.

Be saved, know yourself, and serve where the action is

Before anyone can be a champion, we must first be saved and established in God through Jesus. Each champion is uniquely made as God's masterpiece, so we should reflect on what we are good at, what we care about, and what burden God has placed on our hearts. Above all, a champion must act, because a champion who stays out of the battle is of no use. Our service must also be examined by asking how intimate and close our relationship with God really is.

Apply to Life

  • Let us first be saved in Christ and rest in God's grace before we try to serve.
  • Let us discover the gifts and burdens God has given us and use them as champions of his justice.
  • Let us go where the action is and serve those around us, including the fatherless, the elderly, the homeless, the foreigner, and the vulnerable.
  • Let us examine our hearts and ask how close and peaceful our relationship with God truly is.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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