Speaker 1: Shalom, good morning, praise Jesus.
Speaker 1: And since I am back from the land of Indians, I say namaste Jai maski.
Speaker 1: That is praise Jesus.
Speaker 1: I'm delighted this very morning also to say happy holidays to our Muslim community, our brothers and sisters, particularly on this day, the last day of the month of March, and I believe you have been marching to victory and actually have experienced the uncommon justice, in various ways, that God intended for each and every one of you, and I know it's a topic that has been shared in our pulpit and in different forums, and I know it's a topic that has been shared in our pulpit and in different forums and I believe now you have a different insight and a different understanding.
Speaker 1: And therefore, this very morning, as we take and we meditate, I want us to reflect on the word of God from the book of Luke, chapter 23.
Speaker 1: And this is about uncommon spirit-led restoration, the Jesus justice of compassion, the compassion that Jesus showed on the cross.
Speaker 1: We are getting to the month of April and we know we'll be celebrating the Easter period, the Good Friday, during the death and the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, and actually to reflect on the justice that was experienced at the cross and therefore in the book of Luke, chapter 23,.
Speaker 1: From verse 39, the Bible says Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at him.
Speaker 1: I'll entail the Messiah Save yourself and save us, verse 40.
Speaker 1: But the other answered, rebuking him Don't you even fear God, since you are undoing the same punishment.
Speaker 1: We are punished justly because we are getting back what we deserve for the things we did.
Speaker 1: But this man has done nothing wrong.
Speaker 1: Then he said this is Jesus.
Speaker 1: Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
Speaker 1: And he said to him.
Speaker 1: Jesus said I assure you, today you'll be with me in paradise.
Speaker 1: Today you'll be with me in paradise.
Speaker 1: Restorative justice through compassion, the heavenly justice, is not the justice of fairness, but it's the justice of grace.
Speaker 1: It's the justice of fairness, but it's the justice of grace, it's the justice of mercy.
Speaker 1: And I want us to take the few minutes that we have this very morning.
Speaker 1: We reflect on this justice that we got on the cross, this justice that Jesus extended to the thief on the cross.
Speaker 1: Yes, he deserved to be hanged and crucified there because he was a criminal, but according to Jesus, he had a future and luckily, the thief knew about Jesus.
Speaker 1: The thief had a revelation on who he was and he pleaded for mercy and God, because his mercies are new every morning, he extended his mercy to this criminal Many a times.
Speaker 1: Even for us as believers, you find yourself in your normal circumstances whereby, if the justice of the Lord was to be applied, maybe some of us would be in prison.
Speaker 1: But because of God's mercy, he has extended that mercy to you and I, and here we are testifying of his goodness.
Speaker 1: And three things I want us to reflect about the justice that was reflected and we see on the cross.
Speaker 1: And one is that the uncommon justice to the undeserving.
Speaker 1: The uncommon second one, the uncommon justice of grace and not condemnation.
Speaker 1: And the third thing is the uncommon justice that offers a hopeful future.
Speaker 1: And first, the uncommon justice to the undeserving.
Speaker 1: We were guilty, for sure.
Speaker 1: We were In the law of the Lord.
Speaker 1: The thief on the cross is served to be crucified, but the justice that Jesus accorded to him is not rooted in fairness or merit, but is in mercy, as I said, and in grace.
Speaker 1: In Romans 5, verse 8, it says when we were still sinners, christ died for us.
Speaker 1: In Matthew 9, verse 26, jesus saw a multitude, a crowd, and he had compassion.
Speaker 1: He saw they are like sheep without a shepherd.
Speaker 1: He had compassion for them.
Speaker 1: My prayer, even as we come to the tail end of this month and on this theme, that we shall experience the uncommon justice to the undeserving, even in a situation whereby you're supposed to be found guilty, may the law and may the justice of the cross apply to your aspect, to your issue, and the same, may you accept the same, even to someone who actually deserves to be crucified, who deserves to be jailed, like we did when we went to the valley Handling with bandits.
Speaker 1: They deserved to be criminalized, but God, but we saw them in the compassion the Christ eyes, the justice of compassion.
Speaker 1: Second one is the common justice for grace and not condemnation.
Speaker 1: Jesus came to save us and not to condemn us.
Speaker 1: In John, chapter 3, verse 17, he says I came to the world not to condemn but to save, and that's why, if you are listening to this and you are not a believer, there is a Savior who died for all of us and you have an opportunity.
Speaker 1: Do you have a relationship with him?
Speaker 1: Do you believe in him?
Speaker 1: I pray may you have a relationship, may you believe in him, for he came to save, not to condemn.
Speaker 1: So it doesn't matter how your past looks like or what you have done before, what I can see, let's focus ahead.
Speaker 1: There is a future that is promised for you.
Speaker 1: Jesus promised the thief today.
Speaker 1: Today you'll be with me in paradise.
Speaker 1: In Titus, chapter 3, verse 4 and 7, the kindness of God who loves us.
Speaker 1: And I think that's a text you can reflect Titus, chapter 3 when Paul writes to his friend.
Speaker 1: Titus, chapter 3, from verse 4 to 7.
Speaker 1: The third thing on this topic of uncommon justice, restoration through compassion, is that the uncommon justice that offers a hopeful future.
Speaker 1: Jesus told him remember me.
Speaker 1: May the Lord remember you.
Speaker 1: May the Lord visit you with a special visitation today.
Speaker 1: Maybe you have carried out a lot of issues over the years, maybe some of the cases that have landed in the court case.
Speaker 1: May the Lord remember you.
Speaker 1: May the Lord come for your sake and for your issue.
Speaker 1: The thief said remember me when you come into your kingdom.
Speaker 1: Now you pray this prayer Wherever you are, whatever the issue is.
Speaker 1: Tell the Lord remember me, lord, when you come into your kingdom Now, you pray this prayer Wherever you are, whatever the issue is.
Speaker 1: Tell the Lord, remember me, lord.
Speaker 1: So it's not about the punishment but offering a future filled with hope.
Speaker 1: Jesus said today today you'll be with me in paradise.
Speaker 1: There's a promised future.
Speaker 1: That issue, maybe, has rallied for a long time.
Speaker 1: It may be a sickness, it may be a debt, it may be a court case.
Speaker 1: It has continued years over years.
Speaker 1: You have taken your resources and the likes.
Speaker 1: May the Lord remember you, the God who remembers, not because he forgets, the God who comes on our time.
Speaker 1: And therefore John 14, 2-3 says In my father's house, he said there are many rooms.
Speaker 1: Why not, for so I?
Speaker 1: In my father's house, he said there are many rooms.
Speaker 1: Why not, for so I would not have told you I'm going there to prepare a place for you.
Speaker 1: So there's a promised future.
Speaker 1: Do you believe into that promised future?
Speaker 1: Yes, eternity that is promised to you.
Speaker 1: Romans, chapter 8, verse 18 to 19, says Present suffering not to all, comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us.
Speaker 1: We may be facing those challenges here and there, but there's a promised future.
Speaker 1: There's a promise.
Speaker 1: Do you believe in this?
Speaker 1: I pray this very morning that, even as we come to the tail end of this month, may you know there's a future promise for us by faith in Christ Jesus and therefore, the display of this justice that we are talking about is displayed through love.
Speaker 1: The Spirit-led restoration justice, a justice of compassion, is displayed through love, through grace and through hope.
Speaker 1: Build what we deserve, build what you and I deserve, and therefore may God's justice not just be a mere transaction of fairness.
Speaker 1: It is a transformation, compassion and grace, and therefore I wish you a blessed day and even the new man that you are coming into may God lead, guide you and may you come with a testimony all for his glory.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much, shalom.
Speaker 1: This is your only Pastor, Andrew Mashina, housegoal Ministry, shalom.