Navigating Faith: Justice, Love, and Servant Leadership

 

Summary

In today's discussion, we delved into some profound and challenging questions that touch the very core of our faith and understanding of God's justice and love. We began by addressing a heartfelt question from a young girl named Katherine, who is grappling with the eternal destiny of her grandfather. This question led us to explore the tension between our earthly emotions and the divine justice of God. It's a struggle many of us face: how can we find joy in heaven if our loved ones are not there? The answer lies in the glorification of Christ and the understanding that God's holiness and justice are as perfect in punishment as they are in grace. While we are still in this world, our hearts naturally yearn for the salvation of those we love, echoing the Apostle Paul's willingness to sacrifice his own salvation for his kinsmen.

We also touched on the topic of servant leadership, particularly in the context of caring for family members with disabilities. True leadership, as exemplified by Christ, is demonstrated through service and sacrifice. This kind of leadership not only strengthens family bonds but also serves as a powerful testimony to others. The story of men who have given up prestigious positions to care for their loved ones is a poignant reminder of the call to serve selflessly.

Furthermore, we discussed the complex issue of living as citizens of both the earthly and heavenly realms. This dual citizenship often places us in situations where we must balance our allegiance to God's kingdom with our responsibilities in this world. The legitimacy of military service and civil duties was examined, emphasizing that our primary allegiance is to Christ's command to love our enemies, even as we navigate our roles in society.

Finally, we reflected on the importance of reconciliation and restoration within the church. The world is watching, and the way we handle church discipline and forgiveness can either affirm or undermine the gospel message. It's crucial that our actions reflect the grace and truth of Christ, demonstrating that the gospel is not just a doctrine but a living reality.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Tension of Divine Justice and Human Emotion: Our struggle to reconcile the joy of heaven with the absence of loved ones highlights the tension between divine justice and human emotion. In heaven, our understanding of God's holiness and justice will be complete, allowing us to rejoice in His perfect will. Until then, our concern for the salvation of others is a reflection of God's love working through us. [02:11]

2. Servant Leadership in the Family: True leadership is exemplified through service, especially in the context of caring for family members with disabilities. This sacrificial love not only strengthens family bonds but also serves as a powerful testimony to others, reflecting the selfless love of Christ. [06:37]

3. Balancing Dual Citizenship: As Christians, we live as citizens of both the earthly and heavenly realms. This dual citizenship requires us to balance our allegiance to God's kingdom with our responsibilities in this world, always prioritizing Christ's command to love our enemies. [13:22]

4. The Power of Reconciliation: The way we handle church discipline and forgiveness can either affirm or undermine the gospel message. Demonstrating grace and truth in our actions shows the world that the gospel is a living reality, not just a doctrine. [18:17]

5. Embracing Suffering as a Gift: Recognizing suffering as a gift allows us to experience a deeper fellowship with Christ. While it's natural to struggle, embracing these moments can lead to spiritual growth and a greater understanding of God's grace. [23:40]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:13] - Introduction of Students and Questions
- [00:27] - Katherine's Question on Heaven and Hell
- [01:07] - Struggling with Loved Ones' Eternal Destinies
- [02:11] - Glorification of Christ and Divine Justice
- [03:15] - Paul's Sacrificial Love for His Kinsmen
- [04:38] - Trusting God's Justice
- [05:46] - Caring for a Disabled Child
- [06:37] - Servant Leadership in the Family
- [08:22] - Sacrificial Service and Testimony
- [11:10] - Loving Enemies and Civil Duties
- [13:22] - Balancing Dual Citizenship
- [17:11] - Importance of Reconciliation
- [23:40] - Embracing Suffering as a Gift
- [28:37] - Preview of Upcoming Sessions

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Revelation 21:4
2. Genesis 18:25
3. Romans 9:3

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Observation Questions:

1. What does Revelation 21:4 say about the state of emotions in heaven, and how does this relate to Katherine's question about recognizing loved ones who may not be there? [00:27]

2. How does Genesis 18:25 provide comfort regarding God's justice, especially in the context of loved ones' eternal destinies? [04:52]

3. In Romans 9:3, Paul expresses a willingness to sacrifice his own salvation for his kinsmen. How does this reflect the tension between divine justice and human emotion discussed in the sermon? [03:15]

4. What examples of servant leadership were highlighted in the sermon, particularly in the context of caring for family members with disabilities? [06:37]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How might the understanding of God's holiness and justice being glorified in both punishment and grace change one's perspective on the eternal destinies of loved ones? [02:11]

2. In what ways does the concept of dual citizenship challenge Christians to balance their earthly responsibilities with their heavenly allegiance? [13:22]

3. How does the story of men giving up prestigious positions to care for their loved ones illustrate the concept of servant leadership as taught by Christ? [09:15]

4. What role does reconciliation and restoration within the church play in affirming the gospel message to the world? [18:17]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you struggled with the idea of divine justice versus human emotion. How did you reconcile these feelings, and what role did your faith play in that process? [02:11]

2. Consider your own family dynamics. How can you demonstrate servant leadership in your home, especially when faced with challenges or disabilities? [06:37]

3. As a Christian living in both earthly and heavenly realms, what practical steps can you take to prioritize your allegiance to God's kingdom in your daily life? [13:22]

4. Think about a situation in your church where reconciliation was needed. How did the church handle it, and what impact did it have on the congregation and the community? [18:17]

5. How can you embrace suffering as a gift in your life, and what steps can you take to grow spiritually through these experiences? [23:40]

6. Identify a person in your life who may not share your faith. How can you show them love and concern for their well-being, reflecting God's love through your actions? [03:15]

7. What specific actions can you take this week to demonstrate the grace and truth of Christ in your interactions with others, both within and outside the church? [18:17]

Devotional

Day 1: Understanding Divine Justice and Human Emotion
In the journey of faith, believers often grapple with the tension between divine justice and human emotion, especially when considering the eternal destinies of loved ones. This struggle is rooted in the desire to reconcile the joy of heaven with the absence of those we care about. In heaven, believers will have a complete understanding of God's holiness and justice, allowing them to rejoice in His perfect will. Until that time, the concern for the salvation of others reflects God's love working through them, echoing the Apostle Paul's willingness to sacrifice for his kinsmen. [02:11]

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: Is there someone in your life whose spiritual journey you are deeply concerned about? How can you actively show them God's love today, trusting in His perfect justice and mercy?


Day 2: Servant Leadership in the Family
True leadership is exemplified through service, particularly in the context of caring for family members with disabilities. This sacrificial love not only strengthens family bonds but also serves as a powerful testimony to others, reflecting the selfless love of Christ. The story of individuals who have given up prestigious positions to care for their loved ones is a poignant reminder of the call to serve selflessly, following Christ's example of servant leadership. [06:37]

"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." (Philippians 2:4-7, ESV)

Reflection: Consider a family member who may need your support or service. What specific action can you take this week to demonstrate Christ-like servant leadership to them?


Day 3: Balancing Dual Citizenship
As Christians, believers live as citizens of both the earthly and heavenly realms. This dual citizenship requires them to balance their allegiance to God's kingdom with their responsibilities in this world. The legitimacy of military service and civil duties is examined, emphasizing that the primary allegiance is to Christ's command to love their enemies, even as they navigate their roles in society. [13:22]

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." (Philippians 3:20-21, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways do you find it challenging to balance your earthly responsibilities with your heavenly citizenship? How can you prioritize Christ's command to love your enemies in your daily interactions?


Day 4: The Power of Reconciliation
The way believers handle church discipline and forgiveness can either affirm or undermine the gospel message. Demonstrating grace and truth in their actions shows the world that the gospel is a living reality, not just a doctrine. Reconciliation and restoration within the church are crucial, as the world is watching how believers handle these situations, which can either affirm or undermine the gospel message. [18:17]

"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18-19, ESV)

Reflection: Is there a relationship within your church community that needs reconciliation? What steps can you take today to initiate healing and demonstrate the gospel's power of forgiveness?


Day 5: Embracing Suffering as a Gift
Recognizing suffering as a gift allows believers to experience a deeper fellowship with Christ. While it's natural to struggle, embracing these moments can lead to spiritual growth and a greater understanding of God's grace. Suffering is not merely an obstacle but an opportunity to grow closer to Christ and to understand His grace more profoundly. [23:40]

"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." (Romans 5:3-5, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a recent experience of suffering in your life. How can you view this experience as an opportunity for spiritual growth and a deeper fellowship with Christ?

Quotes


The point that he was saying is that when we come to the place where the total desire of our heart is to see the glorification of Christ and understand that the beauty and excellence of God's holiness and justice are glorified just as much in the punishment of the wicked as it is in the grace that's given to those who are redeemed. [00:02:07]

I think that we are supposed to have in this world a passionately concern for those who are outside the scope of the redeemed. You remember Paul when he takes an oath in Romans saying that he would willing himself to be accursed for the sake of his kinsmen according to the flesh Israel. [00:03:03]

Leadership, I am told, is best demonstrated through service. Servant leadership is the sort of leadership that the Lord Jesus exemplified and certainly when my husband has to get up at 2 a.m. to turn me or when I have the flu and he has to blow my nose at 4 a.m. were pounding on the back with a good call. [00:06:37]

I know that he's doing more than winning jewels in a crown he is he is demonstrating Jesus the Lord Jesus in such a tangible way which makes me love him all the more my passion for my husband is superseded only by his graciousness and service and this gives him an extraordinary testimony among the men in our little PCA Church. [00:07:12]

Service becomes indeed sacrificial but the leadership that you demonstrate in your home it's raised to an exponential level because you are serving as a leader plus this gentleman would have an extraordinary testimony to the men in his church my husband often teases and talks about how when he married me he never realized that that would mean such a job description. [00:08:12]

I think it becomes clear that the Christian inevitably lives in two worlds he is a citizen in my case I'm a citizen of the United Kingdom but I'm primarily a citizen of the kingdom of heaven but because I'm a citizen in both of these realms I'm always going to be struggling to answer the question how do I work out what it means to be a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. [00:13:12]

The only way of living under the tension within the tension of these two kingdoms is to recognize once primary allegiance to this command of Jesus but we love one we love our enemies absolutely to the limit until we find that we are working in a sphere where we are operating not as a citizen of the world to come but legitimately operating as a citizen of this. [00:14:39]

The principle that is inherent in church discipline and when we see a passage such as Matthew 18 that the knowledge of the sin that the offending brother or sister should only go as far as it's necessary righteously to deal with the sin and to make a bona fide gospel endeavor to reclaim the sinning brother or sisters. [00:17:20]

Certainly the news off to leak out with with greater force and extent if this person is repented and we've demonstrated the gospel in the restoration to the fellowship of the church is at the end of the day is Sinclair emphasized this morning it's the gospel that was percolate through the entire life of the church and even Church discipline must be viewed as a gospel ordinance. [00:18:03]

Once you recognize suffering as a gift you can never call it suffering again but when I began experiencing this excruciating pain it became suffering all over again yet in it I experienced a tenderness and a sweetness of the grace of the Lord Jesus that rose me to a whole new level a new dimension of fellowship with him and it was so precious. [00:23:34]

I wish I would have capitalized I wish I would have carpe diem die wish I would have seized those moments and allowed God to reveal to me new and fresh things about himself then I'm 50 years old now and what I'm experiencing and what I'm learning of the Lord Jesus I should have learned years ago and I feel like I'm a babe all over again. [00:24:40]

I gained this enormous appreciation that were it not for God controlling suffering evil would come at us uncontrolled and Satan would make little jobs of us all and our heads would be hanging on his wall and this planet would have ripped apart at the seams eons ago and that so many of us enjoy health eyesight hearing mental capabilities our children bless the Lord grow up. [00:26:37]

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Transcript
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