POSITIVE WRITTEN SERMON – God – is the God of Just Outcomes

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In Psalms 89:14, it states, “Righteousness and justice and the foundation of your throne … ” It is the foundation of God to have righteousness.

There is a story that takes place some time ago about the victorious Duke of Wellington. After his retirement, he used to invite the officers who served with him in the Battle of Waterloo to a yearly banquet, where they discussed the exciting experiences of other days.

At one of these annual events, the duke produced a lovely jewel box encrusted with diamonds. The box was passed around the table for the guests to admire. After some time, the duke asked for the return of the jewel box. Everyone wondered who had it. They looked around, they looked on the table, they looked on the floor, and no one could remember who had held the jewelry box last. A careful search revealed nothing. At this stage in the proceedings, someone suggested all the guests present should be searched. Two raised objections to this proposal – one who would not agree to being searched; the other the duke himself, who flatly refused to have his former officers searched or humiliated in any way.

The banquet ended with the box still missing. The guests departed, including the one who had refused to be searched, and consequently, was regarded with suspicion. Some days later, the Duke found his jeweled box in an inside pocket of his coat. It had been returned to him on the night of the banquet, and while engaged in conversation, he had picked up the box without thinking and slipped it into his inside pocket.

At once the duke set out to find the guest who had declined to be searched. He found the officer living in the poor section of the city, nursing his sick wife. After informing him that the missing box had been found, the Duke inquired, “Why did you object to being searched, thus drawing suspicion to you?”

The officer replied, “In my pocket that night was a large portion of my meal. I simply slipped it from my plate to a paper sack, so I might take food to my sick wife.”

There are so many times when, in human mind, we are quick to judge and quick to want to dispense justice but we may not know the whole story.

As spiritual people, we seek to be on an even keel with our beloved not judging God.

It is the foundation of God to have Divine justice higher than human justice. When we think of justice, it is natural to think in human terms of justice or rewards, and of punishment. The idea of justice is lifted to a higher meaning when we realize God has provided us with the best possible outcome for all.

God’s Divine justice is not a system of reward and punishment, but rather it is a law which will ensure God’s perfect order is being demonstrated.

When you align yourself, your mind, and your heart with this Divine law of God, you are shown the way how to live within God’s system of spiritual righteousness.

Many people feel they have been wronged in some way. Maybe something has happened to you and you feel you have been wronged and justice has not been served. When you turn to God in prayer and ask for understanding, you will find peace.

Do you feel in some way you are being falsely accused? Again, if you turn to God, a Divine love will be within you, no matter what people may say about you. It will sustain you through every moment of life.

Unfair circumstances may seem to disrupt the order and harmony in your life. Yet, we know that even the most carefully planned life has a road map with some detours along the way. Still, because of your faith, you hold tightly to the knowledge that God is actively at work in your life. You trust in God, even when everything is going against you. You trust in God and you relax and flow with the experiences instead of resisting them.

You do not struggle against apparent wrong. Rather, you know that good is always present and your positive approach will bring God to you and allow God to reveal the good to you.

Truth of God will keep you poised during those dark nights of your soul. It will keep you confident. This is the truth; God is in charge of your life and all is well. You hold to that in prayer and you know that no matter what human beings say about you, God – my God and your God – is the God of just outcomes.

I would like to share with you a story. This is the story of Paul and Silas in prison. (Acts 16:16-18) “One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.’ She kept doing this for many days.

But Paul, very much annoyed … “

Can you see this? Here is this woman following Paul and Silas shouting these things. After a couple of days, Paul is ready to take justice into his own hands. He turned to her and he also turned to God.

“He said, ” … I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.” (Acts 16:18)

She was calmed instantly; she was infilled with God. “But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone … ” (Acts 16:19)

This made her owners quite mad. They said, ‘Sure she was sick, but why did you change her?’ She was making us money. Now she is no good to us at all.

How dare you do this! They seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’ The crowd joined in attacking them … ” (Acts 16:19-22)

As humans, we can easily enter lowest areas of human mind, which is almost animal nature, and action. One or two people joined together in the mind of animal nature can become a lynch mob. Or, we can join one or two together in the mind of God, and we can create great things for us and for our world. It is always our choice.

“The crowd joined in attacking them and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely.

“Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.” (Acts 16:22-24)

Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever had a time when your family did not understand you? You knew what you were doing was right.

Sometimes it may have seemed your co-workers not only locked you in a prison cell of their beliefs about you, but in the innermost cell where you would never find a way out. Not only that, but they wanted to keep you in your place so they put your legs in leg irons. I know some here can relate to that because we are in human life, and we live with humans. There will be people who love us, people who don’t love us, and some people will want to put us in a place, in a category in their minds, where we don’t belong; and it is unfair.

What do we do about it? First choice – “I’m going to take revenge. When I get out of here, I am going to say this and that and I’m going to try to ruin their life in every way I possibly can. I’m going to make their life miserable.” Does that win? No, it never wins. There is only one person who we make miserable and that is ourselves. We have to go to God.

This is a story is about two human beings. They are in the innermost cell and they are in leg irons. You would think they would be complaining, shouting, and thinking, “How can God do this to us? How can these people do this to us? We are going to call all of our people and we are going to make sure they are hurt like they hurt us.”

“About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying … “(Acts 16:25)

That is significant. What happens at midnight? It is a new day. It is a new day in your life. Every time you pray, it is going to be a new day for you and for your world and for your life. “About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake … ” (Acts 16:25-26)

(An earthquake is something in the outer realm. It shifts, it changes, and it moves things.) ” … so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken … ” (Acts 16:26)

Every foundation in life can be shaken by God Almighty – NOT by human almighty, but by God.

” … And immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.'” (Acts 16:26-28)

Divine justice is good for all, not just for you. It does not seek revenge; it seeks God’s good FOR EVERYONE.

“The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night, he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.” (Acts 16:29-34)

That is one part of the story and here is the next:

“But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, ‘Let those men go.'” (Acts 16:35)

Again, it was a new day with new thinking. Paul and Silas did not have any contact with the magistrates, yet they had a change of heart.

When you go to God in prayer, you are changing your entire world. The change in thinking and the other person may be immediate, and sometimes, it may take years. BUT there will be a change of human thinking.

The main thing is you have spiritually changed.

You are filled with the presence of God’s love and you are trusting by letting go and letting God. You are no longer in prison by what happened to you unfairly. You are released. You are no longer held captive by your hate.

“And the jailer reported the words to Paul, saying, ‘The magistrates have said to let you go; now therefore come out and go in peace.’ But Paul said to them, ‘They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now cast us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.’ The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens; so they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city.” (Acts 16:36-39)

When a person holds fast to God’s Divine justice, people who hated you; who wanted to do great harm to you will come and say to you themselves, “I did wrong.” But you do not care; that is outside of you, because you have already been released inside of you. Once you were released from the prison in your own mind, no one else can put you in prison.

You are free with the freedom of the Christ. You wish nothing for that company, that situation, that family member, except love. You love them in a God-given way.

It happens in you as you give yourself to God in prayer and release your prison thinking about the situation and the person or persons involved. Just watch what happens. Pray for people who do not like you or perhaps have thought wrongly about you – not to change them, but to change you.

Let yourself out of prison.

Let us pray.

Dear God, I thank You for being with me at all times, even when I am in the valley of the shadow of death.

When I feel as if I am so alone, and I have no one standing with me.

Dear God, I pray for Divine justice.

I release others and in so doing, I release the leg irons and I release myself from the innermost cell.

Dear God, I see the doors opening wide, right now.

I see myself walking forth into a brand new day where the sun is shining on me and where I am feeling a sense of restored well-being.

I am the most I can be, because I have the most of You in me at all times, instead of the most of my lower human thought about situations and people.

I let go and I let God.

I let God’s Divine justice be the hallmark of my life.

I seek to be on an even keel with my beloved God.

In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.

God bless you!

PRAYER / MEDITATION____________________

God, Your sweet peace, Your complete infilling peace fills my mind and my heart.

A sense of well-being grows within me as I become more aware of Your presence in every aspect of my life. I am safe in You, dear God. I totally give myself over to Your loving presence, now, as I rest gently; as I rest calmly in Your presence.

In the silence of prayer, I am wholly at peace …

Thank You, God, for the light of wisdom. Every moment of every day, I am guided by Your gentle loving presence into new levels of understanding, new dimensions of insight and compassion, new ways of being. Each new awareness and each new insight seem like a new awakening in me.

Through Your presence with me now, I feel the warm glow of spiritual light.

Rest in the silence of prayer …

Thank You, God, for Your renewing life in the midst of the activities of my day; I am strengthened by Your presence. I live and move in the presence of Your life. Here in Your presence, I find true health – health of the Spirit.

I breathe deeply and I feel Your presence as life. My spirit, my mind, and my body are healed through Your living presence within me. I entrust those I care about to Your sacred presence within them. I see them as strong and vitally healthy; as one with Your living presence.

Rest in the silence of prayer for a full five minutes … (Have soft music playing)

Thank You, God, for being all I need and all I really want. Your presence feeds me, spiritually, and Your pure sweet love nourishes me, physically. My every need is met through your presence. You are what I need. You are what I want.

Gently, now we begin to return with our attention to this moment and this time.

Thank You God for Your active help and presence in my life.

We pray, today, in the nature of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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