26th October

26th October 2022


Pray (ACts)


Read - Romans 2:2


Have you seen the Netflix documentary series ‘The Innocence Files’? I tried to watch it but managed one episode and decided for my own sake that I was better not to watch any more, for it is so emotive. To give you a quick synopsis, The Innocence Files is a show that  sheds light on failures in the justice system, it focuses on cases of wrongful concision that Innocence Project and organisations within the Innocence Network have worked to highlight and overturn. There are many more shows like this out there. Why though when we live in an age that thinks itself to be more advanced than those that have come before are there still miscarriages of justice happening today. Well it is because we are living under the effects of the fall, the reason why a verdict is found on the basis of ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ and not complete certainty, there is a reason why we have mistrials, appeals.


Whereas before the Lord God, the one who does indeed know everything, who is omniscient, He judges according to the truth. The evidence won't open to interpretation, no questions need to be asked of it, eyewitness aren’t needed, the jury can’t be swayed, there will be no miscarriage of justice, no mistakes for it will all be according to the truth. On that day when we stand before the Lord there will not be one of us who can stand and make excuses, for we stand before the omniscient God, who knows all things, who is truth and knows the truth. None of us can stand before Him and say that’s not fair, we can’t complain about the verdict, and right now our consciences testify to all of us that at some point we will be held accountable before our Creator, believer and non believer alike. 


For the believer today, know that through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the fact that God will judge us by the truth is good news for it means whenever He passes judgement on us, when we stand before Him to be judged that we will be spared the condemnation that our sin deserves because of the Lord Jesus Christ and His imputed righteousness to us. The judgement of God will be perfect and accurate, it will be based on his truth. We need not fear the inconsistency of human judgement, instead there will be integrity of judgement. 


But I want you to notice thought, in these verses, Paul doesn’t give if’s and but’s, he doesn’t seek to placate us or those whom he wrote to and thought that’s not fair, that’s not the God I believe in, that’s not the God of love I know. No, instead Paul takes us to the truth, the one who will judge by the truth. Paul was not in the business of pandering to those who want to delude themselves, living in some fantasy that they are alright, that a loving God doesn’t care about my sin it’s only the sins of those really wicked people that He cares about, but if God judge all, and He does so according to truth, We can at least be sure of a fair trial!


Message Alan Burke 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q88 What are the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to usthe benefits of redemption?
The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption, are his ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation. (Matt. 28:19–20, Acts 2:42,46–47)