Underneath the altar in the throne room of God in heaven is a group of martyred believers. They are the ones who have shed blood for the cause of Christ in the world. Since God created man to understand and desire justice, these martyrs are rightly asking God for justice for their deaths. The desire for justice is right because God is a just God, and He created us with a sense of and love for justice. Whenever people long for justice, they are reflecting their Creator, and this is good. Often the only justice we will accept for our mistreatment is something like getting even. We want skin for skin. If someone steals from us, we want to be repaid. If someone murders our loved one, we want their life. In fact, in a real sense, when those martyrs are calling for justice this is the desire they voice. They long for God to pour out His wrath on those who have taken their lives. There is coming a day when that will be the only way justice will be achieved. However, as long as we wait for Jesus’s coming, God, in His wisdom, has made another avenue for justice to be achieved. He sent Jesus to take His wrath for sinners on the cross. He set Jesus forth as a propitiation in His blood so that God could justify sinners (Rm 3:25). We should not only long for God’s justice, but we should also rejoice in His mercy toward sinners. Since we were also recipients of that mercy, we should desire that other sinners, even the worst of sinners, turn to Jesus and find mercy. Jesus’s sacrifice is enough not only for our salvation but for our revenge as well. May we reflect the compassionate heart of our Savior toward others, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. —Pastor Rory
Sunday at Liberty
9AM: How to Study the Bible
10AM: Pastor Rory Martin–Seals & Thunder, 2–Revelation 6:1-17 (sermon notes)
6:00PM: New Member Service–Testimonies and Baptisms
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