I asked a 17 year old young man the other day what punishment he thought Craig Michael Wood should receive for kidnapping and doing unspeakable things to and then killing 10 year old Hailey Owens. He said that he didn’t know much about it, but that he thought the guy should spend a really long time in prison. Then he said that he actually thought that people should receive the same punishment as the crime that they commit. The perpetrator should be kidnapped, abused and then killed. So I said “you believe in an eye for an eye justice” and he said that’s what he believes.
We all understand justice. Not only do we understand justice, we demand justice! You ask anyone who knows anything about the monster Craig Michael Wood and the heinous crime that he committed and you will hear comments like:
“He should be hanged.”
“He should be castrated.”
“He deserves the death penalty.”
Or “he deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison and have other prisoners abuse him.”
Yes, there is no shortage of demand for justice for Hailey Owens’ murder. People who know about this horrific crime understand that Craig Michael Wood deserves to be punished.
I think everyone here also understands that if someone walked up to you right now and stole your wallet, you might chase the thief, or at least yell out “stop that thief,” or try to find a policeman so he could catch him. We understand justice. By the way, this flies in the face of all those who claim that everything is relative – that there are no absolutes. This is absolutely wrong. We all understand that someone stealing your wallet is wrong. We really understand that a depraved excuse for a human being that would abuse and kill a 10 year old girl; definitely deserves to be punished. We understand justice. Not only do we understand it, we demand Justice!
Even people who don’t believe in Jesus Christ, understand the golden rule as Jesus’ stated it in Matthew 7:12 therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Most of us tend to say this as “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
In addition to understanding the golden rule, the Bible also tells us that God has written His Law on our hearts. Romans 2:15 states Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another. We know right from wrong because God has written His Law on our hearts. We all have a God-given conscience (even if you foolishly don’t believe in Him). You may have ignored your conscience so long that it has been seared over and you may even sin at will without giving it much thought. But you know right from wrong. You know when you have violated the 10 Commandments.
It’s real easy to see other people’s sins. It’s real easy to see when someone has wronged you (whether lying to you, stealing something that belongs to you, slandering you, hating you or getting angry with you). We easily see when we’ve been wronged and we all want justice. In fact, we demand it. We demand justice!
But what about you? What about when you have wronged others? Are you quick to cry out for justice when you are the perpetrator? Are you quick to admit when you’ve hurt someone else? Do you still cry out “an eye for an eye” when you have harmed someone?
The Bible says that it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). We are all going to die some day and we will all stand before a Holy and righteous God. Romans 2:5 says But after your hardness and impenitent heart you treasure up to yourself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.
Will you demand justice on that day? The Bible says that God will remind you of every sin that you’ve ever committed (Ecclesiastes 12:14). Your sins will be bare before all mankind to see (Matthew 12:42). Will you still demand justice when you are reminded that you are the criminal? Will you insist that God punish you by casting you into the lake of fire and brimstone over your sins?
No? You don’t think that you deserve that harsh of punishment for your sins? This may shock you, but we all really do deserve to be banished to the lake of fire and brimstone for all of eternity. We all deserve this punishment. Our sins are that reprehensible to God (Psalm 14:1). Our sins are that offensive to a righteous, Holy and just God. All of our works, all of our good deeds earn us nothing but death (Romans 1:18). Physical death and spiritual death, which is separation from God forever (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).
This is what each and every one of us deserves to receive. On Judgment Day, you will not cry out for justice. You will not demand justice. You will cry out for mercy. Will you receive mercy on that great and terrible day? Well, if you die in your sins, if you die as an unrepentant sinner, if you die and you have never been born again, then I’m sorry to inform you that you will not receive mercy on Judgment Day. You will cry out for it, you will want it badly, but you will not receive mercy on that fateful day if Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Savior.
If you claim Jesus as your Savior because you said a little prayer one time in your life, but you have never really surrendered to Him, then you are still lost and you will not be saved on Judgment Day. Jesus didn’t die on the cross to merely save people from going to Hell. He suffered the wrath of almighty God; he took the punishment of guilty sinners like you and me; the One who knew no sin, bore our sins for us, out of His great love for us. He suffered horribly for guilty sinners like you and me in order to save us FROM our sins.
If you still love your sins, if you have never turned away from your sins, then you are not saved. God will offer you no mercy on Judgment Day. You will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. You will join millions of others who are weeping and gnashing their teeth in Hell at this very moment. If you die in your sins, you will still be held accountable for those sins. You will suffer forever for your sins.
But if you have truly repented and put your trust in Jesus, if you have cried out to God to have mercy on you during this lifetime; if you have truly turned away from your sins and surrendered your life fully and completely to Jesus then you are saved and you will be saved on Judgment Day. You will receive mercy from God on that great and terrible day because you have put your faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:1-9). He saved you not only from going to Hell, but He saved you from your sins. Your sins are not held against you anymore. You have already inherited everlasting life and you will spend eternity with Jesus (John 5:24).
Please don’t miss this: Jesus saves you from your sins, not for you to sin freely (1 John 1:7). You cannot foolishly believe that a righteous and Holy God will unjustly turn a blind eye to your habitual sin, just because you said a little prayer. No, godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation. No repentance, then no salvation. You must be born again. You must be born of the spirit. You must be a new creature in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
God turned my world upside down when He saved me. I am a changed person. Am I perfect? No, not even close. But I am not the same man that I was before God soundly saved me. God saved me when He revealed to me how sinful I was and how Holy He is. The second I truly understood this, I cried out “Oh God, I’m really not saved. Please save me.” I repented by turning from my sins right there on the spot. I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ right then and there.
Jesus Christ lives inside me through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts me when I don’t live a life that is pleasing to God. The good Lord started out working on the larger sins in my life and He keeps whittling away at my sinful nature. He keeps chipping away little by little. We are to be more Christ-like and this only happens through the power of the Holy Spirit.
If you are out here tonight and you say that you are saved, does your life reflect Christ? Are you a new creature in Christ? Can you tell a difference in your life now from what you were before? No change? No repentance. No repentance? No salvation. Do not be deceived. Jesus said that we will know His disciples by their love for others (John 13:35). If you are already saved, do you love people? Do you love lost people enough to warn them about Judgment Day? Do you love them enough to warn them that they are on the broad road to Hell? Do you love them enough to warn them to flee from the wrath to come? Do you love them enough to share the wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord with them?
The apostle Paul challenged us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. Are you in the faith? Have you truly been converted? Are you a new person? Is your faith growing? Are you becoming more Christ-like? Do you share the Good News with others? Do you consistently read the Bible? Do you praise God? Are you really saved? If not, please get right with God tonight. Please cry out to God to save you.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Choose life. Turn from your sins and turn to Jesus. Be saved tonight. God demands justice and He will get it. Your sins will be paid for one way or the other. Either you will keep loving your sins and die in them and suffer for them forever or Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior and your sins have already been paid for. Either way, justice will be served. God will be glorified. But don’t foolishly pay for your sins forever. Be saved tonight. Repent and believe the Gospel.
(This message was lifted up on the square in downtown Springfield, MO on May 23, 2014)