When, When You're Angry With God Pt 3, Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley

0:00 What I pray God would speak into our lives and into our world today, would you pause and be in prayer with me that our hearts may be receptive to whatever God would speak. Lord, we thank you that you always are broadcasting your will and your word, that when our eyes are open and our ears are attuned, we can ultimately always see your hand and hear your voice. I pray, O holy God, that I would not stand in the way of someone seeing your hand and hearing your voice as we seek to hear a word from you on this day. speak Lord for your servants are listening in the name of Christ our Savior we do pray Amen As you all know, if you've been attuned to us for the past few weekends, you've been engaged in a series entitled When You're Angry with God.

0:57 And while preparing that message for this week, continuing in that series and studying and writing and thinking I was crossing the finish line, God called an audible on Tuesday. We heard the voice of God speak from the courtroom of Minnesota, where former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges for the murder and the execution of George Floyd.

1:26 Before we begin in the word, I do want to remind you of something that I've shared before as part of our seminary second of learning. It's amazing that in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, the term for righteousness, sedek, is the same word for justice. I want to make certain you understand that in Bible, righteousness and justice are the same, which seems to imply that you cannot seek to be right with God and not seek to create a fair and a just society for all of God's people. In a real sense, you can't quote Bible and ignore racism. You can't open your eyes to the glory of God and then shut your eyes to the inhumanity and violence that plagues our nation. That we don't come to church and to worship into the presence of God to escape the realities of life, but rather to be equipped to change the realities of life.

2:32 and listen I'm fully aware that whenever we broach subjects of race and politics and policing and policy and justice that there are always divisive and even diverse perspectives because we all can only see from where we stand and on any given issue even within the body of Christ there are those that stand on the left and the right and in between on any issue and some of us move from the left to the right depending on what that issue is and therefore I want to reiterate that my prayerful goal as a pastor in the midst of a diverse congregation is twofold. One to make certain that we understand why certain people believe and see things differently than you or eye may see them, to validate the logic of how someone takes a conservative position or a liberal position.

3:32 And secondly, that we learn to live with difference, that we don't demonize those who see and believe differently, but maybe, just maybe, collectively in dialogue, we can make this land better. So today as we get into the word, I simply want to share a perspective from where I stand and what I see as I look out into our nation through the cross, through the word of God, and with the recognition that we are called to bear and be witness of Jesus Christ in the midst of the world in which we live. I want to share a prophetic and a theological perspective that's right in line with the series when you're angry with God. Today, if you would, I want to read in your hearing not one, but two passages of Scripture. One in the very end of the Old Testament in the book of Habakkuk.

4:30 The second in the Gospel of Luke. If you're able to turn with me in the end of the Old Testament to Habakkuk chapter 1. and then we'll journey into Luke chapter 18. The word of the Lord from Habakkuk chapter 1 beginning in verse number 1. Listen for the word of the Lord. The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw. O Lord, how long shall I cry for help and you will not listen? How long will I cry to you about violence and you will not save? Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife and contention arise. So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous and therefore judgment comes forth perverted.

5:30 As we listen to those words of Habakkuk, listen to the words of Jesus in Luke chapter 18, which I believe partners well with Habakkuk's question. In Luke chapter 18, beginning in verse number 1, then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said to them, In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city, there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, grant me justice against my opponent. For a while, he refused. But later, he said to himself, though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice so that she may not wear me out by continually coming. And the Lord said, listen to what the unjust judge says.

6:33 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? As we continue on in this series, When You're Angry With God, We've dealt with if, we've dealt with why. And today I want to ask another question. When? When? you recall that I've suggested to you over these past two weeks that it's okay to be angry with God that being angry with God is not a sin and despite whatever you were taught or told in life God can handle you being angry with him one of the things I love about Bible is that our Bible does not hide the reality of men and women of faith being upset and angry with God.

7:42 Because if the truth be told, life will take you there. No matter how big your Bible is, no matter how many prayers you can quote, no matter how many hymns you've memorized, at some moment in every life, God is going to move in ways and do things and respond in ways that leave a bad taste in your mouth, that God doesn't always do what we expect God to do. And if we'd be human, if we would be honest, if we'd have the courage to be transparent, there are moments when you'll be frustrated, angry, confused, disappointed, and even mad with God. That's what we learned with Mary and Martha, who come to Jesus in the Gospel of John angry that Jesus has not done all that he could do and he's allowed their brother to die.

8:38 And with Mary and Martha, we identified some of the sources of our anger and frustration with God. Last week, as we walked in Job's shoes, we asked the question, why? The question that Job asks, only to get no answer from God and a reminder to us that no matter how holy we are, no matter how many worship services we attend, no matter how many ministries we're a part of, God is not obligated to give us an answer to the question why. And one of the things Job teaches us is how to live faithfully with God when God does not give you an answer as to why these things are happening in your life. Beloved, when you're angry with God, when there's been no answer as to why, faith then asks another question.

9:35 After if and after why, faith then asks the question, when? When, God, are you going to change things? When will this come to an end? When are you going to come through? When are you going to make things better? When are you going to answer my prayer? if I can't find out why, God at least tell me when. Because if I have some sense of timing, if I have some assurance that it won't be like this forever, if you can give me a clue as to when things are going to change, I can hold on. I can endure. I can encourage myself. I can be strong if I just know when, God, when are you going to change things? Have you ever laid before the Lord and asked God when?

10:29 It is when that drives the prophet Habakkuk as he writes his prophecy that we just read from. The prophecy of Habakkuk is written around the 7th century B.C. right before Jerusalem is invaded, conquered, and destroyed by the Babylonians. Habakkuk has gotten a prophetic glimpse of what is about to happen to the holy city of God and not only is he angry with God about it he's confused he can't understand why God would use the Babylonians as his tool of judgment and destroy the holy city and exile thousands of Jews from their homeland God, why is this happening? Why would you allow it to go down like this?

11:23 How can this be part of your plan? And the Bible says that Habakkuk begins these three chapters as an attempt to move us from a place of confusion and anger to trust in God even when we don't know why. And notice how he begins. He begins by asking God this question. How long? How long, God, will I call on you and you not answer? How long will I pray about this thing and it not change? How long will you make me witness wrongdoing and injustice? He says, Lord, the law doesn't work and justice is perverted. How long will it be like this?

12:16 When are you going to show up? When are you going to change things? God, when are you going to make a difference? This doesn't seem right. Justice cannot be found. Violence is everywhere. Our enemies surround us. We're praying to you. We're calling on you. God, when will you answer?

12:36 Habakkuk may have been written centuries ago, But the questions he asked are the questions many of us still ask today. God, when and how long? How long, O God, will we have to witness and endure the killing of black and brown bodies without justice? How long, oh God, will we have to continue to strive and struggle and fight for equality and true justice? How many times will our voting rights be challenged and changed in this land? How many more mass shootings do we have to endure? God, how many more Karen temper tantrums do I have to deal with? How long will racism continue to stain and debilitate this land?

13:37 God, how long will fragile white privilege hide itself behind conservative patriotism? God, when? When will racism end? When will these killings end? When will these mass shootings end? When will justice come? When will black lives really matter? God, when are you going to make a change? When will we finally get a taste of justice?

14:09 Well, it seems like God spoke. And beloved, we got a dose and a taste of justice this past week. But let me qualify and define it as justice with an asterisk. Justice with an asterisk. The reason I say justice with an asterisk, number one is because George Floyd is still dead. His family is still mourning. And we can never unsee what we saw with Derek Chauvin's knee on his neck. I was deeply disturbed by hearing Nancy Pelosi thank George Floyd for sacrificing his life. Congresswoman, he did not sacrifice his life.

15:09 He was killed. Sacrifice is a voluntary act. George Floyd did not volunteer to die. It's justice with an asterisk. It's justice with an asterisk because the killing of George Floyd has still not persuaded some people that racism still exists in America and our policing protocols and policies still struggle with systemic racism. I was deeply disturbed on Wednesday morning, trying to be well-rounded and balanced. I decided, Mark, to turn on not CNN, but Fox News, one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made. Listen, you can't watch Fox News in the morning. You may be able to watch it at lunch or in the evening, but don't start your day off watching Fox News.

16:06 I was disturbed. The lead story on Wednesday morning was not the conviction of Derek Chauvin, but rather the criminalization of Micaiah Bryant to justify her killing in Ohio. They then moved on to call the Black Lives Matter protesters a mob, but the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol were patriots looking to lobby their government. Then they backed the Republican efforts to censor Maxine Waters for calling for justice and a conviction. And these same Republicans sat by every day that Donald Trump lied and never spoke a word to censor him for his lies. It frustrated me that they still don't want to acknowledge that race exists.

17:05 It's justice with an asterisk. because there's so many others who lost their lives at the hands of police officers, whose names are not known, whose stories are not told, whose videos were not released, and whose families will never see justice. it's justice with an asterisk because it's sad that we have become so accustomed to the police killing of black and brown bodies without indictment or conviction that it has become normal to us and we celebrated Tuesday sadly because we don't get enough Tuesdays There are not enough moments of justice in this land.

18:02 And if you were like me, when you heard word that the jury had reconvened on Tuesday, I sat full of anxiety, feeling as if I was watching a bad movie, knowing that even though the murder of George Floyd was captured on video, it was highly probable that this officer would walk away scot-free. Why? Because that's all I'm used to. That's all we've seen. That's all we know. We remember Rodney King. We remember Freddie Gray. We remember Tamir Rice. We remember Breonna Taylor. We remember Mike Brown. We remember Philando Castile. We remember Alton Sterling. We remember Sandra Bland.

18:56 We remember Eric Gardner, all of whom lost their lives at the hands of police officers who never saw a day of jail. So it's justice with an asterisk because we've got a long way to go. Beloved, you know what is disturbing? In the last decade, from 2011 until today, 127 men and women of color have lost their lives at the hands of police officers. I want to make certain you hear that data. In 10 years, not 10, not 20, not 30, not 50, not 75, not 100, 127 people of color have been killed by police officers in the United States of America. And we've got a long way to go.

20:05 Brooke, when that announcement came out that they had found him guilty, I got to be honest with you, my first response was I shouted, Thank you, Jesus. I lifted my hands and said, Hallelujah. Because I felt that our win had come. That God had spoken. that maybe this was the next small step in our marathon journey seeking equality and justice in this land. I was thankful to God. And in the midst of being thankful to what I thought was the move of God, I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Howard Thurman that I share with you. Howard Thurman has said, and you've heard me say it before, that the power of prayer is directly connected to your willingness to be part of God's answer.

21:09 That the power of prayer does not rest in your using religious cliches. It is not found in your quoting scripture and sounding holy and laying on your face and anointing yourself with oil. the real power prayer is that after you say amen, you give God your hands and your voice and your life and say, God, whatever your answer is going to be, you can use me. Beloved, because when we pray, God expects us to be used in his answer. That whatever we pray for, God expects us to partner with him and do something about the thing we're praying for. You don't believe me? Go back to Joshua chapter 7. Let me give you a side order scripture. In Joshua chapter 7, the children of Israel have lost a battle to a little city called Ai, and Joshua goes on his knees and prays to God and asks God why and asks God to help them win the battle, and God shows up.

22:15 and God taps Joshua on the shoulder and in essence tells Joshua stop praying and get up and go fight I've heard your prayer but if you want to win this battle you've got to get off of your knees and get on your fighting feet and expect that the God you pray to is the God that will help you fight the battle you've been praying about beloved I came about to tell you that there are some things God just does for us there's some doors God just opens There's some ways God just makes. There's some opportunities God just grants. Have you ever had the Lord just say, here, and throw you the blessing?

22:54 But there are also some moments when God's answer to our prayer is to equip us to partner with God and participate alongside God in bringing the change that we've been praying about. Let me make certain you catch this. There's some things God just does, And then there's some moments when God equips us to participate and to be part of the answer of what God is going to bring in this land. And I would suggest to you that what we saw on Tuesday was the move of God through the partnership and participation of those who are alongside God and using their hands and their voices. Because, beloved, justice never comes without our participation and partnership with God. Justice never comes without our participation and partnership with God.

23:58 Justice never comes easily. It always requires the participation and partnership of us with God to make it happen. Justice never comes easily. And I know you may disagree with me, but that is the life lesson I believe Jesus is passing on to us as he teaches his disciples and his followers in Luke chapter 18. In Luke chapter 18, that second passage that I read for you, Jesus is in the midst of an intense session teaching his followers about the kingdom of God. The lesson begins in chapter 15 and goes all the way through the end of chapter 18 when Jesus gives the final prediction about his death on Calvary's cross.

25:00 And Kandel, you will find that when you read 15 to 18, Jesus is intentionally trying to prepare his disciples, you and me, for two rough realities that we cannot escape. Jesus is preparing us for two realities as a disciple. Number one, the sovereignty of God. Jesus is trying to prepare them and us to understand that God is sovereign. And as a sovereign God, God does not always act and respond the way you want in the time that you want. No matter how holy you are, you cannot force or manipulate the hand of God to operate outside of God's will and in your own timing. And so part of the lesson is to help them to understand how to be faithful to a God and trust in a God who moves in ways that you won't always understand. He's preparing them to be faithful in the midst of the sovereignty of God.

26:08 But the second lesson is to learn how to be faithful, not only in the face of the sovereignty of God, but how to be faithful in the midst of the wickedness of humanity. He wants his disciples to understand that you are always going to be surrounded by wickedness. You're going to be surrounded by evil men and women who care not about the fact that you were made in the image of God. You're going to be surrounded by men and women who will take everything from you, including your life, and still go to church and give God glory. You're going to be surrounded by folk that can quote from Genesis to Revelation, but act like they don't know God when they interact with anyone that is different than them. You've got to not only be faithful in the face of sovereignty, but you've got to learn how to interact with wickedness. what do you do when you're dealing with a God who escapes your understanding and living in the midst of wickedness and injustice what do you do when you're angry with God and you're angry with the people around you how do you walk in Habakkuk's shoes when when God is moving in a way that doesn't make sense to you and people are moving in ways that hurt you and affect you and impact you?

27:32 What do you do when you're caught between God and the wickedness of humanity? And in order to teach them how to be faithful when they don't understand God and to be faithful in the midst of wickedness, Jesus tells them the parable of the persistent widow. Listen to the parable, the life lesson, Jesus leaves them.

28:03 He says in a certain town, there was a judge. Now before you run past that, you need to understand and appreciate the vital role that judges played in ancient Israelite society. Go on, teach, Pastor. Judges played a very critical role in adjudicating tension between members of Israelite community. There were no trials by jury then. That whenever one member of society had an issue with another, they came before a judge. And the judge, Bobby, had two responsibilities. The judge was to be the mouthpiece that uttered God's judgment in the circumstance. The judge was almost like a prophet, a preacher. The judge was supposed to discern God's will and make it known.

29:01 And secondly, the judge was supposed to maintain peace between members of the community. Don't miss this. speak on behalf of God and make certain peace exists within the land. And when you do some extra biblical homework, you go home and you read Deuteronomy chapter 1 and 2 Chronicles chapter 19, you'll find that there were some laws for the judges. The judges were supposed to have fair and impartial hearings. They were not to be intimidated by anyone or anything. and they were to make certain that they did their job with the fear of the Lord. The law for judges said, hear the case, be fair, be impartial, don't be intimidated, and have the fear of the Lord as you adjudicate this issue. So when we're introduced to this judge and the very first thing on his resume we read is that he doesn't fear God and he doesn't fear people, what do we know about this judge?

30:10 Is that he is unfit to sit in his seat. He is one who represents a system that says everyone doesn't get into my court. He represents a system that says everyone will not have justice. He represents those who believe that because they uphold the law, that somehow they are above the law. That the laws that apply to others do not apply to them. That you can't murder, but I can. This man represents all that is wrong.

30:57 And the Bible says that after we're introduced to the judge who is unfit because he doesn't fear God and he doesn't fear people, we are then introduced to the second character of the parable, a widow. Now, before you rush on, let me share with you also how critical widows were in ancient Israelite society. Go on and teach the Bible, Pastor Wesley. Widows were deemed some of the most vulnerable in society because as a woman who was married, when her husband died, She could not legally inherit the estate. It would go to his brother or his sons. And so widows did not have defenders, and they did not have means and property. And God was serious about widows. When you go home and you reread some of your Bible and you get to Numbers chapter 22, you'll see that God basically says this, that if you abuse and neglect widows, you will be subject to my wrath.

31:59 the one thing God was serious about were widows. So here's a judge who doesn't fear God, doesn't fear people. Here's a widow who's now coming to him seeking justice. And the Bible says that he will not hear her case. This wicked judge who doesn't fear God, who doesn't fear people, who's unfit, denies this woman even the ability to step in the courtroom and hear her case.

32:35 Beloved, it is a sad thing when the case doesn't even make it to court. It's a painful thing when the murderer doesn't even have a jury trial. It's a shameful thing when the state's attorney drops all the charges and no indictment is brought. What a shameful thing to live season after season after season with being denied even the ability to have a case. This woman knows what it's like to go to him day after day after day, time after time after time, murder after murder after murder, killing after killing after killing, and the case not even make it to court.

33:20 This is a sad situation. And what you should be asking right now, why does the judge refuse to hear her case? We don't know what it is, but why does he deny her even the opportunity for justice?

33:43 Well, I was reading an article by Alan Culpepper, professor of New Testament, on wicked judges. And this is what he said in biblical times. that wicked judges were guilty of two things. One, some of them waited on a bribe in order to grant justice. So it could be that this judge denies hearing the woman because he's waiting on the woman to put a little money under the table. The problem with that is that she's a widow and doesn't have anything. So it can't be that he's waiting on a bribe. Professor Culpepper says there's another reason judges didn't hear cases. If it wasn't because they were waiting for some money under the table, it may have been because they were protecting the adversary of the one who brought the charges. Don't miss this, that maybe the judge doesn't hear the case because he's protecting the privilege of the adversary of the widow who's a man who looks like him.

34:50 that maybe the case doesn't make it because the system is set up to protect the privilege of those who look like the ones who sit in the seats. That the system does not grant justice to those who don't look like the ones who created the system. That it's intentionally made to protect privilege.

35:14 This is a broken and busted down system. It does not grant justice to widows and orphans. It does not grant justice to people of color. It does not grant justice to the poor. It does not grant justice to those who don't fit the category of privilege. This woman is used to being denied her case. But the Bible says that soon she receives the justice she's been searching for. That her win finally comes. That she gets what she's been asking for. Why? Here's what Jesus says. Because she did something. there's something this woman does that ushers in the justice that she demands don't miss this there's something she does that opens the door for the justice she desires now I know you I know you I know you're probably saying yes she was persistent and that's how we ought to be in prayer that that's what happened she kept praying she kept praying she kept praying that's right and wrong. Here's what the real answer is, according to the text. The judge grants her justice because he says to himself, she keeps bothering me. The reason this woman receives justice is because she keeps bothering the judge.

37:01 She keeps bothering him. Maybe, just maybe, one of the lessons of life that Jesus is passing on to us is that justice comes to those who know how to be a bother. That justice is ushered in by those who don't make peace with injustice. That justice only comes by those who reach a point that say, I can't sit by and not say anything anymore. That justice comes from those who are prepared to protest, who make a noise, who lift up their voices, who demand change, who boycott and hold back their money. Those who know how to become a bother. And I would suggest to you that if we are going to push this door open of justice, if we're going to move beyond this verdict, if we're going to seek justice in the United States of America, there must be some sisters and some brothers who have the spiritual gift of bothersome, who know how to bother the United States of America.

38:11 We must become a bother. Well, what does it mean to be a bother? How do we define it? Let me throw two things out there for your consideration. That if we're going to bother this land, if we're going to bother our nation, if we're going to bother until justice comes, that one of the first things it demands to be a bother is that we expose the cruelty of our communities. That in order to bother this land, we must expose the cruelty of our communities. Listen, I know you disagree and that's fine, but I'm going to tell you this from my perspective.

38:58 Americans hate to see their own cruelty. America hates it when a mirror is placed in her eyes and they are forced to see the cruelty of their racism and their injustice. This land hates to be exposed to its own cruelty. And the exposure of cruelty is what has historically sparked the movement of justice. The exposure of cruelty sparks the movement of justice. Come on back to the civil rights era and see these sheroes and heroes named Martin and Malcolm, Rosa and Fannie Lou, John Lewis and Diane Nash.

39:56 But one of the most unsung heroes of the civil rights movement is a woman named Mamie Till Mobley. Mamie Till Mobley was the mother of Emmett Till Emmett Till, 14 years old sent to Mississippi over the summer and is brutally beaten and killed for supposedly whistling at a white woman who later before her death says that it never happened the body of Emmett Till was to be buried quickly in the state of Mississippi. And Mamie Till Mobley had to get a court injunction to have her body son sent back to Chicago. When the casket arrived in Chicago, there was the seal of the great state of Mississippi on the casket that said, do not open.

40:56 And Mamie Till decided that her son Emmett would have an open casket funeral with his damaged and bloodied body because in her words, she wanted the nation to see what they did to my boy. And on that funeral, more than 100,000 people saw the cruelty of southern Mississippi and what would happen to even young black boys in that state. And it was that exposure that sparked the Civil Rights Movement, that there was something about Mamie Till Mobley's courage to expose the cruelty that was induced to her son that made America decide we need to make a change. And that's why today we celebrate Darnella Frazier, 17-year-old black girl who's witnessing the death of George Floyd, pulls out her camera and records it and posts it to Facebook.

42:05 the Minnesota police tried to say that George Floyd died from medical causes and if that video had not been released and we had not seen the cruelty we would not have received the justice that there's something about having the courage to expose the cruelty that opens the door for justice beloved what we need in 2021 are more Darnella Frazier's more sisters and brothers who use their accounts and their influence and their conversations to expose the racist realities and cruelties and dangers of the communities in which we live. So I came by to challenge you today. Use your Instagram for more than selfies. The next time you're out, don't just talk about how low down Chris is from Married at Sight, but take some time to talk about the cruel realities of injustice in this land.

43:07 Don't just debate whether the Nets can beat the Lakers, but take some time to enlighten folk on what it means to be black. And in America, use the sphere of influence God has given you because justice begins when we bother America by exposing the cruelty of our communities. To bother this land, I believe we must not only expose it to the cruelty of our communities, but I believe it is necessary for us to identify the reality of racism. That one of the things that ushers injustice is when we identify that racism is real. I'm sorry, Ainsley Earhart. I'm sorry, Tucker Carlson.

44:02 I'm sorry, Sean Hannity. But racism still exists in America. America is still a racist nation. And yes, systemic racism infects and plagues our policing system. You cannot convince me that race doesn't matter. The only people who don't see race in America are those who don't want to see it. The only people who deny racism are those who've never been touched by it. The only people who believe that America is colorblind are those who wear the right color. When a black man in handcuffs, prostrate on the ground, surrounded by police officers, unconscious, still has a knee on his neck because he's seen as a greater threat than a white man approaching a police officer with a gun in his hand, you cannot convince me that race doesn't matter. Here's the truth of the matter from this black man's perspective.

45:19 The definition of imminent threat changes when black people are involved. The goalpost, the goalpost of life-threatening action moves when a black person is involved. And the race of a suspect still determines the fate of that suspect. Robert Long, white man, kills eight people in a hate crime in Atlanta, leads the police on a car chase. The police get on the radio and say he's armed and dangerous and he's arrested without incident. Adam Toledo, a black boy, teenager, is chased down under the suspicion of being part of a shooting and is shot dead within two seconds of police arriving on the scene.

46:23 Nicholas Shock, white man, open white supremacist with a swastika tattooed on his chest, enters a Florida restaurant, holds people hostage, causes a racial disruption, physically assaults one woman, threatens to assault another, and is then lovingly arrested by police officers who are cracking jokes with him. Jacob Blake, a black man, unarmed, is shot several times in the back while trying to to get in his car and shot in front of his own children. Peter Manfredonia, white man here in Maryland, kills a 62-year-old with a machete, holds another man hostage, shoots and kills his former classmates, kidnaps the girlfriend of the classmate, and is arrested without lethal force.

47:26 Daunte Wright, 20-year-old black man, is pulled over for expired license plates? And is shot by an officer who ain't smart enough to tell the difference between a firearm and a taser? Don't tell me race doesn't play a factor. Benjamin Murdy, white man, fires 200 rounds at officers from his gun and his rifle in a standoff. Police never fire back, and he's arrested peacefully. Freddie Gray is arrested for having a pocket knife and suspiciously dies in the back of a police van. Don't tell me race does not play a factor. The only people who don't see race are those who don't want to.

48:23 The only people who deny racism is real are those who've never been touched by it. And the only people who argue that America's colorblind are those who wear the right color. The data is clear. Black men are 2.8 times more likely to engage lethal action with a police officer than a white man. African Americans comprise 13% of this nation's population, but we are 34% of those killed by police officers.

49:03 Statistically, black people are more probably unarmed than their white counterparts, but meet more lethal action. Race still matters. and I know there'll be those who disagree and are upset pastor you shouldn't name it as racism you're fueling the fire you're fanning the flames no that's not why I'm doing it I believe this that you can never take control of what you won't name that until you name it you cannot take control of it that's why God tells Adam in the garden if you're going to have dominion over these things, you must name them because, Adam, you can't have dominion over what you won't name. And until America names its racism, she'll never deal with it. Race still matters.

50:01 Would you do me a favor when you finish this sermon, you're getting ready to have your debate, go back and reread Martin Luther King's speech, I Have a Dream, and hone in on that place where he says, let us not be satisfied. Let us not be satisfied with one verdict. Let us not be satisfied with just a taste of justice. Let us not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a stream. Let us not be satisfied until not only black lives matter, but all of our children's lives matter and all of our gay lives matter. and all of our women's lives matter and all of our lives matter. Let us not be satisfied until change comes.

50:52 She bothers this judge. And notice what the judge says. I like this. It's a little deep. The judge says, I'm going to give her justice so she'll stop bothering me. And in the new revised standard, it says, and she wear me out. but the NIV version says this, I'm going to give her justice so she won't come and attack me. Come here, come here. One way to translate this is I'm going to give her justice because she's bothering me and I don't want her to attack me. Now come here, come here, come here because I'm not advocating violence. I want you to see something. This is a widow who's standing against a judge. There's no way as an Israelite man he's physically afraid of a widow woman.

51:47 His fear is not literal violence. His fear is her metaphorical attack. His fear is that she'll do something that will cause him harm. His fear are the consequences of denying justice. He's not afraid of her physically. He's afraid of the consequences.

52:13 Beloved, I would suggest to you that justice only comes when those who deny justice are made aware of the consequences of their denial. not physical, not violent, not setting a blaze, not killing you, but letting you know there are consequences to the denial of your justice that we will not sit by and just take it, but there will be some consequences. If you want to pull a Karen and get mad because you don't want to wear a mask, you will be escorted out of the store. If you want to keep passing laws to restrict our voting rights, your state will be boycotted and you'll feel the financial consequence. If you're going to go on a racial tirade and use the n-word against me, I will report you to HR and you will lose your job. If you want to harass a young black man for walking in your neighborhood and how dare he have the audacity, we will be in your lawn protesting and you will get arrested.

53:26 If you don't want to indict those who kill us, we will vote you out of office. There are consequences to the denial of justice. And this judge is made aware that if I keep denying this woman, there's going to be some problem. beloved we've got to bother this nation expose the cruelty identify the racism make the consequences felt i like this woman she bothers the judge and here's the amazing thing remember the judge was supposed to be the mouthpiece of god that the judge spoke god's will and yet this woman bothers him because she refuses to accept that the denial of justice is the will of God. Don't you miss this. She refuses to sit silent because she knows that the denial of justice cannot be the will of God. The killing of black and brown bodies cannot be the will of God.

54:39 A nation where race determines my opportunity cannot be the will of God. The injustice of our legal system cannot be the will of God. And the question is, how comfortable are you sitting outside of the will of God? how much money do you have to make to be content living outside of the will of God? What kind of car do you have to drive to close your eyes to the will of God? How many vacation homes do you have to own to deny that God's will is not being done in this land? This woman motivates us to realize that if it's not the will of God, I must keep bothering the judge until justice comes.

55:39 Jesus ends the lesson by saying, now if that changes the judge, imagine what happens when you pray. that if you pray and bother the judge, if you pray and protest, if you pray and pressure your politicians, if you pray and boycott, if you pray and lift up your voice, God will grant justice.

56:12 When does it come? When we become a bother. When we pray and partner and participate with God, justice will come. We've seen it, and we can make it happen again.

56:34 When you're angry with God, win. I pray that this will spark some discussion and some prayer with you and friends and family. We've talked about if, we've talked about why, we've talked about when. And next week, by the grace of God as we gather, we'll talk about no. What to do when you're angry with God because God said no. Come on, won't you pray with me? Lord, today I thank you that your hand has shown and revealed itself as you've partnered with us in our protests and our demands for justice. We pray not only for the family of George Floyd, but for all those others who did not make headline news, for those who did not receive justice. Lord, I pray for Derek Chauvin.

57:32 I pray for our upstanding police officers all across this land, as well as the few rotten apples that we deal with. But most of all, God, I pray that you would make us like the persistent widow, that we become those who bother this land until we receive the justice we demand. Here are my hands. Here's my mouth. Here's my wallet. Here's my Instagram account. Here's my life, oh God. Now may I be part of your answer. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You know, the Bible says that whenever the Word of God goes out, that it never comes back void or empty.

58:32 And I'm just crazy enough to believe that whenever the Word of God goes out in sermon and in song, the components of worship, that it does something. For someone today, maybe that word creates within you a desire to want to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Listen, there's nothing we would rather do in this church family than to share with you the amazing gift of grace and love that God has for you. If you desire to open your heart for the very first time or to reconnect with the Lordship of Jesus Christ, do me a favor. Send us an email at deaconswithaness at alfredstreet.org. it would be our joy to reach back out with you and share the journey of salvation. If you're listening today and you desire to connect with our church family, you've been looking for a place to grow and go, I invite you to do the very same thing.

59:24 Send us an email at deaconswithaness at Alfred Street, or you can go onto our website where there's a link that would allow us to reach back out with you and open the arms of fellowship no matter where you may be in the World Wide Web to Alfred Street Baptist Church. Do me a favor, if you will, continue to be faithful to whatever the Holy Spirit places on your heart as what you give to help support the ministry. You know that we tithe the tithe here at Alfred Street, which simply means that every week we take no less than 10% of what was given and sow it right back into the heart of communities and families who need our help and assistance, which means that as you help us make glorious the name of Jesus, you also help us feed those who are in need. I look forward to sharing with you on next weekend. Meet us right back here. Follow us on all of our social media pages. If you haven't, won't you subscribe to our YouTube channel that together we might make glorious the name of Jesus in all that we do. And now to the almighty, the eternal, the all-wise, the sovereign, the gracious and merciful God, who alone is creator of heaven and earth.

1:00:38 To the God who's made himself perfectly known to us in Jesus, who alone is our Christ, our loving Lord, our sacrificial Savior, our resurrected, risen, reigning, returning Redeemer. To the God who chooses to dwell in these earthen vessels of clay, through the sustaining power, promise, presence, purpose, and person of the Holy Spirit. To that all-wise God be glory and majesty, dominion and power from now until eternity. As redeemed of the Lord, loved the Lord, and awaited his return.