Shammah Temple Fellowship: Sermon of Sunday August 17, 2025
By Pastor Alexis Muzuri
Theme: The importance of prayers in the times of injustice
Reference scriptures: John 18:1-40 & 19:1-14
The eye-to-eye to tooth-to-tooth attitude is such a norm in our daily life. And we know that injustice is everywhere, at our work place, at our schools, in the ministry… So, how should we, as Believers, behave in the times of injustice against out being? We draw lessons from Jesus’ situation and the way He reacted to what happened to him.
In the time of injustice,
- We should not fight for ourselves
Fighting those who persecute us brings us into a very bad situation. However, Jesus shows us that He knew what was going to happen to Him in advance, He knew Judas was going to sell Him. He stayed calm and waited for them, not for defense, but for Him to hand Himself to them. (John 18:1-11).
Jesus’ attitude was so different from that of Peter, who fought for Himself and even cut Marcus’ ear. Jesus showed them how, had He wanted to fight, He would command 12 legions of 6,000 soldiers each.
Why should we only fight for ourselves?
- It shows that we are the children of God
That we know Jesus and that He came into our lives is not just a speech that we can make. It is also the way we behave like Jesus did.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of you Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous,” (Matthew 5:43).
- We give God the opportunity for Him to take revenge for us
In such situation, we hand our plight to God so that He can take over and deal with our problems.
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head” (Romans 12:17-20).
- We should keep good conduct
Good conduct and behavior are not depended to what one is going through, but who we are and what we decide to be our reaction.
Jesus knew He was being persecuted; He knew injustice was being brought to Him with all the fury from His accusers. However, He kept calm and poised. He didn’t fight back, but let His detractors know He was on a great mission to save humanity.
In the book of Acts, Stephen didn’t fight back. He instead pardoned and asked God’s mercy upon those who were stoning him.
The right behavior of Jesus on the cross – probably the worst of injustices one would ever experience – made the criminal (among the two with Jesus in the cross) free.
This helps us to differentiate a sinner and the sin, we need to pardon them because it only gives us the victory in chains, but also liberate them from that sin as they realize that our action is a testimony.
How can we achieve that?
- Forgive those who wrong us
- Do not take revenge
- Do not lose temper, but seek to calm down
- Always remember that all that happens to Believers, God has let it be
When injustice comes our way, it means that God has let that be. He is not too weak to stop it before we struggle. But it is an opportunity to mature us, to build our character in a godly way, even when we’re in turmoil. Jesus didn’t have a fair court decision, even though Pirate clearly understand that the verdict was wrong and sought to harm Him.
If God pleases, He can keep us away from the difficult situation. But as Jesus noted, there are cups God wants us to drink from and none of our enemy would have a say on us, had God not chosen us to endure for one reason or another. “Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power over me if I were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin” (John 19:11).
In short, as Believers, we should be careful how we react to situations, especially those that are against us. As long as God is with us in the situation, we are safe when we march with Him by avoiding to fight for ourselves, keeping good conduct, always remembering that if it ever reaches us, God has let it be, and He is the one to help us navigate that difficult season.
