The Christ Quarter

Do What's Right - Scars and all

• Boris Kirk • Season 6 • Episode 84

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What if justice isn’t just a virtue but a window into God’s heart? We open Isaiah 61:8–11 and 62:2–4 to explore how authentic righteousness takes root in everyday life, why performative goodness falls short, and how God’s everlasting covenant in Christ reframes our identity. From the warning against “robbery for burnt offering” to the comfort of being clothed in salvation, we trace a path from duty to delight.  Where doing the right thing becomes both worship and wisdom.

We talk about pain, scars and witness. Our stories of pain, carried with humility, can point others to hope without glorifying hurt. Isaiah’s vision of a new name, no longer Forsaken or Desolate, meets real life in small acts of integrity that neighbors and even skeptics can see. Consistent obedience, quiet honesty, and a steady refusal to chase the shiny hooks of the world make our faith, and our witness, visible in workplaces, homes, and streets.

We also savor the simple strength of community. Inspired by Acts 2:46–47, we reflect on breaking bread with glad hearts, sharing what we have, and letting joy spread around the table.

This is where doctrine meets dinner; a lived theology that feeds bodies and souls, invites the lonely, and turns gratitude into a habit. If you’re hungry for a faith that shows, not just tells, press play and join us at the table.  Then share this episode with someone who needs encouragement.

Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: where have you seen quiet righteousness change the room?

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Isaiah 61:8-11
8 For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Isaiah 62:2-4a
2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.

3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate:

Acts 2:46-47
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

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SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to the Christ Quarter. I'm so glad you're here with me to take 15 minutes of this day to enjoy the presence of Christ and the words of Christ. Today we will read a section of Scripture and discuss what it means and how it applies to our lives. It is my hope that God will speak to you through these words and bring you closer to Him. I am blessed to have this opportunity to speak with you, and I thank you so much for being with me here today. Today's selection is Isaiah chapter sixty one, verses eight through eleven, and also chapter sixty two, verses two through four A. The King James Version reads as follows For I the Lord love judgment. I hate robbery for burnt offering, and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, and their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people. All that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God, for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. And the Gentile shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed forsaken, neither thy land any more be termed desolate. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for this day, we thank you for the freedom and ability to discuss your word and enjoy your presence. Help us to understand your word and your will for our daily lives more fully. We ask that you bless this discussion of your word, that it will speak to someone who needs to hear from you. We ask that you will use these words to bring someone closer to you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The verses for today are correcting. We Christians know that we are not of this world and that the world views us as being different. Some of us find this disconcerting, especially if we are new to this feeling. The world wants us to turn our backs on God and run back to them, and they make it sound inviting. Like many things that are shiny, bouncing, and inviting, they have hidden hooks that will embed themselves deep in our flesh and hold on to us. Even if we are able to detach ourselves from all the hooks, we will remain scarred. The good thing is though that even Jesus kept the scars from his being tortured on the cross and being tortured on his way to the cross. He kept his scars. Our scars serve a purpose. When Thomas doubted Jesus, he was only convinced when he was able to put his fingers in the holes in Jesus' side. Likewise, we can use our scars to show people that we were once dead in the world and have now been made alive in Jesus Christ. We have been where they are, and we can show them the way back out. Jesus is defeated death and rose from the grave. We have chosen to die to the world and live in him. Let's get right to it. The first section of today's text, chapter 61, verse 8, reads, For I the Lord love judgment. I hate robbery for burnt offering, and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. The Lord loves judgment, or as we might say today, justice. This is who he is, and he requires us to be the same way. We should always do what we know to be the right thing, even if no one is watching. We know that the Lord is watching us and will know what we choose to do. Sometimes we may do the right thing because we know he's watching, but as we grow and mature in Christ, we should realize that doing the right thing is also the best thing for us and for everyone. This verse also refers to robbery for a burnt offering. This likely refers to going through the motions of sacrificing and doing good, but with an insincere heart, such as doing good not because you want to do good, but because you want to be seen doing good. This is worse than doing good because you're aware of God seeing you. At least in that case, you're showing fear and reverence to God. Doing the same for show and in complete disregard to God is what I feel God is referring to here as robbery. These acts are repulsive to God. If we fear God and follow Him in honesty, then He will direct our work in truth. The last part of this verse, referring to an everlasting covenant, refers to Jesus, who died for each one of us. The second section of today's text, chapter sixty-one, verses nine, ten, and eleven, reads And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people. All that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God. For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. Verses nine, ten, and eleven are to me one statement of praise. We Christians acknowledge that Jesus covers us in his righteousness and his blood. Because of this we are saved. Because we are saved, we rejoice. We also work to tell other people about Jesus. We each do this in our own way. Sometimes by example, when we don't even know that others are watching us. But as Christians in Christ and with Christ in us, we affect the world around us and spread the good seed that is Jesus Christ risen. We cannot save, but it is wonderful to know that we can share our experiences and our growth with others, others who will join us in praising God if they also give their hearts to Him. The last section of today's text, chapter 62, verses 2 through 4A, reads, And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed forsaken, neither shall thy land any more be termed desolate. These verses together, in my view, are a statement of how our lives and the lives of others are to be if we follow God's plan for us. Others will see our righteousness, which likely refers to our consistently as Christians doing what is right. They will see this and they will give glory to God. As Christians, as followers of God, what we do gives people who do not know God an idea of who God is. For good or for bad, many non-Christians assign or associate our actions to all Christians and even to God Himself. This may seem silly to us because we know God, but the people I'm referring to here do not know God. Regardless, it makes it even more important that we keep in mind that we are the only little light of God that some people will ever see. Not everyone reads the Bible. We have to be that little spark that leads them to consider giving the light of God another look. That concludes our scripture discussion for today. Thank you for spending this time with me talking about, learning about, and enjoying Christ. It is my hope that God has used my words to touch you today and has brought you closer to Him. Please contact me if you wish to have further information about Christ. Let us pray. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. A good friend of mine has an amazing food truck called Miteira, Mexican food. And thinking about it today put me in mind of the joyousness that many of us have in gathering together just to eat together. As a family, as friends, or even just on a job, there seems to be just a lot of joy that comes from breaking bread together. So I wanted to add one little thing to today's Christquarter, and that's going to be the King James Version of Acts chapter two, verses forty-six and forty-seven. And it reads as follows. And they, continuing daily, with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. This just gave me such an image of everyone having such a good time, you know, good weather, visiting family and friends, and then also remembering those who don't have enough to eat and sharing with them and bringing them into the celebration as well. It just gave me a good feeling to even think about that. So I wanted to thank Metea Mexican food for kind of giving me that thought today.