Today's Notes:

Knowing the God who Exercises Justice (Part 5)

Opening Text

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NASB)
^{{Jer 9:23}}  Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;
^{{Jer 9:24}}  but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD.

Overview

How to Enjoy God’s Justice

§  God’s justice is enjoyed by those who trust.

§  God’s justice is enjoyed by those who obey.

§  God’s justice is enjoyed by those who pray.

What is the justice for which we pray?

§  To pray for justice is to pray for the impartial retribution for unrighteousness inflicted upon others.

§  To pray for justice is to pray for the impartial restoration for loss brought about to the unrighteousness inflicted upon others.

§  To pray for justice is to pray for impartial relief from the unrighteousness currently being inflicted upon others.

§  To pray for justice is to pray for impartial reasonable righteous restrictions to prevent loss unrighteousness being inflicted upon others.

§  To pray for justice is to pray for the impartial enforcement of reasonable righteous requirements in our relationships with others.

Psalm 17:1-2 (KJV)  Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.  Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.

Psalm 17:1-2 (ESV)  Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!  From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right!

Psalm 17:1-2 (TEV)   Listen, O LORD, to my plea for justice; pay attention to my cry for help! Listen to my honest prayer.  You will judge in my favor, because you know what is right.

The Lesson

How Shall we Pray for Justice?

Luke 9:51-56 (KJV)
^{{Lk 9:51}}  And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
^{{Lk 9:52}}  And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
^{{Lk 9:53}}  And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
^{{Lk 9:54}}  And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
^{{Lk 9:55}}  But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
^{{Lk 9:56}}  For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

Psalm 17:1 (NLT2) ^{{Ps 17:1}}  O LORD, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips.  

2 Thessalonians 1:4-6 (NLT2)
^{{2Th 1:4}}  We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering.
^{{2Th 1:5}}  And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.
^{{2Th 1:6}}  In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.

2 Thessalonians 1:6 (NKJV)
^{{2Th 1:6}}  since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,

Psalm 9:7-12 (ESV)
^{{Ps 9:7}}  But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice,
^{{Ps 9:8}}  and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.
^{{Ps 9:9}}  The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
^{{Ps 9:10}}  And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
^{{Ps 9:11}}  Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!
^{{Ps 9:12}}  For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

§  Pray for Redemptive and Restorative justice – pray that God will execute justice to lead unbelievers and backslider to repentance.

§  Pray for Redemptive Restorative Justice for a backslider

1 Corinthians 5:3-5 (KJV)
^{{1Co 5:3}}  For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
^{{1Co 5:4}}  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
^{{1Co 5:5}}  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Psalm 99:8 (ESV)
^{{Ps 99:8}}  O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.

§  Pray for Redemptive Justice against a deceiver to lead a deceived sinner to Christ.

Acts 13:6-12 (NLT2)
^{{Ac 13:6}}  Afterward they traveled from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus.
^{{Ac 13:7}}  He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God.
^{{Ac 13:8}}  But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing.
^{{Ac 13:9}}  Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye.
^{{Ac 13:10}}  Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord?
^{{Ac 13:11}}  Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him.
^{{Ac 13:12}}  When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

§  Pray for Preventive Justice

Ecclesiastes 8:11 (NASB)  Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.

Psalm 9:17-20 (KJV)
^{{Ps 9:17}}  The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
^{{Ps 9:18}}  For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
^{{Ps 9:19}}  Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.
^{{Ps 9:20}}  Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.

Psalm 79:9-12 (ESV)
^{{Ps 79:9}}  Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!
^{{Ps 79:10}}  Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes!
^{{Ps 79:11}}  Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!
^{{Ps 79:12}}  Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!

§  Pray for Protective Justice

Psalm 10:17-18 (NLT2)
^{{Ps 10:17}}  LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.
^{{Ps 10:18}}  You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.

Psalm 146:6-7 (HCSB)
^{{Ps 146:6}}  the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. He remains faithful forever,
^{{Ps 146:7}}  executing justice for the exploited and giving food to the hungry. The LORD frees prisoners.

Psalm 40:9-15 (NLT2)
^{{Ps 40:9}}  I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O LORD, well know.
^{{Ps 40:10}}  I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.
^{{Ps 40:11}}  LORD, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
^{{Ps 40:12}}  For troubles surround me— too many to count! My sins pile up so high I can’t see my way out. They outnumber the hairs on my head. I have lost all courage.
^{{Ps 40:13}}  Please, LORD, rescue me! Come quickly, LORD, and help me.
^{{Ps 40:14}}  May those who try to destroy me be humiliated and put to shame. May those who take delight in my trouble be turned back in disgrace.
^{{Ps 40:15}}  Let them be horrified by their shame, for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”

Let Us Pray

§  Let us pray for the impartial retribution for unrighteousness inflicted upon others.

§  Let us pray for the impartial restoration for loss brought about to the unrighteousness inflicted upon others.

§  Let us pray for the impartial relief from the unrighteousness currently being inflicted upon others.

§  Let us pray for the impartial reasonable righteous restrictions to prevent loss unrighteousness being inflicted upon others.

§  Let us pray for the impartial enforcement of reasonable righteous requirements in our relationships with others.