The LORD's Day April 6, 2008

When Justice Is Done

Proverbs 21.1-15

We live in a sinful world. It very often falls short of God’s glory and God’s Will. When we pray the prayer Jesus taught us to pray we ask for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. As with all the concepts in this prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray, they take in large amounts of life. One of the many facets of this petition to our Father in heaven is for justice to be done. His will is done in heaven. There is perfect justice there. He is the King of glory and
there is no sin there. He has us praying for that to come to the earth. One day it will. Praying it keeps our hope alive for the day when Jesus will come back.

So it is implied in this verse this morning- sometimes it isn’t done.
1. When justice isn’t done (and there are times it isn’t)
Habakkuk experienced that as did Joseph

Habakkuk 1.2-4
Why do you make me look at injustice?
Justice never prevails.
Justice is perverted.
The law is paralyzed.

We cannot become bitter. Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Israel had reason to but he didn’t. He could have said, “Here I am in this prison. I don’t deserve this. I didn’t do anything wrong. My family did this to me. If I get the chance I’ll get even with my brothers. I’ll make them pay for this. I’ll show them.” He would have been fighting against God’s plan for him and the whole world at that time.

Joseph evidently forgave his brother early on so that when they came before him he wept. He showed no anger or resentment and saw God’s Hand upon the whole imprisonment: Genesis 50.15-21

We dare not take matters into our hands. People who manipulate and try and settle scores and spread bad things about others are not following Jesus.

We will not prosper spiritually if we hold a grudge.
Proverbs 19.11 A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.


2. God Overrules Injustices.
He told Habakkuk that v.5 Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

God did some incredible things in straightening out the injustices then.

He is working today. By the end of the book Habakkuk is telling God, “Keep working Don’t stop working.”

Today we experience injustice. Things are done to us that aren’t right. It is how we respond to it. If we submit to the LORD, humble yourselves under His Almighty Hand, He will lift us up in due time.
Our problem is when personal injustice is done we want to fight. We want to prove we are right. There is a time to speak and there is a time to be silent. For someone else we ought to pray and fight.

We need to check our attitudes But for our own we need to more praying and less fighting and continually check our attitudes.

It is amazing how quickly we can fight and how in the flesh we would rather fight than pray.
Isaiah 58 and Proverbs 21.13

We need to remember the Proverbs were written under a monarchy and the New Testament under a dictatorship. We live in a democracy here in the US and have power these folks did have as far as government goes. There are things we need to speak up about when it involves moral issues. But for personal injustice Jesus shows us they way - look at how He repsonded.

I have taken up a hobby of sorts. When people have trouble with major companies I make calls or send e-mails for them. I don’t like to see people I love taken advantage of. Anyone can do this really- most of it is done right on the computer. Most of these things are small matters.

Big or small the LORD is on your side. He is with you. He reigns and rules from on High. He has all power and all authority in heaven and on earth.

3. When it is done.

Joy to the Righteous.

We are glad when justice is done. We know God is just and right.
We are depending upon justice when we stand before Christ. We are depending on our being justified through faith. This joy is both for now and is connected with eternity.

We know that when justice is done is brings order to our society. There will always be sin but we can hope for it to be contained.

I Peter 2.13-14 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

Terror to Evil Doers
Punish those who do wrong.
When evil men are punished for their evil deeds- terror comes into the heart of others who are thinking about doing the same kind of deeds. The punishment of evil doers is the responsibility of the government which have been established by God

Romans 13.1-3
For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong
The whole judicial system set up by the LORD was for order after sin came into the world to stop it from destroying itself.

to put to flight by terrifying (to scare away), to flee, to fear, be afraid, to be struck with fear, to be seized with alarm Emma and I feeding the cats yesterday-
My next door neighbors asked me to watch the cat for them as they were going away. Emma likes going over. They have a burgular alarm you have to turn off which is connected to the police station in case anything happens. I told Emma we have to turn the alarm off. Once before I messed up turning it off but htta was when I first began to do this favor for them. Well we got in yesterday and I thought I had disconnected it correctly but evidently didn't and the alram went off. Emma went running outside and was yelling with her feet running in place, "Come on Poppa, let's get out of here before the police come!!!" I yelled back that I needed to feed the cat and give them water. She reponded , "No lets just go!!!" When I did come out a few seconds later, she went running over to our property, and was saying, "Let's get in the house." A few minutes later the police showed up. The cars on Southern State yesterday when the saw the State Police.

to reverence, venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience Life is sacred. It is to be treated with reverence. If it is not then the person who takes it must be punished.


4. One Day it will be done always and forever

The darkness will be done away with. One day there will be no need for human government because Jesus will come. He will sit on the throne of His father David literally
Isaiah 9.7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. Being done in heaven now- should be happening in the hearts of believers- will be done on earth soon- very soon.

The Prince of Peace Who now reigns in our hearts will soon reign on the earth.

We must keep Jesus’ Return before us. Don’t let over zealous people who predict the day of Christ’s coming rob you of what a comfort it is to us. To me it a pressure release among many other things. Keeping that in my consciousness helps me when I cope with overwhelming things. The LORD is coming

Rejoice when justice is done but remember many times it is not.

Don’t be discouraged.

We need to speak out against injustice and seek to correct it when it is in the lives of others.
This is a moral obligation as a follower of Jesus.

Remember in personal injustices done to us God overrules, if not immediately then ultimately
Remember Joseph. Keep your eyes fixed upon Jesus!

Keep Watching.

One day Jesus will come!