Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.
Today we start a new series titled The Doctrine of God.
Today we are talking about The Justice of God.
Prayer
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Text
Genesis 18:25 AMP
25 Far be it from You to do such a thing—to strike the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right [by executing just and righteous judgment]?”
Scripture Reading
Genesis 18:22-33 AMP
22 Now the [two] men (angelic beings) turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.
23 Abraham approached [the Lord] and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous (those who do right) with the wicked (those who do evil)?
24 Suppose there are fifty righteous [people] within the city; will You really sweep it away and not spare it for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?
25 Far be it from You to do [a]such a thing—to strike the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right [by executing just and righteous judgment]?”
26 So the Lord said, “If I find within the city of Sodom fifty righteous [people], then I will spare the entire place for their sake.”
27 Abraham answered, “Now behold, I who am but dust [in origin] and ashes have decided to speak to the Lord.
28 If five of the fifty righteous are lacking, will You destroy the entire city for lack of five?” And He said, “If I find [at least] forty-five [righteous people] there, I will not destroy it.”
29 Abraham spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose [only] forty are found there.” And He said, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty [who are righteous].”
30 Then Abraham said [to Him], “Oh, may the Lord not be angry, and I will speak; suppose thirty [righteous people] are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 And he said, “Now behold, I have decided to speak to the Lord [again]. Suppose [only] twenty [righteous people] are found there?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
32 Then Abraham said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry [with me], and I will speak only this once; suppose ten [righteous people] are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
33 As soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham the Lord departed, and Abraham returned to his own place.
Introduction
The basic meaning of the word just is “straight” or “right.”
Those who have lived their lives straight in line with the moral law of God are just, or righteous.
The foundation on which the whole world stands is God’s justice.
After God revealed to Abraham His intention of destroying Sodom, the great patriarch prayed that God would spare the whole city for the sake of the righteous in it.
Genesis 18:23-25 says, 23 Abraham approached [the Lord] and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous (those who do right) with the wicked (those who do evil)?
24 Suppose there are fifty righteous [people] within the city; will You really sweep it away and not spare it for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?
25 Far be it from You to do [a]such a thing—to strike the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right [by executing just and righteous judgment]?”
Our main concern is the theological question Abraham asked of God, “Will not the Judge of all the earth do tight?”
Abraham’s prayer is based on his faith in the justice of God.
His was a fair question, and a just God welcomed it, just as He welcomes honest inquiry from His people today.
God is just.
This is where we begin.
But what does this tremendous fact have for our lives?
The justice of God does at least four things for us.
- The justice of God assures.
- The justice of God assures us that prayer makes sense.
Abraham’s prayer was based on his faith that God is a righteous God.
In the great moral problems of life, it makes sense to fall back on those qualities in God that are His very nature.
This is our assurance in prayer.
This appeal to God’s justice rather than to His mercy touches the foundation of things.
Thus those true believers who are face to face with problems that are too much for them take them take them to God in prayer.
B. The justice of God assures us that our world rests solidly on a moral foundation.
God supports what is right and opposes what is wrong.
The universe is not a moral chaos where any kind of conduct is indiscriminately accepted.
The God who governs the world examines, weighs, and judges the motives and actions of humankind with an impartiality unswayed by the wealth, prestige, or position of the one under examination.
C. The justice of God assures us that the final consummation will be right and good.
In the end the right will prevail, for God is on the side of the right.
Sometimes there is seeming confusion between good and evil in the world, we don’t understand God’s ways and grow impatient with Him.
Still our hearts find refuge in the sure belief that God will do what will be seen in the end as right.
2. The justice of God implies a few things.
- The justice of God implies His judgement on the wicked, the sinful, and the rebellious.
The moral constitution of the world is such that every sin carries within itself the seeds of the sinners destruction, its own judgement.
This is true because a God of justice rules at all times and under all circumstances.
2. The justice of God implies His vindication of the innocent and the oppressed..
Unless God opposes the evil that destroys us, He cannot be for us.
The Greeks defined justice as giving every person their due.
Their idea of balancing two sides against one another in that familiar symbol of justice, the scales.
In sharp contrast to the Greek idea is the prophetic image from Amos, who said in Amos 5:24, “But let justice run down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream [flowing abundantly].
Amos is telling us that God does what is right actively, not passively.
Justice exists in relation to a person.
Justice is something that is done by a person.
An act of injustice is condemned, not because a law has been broken, but because a person has been hurt, a person whose anguish may reach the very heart of God.
3. The justice fo God implies His correction of earthly injustice in the life to come.
The faith that one day all accounts will be balanced, all discrepancies made right is one of the most powerful reasons for belief in life after death.
It could never be right that Elijah and Jezabel, Herod Antipas and John the Baptist, Paul and Nero, should in the end fare the same.
It just will not be.
God is just!
3. The justice of God requires.
- The justice of God requires a cross in the heart of God.
Jesus died for our sins on Calvary.
But long before, yes, from the foundation of the world, a cross was raised in the heart of God.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “All things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.”
B. God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
The justice of God requires that, as in, Ezekiel 18:4, Behold (pay close attention), all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.
God requires that what ever a man sows, he shall reap.
Then how could any of us with our corrupt, sinful nature, ever hope to cross the gulf that separates us from a holy God?
How could God’s justice ever be satisfied so that His mercy could be made possible?
There was only one way, and that was to provide a substitute to die in our place.
C. The justice of God requires justification by faith as the gift of God.
Romans 3:25-26 says, whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the world] as a [life-giving] sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation (propitiation) by His blood [to be received] through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness [which demands punishment for sin], because in His forbearance [His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously committed [before Jesus’ crucifixion].
26 It was to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus [and rely confidently on Him as Savior].
How can sinners ever be declared righteous?
How can they be pronounced, “Not guilty”?
How can they ever be justified?
The New Testament answers, “BY faith.”
Faith is the condition of God’s free gift.
In that same third chapter of Romans, Paul also said, 22 This righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those [Jew or Gentile] who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s Son]. There is no distinction,
23 since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,
D. The justice of God requires righteousness on the part of His children.
Since God is righteous, He expects righteousness from His children.
Because God is both all knowing and all just, those who do not strive to be just and righteous cannot please Him.
The Bible, especially the Old Testament, emphasises that sacrifices, rituals, and prayer have no value if they are not accompanied by righteousness of life, Amos 5:15.
4. The justice of God warns.
- The justice of God warns that we are not to doubt God’s character.
Even though in our hearts we are committed to God’s justice, our experiences and observations often cause us to ask questions.
God welcomes honest inquiry, but we are not to doubt Him.
Under tremendous pressure, the prophet Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 12:1,
Jeremiah’s Prayer
You, O Lord are [uncompromisingly] righteous and consistently just when I plead my case with You;
Yet let me discuss issues of justice with You:
Why has the way of the wicked prospered?
Why are those who deal in treachery (deceit) at ease and thriving?
Jeremiah was saying, “You are a just God, but I want to ask You a question.”
And his question was, “Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do they thrive?”
In every age this question has caused great saints of God to harbour dim, gray doubts about the justice of God in their hearts.
But we must not do this.
B. The justice of God warns us not to pit love and justice against each other.
With God they are one and the same thing.
Justice is love expressed toward people in human relations.
Too often we have viewed love as soft and naive sentiment, and justice as hard nosed demand for punishment.
This contradicts the spirit of the New Testament.
Jesus was never more just than when He forgave the adulterous woman, never more loving than when He drove the money changers from the temple.
Love and justice are one.
C. The justice of God warns us not to ask for justice but for mercy.
A man once told Billy Graham, “When I get to heaven, all that I will ask is justice.”
Billy Graham replied, “My friend, if all you get is justice, then you will go to hell. You won’t need justice. You will need mercy.”
And so will we all!
Conclusion.
A final word, any study of the justice of God is bound to throw us back on the grace of God.
God is a God of justice, but He is also a God of mercy and grace.
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at www.refinerylife.org
When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you.
So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us
2021 IS A YEAR OF REFORMATION
© www.refinerylife.org 2021 All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968, no part of this Article may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission.
Visit us at
@PastorGaryHoban
@RefineryLifeGC
@PastorGaryHoban
@RefineryLifeChurch
@gary_hoban
@refinerylifechurch
YouTube
Gary Hoban
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxvrTCsjg98vGjMTObxJhtQ
Refinery Life Church Australia
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkvD9z50SuKWxhSw0TPQkgQ
