God
of Justice
Anyone can look
around themselves and see that the world is overflowing with injustice! The
wicked people seem to be getting away with murder, incest, rape, adultery and
theft. People are being raped and made as sex slaves. Drugs and alcohol are
consuming people left and right. The poor are going hungry and without proper
clothing or shelter. Entire people groups across the globe are oppressed and
abused, being denied the basic necessities of life by their own leaders. There
is corruption in the highest offices of the lands. And folks are being swept
away by floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes.
The name of the
Lord is blasphemed all day long across the globe. There is a serious lack of
reverence of the Lord. Children are not respecting their parents. Husbands and
wives are out of their proper biblical order and enemies of each other in their
own homes. Many do not want anything to do with accountability and discipline
seems like a cuss word to most of the world. Everywhere we turn we can see
evil. It is in the news and in most every program on TV. It is on our
billboards, in our music and prevalent in our culture. Injustice is all over
the earth – even among the animals who are losing their lives for the profit of
their body parts and fur. What is God doing about all of this? When will the
wicked pay for their evil deeds? What is a person to think of all this?
Father in Heaven;
Thank You Sir for
the privilege and honor to come into Your presence where there is fullness of
joy – a safe haven from the terrors of this world and this life. I ask You Lord
to speak to all of us today and show us what we can learn from this chapter in
the book of Job. Lord we know that You have something very special to say to us
for such a time as this. I ask You to speak to me and through me. Give me the
utterance to bring Your word forth unhindered and unchecked by any outside
force or my flesh. We will be determined to be doers of Your word Father and
respect and honor You and what You want to say. Thank You in advance for this
revelation Lord in Jesus name! Amen.
Job opens our
chapter today with a question. My paraphrase - Why can’t the upright see the
punishment of all these wicked people? Why isn’t God doing something about it? He
tells about what wicked people are doing to the poor, the hurting and the
dying. Job reminds us of many of the atrocities that the downtrodden of the
earth are experiencing. He makes known the things that the wicked seem to take great
delight in doing.
Toward the end of
the chapter we see that Job is well aware of the fact that though the wicked
think they are getting away with something for a season, God is indeed
watching. And before they know it, they will be cut down from this life in an
instant. They will be forgotten by their own mother yet desired by the worm.
Isn’t that a horrible thought? There is so much evil going on around us today.
We see the way people dress, the way they talk and the spirit of total
rebellion and disrespect is everywhere. As we mentioned in a previous chapter,
the world’s biggest problem today is the rebellion that the devil has wormed
into the very atmosphere of the earth.
People are growing
up without church and knowing God. They don’t know anything about the Bible or
the Ten Commandments. They know nothing of godly living. They love the darkness
and run from the light. Like Job said in verse 17, the darkness is their
morning – it is their friend and they know not what they are really doing. They
are walking around completely blinded by the enemy of this world. Here is what
the Bible says about the thief in this life – the father of all lies…
John 10:10
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to
destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
The enemy is fast
at work trying to bring as much destruction into the world as he can while
there is still time. And the resounding question among believers and
non-believers alike around the globe today is, “Why are all these bad things
happening to good and innocent people while the mean and evil ones seem to be
getting away with everything and are not paying any consequences?” Friends this
is a very important question and one that we will look at further as we go.
Let’s look at what Jesus Himself told us about the signs of the times and the
end of the age…
Mark 13:3-13
Now as He sat on the
Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him
privately, “Tell us, when will these things be? And
what will be the sign
when all these things will be fulfilled?”
And Jesus, answering
them, began to say: “Take
heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I
am He,’ and will deceive
many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled;
for such things must
happen, but the end is not
yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And
there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and
troubles. These are the
beginnings of sorrows.
“But watch out for yourselves,
for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the
synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a
testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the
nations. But when they arrest you and
deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you
will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not for it is not you who speak, but the
Holy Spirit. Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up
against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My
name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
All the things we
are seeing are exactly what Jesus said was going to happen before He comes back
the second time. The truth is that if the Lord brought judgment to those who
deserve it before the end there would be a lot of people who would be heading
for hell because there was not time for them to receive their salvation. Let’s
look again about how the Lord wants to save people from eternal destruction…
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but
is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to
repentance.
How can a good God
allow such evil to go on like this? Because He wants everyone who He knows will
say yes to get their names written in the Lamb’s book of life. He is not at all
pleased to see any man or woman spend eternity in hell. In fact, hell was
created for the devil and his angels, not people…
Matthew 25:41
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart
from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
And here’s another
question we hear so often, “How can a good God send people to hell?” He
doesn’t! They choose to go there. They make a choice in this life to reject His
offer of salvation and eternal life. Look at what happened when a man named
Lazarus died…
Luke 16:19-31
“There was a certain rich
man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every
day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was
laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from
the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it
was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The
rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he
lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
“Then he cried and said,
‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of
his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this
flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received
your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and
you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a
great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor
can those from there pass to us.’
“Then he said, ‘I beg
you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I
have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this
place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets;
let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to
them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not
hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise
from the dead.’”
The
truth is that God has sent messengers to talk to people since the very
beginning, but many are rejecting it. A lot of folks think they can live like
the devil until it is their time to die and then they can conveniently call on
Jesus to save them so they will get into heaven. There’s a good side to that
and a bad side. The good news is that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved…
Acts
2:21
And it
shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’
So what’s the bad news? A person who is not
living for the Lord can have their life cut off by the enemy suddenly at any
time. They are caught off guard and never had a chance to call on the name of
Jesus. And those who want to wait are missing out on a life full of rich
blessings that bring many rewards that will last into the next life after we go
home to the Lord. It is so SADD-U-CEE! A wasted life is the worst thing in this
age and many are travailing that path. Their eyes have been blinded by the
devil and their hearts are hard. They love the darkness more than the light…
John 3:19
And this
is the condemnation,
that the light has come
into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
light, because their deeds were evil.
We must remember at all times that God gave people a choice
from the very beginning. He will NEVER force His way of living on anyone –
never! He wants people to love Him for who He is, not just what He can do for
them now or in eternity. And most people are choosing to deny Him and live in
defiance – rebellion, satisfying their own desires and not caring one bit about
God or His people. They live to “look after number 1” as they say. They won’t
go to church, they won’t read the Bible, they do not want anything to do with
the good path that the Lord has for them.
While it is true that we don’t personally get to see the
‘come upins’ of the evil, they will pay the price for denying Jesus – the Lord
of all creation. Look at just a few of the many verses (I found 435!) that tell
of the destination of the wicked…
Psalm 34:16
The
face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the
remembrance of them from the earth.
Psalm 37:34
Wait on
the Lord, and keep His way, and He
shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
If you take the time
to read this entire Psalm, and we looked at it recently, it has a lot to say
about what happens to those who love and value the Lord verses those who do
not.
Psalm 37:38
But the
transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
There are so many verses that show us what
happens to the wicked people in the end. You and I may not physically see it
right now, but in the end we will. There will be a final judgment and the Lord will
have to cast off the people He created to do good works into the lake of fire
and everlasting torment…
Revelation 20:11-14
Then I
saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the
dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened.
And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to
their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave
up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were
in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then
Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
That’s all the bad news. Now let’s look at what God does for
the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the fatherless…
Psalm 9:18
For the needy shall not
always be forgotten; the expectation
of the poor shall not perish forever.
Psalm 12:5
“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I
will arise,” says the Lord; “I
will set him in the safety for which
he yearns.”
Psalm 14:6
You
shame the counsel of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge.
Psalm 72:4
He will bring
justice to the poor of the people; He will
save the children of the needy,
and will break in pieces the oppressor.
I could give you scripture after scripture about
the hope of the poor. A person who is spiritually poor and humbles themselves before
the Lord will be lifted up. They will have an eternal hope in the end that will
never disappoint. Hallelujah! Now look at the orphan…
John 14:18
“I will
not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
And here is what He says about the fatherless and widow…
Deuteronomy 10:18
He
administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger,
giving him food and clothing.
God loves people! He created us! He loves us all and wants
every single human to turn to Him and live the good and abundant life He had
planned for each and every one of us. He will bring about perfect justice in
every situation. Though the world seems full of injustice, God will take care
of every ounce of it. You remember He told us not to take vengeance on others –
He will take care of it…
Romans 12:19
Beloved,
do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is
written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
So why do good people suffer? It is the result of
sin. Sometimes it is their own sin and other times it is the result of
another’s sin. All suffering is a result of the curse that came from the fall
of mankind. And it will all be straightened out on Judgment Day – God will see
to it because He is a just Judge.
Psalm 9:8
He
shall judge the world in righteousness, and He shall
administer judgment for the peoples
in uprightness.
So if we have to suffer for doing good for a
time, that is to our benefit…
1 Peter 3:17
For it is better, if it is
the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
1 Peter 2:18-25
Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not
only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of
conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what
credit is it if, when
you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and
suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were
called, because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example, that you
should follow His steps:
“Who committed no sin, nor was
deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return;
when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself
bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might
live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like
sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your
souls.
So
if Jesus had to suffer for doing good, who do we think we are that we should
not also do the same? In the end we can see exactly how it will all wrap up…
Revelation
22
And he showed me a pure river
of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of
the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the
river, was the tree
of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the
tree were for the
healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne
of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve
Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night
there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them
light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
Then he said to me,
“These words are faithful
and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His
servants the things which must shortly take place.
“Behold, I am coming
quickly! Blessed is he
who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Now I, John, saw and
heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship
before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
Then he said to me,
“See that you do not do that. For I am your
fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the
words of this book. Worship God.” And he said to me, “Do not seal the
words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He who is
unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he
who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy
still.”
“And behold, I am coming
quickly, and My reward is with
Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the Beginning
and the End, the
First and the Last.”
Blessed are those who do His
commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter
through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and
sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a
lie.
“I, Jesus, have sent My
angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the
Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
And the Spirit and the
bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts
come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
For testify
to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to
these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in
this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from
the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book.
He who testifies to
these things says, “Surely
I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come,
Lord Jesus!
The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with
you all Amen.
So
take heart my friends. When you look all around you and see people who seem to
be getting away with murder (literally), remember, God will take of it. Our
part for now is to tell people who are perishing the good news that God is a
good God and that He made a way for people, all people to have eternal life.
Your job and mine is to be ready at a moment’s notice to share with a desperate
person the words of life. Just today I was at the grocery store. The young girl
who was checking me out looked pensive. I asked her if could pray for her. She
pondered the question for a moment with one of ‘those looks’ if you get my
drift. Then she spoke up and said, “Ya, a happy life.”
I
began to tell her there was only one way to have joy I this world of troubles
and that way was Jesus. I asked her if I could give her a card from our church
and invite her. At first she kind of rolled her eyes but she accepted the card.
The Lord spoke to my heart and told me to stop talking at that moment. I
thought, “OK Lord.” I figured that was all I was supposed to do. Then all of a
sudden out of my spirit I spoke up and told her how I had tried to commit
suicide back in 2004. I told her I felt pretty hopeless and wanted to die. Then
she looked right at me and said she has made 7 suicide attempts!
This
poor girl needed to hear about some hope that she knew nothing about. Why did I
speak up about my suicide attempt at that moment? Because the Holy Spirit
wanted me to. Then as I was grabbing my last bag of groceries to place in my
cart, I reached in my purse and handed her my business card. I told her that if
she ever wanted to talk I would be available for her.
I
told her I had been through some very hard times and I understood. Then I said
“God bless you” and went on my way. Glory to God! I may never know what a
difference was made in that young woman’s life today – but God does. He has had
a plan for her all her life to love and serve Him. But she obviously didn’t
know that. And what if I had gone up to that register and said nothing? For all
I know she could have gotten off work and proceeded down the street and gotten
into an accident that would have claimed her life. Where would she be then?
Only God knows the results of today’s encounter. But if we don’t speak up, we
can really miss the blessing of leading one lost sinner to the Lord. Look at
what the Bible says…
Luke
15:1-7
Then all the tax
collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees
and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”
So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
“What man of you, having a
hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the
wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when
he has found it, he
lays it on his
shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors,
saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was
lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over
one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no
repentance.”
Halleujah!
Every single person who gets saved is cause for shoutin saints! Let’s do what
He has called us to do and reap the eternal rewards that are stored up for
those who obey. Job finished his comments by asking who could prove his
statements to be wrong. We know that we certainly can’t, can we? Be encouraged.
Though you and I may have some trials and challenging moments in this life, it is
very brief. And in the meantime the joy of the Lord is our strength. He will
always cause His saints to triumph when they put their trust in Him. At the end
of your life and mine – as long as we have asked Jesus to be our Lord and our
Savior, we have a very happy ending to this life to look forward to and a never
ending joyous eternity to enjoy with Him – glory to God and thank You Jesus!
Questions:
What was Job’s
opening question?
What did he say
about the state of the poor, the hurting and the dying?
What did he think was the case for the wicked?
What will happen to those who do not seek the Lord and His
salvation?
What will happen to
those who do?
Have you been available to be used by the Lord to lead the lost to
Him? If not, why?
Acts 1:8
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
There
are three main points to consider from today’s study…
God will bring justice to the wicked and evil doers
The poor, the orphaned, widowed and fatherless will not be forgotten
We can be a witness to tell others about what the Lord has done for us
Let’s pray…
Heavenly
Father,
Thank
You for taking vengeance on those who do evil. Lord, I know that I don’t have
to wonder how this life will end because You gave us the end of the story
already. Father, if Jesus had to suffer in this life for a season then I count
it all joy to do the same. Show me who I can tell about how much You have done
for me so that they too can know there is real hope for their lives. Thank You
for every opportunity to serve You Lord! It is a blessing, a privilege and an
honor Sir! Thank You Lord in Jesus name. Amen!
Who have you told
about Jesus lately?
And God Said… You fill in the blanks.
Acts 2:17-21
‘And
it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
And it shall come to pass
that whoever calls on the name of the Lord
shall be saved.’
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
And it shall come to pass
that whoever calls on the name of the Lord
shall be saved.’
No comments:
Post a Comment