Learning To Do Justice 6.21.20 SERIES: Praying The Psalms

SERIES: PRAYING THE PSALMS 

TEXT: Psalm 10:1-18
MESSAGE: Learning To Do Justice

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What can we learn right now? 

In an article entitled “The weight of Glory in a time of blood and fear”, Dr. Russell Moore says…“The death of our illusions, then, isn’t meant to paralyze us but to re-shape us into the people who know how to weep and how to groan and how to point to a different sort of kingdom. As he (C.S. Lewis) said: ‘If we looked for something that would turn the present world from a place of pilgrimage into a permanent city satisfying the soul of man, we are disillusioned…”  — Russell Moore

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” — Micah 6:8

“Psalms of Justice” — David Taylor writes: “The fact that injustices occur every day will be obvious to anyone who follows the news. Injustices happen to individuals, mar institutions, and befall entire people groups. The killing of George Floyd was a high-profile tipping point of sorts in our awareness of grievous injustice. But terrible injustices occur each day, in each community, far removed from the headlines. For the psalmists, such a world is all too familiar, and they pray repeatedly for justice because they understand that a world full of broken humans and dark forces generates injustice everywhere and always. They also pray repeatedly for a just Judge to make things right.” 

TEXT: Psalm 10:1-18

It starts with a…(1. Desperate Plea 2. Painful Reality 3. Wounded Healer)

  1. Desperate Plea — Longsuffering (v. 1)

Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”

“The very presence of such prayers in Scripture is a witness to His understanding. He knows how men speak when they are desperate.” — Derek Kidner

  1. Painful Reality (v.2-11)

“If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” — 1 John 4:10

  1. Wounded Healer (v. 12-18)

Nobody escapes being wounded. We all are wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not “How can we hide our wounds?” so we don’t have to be embarrassed, but “How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?” When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers. Jesus is God’s wounded healer: through his wounds we are healed. Jesus’ suffering and death brought joy and life. His humiliation brought glory; his rejection brought a community of love. As followers of Jesus we can also allow our wounds to bring healing to others.” — Henri Nouwen

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

TAKEAWAYS: Ask God to examine your heart —

  • Do you see yourself as helpless?

v. 14 — “…to you the helpless commits himself…”

  • Do you understand the grip of sin?

Sin desires for you to define good and evil

“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11  there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” — Romans 3:10-12

Sin desires for you to overlook oppression and deny justice

“Justice is a theme that is throughout the Bible. When God’s people were shown injustice, such as when the Israelites were under Egyptian oppression, God stepped in and showed them restorative justice just like He commanded them to show to others. Of course, the sad irony is that the Israelites would later go on to oppress others even after being oppressed themselves, ignoring these very important concepts of righteousness and justice that God decreed that they should live by. Today, we as human beings continue to demonstrate injustice, benefiting from the oppression of those around us and making ourselves guilty in the eyes of God.” — The Bible Project

Sin desires for you to live in self-deception

“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” — Hebrews 3:13

“We instinctively tend to limit for whom we exert ourselves. We do it for people like us, and for people whom we like. Jesus will have none of that. By depicting a Samaritan helping a Jew, Jesus could not have found a more forceful way to say that anyone at all in need – regardless of race, politics, class, and religion – is your neighbour. Not everyone is your brother or sister in faith, but everyone is your neighbour, and you must love your neighbour.”

 Timothy Keller

“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” 

— Isaiah 53:5

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