We’ve been talking about the Laws of Grace and this week we are talking about The Law of Justice. The foundational scripture for this message is Psalm 89:14 - Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
Habitation could also be translated as ‘foundation’. The throne is where the King rules from. God would not be God if He were not Just. What is a court of justice trying to do? It’s trying to discover the truth of what happened between humans and then execute a judgment based on the truth.
There are lots of scriptures today which we want you to study out, so have your Bible handy as you work through this.
We don’t hear a lot about justice these days. The definition of justice is the rendering of others they’re due and taking action that may be necessary to right a wrong. I have a right not toe assaulted by someone. Along with that, another person has an obligation to not assault me! Remember, whenever there is a right there is a corresponding obligation. Justice is what steps in when those two things have been breached.
Every act of justice requires a sacrifice. You cannot have justice without sacrifice. Why? Because the harm that’s been done needs to be rectified. Whoever has done the wrong needs to pay. And when someone has paid the price what do we call it? We say that they are justified. God wants you to have knowledge and be equipped to stand in these last days for truth and righteousness. Our culture is in desperate need of people who will stand for truth and righteousness.
God is just and a God of justice. We read it already in Psalm 89. The existence of our conscience proves that God is just. Everyone has a conscience, right? C.S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity brings this point home so brilliantly. But the fact that God has put this on the inside of us all, proves that God cares about right and wrong. Have a look through the following scriptures:
Leviticus 19:15
Micah 6:8
Proverbs 21:3
Romans 2:2
God has established the universe with order and character and He insists and desires that that universe operate according to His plan and design. Ultimately, He will bring it back into alignment with His perfect plan. Even unbelievers will admit there is something very wrong with the world, but our disagreement comes over the cause of that mess. Here are some more great scriptures:
Psalm 96:13
Isaiah 11:4
John 5:22
Acts 17:31
God has made Jesus the One Who will judge the earth. There are many, many other verses about the judgement of God. But here’s the thing; as a believer, our attitude needs to always keep in mind that the judgement of God is a GOOD thing! God’s goodness compels Him to be just. Someone who ignores what is right and wrong is not a good person! Many believe that God will never judge because of His mercy. But that’s not true. If God didn’t judge sin, He would not be a good God. What kind of a God would He be if He didn’t right the wrongs that have been committed.
One of the big time indicators that we are getting close to the return of Jesus is that people are saying there is no truth. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 refers to the antichrist: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
We’ve discussed this at length in our recent series called End Time Prophecy Revealed. You can recap all those lessons on our blog page. But this ‘whatever is right for you, is right’ nonsense is huge today. There is a growing rejection of ultimate truth. One of the fruits of that thinking is to have more compassion upon the criminal than the victim. Why? Because it offends their own sense of conviction. People know they are sinners and have fallen short, so seeing someone else convicted stirs their own conscience.
John 3:19 says; And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Why do people love the darkness? Because their deeds are evil. When we think of judgement, do you think of the cross? Galatians 5:11 calls the cross offensive. Why are people offended by the message that is implied in the cross? Because sin must be judged. People don’t want to be judged! How many times have you heard people claim to be a ‘good person’ as their justification for getting into heaven? If God were not a just God, we couldn’t trust His promises and all that means. So, if God would just ignore sin, His commandments would be worthless and therefore His promises would be worthless.
There is a miracle that has taken place in God’s court of eternal justice. Romans 3:23 makes it clear that we are all worthy of judgement and death. But Jesus stepped in, took the punishment. Romans 3:26 says He is both the just and the justifier! That is good news. Isaiah 52:11 - Jesus justified us, bore our iniquities and the judge was satisfied. Praise God!
So the Law of Justice is actually a really good thing. God loves you so much and He wants you to receive the free gift of God’s mercy through Jesus.
Next week, the final law is the law of witnesses. Don’t miss it!
Until next week,
Upstream Ministries
Don't Forget to WATCH RICHARD HARRIS Today
Click the Image Below
