[0:00] Psalm chapter number 75. Hope we hear that again. Hope we hear from the Buttermilk Biscuit Boys more often. And that was awesome. Brother John told me that was song 209 in the Red Book.
[0:11] Red Book. Red Back Heminal. I knew we had an expression for it. I loved hearing that. Thank you all for singing that. What a great message. Psalm chapter number 75.
[0:22] I'm going to read 9 out of 10 verses. I'm going to ask you to help me read verse number 7. That's where the main theme for this psalm comes from. Psalm 75 verse 1.
[0:34] Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks. Unto thee do we give thanks. For thy name is near. Thy wondrous works declare. When I shall receive the congregation, I will judge uprightly.
[0:44] The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved. I bear up the pillars of it. Selah. I said unto the fools, deal not foolishly. And to the wicked, lift not up the horn.
[0:55] Lift not up the horn on high. Speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. Read with me verse 7. But God is the judge, and he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
[1:10] For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red, and full of mixture. And he poureth out the same. But the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them. And I will declare forever, I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
[1:23] And all the horns of the wicked also will I cut off. But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted. You read with me in verse number 7, but it says, but God is the judge. If you were going to summarize this chapter, you would start with that expression.
[1:37] But God being the judge. God has set a time where he will destroy the wicked, and he'll exalt the righteous. And we praise him for that fact, knowing that he alone knows when that will happen, and we can trust him.
[1:50] Farther along, we'll understand why. We trust in God's timing in our lives. Galatians 7, 7 says it like this. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap.
[2:03] Our God is a perfect judge. He does everything according to his holiness and to his justice. And we can rejoice in that. Now, this psalm is structured around three different metaphors.
[2:16] There's the pillars of earth that we read about. And we'll see that those are brought down, except for what God wants to stand will stand. There's the horns, which represents pride in our lives and standing against God, shaking our fence to God.
[2:29] And then this cup of wrath that is held, a picture there, it's in his hand. And so, you know, we all live in a time that's obsessed with justice. You turn on television or listen to the radio, the word justice is used all the time.
[2:43] We know that we want it. We can't agree on what it is. We can't agree on how we're going to get it. But we all know that we want it. And I don't want to make light of that, because I do agree we live in a world that's broken.
[2:55] And there's no doubt. And there's certain injustices that would lay upon society harder than others, that would affect other people more than they would mean. But we're built with this great desire for justice.
[3:05] Some of us have it more than others. Those of you that lead the Awana Games, you know which kids have a great sense of justice, right? They just can't handle. You're not playing by the rules, all right?
[3:16] Me and David see this a lot in upward basketball. Upward basketball is kind of like basketball, but not at all, okay? No, I'm just kidding. It's got like, they have different rules that they play by. And you can only guard certain kids with a certain color of band on your arm and all that.
[3:29] And so you see, the younger they are, they just can't handle when things aren't going the correct way. Well, if you, our sense of justice is constantly being, that's not right. That shouldn't happen.
[3:40] This shouldn't be the case. And if we don't believe that we have a righteous judge that will make all things right, that will undo all the things that have been done in this world, and that will set things straight, then we will just live constantly fretting about it.
[3:55] And so verse 1, it says, Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks. Unto thee do we give thanks, for thy name is near, thy wondrous works declare. So we're going to give thanks right now, that we have a loving and a just and a personal God.
[4:08] Unto thee, God. And what is it that we, he did? He brought low, he brought the prideful and the wrong that was high, he brought them low, and he exalted those that were low. Verse 7, But God is the judge.
[4:20] He putteth down one, and he setteth up another. Father, we believe that. And what do we say about who is the judge, and who do we say about what brings up one person, and brings another person down?
[4:31] We say that it's the God of heaven. Throughout history, and even now, people would tell you it's something else. A lot of people would just say that it's fate, right? There's no rhyme or reason why one thing would happen, and another thing would happen.
[4:44] You read about it, it's like this will of fate. It's kind of like, The Price is Right. Is that what that is? Where they would grab that big thing, and they would pull it down, and you just wait for it to click, and click, and click, and see where it ends.
[4:56] And that most of our lives are like that. There's just no knowing what's going to happen. Different religions would just live your life to fate. You have reincarnation, you live the life, you hope that's going to give you odds in the next life to do better.
[5:07] But most people just kind of live their lives believing that most of what happens has no rhyme or reason, there's no oversight, there's no intelligent design, there's no almighty judge that is personal, and that is right, but most of life is fate.
[5:21] It's just going to be, it is what it is. You ever say that? Sometimes it works, right? It just is what it is, right? You ask somebody, why does this work, why does this happen? You say, it is what it is, all right? That's maybe what your tax person told you.
[5:33] Why does this work? It just is what it is, all right? The IRS says, why? It is what it is, all right? No rhyme or reason, it just is what it is. But we are people that believe that life isn't just it is what it is. We believe that there's order to this world, and that God is personal, and He is just.
[5:48] And to some of you in here right now, that matters a great deal. And some of you, it just may be a novelty, and He just says, that sounds good, but there's other times in your life that you need to know that we have a loving, and a just, and a personal God.
[6:02] And you need people to remind you of that. And so it's not, it's unto God. It's not unto us, but it's unto God. We believe in the opposite of fate. We believe in a personal, just, wise, good, righteous, loving creator God who is ruling the world.
[6:17] That's why we can say, in Romans 8, 28, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, and them that are called according to His purpose. We say that, and we say, we know that all things, but the question is, can you say that true?
[6:30] Do you know? Are you part of that, we know that all things work together? Do you trust that we have a God that is righteous and just? And then it says that they give thanks for wondrous works.
[6:41] So if we're in that day and we're singing that psalm for one of the first times together as a congregation and we're singing His wondrous works, we would certainly talk about the exodus and how we were people with no place and we were in slavery and then God brought us out from that.
[6:54] We'd rejoice in it about entering into Canaan. We'd rejoice that God had been sending prophets to us so that God would, we knew that He was near, that He made Himself known to us so we could know about Him.
[7:05] And then maybe God's judgment upon the Babylonians in 74, 22, we've already said it says, Arise, O God. Plead that own cause. Remember how the foolish man reproaches thee daily. And so we would rejoice in these different things that are going on.
[7:18] It's an important part of who we are as the children of God that we rejoice in what God is doing. That's why in our church and other churches, we have a group of people that are storytellers.
[7:30] We have a group of people that sang songs to us. They sang songs that tell us a story. And so we collectively hear songs and sing songs together and it reminds us of God and His goodness.
[7:42] It reminds us of God's truth and we need this because sometimes in the circumstances of our lives, we need to go to a place with other believers and we need to remember that farther along we'll understand why.
[7:54] That we need to know to cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine because God is good and we can trust Him. And so we have songers, we have people that sing, we have musicians and all that, but they're not just singing, they're telling a story.
[8:07] And they're not just telling any story, they're telling God's story. They're talking about the character of God. Every one of you, and I don't do it enough, you should thank God for those that serve in our music ministry.
[8:17] They are doing a ministry to you. They are ministering to us. Music will do something in my life and heart. It will set my emotions and my mind back in a place that I just don't feel like by myself that I'm getting to.
[8:29] Is it possible? Yes. But there's nothing like looking out across the room. It was so wonderful to sit on the front row and hear so many people singing along with the Soggy Bottom Boys all right earlier. And they hear you singing and as I hear all of you singing in here, I just think, a lot of these people know this song.
[8:46] Why do they know this song? Well, they grew up in a church that sung these songs. They grew up in families that sung this song. And that's wonderful. It's special because I need friends that know about God. I need people that know about Him because when I talk to you, when I'm going through a hard time, I don't just need anybody in my life.
[9:02] I need people that recognize that we have a good and a personal God who does all things right. And so His name is near. That's the next thing. His wondrous works we give thanks for.
[9:13] We also give thanks that His name is near. One of my favorite verses, Luke 12, 32, Fear not, little flock, for it's your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. The not fearing part doesn't just come in the fact that He's a shepherd and that He is a king and that He's a father.
[9:26] But my comfort comes in knowing that it's His good pleasure, that He loves and He cares for us. He wants to know us that this infinitely big God involves Himself in my finite, small life.
[9:40] I need to know that. That is wonderful. It's not that He's just big and incredible and that has nothing to do with us because that would seem to make sense, right? When you study about people in this world and you start talking about how famous and how wonderful and how powerful they are, the bigger you talk about them, the less relatable they are to you.
[9:57] The less likely you are to get them on the phone, the less likely you are to have a friendship with them. Well, God's big but He still involves Himself in our small lives because He is near to us, our God that is near.
[10:08] God has revealed His name to His people. Remember when Moses, He gave them the name and He says, who do I tell them that you are? And He says, tell them I am that I am. This Yahweh, it reminds them that He is self-existent one, that everything depends on Him.
[10:23] He doesn't depend on anything else, that He is eternal. And that's how they knew Him. That's how Moses, so who's going to get us out of this? Who's going to get us? The I am.
[10:33] The one that doesn't need anything from us. That is the God. And so we remember His name. His name is near to us. His name is wonderful. One of my favorite classes to teach in the training center and Robert hasn't let me do it in a while because even though it may be my favorite, it may not be my best, I guess, all right?
[10:49] It's missions in the Old Testament. And when we go through that, when you read in the Bible, you'll see that God makes a big deal out of His name. That He's constantly doing things for His name.
[10:59] It represents His global reputation. It represents His presence in this world. Exodus 9, 16, And in very deed for this cause I have raised thee up for to show in thee my power and my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
[11:14] And so God is applying His purpose in Pharaoh's life. What He was doing in Exodus, this wasn't about the children of Israel. It was about His name being known. And did it work?
[11:24] Did God accomplish it? It did. When Moses meets his father-in-law, Jethro, he said, Jethro says, I've heard all that God's done on behalf of your people. When Rahab's testimony in Joshua chapter number 2 and verse number 10, when they get to Rahab, she says, I know how God had saved your people.
[11:41] The name of God had went out and people had heard about it. Daniel, 1,500 years later, in one of his prayers in 9, 15, says, Oh, and now, O Lord, our God, Thou hast brought the people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and has gotten thee renowned.
[11:55] As of this day we have sinned and we have done wickedly. That God's name was known to the people. So his name, his presence, his global reputation, it was drawing near the people.
[12:07] People who didn't know about it. To a Rahab who did not know about the God of the Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of that, but he heard about what he did and he drew near to them and they got to hear about it.
[12:18] Moses prayed that God will not destroy the Israelites based upon their name in Numbers 14. And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, for thou brought us up this people in thy might from among them.
[12:29] Moses said, God, everybody's looking at us and your name is on the line. Your reputation is on the line and that's what matters. And God will guard his holiness.
[12:40] It's harder to say. You might want to try it. Okay? God will guard his holiness. All right? I'm going to need to say this three more times. It's going to be stuck in my head. Okay? God will guard his holiness.
[12:52] Leviticus chapter number 22 verse 2. Speak unto Aaron and to his sons that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel and that they profane not my holy name in those things which thou hollow unto me.
[13:05] I am the Lord. So we rejoice in God's wonderful works but we also rejoice in this as I give thanks that his name draws near. That we know how wonderful God is and also that we can draw close to him.
[13:19] What a wonderful thing to rejoice in and that he protects his name and his reputation. You know, as we started as a church, we were World Vision Baptist Church. The state of Georgia said it was okay to be World Vision Baptist Church.
[13:31] All the people that we bought banners and business cards from, they didn't care what we called ourselves. They said it was okay. But one day, this group called World Vision, this kind of startup, non-profit, you might have heard about, all right, they said, hey, you can't use our name anymore and we're going to give you a little bit of time and I thought, really?
[13:46] Does that really matter? Well, one day, somebody called the church and they said, hey, you're World Vision, right? We want to make a donation to your organization for some kids. And so I got a bicycle for Thatcher that day.
[13:57] No, I'm just kidding. But they knew of the name. So World Vision said, I have to protect our name. We can't just have everybody using the name World Vision because we're protecting it. Well, God says, I have a name and I'm going to protect it through my children.
[14:11] That's why, as His children, God convicts us of sin. He chastens us because when I take on His name as a follower, as somebody that's in Christ, I don't get to just live however I would want to.
[14:24] Actually, I do, right? I get to live however I want to because He made me want to live differently than I once did. But He's protecting His name. And so we rejoice in that. You know God.
[14:35] You know songs. He drew near to you. You can know how wonderful He is. We can rejoice in that. Hearing the name of the Lord in a worship service and around the people of God can help you see your circumstances completely different.
[14:48] If you haven't walked into that door of this church and walked out differently at times, then you're not making application of the Word of God because it's happened time and time again.
[14:59] It allows us to see circumstances differently. Some of you went to camp a couple of years ago. Maybe you went up in Ohio and I know Maria went and Brother Doug, one of the famous youth pastors, Brother Doug.
[15:10] He's so famous he only needs a first name. Brother Doug, right? And he played one song over and over again, right? I heard that he just played one song over. Just play along here, okay? And he played one song over and over again and it was a song that said, To the God Who Stays.
[15:26] And I thought, man, these teenagers must have been tired. Who wants to hear one song over and over again? But Maria said it was powerful to her, right? It got drilled down deep inside of her mind and her heart that we have a God that stays.
[15:41] We can rejoice in the fact that we have a God that stays and there's so many things we know about God and He made Himself known to us. And then God's comfort by reminding us that things run according to His calendar.
[15:51] Verses 2 and 3, When I shall receive the congregation, I will judge uprightly. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved. I bear up the pillars of it. This loving, just, and personal God will judge uprightly according to His time.
[16:05] And so there's good news for the people of God that justice will be done, that God will set things to be made right. And nothing will be overlooked. Verse 3, His earth and all the inhabitants.
[16:17] He doesn't miss out on anything. Any kind of injustice you think is happening, something that's going on you think nobody knows about, a way that something's been going on, nothing is outside of God's view.
[16:28] God sees everything that is going on. And only the pillars that God wants to stand will stand and that He will uphold. You know, many times in the Bible, the children of God, the children of Israel, they heard from their enemies.
[16:41] 2 Chronicles 32, 15, listen to this. It says, Now therefore, let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him, for no God of any nation or any kingdom was able to deliver His people out of my hand and out of the hands of my fathers.
[16:57] And how much less shall your God deliver you out of my hand? They're hearing the taunting of the enemy. It goes on where they're almost screaming.
[17:07] 32, 18, it says, Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerusalem that they were on the wall to fright them and to trouble them that they may take the city. In their own language, they're screaming at them and the enemy is trying to terrify them.
[17:22] They're trying to criticize them, tell them that their God is of no value, that their God is irrelevant to the situation, that their God cannot deliver them. In 32, verse 20, they pray, And for this cause, Hezekiah the king and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amos, prayed and cried to heaven and his servant spake yet more against the Lord and against his servant Hezekiah.
[17:42] That's how I like for stories to end, right? Here's the enemy. He's taunting you. He's saying that your God is powerless and that your situation, you can't do anything about it. Then Hezekiah prays and then God turns the table and God vindicates His people and the problem seems to be solved for them in that moment.
[18:02] But that isn't how it always works, right? God does not always answer our prayers immediately. Now we have a problem, we've been done wrong by somebody, we're in a situation and we want it to be gone quickly.
[18:14] Benjamin did a great job earlier in showing us that patience, it takes time, right? There's sometimes that something's going to happen and the problem isn't going to disappear in a day, a week, or even a year, or even a lifetime.
[18:29] It's going to be there. Remember, because our paradigm in life doesn't end after 70 years. We have an eternal view of things. We don't have to have things set right in our moment and in our time because we know that we're going to live for eternity.
[18:41] He has given us eternal life. But what are some of the reasons these prayers aren't answered immediately? Maybe God is giving time for people to repent. Romans 2, it says, For we are sure that the judgment of God is according to the truth against them which commit such things and thinkest thou this, O man, thou judgest them which do such things and does the same that thou shalt escape the judgment of God.
[19:03] Jonah knew this truth. Jonah says, I know that if I go preach about you, you're so loving and you're so gracious and you're so long-suffering that if I give them some time and I preach to them, they're going to repent and you're going to forgive them.
[19:17] And so we should be asking God to be long-suffering towards people that hurt us. We should be thankful that God is being long-suffering to people that are doing wrong. You know, there's sin towards you and people do hurt you.
[19:30] People do sin against you. Anytime I see a stat that says this percentage of young people were hurt in this manner, I say I always think it's lower than the stat says because I've been around too many young adults that have too many stories and no matter where they come from, people get hurt.
[19:47] People get done wrong. We live in other people but there's sin towards you that goes unnoticed. If it goes unforgiven, it will cost them more than you would ever want for them.
[20:02] Don't just be grieved that somebody sinned against you and it hurts you. Be grieved that they sin against the God of heaven and be grateful that God is long-suffering towards them. Be grateful that God is giving them more time to repent.
[20:15] And then God delays so that evil may have time to work itself to full fruition. Genesis 15, 16, But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
[20:27] But never believe that God does not know what's going on. Do not believe that somebody is getting by with something that goes against what he would have for us. And so there's a comfort for the godly but there's also a warning against the foolish.
[20:39] Verses 4, I said unto the fools, deal not foolishly unto the wicked. Lift up not the horn. Lift not up the horn on high. Speak not with a stiff neck. Being proud and wicked are always linked together.
[20:51] Being proud and wicked. We have a picture of an ox here whose horns are up like a bull ready to fight. The stiff necked in Jeremiah is connected to not being willing to hear.
[21:04] People that are not listening to God that are stiff necked that God recognizes them and that their horns that are lifted will be brought down in his timing. Andrew and I got to spend a little time with Rebecca and Nathaniel Mize yesterday.
[21:17] They were talking about getting some bulls and me and Andrew were trying to impress them with our knowledge of the farm and we didn't do very well, okay? They know more about everything than we do about the farm but there was this one time when I was a kid in the baseball field where we played in the county there was a cow pasture and it had a bull in it and anytime somebody would hit a ball a foul ball and it would go into the cow pasture if you would go and get the ball they would give you a pack of baseball cards at the concession stand.
[21:44] If you were willing to risk your life for a $2 baseball they would give you a pack of cards for that to honor you. That's how I was raised that's your different world completely, okay?
[21:54] And so I don't know much about bulls but I know that when they look up and their head is up and the horns are up that's where things are dangerous because they're going to charge and that's the picture that is being given here that they're up.
[22:07] But there's an unchangeable rule Matthew 20 through 12 and whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. This was true with Lucifer it was true in the Tower of Babel when they wanted to make a name for themselves and not for God and it's also true for you when you will do your own things and it's going to be true for the Antichrist at the end of the world that those that raise their head up against God the prideful the wicked those that will not listen they will be brought down in God's timing.
[22:34] So people need to be change their attitude towards God and the Bible aligns it here. Verse 4 says they shouldn't arrogantly exalt themselves. Verse 5 says they shouldn't speak with pride. Verse 6 says they shouldn't realize that no help will come from the earthly direction for promotion cometh neither from the east or from the west nor from the south.
[22:51] Verse 7 God is a righteous judge who saves and destroys. Verse 8 the wicked shall receive the full wrath of God if they do not receive His salvation. That those that are prideful and arrogant and against God their day is coming.
[23:05] And what should we do? We should pray for them. We should ask that they would pray that God would continue to be long suffering towards them. There's a clear explanation of judgment. Verse 6 for promotion cometh neither from the east nor from the west and north from the south for God is the judge.
[23:21] This verse that we read here sounds a lot like Hannah's song of 1 Samuel 2. There is none holy as the Lord for there is none beside thee neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceedingly proudly let no arrogance come out of your mouth for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by Him actions are weighed.
[23:39] Hannah's being criticized so that we have children she's being mocked and she says our God He weighs the actions. In their hardship they did not accuse God of being unjust.
[23:51] They had said that there's no help coming from the east or the west that can bring justice. They're trusting God's timing. They're saying like Hannah by Him actions are weighed. Judgment will be severe and it will be complete.
[24:02] Here's a metaphor it says in the hand of the Lord there is a cup. We should never live obsessed that someone has done us wrong and no one will ever know because in the hand of the judge there's a cup.
[24:13] There is a wrath that's going to come for the sin upon their lives and this should lead us to pray for them. We know thankfully in Matthew 26, 42 and He went away the second time and He prayed saying O my Father if this cup may not pass away from me except that drink it Thy will be done.
[24:32] And so they're wrong towards you that sin towards you they're going to pay for for all eternity or they're going to repent and they're going to turn to God and they're going to receive forgiveness just like you needed because sometimes you're not the victim sometimes you're the bully sometimes you're the person that needs forgiveness sometimes you're the proud person in the story sometimes you're the one that's taunting Hannah you're the one that needs God to be patient and long-suffering towards you.
[24:59] Have you ever been in one of those conversations with an unbeliever where they talk about why does God allow wickedness to exist why doesn't He get rid of it immediately why did Hitler ever exist why did any of these things ever happen and you would say now exactly where do you want to draw the line with it you want no wickedness to exist if that happens boom me and you are both gone right because you're going to have to draw the line somewhere and there's going to be a group of people eight billion long and at some point you're going to have to draw a line and say his wickedness is worse than this but every one of us deserve to drink the wrath of our sins we deserve to take the cup of our sin and judgment that is in the hand of the judge and at the end of our lives to drink it completely but for us as believers it's been taken from us and that's what we should want for everybody in this world as they've hurt you verse 9 says but I will declare forever I will sing praises to the God of Jacob all the horns of the wicked also will I cut off but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted we can have full confidence in God's judgment you can't have full confidence in any earthly systems you can't have full confidence in anything from the east or from the west but you can be confident that God is a righteous judge and so the justice that we desire so long we desire so much for we're never going to find it on this side of eternity because there's a day that's coming where our king
[26:22] Jesus will rule and reign and he will rule perfectly and that justice that we all desire to have we're going to have it and we're going to agree on it and we're going to agree how we get it without Jesus there is no peace I told you how this kind of dorky school teacher we used to always when I would leave the room he would say I would say peace in the Middle East and he would say when and I say when Jesus rules and reigns alright I know that's a really weird way to leave a room but he was saying there's no peace in the Middle East until when Jesus rules and reigns there's no justice there's no perfect justice in your life until Jesus rules and he reigns so you can let your whole life be thrown off by the fact that you're dealing with injustice and it can have you ever met somebody that they were done wrong when they were small when they were little and their whole life is a reaction to it and they're fighting for justice and they're fighting hard for it and they were done wrong and they need justice but they're not going to get it it is an empty pursuit it is significant that the world that this would end with the calling God the God of Jacob as we've said many times
[27:27] God doesn't waste words in his scripture that I will sing praises unto the God of Jacob this would call into attention some promises that were made to them starting with Abraham he promised that he would be their God and they would be his people that he would make them a people and that he would give them a permanent dwelling place and that he would grant them an inheritance and that they would be their inheritance it's calling upon the promises of God when this injustice is happening you can look at the promises of God and you can trust him and you can know he does all things right and then there's a personal choice it's sung in a congregation a lot of things that are being said but now it gets personal verse number 9 a personal choice it says but I will declare forever and I will sing praises to the God of Jacob and here's an expression I'm going to trust God I'm going to humble myself I'm going to trust that he always does right and he always does best and as it says in 1 Peter 5-6 humble yourself therefore unto the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time I'm going to say God in your timing things will be made right in your timing
[28:29] I'm going to get that justice that I believe that is needed and that you will do all things perfectly you know this passage doesn't say anything about bitterness but I can't help think about bitterness right because what is the well maybe the simplest definition of bitterness is this violation to your personal justice system it's a violation to your personal justice system and you say things are not right things are not just and things will I have to make things right I have to weigh out the actions and I have to balance things out well you can't weigh out the actions only God can you can't balance out this world only God can so we live in a world that seems as if it has no rules but do not be mistaken for a moment that there is a ruler and a judge never fret believer that justice will be done there will always be more to the story than the news will report about but you can know that God knows completely and God knows all and he is perfectly and he is a perfect judge and you can trust this timing can I challenge you tonight don't waste your life fighting injustice and having bitterness today could be a good day if you let go of bitterness if you go to say that I'm going to trust God as the righteous judge
[29:44] I'm going to look to him and him alone for justice today would be a good day for you to pray for those that have hurt you the judge has a cup and they will drink from it but pray that Jesus Christ has taken the wrath of God for their sins I can name a million bad things that I've heard in here but this is where the Holy Spirit has to work in your life and he has to tell you this is the area in life that you feel that there's an injustice and a bitterness this is the person that you're having a hard time you know that thing that they did towards you that's creating a friction in your relationship and that you can't forgive well that thing is eventually going to be dealt with and it's either going to be dealt with because Jesus Christ died upon the cross for them and that you'll spend eternity with that person or they'll be separated for all eternity do you really want that injustice they did towards you that you can't forgive to keep them from hearing the gospel you know as a believer there should be no family member that you're not wanting to give the gospel to there should be nobody in your life that you're not praying would come to a saving knowledge of God regardless of what has happened in your life and today would be a good day to rejoice no matter what has happened as a result of being wronged our God will draw near to us in all circumstances we can draw near to him nobody doing wrong towards us can throw us so far off center that God is not willing to draw near to us and that's something we can rejoice in because there is a judge heavenly father
[31:10] I pray right now Lord that the Holy Spirit will make application in the lives of every believer in here today because we know that you are a good and perfect judge father if there's anyone in here dealing today with bitterness bitterness directed towards people bitterness directed towards you or bitterness towards circumstances in their lives where they just feel this great sense of injustice Lord and it's crippling to them I pray that they will look to you and you alone and they will trust your timing because you do all things right and you are a perfect judge with every head bowed and every eye closed I'd like to ask you in here if you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your savior I know it's Sunday night most of you are members of the church up here but we never want to miss an opportunity to give you a chance to respond there's only two ways that sin are going to be dealt with if you spend eternity separated from God paying the penalty of your sin or that cup of the wrath of God will be taken by Jesus Christ and if you don't know Jesus Christ tonight would you allow me an opportunity to pray for you anybody in that situation those of you in here that are praying there in your seats
[32:22] I pray that you will trust and you'll rejoice in the fact that we have a perfect judge Heavenly Father I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ I pray that if any of them are dealing with a sense of injustice or bitterness they will let it go tonight trusting you and your timing when you're done praying will you stand and sing with Stephen you you