Sermon Archives
Heart Cry for Justice
Psalm 35Psalms - A Heart Cry to God
J. Josh Smith
October 23, 2016
Description:
When the superhero finally destroys the villain by overcoming an impossible situation at the end of the movie, saving the world as well as the damsel in distress, there is something within us that wants to stand up and cheer. Did you know that this feeling is actually evidence that we are created in the image of God? We root for the villain to be destroyed, not because we are twisted and enjoy seeing a person’s destruction, but because we long for justice. We recognize that justice is a good thing. We have been created in the image of a God of justice. It is true that because of our sin nature, we have the tendency to long for personal vindication rather than social justice. But Psalm 35 teaches us that the people of God pray for justice because we long for the glory of God. When we see the name of the wicked being exalted and the cause of evil being advanced, we grow angry because we want God’s name exalted and His cause advanced. The people of God long to see God’s glory displayed through the overthrowing of wickedness and the establishment of justice. Psalm 35 gives words to these emotions we feel in the face of evil.
Vengeance is not ours; it belongs to God. But we can pray, and we must pray. We pray that God would rise and act on behalf of the innocent. We pray that He would frustrate the plans of the wicked. We pray for His kingdom to come. We pray, and we act. “The only thing worse than a morally bankrupt nation is a morally passive church.” We cannot be complacent groaners over the social ills of our day. We must engage the fight against evil. We must declare and display the Gospel of the kingdom. We declare the Gospel and we display the kingdom by being involved in efforts like foster ministry, the Curo Women’s Care Clinic (formerly known as Real Choices), and by building relationships with unbelievers. We pray, we act, and we rejoice because we know that our King is coming, and when He does, we’ll be behind Him rather than in front.
Keywords:
Justice, Trust