Vindication through Divine Retribution

Introduction

Review of some truth from Proverbs on Sunday night

I do not want the King seeing me usurping His authority and seeking my own revenge.

Proverbs 20:22 (KJV 1900)

22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; But wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.

Good example about how this is not about behavior modification but trusting God. Dependent on God.

Bitterness: unresolved violation of your justice system (brings hurt and anger) - Jim Schettler

Christians never need revenge.

1 Peter 4:19 (KJV 1900)

19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit (trust) the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Prayer of vindication by divine retribution.

We will see it being properly motivated.

We will look at several truths for God’s people.

God’s people are to hate sin. v.1-3

God’s people should hate the effect sin has upon people. v.4-7

God’s people know and love that God sees everything we do. v.8-11

God’s people are well taken care of. v.12-15

God’s people should give thanks unto God in every situation. v.16-19

God’s people can be certain of God’s future, final, and just judgment. v.20-23

God’s people are to hate sin.

Psalm 94:1–3 (KJV 1900)

1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: Render a reward to the proud.

3 Lord, How long shall the wicked, How long shall the wicked triumph?

Why bring vengeance upon the wicked?

Not as a personal vendetta.

Those who love God will hate sin.

Song: I hate sin for it is bad. I hate sin it makes me mad. It is wrong, it is wicked, when it comes around Ill kick it. I hate sin because I love God.

Prayer that the sin will stop because God will “shew himself”

We can foster our hate for sin as we look at the misery it creates.

Not all sin is the result of an sin but all misery is a result of Adam’s sin.

Iconaclast: a destroyer of images used in religious worship.

Numbers 33:52 KJV 1900

52 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:

College student in Knoxville who burned down a store that sold pornography.

Preacher saying “he wanted to throw all the liquor in the river, all the drugs, etc.. Song Leader ending the service with Shall we Gather at the River

We should be a people that pray that could would shine forth in this world.

Psalm 80:1 (KJV 1900)

1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

God’s people should hate the effect sin has upon people.

Psalm 94:4–7 (KJV 1900)

4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? And all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

5 They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, And afflict thine heritage.

6 They slay the widow and the stranger, And murder the fatherless.

7 Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, Neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

Sin breaks the people in pieces.

Afflicts thine heritage - goes after the family.

Slays the widows and strangers.

Murders the fatherless.

Opposite of the call to holiness.

Leviticus 19:10–18 (KJV 1900)

10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God.

11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.

12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.

13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord.

15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the Lord.

17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

Last Indian event I told our Indian friends that I was grateful for their contribution to our community. They are at the park with their kids. They improve our schools. But more than anything culturally or morally a people bring to a community we, as God’s people, should be a vital element for good in our community.

We should be people who help pull others back from sin.

James 5:19–20 (KJV 1900)

19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Yes, we want to help people who are dealing with the effects of sin but thanks to God’s world we can deal with more than just the effects of sin. We can address the heart.

Zoom call with Jason Holt. Reason we love church planting. We are unique in this. When a community gets a church they get so much. When a family gets a god fearing dad they get so much. Want to make a lasting difference in someone family. Disciple.

How long will God let the wicked celebrate?

Psalm 94:4 (KJV 1900)

4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? And all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

They break the people. Psalm 94:5 “5 They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, And afflict thine heritage.”

They speak arrogantly. Psalm 94:4 “4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? And all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?”

When people boast but have no idea of what they are saying it can be humorous. Girl in highs school tasted horrible. She spoke about it everyday. Then we told her we had been replacing her bottled water for tap water for weeks.

They were attacking people that God promised he would protect,

The arrogance of their speech comes from their (naive) belief that God does not pay attention to them.

God’s people know and love that God sees everything we do.

Psalm 94:8–11 (KJV 1900)

8 Understand, ye brutish among the people: And ye fools, when will ye be wise?

9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see?

10 He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?

11 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, That they are vanity.

Warning to the foolish to change their ways

Sometimes the most charitable thing you can do for a person is to help them see their sin.

The warning is God hears, God sees, and God punishes.

Jason Holt is good at raising funds for the work in Chile because he knows the ministry belongs to the Lord and he is not asking for something that is his personally. We should feel the same way when we warn people of sin. We aren’t making the rules we are just giving you the warning.

We have a very observant God.

Exodus 2:24–25 (KJV 1900)

24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

God hears, sees, and even knows the intentions of the heart. Psalm 94:11 “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, That they are vanity.”

Stephanie loves court cases. Not reality tv, but reality. The frustration of many of these cases is that many times no one knows everything. They cannot always know motive, etc. We take comfort in knowing we have an all knowing God.

God’s people are well taken care of.

Psalm 94:12–15 (KJV 1900)

12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, And teachest him out of thy law;

13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, Until the pit be digged for the wicked.

14 For the Lord will not cast off his people, Neither will he forsake his inheritance.

15 But judgment shall return unto righteousness: And all the upright in heart shall follow it.

The psalmist is acknowledging that sometimes the righteous fall prey to the wicked in this world. Does that mean that God has forgotten us? No.

There is a blessedness to us even in affliction.

The people of God may have to endure oppression and danger for some time, but in it all they will come to know more about God through his revelation.

Philippians 3:14 (KJV 1900)

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

God’s people should give thanks unto God in every situation.

Psalm 94:16–19 (KJV 1900)

16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

17 Unless the Lord had been my help, My soul had almost dwelt in silence.

18 When I said, My foot slippeth; Thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.

19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul.

We can put all their trust in the LORD because he helped, held, and comforted us

I cannot even fathom how many times God has protected me and I was not even aware. Situations he removed me from, people he moved in and out of my life.

Many times you feel the like the whole world has risen against you. Psalm 3:1 “Lord, How are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me.”

If God would not have risen up up and helped us we would be silent/dead tonight. v.17

We had a lack of stability in our lives (feet slipping) and our anxiety high (multitude of thoughts)

Because in his mercy (faithful love) God intervened in our distress, our spirit was lifted from a crippling anxiety to a delightful comfort.

Psalm 94:19 KJV 1900

19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul.

Every had these moments. For me the most vivid is of the Piggy Pots.

God’s people can be certain of God’s future, final, and just judgment.

Psalm 94:20–23 (KJV 1900)

20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, Which frameth mischief by a law?

21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, And condemn the innocent blood.

22 But the Lord is my defence; And my God is the rock of my refuge.

23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, And shall cut them off in their own wickedness; Yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.

Defence and rock; These metaphors emphasize the safety and security that God provides for those who take refuge in him.

Clear statements about God

He is the God who avenges,

He is the judge of the earth,

He does not reject his people,

He is their help,

His mercy comforts his people,

He is their rock and defence,

He knows what the wicked are doing and planning

He will destroy them for their wickedness

What does it mean for us that judgment is certain? Well, it ought to mean at least three things; accountability, gratitude, and humility.

Accountable: Everything that we see, everything that we think, everything that we say, everything that we do, we are accountable for to God.

Grateful: We all understand that were it not for God’s grace, we would be numbered among the wicked.

Humility: If God has shown us His grace and mercy, we ought to be the most humble people on earth.

Not just an Old Testament truth

God has not stopped hearing, seeing and punishing

Psalm 94:11 “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, That they are vanity.”

is cited in 1 Corinthians 3:20 “And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”

God has not and will never cast off His people.

Psalm 94:14 “14 For the Lord will not cast off his people, Neither will he forsake his inheritance.”

is used in Romans 11:1–3

Romans 11:1 (KJV 1900)

1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.