Luke18@FSU 

A Spirit of Justice to Combat the Spirit of Harlotry.                                         Feb. 7, 2011

Amos 5:

“Seek Me and Live…”4

“You who turn justice to wormwood and lay righteousness to the rest of the earth.”7

-Justice has been turned into a bitter and sorrowful thing to those who do no rightly understand the Justice of God. They misinterpret the meaning of justice because they have a wrong view of God.  

-God’s Justice being perpetuated in our lives allows us to live holy before Him.

It works as a “refiner’s fire and launderer’s soap”. (Mal 3:2)

-We must seek to have a renewed mind and ask for the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the ways of God.

Justice is key.  We must fight to establish lives of justice before God.

“They hate the one who rebukes in the gate and they abhor the one who speaks rightly.” 10

• The gate was the location of the town where justice was to be upheld in all legal proceedings, civil and criminal.  This influenced all the spheres within society. As the scripture implies this one who speaks rightly will encounter strife and mocking. 

“Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so the Lord God of Hosts will be with you, As you have spoken.  Hate evil, love good.  Establish justice at the gate.  If may be that the Lord God of Hosts will be gracious on the remnant of Joseph.”14-15

-The preparation of the heart to receive from God and walk a path of justice begins, and is maintained by living in a lifestyle of humble repentance.  God called for the honest tumult of the rolling waters of justice, and the perennial stream of righteousness, which is the only foundation for true devotion, worship, or praise to the Lord.  

Micah 3:

“Hear now, O heads of Jacob and you rulers of the house of Israel:  Is it not for you to know Justice?”1

-This is directly addressing the leaders.  They had perverted justice and used their authority to destroy it rather than establish it among the people.  

-We must know and understand God’s justice.

Hosea 4:

“My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge, because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for me;  Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”6

-Justice was a principal part of God’s Laws given to His people.  To understand His laws, you had to understand His just nature. This is a stern warning from the Lord to us in our day.  It is our responsibility to establish justice in the gate of our own lives, so that we may properly  instruct those around us by a living example.  We must not reject this knowledge as the levitical priest in Hosea’s day did.

“Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart.  My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, and their staff informs them.  For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, and they have played the harlot against their God.” 11-12

-because the levites failed to properly instruct the people in the knowledge of God, they turned to drunkenness and counsel from false doctrines.  They were seduced by a spirit of Harlotry and it caused them to turn away from God.  

-The thing that will counteract a spirit of Harlotry is the Spirit of Justice.

Luke 20:

“Who ever falls on the stone will be broken; but on whomever the stone falls, it will grind him into powder”

Titus 1-2:

“To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.  They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.” 1:15-16

“In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, Incorruptibility, sound speech, that cannot be condemned that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.” 2:7-8

-This is an exhortation from Paul to Titus, who was a fellow leader in the new testament church.  In this letter he plainly outlines the attributes that define both those who are pure and just before the Lord, and those who have fallen into seduction by the spirit of Harlotry.  The latter verse outlines a model for the just to walk by. 

Isaiah 28:

“In that day the Lord of Hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty.  To the remnant of his people.  For a Spirit of Justice to him who sits in judgement, and for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.” 5-6

-We are the ekklesia of God.  we are in authority. we ask for a spirit of Justice to be upon us, and for strength, because we are those standing at the gate, fighting the battle to have justice established.  We ask for grace that we would not err in vision(verse 7) or stumble in judgement.  We must pray for God to raise up a standard of purity in His Bride.  A place of cleanliness and justice, where holiness can abide.  We pray for the covenant of death to be broken on this campus (verse 15)

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.  Whoever believes will not act hastily.  Also, I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plummet; the hail will sweep away the refuge of lies and the waters will overflow the hiding place.” 16-17

(this corresponds nicely with Amos 6:24 “Let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

For further meditation on the just nature of God read Psalm 50.

Recently, I have been thinking on the subject of eternity.  It has opened up a whole new paradigm of thinking, and it has challenged me to view the world from a whole new perspective.  As humans, we tend to focus on the “here and now.”  It can cause us to worry, stress, fear,  walk in anger and frustration, or maybe lose hope in our present circumstances.  The obstacles life throws at us can sometimes seem insurmountable.  Likewise, things that the Lord lays on our heart to accomplish can seem completely impossible or out of our reach.  We focus on this “life” as the primary thing, and eternity seems to be an afterthought.  Our motivations for success and all of our goals are oriented towards this current life.  This ought not be so.  For me, a change of perspective was in order.  

Through a conversation with some friends, my whole worldview was opened up to something far greater than what is going on “right now.” So, I began to think about the subject of eternity and how it really applied to my life. Was it my goal? My primary focus? or was it an afterthought?  So, I started to search out a few things the Word says about this “life” in relation to eternity, and how Jesus and the apostles viewed this life in perspective to eternity

Mark 10:21 “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up your cross, and follow me.”

 James 4:14-16 “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.  Instead you ought to say, ‘if the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ But now you boast in your arrogance.  All such boasting is evil.”  

John 12: 25-26 “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  if anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18  ”Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.  For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

The common thread that appears in all the teachings of Jesus and the apostles was this concept of the weight of eternity.  Their perspectives didn’t look to this life, but the one to come.  The one that was Really going to matter.   No matter what they suffered in this life, they kept Joy through it.  This strengthened them to persevere through all manner of trial and tribulation.  They had faith in God’s purpose.  It didn’t matter that they were facing persecution, or that they didn’t have the “comforts” of this world, because they can’t satisfy and they are a vapor at best.  They were working towards eternity.  Jesus said “give away everything, take up your cross and follow Me.” This means sacrificing anything in our life that doesn’t glorify Him.  We are called to give it away, to “crucify the flesh” so that we can live to the spirit and follow in His ways.   That doesn’t necessarily sound like the most “comfortable” decision a person could make, but it is the only one that will truly satisfy, and the ramifications and rewards that this will have in eternity is FAR beyond anything we could comprehend in this life.  Jesus didn’t come to save us from this “world” so that we could have all the pleasures of this life.  He came to give us the ability to be with Him in eternity and to be able to walk in perfect communion with Him.  ” If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”  Colossians 3:1-5  With our resurrected body, we will be able to fully experience the greatness of God, and live in His eternal Glory. This is the Life that Christ came and died to give us

The motivation that comes out of this eternal perspective begins to permeate every decision we make in this 70 years of “life”.  Things that once seemed to matter SO much, now seem trivial at best.  Those areas in our lives that we struggle to turn over to God seem to just fade away. Our heart longs to live a life completely obedient and surrendered to the will of God, whatever it may be.  Tasks set before us that seemed so impossible, now seem so much easier.  It enables us to keep Joy in all situations and let the Love of God shine through us, no matter how difficult the circumstances may be.  

What is really going to matter in eternity? Will it be the “comforts of the flesh” that we possessed,  or what we “accomplished” in our own eyes?  Or will it be that we sought to know Him, be like Him, and acknowledge Him in All our ways?

I pray that this word helps to inspire anyone who reads it into a deeper fascination with Jesus Christ, to know Him to the depths, and to pursue a life that seeks Him with reckless abandonment.  I pray that it helps to give encouragement in whatever season of life you may be going through, that the love of God would abound in your heart, and that you would know the width, length depth, and height of His love, and be filled with the Fullness of God. In Jesus name, Amen!