Who is My Neighbor? Seeking Justice for the Oppressed “BECOMING AN INTERCESSOR FOR JUSTICE” 1. Walk with the Good Samaritan and see how his getting close enough to his injured enemy lead him to seek justice on the behalf of the oppressed, the abused and mistreated. 2. How do we apply seeking justice as we walk and live in our neighborhood. PARABLE OF THE OPPRESSED WIDOW 1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:1-8 1. Always pray 2. Do not give up 3. Pray for God's Justice 4. God will give justice when His people cry day and night. 5. Praying for justice for the oppressed takes great faith. WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN JUSTICE AND FAITH? Justice is not an easy thing to seek. It seems the closer we get involved with people and neighbors, the more injustices we see. Parents who neglect and even abuse their children. People who are oppressed with addictions. Politicians who seek to line their own pockets and the pockets of their contributors rather than benefit the people. Preachers who bend the truth of God rather than alienate big givers. Manufacturer's who take advantage of cheap labor, even children in foreign countries. I could go on and on. Most of us have experienced injustice ourselves. It can be a false accusation, a stinging insult, a theft of something precious, an abusive public official, an inconsiderate neighbor. We even experience injustice within our families, with abuse, mistreatment, mishandling of money, fighting over inheritance. The is injustice aplenty in this world. People right now are imprisoned, or being forced to work as slaves, or forced to serve as child soldiers, and many are being murdered simply because of their faith in Jesus Christ. INSIGHT INTO THE CONNECTION BETWEEN JUSTICE AND FAITH REVELATION CHAPTER 6:9-11: 9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. Revelation 6:9-11 God told them that there were going to be more martyrs. The number was not yet complete. He told them to rest a little while longer. That is not what we want to hear. We want the injustice to stop. We want the murdering to stop. We want the abuse, the slavery the torture to stop! But God says to REST a little longer! The connection between justice and faith is that while we long for justice, while we plead day and night for justice, we must NEVER lose faith that God is in control, that God knows exactly what is going on. We must have faith that God cares deeply about the injustices in this world. But God has a plan and that plan will be accomplished in His time! THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH REV 13:10 If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. Revelation 13:10 Good Samaritan's must plead and come to the aid of the oppressed, but we must never, never lose faith that God is in control! We must be patient and faithful as we wait for His throne to complete His work! WHO IS AN INTERCESSOR? The picture of an intercessor is found in Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26 an intercessor 1. An intercessor helps - sunantilambanō, 1. made up of sun, "together with," anti "over against," and lambanō, "to take." The word speaks of the action of a person coming to another's aid by taking hold over against that person, of the load he is carrying. The person helping does not take the entire load, but helps the other person in his endeavor. So, the Holy Spirit who indwells us comes to our aid in our spiritual problems and difficulties, not by