Praying on Purpose - Praying for Justice

Introduction:

How Should I Respond to Injustice? (Psalm 58)

1. I should recognize that Corruption is inevitable . (Ps 58:1-5)
2. I should pray that God Will Act . (Ps 58:6-9)

   Matthew 5:44 - "But I say to you, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

   Luke 23:34 - "Father, forgive them. For they do not know what they are doing."

   Acts 7:60 - "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."

3. I should rejoice that God is the Righteous Judge . (Ps 58:10-11)

   Ezekiel 33:11 - "As I live declares the LORD GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live."

   Galatians 6:9 - "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!

Small Group Discussion
Read Psalm 58

1. What was your big take-away from this passage / message?
   

2. As you reflect upon the Praying on Purpose series, how do you want your prayer life to change or improve moving forward?
   

3. What is an imprecatory psalm? Should we pray imprecatory prayers today? If the answer is yes, how do we find a biblical balance between praying for justice and praying for grace?
   

4. What is the difference between righteous anger and unrighteous anger? Which do you often display on a regular basis?
   

5. Re-read Psalm 58:10-11 - Why should it encourage us to know that the Lord is a righteous judge as well as a righteous rewarder?

Breakout
Pray for one another!

Questions from the Congregation - Part 13

Note: The time signatures [00:00] below indicate the start of a question if you'd like to skip to a particular one of interest in the audio file.

Q: How can we as Christians actively combat white privilege and racism? How are we at Harvest able to make a difference despite the lack of diversity in our church and immediate community?

A: See Acts 17:26 - And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place…

Ephesians 2:13-16 - But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

Revelation 5:9-10 - And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Any question that was missed due to time constraints during the service Pastor Jeff will address the answer on the blog.

Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!

Small Group Questions (Whole Group):

Discuss any of the topics covered on Sunday! Consult the thorough notes I’m certain you took.

Breakout Questions:
Pray for our nation - and pray for our church to have opportunity to love people with the Gospel in the face of racial tension.