If There Is No Mercy, There Is No Justice
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If we have no mercy in our hearts, then there cannot be justice either! Isaiah 16:5 – “In mercy the throne will be established;
and One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David, Judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.” This
is how God’s heavenly authority gets established. God leads from a position of mercy. As leaders and intercessors we
must do the same.
1. Mercy & Justice
A. Mercy – letting go of the right to judge
James 2:13 – Mercy triumphs over judgment.
B. One of the greatest intercessory challenges: refusing to pray our will.
C. In prayer, our will has to be taken out of the equation.
D. There is a marriage of mercy and justice all throughout the Bible because true justice is physically executing
mercy.
E. Mercy is one of the most despised things in the heart of the sinful nature.
F. To the degree that we embrace mercy will be the degree in which we will grow in intercession.
G. Mercy and justice are the foundation of God’s decisions.
Psalm 89:14 – “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.”
H. Justice and mercy was the intent of much of the written law.
Matthew 23:23 – “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done,
without leaving the others undone.”
I. Mercy and Justice produce intimacy with Jesus.
Hosea 2:19,20 – “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in
lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD.”
Positive: Mercy, justice and intercession are married.
Negative: Judgment, offence and gossip are married.
J. God’s throne is established in mercy!
2. Intercession & Judgment
When I have judgment in my heart towards others:
• My heart is more offendable
• My prayers are opposed by my attitudes
• I pray my will
Why do we pray? To drive the judgment out of our hearts.
A. Intercession is linked to understanding the judgment due to us
B. Abraham, the intercessor and the first act of intercession
C. Abraham was able to intercede because of his love for mercy and justice.
Genesis 18:19
For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they
keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He
has spoken to him.”
D. Intercessors are hearing the cries that God is hearing and seeing the sins that God is seeing.
Genesis 18:20,21
And the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is
very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it
that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
E. Instead of judgment, Abraham pursues mercy through intercession and draws near to the Lord. Intercession only
happens through intimacy.
Genesis 18:22, 23a
Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.
And Abraham came near…
F. It is not about how loud you pray, but about drawing near to God.
G. We can stand in His presence, but we have to draw near to Him for intercession to take place.
H. Abraham first asks for the Lord to act righteously on behalf of the righteous.
Genesis 18:23b-25
“Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city;
would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to
do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked;
far be it from You!
I. Abraham asks for God’s judgment to be extremely favorable for the righteous. He is asking God to have mercy
on the actions of the majority because of the faithfulness of a few.
Genesis 18:26
Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the
city, then I will spare the place for their sakes.”
J. Abraham asks boldly in humility on behalf of the righteous few. He becomes as the widow in Luke 18 that refuses
to stop asking. (Relentless)
Genesis 18:27-33
Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to
speak to the Lord: Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for
lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” And he spoke to Him yet again and
said, “Suppose there should be forty foundthere?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.” Then he
said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will
not do it if I find thirty there.” And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord:
Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” Then he
said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And
He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished
speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
K. What is an intercessor?
An intercessor is:
• Unoffendable
• Non-judgmental
• Persistent and bold through intimacy and humility
• Hearing what God hears and seeing what God sees
• Living to see mercy triumph
Are you willing to walk in mercy and not judgment? If you have a particular person or situation that you cannot
pray mercy for, then you are walking in judgment. Remember: Mercy is letting go of the right to judge!