So now this is what God's kingdom is built on. Now notice this - in Jeremiah, Chapter 9 - look what God says in Jeremiah. So we see the kingdom is established on those four pillars, and justice and judgement are key parts of that. Now look what it says in Verse 24. It says: let him that glories, glory in this, that he understands and knows Me. So He said if you're going to rejoice, don't rejoice in your giftings and your successes and be boasting of all kinds of things. If you want to boast in anything, boast in the Lord, that you know Him. Then it says that I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness - that's mercy - judgement - there it is, there's that word again, justice and judgement, and then righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight. So there it is again, so God delights in kindness or mercy. He delights in justice, and He delights in judgement, doing things that are right. Notice God delights in that, He loves it. He is passionate about it. It pleases Him when something is done right.
When parents lead their families, and they do it right, and they discipline their children right, it pleases God. These things please God. When leadership leads well, and leads with righteousness, or leads in a right way, decisions are made which are right, this pleases God. Why? Because His kingdom is established, He loves what is right, and He loves judgement. He loves these things, because they bring what is right to people who need something done on their behalf. Notice the next scripture - and that word delight means to bend towards, be pleased with, be jealous over, or attentive to, so God is absolutely pleased when we act rightly, when we do justice and judgement. Think about that. When you help someone, even if they don't respond to you, you help someone who's in need, it delights God. He loves it. In fact in Matthew 5:25, He divides the whole world up into those who do rightly, or do justice and those who don't do it. When they say: how do we do this to You, He said: when you did this to the poor, when you fed the poor, when you clothed those who were naked, when you visited those in prison; this is what is justice to Me. This is right before Me. You do it to them, you're doing it to Me - so God is totally attentive to social justice, to things that are wrong being put right, to injustices being fixed up.
He is very attentive to it. He delights in it. Ultimately He will reward it as well. Interesting isn't it? Pentecostal churches tend to minimise this aspect, while proclaiming the need for a personal relationship with Jesus. Now we do need a personal relationship with Jesus, to address the root issue, but that does not mean we shouldn't deal with the injustices done to the poor. The church has been the champion of hospitals, of schools, of orphan work. Everywhere in the world, the church is the one who initiated and made these things happen. Why? Because this is in the kingdom of God. That's the nature of the kingdom of God. Church has withdrawn and let governments do it, but this is the kingdom of God to do these things, so the church will have to move back out that way again.
Have a look in Jeremiah 22, Verse 16 and it says: He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then was it well. Was this not to know Me says the Lord? You know what God says? To know Me, if you say you know Me, this is how it shows up in your life: you do kinds acts, or acts of compassion to the poor, justice. You minister to the broken hearted. You help those who are afflicted, you visit people in their distress. This is what He's saying - this is what it means to know God. The revelation you have of God is very little, if all it does is ends you up with hands in the air worshipping, and it doesn't flow out in kindness and mercy to people who are in desperate need. It's the very nature of God. If we encounter this God, He says: to know Me, means to do these things, so that's why Jesus said: we'll sort the church out, not on the basis of how much they prayed, but we'll sort it out on the basis of whether there was an overflow of the river of My heart and kingdom to those who are in need.