Q – With all the starvation and poverty in the world, how are Christ’s followers to live? Is it wrong to be rich in light of the needs that exist? What about when Jesus says it’s impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Is it wrong to be rich? Not necessarily. For example – there could be a business owner who gives away his income but the business that generates the income he gives away is worth millions. But I don’t think that’s what the question really has in mind.

Let’s quickly look at the story mentioned in the question:

Luke 18:18-27 (NIV)
¹⁸ A certain ruler asked [Jesus], “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁹ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good-except God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” ²¹ “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. ²² When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” ²³ When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. ²⁴ Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” ²⁷ Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

While this is a passage with many lessons, I don’t think that the main point here is that everyone must sell everything and give it all to the poor – although that might be good to do. I think the main point is that the “pull” of wealth for self is so strong, we are so bent by money, that it is impossible for the rich person to see the promise of eternal life as more valuable than earthly riches. And because Jesus is the giver of eternal life, it is impossible for the rich person to see Jesus as supremely valuable. God must call, God must convict, God must regenerate or nothing happens.

There is another implied message here. If God does call, if God does convict, if God does regenerate, money no longer will reign.

Matthew 6:24 (NIV)
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

It is impossible to grasp Jesus in a saving way while, at the same time, clinging to anything else. There is a great picture of how this should look.

Luke 19:8-9 (NIV)
⁸ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.”

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Often we approach the issue of giving to those in need through tell-me-what-to-do thinking. The real question is not what am I suppose to do but who am I suppose to be? We need much more than a list of dos and don’ts. We need more than a religious authority pointing his finger and saying, “You MUST give at least 10% of your income to the church!” This puts us in league with the rich young ruler Jesus talked with. We need much more than “law”, we need to be new people, we need new hearts, we need to be changed – we need to be transformed.

Romans 12:2 (NIV)
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be (keep being) transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Doing good to believers

Leviticus 19:9-10 (NIV)
⁹ “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. ¹⁰ Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 25:35-38 (NIV)
³⁵ “‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. ³⁶ Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may continue to live among you. ³⁷ You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit. ³⁸ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 (NIV)
⁷ If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. ⁸ Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. ⁹ Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. ¹⁰ Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. ¹¹ There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

Isaiah 58:6-10 (NIV)
⁶ “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? ⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. ⁹ Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, ¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

Matthew 25:31-40 (NIV)
³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

1 John 3:17-18 (NIV)
¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Doing good to those who don’t believe

Luke 6:27-36 (NIV)
²⁷ “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹ Do to others as you would have them do to you. ³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ lend to ’sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)
²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” ²⁷ He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” ²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” ²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ ³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” ³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Galatians 2:8-10 (NIV)
⁸ For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. ⁹ James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. ¹⁰ All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

God’s blessing of wealth is VERY important for many reasons. Our wealth can master and enslave us – that’s idolatry. Our call, however, is to embrace Jesus, not wealth, as our King. In seeing Jesus as our saving, all sufficient King, we will view our resources as gifts that we release into the lives of others.

James 4:1-4 (NIV)
¹ What causes fights (wars) and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires (used 5 times, always negative, lust), that battle within you? ² You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. ⁴ You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

Today is sanctity of life Sunday and its interesting, I think, that this Sunday follows our discussion last week of sin. It was my goal last week to expand our view of sin. As one might expect, our tendency is to understand sin as the overt, occasional mistake. The bad things we do once in a while. That outburst in word or deed that takes place when I deviate from my normal controlled behavior – or something like that. Defining sin that way is sin.

Sin is ANY failure to align with the moral law of God in act, attitude, or even nature. Sin is pervasive. It is the environment we live in.

The way we understand sin and who we are, connects with everything. It connects with how we see our need for Jesus – we marginalize our dependence on God when sin is simply action that we can learn to control with age. Our understanding of sin and how it merges with humanity effects everything. It effects how we look at the person who walks in the bookstore across the street. It effects how we look at the neighbor who hates Christians because they have the audacity to believe that abortion is wrong. It effects how we look at the one who has an abortion. Our understanding of sin connects with how we see ourselves. We are all swimming in water that is over our heads.

One of the reason this country is degenerating is that “Christians” here have, willingly, bought in to a feel-good definition of sin, and a feel-good understanding of how God views sin, and a feel-good understanding of God’s kindness to us through the death of Jesus, and a feel-good understanding of what God would want for us here (lives where we live as if our treasure is Christ and this world holds nothing for us).

We also talked, last week, about something I’m calling cultural sin. When sinful people get together they develop a culture that has sin as its lifeblood. Sin permeates its entertainment. Sin permeates its economics. Sin permeates its educational philosophy. Sin permeates its government. The culture develops a system that dictates how it’s members function, how they survive, what’s acceptable, and what is “right”. While cultural sin does not excuse the individual, it is a powerful force.

Slavery is an example of how humanity can create a culture that makes cruelty to humans easy, acceptable, and “necessary”. And in its wake are unthinkable and far reaching consequences. The institution of slavery was integrated into education, government, entertainment, economics… (William Wilberforce 1759-1833 – Amazing Grace) I find it interesting that today we all think of ourselves as merged with And today we see ourselves as those who would have led the charge against slavery 200 years ago.

Abortion has much in common with slavery. We have a culture that, at best, accommodates a none-of-my-business attitude. But more realistically our culture has created a cause that flows with money, jobs, political careers, sexuality, etc. And in its wake is unthinkable, far reaching devastation.

The killing of children in the womb is a massive sin that gives us a glimpse into our depravity. We are so depraved that not only do we kill our children, many of us are only occasionally bothered by it.

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The Bible speaks of in-the-womb babies like any other child:

In Luke 1 we read of the angel Gabriel’s appearance to Mary. Gabriel explained that Mary had found favor God and would soon be pregnant with Jesus – the Son of God. Gabriel also mentioned that Elizabeth (old and barren), a relative of Mary’s, was miraculously pregnant as well (she was in her 6^th month). So, as you might expect, the first thing Mary does is get to Elizabeth.

Luke 1:39-44 (NIV)
³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

Luke 2:12 (NIV)
¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Biblical Greek is an amazingly precise language.  The neuance it contains is sufficiant to convey precise meaning.  Here the author used the very same word for a baby in the womb and a baby out of the womb.  A baby is a baby.

Others:

Genesis 25:22 (NIV) – Jacob & Esau in Rachel’s womb
²² The babies jostled each other within her…

Psalm 139:13 (NIV)
¹³ For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I think one of the most amazing things was how my wife would speak of and think of our children while she was pregnant.

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There is so much work to do. How should we respond?

Fight for Justice

Pray! – Pray for ourselves in this that we might get this right. Pray that we might see sin as we should. Pray that we might live for Jesus in our daily lives. Pray for opportunity in this. Pray for our leaders in this:

President Obama -

Proverbs 21:1 (NIV)
¹ The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.

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Work for the protection of the unborn

Romans 3:25-26, “justice and the death of Jesus” [Listen]

Good Friday

There are many ways to look at the death of Jesus. Scripture is full of different reasons for why Jesus died.

We can say Jesus died:

• To show his love for us (Eph 5:2)
• To purify, for himself, a people that are zealous for doing good (Titus 2:14).
• To give us an example for how husbands should love their wives (Eph 5:25)
• To create a people who would not live for themselves but live for God (2 Cor 5:15)
• So piece could reign between God and humanity (Romans 5:10)

There many other precious and wonderful things we can say about why Jesus would allow himself to be humiliated, tortured, and murdered while completely faultless.

Tonight, however, I’d like to talk about Jesus’ death and a foundational problem that has faced human reality since the beginning. That problem is the problem of justice.

Humans hold tightly to the concept of justice – making right what is wrong. Humanity believes it is morally right and necessary to pursue justice – the pursuit of ‘justice’ is a righteous thing.

Our pursuit of justice is a glaring pointer to our belief that there is such a thing as right and wrong; that there is a standard that transcends culture. And we believe those who violate what is right MUST be held accountable. We expend great effort and resource to make sure we uphold what is right and prosecute what is wrong.

This innate sense of justice that we as humans have – as wrong as we sometimes get it – is a pointer to God. Even if perfect justice doesn’t exist here, we believe there is right and wrong and there will come a day when God will look at all that is wrong and make it right. There will come a day when every sin will be dealt with rightly. Justice is not an optional product of God’s will; justice is an unchangeable principle of his very nature.

This reality also brings us to a problem. What do WE do with a just God who would not be a good God if he wasn’t just? If we had an earthly judge who simply let criminals go because he felt like it or because he could be bribed, we would call that judge corrupt and evil – we would put that judge in jail. Often, however, we want justice when we’ve been wronged and we want an evil judge who can be bribed when we’ve commit wrong. I want a God who will do what’s right in every situation except when he looks at me.

God, however, is not partial – EVERYONE will be judged rightly.

So where does that leave me? Often I worship the creation instead of the creator. My thoughts and desires betray who I am even if I hide it well. I lie and cheat and only put God first enough to appear to be righteous. What do I do when I face God?

This is why Jesus came. Jesus came and lived as we live. He was tempted as we are tempted (only without failure). Jesus came to die the death we deserve and become the object of judgment in place of those who will trust him alone to be their rightness before God.

God would not be good if he ignored sin – every sin will be dealt with. Without Jesus I have no hope because I must then bear the consequence of my own sin.

Romans 3:25-26 (ESV)

…God put [Jesus] forward as a propitiation (sin-bearer) by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness/justice, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness/justice at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

John 3:16 (ESV)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

There is a way for you to be right before God. Jesus came to be judged, to die in your place. You do not need to be the one to bear the judgment for your sin. Confess your helplessness and embrace Jesus – he will represent you.

Jeremiah 22:3, “Pursuing Justice: racial harmony” [Listen]

Prejudice and racism stands against God’s plan for those who would follow Jesus. We spit in God’s face when we demean someone made in God’s image.

Jeremiah 22:3 (NIV)

This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

Biblical definition of justice – Moving against or correcting what is wrong. The cancer of sin that flows through the veins of this world produces death all around us. To fight against this is to pursue justice. For example: Slavery still exists throughout the world – sexual slavery, ethnic slavery, racial slavery, economic slavery – to fight against this is to pursue justice. When you fight for those that are disadvantaged – the orphans, the widows, those with no homes – you are pursuing justice.When you speak for those who cannot speak for themselves you are pursuing justice.

Last Monday was Martin Luther King Jr day. Most of us are probably familiar with MLK. He was a focal point for much of what we, today, think of as the American civil rights movement. Among other things, King was fighting to end racial discrimination and overt segregation. In 1968 King was assassinated in Memphis.

Many of us here today are probably too young to remember much of the discrimination and segregation that was openly sanctioned in our recent past. For example: in 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back of the bus – she was arrested. Earlier that year a black, 15 year old high school girl named Claudette Colvin was arrested and handcuffed and taken to jail in Montgomery for not giving up her bus seat to a white person.

The natural inclination of this world is to believe that the benefits I have in this life (money, power, influence, safety) are earned – I own them. The Christian perversion of this would be that God’s blessings to me are a result of me doing something right – I own them. The truth is that any blessing, giftedness, money, power, or influence you have is God’s gift.

It is by his kindness that I have what I have – I do not own it. God does. I have not been entrusted with the blessings of God so I can selfishly count them as MINE; I have these things so that I can glorify God by using them for the Kingdom.

Racism screams, “it is mine!” while those who follow Jesus should scream, “God has blessed me so I can make much of Jesus and bless those around me!”

Jesus was very clear – God’s plan of blessing has no ethnic boundaries. The Hebrews did not own God’s blessings

Luke 4:16-29 (NIV)

[Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Is 61:1-2)

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ ”

“I tell you the truth,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath (a Gentile widow, 1Kings 17-18) in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” (commander of the Syrian army – a Gentile, 2Kings 5)

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

So why were the crowds in love with Jesus first, and then ready to kill him soon afterwards?

Well, they loved Jesus in the first few verses because he declares himself the Messiah. He has come to free the prisoners and release the oppressed. He has also done many miracles to prove his capability. This is GREAT news! God will finally show the world that the Hebrew people are God’s people.

Soon afterwards, however, they want to kill him because he lets them know that God’s work of salvation is not confined by their ethnic boundries. Their ethnic bias is so strong that they can’t imagine their enemies as recipients of God’s favor.

Again, when we think we own God’s favor we are guilty of great sin.

The beauty of God’s vision is his gospel can meet the needs of the African woman, the Asian man, the Indian on a reservation, or the nomad in coldest Siberia. Racism is overtly going against God’s amazing design.

The fight against racism is the pursuit of justice.

Luke 11:42 (NIV)

“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”

Proverbs 21:15 (NIV)

When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.

Proverbs 2:6-8 (NIV)

For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Proverbs 31:9 (NIV)

Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Pursuing justice by fighting for those who need help is a good thing – we must do this – Jesus did this. Please don’t misunderstand, however – the primary victory for those who need help was secured on the cross when Jesus gave himself to be killed for us. While we must pursue justice, if we only pursue justice and leave out the gospel, we are winning a fleeting victory.

Deuteronomy 10:14-19, “Pursuing Justice: defending the weak” [Listen]

Today is “Sanctity of Life Sunday”. Many set this day aside to focus on the value of human life – we are going to do that. Next Sunday we are going to talk about “racial reconciliation” and our tendency to devalue God when we devalue the image of God through racism and prejudice. While there are many ways to approach these topics, I’d like to look at them through the concept of “justice”.

Deuteronomy 10:14-19 (NIV)

To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless (executes justice for the fathersess-ESV) and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.

The concept of biblical justice, and how I should connect with it, avoided me for many years (I still have a long way to go). I understood justice in a narrow way. I saw God’s call to pursue justice as a call to think about, debate, and vote on issues that connected with law enforcement. It was a national thing for me. As a good Christian I should make sure we put criminals in jail. While putting criminals in jail is important, it is far from a complete discussion of justice.

When the Bible speaks of justice it’s important for us to remember that our form of government didn’t exist 2,000 years ago. People did not think about how they might change the standards of their country’s judicial system through electoral voting – it didn’t work that way. This was not the frame of reference for the prophets or for Jesus.

Since life’s highest standards are derived from the character of God, what is right and  what is just flows from God. God’s will and those activities that result from God’s will is what is right, what is just. To fight against whatever moves against God’s will is is to pursue justice. Disease, poverty, hunger, racism and bigotry is a form of injustice. When you fight against these things you are pursuing justice.

Micah 6:8 (NIV)

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Jeremiah 22:3 (NIV)

This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

Isaiah 1:17 (ESV)

…learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

Christians have often been less than God-honering as it relates to pursuing justice. It is common for those who would follow God to be intimidated or captured by the sinful designs of the culture they live in. We just don’t want to stand alone or give our lives for the Kingdom.

Slavery is an example of this. For years Christians accommodated slavery. They were enslaved by a culture that cares nothing for God. To stand in the face of this cultural, economic Goliath and say, “This must stop!”, was dangerous.

Today most cannot imagine owning slaves. We think, “If I was there 200 years ago I would have stood up to Goliath”. Really?

Abortion is somewhat like this. Abortion is a topic that, in this culture, can polarize any conversation and be dangerous to take a stand on.

Justice, for the Christian, is not only/primarily a political vote. It is something we must pursue and live for because it reflects the heart of God!  We are called to move against those things that move against God’s design for us.

The cancer of sin that flows through the veins of this world produces death all around us. To fight against this is to pursue justice. Slavery still exists throughout the world – sexual slavery, ethnic slavery, racial slavery, economic slavery – to fight against this is to pursue justice. When you fight for those that are disadvantaged – the orphans, the widows, those with no homes – you are pursuing justice. When you speak for those who cannot speak for themselves you are pursuing justice.

Amos 5:21-24 (NIV)

“I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grainofferings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like an ever-failing stream!“

As we embrace Jesus as our savior and king and treasure, we are called to fight for justice. I am not calling us to political action this morning. Political action is, at best, a small and partial answer. We must come along side those in trouble and help them. We must give ourselves to the cause – not just our vote and money. (see Luke 10:25-37)